Are the Year 3 NAPLAN alarm bells justified?
By Bronwyn O’Connor and Katherin Cartwright
The national NAPLAN results are in for 2026. Years 5, 7 and 9 saw their numeracy scores increase, however a reported
Read more6 August 2026Perspectives
Cancelled speech reveals perils of immigration policy
By Michelle Grattan
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s cancelling of his big speech on migration that had been scheduled for delivery at the National Press Club this
Read more6 August 2026
Miles Franklin shortlist shows willingness to experiment
By Alexander Howard
Australian fiction has long been interested in the relationship between the local and the global – and the six books shortlisted for this year’s
Read more5 August 2026
Still time to protect wildlife from bird flu outbreak
By Saia Nahir Bartes
Australia is now confronting an outbreak of a deadly bird flu strain.
As of Monday, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus had been detected in 78 wild
Read more5 August 2026
Ariana Grande health speculation asks the wrong question
By Vivienne Lewis
Every time a celebrity appears to lose weight, the same debate begins. Some people say we shouldn’t comment on another person’s body. Others argue
Read more4 August 2026
Governments need to address churn in childcare work
By Peter Hurley, Melissa Tham and Sarah Pilcher
Reports of shocking abuse and neglect in our early childhood system mean many Australians are questioning whether they
Read more4 August 2026
Exercise tax a missed chance to reduce healthcare burden
By Emma Beckman
The GST on exercise physiology – an emerging and misunderstood field when the tax was introduced in 2000 – creates an unlevel playing field in allied
Read more3 August 2026
Mindfulness appears to slow the passage of time
By Amy Errmann
Ask someone if they’d rather take $5 today or $10 next week and they’ll know which option is better.
Yet that idea of “today” can have a magnetic
Read more3 August 2026
Private school fee hikes highlight quality dilemma
By Elisa Di Gregorio and Emma Rowe
This month, multiple news outlets have reported families’ concerns about rising private school costs during the cost-of-living
Read more3 August 2026
Australian bird flu cases are taking off
By Jane Younger
The spread of H5N1 birdflu is worsening.
At the time of writing, Australia has 53 confirmed detections in wild seabirds across five states. In South
Read more3 August 2026