The Australian photographer, who has died at 65, originally trained as a painter and brought a certain sensibility of the painter’s hand to her practice. From A/Prof. Donna West Brett University of Sydney theconversation.com/the-sensuous-y…

Papua New Guinea is Australia's nearest neighbour – but for many, it rarely enters their consciousness. Now is the time to show the PNG people what a good neighbour Australia can be, writes Jonathan Ritchie +Brad Underhill @deakin theconversation.com/is-australia-d…

The country will vote on two proposed constitutional amendments that seek to end political instability in the country. theconversation.com/vanuatu-is-hol… writes Kolaia Raisele La Trobe University

Spikes in inflation are often blamed on government borrowing to deliver cash handouts. But it's more complicated than that writes economics expert Dennis Wesselbaum (University of Otago).

The real issue lies in borrowing without a plan to balance the books. theconversation.com/nz-budget-2024…

📖War writing can be formulaic and clichéd, but Catherine McKinnon resists glorification and the usual narrative of 'us against them' in her new novel To Sing of War (@HarperCollinsAU). Reviewed by Brigid Magner, RMIT University.

theconversation.com/catherine-mcki…

Where do free speech rights end and professional journalistic obligations begin? For journalists in the public eye, it can be hard to tell writes Denis Muller from University of Melbourne.
theconversation.com/the-coverage-o…

The free ecoSwitch app takes the guesswork out of sustainable food choices, empowering consumers to take matters into their own hands, write Simone Pettigrew (The George Institute for Global Health) + Allison Gaines (@imperialcollege). theconversation.com/we-gave-60-000…

It sounds good in theory, but it doesn’t always work in practice.

Peter Baldwin (UNSW) writes on what the evidence from the UK and elsewhere shows so far. theconversation.com/australia-is-g…

Finance minister Nicola Willis is promising to chart a ‘middle course’ in her first budget.

Her bigger challenge is to bring middle New Zealand along with her, writes Richard Shaw (Massey University).

#nzpol

theconversation.com/nz-budget-2024…

While there is no simple answer to the question, our experts all agree Australia has a serious problem when it comes to racism. theconversation.com/is-australia-a…

In a sensible bit of forward planning Albanese told caucus it should be focused on crafting an offer for the second term, evidence of how politics is now in what’s dubbed the “permanent campaign”, reports Michelle Grattan. theconversation.com/view-from-the-…

Free or heavily discounted public transport can help achieve social goals. But, as Abraham Leung + Matthew Burke (@Griffith_Uni) write, governments must carefully navigate equity considerations. theconversation.com/catching-publi…

New research shows how fear of missing out and an inability to regulate our own emotions is linked to using the internet in concerning ways, writes Dr Kim M Caudwell
(@CDUni).

theconversation.com/spending-too-m…

Spirituality is central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is growing in popularity with young Australians.

Anna Halafoff + Dr Rosie Clare Shorter (@Deakin) explain what it is, and how it's different to religion. theconversation.com/38-of-gen-z-au…

New Zealand tends to focus on big infrastructural projects such as tunnels or light rail to change cities. But there are cheaper ways to add public spaces to urban design, say Simon Kingham at University of Canterbury and Marco Amati RMIT University theconversation.com/rethinking-roa…

Are wombats the accidental heroes of the Aussie bush? After the Black Summer bushfires, researchers Grant Linley + Dale Nimmo (Charles Sturt University) set up 56 cameras to capture animal activity in areas with and without wombat burrows. This is what they found. theconversation.com/cameras-reveal…

The NRL wants to expand to 20 teams by the end of the decade, with many pros and cons to consider for each hopeful vying to join the league writes economist Tim Harcourt from UTS. #NRL
theconversation.com/rugby-league-i…

The theory that money emerged naturally encourages people to believe free markets are natural systems in which governments only interfere. But this thinking is flawed, writes Steven Hail from TorrensUni.
theconversation.com/where-did-mone…

You'll soon likely be seeing a range of new ads about sexual consent popping up on social media and on TV. Dr Andrea Waling from La Trobe University gives her expert verdict on this new campaign. theconversation.com/australias-new…

There's a strong case to be made for private landholders to conduct their own cool burns, for dual purposes of reducing fuel load and restoring the ecology, according to scientists at Uni of Adelaide and @Flinders University Newsroom theconversation.com/changing-nativ…