Semicolons are becoming increasingly rare; their disappearance should be resisted

| Insights & Views

Tung Cheung/Shutterstock A recent study has found a 50% decline in the use of semicolons over the last two decades. The decline accelerates a longterm trend: In 1781, British literature featured a semicolon roughly every...

Interest rates are coming down. Here’s what homeowners should know about refinancing

| Insights & Views

doublelee/Shutterstock On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the target cash rate by 0.25 percentage points. It now sits at 3.85% the lowest since May 2023. Australias big four banks were all quick to announce...

What’s the obscure Australian online safety standard Elon Musk’s X is trying to dodge in court? An expert explains

| Insights & Views

In its most recent battle with authorities in Australia, X (formerly Twitter) has launched legal action in the Federal Court, seeking an exemption from a new safety standard aimed at preventing the spread of harmful...

A sculpture made from 80 tonnes of sand, Mirrorscape is remarkable – but too much is left unsaid

| Insights & Views

Mirrorscape (detail), 2025, Théo Mercier. Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The first impulse is to kick it. After all,...

Counts in Bradfield and Calwell become clearer, while Jacqui Lambie faces a possible problem in the Tasmanian Senate

| Insights & Views

Counting in several extremely close seats continues, but some results have become clearer. In Liberal-held Bradfield, Teal candidate Nicolette Boele has taken the lead, while the Calwell distribution of preferences...

Why do I procrastinate? And can I do anything about it?

| Insights & Views

Dima Berlin/Shutterstock Can you only start a boring admin task once your house is clean? Do you leave the trickiest emails to the end of the day? Delaying a goal or task usually to do something less important instead is...

NSW is copping rain and flooding while parts of Australia are in drought. What’s going on?

| Insights & Views

Emergency crews were scrambling to rescue residents trapped by floodwaters on Wednesday as heavy rain pummelled the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. In some areas, more than 200 mm of rain has fallen in 24 hours. At the...