National cabinet to meet on violence against women, with Albanese saying everyone ‘must do better’
Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across the country, as community anger...
We’re all feeling the collective grief and trauma of violence against women – but this is the progress we have made so far
It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s violence in recent weeks. A spate of...
Species living closely together in symbiosis is far older and way more common than you might think
Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/ShutterstockOnce known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate relationship of different species living together. It’s much more common and older than many of...
What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?
Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock“Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 Australian children and young people live with currently untreatable childhood dementia. Broadly speaking, childhood dementia is caused by any one of...
Jobseekers get about $345 less than pensioners each fortnight. This gap is hurting, and is set to widen without change
The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: non-binding advice on boosting economic inclusion and tackling disadvantage...
Why the potential for another Donald Trump presidency is making Iran very nervous
There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Israel-Palestinian conflict and China. But there’s one more country closely watching the...
Labor facing heavy defeat in Queensland, but faring better in federal polls
The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample of 1,092 people, gave the Liberal National Party a 56–44% lead over Labor, a four-point gain for...
Does fighting inflation always lead to recession? What 60 years of NZ data can tell us
GettyImagesfatido/Getty ImagesThere is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not immune to this issue. Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has...
What do we lose when our old suburbs disappear?
Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry TrinhI live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, double-storey brick homes with Greek columns that aspirational...
We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago
Examples of Australian landscapes.UnsplashSeventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – approximately 65,000 years ago – the first...