The Latest Breaking News from Australian Research Council

47% of Gen Z mainly vote to avoid a fine. It’s a sign of younger Australians’ discontent with democracy

Young Australians will shape the upcoming federal election. For the first time, Gen Z and Millennials are the dominant voter bloc, outnumbering Baby Boomers.

The Conversation · Apr 7, 2025

Biosecurity policies can be annoying – but a century of Antarctic data shows they work

Visitors to Australia are often shocked at having to declare an apple or wooden item under our biosecurity policies. Biosecurity policies are used to keep out pest species and diseases. But they’re expensive to uphold and people can question their worth.

The Conversation · Apr 6, 2025

‘Australia doesn’t care about me’: women international students suffering alarming rates of sexual violence

Every year, more than 700,000 international students leave their homes to study in Australia.

The Conversation · Apr 3, 2025

What makes a good search engine? These 4 models can help you use search in the age of AI

Every day, users ask search engines millions of questions. The information we receive can shape our opinions and behaviour.

The Conversation · Mar 26, 2025

Protecting salmon farming at the expense of the environment – another step backwards for Australia’s nature laws

A bill introduced to parliament this week, if passed, would limit the government’s power to reconsider certain environment approvals when an activity is harming the environment.

The Conversation · Mar 25, 2025

‘Literally just child gambling’: what kids say about Roblox, lootboxes and money in online games

Roblox is one of the world’s most popular online platforms for children, offering a variety of “experiences” including games and virtual spaces. Most of the experiences are free, but offer upgrades, bonuses and random items in exchange for cash.

The Conversation · Mar 23, 2025

Trouble at Tesla and protests against Trump’s tariffs suggest consumer boycotts are starting to bite

When the United States starts a trade war with your country, how do you fight back? For individuals, one option is to wage a personal trade war and boycott products from the US.

The Conversation · Mar 23, 2025

ASIC puts payday lenders on notice they may be breaching the law

Late last week, corporate watchdog the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) issued a warning to lenders that provide high-fee small-amount loans – known as payday lenders – that they may be breaching consumer-lending laws.

The Conversation · Mar 17, 2025

We tracked the mental health of trans and gender-diverse Australians for over 20 years. And we’re worried

The mental health of trans, nonbinary and gender-diverse Australians is worse than the general population and the gulf is getting wider.

The Conversation · Mar 12, 2025

A new definition of antisemitism from Universities Australia is attracting criticism – two historians explain why

Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 2023, and Israel’s war in Gaza, there has been a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents, some of these occurring at Australian universities. The war’s ongoing reverberations have led to renewed controversy over the question of when criticism of Israel and support for…

The Conversation · Mar 11, 2025