Latest Story
-
The mental toll of NAPLAN
Megan Bonetti | March 20, 2026NAPLAN is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and is the only nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake but its impact on those children is often underappreciated and could be mediated to reduce the mental toll.
-
The quiet frontline
Yenny Vandalita | March 20, 2026The current war in the middle east is already affecting Australian fuel supplies, increasing a general sense of social and individual anxiety, but some simple steps can help people keep things in perspective.
-
A vaccine for Alzheimer’s?
Bella Smith | March 20, 2026A routine shot in people’s 40s or 50s might one day prevent the “protein rust” of Alzheimer’s from ever taking hold.
-
Pot, kettle, black
Ridoan Karim | March 19, 2026After stealing the entirety of human creativity without permission or recompense to train their models, AI companies are now complaining that other companies are stealing intellectual property from them, so what are their legal arguments?
-
The Iran war in context
Abraham Alvandi | March 19, 2026At the early stages of many conflicts, there is often hope that the crisis can be contained quickly. However, conflicts such as the Iraq War, the Syrian Civil War, and the Yemeni Civil War illustrate how confrontations initially perceived as limited can expand as regional and international actors become involved.
-
Revitalising innovation
Roy Green | March 19, 2026Australia’s research and innovation system is “broken” and needs “bold reform”, according to a major new independent report released on Tuesday.
-
The dire state of global democracy
Robert Finkeldey | March 18, 2026The collapse of Soviet communism seemed to herald a new age of democracy across the world, but a global resurgence in authoritarianism means democracy is at its lowest ebb around the planet since 1978.
-
Slave to the algorithm
Guy Morrow | March 18, 2026Most people stream rather than buy music today, but the recommendation algorithm used by services such as Spotify tend to promote more of the same to maximise engagement, making it difficult for new acts or non-mainstream music to break through.
-
The illusion of competence
Jason Lodge | March 18, 202680% of Australian undergraduates are using AI to do their work and complete their assessments, negating the need for actual learning and eroding their ability to think for themselves.
-
What’s the point of trying any more?
Uri Gal | March 17, 2026Companies such as Atlassian, Block and Amazon are sacking thousands of employees in their rush to embrace AI, and while other factors are also at play, young people are right to worry about their future.
-
Sea power means more than just ships
Sean Andrews | March 17, 2026The conflict in the Middle East and threats to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed oil prices sharply higher and proved that Australia’s prosperity depends on sea lanes it does little to secure.
-
Revamping regional universities
Anna Alexander | March 17, 2026Education policy makers must question whether the governance model applied across Australian higher education is aligned with the realities of thin regional markets.
