Sussan Ley talks about ‘Australian values’ in assessing migrants. What exactly does that mean?
The opposition leader is the latest in a long line of politicians who speak of ‘Australian values’. But it has long been a problematic idea.
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Big Wednesday: four decades between surfing and myth making
Contemporary surfing culture and iconography have been deeply influenced by the legacy of John Milius’ 1978 cult film Big Wednesday.
Cyberspace and outer space are new frontiers for national security, according to an expert report
The growth of online and space activity make traditional ideas of national security increasingly outdated.
Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country: a tragic investigation of race on Australia’s frontier
An Aboriginal man shoots a white landowner in self-defence, triggering a tragic tale of racism in 1920s Northern Territory.
Electoral silence on digital rights from both politicians and journalists
Updated: Clarification of the main point about the lack of MSM reportage of digital rights; reference to Greens Senator Scott Ludlum’s leadership in the area; mention of the upcoming EFA Electoral Scorecard…
Trade war in the Pacific: ASEAN and the Trans‑Pacific Partnership
Australian politicians are keen to project our participation in two major international trade talks - the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - as…
Friday essay: Rise of the artistic machines
The field of computational creativity examines the mechanisms by which technology can perform creative tasks, particularly in the arts. How can software create works of beauty, value and meaning?
It starts tomorrow: names you’ll need to know for 2016
The 2016 presidential race has already begun, as evidenced by politicians such as the mayor of Los Angeles dropping by to visit the luncheon of the Iowa contingent at the Democratic National Convention…
Discovery, settlement or invasion? The power of language in Australia’s historical narrative
Claims of whitewashing have been levelled against an Australian university for encouraging students to use particular language about Indigenous peoples. It was the right thing to do.
The spying game: what a 15th‑century Irish warlord can teach today’s politicians
Irish philosopher Richard Kearney visited Melbourne last year and, being the fine raconteur he is, told a great tale from his nation’s past. In 1492, Black James, nephew of the Earl of Ormond, and a group…
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