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Kate Macdonald

Associate Professor, Political Science, The University of Melbourne
I joined the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne in January 2009. Before coming to Melbourne, I did my DPhil in the Department of International Development at Oxford (jointly supervised in the Department of Politics and International Relations), and I worked as a Fellow of Government (Global Politics) at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University and a Research Officer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University.

My research focuses on transnational governance and accountability systems, especially in relation to transnational business regulation, and accountability in the international development sector. I have conducted research and consultancy work on these topics for a range of Australian and international organisations including the Forest Stewardship Council, Amnesty International, ActionAid Australia, Oxfam Australia and the UK’s Corporate Responsibility Coalition, and I am currently on the advisory board of the Jubilee Australia Research Foundation.

Economy

ASX Shares Slide as 2026 Cost Outlook Jumps Amid CEO Exit and ASIC Probe

ASX Ltd shares fell sharply after the Australian Securities Exchange warned that fiscal 2026 costs will rise far more than previously expected, overshadowing a modest increase in first-half profit. The exchange operator...

Asian Stock Markets Rise as Australian Shares Rally; Investors Eye U.S. Jobs Data and China Inflation

Asian stock markets posted modest gains on Wednesday, led by a strong rally in Australian shares, as investors weighed softer-than-expected Chinese inflation data and awaited key U.S. jobs figures that could influence...

Asian Currencies Rise as Dollar Weakens Ahead of U.S. Payrolls Data; Aussie Hits Three-Year High

Asian currencies strengthened on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar extended its recent decline ahead of closely watched U.S. nonfarm payrolls data. The softer greenback provided broad support across regional foreign exchange...

Australian Central Bank Signals Tough Stance as Inflation Pressures Persist

A senior official at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has reinforced the central banks firm commitment to curbing inflation, warning that price pressures remain uncomfortably high despite signs of resilience across the...

Yen Strengthens as Japan Election Boosts Confidence, Dollar Wavers Ahead of U.S. Jobs Data

The Japanese yen held onto solid gains on Wednesday, supported by a strong rally in Japans stock market and growing optimism over the countrys political outlook following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis landslide election...

Politics

U.S. Offers Payments to Afghans in Qatar as Camp As Sayliyah Closure Nears

The U.S. State Department has begun offering financial incentives to Afghans stranded in Qatar to encourage voluntary repatriation, as officials move to shut down Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) by the end of March. The facility, a...

Angus Taylor Challenges Sussan Ley as Liberal Party Leadership Tensions Escalate

Australias opposition leader Sussan Ley is facing mounting pressure within the Liberal Party after senior frontbencher Angus Taylor resigned from his role as shadow defence minister, signaling a potential leadership...

Mexico Senate Approves 40-Hour Workweek Reform, Bill Advances to Lower House

Mexicos Senate has approved a landmark labor reform that would reduce the countrys legal workweek from 48 hours to 40 hours, marking a significant shift in national labor policy. The proposal, backed by President...

Bangladesh Election 2026: Nation Votes After Sheikh Hasina Ouster in Historic Democratic Shift

Bangladesh heads to the polls on Thursday in a landmark general election following the 2024 ouster of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising. The vote is widely seen as a defining moment for the...

Trump and Netanyahu Hold Talks on Iran Nuclear Deal, Gaza Ceasefire, and Middle East Security

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded high-level talks at the White House without reaching a definitive agreement on how to proceed with Iran, though both leaders confirmed that...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

ByteDance Advances AI Chip Development With Samsung Manufacturing Talks

Chinas ByteDance is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence hardware, reportedly developing its own AI chip while holding discussions with Samsung Electronics for manufacturing support. The TikTok parent company...

SMIC Shares Slide Despite Strong AI-Driven Earnings as Margin Pressure Looms

Shares of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (HK:0981), Chinas largest contract chipmaker, declined 3.6% to HK$68.95 in Hong Kong trading on Wednesday, underperforming the Hang Seng Index, which edged up 0.4%....

Russia Signals Further Restrictions on Telegram Amid Ongoing Regulatory Disputes

Russia is set to impose additional restrictions on Telegram, one of the countrys most widely used messaging platforms, after authorities said the app failed to address earlier violations of Russian law. The announcement...

Cloudflare Forecasts Strong Revenue Growth as AI Fuels Cloud Services Demand

Cloudflare has projected annual and first-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations, signaling strong confidence in the growing demand for cloud services driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. The...

Minnesota Governor Says Trump Immigration Crackdown Could End Soon

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said Tuesday that the federal immigration crackdown ordered by President Donald Trumps administration in Minnesota could end within days, following direct conversations with senior White House...