1980s Berlin comes to life in Welcome the Bright World's quest for 'truth'

By Lisa Harper Campbell

Review: Welcome the Bright World, Adelaide. Performance group House of Sand, in collaboration with the State Theatre Company of South Australia, has mounted an ambitious production of Stephen Sewells work, Welcome the...

Public schools losing out in political power plays

By Emma Rowe

Last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a significant funding boost for private schools. The federal government will provide an extra A$4.6 billion over the next ten years for Catholic and Independent schools...

ABC board sacks managing director Michelle Guthrie

By Michelle Grattan

The ABC Board has sacked managing director Michelle Guthrie, declaring in a blunt statement that it was not in the best interests of the organisation for her to continue to lead it. ABC chairman Justin Milne said the...

Stay alive, and if something moves, shoot it: one year of phenomenal success for Fortnite

By Steven Conway

The online videogame Fortnite Battle Royale was launched just a year ago in September 2017. Since then the game had amassed 125 million active players by June and made US$1.2 billion (A$1.6 billion) for the developer, Epic...

What the stoush between the federal government and the CFMMEU is really about (spoiler: there's an election coming)

By David Peetz

Since Malcolm Turnbull was ousted as prime minister, we have seen a renewed focus by the federal government on targeting union officials. The latest, and also most enduring, target is the Construction, Forestry,...

Australia's residential aged care facilities are getting bigger and less home-like

By Ralph Hampson

Most older people want to stay at home as long as they can. When this is no longer possible, they move into residential aged care facilities, which become their home. But Australias care facilities for the aged are growing...

I've always wondered: are SUVs and 4WDs safer than other cars?

By David Logan Et Al

The Sydney suburbs around me are clogged with huge 4WD cars which have never seen a dirt road. I think people buy them because they think they are safer. Are they? Petrina of Greenwich The popularity of SUVs, 4WDs and...

Cuts and restructures send alarm through South Australia's arts sector

By Jo Caust

South Australias Coalition government, elected in March 2018 after 16 years of Labor rule, has alarmed the states arts industry with major changes to the way the arts are structured and funded in South Australia. The...

The 'natural resource curse' and artisanal mines: the case of Burkina Faso

By Rémi Bazillier Et Al

Is there a natural resources curse as economists call it? This burning question arises in all resource-rich countries where the majority of the population is living in poverty. Political instability, conflicts, or poorly...

The Catholic Church is a rich male collective

By Dr. Mike Sosteric

Im a typical sociologist, meaning I am skeptical about religion and human spirituality. Although I attended Catholic Church as a small child, I could see the hypocrisy, even as a child. I rejected that religion at an early...

Labor leads 54-46% in Newspoll that shows slight improvement for government

By Michelle Grattan

The government would be trounced at an election held now, although the Coalition has clawed back slightly in the past fortnight and Scott Morrison has improved his lead as better prime minister, according to the latest...

Labour: why Jeremy Corbyn still struggles to turn his dream of a social movement into reality

By Steven Fielding

During his 2016 leadership campaign Jeremy Corbyn spoke to a packed meeting of supporters. We are a social movement, he said. Corbyn has certainly overseen a transformation of the Labour Party. From fewer than 200,000...

Influence in Australian politics needs an urgent overhaul – here's how to do it

By Kate Griffiths Et Al

Public policy should be made for all Australians not just those with the resources or connections to lobby and influence politicians. And mostly it is. But sometimes bad policy is made or good policy is dropped because...

South African court frees cannabis from colonial and apartheid past

By Thembisa Waetjen

A ruling by the South African Constitutional Court opens the way for decriminalising private use of cannabis, locally known as dagga. It marks a definitive shift in a century of notoriously punitive drug policy, recognised...

Mali faces a turning point as the country prepares for legislative poll

By Jonathan Sears

How credible were the 2018 presidential elections in Mali? Going by the allegations of stuffed ballot boxes, theft of election materials, threats and attacks against election officials, arson at polling stations,...

Why stigma against victims of domestic violence persists in Indonesia

By Balawyn Jones

To mark CAUSINDY (the Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth) held in Makassar this month, The Conversation presents analysis from academics involved in the conference. On 22 September 2004, Indonesia enacted the...

Cochrane Collaboration expels co-founder splitting board and prompting walkout

By Niall McCrae

The Cochrane Collaboration, a highly respected international medical research organisation that conducts systematic reviews and guides clinical practice, has been rocked by a scandal. Professor Peter Gøtzsche, a...

Not just shellshock: we have accounts of PTSD in warfare from Homer to the Middle Ages

By Kathryn Hurlock

In the BBCs Bodyguard, Richard Madden plays a police protection officer and veteran soldier who is exhibiting signs of PTSD. In episode three he tries to strangle the woman he is supposed to be safeguarding. Later, a...

What zebrafish reveal about importance of looks vs personality in choosing a mate

By Sonia Rey Planellas Et Al

When it comes to finding a suitable partner to raise a family, we know that our looks and the way we behave are both crucial to how well we succeed. If there is such a thing as love at first sight, it probably involves a...

Labour conference: a major stress test for the 'broad church'

By Karl Pike

Jeremy Corbyn has promised Labour MPs that their party will remain a broad church. This years Labour Party conference will no doubt test that commitment. The Labour Party, MP Gerald Kaufman wrote in 1966, would not be...

Why business should do more for employees looking after elderly relatives

By Yasin Rofcanin

The words population of elderly people aged 70 or over is expected to increase sharply in the coming decades. Many of these people will need some kind of care and much of that care will come from family members who...

Gurus, gas attacks and pubic hair: the strange history of Japan's new religions

By Ella Tennant

This summer, Japan finally executed six long-imprisoned former members of the now-banned radical religious group Aum Shinrikyo. All of them had taken part in the groups notorious 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway...

Mediterranean diet reduces stroke risk in women – but not men

By Ailsa Welch

Ancel and Margaret Keys, an American husband-and-wife team, first reported on the Mediterranean diets health benefits in 1975. Since then, the diet has become particularly well known for its effect on cardiovascular...

When gold prices go up, so does the cost of a dowry – and baby girl survival rates in India fall

By Sonia Bhalotra

When world gold prices go up, fewer girl babies in India survive the first month of life, according to our new research. My colleagues and I suggest that this is linked to gold often being part of bridal dowries in India ...

Why the unemployment rate will never get to zero percent – but it could still go a lot lower

By Jay L. Zagorsky

The U.S. Labor Department continues to release wonderful news for U.S. workers. Just this week, on Sept. 20, the agency said that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits reached the lowest level in...

Paper-based electronics could fold, biodegrade and be the basis for the next generation of devices

By Seokheun Choi

It seems like every few months theres a new cellphone, laptop or tablet that is so exciting people line up around the block to get their hands on it. While the perpetual introduction of new, slightly more advanced...

Shrinking the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a disaster for paleontology

By P. David Polly

In the early 1980s, paleontologists Jeff Eaton and Rich Cifelli started digging for fossils in one of the most inaccessible regions of the United States: the Kaiparowits Plateau of southern Utah. They were looking not for...

The US will have to accept second-class status in the Middle East

By Gordon Adams

You may not have noticed it the chair that wasnt there. The seven-year long Syrian civil war is ending with a government victory, aided by Russia and Iran. Talks to end to the war are accelerating. Who is at the...

Sexual assault among adolescents: 6 facts

By David Finkelhor Et Al

Christine Blasey Fords account of allegedly being sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when they were teenagers is provoking both informed and uninformed comment from politicians. Still more private...

I acted like a complete jerk to my students just to prove a point

By Alan Goodboy

During a recent lecture, I purposefully antagonized students. I belittled one student by criticizing him in front of others. I favored another student by telling other students they should be more like her. I responded...

Before the fall: How oldsters can avoid one of old age's most dangerous events

By Matthew Lee Smith Et Al

Baby boomers, who once viewed themselves as the coolest generation in history, are now turning their thoughts away from such things as partying and touring alongside rock bands to how to they can stay healthy as they age....

The future of 'golf' may not be on the links

By Joshua Woods

Could disc golf become more popular than ball golf by 2028? Ask disc golfers and theyll say, You bet our sport is growing like crazy. But for most Americans, the answer is, Whats disc golf? And the typical ball...

Caught on camera: The fossa, Madagascar's elusive top predator

By Asia Murphy

Mention wildlife on Madagascar and the first thing listeners probably picture is the islands famed lemurs. As many people know, these unique primates are found nowhere else, and are the most endangered group of mammals in...

Vegan dogs: should they go meat free?

By Wanda McCormick

Over the last ten years, its estimated there has been a 360% rise in veganism in Britain around 542,000 people have gone vegan. As a nation of animal lovers, with around 44% of homes owning a pet and somewhere in the...

Would a vote on the Brexit deal be a betrayal? What social psychology tells us

By Ken Rotenberg

Prime minister Theresa May has responded to calls for a referendum on the final Brexit deal by stating that it would be a gross betrayal of trust. Referring to the original referendum, she said that people trusted that...

Grass trees aren't a grass (and they're not trees)

By John Patykowski

Grass trees (genus Xanthorrhoea) look like they were imagined by Dr Seuss. An unmistakable tuft of wiry, grass-like leaves atop a blackened, fire-charred trunk. Of all the wonderfully unique plants in Australia, surely...

Peter Grimes is a thrilling and moving staging of the great English opera

By Trevor Jones

Review: Peter Grimes, Brisbane Festival Peter Grimes, one of the centrepiece events of this years Brisbane Festival, is a remarkable collaboration between the festival, Opera Queensland, Philip Bacon AM, the Queensland...

Super. If Labor really wanted to help women in retirement, it would do something else

By Owain Emslie Et Al

When it comes to the gender gap in retirement incomes, symbolism appears to matter more than actually achieving something. Labors plan to add super contributions to government-funded parental leave was heralded by...

Is it time for Australia to be more open about research involving animals?

By Tyler Paytas

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 Britains universities, research institutions and...

If privacy is increasing for My Health Record data, it should apply to all medical records

By Megan Prictor Et Al

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...

New laws help juries understand why victims of sexual violence struggle to recall their assaults

By Cindy Grahame Et Al

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...

Three charts on: why Catholic primary school parents can afford to pay more

By Peter Goss

Dan Tehans 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. Tehans predecessor, Simon Birmingham, had moved all...

France, the land of entrepreneurs…

By Fernanda Arreola

In a recent Twitter post, President Macron wanted us to remember something; the word entrepreneur is in fact French. Meanwhile, French start-ups still need to take a more dominant role on the international scene. The...

Trump's 'all-out effort' on climate is derelict and risky

By Sameer H. Shah Et Al

As Hurricane Florence made landfall, we could not help but reflect on the enormous human and financial toll of weather and climate-related disasters from last year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Should you trust your boss? Your lover? Here's how to measure it

By Victoria Handford

One of the topics most frequently discussed at the water-cooler is how much we may, or may not, trust people from employers and managers to co-workers, friends and lovers. Trust, of course, is vital for individual...

Tech’s next great opportunity is mid-career workers

By Arvind Gupta Et Al

In the movie The Intern, a 70-year-old Robert De Niro decides to make a career change and lands an internship at an online fashion startup overflowing with young millennials and free food. The running joke in this film is...

Quotas are not pretty but they work – Liberal women should insist on them

By Chris Wallace

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...

The GFC and me. Ten years on, what have we learned?

By Richard Holden

A little more than a decade on from the the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the largest bankruptcy in history, many of the worlds advanced economies are only now beginning to recover fully. I was on the faculty at the...

Can e-scooters solve the 'last mile' problem? They'll need to avoid the fate of dockless bikes

By Neil Sipe Et Al

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 too walk and too close...

The backflip over Sydney's marine park is a defiance of science

By David Booth Et Al

The New South Wales governments 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...