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After weeks of speculation following disastrous local council elections in May and plummeting opinion polls, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned. His departure paves the way for the “king of the north” and newly elected MP Andy Burnham to replace him in the top job.
Burnham secured an emphatic win in the Makerfield byelection on June 18, staving off a challenge from right-wing populist party Reform UK. So does his victory hold any lessons for combatting the rise of One Nation in Australia?
Josh Sunman and colleagues suggest Burnham’s combination of local roots (he’s the former mayor of Greater Manchester) and offer of hope to disenchanted voters may translate to the Australian context.
And rather than cleaving to the centre, they argue, the lesson from Makerfield may be the power of reconnecting with traditional Labo(u)r values such as improved rights for workers, a strong welfare state and a commitment to fairness and equality.
On another note, there’s just a week left in the financial year. There’s still time to make a tax-deductible contribution to our fundraising campaign.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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Josh Sunman, Flinders University; Emily Foley, Flinders University; University of Canberra; Pat Leslie, Australian National University
The man widely touted as the next UK prime minister has much in common with Australian PM Anthony Albanese. And he may hold some hope for Labor defeating One Nation.
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Nicholas Dickinson, University of Exeter
In the end, the pressure on him to go was just to great.
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C Raina MacIntyre, UNSW Sydney; Pan Zhang, UNSW Sydney
The outbreak isn’t widespread, so the risk to humans is low. But it does have the potential to cause severe illness.
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Jane Younger, University of Tasmania
An ecologist explains how Australia can curb the spread of the H5N1 strain.
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Frank Bongiorno, University of Canberra
The idea of Australia as an immigrant nation is deeply embedded in the country’s politics, culture and identity.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Australians have become much more gloomy, with this years Lowy poll showing pessimism almost across the board.
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Cindy Lee, Torrens University Australia; Mark Giancaspro, Adelaide University
Two experts explain what the new Virgin rules mean, the options for chasing a refund – and how to make it simpler for consumers in future.
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Robert Munn, University of Otago
GLP-1 drugs show promise for more than weight loss. They also cut substance abuse and are changing how we think about the brain’s reward system.
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Alex Polyakov, The University of Melbourne; Sarah Lensen, The University of Melbourne
A new study found each extra hour of bending forward at work raised a woman’s miscarriage risk by 36%. But there are reasons to be cautious of this finding.
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Nick Haslam, The University of Melbourne
Sigmund Freud’s 800-page book on dreams introduced a new way of thinking about the mind that reverberated through the 20th century.
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Business + Economy
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Tom Keel, Deakin University; Ameeta Jain, Deakin University
Builders and homeowners are both paying a price for this myth about sustainability features such as solar panels, insulation and batteries.
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Murat Ungor, University of Otago; Olena Onishchenko, University of Otago
A recent ruling has clarified how one NZ dollar-backed crypto token fits within financial law. Just what does this mean for investors?
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Education
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Sally Larsen, University of New England; Emma Rowe, Deakin University
The largest proportion of students attending private schools in New South Wales is still in major cities. But inner regional areas are catching up.
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Environment + Energy
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Hugo Temby, Australian National University; Joel Nilon, Australian National University
The far-flung nations of the Pacific face a common challenge this year: spiking prices of fuel and food.
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Science + Technology
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Ajay Narendra, Macquarie University
The ballista spider only feeds on extremely fierce green tree ants – so it has evolved sophisticated tools to safely catch its prey.
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Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland
A process called ‘hot bottom burning’ helped scientists determine the age of 3I/ATLAS.
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Kate Mounsey, University of the Sunshine Coast; Lucy R Miles, University of the Sunshine Coast; Robert J Harvey, University of the Sunshine Coast; Roy Barkan, University of the Sunshine Coast
Current pesticides are already failing – but science points to a way forward.
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Arts + Culture
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Peter Londey, Australian National University
The Theban Sacred Band – made up of ‘lovers and their loves’ came to be known for their strength, discipline, and ferocity.
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Books + Ideas
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Cassandra Atherton, Deakin University; Paul Hetherington, University of Canberra
A suspicion of prose poetry permeated Anglophone countries in the 20th century. Today, it is rejuvenating poetic traditions.
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The problem with living longer
“Going On And On, by Lucinda Holdforth is almost comprehensive on the key issues relating to longevity. I'm 87, and many in my generation agree that our economy cannot continue to afford our standard of living while supporting the needs of the following generations. The highly significant issue which is omitted is access to assisted dying. What we want to know is why this option is systematically denied to those of sound mind who want to die in the time and place of their choosing. Don't blame us for overcrowded hospitals, fix this one problem.”
Glenda Gartrell, Newtown NSW
Are AI chatbots cut out to be call centre reps?
“I’ve had a number of ‘customer service’ experiences that I can only assume were AI chatbots. They responded quickly, out of hours, but misunderstood my question or request. They generally wasted my time. It makes me realise how flexible and responsible human interactions generally are in comparison. AI may seem to save money but it’s at the expense of services that actually work, instead it increases problems.”
Grace Verity
More breaking socceroos coverage is coming, sorry James!
“I was not able to rise at 5am to watch the world cup game as I worked late the previous night. I turned off notifications of all chat groups to avoid spoilers. My plan was to rise around 8.30 to watch. Imagine my extreme disappointment when the first email I get each day - yours - has the subject line ‘Disasterclass for Socceroos’. Shame”
James Steendam
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