Schapelle Corby’s fate may be the centre of public attention in Australia, but not here in Indonesia where I currently live and work. The hot topic here for the past few days has been whether or not Lady…
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb's report, released today, presents some serious concerns for the future of Australian science.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb’s Health of Australian Science report, launched today at the National Press Club, starts on an optimistic note. Australian science is generally in good health: school students…
There are concerns about the take-up of science subjects by students.
Ahd Photography
The Office of the Chief Scientist today releases the Health of Australian Science report and it’s an intriguing read.
The report was compiled to help the office and the public understand the current state…
Opting out of porn may be the most progressive thing we can do.
Colin Brown
It is time we recognised pornography as part of popular culture. Millions of people watch the content the porn industry produces. And make no mistake, it produces a lot of content.
According to prominent…
The field is varied and the stakes are high in Egypt's upcoming presidential election.
EPA/Khaled Elfiqi
In the face of the largest mobilisation Egypt has ever witnessed, President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on February 12, 2011. Facing an unlikely coalition of disaffected youth, labour workers, Islamists…
Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi is laid to rest in Libya earlier this week.
EPA/Sabri Elmhedwi
At least one Lockerbie conspiracy theory has been laid to rest this week: that the only man convicted of the 1988 aircraft bombing was faking a terminal illness.
But the death of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi…
Cheating on a partner is always a choice, not a biologically determined effect.
flickr/dhammza
Biologists and psychologists like to tussle with human characteristics: what’s inherent? What’s learnt? What’s genetically coded? What’s malleable? Every so often an “expert” will reignite the nature vs…
We've had a glimpse into the world of Craig Thomson, but he's trying to justify a view that no one outside the political game can understand.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
The ALP and the union movement have never liked scabs. But yesterday we witnessed a labour scab of a different sort as The Wound Formally Known As Craig Thomson continued to be bleed rather than heal…
Austerity's political cheer squad: but is the game over? G8 countries have committed to growth by setting sights on employment.
The lingering commitment to austerity of leading Western politicians in the face of impending economic tragedy is beyond belief. The dismal science is a sobriquet often wrongly applied to economics, but…
Why has Paul Watson suddenly been picked up in Germany on a Costa Rican charge?
Kay Nietfeld/EPA
Captain Paul Watson, founder of the marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd, was arrested last week in Frankfurt, Germany, on an international arrest warrant issued by the Costa Rican government…
Asia is on the rise, but what is Australia doing about it?
Alexander Baumgartner
The Conversation’s series, Australia in the Asian Century, culminated this month in a roundtable hosted by Ken Henry, chair of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s taskforce on Asia.
For an…
Thomson became emotional as he described the toll media scrutiny had taken on his family.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Craig Thomson’s address to parliament today promised to either clear the air or dig a deeper hole for the embattled MP.
It would be an understatement to say that the Craig Thomson affair has been an unwelcome…
Libyan civilians in the wake of a NATO airstrike last year. Will the Libya operation be NATO's swansong?
EPA/Mohamed Messara
Last year – for the first time in modern history – Asia outspent Europe on their militaries. The true significance of this milestone lies in how easily the Asian countries were able to achieve it.
There…
Generation Nothing: Spanish protestors against austerity in Cadiz.
Aleksandra Hadzelek
This week marked the first anniversary of the 15-M movement, a precursor of Occupy movements worldwide.
15-M again mobilised its supporters for a 4-day long program of street protests culminating in a…
Ratko Mladić's trial is more than likely to exceed three years in duration
EPA Valerie Kuypers
The trial of former Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) Colonel General, Ratko Mladić commenced in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) this past Wednesday.
Mladić’s arrest at his…
The NAPLAN tests are about getting the best results for students.
Flickr/Elizabeth Albert
A small but vocal group is calling on parents to withdraw their children from the National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests.
But if this call is successful and enough children…
Indigenous community jobs aren't part of the mainstream economy, but they fit the needs of the community well.
Kayt Davies
Among all the school payments and defence cuts, last week’s federal budget also quietly committed an additional $5.2 billion to the government’s Closing the Gap program. It’s a vote of faith from the government…
We should be focusing on students' performance not teachers'.
Flickr/cybrarian77
Teacher bonus schemes are yet another example of education reform with the wrong focus. They narrowly look at teachers and their performance, and not the needs of students and their learning. It’s the…
The Canberra Aboriginal tent embassy. Should the protest in Musgrave Park be seen in the same light?
AAP/Alan Porrit
This weekend, South Brisbane will play host to the Paniyiri Festival, one of Australia’s largest cultural events.
From May 19 to 20, thousands are expected to join the celebrations and delight themselves…
Do we need to go down the Confucian path of learning - or is there another way?
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
As the fifth year of NAPLAN testing gets underway this week, it has prompted the usual debates. Are the tests in our student’s best interests? Are students adequately prepared? If teachers are “teaching…
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir addresses troops and supporters during a public appearance in April 2012.
EPA/str
Khartoum has resumed its bombardment of South Sudan despite the passing of a UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire.
With military action escalating over the past few days, the two nations…
German chancellor Angela Merkel and France's new President Francois Hollande meet to discuss Europe's economic woes.
EPA/Rainer Jensen
Europe is in economic dire straits and the two most powerful economies on the continent are, at least on paper, led by individuals with considerable differences.
The previous French President Nicolas…
Penny Wong's rare moment of sincerity on Q&A betrayed the paucity of Australia's political commentary.
ABC
If there is a turning point in the Australian debate on same-sex marriage it may well be Penny Wong’s remarkable grace and honesty when answering Joe Hockey on last night’s Q&A.
Wong was asked by…
Sydney is currently in the grip of a series of shooting attacks, particularly drive by incidents like this April 20 incident in the western suburbs.
AAP/Dean Lewins
The spiralling rise in shooting crimes in Sydney’s western suburbs requires strong and sustained political, community and police action to make suburbs safe for families.
I happen to live in a suburb…
How young is too young to be prosecuted or convicted of a crime?
Flickr/Chris Runoff
The age of criminal responsibility acts as the gateway to the criminal justice system – under a certain age you are kept out.
Most jurisdictions have this age barrier because it’s widely understood children…
