News

Editorial coverage from the Melbourne Australia Wire newsroom.

Government
Ruling out Opportunity only harms Luxon’s election chances, right? It’s not that simple
Despite not having made it to parliament, The Opportunity Party has already been proclaimed a potential “kingmaker” following next month’s election.
SyndicatedGrant Duncan, Research Associate, Public Policy Institute, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau23 Oct 20264 min read
Culture
Emma Cline is known for her troubled young women. In Switzy, she inhabits a man with dementia
Emma Cline is best known as the author of novels about troubled young women. The Girls, her debut, inhabited a follower of a Charles Manson figure, who opted out of the murders at the last minute.
SyndicatedCaitlin Macdonald, Researcher, School of Art, Communication and English, University of Sydney23 Oct 20267 min read
Education
Interned as ‘enemy aliens’ in Australia, these WWII refugees built their own universities
Between transit, immigration detention and life in camps, most refugees and asylum seekers are denied reliable ongoing access to education.
SyndicatedKatherine Biber, Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney23 Oct 20264 min read
Health
What’s the difference between green, yellow and red capsicums? It’s more than what you see
Raw, grilled, roasted, stuffed – there are many ways to enjoy capsicums, also called bell peppers, sweet peppers or paprika.
SyndicatedTheresa Larkin, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong23 Oct 20264 min read
Environment
From ‘gentle’ and ‘graceful’ to the ‘cane toad of the sky’: how Australia turned on the common myna
The common myna is sometimes referred to as “Australia’s most hated bird”. Originally from South and Central Asia, the introduced species from the starling family is abundant, raucous and bold.
SyndicatedSimon Farley, Lecturer in History, The University of Melbourne23 Oct 20265 min read
Health
How much autonomy do women actually have when giving birth?
You spend your pregnancy researching and planning for when your baby finally arrives, as well as considering what might happen if things don’t go according to plan.
SyndicatedBashi Kumar-Hazard, Lecturer, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney23 Oct 20265 min read
Environment
‘It’s pretty toxic… but just a little, I want to be like that’: what young men think of manosphere content
Masculinity content promises young men self-optimisation and success, but often delivers health harms, risk taking, unattainable standards, gender stereotypes and misogyny. The latter is the strongest predictor of violent extremism.
SyndicatedKrista Fisher, Research Fellow, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne23 Oct 20265 min read
Education
Friday essay: AI is devastating higher education, but the system was already broken
If you work at a university today, you talk a lot with the dead. I don’t mean that as a metaphor – or, at least, not entirely.
SyndicatedJeff Sparrow, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne23 Oct 202629 min read
Business
Grattan on Friday: Politics reflects society, and our society is in poor shape on many fronts
As the national political conversation descended into fear and loathing after Monday’s horrific attack on Helen Haines, two federal parliamentarians had the political nous, or good grace, to step back from instances of offensive behaviour.
SyndicatedMichelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra22 Oct 20265 min read
Technology
Shares in this data centre company are down 40% as investors lose faith in the AI story
For two decades, data centres were relatively safe, lucrative real estate investments. They attracted investors because they served as digital infrastructure — the essential plumbing that keeps the internet running.
SyndicatedAndrew Cullen, Guest Research Fellow, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne22 Oct 20264 min read
Technology
A critical flaw affecting 70% of all websites has the cybersecurity world panicked
Details have been published of a critical flaw in the programming language PHP, which is the backbone of more than 70% of all websites.
SyndicatedAndrew Cullen, Guest Research Fellow, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne22 Oct 20264 min read
Health
The government wants to reward better GP care. But what happens when targets take priority?
Last month, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced new funding to reward GP clinics that meet a series of performance targets.
SyndicatedFelicity Goodyear-Smith, Professor of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau22 Oct 20264 min read