Society & Inequality
Private health premiums are rising, but is the system working? (spoiler: no)
This is the first of three articles examining the value private health insurance and private healthcare bring to the Australian healthcare system.
Australian universities face a governance crisis - and their communities are already building solutions
Concerns about unaccountable governance, limited transparency, high executive pay, and poor outcomes for staff wellbeing and student safety have put the Australian university sector under unprecedented scrutiny. Historian Hannah Forsyth argued that the solution is to “better connect universities to community, with more democratic internal decision-making systems”. The question is: how? The answer is already emerging from within universities themselves.
Lessons from ANU for Australia’s university governance crisis
The Australian National University (ANU) has spent the past eighteen months in a state of rolling crisis. The headline issues are now familiar. In October 2024, a large projected deficit was announced to staff. This was followed in 2025 by 'Renew ANU', a sweeping cost-cutting program that has reportedly seen over 1,000 staff leave the University.
If YouTube and Meta are ‘addictive drugs’, bans won't work — regulation will
On March 25th, 2026, a Los Angeles jury handed down a world-first decision, holding Meta, (who own Instagram and Facebook), and YouTube (owned by Google), liable for intentionally building addictive social media platforms.
Fuelling inequality: The brunt of a global crisis should not be borne by people in poverty
On 24 March 2020, Scott Morrison took an unprecedented step: at the drop of a hat, he made the activities people on some Centrelink payments are forced to do completely voluntary as the COVID crisis loomed. It was a change that not only protected the community, but one that brought massive relief.
Petrol prices are soaring in sync: collusion or coincidence?
The oil crisis has not only caused petrol prices to soar, it has revealed just how little competition there is among the big oil companies. A couple weeks ago the ACCC announced that it would be looking into uncompetitive behaviour by petrol companies in the rural areas.
ACOSS backs gas export tax as momentum builds across parliament
Australia’s peak council for community services ACOSS has joined the torrent of support including the Greens and independent members of parliament for a 25% levy on gas exports, originally proposed by the ACTU.
Independent publishers gather for summit on future of local news
Australia’s shrinking local media landscape has fuelled growth in independent news outlets, with publishers gathering in rural South Australia to discuss the challenges facing community journalism. The Local and Independent News Association (LINA) summit in Murray Bridge comes amid growing concerns about the sustainability of regional news.
Fuel costs and RBA hikes equal to a 90 basis point rate rise: 'this is brutal'
Combined with the 50 basis points rise in February and March in less than 2 months households are paying the equivalent of a 90 basis point rise in interest rates.
A real wage increase in the Minimum Wage won’t cause inflation to rise
News has come out today that the Government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission for the annual wage review will recommend an “economically sustainable real wage increase” for the National Minimum Wage and the Modern Awards.
