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Renewables over 50%, wholesale prices down – is the energy transition… succeeding?

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Richard Pan/Pexels, CC BY-NC-ND Ten years ago, if a heatwave as intense as last week’s record-breaker had hit the east coast, Australia’s power supply may well have buckled. But this time, the system largely operated as we needed, despite some ... <a title="Renewables over 50%, wholesale prices down – is the energy transition… succeeding?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/renewables-over-50-wholesale-prices-down-is-the-energy-transition-succeeding-274616/" aria-label="Read more about Renewables over 50%, wholesale prices down – is the energy transition… succeeding?">Read more</a>

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RBA raises interest rates as inflation pressures remain high

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%, adding to pressure on households and businesses. While the move was widely expected by markets and most economists, the Reserve ... <a title="RBA raises interest rates as inflation pressures remain high" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/rba-raises-interest-rates-as-inflation-pressures-remain-high-274840/" aria-label="Read more about RBA raises interest rates as inflation pressures remain high">Read more</a>

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Regulating Islamic education can strengthen trust and authority, if religious scholars lead the way

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Milani, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Western Sydney University Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for greater regulation of Islamic preachers in Australia in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack. His comments triggered an immediate backlash. Many Muslim leaders and commentators heard the remarks ... <a title="Regulating Islamic education can strengthen trust and authority, if religious scholars lead the way" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/regulating-islamic-education-can-strengthen-trust-and-authority-if-religious-scholars-lead-the-way-274736/" aria-label="Read more about Regulating Islamic education can strengthen trust and authority, if religious scholars lead the way">Read more</a>

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These voices are the loudest in Australia’s ‘climate wars’

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Professor of Political Science, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University The Conversation, CC BY-SA There’s a reason political commentators refer to Australia’s “climate wars”. Every time a climate policy is put on the table, supporters and opponents come out in force and ... <a title="These voices are the loudest in Australia’s ‘climate wars’" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/these-voices-are-the-loudest-in-australias-climate-wars-272347/" aria-label="Read more about These voices are the loudest in Australia’s ‘climate wars’">Read more</a>

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The Voice would have renewed Australian democracy. Its failure leaves us all worse off

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sana Nakata, Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University There’s long been a fundamental issue underpinning Australia’s approach to Indigenous affairs. The state makes laws specifically about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples without any protected mechanism giving them a say in the process. The proposed Voice to ... <a title="The Voice would have renewed Australian democracy. Its failure leaves us all worse off" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/the-voice-would-have-renewed-australian-democracy-its-failure-leaves-us-all-worse-off-271836/" aria-label="Read more about The Voice would have renewed Australian democracy. Its failure leaves us all worse off">Read more</a>

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Polls are snapshots, not predictions: how to read them critically this election year

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Duncan, Research associate, Public Policy Institute, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau With nine months to go, how much can opinion polls tell us about the general election on November 7? Short answer: not much. Based solely on polls, no one could have predicted the past ... <a title="Polls are snapshots, not predictions: how to read them critically this election year" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/polls-are-snapshots-not-predictions-how-to-read-them-critically-this-election-year-274531/" aria-label="Read more about Polls are snapshots, not predictions: how to read them critically this election year">Read more</a>

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We ate space mushrooms and survived to tell the tale

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Eating the space mushrooms for the first time. Author provided, CC BY-SA The mushrooms spread out on the chopping board seemed normal enough. They were rich and dense, and had a strong earthy aroma. In ... <a title="We ate space mushrooms and survived to tell the tale" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/we-ate-space-mushrooms-and-survived-to-tell-the-tale-274112/" aria-label="Read more about We ate space mushrooms and survived to tell the tale">Read more</a>

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Why regularly taking laxatives over the long term can be a bad idea

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and Clinical Academic Gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Photo by Anna Shvets/Pexels If you’ve ever been constipated you may have tried laxatives. They’re easy to get without a prescription and often help get things moving. Certainly a lot of people use laxatives and some ... <a title="Why regularly taking laxatives over the long term can be a bad idea" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/why-regularly-taking-laxatives-over-the-long-term-can-be-a-bad-idea-269404/" aria-label="Read more about Why regularly taking laxatives over the long term can be a bad idea">Read more</a>

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Tiny radio transmitters reveal a hidden survival tactic in birds

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alice Barratt, PhD Candidate, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University White-backed swallow in Sturt National Park. Alice Barratt, CC BY-NC In Sturt National Park, near Tibooburra in central Australia where temperatures can range from freezing to nearly 50°C, there lives a small bird with a ... <a title="Tiny radio transmitters reveal a hidden survival tactic in birds" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/tiny-radio-transmitters-reveal-a-hidden-survival-tactic-in-birds-274517/" aria-label="Read more about Tiny radio transmitters reveal a hidden survival tactic in birds">Read more</a>

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Our study shows younger siblings spend more time on screens than big sisters and brothers

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danusha Jayawardana, Research Fellow in Health Economics, Monash University Atlantic Ambience/ Pexels Where kids are born in a family can be important. But it is not just about who gets more grown-up privileges or parental pressure. Research tells us firstborn children, on average, tend to do better ... <a title="Our study shows younger siblings spend more time on screens than big sisters and brothers" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/our-study-shows-younger-siblings-spend-more-time-on-screens-than-big-sisters-and-brothers-273904/" aria-label="Read more about Our study shows younger siblings spend more time on screens than big sisters and brothers">Read more</a>

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Australia’s Pacific worker scheme is far from perfect – but we can make it better

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Mares, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme (PALM) is a crucial source of workers across regional Australia. About 32,000 people from nine Pacific nations and Timor-Leste work in Australia under PALM. Over seven months ... <a title="Australia’s Pacific worker scheme is far from perfect – but we can make it better" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/australias-pacific-worker-scheme-is-far-from-perfect-but-we-can-make-it-better-274618/" aria-label="Read more about Australia’s Pacific worker scheme is far from perfect – but we can make it better">Read more</a>

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From statement sleeves to the codpiece: 5 fashions which should come back from Tudor England

February 3, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace Waye-Harris, Early Career Researcher in History, Adelaide University Portrait of Elizabeth I of England, 1588. Woburn Abbey/Wikimedia Commons There are few dynasties in history as well-known as the Tudors. From Henry VIII’s six wives to Elizabeth I’s defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Tudors continue to ... <a title="From statement sleeves to the codpiece: 5 fashions which should come back from Tudor England" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/from-statement-sleeves-to-the-codpiece-5-fashions-which-should-come-back-from-tudor-england-271507/" aria-label="Read more about From statement sleeves to the codpiece: 5 fashions which should come back from Tudor England">Read more</a>