• Society

    How green was my advertising?


    Christine Parker |  December 4, 2023


    A study of more than 8,000 ads served more than 20,000 times in people’s Facebook feeds found that many green claims are vague, meaningless or unsubstantiated and that consumers are potentially being deceived.


  • Artificial Intelligence

    Our bionic future


    Open Forum |  December 4, 2023


    It might seem like something out of Star Trek, but people controlling so-called ‘smartbrains’ with their own thoughts could happen sooner than you think.


  • Society

    The way of the prokopton


    Sandra Woien |  December 3, 2023


    The Stoics of Greece and Rome believed the practice of virtue is the key to a well-lived life and, at a time of existential threat, internal angst and modern anxiety, this ancient philosophy is enjoying a comeback, particularly among men alienated by political correctness but repelled by thug culture.


Latest Story

  • A great day for privacy: genuine privacy respecting, user centric Identity Management has hit the mainstream

    Malcolm Crompton     |      March 6, 2008

    The bar for acceptable ID management has just been suddenly raised.

  • Uncategorised

    Wai, Kulila-ya!

    Douglascomms     |      March 4, 2008

    Now that we’ve said sorry, what can white Australia do to make up for our black history?

    Like millions of Australians I listened, somewhat tearfully, to Kevin Rudd’s apology to the indigenous custodians of Australia. At long last the Australian government was doing something of which I could be proud.  But the elation was short lived.

    By the afternoon I was again overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges faced by the indigenous people of this nation.  

    And the phrase playing on my mind wasn’t "sorry", rather it was the Pitjantjatjara phrase Ngapartji Ngapartji.

    Earlier on in the year I was fortunate enough to see a play by the same name presented at the Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney, and created by the amazing team at Big hART. The play was an incredible ride, and the notion of Ngapartji Ngapartji has been rattling around in my head ever since.

  • Uncategorised

    Lost generations

    Warren Reed     |      March 3, 2008

    At least a million Australias are overseas at any time, of which at least three-quarters reside on a permanent or long-term basis. Some represent Australian interests, but most don’t …

    One of Australia’s greatest achievements has taken place in Asia where much of this country’s destiny lies. And no, it’s not in the sporting arena. If it had been, it wouldn’t go unheralded.

    The story began in the 1970s when the first wave of young Australians shunned the usual option of gaining experience in the United States or Britain and started heading to Japan and the rest of Asia to study and work. The Japanese economy had taken off and trade with Australia was burgeoning.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Question & Answer with Tony Abbott

    olgabodrova     |      March 3, 2008

    In an effort to facilitate a higher level of consultation between our community and decision makers, we are planning a number of "Question & Answer" sessions with Australia's key thought leaders. Our first guest is The Hon. Tony Abbott MHR, former Federal Minister for Health and Ageing. Here are his thoughts on the national health care reform, hospital crisis, electronic health records, community consultation, and more.

  • Uncategorised

    OPEN FORUM REPORT: “Innovation Attitudes in Australia” Survey Results Published

    editor     |      March 2, 2008

    The Open Forum survey on innovation attitudes in Australia has revealed Australians believe the nation is in urgent need of a co-ordinated national policy on innovation. The survey, motivated by the recent national inquiry into the National Innovation Agenda proposal by the Victorian Government, has found 74% percent of the respondents also believe the Federal Government should establish an innovation portfolio to coordinate innovation activities across sectors and institutions.

  • Uncategorised

    BEST CONTRIBUTION AWARD: Lenovo’s notebook winner announced!

    editor     |      March 1, 2008

    Lenovo ThinkPadWe are pleased to announce Nick Mallory as the lucky winner of our "Best Contribution to Open Forum" Award. He has won a ThinkPad R61 from our sponsor Lenovo – congratulations, Nick! Thankyou to everyone who participated and contributed their ideas to the site. Our competitions for the Best Contribution and Best Participation awards will continue, so stay tuned for more great incentives!  

  • Uncategorised

    Freedom of bad news, or freedom from bad news?

    tamaraplakalo     |      February 27, 2008

    Can reporting too much of the bad stuff actually create more bad stuff? 

    People buy perceptions. Malcolm Gladwell did a great job of illustrating this in his book Tipping Point when he described the role of graffiti cleaning action in combating the crime wave in New York back in the 1980s. It was, by all accounts, a matter of focusing on perceptions that the NYC chose as the way of creating a feeling of more security and crime-rate reduction in what was becoming an unlivable city, full of fearful residents.

  • Uncategorised

    What about Dad?

    Douglascomms     |      February 26, 2008

    Paid maternity leave misses the point!

  • Uncategorised

    We’re governing the life out of innovative organisations

    StephenWilson     |      February 14, 2008

    If we’re going to cultivate innovation, originality and creativity, then we need less governance, not more.

    What on earth are managers up to these days? Here I write of the rise and rise of robotic, one dimensional, management-by-formula, and question if it is throttling innovation.

    In linguistics, there is a rhetorical fondness of the imaginary “Martian Linguist” who, according to Chomskian thinking, on a visit to Earth would deduce from the evidence that all humans speak the one language, with only minor local variants. Well, I’m thinking that if management theorists from Mars were to watch the goings on at most board rooms today, they could be forgiven for thinking that all human enterprises are actually engaged in the same activity – compliance!

  • Uncategorised

    Contemporary democracy and the shift in power from bureaucracy to business and individuals

    Peter Fritz     |      February 12, 2008

    A World Economic Forum report predicts multinational corporations and individuals will exercise more power than governments by 2030…

  • Uncategorised

    Ten Common ‘Mistakes’ to Avoid, and ‘Needs’ to Meet, when Seeking to Create a Better World

    Stuart Hill     |      February 11, 2008


    Some thoughts on Kevin Rudd’s ‘1,000 Great Minds’ initiative (Australia 2020 Summit) and what might need to happen to improve its chances of success

    Because of the holistic nature of the approach being advocated, all of these areas overlap and are highly interactive and interrelated.

    1. Getting the usual ‘experts’ together, to then plan for a better future. This always leads to tinkering with existing (flawed) plans, and excludes those most affected by such plans.

  • Uncategorised

    To smack or not to smack: Is that really the question?

    alison gordon     |      February 7, 2008

    The act of smacking children has evolved over the past few years into a debate over whether it's an essential and effective form of discipline, or simply a less obvious form of physical and psychological abuse.