Record coral cover doesn't necessarily mean the Great Barrier Reef is in good health (despite what you may have heard)

ShutterstockIn what seems like excellent news, coral cover in parts of the Great Barrier Reef is at a record high, according to new data from the Australian Institute of Marine Sci...
Government's climate win, Plibersek says no to coal mine, Albanese moves forward on referendum
University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics.Michelle and Caroline discus...
a short history of neckties in the Australian parliament and at work
The question of what counts as professional dress for Australia’s politicians loomed large again this week. New Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather rose to speak in question time. ...
5 areas where the hard work starts now

Fiona Goodall/Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s first climate adaptation plan, launched his week, provides a robust foundation for urgent nation-wide action. Its goals are utterly co...
what is a 'negative Indian Ocean Dipole' and why does it mean more rain for Australia's east?
The Bureau of Meteorology recently announced a negative Indian Ocean Dipole event is underway. But what does that mean and how does it affect Australia’s weather? Will we get...
Business can no longer ignore extreme heat events – it’s becoming a danger to the bottom line

Getty ImagesWhen record-breaking heatwaves cause train tracks to bend, airport runways to buckle, and roads to melt, as happened in the United Kingdom last month, it is likely that...
'Brain fingerprinting' of adolescents might be able to predict mental health problems down the line

ShutterstockDespite the best efforts of clinicians and researchers for decades, we still do not fully know why some people develop mental disorders and others do not. However, chan...
why a move to outsource lesson planning has NSW teachers hopping mad
This week, teachers in New South Wales learned they were going to get a “helping hand” preparing lessons from the start of term 4. The state’s education…
Why Papua New Guinea urgently needs to elect more women to parliament
Rob Griffith/AAPCounting is still underway following Papua New Guinea’s national elections, and there is still some hope that at least one woman might be elected to…
Friday essay: a slave state
Kanakas on a sugar cane plantation, Queensland c.1890.Public domainIn July 2021, Jack Dempsey, the mayor of Bundaberg, delivered an official apology for Northern Queensla…
what is the apex predator of the world?
ShutterstockWhat is the apex predator of the world? – Mahmood, age 11, BrisbaneHi Mahmood, thanks for this interesting question!Well, what sorts of animals do you t…
How 'bad credit' lender Cigno has dodged ASIC's grasp
ShutterstockCigno is exactly the sort of business the Australian Securities and Investments Commission had in mind when it asked for stronger powers to ban the sale of ha…
New Zealand's plan to eliminate HIV transmission ignores deepening inequities in health outcomes for Māori women
AIDSThe New Zealand government plans to spend NZ$18 million on becoming the first country to eliminate transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) within a dec…
the Edinburgh Festival turns 75, alive and well after two years of pandemic disruption
Getty ImagesAfter two years of pandemic programming, with performers and audiences moved into virtual online venues, the Edinburgh International Festival celebrates its 7…
Australia secures 450,000 new monkeypox vaccines. What are they and who can have them?
Caroline Brehman/EPA/AAPHealth Minister Mark Butler today announced Australia had secured 450,000 doses of a third-generation monkeypox vaccine, 22,000 of which will arri…
Government win on climate legislation leaves opposition looking like a stranded asset
Perhaps not since the marriage equality vote has the passage of a bill in the House of Representatives carried such a combination of substantive and symbolic import as th…
Tips for a Successful Mobile App Launch
Launching a new mobile app is awesome but it can also be stressful. You want to make sure your app is successful and appeals to your target audience. This will take p…
Avoiding a gas shortage is one thing, but what's needed is action on prices
The Albanese government has accepted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s recommendation to “initiate the first step” to trigger the con…