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Labor gains in Redbridge poll of marginal seats and seizes lead in a Morgan poll

Polls have improved for the Labor government ahead of the election - but Victoria still looks like a potential disaster zone for them.

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The Conversation

Adrian Beaumont

Uncertainties, mysteries, doubts: Madeleine Watts takes an elegiac road trip through the American southwest

Elegy, Southwest, by Miles Franklin shortlisted author Madeleine Watts, weaves together the themes of imminent personal and environmental collapse.

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The Conversation

Georgia Phillips

Belle Gibson, teenage lives and trying to find the traitors: what we’re streaming this March

New series from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand dominate this month’s suggestions for what you should stream next.

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The Conversation

Bruce Isaacs

Leakage is a risk with carbon storage projects – NZ’s new framework must be clear on how to deal with this liability

New Zealand’s government will likely model its carbon capture legislation on Australia and the EU, which means operators are responsible for leaks...

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The Conversation

David Dempsey

Alcohol and gambling firms donate to political parties multiple times. And new rules won’t stop them

When it comes to political donations from alcohol and gambling companies, the Australian public is often in the dark, research shows, despite...

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The Conversation

Jennifer Lacy-Nichols

The WA election campaign has been about big promises, but culture wars are inescapable in contemporary politics

The main parties are racking up a long and expensive list of policy promises. And the culture wars cometh.

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The Conversation

Jacob Broom

What can you do if you’ve started uni and you don’t like it?

First year uni can be a lonely experience. It can also see students question whether they have chosen the right path.

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The Conversation

Catherine Stephen

Submarine cables keep the world connected. They can also help us study climate change

A new generation of subsea cables can collect important data about what’s happening in the ocean. So why aren’t more of them already in use?

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The Conversation

Cynthia Mehboob

Microsoft cuts data centre plans and hikes prices in push to make users carry AI costs

Big tech has spent billions developing AI. Now they want you to start paying.

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The Conversation

Kevin Witzenberger

False economies: the evidence shows higher speed limits don’t make financial sense

Documents show the government is going against expert advice and strong economic evidence by insisting higher speed limits will improve productivity.

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The Conversation

Timothy Welch

How to prepare for a cyclone, according to an expert

Talk to your neighbours. Do they have a generator or a camping fridge you can use? This is an opportunity to get to know your community and pool...

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The Conversation

Yetta Gurtner

Australian poetry used to be popular. And it could be again

Interest in Australian poetry has dipped significantly since ‘The Man from Snowy River’. Why is this? And how can we get it back?

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The Conversation

Paul Hetherington

In siding with Russia over Ukraine, Trump is not putting America first. He is hastening its decline

In siding with Russia over Ukraine, Trump is not putting America first. He is hastening its decline

Has any nation squandered its diplomatic capital, plundered its own political system, attacked its partners and supplicated itself before its far...

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The Conversation

Matthew Sussex

Shuttered car factories in Australia could be repurposed to make houses faster and cheaper

Shuttered car factories in Australia could be repurposed to make houses faster and cheaper

Australia is in the grip of a severe housing shortage. Many people are finding it extremely difficult to find a place to live in the face of rising...

friday 20

The Conversation

Ehsan Noroozinejad

Eating disorders don’t just affect teen girls. The risk may go up around pregnancy and menopause too

Eating disorders don’t just affect teen girls. The risk may go up around pregnancy and menopause too

Eating disorders impact more than 1.1 million people in Australia, representing 4.5% of the population. These disorders include binge eating...

friday 6

The Conversation

Gemma Sharp

Farming cooperatives can get a bad environmental rap, but they can also be a force for good

Farming cooperatives can get a bad environmental rap, but they can also be a force for good

It might have surprised some people when the United Nations made 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives and praised the “significant role...

friday 2

The Conversation

Stefan Korber

‘He knows how to make sure that there is no evidence’: when your domestic violence abuser is a police officer

‘He knows how to make sure that there is no evidence’: when your domestic violence abuser is a police officer

People experiencing domestic violence are often urged to report their abuse to police. But what if your abuser is a police officer? Our new...

friday 10

The Conversation

Ellen Reeves

Nangs are popular with young people. But are they aware of the serious harms of nitrous oxide?

Nangs are popular with young people. But are they aware of the serious harms of nitrous oxide?

Nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas or nangs – is cheap, widely available and popular among young people. Yet it often flies under the...

friday 10

The Conversation

Julaine Allan

Australia’s retirement savings are too big to invest at home – here’s why super funds are looking to the US

Australia’s retirement savings are too big to invest at home – here’s why super funds are looking to the US

You might remember Pesto, the king penguin chick who became a star attraction at Melbourne Aquarium last year. Good food, good genes and a safe...

friday 20

The Conversation

Susan Thorp

How ‘muscular Christianity’ strove to bring men back to religion – and what it can teach us today

How ‘muscular Christianity’ strove to bring men back to religion – and what it can teach us today

Most people recognise organisations such as the YMCA and the Boy Scouts, or events such as the Modern Olympic Games, summer camps and wilderness...

friday 4

The Conversation

Gavin Brown

A quantum computing startup says it is already making millions of light-powered chips

A quantum computing startup says it is already making millions of light-powered chips

American quantum computing startup PsiQuantum announced yesterday that it has cracked a significant puzzle on the road to making the technology...

friday 20

The Conversation

Christopher Ferrie

Yes, paper straws suck. Rather than bring back plastic ones, let’s avoid single-use items

Yes, paper straws suck. Rather than bring back plastic ones, let’s avoid single-use items

When US President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to return to plastic straws, claiming the paper version is ineffective and “disgustingly...

friday 4

The Conversation

Bhavna Middha

Political fighting over Chinese warships misses the point: Australia’s navy is no match for China’s built-up force

Political fighting over Chinese warships misses the point: Australia’s navy is no match for China’s built-up force

Over the past few days, the Australian media has been dominated by the activities of the Chinese navy’s Task Group 107 as it has progressed south...

friday 4

The Conversation

Richard Dunley

Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace are under attack. Here’s why they matter more than ever

Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace are under attack. Here’s why they matter more than ever

As International Women’s Day approaches, we must redouble our efforts to champion social justice and the principles of diversity, equity and...

friday 4

The Conversation

Gemma Hamilton

Oscars 2025: who will likely win, who should win, and who barely deserves to be there

Oscars 2025: who will likely win, who should win, and who barely deserves to be there

We’ve probably all had a moment when we stopped taking the Oscars too seriously. For me, it was when Denzel Washington won best actor for Training...

friday 30

The Conversation

Ari Mattes

First Vegas, then the world? Why the NRL is eyeing international markets

First Vegas, then the world? Why the NRL is eyeing international markets

This weekend, Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) continues to trumpet its now annual pilgrimage to open its season in Las Vegas. While it’s...

friday 20

The Conversation

Tim Harcourt

‘Brain vitrification’: new research shows how the Vesuvius eruption turned a man’s brain to glass

‘Brain vitrification’: new research shows how the Vesuvius eruption turned a man’s brain to glass

A young man killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE was likely overcome by a fast-moving cloud of gas at a temperature of more than 500°C...

friday 2

The Conversation

Louise Zarmati

Friday essay: ‘I was unseen, even to myself’ – as many as half of people with anorexia are autistic. Fiona Wright is one of them

Friday essay: ‘I was unseen, even to myself’ – as many as half of people with anorexia are autistic. Fiona Wright is one of them

The final straw, the one that broke this particular camel’s back, was my girlfriend’s receipt of her autism diagnosis over email. She didn’t...

friday 20

The Conversation

Fiona Wright

Trump’s war on climate science is pushing us into a dystopian future

Trump’s war on climate science is pushing us into a dystopian future

US President Donald Trump’s latest war on the climate includes withdrawing support for any research that mentions the word. He has also launched a...

friday 40

The Conversation

Corey J. A. Bradshaw

Albanese’s pitch on beer – temporary freeze on excise indexation

Albanese’s pitch on beer – temporary freeze on excise indexation

The Albanese government will temporarily freeze the indexation on draught beer excise, in what it describes as a win for drinkers, brewers and...

friday 7

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

NZ’s barriers to economic growth: short-term thinking, political concentration and policy flip-flops

NZ’s barriers to economic growth: short-term thinking, political concentration and policy flip-flops

Economic growth took centre stage during Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent State of the Nation speech. Yet in amongst the discussion and...

friday 10

The Conversation

Kate Nicholls

Dutton hints he’ll sack 36,000 public servants. Voters deserve to know what services will be affected

Dutton hints he’ll sack 36,000 public servants. Voters deserve to know what services will be affected

Peter Dutton and his Coalition colleagues have dithered for several weeks on their plans for the Commonwealth public sector. While being upfront...

27.02.2025 6

The Conversation

John Hawkins

Quantum navigation could transform how we travel. So what is it, and how does it work?

Quantum navigation could transform how we travel. So what is it, and how does it work?

Quantum technology is no longer confined to the lab – it’s making its way into our everyday lives. Now, it’s about to transform something even more...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Allison Kealy

Legal aid is a lifeline for vulnerable Australians, but consistent underfunding puts the system at risk

Legal aid is a lifeline for vulnerable Australians, but consistent underfunding puts the system at risk

It’s central to any democracy that citizens receive fair treatment under the law. An important part of this is access to legal advice and...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Natasha Cortis

The atmosphere is getting better at cleaning itself – but that’s not all good news

The atmosphere is getting better at cleaning itself – but that’s not all good news

Imagine for a moment the atmosphere is a kitchen sink. Wildfires, industry emissions, plants and microbes dump their grimy dishes into it in the...

27.02.2025 3

The Conversation

Hinrich Schaefer

DeepSeek is now a global force. But it’s just one player in China’s booming AI industry

DeepSeek is now a global force. But it’s just one player in China’s booming AI industry

When small Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek released a family of extremely efficient and highly competitive AI models last...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Mimi Zou

Politicians are podcasting their way onto phone screens, but the impact may be fleeting

Politicians are podcasting their way onto phone screens, but the impact may be fleeting

Australian podcast listeners have been treated to two appearances by the same guest in the past week: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Yesterday,...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Susan Grantham

What’s the difference between burnout and depression?

What’s the difference between burnout and depression?

If your summer holiday already feels like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion...

27.02.2025 2

The Conversation

Gordon Parker

‘One of the best films I’ve seen’: new Australian prison film Inside is an astonishing debut

‘One of the best films I’ve seen’: new Australian prison film Inside is an astonishing debut

Every so often a film comes along that’s so good that, as we sit in the dark in the cinema, our whole being seems to become charged with...

27.02.2025 30

The Conversation

Ari Mattes

There’s a new ‘rapid review’ into school bullying. Research shows we need to involve the whole school to stop it

There’s a new ‘rapid review’ into school bullying. Research shows we need to involve the whole school to stop it

About one in four students report being regularly bullied in Australian schools. Children who are bullied can feel anxious and excluded, stop...

27.02.2025 20

The Conversation

Fiona Macdonald

Australians can wait at least 258 days for their first psychiatry appointment, our new study shows

Australians can wait at least 258 days for their first psychiatry appointment, our new study shows

Anyone who needs to make their first appointment with a psychiatrist may expect a bit of a wait. Our new research shows Australians are waiting an...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Yuting Zhang

Whales sing when they’ve had a good meal – new research

Whales sing when they’ve had a good meal – new research

Spanning more octaves than a piano, humpback whales sing powerfully into the vast ocean. These songs are beautifully complex, weaving phrases and...

27.02.2025 3

The Conversation

Ted Cheeseman

A middle power with ‘great and powerful friends’: Australia’s changing role in the region

A middle power with ‘great and powerful friends’: Australia’s changing role in the region

Debating Australia’s role in world politics is not always high on the political agenda. Elections here are more often fought on economic issues...

27.02.2025 3

The Conversation

Rebecca Strating

Grattan on Friday: Albanese falls victim to a Chinese burn

Grattan on Friday: Albanese falls victim to a Chinese burn

As the Albanese government struggles to stay on its political feet, who would have thought the China issue would suddenly insert itself into the...

27.02.2025 30

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets

New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets

Climate regulation through carbon storage was worth A$43.2 billion to Australia in 2020-21, according to a report released today which seeks to put...

27.02.2025 5

The Conversation

John Hawkins

Writers and artists are often politically outspoken – but when should we view an opinion or artwork as genuinely harmful?

Writers and artists are often politically outspoken – but when should we view an opinion or artwork as genuinely harmful?

Within public debate around free speech and its limits there has long been a view that artistic expression deserves especially rigorous protection....

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Katharine Gelber

Why does music make us feel things?

Why does music make us feel things?

Imagine a scene from the movie Jaws, with the great white shark closing in on another helpless victim. The iconic semi-tone pattern builds and your...

27.02.2025 20

The Conversation

Katrina Mcferran

Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar has been given the green light. Travellers should be the winners

Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar has been given the green light. Travellers should be the winners

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has given the green light for Qatar Airways to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, as part of a strategic alliance. The...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Chrystal Zhang

Revealed: the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence

Revealed: the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence

The greatest achievements in women’s economic progress in recent decades are potentially being eroded by domestic violence. This is the key finding...

27.02.2025 3

The Conversation

Anne Summers

Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth

Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth

Not so long ago, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was branded “Mr Harbourside Mansion”, a moniker bestowed upon him by his own side...

27.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Rod Campbell