Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney

On Sunday, a gunman launched a horrifying attack on people at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Thomas Jacob Sanford allegedly rammed his pickup truck, adorned with American flags, into the doors of the chapel as a service was taking place. Authorities stated he shot at worshippers with an assault weapon, then set fire to the building. Four people died, and police killed Sanford at the scene shortly afterwards.

Media reports and government spokespeople suggest Sanford was motivated by a pronounced hatred of followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), widely known as Mormons.

According to a childhood friend, Peter Tersigni, Sanford became fixated with the church when he started dating one of its members while living in Utah:

He started dating this girl and then investigated and learned about Mormons because she was a Mormon. And I know that also, he got into meth really hardcore. It messed his life up and it messed his head up. And it just happened to be at the time he was around Mormons.

The language Sanford is reported to have used to describe Mormons – calling them “the antichrist” and saying “they are going to take over the world” – taps into a conspiracist suspicion of Mormons that has existed in America since the LDS church was founded in 1830, and which is still widespread in some subcultures today.

Anti-Mormonism in American history

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, had enemies from the beginning. New Christian sects were proliferating in America, but Smith went further than most. He declared himself a “prophet” and claimed to have a new religious scripture that was equal to the Bible.

Many denounced Smith as a fraud, and his neighbours feared the political power he wielded over his growing community of followers. After the Mormons were forced out of Missouri by a state Extermination Order and a subsequent massacre, Smith was assassinated by an anti-Mormon militia in Illinois in 1844.

The Mormons fled to Utah in 1847 under the leadership of Brigham Young. There they endured decades of federal government pressure to abandon the practice of polygamy and submit to the authority of the United States, which sometimes brought in armed forces.

This may seem like remote history, but to this day many evangelical Christians fear the fast-growing but “false religion” of Mormonism will lure people away from true Christianity. There is a cottage industry of YouTubers, some of them ex-Mormons, dedicated to disproving the teachings of Joseph Smith.

Nor has the violent past been forgotten. Earlier this year Netflix released a series depicting the Mountain Meadows Massacre, perpetrated by a Mormon militia in 1857.

Jon Krakauer’s 2003 bestselling book, Under the Banner of Heaven, also made into a streaming series, explored 1980s murders in a Mormon splinter sect. The book emphasised the prevalence of violence in early LDS history.

Anti-Mormonism today

Anti-Mormon violence is relatively rare in America today, but aversion to Mormons is not.

A 2022 YouGov poll of Americans found 39% of respondents held unfavourable views of Mormons, compared to just 17% with favourable views. This net negative approval was comparable to American attitudes towards Muslims, and more negative than American attitudes towards atheists.

I argued in a 2014 study that Mormons face hostility from both sides of America’s culture wars. Many conservative Christians believe Mormons are not real Christians. At the same time, many liberal and secular-minded people associate Mormons with the Christian-right.

In 2012, the high-profile Mormon Mitt Romney became the Republican candidate for the presidential election. The number of liberal and non-religious people who said they would not vote for a Mormon for president increased significantly between 2007 and 2012, despite the fact Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was also a Mormon.

The LDS church was also prominent in campaigns against same-sex marriage in western states in the late 2000s. This led to protests and some acts of vandalism at LDS houses of worship, prompting expressions of solidarity by other conservative religious groups.

The bipartisan nature of anti-Mormonism arguably makes it one of the more socially acceptable biases in the US. But there is a world of difference between not wanting a Mormon president, or enjoying such mockery as the Book of Mormon musical, and physically attacking Mormons.

From prejudice to violence

Between 2015 and 2024, the FBI counted 160 hate crimes reported against LDS victims. These included 63 acts of vandalism and property destruction and 29 assaults. The states with the most incidents were Utah (25), California (23), Washington (14), Tennessee (12), Georgia (10) and Nevada (10).

A 2019 report in the LDS-owned Deseret News expressed concern over rising anti-Mormon hate crimes. But it pointed out this was part of a larger trend of rising hate crime in the US, and that anti-LDS incidents were dwarfed by hate crimes targeting Jews and Muslims during the same period.

Immediately after the Grand Blanc killings, President Donald Trump called the incident “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America”.

This fits his culture-war framing of Christians being under constant attack. But it glosses over the specific animus Mormons face in American society, often from other Christians and conservatives (the alleged Grand Blanc shooter wore a Trump 2020 shirt in a social media post).

Since 2000, there have been nearly 500 homicides in American places of worship, three quarters of them by firearm. This is a bigger problem than the violence facing any one religious group.

David Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The Michigan church shooting sits within a long history of hatred against Mormons in America – https://theconversation.com/the-michigan-church-shooting-sits-within-a-long-history-of-hatred-against-mormons-in-america-266481

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Maguire, Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle

Between 2019 and 2023, I reported on the Malka Leifer case for The Conversation. As an international lawyer, my focus was on the attempt to extradite Leifer from Israel to Australia for trial. Leifer had been principal of the Adass Israel school in Melbourne and was accused of sexually abusing three sisters who had been students at the school.

Watching Surviving Malka Leifer was revelatory. This new film, directed by Adam Kamien, centres the survivors of Leifer’s abuse. Sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper reveal their trauma and claim their power through this film.

Surviving Malka Leifer is challenging to watch, but can teach viewers much about trauma, persistence and survival.

Ultra-Orthodox upbringing and vulnerability

The girls were born into the ultra-Orthodox Adass community in Melbourne. The community is described in the documentary as insular and fundamentalist. Girls and boys were segregated. The girls’ education focused on preparation for marriage, rather than mastery of curriculum. The sisters received no sex education, and had no access to television or digital media.

The film shows how such communities avoid involving outside authorities. A former mayor of the Immanuel settlement in the West Bank, where Leifer fled from Australian justice, says on camera “we don’t believe in non-Jewish law”. Instead, sex offenders are “treated” by the community rather than handed over for punishment by the state.

The sisters tell the filmmakers that they were abused by their parents throughout their childhood. They were physically beaten, emotionally abused and deprived of food. Dassi says that when Leifer told her “this is what a loving mother does”, she believed it because she had never experienced a loving parental relationship.

Justice delayed is justice denied

Surviving Malka Leifer follows Elly, Dassi and Nicole through the torturous process of seeking justice. The sisters are interviewed alone and together and we see their video diaries.

While the sisters recount their abuse, we are often taken into a constructed dollhouse, classroom and courtroom where the sisters are represented as tiny dolls. A spider moves about these constructed rooms – it appears enormous relative to the dolls.

Alongside Freya Berkhout’s haunting original music and the raw accounts of the documentary subjects, these devices heighten the sense of risk and vulnerability in the film. As we follow the chronology of the sisters’ campaign to bring Leifer to Australia, we become ever more engaged in their rising panic about whether she will face justice.

In 2008, Dassi’s allegations of sexual abuse by Leifer were brought to the attention of a teacher. The school board met and put the allegations to Leifer, who refuted them. The allegations were not taken to police. The same day, the wife of a school board member facilitated travel arrangements for Leifer to flee to Israel.

Dassi discovered her sisters had also been abused by Leifer. In 2011, Dassi, Nicole and Elly made formal statements to Victoria Police. Australia sought Leifer’s extradition from Israel in 2013.

Leifer was arrested in 2014 but later bailed. The prosecutor would later argue she feigned mental illness to escape proper hearings of her matter for many years. In 2018, she was again detained when evidence revealed she was living freely in the Immanuel settlement.

Kamien’s film integrates the complexities of the legal process with the experiences of Leifer’s victim-survivors. We see how Leifer was protected by senior religious and political figures.

Throughout the film we learn about the sisters’ psychological torment, to the point of suicidality and hospitalisation. The delay in justice is central to the film’s narrative. The sisters’ trauma was compounded over their many years of campaigning and waiting.

Retraumatisation through the trial process

Some of the most upsetting sequences reflect the retraumatisation of Nicole, Dassi and Elly through the trial process. By the time of the trial in Melbourne, almost 100 court hearings had been held across two countries. The initial set of 74 charges was reduced to 29.

The sisters had to give evidence separately, without each others’ support in the courtroom. They describe on camera degrading experiences of cross-examination, including the insinuation that sexual activity with Leifer was consensual and that they had contaminated their evidence through collusion.

Retraumatisation is acute for Nicole, some of whose evidence was ruled inadmissible. The trial judge also decided that the jury could not hear evidence regarding how the school board assisted Leifer to flee to Israel. Former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, a long time advocate for the sisters, claims in the documentary that these rulings limited the jury’s confidence to reach findings against Leifer.

After a three week trial and ten day jury deliberation, Leifer is found guilty on 18 charges relating to Elly and Dassi, including six charges of rape. She is sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, with an 11.5 year non-parole period.

Leifer is found not guilty of the charges relating to Nicole. Nicole describes this outcome as a “win” for Leifer. Her video diaries reveal grave emotional distress over subsequent months.

Surviving Malka Leifer tells several important stories. We see how the perceived interests of an insular religious community are prioritised over the victims of sexual abuse. We see how legal processes, especially when protracted, re-traumatise victims and maintain their vulnerability as abusers pose counter-narratives before courts.

We also see three women who have persisted through unimaginable trauma in their campaign for justice. Their courage is breathtaking.

Surviving Malka Leifer is on Stan from Sunday.

The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

Amy Maguire receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. New documentary about the Malka Leifer case centres trauma, persistence and survival – https://theconversation.com/new-documentary-about-the-malka-leifer-case-centres-trauma-persistence-and-survival-265199

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Associate Professor, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide

Most of us know dementia – a broad term for several disorders involving declines in memory, language and thinking – can severely affect daily life.

But dementia is now the leading cause of death for Australians.

Earlier this month, data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found 17,400 people died in 2023 due to dementia. This is 9.5% of all deaths.

But it can also be an associated factor in death, accounting for a further 15,000 deaths in 2023. This is considered dying with dementia.

Studies suggest dementia deaths may be even higher, as under-reporting on death certificates is common.

So, how does dementia actually lead to death?

How dementia progresses

Dementia is a neurodegenerative condition associated with progressive death of cells within the brain. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60–70% of all cases.

People with dementia experience declines in cognitive function that interfere with their everyday life, including memory loss, difficulty communicating, or trouble thinking. They might also experience changes in their mood, behaviour or personality.

As dementia progresses, cell loss spreads throughout the brain. Eventually it reaches regions such as the brainstem, which are important for vital functions, such as breathing and swallowing.

In some cases, these effects on the brain can cause death. But they can also lead to other complications, which can then be fatal.

Secondary complications can be deadly

When swallowing becomes more difficult late in the disease, serious complications can develop.

People with dementia may accidentally inhale food or liquid into their lungs. This can lead to bacterial infections, such as aspiration pneumonia.

One 2019 review of 19 studies found people with dementia had double the risk of dying from pneumonia, compared to those without dementia.

Pneumonia caused more than one in four (29.69%) deaths of people with dementia. When the cause of death was confirmed via autopsy, rather than based on what was recorded on a death certificate, this was as high as one in two (49.98%).

Difficulties with swallowing can also lead to dehydration, weight loss and malnutrition. These can be further exacerbated by loss of appetite and lead to worse health and a weakened immune system.

This is why in its later stages, people with dementia often find it harder to fight off infections such as pneumonia or flu, and are more likely to experience complications.

Urinary tract infections also become more likely, due to incontinence and challenges maintaining personal hygiene. Communication difficulties may mean these infections go undetected.

Left untreated, infections can cause sepsis in severe cases. This is an extreme response to an infection, where the body attacks its own tissues and organs. It can lead to septic shock, organ failure and even death if not identified and treated.

Beyond infections, dementia can also increase frailty and impair balance and coordination. This can increase the risk of falls: people with dementia are twice as likely as those without the condition to have a fall.

And, when they do, they’re more likely to experience severe consequences, such as fractures, hospitalisation and even death.

Age plays a role

It is also important to acknowledge that age is the biggest risk factor for dementia. Among Australians aged 30–59, only one in 1,000 have dementia. Among those aged 85–89, this jumps to 210 in 1,000.

Older people may experience other age-related health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Dementia may make it more difficult to manage these conditions, leading to further health complications, such as stroke or heart attack. In these cases – when dementia is a contributing factor, but is not the primary cause of death – this is usually listed as dying with dementia.

In 2023, the leading causes of death among people who died with dementia were:

• heart disease (more than 1,900 deaths)
• stroke or other cerebrovascular disease (almost 1,500 deaths)
• COVID-19 (around 1,200 deaths)
• accidental falls (almost 1,100 deaths)
• diabetes (around 1,000 deaths).

Ways to reduce your risk

Without a medical breakthrough, the number of Australian dementia cases is projected to rise to more than one million by 2065.

The increase is partly due to our growing ageing population.

But dementia is not inevitable – and is not just a normal part of ageing.

The Lancet Commission on dementia, convened to review the evidence and provide recommendations on how to manage and prevent dementia, has identified 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia. These are:

• less education
• hearing loss
• high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
• depression
• traumatic brain injury
• physical inactivity
• diabetes
• smoking
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• obesity
• drinking excessive alcohol
• social isolation
• exposure to air pollution
• vision loss.

By addressing these – at both the individual level and through government policies – it’s estimated we could prevent up to 45% of dementia cases. This could lead to us not only living longer, but living healthier for longer.

Lyndsey Collins-Praino receives funding from the National Health and Medical Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, the Australian Research Council and various philanthropic organisations. In addition to her academic role, she is affiliated with the Dementia Australia Research Foundation Scientific Panel, the MS Australia Research Management Council and the Hospital Research Foundation- Parkinson’s SA Board of Governor’s.

– ref. Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia. But why is it fatal? – https://theconversation.com/dementia-is-now-the-leading-cause-of-death-in-australia-but-why-is-it-fatal-265678

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tod Jones, Senior Lecturer, Human Geography, Curtin University

Australia relies on seasonal workers, particularly in agriculture and hospitality, to fill shortages of much-needed skills.

But a combination of low pay, strict visa conditions and housing unavailability in regional areas is placing these workers at risk of overcrowded and inappropriate housing conditions.

To provide seasonal workers with safe and secure accommodation, we need to better understand who they are and the housing problems they’re facing.

Our research examined the experiences of these workers. Interviews and focus groups captured the views and experiences of almost 100 workers and other stakeholders in five locations in regional Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

We found widespread poor accommodation with little storage, safety risks and inadequate enforcement of basic standards.

Who are these workers?

Many seasonal workers come to Australia from other countries. Their working conditions are shaped by the visa they’ve been granted.

Workers coming as part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme can stay for up to four years and are prevented from moving or changing employer.

Those with Working Holiday Maker visas are under 35 years old. They’re required to work for three or more months annually in regional locations to extend their visa.

Australian seasonal workers are not restricted by visa conditions and tend to be either under 35, or older Australians on working holidays.

We also found another vulnerable group: long-term workers in seasonal industries being forced into temporary or precarious housing due to shortages of affordable and suitable accommodation.

In June 2024, there were 173,216 working holiday makers in Australia (mainly in urban areas) and in December 2024, there were 27,260 PALM workers in regional Australia.

PALM worker numbers increased during the COVID pandemic when working holiday maker numbers declined.

Crowded and cramped conditions

There are large differences in quality and cost among seasonal and vulnerable worker accommodation, even in the same locations.

Often, workers rely on temporary and informal housing, such as shipping containers, caravans and portable buildings.

Even in permanent housing, temporary measures such as bunk beds, sharing rooms and shared facilities are common for extended periods.

Residents reported that crowding and a lack of privacy affected their mental health, productivity and sleep.

Working holiday makers and seasonal Australian workers are willing to tolerate crowded and poor-quality accommodation for short periods. But PALM workers sometimes endure inappropriate conditions for extended periods. As one worker in Victoria described:

the worst thing was the sleeping arrangements: sometimes three of us would share one room, and the beds were just like that, crammed together. One person slept on one side, another in the middle, and another on the other side.

Storage was an issue across all locations, particularly for longer-term residents. PALM workers revealed particularly extreme experiences, such as having to sleep on top of their clothes due to lack of storage space.

Accommodation costs are highly variable even within locations. PALM workers are most at risk of exploitation and poor housing due to their reliance on their employer. A person involved with organising worker accommodation observed:

before [the labour hire company] took over that caravan park, those caravans were going for $200, $300 a week. And then once the PALM workers came, there was a change in the lease arrangement, and they went up to $800.

This group is also the most hesitant to complain and may require culturally competent advocates to assist them with addressing accommodation issues.

What’s causing these problems?

Effective responses should be based on the underlying causes of poor accommodation.

While employer-provided accommodation is an important part of the solution, it has also been found to lead to inappropriate housing at times. This is possibly due to the level of power imbalances involved.

PALM workers are particularly at risk because they cannot change employers and the vast majority of their housing is provided by their employers. Workers in employer-provided accommodation are more reluctant to advocate for improvements than those in private housing.

Second, standards and costs are often inappropriate for workers. This is particularly the case for long-term workers who often reside in accommodation with standards intended for short, seasonal stays.

In Coral Bay, Western Australia there were unacceptable risks to mental health, and from fire and extreme temperatures. Standards were poor and workers were often unwilling, or unaware of how, to make complaints.

These issues were also present for many PALM workers we interviewed on four-year visas.

Third, private investment in worker accommodation is limited due to lower returns on investment, with local governments being increasingly asked to step into this gap.

What can be done?

Our research provided an opportunity to explore solutions with government and industry stakeholders and workers.

While larger businesses can invest in accommodation, such as the Royal Automobile Club has done in Coral Bay, smaller businesses struggle due to the cost.

There is a desire for local collaborative models that understand the realities these smaller businesses face. For instance, the Coral Bay focus group floated a business cooperative model that could co-invest with government to develop accommodation for staff working for small businesses.

As a group often defined as expendable and cheap labour, seasonal and vulnerable workers fall through the many cracks between levels of government and the private sector. Poor accommodation outcomes affect workers, industries and communities.

Australia needs policies that address the social and longer-term aspirations of Australian and international workers and give them the opportunity to make meaningful lives in regional communities.

The authors would like to acknowledge researchers Joseph Cheer and Carla Chung for their contributions to the research this article discusses.

Tod Jones receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Australia Research Council.

Amity James receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Australian Research Council.

Michael Volgger receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. He has previously received funding from a range of entities and organisations including Tourism Western Australia, the WA Government’s Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia’s South West Inc. and the RAC.

Salome Adams receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Australian Research Council.

Sara Niner receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.

– ref. Dangerous, overpriced, crammed full: poor housing for seasonal workers revealed – https://theconversation.com/dangerous-overpriced-crammed-full-poor-housing-for-seasonal-workers-revealed-266049

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Professor of Political Science, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University

Have you heard offshore windfarms kill whales? (They don’t.) Or that electric vehicles catch fire more often than petrol cars? (It’s the opposite.) Perhaps you’ve heard “natural” gas is clean? (It can be worse than coal.)

This is what climate misinformation looks like. These claims are common, influential and damaging. They’re often spread for a reason: to slow the uptake of clean alternatives to fossil fuels. Unfortunately, they are shaping public opinion.

This week, a Senate inquiry is hearing testimony from officials, climate scientists and researchers about the scale of the problem and its effects on Australian politics. Policymakers are also hearing about the main culprits: oil, gas and coal companies, as well as key enablers such as public relations firms. I was one of the experts called to give evidence.

My research has followed the money trail between the fossil fuel industry and public relations firms. As a co-editor on a forthcoming book on climate obstruction, I can say that large PR firms have too often put their commercial interests, and the interests of fossil fuel giants, ahead of those of the public. My colleagues and I made this clear in our submission to the inquiry.

What’s the point of misinformation?

In the climate domain, researchers typically use the word “misinformation” to refer to any falsehoods about climate change. They can be spread innocuously or through a deliberate campaign.

Misinformation matters because it can influence attitudes and behaviours of both the public and political elites. Tackling climate change effectively requires public support for clean energy and many other changes. Misinformation erodes this support for climate science and climate policies. The more often false information is repeated, the more likely we are to think of it as true.

These campaigns can inflate the sense of opposition to climate action and give policymakers a false sense of how widespread support for climate action is.

Australian policymakers have previously moved to ban or restrict advertising for products known to be dangerous. Cigarette advertising is banned because cigarettes cause cancer, and now there’s a growing push to ban fossil fuel advertising due to the damage done by emissions.

How do PR firms spread climate misinformation?

PR and advertising firms have long been paid to craft political campaigns for oil and gas companies often to block or slow climate policies.

These campaigns involve more than simply running a few television ads for a corporate client. PR firms often run polling, focus groups and media and social media campaigns. Some undertake astroturfing – creating fake community groups to give the impression of widespread support or opposition for an issue or policy.

The largest of these campaigns have been documented in the United States. To gauge how much the oil and gas industry pours into PR firms to run political campaigns, my colleague and I analysed a decade’s worth of the tax records of industry groups active on climate change issues in the US. We found oil and gas lobby groups spent A$1.5 billion on public relations and advertising between 2008 and 2018.

What did this money buy? Here’s one example. Ahead of the US presidential election in 2012, a group named “Energy Citizens” ran an ad campaign titled “I’m an energy voter” across newspapers, television and online, featuring ordinary Americans saying “I vote … for American domestic energy”.

Energy Citizens appeared to be a grassroots campaign. But in reality, it was astroturfing. The oil and gas industry had contracted the large PR firm Edelman to run the campaign. The people in the ads were hired actors. Between 2011 and 2012, our data shows the largest oil and gas industry group, the American Petroleum Institute, paid Edelman A$180 million in contracts for public relations and advertising.

Climate obstruction is common in Australia

This is not a US-specific problem. PR firms have a long history of helping obstruct climate policy in Australia, too. The effective coal industry campaign against an emissions trading scheme in Australia between 2008 and 2010 was created by PR firms and political consultants.

Australia’s poor disclosure practices mean we don’t know how much money industry groups are paying PR companies in Australia.

But we do know PR companies are creating misinformation campaigns and astroturfing groups such as Australians for Natural Gas, which describes itself as a non-government organisation. It was set up by the chief executive of gas company Tamboran Resources, with help from PR firm Freshwater Strategy, according to media reports.

Many PR firms in Australia have worked for the fossil fuel industry, as documented by climate communications charity Comms Declare. In response, some PR professionals are pushing to cut ties with the industry.

Misinformation is dangerous

The problem has been recognised at the highest levels. Last year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on PR firms to “stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction”.

Last month, the Australian government released its long-awaited report on the very real and escalating dangers posed by climate change.

This week’s Senate hearings could not be more timely. Climate misinformation is spreading wildly – aided by public relations firms – even as climate change worsens and the risks mount. The question now is, how will policymakers respond?

Christian Downie receives funding from the Australian Research Council

– ref. PR firms are spreading climate misinformation on behalf of fossil fuel companies. Could Australia stop them? – https://theconversation.com/pr-firms-are-spreading-climate-misinformation-on-behalf-of-fossil-fuel-companies-could-australia-stop-them-266353

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Dawel, Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University

Young people today are growing up in an increasingly complex world — and arguably suffering as a result.

Social media and smartphones provide constant distractions, while the rise of AI and misinformation mean nothing online is straightforward.

The pandemic has shown young people the world can be an unpredictable place, the housing crisis makes it hard to make a stable home, while climate change hangs over their future.

It’s no wonder the wellbeing and mental health of young adults has deteriorated across the globe.

Parents and educators teach kids to eat well, stay active, and look after their bodies from when they are little. But what about helping them maintain a healthy mind?

Start early

Prevention is key. Just as early eating habits often carry through to adulthood, we can set the stage for good mental health from birth.

Our brains are more “plastic” early in life, meaning they adapt to the world around them. As a result, childhood experiences shape the mind’s architecture for decades to come.

Stress and trauma can make our brains more vulnerable to poor mental health. But equally, positive early experiences are linked to adulthood wellbeing and cognitive health.

How can we approach mental health prevention for kids? Positive psychology – or the study of wellbeing – offers some clues. Here are three.

1. Prioritise real life relationships

Humans are social creatures and loneliness — which affects many young people — is a key risk factor for poor mental health.

When we connect in-person we “synchronise”. This means people’s behaviour and brains come into harmony, helping them to feel connected and treat each other well.

Interacting online disrupts this synchronisation.

So we need to help young people build good quality relationships in real life.

One of the keys to building good relationships is making time for them. This includes prioritising in-person activities that you enjoy doing together. For example, playing games or sports, taking a walk, or making a meal together.

2. Learn how to overcome challenges

Research also suggests “mastery” is important. This is the sense that we can learn new skills or take on challenges and overcome them. This helps people feel that their actions matter and that they have some control over their world.

Mastery is particularly fulfilling when we tackle something that is intrinsically motivating – where we value the activity in and of itself, not for any extrinsic reward, like winning or wages.

Intrinsic motivation is personal. It could be anything from the joy of playing sport with teammates (even when you lose) to satisfaction experienced in learning the piano.

So it’s important young people have opportunities to pursue things they are genuinely interested in and that challenge them along the way.

3. Create opportunities for positive emotions

All of this ties into a third essential ingredient for human wellbeing: positive emotions.

These range from awe to gratitude, joy and curiosity. They improve both our psychological and physical health.

We can’t positive emotions all the time – life is inevitably up and down. And sometimes sad, bad or unlucky things happen. It’s important that we feel and express these emotions too.

But we can foster a greater balance of positive emotions by deliberately scheduling activities we enjoy and paying attention to how we feel. This does not have to be complicated or expensive. It may involve small things like pausing to appreciate a beautiful butterfly during a walk or noticing the taste of a yummy meal.

It’s like the food pyramid – but for a healthy mind

So, how do we get these ingredients into our children’s lives? Luckily we have a well-known framework to start from: the food pyramid.

The pyramid tells us we need a mix of things. Some of these things we need a lot of. Others things should only be occasional.

In terms of our mental wellbeing, we need a lot of social connection, every day and in large amounts. Social connection is the “vegetables” of a good mind diet, but more enjoyable!

We also need to consume a diverse range of high-quality information. This might include things like learning new skills or subjects at school, which can foster a sense of mastery and positive emotions like curiosity.

And of course, some things are harmful if consumed in excess. Social media, like sugar, should only be consumed occasionally and in small amounts. It may give us a “quick fix” by releasing the brain’s reward chemical, dopamine. But research suggests this may be addictive and lead to long-term harm.

Protect against junk information

In this age of misinformation, there is a lot of junk online. Research suggests misinformation can be harmful for mental health, causing heightened anxiety and stress.

Unfortunately, information doesn’t come with nutrition labels like our food does. But we can teach kids how to identify good quality information they can trust — sources that are fact-checked and reliable. For example, strategies like lateral reading (or searching for other good sources on the same subject) can help with thinking critically about the information we consume.

While we teach these ideas using the healthy “mind diet pyramid” idea, it is equally important adults model healthy information consumption for children — your mind may thank you too.

Amy Dawel receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. We teach kids to look after their bodies – here’s how to do the same for a healthy mind – https://theconversation.com/we-teach-kids-to-look-after-their-bodies-heres-how-to-do-the-same-for-a-healthy-mind-265285

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

Treasurer Jim Chalmers last week announced the Productivity Commission will review the 2018 deal that gave states a guaranteed minimum share of the goods and services tax (GST).

Within minutes, the Western Australian Treasurer Rita Saffioti responded with a promise to fight to keep WA’s “fair share” of the GST. She announced a “fairness fighter” team would be set up in the WA Treasury.

The reason WA is worried is that the 2018 deal gives it a higher share of funding than it would have received under the previous formula, which took into account states’ own capacity to raise revenue. The WA government has been raking in revenue thanks to mining royalties, which have mushroomed since the mining boom, collecting more than A$10 billion a year for the past three years.

Thanks to high iron ore and gas prices – on top of the special GST deal – WA now has a large budget surplus, when other states and territories are struggling.

A booming surplus

A budget update last week revealed WA had a higher than expected $3.7 billion surplus for 2024-25. The West Australian newspaper said “the strong result is sure to put pressure on the 2018 GST deal”.

The Commonwealth Grants Commission was established in 1933 to advise the Federal government on grants to financially weak states. Since July 2000 that has included advice on how to distribute the billions in revenue collected nationally through the GST.

For much of its history it applied a principle of “horizontal fiscal equalisation”. This meant giving each state and territory roughly equal budget capacity to provide public services such as schools, hospitals and roads. It took account of disadvantages like remoteness and a host of other factors, along with states’ ability to fund services from their own revenue.

The 2018 deal flies in the face of equalisation. It gives all states in theory a guaranteed minimum share of the GST pool, regardless of their revenue. In practice, this gives WA much greater fiscal capacity because of its royalties. Without the deal, WA would receive a lower share of the GST – which, taking account of its own resources, would still put it on the same footing as other states.

Whether WA residents deserve better services because their state sits on mineral resources is a matter of opinion. Obviously WA politicians think this only fair. Other states might disagree.

The problems with the 2018 deal

Most economists and commentators outside WA are critical of the 2018 deal that carved up GST revenues. Economist Saul Eslake calls it “the worst public policy decision of the 21st century thus far”. He notes the cost – over the next four years, WA will receive $26.3 billion more from the carve-up of GST revenues than it would otherwise have done.

Another economist, Robert Breunig at the Australian National University, has called for an end to the deal. He points out that WA benefited from Commonwealth grants continuously from 1933 through 1968, and from 1981 to 2000. WA never complained the system was unfair in that period – nor did other states, even though WA was benefiting.

The deal was introduced by the Morrison government for political purposes, to win WA seats in parliament. Labor supported the deal because it too wanted WA votes. It is enormously popular in WA. So a recommendation to simply abolish the deal may not gain traction; the government will not want a running battle with WA ahead of the next federal election.

A new system is needed

The Productivity Commission will therefore need to think laterally. Fortunately its terms of reference are broad enough to allow it to consider alternatives.

While simply scrapping the 2018 deal might not be feasible, moving to an altogether new system could be a way forward.

An option worth considering is to split the grants system into two parts.

One part would distribute some of the GST – say, half – on a simple per capita (per person) basis. States like New South Wales and Victoria support moving to a per capita formula because at present they get less than a per capita share. This would provide all states and territories with some budget certainty, but smaller ones, and WA, would gain less than at present. They would need a top-up.

That top-up could be delivered by a separate fund, using the remaining half of the GST revenue to provide grants to overcome state and territory disadvantages and to meet special needs. It would remain open to WA to argue, as it does now, that it needs Commonwealth grants to support infrastructure for mining.

Other states could make their own arguments for special needs.

A feature of such a system could be making such grants conditional on the state or territory using the funds to reduce their disadvantages.

One of the frustrations in the system at present is that the Northern Territory is highly subsidised by other states (that is, it receives a higher share of GST funds, meaning others get less) due to remote disadvantage and a high First Nations population. Although it receives higher funding due to these factors, it still puts most of its budget into Darwin and surrounds.

Services for remote communities and meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait island people are comparatively low priorities. A new system of more accountable funding would help to address this anomaly.

No doubt, there are other ways to devise a new and fairer system. There is plenty of time for the Productivity Commission to consider them. It is something that should interest all Australians – because ultimately we pay the price for the WA special deal.

Stephen Bartos does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The controversial GST deal with the states is under review. There are better alternatives – https://theconversation.com/the-controversial-gst-deal-with-the-states-is-under-review-there-are-better-alternatives-266054

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Burgess, Lecturer in International Business, University of the Sunshine Coast

Video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA), one of the biggest video game companies in the world behind games such as The Sims and Battlefield, has been sold to a consortium of buyers for US$55 billion (about A$83 billion). It is potentially the largest-ever buyout funded by private equity firms. Not AI, nor mining or banking, but video games.

The members of the consortium include: Silver Lake Partners, an American private global equity firm focusing on technology; the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund; and the investment firm Affinity Partners, run by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of American President Donald Trump.

The consortium will purchase all of the publicly traded company’s shares, making it private. But while the consortium and EA’s shareholders will likely be celebrating – each share was valued at US$210, representing a 25% premium – it’s not all good news.

PIF acquiring EA raises concerns about possible “game-washing”, and less than ideal future business practices.

EA’s poor reputation

Video games are big business. The global video game industry is worth more than the film and music industries combined. But why would these buyers specifically want to buy EA, an entity that has won The Worst Company in America award twice?

It has been criticised for alleged poor labour practices, a focus on online gaming (even when it’s not ideal, such as in single-player stories), and a history of acquiring popular game studios and franchises and running them into the ground.

Players of some of EA’s most beloved franchises, such as The Sims, Dragon Age and Star Wars Battlefront II, believe the games have been negatively impacted due to the company meddling in production, and wanting to focus on online play and micro-transactions.

Microtransactions are small amounts of money paid to access, or potentially access, in-game items or currency. Over time, they can add up to a lot of money, and have even been linked to the creation of problem gambling behaviours. Unsurprisingly, they are not popular among players.

Current global economic stresses have affected video games and other high-tech industries. The development costs of a video game can be hundreds of millions of dollars. EA has reacted to its slowing growth by cancelling games and laying-off close to 2,000 workers since 2023. So a US$55 billion offer probably looked enticing.

Saudi Arabia’s investment spree

In recent years, the Saudi wealth fund has been on an entertainment investment splurge. Before this latest acquisition, PIF invested heavily in both golf and tennis.

It is a sponsor and official naming rights partner of both the Women’s Tennis Association rankings and the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings.

The wealth fund also helped establish the LIV Golf tour in 2022, in opposition to the Professional Golf Association (PGA). By offering huge sums of money, it was able to attract players away from the PGA. One player was reportedly offered US$125 million (A$189 million). This tactic worked; a merger was announced between LIV, the DPA (European golf tour) and the PGA (North American golf tour) in 2023, with PIF as the main funder.

PIF, via its subsidiaries, has also been acquiring stakes in other video game companies. For example, it is one of the largest shareholders in Nintendo, the developer behind Mario, and purchased Niantic (the company behind Pokémon Go) earlier this year for US$3.5 billion (A$5.3 billion)

Why does PIF want video game companies?

Live sport and video games have a few things in common: they are fun, engaging and entertaining. And being known for entertainment is good PR for a country that has been accused of human rights abuses.

PIF’s investment in sport has been called “sportswashing”: using an association with sport to counteract bad publicity and a tarnished moral reputation. Video games, with their interactivity and entertainment value, represent an opportunity for game-washing.

The fact EA owns many sports games’ franchises would also be a bonus, potentially allowing for further video game and sport collaboration. And the fact the video game industry is projected to keep growing globally makes it a good investment for an oil-rich nation looking to economically diversify.

Beyond game-washing concerns, we also need to pay attention to the type of buyout happening here. This is a “leveraged” buyout, meaning part of the purchase price – in this case US$20 billion (A$30 billion) – is funded as debt taken on by the company. So once the acquisition is complete, EA will have US$20 billion of new debt.

With all that new debt to service, it would only be natural to have concerns about more lay-offs, cost-cutting and increasing monetisation via strategies such as microtransactions. Ultimately, this would result in a poorer experience for players. It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Jacqueline Burgess is the treasurer of the Digital Games Research Association of Australia (DiGRAA), has collaborated with Screen Queensland, the South Australian Film Corporation, Level Her Up, The Array in Darwin, CODE NZ and has received research funding from the Federal and Queensland governments.

– ref. What Saudi Arabia’s role in the Electronic Arts buyout tells us about image, power and ‘game-washing’ – https://theconversation.com/what-saudi-arabias-role-in-the-electronic-arts-buyout-tells-us-about-image-power-and-game-washing-266359

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Kvalsvig, Research Associate Professor of Public Health, University of Otago

Each day, we breathe more than 7,000 litres of air. Unsurprisingly, the quality of this air really matters. And given most of us spend a significant part of the day inside, clean indoor air is essential.

It keeps us alert and focused and protects us from the harmful effects of air pollution, including cancers and asthma. It can also slow the spread of respiratory infections through the community.

During last week’s 80th United Nations General Assembly, indoor air experts launched the first international effort to formally recognise clean indoor air as essential to health.

The global pledge for healthy indoor air, championed by the Australian Academy of Science and the Burnet Institute, one of the country’s leading medical research groups, has already been signed by more than 150 organisations. It represents a landmark in building a global community to demand better indoor air conditions.

Australia leadership in initiating the pledge is in stark contrast to New Zealand, which is not active on the global stage and as yet has no indoor air agency, strategy or national standards.

Clean air is as important as clean water

The COVID pandemic has accelerated understanding of the importance of healthy indoor air and how to achieve it.

There is compelling evidence of the value of healthy indoor air. On the flip side, we also have evidence of the cost of inaction, estimated to be in the billions of dollars from the loss of health and productivity.

Clean air is a universal health protection, just like clean drinking water.

It was once common for major cities such as London to experience cholera epidemics. But public health initiatives during the 19th century to separate drinking water from wastewater ensured there was no way for cholera to spread.

Thanks to the foresight and persistence of those early pioneers of public health, a cholera epidemic would be unthinkable in London today. What’s more, high-income countries have no need to fear other waterborne outbreaks. Effective prevention is already hardwired into cities and communities.

The enduring benefits of being able to control the risk of waterborne infectious disease outbreaks suggest prevention of airborne epidemics and pandemics should be a logical next step.

The human and financial cost of respiratory infections is colossal, with an estimated cost of influenza at US$11.2 billion in the United States alone. For respiratory infections other than influenza, the yearly cost (in the US) stands at $40 billion.

We are well overdue for a shift in the perception that we cannot afford better ventilation systems. We need to follow the example of the 19th-century investment in clean water, this time to clean the air.

Pandemic preparedness

Investment in clean indoor air is vital preparation for the pandemics and climate emergencies to come. Indeed, since future pandemics are highly likely to be airborne, countries can measure their pandemic and climate preparedness in terms of how well, or otherwise, they are able to clean the air in public settings.

The global scorecard is in poor shape: every year, multiple viruses spread unchecked in schools, workplaces and healthcare settings.

Every COVID wave and winter flu season is a reminder of vulnerability to a new pandemic; every wildfire highlights the escalating threats to the quality of the air we breathe.

Once we experience the benefits of clean indoor air – imagine getting through winter without needing to take time off work or school – we’ll never want to go back.

But where to begin? Here are three principles to start translating evidence into meaningful action.

1. To improve indoor air, governments need to take a strategic approach with clearly articulated priorities and timelines. We cannot solve poor quality of indoor air everywhere at once.

A good starting point for respiratory infections, for example, would be to direct resources to the places where people gather every day to work, learn and access healthcare.

2. Healthy indoor air needs to be recognised for what it is: a human right and essential protection for population health. This means setting mandatory indoor air standards for buildings, including housing, and establishing national agencies to implement them.

There must be accountability. We know recommendations and guidelines aren’t enough to deliver safe drinking water, and the same applies to clean air.

3. We need to lead from the community, too, and identify clean air champions. Young people are already taking up the challenge. Schools and workplaces have a responsibility to protect the health of everyone who visits or attends. They need appropriate resources to meet that responsibility.

Occupational protections and citizen science initiatives can focus collective action to clean the air, one office or classroom at a time. Each action, no matter how small, becomes a building block of our everyday public health infrastructure, our pandemic preparedness and our climate response.

The authors acknowledge the contribution by Bronwyn King, of Tobacco Free Portfolios.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Why investment in clean indoor air is vital preparation for the pandemics and climate emergencies to come – https://theconversation.com/why-investment-in-clean-indoor-air-is-vital-preparation-for-the-pandemics-and-climate-emergencies-to-come-265743

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marie Gerdtz, Professor and Dean School Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University

Australia’s health system is one of the highest quality and most equitable in the world.

Yet our rapidly ageing population, rising rates of chronic disease and poor access to doctors means patients can’t always access the medicines they need. These shortages are particularly prevalent in poorer, rural and regional areas.

To strengthen the skilled workforce and reduce delays in care, from September 30, registered nurses can prescribe a range of medicines, after undergoing additional training and supervision.

What will nurses be able to prescribe?

Registered nurses who are eligible for endorsement as a nurse prescriber will be able to prescribe the following types of medicines, in partnership with a doctor or nurse practitioner:

• schedule 3 medicines, which usually require pharmacist advice but not a prescription, such as emergency contraception known as the morning-after pill

• schedule 4 prescription-only medicines, such as antibiotics and medicines for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These require a prescription due to potential side effects and interactions

• schedule 8 controlled drugs, which are prescription substances with a high potential for dependence or misuse, such as morphine and methadone.

It’s unclear whether nurse prescribers will work in primary care clinics, aged care, community health centres, or hospitals – or all of these settings. And we don’t know what proportion of registered nurse prescribers will be needed, or who will seek to work in these settings.

It’s also uncertain whether patients will be able to access the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidies for medicines a registered nurse prescribes. Nor do we know whether patients will be able to access the Medicare Benefits Schedule for consultation rebates.

What education and oversight will prescribing nurses need?

Registered nurses who want to prescribe will need endorsement from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

For this, they must hold current general registration, have the equivalent of three years’ full-time clinical experience after initial registration, and complete a board-approved postgraduate qualification or equivalent units of study in registered nurse prescribing. This may take four to six months of part-time study, or more.

The education program will include:

• physical health assessments
• pharmacodynamics – the biological and physical effects of drugs
• pharmacokinetics – how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolised and excreted
• the quality use of medicines.

Candidates must also undertake a six-month period of structured clinical mentorship with a doctor or nurse practitioner, work within a defined governance framework, and adhere to state/territory legislation.

During the mentorship phase, the doctor or nurse practitioner will oversee the nurse’s prescribing practices. This will develop into a collaborative model, as the nurse’s skill develops. This type of oversight is similar to that provided in nurse practitioner education programs.

In the longer term, the collaborating doctor or nurse practitioner is expected to monitor the nurse’s prescribing practices. They will also ensure the nurse is following other safety and quality assurance processes, such as adhering to evidence-based guidelines and documenting any drug sensitivities or reactions, as well as any errors.

These requirements are designed to ensure safe, effective prescribing.

Lessons from countries where nurses have long prescribed

Nurses have prescribed for decades in some countries. In Sweden, nurse prescribing was first introduced in 1994, initially limited to a small number of medicines for specific conditions.

In the United Kingdom, legislation enabling nurse prescribing also began in 1994, with gradual expansion over the following decades to include independent prescribing of most medicines, including controlled drugs.

These reforms were driven by the need to improve access to medicines, reduce delays in care and make better use of the skills of health professionals other than doctors.

A 2016 Cochrane systematic review of 46 studies with more than 37,000 participants found patients with nurse (and pharmacist) prescribers had comparable outcomes to medical prescribers when managing chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Other international evidence highlights further benefits of registered nurse prescribing, as well as important considerations for implementation.

Nurse prescribers often provide more personalised medication counselling and spend more time with patients. This can improve the chance a person will take their medicine and result in higher rates of patient satisfaction, particularly when nurses are managing chronic diseases.

However, early evaluations of nurse prescribing in Sweden revealed professional tensions and concerns about boundaries between doctors’ and nurses’ roles, especially in primary care, where responsibilities weren’t clearly defined.

More recently in New Zealand, registered nurse prescribing has broadened access to care. A 2020 study found nurse prescribers experienced greater job satisfaction and delivered more holistic care, while patient wait times reduced.

A descriptive survey also from 2020 found NZ nurse prescribers worked safely within their scope of practice. However, the authors emphasised the need to regularly update the prescribing formulary: the list of drugs approved for prescribing within a certain context and scope of practice.

What about in Australia?

In Australia, studies
) have found nurses perceive prescribing as a natural extension of their clinical role, particularly in settings where they already exercise significant autonomy. This includes sexual and reproductive health, drug and alcohol services, and palliative care.

However, registered nurse prescibers will not be able to autonomously prescribe, or order diagnostic tests.

Nurse prescribing has the potential to leverage the expertise of the nursing workforce to address persistent gaps in access to health care and medicines.

But it’s important for nurse prescribers to be supported by appropriate education, governance and collaborative practice models to ensure safety, clarity and their integration within the broader health system.

Implementation must also be carefully evaluated to ensure the scheme is meeting its aims and protecting patients.

Marie Gerdtz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. With extra study, nurses will be able to prescribe medications. Here’s what to expect – https://theconversation.com/with-extra-study-nurses-will-be-able-to-prescribe-medications-heres-what-to-expect-266367

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was diplomatic on his return to Australia this week when quizzed about the ongoing negotiations for the COP31 climate summit with rival Turkey.

“We’re just engaging through,” Albanese told The Guardian. “A clear majority of nations want Australia’s bid, but it’s clear also that this is a complex situation and we’ve got to try and resolve it.”

Behind the scenes, what geopolitical sweeteners could Australia offer to Turkey to encourage it to retire gracefully from the race to host COP31? This will be the focus of talks between Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Pacific leaders when they meet in Sydney later this week.

Pointy end of negotiations

COP meetings are the world’s largest annual climate change gathering. There, governments negotiate to cut emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

If Australia’s bid succeeds, the COP31 summit would be held in Adelaide late next year. It would be the largest diplomatic meeting this country has ever hosted.

COP hosting rights alternate between groups of nations. Australia is in the “Western European and Others group”, whose turn it is to host the summit. Australia’s bid has support from 23 of the 28 countries in our group.

But if consensus is not reached with Turkey – which is also in the group – the conference will be held in the German city of Bonn. Bonn has the capacity to step in, because it regularly hosts interim climate meetings.

So far, neither nation has backed down. At last month’s UN General Assembly in New York, Albanese tried but failed to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, Bowen met with Turkey’s climate minister, Murat Kurum, and Turkey’s first lady, Emine Erdoğan, who is a key player in her country’s bid.

Kurum has said his country is working on “innovative solutions” to the impasse, arguing both Australia and Turkey can win from negotiations over next year’s summit. But he’s offered no detail.

What could Australia offer Turkey?

All this raises the question of how Australia could convince Turkey to drop its bid.

Australia could, for example, offer Turkey hosting rights for a “pre-COP” meeting, usually held ahead of the main event. These meetings are attended by thousands of people. For example, when the UK co-hosted COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 with Italy, Italy hosted the youth and climate summit in the leadup.

But it’s likely Turkey wants a political gathering of world leaders – a meeting Australia would also be loathe to lose.

Australia could also offer diplomatic concessions to Turkey that are completely unrelated to COP, such as backing its bid for other UN roles, or giving funding for aid and development.

This occurred ahead of the COP26 conference bid in 2021, when the UK faced a similar impasse with Turkey. UK officials offered a package of incentives, such as promising to host a Turkish investment conference in London and backing Turkish candidates for several international and UN posts.

Another option is for Australia to hold the COP presidency and act as official host, but allow Turkey to hold some meetings linked to the summit.

Climate credibility on the line

Australia is bidding to co-host this COP with Pacific nations. So, what Australia offers Turkey will in part be determined by Pacific leaders.

Pacific leaders, for their part, recently wrote to Turkey asking it to “clear the way” for the Australia-Pacific bid.

Pacific governments will want an event in their region to promote Pacific priorities and attract international finance for their clean energy transitions.

There’s much for Australia to gain by hosting COP31. It positions Australia as a top-tier global citizen and climate leader. It also offers Australia a chance to broker pledges beneficial to its interests – such as promoting global cooperation around sustainably processed “green iron”. It could also attract international investment to our clean energy transition.

But Australia’s reputation will also be on the line. Australia is one of the world’s largest fossil-fuel exporters and is still approving heavily emitting projects, such as the North West Shelf gas project in Western Australia.

This record will be heavily scrutinised if Australia wins the COP. The meeting should be the moment Australia signals a vital shift: from a fossil fuel heavyweight to a clean energy superpower.

Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council

– ref. What will it take? The sweeteners Australia could offer Turkey to snatch COP31 – https://theconversation.com/what-will-it-take-the-sweeteners-australia-could-offer-turkey-to-snatch-cop31-266479

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Moss, Senior Lecturer in History, UNSW Sydney

This week, Sydney hosts the world’s largest space conference, attracting astronauts and heads of space agencies from around the planet. It’s a great time to ask: what does the average Australian think about space?

The answer is they’re conscious of space being important, but know little about what we are doing, or where we are going.

Two years on from the first-ever survey on Australian opinions about space, this week we released a new report on the subject.

Both show we have a long way to go when it comes to informing the Australian public about space as something that’s relevant to their everyday lives.

Australians don’t know what we’re doing in the space sector

At the International Astronautical Conference, excitement about space is very much on show. Rockets, satellites and spacesuits dot the exhibition hall. But our research shows the average Australian isn’t fully aware of what the country is doing in the sector.

We surveyed 1,500 Australians in July of this year and weighted that sample to be nationally representative.

The responses show Australians are ready to care about space, three times as likely to want to spend more on it than less, and more than half of Australians see the commercial space sector as important for the economy. Nonetheless, awareness still remains low.

Compared to 2023, general interest and knowledge about space have increased a little, and Australians are supportive of space in general. But less than a quarter of Australians have a clear sense of Australia’s future direction around space.

This was despite Australians appreciating the importance of space, with only 19% saying that space has little impact on their lives.

How does space contribute to our lives?

Space technologies are integral to everyday life. Thanks to data and communications services from satellites, you can use a navigation app to find the nearest coffee shop and then pay for that coffee with your phone.

Satellites contribute to weather forecasts and help monitor disasters such as floods and bushfires. From agriculture to defence, many industries rely on space tech.

However, few Australians associate everyday transactions, such as navigation or banking, with space. When we asked respondents to rate how much their life would be disrupted if we suddenly lost space capability for a day, they estimated there would be some disruption, but few thought it would be major or severe.

Commercial space is important for our economy

Commercial space is at the forefront of the conference this week. The Australian government recently announced a series of measures to boost Australia’s cooperation with Europe and the United States, which would in turn grow Australia’s space industry.

The public seems to support such measures. A majority (53%) see the commercial space sector as important for the economy while only 11% do not.

Leading opportunities include jobs (57%), access to sovereign space capability (42%) and the nation being more competitive as a destination for investment and high-skilled labour (42%).

Sovereign space capability is a nation’s independent ability to access, control and use space-based technology without relying on foreign entities.

Australians want to see their government working together with their partners, but they also expect Australia to pull its own weight and contribute to building its own space capabilities. Almost half of Australians (48%) think that Australia can “achieve its sovereign goals in space”, while only 16% disagree and roughly a third (35%) are neutral.

However, the public feels these efforts shouldn’t come at a cost to the environment. Two-thirds of Australians (67%) think it’s important for Australia to invest in sustainable space practices which ensure that the environments of Earth and space are protected.

Where exactly are we going?

Much of the expert conversation around Australian space activities at this week’s conference is about where the country should go next, what its priorities should be in space, and the importance of growing the sector.

However, the results of our survey suggest that bringing the average Australian along might be more difficult than all that excitement suggests.

Relatively few Australians have a sense of the country’s trajectory in space. Australians also tend to not know the breadth of space’s impact on their lives. They’re aware that “space” means “satellites and rockets”. But they’re less aware of how space influences banking, farming and transport.

All this means that while there is a great deal of momentum, how Australia talks about the space sector must change.

That space is “exciting” is not enough. There must be real links made between this vital sector and the everyday lives of Australians. Bringing everyone along for the journey, in a way that means something to each individual, will enable Australia to travel to the stars.

Tristan Moss receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with Australasian Centre for Space Governance, which co-funded the survey with the Space Industry Association of Australia. The survey was also co-funded by UNSW Canberra.

Kathryn Robison works for the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. She is affiliated with the Australasian Centre for Space Governance, which co-funded the survey with the Space Industry Association of Australia.

– ref. Australians want to spend more on space – but we don’t really know where we’re going – https://theconversation.com/australians-want-to-spend-more-on-space-but-we-dont-really-know-where-were-going-266246

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra

Reports of the death of the US dollar appear to be greatly exaggerated (like that of author Mark Twain).

Global trading in the foreign exchange market has risen to almost US$10 trillion (A$15 trillion) per day. This figure comes from a survey released overnight by the Bank for International Settlements covering transactions in April.

By comparison, global trade in goods and services was around US$33 trillion in 2024. This is about US$0.1 trillion per day.

So, only around 1% of global foreign exchange trading relates to international trade.

Most foreign exchange trading is therefore not importers buying foreign currency to purchase goods from their suppliers, nor exporters converting revenue into their home currency.

The trading is purely financial transactions: insuring against adverse currency movements or speculating (or put less kindly, gambling).

April was a crazy month

The average daily foreign exchange turnover of US$9.6 trillion in April was fuelled by the fallout from President Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs. That made it a very volatile month for exchange rates. This may have led to an unusual amount of hedging and speculating in currency markets, with turnover 28% higher than in April 2022.

The survey showed the US dollar remains the dominant currency. It is on one side of 89% of currency transactions.

Well behind are the euro, involved in 29% of trades; the yen, involved in 17%; and the British pound involved in 10% of foreign exchange transactions.

Trading in the Chinese renminbi is growing fast and now accounts for 8.5% of transactions.

Little Aussie battler

Surprisingly for a small economy, the Australian dollar is the seventh most traded currency in the world, just behind the Swiss franc. This may be due to speculators viewing it as a “commodity currency”, or a proxy for less accessible Asian currencies. It is one side of 6% of trades.

It is much more heavily traded than the currencies of much larger economies such as India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil and South Korea. As the Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser recently put it, the Australian dollar “has long punched above its weight in global markets”.

The Bank for International Settlements also compiles information about where the transactions occurred. This shows three-quarters of currency trading is concentrated in just four places: London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Will US dollar dominance be challenged?

Notwithstanding much discussion about challenges to the US dollar’s position, the trading data show little change. The US dollar was involved in 90% of foreign exchange transactions in the first survey in 1989 and 89% in 2025.

However, where the decline is evident is in the holdings of currency reserves by central banks. US dollar assets now make up 58% of reserves, according to the International Monetary Fund. This has dropped from 65% in 2016.

The US dollar and euro are each used for invoicing about 40% of global trade, according to a European Central Bank study. While use of the renminbi has grown, it is still only used for around 2%.

This special status of the US dollar has been termed an “exorbitant privilege”, originally by the then-French finance minister (and later president), Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. It allows the US to borrow at lower interest rates.

The status of the US dollar has been increasingly resented by the emerging economies known as the BRICS nations. Originally Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (most of the largest economies outside the G7), the BRICS have now been joined by some other non-Western countries. They have expressed a desire to trade more using their own currencies.

Read more:
Brics+ countries are determined to trade in their own currencies – but can it work?

But history tells us that dominant currencies change only slowly. The British pound still maintained a strong role in the 1950s despite the UK’s share of the global economy having been overtaken by Germany and the United States early in the 20th century.

This is partly a “network effect”. In the same way that Uber, Facebook and Spotify have dominated their respective markets, once a currency is dominant the rest of the world finds it more convenient to use it.

Because markets involving the US dollar are much deeper and more liquid, an Australian exporter selling to Thailand is likely to sell their Thai baht for US dollars and then convert them into Australian dollars rather than try to directly go from baht to Australian dollars.

Is all this currency trading a good or bad thing?

Views differ about whether all this trading is a stabilising or destabilising force. If speculators succeed by buying low and selling high, this trading should be a stabilising force. But at times “momentum trading”, where speculators expect price rises to be followed by further price rises, may amplify fluctuations.

Some have suggested throwing some “sand in the wheels” of global trading with a so-called “Tobin tax”. This idea of a small tax on foreign exchange transactions was first suggested by Nobel Prize-winning Keynesian economist James Tobin. But he later seemed embarrassed when it was picked up by anti-globalisation campaigners.

To avoid just driving transactions elsewhere, it would need to be adopted simultaneously by all the major financial centres. So, especially with Trump, the plutocrats’ friend, in the White House, it is very unlikely to happen.

John Hawkins was formerly a senior economist at the Bank for International Settlements.

– ref. New data shows the US dollar still dominates foreign exchange markets – despite Trump’s economic chaos – https://theconversation.com/new-data-shows-the-us-dollar-still-dominates-foreign-exchange-markets-despite-trumps-economic-chaos-266233

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Wardle, Professor of Public Health, Southern Cross University

“Ear seeding” is having a moment on TikTok and Instagram. One video of someone’s experience of ear seeding has been “liked” more than half a million times. Supermodel Naomi Campbell is among celebrities reported to have tried it.

This wellness trend is said to do wonders for fatigue, stress, pain, puffiness, poor posture, sleep problems and more.

But what is ear seeding? And does it actually work?

What is it?

Ear seeding – also known as ear needling, ear acupuncture or auriculotherapy – refers to treatment that stimulates specific points on the ear.

It’s related to acupuncture or acupressure, and is most commonly thought of today as a traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

The theory behind ear seeding is that by stimulating different points of the ear (known as acupoints), you can influence particular organs or body parts.

Although ear seeding is sometimes called ear acupuncture, needles are rarely used.

Instead the main form uses small balls attached with tiny sticking plasters to specific points on the ear. These are supposed to gently stimulate the acupoints over hours or days.

Ear seeds made from 24-carat gold are being peddled online. But traditionally ear seeding uses the very small, hard seeds of the Vaccaria plant.

How old is ear seeding?

Although auriculotherapy has now become a recognised branch of traditional Chinese medicine, the history of ear seeding as we see it today is as much French as it is Chinese.

And although much is made of its long history of use, ear seeding as it is practised today is a surprisingly recent invention.

In the 1950s French neurologist Paul Nogier observed what happened when folk healers stimulated the ears of a number of his patients. They said they had improved symptoms of sciatica (a condition caused by a compressed nerve, leading to back and leg pain).

Nogier then spent much of the 1950s charting how the ear related to the rest of the body.

This work eventually caught the attention of the Chinese military, which investigated, refined, and amended the chart to better fit Chinese medicine philosophy into the officially recognised form of auriculotherapy we see today.

Since then, TikTok influencers have brought ear seeding to a new audience. But they’re not its only high-profile promoters.

NATO armed forces, including the US military, have been using ear seeding for pain relief.

But does it work?

Despite the heightened interest in ear seeding, there is relatively little research on it. Much of the existing research is in relatively small trials that are largely inconclusive.

This means that even where positive studies exist, the evidence should be thought of more as promising than compelling.

And where evidence does exist, it suggests ear seeding works best as a supportive treatment with other therapies, rather than a standalone treatment.

Some research is also suggesting some effect of ear seeding on body systems and processes that influence brain activity and inflammation, but again many of these studies are small and inconclusive.

The areas where the research appears most promising is for reducing pain, reducing anxiety and improving sleep.

Are there safety issues, side effects or concerns?

Generally ear seeding is a relatively safe treatment, as the ear seeds don’t interact with medications and don’t pierce the skin.

Not surprisingly, the major side effect relates to pain, sensitivity or irritation of the ear from the ear seed itself.

And while there may be an emerging evidence base for ear seeding in some conditions, this should generally be on the advice of a health practitioner.

This is partly because many symptoms for which ear seeding is being promoted on social media – such as “face puffiness” – may have underlying causes that need to be addressed with other therapies or treatments.

It’s also easy to stimulate the wrong acupoint in the ear. So you might not get the result you’re after, or have no result at all.

What’s the key message?

Ear seeding is a relatively recent therapy that draws on some aspects of traditional medicine. There does seem to be some evidence it may be useful in some conditions. But there is still not enough evidence to offer definitive recommendations to use it.

Although it is relatively safe, its main danger comes from promotion of unfounded health claims that may convince you to use the therapy in place of more effective treatment when it’s needed.

While people are increasingly turning to avenues such as TikTok for health advice, it is always advisable to consult a trained health professional on health matters. This is preferably one who isn’t posting a link to buy the product they’re recommending.

Jon Wardle is Professor of Public Health, Foundation Director of the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine and the Maurice Blackmore Chair of Naturopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University, which undertakes training and research in integrative health therapies. He has received funding from multiple foundations and agencies to conduct research on integrative health therapies, including the National Health and Medical Research Council, Defence Health Foundation and Medical Research Future Fund. He is convenor of the Public Health Association of Australia special interest group in complementary medicine.

– ref. What is ‘ear seeding’, the TikTok trend said to treat stress and fatigue? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-ear-seeding-the-tiktok-trend-said-to-treat-stress-and-fatigue-265572

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgia van Toorn, Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney

The government has announced a new tool to assess the needs of people with disability for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Instead of a having to gather and submit medical reports, new applicants and existing participants being reassessed will have an interview with an National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) assessor.

The government says the new process will make support planning simpler, fairer and more accessible.

But last week’s announcement has left important questions unanswered. Most notably, how will the outcome of these assessments determine the level of support someone gets? And what evidence will be used in place of doctors’ reports?

With minimal consultation so far and little transparency, confidence in the new system is already low.

What’s changing?

The independent NDIS review reported to the federal government in December 2023 and recommended a raft of reforms. It found current processes for assessing people for the NDIS supports are unfair and inefficient. Gathering evidence from treating doctors and allied health professionals can be time-consuming, due to long wait times for appointments. Appointments can also be expensive.

As a result, those with the ability and means to collect or purchase additional information are favoured in this process. It also means the scheme often focuses on medical diagnosis and not on the functional impairments that arise from these diagnoses.

From mid-2026, participants aged over 16 will have their needs assessed by an NDIA assessor. This shifts the role of gathering and interpreting information to the agency.

Assessors will be an allied health professional, such as an occupational therapist or social worker, who will use an assessment tool called the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs version 6, or I-CAN.

I-CAN measures support needs across 12 areas of daily life, including mobility, self-care, communication, relationships, and physical and mental health. Each area is scored on two scales: how often support is needed, and the intensity of the support required.

The assessment, based on self-reported information, is expected to take around three hours.

What we still don’t know

With medical reports no longer required, it’s unclear what kinds of evidence, beyond the information collected through the assessment, will inform the planning process.

The other big unknown is how the I-CAN assessment will translate into setting a budget for participants. This is crucial, as a person’s budget determines the supports they can access. And this shapes their ability to live independently and pursue their goals.

Currently, budget size is determined by identifying the range of supports a person needs and is built line by line. But the NDIS review recommended more flexibility. Instead of getting separate amounts for therapy, equipment and support workers, the review argued a participant should get one overall budget they can use across all their needs.

While the idea of flexibility sounds promising, it means little without an adequate budget.

Potential conflicts also arise when the NDIA both judges need and allocates funding, but has an incentive to contain costs.

Recent reforms to operational rules about what should be included as an NDIS support will also constrain this flexibility.

Standardisation at what cost?

These changes are partly aimed at controlling NDIS spending through a more standardised and efficient planning process.

They echo the Morrison government’s failed attempt in 2021 to introduce “independent assessments”. Disability groups, the Labor opposition, and state and territory ministers rejected the move, and the government abandoned the plan.

Read more:
NDIS independent assessments are off the table for now. That’s a good thing — the evidence wasn’t there

There is a risk the new approach could reduce support and fail to expand choice. Rather than providing the flexibility participants seek, rigid assessments and points-based formulas can easily be repurposed to cap budgets.

The United Kingdom’s experience suggests this is a very real possibility for individualised funding schemes such as the NDIS.

In recent months, a number of NDIS participants have already had their eligibility for the scheme re-assessed or their funding reduced. The concern is that unless this new process is carefully co-designed and implemented, we may see more cuts.

Disability groups also fear that if aspects of the planning process are automated, algorithms could turn nuanced support needs into rigid calculations. Campaign groups have called on the government to halt the use of algorithms, which are already being used in NDIS support planning.

Read more:
NDIS plans rely on algorithms to judge need – the upcoming review should change that

As George Taleporos, the independent chair of Every Australian Counts, has stressed:

The NDIS must never reduce us to data points in a secret algorithm – people with disability are not numbers, we are human beings, and our rights must remain at the heart of the Scheme.

Will some groups be disadvantaged by the change?

The new framework was developed without meaningful input from NDIS participants, families and carers, and advocacy groups are concerned the tool may not be fit for purpose for some groups.

A self-report tool such as I-CAN poses particular risks for autistic people with complex communication needs, high support requirements, and those who rely on masking to navigate social situations. Each of these factors raises the risk the tool won’t capture real support needs.

Read more:
What are ‘masking’ and ‘camouflaging’ in the context of autism and ADHD?

For culturally and linguistically diverse communities and First Nations people with disability, these issues are compounded by language, cultural and accessibility barriers.

A three-hour-long interview will place a heavy cognitive and emotional load on all NDIS participants. It’s possible this could compromise the accuracy of responses.

Some people in the disability community have called for the ability for participants to be able to bring additional evidence from the professionals who know them well to the assessment process, so it doesn’t miss important information about them.

While we await more detail, it’s crucial the government consults closely with the disability community to ensure people with disability are not left worse off.

Georgia van Toorn receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society

Helen Dickinson receives funding from Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund and Australian governments

– ref. How people are assessed for the NDIS is changing. Here’s what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/how-people-are-assessed-for-the-ndis-is-changing-heres-what-you-need-to-know-266255

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University

From the earliest year of school, children begin learning how to express ideas in different ways. Lines across a page, a wobbly letter, or a simple drawing form the foundation for how we share meaning beyond spoken language.

Over time, those first marks evolve into complex ideas. Children learn to combine words with visuals, express abstract concepts, and recognise how images, symbols and design carry meaning in different situations.

But generative artificial intelligence (AI), software that creates content based on user prompts, is reshaping these fundamental skills. AI is changing how people create, edit and present both text and images. In other words, it changes how we see – and how we decide what’s real.

Take photos, for example. They were once seen as a “mirror” of reality. Now, more people recognise their constructed nature.

Similarly, generative AI is disrupting long-held assumptions about the authenticity of images. These can appear photorealistic but can depict things or events that never existed.

Our latest research, published in the Journal of Visual Literacy, identifies key literacies at each stage of the AI image generation process, from selecting an AI image generator to creating and refining content.

As the way people make images changes, knowing how generative AI works will let you better understand and critically assess its outputs.

Textual and visual literacy

Literacy today extends beyond reading and writing. The Australian Curriculum defines literacy as the ability to “use language confidently for learning and communicating in and out of school”. The European Union broadens this to include navigating visual, audio and digital materials. These are essential skills not only in school, but for active citizenship.

These abilities span making meaning, communicating and creating through words, visuals and other forms. These abilities also require adapting expression to different audiences. You might text a friend informally but email a public official with more care, for example. Computers, too, demand different forms of literacy.

In the 1960s, users interacted with computers through written commands. By the 1970s, graphical elements like icons and menus emerged, making interaction more visual.

Generative AI is often a mix between these two approaches. Some technologies, like ChatGPT, rely on text prompts. Others, like Adobe’s Firefly, use both text commands and button controls.

Software often interprets or guesses user intent. This is especially true for minimalistic prompts, such as a single word or even an emoji. When these are used for prompts, the AI system often returns a stereotypical representation based on its training data or the way it’s been programmed.

Being more specific in your prompt helps to arrive at a result more aligned with what you envisioned. This highlights that we need “multimodal” literacies: knowledge and skills that cut across writing and visual modes.

What are some key literacies in AI generation?

One of the first generative AI literacies is knowing which system to use.

Some are free. Others are paid. Some might be free but built on unethical datasets. Some have been trained on particular datasets that make the outputs more representative or less risky from a copyright infringement perspective. Some support a wider range of inputs, including images, documents, spreadsheets and other files. Others might support text-only inputs.

After selecting an image generator, you need to be able to work with it productively.

If you’re trying to make a square image for an Instagram post, you’re in luck. This is because many AI systems produce images with a square orientation by default. But what if you need a horizontal or vertical image? You’ll have to ask for that or know how to modify that setting.

What if you want text included in your image? AI still struggles with rendering text, similarly to how early AI systems struggled with accurately representing human fingers and ears. In these cases, you might be better off adding text in a different software, such as Canva or Adobe InDesign.

Many AI systems also create images that lack specific cultural context. This lets them be easily used in wider contexts. Yet it might decrease the emotional appeal or engagement among audiences who perceive these images as inauthentic.

Working with AI is a moving target

Learning AI means keeping pace with constant change. New generative AI products appear regularly, while existing platforms rapidly evolve.

Earlier this year, OpenAI integrated image generation into ChatGPT and TikTok launched its AI Alive tool to animate photos. Meanwhile, Google’s Veo 3 made cinematic video with sound accessible to Canva users, and Midjourney introduced video outputs.

These examples show where things are headed. Users will be able to create and edit text, images, sound and video in one place rather than having to use separate tools for each.

Building multimodal literacies means developing the skills to adapt, evaluate and co-create as technology evolves.

If you want to start building those literacies now, begin with a few simple questions.

What do I want my audience to see or understand? Should I use AI for creating this content? What is the AI tool producing and how can I shape the outcome?

Approaching visual generative AI with curiosity, but also critical thinking is the first step toward having the skills to use these technologies intentionally and effectively. Doing so can help us tell visual stories that carry human rather than machine values.

T.J. Thomson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is an affiliate with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making & Society.

Daniel Pfurtscheller previously received funding from the Tyrolean Science Fund and the Austrian Science Fund, for research unrelated to this article.

Katharina Christ works in a project funded by the Klaus Tschira Foundation. This research is unrelated to the content of this article.

Katharina Lobinger has previously received funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Federal Office of Communications in Switzerland.

Nataliia Laba has previously received Research Training Program funding from the Australian Government Department of Education.

– ref. We teach young people to write. In the age of AI, we must teach them how to see – https://theconversation.com/we-teach-young-people-to-write-in-the-age-of-ai-we-must-teach-them-how-to-see-259283

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Zouwer, Visual Artist and Lecturer in Teacher Education, University of Canberra

School holidays can be stressful for families. Particularly when the enthusiasm of the first few days wears off and kids keep saying “I’m bored, I need the iPad” while refusing point blank to go and play outside.

We are environmental humanities researchers with a focus on education and visual arts. We have been looking at the benefits of creating art with the weather. This can entertain children of all ages, while supporting their creativity and connections with the wider world.

It may also provide some ideas to cope with the school holidays blues in a positive way. You don’t have to wait for a sunny day, either – you can make art in all kinds of weather.

Why make art with the weather?

Our research shows how playful activities can develop children’s understanding of nature and grow environmentally conscious citizens.

Creating art with – not about – weather is a multisensorial experience that immerses children in their local environment.

The activities we suggest produce exciting and unexpected artworks, which can encourage children to slow down and notice what is going on around them.

This can be a prompt not only for identifying how weather impacts their art, but also themselves and other things in the environment.

1. On a cloudy day

Find a nice spot outside, lie on your back and put a piece of A4 paper on your tummy. With a pencil or marker draw the clouds as they move across the sky.

This way of drawing helps you draw what you see, not what you think you see. “Blind contour drawing” (not looking at the paper) also develops hand eye coordination and drawing skills.

This also helps kids develop their conceptual understanding, by encouraging them to think beyond direct representations of objects or images. For example, a cloud may become a series of abstract lines rather than a fluffy thing.

2. On a windy, rainy day

Use water activated pencils (pencils that turn to paint when wet) to make marks on a piece of paper, this could be a drawing of the landscape as you see it. If you don’t have these pencils, you could use basic textas that are water soluble.

Leave the paper outside to be rained on and blown about. Let it dry and then work on it again, adding to the crinkles in the paper and marks made by dirt to create a different type of landscape. Australian Artist John Wolseley uses this technique to better understand “how we dwell and move within the landscape”.

3. On a sunny day

Put a piece of paper on a clipboard and go on a shadow hunt.

Look for interesting shadows cast by plants and place the paper under the shadow and simply trace around the shadows edge.

This shows the shapes of the shapes of leaves, petals and branches and helps develop observational skills.

4. On a still day

Give your eyes a break and connect to your other senses.

Close your eyes and draw what you hear. Listen carefully, how many sounds can you capture on a piece of paper?

Or you could explore what you feel in terms of texture. You can do this by touching something, such as the rough bark of a tree, and drawing with the other.

Or lay a piece of paper over an interesting texture and use a graphite stick
on its side (or soft lead pencil) to make a rubbing. German artist Max Ernst used this approach to create his Histoire Naturelle in the 1920s. Like Ernst, you could tear or cut your drawings of textures and collage them together to create creatures, real or imagined.

5. On any kind of day

Make ephemeral drawings on the ground like Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy (you can see his work in the video below). Use sticks and leaves, feathers and stones anything else you find outside.

This is about using what is already available in the environment.

This activity also provides an opportunity to talk about the beasties that live in the leaf litter and dirt. Using a magnifying glass, kids can get to know the tiny critters that live there and reflect on the importance of not harming them and their homes (such as not stomping on them or poking them with sticks).

So, these school holidays let children have fun making art with weather and explore how these activities can cultivate children’s awe, wonder and care for our planet.

Naomi Zouwer receives funding from ACT Education Directorate.

Ann Hill receives funding from ACT Education Directorate.

Bethaney Turner receives funding from the ACT Education Directorate.

– ref. 5 outside art projects to do in the school holidays – whatever the weather – https://theconversation.com/5-outside-art-projects-to-do-in-the-school-holidays-whatever-the-weather-266066

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bethany Kiss, PhD Candidate, RMIT University

Native animals can make excellent neighbours. Blue banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens. Microbats eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes a night and powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go one step further, and change our homes to invite native animals in as housemates?

Cities are biodiversity hotspots and have an important role in tackling the extinction crises for animals, plants and insects. As cities continue to sprawl, our buildings have become increasingly important habitat for wildlife.

Animals are not the only ones to benefit. Evidence shows noticing wildlife at home can lead to better mental health. Co-habitating with wildlife can also help you feel more at home.

But how can we intentionally design our homes to co-inhabit with wildlife? That’s the question explored by When Wildlife Moves In, a new work at the National Gallery of Victoria. The work, created by the authors of this article, uses data from Wildlife Victoria to explore how homes can become shared ecological resources.

Here are eight easy ways to invite wildlife into your home and backyard.

1. Give butterflies a drink from your air con

Urban butterflies are declining at alarming rates around the world. At the same time, water dripping from air conditioners wastes millions of litres of clean water daily. Studies show this water is safe to reuse for nature.

Butterflies, for example, like to sip water from shallow water sources because they tend to get stuck in deeper water.

Solution? Leave an area of gravel beneath your air conditioner vent to create a “puddling” station for butterflies. This will transform what would otherwise go down our drains into habitat for a beloved pollinator.

2. Provide city birds with scarce nesting material

The scarcity of natural nesting materials in cities poses challenges for some animals. Many are forced to get creative – sometimes incorporating dangerous or lethal alternatives such as plastics into their nests.

Solution? Leave a bowl out in your backyard providing nesting materials such as lawn clippings, native grasses, bark strips and untreated hair. This will help native birds such as the Australian magpie and the Pied Butcherbird

3. Move indoor plants away from windows

Glass doors and windows are a serious threat to birds. In the United States alone, as many as a billion birds each year are killed or badly injured flying into glass.

Solution? Move indoor plants out of view through windows and doors so birds don’t mistake them for habitat. Or put anti-collision stickers on your windows, ensuring they are high contrast in colour and spaced no more than 5–10 cm apart.

4. Remove the concrete from your backyard

Concrete slabs destroy soil microorganisms and prevent animals from digging and tunnelling to create nesting sites.

Wombats are ecosystem engineers. Their burrowing aerates soil, improves water infiltration and cycles organic material and nutrients. But urban development fragments their habitat and concrete foundations seal off natural soil ecosystems. When this happens, wombats adapt by creating alternative burrow systems under houses, decks and other human structures.

Solution? Remove the concrete slabs from your backyard and leave open soil with vegetation or a raised deck in its place.

5. Leave the cavities in your houses unsealed

Natural tree hollows are disappearing at an alarming rate due to urban sprawl and tree removals. It has forced microbats and other hollow-dependent species to seek refuge in dark spaces in our buildings, such as wall cavities, roof voids and building crevices.

Solution? Let the bats continue living in your building cavities. If you are bothered by them, wait until they leave, then provide a bat nesting box so they can safely continue living.

6. Plant the ‘missing’ layer birds need

Australian cities are missing a crucial habitat layer — the “middle storey” between ground cover and tall trees. This gap in coverage allows aggressive species such as noisy miners to dominate, pushing out smaller native birds and threatening endangered species.

Solution? Plant more shrubs and bushes to create a bushy layer of 2-4 metres. This helps smaller birds such as Superb Fairy-wrens find places to hide. It’s also useful to include habitat elements such as log piles and rocks.

7. Keep your cats inside

Every free-roaming cat is a threat to wildlife. Feral and free-roaming cats collectively kill more than three billion animals a year in Australia.

Cats have played a leading role in most of Australia’s 34 mammal extinctions since 1788, and are a big reason why populations of at least 123 other threatened native species are declining.

Solution? “Catios”, or cat patios, allow cats to experience nature but keep wildlife safe from predators.

8. Build a frog sauna

Some of the best wildlife-friendly ideas are surprisingly simple. Frog saunas, for instance, are small structures with frog-sized holes, made from black bricks or similar materials that heat up in the sun. These structures help fight chytrid fungus, a devastating disease that’s pushing many Australian frog species toward extinction.

Chytrid thrives in cold conditions but dies in heat, making these warm refuges potentially life-saving for local amphibians. Instructions for building your own frog sauna are free, requiring little more than recycled materials and a sunny spot in your garden.

A shared future

Australian cities are important for conserving biodiversity – and our homes can help. Thoughtful, intentional design can better support the species that need our support.

If you want to find ways to co-habitate with native wildlife, click here for more solutions.

When Wildlife Moves In is part of the exhibition Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday, showing at the NGV Ian Potter Gallery. The exhibition explores how designers are reshaping the products and systems that shape our daily lives.

Bethany Kiss receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Sarah Bekessy receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Ian Potter Foundation and the European Commission. She is a Lead Councillor with The Biodiversity Council, a board member of Bush Heritage Australia, a member of the WWF Eminent Scientists Group and an advisor to ELM Responsible Investment, the Living Building Challenge and Wood for Good.

Mark Jacques does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. From frog saunas to butterfly puddles: 8 ways to turn your homes into a wildlife refuge – https://theconversation.com/from-frog-saunas-to-butterfly-puddles-8-ways-to-turn-your-homes-into-a-wildlife-refuge-265864

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide

On October 1 1975, the academic journal Screen published an essay by British film theorist Laura Mulvey titled Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.

It is a groundbreaking critique of classical Hollywood cinema, which Mulvey argues is constructed around patriarchal ideologies that shape how women are represented onscreen.

This foundational text transformed how scholars, film critics and audiences think about the relationship between gender and onscreen representation.

A critique of Hollywood

Mulvey came to prominence in the 1970s, a time when second-wave feminism was reshaping academic and cultural debates.

She made films, often with her partner Peter Wollen. These included the experimental feminist works Riddles of the Sphinx (1977) and Penthesilea (1974).

The radical counter-cinema ideas expressed in her film works would make their way into her 1975 essay.

First, Mulvey grapples with Hollywood’s sexual politics, and the stark imbalances of power between men and women.

She suggests film adopts the viewpoint of a heterosexual male spectator: the camera lingers on women’s bodies, framing them for erotic appeal, while men typically drive the action and control the narrative:

The magic of the Hollywood style at its best […] arose, not exclusively, but in one important aspect, from its skilled and satisfying manipulation of visual pleasure. Unchallenged, mainstream film coded the erotic into the language of the dominant patriarchal order.

Mulvey says this “visual pleasure” is baked into the framework of Hollywood cinema. The way shots are composed, the way the camera moves, and the way scenes are edited all reinforce patriarchal power structures and objectify women.

How the ‘male gaze’ works

A central tenet of the essay is the concept of the “male gaze”. This term has become central to feminist debates, not just in film studies, but also in media studies, art theory and advertising.

Drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, Mulvey argues mainstream cinema positions women as passive objects of male desire.

Famously, she notes the:

male gaze projects its phantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly […] Women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.

This male gaze is comprised of three interconnected “looks”:

1. the look of the camera: how the film is shot (the framing, camera movement, editing and so forth)
2. the look of the characters: how male characters gaze at female characters
3. the look of the audience: how spectators are positioned to adopt a masculine viewpoint.

When the camera eroticises a woman, when male characters watch her, and when the audience shares this view, the male gaze is at its most powerful.

Mulvey frequently uses psychoanalytic terms like “scopophilia” (the pleasure of watching) and “voyeurism” (secretly watching for pleasure) to explain how Hollywood cinema reinforces unconscious desires and power structures.

Her examples come from 1940s and 1950s Hollywood, and especially the films of Alfred Hitchcock. She notes how, in Rear Window (1954), James Stewart’s photographer character spends much of the film secretly looking through his camera lens into other people’s apartments.

In Vertigo (1958), James Stewart (this time playing a detective) voyeuristically stalks Kim Novak’s Madeleine. He follows, watches and falls in love with a perfect image of female mystery and beauty. Hitchcock’s shot selection makes the viewer complicit in his voyeurism.

We can see the male gaze in slow-motion or lingering shots that focus on sexualised aspects of women’s bodies, in lighting and costumes designed to emphasise the erotic, or in narratives that halt for a moment of female display, before the main plot resumes.

Cameron Diaz’s first appearance in The Mask (1994) is a clear example of the male gaze in full operation.

Critiques of Mulvey’s argument

Various scholars have challenged Mulvey’s text. Feminist scholar Camille Paglia called Mulvey’s argument “simplistic”, saying:

The idea that a man looking at or a director filming a beautiful woman makes her an object, makes her passive beneath the male gaze […] I think this was utter nonsense from the start. […] It was an a priori theory: first there was feminist ideology, asserting that history is nothing but male oppression and female victimization, and then came this theory — the “victim” model of feminism applied wholesale to works of culture.

Others argue Mulvey failed to take into account spectator diversity, as not all viewers are heterosexual men.

In 1992, American theorist bell hooks coined the term “oppositional gaze” to offer a counterpoint to the sexualized, gendered gaze proposed by Mulvey that took into account racial power dynamics.

Mulvey herself has acknowledged these critiques. In her 1990 essay Afterthoughts on Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, she revisits her arguments to account for more fluid and diverse spectatorship.

Mulvey’s legacy

Mulvey’s concepts from the 1970s can still be applied to contemporary films. The male gaze continues to manifest in filmmaking patterns designed to align spectators with male characters.

The James Bond franchise has long presented women characters as eroticised objects that exist merely for the hero’s pleasure. And the critically acclaimed Blade Runner 2049 (2017) was criticised for treating female characters as sex objects.

Terms such as “female gaze” and “queer gaze” have become increasingly common on social media and in film analysis.

Mulvey’s essay reflected a specific moment in 1970s feminist thought. She recently said, at the time, she thought it would eventually become “an archaeological object of theoretical and historical interest”.

Yet, 50 years on, her identification of the basic dynamics of Hollywood continues to shape much of our understanding of visual media.

Ben McCann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Half a century of the ‘male gaze’: why Laura Mulvey’s pioneering theory still resonates today – https://theconversation.com/half-a-century-of-the-male-gaze-why-laura-mulveys-pioneering-theory-still-resonates-today-256875

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Daniel, Associate Lecturer in Communication, Western Sydney University

This month’s streaming lineup has plenty to offer, whether you’re chasing thrills, a nostalgic romcom, or some humour to keep you company as you settle in after a long day of work.

If you’re feeling moody, there’s a sleek new Australian thriller on Stan, as well as a true crime series following the mushroom murder trials that shook the nation.

Alternatively, if you’re after some comic relief, we’ve got two hilarious mockumentaries that will turn the volume up to 11. So sit back and enjoy.

Watching You

Stan, from October 3

The new Stan limited series Watching You is a worthy addition to the suite of stylish crime thrillers produced in Australia in recent years.

At the centre of this tense and absorbing series is Lina (Aisha Dee), a paramedic with a taste for risk. She’s happily engaged to Cain (Chai Hansen), but for a fleeting encounter with an enigmatic stranger Dan (Josh Helman).

A reckless one-night stand quickly spirals into a nightmare, as Lina and Dan discover the affair has been secretly filmed, and the footage is being used to blackmail her. As paranoia takes hold, Lina embarks on a desperate hunt to unmask the voyeur.

Watching You has a distinctively Australian noir sensibility. Director Peter Salmon, production designer Virginia Mesiti and cinematographer Shelley Farthing-Dawe took inspiration from Sydney’s oppressive summer heat, using natural elements as active forces in the drama.

By exposing for harsh sunlight and embracing deep, enveloping shadows, they create an atmosphere that amplifies Lina’s internal conflict.

Beyond its surface thrills, Watching You also engages with weighty themes such as addiction and compulsion. As the story develops, there is an interesting exploration of coercive control and the insidious nature of a culture of male violence towards women.

Equally potent is the commentary on surveillance culture. In an era where every phone, security camera, and laptop may be a potential tool of voyeurism, Watching You cleverly exploits our modern technological anxieties.

With a powerhouse performance from Aisha Dee, strong visual design and a meaningful thematic foundation, this is elevated Australian noir: well-crafted, sexy and suspenseful.

– Adam Daniel

This is Spinal Tap

Various platforms

With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting cinemas, now is the perfect moment to revisit its precursor, one of most influential and hilarious comedy films ever made, 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap.

Directed by Rob Reiner and co-written by Reiner and the stars of the film, Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel), Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins) and Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls), the mockumentary film follows a fictional British heavy metal band on a disastrous tour of the United States.

As audiences dwindle, equipment fails and egos clash, the band’s decline satirises rock’n’roll excess and the absurdities of the music industry.

Ego clashes, overblown stage shows and catastrophic tours were commonplace to the era. Spinal Tap’s deadpan mockumentary style was both a timely satire, and an authentic cultural commentary.

Moments such as Nigel boasting about his amplifier going “to 11”, Derek’s airport security incident, the band getting lost on the way to the stage, and the 18-inch (instead of 18-foot) Stonehenge stage prop have become iconic. But there are so many great gags on the periphery, layered through the largely improvised dialogue.

The brilliance of the film goes beyond its ribald satire. Of vital importance is the skilful musicianship of the cast. Even if they are a joke, Spinal Tap can play. The great rock riffs sustain the silliness of the lyrics in songs like Sex Farm and Big Bottom.

– Adam Daniel

Read more:
Why This Is Spinal Tap remains the funniest rock satire ever made

How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days

Netflix

The narrative design of Donald Petrie’s 2003 romcom is stunning. Andie (Kate Hudson), who writes articles like “How to Love Your Legs” for a women’s magazine, is commissioned to write a piece based on committing all of the dating faux pas that, apparently, turn men off.

Meanwhile, Ben (Matthew McConaughey), a hyper-masculine advertising gun, takes on a wager that he can make any woman fall in love with him in ten days. If he wins, he’ll have the opportunity to pitch to a lucrative client.

They inevitably lock onto each other, and much of the humour of the film comes from the combination of Andie’s deranged attempts to repel Ben, and his equally deranged refusal to be repelled – each unaware of the other’s ulterior motives.

Like the best romcoms, there’s a Shakespearean quality to its symmetry. The fact there’s no power imbalance between the future couple – they’re equally Machiavellian – means that, unlike some of its ilk, it doesn’t come across as mean-spirited.

How to Lose a Guy is perfect for streaming. It translates well to the small screen, unfolds at a leisurely pace, and is buoyed by its likeable stars and familiar supporting cast.

It ain’t Grant and Hepburn, or even Hawn and Chase, but reengaging with a film from a pre-COVID and pre-Trump era feels wonderfully nostalgic. And this, perhaps, is the best thing about streaming services: they rejuvenate films in the popular domain – and retroactive reassessments can turn an above-average romcom into an endlessly rewatchable classic.

– Ari Mattes

1670, season two

Netflix

The second season of Netflix’s 1670 confirms the 17th century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is perfect material for satire. This early-modern state was created in 1569 when Poland and Lithuania joined forces. At its height, it stretched from the Baltic Sea to modern Ukraine, making it one of Europe’s largest states.

Ruled by an elected king and a parliament dominated by nobles, it lasted until 1795, when Russia, Prussia and Austria carved it up in three “partitions”. It is remembered as colourful, ambitious and deeply dysfunctional. And this dysfunction fuels the comedy in 1670.

While season one introduced the Adamczewski family and their provincial quarrels, season two offers trips abroad, more elaborate plots and a brighter visual style. Jan Paweł Adamczewski still longs to be “the most famous John Paul in Polish history”.

His household stumbles through failed diplomacy with the Ottomans, an overblown harvest festival and comic scandals. Along with familiar faces returning – such as Zofia the zealot, Aniela the proto-feminist and Jakub the scheming priest — new faces help sharpen the farce.

What makes 1670 distinct is its mix of absurd anachronisms, such as climate change debates, casino gambling and Eurovision-like song contests. There are also sly nods to historical realities. For instance, the liberum veto, which allowed one noble to collapse parliament, is both a gag and a reminder of how fragile the commonwealth was.

For Polish viewers, the satire pricks national myths. For others, it opens a window to a forgotten European power. The lesson is simple: states collapse when vanity outweighs cooperation — and laughing at the past may be the best way to understand it.

– Darius von Guttner Sporzynski

Read more:
Netflix’s 1670 satirises the absurd ruling class of 17th century Poland-Lithuania – with lessons for today

Force of Nature: The Dry 2

Netflix

Jane Harper’s latest novel, Last One Out, is due to hit the shelves this month. While you wait, you can enjoy Force of Nature: The Dry 2, a film adaptation of Harper’s 2017 thriller Force of Nature.

Eric Bana reprises his role as Aaron Falk, the loner detective. His investigation of corporate corruption is transferred to the sweeping vistas of the fictional Giralang Ranges (filmed in the Dandenongs and the Yarra Valley). Just as director Robert Connolly noted of The Dry, in this sequel “all the major emotional and narrative elements are in the orbit of the landscape”.

The Giralang Ranges are depicted with all the terrifying power of the Gothic sublime, in which nature inspires terror and awe in vulnerable humans, a threat compounded by the area’s history as a site of a series of grisly murders.

While this sequel does not follow on from the events of The Dry (except insofar as it also features Falk), Connolly does use the opportunity to flesh out Falk’s back story, including the mysterious disappearance of his mother in the same region decades earlier.

Force of Nature is more beautiful than it is complex, but makes for an absorbing screen thriller.

– Jessica Gildersleeve

Revealed: Death Cap Murders

Stan

The three-part documentary Revealed: Death Cap Murders depicts Erin Patterson as a loner who craved community and a liar who would “stop at nothing” to achieve her own ends.

Directed and produced by Gil Marsden, Death Cap Murders blends news footage and interviews with the benefit of hindsight to create a complex portrait of a woman whose motives may never be known.

The series unfolds in a montage format, interweaving the investigative work of crime journalists Marta Pascual Juanola and John Silvester (The Age) with interviews from Patterson’s former colleagues, classmates and friends, as well as mushroom experts, psychologists and doctors.

In doing so, the series offers a layered portrayal of Patterson as an almost Jekyll-and-Hyde figure – both vulnerable and volatile.

The truism that two things can be true at once is skilfully embodied by the series, which captures the story’s many contradictions: the locals’ simultaneous embrace of the media alongside their plea for privacy; the obvious inconsistencies in Patterson’s evidence.

Of course, any retelling of the mushroom case will be a why-dunnit rather than a matter of who, how or when.

Death Cap Murders asks why a woman who yearned for connection would ultimately destroy the very thing she sought.

– Kate Cantrell

Read more:
Death Cap Murders portrays Erin Patterson as a woman who craved community – and would ‘stop at nothing’

Task

HBO Max

Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby returns with another Pennsylvania-based crime drama. Mark Ruffalo is Tom Brandis, an FBI agent who is called in to head a task force investigating a series of armed robberies of “trap houses” operated mostly by the fearsome Dark Hearts bikie gang.

Tom has only recently returned to work following a family tragedy. His team includes Lizzie (Alison Oliver), a state trooper who is introduced as a hot mess, Anthony (Fabien Frankel), a cool detective, and Aleah (Thuso Mbedu), a reserved and on-the-ball cop. Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey) is the garbage collector who has been coordinating the trap house robberies. Like Tom, he has his own backstory full of grief.

Much like Mare of Easttown, this ensemble cast isn’t neatly divided into “good” guys and “bad” guys. Throughout the many twists and turns of this cat-and-mouse game, it starts to become clear everyone’s motivations are more complicated than you initially expect.

While Mare of Easttown was primarily concerned with motherhood, Task is fundamentally about what it means to be a good father, as both lead characters are motivated, and in turn distracted, by their pursuit of providing for their families.

Ruffalo and Pelphrey are excellent in their lead roles, as are many of the supporting players. The two opening episodes are directed by Jerimiah Zagar, who also directed the 2018 coming-of-age drama We The Animals. Zagar balances the grim tone and shifting perspectives in an absolutely gripping manner.

– Stuart Richards

Memory: The Origins Of Alien

Stan and DocPlay

Memory: The Origins of Alien, directed and written by Alexandre O. Philippe, is a rare kind of documentary that is as haunting and fascinating as the film it dissects. The title, “Memory”, refers to the original name of the Alien (1979) script – but it could also refer to the deep pleasures of nostalgia the film taps into.

The documentary features scenes from the first Alien film, interwoven with footage and stills from the 1950s and ‘60s films and comics that inspired the creators. It also recognises a largely unknown hero of the Alien universe, the late writer and artist Dan O’Bannon.

We learn Dan was suffering from Crohn’s disease while writing the script, and the abdominal pain he experienced may have inspired the creation of the inner parasitic monster that bursts from its host’s body.

The film succeeds in explaining the gendered and psychoanalytic landscape of Alien, without explicitly mentioning Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung or Barbara Creed’s “monstruous-feminine”.

The interviewees refer to the “mythic other” of the “collective consciousness”. They also acknowledge the spacecraft crew are “effectively raped” by a phallic Alien being. And the nightmare narrative is illustrated with close shots of H.R. Giger’s original biomechanical airbrushed images of the Alien.

Memory is a rich tapestry of dark texts and deep reflection that will add new layers of meaning to your viewing of the original film. It is a work of art in its own right, and essential viewing for horror film fans.

– Susan Hopkins

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Mushroom murders, riotous mockumentary and a surveillance thriller: what to watch in October – https://theconversation.com/mushroom-murders-riotous-mockumentary-and-a-surveillance-thriller-what-to-watch-in-october-265987

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Lee, Associate Professor in Property and Real Estate, Deakin University

For many, the “Great Australian Dream” of owning a home has never felt further out of reach. Rising property values have convincingly outpaced income growth over recent decades, creating an affordability crisis.

That doesn’t necessarily mean all Australians have given up on dreaming. A recent survey by Mortgage Choice suggests even among members of Gen Z (born from roughly 1996 to 2012), many remain staunch in their desire to buy their own home.

Saving the deposit required for a loan – typically 10% to 20% of a property’s purchase price – has always been one of the biggest hurdles to home ownership.

From today, October 1, eligibility for the Australian government’s Home Guarantee Scheme is expanding. All first-home buyers who’ve saved a 5% deposit will be able to apply. So what’s changing – and how might this initiative help first-home buyers? What could be the risks and drawbacks?

Straining to save enough

Saving a deposit is a crucial step for most first-home buyers. This is the amount in cash you pay upfront for the home; the bank lends you the rest.

Generally speaking, the higher your deposit, the safer the bank feels in lending to you (an upcoming instalment in this series will explore how banks make lending decisions in more detail).

This article is part of The Conversation’s new series on buying a first home.

We’ve asked leading experts to unpack some of the biggest topics for first-home buyers to consider – from working out what’s affordable and beginning the search, to your rights when inspecting a property and making an offer.

Typically, a borrower would need to have saved up 20% of the home’s price, or else have to pay lenders mortgage insurance, which protects the lender if the loan defaults. Given the average value of an Australian home is now about A$1,000,000, this would mean having $200,000 saved up in cash.

That’s well above where most young people find themselves. According to a report by Finder, the average Australian had $39,407 in savings in 2024, but among Gen Z this figure was lower, at $17,260.

Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to saving. The definition is money earned that then isn’t spent. High interest savings accounts and term deposits are among the options for growing savings with the lowest risk.

Investing savings in assets such as shares may grow a deposit faster, but carries greater risk and could result in losing money.

Still, even for those earning a relatively high income who save aggressively and manage to invest wisely, it can take years to reach a 20% deposit.

Getting to the starting line – faster

This is where the federal government’s newly expanded 5% deposit scheme may be able to step in and assist some first-home buyers.

This initiative first launched in 2020. But over the years it’s been subject to income caps, as well as limits on the number of places available. From today, October 1, these have been removed, so all Australian first-home buyers can apply for the scheme through a participating lender.

Caps on maximum property prices remain, but have now been increased across many cities and regions.

For successful applicants, the Home Guarantee Scheme allows first-home buyers to apply for a loan having saved just 5% of the home’s price as a deposit instead of the usual 20%, without having to pay lenders mortgage insurance.

That’s possible because the government will guarantee a portion of the loan to provide surety to the bank.

Here’s an example to illustrate how much time the new scheme could save. Note, this makes some simplifying assumptions about tax and transaction costs. Real-life home loans are more complex.

Imagine a Gen Z first-home buyer eyeing off a property with a modest price of $500,000. A 20% deposit on this property would be $100,000 – but a 5% deposit just $25,000.

The additional costs of buying a home – such as stamp duty – also need to be saved. Let’s imagine these add up to $25,000.

According to the Finder report mentioned earlier, the average Gen Z is saving $971 a month. If we keep things simple and assume that’s after tax, that works out to be $11,652 a year.

And finally, let’s assume these savings can be invested at an interest rate that for this individual, works out to be 5% after tax. Using all these assumptions, the table below shows how much faster a deposit could be saved under the new scheme.

One important drawback

In this illustration, the scheme knocks about ten years off the time required for our buyer to save the funds required. So, what’s the catch?

One important drawback needs explaining. All else being equal, paying a lower deposit means taking out a bigger loan. This means regular repayments to the bank are also much higher.

Returning to our above example, the total loan size would be $475,000 with the 5% deposit scheme, versus just $400,000 with a 20% deposit.

Using a repayment calculator for a 30-year loan at 5.42% interest, monthly repayments would be $422 higher with a 5% deposit (total repayment of $2,673 versus $2,251).

Things to consider

So, while our first-home buyer may be able to buy a home sooner, they could also be in for more long-term pain. Also, due to the higher loan amount, the bank will want to make sure you can service the loan.

This means checking you have enough income (typically salaries or wages) to afford the higher repayments and avoid “mortgage stress”. A common definition of mortgage stress is when 30% or more of a household’s income is going towards mortgage repayments and related housing costs.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is not intended as financial advice. All investments carry risk.

Adrian Lee receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is a member on the research committee of the Australian Property and Real Estate Fund.

– ref. From today, all first-home buyers can apply for the 5% deposit scheme. Here’s what’s changing – https://theconversation.com/from-today-all-first-home-buyers-can-apply-for-the-5-deposit-scheme-heres-whats-changing-265399

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Djavlonbek Kadirov, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

It’s roughly a month since the government announced new supermarkets would qualify for fast-track approval in an effort to inject real competition into the sector. Too soon to see progress, perhaps, but not too soon to question the likely success of that approach.

While fast-tracking may address the problems of commercial zoning, slow consenting and regulation that have frustrated would-be competitors, there is no guarantee a major player will emerge.

Meanwhile, consumers will continue to pay the price for what is effectively a supermarket duopoly between Foodstuffs and Woolworths.

It’s unlikely, too, that the Commerce Commission’s proposed changes to the Grocery Supply Code will cure the underlying malaise. These are primarily aimed at rebalancing bargaining power between suppliers and major supermarkets, not substantial price reductions for consumers.

The Commerce Commission is also conducting an inquiry into how well the wholesale market is operating, given concerns about how big supermarkets are restricting smaller retailers’ access to benefits such as supplier rebates, discounts and promotional payments.

While reform on this front could be effective, the tendency of smaller retailers to align their pricing strategies with dominant supermarket chains – known as “price leadership dynamics” – may undermine any downward pressure on retail prices.

In essence, any slight reshuffling will recalibrate the balance of power between suppliers, wholesalers and retailers. But consumers may see little direct benefit.

A genuine competitor

One solution that might work, however, is a publicly owned grocery chain, tasked explicitly with stimulating genuine competition. For the sake of argument let’s call it a “community provisioning enterprise”.

This could be designed as a conglomerate of wholesale centres, distribution networks and retail outlets. By leveraging state-of-the-art logistics and retail technologies, it could achieve significant efficiency gains.

Potentially, that could see gross profit margins driven down into the 4–7% range, compared with margins of 55% or more on individual items enjoyed by major retailers.

The main priority of such an enterprise would be to move commodities efficiently from producers to consumers. It would have a competitive edge because of operational efficiency, minimal marketing spend, streamlined supplier contracts and capped executive salaries.

The basic idea is hardly new. Governments have routinely intervened in markets where private enterprise has failed, often to avert systemic risk or unacceptable social costs.

Examples include bailouts of the Bank of New Zealand in the 1990s and Air New Zealand in 2002. The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter enjoys preferential energy prices to keep it running. Under the government’s retail deposit guarantee scheme (2008–2011), investors in nine failed finance companies were repaid close to NZ$2 billion.

But the supermarket sector logic is sharper. Our community provisioning enterprise would not be a monopoly or state-owned shop doling out rations. It would be a “no frills”, disciplined market participant with a single mandate: to force prices down and secure affordable access to everyday goods.

Unlike the existing supermarket chains, it would not compete on branding or loyalty schemes. Its focus would be generic products, staples and low-cost commodities – the categories stretched households need.

By operating a market system as a public good, it would leave ample space for other firms to innovate and differentiate. In effect, it would anchor the market by setting a floor of affordability while still encouraging private players to compete above it.

The market as public good

There are clear precedents for this already operating in the centre of global market capitalism, the United States.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative was set up in 2014 to support public grocery store projects to improve food security in “food deserts” (areas with limited access to fresh and affordable produce). Since then, it has channelled US$320 million in grants and $1 billion in financing to some 1,000 grocery and food-retail projects across 48 states.

The state of Illinois went further in 2024, passing the Grocery Initiative Act to fund new public supermarkets. The small town of Venice in the state has already secured $2.4m to build one.

And in New York, popular mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to curb rising food costs with city-owned grocery stores. These would pay no rent or property taxes, trade at wholesale prices through central warehouses, and partner with local vendors to keep prices down.

To work in New Zealand, a community provisioning enterprise would need to be designed as:

• a born-to-compete enterprise, big enough to exploit economies of scale from the outset

• an operator in both the retail and wholesale sectors

• a state-of-the-art logistics hub deploying the latest distribution and retailing technologies

• a public entity with legislative support, able to survive in a hostile market

• a community “anchor” that works with stakeholders (councils, volunteer groups) to sustain trust and participation.

The role of the state

Capitalism is meant to thrive on what economists call “workable competition”. In any given sector, that involves at least seven to nine major firms and many smaller ones, with the biggest firm’s market share not exceeding 10%.

Where such conditions are absent, state intervention is justified, including through the establishment of a publicly-owned enterprise to stimulate real competition.

In recent years, governments have increasingly been reasserting their role in the economy to protect consumer welfare. From 2000 to 2023, the number of state-owned enterprises among the world’s 500 largest firms grew from 34 to 126, controlling US$53.5 trillion in assets and generating over $12 trillion in revenue.

New Zealand’s grocery sector would surely benefit from a market system that prioritises consumers by using the resources of the state to encourage real, workable competition.

Djavlonbek Kadirov does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Price check: how a public grocery chain would disrupt NZ’s supermarket duopoly – https://theconversation.com/price-check-how-a-public-grocery-chain-would-disrupt-nzs-supermarket-duopoly-265844

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney

The Reserve Bank kept the cash rate steady at 3.6% at today’s meeting. In its post-meeting statement, the central bank said the monetary policy board

judged that it was appropriate to remain cautious.

This pause follows three cuts earlier this year — in February, May and August, each by 25 basis points — which lowered the cash rate from 4.1% to its current level. Governor Michele Bullock said the bank is watching those previous cuts work through the economy.

Bullock stressed that while inflation has eased from its peak, progress remains uneven, and the bank is not ready to declare victory.

For now, patience is the safer course. The next big test will be the September quarter inflation report, due at the end of October. That release will go a long way to deciding whether cuts resume later this year or slip into 2026. Market pricing, once confident of a November move, now sees the odds as little better than a coin toss.

“By the next meeting in November, we’ll have more data on the labour market and inflation data for the September quarter,” Bullock told a press conference after the meeting.

Why the RBA is waiting

The monthly consumer price index (CPI) for August showed annual inflation rising to 3.0%, up from 2.8% in July. Although this is a 12-month high, much of the increase came from the expiry of electricity rebates — a temporary factor the bank had already anticipated.

Bullock has repeatedly said the Reserve Bank puts more weight on the quarterly “trimmed mean” inflation measure — a point she emphasised most recently before the House of Representatives economics committee. This measure strips out one-off price swings and gives a clearer picture of underlying inflation.

Even so, the monthly figures show the annual trimmed mean edged down from 2.7% in July to 2.6% in August. That suggests the underlying trend remains one of gradual disinflation (a slowing in the pace of price increases), despite the lift in the headline rate.

Bullock told reporters:

The monthly data are volatile […] I don’t want to suggest that inflation is running away, but we just need to be a little bit cautious.

Progress is not yet secure. Inflation must stay within the 2–3% target range on a sustained basis before the Reserve Bank can cut with confidence. Moving too early risks undoing hard-won gains and forcing harsher measures later.

Other data reinforce this cautious approach. June quarter economic growth surprised on the upside, showing the economy is more resilient than expected. Meanwhile, unemployment has ticked higher but remains low, pointing to a labour market that is cooling only gradually.

As the statement noted,

private consumption is picking up as real household incomes rise […] The housing market is strengthening […] Credit is readily available to both households and businesses.

Together, these signals give the Reserve Bank space to pause rather than rush into easing.

A big shift in expectations

The major banks have also adjusted their forecasts. NAB has ruled out any further move this year, dropping its earlier forecasts for November and February cuts and now expecting the next reduction in May 2026. Westpac still expects a November cut, but acknowledges the timing could slip.

Financial markets have also pared back their bets. Pricing once implied near-certainty of a November cut, but that probability has now fallen to roughly 50-50.

The September quarter consumer price index will be decisive: a softer result could revive expectations of an earlier cut, while a stronger one would reinforce the view that rate cuts will not resume until 2026.

With the economy stronger than forecast and CPI a touch higher, both banks and markets are pushing out the timing of cuts. The Reserve Bank’s message is clear: inflation must show sustained progress before policy can be eased. Until then, the next cut is a matter of when, not if.

Rates around the world

The Reserve Bank is not alone in being cautious. In the United States, the Federal Reserve delivered three cuts in 2024, but only made its first cut of 2025 in September. The European Central Bank has reduced rates four times this year, but has kept policy steady since June.

Political tensions, volatile energy prices and fragile global growth all add to the uncertainty, reinforcing the case for patience in Australia.

For households, today’s decision offers no relief. Mortgage repayments remain at an elevated level and consumer spending is weak.

Looking ahead, the Reserve Bank said it will remain data-driven and responsive to risks:

The Board will be attentive to the data […] focused on its mandate to deliver price stability and full employment and will do what it considers necessary to achieve that outcome.

For households, that means the wait for relief goes on. The next move is a cut, but today’s decision makes clear it won’t be rushed.

Stella Huangfu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. RBA stands pat on interest rates as hopes dim for future cuts – https://theconversation.com/rba-stands-pat-on-interest-rates-as-hopes-dim-for-future-cuts-266234

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Middle East Studies, Australian National University

The 20-point plan announced by US President Donald Trump at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes close to living up to Trump’s hype. It is a bold attempt to address all of the issues that need to be resolved if there is to be lasting peace in Gaza.

Could it work? Both sides are tired of the war. Throughout history, quite a number of wars have simply come to an end when both sides were too exhausted to continue. Two-thirds of Israelis want the war to end, and though polling of Palestinians is difficult, they clearly want the devastation and suffering in Gaza to stop, too.

So, this plan, despite its limitations, could come at the right time.

However, there are many outstanding questions about the feasibility of the plan and to what extent it is likely to be successful. Given the Middle East’s violent history, it’s impossible to be optimistic at this point.

Here are five main reasons for concern.

1. Trust is lacking

There’s zero trust between both sides right now. And several aspects of the plan are so vague, there is a big risk both sides could accuse the other of breaking their promises.

The last ceasefire between the two sides only lasted two months before Netanyahu backed out, blaming Hamas for not releasing more hostages before negotiations on the next phase could proceed.

2. The plan is asymmetrical

The deal favours Israel more than it does Hamas. Hamas is essentially being asked to give up all of the remaining Israeli hostages it holds and all of its weapons at the same time, rendering it entirely defenceless.

Hamas, with its lack of trust in Israel and Netanyahu, in particular, may fear the Israeli leader could use this as an opportunity to attack it again without worrying about harming the hostages.

Hamas was also not invited to negotiate the terms of the agreement. And it now faces an ultimatum: accept the terms or Israel will “finish the job”.

Given the asymmetry of the plan, Hamas may decide the risks of accepting it outweigh the potential benefits, despite its offer of amnesty for Hamas fighters who lay down their arms.

Israel is being asked to make some compromises in the plan. But how realistic are these?

For example, the deal envisions a future when the Palestinian Authority (PA) can “securely and effectively take back control of Gaza”. Netanyahu has previously said he would not accept this.

Likewise, it would also be very difficult for Netanyahu to accept “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood”, as outlined in the plan. He has firmly rejected this in the past, most recently in his defiant address to the UN General Assembly last week.

3. Important details are lacking

The implementation strategy of the plan is extraordinarily vague. We know nothing at this stage about the “International Stabilisation Force” that would take the place of the Israeli military after it withdraws from Gaza.

Which countries would participate? It would obviously be a mission fraught with danger to the personnel involved. Netanyahu has previously mentioned an Arab force taking over in Gaza, but no Arab states have yet put their hands up for this.

There is also no timeframe in the plan for the Palestinian Authority reforms, nor any details on what these reforms would entail.

Presumably, there would need to be new elections to install a credible leader in place of current President Mahmoud Abbas. But how that would be done and whether the people of Gaza would be able to take part is still unknown.

In addition, the details of the civil authority that would oversee the reconstruction of Gaza are very unclear. All we know is that Trump would appoint himself chair of the “Board of Peace”, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would also somehow be involved.

This board would need the absolute confidence of the Netanyahu government and Hamas to be effective. Trust is always in short supply in the Middle East.

Read more:
The Palestinian Authority is facing a legitimacy crisis. Can it be reformed to govern a Palestinian state?

4. No mention of the West Bank

The West Bank is clearly a flashpoint. There are disputes and clashes every day between the Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents, which are only likely to get worse.

Just last month, the Israeli government gave final approval to a controversial plan to build a new settlement that would effectively divide the West Bank in two, making a future, contiguous Palestinian state unviable.

The West Bank must be central to any overall settlement between Israel and Palestine.

5. Israel’s right-wing cabinet remains an obstacle

This could be the ultimate deal breaker: the hardline right-wing members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, have said they will not accept anything less than the complete destruction and elimination of Hamas.

And although Hamas would be disarmed and politically sidelined under this plan, its ideology would remain intact, as would a significant number of its fighters.

So, does it have a chance?

If Hamas accepts Trump’s plan, we could soon have the answers to several of these questions.

But it is going to require a great deal of work by the United States to maintain the pressure on Israel to stick to the deal. The chief Palestinian mediators, Qatar and Egypt, would also need to maintain pressure on Hamas so it doesn’t breach the conditions, as well.

Netanyahu is likely assuming there will be sufficient off-ramps for him to get out of the agreement if Hamas doesn’t live up to it. Netanyahu has already done this once when he backed out of the ceasefire in March and resumed Israel’s military operations.

In his forceful speech to a partially empty UN General Assembly hall last week, Netanyahu didn’t indicate he was thinking of walking away from any of the red lines he had previously set to end the war. In fact, he condemned the states recognising a Palestinian state and vowed, “Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats.”

Given this, Netanyahu would not have agreed to Trump’s plan at all if the US leader hadn’t put pressure on him. At the same time, Trump said at his news conference with Netanyahu that if Hamas fails to live up to the agreement or refuses to accept it, Israel would have his full backing to finish the job against Hamas.

This promise may be enough for Netanyahu to be able to persuade Smotrich and Ben-Gvir to support the plan – for now.

Ian Parmeter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The 5 big problems with Trump’s Gaza peace plan – https://theconversation.com/the-5-big-problems-with-trumps-gaza-peace-plan-266355

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chloe Frick, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of Adelaide

Around 200 years ago, bettongs were the most common macropod in Australia. These small wallaby-like creatures were once found seemingly everywhere and in great numbers.

After colonisation, bettongs became harder to find. The five living species were decimated as land was cleared for farms, and feral cats and foxes spread across the continent. Weighing in at 1-2 kilos, these small rat-kangaroos were easy prey for introduced nocturnal ambush hunters.

Ecologists think of these species as ecosystem engineers, as they can turn over six tonnes of earth a year, spreading seeds and fungi across the landscape. As foxes and cats picked them off, their absence rippled through ecosystems.

To support and protect the species, conservationists have had success in translocating the critically endangered brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyii) to fenced, feral predator-free reserves. But could these creatures – known as woylie to Noongar people and yalgi/yalgiri to Narungga – ever be released back into areas where they once roamed alongside cats and foxes? Our new research suggests it might be possible.

Trial and error

Between 2021 and 2023, we released almost 200 brush-tailed bettongs into Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. These bettongs had been absent from South Australia for at least 120 years.

Like most national parks, feral cat and fox numbers are suppressed using lethal control. But foxes and cats still persist.

We were hopeful these bettongs stood a good chance in this national park because small tammar wallabies have thrived after their reintroduction and the park has dense native vegetation.

With greater pest control and careful planning, monitoring, and research, we hoped other species could be successfully reintroduced. The brush-tailed bettong was the first of hopefully many species to be reintroduced through the marna banggara project.

Some wild populations of bettongs have proven they can live alongside cats and foxes in Western Australia. But no new population had been established where these feral predators are.

Our goal was to try to establish a new population able to survive alongside low fox and cat numbers. To that end, we wanted to know which traits helped our bettongs survive. Would larger animals do better? Or would smaller, stealthier animals survive and breed? Did we need a mix of both? What about previous experience with predators?

We sourced brush-tailed bettongs from three different locations:

• Wedge Island, South Australia. In the early 1980s, 11 bettongs were released on this small island. Their numbers grew to an estimated few thousand. These are known to be smaller, less wary and not used to threats such as cats, foxes, and cars.

• Tone-Perup Nature reserve, Western Australia. These animals come from both a remnant wild and a fenced safe haven population. Overall, they’re bigger and faster. Wild population bettongs were familiar with native and introduced predators.

• Dryandra Woodland National Park, Western Australia. These animals are similarly drawn from both wild and safe haven populations. They are larger, and both groups had predator exposure.

Into the wild

We didn’t just set our bettongs free and hope for the best. We fitted each animal with small radio tags and monitored them remotely with the help of several towers in the national park. We conducted regular trapping surveys to check how healthy the population was and whether they were reproducing.

By December 2023, the brush-tailed bettong population had doubled to around 400 animals. Members from all source populations were still alive, breeding was occurring and baby bettongs were being born. Since then, surveys have shown the bettongs are thriving overall.

Which animals did best? We had expected the Tone-Perup bettongs to survive and thrive based on their size and predator familiarity. Sure enough, they were surviving at higher rates. But to our surprise, the smaller Wedge Island animals were surviving well, despite their lack of familiarity with foxes and cats.

Both Tone-Perup and Wedge bettongs increased their survival likelihood over time. That’s because it’s a case of the quick and the dead. Slower, less wary and less capable individuals got eaten, outcompeted, or died of other causes, while better adapted animals kept going.

These findings are good news. They suggest some brush-tailed bettongs can adapt to life in the wild alongside foxes and cats – if they get past the crucial first few months.

The same can’t be said for our Dryandra population, who had lower survival rates than the other two groups. This was surprising, given Dryandra animals also had greater size and predator exposure.

Why did this happen? It’s most likely because we released these animals later. They may have struggled to find a niche not taken by the bettongs we had released earlier and were either outcompeted or moved further away.

How could these bettongs survive?

It can be hard to watch endangered animals get eaten. But it’s unlikely Australia will ever be rid of feral cats and foxes. This is why bold new techniques are worth trialling, to see if species can be returned to the wild.

Brush-tailed bettongs were last sighted on the Yorke Peninsula over 120 years ago. What changed to make it possible for them to return?

Most likely, it’s due to a combination of predator control and the dense, complex remnant native vegetation offering safer nesting and foraging. Bettongs can move faster through dense shrub than foxes and cats, and it’s harder for predators to spot them in these thickets.

What’s next?

It is still early days, but our research is encouraging. We think the key is active management. Monitor animals intensively in the early months when the animals are most at risk. If too many are being eaten, ramp up feral predator control efforts.

For the first time in over 100 years, yalgiri are digging, spreading seeds and fungi and shaping the soils of the Yorke Peninsula. Their return is good news, not just for the species but for the health of the whole landscape. These small, crafty creatures are finding ways to live alongside feral cats and foxes.

Chloe Frick’s PhD was associated with the Marna Banggara Project, which receives funding from the Australian Government through its partners, Northern & Yorke Landscape Board, WWF Australia, Fauna Research Alliance, and the Department of Environment and Water

– ref. These little bettongs were wiped out in South Australia a century ago. Now they’re thriving alongside foxes and feral cats – https://theconversation.com/these-little-bettongs-were-wiped-out-in-south-australia-a-century-ago-now-theyre-thriving-alongside-foxes-and-feral-cats-264697

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By M. Obaidul Hamid, Associate Professor of TESOL Education, The University of Queensland

The word “halal” is probably the most common concept associated with Muslims. It is the “social face” of their religious beliefs and practices, which have enriched Australian multiculturalism.

Many non-Muslims, however, don’t have a deep understanding of what halal means. Ignorance and misunderstanding of halal may lead to xenophobic attitudes towards Muslims, as we’ve seen in the past.

Knowing its true meaning can enhance mutual respect between Muslims and non-Muslims and cement social harmony. Here’s what the term means and where it comes from.

What’s the definition?

Halal (حلال) is an Arabic word which essentially means all that is permissible or lawful according to Islamic teachings. Its opposite is “haram” (حرام) which refers to everything that is forbidden in Islam.

Scholar Yusuf Qaradawi defines halal as that “which is permitted, with respect to which no restriction exists” and haram as that “which the Law-Giver [God] has absolutely prohibited”.

Haram generally has a limited scope in Islam.

Conversely, the scope of halal is very wide. Anything that is not declared haram and is good for humans is halal. Islamic scholar Mohammad Hashim Kamali quotes a statement from Prophet Muhammad:

Halal is that which God has permitted in His Book, and haram is that which God has prohibited in His Book. As for what He has chosen to remain silent about, it is exonerated.

So, what Islam does not describe as haram, is halal.

Who decides what is halal?

Halal and haram are God’s preserve and cannot be determined by humans.

The Quran advises believers to “partake of the good things” which are provided for their sustenance. What Islam makes permissible is believed to be good for humans, and what it prohibits is harmful for them.

The Quran refers to halal food as “good”. However, halal food can be haram if it’s harmful for health. For example, sugar is halal but consuming it excessively may become haram if it endangers life.

Haram food can also be halal when there is life-threatening hunger.

Meat of certain animals and birds including cows, goats, kangaroos, chicken and duck is halal only if they are slaughtered the Islamic way.

Pork and the meat of dogs, carnivorous animals and most reptiles, however, are haram.

Common species of fish and seafood are halal, even though differences of opinion exist over certain items, such as crabs and squid.

Intoxicants (such as smoking and alcohol) and gambling are haram in Islam because they “sow enmity and hatred” between people and turn them away from worship, according to the Quran.

More than just food

An Islamic life cannot be comprehended without the rules of halal and haram.

Such rules encompass all aspects of Muslim life including food and beverage consumption, clothing, verbal and nonverbal behaviour, financial transactions, sexual relations, social interactions and recreations. For example, Muslim women are prohibited from wearing clothing that is typically male and vice versa. Gold, jewellery and silken clothes are prohibited for men but allowed for women.

Usury (lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest) is unlawful but making money through fair trade and business practices is lawful.

Manufacturers and marketers increasingly cater to Muslim customer needs by promoting halal brands. But ignorance or only partial understanding of halal remains common among Muslims as well as non-Muslims.

When eating out in mainstream restaurants, Muslims will check if the meat on the menu is halal. Occasionally, we hear employees at food outlets saying: “The beef and the chicken are halal, but I am not sure about the pork”.

Others ask Muslims if they’re allowed to eat fish. Such questions reveal both curiosity and misunderstanding.

A meaningful, ethical life

An unhelpful approach is when halal is taken beyond its true meaning and associated with political and ideological issues. Sometimes halal is weaponised for anti-Muslim propaganda.

In most cases, halal and non-halal foods may not have physical, chemical or nutritional differences. It’s only religious or spiritual.

A child of one of this article’s authors once ate a beef sausage at his primary school food festival. When told it was not halal, he said it tasted exactly like halal sausages.

He was right. A non-Muslim kid will have the same experience of halal sausages. As the difference is only in the method of slaughtering an otherwise halal animal, the taste will be identical.

But given the spiritual importance of halal, a Muslim wouldn’t feel good if they ate non-halal food, even by mistake.

Muslims who follow halal rules are likely to respect other people’s diets. Dietary rules or preferences can be the basis for understanding similarities and differences between faith groups.

The knowledge can also help identify common grounds between Muslims and non-Muslims, ensuring inclusion and social connection.

Muslims’ halal practices can bring benefits for society. Halal food acquired through illegal means becomes haram. For example, cheating, corruption and hiding product information can make an income or business transaction un-Islamic.

Making excessive profit by harming customers also goes against the spirit of halal.

So halal is not just avoiding certain foods and drinks. It’s also about living an ethical and meaningful life, both for oneself and others.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. What does halal mean? It’s about more than just food – https://theconversation.com/what-does-halal-mean-its-about-more-than-just-food-263037

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher, Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University

Walk into a shop, board a plane, log into your bank, or scroll through your social media feed, and chances are you might be asked to scan your face. Facial recognition and other kinds of face-based biometric technology are becoming an increasingly common form of identification.

The technology is promoted as quick, convenient and secure – but at the same time it has raised alarm over privacy violations. For instance, major retailers such as Kmart have been found to have broken the law by using the technology without customer consent.

So are we seeing a dangerous technological overreach or the future of security? And what does it mean for families, especially when even children are expected to prove their identity with nothing more than their face?

The two sides of facial recognition

Facial recognition tech is marketed as the height of seamless convenience.

Nowhere is this clearer than in the travel industry, where airlines such as Qantas tout facial recognition as the key to a smoother journey. Forget fumbling for passports and boarding passes – just scan your face and you’re away.

In contrast, when big retailers such as Kmart and Bunnings were found to be scanning customers’ faces without permission, regulators stepped in and the backlash was swift. Here, the same technology is not seen as a convenience but as a serious breach of trust.

Things get even murkier when it comes to children. Due to new government legislation, social media platforms may well introduce face-based age verification technology, framing it as a way to keep kids safe online.

At the same time, schools are trialling facial recognition for everything from classroom entry to paying in the cafeteria.

Yet concerns about data misuse remain. In one incident, Microsoft was accused of mishandling children’s biometric data.

For children, facial recognition is quietly becoming the default, despite very real risks.

A face is forever

Facial recognition technology works by mapping someone’s unique features and comparing them against a database of stored faces. Unlike passive CCTV cameras, it doesn’t just record, it actively identifies and categorises people.

This may feel similar to earlier identity technologies. Think of the check-in QR code systems that quickly sprung up at shops, cafes and airports during the COVID pandemic.

Facial recognition may be on a similar path of rapid adoption. However, there is a crucial difference: where a QR code can be removed or an account deleted, your face cannot.

Why these developments matter

Permanence is a big issue for facial recognition. Once your – or your child’s – facial scan is stored, it can stay in a database forever.

If the database is hacked, that identity is compromised. In a world where banks and tech platforms may increasingly rely on facial recognition for access, the stakes are very high.

What’s more, the technology is not foolproof. Mis-identifying people is a real problem.

Age-estimating systems are also often inaccurate. One 17-year-old might easily be classified as a child, while another passes as an adult. This may restrict their access to information or place them in the wrong digital space.

A lifetime of consequences

These risks aren’t just hypothetical. They already affect lives. Imagine being wrongly placed on a watchlist because of a facial recognition error, leading to delays and interrogations every time you travel.

Or consider how stolen facial data could be used for identity theft, with perpetrators gaining access to accounts and services.

In the future, your face could even influence insurance or loan approvals, with algorithms drawing conclusions about your health or reliability based on photo or video.

Facial recognition does have some clear benefits, such as helping law enforcement identify suspects quickly in crowded spaces and providing convenient access to secure areas.

But for children, the risks of misuse and error stretch across a lifetime.

So, good or bad?

As it stands, facial recognition would seem to carry more risks than rewards. In a world rife with scams and hacks, we can replace a stolen passport or drivers’ licence, but we can’t change our face.

The question we need to answer is where we draw the line between reckless implementation and mandatory use. Are we prepared to accept the consequences of the rapid adoption of this technology?

Security and convenience are important, but they are not the only values at stake. Until robust, enforceable rules around safety, privacy and fairness are firmly established, we should proceed with caution.

So next time you’re asked to scan your face, don’t just accept it blindly. Ask: why is this necessary? And do the benefits truly outweigh the risks – for me, and for everyone else involved?

Joanne Orlando receives funding from NSW Department of Education and previously from office of eSafety Commissioner.

– ref. How safe is your face? The pros and cons of having facial recognition everywhere – https://theconversation.com/how-safe-is-your-face-the-pros-and-cons-of-having-facial-recognition-everywhere-265753

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandy Hagstrom, Senior Lecturer, Exercise Physiology. School of Health Sciences, UNSW Sydney

Every few years, the concept of fasted exercise training pops up all over social media.

Fasted training refers to exercising in the morning, before eating breakfast.

Fans will claim it’s the most efficient way to lose body fat. Opponents say it’s a terrible idea and will cause you to gain weight.

Who’s right and what does the research evidence say?

Where did the idea come from?

Fasted exercise, proponents say, will cause better changes in body composition – the proportion of lean mass (muscle), bone and fat. In particular, they say fasted exercise leads to fat loss.

Positive changes in body composition can occur through losses of fat mass, while either maintaining or gaining lean mass. Or even through gaining lean mass in the absence of any loss of body fat. All of which may be considered positive.

The idea fasted exercises leads to such positive body composition changes stems from research that shows exercising after eating versus exercise before eating affects metabolism differently.

Aerobic exercise in a fasted state causes you to burn more fat as a fuel (what researchers would call “fat oxidation”) when measured at a single point in time.

So it wasn’t a big leap to assume this would translate to longer-term fat loss.

However, a 2017 systematic review from my team demonstrated that a fasted exercise training program doesn’t seem to translate into long-term differences in body fat loss.

This discrepancy between fat burned as a fuel during exercise, and changes in body fat in the long term has often been misunderstood.

This apparent contradiction may come down to the fact the body seems to find ways to compensate. Fat burning seems to reduce once you eat, and people who have exercised hard may end up expending less total energy over the course of the day.

In exercise science, it’s actually pretty common to find that short-term effects don’t always translate to longer-term impacts.

For example, intense short-term exercise can negatively affect your immune system in the moment, but doing regular exercise can actually affect it positively in the longer term.

What does eating soon after or just before your workout do?

Eating a meal featuring carbohydrates and protein close to when you exercise is likely to help with performance during your next exercise session.

However, whether that meal is before or after your workout seems to have limited impact.

Interestingly, research has shown that increasing the proportion of the food you eat in the morning – and in particular, eating more protein – may help to improve body composition and enhance weight loss.

However, this timing is not in relation to exercise, rather in relation to when in the day you eat.

What about sports performance?

It’s fairly clear eating before exercising improves performance in activities lasting over 60 minutes but has little effect on performance of shorter duration activities.

This is also evidenced by the lack of elite athletes supporting fasted exercise. A survey completed by almost 2,000 endurance athletes showed non-professional athletes are more likely to exercise fasted compared to professional athletes.

What about strength training?

So do you get differences in muscle strength, size, and body composition changes in response to doing resistance training (such as weightlifting) when you’ve fasted versus when you’ve eaten? Unfortunately, the research is limited and low quality.

This limited evidence so far suggests it makes no difference.

One recent randomised controlled trial also found no difference in strength, power, or lean body mass when resistance training was done twice a week for 12 weeks either after fasting or after eating.

What are the potential drawbacks?

Fasted training can make you feel really hungry after exercise, which can lead you to make poorer food choices.

Some people may even get headaches and nausea when trying to exercise fasted. This isn’t universal experience, though; social media is full of people who say exercising while fasting makes them feel great.

In summary, there is no clear winner.

The evidence doesn’t support the superiority of fasted exercise for weight loss, or sports performance.

However, the evidence also doesn’t show it causes a problem in many scenarios (except perhaps elite sports performance).

So if you’re short on time and skipping breakfast is going to allow you to get out and get that run or workout in, then go for it. Don’t worry too much about the consequence.

But if the idea of exercising on an empty tummy makes you want to avoid the gym, then grab some breakfast before you go. Rest assured it won’t be working against your goals.

Exercise fads and wellness hacks come and go but the thing backed by solid and consistent evidence is exercise.

Simply doing it matters the most.

Not the time of day, not the exact exercise choice, not even the exact amount – and definitely, not if you have or haven’t eaten before you exercise.

Mandy Hagstrom is affiliated with Sports Oracle, the company that delivers the IOC Diploma of Strength and Conditioning

– ref. Does ‘fasted’ cardio help you lose weight? Here’s the science – https://theconversation.com/does-fasted-cardio-help-you-lose-weight-heres-the-science-264368

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahper Richter, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

News that several New Zealand universities have given up using detection software to expose student use of artificial intelligence (AI) underlines the challenge higher education is facing.

With AI tools such as ChatGPT now able to produce essays, reports and case studies in seconds, the old assessment model is breaking down. For decades, that model was valued for testing not just knowledge, but also analysis, argumentation and communication.

Now, however, its reliability is under pressure. If a machine can generate a plausible essay on demand, how can we be sure we are assessing a student’s own understanding and reasoning?

We have been exploring another way forward. Instead of doubling down on plagiarism software, we have gone back to something surprisingly simple: talking to students.

For the past two years, we have been running “interactive oral assessments” (IOAs). They are proving to be one of the most effective and authentic ways to see what students really know in the age of AI.

Think of it as a structured conversation. Students meet with a lecturer or tutor, individually or in a small group, and answer questions about work they have already submitted.

Examiners do not just check for memorised facts. Using the Socratic method of questioning, they probe the reasoning behind students’ answers, drawing out genuine understanding rather than rehearsed responses.

It is not a performance or a speech. Because the questions are tailored to each student and unfold in real time, IOAs are difficult to outsource: a chatbot may produce text, but it cannot sustain a probing conversation about your own work.

Face-to-face assessment

We first trialled IOAs in a postgraduate marketing course with 42 students. Each sat a seven-minute conversation based on their course work. The grading guide covered both content (do they understand the concepts?) and communication (can they explain clearly and logically?).

The results were encouraging. Where grades had previously skewed toward the upper range under written assessment, likely reflecting increased AI assistance on take-home assignments, IOAs produced a more balanced spread of marks across grade bands.

Students reported the process felt fairer, and lecturers heard richer demonstrations of understanding and critical thinking. One lecturer put it neatly:

The dialogue revealed what students actually understood, rather than what they could memorise or outsource.

To ensure nerves did not get in the way, we built practice runs into tutorials during the semester so expectations were clear long before the final assessment.

Running one-on-one conversations for hundreds of students isn’t realistic, so we adapted the format. In larger undergraduate courses with over 200 students, we run IOAs in group settings: students attend together, but each answers individually.

We also use multiple assessors running simultaneous IOA sessions. This lets us assess large cohorts in the same timeframe as a traditional exam without overloading a single lecturer or tutor.

This model has two big advantages: logistics are manageable and anxiety is reduced. Seeing peers go through the same process normalises the experience. The group format still preserves the essence of the IOA.

Back to the future?

Two years in, clear patterns have emerged. IOAs reveal qualities written exams and essays often mask. Students must explain, apply and defend their ideas in real time, so we can see whether they truly grasp the material, not just whether they can structure an essay or reproduce text.

Importantly, IOAs also develop work-ready skills: clear communication, critical thinking and defending a position under questioning. These abilities are needed in interviews, client meetings and professional discussions. As one student said:

It felt like a job interview, not just an exam.

IOAs are not effort-free. Examiners benefit from training in how to ask probing yet fair questions, and in applying grading guides consistently, especially when student and session numbers increase.

Scheduling and recording at scale requires careful planning, from coordinating rooms to examiner availability and recording options. With the right support, however, these challenges are manageable.

IOAs are not a silver bullet, but they are a promising response to the realities of AI. They make it harder to outsource work, help staff see genuine understanding, and give students practice in the kinds of discussions that dominate modern workplaces.

In many ways, IOAs take us back to the future: they revive the oldest oral form of examination, reimagined for today’s classrooms. Crucially, they do more than safeguard academic integrity, they build the capabilities employers expect.

If universities want to prepare students for the real world while protecting the credibility of their courses, it may be time to do what seems counterintuitive: stop writing and start talking.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. AI in the classroom is hard to detect – time to bring back oral tests – https://theconversation.com/ai-in-the-classroom-is-hard-to-detect-time-to-bring-back-oral-tests-265955

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xin Janet Ge, Associate Professor, School of Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney

Buying a first home is one of the biggest financial decisions a person can make. There are so many questions to consider it can be hard to know where to begin.

Where should I be looking to buy? Should I buy a house, or an apartment? And should it be an established home, an apartment off the plan, or a new build?

The answers to these and other relevant questions will be different for everyone – there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

That said, academic research can still help to unpack some of the key things for first home buyers to consider when choosing where and what kind of property they’d like to buy.

Location, location, location

For a prospective home buyer, choosing where to buy is a major decision. It is the primary consideration for how much a property costs, and the nearness of family, friends, work and transport.

This article is part of The Conversation’s new series on buying a first home.

We’ve asked leading experts to unpack some of the biggest topics for first home buyers to consider – from working out what’s affordable and beginning the search, to your rights when inspecting a property and making an offer.

Social factors – such as a neighbourhood’s education and income levels, and its crime rates – can make a place more or less attractive. Homes are also investments, so buyers often think about whether prices will go up in the future.

People’s preferences and local conditions strongly influence buying decisions. Using advanced modelling, my previous research has shown house prices across Greater Sydney respond to different factors differently depending on location. Access to good public transport, for example, will have a bigger impact in some areas than others.

Broadly speaking, locations can be classed as urban (city), semi-rural, or rural (country). Homes across these categories will differ not only in terms of their typical price and size, but also a range of other important factors.

For example, country homes may offer space and quiet but less infrastructure. Cities have more jobs but are expensive. Suburbs are a middle ground with bigger homes at lower prices but longer commutes.

Distance to key places – such as the city centre, schools, shopping, and parks – matters. My analysis, using 15 years of Sydney house price data from 2006 to 2021, shows how median house prices decrease for every five minutes extra travel time to the city.

The answer to where the “right” location is depends on what a buyer values most: lifestyle, affordability, or future investment.

House or apartment?

Related to the decision of where to buy is another big question – what type of property. Two of the main types to choose from are houses and apartments (though some may opt for something in between, such as a townhouse). Both have pros and cons.

Houses offer more space, privacy, and the chance for land value to grow, making them ideal for families or people planning to stay long-term. They may provide an opportunity for renovations or extensions. Houses may offer higher long-term growth because land is scarce.

The flipside is they usually cost more, may be further from work or school than an apartment and may need more maintenance.

Apartments or units are generally cheaper, easier to look after, and often close to transport, jobs and shops. Some apartments also have shared facilities such as gyms or pools.

However, they are smaller, give less privacy, and may not increase in value as much as houses. Apartment owners usually also have to pay ongoing strata fees, typically calculated as a percentage of a property’s value.

Making this choice will depend on a prospective buyer’s life stage, lifestyle, and budget. Families often prefer houses for space, while younger buyers may like apartments for convenience and low maintenance.

Some first-time buyers might see buying an apartment as one way to “get a foot on the property ladder”. But it’s important to remember upgrading to a house later could mean paying transaction fees like stamp duty twice (although many states, including Victoria and New South Wales, offer stamp duty concessions and exemptions for first home buyers).

Buy existing, or build?

The decision to buy or build depends on a combination of financial, lifestyle, and location considerations. Building a new home, including knock-down rebuilds or off-the-plan apartments, appeals to buyers seeking modern design, energy efficiency and customisation.

Off-the-plan purchases (where you buy a planned house or apartment before the building is completed) allow buyers to select layouts and finishes. Knock-down rebuilds enable homeowners to remain in established neighbourhoods yet replace older dwellings with contemporary, higher-value homes.

However, building carries financial and timing risks. Construction delays, unforeseen site issues, and regulatory approvals can extend timelines and increase costs. This can make building a less suitable option for buyers who need immediate housing or have limited budgets.

Off-the-plan apartments are often located in high-demand areas, offering potential capital growth. But buyers take on the market risk if property values decline before completion.

Building or buying off-the-plan is typically less appropriate for buyers seeking certainty, speed or minimal risk exposure.

In contrast, buying an existing house provides certainty of location, move-in readiness and mature neighbourhood infrastructure. But may it mean a greater need for renovations and maintenance, and limit design flexibility.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is not intended as financial advice. All investments carry risk.

The author would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Jinson Zhang at the University of Technology Sydney for research assistance in the preparation of this article.

Xin Janet Ge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. House or apartment? City or country? The big things to consider when buying a first home – https://theconversation.com/house-or-apartment-city-or-country-the-big-things-to-consider-when-buying-a-first-home-265485

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark W. Post, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Sydney

If you have studied almost any European language, you will have noticed words that felt oddly familiar. French mort (dead) recalls English murder. German Hund (dog) is a dead ringer for hound. Czech sestra resembles English sister. No prizes for guessing the meaning of Albanian kau (OK, well – it’s actually ox).

You might have wondered: could these words be in some way related?

Of course, words can look similar for various reasons. Unrelated languages borrow from one another: consider English igloo, from Inuktikut iglu (house), or wok from Cantonese 鑊 wòk (frying pan). And there are plenty of sheer coincidences: Thai ไฟ fai resembles its English translation fire for no particular reason at all.

But the preceding sets of words actually are related to one another. They are cognate, which means they share a common origin in descent from a single ancestral language.

This now-extinct tongue was probably spoken somewhere in Eurasia as many as 8,000 years ago. Long predating the advent of writing systems, its words – and its name, if it had one – were never written down. Lacking such direct knowledge, linguists have therefore developed methods for reconstructing aspects of its structure, and refer to it using the label Proto-Indo-European – or PIE.

But how do we know Proto-Indo-European must have existed?

Shared ancestry of language

Our modern-day awareness of the shared ancestry of Indo-European languages first took shape in the Renaissance and early colonial periods.

India-based European scholars such as Gaston Coeurdoux and William Jones were already familiar with the ties among European languages.

But they were astonished to find echoes of Latin, Greek and German in Sanskrit words such as mā́tṛ (mother), bhrā́tṛ (brother) and dúhitṛ (daughter).

Such words could not plausibly be borrowings, given these languages’ lack of historical contact. Sheer coincidence was obviously out of the question.

Even more striking was the systematic nature of the correspondences. Sanskrit bh- matched Germanic b- not only in bhrā́tṛ (brother) but also in bhar (bear). Meanwhile, Sanskrit p- aligned with Latin and Greek p-, but with Germanic f-.

There could be only one explanation for such regular correspondences. The languages must have descended from a single common ancestor, whose ancient breakup led to their distinct evolutionary pathways.

Philologists from the 19th century, such as Rasmus Rask, Franz Bopp and August Schleicher, later systematised these observations. They showed that, by comparing and reverse-engineering the changes each descendant language’s words had undergone, the words of the lost ancestral language could be reconstructed.

These insights not only laid the foundations of modern-day historical linguistics, but also went on to influence Darwin’s conception of biological evolution.

Forming a family

Like a biological genus, the Indo-European languages became understood as forming a family. At their root was the PIE ancestor, while the descendant languages branched out (like species) to form a tree.

The Indo-European family includes Indo-Aryan languages such as Sanskrit and Hindi; Iranian languages (including Persian and Kurdish); Hellenic (including Greek and Ancient Macedonian); Italic (including Latin, Spanish and Italian); Germanic (including English, Dutch and German); Balto-Slavic (including Russian and Lithuanian) and Celtic languages (including Welsh and Breton), as well as Armenian and Albanian.

Extinct branches – attested only through written records – include Anatolian (Hittite) and Tocharian. Languages like Phrygian, Dardanian and Thracian seem likely to have been Indo-European, but are not as well attested in historical records.

But not all Indian or European languages are Indo-European!

Non-Indo-European languages of India include Dravidian languages such as Tamil and Telugu, while European languages outside the family include Basque, Georgian, Maltese and Finnish. Compare with the above table the quite different Finnish words jalka (foot), isä (father) and viisi (five).

Learning about those who spoke PIE

Reconstructed PIE vocabulary has also yielded insights into the lives of its speakers: what their culture may have been like, where they might have lived, and what may have fuelled their language’s diversification and expansion.

Roots such as *rēg-, (tribal) king, and *pelə-, fortified high place, suggest a martial, hierarchical society.

Speakers knew grain agriculture (*agro, field; *grə-no, grain), animal domestication (*ghaido, goat; *gwou, cattle), vehicular transport (*wogh-no, wagon; *aks-lo, axle), metalworking (*arg-, shine or silver; *ajes, copper or bronze), trade (*wes-no buy; *k(a)mb-yo, exchange) and religion (*deiw-os, god; *meldh, pray).

From such evidence, scholars such as V. Gordon Childe linked Proto-Indo-European to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Kurgan culture of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (today’s Ukraine and southern Russia).

More recent studies have (somewhat controversially) employed phylogenetic methods derived from evolutionary biology to argue for a PIE origin in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), suggesting that agriculture was most probably the engine of Indo-European expansion.

Alas, spoken languages do not fossilise well. The actual words, ideas and identities of Proto-Indo-European speakers vanished into the air many millennia ago.

Yet patterns in their descendant languages preserve enough structure to enable us to manage at least a shadowy glimpse of them. The theories and methods pioneered through this work will continue to fuel research into the reconstruction of human ethnolinguistic prehistories worldwide for many years to come.

Mark W. Post does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Hindi, Greek and English all come from a single ancient language – here’s how we know – https://theconversation.com/hindi-greek-and-english-all-come-from-a-single-ancient-language-heres-how-we-know-264588