Stopping koala extinction is agonisingly simple. But here's why I'm not optimistic

Shutterstock On Tuesday, a year-long New South Wales parliamentary inquiry revealed the state’s koalas are on track for extinction in the wild by 2050, without urgent government intervention. Habitat destruction and fragmentation for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry has been the number one koala killer since European occupation ofContinue Reading

Lockdown returns: how far can coronavirus measures go before they infringe on human rights?

DANIEL POCKETT/AAP As of this morning, ten “hot spot” postcodes in Melbourne’s suburbs have gone back into Stage 3 coronavirus lockdown. In these suburbs, stay-at-home restrictions will be enforced by police patrols, “booze bus”-style barriers and random checks in transport corridors. In what Premier Daniel Andrews described as “extraordinary steps”,Continue Reading

Border closures, identity and political tensions: how Australia's past pandemics shape our COVID-19 response

Tensions over border closures are in the news again, now states are gradually lifting travel restrictions to all except Victorians. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says singling out Victorians is an overreaction to Melbourne’s coronavirus spike, urging the states “to get some perspective”. Federal-state tensions over border closures and other pandemicContinue Reading