ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 22, 2026.
While it wasn’t his idea, Medicare helped make the mythos of Bob Hawke
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University It was the big-picture reform that defined the Labor prime minister Bob Hawke and infuriated his opponents with its radical promise of a fairer, healthier society. Medicare, Australia’s taxpayer-funded system of universal health insurance, established in 1984, has
Why eating disorder recovery is about more than what you eat or weigh
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Houlihan, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of the Sunshine Coast Recovering from an eating disorder can be long and complex. Treatment typically focuses on reducing the unhelpful behaviours and thoughts that characterise these disorders. These include extreme dieting, binge eating, purging, negative body image, and
Green tram tracks cut heat and beautify cities. Why isn’t Australia doing it?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne Cities are hotter than the surrounding countryside. Paved surfaces such as asphalt and concrete trap heat and release it at night. But as climate change worsens, this is becoming a real
How court cases against Woolworths and Coles could change the future of shopping in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeannie Marie Paterson, Professor of Law (consumer protections and credit law), The University of Melbourne The consumer watchdog’s Federal Court case against Woolworths over its “prices dropped” promotions is underway and will run into next week. This – and a separate court action against Coles – are
So much research is already free to read in Australia – but it’s not getting the support it needs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hamid R. Jamali, Professor, School of Information and Communication Studies, Charles Sturt University Australian universities pay millions to commercial academic publishers each year. This is one of the main ways academics publish their research and have it recognised by their peers. The money covers staff and students’
These shocks to Australia’s food system won’t be the last. Will it learn in time for the next one?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Strating, Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security, and Professor of International Relations, La Trobe University News of a fragile ceasefire has done little to calm anxieties about the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has choked shipping and the United States has responded with a targeted
No wonder Iran went cold on sham talks, considering the lying US-Israeli track record
COMMENTARY: By Tim O’Shea I don’t blame Iran for going cold on another sham negotiation session with the US. After all, why would they take the US or Israel seriously? Or even remotely trust either of them when: They both bombed Iran right in the middle of two sets of previous “negotiations”; and Trump lied
Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans – and that’s crucial for their survival
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Marie Quigley, DECRA Research Fellow in molecular ecology, James Cook University Lord Howe Island lies in the middle of the ocean, about 700 kilometres northeast of Sydney. It’s covered in lush forest and fringed by the world’s most southerly coral reef ecosystem. This reef system isn’t
From Fleabag to Vladimir: why has breaking the fourth wall become so common?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Munt, Associate Professor, Media Arts & Production, University of Technology Sydney In the opening moments of Vladimir, Netflix’s new erotic drama series, the protagonist M (Rachel Weisz) is sprawled on a couch in her negligee, writing in her notepad. She leans towards the camera, then stares
Whale strandings draw emotional responses. But repeated rescues can cause more harm
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Stockin, Professor of Marine Ecology, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University A humpback whale repeatedly restranding in shallow waters in the Baltic Sea for more than three weeks has become the focus of a complex debate about reconciling compassion for animals with ethical, evidence-based decision
From floppy discs to Claude Mythos, how ransomware grew into a multibillion-dollar industry
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anja Shortland, Professor in Political Economy, King’s College London When evolutionary biologist Joseph Popp coded the first documented piece of ransomware in 1989, he had little idea it would become a major criminal business model capable of bringing economies to their knees. Popp, who worked for the
Venice is sinking – we analysed every plan to save it, and none would preserve the city as we know it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert James Nicholls, Professor of Climate Adaptation, University of East Anglia Venice has co-existed with the sea throughout its 1,500-year history, perhaps better than any other city on earth. Yet over the past century it has flooded increasingly often, as the sea rises and the city itself
We designed the turf for soccer’s biggest World Cup ever – here’s how we created the same playing experience across 3 countries
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John N. Trey Rogers, Professor of Turfgrass Research, Michigan State University With 104 matches in 16 stadiums across Canada, the United States and Mexico, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be soccer’s biggest event ever. It’s our job as turfgrass researchers hired by FIFA, the game’s governing
How does imagination really work in the brain? New theory upends what we knew
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Pace, Researcher and Lecturer at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast Your brain is currently expending about a fifth of your body’s energy, and almost none of that is being used for what you’re doing right now. Reading these words, feeling the weight of
Multicultural Australia was built under a Liberal prime minister. The current party should take heed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gwenda Tavan, Adjunct Associate Professor of Politics, La Trobe University Multiculturalism first made its way into Australian political dialogue in the 1970s, with the idea that the country could, and should, be home to people from all over the world. Inevitably, there was backlash against the idea,
First Robodebt, now NDIS and aged care: how computers still decide who gets care
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Davy, Senior Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Every welfare program negotiates a fundamental tension: between fiscal responsibility and consistency on one hand, and care for real people with complex needs and situations on the other. Over the past decade or so, one
What is a lingua franca? A brief history, from the Crusades to today
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Aikhenvald, Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow, Jawun Research Institute, CQUniversity Australia When the Crusaders descended upon the eastern shores of the Mediterranean at the end of the 11th century, they had to communicate with each other, with traders and with locals. Many of them spoke different
The end of oil? As fuel shocks cascade, 53 nations gather to plan a fossil fuel phaseout
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney US President Donald Trump is a longtime climate denier and oil industry ally, who sums up his own energy policy as “drill, baby, drill”. Yet he is doing more than almost anyone to speed up
Pretend play is a magical part of childhood. New research suggests it can also help mental health
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fotini Vasilopoulos, Postdoctoral Researcher, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney Pretend play is a significant and often magical part of childhood. Children have huge imaginations and use these to turn rocks into spaceships, tables into forts or pens into fairies.
Tinkering with the capital gains tax discount isn’t enough. Here’s why it needs to go
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Evans, Emeritus Professor, School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, UNSW Sydney It looks increasingly likely Treasurer Jim Chalmers will make changes to the capital gains tax (CGT) discount in the federal budget in May. Under the current system, a person who has held an asset for
