Grass trees aren’t a grass (and they’re not trees)
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Patykowski, Plant ecologist, Deakin University Sign up to the Beating Around the Bush newsletter here, and suggest a plant we should cover at batb@theconversation.edu.au. Grass trees (genus Xanthorrhoea) look like they were imagined by Dr Seuss. An unmistakable tuft of wiry, grass-like leaves atop a blackened, […]
Read More →Peter Grimes is a thrilling and moving staging of the great English opera
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Jones, Lecturer in Musical Theatre, Griffith University Review: Peter Grimes, Brisbane Festival Peter Grimes, one of the centrepiece events of this year’s Brisbane Festival, is a remarkable collaboration between the festival, Opera Queensland, Philip Bacon AM, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. […]
Read More →Is it time for Australia to be more open about research involving animals?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tyler Paytas, Research Fellow in Philosophy, Australian Catholic University The use of animals in scientific research is a complex ethical issue, and these studies typically take place behind closed doors. But since 2012, more than 120 of Britain’s universities, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies have signed a […]
Read More →VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on strawberries, Sudmalis, schools, and the au pair affair
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content] Michelle Grattan speaks with University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini about the week in politics. They discuss rushed legislation on strawberry contamination, the Liberals continued women problem with Ann Sudmalis’ announcement she won’t recontest her seat, the government’s […]
Read More →Super. If Labor really wanted to help women in retirement, it would do something else
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Fellow, Grattan Institute When it comes to the gender gap in retirement incomes, symbolism appears to matter more than actually achieving something. Labor’s plan to add super contributions to government-funded parental leave was heralded by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten this week as having a “big […]
Read More →If privacy is increasing for My Health Record data, it should apply to all medical records
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Prictor, Researcher in Law, University of Melbourne In response to the public outcry against the potential for My Health Record data to be shared with police and other government agencies, Health Minister Greg Hunt recently announced moves to change the legislation. The laws underpinning the My […]
Read More →New laws help juries understand why victims of sexual violence struggle to recall their assaults
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cindy Grahame, PhD candidate, University of Newcastle In June, the New South Wales parliament passed new laws to strengthen protection for children from sexual abuse and enact harsher sentences for their abusers. The reformed laws were in response to the recommendations of the final report by the […]
Read More →Three charts on: why Catholic primary school parents can afford to pay more
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Goss, School Education Program Director, Grattan Institute Dan Tehan’s first major action as federal Education Minister was a deal for Catholic and independent schools. From a policy perspective, the pieces were already in place. Tehan’s predecessor, Simon Birmingham, had moved all schools onto a consistent funding […]
Read More →What makes you a man or a woman? Geneticist Jenny Graves explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Graves, Distinguished Professor of Genetics, La Trobe University This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity. Jenny Graves – 2017 recipient of the Prime Minister’s […]
Read More →Quotas are not pretty but they work – Liberal women should insist on them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, ARC DECRA Fellow, Australian National University It is an historic moment for Liberal Party women. Individual complaints of sexist bullying invariably end with the lone complainant being isolated and getting crunched. But since the Liberal leadership spill, several women have spoken out and two MPs, […]
Read More →Planned trade deal with Europe could keep medicine prices too high
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Townsend, Research Fellow, NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University The United States’ withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership and the recent US-China tariff wars have flamed concerns that international trade is […]
Read More →The backflip over Sydney’s marine park is a defiance of science
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Booth, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Technology Sydney The New South Wales government’s decision to back away from establishing no-fishing zones in waters around Sydney leaves significant question marks over the plan, which is open for public consultation until September 27. Fisheries Minister Niall Blair […]
Read More →Can e-scooters solve the ‘last mile’ problem? They’ll need to avoid the fate of dockless bikes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neil Sipe, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, The University of Queensland As urban planners, we have not been good at integrating land uses, such as homes, shops and offices, with our transport infrastructure. Thus many people find the nearest train or bus stop is too far […]
Read More →Vital signs: the GFC and me. Ten years on, what have we learned?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics and PLuS Alliance Fellow, UNSW A little more than a decade on from the the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the largest bankruptcy in history, many of the world’s advanced economies are only now beginning to recover fully. I was on the faculty […]
Read More →Curious Kids: Why does English have so many different spelling rules?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions they’d like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome – serious, weird or wacky! You might also like the […]
Read More →Grattan on Friday: Morrison aims to make agility his prime ministerial trademark
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Strawberries and hay have provided unlikely lenses for an insight into how Scott Morrison will conduct his prime ministership from now to the election. The needles-in-the-berries contamination has been alarming for consumers and devastating for the industry. Anyone involved deserves […]
Read More →Aboriginal people lived in Australia’s desert interior 50,000 years ago, earlier than first thought
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo McDonald, Director, Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, University of Western Australia New evidence shows that people have lived inland in Western Australia for more than 50,000 years. That’s 10,000 years earlier than previously known for Australian deserts. The finding comes from archaeological work performed […]
Read More →Desal plants might do less damage to marine environments than we thought
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graeme Clark, Senior Research Associate in Ecology, UNSW Millions of people all over the world rely on desalinated water. Closer to home, Australia has desalination plants in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, the Gold Coast, and many remote and regional locations. But despite the growing size and number of […]
Read More →The kīngitanga movement: 160 years of Māori monarchy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Belgrave, Professor History, Massey University The current Māori king, Te Arikinui Kiingi Tūheitia, in 2012.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-ND New Zealand’s Māori king, Te Arikinui Kiingi Tūheitia, recently celebrated 160 years since the installation of the first Māori monarch, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, at Ngāruawāhia on the Waikato […]
Read More →En Masse is an arresting fusion of circus, dance and classical music
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Jones, Lecturer in Musical Theatre, Griffith University Review: En Masse, Brisbane Festival According to their artistic director, Yaron Lifschitz, Circa’s En Masse “speaks of fresh starts and old endings, of violence and tenderness, of groups and individuals, of destruction and abundant hope”. This world premiere, as […]
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