Do tech billionaires dream of shared abundance? We should probably just tax them
The Conversation Australiaby Carl Rhodes, Professor of Business and Society, University of Technology Sydney·7 Sept 2026
On July 24, Elon Musk was interviewed by The Economist’s editor Zanny Minton Beddoes. The 85-minute discussion ranged from Musk’s business ventures to the war in Ukraine, China’s technological...
Cutting the tobacco excise won’t stop the illegal trade. This is how other countries solved the problem
The Conversation Australiaby Coral Gartner, Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame and ARC Future Fellow, The University of Queensland·7 Sept 2026
The Coalition has proposed slashing the tobacco excise, the federal tax on tobacco products, by 80%.
AI is helping businesses learn what customers will pay – and workers will accept
The Conversation Australiaby Hanoku Bathula, Professional Teaching Fellow in Management and International Business, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau·7 Sept 2026
US regulators are grappling with a controversial new frontier in online shopping: companies using our personal data to work out how much each of us is willing to pay.
View from The Hill: Pauline Hanson sets new hares running on super
The Conversation Australiaby Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra·7 Sept 2026
Pauline Hanson’s attention-grabbing policy to give mortgage holders and renters greater access to their super is high populism while being – according to its many critics – low economics and bad...
Could the White Australia Party succeed in challenging its ban?
The Conversation Australiaby Anne Twomey, Professor Emerita in Constitutional Law, University of Sydney·7 Sept 2026
Should the federal government be constitutionally able to ban a group, resulting in stiff criminal penalties for its continuing members, even though the group has not committed any crime?
Even if it doesn’t form government, the far-right AfD has shaken Germany’s political establishment to the core
The Conversation Australiaby Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University·7 Sept 2026
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has sent shock waves across Germany – and the world – by trouncing the opposition in a state election over the weekend.
Are jumping castles safe? An amusement ride safety expert explains
The Conversation Australiaby David Eager, Emeritus Professor, University of Technology Sydney·7 Sept 2026
On Saturday, five children were hospitalised after two separate incidents in which jumping castles were lifted into the air by high winds.
Australia’s social media ban has an enforcement problem. These new laws aim to fix it
The Conversation Australiaby Christine Parker, Professor of Law, The University of Melbourne·7 Sept 2026
In the same week the federal government is preparing to introduce its landmark digital duty of care legislation, it is also returning to some unfinished business: strengthening its social media age...
Strong is the New Pretty: Suzie Miller’s new play celebrates the women who fought for a place in AFL
The Conversation Australiaby Delyse Ryan, National Course Coordinator of Creative Arts, Senior Lecturer in Drama, Australian Catholic University·7 Sept 2026
Kicking off the Brisbane Festival, Suzie Miller’s new play Strong is the New Pretty celebrates the blood, sweat and tears that helped create the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW)...
Australia has a housing shortage. So why are Bathla and other home builders collapsing?
The Conversation Australiaby Amanda Bull, Lecturer, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology·7 Sept 2026
Across Australia, thousands of people are waiting to find out if their homes will be built, after several separate construction company collapses.
Telling a young child they are ‘smart’ seems like a good idea. New research shows how it could encourage them to cheat
The Conversation Australiaby Elena Vasseleu, Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Development, University of Wollongong·7 Sept 2026
Parents and teachers might think telling kids “they’re smart” is a helpful way to build self-confidence and support positive development.
For this woman in her 50s, endurance cycling is quietly radical – and about much more than sport
The Conversation Australiaby Sharyn Carnahan, Lecturer, Health Science, Torrens University Australia·7 Sept 2026
Saskia Beudel’s book begins with a straightforward premise: how she prepared for one of Australia’s toughest cycling events.
Feeling angry? Don’t blow off steam. Try these tips instead
The Conversation Australiaby Tom Denson, Professor of Psychology, UNSW·7 Sept 2026
After a bad night’s sleep, you squabble with your kids at breakfast. Then a neighbour parks you in. When you finally get to work an hour late, your boss makes one more impossible demand.
Gas from the Beetaloo Basin will only pour fuel on the climate change fire
The Conversation Australiaby Lily O'Neill, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne·7 Sept 2026
Gas is now flowing from the Beetaloo Basin, a vast fossil fuel project roughly 500 kilometres southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Investments promising social or environmental benefits need tougher anti-greenwashing rules
The Conversation Australiaby Syrus Islam, Associate Professor of Accounting, Auckland University of Technology·7 Sept 2026
Investment funds increasingly promise to deliver social or environmental benefits alongside financial returns. Regulators rightly ask if these “impact investment” claims are accurate.
Why NZ should redraw council boundaries to match our connections to the landscape
The Conversation Australiaby Marcus Robinson, Senior Tutor in Landscape Architecture, Lincoln University, New Zealand·6 Sept 2026
As part of a major overhaul of local government, Cabinet is currently considering proposals from local councils on how to carve up regions into new unitary authorities.
How Indigenous Protected Areas became a vital way to protect nature in Australia
The Conversation Australiaby Stan Lui, Director, Five Cubed Environmental, Indigenous Knowledge·6 Sept 2026
When you think of conservation in Australia, chances are you’ll think of a national park. But there’s another fast-growing way of conserving land: Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs).
How ‘hyperselection’ is making modern life efficient, pleasant – and boring
The Conversation Australiaby Jose Yong, Senior Lecturer, School of Social and Health Sciences, James Cook University·6 Sept 2026
It’s difficult to imagine a song like Queen’s 1975 Bohemian Rhapsody topping the charts today. Almost six minutes long, it moves through several radically different musical sections and famously...
One quarter of Australian kids are ‘developmentally vulnerable’ when they start school. Quality childcare can catch them up
The Conversation Australiaby Anne Kennedy, Honorary Fellow, Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne·6 Sept 2026
We know the first five years are a crucial time in a child’s life. Early experiences, such as family relationships or exposure to trauma, shape brain architecture, which lays the foundation for...
Does ‘R U OK? Day’ actually improve people’s mental health?
The Conversation Australiaby Lachlan Deer, Lecturer in Marketing, The University of Melbourne·6 Sept 2026
Every September, Australians are encouraged to ask someone a simple question: “Are you OK?” R U OK?
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