menu_open

The Conversation

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Many people are feeling ecological grief. How can we help those whose work puts them at risk?

We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and...

latest 6

The Conversation

Anna Cooke

Iran’s anti-American message is finding receptive ears in the Muslim world. This doesn’t bode well for the region

Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires on Gaza, every US veto of a...

latest 5

The Conversation

Shahram Akbarzadeh

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you...

latest 2

The Conversation

Debbie Passey

How is China being taught at Australian universities? And why does this matter? Here’s what our research found

As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to...

latest 1

The Conversation

Minglu Chen

Neuroaffirming care values the strengths and differences of autistic people, those with ADHD or other profiles. Here’s how

We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic...

latest 1

The Conversation

Josephine Barbaro

A ‘conservation conundrum’ – when rat control to conserve one species threatens another

When pest rats and mice decimate populations of native species, pest control is a no-brainer. But what if baiting rats protects threatened...

latest 7

The Conversation

Victoria Florence Sperring

Yes, adults can develop food allergies. Here are 4 types you need to know about

If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much...

latest 7

The Conversation

Clare Collins

Martha isn’t Baby Reindeer’s biggest villain. So why is she painted as such?

Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account...

latest 8

The Conversation

Alex Simpson

First Nations imprisonment is already at a record high. Unless government policy changes, it will only get worse

This article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal...

latest 8

The Conversation

Thalia Anthony

An outsider on the inside: how Ans Westra created New Zealand’s ‘national photo album’

They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of what it means to be a...

latest 6

The Conversation

Paul Moon

Coalition demands amendments to government’s deportation bill, as crucial High Court judgement set for Friday

The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal....

yesterday 9

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

How does the drug abemaciclib treat breast cancer?

The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat...

yesterday 20

The Conversation

Sarah Diepstraten

Grand designs? Why many Australian architects say their career makes them unhappy

For years there have been suggestions of widespread poor wellbeing among architects. In many ways this is not surprising. It’s well established...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Naomi Stead

Curious Kids: what stops meteors hitting Earth and hurting people?

How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Sara Webb

Iran is gaining credibility in the Muslim world and feeling emboldened. This doesn’t bode well for the region

Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires on Gaza, every US veto of a...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Shahram Akbarzadeh

How a filmmaker, a pile of old shells and a bunch of amateurs are bringing our oyster reefs back

Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Dominic Mcafee

Expelling students for bad behaviour seems like the obvious solution, but is it really a good idea?

Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. The two were part of...

yesterday 6

The Conversation

Linda J. Graham

A story of trauma, hope and regaining control, Nayika: A Dancing Girl is soul-stirring dance theatre

The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Vanita Yadav

Albanese government to invest $566 million for ‘generational’ mapping to promote resource exploration

The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

If the RBA’s right, interest rates may not fall for another year. Here’s why – and what it means for next week’s budget

The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election,...

yesterday 9

The Conversation

Peter Martin

‘Eye watering’ spending, growing debt make up surprisingly generous Victorian state budget

The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

David Hayward

From pride rounds to rainbow guernseys, sports can be smarter when it comes to diversity and inclusion

Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Rory Mulcahy

‘Groundhog Day’: 40 years of Australian government responses to domestic violence reveal a bumpy road to change

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared a “national crisis” of domestic violence following an alarming spike in killings of women and a wave...

yesterday 50

The Conversation

Zora Simic

This group rid one Australian river of its privet problem – and strengthened community along the way

Privet is a popular garden hedge. It grows quickly and responds well to being pruned. But in natural areas, privet is a problem. Like 72% of weeds...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Sonia Graham

Making merry: how we brought Melbourne’s Merri Creek back from pollution, neglect and weeds

I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked beside the...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Judy Bush

Exploitation, brutality and misery: how the opium trade shaped the modern world

In the final pages of Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories, Amitav Ghosh volunteers a startling confession. Though he had spent many years...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Kevin Foster

Terminal lucidity: why do loved ones with dementia sometimes ‘come back’ before death?

Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their...

yesterday 9

The Conversation

Yen Ying Lim

Australian artists only earn $23,200 a year from their art – and are key financial investors in keeping the industry afloat

Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and...

yesterday 9

The Conversation

David Throsby

Crisis of faith: why Australian women have so little trust in religious institutions

The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Kate Gleeson

How the fast-track law could expose future NZ governments to expensive trade disputes

Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Jane Kelsey

UK Tories perform badly at local elections; Labor still narrowly ahead in Australian polls

I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, at...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Adrian Beaumont

Hundreds of cities have achieved zero road deaths in a year. Here’s how they did it

It’s National Road Safety Week and it comes on the back of a year in which 1,286 people died on Australian roads. The rising road toll – up 8.2%...

previous day 30

The Conversation

Matthew Mclaughlin

What does the new Commonwealth Prac Payment mean for students? Will it do enough to end ‘placement poverty’?

The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Deanna Grant-Smith

Curious Kids: why do trees have bark?

Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us just...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Gregory Moore

Surgery is the default treatment for ACL injuries in Australia. But it’s not the only way

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Anthony Nasser

The Australian public service is letting Indigenous people down. How do we fix it?

For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Jenny Stewart

QANTAS has finally settled its ‘ghost flights’ lawsuit for $120 million. What’s next?

Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Michael Adams

Can I take your order – and your data? The hidden reason retailers are replacing staff with AI bots

You might have seen viral videos of Wendy’s drive-thru customers in the United States ordering their fast food from the firm’s generative AI bot...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Cameron Shackell

The steamiest movie of the year has almost no sex in it. How did Challengers do it?

At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Alison Taylor

A tax on sugary drinks can make us healthier. It’s time for Australia to introduce one

Sugary drinks cause weight gain and increase the risk of a range of diseases, including diabetes. The evidence shows that well-designed taxes can...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Peter Breadon

Australian churches collectively raise billions of dollars a year – why aren’t they taxed?

There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Dale Boccabella

What Australia can learn from Latin America when it comes to tackling violence against women

Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism...

previous day 20

The Conversation

Luis Gomez Romero

Nuclear power makes no sense for Australia – but it’s a useful diversion from real climate action

Opposition leader Peter Dutton argues Australia needs nuclear power to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. But nuclear power is not feasible for...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Adam Simpson

Real comedy, real trauma: how Baby Reindeer and Feel Good are forging a new television genre

Comedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette,...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Marina Deller

As New Zealand CBDs evolve post-pandemic , repurposing old or empty spaces should be on the drawing board

The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez

Students on social work, nursing and teaching placements to get weekly $319.50 means tested Prac Payment from July next year

A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will...

sunday 10

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

Albanese government to wipe $3 billion in student debt, benefitting three million people

Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The...

04.05.2024 20

The Conversation

Michelle Grattan

The good news is the government plans to cancel $3 billion in student debt. The bad news is indexation will still be high

Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest...

04.05.2024 10

The Conversation

Andrew Norton

bc2c1d9e7765dd24d787fe48db81a27d