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Attending school every day counts – but kids in out-of-home care are missing out

Consistent school attendance is important in any child’s education but for many children in out-of-home care, going to school every day is no easy thing.

The Conversation · May 10, 2022

How do the major parties rate on climate policies? We asked 5 experts

Poll after poll suggests climate change is one of the most pressing issues for Australian voters. Of the 10,000 people who responded to The Conversation’s #SetTheAgenda poll, more than 60% picked climate change as the issue most impacting their lives.

The Conversation · May 9, 2022

How a volcanic bombardment in ancient Australia led to the world's greatest climate catastrophe

Some 252 million years ago the world was going through a tumultuous period of rapid global warming.

The Conversation · May 9, 2022

Bingo seems like harmless fun – but higher stakes and new technology are making it more dangerous

Bingo, with its familiar rules, novelty number calls (“legs 11”, “two ducks swimming”) and social setting, has long had a reputation as harmless and friendly.

The Conversation · Apr 29, 2022

Fail: our report card on the government's handling of Australia's extinction crisis

Australia is losing more biodiversity than any other developed nation. Already this year the charismatic and once abundant gang gang cockatoo has been added to our national threatened species list, the koala has been listed as endangered and the Great Barrier Reef suffered another mass bleaching event.

The Conversation · Apr 28, 2022

We found a hidden source of greenhouse gases – organic matter in groundwater

Dry land isn’t really dry. It’s saturated with truly vast volumes of groundwater, hidden in the spaces of the earth we walk on. How much? Recent estimates put it at almost two trillion Olympic swimming pools of water stored in the upper 10 km of continental crust.

The Conversation · Apr 28, 2022

How do the major parties rate on an independent anti-corruption commission? We asked 5 experts

Corruption in politics is a big issue for Australian voters this federal election.

The Conversation · Apr 27, 2022

How can more people be on unemployment benefits than before COVID, with fewer unemployed Australians? Here's how

So low is Australia’s unemployment rate, the official count says there are now just 580,300 people unemployed – the least since 2009, when Australia’s population was one-sixth smaller than it is today. Compared to just before the start of the pandemic, 184,800 fewer Australians are now unemployed.

The Conversation · Apr 26, 2022

A new $2 coin features the introduced honeybee. Is this really the species we should celebrate?

The Royal Australian Mint has released a $2 collectors’ coin to celebrate 200 years since the introduction of the European honeybee.

The Conversation · Apr 25, 2022

Albanese has dropped Labor's pledge to boost Jobseeker. With unemployment low, is that actually fair enough?

One of the first things Labor’s Bob Hawke did on being swept to office in March 1983 was to lift the unemployment benefit in April, seven weeks later, without even waiting for his first budget.

The Conversation · Apr 21, 2022