Three years after the Jenkins report, there is still work to be done on improving parliament culture

| Insights & Views

Three and a half years ago, then-sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins Set the Standard report was handed to federal parliament, commissioned after Brittany Higgins allegations of sexual assault in Parliament House,...

Police aren’t properly trained for mental health crises – but they’re often the first responders. Here’s what works better

| Insights & Views

In an emergency, police are often the first called to the scene. But they are rarely equipped to deal with complex mental health crises. Following recent parliamentary inquiries and royal commissions there has been a push ...

Australia’s plan to protect its trade in war is flawed. We can’t do it with nuclear submarines

| Insights & Views

If war breaks out someday between the United States and China, one of the major concerns for Australia is the impact on its trade. Our trade routes are long and exposed. Every year, thousands of merchant ships bulk...

With interest rates on the way down, could house prices boom? Here’s what research suggests

| Insights & Views

With the Reserve Bank of Australia easing monetary policy, interest rates are on the way down. Already this year, mortgage pre-approvals had begun to rise, suggesting many aspiring home buyers are excited by the prospect...

Your smartphone is a parasite, according to evolution

| Insights & Views

Head lice, fleas and tapeworms have been humanitys companions throughout our evolutionary history. Yet, the greatest parasite of the modern age is no blood-sucking invertebrate. It is sleek, glass-fronted and addictive by...

Bougainville wants independence. China’s support for a controversial mine could pave the way

| Insights & Views

Bougainville, an autonomous archipelago currently part of Papua New Guinea, is determined to become the worlds newest country. To support this process, its offering foreign investors access to a long-shuttered copper and...

What is populism?

| Insights & Views

In 2017, in the wake of Brexit and Donald Trumps first election win, populism was named the word of the year by Cambridge University Press. Almost a decade later, we might have thought the terms popularity would have...