ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on September 12, 2025.
Australia’s long history of ‘sovereign citizens’ can be traced to outback WA
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keiran Hardy, Associate Professor, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University Leonard Casley, often referred to as Prince Leonard. Olivier CHOUCHANA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Outback Western Australia, some time in the 1970s. Picture a huge farm about 500 kilometres north of Perth, with a seemingly endless dirt road to
For migrants, dementia can mean losing a language – and a whole world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fahad Hanna, Associate Professor in Public Health, Torrens University Australia You may have lived in Australia for most of your adult life, speaking English every day. But if you acquired the language later in life and then develop dementia – a brain condition that affects thinking, memory
Lakeshore shallows can be biodiversity hotspots – but warming is changing their complex ecology
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Donald Stewart, Freshwater Scientist, Cawthron Institute Warrick Powrie, CC BY-SA The 19th-century American naturalist Henry David Thoreau described the small freshwater lake at Walden as “Earth’s eye” – a measure of the complexity of ecological interactions. Our new research at Lake Taupō, New Zealand’s largest body
Tesla’s self-driving mode is coming to Australia amid controversy – but it won’t create true driverless cars
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hussein Dia, Professor of Transport Technology and Sustainability, Swinburne University of Technology NurPhoto/Getty Tesla is expected to soon turn on its “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” (FSD) mode in Australia and New Zealand. Is a future of driverless cars upon us? Not exactly – it’s essentially more advanced driver
For too long, colonial language has dominated space exploration. There is a better way
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Art Cotterell, Research Associate, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University Jill Bazeley/Flickr, CC BY-NC At an internal staff briefing last week, acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy declared the United States has a “manifest destiny to the stars”, linking this to the need to win
Private toll roads are supposed to save taxpayers’ money, but can have these hidden costs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne If you’ve ever driven in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, chances are you’ve used – or steered clear of – a private toll road. Those three cities are home to 22 private
NSW has a new fashion sector strategy – but a sustainable industry needs a federally legislated response
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Harriette Richards, Senior Lecturer, School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University The New South Wales government recently announced the launch of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy, 2025–28. The strategy, developed in partnership with the Australian Fashion Council, TAFE NSW, University of Technology Sydney and the Powerhouse Museum,
Charlie Kirk’s assassination is the latest act of political violence in a febrile United States
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney In yet another shocking act of political violence in the United States, Charlie Kirk, who came to prominence as a conservative influencer and supporter of Donald Trump, was assassinated while debating with students at a university
Grattan on Friday: Sussan Ley hasn’t solved her Jacinta Price problem – it may just become bigger
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra It says everything about the Liberals that the fracas over Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s comments about Indian immigrants became a proxy for the longer-term, debilitating battle over the party’s leadership and identity. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley mishandled the affair initially by
The ANU was set up to be a ‘national asset’. Here are 3 ways it can return to its original mission
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia The Australian National University is one of the most prestigious universities in Australia and is regularly ranked among the world’s best. Despite this pedigree, it has recently been embroiled in ongoing controversies. This includes a restructure to try
Tougher knife laws aren’t the only solution to Victoria’s violent crime problem
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Robert McGregor, Senior Lecturer, Criminology, Swinburne University of Technology Violent crime involving young people is causing significant community concern in Victoria. The recent fatal stabbings of two boys in Cobblebank, along with the high rates of youth involvement in robberies and aggravated burglaries, has fuelled calls
Art and music therapies can be ‘life changing’ for people with disability
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace Thompson, Associate Professor in Music Therapy; Senior Academic Fellow at Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne Halfpoint/Getty From November, music and art therapists will be able to charge the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) the same as counsellors, after an
Autism is lifelong. Here’s what support looks like in adulthood
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chelsea Morrison, PhD Candidate, Occupational Therapy, Southern Cross University The government plans to redirect some children off the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and onto a new program called Thriving Kids. When announcing the change last month, health and disability minister Mark Butler explained: Tens and tens
Cheap power to the people could shift the dial for renewables in the regions
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Professor of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology Martin Ollman/Getty Images Australia’s energy story is at a turning point. Demand for electricity is rising rapidly as homes, industries, and transport systems electrify. The nation is also under pressure to cut emissions from
