Australia needs a paradigm shift in the way we treat mental illness. Scientific research is increasingly pointing to psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy) as viable options. Read More
New measurements show that global average wave conditions are increasing but, more importantly, extreme wave conditions are increasing even more rapidly with the largest increases occurring in the Southern Ocean. Read More
It’s hard to tell what’s happening to the distribution of wealth in Australia. Since death duties went, Australian income inequality has climbed, with the standard measure (known as the Gini coefficient) climbing from 0.27 to 0.32 between 1982 and 2016 on a scale where a result of zero would mean income was equally shared and a result of 1 would mean one person earned all the income. Read More
Is the absence of evidence evidence of absence? The opposite assumption — that an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence — is having its moment as the status of truth. Read More
How can we predict the futures of cities? We could study population statistics; we could analyse technological trajectories and business trends to forecast economic possibilities. Or, we could get classically creative by using works of fiction to predict likely scenarios under the 'Literary Method of Urban Design'. Read More
It’s common to frame discussions of societal transitions by focusing on the new skills that become essential. But instead of looking at what we’re learning, perhaps we should consider the obverse: what becomes safe to forget? Read More
We should do less and do it better, find things out, and protect the public interest... the 2019 Commonwealth Orange Book. Read More
In old-style, command-and-control management structures, most knowledge remains unshared because knowledge becomes power, position and promotion… and safety. To transform a business, leaders and executives need to transform themselves and their thinking first. Read More
Evidence-based policy may be the flavour of the moment, but how does it account for the intrinsic human needs for empathy, confidence, and context? Read More
The Royal Australian Mint's new 50 cent coin, developed in consultation with Indigenous language custodian groups and designed by the Mint’s Aleksandra Stokic, features 14 different words for “money” from Australian Indigenous languages. But where do these words come from? Read More
We now know that the next federal election will take place on May 18. To guide you through the campaign, our “state of the states” series takes stock of the key issues, seats and policies affecting the vote in each of Australia’s states. Read More
With a proactive approach to the ethical development of AI, Australia can do more than just mitigate against any risks. If we can build AI for a fairer go, we can secure a competitive advantage as well as safeguard the rights of Australians. Read More
What have reforms to the old Building Code of Australia delivered? Is the new code good enough? Read More
Half a billion dollars sounds like a lot of money, but that really depends on what you’re spending it on. In Tuesday’s federal budget, the… Read More
What kind of leader am I, if I’m a leader at all? I think I am a policy influencer. I’m not a minor influencer but I’m not a major one either, and so how do I fulfil this public image of the leader? Read More
