The Conversation

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The Conversation's recent articles

Why cities planning to spend billions on light rail should look again at what buses can do

Many cities inAustraliaandaround the worldhave recently made or proposed investments in new light rail systems. They often do so in the belief this will not only increase public transport use, but also lead urban renewal andimprove a citys global image. However, compared to light rail,my researchshows a system of buses running along dedicated corridors, known asbus rapid transit, has many advantages for Adelaide (the focus of my research) and cities like it.

Seriously ugly: heres how Australia will look if the world heats by 3 this century

Imagine, for a moment, a different kind of Australia. One where bushfires on the catastrophic scale of Black Summer happen almost every year. One where 50 days in Sydney and Melbourne are common. Where storms and flooding have violently reshaped our coastlines, and unique ecosystems have been damaged beyond recognition including the Great Barrier Reef, which no longer exists.

Yes, Australia is a land of flooding rains. But climate change could be making it worse

Over the past three years, Ive been working on theforthcoming reportby the United NationsIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Im a climate scientist who contributed to the chapter on globalwater cycle changes. Its concerning to think some theoretical impacts described in this report may be coming to life yet again in Australia.

Vital Signs: timing of Yallourns closure shows its high time for a carbon price

If you ever doubted the price of renewable energy was falling so rapidly it would eventually replace fossil fuels, the expedited closure of the Yallourn coal-fired power plant should change that.

The death of coal-fired power is inevitable yet the government still has no plan to help its workforce

Yallourn power station Australiasoldest, dirtiest coal plant will close four years ahead of schedule in 2028.Announcing the movethis week, operator Energy Australia said it will build a giant energy storage battery on the site to make room for more renewables. This is a powerful statement about where our energy system is heading.

The gender bias of all-boys schools is obvious from the books they study in English

Fiction affects students social empathy. The English classroom canfoster inclusionanddevelop appreciation for gender equity. While our private school system must denounce the most conspicuous elements of misogyny, we must also contend with the profound role that classroom learning plays in affirming or challenging a culture of oppression.

Has Christian Porter been subjected to a trial by media? No, the media did its job of being a watchdog

Trial by media occurs either when media coverage prejudices the outcome of legal processes or when the media initiate an issue and then proceed to play prosecutor, judge and jury.Neither applies in the Porter case.

Against the odds, South Australia is a renewable energy powerhouse. How on Earth did they do it?

Less than two decades ago, SA generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60%of the states electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped by paralysis so how did it happen?

Existential threat to our survival: 19 Australian ecosystems already collapsing

This is not a warning but a dire wake-up call. Current changes across the continent, and their potential outcomes, pose an existential threat to our survival. But there are actions we can take to help protect or restore ecosystems.

Media bargaining code dire for public interest journalism if small outlets arent protected

In Spain in 2014, when Google shut Google News, small independent publishers were hit far harder than the big players.If Facebook plays a similar role in Australia, then the consequences of Facebooks recent action will be dire for public interest journalism and Australian media diversity.

Porters IR bill: 'tearing a gaping hole in the award safety net'

The governmentsFair Work Amendment (Supporting Australias Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill before parliament was drafted at the end of a six-month consultative process that brought together employer and employee representatives to chart what the prime minister hoped would be a practical reform agenda, a job making agenda.

National water policy: outdated, unfair and not fit for climate challenges

The findings of a report by the Productivity Commission National Water Reform 2020 matter to all Australians, whether you live in a city or a drought-ravaged town. If governments dont manage water better then entire communities may disappear. Agriculture will suffer and nature will continue to degrade.

Underinsurance entrenching poverty as the vulnerable are hit hardest by disasters

It is after extreme weather events that people's lack of insurance is particularly distressing. But simply telling people to get more insurance is not necessarily the answer. We first need to understand why people are underinsured and work out how insurance can work better for people.

A major report excoriated our environment laws. In response the environment minister cherrypicks

Its official: Australias natural environment and iconic places are in deep trouble. They cant withstand current and future threats, including climate change. And the national laws protecting them are flawed and badly outdated.

Bidens economic centrism isnt exciting, but it's right for these divisive times

In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it's also Bidens economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become an increasingly polarised approach to economic policy.

Australia can phase out coal power while maintaining energy security

The end of coal-fired generation in Australia is inevitable. The key is for an orderly transition to spread the costs fairly.

Research reveals shocking detail on how Australias environmental scientists are being silenced

Ecologists and conservation experts in government, industry and universities are routinely constrained in communicating scientific evidence on threatened species, mining, logging and other threats to the environment, our new research has found.

Hotel quarantine report blasts government failures, but political fallout is likely to be minimal

Thefinal reportof the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry, issued by former judge Jennifer Coate, outlines monumental errors made by the Victorian government and its public servants.

After two decades, the national electricity market is on its way out, and thats alright (Dec 10, 2020)

It has been more than 20 years in the making, but there is now a new order in Australias grandest (and most problematic) example of cooperative federalism: theNational Electricity Market.

Labor is set to have itself a nervy little Christmas. Its not too late to make 2021 sing (The Conversation Dec 8, 2020)

Federal Labor marginal seat members face a very nervy Christmas.

Australia needs a national approach to combat the health effects of climate change (The Conversation Dec 6, 2020)

Australia has just recorded itshottest November on record, only months after the devastating bushfires of last summer that ruined the lives and livelihoods of thousands.

The Anzac legend has blinded Australia to its war atrocities. Its time for a reckoning (Dec 7, 2020)

For years, Australians have faced asteady stream of investigative media reportsabout atrocities allegedly committed by the countrys most elite soldiers in Afghanistan.

Whats behind Chinas bullying of Australia? It sees a soft target and an essential one (The Conversation Dec 2, 2020)

As thediplomatic fallout continuesover thedigitally altered war crimes tweetsent by Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, earlier this week, its important to note this inflammatory and offensive post is not an isolated case.

Why New Zealand is ideally placed to broker a truce between China and the Five Eyes alliance (The Conversation Dec 2, 2020)

With tension escalating between China and members of theFive Eyessecurity alliance, most recently over aChinese tweetthat used a doctored image to attack Australia, New Zealand is arguably in a prime position to broker a kind of truce.

Jeff Borland. New finding: boosting JobSeeker wouldnt keep Australians away from paid work

Incentives, the Freakonomics author Steven Levitt once quipped, are the cornerstone of modern life. To this I would add: only if the incentive is big enough.

JobMaker is nowhere near bold enough. Here are four ways to expand it (The Conversation Nov 10, 2020)

The government has targeted itsJobMaker Hiring Credit too narrowly.

Hotel quarantine interim report on outsourcing recommends changes but accountability questions remain (Kristen Rundle, The Conversation 6.11.20)

If the front line of the hotel quarantine system was simply too important a responsibility to be outsourced, it is time to get to the bottom of why this was the case, and why it might also be the case for other high-stakes government functions that carry serious consequences for public health or safety.

Angelique Chan. Asian countries do aged care differently. Heres what we can learn from them (The Conversation Oct 23, 2020)

Unlike in Western countries like Australia, traditional Asian cultures place a heavy emphasis on filial piety the expectation children will support their parents in old age.

Bruce Mountain and Steven Percy. Pumped hydro isnt our energy future, its our past (The Conversation 29.10.20)

Its now beyond dispute that for new electricity generation solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy are cheaper than anything else: cheaper than new coal fired power stations, cheaper than new gas-fired stations and cheaper than new nuclear power plants.

Despite more than 30 major inquiries, governments still havent fixed aged care. Why are the lobbyists getting away with it? (Oct 21, 2020)

The government funds the sector and provides a relatively light-touch oversight, while the providers attend to the day-to-day running of the facilities. However, there is concern this alignment has meant successive governments are not as involved as they should be and proposals for change are diluted by the influence of industry lobbyists.

After Covid, well need a rethink to repair Australias housing system and the economy (Sep 11, 2020)

Anew reportfrom the New South Wales Productivity Commission (NSWPC) announces that [higher] housing costs [] impose broader economic costs. That chimes with our ownnewly published research. The implication is that Australias heavily capitalised housing market will weigh down economic recovery from the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic.

Research reveals shocking detail on how Australias environmental scientists are being silenced (The Conversation Sep 9, 2020)

Ecologists and conservation experts in government, industry and universities are routinely constrained in communicating scientific evidence on threatened species, mining, logging and other threats to the environment, our new research has found.

The mystery of the Top Ends vanishing wildlife, and the unexpected culprits (The Conversation, July 29 2020)

Only a few decades ago, encountering a bandicoot or quoll around your campsite in the evening was a common and delightful experience across the Top End. Sadly, our campsites are now far less lively.

Worried about(Chinese) agents of foreign influence? Just look at who owns Australias biggest companies

The attention being given to possible covert influence being exercised by China in Australia shouldnt distract us from recognising that very overt foreign influence now occurs through investment.

THALIA ANTHONY. I cant breathe! Australia must look in the mirror to see our own deaths in custody (THE CONVERSATION 2.6.20)

I cant breathe, please! Let me up, please! I cant breathe! I cant breathe!

BRENDAN COATES. Money for social housing the key to construction stimulus

Theres no doubt Australias construction industry is facing tough times. COVID-19 has caused migration to slow to a trickle. Some 2.6 million Australians have eitherlost their jobsor had their hours cut in the past two months. Many economistsexpectproperty prices to fall.

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