• Russia

    A fly trapped in amber


    Jack Jarmon |  September 13, 2026


    Vladimir Putin’s grand strategy to gain control of Ukraine has degenerated into an inextricable military morass and a vicious cycle of sunk costs. He has entangled Russian society in an endless war that he cannot win and cannot afford to end.


  • Culture

    The castle


    Alexander Howard |  September 13, 2026


    Jon Ronson’s new book explores a generation of men adrift in a world of rapid cultural change and economic disempowerment in which traditional roles have disappeared or been disparaged leaving only madness or despair to fill the void.


  • Society

    A browned off land


    Mark Kenny |  September 13, 2026


    Australian has flat wages growth, stagnant productivity and dwindling purchasing power at the supermarket so is it any wonder that the only things consistently growing are anger, distrust, and a sense that the economy is either broken, or worse – being run for someone else?


Latest Story

  • AI is already taking people’s jobs

    Elise Stephenson     |      August 11, 2026

    After decades of telling young people to enter the knowledge economy, AI is threatening to take every job within it, leaving the traditional physical jobs performed by men the last refuge for gainful employment.

  • Australia’s AI skills push needs a workplace practice layer

    Gleb Tsipursky     |      August 10, 2026

    Australia’s policy debate has quickly moved from whether AI will affect work to how institutions should manage it. Australia needs a workplace practice layer between national AI principles and individual tool use: task-specific training, explicit human handoffs, manager coaching, and outcome measures.

  • Freedom and responsibility

    John Coyne     |      August 10, 2026

    Over time, we’ve allowed the public boundary between peaceful protest, civil disobedience, criminal coercion and terrorism to become increasingly blurred. Restoring that boundary is no longer simply a matter of criminal law; it’s becoming a question of democratic resilience.

  • Modernising Australian space laws

    Tristan Eng     |      August 10, 2026

    Australia cannot build a resilient space sector while its legal framework remains incomplete and fails to keep pace with commercial change.

  • Glassholes

    Milica Stilinovic     |      August 9, 2026

    The falling price and increasing sophistication of ‘smart glasses’ which can record and analyse everything they see raises important questions of privacy for everyone who’s filmed in public without their consent.

  • Trump may drown in his own cesspool

    Bruce Wolpe     |      August 9, 2026

    Trump has tried to bend America’s legal system to his will with flagrant disregard for the proper separation of powers, but despite his ever increasing vindictiveness, he’s facing pushback.

  • The variable costs of overheads

    Anita Manfreda     |      August 9, 2026

    From February 2nd 2027, passengers on Jetstar will only be able to bring one small bag that fits under the seat for free. Anyone wanting to store a bag in the overhead locker will need to pay an additional fee, with prices varying by route. It’s time to use another airline.

  • Avoiding online census scams

    Ritesh Chugh     |      August 8, 2026

    More than 85% of Australians will complete this year’s census online, so here’s how to avoid potential phishing scams by cyber criminals looking to trick you into giving them your identity information instead.

  • The drone age

    John Coyne     |      August 8, 2026

    From Ukraine to the Red Sea, autonomous systems have become ubiquitous across the battlespace, sacrificing themselves to maximise mission effectiveness and so changing the nature of war.

  • Reading the runes

    Jane Adkins     |      August 8, 2026

    AI has proved its worth in seamlessly translating one modern language to another on request, but could it help decipher the lost ancient languages like Etruscan and Minoan Linear?

  • Fixing American politics

    Charles Gueli     |      August 7, 2026

    The United States has repeatedly updated its governing institutions since its inception, and, once the turmoil of the current administration is over, the future effectiveness of American governance will depend on the willingness of policymakers, scholars, and citizens to rethink how the federal system operates and how it might be improved.

  • Delete me

    Dana Lungu     |      August 7, 2026

    Deletion is a common part of modern life. We send files and folders to the recycle bin all the time, and often get rid of unwanted personal accounts. But do you know what really happens when you hit the “delete” button?