View from The Hill: Michael McCormack fails leadership test in handling of Broad scandal
It took disgraced Nationals MP Andrew Broad 24 hours after the “sugar baby” story broke to announce the inevitable - that he won’t recontest his Victorian seat of Mallee. They do thi...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tanya Plibersek on a united Labor
The Labor party has emerged from its three day national conference in Adelaide looking united and projecting itself as “ready to govern”.Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek told The Conver...
Poll wrap: Labor widens lead in Ipsos; US Democrats gained 40 House seats at midterms
As the year come to an end, all the polls are giving a significant two-party preferred lead to the federal Labor Party.AAP/Lukas CochThis week’s Fairfax Ipsos poll, conducted December 12-15 from...
Labor's housing pledge is welcome, but direct investment in social housing would improve it
Despite recent falls in the housing market, housing costs and indebtedness bite deeply into household budgets, especially at Christmas time. Just over 433,000 households confront housing stress and ho...
Tidelands struggles to stay afloat in its first series
Elsa Pataky and Marco Pigossi in Tidelands (2018)IMDbReview: Tidelands, NetflixThe first original Netflix series filmed in Australia, Tidelands, is a speculative story about half-human/half-siren bein...
Rudd says Murdoch media is a political party
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has used an address to the Labor national conference to deliver a fresh swingeing attack on the Murdoch media, declaring “it is not a news organisation, it is a ...
We finally have the rulebook for the Paris Agreement, but global climate action is still inadequate
Three years after the Paris Agreement was struck, we now finally know the rules – or most of them, at least – for its implementation.The Paris Rulebook, agreed at the UN climate summit in ...
New guidelines for responding to cyber attacks don't go far enough
If Australia's electricity grid was targeted by cyber attack the fall out could be severe.ShutterstockDebates about cyber security in Australia over the past few weeks have largely centred around the ...
Boost Fork Lift Truck Safety in 2019
Every single working day, up to five lives are changed in an instant due to accidents involving forklift trucks. You only need to take a look at the statistics to see what a problem it can be. They sh...
LAX Unveils New Terminal 1
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has revamped its Terminal 1 to give it a brand new look and enhance the customer experience. The new terminal was unveiled to a host of guests, including the ...
MYEFO rips A$130 million per year from research funding despite budget surplus
The shockwaves of this cut will be felt for years to come at Australian universities.www.shutterstock.comYesterday morning, the mid-year budget update unveiled research funding cuts of A$328.5 million…
What's your beef? How 'carbon labels' can steer us towards environmentally friendly food choices
Delicious, nutritious... and emissions-intensive.Shutterstock.comWhat did you have for dinner last night? Might you have made a different choice if you had a simple way to compare the environmental im…
We're not as Grinchy as we think: how gift-giving is inspired by beliefs-based altruism
New research shows that when it comes to giving gifts, it really is the thought that counts.Shutterstock’Tis the season for gift-giving and for the scrooges among us to complain about the waste…
Why naming all our mozzies is important for fighting disease
And you can be...Susan. from www.shutterstock.comNotorious for spreading diseases like malaria and Zika virus overseas, mosquitoes contribute to thousands of cases of human disease in Australia each y…
Teleporting and psychedelic mushrooms: a history of St Nicholas, Santa and his helpers
Illustration to verse 1 of the children's poem Old Santeclaus with Much Delight. 1821. Wikimedia, CC BYThere are many sides to the beloved figure of Santa Claus - a giant of pop culture, he also has …
Conform to the social norm: why people follow what other people do
Some people just follow the social norm, whether it's right or not.Shutterstock/LENAIKAWhy do people tend to do what others do, prefer what others prefer, and choose what others choose?Our study, publ…
We need to talk about the actual threats to academic freedom on Australian campuses
We need to have a more nuanced discussion about threats to academic freedom – not just a heavily polarised debate based on a poorly constructed audit.www.shutterstock.comLast week, the Institute…
National Andrew Broad forced to quit frontbench amid 'sugar baby' allegation
Victorian Nationals MP Andrew Broad has been forced to quit as assistant minster to Deputy Michael McCormack after extraordinary claims about his exchanges with a young woman he met through a “s…
More mirage than good management, MYEFO fails to hit its own targets
The Morrison government wants next year’s election to be about economic management.So understandably, it’s using the improved bottom line in the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO…
Curious Kids: how do people know what the weather will be?
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, weir…
Shorten pledges $500 million for UNHCR in border protection policy
Bill Shorten has promised Labor will commit $500 million over five years to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a policy designed simultaneously to reassure voters and satisfy the par…
Morrison's decision to recognise West Jerusalem the latest bad move in a mess of his own making
Scott Morrison's announcement that Australia would recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has cause a negative reaction not only from the Muslim world, but from Israel itself.AAP/Mick Tsi…
MYEFO reveals billions more in revenue, $9 billion in fresh election tax cuts
Higher-than-expected company tax revenue and lower-than-expected spending have boosted the budget’s bottom line by A$15 billion over next four years, allowing it to forecast cumulative surpluses…
Having a second child worsens parents' mental health: new research
While the first child improves parents' mental health, a second child does not.ShutterstockChildren are a wonderful gift, bringing joy, laughter, and love. But, then there are the toys, the sleepless …
Home alone: how to keep your kids safe (and out of trouble) when you’re at work these holidays
If your child is staying home or allowed to go out without supervision while on school holidays, it's a good idea to set some ground rules for their safety.ShutterstockMany working parents battle with…
How to have yourself a plastic-free Christmas
Paper not plastic.Adina Habich/Shutterstock.comResearch shows that waste can double during the Christmas period, and most of it is plastic from gift wrapping and packaging. The British, for example, g…
Children's health hit for six as industry fails to regulate alcohol ads
Alcohol ads can be broadcast during sports on weekends and public holidays. from shutterstock.comAustralia is kicking off another summer of cricket. And if watching the series is a family affair, you …
The great movie scenes: Back to the Future
Still from Back to the Future, 1985.What makes a film a classic? In this video series, film scholar Bruce Isaacs looks at a classic film and analyses its brilliance.Back to the Future (1985) Rea…