
Testing drugs on animals could soon be a thing of the past
May 05, 2016 07:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
Before a drug can be tested on humans, it has to be tested on animals. The drugs regulators demand it. Nobody including researchers likes testing on animals, which is why the race is on to find alternatives. For this...

Why is Brazil trying to block WhatsApp?
May 05, 2016 07:11 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Technology
The debate about online privacy versus the battle against crime was given new life this week with an attempt in Brazil to ban the popular messaging application WhatsApp. A well-known and strict judge in a regional area...
Antisemitism row: why animosity on the Labour left still runs so deep
May 05, 2016 06:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
Once again, old wounds in the Labour Party have been ripped open. This time, former London mayor Ken Livingstone has been suspended from the party having been accused of antisemitism. His fellow party member John Mann was...

The poster is political: how artists are challenging climate change
May 05, 2016 06:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
We all have a poster we remember. Mine was taped to a bookshop window in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran. A stark black and white image of a boy as young as I was then, about 13, stared out at me. He was naked from the...

Paying for infrastructure means using 'land value capture', but does it also mean more tax?
May 05, 2016 06:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
With the federal government aiming to kick-start investment in urban infrastructure, pledging A$50 million of public money in the 2016 budget to look at alternative financing mechanisms, attention is turning to the idea of...
Thin capitalisation – the multinational tax avoidance strategy the budget forgot
May 05, 2016 06:40 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
It is now apparent that multinational tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning is a significant fiscal risk to the country. We have already seen major amendments to Australias tax regime to tackle base erosion and...
Budget repair, climate risks and global concerns all ignored in this conflicted effort
May 05, 2016 06:37 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Economy
This Federal Budget was crafted with multiple, sometimes conflicting, objectives. To repair the budget, to neutralize some of the Oppositions initiatives, to address some tax pressure points-such as bracket creep, globally...