ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 23, 2026.
WorkChoices helped end John Howard’s leadership. The policy’s ghost still haunts the Liberals
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Foley, Postdoctoral research fellow, Flinders University; University of Canberra WorkChoices marked one of the great turning points of the Howard era. It accelerated the unravelling of a decade-long Coalition government, handed Labor a potent election weapon, and led the most successful union campaigns in modern Australian
Climate change means more landslides in NZ – but new tech can help reduce the risk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Wigmore, Senior Research Fellow, Antarctic Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Thousands of slips in Tairāwhiti in January. The loss of eight lives in the Bay of Plenty later that month. And, days ago, landslides that damaged homes, forced evacuations and blocked
I rediscovered a forgotten legal rule. It could transform Indigenous rights in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olivia Barr, Associate Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Canada has signed more than 70 treaties with its Indigenous peoples. The United States has more than 300 treaties. Our neighbour, New Zealand, has the Treaty of Waitangi. Countries such as Ecuador, Norway and
Antisemitism or anti-Zionism? Sydney Uni pressure to silence Israel, apartheid critics
University of Sydney’s appointment of pro-Israel academic Michael Abrahams-Sprod as antisemitism adviser has exposed management to an embarrassing conflict in its approach to freedom of expression. Wendy Bacon reports for Michael West Media. SPECIAL REPORT: By Wendy Bacon While University of Sydney antisemitism adviser Dr Michael Abrahams-Sprod works in vice-chancellor Mark Scott’s office as its
Is your cat or dog overweight? Why simply feeding less doesn’t always help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Quain, Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney Overweight and obesity are among the most common conditions veterinarians see in both dogs and cats. Yet weight-loss plans for pets are frequently unsuccessful, with a high drop-out rate. In one study, over half of
‘His life mattered’: Family of man who died in Fiji military custody says he begged for his life
By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Jone Vakarisi was heard screaming and begging before he was “brutalised to death” in Fiji military custody last week, according to his sister. Melehola Tagaga told RNZ Pacific Waves that the well-known drug pusher was asked if he was planning a coup, before the military arrested him at
Middle East conflict: how the US and Iran could step back from the brink
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David J. Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology, University of Bath Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face a renewal of American bombardment was due to expire this week, but was extended at the last moment, this time with no defined
The NZ Census guided vital economic and social planning. What happens now it’s gone?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Haslett, Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University The old New Zealand Census – first conducted in 1851 – is to be no more. In its place will be a new and largely untried system that could potentially undermine the statistical basis
How the Trump administration co-opts pop culture and religion for political gain
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brent Keogh, Lecturer in the School of Communications, University of Technology Sydney On April 15, United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth led a prayer session at the Pentagon. But instead of quoting from any recognised canon of sacred scripture, Hegseth’s prayer sounded unmistakably like Samuel L.
The science of cosiness: a textiles expert explains feather down, bamboo, polyester duvets
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Van Amber, Senior Lecturer in Fashion & Textiles, RMIT University As the weather cools in the southern hemisphere and energy prices climb, many of us are trying to stay warm without cranking the heating. The doona – or duvet, if you prefer – is central to
How the war in Iran has brought European countries closer together – without Trump
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Romain Fathi, Associate Professor, School of History, ANU / Chercheur Associé at the Centre d’Histoire de Sciences Po, Australian National University The United States under President Donald Trump and the European Union have a complicated relationship. On one hand, European countries and the US have built some
Why Native Title rulings need a system to value cultural loss
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Duygu Yengin, Associate Professor of Economics, Adelaide University Right now, courts across Australia are grappling with a difficult legal question. How do you put a dollar value on the cultural and spiritual harm done to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples when their Country has been damaged
Anzac Day 2026: how the poppy has endured as our symbol of war and remembrance
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rowan Light, Lecturer in History, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau In 1916, in the middle of the Great War, 2nd Lieutenant Leonard (Len) James Shaw of the 2nd Auckland Battalion sent a pressed Flanders poppy in folded paper to his niece Jessie Osborne in Waikato. Shaw
Tightened eligibility and cuts to plans: what the NDIS changes mean for participants
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney In sweeping reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) announced today, the government will cut 160,000 participants from the scheme over the next four years and reduce funding for the average plan by A$5,000 in the next two
Nuclear – now climate change: New book on how great powers have plagued the Pacific
Updated research has shown up lingering headaches over the impacts of decades-long nuclear testing in the Pacific islands and interventions of outside powers, amid growing threats from climate change, writes Dr Lee Duffield. REVIEW: By Lee Duffield The journalist, professor and peace activist Dr David Robie, was one of a media party on the ill-fated
Sydney Uni appoints antisemitism ‘lecturer’, forgets to tell anybody
University of Sydney’s vice-chancellor Mark Scott appointed a special advisor for the institution’s antisemitism training programme, but forgot to tell anyone until months later. The first of a two-part series on Zionist influence in Australian universities for Michael West Media. By Wendy Bacon and Cathy Peters in Sydney The person chosen for the role of
NDIS slashed and higher health insurance subsidy for over 65s scrapped, in Health Minister Butler’s package
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government will slash spending in real terms on the National Disability Insurance Scheme over four years, as it undertakes a massive “reset” of the program. People with lower support needs will be moved off the scheme and over the
Foreign companies are making billions off Australia’s gas. It’s time that changed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Hepburn, Professor of Law, Deakin University Is Australia giving away its gas resources, virtually for free? That question is at the centre of this week’s parliamentary inquiry into the taxation of gas resources. Over the last decade, Australia has become one of the world’s largest exporters
‘No accountability, no checks and balances, no responsibility’: how Indigenous peoples think about AI
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Critical Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University Much of the current conversation about AI assumes uptake is inevitable, more technology means better outcomes and the main task is managing risk. But we asked Aboriginal and Torres Strait
How to safeguard against overdiagnosis when more GPs treat ADHD
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thileepan Naren, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University; Curtin University The proportion of people diagnosed with and treated for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is growing. Prescription rates have increased 11-fold in 20 years. But the growth isn’t uniform across the country. This week,
