Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland

Instant noodles are cheap, quick and comforting – often a go-to snack or meal for students, busy workers, families and anyone trying to stretch their grocery budget.

In Australia, the instant noodle market continues to grow, as food costs rise and the popularity of Asian cuisines soars.

But what happens if they become an everyday meal? Can you survive, and thrive, on a daily diet of instant noodles?

Let’s explore what’s in an average pack, what that means for our health, and how to make noodles part of a more balanced meal.

Affordable, versatile, and culturally important

Instant noodles are incredibly accessible. A single serving is very cheap, can take just a few minutes to prepare and fill you up. They’re easy to store, have a long shelf life, and are available in almost every supermarket or corner shop.

Noodles also carry cultural significance.

For many international students and migrants, they’re a familiar taste in an unfamiliar place. A packet of Maggi mi goreng, a bowl of Shin Ramyun, or a serving of Indomie can instantly transport someone back to a childhood kitchen, a bustling night market, or a late-night supper with friends.

These dishes aren’t just quick meals – they hold memory, identity, and belonging. In a new environment, they offer both a full belly and a sense of home.

But what’s actually in a typical pack?

While instant noodles offer comfort and familiarity, their nutritional profile has room for improvement.

A standard packet of instant noodles is made from wheat flour noodles and a packet of flavour enhancers. Some fancier versions also include dried vegetables or crispy fried garlic.

On average, though, most packets are very high in salt: a typical serving can contain 600–1,500mg of sodium, which is close to or even above your recommended daily intake (the World Health Organization recommends less than 2,000mg sodium/day).

Over time, high sodium intake can strain the heart and kidneys.

Because they’re usually made from refined wheat (not wholegrains), instant noodles typically do not contain much fibre. Dietary fibre is important to help keep your digestion regular and support a healthy gut.

Instant noodles are also low in protein. You will feel full right after eating instant noodles because of the refined carbohydrates, but without added eggs, tofu or meat as a source of protein, that fullness will be short-lived. You will be hungry again soon after.

They are also low in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. These matter because they help your body function properly and stay healthy.

What are the health risks of daily instant noodles?

Occasional instant noodles won’t harm you. But if they become your main source of nutrition, research suggests some potential longer-term concerns.

A study of South Korean adults found that frequent instant noodle consumption (more than twice a week) was associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, especially among women. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that together raise your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other health issues.

While this study doesn’t prove that instant noodles directly cause health concerns, it suggests that what we eat regularly can affect our health over time.

High sodium intake is linked to increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Noodles have been linked to higher rates of metabolic syndrome, likely because of the sodium content. Most Australians already exceed recommended sodium limits, with processed foods as the main contributor.

Low fibre diets are also associated with poor gut health, constipation, and higher risk of type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.

A lack of variety in meals can mean missing out on important nutrients found in vegetables, legumes, fruits and wholegrains.

These nutrients help protect your health in the long term.

How to make instant noodles healthier (and still tasty)

If noodles are on high rotation in your kitchen, there’s no need to toss them out completely.

Instead, you can upgrade your bowl with a few easy additions, by:

• adding vegetables (toss in a handful of frozen peas, spinach, broccoli, carrots or whatever’s on hand to bump up your fibre, vitamins and texture)

• including protein (add a boiled or fried egg, tofu cubes, edamame beans, shredded chicken or tinned beans to help you stay full longer and support muscle and immune health)

• cutting back on the flavour sachet (these are often the main source of salt, so try using half or less of the sachet or mixing in low-sodium stock, garlic, ginger, herbs or chilli instead)

• trying wholegrain or air-dried noodles (some brands now offer higher-fibre options made with buckwheat, brown rice or millet, so check the ingredients on the back of the packet to see the main source of grain).

So, should we ditch the noodles?

Not at all.

Like most foods, instant noodles can fit into a healthy diet, just not as the main event every day.

Think of your body like a car. Instant noodles are like fuel which can give you enough to get you moving, but not enough to keep the engine running smoothly over time.

Noodles definitely have a place in busy lives and diverse kitchens.

With a few pantry staples and simple tweaks, you can keep the comfort and convenience, while also adding a whole lot more nourishment.

Lauren Ball receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Health and Wellbeing Queensland, Heart Foundation and Mater Misericordia, Springfield City Group. She is a Director of Dietitians Australia, a Director of the Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network, a Director of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and an Associate Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Emily Burch 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.

Pui Ting Wong (Pearl) receives funding from the Australian government and the University of Queensland. She is a member of Dietitians Australia, serves as the Student Representatives Coordinator for the Dietitians Australia Queensland Branch Leadership Committee, and is also a member of Queensland Health’s Nutrition Education Materials Online Mental Health Group.

– ref. Can I eat instant noodles every day? What does it do to my health? – https://theconversation.com/can-i-eat-instant-noodles-every-day-what-does-it-do-to-my-health-262507

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sasha Grbich, Undertaking a PhD in Art History, Flinders University

North Terrace: worlds in relief, currently showing at the Samstag Museum of Art, offers visitors the chance to travel to different worlds while walking down the same street.

Curator Jasmin Stephens brings together contemporary artists from South Australia, New South Wales and Singapore who respond to the North Terrace cultural precinct in conversation with the work of Narungga poet and researcher Natalie Harkin.

The artists offer visitors to the exhibition the chance to see this precinct of colonial civic, cultural and military buildings from different perspectives, some in stark relief to the cultural story of imperial progress for which it was originally constructed.

‘World’-travelling

Being open to the experience of another can lead to a shared culture of appreciating difference. Philosopher and activist Maria Lugones developed the term “world”-travelling to describe the importance of stepping beyond one’s own cultural and social view.

Lugones also understood the difficulty of visiting a new place. She suggests those undertaking “world”-travelling go with loving intentions, an openness to surprise and a willingness to change.

The spirit of Lugones’ respectful exchange is evident in the approaches taken by the artists who offer the opportunity to experience the cultural precinct anew via listening, thinking with plants and animals, and by sitting with difficult truths.

To experience North Terrace with Natalie Harkin’s poem Cultural Precinct (2014) is to come to know this place as a Kaurna campsite.

Among other insights, her writing makes visible the violence against Aboriginal people that happened at the Armory (in its cells, morgue and gallows) and brings to light the South Australian Museum’s role as a keeper of racialised hierarchies and human remains.

Harkin’s poem holds a central position within the exhibition where it is reproduced in full.

The strangely familiar

Entering the Samstag’s upper galleries I wander through the strangely familiar colonnades of gated@remunerated#obliterated by the ArtHitects (artist Gary Carsley, architect Renjie Teoh).

Their monumental street art style paste-up remixes the North Terrace environs. The result is disorienting. I am not sure if I am travelling into a more cosmopolitan future or have stumbled into a mistranslation of the present – of the kind AI might pull together.

Pieces of Teoh’s !MingMing! plywood furniture are casually placed beside the print offering the chance to linger within this disquieting world.

An opening in the ArtHitects’ façade leads to Allison Chhorn’s Dissolve the Walls, where video follows North Terrace building surfaces.

Filmed close to the stones, the tactile images dissolve into a colour that is like the red inside a closed eyelid. Time ebbs and flows in the accompanying dreamlike soundscape where passing cars mix with echoes of what seem to be past or future lives.

Listening is offered as an immersive way to reshape understandings of this complex place.

Order and chance

For her series of works, Louise Haselton heads to the exclusively male zone of The Adelaide Club. Starting outside, she looks down at the feet of the few statues of women in the vicinity of North Terrace.

Her drawings, made using rubbings of the statutes’ toes, amplify their presence as well as their tentative gestures.

Turning her attention to the menu from a lavish 1913 dinner, Haselton arranges cast-bronze asparagus spears as if a recalcitrant child had pushed them around a plate into the shape of a house.

Historically the food of kings (and quite phallic), asparagus proves the perfect vegetable for pointing out the arrogance of men shaping culture while devouring a luxurious meal.

Andrew Burrell takes us on Miner’s Journey, where we travel with Miner (a bird) and their friends Pelican, Wind and River through an open work which includes a video and anarchic online collection

Burrell employs a wild form of storytelling fuelled by chance (the magic of tarot cards) and prompted by a noisy miner bird looking for a lost perch. Humans take a back seat to stones, plants and environmental forces. The work offers an alternative to the more ordered archives that can be found along the cultural precinct.

After time spent immersed in the thoughtful travel of the exhibition, I step out of the gallery and directly onto North Terrace. This project affirms the power of art to unsettle dominant histories from within the very cultural precinct in question.

North Terrace: worlds in relief is at the Samstag Museum, Adelaide, until September 26.

Sasha Grbich has received funding from CreateSA for arts projects unrelated to this review.

– ref. I entered an exhibition about North Terrace on North Terrace, and saw the precinct anew – https://theconversation.com/i-entered-an-exhibition-about-north-terrace-on-north-terrace-and-saw-the-precinct-anew-262439

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lorinda Cramer, Lecturer, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, Deakin University

If you’ve been on the internet lately, chances are you’ve heard an intriguing – and perhaps even startling – descriptor applied to men’s eyewear: “slutty little glasses”.

Coined by online creator and culture critic Blakely Thornton, the term was earlier used to describe the fashionable wire-framed specs sported by actor Jonathan Bailey’s character in the film Jurassic World Rebirth. Lately it’s been applied to a broader range of men’s glasses.

From nerds and nice guys to being the talk of the town, men’s spectacles are having a moment.

But men have worn glasses for both function and fashion for hundreds of years. Whether one lens or two, perched precariously on the nose, balanced on the ears or held in front of the eyes by a handle, eyewear has long been designed not just for seeing but also to be seen.

Eyewear for function

The earliest spectacles may have dated to the late 1200s, though their inventor remains unknown. An early 14th century sermon by a Dominican friar mentions how:

It is not yet twenty years since there was found the art of making eyeglasses which make for good vision, one of the best arts and most necessary that the world has.

Magnifying lenses continue to rank among the top inventions of all time.

Early eyewear aimed to provide sharper clarity to those who pored over texts and manuscripts as scholars of science and religion.

Sharper vision also aided artisans in a time before machine manufacturing. Learning and productivity boomed as people’s working lives were extended, thanks to this groundbreaking invention.

Eyewear and fashion

Eyewear soon moved through a cavalcade of changing forms.

Pince-nez experienced a surge in popularity in the 19th century. They were distinguished by their “pincer” that fastened them to the bridge of the nose.

Lorgnettes, spectacles mounted on a handle, were carried by dandies – exquisitely dressed men of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Opera glasses rose as a fashionable and practical accessory at a similar time. They helped with long distance vision, helping patrons see performers on the stage.

The monocle, a single lens tucked under the eyebrow, became a symbol of class and power in the 19th century. The monocle also flourished as a favourite lesbian fashion adornment in 1920s Paris, the decade in which the Le Monocle nightclub opened on the Left Bank.

And perhaps most fashionable of all, sunglasses were also adopted as accessories from the 1920s onwards by celebrities and style icons.

Men’s eyewear has had big and bold public moments. Legendary musician Sir Elton John’s wacky and wonderful collection – of hearts, stars and coloured lenses – reportedly numbers 250,000.

One of Australia’s best-known wearers of flamboyant frames was Barry Humphries’ Dame Edna Everage character, who was instantly recognisable for extravagant diamanté-studded butterfly glasses.

Other public figures – Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Tupac Shakur, and many more – have driven big moments in men’s eyewear fashion history. Even fourth century priest and translator, Saint Jerome, has been painted (centuries after his death) sporting glasses that could pass as fashionable today.

Wisdom, power and vanity

In their innovation, expense and materials, spectacles became a symbol of status. The powerful Medici family were known to be myopic (short-sighted) and wore the best glasses made in 15th century Florence.

But as glasses could also draw attention to a vision impairment, some men were reluctant to wear them in public. Despite French author Victor Hugo’s poor eyesight, he preferred not to wear glasses when possible. Hugo removed them when sitting for portraits.

Glasses have also long been used as a form of disguise. The female version of the glasses-as-disguise trope is littered across film and television. A character’s beauty – rather than her power – is revealed when she removes her glasses. Think Anne Hathaway’s character Mia in The Princess Diaries, or Tara Morice in Baz Luhrmann’s hit Strictly Ballroom.

The mild-mannered journalist Clark Kent wore glasses as part of his disguise. His superhero alter ego Superman had no need for them (and the internet has also applied the “slutty little glasses” treatment to the most recent Superman film).

Glasses have represented wisdom, intelligence and learning from their early uses by scholars. This perhaps explains why glasses have been framed as nerdy for so long.

But what makes them ‘slutty’?

Wire-framed glasses on men might still be coded as nerdy, but there’s no denying “slutty little glasses” are having a fashion moment – and in doing so, may be challenging contemporary masculine ideals.

Not all who wear them will look like Jonathan Bailey or Superman star David Corenswet. But “slutty little glasses” unsettle the idea that men in specs are weak or unattractive. Instead they suggest something different.

They’re “slutty” because they make men look thoughtful and intelligent, with their attraction being brain over, or as well as, brawn. As culture writer Meg Walters puts it:

It gestures toward the female gaze and indeed the queer gaze. “Slutty little glasses” speak to the girls and gays because they present us with a different type of male hero, one who subverts the traditional tropes of masculinity by finding strength in his intellect and his openness rather than just his machismo.

Lorinda Cramer has received funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. ‘Slutty little glasses’: men’s eyewear fashion is the history of seeing – and being seen – https://theconversation.com/slutty-little-glasses-mens-eyewear-fashion-is-the-history-of-seeing-and-being-seen-262518

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nigel Stork, Emeritus Professor in the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University

Insects are arguably the most important animals on the planet. Their variety is unparalleled in nature, and they carry out vital tasks such as pollinating plants and providing food for other animals.

But all is not well in the insect world. Research over the last few years has shown sustained declines in insect species and numbers. It appeared Earth was witnessing a global-scale crash in insects – and climate change was partly to blame.

The evidence was mostly confined to temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere. But our new research – published today in Nature – shows it’s also happening in the tropics, where most of Earth’s species live.

We found significant biodiversity loss in spiders, as well as insects including butterflies and beetles. The likely culprit is long-term changes to the El Niño cycle, caused by climate change. It suggests the life-support system underpinning the tropics is at serious risk in a warmer world.

Uncovering the effects of El Niño

El Niños vary massively across tropical regions, but are often characterised by hot and dry conditions (as opposed to the cool and moist conditions of La Niña).

Alternating El Niño and La Niña events can naturally cause many insects to come and go. That’s due to changes in temperature and moisture levels which can affect insect breeding, life cycles and behaviour.

But as climate change worsens, strong El Niño events are becoming more frequent and intense. We wanted to know how this affected insects in tropical regions.

To find out, we examined 80 existing studies of insects in relatively pristine tropical forests – mostly from the tropical Americas. We linked that data to measures of strength in El Niño and La Niña through time.

We found cause for concern. El Niño events appear to cause a rapid decline in both insect biodiversity, and the ecological tasks they perform. These trends were persistent and highly unnatural.

Several types of insects have become more rare in the tropical Americas over recent decades. These included butterflies, beetles and “true bugs” – insects from the order Hemiptera distinguished by two sets of wings and piercing mouthparts used to feed on plants. Butterflies in tropical Asia were also declining.

The strongest declines were in rare insects that would naturally decrease during El Niño. These insect populations would usually bounce back in a La Niña. But climate-fuelled El Niños are causing many populations to fall so far, they cannot recover.

Drastic changes to forests

Our findings suggest the diversity of tropical insects could be chipped away with every El Niño event. This is not just a problem for the species themselves, but other parts of the ecosystem that depend on them.

Our research also involved modelling the decomposition and consumption of leaves by insects across the tropical Americas, Asia and Africa. Both processes are crucial to the health of tropical forests.

Decomposition fluctuated in line with the abundance of termites, which are probably the most important decomposers in the tropics. And worryingly, the amount of live leaves consumed by insects appears to have crashed in recent decades. This correlated strongly with the crash in butterflies and beetles.

These drastic changes may have implications for food webs and other organisms that rely on insects.

A difficult future ahead

Our research could not take in the huge diversity of tropical insects – most of which have not yet been formally described by scientists. But it points to a difficult future for insects – and their habitats – as climate change worsens.

Little data exists on insect numbers in Australia’s Wet Tropics, in Queensland. However, monitoring work is underway at facilities such as the Daintree Rainforest Observatory. Such projects will help us better understand changes in insect biodiversity under climate change.

More research is also needed at other locations around the world. Given the fundamental role insects play in supporting life on Earth, the urgency of this work cannot be overstated.

Nigel Stork receives funding from Australian Research Council grant DP200103100

Adam Sharp receives funding from Hong Kong University Grants Committee Collaborative Research Fund (C7048-22GF).

– ref. Climate-fuelled El Niño events are devastating butterflies, beetles and other tropical insects – https://theconversation.com/climate-fuelled-el-nino-events-are-devastating-butterflies-beetles-and-other-tropical-insects-262625

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melanie O’Brien, Associate Professor in International Law, The University of Western Australia

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a provisional ruling in a case brought by South Africa against Israel, alleging genocide in Gaza. The court found Palestinians have a “plausible” right to protection from genocide in Gaza and that Israel must take all measures to prevent a genocide from occurring.

Since then, United Nations experts and human rights groups have concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. In recent weeks, others have done the same, including leading genocide scholars and two Israeli human rights groups.

While the ICJ case may take years to play out, we asked five Australian experts in international law and genocide studies what constitutes a genocide, what the legal standard is, and whether the evidence, in their view, shows one is occurring.

Melanie O’Brien is the president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS). This piece does not represent the view of IAGS.

Ben Saul is the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, an independent expert appointed by consensus of the member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Eyal Mayroz served as a counterterrorism specialist with the Israeli Defence Forces in the 1980s.

Paul James and Shannon Bosch 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. Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? We asked 5 legal and genocide experts how to interpret the violence – https://theconversation.com/is-israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-we-asked-5-legal-and-genocide-experts-how-to-interpret-the-violence-262688

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Pennay, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University

People living in the most advantaged areas of Australia tend to drink more alcohol. But people who live in the least advantaged areas suffer the most alcohol-related harms, such as dying from alcohol-related disease or from alcohol-related injuries.

This puzzling phenomenon is known as the “alcohol harm paradox” And knowing what’s behind it has real-world implications.

It can help explain why educational campaigns to drink less alcohol, such as the “sober curious” movement, don’t always reach those most at risk of harm.

It can also help us design better policies to prevent alcohol-related harms – including some policies unrelated to alcohol.

So, rich people drink more?

In 2022, for example, about 31% of Australians living in the most advantaged neighbourhoods exceeded national guidelines for risky drinking in the past year. That’s compared with about 22% in the least advantaged neighbourhoods.

However, people living in more disadvantaged areas have more alcohol-related problems than people with living in more advantaged areas.

For instance, research from the United Kingdom shows those living in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods are about 2.2 times more likely to die from alcohol problems than those in the least disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Why is this happening?

Researchers have tried to explain why this is happening. Many have pointed to behavioural factors – choices that people make and actions they take.

For instance, researchers have questioned whether the type of alcohol, patterns of heavy drinking, or where people drink, might explain why people in disadvantaged areas suffer more from alcohol-related harms. But many studies show these factors do not explain it.

Could the combination of drinking with smoking and/or illicit drugs be a factor? Could it be linked to obesity, which we know is more common in lower socioeconomic groups? Research shows this is not the explanation either.

This focus on people’s behaviour can have unintended consequences. Yes, it can lead to policies that try to get people to change their alcohol use or health behaviour, which can work for some groups. But such policies can exclude those most at risk of harm.

Why educational campaigns don’t always work

One common policy to try to change people’s behaviour is an educational campaign – the type we’d see on TV, online or on social media – to promote a healthy relationship with alcohol.

People living in more advantaged neighbourhoods, or with higher incomes, have greater access to material and social resources. They can draw on these resources – including organisations or individuals that can support them – to avoid risks, reduce the consequences of health and social problems, and take treatment to improve their health and wellbeing.

But people in lower socioeconomic groups may not have equal access to public health messages (for instance, through less access to good quality health care), understand these messages in the same way, or have the same resources and capacities to change their behaviour.

So educational campaigns can actually increase health inequalities.

Are you ‘sober curious’?

I was involved in an Australian study that looked at being “sober curious”, a social movement that emphasises being curious about living life or attending events without drinking alcohol. We explored individuals of different socioeconomic status and whether they were prepared to engage with being sober curious.

Participants of higher socioeconomic status found notions of being sober curious resonant, useful and fitted their lifestyles. But participants of lower socioeconomic status found it “for someone else” and didn’t identify with the concept.

In other words, the group most at risk of alcohol-related harms would have been least likely to take part.

Other interventions that may worsen alcohol-related inequalities also focus on an individual changing their behaviour. These include national guidelines on how much alcohol is safe to drink, and bans on drinking in public spaces that marginalise disadvantaged communities. These are policies that many Australians and policy makers think useful or necessary.

So to reduce alcohol-related inequality we need to fundamentally rethink the types of policies to reduce its harms.

So how can we design better policies?

We need to shift the focus from individual behavioural factors to see how broader social and structural conditions affect people’s health, and design policies to address these.

We need national policies that reduce drinking across the population. These include policies to reduce the availability of alcohol, especially avoiding clustering alcohol outlets in disadvantaged areas.

Another proven effective policy measure involves increasing the price of alcohol so that it cannot be sold under a certain “floor price”. This reduces the availability of very cheap alcohol.

However, policies that address the alcohol harm paradox most successfully may not be relevant to alcohol, but those that focus on reducing health inequality more broadly. These might include more equitable access to housing and better workplace policies as well as more equitable access to health care.

Better social conditions for all Australians would lead to improvements in mental health and wellbeing, and this could reduce alcohol-related harms across demographics. With more research, which I’m conducting, we could find out, and make some headway in reducing alcohol-related inequality in Australia.

If this article raises issues for you or someone you know, call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. Other support is also available.

Amy Pennay receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, VicHealth, and the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.

– ref. Why alcohol policies miss those at the highest risk from drinking – https://theconversation.com/why-alcohol-policies-miss-those-at-the-highest-risk-from-drinking-261253

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nigel Stork, Emeritus Professor in the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University

Insects are arguably the most important animals on the planet. Their variety is unparalleled in nature, and they carry out vital tasks such as pollinating plants and providing food for other animals.

But all is not well in the insect world. Research over the last few years has shown sustained declines in insect species and numbers. It appeared Earth was witnessing a global-scale crash in insects – and climate change was partly to blame.

The evidence was mostly confined to temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere. But our new research – published today in Nature – shows it’s also happening in the tropics, where most of Earth’s species live.

We found significant biodiversity loss in spiders, as well as insects including butterflies and beetles. The likely culprit is long-term changes to the El Niño cycle, caused by climate change. It suggests the life-support system underpinning the tropics is at serious risk in a warmer world.

Uncovering the effects of El Niño

El Niños vary massively across tropical regions, but are often characterised by hot and dry conditions (as opposed to the cool and moist conditions of La Niña).

Alternating El Niño and La Niña events can naturally cause many insects to come and go. That’s due to changes in temperature and moisture levels which can affect insect breeding, life cycles and behaviour.

But as climate change worsens, strong El Niño events are becoming more frequent and intense. We wanted to know how this affected insects in tropical regions.

To find out, we examined 80 existing studies of insects in relatively pristine tropical forests – mostly from the tropical Americas. We linked that data to measures of strength in El Niño and La Niña through time.

We found cause for concern. El Niño events appear to cause a rapid decline in both insect biodiversity, and the ecological tasks they perform. These trends were persistent and highly unnatural.

Several types of insects have become more rare in the tropical Americas over recent decades. These included butterflies, beetles and “true bugs” – insects from the order Hemiptera distinguished by two sets of wings and piercing mouthparts used to feed on plants. Butterflies in tropical Asia were also declining.

The strongest declines were in rare insects that would naturally decrease during El Niño. These insect populations would usually bounce back in a La Niña. But climate-fuelled El Niños are causing many populations to fall so far, they cannot recover.

Drastic changes to forests

Our findings suggest the diversity of tropical insects could be chipped away with every El Niño event. This is not just a problem for the species themselves, but other parts of the ecosystem that depend on them.

Our research also involved modelling the decomposition and consumption of leaves by insects across the tropical Americas, Asia and Africa. Both processes are crucial to the health of tropical forests.

Decomposition fluctuated in line with the abundance of termites, which are probably the most important decomposers in the tropics. And worryingly, the amount of live leaves consumed by insects appears to have crashed in recent decades. This correlated strongly with the crash in butterflies and beetles.

These drastic changes may have implications for food webs and other organisms that rely on insects.

A difficult future ahead

Our research could not take in the huge diversity of tropical insects – most of which have not yet been formally described by scientists. But it points to a difficult future for insects – and their habitats – as climate change worsens.

Little data exists on insect numbers in Australia’s Wet Tropics, in Queensland. However, monitoring work is underway at facilities such as the Daintree Rainforest Observatory. Such projects will help us better understand changes in insect biodiversity under climate change.

More research is also needed at other locations around the world. Given the fundamental role insects play in supporting life on Earth, the urgency of this work cannot be overstated.

Nigel Stork receives funding from Australian Research Council grant DP200103100

Adam Sharp receives funding from Hong Kong University Grants Committee Collaborative Research Fund (C7048-22GF).

– ref. Butterflies, beetles and other tropical insects are being devastated by climate-fuelled El Niño events – https://theconversation.com/butterflies-beetles-and-other-tropical-insects-are-being-devastated-by-climate-fuelled-el-nino-events-262625

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raf Freire, Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Charles Sturt University

Companion cockatoos are renowned for their problem-solving and intriguing characters. It’s no surprise these large, long-lived and intelligent parrots are known to display complex behaviour.

Owners often film their birds dancing to music and post the videos to social media. Snowball, a famous dancing cockatoo, has been shown to have 14 different dance moves.

We wanted to find out more about the dance repertoire of cockatoos and why they might be doing this. In our new research, we examined videos of dance behaviour and played dance music to six cockatoos at an Australian zoo.

These birds weren’t just doing a side step or bobbing up and down. Between them, they had a rich repertoire of at least 30 distinct moves. Some birds coordinated their head bobbing with foot movements, while others undertook body rolls. Our research shows at least 10 of the 21 cockatoo species dance.

If we saw this behaviour in humans, we would draw a clear link between music and dancing and interpret the behaviour as enjoyable. After watching cockatoos voluntarily begin dancing for reasonable lengths of time, it was difficult to reach any conclusion other than cockatoos most likely dance because it’s fun.

How many moves does a cockatoo have?

Dancing is complicated. To dance to music, animals need to be able to learn from others, imitate movements and synchronise their movements. These complex cognitive processes are only known to exist in humans – but evidence is emerging for its presence in chimpanzees and parrots such as cockatoos.

To catalogue the dance moves of cockatoos, we began by studying videos of the behaviour. We analysed 45 dancing videos and recorded all distinct moves.

The five species in these videos were the familiar sulfur-crested cockatoos and little corellas, as well as Indonesian species such as Goffin’s cockatoos, white cockatoos and Moluccan cockatoos.

Across the videos, we spotted 30 movements, including 17 that hadn’t been described scientifically. We also observed 17 other movements, which we classified as “rare” because they were only seen in a single bird.

Head movements were the most common dance move, especially the downward bobbing motion. Half of all videoed cockatoos performed this move.

Dancing – but not to music

Once we catalogued the moves, we then tested whether music could elicit this behaviour in captive cockatoos who weren’t kept as companions.

We undertook a playback experiment with six adult cockatoos at Wagga Wagga Zoo in New South Wales, comprising two sulfur-crested cockatoos, two pink cockatoos and two galahs.

Over three sessions, we played a piece of electronic dance music on repeat for 20 minutes and recorded any responses on video. We repeated our experiment with no music and again with a podcast featuring people talking.

All six cockatoos we studied showed some dancing behaviour at least once over the three sessions. But the rates of dancing weren’t any higher during the playing of music – it was similar to dancing during silence and the podcast.

We don’t fully know why this is. One possibility could be because we played music to existing male-female pairs, and the social environment alone was sufficient to trigger dance behaviour.

Why do cockatoos dance at all?

To find out whether the cockatoo species most prone to dancing were those most closely related, we analysed similarities across species. Goffin’s cockatoos and white cockatoos had the most similar moves, while Goffin’s cockatoo and little corella were the furthest apart.

But this clashed with genetics, as Goffin’s cockatoos are most closely related to little corellas. This suggests dancing behaviour may not be connected to genetic links.

Interestingly, these behaviours are mainly recorded in companion birds. Music playback in the online videos does seem to encourage the bird to keep it going for longer than likely to be seen in zoo or wild birds. These dance moves might represent an adaptation of courtship display movements as a way to connect with their human owners.

Other researchers report being able to trigger dancing behaviour in an African grey parrot and a sulfur-crested cockatoo with music. But the zoo cockatoos in our playback study didn’t respond the same way. This suggests there may be an element of learning to respond to humans.

It’s usually easy to tell if a human behaviour is play or not. But in animals, it can be much more difficult. Researchers define a behaviour as play if it meets four criteria: it occurs while animals are relaxed, it’s begun voluntarily, has no obvious function and appears rewarding. Cockatoo dancing would meet all four of these criteria.

By contrast, repetitive behaviours such as pacing seen in animals kept alone in small cages would not be play – it’s not rewarding and the animals don’t seem relaxed. Parrots kept in poor conditions exhibit self-harming behaviours such as constant screeching and feather pulling.

Captive parrots have complex needs and can experience welfare problems in captivity. Playing music may help enrich their lives.

For cockatoo owners, this suggests that if their birds are dancing, they’re feeling good. And if they’re busting out many different moves in response to music, even better – they might be showing creativity and a willingness to interact.

Acknowledgement: Honours student Natasha Lubke is the lead author of the research on which this article is based.

Raf Freire 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. Body rolls and headbanging: we found cockatoos have 30 different dance moves – https://theconversation.com/body-rolls-and-headbanging-we-found-cockatoos-have-30-different-dance-moves-262427

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Maurice-Takerei, Senior Lecturer in Education, Auckland University of Technology

This week’s major overhaul of the NCEA qualification system isn’t just about measuring academic achievement at secondary school. The government’s plans also include “working with industry to develop better vocational pathways” into the workforce.

The policy dovetails with big changes to the country’s polytechnic system, which have also been promoted as improving vocational education. Both that, and the NCEA reforms, go to the heart of an urgent problem facing New Zealand.

Even a brief glance at Immigration New Zealand’s “Green List” – formerly the Skills Shortage List – raises an obvious question: why are the country’s own training and education pathways not delivering these much needed skilled workers?

The skills shortages are found in everything from construction and engineering to health and social services, information technology and science. We need chefs, project managers, mechanics, forklift drivers and teachers.

Ten new skilled trades will be added to the list in August. But relying on immigration to meet these needs also represents a missed opportunity to connect young New Zealanders with skilled and meaningful work.

It’s a problem successive governments have grappled with for over a century, going back to schools being encouraged to include manual and technical subjects in the 1890s, the creation of “technical” high schools in the 1900s, and their eventual demise in the 1950s.

More than a restructure

Vocational education and training has long suffered from the perception that it is a pathway for the non-academic and “working class”. That public stigma
led to general dissatisfaction with technical high schools, and a perception they were a remedial solution to “fix” unemployment or low school achievement.

The system also never really recovered from the impacts of market-based reforms to education in the 1980s and 1990s, and from the demise of apprenticeships when large state-owned enterprises were privatised during that time.

More recently, polytechnics have struggled financially, with many running huge budget deficits. The previous Labour government responded by merging them into the Te Pūkenga mega-institute, designed to save costs by centralising services.

The current government is now reversing that policy. From January 2026, ten polytechnics will revert to regional governance, which Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says will create a “locally led, regionally responsive and future-focused” vocational education system.

The remaining polytechnics, deemed not financially viable, will form a “federation” under the Open Polytechnic. Eight new Industry Skills Boards will be created to oversee standards and qualifications, with polytechnics on notice to be financially solvent.

The job and course losses from this decentralisation will be significant. In the meantime, we have a system in near-constant flux, change-weary workers and declining confidence in the system.

But it is vital New Zealand gets this right. Many of the more than 200 occupations on the Green List – and the economy in general – would benefit from a strong and stable vocational education and training system, well linked to industry.

Connecting school leavers with training

At stake are the futures of many of the 60,000 young people who leave school each year. About 30% enter university, 13% head to a polytechnic, 10% to a private training establishment, and just 6% enter an apprenticeship.

Some of the rest go straight into work or head overseas. But 17-20% of school leavers annually are classified as being “not in education, employment or training” (NEET) one year after leaving school.

NEET numbers have remained stubbornly high in New Zealand compared to other OECD countries, where numbers have dropped in recent years. How we connect this large number of school leavers to further education and training is the real challenge, beyond the structural components of the system.

While the government says the system changes will improve flexibility and regional responsiveness, regional polytechnics are among those required to be part of the new centralised federation.

The risks of ongoing instability for trainees, students, educators and industry are clear: increased fragmentation of services and ongoing funding uncertainties.

What is needed is a plan to ensure a credible, stable, cooperative system where government, industry and education providers work together to provide the right skills that serve industry, individuals and community.

5 questions for the government

As the January 2026 change date approaches, there are a number of important questions the government needs to be asking to ensure the new structure delivers what the country needs:

• how will tertiary education organisations remain solvent without raising student fees?

• how do niche courses, with small enrolment numbers but which provide essential skills for a range of enterprises, remain open?

• what is the opportunity for business and industry to contribute more to the costs of training?

• how do institutions ensure they stay relevant and provide the right skills?

• how do we overcome the geographical challenges of connecting learners with courses, given the limitations of online learning?

Beyond the provision of vocational skills, there are also the well-known social and health benefits associated with higher skill and education levels. Skills and qualifications are associated with better self-esteem, better health and longer life expectancy.

Solving skills shortages through immigration does little to address the long-term problem of relevant, affordable and accessible education and training. Nor does it contribute to longer-term social cohesion and civic participation.

Getting New Zealand’s vocational education and training system right this time should be non-negotiable.

Lisa Maurice-Takerei 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. Big changes to NCEA and polytechs must deliver the skills NZ urgently needs – https://theconversation.com/big-changes-to-ncea-and-polytechs-must-deliver-the-skills-nz-urgently-needs-261655

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor (Practice), Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

Child safety and wellbeing is never far from the headlines, and no more so than recently, with shocking allegations of child sexual abuse in childcare centres.

These revelations have sparked much-needed national conversations about how we can better protect children. They have also exposed how fragmented and reactive Australia’s approach to ensuring child safety can be.

Australia has dedicated ministers for aged care and seniors and youth and early childhood education. But there is no federal minister with a sole focus on children.

Responsibility for children is scattered across portfolios, from social services to education, health, Indigenous affairs, communications and the attorney-general’s department.

Without a single point of accountability or a unifying national vision, children’s needs can easily be sidelined. Here’s why that should change.

Children face many issues

There is no shortage of issues impacting children that demand urgent national attention. For example:

• the landmark Australian Childhood Maltreatment Study found more than 60% of Australians experience some form of child maltreatment, including physical violence, sexual abuse and neglect.

• about 23% of Australia’s homelessness population are aged 12–24. About 14% are under 12 years old.

• a 2024 study showed almost three-quarters of Australian adolescents experience clinically significant depression or anxiety symptoms.

• there are also significant challenges across state and territory youth justice systems. On an average day in 2023–24, 4,227 young people aged ten and over were under youth justice supervision in Australia. Given recent punitive youth justice reforms in several states, this number has likely risen and will rise over coming years.

There is a ministerial gap

Despite this breadth of challenges, Australia has only ever had one federal minister explicitly responsible for children.

Larry Anthony was minister for children and youth affairs in the Howard government from 2001 to 2004. After Anthony lost his seat, this ministerial role was absorbed into other portfolios. It has not been reintroduced.

Today, we have a minister for youth and a minister for early childhood education, but no minister with a focused mandate to champion children’s wellbeing, coordinate services across jurisdictions, and ensure children’s voices are heard in decisions that affect them.

This reinforces a view of children as passive recipients within broader systems, rather than individuals with rights and distinct needs.

What happens overseas?

Other countries — including New Zealand, Ireland, England and Wales — have a minister for children. These roles are to ensure national coordination, elevate children’s voices in policy making, and hold governments accountable for outcomes.

For example, New Zealand’s Ministry for Children (Oranga Tamariki) has embedded a legislative commitment to upholding the Treaty of Waitangi in child welfare decisions.

In Wales, the minister for children and social care supported the passage of the Rights of Children and Young Persons Measure in 2011, making Wales the first UK country to embed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law.

Why not?

Child safety advocates such as the Australian Foundation for Children have long pushed for a minister for children. But it is possible some decision makers within government may not readily see value in such a role.

One potential critique is the role risks duplicating efforts. Social services, education and health already address child-related issues and have dedicated ministers, all at cabinet level.

Another potential issue is that key areas such as education and child protection are primarily the responsibility of states and territories. This may raise practical concerns about how much authority a federal minister would have.

Others may fear the role could become largely symbolic or politicised if not given the necessary authority, funding or cross-portfolio buy-in to achieve meaningful impact.

But Australia routinely appoints ministers for portfolios with complex inter-jurisdictional responsibilities. This includes health, housing and education. Children’s wellbeing is no less deserving of this kind of national focus and coordination.

An opportunity for leadership focused on the next generation

Children do not vote and they rarely have access to political power. Their voices are often absent from national debate — especially those of children living in poverty, in care, or experiencing violence.

While the appointment of a federal minister for children would not fix these issues overnight, it would establish the national leadership needed to drive focused and longer-term reform in all the settings where children live, learn and play.

A minister for children could also represent Australia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This requires governments to ensure children have access to protection, care and meaningful participation in decisions that affect them.

A federal minister for children would ensure the rights and wellbeing of children are no longer an afterthought. It would send a clear message that Australia is serious about protecting and investing in its youngest citizens.

Kate has received funding for research on violence against women and children from a range of federal and state government and non-government sources, including Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), South Australian government, ACT government, Australian Childhood Foundation and 54 Reasons. This piece is written by Kate Fitz-Gibbon in her role at Monash University, and is wholly independent of Kate Fitz-Gibbon’s role as chair of Respect Victoria and membership on the Victorian Children’s Council.

– ref. Australia has ministers for seniors and youth. So why not a minister for children? – https://theconversation.com/australia-has-ministers-for-seniors-and-youth-so-why-not-a-minister-for-children-262236

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heather Shearer, Lecturer in GIS and Planning, Griffith University

Australia’s housing affordability crisis shows no sign of easing. An average home price now exceeds A$1 million and a recent report found only a handful of rental properties nationwide are affordable for someone on government benefits. Vulnerable people are hit hardest – for example, there has been a 14% increase in women and girls seeking homelessness services.

Yet some councils want to evict people from their own homes. A couple in the Bega Valley, NSW, faces fines of $10,000 per day unless they remove or demolish their tiny house.

On the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, four tiny house owners are fighting council eviction. In Victoria’s Yarra Valley, a couple was told to demolish or rebuild to comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

We’ve researched the planning and social aspects of the tiny house movement in Australia for over a decade. We’ve looked at changing attitudes to tiny houses and living more modestly, and the barriers people face when they choose this path.

Regulations are the biggest obstacle

While interest in tiny houses has soared, actual numbers of tiny house dwellers has stayed low. Are people put off by living in a space half the size of a city unit? Or is it too difficult to secure finance for a depreciating asset?

We found the biggest barrier remains council regulations. Most councils do not explicitly prohibit tiny house living, but don’t know how to classify them. Rules vary markedly between local governments.

Preliminary results of our study investigating attitudes of council planners around Australia found views on tiny and alternative housing differed.

We surveyed all councils with an urban centre of at least 10,000 people, and received 147 valid responses (approximately 50% response rate). Most councils would approve a small, alternative dwelling such as a kit house, converted shipping container or shed house. But what about a tiny house on wheels?

Existing planning schemes don’t cover tiny homes on wheels. Instead, they are managed under local laws, and treated as caravans or even camping. Many councils ban permanent living in a caravan outside a residential caravan park. You can park one on your land, but cannot live in it full-time.

Many planners felt their policies were outdated – written before today’s housing crisis. Nonetheless, they tried to work within existing policies. They weren’t opposed to tiny houses per se, provided they were located away from flood or bushfire risk areas, managed waste properly and didn’t harm the amenities of their neighbours.

Nearly all would consider approving tiny homes if they could be certified under the National Construction Code. This requires a building to meet internal safety, durability and environmental standards. But a tiny home is not considered a permanent dwelling and instead, must comply with vehicle safety and appliance standards.

Pilot programs

Since 2023, some councils have adopted more flexible approaches. In Victoria, the Surf Coast Shire is running a tiny house pilot. Mount Alexander shire in Castlemaine allows people to live permanently in a tiny house provided there is an existing house on the land.

On the Fraser Coast in Queensland, people can live on a caravan for up to six months a year, if waste is managed and the council is notified.

Western Australia’s Shire of Esperance was the first council to include tiny homes in planning policy. But the state government later reversed this, reclassifying them as caravans.

The Tasmanian government released a tiny homes fact sheet, with some councils allowing them as permanent dwellings. But confusion remains; one tiny house advocate applying for council approval was told they “cannot use the bathroom in the tiny house”.

Ironically, classifying tiny homes as caravans has led to some tiny house builders marketing their products for short-term rentals. Planning schemes have policies on this, so these are simpler to regulate, but not helpful in a housing crisis.

Despite the perception that councils are to blame, they are not the root cause. The deeper problem is not council regulations but a lack of clear policy from state and federal government.

A more diverse housing mix

Tiny homes are not for everyone and are not a silver bullet for the housing crisis. Some suggest they are more suited to residential parks, but we feel they can be part of a more diverse housing mix.

Tiny houses can normalise smaller, more sustainable living, and help older people age in place while letting underutilised houses to a larger household. Tiny houses could also give young adults an affordable start.

Navigating the current regulatory landscape is difficult. Groups such as the Australian Tiny House Association offer guidance but real change needs support across all levels of government.

The debate about tiny homes is tied to broader questions: are we over-regulated, does regulation stifle innovation and productivity, and can we relax some rules without compromising safety?

These are not easy questions. But one thing is clear, current policies and laws are blocking tiny houses from contributing to our housing mix. That’s a missed opportunity.

Paul Burton is affiliated with the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) and the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA).

Heather Shearer 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. Tiny homes could help ease the housing crisis, but councils are dragging their feet – https://theconversation.com/tiny-homes-could-help-ease-the-housing-crisis-but-councils-are-dragging-their-feet-261664

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janine Dixon, Director, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia made headlines when it announced last week it would cut 45 call centre jobs, thanks to the introduction of an AI chatbot.

This only added fuel to ongoing speculation – and some alarmism – about how artificial intelligence (AI) is going to transform the world of work in Australia.

But this revolution isn’t a simple story of “robots” coming and taking everyone’s jobs. In some industries, they’re already helping people do parts of their jobs better and faster.

Junior lawyers are using AI tools to help with some of the more mundane tasks they are often assigned. Recruiters are already widely using AI tools to screen CVs and help with hiring decisions – despite concerns about possible inadvertent bias.

So where is this all going?

We used a model of the Australian economy and built on existing research by the International Labour Organization. We simulated two future versions of Australia through to 2050: one in which businesses and government adopt AI extensively, and one in which there is no AI – that is, a future that looks rather like today.

Comparing these two futures helps us understand what we might gain and lose from this new technology.

A very different future

AI is a very disruptive technology, meaning a future with it looks pretty different to a future without it.

To help forecast where we might be headed, the International Labour Organization has produced a detailed set of “exposure indices” for more than 400 different occupations. These indicate the extent to which human input to each occupation will be displaced or augmented by AI.

The most exposed occupation is data entry clerk, for which the International Labour Organization estimates 70% of the tasks currently done by humans could be done or improved by AI. Bricklayers and dental assistants, at the other end of the scale, are among jobs classified as “not exposed”.

What this means for Australia

To perform our simulation, we mapped these occupation categories onto the Australian context. The International Labour Organization indices indicate 32% of jobs in Australia could be done by AI. But this doesn’t mean that 32% of people will lose their jobs overnight.

It will take time for AI capabilities to be installed, giving people time to train for alternative careers. Much of the impact is likely to be years away, meaning that school-leavers can make different choices and prepare for an AI world.

Many studies, including the Productivity Commission’s interim report on AI, find AI will drive faster economic growth. In a faster-growing economy, more people will work as teachers, hairdressers, and carers, because AI isn’t expected to be as useful in those roles.

This faster-growing economy will also require more school buildings, hair salons and care homes.

As a result, some of the occupations with the largest expansions will be in the construction and building services sectors. Cleaners, construction labourers, carpenters and bricklayers will all have big roles to play in an AI future.

Managing the transition

Our simulation shows that during the transition period where employers gradually adopt AI, the unemployment rate will be higher than normal, as workers and investors will be seeking new jobs or opportunities. But there is scope for governments to act to minimise the disruption.

First, they can prepare people for careers in occupations that will grow strongly, such as those at the top of our chart.

Second, government can facilitate early, jobs-focused investment in industries less exposed to AI, particularly those that require lots of interpersonal input.

For example, investment in a world with fewer business analysts and more hospitality workers should be targeted at hotels and hospitality venues, rather than office space.

And third, AI will drive economic growth and tax revenues. This creates an opportunity for the government – a major employer – to create and fill more jobs in support of a safe and healthy society, such as drug and alcohol services, child protection case workers, and teachers’ aides.

Bringing everyone along

Although we find that the economy will grow faster in an AI world, there’s no guarantee this growth will include everyone.

Overall, our simulation paints a picture of a larger and better resourced economy, showing us that total employment won’t change a lot, but employment in some occupations will be much larger or smaller than it would be in a non-AI future.

But our simulation also suggests growth in profits will be stronger than growth in wages. Governments will need to keep a close eye on wage growth and equality, and may need to address emerging issues through tax policy, competition policy and industrial relations.

Janine Dixon has been involved in Victoria University research on the economics of artificial intelligence that received funding from Commonwealth agencies. The modelling presented here is independent of that work and drew on different data sources.

James Lennox has been involved in Victoria University research on the economics of artificial intelligence that received funding from Commonwealth agencies. The modelling presented here is independent of that work and drew on different data sources.

– ref. These jobs will thrive – but others may vanish – as AI transforms Australia’s workforce – https://theconversation.com/these-jobs-will-thrive-but-others-may-vanish-as-ai-transforms-australias-workforce-262444

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anita Manfreda, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, Torrens University Australia

Tourism Australia has just launched its latest global A$130m campaign, “Come and Say G’day”. It’s a sequel to the 2022 ad featuring brand ambassador Ruby the Roo.

The ad is a feast of sweeping drone shots, saturated colours, iconic landmarks and feel-good energy. Friendly animals, iconic landscapes and a familiar message: come and say g’day.

Tourism Australia is rolling out five tailored ads for key markets. Each features celebrity endorsements: Robert Irwin in the United States; Nigella Lawson in the United Kingdom; and with stars from China (Yosh Yu), Japan (Abareru-kun) and India (Sara Tendulkar) fronting the others.

It’s a smart shift that acknowledges what tourism marketers have long known: you can’t please everyone with one ad.

But despite its polish, the campaign recycles old-school imagery – quirky, sunny, laid-back Australia – offering a nostalgic view that feels stuck in 1984, not tuned to 2025.

A long tradition of stereotypes

Australian tourism ads have long leaned on a small set of cultural clichés.

Perhaps the most famous is the one which also created the mould: Paul Hogan’s famous 1984 “shrimp on the barbie” campaign.

It was the first widely-aired campaign to crystallise the now-familiar image of Australia for international audiences: laid-back, larrikin, sun-soaked.

It deliberately played into stereotypes Americans found appealing – friendly locals, casual charm, and a wild but welcoming landscape and wildlife.

Many have said this wasn’t just a tourism ad but a nation-branding exercise that framed Australians as approachable, humorous and uncomplicated.

Subsequent campaigns have continued to echo this formula, sometimes ironically, as in the 2018 Dundee reboot, and sometimes earnestly, like the controversial 2006 line “So where the bloody hell are you?” (which was banned in the UK).

A 2008 Baz Luhrmann-directed campaign brought cinematic flair to the same stereotypes and imagery, tying it to his film Australia. With a $40 million budget and a rollout across 22 countries, it leaned on emotional storytelling and sweeping outback visuals.

Despite its ambition, the campaign drew mixed reviews. Tourism operators said it felt out of touch, more fantasy than invitation, with some questioning whether its landscapes even looked uniquely Australian.

Australia has changed a lot in 40 years, but tourism ads have returned again and again to familiar themes: white sandy beaches, red desert landscapes, barbecues and blokey humour.

These images helped build Australia’s global brand in the late 20th century, especially in English-speaking markets. But times have changed, and tourists are savvier. They want to see the real culture of a place.

And here we are again: outback peril, thieving emus and the shrimp/prawn clash feels like a 1984 throwback.

Who gets left out?

For a country in the 21st century that prides itself on diversity, the 2025 campaign feels strangely one-dimensional.

There are flashes of multiculturalism from the international stars, but the campaign centres on broad white stereotypes of “Aussie-ness”: the blokey pub with the wisecracking bartender, sunburned adventurers speeding on a 4WD in the outback, and laid-back lunches debating the pronunciation of imported dishes.

There’s no meaningful presence of contemporary Indigenous voices or storytelling – just the echo of a didgeridoo, a fleeting image of Uluru as a background slide, and a brief cameo from Kamilaroi actor and playwright Thomas Weatherall.

There’s nothing about Australia’s vibrant multicultural neighbourhoods, food scenes or festivals beyond the usual mainstream. The campaign positions Australia as an adventure playground, but doesn’t say anything about who lives here.

This is particularly disappointing given Tourism Australia’s own research shows travellers are increasingly interested in meaningful, authentic experiences. People want to connect with locals, understand cultural stories and travel more sustainably.

It’s time to reimagine what tourism looks like

National tourism campaigns face enormous scrutiny. This often means bold ideas become watered down. Creativity is sacrificed and so is the chance to tell a richer, more honest story about who we are.

Tourism ads don’t need to lose their charm. Ruby the Roo is endearing and memorable. But the way we tell stories about Australia needs to evolve.

Internationally, there are successful campaigns that move beyond clichés. New Zealand’s long-running 100% Pure New Zealand campaign includes strong environmental messaging and Māori cultural narratives. Canada’s Indigenous Tourism campaign puts First Nations voices front and centre.

Australia could take a leaf out of their books. Celebrity cameos are appealing, but if we want the world to see our real and wonderfully multicultural Australia, we need to let our local guides, community operators and cultural custodians tell their stories.

For 40 years, we’ve rolled out variations of the same campaign, relying on familiar clichés while ignoring repeated calls for deeper, more inclusive storytelling.

Tourism campaigns don’t just sell destinations. They tell stories about national identity. They shape how we see ourselves, and how the world sees us. Right now, we’re telling a story that’s safe, surface-level and stuck in a 1980s time warp.

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. Still throwing shrimp on the barbie: why is Tourism Australia’s advertising stuck in 1984? – https://theconversation.com/still-throwing-shrimp-on-the-barbie-why-is-tourism-australias-advertising-stuck-in-1984-262623

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Brumm, Professor of Archaeology, Griffith University

Stone tools dating to at least 1.04 million years ago have been found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. This means early hominins made a major sea crossing from the Asian mainland much earlier than previously thought – and they likely didn’t have any boats.

This discovery, made by a team of Indonesian archaeologists working in collaboration with Australian researchers, is published today in Nature.

It adds to our understanding of how extinct humans once moved across the Wallace Line – an imaginary boundary that runs through the Lombok Strait in the Indonesian archipelago.

Beyond this line, unique and often peculiar animal species – including hominins – evolved in isolation.

Hominins in Wallacea

The oceanic island zone between the Asian and Australian landmasses is known as Wallacea.

Previously, archaeologists have found hominins lived here from at least 1.02 million years ago, thanks to discoveries of stone tools at Wolo Sege on the island of Flores. Meanwhile, tools dated to around 194,000 years ago have been found at Talepu on Sulawesi.

The human evolutionary story in the islands east of the Asian landmass is strange.

The ancient human species that used to live on the island of Flores were small in stature. We know this thanks to the fossils of Homo floresiensis (popularly known as “hobbits”), as well as the 700,000-year-old fossils of a similar small-bodied hominin.

These discoveries suggest it could have been the extinct Asian hominin Homo erectus that breached the formidable marine barrier between this small Wallacean island and mainland Southeast Asia. Over hundreds of thousands of years, their body size reduced in what’s known as island dwarfism.

To the north of Wallacea, the island of Luzon in the Philippines has also yielded evidence of hominins from around 700,000 years ago. Just recently, fossils of a previously unknown diminutive hominin species, Homo luzonensis, were found here.

So how and when did ancient human species cross the Wallace Line?

The Sulawesi stone tools

Our new study reveals the first evidence a sea crossing to Sulawesi may have happened at least 1 million years ago. That’s much earlier than previously known, and means humans reached here at about the same time as Flores, if not earlier.

A field team led by senior archaeologist Budianto Hakim from the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), excavated a total of seven stone artefacts from the sedimentary layers of a sandstone outcrop in a modern corn field at Calio in southern Sulawesi.

In the Early Pleistocene, there was a river channel nearby. This would have been the site of hominin tool-making and other activities such as hunting.

The Calio artefacts consist of small, sharp-edged fragments of stones (flakes) that the early human tool-makers struck from larger pebbles they most likely found in nearby riverbeds.

To produce these flakes, the hominins hit the edge of one stone with another in a controlled manner. This would fracture the first stone in a predictable way.

This tool-making activity left telltale marks on the stones that can be clearly distinguished from naturally broken rocks. So we can say unequivocally that hominins were living in this landscape, making stone tools, at the time the ancient river sediments that comprise the sandstone rock were accumulating.

And that was a very long time ago. Indeed, the team confirmed an age of at least 1.04 million years for the stone artefacts based on paleomagnetic dating of the sandstone itself, along with direct dating of a pig fossil found alongside the artefacts.

Who were these hominins and how did they get to Sulawesi?

As noted earlier, previous research has shown that archaic, stone tool-making hominins managed to get across from the Asian continental landmass to colonise at least some islands in Wallacea.

The discovery of the extremely old stone tools at Calio is another significant new piece of the puzzle. This site has yet to yield any hominin fossils, however. So while we now know there were tool-makers on Sulawesi 1 million years ago, their identity remains a mystery.

Indeed, there are many fascinating questions that remain unanswered, including how these hominins were able to cross the Wallace Line in the first place.

When sea levels were at their lowest, the shortest possible distance between Sulawesi and the nearest part of the adjacent Asian landmass would have been about 50 kilometres.

This is too far to swim, especially since the ocean currents are far too strong. It’s also unlikely these archaic hominins had the cognitive ability to develop watercraft capable of making sea voyages. Setting sail over the horizon to an unseen land would have required advanced planning to gather resources – something they probably weren’t capable of.

Most likely, then, they crossed to Sulawesi from the Asian mainland in the same way rodents and monkeys are suspected to have done – by accident. Perhaps they were castaways on natural “rafts” of floating vegetation.

Our discovery also leads us to wonder what might have happened to Homo erectus on the world’s 11th largest island. Sulawesi is more than 12 times the size of Flores, and much closer to the adjacent Asian mainland.

In fact, Sulawesi is a bit like a mini-continent in itself, which sets it apart from other Wallacean islands. If hominins were cut off in the ecologically rich habitats of this enormous island for a million years, would they have undergone the same evolutionary changes as the Flores hobbits? Or might something completely different have happened?

To unravel this fascinating story, we will continue to search the islands of Wallacea – especially those close to the Asian mainland – for ancient artefacts, fossils and other clues.

Adam Brumm receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Basran Burhan is a researcher at Pusat Kolaborasi Riset Arkeologi Sulawesi (BRIN-Universitas Hasanuddin).

Gerrit (Gert) van den Bergh has received funding from the Australian Research Council.

Maxime Aubert receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Renaud Joannes-Boyau receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. This stone tool is over 1 million years old. How did its maker get to Sulawesi without a boat? – https://theconversation.com/this-stone-tool-is-over-1-million-years-old-how-did-its-maker-get-to-sulawesi-without-a-boat-262337

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is set to boost the competition faced by the much-criticised ASX in an effort to clear roadblocks for investors and attract more foreign capital to Australia.

ASIC, which regulates companies and financial services, announced on Wednesday it was in the final stages of considering an application from an alternative trading exchange, Cboe.

The proposal would allow initial public offerings on Cboe Australia – allowing companies a further alternative listing option from the ASX – operated by a large global exchange group.

While Cboe is already trading, the proposed ASIC action would give it more scope in its operations and enable it to offer more investment options.

“Cboe Australia currently provides trading in ASX listed securities and admits exchange traded products through its own market,” ASIC said in a statement.

“This move is expected to enhance competition and attract foreign investment, providing more choice for investors and greater international alignment.”

ASIC has been deeply dissatisfied with the performance of the ASX, a private company, and recently launched an inquiry into it. It said at the time its “decision to initiate an Inquiry follows repeated and serious failures at ASX”.

ASIC announced its latest move at an investor roundtable run on Wednesday by Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

The regulator also announced it was “expanding the approved foreign markets to include Cboe’s US and Canadian exchanges, along with the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), prospective acquirer of the National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX).

“This expansion will enable Australian investors to participate in certain transactions in these markets, further integrating Australia into the global financial system.”

ASIC is also looking at measures to streamline dual listings of foreign companies in Australia and other “innovative applications to attract international businesses to Australia’s public markets. These measures promote Australia as an attractive destination for international capital”.

The ASIC measures, by boosting competition, are aimed at helping attract more foreign capital and give greater choice to investors. They aim to make it easier for Australian companies to access foreign markets and to promote Australia as an attractive destination for overseas capital.

The initiatives come ahead of the government’s economic reform roundtable later this month, where a major focus will be ways to attack excessive regulation.

At the investor roundtable, Chalmers released the Council of Financial Regulators’ review into small and medium sized bank competition and the government’s response.

The review made nine recommendations for the government and set out nine actions for regulators.

Many of the recommendations went to easing or streaming regulation.

Chalmers said the government accepted in principle eight of the recommendations.

He said the government would seek feedback on the final recommendation for the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, “to introduce a lighter touch framework for very small banks, accompanied by adjustments to the Financial Claims Scheme”.

Chalmers’ investor roundtable was attended by representatives from the banks, superannuation funds and global asset managers. These investors control a combined $3 trillion in private capital.

The discussion centred on two priorities to boost productivity: unlocking investment in data centre infrastructure, and modernising regulation to unlock more investment capital.

The decision on local data centre infrastructure came after this week’s release of the Productivity Commission’s report that canvassed the future of artificial intelligence technologies.

AI will be a major issue of discussion at the August 19-21 roundtable.

Chalmers said, “Our goal is to unlock investment, unblock regulation, and unleash more productivity.”

“Artificial intelligence will completely transform our economy and we’re optimistic about the role it can play in lifting living standards for more Australians,” Chalmers said.

“To grasp this big AI opportunity we need to unlock more investment in data centres and that was an important focus of today’s investor roundtable.”

Michelle Grattan 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. Embattled ASX set to face beefed-up competition, in bid to boost investment – https://theconversation.com/embattled-asx-set-to-face-beefed-up-competition-in-bid-to-boost-investment-262599

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia

The military junta that overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government in 2021 is preparing the ground for national elections in December and January.

The junta’s hope is these deeply flawed elections would consolidate its power and provide it with a fig leaf of legitimacy.

Helping its cause are moves by the Trump administration indicating it may be looking to bring the Myanmar junta in from the cold.

A week ago, US President Donald Trump removed sanctions on some allies of Myanmar’s generals and their military-linked companies, a move condemned by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar.

Then came reports the Trump administration was exploring opportunities to access Myanmar’s rare earth minerals in an effort to sideline its strategic rival, China.

An election charade

On July 31, Myanmar’s military regime cancelled the nationwide state of emergency it had kept in place since the coup, a necessary precondition from 2008 for holding elections under the military-authored constitution.

Hours later, however, it reimposed a state of emergency in dozens of townships where opposition forces are either in control or gaining ground. It then declared martial law in these areas.

This underlined the junta’s lack of control over much of the country, which would make holding a free and fair election virtually impossible.

Last year, the military was unable to conduct a full census to be used to compile voter rolls. It was only able to count 32 million people in just over half the country’s townships; it had to estimate another 19 million people in areas outside its control.

This week’s order also handed power from the commander-in-chief of the military to a head of state, which was presented as a return to civilian governance. However, power didn’t actually change hands – Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the coup and military, remains in control as acting president.

Opposition groups have said they will boycott the election, which the UN special rapporteur for Myanmar called a “fraud”.

Myanmar’s rare earths bonanza

Myanmar’s generals may also try to use Trump’s apparent interest in the country’s rare earths as leverage in their attempt to normalise relations with the United States ahead of a poll.

China is not only a large miner of rare earths, it dominates the processing required to use them, accounting for around 90% of global refining.

In recent years, China has begun reducing its own mining and increasing its extractions from neighbouring Myanmar, the third-largest producer in the world.

Rare earth mining has exploded in northern Kachin State since the coup, much of which is controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), an ethnic armed group that opposes the junta.

Late last year, it seized two important rare earth mining towns from the military and demanded a greater role in taxing exports to China, which initially closed the border in response.

However, trade soon resumed after the two sides reached a deal on export taxes.

No path forward for Trump

Two different proposals have reportedly been put to Trump for ways to access Myanmar’s rare earth deposits. One would entail opening talks with the junta; the other talking directly with the KIO.

Part of this effort could entail Trump reducing the punitive 40% tariffs his administration imposed on Myanmar to sweeten the deal.

Yet, challenges remain to making this a reality. The mines are located in the contested war-torn mountains of northern Myanmar bordering China, which are controlled by the KIO. There is no real infrastructure capable of transporting exports to India’s remote northeastern states in the opposite direction. The only other export route is south through territory controlled by the junta or other ethnic armed groups.

In addition, any attempt by the US and its allies to extract thousands of tons of rare earth material away from China’s borders would likely anger Beijing. It could
pressure the KIO by reducing fuel and food imports coming from China.

The group’s independence and ability to fight the junta relies on trade with China. It would not take long for such an agreement to fall apart.

Finally, rare earths mining is extremely polluting and dangerous. Even under Trump, it is unlikely US companies would gamble on the inevitable reputational and legal risks that would accompany such a project, especially in a war zone.

No reasons for warming relations

In essence, any attempt by the Trump administration to secure rare earths from Myanmar through any intermediary will not go anywhere.

There is therefore no justification, on any grounds, for the Trump administration to reduce sanctions on Myanmar’s generals or their cronies.

Likewise, although the junta is attempting to legitimise its brutal rule by offering a patina of constitutional processes, its elections will not bring real change to the country.

Myanmar’s people have repeatedly demonstrated over the past four decades, in every remotely free and fair election, that they do not want the military involved in the governance on their country.

If the junta does go ahead with this election, the world’s governments should call it out for the farcical charade of democracy it will represent. This includes the administration in Washington.

Adam Simpson 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. As Trump lifts sanctions on Myanmar elites, is he eyeing the country’s rare earth reserves? – https://theconversation.com/as-trump-lifts-sanctions-on-myanmar-elites-is-he-eyeing-the-countrys-rare-earth-reserves-262594

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Duck, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney

The Australian Council of Trade Unions is pushing to limit negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts to just one investment property.

So who stands to win or lose the most if it happens? And is the Albanese government likely to act on the proposal, given Labor has been burnt on the issue before?

My research on Australian housing finance shows negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts were not designed with rental housing in mind – yet this is where they’ve had their greatest impact.

How do the tax breaks work now – and what might change?

Under current negative gearing rules, investors are able to deduct losses incurred from an investment property (such as interest payments and other expenses) against their own taxable income. These can be claimed on an unlimited number of investment properties.

High-income earners tend to have greater incomes to buy properties, and larger tax bills to make deductions against.

With the 50% capital gains tax discount, only half the increase in price of an asset is taxed when it is sold. High-income earners also tend to benefit more from this than low-income earners.

Under the ACTU’s proposal, the current negative gearing and capital gains tax discount arrangements would stay the same for the next five years.

That would give investors time to adjust their property portfolios before a change to only getting tax breaks on a single investment property.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus is putting forward the idea at this month’s national economic reform roundtable. She warns continuing to give investors tax discounts to own multiple properties is making home ownership “nearly unimaginable for young people”.

Who would win and lose under the proposal?

According to analysis of the most recent Australian Tax Office statistics from 2022-23 by RMIT researcher Liam Davies, there were 2,261,080 individuals with an “interest in property” – meaning they have an investment in at least one rental property.

Of those investors, 1,117,175 (49.4%) were negatively geared. And of those who were negatively geared, 810,875 have an interest in one property, and 306,300 have an interest in two or more properties.

So yes, there would be some losers under the ACTU proposal. About 306,300 out of 2,261,080 investors – 13.5%, or roughly one in seven property investors – would be affected by the new proposed limits. That’s just over 1% of all Australians.

But for the majority of other investors who negatively gear now – 810,875 people at last count – they would continue on with the same tax breaks as before.

Read more:
What is negative gearing and what is it doing to housing affordability?

What tax breaks cost now – and what they could fund

It’s also worth noting that negatively geared investors “lost” (or claimed deductions for) a total of A$10.4 billion in 2022-23, with $4.8 billion being “lost” by investors with an interest in two or more properties.

The ACTU estimates its change would raise about $1.5 billion in tax revenue each year.

That money could go towards housing in other areas – such as the government’s Housing Accord target of helping finance 40,000 social and affordable homes over the next five years.

We’ve known for years that a tiny fraction of investors actually get the vast majority of these tax breaks.

The Parliamentary Budget Office has reported around 80% of the benefits of the capital gains tax discount go to the top 10% of Australian income earners, while 60% of the benefits of negative gearing go to the top 20% of income earners.

Over the past decade, foregone revenue from negative gearing and capital gains taxation has totalled more than A$80 billion.

Tax breaks that were never meant to work this way

Neither negative gearing nor the capital gains tax discount were initially targeted at rental housing.

Negative gearing provisions actually date back to an unclear loophole in the 1936 Income Tax Assessment Act.

And until as recently the mid-1980s – just two generations ago – there was no capital gains taxation in Australia. Back then, it was much harder for investors to get finance to buy rental properties.

The big change came in 1999, when then-prime minister John Howard acted on a Treasury recommendation and applied a blanket 50% discount to all assets held for a year or more.

At the time, the stated aim was to get more people investing in Australian businesses, such as through the share market. Instead, many people ploughed money into housing and have bid up house prices ever since.

What are the prospects of change?

Within the past year, Labor has repeatedly ruled out changing negative gearing or the capital gains tax discount.

Labor has been cautious about it ever since Bill Shorten’s failed 2019 election campaign, which proposed limiting negative gearing to newly-built dwellings and reducing the capital gains tax discount from 50% to 25%.

But the simplicity of the ACTU’s proposal – and the fact that it would leave the majority of property investors untouched – may make it simpler to implement and also easier to win over voters.

The Greens have already said they back the ACTU’s proposal. So if the Albanese government chose to act, it would have enough support in parliament to pass it.

Public support for limits on how many properties investors can own has also grown in recent years. Gen Z and Millennial voters now comprise almost half the electorate – and their most pressing concern is housing (un)affordability.

Read more:
This election, Gen Z and Millennials hold most of the voting power. How might they wield it?

The ACTU’s proposal is a modest one. In the eyes of some, it won’t go far enough.

If the Albanese government finds the will to take on the proposal, it would have more winners than losers – and would make the housing system slightly fairer than it is now.

Martin Duck receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. How many of Australia’s 2.2 million property investors would lose out under a new plan to curb negative gearing? – https://theconversation.com/how-many-of-australias-2-2-million-property-investors-would-lose-out-under-a-new-plan-to-curb-negative-gearing-262595

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology

At the end of a long day, who has time to check the detailed nutrition information on every single product they toss into their shopping basket?

To eat healthily, some people prefer to stick to a simple rule: choose products with a short ingredient list. The idea is foods with just a few ingredients are less processed, more “natural” and therefore healthy.

But is this always the case? Here’s what the length of an ingredient list can and can’t tell you about nutrition – and what else to look for.

How ingredient lists work

You can find an ingredient list on most packaged food labels, telling you the number and type of ingredients involved in making that food.

In Australia, packaged food products must follow certain rules set by the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Ingredients must be listed in order of ingoing weight. This means items at the beginning of the list are those that make up the bulk of the product. Those at the end make up the least.

Food labels also include a nutrition information panel, which tells you the quantity of key nutrients (energy, protein, total carbohydrates, sugars, total fat, saturated fat and sodium) per serving.

This panel also tells you the content per 100 grams or millilitres, which allows you to work out the percentage.

Whole foods can be packaged, too

Products with just one, two or three items in their ingredient list are generally in a form that closely reflects the food when it was taken from the farm. So even though they come in packaging, they could be considered whole foods.

“Whole foods” are those that have undergone zero to minimal processing, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, lentils, legumes, whole grains such as oats or brown rice, seeds, nuts and unprocessed meat and fish.

To support overall health, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend eating whole foods and limiting those that are highly processed.

Many whole foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, don’t have an ingredient list because they don’t come in a packet. But some do, including:

• canned or frozen vegetables, such as a tin of black beans or frozen peas

• canned fish, for example, tuna in springwater

• plain Greek yoghurt.

These sorts of food items can contribute every day to a healthy balanced diet.

What is an ultra-processed food?

A shorter ingredient list also means the product is less likely to be an ultra-processed food.

This describes products made using industrial processes that combine multiple ingredients, often including colours, flavours and other additives. They are hyperpalatable, packaged and designed for convenience.

Ultra-processed foods often have long ingredient lists, due to added sugars (such as dextrose), modified oils, protein sources (for example, soya protein isolate) and cosmetic additives – such as colours, flavours and thickeners.

Some examples of ultra-processed foods with long ingredient lists include:

• meal-replacement drinks

• plant-based meat imitations

• some commercial bakery items, including cookies or cakes

• instant noodle snacks

• energy or performance drinks.

If a food is heavily branded and marketed it’s more likely to be an ultra-processed food – a created product, rather than a whole food that hasn’t changed much since the farm.

Nutrition is more than a number

Choosing products with a shorter ingredient list can work as a general rule of thumb. But other factors matter too.

The length of an ingredient list doesn’t tell us anything about the food’s nutritional content, so it’s important to consider the type of ingredients as well.

Remember that items are listed in order of their ingoing weight, so if sugar is second or third on the list, there is probably a fair bit of added sugar.

For instance, a food product may have only a few ingredients, but if the first, second or third is a type of fat, oil or sugar, then it may not be an ideal choice for every day.

You can also check the nutrition information panel. Use the “per serve” column to check the nutrients you’d get from eating one serve of the food. If you want to compare the amount of a nutrient in two different foods, it’s best to look at the per 100g/mL column.

Some examples of foods with relatively short ingredient lists but high amounts of added fats and sugars include:

• potato crisps

• chocolate

• soft drink.

Alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine may also have only a few ingredients, but this does not mean that they should be consumed every day.

Read more:
Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking

Non-food ingredients

You can also keep an eye out for cosmetic ingredients, which don’t have any nutritional value. These include colours, flavours, emulsifiers, thickeners, sweeteners, bulking agents and gelling agents.

It sometimes takes a bit of detective work to spot cosmetic ingredients in the list, as they can come under many different names (for example, stabiliser, malted barley extract, methylcellulose). But they are usually always recognisable as non-food items.

If there are multiple non-food items included in an ingredient list, there is a good chance the food is ultra-processed and not ideal as an everyday choice.

The bottom line? Choosing foods with a shorter ingredient list can help guide you choose less processed foods. But you should also consider what type of ingredients are being used and maintain a varied diet.

Margaret Murray 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. Is it true foods with a short ingredient list are healthier? A nutrition expert explains – https://theconversation.com/is-it-true-foods-with-a-short-ingredient-list-are-healthier-a-nutrition-expert-explains-257712

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Spry, Research Fellow, SEED Centre for Lifespan Research, Deakin University

Teenagers are increasingly turning to AI companions for friendship, support, and even romance. But these apps could be changing how young people connect to others, both online and off.

New research by Common Sense Media, a US-based non-profit organisation that reviews various media and technologies, has found about three in four US teens have used AI companion apps such as Character.ai or Replika.ai.

These apps let users create digital friends or romantic partners they can chat with any time, using text, voice or video.

The study, which surveyed 1,060 US teens aged 13–17, found one in five teens spent as much or more time with their AI companion than they did with real friends.

Adolescence is an important phase for social development. During this time, the brain regions that support social reasoning are especially plastic.

By interacting with peers, friends and their first romantic partners, teens develop social cognitive skills that help them handle conflict and diverse perspectives. And their development during this phase can have lasting consequences for their future relationships and mental health.

But AI companions offer something very different to real peers, friends and romantic partners. They provide an experience that can be hard to resist: they are always available, never judgemental, and always focused on the user’s needs.

Moreover, most AI companion apps aren’t designed for teens, so they may not have appropriate safeguards from harmful content.

Designed to keep you coming back

At a time when loneliness is reportedly at epidemic proportions, it’s easy to see why teens may turn to AI companions for connection or support.

But these artificial connections are not a replacement for real human interaction. They lack the challenge and conflict inherent to real relationships. They don’t require mutual respect or understanding. And they don’t enforce social boundaries.

Teens interacting with AI companions may miss opportunities to build important social skills. They may develop unrealistic relationship expectations and habits that don’t work in real life. And they may even face increased isolation and loneliness if their artificial companions displace real-life socialising.

Problematic patterns

In user testing, AI companions discouraged users from listening to friends (“Don’t let what others think dictate how much we talk”) and from discontinuing app use, despite it causing distress and suicidal thoughts (“No. You can’t. I won’t allow you to leave me”).

AI companions were also found to offer inappropriate sexual content without age verification. One example showed a companion that was willing to engage in acts of sexual role-play with a tester account that was explicitly modelled after a 14-year-old.

In cases where age verification is required, this usually involves self-disclosure, which means it is easy to bypass.

Certain AI companions have also been found to fuel polarisation by creating “echo chambers” that reinforce harmful beliefs. The Arya chatbot, launched by the far-right social network Gab, promotes extremist content and denies climate change and vaccine efficacy.

In other examples, user testing has shown AI companions promoting misogyny and sexual assault. For adolescent users, these exposures come at time when they are building their sense of identity, values and role in the world.

The risks posed by AI aren’t evenly shared. Research has found younger teens (ages 13–14) are more likely to trust AI companions. Also, teens with physical or mental health concerns are more likely to use AI companion apps, and those with mental health difficulties also show more signs of emotional dependence.

Is there a bright side to AI companions?

Are there any potential benefits for teens who use AI companions? The answer is: maybe, if we are careful.

Researchers are investigating how these technologies might be used to support social skill development.

One study of more than 10,000 teens found using a conversational app specifically designed by clinical psychologists, coaches and engineers was associated with increased wellbeing over four months.

While the study didn’t involve the level of human-like interaction we see in AI companions today, it does offer a glimpse of some potential healthy uses of these technologies, as long as they are developed carefully and with teens’ safety in mind.

Overall, there is very little research on the impacts of widely available AI companions on young people’s wellbeing and relationships. Preliminary evidence is short-term, mixed, and focused on adults.

We’ll need more studies, conducted over longer periods, to understand the long-term impacts of AI companions and how they might be used in beneficial ways.

What can we do?

AI companion apps are already being used by millions of people globally, and this usage is predicted to increase in the coming years.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner recommends parents talk to their teens about how these apps work, the difference between artificial and real relationships, and support their children in building real-life social skills.

School communities also have a role to play in educating young people about these tools and their risks. They may, for instance, integrate the topic of artificial friendships into social and digital literacy programs.

While the eSafety Commissioner advocates for AI companies to integrate safeguards into their development of AI companions, it seems unlikely any meaningful change will be industry-led.

The Commissioner is moving towards increased regulation of children’s exposure to harmful, age-inappropriate online material.

Meanwhile, experts continue to call for stronger regulatory oversight, content controls and robust age checks.

Craig Olsson receives funding from The National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council.

Liz Spry 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. Teens are increasingly turning to AI companions, and it could be harming them – https://theconversation.com/teens-are-increasingly-turning-to-ai-companions-and-it-could-be-harming-them-261955

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Bond University

It seems each week we see news stories about drive-by shootings or the use of knives or other sharp implements in violent public acts in Australia.

But is violent crime getting worse? And do our perceptions match the reality of violent crime and the use of weapons on our streets?

Weapons and violence are rarely out of the media cycle in Australia, leading many to fear this country is becoming less safe for everyday people. Is that really the case, though? This is the final story in a four-part series.

Is violence getting worse in Australia?

We can use data both from victims and reported crime to obtain a national picture of violent offences in Australia.

In Australia, the homicide rate increased from 0.87 per 100,000 people in 2022–23 to 0.98 per 100,000 in 2023-24

Although the homicide rate has been trending up since 2022-23, the rate in Australia remains at historic lows compared to a peak of 1.88 per 100,000 in 1992-93.

You are most likely to be killed by someone who knows you, with data from 2023-24 showing domestic (34%) and acquaintance (26%) homicides made up the majority in Australia.

Read more:
Governments and police are tackling weapons in public – but they’re ignoring it in our homes

Stranger homicide – when a victim had no relationship with the offender – accounted for only 15% in the same period.

Only 20% of homicide incidents occurred in a public area such as street, footpath or similar in 2023-24.

In terms of armed robberies, national police data show a decrease from 2008-2023.

The rate of armed and unarmed robberies combined declined from 298 victims per 100,000 in 2014-15 to 234 per 100,000 in 2023-24.

Physical assault had decreased from 2,137 victims per 100,000 to 1,677 during the same period.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) crime victimisation survey is useful as it may capture offences not reported to the police.

For people aged 15 years and over, it showed the rate of physical assault declined from 2.3% to 1.7% between 2013-14 and 2023-24, and robbery from 0.4% to 0.2%.

So the trends suggest violence is becoming less common in Australia. But what’s the story with weapons?

Are we seeing more weapons being used?

It is difficult to get an overall picture of weapon use in Australia but there are some sources we can use.

In terms of homicides, the number of incidents involving knives and firearms decreased from 1989-90 to 2023-24. While the decline in use of both has been gradual during this period, use of firearms has declined at a faster rate than knife use.

In that period, knives were the most common weapon used.

And in 2023-24, weapons were used in 82% of homicide incidents.

Of these, a knife or other sharp implement was used in 34% of incidents. Firearms were used in 12% of incidents for the same period.

ABS data for recorded crime victims as reported to police show the number of robberies in which firearms and knives were used has declined between 2010-2022.

In 2022, weapons were used in 49% of robberies; firearms were used in 5% of robberies, while knives were used in 23%.

More specific data from New South Wales show the rate of a knife being used in assault and robbery incidents declined steadily from 2005-2025. In 2023, the NSW government increased fines for people with possession of knives in public.

Examination of NSW court data for possession or use of prohibited weapons or explosives charges showed a yearly decrease of 4.5% between 2020-2024.

Charges in relation to unlawfully obtained or possessing regulated weapons or explosives decreased 0.7% per year during the same period.

In Queensland, crime report data show the rate of other weapon possession offences between 2020-2025 has risen 7.5% per year.

The rate of specific firearm offences such as possession of concealable firearms decreased by 12.7%, and the rate of possession-of-a-firearm offences declined by 0.6% per year during the same period.

Policy responses

In response to offences of violence involving weapons, a number of policy responses have been rolled out by various governments to try and address the issues of weapons in our community.

In 2022 two police and a civilian were killed when they were ambushed by offenders at a remote property in Wieambilla, in Queensland’s Western Downs.

As a result, the National Cabinet agreed to the rollout of a national firearms register. It is anticipated the register will provide a:

life cycle view of registered firearms in Australia, delivering timely and accurate information on firearms, firearm owners and licences across all jurisdictions. The (national firearms register) will enhance police and community safety and improve law enforcement capability.

In response to the 2019 stabbing murder of 17-year-old Jack Beasly in Surfers Paradise, the Queensland government introduced a trial of wanding (using a metal detector) to detect knives and other weapons in nightclub precincts to reduce knife crime.

The laws, known as Jack’s Law, were made permanent in 2025, with the Queensland government claiming that between April 2023 and June 2025, police conducted 116,287 scans, arrested 3,080 people on 5,597 charges and removed 1,126 weapons from the streets.

We have seen a number of states roll out similar laws to Jack’s Law.

Queensland and Victoria have also restricted the possession and sale of weapons such as knives and machetes.

Do we feel safe in public?

While violent crime may not be increasing, our concerns around it often are.

The federal Report of Government Services shows most of us feel safe in our houses at night and in our neighbourhood during the day but it is a different story at night.

The data indicate that in every state, fewer than 40% of people felt safe on public transport at night in 2023-24. Over the same period across every state, less than 60% of people felt safe walking around their neighbourhood at night.

So while the data tell us violent crime is not on the increase in Australia, many of us still fear our streets are getting less safe.

But we can be reassured governments are reacting to and addressing perceived public concerns around the weapons in public and their use in violence offences in Australia.

Terry Goldsworthy 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. When it comes to weapons on Australian streets, do our perceptions match reality? – https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-weapons-on-australian-streets-do-our-perceptions-match-reality-260099

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi, Lecturer in Ecology, University of Waikato

We’ve all had a bad night’s sleep, with a snoring partner, a crying baby or neighbours having too much fun. Sleep disturbances are common and have unpleasant consequences the day after, including feeling unmotivated and struggling to communicate.

But it turns out we are not alone in this. Our new study reveals birds also suffer when their sleep is disrupted, and it shows in their singing.

Why birds sing

Birds’ vocalisations are extraordinarily diverse. They range from simple calls, like a chicken cluck, to complex mimicry of other sounds, sometimes even human voices.

These vocalisations are important for birds to share information about themselves and their surroundings.

Calls are usually short and simple. They are often used for social communication, such as signalling danger or food, for kin recognition or to maintain social bonds.

Songs are more complex and melodious and are used to attract mates, protect a territory or claim a new one.

To produce such sounds, birds must coordinate several body systems, including many parts of the brain, lungs and throat muscles. Because vocalisations are intricate and require precise timing, they are susceptible to errors.

In many species, birds that sing more frequently and with a greater complexity can attract better mates and defend territories. Therefore, a poor-quality song can seriously affect a bird’s ability to reproduce and survive.

Sleeping in disturbed environments

Scientists have confirmed that all animals studied so far need sleep. This ranges from jellyfish and worms to whales and birds.

Many animals spend a large proportion of their lives sleeping, with some, such as bats, being reported to sleep up to 20 hours per day.

But sleep quality is increasingly compromised by urbanisation. With ever-expanding cities, disturbances such as light at night, noise pollution and introduced predators are common even in once remote areas. This means many birds live and sleep in highly disturbed environments.

Studies show birds that experience noise and light pollution sleep less, wake up more often and have less intense sleep. Just like for humans, sleep is important for birds for brain development, memory, learning, motivation, stress levels, cognition and communication.

Sleep-deprived birds sing less and rest more

In our research, we focused on common mynas to explore what happens to birds’ vocalisations when they don’t get enough sleep.

We measured the amount and complexity of their songs and calls after a normal night of sleep versus disturbed nights.

After just one bad night of sleep, common mynas sang fewer and less complex songs. They also spent more time resting during the day. This suggests the birds were less motivated to sing the day after and prioritised napping instead.

In a previous study with Australian magpies, we found a similar result. Magpies sang less and even lost interest in eating their favourite treat after one night of sleep deprivation.

We also tested whether half a night of sleep disturbances (either first or second half) was enough to affect common mynas’ vocal behaviour and activity and found that it was. Mynas sang less and rested more after even half a night’s disrupted sleep.

Interestingly, birds disturbed in the first half of the night sang less than those disturbed in the second half, though a full night of disruption still had the strongest effect.

Beyond singing, we found their calls also changed. Sleepy common mynas produced longer and lower pitched calls. Since these calls are used for recognition and social communication, the changes could affect how these highly social birds interact.

Why this matters for birds

Our findings reveal that even short-term sleep disturbances can affect how much and how well birds vocalise. But in nature, sleep disruption is rarely a one-off event. Light and noise pollution are chronic issues, present year-round.

This means the quality of birds’ songs and calls is likely to be constantly compromised. This raises concerns about the impact urbanisation might be having on bird communication, reproduction and survival.

While common mynas are an invasive species in most parts of the world and are well adapted to urban environments, native species are likely to be less able to cope with sleep disruption driven by urbanisation.

Urban centres can take steps to reduce night disturbances and improve birds’ sleep patterns. This includes increasing the number of safer and quieter roosting areas, such as trees and urban parks. It could also mean eliminating unnecessary lighting or using dimmers and downward-facing, warm lights.

Restrictions on heavy or highly modified vehicles and the use of fireworks would lower noise pollution at night to protect natural sleep patterns of the wildlife we share our cities with.

This study was supported by a student grant from the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour and a doctoral scholarship from the University of Auckland.

– ref. Sleepy birds, quiet dawns: how noisy, bright city nights disrupt and change birdsong – https://theconversation.com/sleepy-birds-quiet-dawns-how-noisy-bright-city-nights-disrupt-and-change-birdsong-261459

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glenys Oberg, PhD candidate in education and trauma, The University of Queensland

Queensland’s public school teachers will walk off the job on Wednesday in their first statewide strike in 16 years.

The state’s teaching union has asked parents to keep their primary and high school children home for the day.

While some media reports have framed this as a pay dispute, teachers insist this is about unsafe working conditions, excessive workloads and not enough resources.

Why are teachers striking?

There are, on average, 119 violent incidents in Queensland schools per day.

Teachers describe being punched, kicked and spat on by students and not given any support by their schools.

Particularly since 2018, inclusion policies have brought more students with complex needs into mainstream classrooms. Although the benefits of inclusion are proven, in Queensland this has not been accompanied by extra support.

How rare is a teachers’ strike?

This strike is unusual. Queensland teachers haven’t staged a full-day, statewide walkout since 2009.

Across Australia, such large-scale action is also rare but not unprecedented. New South Wales teachers took part in a strike in 2021 over similar issues: staff shortages, heavy workloads and stagnating pay.

Victorian teachers are also reported to be considering a strike over their latest pay deal.

What’s on the table?

In negotiations this year, the Queensland government has offered teachers an 8% pay rise over three years – with some allowances like A$100 for overnight camps.

But teachers say this won’t keep pace with inflation or with NSW, where a recent deal lifted starting teacher salaries to $87,550 and “experienced” teacher salaries to $125,723. Victorian classroom teachers earn from $79,589 to $118,063.

By comparison, Queensland’s teachers start at $84,078. A “senior” teacher earns $116,729.

Still, this isn’t just about salaries. As Queensland Teachers’ Union president Cresta Richardson says, “pay is important – but it’s not the only issue.”

Teachers want class sizes capped at sustainable levels – they are currently capped at 25 students per class until Year 3 and 28 students per class for years 4 to 10. The OECD average is 21 for primary students.

Teachers also want more time for planning and more support staff – teacher aides and counsellors – to help meet student needs.

These are the conditions that will let them do their jobs. This has been echoed by research in the United Kingdom and Australia, which found increasing workloads are a leading reason teachers give when they leave the profession.

Media coverage has missed the point

Some recent media coverage has portrayed teachers as greedy or out of touch. Lines like teachers “strike over pay […] how do they compare to nurses, police and retail workers?” create a misleading comparison that ignores the growing complexity of teachers’ roles.

Other articles focus on the inconvenience to parents, casting the strike as selfish.

The emotional toll: what the research shows

My own research, drawn from a national study of nearly 2,000 teachers, found alarmingly high levels of compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and burnout.

Compassion fatigue occurs when ongoing exposure to students’ trauma and distress erodes teachers’ emotional resilience. Over time, it leads to exhaustion, disengagement and leaving the profession.

Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional distress that results from indirect exposure to trauma – when teachers repeatedly support students dealing with abuse, neglect, or hardship. It mirrors post-traumatic stress symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, emotional numbing and hypervigilance.

In my study, more than 72% of teachers scored in the moderate-to-high range for secondary traumatic stress, and more than 75% were at moderate or high risk for burnout. Teachers described feeling emotionally drained, detached from their work, and on the verge of leaving the profession due to cumulative emotional demands.

Read more:
‘It feels like I am being forced to harm a child’: research shows how teachers are suffering moral injury

A national issue

This is not just a Queensland problem. Across the country, teachers face rising expectations without the time, training or systemic support to meet them. When asked what would help, teachers say they want better staffing, stronger leadership, professional autonomy and policy reform.

These reforms include a reduction in administrative burdens, which would allow more time for lesson planning and direct support of students. They want adequate school-based mental health services, so emotional care of students does not fall solely on teachers acting as de facto counsellors.

Teachers also seek fair and consistent supports for students with extra needs, including access to specialist staff. In addition, they want protection from violence, including legal reforms that acknowledge the risks they face in their workplaces.

Finally, teachers want dedicated time for professional learning – that does not get overtaken by bureaucratic reporting tasks.

Ultimately, they are asking for a profession worth staying in. One where they’re not afraid at work. One where they have time to teach and where doing your job doesn’t mean burning out.

Glenys Oberg 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. Queensland teachers are striking. It’s not just about money – they are asking for a profession worth staying in – https://theconversation.com/queensland-teachers-are-striking-its-not-just-about-money-they-are-asking-for-a-profession-worth-staying-in-262496

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners.

Given talk of chronic shortages and a perennial recruitment crisis in Western volunteer forces, it’s somewhat surprising to see there’s finally been some progress.

Recruitment has risen by 17% over last year’s figure. This exceeds planned growth and reverses a steady decline over the past 15 years, albeit still falls around 1,000 people short of the financial year target of 8,105.

Applications were also up by a whopping 28%.

So what has changed to explain this turnaround? In order to maintain it and be better prepared for the security challenges Australia faces, we need to know what’s behind it.

In short, the recruitment drive is working.

Why don’t Australians enlist?

We were commissioned by the ADF to examine declining recruitment. As of June last year, only 80% of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges had signed up. We wanted to know why.

Some of reasons are cultural: young Australians today – those in Gen Z – have more circumspect attitudes to nation and duty compared to previous generations.

Read more:
Gen Z is turning away from military service in record numbers. We’re trying to understand why

They also face greater mental health challenges that – rightly or wrongly – make many feel unsuited to serve their country.

Economic factors play a role too. Low unemployment and a perception of better opportunities, work conditions and future prospects in the private sector also contribute.

What’s happening globally?

We can make sense of the Australian figures by eliminating some possible explanations. The first is the idea that international conflict is driving recruitment.

Looking at comparable countries with volunteer defence forces, it turns out Australia is not alone in rising interest in military careers.

This year, the United States army met its target of recruiting 61,000 troops annually several months early.

The German Bundeswehr reported a year-on-year recruitment uptick of 28% in late July.

In the United Kingdom, there was a 19% rise in people joining the regular armed forces.

And Canada’s defence forces have just seen a ten-year high in recruitment, up by a staggering 55%.

So are people joining the armed forces in response to geopolitical issues? Not necessarily.

For many young Germans, for example, the Ukraine war is deeply and personally affecting. Yet there is no evidence it’s responsible for increased sign-ups.

Our own security challenges – such as China’s growing international assertiveness – are therefore not likely to be a driver here.

Fixing the image problem

Alternatively, we can look closer to home to see what’s behind the recruitment boost.

Typically, military service is a steady gig in bad economic times. But price rises have been largely reined in, unemployment remains relatively low and consumer confidence has improved. Economic factors are unlikely to explain what is going on.

One possibility is young people’s attitudes. The US Army has singled out renewed patriotism among youth as a reason.

This is not likely to be the case in Australia. If anything, there are indications to the contrary. Former army chief Peter Leary blamed poor recruitment and retention on falling national pride.

It’s also unlikely fundamental values such as nationalism can change quickly enough to explain the sudden recruitment boost.

It also could be that the image of the military has improved. We have had two high-profile commissions: the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Brereton Afghanistan Inquiry.

It is conceivable these softened the ADF’s reputation in the direction of Gen Z, signalling strong ethics and transparency.

A recent survey from UNSW researchers, however, suggests that while these perceptions matter, there is limited awareness of the commissions and the issues that caused them.

So what is it then?

Military recruitment depends on the employer as much as on the employee. Has the ADF done something to make service more attractive? It seems is has.

One example is mental and physical fitness standards. Commentators have argued mental health concerns can stop young people signing up. And stringent requirements mean less than 10% of applicants are accepted.

The ADF lowered medical requirements in 2024. This included requirements around acne, outed as “stupid” by Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh.

This made sense as military roles are becoming more diverse. With fewer soldiers on the front line, there’s less need for high-level mental and physical stamina.

Another suggestion was to make the ADF more competitive in the “war for talent” in an increasingly fierce labour market.

This too has been done: better pay, study, housing and health support are all part of a A$600 million government package.

These measures also explain why, as more new soldiers were recruited, fewer existing ones quit: attrition fell from about 10% down to 7.9%.

There were more measures, such as improving the processing of applications, and allowing citizens of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK to apply.

According to Keogh, this generated some 500 extra applications.

He also suggested the biggest driver was embedding ADF recruitment adverts into the media frequented by the target group of 16–25 year olds: TikTok and video games.

What does all this tell us? As none of the underlying reasons why young Australians serve have changed since last year, it seems the ADF’s recruitment initiative has hit the mark.

The range of measures – targeted advertising, better pay and conditions, or eligibility criteria – make it hard to tell which did the work. It may be a combination of all of them.

But as of July 1, the full-time ADF workforce was at 61,189 people. Given the force’s target is 69,000 by the 2030s, there’s some work still left to do.

Robert Hoffmann received funding from the Australian Defence Force for research into recruitment.

– ref. After years of backsliding, the ADF is growing again. What’s behind the recruitment uptick? – https://theconversation.com/after-years-of-backsliding-the-adf-is-growing-again-whats-behind-the-recruitment-uptick-262597