Dr Liz Hanna, Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University, describes the environmental conditions that led to the LA fires as a “recipe for disaster.” “Because of climate change, fires are now bigger, badder and nastier,” Hanna says. “Even if our firefighting regime was operating perfectly without glitches, it’s been geared towards the fires and the systems that we’ve had in the past. It’s a new fire regime now, far beyond what our standard planning is.”
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.
A survey of 5,000+ Australians found that respondents estimated unemployment among Australia’s eight million foreign-born residents to be 143 per cent higher than it is in reality. Lead author Alyssa Leng, from ANU Development Policy Centre, said “While most respondents said they would prefer less migration to Australia overall, they showed strong support for more skilled migrants." Additionally, respondents do not support a reduction in international student visas.
"The Commission discusses the benefits of early education for preschoolers, especially children aged four, with some benefits for younger children. However, the report doesn't clarify optimal hours for various age groups.
Currently, many preschools offer around 15 hours for four-year-olds, and fewer hours may be appropriate for younger children.
Yet it recommends expanded access without specifying these distinctions."
Wesley Widmaier, Professor at the ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, explains. “Historically, tariffs are meant to provide a comparative advantage to domestic producers,” he says. As for Australia, he noted that President Trump has conflated defence spending with trade relationships in the past. This is why Defence Minister Richard Marles has emphasised Australia’s record-spending on defence. However, history doesn't always repeat itself. How Trump will approach the relationship remains uncertain.
The new Vanuatu government should use public pledge to assure the people that it will remain united, according to Anna Naupa, researcher at ANU School of Culture, History and Language.
Naupa, a ni-Vanuatu PhD candidate, also said it is essential to restore national integrity by allowing and even encouraging a vocal, stable opposition to form in the Parliament. This would provide healthy scrutiny of government business and maintain a democratic balance of power.
What lessons we take from the most recent by-elections? What do they tell us about long-term shifts in Australian politics? And which patterns should we watch for ahead of the federal election?
On this episode of Democracy Sausage, election analyst Ben Raue joins Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga to discuss the voting trends that could influence the 2025 election result.
How can Australia balance its strategic relationships with its defence priorities?? What is the government doing to ensure it remains the partner of choice in the Pacific? And what does the NRL's deal with Papua New Guinea mean for national security? In this episode, Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy joins Professo Rory Medcalf to discuss Australia’s role in the Pacific and investment in modernising the ADF.
This week, the government made a foreign policy push to its north. In this episode of Australia in the World, Stephen Dziedzic of the ABC joins Darren Lim to talk about two significant deals the Australian Government struck with the governments of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. They discuss how the deals - which cover development, banking, and, yes, rugby league - take Australian foreign policy into relatively uncharted waters.
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.