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Partisanship dominates as federal parliament fights over Middle East war
Federal parliament has split on partisan lines over the Middle East crisis, just a day after the anniversary of the Hamas atrocities against Israelis. After discussions between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton failed to reach agreement, the government’s wide-ranging motion passed the House of Representatives with the Coalition voting against it. The Greens abstained from voting. Almost all the crossbench voted with the government, although “teal” MP Allegra Spender said “I wish that we as a parliament could come together and lead unitedly”. The division between Labor and Coalition over the escalating war has increasingly widened over recent months, with Dutton giving...
700 million plastic bottles: we worked out how much microplastic is in Queensland’s Moreton Bay
When it rains heavily, plastic waste is washed off our streets into rivers, flowing out to the ocean. Most plastic is trapped in estuaries and coastal ecosystems, with a small fraction ending up offshore in the high seas. In the coastal ocean, waves and tides break down plastic waste into smaller and smaller bits. These micro and nanoplastics linger in the environment indefinitely, impacting the health of marine creatures from microorganisms all the way up to seabirds and whales, which mistake them for food. When we look at the scale of the problem of microplastics (smaller than 5mm) and nanoplastics...
Australia will protect a vast swathe of the Southern Ocean, but squanders the chance to show global leadership
The Albanese government has today declared stronger protections for the waters around Heard Island and McDonald Islands, one of Australia’s wildest, most remote areas. The marine park surrounding the islands will be extended by 310,000 square kilometres, quadrupling its size. Announcing the decision, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said Heard Island and McDonald Islands – about 4,000 kilometres southwest of Perth – are a “unique and extraordinary part of our planet. We are doing everything we can to protect it.” But the announcement, while welcome, is a missed opportunity on several fronts. Important areas around the islands remain unprotected, despite a wealth of scientific...
What is amortisation, and what does it have to do with Peter Dutton’s nuclear proposal?
This article is part of The Conversation’s “Business Basics” series where we ask experts to discuss key concepts in business, economics and finance. Nuclear power is expensive, but it remains a cornerstone of the Coalition’s plan to get Australia to net-zero emissions. The federal opposition is yet to release its own costings for the proposal. Nonetheless, federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton caused something of a stir when in a recent speech, he said the costs of Australia’s nuclear plants could be “amortised” over their 80-year lifespan. If hearing a word like “amortised” immediately makes your eyes glaze over, you’re probably not...
Productivity is often mistaken for wages. What does it really mean? How does it work?
Australia’s productivity growth has reverted to the same stagnant pattern as before the pandemic, according to the Productivity Commission’s latest quarterly report. Productivity is complex and often misunderstood in media and policy debates. So before we read too much into this latest data, here are six key things to understand about productivity. 1. It’s about quantities, not costs Productivity “measures the rate at which output of goods and services are produced per unit of input”. So it’s about how many workers does it take to make how many widgets? Most Australian workplace managers don’t know how to measure productivity correctly. If someone says “higher wages...
I have a stuffy nose, how can I tell if it’s hay fever, COVID or something else?
Hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis) affects 24% of Australians. Symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose (which may feel blocked or stuffy) and itchy eyes. People can also experience an itchy nose, throat or ears. But COVID is still spreading, and other viruses can cause cold-like symptoms. So how do you know which one you’ve got? Remind me, how does hay fever cause symptoms? Hay fever happens when a person has become “sensitised” to an allergen trigger. This means a person’s body is always primed to react to this trigger. Triggers can include allergens in the air (such as pollen from trees,...
Grave cleaning videos are going viral on TikTok. Are they honouring the dead, or exploiting them?
Cleaning the graves of strangers is the latest content trend taking over TikTok. But as millions tune in to watch the videos, it’s becoming clear not all of them are created equal. Two grave-cleaning creators in particular seem to reside at opposite ends of the trend. One of the first accounts to gain popularity for grave cleaning was @ladytaphos. This account is run by Alicia Williams, a Virginia resident who treats the graves with great dignity. Williams will often share the story of the person residing within, and acts with grace and kindness as she restores beauty to the graves. On the...
An unbroken night’s sleep is a myth. Here’s what good sleep looks like
What do you imagine a good night’s sleep to be? Often when people come into our sleep clinic seeking treatment, they share ideas about healthy sleep. Many think when their head hits the pillow, they should fall into a deep and restorative sleep, and emerge after about eight hours feeling refreshed. They’re in good company – many Australians hold the same belief. In reality, healthy sleep is cyclic across the night, as you move in and out of the different stages of sleep, often waking up several times. Some people remember one or more of these awakenings, others do not. Let’s...
Manawanui sinking: an expert explains why a speedy cleanup will be crucial – and the main challenges ahead
Speed will be of the essence as salvage crews attempt to stop fuel leaking from the sunken New Zealand naval ship off the coast of Samoa. The HMNZS Manawanui ran aground last weekend on a reef about one nautical mile off the south coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populated island. The specialist dive and hydrographic vessel was on its third deployment, conducting a reef survey, when it caught fire and sank. The ship has come to rest at a depth of up to 150 metres, which means it may be relatively undisturbed even during storms. Any hull cracks from the impact should...
Should you need a permit to protest? Here’s why that’s a bad idea (and might be unlawful)
Australians’ ability to protest has again been in the news this week. Against the background of an armed conflict in the Middle East and rallies nationwide, the government has suggested Australia should establish a permit system for all protests. Minister for the NDIS and Government Services Bill Shorten made the suggestion on television this week: how the permit system works is it doesn’t stop people protesting, but the purpose of is to look at the circumstances […] I don’t necessarily think it should apply to industrial relations, but for some of these protests we’ve seen week in, week out, I do...
‘Primal and indifferent’: a puma prowls Tasmania’s forests in Robbie Arnott’s wild eco-Western
Robbie Arnott’s fourth novel, Dusk, opens with a nod to a persistent and almost comical rumour that circulates in Australian folklore: the tale of big cats prowling the bush and forests. While there is little evidence to suggest pumas were ever transported to or held in captivity in Lutrawita/Tasmania, the novel embraces this myth, making the mysterious presence of a puma named Dusk all the more captivating. The novel starts with a rumour, reminiscent of the “mad whale” that opens Arnott’s previous novel Limberlost: Word reached the twins that a puma was taking shepherds up in the highlights. And not just...
I think my child might need a tutor. What do I need to consider first?
School tutoring is a huge business. Australian estimates suggest it was worth more than of A$1.5 billion as of 2021. In Australia, we see frequent media reports of parents using tutors to help their children through school. How can you tell if tutoring is right for your child? What is tutoring? Private tutoring can be take many forms, but involves parents paying for additional lessons outside of schools hours. These are either one-to-one or in small groups. There are services available for students in primary school through to senior high school. Some tutoring services target specific skills, such as literacy or...
Still with the Tony Soprano memes? Young audiences are watching the series with fresh eyes
HBO’s latest crime drama The Penguin came with a flood of memes on TikTok, X and Instagram. They compare actor Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano. It’s true, there are undeniable similarities between the two portrayals and shows. HBO’s official TikTok account went so far as to upload an edit of The Penguin trailer cut to the rhythm of Alabama 3’s Woke Up This Morning – the title theme for The Sopranos. Running for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, The Sopranos is enjoying a sustained cultural relevancy in 2024 – something other prestige dramas of the...
Ocean protection accounts for 10% of fish in the world’s coral reefs – but we could save so much more
Ocean fish populations have fallen dramatically in the past half-century, and climate change is expected to make the problem worse. Governments have designated “marine protected areas”, where where human activity is constrained to protect ocean life. But have these efforts worked? About 8% of Earth’s oceans are protected, including about 3% where fishing is banned altogether. Our new study of nearly 2,600 tropical coral reefs around the world is the first to examine whether these areas have helped fish populations. We found about one in ten kilograms of fish on coral reefs is the result of efforts such as marine protected areas...
People believe lab animals have less mental capacity than other animals, research shows
Many of us care for animals and feel empathy when they suffer. At the same time, many of us also accept their suffering and death when it happens in the name of science. How do people manage this tension? Our latest research shows we do it by pretending lab animals have no inner lives or complex mental capacities. Justified suffering? More than 190 million animals are used in laboratory experiments around the world each year, according to one estimate. These animals undergo experiments we do not want to perform on humans, whose lives are more important to us. Some experiments involve simple things...
Failure to launch: why the Albanese government is in trouble
It wasn’t meant to be like this. In her 2022 study of Anthony Albanese, Katharine Murphy describes a prime minister who thought he’d be successfully managing an idealistic, collaborative and positive “new politics” that would favour the Teal independents rather than Dutton’s Liberals. Albanese seemed confident that Labor was destined for an extended period in office. Given he later appointed Murphy to his communications team, he apparently approved of her analysis. However, even at the time Murphy’s Lone Wolf: Albanese and the New Politics was published, various commentators, including myself, queried the “new politics” scenario. While the Teals may...
One of science’s greatest achievements: how the rapid development of COVID vaccines prepares us for future pandemics
Since COVID was first reported in December 2019, there have been more than 775 million recorded infections and more than 7 million deaths from the disease. This makes COVID the seventh-deadliest pandemic in recorded history. Factors including climate change, disruption of animal habitats, poverty and global travel mean we’re only likely to see more pandemics in the future. It’s impossible to predict exactly when the next pandemic will happen, or what it will be. But experts around the world are working to prepare for this inevitable “disease X”. One of the cornerstones of being prepared for the next pandemic is being in...
Too good to be true? New study shows people reject freebies and cheap deals for fear of hidden costs
If you’re offered a free cookie, you might say yes. But if you’re paid to eat a free cookie, would your response be the same? In our new research, twice as many people were willing to eat a cookie when they weren’t offered payment compared with when they were. From a purely economic perspective, our findings reflect irrational decision making. Objectively, a cookie plus money is better than just a cookie. But people aren’t purely economic. They’re social animals with a tendency to look for hidden reasons behind other people’s behaviours. In the case of overly generous deals, people are expecting...
View From The Hill: Fatima Payman promises PM ‘a full body contact competition’
When Senator Fatima Payman quit Labor over Gaza, she not only delivered a blow to the government, she also got under Anthony Albanese’s skin. So he’s refused to give the now crossbencher as many staff as, for example, fellow independent senator David Pocock, from the ACT. With Payman readying to unveil her own political party this week, Albanese on Monday told the Australian Financial Review she should “test democratic support for her actions by contesting the next election herself” under her party’s banner. Payman, from Western Australia, who doesn’t have to face the voters until the election after next,...
SBS’s Four Years Later is an immigrant love story that pushes the boundaries of onscreen representation
SBS’s new romantic drama Four Years Later comes in the middle of an eventful week for cultural diversity in the Australian media. On one hand, there was a scathing review that revealed systemic racism across the ABC. On the other, there was the release of Media Diversity Australia’s Race Reporting Toolkit, intended to give journalists tools to report without resorting to racial stereotyping. Four Years Later, an eight-part series commissioned by Screen Australia and SBS, epitomises the tension of making and watching racialised media in the current climate. The series follows an Indian couple, Sri (Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit...
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