ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on October 8, 2025.
Condé Nast bans fur after decades of protest. Is it a turning point, or another fashion fad?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Enterprise, Torrens University Australia Edward Berthelot/Getty Images For decades, animal rights activists, campaigners and ethical designers have fought to strip fur fashion of its glamour and expose the cruelty behind it. From bold celebrity-led protests to quiet shifts in consumer values,
Protected areas in the Hauraki Gulf nearly triple under a new law – but it comes with fish hooks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Conrad Pilditch, Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images A new law that almost triples the protected area in the Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana – New Zealand’s largest marine park at more than 1.2 million hectares, surrounding Auckland and the Coromandel peninsula
Australia-PNG defence treaty: what we can learn from history to make this new alliance work
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Moss, Senior Lecturer in History, UNSW Sydney After a slight delay, Australia and Papua New Guinea formally signed a defence treaty this week committing the two nations to come to each other’s aid if one is faced with an attack. According to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,
What’s the difference between hot sweat and cold sweat?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Meyer, Senior Lecturer, Anatomy and Pathology in the College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University HUUM/Unsplash Imagine two scenarios. In the first, you’re hiking uphill on a warm day, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead. In the second, you’ve just remembered you have an
What is a ‘dopamine detox’? And do I need one?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, Lecturer and Research Supervisor, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney d3sign/Getty Images Advice about cutting down on dopamine is everywhere right now. From “dopamine fasting” to “anti-dopamine parenting” and even “raw-dogging” flights (going without any screens, books or music), TikTok influencers
Queensland landlords could soon face jail for ignoring illegal tobacco. What are other states doing?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Coral Gartner, Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, The University of Queensland Australian Border Force Reports of illegal tobacco crimes have sharply increased in Australia in recent years. Organised crime syndicates believed to be behind tobacco smuggling operations have also infiltrated the
Today’s AI hype has echoes of a devastating technology boom and bust 100 years ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Shackell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology A crowd gathers outside the New York Stock Exchange following the ‘Great Crash’ of October 1929. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, US Library of Congress The electrification boom of the 1920s
The world’s most sensitive computer code is vulnerable to attack. A new encryption method can help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Qiang Tang, Associate Professor, Computer Science, University of Sydney Joan Gammell/Unsplash Nowadays data breaches aren’t rare shocks – they’re a weekly drumbeat. From leaked customer records to stolen source code, our digital lives keep spilling into the open. Git services are especially vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. These
Some towns are cutting fluoride from water supplies. Here’s what this means for locals’ teeth
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amit Arora, Associate Professor in Public Health, Western Sydney University Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images Thousands of residents in Dubbo and Wellington, in western New South Wales, haven’t had fluoride added to their tap water for nearly seven years. After a public outcry, the council’s fluoridation equipment is
We’ve tried and failed to Close the Gap for 15 years. Research shows what actually works
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leslie Baird, Associate Professor, CQUniversity Australia Every year, we hear the same story about addressing Indigenous disadvantage. Closing the Gap targets remain unmet, incarceration and suicide rates continue to rise, and children are removed from families at alarming rates. Despite these persistent failures, governments continue to fund
Would you watch a film with an AI actor? What Tilly Norwood tells us about art – and labour rights
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Hume, Lecturer In Theatre (Voice), Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne Particle6 Productions Tilly Norwood officially launched her acting career this month at the Zurich Film Festival. She first appeared in the short film AI Commissioner, released in July. Her producer, Eline Van
Jobseeker changes turn young adults into dependent children – and squeeze households further
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan St John, Honorary Associate Professor, Economic Policy Centre, Auckland Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Social Development Minister Louise Upston Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images When the government announced in its May budget that it would tighten eligibility for young New Zealanders getting Jobseeker benefits, there
View from The Hill: Two years of a distant war have brought much damage to Australian society
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Two years ago, who would have imagined the police and the Palestine Action Group (PAG) would be fighting in court over whether demonstrators should be allowed to rally outside the Sydney Opera House? Indeed, 24 months ago, who would have
Snowy 2.0 cost blowouts might be OK if the scheme stored power more cheaply than batteries. But it won’t
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Professor and Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Two years ago, Snowy Hydro announced a reset for its troubled Snowy 2.0 giant pumped hydro project amid cost blowouts. The supposed final cost was A$12 billion. Last week, Snowy Hydro acknowledged this figure was no
Australian teachers are some of the highest users of AI in classrooms around the world – new survey
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Shields, Professor of Education and Head of School, The University of Queensland Klaus Vedfelt/ Getty Images Australian teachers are more likely to be using artificial intelligence than their counterparts around the world, according to a new international survey. The OECD’s latest Teaching and Learning International Survey
Australia’s gambling harm is likely underreported – and authorities are still failing to act
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angela Rintoul, Principal Research Fellow – Gambling and Suicide, The University of Melbourne Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images Monday night’s ABC Four Corners’ investigation highlighted major issues with the regulation of online gambling in Australia. Regulators are responsible for safeguarding the public from serious gambling harms. However,
People trust podcasts more than social media. But is the trust warranted?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Weismueller, Lecturer, UWA Business School, The University of Western Australia Medy Siregar/Unsplash There’s been a striking decline in public confidence in social media platforms, according to the 2025 Ethics Index published by the Governance Institute of Australia. One in four Australians now rate social media as
Extreme weather now costs Australians $4.5b a year. Better insurance options and loans would help us adapt
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johanna Nalau, Associate Professor in Climate Adaptation, Griffith University Today’s release of the Insurance Council of Australia’s report puts Australia on the spot: we rank second in the world in extreme weather-related losses. As the Insurance Council puts it, this is not the silver medal we want
