- 6 mins
According to the latest Australia’s Environment Report, the environment improved slightly in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year of above-average conditions, but major challenges remain following a year of record-breaking heat, mass coral bleaching and declining biodiversity. The annual report is led by ANU experts.
Lawrie said that while the findings are encouraging, we have to stay vigilant.
Billions of dollars have been spent on recovering water for the environment in Australia’s most important and extensive catchment, the Murry-Darling Basin.
According to a group of experts led by Dr Matthew Coloff from the Australian National University, three quarters of the indicators used in a major review of that spending were chosen to justify investment past investment, not to reflect the efficacy of those decisions.
New analysis of more than 100,000 tweets has found that queer Australian politicians suffer more personal abuse online than straight politicians.
“For straight politicians, much of the harassment received might be considered an unavoidable part of the democratic political process. [But] our research provides a useful retrospective of some of the vitriol that proliferated during the last election,” ANU experts write.
According to ANU expert Adam Butt, current means testing rules are confusing, but there is a solution.
“The Age Pension payment in Australia is unusual in that it is universal, non-contributory and means tested. Age Pension means testing leads to complex interactions between the retirement phase of superannuation and the Age Pension payment; and navigating these interactions can have significant impacts on the amount of Age Pension received.”
One in three Australians with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) left their medical consultations with misunderstandings about what was discussed, posing risks to their safety and the management of their condition, according to a new ANU study.
Study lead author, Dr Neda Karimi from the ANU Institute for Communication in Health Care, said the research provides strong evidence that simple changes in how doctors and patients talk to each other can have a big impact.
In the wake of the federal budget, ANU expert Stephen Howes assesses the state of Australia's spending on aid.
“The aid budget makes the bold claim that Australia is “reprioritising our development investments to bolster support to our region”. But this is more spin than substance. The increase is marginal.
Aid to Asia and the Pacific as a share of total aid increases from 73.5% in 2024-25 to 74.4% in 2025-26.”
What is it about immigration that makes voters so anxious? What are the misconceptions we have about migration? And with Peter Dutton mulling a referendum over dual nationals. will migration be a key issue at the election?
On this Democracy Sausage, Professor Alan Gamlen joins Professor Mark Kenny to discuss the politicisation of migration and what it means for this election.
With the US’ shifting priorities, how does Europe’s response to Russian aggression inform Australian policymakers? What parallels can be drawn between Russia’s fall to authoritarianism under Putin, and its rise in the United States?
In this National Security Podcast, Peter Tesch and Mikhail Zygar join Rory Medcalf to discuss Russia in the global order and prospects for peace in Ukraine.
In this episode of Australia in the World, Stephen Dziedzic of the ABC returns to discuss People’s Liberation Army Navy warships.
They talk about the New Zealand and Cook Islands relationship, which sharpened in recent months as the latter’s relationship with China caused tension. They also ask what authoritarianism in Russia and the US could mean for the rest of the world.
ANU Policy Brief is for time-poor policymakers needing quick access to evidence-based research. It features actionable and digestible briefs drawn from the University’s full range of expertise across the campus.
