The Latest Breaking News from Australian Research Council

Antipathy no more: diplomacy wins out as Australia and the EU sign a free trade agreement

After an often acrimonious relationship over more than half a century, Australia and the European Union have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). During a visit to Canberra by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the FTA has come to fruition after many years of negotiations and stalled talks.…

The Conversation · Mar 24

Australia has dedicated more than 20% of its land to conservation but not where it matters most

On paper, Australia is a conservation success story.

The Conversation · Mar 24

‘I lost hope in humanity, but I now call myself human’: what refugees told us about settling in regional Australia

While most Australians embrace multiculturalism, migration remains a contentious topic in Australia. Negative opinions, often unsubstantiated, are regularly aired in public debate.

The Conversation · Mar 23

Why doesn’t Hobart have a Chinatown?

On November 18 1909, greengrocer Claude Nam Shing was woken up by shouts of “fire”. He found his store, on the corner of Elizabeth and Melville Streets in central Hobart, ablaze.

The Conversation · Mar 13

We can’t coerce our way to social cohesion. Here’s what else governments should be doing

Last week, Queensland followed the New South Wales and federal parliaments by passing stronger hate crime laws in response to the Bondi terror attack.

The Conversation · Mar 12

Australia may ban infant formula advertising. Here’s what the online ads actually say

Recently, the federal government released a consultation paper seeking input on whether it should introduce legislation to prevent or restrict infant formula marketing in Australia. The consultation is open for submissions until April 10.

The Conversation · Mar 12

Sex, pink and empowerment are used to sell alcohol to women. They don’t always like it

Ellidy pops into the bottle shop on her way out to dinner with friends.

The Conversation · Mar 10

A ‘good death’ has a price – and a new study shows not everyone in palliative care can afford it

You would hope for your dying days to be full of calm and care. But our research with people who are dying shows this is far from the reality for many people.

The Conversation · Mar 5

Australia’s official plan for AI safety isn’t much more than a single dot point. Will it be enough?

Last week, one of Australia’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) researchers, Toby Walsh, warned Australia’s lack of guardrails for AI is putting young people at risk of being “sacrificed for the profits of big tech”.

The Conversation · Mar 5

Are Google’s ‘preferred sources’ a good thing for online news?

Why do you see the results you do when you search for information online? It’s a complex mix of what the source is, its relationships to other sources online, and your own past browsing history and device settings.

The Conversation · Mar 5