Grass trees aren't a grass (and they're not trees)
Xanthorrhoea have no real trunk – just tightly packed leaves. CC BY-SASign up to the Beating Around the Bush newsletter here, and suggest a plant we should cover at batb@theconversation.edu.au.G...
Peter Grimes is a thrilling and moving staging of the great English opera
Stuart Skelton in the title role of Peter Grimes.Brisbane FestivalReview: Peter Grimes, Brisbane FestivalPeter Grimes, one of the centrepiece events of this year’s Brisbane Festival, is a remark...
Super. If Labor really wanted to help women in retirement, it would do something else
Labor's plan to pay super to women on paid parental leave would barely boost their retirement incomes.ShutterstockWhen it comes to the gender gap in retirement incomes, symbolism appears to matter mor...
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on strawberries, Sudmalis, schools, and the au pair affair
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 pro...
Is it time for Australia to be more open about research involving animals?
Most people never have the chance to see how animals live in laboratories.from www.shutterstock.com The use of animals in scientific research is a complex ethical issue, and these studies typically ta...
If privacy is increasing for My Health Record data, it should apply to all medical records
Everyone was up in arms about a lack of privacy with My Health Records, but the privacy is the same for other types of patient data. from www.shutterstock.comIn response to the public outcry against t...
New laws help juries understand why victims of sexual violence struggle to recall their assaults
Prosecution rates of sexual assault cases remain low, with fewer than 50% of cases brought to court in NSW resulting in conviction.ShutterstockIn June, the New South Wales parliament passed new laws t...
Three charts on: why Catholic primary school parents can afford to pay more
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 predecess...
Curious Kids: Why does English have so many different spelling rules?
More spelling problems came in when French scribes introduced new spelling conventions — their own of course, and not always helpful.Shutterstock, CC BYThis is an article from Curious Kids, a se...
Quotas are not pretty but they work – Liberal women should insist on them
Liberal women such as those in the Morrison ministry, pictured here, should organise to achieve structural change - the only kind that ever sticks.AAP/Lukas CochIt is an historic moment for Liberal Pa...
What makes you a man or a woman? Geneticist Jenny Graves explains
It's just a tiny part of the Y chromosome that kickstarts the development of testes. Kelly Searle/UnsplashThis article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key id…
Friday essay: what do we want to be when we grow up?
Government MPs raise their hands in response to a question from Scott Morrison: our PM emulates a Pentecostal preacher, engaging in the call and response that features in that tradition.Mick Tsikas/AA…
Vital signs: the GFC and me. Ten years on, what have we learned?
Wayne Swan and Kevin Rudd spent big and spent bold, and it almost certainly kept us out of recession.A little more than a decade on from the the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the largest bankruptcy in …
Can e-scooters solve the 'last mile' problem? They'll need to avoid the fate of dockless bikes
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 t…
The backflip over Sydney's marine park is a defiance of science
Sydney's iconic beaches are not yet part of a marine park.John TurnbullThe New South Wales government’s decision to back away from establishing no-fishing zones in waters around Sydney leaves si…
Planned trade deal with Europe could keep medicine prices too high
Extending pharmaceutical monopolies would substantially increase costs for taxpayers.ShutterstockThe United States’ withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership and the recent US-China tariff w…
Grattan on Friday: Morrison aims to make agility his prime ministerial trademark
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…
Aboriginal people lived in Australia's desert interior 50,000 years ago, earlier than first thought
Karnatukul during excavation in 2014, note the square holes dug below the rock walls..Peter Veth, Author providedNew evidence shows that people have lived inland in Western Australia for more than 50…
Desal plants might do less damage to marine environments than we thought
Some sea creatures are displaced by the desalination plant, but others actually grow.SuppliedMillions of people all over the world rely on desalinated water. Closer to home, Australia has desalination…
En Masse is an arresting fusion of circus, dance and classical music
Performers in En Masse. Brisbane FestivalReview: En Masse, Brisbane FestivalAccording to their artistic director, Yaron Lifschitz, Circa’s En Masse “speaks of fresh starts and old endings…
The kīngitanga movement: 160 years of Māori monarchy
A traditional haka held during the week-long coronation ceremony for the Māori king.Xavier La Canna/AAP, CC BY-NDThe current Māori king, Te Arikinui Kiingi Tūheitia, in 2012.Wikimedia C…
Government unfurls $4.6 billion private schools package, calming Catholic critics
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has unveiled a package of $4.6 billion over a decade for non-government schools.AAP/Mick TsikasThe Morrison government has unveiled a package of $4.6 billion over a decad…
We won't fix female super until we fix female pay, but Labor's ideas are a start
Women are disadvantaged when it comes to super, because women are disadvantaged when it comes to pay.ShutterstockWomen retire with embarrassingly little super compared to men.In 2015-16 the typical (m…
We've had 20 aged care reviews in 20 years – will the royal commission be any different?
Previous reviews into aged care have come up with findings sure to be repeated in the royal commission.rawpixel unsplashPrime Minister Scott Morrison’s Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality an…
How the law failed three children and their families in the Bowraville murder case
Protestors rally in Sydney after a court rejected a possible retrial bid in the Bowraville murder case. Dan Himbrechts/AAPLast week, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal added another chapter to a decades…
Curious Kids and Imagine This: two neat ways to get young minds thinking this school holiday season
Imagine This is a co-production between ABC KIDS listen and The Conversation, based on The Conversation's Curious Kids article series. Season two has launched!Mum, why do we get the hiccups? Dad, why …
Media power: why the full story of Murdoch, Stokes and the Liberal leadership spill needs to be told
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is notorious for meddling in politics.AAP/Dan HimbrechtsThe first German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, said there were two sights the public should not see: the making of l…
The off-topic Conversation #168
Welcome to The Conversation’s off-topic space. We’ve set this up as the place where you can discuss anything that isn’t related to a specific article. Please feel free to use this sp…