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The Point recognises the ancestral connections and custodianship of Traditional Owners throughout Australia. We pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present.

©2025–2026 The Point, an initiative of The Australia Institute

The Point

The US midterms should put Australian politicians on notice over the data centre boom

OPINION

The US midterms should put Australian politicians on notice over the data centre boom

Sarah Hanson-Young

Beyond Trump’s corruption, reckless war in the Middle East and the soaring cost of living, there’s another frustration bubbling beneath the surface, the unchecked expansion of AI data centres. As Politico in the US reported overnight, “the big winners” in the mid-terms were the candidates who campaigned against data centres.

Democracy & AccountabilityInternational Affairs
Democracy & AccountabilityInternational Affairs

Editor's Picks

Shorter America This Week: Looks like woke’s back on the menu; Choosin’ Texas; Global implications

WHAT'S NEW

Shorter America This Week: Looks like woke’s back on the menu; Choosin’ Texas; Global implications

International Affairs
International Affairs

WHAT'S NEW

The Point Weekend Quiz

What’s the point of allowing AI to ruin superannuation? 
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
What’s the point of allowing AI to ruin superannuation? 
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How Europe’s responding to Trump 2.0 | After America
International Affairs
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How Europe’s responding to Trump 2.0 | After America
30:22

Today’s Point

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OPINION

In a world of doomscrolling, romantasy offers a welcome escape

Emily Mulligan

Lifestyle & Culture
Lifestyle & Culture
Emily Mulligan
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WHAT'S NEW

UN experts scrutinise Australia’s climate leadership days before COP31

Australia’s global climate leadership has come under heavy scrutiny just days before COP31, with United Nations human rights experts calling for the country to match its international climate ambitions with stronger action at home.

Climate
Climate
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OPINION

Bearing witness to the conditions of Russian captivity and helping those who have endured it is a way to fight for humanity

Oleksandr Hudilin

International Affairs
International Affairs
Oleksandr Hudilin

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Quality research, analysis, explainers and factchecks from experts you can trust.

Opinion

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OPINION

Six ways to save the Commonwealth billions, fairly and efficiently

Matt Grudnoff & Greg Jericho

Economy
Economy
Matt GrudnoffGreg Jericho
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OPINION

The government has admitted that dodgy offsets hamper climate action

Ketan Joshi

Climate
Climate
Ketan Joshi
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OPINION

Who gets to decide what a 'realistic' energy transition is?

Ray Wills & Peter Newman

ClimateEconomy
ClimateEconomy
Ray WillsPeter Newman

Economy

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OPINION

There's other ways to fight inflation than making mortgage holders pay

David Shoebridge

Economy
Economy
David Shoebridge
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OPINION

When essential workers can't afford to live in our communities, everyone pays the price

Kasy Chambers

EconomySociety & Inequality
EconomySociety & Inequality
Kasy Chambers
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WHAT'S NEW

Australia risks repeating New Zealand's mistakes as ACTU warns against further rate hikes

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has warned against further interest rate rises, with new research estimating that almost 900,000 fewer Australians would be in full-time work if the country had followed New Zealand’s economic path.

Economy
Economy

Latest Podcasts

Brutal interest rate hike won't address main causes of inflation
Economy
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Brutal interest rate hike won't address main causes of inflation
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Trumpism on the ballot in US midterms as Netanyahu fights to remain Israeli leader
International Affairs
International Affairs
Trumpism on the ballot in US midterms as Netanyahu fights to remain Israeli leader
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Latest Videos

No place for violence in Australian democracy | Follow the Money

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How Europe’s responding to Trump 2.0 | After America

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Revenue Summit 2026 | Keynote Speech - Tax the 1% - Barbara Pocock

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What's the point of neoliberalism? | What's the Point? with Richard Denniss

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Society & Inequality

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WHAT'S NEW

Essential workers priced out of almost entire Australian rental market, new report finds

Australians working full-time in essential services are being priced out of almost the entire rental market, with a new Anglicare Australia report revealing just how far housing costs have outstripped wages.

Society & Inequality
Society & Inequality
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WHAT'S NEW

Public health experts warn Australia's patchwork gun laws put communities at risk

Australia’s growing divide over gun reform has drawn criticism from public health experts, who say the country’s patchwork of laws is putting communities at risk. It comes as New South Wales begins its biggest firearms buyback in three decades.

Society & Inequality
Society & Inequality
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OPINION

The inverse care law: how private healthcare can increase pressure on public hospitals

Luke Slawomirski

Society & InequalityHealth
Society & InequalityHealth
Luke Slawomirski

Climate

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WHAT'S NEW

Troubled waters: Woodside’s Scott Reef plans spark fresh fears

Woodside Energy is pushing ahead with plans for underwater surveys at Scott Reef, more than two years after Western Australia’s environmental watchdog raised serious concerns about irreversible damage from its proposed Browse gas development.

Climate
Climate
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OPINION

ASIC is finally opening Big Oil & Gas’ books. Here’s why that’s a very big deal

Amanda Holly

Climate
Climate
Amanda Holly
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OPINION

Browse keeps changing its story

Alex Hillman

Climate
Climate
Alex Hillman

Environment & Biodiversity

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WHAT'S NEW

Australia risks falling short of pledge to protect 30% of land by 2030

Australia risks falling short of its global pledge to protect 30 per cent of the country’s land by 2030, with a new national review warning the biggest challenge isn’t just how much land is safeguarded, but whether it includes the ecosystems and species most at risk.

Environment & Biodiversity
Environment & Biodiversity
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WHAT'S NEW

Motor racing could be permitted in parts of Great Koala National Park precinct, sparking outrage

Motor racing could be permitted in parts of the long-awaited Great Koala National Park precinct, sparking outrage among conservationists who say the NSW Government is putting recreational activities ahead of protecting endangered koalas.

Environment & Biodiversity
Environment & Biodiversity
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OPINION

Conservationists are discovering ‘bright spots’ around the globe. Here’s why they matter

Bing Lin & Joshua Cinner

Environment & Biodiversity
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Bing LinJoshua Cinner

Democracy & Accountability

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OPINION

Reality: The Far Right's Kryptonite

Alex Fein

International AffairsDemocracy & Accountability
International AffairsDemocracy & Accountability
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OPINION

Trump forced to face his political mortality – it’s time Australia did too

Amy Remeikis

Democracy & Accountability
Democracy & Accountability
Amy Remeikis
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WHAT'S NEW

‘Reckless and cavalier’: Australia yet to publicly name where AUKUS nuclear waste will go

Australia has agreed to take responsibility for highly radioactive nuclear waste from its AUKUS submarines without publicly naming where it will be disposed of, an arrangement inquiry lead commissioner Peter Garrett has labelled “astonishing, reckless and cavalier”.

International AffairsDemocracy & Accountability
International AffairsDemocracy & Accountability

International Affairs

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OPINION

US voters have rejected Trump's version of America. Is Australia ready to seize the moment?

Emma Shortis

International Affairs
International Affairs
Emma Shortis
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OPINION

What do you give the man who used to have everything?

Fiona Katauskas

International Affairs
International Affairs
Fiona Katauskas
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WHAT'S NEW

'Worst, most costly and riskiest defence decision': Public inquiry calls for AUKUS to be scrapped

The independent inquiry, led by former Labor minister Peter Garrett, has called for the nuclear-powered submarine deal to be scrapped immediately and a royal commission be established to investigate how Australia got into 'this mess'.

Democracy & AccountabilityInternational Affairs
Democracy & AccountabilityInternational Affairs

Lifestyle & Culture

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WHAT'S NEW

Cathy Wilcox named Cartoonist of the Year at Stanley Awards

Veteran political cartoonist Cathy Wilcox has been named Cartoonist of the Year at the Stanley Awards, just months after drawing the curtain on her 37-year career with the Sydney Morning Herald.

Lifestyle & Culture
Lifestyle & Culture
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OPINION

EV Field Guide: What every EV driver should know before a long roadtrip

Mikal Howard

Lifestyle & Culture
Lifestyle & Culture

OPINION

The EV Atlas: Our Jaecoo J5 EV's First Big Road Trip — Adelaide to Melbourne 

Mikal Howard

Lifestyle & Culture
Lifestyle & Culture