• Ukraine

    Can treaties end the war in Ukraine?


    Open Forum |  October 26, 2024


    A peace treaty ending Russia’s disastrous war against Ukraine will be hard to draft because Russia has never declared war, despite waging more than a decade of aggression against its democratic, western-leaning neighbour.


  • Society

    The biggest game in town


    Open Forum |  October 26, 2024


    The global health impact of commercial gambling is worse than previously understood and stronger regulatory controls are needed, according to a new Lancet Public Health Commission report.


  • America

    Battleground USA


    Emma Shortis |  October 26, 2024


    The upcoming American Presidential election will be fought and won in the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina.


Latest Story

  • Filtering out the NBN

    Gary Looney     |      April 12, 2009

    You would not be alone if agreeing to some extent with many views given on filtering.

  • A War on Charity

    John.Humphreys     |      April 8, 2009

    Proposed new rules will likely lead to a less efficient and effective allocation of philanthropy.

    Having launched wars on unemployment, drugs, inflation, whalers, disadvantage, downloads, pokies, doping in sport, bankers salaries, greed, neo-liberalism and most other things… Kevin Rudd is looking to extend his targets to include charity.

    Rudd’s war on charity is a strange one. The government’s plan is to over-regulate charitable funds (called "Prescribed Private Funds" or PPFs) and require them to distribute 15% of their assets every year. This will lead many PPFs to close down and it will deter people from setting them up in the first place.

  • Connecting Social Innovators

    msweeks@cisco.com     |      April 7, 2009

    ASIX is creating a network of networks to help Australian social innovators communicate and collaborate.

    What do The Big Issue, GAP, Open Universities Australia, NSW Rural Fire Service, and Work Ventures all have in common? They are all examples of social innovation.

  • Uncategorised

    Open Forum’s new feature

    editor     |      April 4, 2009

    As part of ongoing site improvements, we now have a Comment Alert System. Update your user profile to receive email notifications when somebody responds to one of your blogs or comments.

  • We Can All Fund Quality Journalism

    sally.rose     |      April 4, 2009

    Buyers beware, lest by the time we’re sick of bingeing on trash the alternatives are scarce.  

    Are Australian newspapers dying? If so, are they taking quality journalism down with them? Does it matter? Are government subsidies or philanthropy the answer?

    Nutritionists draw a food pyramid to illustrate a balanced diet. We all know what our ideal diet should look like. Yet our society has an obesity epidemic because as a mass we swallow too much cheap, convenient, seductively marketed junk. It’s bad for our health and it makes it difficult for smaller producers of quality healthy food to survive.

    Our consumption of media is much the same.  When we prefer to read about a reality TV star over the results of a parliamentary inquiry, we choose to finance a particular type of media product. Even when we are consuming it for free, we are part of the financial transaction.

  • Advocating a Financial Markets Risk Index

    patrickcallioni     |      April 3, 2009

    We need to adopt a standards based approach to regulating our financial markets.

  • Are quality newspapers disappearing – and if they are, does it matter?

    MikeM     |      April 2, 2009

    It is a disturbing prospect, but prognosis may not be as bad as it seems.

  • Online Networking for Business Value

    iggypintado     |      April 2, 2009

    Don’t waste time online, plan to make the most of your connections.  

    By now, you’ve either been invited, have signed up or are passively or actively using an online networking site such as Linkedin or even Facebook. Like many people, you’re wondering how to benefit from spending time on these online tools beyond finding former colleagues, posting comments and occasionally seeing what the kids are up to.

    The main benefit of participating in online networking is that you gain access to communities which were traditionally closed to you. Social media sites create interconnected webs of individuals, meaning that millions of people of relevance are now just a few clicks away from receiving an electronic message from anyone within the network; possibly you.

    As an avid and active user of online networking, I’ve developed some guidance for professionals to get the most out of the experience. Here are the 4 Ps according to Iggy!   

  • Crisis Needn’t Spell Disaster

    Peter Fritz     |      April 1, 2009

    Losing your job can precipitate a personal crisis, but it is possible to turn it into a career opportunity.  

    In the months since November ‘08 many international companies have downsized their Australian offices, typically to consolidate their local operations with larger Asian headquarters. As a result of this trend I personally know of a number of excellent people who now find themselves in the unexpected situation of looking for work.

    Australian subsidiaries of these multinational corporations are loosing their best senior executives, and when the business climate improves, their local experience will be sorely missed. It’s uncertain how many of them will still be available when that time comes. The best of them will have found better solutions to their problems by then.

  • Uncategorised

    Open Forum in Canberra

    editor     |      April 1, 2009

    Check out our Blogger-in Chief, Sally Rose, presenting at Microsoft Australia's second annual Politics & Technology Forum: Campaigning Online in Parliament House, Canberra, to an audience of 150 parliamentarians, bureaucrats, bloggers and party officials. »»

  • Reversing the Model

    Mark.Croxford     |      March 31, 2009

    Sometimes working backwards is the best way to move ahead. 

  • Sneezing Giants

    patrickcallioni     |      March 29, 2009

    Borders offer little to no protection in an economic crisis, we need a global risk management strategy.