Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevenson, Professor of Urban Transport and Public Health, The University of Melbourne

In 2022, there were nearly 1,200 road crash deaths in Australia – a figure that has remained largely the same over the past decade. However, some states and territories have seen dramatic increases in just the last five years, such as the ACT (100%), Tasmania (59.4%) and Queensland (21.2%).

Serious injuries from road crashes have also been on the rise, from 35,000 in 2013 to 39,866 in 2019.

These statistics highlight the need for an urgent rethink of road safety policies if we are to achieve Australia’s target of a 50% decrease in fatalities and a 30% decrease in serious injuries by 2030. We are clearly not on track to meet these targets.

People are worth more than statistics, though. And it is not surprising we haven’t seen decreases in road deaths when we rely on strategies first implemented three to four decades ago. Change is needed to prevent the ongoing trauma caused by road crashes to Australian families.

Why have road trauma rates not declined?

Australia has long had an international reputation for pioneering road safety measures, such as seat belt restraints, speed management strategies (including speed cameras) and drink-driving laws, among others. In fact, Australia was the first country in the world to introduce laws for compulsory seat belt use.

These initiatives have been highly successful in reducing road deaths from their peak in 1970, when 3,798 were recorded. But in the past two decades, further progress has stalled. We must ask ourselves why.

One theory to explain why road deaths may have increased in many states in the past couple of years is the pandemic. The previously empty roads are now congested again, which may have led to impatience and speeding. Or perhaps, some people have seemingly forgotten how to drive safely. However, there is another, perhaps simpler explanation.

This chart shows how closely road deaths have tracked with domestic fuel sales in Australia – measured in millions of litres of fuel – since 2019. In simple terms, when driving rates decreased at the beginning of the pandemic, deaths and injuries went down. When driving rates increased again in early 2021, deaths and injuries went up.

In fact, there is scant evidence to suggest people’s driving behaviours changed during this time. Our recent unpublished research followed approximately 800 drivers from January 2020 to March 2023 using monitoring systems inside their cars to measure their behaviour. We found no differences in driver behaviours during this time.

Rather, there’s a more likely reason why road deaths and injuries continue to be so high: the amount of time we spend driving continues to increase, while our strategies to target the risks associated with driving haven’t changed.

Unfortunately, government agencies continue to rely on strategies implemented over the past 20-30 years, which were effective when they were first introduced, but are now subject to the law of diminishing marginal returns. This means continually throwing more resources at existing speed management strategies, for example, will likely only see marginal benefits.

Read more:
Despite lockdowns, 1,142 Australians, including 66 kids, died on our roads in the past year. Here’s what we need to do

A new approach not focused on cars

There is increasing urgency to investigate and implement new road safety strategies based on emerging technologies and a redesign of our cities instead.

For example, a recent Australian trial using new driving monitoring technology showed promise in reducing risky driving behaviours that could cause crashes. The monitoring systems provided feedback to the driver (via a smartphone app) and encouraged safer driving using financial incentives akin to insurance premiums. This new strategy is being explored further in three states: New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Encouraging people to transition from private car trips to public transport is another road safety strategy that has seldom been considered by governments. Rather, the driver, car and road remain the focus.

Read more:
Driving on less than 5 hours of sleep is just as dangerous as drunk-driving, study finds

This “safe system” approach puts an emphasis on building safe road infrastructure for cars, while ignoring urban design changes that de-emphasise the need for cars. We should be encouraging more people to commute by rail, tram and bus (all lower-risk modes per kilometre travelled), while at the same time delivering safe infrastructure for sustainable transport such as bicycles/e-bicycles or walking.

If we continue to tinker with strategies implemented many decades ago, we will never get close to achieving the lofty government targets on road deaths and injuries by 2030.

Mark Stevenson receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council. He is a director in the start-up company Urban Analytica Pty Ltd.

Jason Thompson is a current ARC Future Fellow, chief investigator on the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for Better Outcomes in Compensable Injury, chief investigator on the NHMRC-funded Feedback Trial, and member of the Australasian College of Road Safety.

– ref. Are Australia’s roads becoming more dangerous? Here’s what the data says – https://theconversation.com/are-australias-roads-becoming-more-dangerous-heres-what-the-data-says-213240

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shalini Arunogiri, Addiction Psychiatrist, Senior Lecturer, Monash University

The availability and sales of “zero-alcohol” products have soared in recent years. In Australia, these are products containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, designed to mimic the flavour, appearance and packaging of alcoholic drinks.

The market for these products is projected to continue growing at a faster rate than alcoholic beverages.

This boom has been driven by production improvements that mean non-alcoholic products taste similar to their alcoholic inspirations. There have also been generational trends towards being more mindful of the amount of alcohol consumed.

Zero-alcohol products do not cause the physical harms associated with alcohol. But they are not without risk and may not be as healthy as they seem. Our new research explains why.

A lack of regulation

A World Health Organization report released earlier this year highlighted the limitations in evidence for the benefits of no- and low-alcohol beverages (which the WHO calls “NoLos”) and the overall lack of policy and regulation in the industry. The absence of oversight may mean potential harms associated with zero-alcohol products go unrecognised.

Although replacing alcohol drinks with zero-alcohol products might be used as part of an effort to cut down on drinking, there is a lack of rigorous research to support this. And the approach may not be suitable for everyone.

A review of ten studies found people with an alcohol use disorder (including addiction to alcohol, problematic or heavy drinking), experience increased cravings for alcohol when they consume zero-alcohol products. They also display physiological responses similar to those that occur when drinking alcohol such as increased heart rate and sweating.

It’s not just about the alcohol

The substitution of alcohol for zero-alcohol products does not address social, environmental and cultural factors. These often influence drinking behaviour. This is particularly relevant in Australia where drinking alcohol is normalised and encouraged.

For young people, zero-alcohol products could serve as a gateway for drinking and send a message underage drinking is acceptable. This sets up the potential for early alcohol initiation and risky drinking practices.

Zero-alcohol products are manufactured and packaged to look just like existing alcohol products. Many carry the same company branding as the alcoholic version, which blurs the lines between the two offerings.

Read more:
We’re getting really good at making alcohol-free beer and wine. Here’s how it’s done

‘Alibi marketing’

In Australia, zero-alcohol drinks are subject to food rather than liquor licensing legislation. This means there are less restrictions to where and how they are displayed and marketed.

Such products are found on supermarket shelves and in convenience stores and advertised in a way that appears to promote the consumption of alcohol in risky and illegal situations, such as drinking before driving. This may lead to confusing messages that present drinking as harmless fun.

This is a form of “alibi marketing”. This form of marketing uses features synonymous with a brand – things like label colours, bottle shape or font design – while not advertising the product itself. The alcohol industry can use this strategy to extend the promotion of their brand to populations and places where alcohol advertising may be restricted. For instance, the reverse approach was recently used by a company to market an alcoholic version of soft drink, highlighting the risk of this approach for minors.

This is amongst broader concerns this form of marketing increases brand familiarity and awareness of alcohol products among those who are underage now but may drink in the future.

Studies have found exposure to marketing and advertising of zero-alcohol products results in increased intention and odds of purchasing and consuming alcohol drinks. Further research is needed to understand potential harms exposure to and drinking zero-alcohol products may have on vulnerable populations. This includes those with a history of alcohol addiction and children.

Read more:
Australians are embracing ‘mindful drinking’ — and the alcohol industry is also getting sober curious

4 tips to minimise risks now

There are some actions you can take and considerations to keep in mind when it comes to zero-alcohol drinks:

• be aware zero-alcohol products may act as a drinking trigger or cue for those with experience of alcohol addiction and for young people
• if you want to stop or cut back on drinking alcohol, don’t substitute products that mimic the taste or appearance of alcoholic drinks. Go for soft drinks, fruit juices or sparkling water
• report advertisements and marketing for zero-alcohol products that are inappropriate or could cause harm by lodging a complaint via Ad Standards
• join the community push for zero-alcohol products to be subjected to the same regulations as alcoholic products.

Shalini Arunogiri works for Monash University and is a Board Director for FARE, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education. She is Clinical Director at Turning Point, Eastern Health, a national provider of addiction treatment. She is a recipient of funding from the NHMRC for research into substance use disorders, including alcohol use.

Anthony Hew is a PhD candidate at Monash University. His research looking into big data approaches to better understand mental health and substance use-related emergency presentations, including alcohol-related presentations. He receives funding from the NHMRC for this research in the form of a post-graduate scholarship.

– ref. Zero alcohol doesn’t mean zero risk – how marketing and blurred lines can be drinking triggers – https://theconversation.com/zero-alcohol-doesnt-mean-zero-risk-how-marketing-and-blurred-lines-can-be-drinking-triggers-210881

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meryl Larkin, PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University

Vital coastal habitat was destroyed in the devastating floods that hit New South Wales in 2021 and 2022.

The purple cauliflower soft coral Dendronephthya australis, now listed as an endangered species, was almost completely wiped out in the Port Stephens estuary and along the coast. That’s a tragedy because this coral shelters young snapper and the endangered White’s seahorse.

Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge hampered recovery efforts – until now.

In our new research we discovered how the coral reproduces. We used IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) to create baby coral in the lab. And we successfully transplanted the coral into the wild. This offers new hope for the survival of the species.

Read more:
Beautiful, rare ‘purple cauliflower’ coral off NSW coast may be extinct within 10 years

Variety is the spice of life

Corals have a complicated sex life. There’s more than one way to “do it”. And gender varies too.

Corals can reproduce asexually, meaning they create genetic copies of themselves. This process often entails shedding polyps that can attach to reefs to form new colonies.

Using this process is a common approach for coral restoration. It’s a bit like propagating plants. Cuttings or fragments are removed from adult colonies, briefly maintained in the lab, and then new corals are transplanted into the wild. This isn’t a simple process for soft corals, though we have been exploring ways to make this work for Dendronephthya australis.

Many corals are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. Others form colonies that are entirely male or female. And some mix or swap sexes.

Spawning is the release of eggs and sperm. Again, corals can use various techniques. Broadcast spawning is where eggs and sperm are released into the water column. Brooding is where eggs are fertilised within colonies and later released as larvae.

But until sexual reproduction of an individual species is observed, their sex life remains a private matter.

A chance discovery in the lab

We were growing coral in the lab, raising asexual clones from fragments, when we noticed something unusual.

There were small orange dots inside some of the corals. These were much larger than the grains of dry orange “coral food” we fed them. So they had to be something else.

We soon realised the orange dots were unfertilised eggs. Half of the fragments in our care contained eggs. As sperm is much smaller, we had to sacrifice small portions of the remaining coral fragments for closer inspection of their contents (under a microscope). In doing this, we discovered the other half were sperm-bearing.

As fate would have it, we had collected fragments from two donor colonies – one female and one male. By chance, we discovered Dendronephthya australis is “gonochoric” (meaning colonies are either male or female).

We watched the corals carefully over the following weeks and made more discoveries. Females spawned (released their eggs) around the “neap tide” (when the moon appears half full) during the summer months.

Maybe the coral evolved to spawn when tidal currents are slowest, to maximise the chance of fertilisation.

Coral IVF for making babies

We used IVF techniques to fertilise harvested eggs. Cell division occurred within hours. Mobile larvae grew over the following week.

From eight days of age, the larvae started to transform into polyps; we were the first people to witness these tiny cauliflower coral babies (as single polyps).

Within just a few weeks, we had produced 280 babies from just a few coral fragments.

Understanding how the purple cauliflower coral reproduces is important for several reasons:

• maintaining genetic diversity: if the sex ratio becomes unbalanced, the effective population size will be lower than the total number of remaining individuals

• achieving fertilisation: broadcast spawning in corals is density-dependent. That means if more colonies are lost, the chance of natural sexual reproduction decreases

• restoring gender balance: any attempt to grow more coral from fragments will need to ensure both male and female colonies are represented

• scaling up production: sexual reproduction provides an opportunity to raise more baby corals while maintaining genetic diversity in the population.

Ongoing restoration work

Since this discovery, we have successfully repeated these IVF techniques. We transplanted hundreds of coral babies and released thousands of larvae back into Port Stephens.

Early results suggest some IVF babies survived at least the first 18 months and performed better than the asexual fragments.

We plan to implement the IVF program annually. We’re optimistic that we can boost the population of this endangered coral in ways never thought possible.

Read more:
Coral, meet coral: how selective breeding may help the world’s reefs survive ocean heating

Meryl Larkin receives funding from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, and the Australian Government Research Training Program. Ongoing work (subsequent to Meryl Larkin’s PhD project) has been supported with funding from the NSW Environmental Trust.

David Harasti received funding from the NSW Environmental Trust to implement recovery actions for the endangered soft coral.

Kirsten Benkendorff, Stephen D. A. Smith, and Tom R Davis do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Sex life discovery raises IVF hope for endangered purple cauliflower soft coral – https://theconversation.com/sex-life-discovery-raises-ivf-hope-for-endangered-purple-cauliflower-soft-coral-212849

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kayleen Manwaring, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law & Innovation and Senior Lecturer, School of Private & Commercial Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney

Spam might not have brought an end to the internet or email, as some dire predictions in the early 2000s claimed it could – but it’s still a massive pain.

Despite all the spam being removed by spam-filtering technologies, most people still receive spam every day. How do these messages end up flooding our inboxes? And are there any legal consequences for the senders?

What is spam?

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted in 2004 “there does not appear to be a widely agreed and workable definition for spam” across jurisdictions – and this remains true today.

That said, “spam” generally refers to unsolicited electronic messages. These are often sent in bulk and frequently advertise goods or services. It also includes scamming and phishing messages, according to the OECD.

Most people think of spam in the form of emails or SMS messages. However, what we now call spam actually predates the internet. In 1854, a spam telegram was sent to British politicians advertising the opening hours of dentists who sold tooth-whitening powder.

The first spam email came more than 100 years later. It was reportedly sent to 600 people on May 3 1978 through ARPAnet – a precursor to the modern internet.

As for how much spam is out there, the figures vary, possibly due to the various definitions of “spam”. One source reports the average number of spam emails sent daily in 2022 was about 122.33 billion (which would mean more than half of all emails were spam). As for text messages, another source reports a daily average of 1.6 billion spam texts.

Where do spammers get my details?

Each time you enter your email address or phone number into an e-commerce website, you may be handing it to spammers.

But sometimes you may even receive spam from entities you don’t recognise. That’s because businesses will often transfer customers’ contact information to related companies, or sell their data to third parties such as data brokers.

Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 somewhat limits the transfer of personal information to third parties. However, these laws are weak – and weakly enforced.

Read more:
This law makes it illegal for companies to collect third-party data to profile you. But they do anyway

Some entities also use “address-harvesting” software to search the internet for electronic addresses that are captured in a database. The collector then uses these addresses directly, or sells them to others looking to send spam.

Many jurisdictions (including Australia) prohibit these harvesting activities, but they are still common.

Is spamming against the law?

Australia has had legislation regulating spam messaging since 2003. But the Spam Act surprisingly does not define the word “spam”. It tackles spam by prohibiting the sending of unsolicited commercial electronic messages containing offers, ads or other promotions of goods, services or land.

However, if the receiver consented to these types of messages, the prohibition does not apply. When you buy goods or services from a company, you will often see a request to click on a “yes” button to receive marketing promotions. Doing so means you have consented.

On the other hand, if your phone or inbox are hit by commercial messages you haven’t agreed to receive, that is a breach of the Spam Act by the sender. If you originally signed up to receive the messages, but then unsubscribed and the messages kept coming after five business days, that is also illegal. Senders must also include a functioning unsubscribe facility in every commercial message they send.

Spammers can be penalised for breaches of the Spam Act. In the past few months alone, Commonwealth Bank, DoorDash and mycar Tyre & Auto were fined more than A$6 million in total for breaches.

However, most spam comes from outside Australia where the laws aren’t the same. In the United States spam is legal under the CAN-SPAM Act until you opt out. Unsurprisingly, the US tops the list of countries where the most spam originates.

Although spam sent to Australia from overseas can still breach the Spam Act – and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) co-operates with overseas regulators – overseas enforcement actions are difficult and expensive, especially if the spammer has disguised their true identity and location.

It’s worth noting that messages from political parties, registered charities and government bodies aren’t prohibited – nor are messages from educational institutions to students and former students. So while you might consider these messages as “spam”, they can legally be sent freely without consent. Factual messages (without marketing content) from businesses are also legal as long as they include accurate sender details and contact information.

Moreover, the Spam Act generally only covers spam sent via email, SMS/MMS or instant messaging services, such as WhatsApp. Voice calls and faxes aren’t covered (although you can use the Do Not Call Register to block some commercial calls).

Read more:
AI-generated spam may soon be flooding your inbox — and it will be personalized to be especially persuasive

Staying safe from spam (and cyberattacks)

Spam isn’t only annoying, it can also be dangerous. Spam messages can contain indecent images, scams and phishing attempts. Some have malware (malicious software) designed to break into computer networks and cause harm, such as by stealing data or money, or shutting down systems.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre and ACMA provide useful tips for reducing the spam you get and your risk of being hit by cyberattacks. They suggest to:

1. use a spam filter and block spammers – email and telecommunications providers often supply useful tools as part of their services

2. unsubscribe from any emails you no longer want to receive – even if you originally agreed to receive them

3. remove as much of your contact details from websites as you can and always restrict the sharing of your personal information (such as name, birth date, email address and mobile number) when you can – beware of pre-ticked boxes asking for your consent to receive marketing emails

4. install cybersecurity updates for your devices and software as you get them

5. always think twice about opening emails or clicking on links, especially for messages promising rewards or asking for personal information – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is

6. use multi-factor authentication to access online services so even if a scam compromises your login details, it will still be difficult for hackers to break into your accounts

7. report spam to your email and telecommunications providers, and to ACMA.

Read more:
Australians lost more than $3bn to scammers in 2022. Here are 5 emerging scams to look out for

Kayleen Manwaring receives funding from the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law & Innovation, and the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre.

– ref. Why do I get so much spam and unwanted email in my inbox? And how can I get rid of it? – https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-get-so-much-spam-and-unwanted-email-in-my-inbox-and-how-can-i-get-rid-of-it-208665

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marilynne N Kirshbaum, Professor and Chair of the Human Research Ethics Committee, Charles Darwin University

In one pivotal instant your life has changed and there will be no turning back. How will you accept, adjust and adapt to being “someone who has cancer”?

Well, first, you are still the same person. But now you have a definitive diagnosis calling for your immediate attention.

There are hundreds of kinds of cancer, distinguished and identified according to site, type of cell involved, aggressiveness and evidence of spread. These are the critical details you need to know as you begin to understand what is going on in your body.

There will be much to learn and understand about the disease and prognosis; social, emotional, sexual and spiritual effects; treatments, therapies and their side-effects; work implications and how all these opportunities and challenges will be intertwined.

But you don’t need to do everything at once. In time, and with support, you’ll be able to move forward with poise, strength, calm and intelligence.

Read more:
Cancer is rising in under-50s – but the causes are a mystery

Emotions will vary – from you and others

Whatever your usual demeanour and emotional state, be ready for some surprises. This will be a period of uncertainty. Expect to find yourself experiencing the full gamut of reactions such as shock, anger, grief and guilt, along with warm and deep feelings of love, compassion and gratitude for the people and environment that surround you.

In the first few days, you might want to limit who you tell about your diagnosis or keep your news private to give yourself a chance to adjust without interference. Because, although well meaning, some people will react in unexpected ways and might cause you distress rather than be truly supportive or helpful.

Some people will be inclined to ask lots of questions, but you may not have all the answers. They might want to tell you other people’s stories, which you might not want or be ready to hear yet.

You have the option to completely accept the guidance of health-care professionals, who will give you the information they think you need at the time and direct you to further diagnostic tests and appointments.

However, you may want to know more about the type of cancer you have, the treatments being recommended, all possible side effects and seek out other sources. This will place the information you have received into perspective and will inform further questions. It is important to find resources that are credible.

Continuing work might be beneficial

For working people, the decision about returning to work will depend on how you feel and the flexibility of your workplace.

Assuming your body is up to it and it’s not a period where you will be immunosuppressed and susceptible to harmful effects of infections, work done at a steady pace is usually not only a boost to finances, but will have cognitive, social and emotional benefits.

The strategy here is to do a risk assessment of your job. Specify the challenges and discuss how they could be reduced with your manager. If you are your own boss, be flexible and kind.

Responding to cancer-related fatigue

The most common side effect of living with cancer (before, during and after all types of treatment) is a specific kind of extreme tiredness and lethargy called cancer-related fatigue.

Sometimes it appears alongside non-clinical depression and hopelessness. Some people can feel so awful they decline medical treatment, but for the majority, this type of fatigue gets in the way of enjoying life.

Read more:
We asked ChatGPT and Dr Google the same questions about cancer. Here’s what they said

Research on the most effective interventions to reduce cancer-related fatigue has evaluated a range of approaches, including medications and complementary therapies. Assuming the cause is not anaemia, which can be treated by a transfusion, the strongest evidence recommends physical, moderately aerobic exercise, often defined as “enough to break a sweat”.

However, for those who are not able to exercise at a moderate level – for example, if the cancer has metastasised to bones or if lung capacity is compromised – less physically demanding approaches can be valuable.

Prioritising things that bring you joy

A “joyful freedom” approach to cancer-related fatigue aims to bring back vitality through subtle, lifestyle adjustments. It’s a framework researchers developed based on a series of studies.

The first task is to list activities that bring joy. Then categorise each joy according to five attributes of energy-restoring activities:

• purposeful
• expansive
• connecting
• awe-inspiring
• nourishing.

This will raise awareness of how to best spend limited amounts of physical, emotional and cognitive energy.

Consider adding more of what brings joy into your life and remove some of the energy-depleting activities you do not enjoy. Making small changes can have a profound effect on your energy levels and give you the boost you need to live well with cancer.

In an ideal, well resourced national health service, GPs and specialist nurses would be available to provide holistic health promotion support for people with cancer. Realistically, this is rarely offered through mainstream public services. These services are more widely available in the private sector, or you may be able to find what you need through your local Cancer Council.

Read more:
Olivia Newton-John gave a voice to those with cancer and shifted the focus to the life of survivors

Marilynne N Kirshbaum 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. I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer, now what? – https://theconversation.com/ive-just-been-diagnosed-with-cancer-now-what-211522

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julia Talbot-Jones, Senior lecturer in Environmental Economy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

For more than 25 years, New Zealanders have consistently rated freshwater health as one of their leading environmental concerns. But the issue is strikingly absent from the 2023 election campaign.

Debate of the controversial new water reform law – which places the management of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater with ten publicly owned entities instead of local councils – has been noticeably muted.

Read more:
With the Three Waters reforms under fire, let’s not forget that safe and affordable water is a human right

Similarly, discussions of the 2020 Essential Freshwater package, which was the government’s response to New Zealanders listing freshwater as the second most important policy issue in 2017, are nowhere to be seen.

Part of the reason could be that the regulatory approach of the Essential Freshwater package has met resistance from farmers and landowners who feel growing pressure from compounding environmental regulations.

Given this, the continued absence of environmental markets for addressing scarcity and improving freshwater quality in New Zealand streams and rivers is a marked policy omission.

Elsewhere in the world, water trading can help improve efficiency and drive water conservation. Trading helps to shift water from low-value to high-value uses or from areas with relative abundance to places of relative scarcity.

Motivated by what we observe in New Zealand and internationally, our new research offers an innovative, alternative approach for managing freshwater in small catchments.

Read more:
Report shows New Zealand’s ‘fragmented’ environmental research funding doesn’t match most urgent needs

Freshwater and property rights

Freshwater is allocated on a “first come, first served” basis in New Zealand. Since 1991, consents or permits have been granted to water users by local authorities under the Resource Management Act (RMA), usually for periods of up to 30 years.

Although these consents act as de-facto property rights to water, they are not defined as such under the RMA. This makes water “rights” open to interpretation when challenged under law.

Consent holders are also unable to easily trade and exchange their rights. This means water is not necessarily used in the most efficient or effective way. This potentially exacerbates issues of over-allocation and declining water quality.

Part of the ambiguity around water rights is driven by unresolved questions about proprietary rights and Māori interests in water that have arisen because of inconsistent translations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These complexities make the establishment of property rights to freshwater complicated, with run-on effects for the types of policy tools that can be adopted.

Formal water markets, like those in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, require property rights to be well defined, defended and divestible. They also have several institutional preconditions, such as low transaction costs and a large number of active traders. These make them appear poorly suited for many small New Zealand catchments.

However, our research suggests that designing water markets as “clubs” could circumvent some of the institutional challenges of implementing formal trading regimes in small New Zealand catchments.

Water clubs: a new model for small catchments

Unlike other countries characterised by large river basins and many active water users, many parts of New Zealand have small catchments with few active users.

Economic theory argues these contexts are unsuitable for formal trading arrangements because the transaction costs associated with establishing an active water market are likely to outweigh any potential efficiency gains from trade.

Designing (or redesigning) water markets as clubs could get around some of the political and economic complexities of New Zealand’s freshwater policy landscape by permitting small groups of users with shared interests to voluntarily trade their water endowment under certain conditions.

In small catchments, the introduction of trading at the group level has the potential to increase the public-good aspects of water such as water quality. It could also improve community wellbeing and encourage people to internalise the costs they may be imposing on other group members.

Read more:
Murray River water sales: better for farmers and the environment

We also find the club model performs best when the number of active traders is low. This challenges the common assumptions regarding group size and effective market performance.

These results suggest that if water users, such as a group of like-minded farmers involved in a catchment group, were given permission to trade their water consent with other members of their group, they could improve the health of the environment.

They could also enhance the net benefits of their own private agricultural production, compared with the current regulatory status quo.

Although this new “club model” does not comprehensively address the outstanding issues of Māori rights and interests in freshwater, it provides an innovative way to adapt a trading regime to suit New Zealand’s political and geographical context.

Surely innovation is something political leaders would want to discuss on the campaign trail.

Funding from the Royal Society Te Apārangi (VUW2006) helped support this research. Julia also leads the freshwater programme at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.

Yigit Saglam 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. Freshwater quality is one of New Zealanders’ biggest concerns – water-trading ‘clubs’ could be part of the solution – https://theconversation.com/freshwater-quality-is-one-of-new-zealanders-biggest-concerns-water-trading-clubs-could-be-part-of-the-solution-213745

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kit MacFarlane, Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, University of South Australia

Professional wrestling may seem to exist on the fringes of mainstream pop culture, but it has a bigger cultural bootprint locally and internationally than many people might realise. A long-established performance art, wrestling moved onto screens in the early days of television and is still big business for TV, live events and streaming.

A company like WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) has the economic clout to have cities bidding for the right to hold major events. Its ongoing partnership with Saudi Arabia has also led to serious concerns about the company aiding Saudi Arabia in “sportswashing” human rights abuses.

Perth is the latest city with a connection to WWE – a major show is set to be held in its 60,000-seat Optus Arena and streamed internationally after negotiations with the WA government. Government partnerships like this seemingly reduce or remove financial risks for organisations such as WWE while allowing governments to promote tourism benefits.

Right now, pro wrestling is breaking its audience and ticket revenue records and there’s no indication that its presence as a pop culture staple is going to diminish any time soon. This makes wrestling an important part of pop culture discussions that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Breaking records

Earlier this year, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), a US-based wrestling promotion founded in 2019, announced that its All In show would be held at Wembley Stadium in August. Fans and the wrestling media immediately began speculating about how many people would actually show up to see a relatively new wrestling company in the UK’s largest (and Europe’s second largest) stadium.

That number was announced triumphantly at the show as 81,305 people (live paid attendance) from more than 70 countries filled the stadium. It was reportedly a new paid attendance record for professional wrestling.

It followed hot on the heels of WWE announcing its own record-setting gate numbers for its two-night event Wrestlemania 40 next year.

WWE reported that in one day it surpassed its previous record gate of US$21.6 million (A$33.5 million) for the two-night Wrestlemania 39.

What do these numbers actually mean?

With all the focus on numbers, whether AEW’s 2023 All In event was actually pro wrestling’s largest event has led to considerable fan debate.

There are likely bigger numbers in the past, such as a controversial 1995 show in North Korea, where the crowd may have been required by the government to attend, or a 1933 event in Athens where Jim Londos faced Kola Kwariani.

WWE has actually announced previous attendance figures well above AEW’s announced number, such as 93,173 for 1987’s Wrestlemania III (featuring Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant) and 101,762 for 2016’s Wrestlemania 32 (featuring Triple H vs Roman Reigns).

While these events drew crowds among the highest in wrestling history, the numbers that WWE announces at their shows are broadly recognised as being “for entertainment purposes only” – which is a polite way of saying they’re made up.

There was so much interest in AEW’s announced numbers (and whether or not All In 2023 was really the largest pro wrestling event in history), a Freedom of Information request was lodged with Brent Borough Council.

This brought the response that:

actual numbers registered entering the Stadium through the turnstiles was 72,265 […] reflective of what attended on the night and not the total number of tickets sold or no-shows.

Exactly what wrestling record AEW has a claim to remains hotly contested by fans.

Do these records matter?

However reliable or relevant the numbers may be, AEW’s Wembley show is still likely to create some ripples. AEW has already announced their return to Wembley in 2024.

The fact a new attendance record was widely accepted as being from a relatively new company isn’t likely to be overlooked by sports entertainment behemoth WWE. WWE has responded strongly to competitors in the past and is currently facing an anti-trust lawsuit by a smaller wrestling promotion company, which accuses WWE of “monopolistic actions and anti-competitive conduct, as well as antitrust injury”.

While AEW’s Wembley success (record-breaking or not) might be a sign that it represents a real competitor in the world of professional wrestling, the relatively new company still has a long way to go before it has the cultural footprint and financial rights deals of WWE. AEW’s primary US TV ratings and attendance levels also have a way to go.

What does it mean for fans?

How much these records mean really depends a lot on how you find value in culture. Certainly, pop culture fans on social media can often find themselves in a state of tension between evaluating art and culture on a personal level (do I enjoy it?) and being attuned to its business performance and success as a commercial product (do other people enjoy it?).

Pro wrestling can encourage fans to focus on business. WWE’s self-written history regularly focuses on its victory in a 1990s-2000s TV ratings “war” that saw the end (and WWE takeover) of rival company WCW (World Championship Wrestling).

For some fans, records, ratings and numbers can be signs of wrestling’s overall cultural health. For others, they can be ammunition in another perceived ratings “war”. Resources such as Wrestlenomics and Wrestletix allow fans access to this type of ongoing information.

Wrestling probably isn’t going anywhere.

Pro wrestling was a key part of early television and remains a strong, if often overlooked, presence in the pop culture TV and streaming landscape today. Up ahead, there are also some big-name movies on the way, in production and rumoured.

With governments actively seeking corporate connections for local economic boosts, the need for ongoing scrutiny from the media into a powerful and scandal-ridden, but often-ignored, industry becomes even more pressing.

Read more:
How ‘witch-hunts’ and ‘Stockholm syndrome’ became part of political language (and what it has to do with wrestling)

Whether we’re talking about art and “acts of creativity”, business, the importance of representation, moments that have an impact, or finding ways to hold some of the media’s deeply concerning powerbrokers and cultures to account, there are plenty of reasons to make sure pro wrestling is part of any discussions about the modern pop culture landscape.

Kit MacFarlane 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. Smashing records (and chairs): why pro wrestling is having a moment both in Australia and overseas – https://theconversation.com/smashing-records-and-chairs-why-pro-wrestling-is-having-a-moment-both-in-australia-and-overseas-212786

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University

Victoria has led the states and territories in setting out a detailed housing statement that it says will help tackle the state’s housing shortage.

Broad in scope and ambition, the plan includes new dwelling supply targets for Melbourne and regional Victoria, new fast-track deadlines for dwelling approvals and legislative reforms to protect private tenants.

There are also major place-based initiatives that, if successful, will transform Melbourne as a city. These include the re-purposing of its 44 high-rise public housing towers, a new planning act, as well as a freshly minted tax on short-term rentals to help fund more social housing.

There is a lot to be done, but do the individual initiatives stack up as a coherent package and, more importantly, will they deliver the policy goods?

One answer to that is to be found in its vision. Instead of addressing itself to colourful and culturally significant questions that surround housing – such as whether or not the government wishes all Victorians to live in a home of their own or in secure social housing – the statement sets itself a much less interesting challenge.

Affordable housing and plenty of it

Top of the list is the need for more housing, for as the premier put it in his introduction to the statement, “It’s a simple proposition: build more homes, and they’ll be more affordable”.

And more housing delivered faster is said to be needed because of a booming population. Gone are the pandemic-era years of population decline. Victoria is now the fastest growing state in the country, with 3.5 million more people expected to arrive over the next 28 years.

Read more:
The Greens were right to pass Australia’s Housing Future Fund bill – the case for further delay was weak

The number one goal is to build 800,000 new dwellings over the next decade, with 250,000 or almost a third of these to be a product of the housing statement.

That’s a powerful if uninspiring goal, but the statement has little detail of where all those dwellings are to come from. We do know 60,000 are to come from ten new activity centres, 13,000 from streamlined planning regulations for medium and high density developments overseen by the planning minister instead of councils. Another 10,000 will result from converting commercial buildings to residential, and 9,000 from using surplus government land.

What about the backlog of local council approvals that figured prominently in the pre-statement publicity? Well that amounts to only 1,400 permits as it turns out, with an indeterminate number being held up perhaps for good reason.

Around 10,000 will come from new social and affordable housing, accounting for barely 4% of the planned additional supply. By way of contrast, the plan is expected to boost the supply of private rental accommodation by 70,000, or 28% of the new stock. That’s not good news for Generation Rent, which might have been hoping for new ladders into homes of their own.

But the statement is by no means bad news for tenants. There are new initiatives designed to bolster tenant rights, including a ban on rental bidding, establishing a new rental disputes agency, and restricting landlords’ ability to raise rents in between successive fixed-term rental agreements.

Who might be the statement’s biggest winners? That would be the building industry and the developers who drive new housing supply. This is a statement that promises them more work more quickly with lower costs. Those lower costs will come even if those dwellings are not built, and it is here that the biggest problems with the statement are to be found.

Potential problems

Victoria’s housing system depends heavily on private markets, which in turn depend on consumers willing and able to fund them. Declining real incomes, insecure work together with HECS debts for graduates provide the unmentioned backdrop to the housing statement.

Today’s high interest rate environment is not one that is conducive to increased dwelling supply or improved affordability, and the current record level of migration sits next door to it as a housing policy contradiction.

Read more:
Governments are pouring money into housing but materials, land and labour are still in short supply

Yes town planners play a role, but research shows new housing supply may not be the problem it has been made out to be, including by respected economists at the RBA.

Researchers have also pointed out planning laws and regulations have been subjected to countless reviews and reforms over the last two decades, including the introduction of a variety of fast tracks and templates, with no discernible impact on housing supply or affordability.

For all its ambition, the Victorian government’s housing statement sets bold targets, but has no clear means to achieve them. It offers a lot of individual initiatives, but in the end can be criticised for offering no compelling vision.

David Hayward Chaired the Victorian government’s Review of Social Housing Regulation (completed June 2022).

– ref. Victoria’s housing plan is bold and packed with initiatives. But can it be delivered? – https://theconversation.com/victorias-housing-plan-is-bold-and-packed-with-initiatives-but-can-it-be-delivered-213974

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nora Campbell, PhD Candidate, UNSW Sydney

Have you ever wondered what a kangaroo’s social life looks like? Well, kangaroos have stronger bonds to one another than you might think.

Over six years, we monitored a population of around 130 eastern grey kangaroos near Wollar in New South Wales to see how their relationships changed over time. Keeping tabs on individual roos led to some surprising results.

We found that kangaroo mothers become more social when caring for joeys (which is the opposite of what we previously thought). We also uncovered new evidence that indicates kangaroos could potentially form long-term relationships.

This research, published in Animal Behaviour, sheds new light on the behaviour of Australia’s most iconic animal.

How to watch kangaroos

Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) are found throughout the eastern third of Australia, and they are extremely social animals.

If you’re lucky enough to have some living near you, you’ll notice they are rarely alone. What you might not notice is how often their small groups (called mobs) fluctuate throughout the day.

Kangaroos have a loose “fission–fusion” social structure, which means mobs often split and reform. Knowing this, we wanted to see just how strong kangaroo relationships actually are, and how these relationships changed over several years.

To find out, we spent a few days each year taking photographs of every single kangaroo in our study population. We then used these photographs (all 3,546 of them!) to individually identify each kangaroo.

The best way to tell kangaroos apart (for humans) is the unique shape of their ears, because both the outline of the ears and the inner ear tufts remain very similar throughout the years. New scars can change the overall ear shape, but we were careful to watch out for those.

Using this method, we identified 130 individual kangaroos. We then looked at which kangaroos appeared next to each other in the same photograph to get an idea of what their social groups looked like.

We also gave each kangaroo a social score based on how many other kangaroos they associated with and how “popular” these associates were.

Suprising sociability

There are usually a couple of difficulties in this sort of long-term animal study, such as identifying individual animals and being able to follow the same population over several years. These problems are easily avoided with kangaroos, as our photographic survey let us identify animals without invasive tagging, and they tend to return to the same place every day.

We could easily look at the short-term and long-term relationships of each kangaroo, as well as how these relationships varied with sex, age and reproduction.

Looking at sociability on an individual level produced some surprising results.

Read more:
Animal friendships are surprisingly like our own

We discovered some kangaroos were just more social than others. In some this was consistent, and in others it changed from year to year.

In fact, we found female kangaroos tended to be much more social in years when they had joeys. This is quite different from earlier research, which suggested kangaroos actually tend to isolate from the rest of the population when they become mothers.

What we think is happening here is that, while mothers tend to spend time in smaller groups (which is what other studies have shown), those groups change often. As a result, mothers associate with more other kangaroos in total – which would account for their high social scores.

So kangaroos’ loose social structure allows them to adjust their sociability with their reproductive state.

Long-term friendships?

However, the fact the social structure is loose doesn’t mean it is simple. We found kangaroo relationships might be far more complex than previously thought.

Some of our kangaroos maintained friendships across multiple years, a phenomenon that was particularly common among females. Kangaroos that were more “popular” – as determined by the social score we calculated – were far more likely to have these friendships.

This is the first evidence for long-term relationships in macropods (the animal family that includes kangaroos as well as wallabies, quokkas and others). However, long-term relationships are common in other large, social herbivores such as elephants, giraffes and ibex.

We only looked at the kangaroos for a short time each year. To find out whether they really do form long-term relationships, we will need to do more research. However, we have shown such relationships are a possibility, which is itself a very exciting development in the study of kangaroo behaviour.

The importance of social organisation

So what’s next? The study of animal behaviour is constantly changing and there’s always lots more we can learn.

We have shown the benefits of looking at animal populations on an individual level, not just a species level. With this in mind, future research should investigate the existence of long-term relationships in kangaroos, as well as why female kangaroos might deliberately increase their sociability when they become mothers.

We often underestimate the importance of social organisation in animals. Further research into kangaroo behaviour can help us better appreciate the intelligence and social complexity of our favourite marsupials.

Read more:
Mother roos endanger health for joeys

Nora Campbell receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (RTP) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Funding for this research was provided by the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) and the Science Faculty at UNSW.

– ref. The social lives of kangaroos are more complex than we thought – https://theconversation.com/the-social-lives-of-kangaroos-are-more-complex-than-we-thought-213770

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Bushell, Clinical Assistant Professor in Pharmacy, University of Canberra

Spring has sprung and many people are welcoming longer days and more time outdoors. But for almost one in five Australians, spring also brings the misery of watery, itchy red eyes, a runny, congested nose, and sneezing.

Hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis) is caused when an allergen enters the nose or eyes. Allergens are harmless airborne substances the body has incorrectly identified as harmful. This triggers an immune response, which leads to the release of inflammatory chemicals (mediators) – one of which is histamine.

Allergens that trigger hay fever differ from person to person. Common seasonal allergens include tree, grass and weed pollens (year-round allergens include dust mites, mould and pet dander). It’s now pollen season in many parts of Australia, with pollen counts at their highest and hay fever cases surging.

So what medicines can prevent or reduce hay fever symptoms, and how do they work?

Read more:
Do I have COVID or hay fever? Here’s how to tell

Antihistamines

Knowing the release of histamine is a cause of hay fever symptoms, it’s unsurprising that anti-histamines are one of the most frequently recommended medicines to treat hay fever.

Antihistamines block histamine from binding to histamine receptors in the body and having an effect, reducing symptoms.

In Australia, we broadly have two types. The older sedating (introduced in the 1940s) and newer, less-sedating (introduced in the 1980s) antihistamines.

Less-sedating antihistamines used to treat allergic rhinitis include bilastine (Allertine), cetirizine (Zyrtec), loratadine (Claratyne) and fexofenadine (Telfast). Bilastine, which came onto the Australian market only last year, is only available from a pharmacy, on recommendation from a pharmacist. The others have been around longer and are available at supermarkets and in larger quantities from pharmacies. Cetirizine is the most likely (of the less-sedating antihistamines) to cause sedation.

The older sedating antihistamines (such as promethazine) cross the blood-brain barrier, causing drowsiness and even brain fog the next day. They have lots of side effects and potential drug interactions, and as such have little place in the management of hay fever.

The newer less-sedating antihistamines are equally effective as the older sedating ones.

Antihistamines are usually taken orally (as a tablet or solution) but there are also topical preparations such as nasal sprays (azelastine) and eye drops. Antihistamine nasal sprays have equal to or better efficacy than oral antihistamines.

The individual response to antihistamines varies widely. For this reason, you may need to trial several different types of antihistamines to see which one works best for you.

Increasing the dose of an antihistamine, or combining an oral and topical antihistamine, does not provide any additional benefit. Paying extra for a brand name doesn’t offer any more or less effect than the generic (both have the same active ingredient and are bioequivalent, which means they have the same outcomes for patients).

Steroid nasal sprays

If your symptoms don’t improve from antihistamines alone, a nasal spray containing a corticosteroid is often recommended.

Corticosteroids prevent the release of several key chemicals that cause inflammation. How they work is complex: in part, corticosteroids “turn off” the production of late phase inflammatory mediators (cytokines and chemokines). This reduces the future release of more inflammatory mediators, which reduces inflammation.

Corticosteroids and antihistamines have different mechanisms of action. Research shows corticosteroid nasal sprays are more effective than antihistamines in controlling an itchy, runny, congested nose. But when instilled into the nose, corticosteroids also reduce the eye symptoms of hay fever.

There are also nasal sprays that contain both an antihistamine and corticosteroid.

Read more:
Sneezing with hay fever? Native plants aren’t usually the culprit

While there are a range of corticosteroid nasal sprays containing different active ingredients, a large study published this year shows they are all about as effective as each other, and work best when they have been taken for several days.

Sodium cromoglycate

Another medicine used to treat hay fever symptoms is sodium cromoglycate, which is available as an eye drop and over-the-counter in pharmacies.

This medicine is known as a mast cell stabiliser. As the name suggests, it stabilises or prevents mast cells from breaking down. When mast cells break down, they release histamine and other chemicals that cause inflammation.

This eye drop is both a preventative and treatment medicine, usually used before allergies strike. Evidence shows it is effective at reducing the symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis (eye inflammation from allergies).

Decongestants

Decongestants constrict blood vessels. They can be taken orally, administered as a nasal spray, or instilled into the eyes. When administered into the eyes it will reduce redness, and when administered into the nose, it will stop it from running.

However, decongestants should be used for a short duration only and are not for long term use. In fact, if a nasal spray decongestant is used for more than five days, you can experience something called “rebound congestion”: a severe stuffy nose.

Saline

Saline (saltwater) nasal sprays or irrigation products are also available to flush out the allergens and provide hay fever relief. While there are not many studies in the area, there is evidence that saline irrigation may reduce hay fever symptoms. Saline is safe and is not associated with adverse effects.

If you’re suffering from hay fever symptoms and unsure what to try, talk to your prescriber or pharmacist, who can guide you through the options and identify the best one for your symptoms, medical conditions and medicines.

Allergen immunotherapy (or allergen shots) is another option hay fever sufferers may discuss with their doctors. However it’s not a quick fix, with therapy taking three to five years.

Read more:
I’m considering allergen immunotherapy for my hay fever. What do I need to know?

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

– ref. How do hay fever treatments actually work? And what’s best for my symptoms? – https://theconversation.com/how-do-hay-fever-treatments-actually-work-and-whats-best-for-my-symptoms-213071

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Macau, Associate Dean – School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University

As Australia’s housing affordability crisis worsens, governments are spending more on housing.

Victoria’s Andrews government has announced a suite of reforms (such as boosting social housing and making planning processes faster) in an effort to get 800,000 extra homes in Victoria over the next decade.

Federally, the Albanese government’s A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, or HAFF, has passed the Senate with the help of the Greens, who supported the bill in exchange for another A$1 billion for social housing.

And this year’s federal budget has expanded eligibility for the Home Guarantee Scheme so more people can buy a home with a smaller deposit.

But is Australia ready for a house construction boom?

Supply chain constraints say no. Ballooning construction costs and labour shortages have already claimed well-known building firms across the country. Delivering thousands of extra new homes in the coming years will not be easy.

Read more:
The Greens were right to pass Australia’s Housing Future Fund bill – the case for further delay was weak

Materials are hard to get

Building a home requires the right materials at the right time. But many building materials are in short supply.

Timber is a good example. The Master Builders Association highlights there are still pressures on timber and wood supplies.

This imbalance between supply and demand for construction materials can be traced back to the HomeBuilder program, which saw over 138,000 Australians applying for a grant to build or renovate.

The number of new dwellings commenced went from 41,855 in September 2020 to a peak of 67,306 in July 2021 – an increase of 60% in less than a year.

Typically, a spike in demand is met by imports. But soaring shipping costs during the pandemic conspired with restrictions to timber imports from Russia to send global markets into disarray.

Tim Reardon, Chief Economist for the Housing Industry Association reckons housing supply issues will not get any better soon. The federal government’s National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation expects housing supply will only recover by 2025-26.

Demand pressures will continue. As it is, there are lots of unfinished homes around the country.

Labour and land are also in short supply

Building a home is labour intensive. Finding roofers, bricklayers, carpenters, tilers, landscapers and other construction workers has not been easy.

Australia’s record low unemployment rates and a global rise in labour shortages have made it hard for builders to find the workers they need to finish jobs. Delays are common.

Some skill sets are in even higher demand, as workers flock to oil and gas, mining, and infrastructure projects. In Western Australia, for example, research has shown a shortage of construction managers, handy persons, and civil engineering professionals.

Then, there is the question of land. Greenfield projects (new developments on the city fringes) typically see fast approvals, fast sales, and good profit.

But suburbs alone cannot deliver the demand that is coming, thanks to the Housing Australia Future Fund and the other government initiatives.

There is a growing consensus more has to be done to increase urban density (in other words, apartments) next to mass transit hubs.

But this isn’t easy either. Not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) critics abound and demand for standalone houses remains strong as people pursue the “great Australian dream” of a large house on a large block of land.

So how can we strengthen supply?

These issues in materials, labour, and land will not solve themselves. Pouring more money into the housing market without addressing supply shortages will only increase prices.

So, what initiatives can really address the housing supply crisis? Options include:

• reducing import taxes on materials like construction timber and steel frames to boost short-term supply (while adhering to long-term strategies to address future demand)

• supporting new technologies in the construction industry (the federal government’s Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation program, which enables the use of innovative technology for timber production, is one example)

• increasing skilled migration to boost labour supply (Western Australia’s Construction Visa Subsidy Program, which targets skilled migrants to the construction sector, shows what’s possible)

• embracing manufactured homes (modular construction, for example, can increase labour productivity, reduce costs and mitigate the effects of weather delays)

• making it easier to release land for development, especially in urban areas (for example, the Victoria government is investing $40 million in red-tape busting measures).

The housing crisis in Australia is far from over. Without coordinated action to increase supply, government grants will have little practical effect on house affordability anytime soon.

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. Governments are pouring money into housing but materials, land and labour are still in short supply – https://theconversation.com/governments-are-pouring-money-into-housing-but-materials-land-and-labour-are-still-in-short-supply-205471

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stuti Bhatnagar, Research Fellow (Asian Security), Australian National University

The diplomatic fallout continues to worsen over Monday’s shocking accusation by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that India was behind the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader and Canadian citizen, outside a Sikh temple in Canada earlier this year.

Trudeau said Tuesday after the Canadian government expelled a senior member of India’s foreign intelligence agency:

India – and the government of India – needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness.

India strongly rejected the allegations and expelled one of Canada’s top diplomats in retaliation, adding further tension to an already strained relationship.

What is the Khalistan movement?

Nijjar had been a designated “terrorist” by the Indian government in 2020 for his leadership role in a movement advocating for a separate Sikh state to be carved out of the Indian state of Punjab called Khalistan (the land of the Khalsa).

The history of the Khalistan movement is complex. It is, in its most simplistic form, a demand for a distinct homeland for the Sikhs. It was most active in the 1980s as a result of widespread dissatisfaction with the economic, social and political conditions for Sikhs in post-independence India.

The partition of Punjab between Pakistan and India in 1947 created fear and disaffection in the Sikh community. They suddenly found themselves divided between a Muslim-majority Pakistan and a predominantly Hindu India. In 1966, Punjab was divided again, this time on linguistic lines, as a new Hindi-speaking state of Haryana was carved out of the region.

Read more:
Is a Sikh separatist movement seeing a resurgence four decades after sparking terror in India?

Punjab’s Sikh community was also impacted by India’s Green Revolution, an initiative in the late 1960s to improve agricultural production. While this benefited Punjab economically, it created resentment among Sikhs due to the inequitable distribution of wealth, the lack of non-agricultural development and the central government’s monopoly over agricultural policy.

Another issue contributing to the Sikhs’ sense of injustice was the diversion of water from the Sutlej River that flowed through Punjab to the neighbouring states of Haryana and Rajasthan.

All this resentment was given a voice in the late 1970s by the Sikh preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who claimed the government was discriminating against Sikhs and intentionally undermining Sikh identity. Bhindranwale soon became a prominent political leader in Punjab, ultimately taking up residence in the Golden Temple complex in the city of Amritsar, one of the Sikhs’ holiest sites. He established something of a parallel government there, fortified with weapons.

To dispel Bhindranwale and the militants from the Golden Temple, the Indian army launched Operation Bluestar in June 1984. The operation further angered the Sikh population, including the large diaspora around the world, for the desecration of the holy site.

The resentment only worsened when more than 2,700 Sikhs (as per government estimates) were killed in New Delhi by rampaging mobs after the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in November 1984. Within Punjab, this was a period of violence and draconian policing measures used to suppress the separatist movement.

Farmer protests in New Delhi in 2020–21, led predominantly by Sikhs from Punjab, brought the issue of Khalistan back into the public eye. Supporters in Punjab began advocating for the potential revival of the movement. Government actors also cited this possibility as a way to delegitimise the protests.

The Indian government has also claimed for years that Pakistan has provided support to exiled Khalistani groups to promote disharmony in India.

Then, earlier this year, Amritpal Singh – a self-styled Sikh preacher – was arrested after reviving calls for an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab. This stirred fears of renewed violence and reignited debates on a very polarising issue.

Read more:
Justin Trudeau’s India accusation complicates western efforts to rein in China

‘O Canada’

The Khalistan movement has always had a transnational character. The Indian army’s operation in Amritsar and the anti-Sikh violence in 1984 created an enduring memory for many Sikhs that has transcended India’s borders.

The Khalistan movement found supporters among the large and scattered Sikh diaspora, predominantly in Canada, the UK and Australia. Canada is home to the largest Sikh population outside Punjab, comprising more than 2% of the country’s population. It also has significant political representation.

Canadian-based Sikh organisations were blamed for the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight from Toronto to London, which killed 329 people onboard. One man acquitted in the attack was shot dead last year in the same Canadian town where Nijjar was gunned down in June.

The Indian government has repeatedly claimed the Khalistan movement remains active with the support of militants continuing to operate in Canada. New Delhi has repeatedly accused Ottawa of giving safe haven to “Khalistani terrorists and extremists”.

The Indian government was further outraged in 2019 when the Trudeau government removed mentions of Khalistan and “Sikh extremism” from a public report on terror threats to Canada.

And in recent years, New Delhi has been dismayed by public referendums on the creation of an independent Khalistan state, which have been held intermittently in Canada, the UK, Australia and other countries.

Owing to these issues, India-Canada ties have been on a rapid decline. In recent days, New Delhi paused talks on a landmark free-trade agreement between the countries over Ottawa’s perceived support for separatist groups in Canada. This followed a frosty exchange between Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in New Delhi.

India has largely avoided criticism for its own dwindling record on human rights as it has grown closer to the US, Australia and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years. Whether this changes following Canada’s accusations, however, remains to be seen.

Australia said it was “deeply concerned” by the allegations of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing. A UK government spokesperson also called the allegations “serious” but said the two countries would continue negotiating their own trade deal.

There are likely to be more public and diplomatic ramifications of this incident in the months to come.

Read more:
Who are the Sikhs and what are their beliefs?

Stuti Bhatnagar 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. Explainer: what is the Khalistan movement sparking a diplomatic feud between India and Canada? – https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-khalistan-movement-sparking-a-diplomatic-feud-between-india-and-canada-213860

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yvette Grant, PhD (Dance) Candidate and Dance History Tutor, The University of Melbourne

Last year when, The Australian Ballet announced their 2023 season and I saw a “new” Swan Lake on the list, I asked myself: did we really need another Swan Lake?

I love Swan Lake.

First staged by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow in 1877 – but most known for its 1895 version staged by the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg – it is the ballet which makes most sense as a pure classical ballet with its castles of parading royalty, its princes and princesses performing in crowded ballrooms and its lake of gliding swans.

Indeed, had classical pointe shoes not existed prior, they would have been a great invention for this ballet alone, enabling the fast tippy-toe footwork (bourrées) which transform the dancers into swans gracefully skimming across the surface of a lake. And tutus, sometimes strange in other contexts, in this ballet look like the white swans they aim to evoke.

Tchaikovsky’s score is powerful, narrative and broadly familiar. Petipa’s 1895 choreography is held in such esteem that it has been largely unchanged for 128 years.

But there are two questions here: do we really need to continue performing Swan Lake? And, if so, how often do we need a new one?

In their 60-year history, this will be The Australian Ballet’s fifth take on Swan Lake and each new iteration takes more rehearsal time, more new sets and new costumes, and much more budget.

And when we see Swan Lake again, it takes the budget and programming from another possible production, perhaps an Australian ballet by an Australian choreographer.

So, how does David Hallberg’s 2023 Swan Lake stack up?

Read more:
The West Australian Ballet’s Swan Lake brings the story to Perth – but the Noongar elements never feel completely integrated

Reborn from the archive

Well, firstly, it is clearly stated on the company’s website that the production was entirely funded through philanthropy, so it hasn’t directly cost the public purse.

Secondly, it is not being called a “new” Swan Lake, but rather a revival of former artistic director Anne Woolliams’ 1977 version, which draws heavily on the Petipa 1895 choreography, with a few tweaks to bring it into the 21st century.

As such, it is an engagement with the company’s history and a cultural remembering of an important figure from the past – indeed an important and controversial woman choreographer from the company’s past. Woolliams didn’t see out her contract as artistic director stating publicly that she refused to have repertoire dictated to her by the company’s administration.

She believed in creating new and exciting work.

The changes Hallberg has made to Woolliams’ choreography are laid out in detail in the program and apart from new sets and costumes (designed in 2023 by Daniel Ostling and Mara Blumenfeld), there are few.

We really are seeing an authentic and distinct Swan Lake reborn from the archive of The Australian Ballet, and that feels good.

Joyous movement

In the first act, dancing groups form out of the gathered crowd in the square and then blend back in with a dynamism more like a flash mob than a ballet. This accentuates the joyous spontaneous nature of the atmosphere and movement. The costumes are lavish with rich greens, golds, blues and purples.

In Act II, 24 swans (up from 18 in Woolliams version) move seamlessly through flock formations both familiar and unique with a striking V formation being repeated to powerful effect throughout.

Woolliams’ insistence on the corps de ballet swans becoming birds is also evident with a rippling of feathers that passes through the flock of dancers bringing them to life as animals. The set is abstract with black branches back lit with moonlight blue.

Act III is a more intimate ballroom than we might usually see. The same emerging and re-merging with the group is evident from Act I as the princesses and their entourages step up to showcase their national spirit.

Crowd favourites

But the real power throughout this Swan Lake is its leads, Benedicte Bemet and Joseph Caley on opening night.

Bemet is both formidable and vulnerable, capturing a natural animalism as Odette. She displays impeccable technique through her gruelling set of solos and pas de deux. Caley partners strongly and sensitively. His Act III solos are exacting and commanding.

The cygnets don’t disappoint. They are always a crowd favourite.

In fact, on opening night everything seemed to be a crowd favourite. Ecstatic applause followed almost every variation.

With the entire season of the company’s Swan Lake in four different cities across Australia already close to a sell-out, it would seem the people have spoken. They, at least, needed another Swan Lake.

And a sell-out season brings in a lot of money which can fund other projects, other ballets with living choreographers – maybe even Australian, women or First Nations.

While this will not be the last Swan Lake we see from The Australian Ballet, Hallberg says it will be the one we see for the next couple of decades. I don’t think the fans will be disappointed.

Swan Lake is at Arts Centre Melbourne until September 30, then touring to Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney.

Read more:
60 years of The Australian Ballet and 90 years of ‘Australian’ ballet: Identity asks us to reflect on Australian dance today

Yvette Grant 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. Do we really need another Swan Lake? – https://theconversation.com/do-we-really-need-another-swan-lake-212876

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Sullivan, Professor, University of Notre Dame Australia

Indigenous people in remote and very remote communities in Australia tend to experience poorer health, education and employment services and outcomes compared to the general population.

To find out more about why this is happening, we brought together the main players in Aboriginal service delivery in the remote communities of the Kimberley in Western Australia to identify problems and discuss opportunities.

Read more:
People in the Kimberley have spent decades asking for basics like water and homes. Will the Voice make their calls more compelling?

What we did

In 2018 and 2019 we ran three workshops to discuss the roadblocks to Aboriginal development that service providers encounter in towns and remote communities of the Kimberley.

The first was with Aboriginal community organisation leaders, the second with public servants, and the final workshop with non-Aboriginal NGOs.

We decided to run separate workshops because we didn’t think it would be productive to put all sides in the same room together; we hypothesised the groups would be more likely to speak freely if they were separated.

By running each workshop separately, we found each sector enthusiastic to engage and discuss their aspirations as well as their frustrations.

We recorded each workshop and edited the transcripts down to the most insightful contributions, then arranged them under similar topics.

The result is the book Voices from the Frontline: Community leaders, government managers and NGO field staff talk about what’s wrong in Aboriginal development and what they are doing to fix it, published by the Nulungu Research Institute of the University of Notre Dame Australia.

We found all sides tended to identify the same systemic problems, rather than blame each other, when given the chance to discuss their work in a safe environment.

Some of their concerns included:

• excessive managerialism (having too many managers doing too much managing), reporting, and top-down direction

• the inefficiencies and misdirection of resources through government’s creation of a false competitive market in Aboriginal services

• the need to counter this by recognising the dedication of all local players to a shared goal

• greater regional decision-making and cooperation.

‘Governed by a bureaucrat who hasn’t seen a Blackfella in their life’

Most of the Aboriginal contributors had worked in the field of community development for about 40 years – all their adult lives.

They remembered a time before the introduction of a bureaucratic management style that focused heavily on outsourcing, competition for service delivery contracts, and intrusive reporting on targets determined by people who live nowhere near the community.

The other contributors, newer on the scene, tended to accept this as just the way business is done.

All sides said managerialism – which they saw as private sector methods and ideologies applied in the public sector – and control of projects by bureaucrats in faraway cities were the major impediments to effective outcomes in Aboriginal development.

As one Aboriginal contributor put it:

My mother worked [in a state welfare department] and every day I had to go to work with her after school […] I can recall everybody being happy. I can recall a lot of social inclusion. I can recall a lot of discipline, respect. I can recall a lot of happy times growing up as a kid […] Today, for heaven’s sake, we can’t move. Government all over us like a rash. Today our lives are being governed by a bureaucrat who hasn’t seen a Blackfella in their life or haven’t spoken to one.

Cooperation should trump competition

Competition for government contracts often provoked suspicion and antagonism from all sides involved in Aboriginal service development.

To counter it, all sides identified personal commitment as important. They saw personal commitment as going above and beyond, often directly counter to the direction they get from bureaucrats or NGO staff sitting in Perth and Canberra.

All sides believed greater regional cooperation – from design through to implementation of programmes – was an absolute necessity.

Worryingly, even the government middle managers felt there was no institutional support for this regional cooperation.

Encouragingly, participants said the formal relationship between First Nations peoples and settler Australians must be re-thought, re-stated and then reflected in government processes.

No shortage of talent, good will and enthusiasm

We gave our book the title Voices from the Frontline before the current debate over a constitutionally enshrined Voice got underway.

Yet the foreword by Elder and Yawuru man Peter Yu shows how relevant it is to that debate. He writes:

The referendum on a constitutionally enshrined First Nation Voice has brought national attention to the failure of Australia’s government system in addressing the appalling economic and social conditions experienced by First Nations people.

There is a nearly unanimous acknowledgement that the formal relationship between the Australian nation state and its First Nations people is faltering.

Through the voices of those directly involved, [Voices from the Frontline] presents a compelling case for change and serves as a call to action for all who wish to understand and address the pressing issues faced by First Nations communities in the Kimberley region and beyond.

This is a sentiment all of the contributors would have agreed with, whether government managers, Aboriginal leaders or NGO managers and field staff.

Our research shows there is plenty of talent, good will and enthusiasm out there. It just needs to be harnessed more effectively.

Read more:
Countless reports show water is undrinkable in many Indigenous communities. Why has nothing changed?

Patrick Sullivan received funding from the Australian Research Council for the research in this article.

Kathryn Thorburn received funding for this project from the Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP160102250: Reciprocal Accountability and Public Value in Aboriginal Organisations.

– ref. ‘Government all over us like a rash’: the broken service delivery system in remote Aboriginal communities – https://theconversation.com/government-all-over-us-like-a-rash-the-broken-service-delivery-system-in-remote-aboriginal-communities-212858

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena Wajrak, Senior lecturer, Chemistry, Edith Cowan University

If you are a blonde like me and enjoy laps in a swimming pool, you may have noticed your hair acquires a green tint after frequent swims in chlorinated water.

This happens to both bleached and natural blondes. In fact, the green tinge happens to everyone, but it’s less visible on dark hair and those whose hair isn’t damaged by chemical treatments such as bleaching.

But what exactly causes this green discoloration, and what can we do about it? Most of us blame the chlorine in the pool water. However, although chlorine does play a part, it is not the main culprit.

Which chemicals in the pool turn the hair green?

The element to blame for the green staining of hair is copper.

The main source of copper is copper sulfate (CuSO₄), a compound added to swimming pools to prevent the growth of algae. Contact with algae can cause skin irritation and respiratory issues, and ingesting water with algae can lead to serious gastrointestinal problems. Only a small amount (around 0.5mg per litre or 0.5 parts per million) of copper sulfate is needed to prevent algal growth.

However, copper can also enter swimming pools through the corrosion of water pipes, so concentrations may be higher in some pools.

Copper sulfate crystals are greenish-blue in colour. So, when hair comes into contact with copper ions – a positively charged variant of a copper atom with extra electrons – those ions get absorbed by the hair and cause the greenish hue.

Scientists were fascinated by the green “pool hair” phenomenon as far back as the 1970s, so we actually have research data on copper being the cause.

One very interesting study in 1978 performed experiments by immersing hair samples into water containing different concentrations of copper ions, chlorine and various pH values (neutral and basic). Their results showed hair exposed to free copper ions does turn green.

Furthermore, when hair is oxidised (meaning electrons are removed from the hair proteins) by chlorine, it actually damages the hair, enhancing the absorption of copper ions. Hair submerged in water with chlorine but without copper ions did not turn green. Meanwhile, hair exposed to water with only copper ions and no chlorine still formed a green colour.

Hence, chlorine by itself does not play a role in causing the green hue we see in “pool hair”, but it does exacerbate it.

So, how does copper get into the hair?

Other research teams have conducted more extensive studies, using sophisticated instruments, such as scanning electron microscopy, to examine how exactly copper ions attach to the hair.

Our hair is predominantly composed of protein called keratin. Keratin is classified as a “structural fibrous protein”, meaning it has an elongated, sheet-like structure.

The keratin structure is composed of various chemical groups (types of atom groupings with similar properties), such as carboxyl groups, amino groups and disulfide groups. Copper ions have the ability to form bonds with these groups, forming a copper-keratin complex. This complex remains in the hair, causing it to appear green.

Interestingly, the most recent study conducted in 2020, showed copper ions mainly bind to the disulfide groups. This study also found other metal ions such as zinc, lead, chromium and mercury also bind to hair in the same way. This is very useful in forensic analysis, for example, because forensic scientists can analyse hair samples to determine if a person has been exposed to a particular metal.

Light-coloured hair already has the most visible green discoloration, but research has shown that damaged hair, caused by bleaching, straightening, or exposure to sun, is the most susceptible to the binding of copper ions. This is because in damaged hair the disulfide groups have “broken bonds” (the link that holds the elements within these groups together is broken), making it easier for the copper ions to bind to the hair.

Can I prevent the green colour or get rid of it?

To prevent your hair from turning green in a swimming pool, you have two basic options. The first is a physical barrier – just wear a swim cap.

The second option is chemical – you can pre-treat your hair with an alkaline shampoo. Studies have shown under alkaline pH conditions, the copper ions won’t attach to the hair. To treat your hair before going to the pool, you can either use a shampoo with a pH lower than 7, or you can even try mixing some baking soda into your regular shampoo.

But what can you do if your hair has already turned greenish? Well, you can try washing your hair with a shampoo designed to achieve this, typically marketed as a “chlorine removal” shampoo. These products contain a chemical called EDTA – it can bind to metal ions (such as copper) and thus will remove copper from the hair.

You may have heard tomato sauce or ketchup is a good way to get the green out of your pool hair – potentially because the red pigments are supposed to “cancel out” the green ones. However, I’m not aware of any scientific evidence this would work.

Read more:
Why do fingers get wrinkly after a long bath or swim? A biomedical engineer explains

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

– ref. Why does my hair turn green from the swimming pool? – https://theconversation.com/why-does-my-hair-turn-green-from-the-swimming-pool-211736

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University

It’s a coincidence that New Zealand elects a new parliament on October 14, the same day Australians decide whether (at the request of Indigenous people) they will entrench in the constitution an Aboriginal and Torres Islander Voice to Parliament. But there is one striking parallel between the two campaigns.

On both sides of the Tasman, some people are claiming Indigenous policies risk their nation being divided along racial lines.

In Australia, opposition leader Peter Dutton argues the Voice “will permanently divide us by race” and “re-racialise” the constitution. He doesn’t mention that the constitution has always allowed governments to discriminate against people of some races.

In New Zealand, the libertarian ACT (Association of Consumers and Taxpayers) party – which according to the polls is likely to be needed by the National Party to form a government – is campaigning with the slogan “End division by race”.

ACT particularly opposes a distinctive Māori voice in public decision making through the co-governance of natural resources and the Māori Health Authority, established this year to allow Māori health experts to make decisions about the funding of Māori primary health services.

The party is calling for a referendum to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi and reduce its influence.

But the treaty itself doesn’t mention race. It was an agreement about how British government could be established without compromising Māori authority over their own people and resources. Importantly, it protected cultural equality – which is what co-governance and the Maori Health Authority try to achieve.

Cultural equality

In my book, Indigeneity, Culture and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, I examine how bringing culture and the experience of colonisation into policy discussions makes a big contribution to what works.

But arguments against these distinctive ways of including Indigenous cultural perspectives and experiences in public policy have often been couched in prejudice, in New Zealand and Australia.

When Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime used the occasional Māori word at a recent campaign debate, for example, there were angry shouts from some in the crowd.

Read more:
Colonial ideas have kept NZ and Australia in a rut of policy failure. We need policy by Indigenous people, for the people

The implicit message was not simply that some might prefer to exercise their democratic right to vote for somebody else. It was that Prime was not accepted there as a Māori person using her own language.

Elsewhere, billboards for te Pāti Māori (the Māori Party) have been vandalised in what the party said “feels like a targeted campaign”.

And ACT leader David Seymour joked in a radio interview about his pledge to abolish the Ministry for Pacific Peoples: “In my fantasy, we’d send a guy called Guy Fawkes in there and it’d be all over, but we’ll probably have to have a more formal approach than that.”

Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni said his “remarks are in line with his history of race-baiting and creating divisions, particularly concerning Pasifika and Māori communities”.

Read more:
The Voice to Parliament explained

Democracy and racism

Sepuloni’s response didn’t excite much backlash. But in Australia recently, Indigenous academic Marcia Langton was harshly criticised by Dutton and some news media for suggesting racism was influencing the campaign against the Voice to Parliament. At a community meeting in Western Australia, Langton said:

Every time the No cases raise their arguments, if you start pulling it apart you get down to base racism, I’m sorry to say that’s where it lands, or sheer stupidity.

If you look at any reputable fact-checker, every one of them says the No case is substantially false, they are lying to you.

The comments were misreported by some to suggest she was saying “no” voters were always and everywhere motivated by racism, rather than that some of the No side’s arguments were inherently racist.

The implication is that racism can’t be discussed, let alone called out, and even that racist arguments can be a fair and reasonable contribution to public debate. In turn, this makes it harder to discuss its impact at a structural level.

And we know from opinion polls some people have reasons for voting “no” to the Voice that can’t be called racist. Some think it won’t make a big enough difference for Indigenous people, or that it doesn’t challenge the colonial power of the state sufficiently.

Read more:
No, the Voice to Parliament would not force people to give up their private land

Democratically, it’s fair to argue about whether the Voice to Parliament is a good response to policy problems. Just as it’s fair to say that a Ministry for Pacific Peoples isn’t the best way to ensure government policies work equitably for Pacific people.

But all people still have a right to influence policy making in ways that work. We all think in ways that reflect our culture and experience. Saying that’s fair for some but not others is to say that Indigenous perspectives and experiences shouldn’t be allowed to contribute to policy decisions.

Interestingly, former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who opposes the Voice, still recognised the importance of meaningful Indigenous perspectives when he spoke about the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in 2020:

We perpetuated an ingrained way of thinking, passed down over two centuries and more, and it was the belief that we knew better than our Indigenous peoples. We don’t.

Giving everyone a ‘fair go’

In New Zealand, the Māori Health Authority, which the National party also says it will abolish, was established precisely to counter health policies that didn’t work because Māori people weren’t sufficiently involved in making them.

It followed a Waitangi Tribunal report that found poor Māori health outcomes could be partly explained by the system not allowing Māori knowledge of what works and why to properly influence decision making.

As one of the authority’s advocates explained it, “We would prefer to be the designers of our own destiny.”

Read more:
7 rules for a respectful and worthwhile Voice referendum

The broader policy implication is that inclusion matters. Liberal democracy exists because we all think differently. We bring different experiences, values and aspirations to our ideas about what governments should and shouldn’t do.

There is no objective truth in the business of government. Democracy developed to manage these differences. Sometimes, however, dominant populations use the democratic system to protect their self-interest rather than accommodate the rights and interests of others.

But democracy can also manage differences through what’s known as “participatory parity”. According to the political theorist Nancy Fraser, citizenship means all citizens are entitled to “parity of esteem”. In other words, a “fair go”, which Fraser says requires two conditions:

First, the distribution of material resources must be such as to ensure participants’ independence and “voice” [and] the second condition requires that institutional patterns of cultural value express equal respect for all participants and ensure equal opportunity for achieving social parity.

Participatory parity means everybody should be able to participate in public decisions knowing they have the same chance of influencing the decision as anybody else.

Thinking about what politics should achieve from an Indigenous cultural perspective or through an Indigenous language shouldn’t be a disadvantage. Otherwise, Indigenous people lose independence, voice and equal respect.

Racism – which is to discriminate on the basis of culture, racial or ethnic origin – means democracy can’t give everybody a fair go. So when people like Marcia Langton point out its influence, they contribute to a fairer and more democratic society.

Dominic O’Sullivan 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. Racism and democracy: why claims of ‘division by race’ in the NZ election and Voice referendum need challenging – https://theconversation.com/racism-and-democracy-why-claims-of-division-by-race-in-the-nz-election-and-voice-referendum-need-challenging-213651

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Gammage, Emeritus Professor, Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University

First Nations readers are advised this article contains references to colonial violence against First Nations people.

In 1788 the First Fleet brought two bulls and four cows from the Cape of Good Hope and put them on grass on Bennelong Point, where Sydney Opera House is now. But there wasn’t much grass, and it wasn’t much good, so the cattle took off. Seven years later they were found 65 kilometres southwest, on the Cowpastures near Camden, a flourishing herd. By 1820 they were supporting an abattoir and a couple of tanneries.

The cows had found land that was deliberately made for grazing animals – kangaroos. In small patches and on extensive plains, Dharawal managers had performed cool burns to promote rich grass near water. When the cattle found this grass, they stayed.

It was the start of dispossession. Grazing animals trod on or ate the staple tubers such as murnong, on which local groups relied. These grew in rich beds, but were easily trampled. As colonists moved inland, they took Aboriginal land used for growing grain and ran sheep or cattle on it.

The effects of this upheaval are still with us today.

Without fire, the trees took over

The newcomers who took the Camden country tried to keep it open, without scrub. There, John and Elizabeth Macarthur developed the Australian merino sheep. But they did not understand fire, and the bush got away. As early as 1817, the Macarthurs’ land “had become crowded – choked up in many places by thickets of saplings and large thorn bushes [Bursaria spinosa] and the sweet natural herbage had for the most part been replaced by coarse wiry grasses which grew uncropped”.

In 1848, Thomas Mitchell observed the effects:

The omission of the annual periodical burning by the natives (sic), of the grass and young saplings, has already produced in the open forest lands nearest to Sydney, thick forests of young trees, where, formerly, a man might gallop without impediment, and see whole miles before him. Kangaroos are no longer to be seen there; the grass is choked by underwood.

On good grass, stock fed themselves – they needed only shepherds or stockmen – but European crops grew reluctantly on Sydney sandstone. In 1789, English farmer James Ruse grew corn on better land at Rose Hill near Parramatta, but it still yielded poorly.

Read more:
Before the colonists came, we burned small and burned often to avoid big fires. It’s time to relearn cultural burning

In 1794, Ruse sold his block and joined the settlers crowding the rich flats of the Hawkesbury River. Here, he produced the first successful wheat crop.

Soon, corn, English wet wheat and barley were supplying government stores and the Sydney market.

On those Hawkesbury flats, Dharug people had long grown a key staple: tubers. They could not afford to lose the land. They gave some up, but the settlers wanted it all. In 1794, guerilla war broke out. It lasted 22 years – Australia’s longest war – until in 1816 British soldiers finally broke Dharug resistance.

Tubers and grain

Unlike the newcomers, the Dharug rarely ate grain. They preferred tubers. This was common – wherever it was wet enough, people across Australia relied on tubers, notably warran (Dioscorea hastifolia) in the southwest, and the yam daisy, murnong (Microseris lanceolata) in the southeast.

Women regularly dug over tuber fields to make the soil crumbly, and replanted tuber tops for the next harvest. For mile after mile where they had worked, the ground looked ploughed. At Sunbury, near Melbourne, Isaac Batey, a gardener in England, saw a slope of:

rich basaltic clay, evidently well fitted for the production of myrnongs. On the spot are numerous mounds with short spaces between each, and as all these are at right angles to the ridge’s slope, it is conclusive evidence that they were the work of human hands extending over a long series of years.

In country too dry for tubers – most of Australia – people grew grain, notably native millet (Panicum decompositum). They chose land near water, burned the ground, spread seed, blocked channels to spread water, watched the seasons to know when to return, reaped the crop by pulling or stripping with stone knives, dried, threshed and winnowed the grain, and stored it in skin bags or ground it into flour.

On the Narran River, northwest of Lightning Ridge, the explorer and surveyor Thomas Mitchell observed in 1848:

Dry heaps of this grass, that had been pulled expressly for the purpose of gathering the seed, lay along our path for many miles. I counted nine miles along the river, in which we rode through this grass only, reaching to our saddle-girths.

Dispossession and reversal

Even allowing for the modern expansion of irrigation in the north, people probably farmed more of Australia in 1788 than we do now.

But we don’t crop the widespread grainlands of the arid interior. We leave them to cattle or camels. Our crops largely grow on tuber country, so a great many tubers have diminished or disappeared. How people use the land has essentially reversed since 1788, based on my research into the subject.

This upended the lives of many species. It let inland birds such as galahs, crested pigeons, and later, little corellas, expand their range. When Europeans arrived, galahs were typically inland birds. Now they’re common from coast to coast. What changed? My research suggests it was colonisation. Galahs feed on the ground. To get at tall inland grasses, they relied on Aboriginal grain cropping before contact. Afterwards, introduced stock shook or trampled grass – and expanded the galah’s range.

But ground-dwelling small and medium-sized mammals and birds declined. Dozens of species became extinct or endangered. The toolache wallaby was gone in less than a century. The lesser stick-nest rat and the paradise parrot disappeared not long after newcomers, their stock, and new predators like cats and foxes invaded their habitats. Today, even the koala is endangered.

Those who had cared for these species – the people of 1788 and after – were devastated by invasion. It’s possible they had more war dead than white Australia’s 103,000 in all its wars.

Survivors were commonly driven or taken from their country, and the land they managed so carefully was made a resource to exploit, or left to burn randomly.

So much was lost. Gone are the stories, the dances, the paintings, the languages of ten thousand campfires, gone knowledge of land, sea and sky, the skill to care for every habitat, to grow local crops and husband native animals, to feel truly at home.

Read more:
The biggest estate on earth: how Aborigines made Australia

Bill Gammage 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. Colonists upended Aboriginal farming, growing grain and running sheep on rich yamfields, and cattle on arid grainlands – https://theconversation.com/colonists-upended-aboriginal-farming-growing-grain-and-running-sheep-on-rich-yamfields-and-cattle-on-arid-grainlands-207118

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Fougerouse, Research Fellow, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University

There is nothing quite like a diamond. For many they are the ultimate “I love you” gift, and jewellers will tell you the ultra-hard stones have unmatched “fire” and “brilliance”. The sentimental and aesthetic value of the gems is matched by their price, which can run to tens of thousand dollars per carat – and even more for coloured diamonds, especially if they are blue, green, violet, orange, red or pink.

But why are diamonds so expensive? How do they form? Do we really find diamonds in volcanoes? What is the link to supercontinents and ancient lifeforms?

In new research published in Nature Communications, we answer some of these questions by studying the world’s largest diamond deposit, Argyle in Western Australia, the source of more than 90% of pink diamonds.

We found that at Argyle, diamonds crystallised deep in Earth’s interior were brought to the surface when a supercontinent, Nuna, began to break apart. As continents break up, their edges stretch, allowing small pockets of diamond-rich magma to rise to the surface.

Why are pink diamonds so special?

Only about 20% of mined diamonds are of gemstone quality. If you think of diamonds as cars, 80 of every 100 on the road would be old, beat-up rides and 20 would be luxury cars.

One in every 10,000 would be the equivalent of a supercar: a rare and precious coloured diamond.

However, some places in the world are special. Just as you might see a greater proportion of supercars in Monaco or Hollywood, so too do some places produce more coloured diamonds.

When it comes to pink diamonds, one place stands alone. More than 90% of all the pink diamonds ever found come from a single mine in the Kimberley region of Western Australia: Argyle.

The Argyle mine closed in 2020, and the price of pink diamonds has skyrocketed while the supply dwindles.

While pink diamonds are highly prized, they are also in a sense “damaged goods”.

Diamonds are made of carbon atoms arranged in a compact, regular lattice. Clear, perfect diamonds sparkle because light reflects off their internal surfaces.

However, when diamonds are subject to intense pressure deep inside Earth, the lattice of atoms can twist and bend. This causes small imperfections that diffract light and bring colour to the gem.

Why is Argyle so well-endowed in pink diamonds?

All diamonds are found in pipelike volcanoes, or in their eroded remnants. These volcanoes have deep roots under continents, which is where diamonds reside.

The roots need to be deep. If they’re shallow, the carbon that might become diamonds will instead be in the form of graphite, which is not nearly as appealing on an engagement ring.

The story of the Argyle volcano begins some 1,800 million years ago, when the continental plate beneath the Kimberley smashed into the rest of WA to form the first supercontinent, Nuna. Five hundred million years later, Nuna ripped apart again while Australia hung together.

Yet old wounds never fully heal. The suture between the Kimberley and the rest of the continent was stretched open as Nuna split up, and the Argyle volcano shot to the surface, bringing pink diamonds with it. The death of a supercontinent gave birth to Argyle.

So what made Argyle’s diamonds pink? The force that damaged the deep diamonds, resulting in their beautiful hue, probably came from the continental collision that formed the supercontinent in the first place. But the diamonds remained deep below this old wound for a long time before being brought to the surface.

Read more:
Perfectly imperfect: the discovery of the second-largest pink diamond has left the world in awe. What gives diamonds their colour?

Will we find another trove of pink diamonds? With Argyle now closed, the search is on to meet the demand for these illustrious gems.

The ingredients appear to be continental breakup, the edges of ancient continents and volcanic pipes.

Is carbon recycled in Earth’s interior?

Finding diamonds is no mere quest for glitz and glamour. It’s an exploration of Earth’s deepest history.

Diamonds are ancient time capsules from the depths of our planet. They are relics of a past so remote it challenges comprehension.

We know they are made of pure carbon – but where did this carbon come from?

Read more:
More than just a sparkling gem: what you didn’t know about diamonds

Most of the carbon is remnants of carbon-rich asteroids that clumped together to form Earth 4.5 billion years ago.

However, some diamonds contain carbon that was once part of living organisms. Organic carbon, from organisms that once thrived on Earth’s surface, got buried deep down by geological processes.

The Argyle diamonds, for instance, hold such organic imprints, like echoes from an ancient world long vanished. In these glimmers of the distant past, we find more than beauty; we find keys to unlock the most profound secrets of our planet’s history.

Denis Fougerouse receives funding from The Mineral Research Institute of Western Australia.

Hugo Olierook receives funding from various minerals industry partners and the Australian Research Council.

Luc Doucet receives funding from the Australian Research Council and China University of Geoscience, Wuhan.

– ref. Most pink diamonds were birthed by a disintegrating supercontinent. Where can we find more? – https://theconversation.com/most-pink-diamonds-were-birthed-by-a-disintegrating-supercontinent-where-can-we-find-more-212019

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sasha Taylor, Research fellow, Chronic Disease & Ageing, Monash University

Menopause is the stage of life where the ovaries stop releasing eggs and menstrual periods cease. Most Australian women go through menopause between 45 and 55 years of age, with the average age being 51 years, although some women may be younger.

Hot flushes and night sweats are typical symptoms of menopause, with vaginal dryness, muscle and joint pains, mood changes and sleep disturbance also commonly reported. Up to 75% of women experience menopausal symptoms, with nearly 30% severely affected.

These symptoms can negatively impact day-to-day life and wellbeing. The main therapies available include menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and non-hormonal prescription therapy. Some women will elect to try complementary and alternative medicines, such as herbal medicines and nutritional supplements. Black cohosh is one of them.

Read more:
How long does menopause last? 5 tips for navigating uncertain times

What causes hot flushes

The cause of hormonal hot flushes (also called hot flashes) still isn’t completely understood, but the decline in oestrogen at menopause appears to play a role in a process that involves the area of the brain that regulates temperature (the hypothalamus).

Factors linked to a greater likelihood of hot flushes include being overweight or having obesity and smoking.

MHT, previously known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), usually includes oestrogen and is the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes. But women may choose complementary and alternative medicines instead – either because they shouldn’t take hormone therapy, for example because they have breast cancer, or because of personal preference.

Close to 40% of Australian women report using complementary and alternative medicines for menopausal symptoms, and up to 20% using them specifically to treat hot flushes and sweats.

Read more:
Is menopause making me put on weight? No, but it’s complicated

A long history

Complementary and alternative medicines have a long history of use in many cultures. Today, their potential benefits for menopausal symptoms are promoted by the companies that make and sell them.

The complementary and alternative medicines women often try for menopausal symptoms include phytoestrogens, wild yam, dong quai, ginseng and black cohosh.

Black cohosh (plant name Cimicifuga racemosa) was traditionally used by Native Americans to treat a variety of health concerns such as sore throat, kidney trouble, musculoskeletal pain and menstrual problems. It is now a popular herbal choice for hot flushes and night sweats, as well as vaginal dryness and mood changes.

There are many theories for how the active ingredients in black cohosh might work in the body, such as acting like oestrogen, or affecting chemical pathways in the brain. But despite extensive research, the evidence to support these theories remains inconclusive.

It is also not clear whether black cohosh is effective for hot flushes. Results from individual studies are mixed, with some finding black cohosh improves hot flushes, while others have found it doesn’t.

A 2012 review combined all the results from studies of menopausal women using black cohosh to that date and found overall there was no proof black cohosh reduces hot flushes more effectively than an inactive treatment (placebo). This review also revealed that many studies did not use rigorous research methods, so the findings are hard to interpret.

A more recent review of clinical trials claimed black cohosh may ease menopausal symptoms, but the included studies were mostly small, less than six months long, and included women with mild symptoms.

There is also no meaningful evidence black cohosh helps other symptoms of menopause, such as vaginal symptoms, sexual problems, or poor general wellbeing, or that it protects against bone loss.

Evidence for how black cohosh is absorbed and metabolised by the body is also lacking, and it is not known what dose or formulation is best to use.

More good quality studies are needed to decide whether black cohosh works for hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms.

Read more:
Hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog? Here’s what we know about phytoestrogens for menopausal symptoms

Is it safe to try?

A review of studies suggests black cohosh is safe to use, although many of the studies have not reported possible adverse reactions in detail. Side effects such as gastrointestinal upset and rashes may occur.

While there have been rare reports of liver damage, there is no clear evidence black cohosh was the cause. Even so, in Australia, black cohosh manufacturers and suppliers are required to put a warning label for the potential of harm to the liver on their products.

It is recommended black cohosh is not used by women with menopausal symptoms after breast cancer, as its safety after breast cancer is uncertain. All women should consult with their doctor before using black cohosh if they are taking other medications in case of possible drug interactions.

Many women like to try herbal therapies for hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms. While black cohosh is generally considered safe and some women may find it helps them, at the moment there is not enough scientific evidence to show its effects are any better than placebo.

Women experiencing troublesome menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, should talk to their doctor about the best treatment options for them.

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. Lots of women try herbs like black cohosh for menopausal symptoms like hot flushes – but does it work? – https://theconversation.com/lots-of-women-try-herbs-like-black-cohosh-for-menopausal-symptoms-like-hot-flushes-but-does-it-work-211272

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Victoria Whitington, Associate Professor in Education Futures (Adjunct), University of South Australia

Young children love to play with their mums and dads. But for busy parents, it’s often the last thing they feel like doing.

Running a home and family, doing paid work and trying to squeeze in some personal time mean parents don’t have a lot of time or energy to play magical princess dragons or soccer ninjas.

But playing with your kids and letting them lead the play is really important. Here’s why and how you can approach it.

Read more:
Children learn through play – it shouldn’t stop at preschool

Why is play so important?

Children love to play. But it is more than a way for them to enjoy themselves. It is also the principal way they learn about their world.

There are many types of play. For example, it can be manipulating objects, such as play dough. Or it can be imaginary, where children pretend they are mums, dads or babies.

In play, children have ideas and then follow those ideas in a way that is not simply a response to what surrounds them. Instead, they use that environment to imagine and create another world. A block becomes a phone, a table a house and a garden the home of a dragon.

Holding an imaginary theme in mind and creating a sequence of actions and appropriate language to enact it requires considerable intellectual effort. This sees children perform at a higher level than when engaged in other activities they are not leading.

Play teaches children to test their hypotheses and solve problems they encounter. Parents will notice children usually play about the world in which they are living. This is why they play families, pets and other familiar roles such as shopkeepers, doctors or nurses.

These themes may look mundane to parents (even boring). Yet for children they are exciting opportunities to explore their world, find out about the various roles they see around them and to bring ideas learned in a variety of contexts together in play.

Play develops concentration and emotional skills

Often children are seen as having short attention spans. Yet in play they can follow a theme or idea they have chosen for a longer time than when engaged in adult-led activities.

Developing the capacity to sustain attention to that idea in play and ignore other stimuli builds children’s capacity to self-regulate.

Self-regulation – the ability to control emotions and actions – is important in learning, at school and socially and emotionally.

Play is also central to language development. Play enables children to use the words and ideas they hear in their everyday lives and experiment with them in imaginary environments. In play they may talk to themselves to guide their thinking.

Read more:
‘That’s getting a bit wild, kids!’ Why children love to play-fight and why it is good for them

Why do my kids want to play with me?

Children from approximately 18 months to eight years old want to play with their parents. Their parents are the centre of their worlds, until their attention shifts increasingly to their peers.

They want to do so because it helps their learning and development. Parents can anticipate their child’s thinking and create shared meaning in a way other children of the same age are not able to do.

Shared meaning enables to play to continue and makes it more interesting.

Read more:
Why the tween years are a ‘golden opportunity’ to set up the way you parent teenagers

The role of adults in play

A parent’s role is to assist their child in play. This means it is important for adults to let children be the decision makers. Parents can initiate the play, make suggestions or provide props. But for the activity to be regarded as “play,” children must be those who make the decisions and guide its direction.

Research shows when an adult attempts to control the play children become distracted and quickly lose interest.

Play is not instructional (this is not about teaching your child how to do something). We have all experienced situations where we have been talked at, not discussed with, and likely we found it much harder to focus.

Children need to have this control because in play they are operating exactly at the level at which they are best able to learn. Suggestions from an adult or older child, however, can take the child’s play to a higher level. This makes it more challenging intellectually than if children were playing alone or with peers.

How much play and how often?

Children are instructed in almost every aspect of their day – when to get up, when to go to sleep, what to eat. Having a regular play time in which they lead, make decisions about an activity and how it progresses, gives them power and a sense of control in their lives.

My work as a professional teacher and early childhood academic has shown me that when parents – particularly those concerned about their child’s behaviour – dedicate 30-plus minutes each day (or every other day) to parent-child play, they find their child is happier and more easily guided in other aspects of their lives. This also strengthens their relationship.

Not all parents can manage this. But finding regular play time when you can is likely to be well worth it.

A valuable window

Parents who play with their children can find it is a valuable window into their children’s thinking, interests and world.

If you are going to join in the play, do so fully. Put away your phone – and sit on the floor or follow your child to where they are playing. This shows your child you are genuinely joining in.

Hopefully, by dedicating this time and prioritising it, parents may also find their child becomes more amenable to parents also allocating time for themselves.

Victoria Whitington 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. ‘Mum, can you play with me?’ It’s important to play with your kids but let them make the rules – https://theconversation.com/mum-can-you-play-with-me-its-important-to-play-with-your-kids-but-let-them-make-the-rules-213748

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

As we approach the release of Monday’s employment white paper we can expect to hear a lot about something called the NAIRU – the so-called Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment.

This ungainly acronym, which currently dominates the thinking of both the Reserve Bank and the Treasury, derives its power almost entirely from the economic crisis of the 1970s, and is overdue for reconsideration.

The story of the NAIRU begins even further back in time, in the 1940s, and is best illustrated by a curious machine displayed in the entrance of the Melbourne University Business, Economics and Education Library.

The MONIAC is a hydraulic computer, one of 12 constructed by New Zealand economist Bill Phillips in 1949 to illustrate Keynesian economics.

MONIAC stands for MOnetary National Income Analog Computer, and, although the machine is made out of tanks and pipes and valves and coloured water, it is a working (early) computer.

A guide to the Melbourne University MONIAC says when in operation, water is “injected into the ‘active balances’ tank, pumped up to the top of the machine as income, and allowed to flow downwards as expenditure, with controlled amounts siphoned off to enter the tanks representing taxes and government spending, savings and investment, and trade”.

While the MONIAC was an amazing innovation, even more important was the thinking behind it, which a decade later led Phillips to discover the Phillips Curve, a graph still used today to show the relationship between unemployment and the rate of wages growth or inflation.

In the model described by Phillips, strong aggregate demand (a strong desire to spend) both cuts unemployment and pushes up inflation.

Weak aggregate demand boosts unemployment and cuts inflation.

The Phillips curve represents the trade-off.

At the time, with memories of the Great Depression still fresh, and the United States competing with the Soviet Union to achieve full employment, a slightly higher rate of inflation seemed a small price to pay to get closer to full employment.

It could be obtained by moving along the Phillips curve, using government spending and other measures to increase inflation and bring down unemployment.

Leading Keynesian economists including Paul Samuelson recognised at the time that the curve might not hold if people came to expect high inflation. However, given that earlier episodes of inflation in the early 1950s had been short-lived, it was thought that problem could be managed.

Phillips morphed into NAIRU

This prevailing view was challenged in 1968 by the great Chicago economist Milton Friedman who argued in his Presidential Address to the American Economic Association that, if inflation persisted long enough, the expectations of workers and businesses would adjust.

The inflation rate would become “baked in” as workers and suppliers increased their wages and prices by enough to compensate for inflation, whatever the unemployment rate.

Over the long term, there was a “natural rate of unemployment” – a floor – below which extra wages growth would simply lead to more inflation.

Translated to the graphical representation of the Phillips curve, Friedman implied that in the long run, the “curve” would be simply a vertical line, represented here with the annotation NAIRU in a graph prepared by Australia’s Reserve Bank.

The combination of high inflation and high unemployment (often referred to as “stagflation”) which emerged in the early 1970s seemed to vindicate Friedman. High inflation and high unemployment can’t coexist on a standard Phillips curve.

Friedman’s presentation of the problem implied the need for a full-scale model of what moved unemployment and wages, but it was never seriously attempted.

Instead, economists used Friedman’s insight to estimate the rate of unemployment at which inflation remained stable – the so-called “natural rate”.

Unfortunately for proponents of the idea, the “natural rate” turned out to vary over time, leading to the term being replaced with the clunkier but more descriptive “NAIRU”.

Worse still for proponents of the idea, estimates of NAIRU tended to move in line with the actual rate of unemployment. When unemployment was high, estimates of NAIRU were high. As it fell, estimates of NAIRU fell, suggesting that how far unemployment could fall was determined by how far unemployment had fallen.

Put to the test, NAIRU failed

The NAIRU model’s first real test since the 1970s came with the rapid upsurge and then decline in inflation in 2022 and 2023 that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the end of the COVID lockdowns.

Inflation was initially driven by a combination of supply chain disruptions and demand from savings made during the lockdowns.

Because the unemployment rate didn’t much move (presumably being near NAIRU, albeit an estimate that had progressively been lowered as unemployment fell) the upsurge in inflation could be seen as consistent with the existence of NAIRU, a vertical line on the Phillips graph.

However, the absence of a significant increase in wages growth was inconsistent with NAIRU, which was built around the idea that inflation was driven by growth in wages, passed on as higher prices.

Read more:
We can and should keep unemployment below 4%, say top economists

More damaging to the idea of a NAIRU was what happened next.

So far in 2023 inflation has dived (using the monthly measure, from 8.4% to 3.9%) but the unemployment rate has barely budged – at 3.7% in August, it’s where it was in January.

This doesn’t fit the standard NAIRU model. However, it makes perfect sense in a world where high inflation can be seen as the simple result of strong demand driven by COVID income support and supply constraints associated first with COVID and then Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan.

Let’s not use NAIRU to limit our ambition

The central banks that pushed up interest rates have been quick to claim credit for the latest decline in inflation, but this claim doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Higher interest rates work with a lag to drive inflation down by reducing investment and consumption, and increasing unemployment. But inflation has fallen without these things happening.

Unemployment may well rise as the economy contracts, but that will be an unnecessary cost, like undergoing a dangerous treatment for a medical condition that is curing itself.

Like a one-hit wonder from the 1970s, the NAIRU model has remained dominant on the strength of its success in predicting the emergence of stagflation in the 1970s.

But as a general model of inflation and unemployment, it is woefully deficient. It is to be hoped it isn’t used to limit the government’s ambition in the white paper.

Read more:
Why unemployment is set to stay below 5% for years to come

John Quiggin 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. Living in the 70s: why Australia’s dominant model of unemployment and inflation no longer works – https://theconversation.com/living-in-the-70s-why-australias-dominant-model-of-unemployment-and-inflation-no-longer-works-211487

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael B. Charles, Associate Professor, Management Discipline, Faculty of Business, Arts and Law, Southern Cross University

For thousands of years, people have been describing unexplainable gleaming objects in the sky.

Some aerial phenomena like comets, meteor showers, bolides, auroras or even earthquake lightning – all easily explained by today’s knowledge – were widely reported in the ancient world.

The US Congress is currently investigating unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs – what you might think of as UFOs), in the wake of previously classified footage of UAPs being leaked and a former intelligence official alleging the US government possesses “off world” technologies.

Meanwhile, a recent NASA report concluded there is no evidence suggesting UAPs are of extraterrestrial origin.

Ancient writers saw these phenomena as signs of social unease and impending disaster. In this way, modern reactions to UAPs are similar to those of thousands of years ago. There is a long history of strange objects in the sky associated with political and military crises.

Read more:
NASA report finds no evidence that UFOs are extraterrestrial

Ancient signs of trouble

In the Bible, the prophet Ezekiel mentioned a divine chariot: it glowed like hot metal in a fire and Ezekiel could see four living beings in it. They looked human-like, though they had four faces and four wings.

The vimāna – the flying chariots of the gods – also appear in ancient Indian epics, including the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyana.

In Hindu myths, the gods were portrayed as riding these chariots to every corner of the universe.

Describing portents of the winter of 218 BC, the Roman historian Livy said a “spectacle of ships gleamed in the sky”. The Second Punic War had begun, and the enemy general Hannibal was on the verge of a series of victories.

Maybe these “ships” in the sky were odd cloud formations, but Livy’s choice of words suggests something “shining” or “gleaming” – qualities even today associated with UAPs.

Livy reports another appearance of ships in the sky in 173 BC, when a “great fleet” allegedly appeared. In the spring of 217 BC, with Hannibal still threatening Rome, Livy says “round shields were seen in the sky” over central Italy.

Livy doesn’t say if these objects gleamed like the “ships” seen the previous year, but the “shields” recall the appearance of “flying saucers”, the type of UAP that came to prominence at the height of the Cold War.

Another curious classical UAP is recorded by the Greek writer Plutarch in his Life of Lucullus, a Roman general. Lucullus’ forces were about to fight King Mithridates VI of Pontus when a strange object appeared between the two armies:

suddenly, the sky burst asunder, and a huge, flame-like body was seen to fall between the two armies. In shape, it was most like a wine-jar (pithos), and in colour, like molten silver. Both sides were astonished at the sight, and separated.

That the object was described as a pithos, a vessel which has a specific shape, suggests something more than a flashing light. Some have interpreted this as a meteor, but Plutarch’s focus on its shiny metallic nature does not match this possibility.

Whatever it was, both armies thought it was a bad omen and withdrew.

Roman-Jewish historian Josephus, writing about war between Roman and Jewish forces, records an aerial battle between UAPs in AD 65. Before sunset, “chariots” were seen in the sky, accompanied by “armed battalions hurtling through the clouds”.

Josephus says numerous eyewitnesses saw it and believed it foretold the Roman victory that followed.

From ancient to modern doomsdays

Saint Paul referred to God’s “shield of faith” in his Letter to the Ephesians, while “ships voyaging in the sky” were a common theme in medieval Ireland, symbolising the safety the “ship” of the Church afforded believers.

Reports of unusual phenomena increased at the turn of every millennium, when Christian people feared or hoped for the Judgement Day predicted in the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

Millennial ufology is a fascinating development of recent Christian predictions of the end of the world, where the Messiah poses as a space traveller who returns to save us from Satanic aliens.

Millions of adults every year report experiences with UAPs: when interviewed about their experiences, some admit they are religious; others insist they are not. Importantly, ufology may well be a way of reconciling religion with science, an approach many find appealing.

We will never know what the objects and lights described by ancient texts were, and whether they were real or the result of psychological stress. At the very least, significant ancient sightings of UAPs almost always speak to conditions of anxiety and imminent change.

UAPs – ancient and modern – confirm our need to project our crises to objects in the skies.

Ancient people did not have the Doomsday Clock to warn them how close the end was, but they watched the skies carefully and found plenty of warning up there.

Read more:
Is there evidence aliens have visited Earth? Here’s what’s come out of US congress hearings on ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’

Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Discovery Project: Crises of Leadership in the Eastern Roman Empire, 250-1000 CE.

nothing to disclose

Michael B. Charles 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. Chariots of the gods, ships in the sky: how unidentified aerial phenomena left their mark in ancient cultures – https://theconversation.com/chariots-of-the-gods-ships-in-the-sky-how-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-left-their-mark-in-ancient-cultures-210276

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Massey University

Last night’s live TV leaders debate between Labour’s Chris Hipkins and National’s Christopher Luxon made clear the policy and leadership style differences between the two contenders to become New Zealand’s next prime minister.

But as TVNZ’s post-debate analysts tended to agree, neither candidate will have changed many minds – or reversed the main political poll trends since mid-year.

The so-called “bandwagon effect” describes how opinion polls can not only inform but sometimes influence electoral behaviour. Voters start aligning with whichever politician or party seems to be gaining support and momentum, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy effect.

Based on recent polling, this might seem to favour the National Party. But the rise of New Zealand First and Winston Peters, and the relative decline in support for the ACT Party, means there is still an unpredictable element to this election.

For Labour’s Chris Hipkins, it was important he not be perceived as a “dead man walking”. He probably managed that. But arguably, his situation remains more akin to someone attempting to thread a needle while running – a difficult and risky thing to do.

More than political theatre

Attempts to analyse leadership often focus on personal attributes – such as skills, personality, character and decision-making – and how these influence the results a leader achieves.

But what leadership researchers call “followership” – in this case, voter attitudes, behaviours and expectations – matters greatly. So does the wider socioeconomic and cultural context in which a leader is operating. Weighing all these can help reveal how Hipkins is responding and performing as a political leader.

Read more:
NZ election 2023: combined poll trends now show a clear rightward shift since June

In a nutshell, his core challenge is to navigate adverse conditions in ways that rise above the mere theatrics of politics. He needs to connect with voter’s values and interests, not just their current mood.

If Hipkins can do that, and with at least one recent poll suggesting the election could deliver a hung parliament, he could secure Labour a chance of forming the next government.

Authenticity and fallibility

Hipkins is campaigning primarily on his and Labour’s claimed desire and ability to support the “ordinary Kiwi” – that traditional target of most political parties. His own background as the “boy from the Hutt”, along with his self-deprecating and pragmatic, centrist instincts, are important features of his appeal and credibility.

That pragmatism orients him to seek politically practical and achievable outcomes whatever the circumstances. The challenge, however, is to be both aspirational and positive while also not indulging unrealistic expectations.

Research shows people are more likely to trust and support leaders they see as being “one of us”, and who they believe are genuinely motivated to act “for us”.

Read more:
After the election, Christopher Luxon’s real test could come from his right – not the left

To sustain that, leaders also need to show they can deliver. Hence the balance in Labour’s advertising between its priorities for the coming term and its key achievements in government.

Hipkins has also emphasised the importance he attaches to just being himself, acknowledging he’s not infallible. Describing the government’s COVID policies and some decisions that, with the benefit of hindsight, weren’t optimal, he has said:

And that means you don’t get everything perfect, and there’s no point being defensive about it – you just have to own it.

Good leaders, according to some research, are authentic and know their weaknesses, but also possess the virtues needed to exercise wise judgment. Overall, the more voters trust Hipkins as a “safe pair of hands”, the more likely he is to win their support.

Crafting a persuasive narrative

The flip side to Hipkins’ pragmatism is that by not being bolder with policy, he risks giving people too few reasons to vote for Labour. His “middle ground” approach gives more political oxygen to parties on the left and right offering more radical change proposals.

And while policies might be the focus of campaigns and debates, politics remains an emotional experience for many voters. The electoral mood becomes a significant factor. And, as one observer put it recently, the electorate is unusually “grumpy”.

Hipkin’s therefore needs to persuade undecided voters – and previous Labour voters thinking of voting for another party – to reassess any negative feelings they might have about Labour’s performance. He has to convince them their long-term material interests, rather than their current emotional state, will be better served by giving him their vote.

In a cost-of-living crisis, it’s tempting to look for someone to blame for life’s challenges. That is a gift to Labour’s opponents, keen to build a narrative of political and economic incompetence.

Read more:
Taxing questions: is National glossing over the likely cost of administering its new ‘revenue measures’?

There is a counter-narrative, of course: inflation and government debt levels are both below the OECD average, New Zealand has had proportionally far fewer COVID deaths than elsewhere, and the country’s credit rating remains solid. But facts and logic may hold little sway.

In leadership research, the attempt to create or control the narrative is called the “management of meaning”. Unless Hipkins discovers an effective way to do this, he will struggle.

This is a common problem for incumbent governments, campaigning on their record of managing real-world, complex problems. For opposition parties, it’s easier to present simple solutions and make bold promises, or what researchers of populism have bluntly called “bullshit statements”.

Breaking through these barriers and appealing to voter’s actual interests over their emotions is no easy task. Chris Hipkins has just over three weeks to find a way.

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

– ref. Controlling the political narrative is key to winning the NZ election – no easy task for Chris Hipkins – https://theconversation.com/controlling-the-political-narrative-is-key-to-winning-the-nz-election-no-easy-task-for-chris-hipkins-213533

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

The outlooks for both local and export supplies of gas are positive for the early months of next year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry’s September report.

The inquiry, which provides regular information on east coast supply, says there will be sufficient gas to meet domestic demand as we go into 2024, while exports are predicted to be 9% higher in the first quarter, compared to the same quarter this year.

Even if all uncontracted gas is exported, there will still be an overall east coast surplus of 1.4 petajoules in the first quarter of 2024, according to the report.

It also forecasts gas supply in quarter one 2024 will be 5.9 petajoules above that forecast in June and 13% higher than actual supply in quarter one this year.

Export demand in the first quarter next year is projected to be 8.2 petajoules higher than the June forecast or 9% above actual LNG exports in the first quarter of this year.

The report says recent investment in pipeline infrastructure has improved the east coast gas market’s ability to transport gas from the northern states to the southern states, with further upgrades to be ready for next winter.

The forecast on domestic supplies follows actions by the government to ensure companies provide adequate quantities of gas into the local market at reasonable prices.

The ACCC does warn, “While the overall outlook is positive there remains risk that the outlook could worsen, particularly from higher-than-expected gas demand”.

The ACCC notes its data was collected during “a changing policy environment, including the implementation of the Gas Market Emergency Price Order and consultation on the Gas Market Code of Conduct”.

Under the code, which came into full operation this month,
producers may be exempted from reasonable pricing
requirements in exchange for making domestic supply commitments.

“However, as data was collected before the code was finalised, forecast supply in quarter 1 2024 does not reflect possible supply commitments producers may make to gain an exemption from the code.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the data disproved the opposition’s fearmongering claims about the government’s energy price relief plan.

“The Liberals and Nationals voted against energy relief for families and small businesses in the parliament and they said the sky would fall in as result of our price caps and gas code of conduct. This data collected after the government announced action to limit the worst impacts of gas price increases is more proof they have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Chalmers said the plan was designed “to deliver better, fairer prices for Australian consumers at the same time as we honour our trusted role as an energy supplier”. The evidence showed it was working, he said.

He said gas would “play a crucial role in the defining decade ahead as we look deepen and broaden our industrial capacity and make the most of the transformation to cleaner, cheaper energy”.

Employment White Paper released on Monday

The long-awaited employment white paper, prepared by Treasury, will be released on Monday.

The paper will list five objectives. They are delivering sustained and inclusive full employment; promoting job security and strong, sustainable wage growth; reigniting productivity growth; filling skills needs and building the future workforce; and overcoming barriers to employment and broadening opportunities.

It will include a small number of initiatives, and point to future reform directions across ten policy areas. These are:

• strengthening economic foundations

• modernising industry and regional policy

• planning for our future workforce

• broadening access to foundation skills

• investing in skills, tertiary education and lifelong learning

• reforming the migration system

• building capabilities through employment services

• reducing barriers to work

• partnering with communities

• promoting inclusive, dynamic workplaces.

Chalmers said the white paper “is a roadmap for ensuring more Australians can make the most of the big shifts underway in our economy and society over the coming decades”.

“Today our unemployment rate is around historic lows and the participation rate is near record highs. This positions us well in the face of the immediate challenges of slowing economic growth and continuing global uncertainty, but more needs to be done to shape the future direction of our labour market and put the benefits of employment within reach of more of our people.”

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. Positive outlook for local and export gas supplies for early 2024: ACCC – https://theconversation.com/positive-outlook-for-local-and-export-gas-supplies-for-early-2024-accc-213875

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

The outlooks for both local and export supplies of gas are bright for the early months of next year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry’s September report.

The inquiry, which provides regular information on east coast supply, says there will be sufficient gas to meet domestic demand as we go into 2024, while exports are predicted to be 9% higher in the first quarter, compared to the same quarter this year.

Even if all uncontracted gas is exported, there will still be an overall east coast surplus of 1.4 petajoules in the first quarter of 2024, according to the report.

It also forecasts gas supply in quarter one 2024 will be 5.9 petajoules above that forecast in June and 13% higher than actual supply in quarter 1 this year.

Export demand in the first quarter next year is projected to be 8.2 petajoules higher than the June forecast or 9% above actual LNG exports in the first quarter of this year.

The report says recent investment in pipeline infrastructure has improved the east coast gas market’s ability to transport gas from the northern states to the southern states, with further upgrades to be ready for next winter.

The brighter outlook for domestic supplies follows actions by the government to ensure companies provide adequate quantities of gas into the local market at reasonable prices.

The ACCC notes its data was collected during “a changing policy environment, including the implementation of the Gas Market Emergency Price Order and consultation on the Gas Market Code of Conduct”.

Under the code, which came into full operation this month,
producers may be exempted from reasonable pricing
requirements in exchange for making domestic supply commitments.

“However, as data was collected before the code was finalised, forecast supply in quarter 1 2024 does not reflect possible supply commitments producers may make to gain an exemption from the code.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the data disproved the opposition’s fearmongering claims about the government’s energy price relief plan.

“The Liberals and Nationals voted against energy relief for families and small businesses in the parliament and they said the sky would fall in as result of our price caps and gas code of conduct. This data collected after the government announced action to limit the worst impacts of gas price increases is more proof they have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Chalmers said the plan was designed “to deliver better, fairer prices for Australian consumers at the same time as we honour our trusted role as an energy supplier”. The evidence showed it was working, he said.

He said gas would “play a crucial role in the defining decade ahead as we look deepen and broaden our industrial capacity and make the most of the transformation to cleaner, cheaper energy”.

Employment White Paper released on Monday

The long-awaited employment white paper, prepared by Treasury, will be released on Monday.

The paper will list five objectives. They are delivering sustained and inclusive full employment; promoting job security and strong, sustainable wage growth; reigniting productivity growth; filling skills needs and building the future workforce; and overcoming barriers to employment and broadening opportunities.

It will include a small number of initiatives, and point to future reform directions across ten policy areas. These are:

• strengthening economic foundations

• modernising industry and regional policy

• planning for our future workforce

• broadening access to foundation skills

• investing in skills, tertiary education and lifelong learning

• reforming the migration system

• building capabilities through employment services

• reducing barriers to work

• partnering with communities

• promoting inclusive, dynamic workplaces.

Chalmers said the white paper “is a roadmap for ensuring more Australians can make the most of the big shifts underway in our economy and society over the coming decades”.

“Today our unemployment rate is around historic lows and the participation rate is near record highs. This positions us well in the face of the immediate challenges of slowing economic growth and continuing global uncertainty, but more needs to be done to shape the future direction of our labour market and put the benefits of employment within reach of more of our people.”

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. Bright outlook for local and export gas supplies for early 2024: ACCC – https://theconversation.com/bright-outlook-for-local-and-export-gas-supplies-for-early-2024-accc-213875

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Prema Arasu, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Western Australia

One of the most highly anticipated game releases this year is Bethesda Studio’s action role-playing game Starfield. An open world game set in the year 2330 with over 1,000 explorable planets, it’s been described by producer Todd Howard as “Like Skyrim in space” and by director Ashley Cheng as “the Han Solo simulator. Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff.”

New game releases are rarely without their controversies. Earlier this month, a clip of YouTuber HeelvsBabyface complaining about the inclusion of pronouns in Starfield went viral.

You take everything we love, all our immersions, all our fantasies, all our escapism, and you can’t help shovel your dogshit fucking crap ideology into everything.

Other internet gaming personalities are claiming they will boycott the game over its inclusion of pronouns in the character creation system.

All this is in a response to a window that pops up during character creation asking the player to confirm their character’s pronouns from three options: he/him, she/her, and they/them.

Larian Studios’ Dungeons & Dragons-based game Baldur’s Gate 3 was released for Playstation 5 on the same day as Starfield. The game has a similarly detailed character creation system including three “identity” options: male, female, and non-binary/other, which has similarly incited criticism from gamers.

What is character creation?

In an ever-growing age of increasing digital processing power and graphics capabilities, big-budget releases such as Starfield are judged by the level of detail in worldbuilding, graphical realism, and character customisation options.

Open world games keep getting bigger and character creation systems are becoming increasingly comprehensive.

The Sims (2000) was one of the first games to offer a highly detailed level of character customisation. Most role playing games follow The Sims’ established sequence of choosing male or female, which displays a default character on screen. Players then progress through different selection pages to further customise skin colour, body proportions, hairstyle, facial features and clothing.

Conventionally, the body initially chosen will then go on to limit options for hairstyles, facial hair, and clothing. It may also affect the character’s voice in-game, determine what pronouns with which they are referred to, and limit romance options.

Read more:
Hogwarts Legacy’s game mechanics reflect the gender essentialism at the heart of Harry Potter

Newer releases are changing their approach to the sex, gender and body options to allow the creation of characters beyond the gender binary. Some games, such as Elden Ring (2022), simply avoid gendering secondary sex characteristics by allowing players to choose between “Body A” or “Body B” in place of male or female. Splatoon 3 does something similar.

Other games go a lot further: CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) was the first game to allow genital customisation. Regardless of the gender chosen at the beginning of character creation, players may then select between two penis options (circumcised and uncircumcised) and a vagina, and can select a penis size from “small”, “default” and “big”.

Genital customisation does not affect gameplay, but according to ScreenRant, “both aligns closely with the cyberpunk subgenre and allows for greater player expression”.

What are pronouns, and why do they upset some people?

Pronouns are some of the first identifying words we learn. They form the basics of how we refer to ourselves and others, and we all have them.

Pronouns include words such as “I”, “me”, “you”, “your”, “she”, “his”, “them”, and “theirs”. When conservative internet personalities complain about pronouns, they are referring to the inclusive in-game options that allow people to create characters beyond the gender binary.

The argument that pronoun and custom genital options impedes player’s ability to have an “enjoyable experience” is a reflection of real-world transphobia.

Trans and gender diverse people have used games as a way to escape this reality, entering worlds where they can play as characters that align with their gender identity in ways their real-world body may not.

This is a common acting-out fantasy among non trans players too, who might create a character who is stronger, taller, or more conventionally attractive than they perceive their real-world selves to be. Games offer a world where almost anything is possible, and with the added features in newer games such as Starfield, trans and gender diverse people have more possibilities than ever to perform their gender.

Those calling for a boycott of these games over their inclusion of pronoun options and customisable genitals are also seeking to act out a fantasy: one where trans and gender diverse people do not exist. To wish the world, even a fantasy world, be rid of all traces of gender diversity, is to impose a political ideology onto a game.

Paradoxically, this is the very thing these conservative reviewers are mad about. Politics informs all forms of media in some way, but especially so science-fiction narratives, which speculate on the myriad future possibilities of humanity and beyond. Inclusive options in character creation are not only a draw for the increasingly diverse consumers of digital games, they are also an important part of storytelling.

This article was co-written with Seth Malacari.

– ref. Starfield is the latest game to be boycotted by conservatives. This time because of pronouns – https://theconversation.com/starfield-is-the-latest-game-to-be-boycotted-by-conservatives-this-time-because-of-pronouns-213244

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mai Nguyen, Lecturer in Marketing, Griffith University

The future of influence is here: a digital avatar that captivates millions of adoring fans while offering unparalleled customisation and round-the-clock availability.

Virtual influencers are transforming the way content is created, consumed and marketed online. They represent an electrifying dance between cutting-edge technology and our desire for connection. But, at the same time, they are yet another product being peddled by marketers that want our money.

Upon close inspection, we can see the risks that emerge with these blurred realities.

What are virtual influencers?

While virtual influencers aren’t a particularly new concept – virtual Japanese popstar Kyoko Date has been around since 1996 – recent advances in technology have thrust them into the spotlight.

Also called digital influencers or AI influencers, these digital personalities have a social media presence and interact with the world from a first-person perspective.

They’re created by 3D artists using CGI (computer-generated imagery), motion-capture technology and AI tools. Creators can make them look and act exactly how they want, and their personas are thoughtfully developed to align with a target audience.

There are three main types of virtual influencers: non-humans, animated humans and life-like CGI humans. Each one provides an innovative way to connect with audiences.

Why do virtual influencers exist?

Advancements in AI, the rise of social media and visions of the metaverse (in which the real and virtual worlds are blended into a massive immersive digital experience) are synergistically fuelling the growth of virtual influencers.

Their popularity has prompted marketing agencies to embrace them as a cost-effective promotional strategy.

While real influencers with millions of followers may demand hundreds of thousands of dollars per post, one 2020 estimate suggested virtual influencer Lil Miquela charged a more reasonable £6,550 (currently about A$12,600).

Virtual influencers have clear benefits when it comes to online engagement and marketing. They don’t age, they’re free from (real) scandals and they can be programmed to speak any language. It’s no surprise a number of companies and celebrities have caught onto the trend.

In 2019, supermodel Bella Hadid posed with Lil Miquela in ads for Calvin Klein in what one columnist dubbed a “terrifying glimpse of the future”.

Since then, virtual influencers have become even more popular.
In 2021, Prada introduced a CGI ambassador for its perfume Candy. More recently, Lil Miquela has popped up in a number of high-profile brand campaigns and celebrity interviews. Even rapper Timbaland has said he is considering a collaboration.

The transparency issue

Virtual influencers have a unique cultural dimension. They exist in a murky space between our world and the virtual which we’ve never quite explored. How might they impact us?

One major concern is transparency. Many virtual influencers already present as human-like, and it may become increasingly difficult to distinguish between them and real people. This is particularly problematic in an advertising context.

As the market for virtual influencers grows, we’ll need clear guidelines on how this content is used and disclosed.

India has taken the lead on this. In January, its Department of Consumer Affairs made it mandatory for social media influencers, including virtual influencers, to disclose promotional content in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Similarly, TikTok has updated its community guidelines to say:

Synthetic or manipulated media that shows realistic scenes must be clearly disclosed. This can be done through the use of a sticker or caption, such as ‘synthetic’, ‘fake’, ‘not real’, or ‘altered’.

A Messi way to make money

The emergence of virtual replicas of real people (including deepfakes) has led to new discussions about how a person’s likeness may be used, with or without their consent.

On one hand, celebrity deepfake porn is on the rise. On the other, celebrities are including “simulation rights” in their contracts so their likeness may be used in the future. Take global football star Lionel Messi, who allowed PepsiCo to use a digital version of him to promote Lay’s potato chips.

While this might introduce opportunities for talent expansion, it also raises exploitation risks. People may unwittingly or desperately sell off their digital likeness without consent or adequate compensation.

Will the virtual replace the human?

For now, the relationship between virtual and human influencers seems more poised for coexistence than a total replacement. For now, virtual influencers can’t connect with people the way a real person can (although it’s hard to say how this might change in the future).

As for human content creators, virtual influencers are both inspiration and competition. They’re transforming what it means to be creative and influential online. Whether they like it or not, human creators will need to work with them – or at least alongside them – in whatever ways they can.

Read more:
‘Virtual influencers’ are here, but should Meta really be setting the ethical ground rules?

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

– ref. Virtual influencers: meet the AI-generated figures posing as your new online friends – as they try to sell you stuff – https://theconversation.com/virtual-influencers-meet-the-ai-generated-figures-posing-as-your-new-online-friends-as-they-try-to-sell-you-stuff-212001

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

A majority of Australians have indicated they will vote “no” in the upcoming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, according to a national Essential poll conducted Sept. 13–17 from a sample of 1,135 people.

The poll gave the “no” side a 51–41% lead over the “yes” side, compared to a 48–42% lead two weeks ago.

On voter strength, 42% said they were a hard “no” (up one percentage point), 28% were a hard “yes” (down two points), 12% were a soft “yes” (steady) and 8% were a soft “no” (up one point). The figures don’t add up to the overall “yes” and “no” totals due to rounding.

Below is the updated 2023 Voice aggregated polls graph. Essential has been the best pollster for “yes”, but now even this poll is showing a 10-point national lead for “no”. In every poll conducted since June by all pollsters, support for the “yes” side has been declining steadily.

The polling indicates the Voice referendum is headed for a heavy defeat. I wrote in my article on the last Newspoll that it was a blunder to hold this referendum as a standalone vote rather than with a general election, given the long history of failed referendums in Australia.

Large crowds at weekend rallies for the “yes” side do not imply the polls are wrong, as people who attend political rallies are very unrepresentative of the overall voting-age Australian population. Analyst Kevin Bonham has more in this long article debunking “poll denial” themes.

Read more:
Albanese records first net negative Newspoll approval as Voice support slumps further

Labor at post-election low in Essential’s voting intentions

In Essential’s two-party estimate that includes undecided voters, Labor led the Coalition by 49–45%, down from a 51–43% lead a fortnight ago.

This is the lowest Labor lead in Essential’s fortnightly polls since it started asking about voting intentions in December 2022. The previous lowest Labor lead was five points in March and July.

Primary votes were 32% Coalition (steady), 31% Labor (steady), 13% Greens (down two points), 8% One Nation (up one point), 2% UAP (steady), 8% for all others (up one point) and 6% undecided (steady). The drop for the Greens means fewer preferences for Labor.

On what was causing the rising cost of living, 49% of those polled thought businesses maximising profits for shareholders contributed more than wage and salary increases for workers, while 32% blamed workers’ salaries more.

On power in the workplace, 42% thought it tilted too much in favour of employers, 12% said it was too much in favour of workers, and 46% thought the balance about right.

A majority of respondents supported the three proposed changes to workplace laws, with

• 79% backing a new offence for employers to knowingly underpay their workers

• 66% supporting the closure of loopholes to prevent employers from using labour hire workers to undercut full-time workers

• and 54% supporting minimum rights and entitlements for gig workers.

In other Canberra news, there will be no double dissolution election over Labor’s housing bill after it passed parliament on Sept. 14 with Greens support after the two parties reached a deal, ending months of conflict.

Other national polls

In last week’s Morgan federal poll, conducted Sept. 4–10 from a sample of 1,382 people, Labor led the Coalition by 52.5–47.5%, a 0.5-point gain for the Coalition from the previous week. Primary votes were 37% Coalition, 32% Labor, 13.5% Greens and 17.5% for all others.

I previously covered the continued tumble in Voice support and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s ratings from a national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that was conducted September 6–9 from a sample of 1,604 people.

In other questions related to Qantas in that poll, 64% thought foreign airlines should be granted more flights to Australia to increase competition, while just 15% thought they should be limited in the national interest.

By a 69–17% margin, participants thought it unacceptable for politicians to accept free lounge memberships from Qantas.

Participants were also asked to give a positive, negative or neutral rating for each airline. More respondents had a negative view of Qantas (42%) than positive (26%), and a negative view of former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce (54–6%).

Both Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways had higher positive ratings of 41% and 29%, respectively, than negative.

NSW Resolve poll: Labor drops but still well ahead

A New South Wales Resolve poll for The Sydney Morning Herald, conducted with the federal August and September Resolve polls from a sample of 1,019 people, gave Labor 38% of the primary vote (down three points since July), the Coalition 36% (up four points), the Greens 9% (down one point), independents 13% (up two points) and others 4% (down one point).

No two-party estimate was provided by Resolve, but The Poll Bludger estimated Labor would lead the Coalition by 54–46%, a 4.5-point gain for the Coalition since July. This is close to Labor’s 54.3–45.7% win at the March state election.

Labor incumbent Chris Minns maintained a 41–14% lead over the Liberals’ Mark Speakman as preferred premier (compared to 39–12% in July).

Respondents were also asked about a recent scandal involving Tim Crakanthorp, Labor MP and former minister for the Hunter, over revelations that his family owned several commercial properties in the Hunter region that he had not disclosed.

On the appropriate action, 48% thought Crakanthorp should be stood down and independently investigated, while 29% thought he should be disciplined by the party or parliament and 7% thought no action should be taken.

Adrian Beaumont 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. Support for both the Voice and Labor drop in latest Essential poll – https://theconversation.com/support-for-both-the-voice-and-labor-drop-in-latest-essential-poll-213350

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Richardson, Professor in Biological Oceanography, University of Copenhagen

As far as we know, there is exactly one planet in our Solar System – and the galaxy – which hosts life. And you’re on it.

For the first 800 million years, Earth was dead. Then life began making itself at home. For over three billion years, lifeforms have helped shape their own environment. Earth’s energy balance (commonly known as the climate) and its interactions with trillions of species is the main determinant of environmental conditions.

As you know, one species – ours – is exceptionally good at changing our environment to suit us. The problem is, we’re now too good at it. We chop down forests, remove mountains to get at ore bodies, take over grassland, fish out entire seas, create and unleash novel chemicals and pump huge quantities of nutrients from fertiliser into the system. These and many more undermine the hidden life support system on which we rely.

What are planetary boundaries?

Almost 15 years ago, this article’s lead author helped create something called “planetary boundaries” to make clear what damage we had done.

We teased apart nine processes vital to the Earth system.

Three are based on what we take from the system:

• biodiversity loss
• fresh water
• land use.

The remaining six come from waste we deposit back into the environment:

• greenhouse gases (which cause climate change and ocean acidification)
• ozone depleting chemicals
• novel entities (plastic, concrete, synthetic chemicals and genetically modified organisms which owe their existence to us)
• aerosols
• nutrient overload (reactive nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilisers)

If we keep our activities to a safe level, the sheer exuberance of life and the planet’s own processes can handle it. But in six out of nine vital life support systems, we have blown well past the safe zone. And we’re now in the danger zone, where we – as well as every other species – are now at risk.

Our breach of boundaries is very new

In the year 1900, there were around 1.6 billion humans – nearly all of them poor. Now there are 8 billion of us, and some of them are rich. And nearly all of us use fossil fuels, plastics, chemicals and products from intensive agriculture.

It can be very easy to live our lives and only occasionally glimpse the reality. You might have flown over palm oil plantations where rainforest was. Seen blue-green algal blooms or fish kills. You might have wondered where all the animals or bugs were on a bushwalk.

Read more:
Humanity is in the existential danger zone, study confirms

But when we zoom out and look at the sum total of our impacts, the story is clear. Put bluntly, we are eating away at our own life support systems. And this has happened extraordinarily recently. If we keep going, we risk triggering a dramatic and potentially irreversible change in living conditions.

Like all other living organisms, we survive by using Earth’s resources. We once believed these resources were unlimited. But we now know there are hard limits.

Take fresh water – essential to life on land. If we pump too much water from rivers, lakes and aquifers for farming, industry or cities, we risk hitting that hard limit. This isn’t hypothetical – places like India and California are close to that limit.

How are these boundaries calculated?

Remember – the entirety of human civilisation, the flowering of culture, religion, agriculture and cities – has taken place only in the last 10–12,000 years. For the roughly 190,000 years before that, we were nomadic hunter-gatherers. What changed?

The climate, for one. We entered a climate sweet spot, with relatively stable and warm conditions. Gone were the recurring ice ages. Many experts believe there’s a connection here – stable climate, rise of civilisation, though this is hard to establish with certainty.

What we do know is we can thrive under these conditions. We don’t know for certain our civilisation as we know it can thrive if they are different. We would be foolish to risk pushing our supporting envelope to breaking point.

That’s why we and many other independent scientists have worked as hard as we have to develop the framework of planetary boundaries and keep it up-to-date as new science comes in.

Read more:
It’s not just climate – we’ve already breached most of the Earth’s limits. A safer, fairer future means treading lightly

How do we know if we’ve breached the boundaries?

The Earth’s environmental conditions have changed many times in its long history. Climate is a good example here. We know the Earth looked very different when temperatures were higher or lower. Palms once grew in Antarctica. These swings from hothouse to ice age let us estimate the boundary beyond which our activities can upset the process.

These are boundaries, not thresholds. When we cross one, it doesn’t trigger immediate disaster. And it’s entirely possible to bring our activities back from unsafe to safe. We’ve done it already in the 1990s, when international cooperation quickly phased out ozone depleting chemicals and stopped the dangerous ozone hole from getting ever-bigger.

So how are we doing? Not great.

In last week’s update, the research team found we had now gone beyond the safe zone into dangerous territory in six of the nine processes. We are still in the green for ozone-depleting chemicals. Ocean-acidification is still, just, in the green, and so is aerosol pollution and dust.

But on climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, synthetic chemicals such as plastics, freshwater depletion, and nitrogen/phosphorus use, we’re well out of the safer zone. On these six, we’re deep in the red zone.

We’re keeping the party going as long as possible. But it can’t continue indefinitely. The bill comes due. The faster we do for the other boundaries what we did for ozone-depleting chemicals, the safer all of us will be.

Read more:
Two trillion tonnes of greenhouse gases, 25 billion nukes of heat: are we pushing Earth out of the Goldilocks zone?

Xuemei Bai receives funding from Australian Government, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), The Future Earth, and the Australian National University. She is affiliated with the Earth Commission.

Katherine Richardson 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. What are ‘planetary boundaries’ and why should we care? – https://theconversation.com/what-are-planetary-boundaries-and-why-should-we-care-213762

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gemma Perry, Post doctoral researcher, Bond University

There are plenty of health claims about humming. They include reducing stress, helping you breathe more easily, relieving sinus congestion, lowering your blood pressure and lifting your mood.

That’s a lot of potential benefits for something that comes pretty naturally to most of us.

Can something so simple really be healthy? Here’s what we know so far.

À lire aussi :
From Marie Kondo’s tuning fork to vibrators for ‘hysteria’: a short, shaky history of curing with vibrations

Humming’s all around us

Humming is likely connected to our earliest memories of comfort and care, as caregivers soothe infants with lullabies and humming. Infants, unable to comprehend speech, take in the melodic information, making humming one of our earliest forms of bonding through sound.

As we get older, we hum when we’re happy, embarrassed, displeased or in agreement with someone. Mmm. Hmm.

We often hum tunes unconsciously, even ones we don’t like, by mirroring what we hear. Some tunes can even get stuck in our heads if they contain hooks and repetition. And let’s face it, humming’s also handy when we can’t remember the words.

Then there are songs that feature humming, such as Enya’s The Humming, the 90s smash hit Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by the Crash Test Dummies, or James Blake’s Retrograde.

What happens when we hum?

When we hum, we create a buzzing sound with our mouth closed. We force air through our vocal folds (the newer term for vocal cords), causing them to vibrate and produce sound. We can control the pitch by adjusting the tension of our vocal folds to hum a tune.

All this vibration likely stimulates our vagus nerve (we actually have two), part of our parasympathetic nervous system. This is the nervous system that calms and restores body functions such as our heart rate, digestion and respiration.

People often hum as a way to relax. Their heart rate can decrease and their heart rate variability can increase. Heart rate variability refers to the slight fluctuation in time between each heartbeat. A higher heart rate variability is associated with better health.

À lire aussi :
Heart rate variability – what to know about this biometric most fitness trackers measure

When we hum, oscillating sound waves may also affect the sinuses, leading to increased levels of nitric oxide in the nose. One study found a 15-fold increase of nasal nitric oxide from humming compared to exhaling quietly. Nitric oxide is involved in everything from brain and immune function to blood flow to the lungs and sexual arousal.

In another study, researchers looked at people with allergic rhinitis (such as people with pollen or dust allergies). When they hummed, they had higher levels of nasal nitric oxide and had fewer sinus problems compared to those who exhaled silently.

Humming also leads to some unexpected psychological effects. These include increased body awareness and “decentering” – the ability to separate oneself from thoughts, emotions and sensations.

How about chanting?

Humming also plays an important role in chanting. One example is in the ancient meditation technique bhramari pranayama (which can involve humming while gently closing the ears with your fingertips).

It is no coincidence one of the world’s most chanted sounds – om – involves a long, sustained hum at the end. Chanting all sorts of various sounds and prayers is believed to connect practitioners to the spiritual realm and induce feelings of peace.

Chanting has cognitive benefits, such as mindfulness, and altered states of consciousness, such as flow – a feeling of being absorbed by and deeply focused on an activity. Chanting also reduces stress.

In a nutshell

We hum for lots of different reasons, suggesting that these common vocalisations play an important role in our lives.

Is humming healthy? More research is needed. But humming feels good, improves our mood, distracts us from boring tasks, and can even be used for spiritual practice. Happy humming!

Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

– ref. Is humming healthy? Mmm, here’s what the evidence says – https://theconversation.com/is-humming-healthy-mmm-heres-what-the-evidence-says-209586