The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.

A shopfront with a yellow and white sign that reads "Optus yes".

A shopfront with a yellow and white sign that reads "Optus yes".

Mandate domestic mobile roaming and strip telcos of Triple Zero, inquiry recommends

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers warns rising debt bills are set to hit the budget

Jim Chalmers speaking at a podium

Jim Chalmers speaking at a podium

Calls for global regulation of AI are growing. What exactly could it look like?

A 3D rendering of the globe, with landmasses in blue light and connected by digital data points.

A 3D rendering of the globe, with landmasses in blue light and connected by digital data points.

Intergenerational Report says AI will be ‘a defining influence’ on Australia’s economy over next 40 years

Australia in the 2060s: an optimistic outlook dominates budget forecasts in the Intergenerational Report

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers speaks to media

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers speaks to media

A researcher in diving gear holds a captured Manning River Helmeted turtle, recognisable by its bright yellow colouring.

A researcher in diving gear holds a captured Manning River Helmeted turtle, recognisable by its bright yellow colouring.

Two native turtles are vying to survive in a coastal Australian river. One doesn’t belong there

A woman with the flu lays on the couch, looking at her phone

A woman with the flu lays on the couch, looking at her phone

No, you’re not imagining it. Flu season is late and cases are up

View from The Hill: Albanese seeks to advance Australia’s middle power diplomacy via UN Security Council seat

What kind of a person am I? How fear and rejection can underpin OCD

Young person with tattoos and short hair looks out window.

Young person with tattoos and short hair looks out window.

Feuds, power and entitlement: 5 revealing royal books

Three Ts will dominate Trump-Xi summit – but expect little movement on trade, less on Taiwan and who knows on tech

Two men in suits stans side byu side

Two men in suits stans side byu side

Data centres

What does a good data centre future look like? And how do we get there?

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Unsustainable – or manageable? We don’t yet know how data centres will impact Australia’s environment

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Data centres have existed for decades. So why are they so controversial now?

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

Data centres in Australia: your questions answered

3D blocks and speech bubbles on a textured background.

3D blocks and speech bubbles on a textured background.

Read the whole series

Editor's picks

As war in the Middle East widens, Saudi Arabia’s new defence pact could face a major test

A digital billboard in Sana'a, Yemen, shows a missile launching.

A digital billboard in Sana'a, Yemen, shows a missile launching.

Whyalla may make steel again one day. But years of uncertainty could still reshape the town

A general view of the town of Whyalla, South Australia.

A general view of the town of Whyalla, South Australia.

Apple’s new watches are always listening

Apple Watches

Apple Watches

7 of the weirdest things coffee does to your body

Cup of coffee in white mug or cup, viewed from above, against bright yellow background

Cup of coffee in white mug or cup, viewed from above, against bright yellow background

More news and analysis

urban scene in China, electric scooters and cars with skyscrapers behind

urban scene in China, electric scooters and cars with skyscrapers behind

As renewed chaos grips the oil market, one country is keeping global prices down – by reducing demand

When presidents ban journalists from the White House, the First Amendment is not the only constitutional right at stake

A woman in a black dress standing on a street corner, waiting for something.

A woman in a black dress standing on a street corner, waiting for something.

An opt-out system for AI companies to access creative works doesn’t gel with Australia’s copyright laws. Here’s why

A woman's face digitally edited to appear as if it's dissolving.

A woman's face digitally edited to appear as if it's dissolving.

‘I want a visa, so I have to do farm work’: how new visa rules will hit regional Australia

Shot of a group of workers tending to their crop of herbs on a farm

Shot of a group of workers tending to their crop of herbs on a farm

Waleed Aly believes liberalism is in trouble, but his argument leaves us in a bind

Australia set for 39 million people by mid-2060s – but slower population growth

Jim Chalmers before Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, August 17, 2026

Jim Chalmers before Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, August 17, 2026

Why Yemen has returned to conflict

A Houthi fighter carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

A Houthi fighter carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

When does being ‘apolitical’ become a political act? An ethicist on the Ed Sheeran saga

After the EU’s offer to Canada, could Australia also embrace a ‘Eurovision’?

Delta Goodrem holds an Australia flag at Eurovision

Delta Goodrem holds an Australia flag at Eurovision

A young man with a blurred out face is seen behind a wire fence.

A young man with a blurred out face is seen behind a wire fence.

Australia’s youth justice crisis needs national leadership. The Senate inquiry is helpful but isn’t enough

Trump declares victory in Greenland, but the deal exposes a deeper crisis of trust

Netflix is remaking the Stanford Prison Experiment as a reality series. Let’s hope it’s more ethical than the original

Photo of the experiment: Prisoner with paper bag over his head, with a guard.

Photo of the experiment: Prisoner with paper bag over his head, with a guard.

Personality tests, dodgy reward programs, AI bots: how rent tech platforms make renting a ‘dehumanising’ experience

Person looking at real esate app on phone

Person looking at real esate app on phone

Labor and Albanese slump to new lows in Newspoll, but Labor improves in a DemosAU poll

Anthony Albanese sits in the House of Representatives and frowns

Anthony Albanese sits in the House of Representatives and frowns

A dad works from home on his laptop sitting on the couch while his two daughters jump and play around him.

A dad works from home on his laptop sitting on the couch while his two daughters jump and play around him.

School holidays are coming. Here’s how families can keep some sort of routine

Two young people sitting on a couch. A boy is on a phone, a girl is turning her head quickly,

Two young people sitting on a couch. A boy is on a phone, a girl is turning her head quickly,

‘Rohan called me an idiot!’ How can parents handle squabbles between kids?

As AI reshapes jobs and workers change industries, employers need to be more flexible too

A female carpenter works on the roof of a new house construction a

A female carpenter works on the roof of a new house construction a

Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain hides deep caves that can teach us about alien worlds

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

How the government’s new immigration policy will cause more trauma for victim-survivors of domestic violence

Woman sitting alone on the beach

Woman sitting alone on the beach

Australia’s ‘barking mad’ bet on nuclear submarines – the AUKUS deal five years on

People stand aboard a submarine, submerged in the ocean

People stand aboard a submarine, submerged in the ocean

An aerial view of a crowd of people walking a city street

An aerial view of a crowd of people walking a city street

The government’s migration policy prioritises knee-jerk politics over careful planning

Life just got tougher for international students under new visa rules. Why is this group being targeted?

A crowd of university students walking to and from classes at the University of New South Wales.

A crowd of university students walking to and from classes at the University of New South Wales.

From war to weather, Australian farmers are planting spring crops in an uncertain world

A male farmer touches a wheat crop in a paddock.

A male farmer touches a wheat crop in a paddock.

From Mumbai to Perth and beyond, Neha Kale considers, art, colonialism and ideas of home

California is a new republic in Exit Party, a dystopia set in 2031. What happens next?

A cloud of tear gas dissipates in front of police on a Los Angeles street, with palm trees.

A cloud of tear gas dissipates in front of police on a Los Angeles street, with palm trees.

Every party has pitched its own supermarket fix for NZ. What if we combined the best ideas?

Are girls getting their periods earlier? And can parents do anything about it?

A girl and her mother sit on their stairs

A girl and her mother sit on their stairs

How rural policing gaps can make escaping domestic violence harder

A police road sign against blue sky.

A police road sign against blue sky.

It’s getting easier to live off-grid – but it comes with certain costs

A small, modern house surrounded by lush forest.

A small, modern house surrounded by lush forest.

More news + analysis

New research

We found the hidden force that created two chains of underwater volcanoes running side by side

An aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean.

An aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean.

More than 2 million Indigenous people lived in Australia in 1788: new research

Painting of an Indigenous gathering

Painting of an Indigenous gathering

Five years into AUKUS, what do we have to show for it? We’ve measured progress on three key metrics

Climate change is putting the squeeze on the world’s grapegrowers: new research

Bunches of grapes in a vineyard

Bunches of grapes in a vineyard

More new research

Life

I love my skincare routine. Do I have a body image problem?

Rows of white or pale pink skincare tubes in diagonal rows

Rows of white or pale pink skincare tubes in diagonal rows

Travelling with kids: how can you minimise jet lag with your little ones?

A small child looks out of the window of a plane.

A small child looks out of the window of a plane.

Should you say ‘autistic person’ or ‘person with autism’? Here’s how language has changed

An older man talks about himself in a peer-support session

An older man talks about himself in a peer-support session

Why does laundry get smelly if it stays wet? A textile scientist explains how to fix it

Close-up of wet laundry in a front-loading washing machine.

Close-up of wet laundry in a front-loading washing machine.

Arts and reviews

Naomi Klein’s new book calls out end times fascism. What is this – and what’s the role of big tech?

Naomi Klein talking in front of a sign, illegible, and a big crowd

Naomi Klein talking in front of a sign, illegible, and a big crowd

Some of the most iconic movie sets aren’t sets at all – they’re paintings

The Jim Henson Company reminds us even the synthetic can be joyous and beautiful and beloved

Jim Henson on the set of Fraggle Rock

Jim Henson on the set of Fraggle Rock

Bluster and betrayal: Paul Barry probes how steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta hoodwinked the powerful

World

Russia’s parliamentary elections will not be a referendum on the Ukraine war – or anything, really

A patriotic rally in Moscow.

A patriotic rally in Moscow.

The Houthis have further tightened their grip on the Red Sea. Here’s what it could mean for the world

A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen's coast in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen's coast in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

Thanks, Trump: Why Canada may become the European Union’s first ever ‘associate member’

A smiling man with short grey hair stands next to a woman with blonde hair. a canadian and EU flag are behind them

A smiling man with short grey hair stands next to a woman with blonde hair. a canadian and EU flag are behind them

What is Zionism? The different meanings of a contested term

A street of tall buildings, filled with people wearing blue shirts and waving Israeli flags.

A street of tall buildings, filled with people wearing blue shirts and waving Israeli flags.

Federal politics

Hanson’s personal attacks and offensive comments are straight out of the populist playbook. But they come with risks

Grattan on Friday: Burke delivers overdue migration baby, but is it sturdy enough to withstand the critics?

The government might strip some asylum seekers of their work rights. Here’s why it shouldn’t

Three people work in a cafe kitchen

Three people work in a cafe kitchen

Make ‘em laugh: how One Nation uses comedy to normalise harmful ideas

A screenshot of cartoon versions of Jim Chalmers, Andrew Hastie and Penny Wong

A screenshot of cartoon versions of Jim Chalmers, Andrew Hastie and Penny Wong

More federal politics

New Zealand

‘Spring queening’ time will be crucial for finding any surviving yellow-legged hornets

A yellow-legged hornet

A yellow-legged hornet

New Zealand will be ‘super-aged’ within a decade. Are our cities ready?

Couple on park bench looking across water at Auckland CBD on clear day

Couple on park bench looking across water at Auckland CBD on clear day

Opportunity’s ‘tax reset’ could benefit many NZ households – but does little for the poorest

Collection of NZ currency, income tax form and calculator

Collection of NZ currency, income tax form and calculator

The case for NZ joining the UK in sanctioning Israel over illegal West Bank settlements

More New Zealand

Climate

Will El Niño send food prices soaring this summer?

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

It’s been one year since Australia assessed its national climate risk. But have we listened?

Firefighters put out a grass fire, with a firetruck in the background.

Firefighters put out a grass fire, with a firetruck in the background.

Australia must double down to meet our climate targets. Our new study shows how

A green shoot grows out of a tree burnt by a bushfire.

A green shoot grows out of a tree burnt by a bushfire.

As global heating heads to 1.8C, is it time to consider the ‘Voldemort’ of climate policy?

A black and white photo of clouds.

A black and white photo of clouds.

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Podcasts

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Matt Canavan on why One Nation is ‘not really compatible’ as a Coalition partner

Ratko Mladić: the war criminal who became a martyr for Bosnian Serbs

A crowd of people carrying flags depicting Ratko Mladić face and the Serbian flag

A crowd of people carrying flags depicting Ratko Mladić face and the Serbian flag

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on co-hosting COP and Australia’s renewables target

The music that made Dolly Parton a global icon

All episodes of Politics with Michelle Grattan

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