• Pacific

    Buying friends and influencing people


    Carlo Edward Caiani |  October 6, 2026


    Canberra can’t outspend Beijing in the region, so Australia’s best bet for lasting influence is to hand Pacific partners real control over how aid is designed and delivered.


  • Transport

    How BYD conquered Australia


    Milad Haghani |  October 6, 2026


    Soaring petrol prices have given a boost to electric car sales in Australia and Chinese makers like BYD have reaped full advantage.


  • Artificial Intelligence

    Getting attached to AI


    Pascal Vrticka |  October 6, 2026


    AI chatbots are engineered to ape human engagement to maximise the time which users spend with them, exacerbating the emotional as well as intellectual issues caused by increasing human reliance on AI.


Latest Story

  • Paid Parental Leave for foster and kinship parents

    Kylie Cutting     |      January 19, 2018

    A gap in the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme means that foster and kinship parents are ineligible for payments. Foster carer and PPL advocate Kylie Cutting explains how extending the scheme could leader to better outcomes for vulnerable children.

  • Priorities for space

    Frederick Menk     |      January 18, 2018

    After considered discussions with space science and technology colleagues, Professor Frederick Menk shares his perspective on the purpose of a national space agency and how it can best serve Australia.

  • Opportunity knocks for Australian MSEs in Asia

    Valentin Henrio     |      January 17, 2018

    The rapidly expanding Asian economy offers unprecedented opportunity for Australia’s mid-sized enterprises. Valentin Henrio considers the possibilities.

  • New mandatory data breach notification laws: What do you need to know?

    Sophie Dawson     |      January 15, 2018

    New Australian and European Union data breach notification laws in 2018 should encourage firms to protect against leaks and help them respond quickly and effectively if breaches do occur. Sophie Dawson, expert on privacy, surveillance, and communication law reviews.

  • Space, a uniquely Australian opportunity

    Martin Duursma     |      January 12, 2018

    Martin Duursma, a partner at Main Sequence Ventures (The CSIRO Innovation Fund) suggests that 2018 will be the year that the Australian space ecosystem kicks into high gear.

  • Australia looks to the stars for new industries

    Flavia Tata Nardini     |      January 10, 2018

    Australia is undergoing a huge transformation in its space industry. Co-Founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies Flavia Tata Nardini comments on the recent developments.

  • The inexorable rise of the sharing economy in 2018

    Roland Tam     |      January 9, 2018

    The sharing economy shows no signs of slowing down. Roland Tam, co-founder of space sharing marketplace ‘Spacer’, shares his predictions for the sharing economy in 2018.

  • Lessons from the past for a new Australian space agency

    Kerrie Dougherty     |      January 8, 2018

    In light of the government’s national space agency announcement, Kerrie Dougherty reviews Australia’s prior attempts at establishing an agency/space program and the lessons that should be drawn from their failure.

  • Our year in review – 2017

    Emma Johnson     |      December 22, 2017

    Open Forum received some wonderful contributions throughout 2017. Editor Emma Johnson goes through some of the smart, specialised and astute content that keeps Open Forum engaged in a high-quality conversation on the social, political, environmental and cultural issues that matter.

  • Time for a New Space strategy for Defence

    Adam Gilmour     |      December 22, 2017

    Space is opening up commercially and militarily which Adam Gilmour, CEO & Founder of Gilmour Space Technologies, suggests is the perfect time for Australian Defence to look at the capability of home-grown companies for new technologies.

  • GAP in 2017 – a year in review

    Catherine Fritz-Kalish     |      December 21, 2017

    2017 has been a year of celebration for Global Access Partners. Managing Director Catherine Fritz-Kalish reviews a GAP year filled with achievement.

  • Space – the new frontier

    Tara Djokic     |      December 21, 2017

    Life and societies have been shaped by inquisitions into space, shifting our views and indeed our values in an attempt to better understand our world. Tara Djokic from the Australian Centre for Astrobiology discusses the importance of the continued exploration into space.