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Category: Academic Analysis

  • MIL-Evening Report: Whatever happened to the Albanese government’s wellbeing agenda?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Sollis, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania

    DavideAngelini/Shutterstock

    The Albanese government devoted time and energy in its first term to developing a wellbeing agenda for the economy and society.

    It was a passion project of Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who wanted better ways to measure national welfare beyond traditional economic indicators such as growth, jobs and inflation.

    Chalmers developed the Measuring What Matters framework to try to better align economic, social and environmental goals as

    part of a deliberate effort to put people and progress, fairness and opportunity at the very core of our thinking about our economy and our society.

    As Labor settles into its second term, what has happened to its wellbeing agenda? And how much was a poor consultation process to blame for it apparently falling by the wayside?

    Measuring What Matters

    Measuring What Matters was badged as a wellbeing framework to improve the lives of Australians and help better inform policy-making across all levels of government.

    It tracked 50 indicators spread across five overarching themes:

    • healthy
    • secure
    • sustainable
    • cohesive
    • prosperous.

    There was also a standalone indicator on life satisfaction.

    The data is updated annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with the Treasury due to report on outcomes every three years.

    The first Measuring What Matters statement in 2023 showed improvements across some indicators, such as life expectancy, job opportunities and accepting diversity. But it also revealed higher rates of chronic illness and problems with housing affordability.

    The fanfare surrounding the release has since fizzled, and wellbeing is now seldom mentioned.

    Furthermore, there is little evidence insights have been taken up by the government. The Australian National Audit Office recently noted the challenge of embedding Measuring What Matters in policy, as well as the absence of any evaluation work to gauge its effectiveness.

    The wellbeing agenda appears to have been sidelined for two reasons: an insufficient consultation process to properly develop the framework, and the cost-of-living crisis.

    Poor consultation

    Wellbeing frameworks have high potential to impact policy. But they need to be developed and implemented in the right way.

    One crucial factor is adequate community engagement, which would have helped ensure accurate representation of what people truly value in terms of wellbeing. Done properly, it could also have secured buy-in from the community, depoliticised the initiative, and even strengthened democracy.

    But adequate time was not taken to get the consultation process right, with the government in a rush to release Measuring What Matters. Announced in the October 2022 Budget, two consultation phases were undertaken.

    The first, mainly with technical experts, took three months. The second, which sought feedback from individuals and community groups, was even shorter. It was over in just one month.

    Measuring What Matters was released shortly after, in July 2023.

    Our research, recently published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues, analysed the public consultation phase. We found it was inadequate across four areas.

    Comprehensiveness: the timeframe for phase two was too short to allow organisations and communities to meaningfully engage.

    Reach: there was limited engagement with the general public.

    Transparency: the community was not informed how feedback would be incorporated in the framework and no consultation report was published.

    Genuineness: while some feedback was incorporated in the framework, key topics raised in the consultation were not acted on, including greater involvement of First Nations people.

    Greater community engagement would have ensured the framework, and any policy it produced, better reflected what Australians value for their wellbeing. It would have also promoted people’s ownership of the framework, helping to foster greater understanding and support for the initiative.

    Although Measuring What Matters is now established, it is not too late to realise proper community engagement.

    Taboo subject

    The other factor to run interference was the cost-of-living crisis, which dominated the government’s first term.

    Ministers were hesitant to talk about much else. Any references to wellbeing, which for some may elicit images of people meditating or practising yoga, might have been seen as risky.

    This is a shame. Wellbeing policies have the potential to improve people’s lives.

    We can draw some inspiration from an alliance of countries, including New Zealand, Scotland, Finland, Iceland and Wales, which have at various times put people’s wellbeing at the forefront of policy development and evaluation.

    For example, while progress has been slow and there have been key challenges to overcome, the Welsh Well-being of Future Generations Act has led to policy changes such as a moratorium on roads being built to improve people’s health and the environment.

    Perhaps if the Albanese government had leaned in to its own wellbeing framework to help navigate the cost-of-living crisis, people may have fared better.

    The agenda’s future?

    The Albanese government’s large majority gives it space to revitalise its wellbeing framework.

    Undertaking a national conversation, similar to the one rolled out in Wales, would help build grassroots support and ensure it truly “measures what matters” to people.

    A stronger Measuring What Matters would not only provide the electorate with a clear indication the government is listening, but would also help ensure policy improves people’s lives in a meaningful way.

    Kate Sollis is a consultant to the Wellbeing Government initiative at the Centre for Policy Development and President of the Bega Valley Data Collective. She was previously employed at the Australian Bureau of Statistics

    Paul Campbell is a research fellow, whose work is supported by the ANU-Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government Wellbeing Framework research partnership. He was previously employed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

    Nicholas Drake does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Whatever happened to the Albanese government’s wellbeing agenda? – https://theconversation.com/whatever-happened-to-the-albanese-governments-wellbeing-agenda-258580

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sung-Ae Lee, Lecturer, Macquarie University

    In less than a decade, Korean TV dramas (K-dramas) have transmuted from a regional industry to a global phenomenon – partly a consequence of the rise of streaming giants.

    But foreign audiences may not realise the K-dramas they’ve seen on Netflix don’t accurately represent the broader Korean TV landscape, which is much wider and richer than these select offerings.

    At the same time, there are many challenges in bringing this wide array of content to the rest of the world.

    The rise of hallyu

    Korean media was transformed during the 1990s. The end of military dictatorship led to the gradual relaxation of censorship.

    Satellite media also allowed the export of K-dramas and films to the rest of East Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia. Some of the first K-dramas to become popular overseas included What Is Love (1991–92) and Star in My Heart (1997). They initiated what would later become known as the Korean wave, or hallyu.

    The hallyu expansion continued with Winter Sonata (2003), which attracted viewers in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (2005) resonated strongly in Chinese-speaking regions, and was ultimately exported to more than 80 countries.

    A breakthrough occurred in 2016. Netflix entered South Korea and began investing in Korean productions, beginning with Kingdom (2019–21) and Love Alarm (2019–21).

    In 2021, the global hit Squid Game was released simultaneously in 190 countries.

    But Netflix only scratches the surface

    Last year, only 20% of new K-drama releases were available on Western streaming platforms. This means global discussions about K-dramas are based on a limited subgroup of content promoted to viewers outside South Korea.

    Moreover, foreign viewers will generally evaluate this content based on Western conceptions of culture and narrative. They may, for instance, have Western preferences for genre and themes, or may disregard locally-specific contexts.

    This is partly why Korean and foreign audiences can end up with very different ideas of what “Korean” television is.

    Genres

    When a K-drama is classified as a sageuk (historical drama) but also incorporates elements of fantasy, mythology, romance, melodrama, crime fiction and/or comedy, foreign audiences may dismiss it as “genre-confused”. Or, they may praise it for its “genre-blending”.

    But the drama may not have been created with much attention to genre at all. The highly inventive world-building of pre-Netflix dramas such as Arang and the Magistrate (2012) and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016) prominently feature all the aforementioned genres.

    While foreign viewers may think visual media begins with readily identifiable genres, many K-dramas aren’t produced on this premise.

    Themes

    Western viewers (and other viewers watching through a Western lens) might assume “liberal” themes such as systemic injustice, women’s rights and collusion in politics entered K-dramas as a result of Western influence. But this is a misconception.

    The emergence of such themes can be attributed to various changes in Korean society, including the easing of censorship, rapid modernisation, and the imposition of neoliberal economics by the International Monetary Fund in 1997.

    Although gender disparities still exist in South Korea, economic uncertainty and modernisation have prompted a deconstruction of patriarchal value systems. Female-centred K-dramas have been around since at least the mid-2000s, with women’s independence as a recurring theme in more recent dramas.

    Local contexts

    A major barrier to exporting K-dramas is the cultural specificity of certain elements, such as Confucian values, hierarchical family dynamics, gender codes, and Korean speech codes.

    The global success of a K-drama comes down to how well its culturally-specific elements can be adapted for different contexts and audiences.

    In some cases, these elements may be minimised, or entirely missed, by foreign viewers.

    For example, in Squid Game, the words spoken by the killer doll in the first game are subtitled as “green light, red light”. What the doll actually says is “mugunghwa-kkochi pieot-seumnida”, which is also what the game is called in Korean.

    This translates to “the mugunghwa (Rose of Saron) has bloomed”, with mugunghwa being South Korea’s national flower.

    These words, in this context, are meant to ironically redefine South Korea as a site of hopelessness and death. But the subtitles erase this double meaning.

    It’s also difficult for subtitles to reflect nuanced Korean honorific systems of address. As such, foreign viewers remain largely oblivious to the subtle power dynamics at play between characters.

    All of this leads to a kind of cultural “flattening”, shifting foreign viewers’ focus to so-called universal themes.

    A case study for global success

    Nevertheless, foreign viewers can still engage with many culturally-specific elements in K-dramas, which can also serve as cultural literacy.

    The hugely successful series Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) explores the personal and professional challenges faced by an autistic lawyer.

    Director Yoo In-sik described the series as distinctly Korean in both its humour and the legal system it portrays, and said he didn’t anticipate its widespread popularity.

    Following success in South Korea, the series was acquired by Netflix and quickly entered the top 10 most popular non-English language shows.

    The global appeal can be attributed to its sensitive portrayal of the protagonist, the problem-solving theme across episodes, and what Yoo describes as a kind and considerate tone. Viewers who resonate with these qualities may not even need to engage with the Korean elements.

    Many K-dramas that achieve global success also feature elements typically considered “Western”, such as zombies.

    While the overall number of zombie-themed productions is low, series and films such as Kingdom (2019–21), All of Us Are Dead (2022), Alive (2020) and Train to Busan (2016) have helped put Korean content on the map.

    One potential effect of the zombie popularity may be the displacement of Korean mythological characters, such as fox spirits, or gumiho, which have traditionally held significant narrative space.

    Shin Min-ah and Lee Seung-gi star in the acclaimed romantic comedy series My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010).
    IMDB

    Local production under threat

    The influence of streaming giants such as Netflix is impacting South Korea’s local production systems.

    One consequence has been a substantial increase in production costs, which local companies can’t compete with.

    The early vision of low-cost, high-return projects such as Squid Game is rapidly diminishing.

    Meanwhile, Netflix is exploring other locations, such as Japan, where dramas can be produced for about half the price of those in Korea. If this continues, the rise of Korean content may slow down.

    Sung-Ae Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation – https://theconversation.com/streaming-giants-have-helped-bring-korean-dramas-to-the-world-but-much-is-lost-in-translation-257547

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Brands want us to trust them. But as the SPF debacle shows, they need to earn it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University

    It’s quite unsettling to discover something so central to our cultural rituals – the “slop” in the Aussie mantra of “Slip! Slop! Slap!” – can no longer be trusted.

    We’ve never really had to scrutinise sunscreen. We slop it on because Sid the Seagull (in his role as spokesbird for the Cancer Council) told us to. We’ve learned about sun protection factors (SPF) and made choices to protect ourselves. We do it because it works.

    Or so we thought.

    Consumer group Choice recently tested 20 sunscreen brands and found only four met their labelled SPF claims. The findings have shaken consumers’ trust in the brands that make these products, and perhaps, in the institutions responsible for regulating them.

    Trust is the silent architecture of our lives that makes everything from catching a bus to undergoing surgery feel possible. Indeed, we are born into trust. From infancy, we are wired to trust, first in our caregivers, then later in life in the cues and symbols such as endorsements, SPF ratings, brands or rankings that help us navigate a complex world.

    It’s also why we rarely read the fine print or terms and conditions.

    The original Sid the Seagull video from the Cancer Council.

    The role of power in trust relationships

    Trust, and its erosion in public life, has become such a critical issue that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has made it a focus of Friday’s Consumer Congress, titled “Who can we trust? Regulating in an environment of declining consumer trust”.

    Something that is often missed in discussions around trust is that it is also a social arrangement, shaped by power and vulnerability. Trust is nearly always asymmetric; those with the least power are usually required to place their trust first and most fully.

    The powerful rarely have to reciprocate that vulnerability. They hold the information, set the rules and shape the narrative. When things go wrong, the powerful often walk away relatively unscathed, while the vulnerable are left to navigate complex complaints or refund systems.

    Increasingly, we are told to be savvy, to read the fine print and to “do the research”.
    But putting the responsibility on the individual reframes structural failures as personal shortcomings. It places the burden of vigilance and scrutiny on people who lack the time or expertise to meaningfully assess risk.

    A breach of faith

    The issue is compounded by a wider trend across many businesses that have misread their relationship with consumers. Much of our trust in brands is automatic.

    We are more inclined to trust claims from familiar or warm-sounding sources, with research showing warmth comes first. People tend to judge others and institutions by their perceived warmth before considering their competence. So a brand that feels benevolent often earns our trust before we assess its actual performance.

    Qantas, a brand that built its entire identity around the idea that it was “us”, trashed our trust when it began acting like a transactional retail business, rather than one built on relationships.

    Management and the board failed to grasp they had been given something rare: a kind of cultural endearment underpinned by trust and perceived reciprocity that made Australians feel personally invested in its success.

    While Qantas does retain market share, the erosion of this emotional bond means many customers are more willing to try its competitors. It will struggle to rebuild that trust simply with price deals or heartstring-tugging ad campaigns.

    One of Qantas’ ad campaigns with an emotional appeal to customers.

    The response matters

    For organisations such as the Cancer Council, whose trustworthiness is built on moral authority, the response to failure matters deeply. Its decision to acknowledge the findings and commit to retesting was more than public relations. It was an act of relational repair.

    In contrast, some of the other corporate brands in the survey responded by disputing Choice’s methodology. That reveals an outdated corporate reflex – one that attacks the messenger rather than engaging with the message. This defensive posture reflects a mindset shaped more by legal risk and brand control than by public accountability or ethical responsibility.

    Still, individual responses are not enough. We need systems designed with human limits in mind. Trust cannot be sustained if it is constantly tested by complexity, misinformation and opaque accountability.

    Consumer bodies such as Choice provide a public service by filling the gap between what people assume and what they can verify. But more broadly, businesses and regulators must treat trust as a relationship, not a marketing goal.

    The system needs to prevent harm, not deal with the fallout

    Rebuilding trust means putting people at the centre of consumer regulation. A human-centred system does not treat people as problems to be managed. It treats them as participants in a shared moral project. It requires systems grounded in evidence, designed around real human behaviour and focused on preventing harm rather than managing fallout.

    One way to do this is through collaborative regulation. This approach brings together consumer representatives, regulators, behavioural experts and industry to design rules and standards that reflect how people actually behave (as opposed to how we hope they behave). This reduces asymmetries of power, and ensures trust is earned and maintained over time.

    This collaborative approach has been successfully adopted in local government and health. But it only works when collaboration is approached in good faith by all parties, not just a “tick-the-box” exercise.

    Of course, this approach runs counter to a legal system that tends to prioritise the system over the people it serves, and process over outcomes. But the goal shouldn’t be to force better ideas into outdated frameworks. Instead, we should design systems that lead to better outcomes for everyone.

    Paul Harrison has received research funding from ASIC, the Consumer Action Law Centre, ACCAN, Victorian Health Association, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

    – ref. Brands want us to trust them. But as the SPF debacle shows, they need to earn it – https://theconversation.com/brands-want-us-to-trust-them-but-as-the-spf-debacle-shows-they-need-to-earn-it-259565

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Natural hazards don’t disappear when the storm ends or the earthquake stops – they evolve

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Brian J. Yanites, Associate Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science. Professor of Surficial and Sedimentary Geology, Indiana University

    The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the flood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village, N.C., on May 13, 2025, eight months after Hurricane Helene. AP Photo/Allen G. Breed

    Hurricane Helene lasted only a few days in September 2024, but it altered the landscape of the Southeastern U.S. in profound ways that will affect the hazards local residents face far into the future.

    Mudslides buried roads and reshaped river channels. Uprooted trees left soil on hillslopes exposed to the elements. Sediment that washed into rivers changed how water flows through the landscape, leaving some areas more prone to flooding and erosion.

    Helene was a powerful reminder that natural hazards don’t disappear when the skies clear – they evolve.

    These transformations are part of what scientists call cascading hazards. They occur when one natural event alters the landscape in ways that lead to future hazards. A landslide triggered by a storm might clog a river, leading to downstream flooding months or years later. A wildfire can alter the soil and vegetation, setting the stage for debris flows with the next rainstorm.

    Satellite images before (top) and after Hurricane Helene (bottom) show how the storm altered landscape near Pensacola, N.C., in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
    Google Earth, CC BY

    I study these disasters as a geomorphologist. In a new paper in the journal Science, I and a team of scientists from 18 universities and the U.S. Geological Survey explain why hazard models – used to help communities prepare for disasters – can’t just rely on the past. Instead, they need to be nimble enough to forecast how hazards evolve in real time.

    The science behind cascading hazards

    Cascading hazards aren’t random. They emerge from physical processes that operate continuously across the landscape – sediment movement, weathering, erosion. Together, the atmosphere, biosphere and the earth are constantly reshaping the conditions that cause natural disasters.

    For instance, earthquakes fracture rock and shake loose soil. Even if landslides don’t occur during the quake itself, the ground may be weakened, leaving it primed for failure during later rainstorms.

    That’s exactly what happened after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, which led to a surge in debris flows long after the initial seismic event.

    A strong aftershock after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province, China, in May 2008 triggered more landslides in central China.
    AP Photo/Andy Wong

    Earth’s surface retains a “memory” of these events. Sediment disturbed in an earthquake, wildfire or severe storm will move downslope over years or even decades, reshaping the landscape as it goes.

    The 1950 Assam earthquake in India is a striking example: It triggered thousands of landslides. The sediment from these landslides gradually moved through the river system, eventually causing flooding and changing river channels in Bangladesh some 20 years later.

    An intensifying threat in a changing world

    These risks present challenges for everything from emergency planning to home insurance. After repeated wildfire-mudslide combinations in California, some insurers pulled out of the state entirely, citing mounting risks and rising costs among the reasons.

    Cascading hazards are not new, but their impact is intensifying.

    Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires, storms and extreme rainfall. At the same time, urban development continues to expand into steep, hazard-prone terrain, exposing more people and infrastructure to evolving risks.

    The rising risk of interconnected climate disasters like these is overwhelming systems built for isolated events.

    Yet climate change is only part of the equation. Earth processes – such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions – also trigger cascading hazards, often with long-lasting effects.

    Mount St. Helens is a powerful example: More than four decades after its eruption in 1980, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to manage ash and sediment from the eruption to keep it from filling river channels in ways that could increase the flood risk in downstream communities.

    Rethinking risk and building resilience

    Traditionally, insurance companies and disaster managers have estimated hazard risk by looking at past events.

    But when the landscape has changed, the past may no longer be a reliable guide to the future. To address this, computer models based on the physics of how these events work are needed to help forecast hazard evolution in real time, much like weather models update with new atmospheric data.

    A March 2024 landslide in the Oregon Coast Range wiped out trees in its path.
    Brian Yanites, June 2025
    A drone image of the same March 2024 landslide in the Oregon Coast Range shows where it temporarily dammed the river below.
    Brian Yanites, June 2025

    Thanks to advances in Earth observation technology, such as satellite imagery, drone and lidar, which is similar to radar but uses light, scientists can now track how hillslopes, rivers and vegetation change after disasters. These observations can feed into geomorphic models that simulate how loosened sediment moves and where hazards are likely to emerge next.

    Researchers are already coupling weather forecasts with post-wildfire debris flow models. Other models simulate how sediment pulses travel through river networks.

    Cascading hazards reveal that Earth’s surface is not a passive backdrop, but an active, evolving system. Each event reshapes the stage for the next.

    Understanding these connections is critical for building resilience so communities can withstand future storms, earthquakes and the problems created by debris flows. Better forecasts can inform building codes, guide infrastructure design and improve how risk is priced and managed. They can help communities anticipate long-term threats and adapt before the next disaster strikes.

    Most importantly, they challenge everyone to think beyond the immediate aftermath of a disaster – and to recognize the slow, quiet transformations that build toward the next.

    Brian J. Yanites receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

    – ref. Natural hazards don’t disappear when the storm ends or the earthquake stops – they evolve – https://theconversation.com/natural-hazards-dont-disappear-when-the-storm-ends-or-the-earthquake-stops-they-evolve-259502

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five ways you can use mantra meditation every day to boost your wellbeing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jennifer Donnelly, Doctoral Researcher, Meditation-based Interventions in Clinical Settings, Centre of Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    Andrii Iemelianenko/Shutterstock

    Meditation has become a popular subject on self-improvement podcasts, corporate strategy days and health campaigns. But beyond the buzz, there’s a growing scientific and clinical interest in meditation as a tool to regulate attention and promote relaxation. These are increasingly recognised as central to wellbeing in a world of constant notifications, high demands and information overload.

    Mantra meditation has roots in ancient contemplative traditions across many cultures. At its simplest, a mantra is a word, phrase, or sound repeated silently or aloud to focus the mind, steady attention and support relaxation. Depending on the tradition, mantras may carry deep spiritual, linguistic or energetic significance. But in a more personal or secular practice, you might choose or create a mantra that’s meaningful only to you.

    It’s important to note that mantra meditation is distinct from focusing on breathing. While both help develop concentration and awareness, the mantra, not the breath, is the primary anchor of attention in mantra meditation. You may notice the breathing naturally while meditating, but the repetition of the mantra is what gently draws your mind back when it wanders.

    Emerging research suggests that mantra meditation may have promising benefits, from reducing stress and burnout to improving mood, focus and sleep. Focusing on a mantra to disengage from an overactive mind can be a valuable tool in today’s fast-paced world.

    Mantra meditations moments

    A simple starting point is to choose a phrase that resonates with you, something easy to remember and calming. For example: “I am … here now.” Or a word like “ease” or “peace”. Some people visualise a calming image, like a steady tree or a gentle wave, repeating it silently in their mind. The key is to return to your chosen anchor, your mantra, each time your mind drifts.

    You don’t need a special cushion, app or ritual. Below are five everyday moments when you can try this light mantra-practice:

    • On public transport: Use a few minutes of your commute to mentally repeat your mantra. The surrounding noise and movement can actually enhance the practice. When your mind wanders, which it will, gently return to your anchor.

    • While brushing your teeth: This brief, repetitive activity is already part of your day. Use the rhythm of brushing as a cue to repeat your mantra internally.

    • During your first sips of tea or coffee: Let this be a pause point. Breathe naturally. Repeat your chosen phrase. Even a few seconds of presence can shift the tone of your morning.

    Your first morning coffee could become a moment of deep calm in an otherwise hectic day.
    NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock

    • Instead of scrolling: Replace one moment of habitual phone use with one minute of mantra repetition. Notice the impulse to scroll, and meet it with your mantra instead. You can scroll later if you want; the point is to notice the choice.

    • Before stepping out of the car: Pause for 30-60 seconds before entering a new environment, whether that’s work, home or a social setting. This brief ritual can be a surprisingly powerful reset when transitioning to a new destination or activity.

    Longer sessions may deepen the effects, but short, consistent moments of practice are what build tolerance and insight. Meditation doesn’t always begin with peace. More often, it starts with the uncomfortable awareness of how distracted our thoughts can become. That moment of noticing is not a failure, it’s the practice.

    For parents, especially those with young children, meditation might feel unrealistic. But mantra practice can be adapted. Children often respond well to repetitive, rhythmic exercises. Try counting fingers together, repeating a calming phrase, or simply taking three breaths. It might not look like traditional meditation, but it can still create a shared moment of calm.

    Even counting fingers with children could be a way to experience a moment of togetherness and calm.
    YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock

    For those living with chronic pain, health challenges or intense life transitions, meditation can sometimes make discomfort feel more present. In such cases, stillness might initially increase distress.

    Some research confirms that meditation can have uncomfortable or adverse effects, and distraction may be necessary at times. Even so, carefully introduced mantra meditation techniques or similar practices may support people living with chronic conditions by helping shift how discomfort is experienced, if approached with care, and suitable supports are offered.

    Mantra meditation isn’t about perfect focus, or fixing all our problems. Its strength lies in offering you a portable, repeatable practice to build awareness, one moment at a time.

    So before you move on after reading, try this: take 30 seconds, close your eyes, and return to your mantra. Just for now.

    Jennifer Donnelly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Five ways you can use mantra meditation every day to boost your wellbeing – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-you-can-use-mantra-meditation-every-day-to-boost-your-wellbeing-259313

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five ways you can use mantra meditation every day to boost your wellbeing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jennifer Donnelly, Doctoral Researcher, Meditation-based Interventions in Clinical Settings, Centre of Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    Andrii Iemelianenko/Shutterstock

    Meditation has become a popular subject on self-improvement podcasts, corporate strategy days and health campaigns. But beyond the buzz, there’s a growing scientific and clinical interest in meditation as a tool to regulate attention and promote relaxation. These are increasingly recognised as central to wellbeing in a world of constant notifications, high demands and information overload.

    Mantra meditation has roots in ancient contemplative traditions across many cultures. At its simplest, a mantra is a word, phrase, or sound repeated silently or aloud to focus the mind, steady attention and support relaxation. Depending on the tradition, mantras may carry deep spiritual, linguistic or energetic significance. But in a more personal or secular practice, you might choose or create a mantra that’s meaningful only to you.

    It’s important to note that mantra meditation is distinct from focusing on breathing. While both help develop concentration and awareness, the mantra, not the breath, is the primary anchor of attention in mantra meditation. You may notice the breathing naturally while meditating, but the repetition of the mantra is what gently draws your mind back when it wanders.

    Emerging research suggests that mantra meditation may have promising benefits, from reducing stress and burnout to improving mood, focus and sleep. Focusing on a mantra to disengage from an overactive mind can be a valuable tool in today’s fast-paced world.

    Mantra meditations moments

    A simple starting point is to choose a phrase that resonates with you, something easy to remember and calming. For example: “I am … here now.” Or a word like “ease” or “peace”. Some people visualise a calming image, like a steady tree or a gentle wave, repeating it silently in their mind. The key is to return to your chosen anchor, your mantra, each time your mind drifts.

    You don’t need a special cushion, app or ritual. Below are five everyday moments when you can try this light mantra-practice:

    • On public transport: Use a few minutes of your commute to mentally repeat your mantra. The surrounding noise and movement can actually enhance the practice. When your mind wanders, which it will, gently return to your anchor.

    • While brushing your teeth: This brief, repetitive activity is already part of your day. Use the rhythm of brushing as a cue to repeat your mantra internally.

    • During your first sips of tea or coffee: Let this be a pause point. Breathe naturally. Repeat your chosen phrase. Even a few seconds of presence can shift the tone of your morning.

    Your first morning coffee could become a moment of deep calm in an otherwise hectic day.
    NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock

    • Instead of scrolling: Replace one moment of habitual phone use with one minute of mantra repetition. Notice the impulse to scroll, and meet it with your mantra instead. You can scroll later if you want; the point is to notice the choice.

    • Before stepping out of the car: Pause for 30-60 seconds before entering a new environment, whether that’s work, home or a social setting. This brief ritual can be a surprisingly powerful reset when transitioning to a new destination or activity.

    Longer sessions may deepen the effects, but short, consistent moments of practice are what build tolerance and insight. Meditation doesn’t always begin with peace. More often, it starts with the uncomfortable awareness of how distracted our thoughts can become. That moment of noticing is not a failure, it’s the practice.

    For parents, especially those with young children, meditation might feel unrealistic. But mantra practice can be adapted. Children often respond well to repetitive, rhythmic exercises. Try counting fingers together, repeating a calming phrase, or simply taking three breaths. It might not look like traditional meditation, but it can still create a shared moment of calm.

    Even counting fingers with children could be a way to experience a moment of togetherness and calm.
    YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock

    For those living with chronic pain, health challenges or intense life transitions, meditation can sometimes make discomfort feel more present. In such cases, stillness might initially increase distress.

    Some research confirms that meditation can have uncomfortable or adverse effects, and distraction may be necessary at times. Even so, carefully introduced mantra meditation techniques or similar practices may support people living with chronic conditions by helping shift how discomfort is experienced, if approached with care, and suitable supports are offered.

    Mantra meditation isn’t about perfect focus, or fixing all our problems. Its strength lies in offering you a portable, repeatable practice to build awareness, one moment at a time.

    So before you move on after reading, try this: take 30 seconds, close your eyes, and return to your mantra. Just for now.

    Jennifer Donnelly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Five ways you can use mantra meditation every day to boost your wellbeing – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-you-can-use-mantra-meditation-every-day-to-boost-your-wellbeing-259313

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How huge migrating animal puppets captivate in ways that climate news can’t

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matt Smith, Reader in Applied Theatre and Puppetry, University of Portsmouth

    A herd of puppet animals is migrating north from Africa. This 12,000 mile journey represents wildlife’s response to the climate crisis as species are forced to move north due to rising temperatures. As The Herds travels through the UK en route to the Arctic, the organisers hope this artistic project will help spectators along the route understand what is happening to the environment.

    Events like this are “louder than traffic”, according to US-based puppeteer Peter Schumann. The giant puppets are a visual tool to capture the public’s imagination.

    Over the past 30 years working as a theatre scholar, I have observed that puppetry has become an important artform for telling stories that explore the way we respond to and interact with nature.

    Like traditional street theatre such as Punch and Judy, puppets grab the audience’s attention against the backdrop of everyday life. Now with the rise of social media, modern culture is now even more visually oriented. Puppetry is a big hit in these new digital spaces, according to some researchers.

    The Herds project was created by a theatre company called Little Walk after the success of Little Amal, a Syrian refugee puppet project about human migration and climate relocation. One of the Little Amal puppeteers told me that, ironically, it was easier for the puppets to cross borders but the human artists and puppeteers had to take major detours to carry out the Little Amal project in 17 countries.

    The Herds aims to inspire people to think about the direct consequences of the climate crisis as the animal puppets travel from Africa to the Arctic. Puppeteers animate the life-size puppets in full view of the audience. As each puppeteer focuses on moving the puppet, they transfer their energy and emotion into the puppets body.

    The Herds takes puppets on a 12,000-mile-long migration from Africa to the Arctic.

    I was trained in these techniques during the 1990s. I know that when a performer intensely focuses on a performing object, the result is mesmerising. It can enable the audience to feel empathy for another non-human being. The aim is to cut through discourses and affect people directly with images performed beyond language and local agendas.

    Puppetry is both an interdisciplinary and interactive artform that is as old as human culture. Animated figures have been employed in both the popular spaces of folk theatres and the avant garde spaces of high art. Puppet characters can tell very simple stories in slapstick shows or speak to complex issues in projects like The Herds.

    Even having researched puppetry in communities for more than three decades, the many varied uses for puppetry continue to surprise me. Beyond theatres, puppets can affect people in everyday spaces, just as The Herds does. My book, published in 2024, explores how the popular global practice of puppetry by communities and groups brings pleasure through both making and performing with puppets.

    Communicating complexity

    In 2023, I collaborated with scientists at the Centre for Enzyme Innovation at University of Portsmouth who are developing enzymes that can break down plastic waste. We found that puppets could help to communicate complex science about innovative recycling to audiences through workshops and a showcase event. The puppets as entertaining figures symbolising ideas could animate the science and engage audiences in a playful and non-elitist fashion.

    Puppetry is a powerful and engaging art form that can capture the imagination of audiences globally. Even during our advanced technological times puppetry is still employed both by technologies – for example our own XR lab used puppets recently exploring their use with avatars.

    With successful West End productions in London such as Lion King and War Horse (a show which changed the fortunes of the National Theatre, puppetry has become mainstream in the UK. Now with The Herds, animal puppets are having a global reach.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Matt Smith receives funding from Royal Academy of Engineering for the enzyme puppet project.

    – ref. How huge migrating animal puppets captivate in ways that climate news can’t – https://theconversation.com/how-huge-migrating-animal-puppets-captivate-in-ways-that-climate-news-cant-259592

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How huge migrating animal puppets captivate in ways that climate news can’t

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matt Smith, Reader in Applied Theatre and Puppetry, University of Portsmouth

    A herd of puppet animals is migrating north from Africa. This 12,000 mile journey represents wildlife’s response to the climate crisis as species are forced to move north due to rising temperatures. As The Herds travels through the UK en route to the Arctic, the organisers hope this artistic project will help spectators along the route understand what is happening to the environment.

    Events like this are “louder than traffic”, according to US-based puppeteer Peter Schumann. The giant puppets are a visual tool to capture the public’s imagination.

    Over the past 30 years working as a theatre scholar, I have observed that puppetry has become an important artform for telling stories that explore the way we respond to and interact with nature.

    Like traditional street theatre such as Punch and Judy, puppets grab the audience’s attention against the backdrop of everyday life. Now with the rise of social media, modern culture is now even more visually oriented. Puppetry is a big hit in these new digital spaces, according to some researchers.

    The Herds project was created by a theatre company called Little Walk after the success of Little Amal, a Syrian refugee puppet project about human migration and climate relocation. One of the Little Amal puppeteers told me that, ironically, it was easier for the puppets to cross borders but the human artists and puppeteers had to take major detours to carry out the Little Amal project in 17 countries.

    The Herds aims to inspire people to think about the direct consequences of the climate crisis as the animal puppets travel from Africa to the Arctic. Puppeteers animate the life-size puppets in full view of the audience. As each puppeteer focuses on moving the puppet, they transfer their energy and emotion into the puppets body.

    The Herds takes puppets on a 12,000-mile-long migration from Africa to the Arctic.

    I was trained in these techniques during the 1990s. I know that when a performer intensely focuses on a performing object, the result is mesmerising. It can enable the audience to feel empathy for another non-human being. The aim is to cut through discourses and affect people directly with images performed beyond language and local agendas.

    Puppetry is both an interdisciplinary and interactive artform that is as old as human culture. Animated figures have been employed in both the popular spaces of folk theatres and the avant garde spaces of high art. Puppet characters can tell very simple stories in slapstick shows or speak to complex issues in projects like The Herds.

    Even having researched puppetry in communities for more than three decades, the many varied uses for puppetry continue to surprise me. Beyond theatres, puppets can affect people in everyday spaces, just as The Herds does. My book, published in 2024, explores how the popular global practice of puppetry by communities and groups brings pleasure through both making and performing with puppets.

    Communicating complexity

    In 2023, I collaborated with scientists at the Centre for Enzyme Innovation at University of Portsmouth who are developing enzymes that can break down plastic waste. We found that puppets could help to communicate complex science about innovative recycling to audiences through workshops and a showcase event. The puppets as entertaining figures symbolising ideas could animate the science and engage audiences in a playful and non-elitist fashion.

    Puppetry is a powerful and engaging art form that can capture the imagination of audiences globally. Even during our advanced technological times puppetry is still employed both by technologies – for example our own XR lab used puppets recently exploring their use with avatars.

    With successful West End productions in London such as Lion King and War Horse (a show which changed the fortunes of the National Theatre, puppetry has become mainstream in the UK. Now with The Herds, animal puppets are having a global reach.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Matt Smith receives funding from Royal Academy of Engineering for the enzyme puppet project.

    – ref. How huge migrating animal puppets captivate in ways that climate news can’t – https://theconversation.com/how-huge-migrating-animal-puppets-captivate-in-ways-that-climate-news-cant-259592

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Grilling with lump charcoal: Is US-grown hardwood really in that bag?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Adriana Costa, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University

    When you’re getting ready to cook, do you know what’s burning underneath? Alexandr Baranov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    People dedicated to the art of grilling often choose lump charcoal – actual pieces of wood that have been turned into charcoal – over briquettes, which are compressed charcoal dust with other ingredients to keep the dust together and help it burn better.

    The kinds of wood used to make lump charcoal affect how it burns and how the food tastes when grilled. Dedicated grillers are often willing to pay a premium for higher heat, no additives, particular flavors and the cleaner burn they get from particular wood species in lump charcoal.

    Buyers probably expect the label to accurately report how much charcoal they are getting, what kind of wood it is, and where the wood was grown.

    A spot-check I helped conduct on lump charcoal for sale in the U.S. has revealed that the information on the label does not always match what is inside the bag. Customers might not know what they are actually buying, potentially affecting their purchasing choices and even their grilling experience.

    Origin matters

    Charcoal is made from wood heated in a low-oxygen environment to remove water and volatile compounds. This process leaves behind a carbon-rich material that burns hotter and more cleanly than raw wood, making it ideal for grilling.

    The origin of the trees used affects charcoal’s ecological sustainability. Some charcoal produced in Mexico, Paraguay and Brazil has been linked to deforestation and unsustainable logging practices. Charcoal from hardwood trees harvested in the U.S. is generally considered to be more sustainable.

    We decided to investigate more deeply what consumers are actually getting when they buy a bag of lump charcoal.

    We looked at a range of products, some of which were labeled as from the U.S., some from other countries and others that did not specify a country of origin.

    We purchased one bag each of 15 major U.S. lump charcoal brands online. We did not identify the specific producers. Instead, we wanted to give an overall sense of the products available on the market and evaluate how closely product claims on the packaging matched what was actually in the bags.

    Kinds of charcoal we found

    We determined the type of wood the charcoal was made from by examining each lump under a microscope or handheld magnifying lens and matching the patterns in the wood structure with the ones in our collection.

    Identifying the species allowed us to broadly infer the origin of the charcoal based on where those kinds of trees typically grow.

    Nearly half of all the lump charcoal we examined was oak or mesquite, which are both hardwoods that grow in North America, including in the U.S. and Mexico.

    In two out of five bags claiming their charcoal had come from the U.S., 15% or more of the material was actually tropical woods, such as ipe, which are not native to the U.S. These woods may have been harvested unsustainably. Other species we found included pine and sweet gum, which perform poorly as grilling woods.

    Much of the tropical wood was in small fragments, which made us think it might have been intentionally used as cheap filler.

    We found one bag that was labeled “One ingredient: Oak hardwood” that contained no oak at all. Instead, it was a mix of at least six tropical woods.

    At left, a cross section of a piece of red oak lump charcoal under magnification, beside a cross section of a piece of raw red oak wood.
    Wiedenhoeft and Costa

    What else was in the bag?

    We also discovered concerns related to product weight and the quantity of extraneous material in the bags. The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act is a U.S. law that requires product containers to carry labels that accurately describe the contents. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has specific methods for measuring and characterizing contents of packaged goods.

    These requirements do allow some variations in weight, but nearly half the bags we examined were underfilled, and one-third were far enough underweight that their label claims fell outside what is legally acceptable.

    Also, in every bag we found bark and tiny charcoal fragments, which burn quickly and unevenly. Six bags had rocks in them. Without those extra materials, all 15 bags were underweight, and none gave buyers as much effective grilling fuel as they promised.

    So when consumers pay more for what they think is a premium charcoal product, they may, in fact, be getting nothing of the sort.

    Adriana Costa has received funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire Stennis, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.

    – ref. Grilling with lump charcoal: Is US-grown hardwood really in that bag? – https://theconversation.com/grilling-with-lump-charcoal-is-us-grown-hardwood-really-in-that-bag-258157

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers juggles expectations and ambition in pursuing tax reform

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Next week will be the 40th anniversary of the Hawke government’s tax summit. Dominated by then treasurer Paul Keating’s unsuccessful bid to win support for a consumption tax, it was the public centrepiece of an extraordinary political and policy story.

    That story was about the possibilities for, but constraints on, bold reform; how a determined treasurer can muster a formidable department to push for change, and the way the ambitions of a minister can clash with the pragmatism of a prime minister.

    Ken Henry, later secretary of the treasury, was then part of what they dubbed the “treasury tax reform bunker”. He kept a timesheet, averaging 100 hours work a week for a three-month period. Officials brought sleeping bags and their small children (Henry’s were aged three and five) into the office.

    Before the summit, the government produced a comprehensive draft white paper. Keating battled to keep the conflicting interests “in the cart” for his blueprint. But the four-day summit, attended by business, unions, premiers and community groups, was inevitably divided by stakeholders’ self-interests. In particular, the unions couldn’t wear Keating’s consumption tax, and Bob Hawke kyboshed it unceremoniously. Keating, who had to settle for a more limited but still very significant set of reforms, was furious with Hawke, and it left a fracture in their relationship.

    Jim Chalmers was aged seven in 1985. But he’s a student of Keating (he did his PhD on his prime ministership) and you can be sure he’s boned up on what went right and wrong in that tax reform exercise. Now he is preparing for the government’s August 19-21 “roundtable” and his own bid at major tax reform.

    The roundtable, as first announced, focused on “productivity”, and that will be central. But Chalmers has taken to calling it an “economic reform” roundtable – its brief also includes budget sustainability and resilience – and he is effectively putting tax reform close to its heart, or at least letting others do so. After all, a fit-for-purpose tax system is one key to improving productivity.

    The roundtable (for which invitations to business and the union movement are now going out, with more to follow) is nothing like on the scale, in size (the 1985 summit had about 160 attendees, the roundtable will have about 25) or preparation, of the elaborate 1985 conference.

    And crucially, while that summit was the culmination of a process, Chalmers is using the roundtable to kick off a process.

    Chalmers is lowering expectations in regard to specific outcomes from the summit on tax. While those might be obtainable on some productivity issues, on tax he is likely to look for broad support for a direction of reform. For instance, is there a general appetite for reshaping the tax system towards lower personal and company tax, offset by higher taxes on certain investments and savings? `

    Most tax experts argue Australia’s system is too skewed towards taxing income rather than spending. This leads to calls to increase or broaden the GST, financing cuts to personal income tax.

    Chalmers has been a long-term opponent of changing the GST, but he says he is not ruling the GST out for discussion at the roundtable. (That’s a contrast to when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, commissioning Henry to lead a major tax review, excluded the GST from its terms of reference.)

    Almost certainly, however, it would not be possible to get “consensus” from business and unions for GST changes. Not least of the constraints is that compensating the losers in such a change is very expensive and there is not the money to do so these days.

    That immediately limits the extent of reform.

    Henry tells The Conversation’s podcast that if he were designing a tax reform package “I’d be looking at opportunities to broaden the GST and maybe to increase the rate as well”.

    But “I do think it is possible to achieve major tax reform […] without necessarily increasing the [GST] rate or extending the base”.

    Henry’s (non-GST) wish list includes getting rid of the remaining state transaction taxes, such as stamp duty on property conveyancing.

    Notably, he argues for extracting more revenue from taxing natural resources and land, and also from taxing pollution from various sources. “We’re going to need to tax those things more heavily if we’re going to relieve the tax burden on young workers through lower personal income tax and introducing tax indexation.”

    Henry is particularly focused on the unfair burden at present put on these younger taxpayers. He has come around to the idea of income tax indexation as one means of assisting them.

    A system more geared to younger workers raises immediate questions about the present generous treatment of superannuants. Chalmers is already caught in that hornets’ nest with his proposed changes for those with balances more than $3 million.

    To what extent will the roundtable tax debate revive the issues of negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount? The government hosed down before the election the prospect of any changes to negative gearing this term. Chalmers, however, had work done on this last term and he would likely favour reining it in. But would this be a bridge too far for the prime minister?

    Indeed, where will Anthony Albanese’s limits be when it comes to reform? Would he only support changes that had strong consensus? And how far would he feel constrained in going beyond what he considers he has a mandate for?

    If Chalmers stays serious about the tax push, it is going to take many months of intense work. It can’t be rushed, but nor can it be delayed. If it ran for much over a year it would likely find the government’s political capital had been eroded. The size of its capital store can appear deceptive because so much of it is thanks to Peter Dutton and Donald Trump.

    In 2022, the Liberals boycotted Labor’s jobs and skills summit (although Nationals leader David Littlepround attended). This time, shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien has accepted Chalmers’ invitation and will participate in the roundtable.

    It will be a tricky gig for O’Brien, new to this shadow portfolio. He has to avoid being too negative, but nor can he endorse things the opposition might later reject. The Coalition will not have a tax policy against which to judge what’s said.

    The occasion will be a chance for O’Brien to make contacts and get more insight into stakeholders’ views on the key economic debates, much wider than just tax.

    Importantly, however, O’Brien will need to remember judgements will be being made about him by other participants in the room. Business in particular will be seeking to get a fix on whether opposition leader Sussan Ley’s declarations about wanting to be constructive where possible are fair dinkum.

    Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers juggles expectations and ambition in pursuing tax reform – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-jim-chalmers-juggles-expectations-and-ambition-in-pursuing-tax-reform-258971

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers juggles expectations and ambition in pursuing tax reform

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Next week will be the 40th anniversary of the Hawke government’s tax summit. Dominated by then treasurer Paul Keating’s unsuccessful bid to win support for a consumption tax, it was the public centrepiece of an extraordinary political and policy story.

    That story was about the possibilities for, but constraints on, bold reform; how a determined treasurer can muster a formidable department to push for change, and the way the ambitions of a minister can clash with the pragmatism of a prime minister.

    Ken Henry, later secretary of the treasury, was then part of what they dubbed the “treasury tax reform bunker”. He kept a timesheet, averaging 100 hours work a week for a three-month period. Officials brought sleeping bags and their small children (Henry’s were aged three and five) into the office.

    Before the summit, the government produced a comprehensive draft white paper. Keating battled to keep the conflicting interests “in the cart” for his blueprint. But the four-day summit, attended by business, unions, premiers and community groups, was inevitably divided by stakeholders’ self-interests. In particular, the unions couldn’t wear Keating’s consumption tax, and Bob Hawke kyboshed it unceremoniously. Keating, who had to settle for a more limited but still very significant set of reforms, was furious with Hawke, and it left a fracture in their relationship.

    Jim Chalmers was aged seven in 1985. But he’s a student of Keating (he did his PhD on his prime ministership) and you can be sure he’s boned up on what went right and wrong in that tax reform exercise. Now he is preparing for the government’s August 19-21 “roundtable” and his own bid at major tax reform.

    The roundtable, as first announced, focused on “productivity”, and that will be central. But Chalmers has taken to calling it an “economic reform” roundtable – its brief also includes budget sustainability and resilience – and he is effectively putting tax reform close to its heart, or at least letting others do so. After all, a fit-for-purpose tax system is one key to improving productivity.

    The roundtable (for which invitations to business and the union movement are now going out, with more to follow) is nothing like on the scale, in size (the 1985 summit had about 160 attendees, the roundtable will have about 25) or preparation, of the elaborate 1985 conference.

    And crucially, while that summit was the culmination of a process, Chalmers is using the roundtable to kick off a process.

    Chalmers is lowering expectations in regard to specific outcomes from the summit on tax. While those might be obtainable on some productivity issues, on tax he is likely to look for broad support for a direction of reform. For instance, is there a general appetite for reshaping the tax system towards lower personal and company tax, offset by higher taxes on certain investments and savings? `

    Most tax experts argue Australia’s system is too skewed towards taxing income rather than spending. This leads to calls to increase or broaden the GST, financing cuts to personal income tax.

    Chalmers has been a long-term opponent of changing the GST, but he says he is not ruling the GST out for discussion at the roundtable. (That’s a contrast to when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, commissioning Henry to lead a major tax review, excluded the GST from its terms of reference.)

    Almost certainly, however, it would not be possible to get “consensus” from business and unions for GST changes. Not least of the constraints is that compensating the losers in such a change is very expensive and there is not the money to do so these days.

    That immediately limits the extent of reform.

    Henry tells The Conversation’s podcast that if he were designing a tax reform package “I’d be looking at opportunities to broaden the GST and maybe to increase the rate as well”.

    But “I do think it is possible to achieve major tax reform […] without necessarily increasing the [GST] rate or extending the base”.

    Henry’s (non-GST) wish list includes getting rid of the remaining state transaction taxes, such as stamp duty on property conveyancing.

    Notably, he argues for extracting more revenue from taxing natural resources and land, and also from taxing pollution from various sources. “We’re going to need to tax those things more heavily if we’re going to relieve the tax burden on young workers through lower personal income tax and introducing tax indexation.”

    Henry is particularly focused on the unfair burden at present put on these younger taxpayers. He has come around to the idea of income tax indexation as one means of assisting them.

    A system more geared to younger workers raises immediate questions about the present generous treatment of superannuants. Chalmers is already caught in that hornets’ nest with his proposed changes for those with balances more than $3 million.

    To what extent will the roundtable tax debate revive the issues of negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount? The government hosed down before the election the prospect of any changes to negative gearing this term. Chalmers, however, had work done on this last term and he would likely favour reining it in. But would this be a bridge too far for the prime minister?

    Indeed, where will Anthony Albanese’s limits be when it comes to reform? Would he only support changes that had strong consensus? And how far would he feel constrained in going beyond what he considers he has a mandate for?

    If Chalmers stays serious about the tax push, it is going to take many months of intense work. It can’t be rushed, but nor can it be delayed. If it ran for much over a year it would likely find the government’s political capital had been eroded. The size of its capital store can appear deceptive because so much of it is thanks to Peter Dutton and Donald Trump.

    In 2022, the Liberals boycotted Labor’s jobs and skills summit (although Nationals leader David Littlepround attended). This time, shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien has accepted Chalmers’ invitation and will participate in the roundtable.

    It will be a tricky gig for O’Brien, new to this shadow portfolio. He has to avoid being too negative, but nor can he endorse things the opposition might later reject. The Coalition will not have a tax policy against which to judge what’s said.

    The occasion will be a chance for O’Brien to make contacts and get more insight into stakeholders’ views on the key economic debates, much wider than just tax.

    Importantly, however, O’Brien will need to remember judgements will be being made about him by other participants in the room. Business in particular will be seeking to get a fix on whether opposition leader Sussan Ley’s declarations about wanting to be constructive where possible are fair dinkum.

    Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers juggles expectations and ambition in pursuing tax reform – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-jim-chalmers-juggles-expectations-and-ambition-in-pursuing-tax-reform-258971

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: There’s gold trapped in your iPhone – and chemists have found a safe new way to extract it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin M. Chalker, Professor of Chemistry, Flinders University

    A sample of refined gold recovered from mining and e-waste recycling trials. Justin Chalker

    In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste – enough to fill more than 1.5 million garbage trucks. This was up 82% from 2010 and is expected to rise to 82 million tonnes in 2030.

    This e-waste includes old laptops and phones, which contain precious materials such as gold. Less than one quarter of it is properly collected and recycled. But a new technique colleagues and I have developed to safely and sustainably extract gold from e-waste could help change that.

    Our new gold-extraction technique, which we describe in a new paper published today in Nature Sustainability, could also make small-scale gold mining less poisonous for people – and the planet.

    Soaring global demand

    Gold has long played a crucial role in human life. It has been a form of currency and a medium for art and fashion for centuries. Gold is also essential in modern industries including the electronics, chemical manufacture and aerospace sectors.

    But while global demand for this precious metal is soaring, mining it is harmful to the environment.

    Deforestation and use of toxic chemicals are two such problems. In formal, large-scale mining, highly toxic cyanide is widely used to extract gold from ore. While cyanide can be degraded, its use can cause harm to wildlife, and tailings dams which store the toxic byproducts of mining operations pose a risk to the wider environment.

    In small-scale and artisanal mining, mercury is used extensively to extract gold. In this practice, the gold reacts with mercury to form a dense amalgam that can be easily isolated. The gold is then recovered by heating the amalgam to vaporise the mercury.

    Small-scale and artisanal mining is the largest source of mercury pollution on Earth, and the mercury emissions are dangerous to the miners and pollute the environment. New methods are required to reduce the impacts of gold mining.

    In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste.
    DAMRONG RATTANAPONG/Shutterstock

    A safer alternative

    Our interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers has developed a new technique to extract gold from ore and e-waste. The aim was to provide a safer alternative to mercury and cyanide and reduce the health and environmental impacts of gold mining.

    Many techniques have previously been reported for extracting gold from ore or e-waste, including mercury- and cyanide-free methods. However, many of these methods are limited in rate, yield, scale and cost. Often these methods also consider only one step in the entire gold recovery process, and recycling and waste management is often neglected.

    In contrast, our approach considered sustainability throughout the whole process of gold extraction, recovery and refining. Our new leaching technology uses a chemical commonly used in water sanitation and pool chlorination: trichloroisocyanuric acid.

    When this widely available and low-cost chemical is activated with salt water, it can react with gold and convert it into a water-soluble form.

    To recover the gold from the solution, we invented a sulphur-rich polymer sorbent. Polymer sorbents isolate a certain substance from a liquid or gas, and ours is made by joining a key building block (a monomer) together through a chain reaction.

    Our polymer sorbent is interesting because it is derived from elemental sulphur: a low-cost and highly abundant feedstock. The petroleum sector generates more sulphur than it can use or sell, so our polymer synthesis is a new use for this underused resource.

    Our polymer could selectively bind and remove gold from the solution, even when many other types of metals were present in the mixture.

    The simple leaching and recovery methods were demonstrated on ore, circuit boards from obsolete computers and scientific waste. Importantly, we also developed methods to regenerate and recycle both the leaching chemical and the polymer sorbent. We also established methods to purify and recycle the water used in the process.

    In developing the recyclable polymer sorbent, we invented some exciting new chemistry to make the polymer using light, and then “un-make” the sorbent after it bound gold. This recycling method converted the polymer back to its original monomer building block and separated it from the gold.

    The recovered monomer could then be re-made into the gold-binding polymer: an important demonstration of how the process is aligned with a circular economy.

    A long and complex road ahead

    In future work, we plan to collaborate with industry, government and not-for-profit groups to test our method in small-scale mining operations. Our long-term aim is to provide a robust and safe method for extracting gold, eliminating the need for highly toxic chemicals such as cyanide and mercury.

    There will be many challenges to overcome including scaling up the production of the polymer sorbent and the chemical recycling processes. For uptake, we also need to ensure that the rate, yield and cost are competitive with more traditional methods of gold mining. Our preliminary results are encouraging. But there is still a long and complex road ahead before our new techniques replace cyanide and mercury.

    Our broader motivation is to support the livelihood of the millions of artisanal and small-scale miners that rely on mercury to recover gold.

    They typically operate in remote and rural regions with few other economic opportunities. Our goal is to support these miners economically while offering safer alternatives to mercury. Likewise, the rise of “urban mining” and e-waste recycling would benefit from safer and operationally simple methods for precious metal recovery.

    Success in recovering gold from e-waste will also reduce the need for primary mining and therefore lessen its environmental impact.

    Justin M. Chalker is an inventor on patents associated with the gold leaching and recovery technology. Both patents are wholly owned by Flinders University. This research was supported financially by the Australian Research Council and Flinders University. He has an ongoing collaboration with Mercury Free Mining and Adelaide Control Engineering: organisations that supported the developments and trials reported in this study.

    – ref. There’s gold trapped in your iPhone – and chemists have found a safe new way to extract it – https://theconversation.com/theres-gold-trapped-in-your-iphone-and-chemists-have-found-a-safe-new-way-to-extract-it-259817

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ken Henry on changing the tax system to give struggling workers a fairer go

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    In August, the Albanese government will hold an economic “roundtable” that will discuss productivity, budget sustainability and resilience. Australia’s tax system will be one of the central issues, and stakeholders are gearing up with their varying arguments for changes.

    Ken Henry, a former secretary of the Treasury, has been part of the tax debates of the past 40 years. He was a treasury official working on tax at the time of the Hawke government’s 1985 tax summit and led the major review of the tax system commissioned by the Rudd government.

    Henry is a passionate advocate of bold tax reform, especially reform that tackled intergenerational inequity, and he joins the podcast to discuss the issues.

    Looking forward to the roundtable, Henry outlines some of the many changes that he thinks should be considered,

    Firstly we’ve got to get rid of the remaining transactions taxes like stamp duty on property conveyancing and so on […] that alone means there has to be a commonwealth-state exercise.

    Secondly, we’ve got to extract more revenue from the taxation of natural resources and also land.

    Thirdly, we’ve got to get more revenue from the taxation of environmental externalities. In the tax review published in 2010, we were developing that at the same time as the Treasury and other departments were developing the Rudd government’s carbon pollution reduction scheme. We thought that there was going to be quite a significant carbon price in Australia. We don’t have it today – we should.

    Henry wants a tax system that does not disadvantage younger people who are in the workforce; he says the present “lazy” reliance on bracket creep to “bring the budget back to anything approaching balance is doing enormous damage to younger people in particular”.

    On reform generally, Henry says he’s “disappointed” that more hasn’t been done on the recommendations from his review.

    I’m very disappointed, but I guess one would expect me to be very disappointed. And he laments Australia’s “abysmal” productivity performance over the last quarter century.

    When I then reflect on what’s happened to Australia’s productivity performance, I mean we were saying in 2002 that we really should aim to get the productivity growth rate up from 1.75% to 2.25% a year and in fact if you look back now over the first 25 years of this century right what we actually achieved was only three quarters of one percent a year. That productivity performance is just abysmal.

    To put it in terms that everybody will understand, had we achieved the two and a quarter percent a year rather than three quarters of a percent a year, the average wage and salary earner in Australia, their income would be 45% higher today than it is. This is not small stuff, this is huge stuff.

    Despite backing significant reform, Chalmers has been a long-term opponent of GST reform, although not ruling it out completely. Henry says all options should be left on the table,

    It would be better not to constrain the reform process by ruling the GST out and that was a shame for those of us who worked on the Rudd government’s tax review  […] that the terms of reference that we were given said that you’re not to make any recommendations concerning the GST.

    Those who are having a good hard look at how to restructure the Australian taxation system should not have one hand tied behind their backs. Having said that, I do think it’s possible to achieve major reform of the Australian taxation system without necessarily increasing the rate or extending the base of the GST.

    On Chalmers’ plan to tax unrealised capital gains on big superannuation balances, while not directly opposed, Henry says there are other ways to make the system fairer,

    I’m not opposed to it. It’s just that I think there are other ways of increasing the taxation that applies to high superannuation balances and improving the intergenerational equity of the superannuation system. In the tax review that the Rudd government Commissioned, which I led, which was published in 2010, we spent quite a lot of time detailing how we thought the taxation arrangements applying to superannuation could be improved.

    The thing that stands out is this big difference between the taxation of superannuation fund earnings in the so-called accumulation phase and the treatment that they get in the so-called pension phase, So […] these poor young workers, struggling, see the earnings on their accumulating superannuation balance as being taxed at 15%, whilst those who have big superannuation balances and are in the retirement, the earnings in their superannuation funds are completely tax-exempt, And that just seems rather weird.

    Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ken Henry on changing the tax system to give struggling workers a fairer go – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-ken-henry-on-changing-the-tax-system-to-give-struggling-workers-a-fairer-go-259887

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: As one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays, Coriolanus is startlingly relevant under Trump 2.0

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirk Dodd, Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney

    Brett Boardman/Bell Shakespeare

    Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays; perhaps because the hero is so pugnacious and classist, impressive in his strident vehemence, but lacking the vulnerability of a Macbeth or Othello.

    Set in the turbulent early Roman Republic (490s BC) – about 450 years before Caesar’s death – the play follows the glorious rise of Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, a terrifying war machine on the battlefield who could carve his way through enemy regiments.

    According to one site, the play has not been professionally staged outside the United Kingdom since 2000. This is only the second time Bell Shakespeare has performed Coriolanus, with their other production staged 29 years ago, in 1996.

    Directed by Peter Evans and starring Hazem Shammas, this Coriolanus delivers Shakespeare’s most consciously political play with an explosive energy that charts the hero’s psychological downfall.

    Published as a tragedy in the 1623 First Folio, Coriolanus can loosely be described as a history play. But it is more commonly recognised as one of Shakespeare’s Roman plays, alongside Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Titus Andronicus.

    War and exile

    Renamed “Coriolanus” after the town he most recently conquered (Corioli), occupied by the arch enemies of Rome (the Volsci), Coriolanus is a devoted son to his fiercely ambitious “tiger mum” Volumnia (Brigid Zengeni).

    Shakespeare was never shy about the feats of his warrior protagonists, describing Coriolanus’ ability as a war machine most memorably as:

    His sword, Death’s stamp,
    Where it did mark, it took; from face to foot
    He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
    Was timed with dying cries. Alone he entered
    The mortal gate o’ th’ city, which he painted
    With shunless destiny; aidless came off
    And with a sudden reinforcement struck
    Corioles like a planet.

    But Coriolanus, who was brought up to win every contest, is also an upper-class patrician, dismissively scornful of the common people’s plebeian rights in the burgeoning Roman Republic.

    Hazem Shammas as Coriolanus is a force to be reckoned with.
    Brett Boardman/Bell Shakespeare

    Coriolanus’s absolute refusal to flatter the plebeians – and so refusing their political influence – ignites a brutal conflict between populism and elitism that results in the people’s sway.

    Coriolanus is exiled from Rome, the very homeland he fought so valiantly to protect.

    Incensed, Coriolanus joins forces with Rome’s greatest enemy, the Volscian Aufidius (Anthony Taufa) and marches against Rome. This forces Coriolanus to confront his own loyalties to his formidable mother and to doting wife Virgilia (Suzannah McDonald), with tragic consequences.

    Wonderful performances

    Evans has loosely set this production in Europe in the mid-1990s, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, though this creates a vibe more than a direct correlation to events.

    Evans also designed the set, making dynamic use of a traverse stage that forces audiences to see each other across the divide. This enhances the sense of a sprawling populous while prompting reflections on our own political milieu. Audiences are told as they enter whether they will sit on the “plebeian” or “patrician” side: a fun ploy, but perhaps unnecessary.

    Stealing the show is a wonderful performance by Peter Carroll as Menenius, a sagely Roman senator who uses his charm and political tact to mediate between the patricians and the plebeians. Carroll brings great irony to the role, using eye-rolls and tutting even as he attends dutifully to the new political expectations of the tribunes.

    Peter Carroll as Menenius steals the show in a wonderful performance.
    Brett Boardman/Bell Shakespeare

    The tribunes Sicinius (Matilda Ridgway) and Brutus (Marco Chiappi) are performed as shabbier left-wing agitators pitched against the conservative patricians in formal dark suits (costumes by Ella Butler). This makes familiar the political and class tensions, and the layers and dramatic dimensions explored by Shakespeare.

    Zengeni brings tremendous heart to Coriolanus’s mother, Volumnia. She is especially good at applying a tiger mother’s pressure of unrelenting standards. There is no doubt that the shining elitism of her son was roughly forged by her sharp expectations.

    Shammas as Coriolanus is a force to be reckoned with. His rigid athleticism perfectly suits the superman heroics of this Roman warrior. His unabashed gesticulations are a welcome contribution to the sense of the lines he delivers.

    The shabby dress of the tribunes pitches them against the conservative patricians in formal dark suits.
    Brett Boardman/Bell Shakespeare

    Following a scene that ends with one of Coriolanus’s unleashed tirades against the plebeians, Shammas’ performance is so dynamic, and his invective so rigorously conveyed, it seems to remain on stage after he exits.

    A timeless tale

    There is some reluctance to physically depict the pitched battle of Corioli, which falls a bit flat and misses an opportunity to heighten the dramatic stakes. But this production does very well to animate the complex political and familial drivers that compel Coriolanus toward his inevitable end.

    As President Trump drops f-bombs because his real bombs did not make people do his bidding, this rare Shakespeare play becomes timeless.

    There has always been need to explore the tragic consequences of leaders who subjectively refuse the offers of diplomacy. Bell Shakespeare’s choice of scheduling war plays this season offers countless ways to reflect on our own world, and the populations of real people connected to the decisions of those in power.

    Coriolanus is at the The Neilson Nutshell, Sydney, until July 19, then touring to Melbourne.

    Kirk Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. As one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays, Coriolanus is startlingly relevant under Trump 2.0 – https://theconversation.com/as-one-of-shakespeares-least-performed-plays-coriolanus-is-startlingly-relevant-under-trump-2-0-257548

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ARIA charts are about to undergo a big change. It could be a boost for local artists

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate Professor, Music Industry, RMIT University

    The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), the organisation responsible for collating and publishing Australia’s music charts, has just announced the biggest overhaul of its methods in more than a decade.

    From September, the ARIA charts will be divided according to the release date of entries. Anything older than two years will be moved into a new “ARIA on replay” chart, with the exception of some music re-entering the charts after more than a decade.

    The stated aim of the reforms is to better connect Australian audiences with new, and particularly Australian, music. They are part of a series of interventions from different groups aimed at solving the nation’s ongoing music “crisis”.

    Why is this happening?

    ARIA is responding to two related trends through implementing this new chart system.

    The first is that the charts are increasingly dominated by old “catalogue” music. Creative Australia reports the ARIA’s Top 100 charts went from having almost 100% new singles (less than two years old) in 2018, to 70% new singles in 2024.

    This is related to a fundamental change in what is being counted.

    In 2014, ARIA expanded its sources from point-of-sale data (such as CD sales and iTunes downloads) to include plays on streaming services (such as Spotify and YouTube), which are now the most popular means of music consumption.

    People will typically buy a physical/iTunes single or album once. But they might listen to a song on Spotify hundreds of times, and each of these listens count as far as the ARIA charts are concerned.

    This explains the resurgence of old releases that find new audiences through media (such as Stranger Things boosting Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill), as well as perennial favourites that never seem to be dislodged (Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album has been in the ARIA Top 50 albums chart for more than 400 weeks).

    The second trend is the decline of Australian music in the charts. Research shows the ARIA’s singles and albums charts have become more homogeneous in recent decades, rather than more diversified.

    Artists from North America and the United Kingdom are dominating Australian charts more than ever. Many of them sit in the charts for extended periods, at the expense of homegrown talent.

    How streaming platforms changed the game

    A major challenge for artists on streaming platforms is discoverability, or visibility.

    Decisions made by platform-employed playlist curators and AI algorithms aren’t well understood, and are hard to influence. Yet they make a huge difference to how many people will encounter a piece of music.

    The inclusion of streaming data in the ARIA charts back in 2014 was presented as a way to more accurately assess what people were listening to.

    This new plan to separate old and new releases has a more interventionist agenda, attempting to “remove barriers for new Australian music”.

    It can be seen as a response to the overarching narrative of a “crisis” plaguing the Australian music industry – one which extends to existential challenges for live music, and the careers of musicians and other industry workers.

    The ARIA’s decision to put their finger on the scales of chart success shows how pressing this crisis narrative has become.

    What difference will it make?

    Even if Australian artists are better represented in future ARIA charts, material challenges will remain.

    Actual sales and streams may remain relatively low. Even with millions of streams, the value returned to artists is often too small to maintain a living.

    For most artists, a sustainable music career requires that visibility be translated into other revenue sources, such as live performances, merchandise sales, and media licensing deals.

    That said, ARIA’s aim of increasing discoverability for local acts seems likely to have some pay-off. Acts with their names in the new charts will enjoy extra visibility and prestige. If even a small number of opportunities arise from this, it could make a big difference to them, the local industries surrounding them, and the local audiences that will discover them.

    ARIA’s intervention is part of a patchwork of responses from industry, government, and communities to Australia’s music woes. Another recent response came from a New South Wales government scheme which will reward overseas headliners (through reduced venue fees) for including an Australian opening act in their show.

    State and federal governments are also investing in local music development and export. The surprising exception to this is previous trailblazer Victoria, which recently cut almost all contemporary music funding.

    ARIA’s new approach is emphasising the message that Australian music should be valued. Tracking how this approach plays out – as well as which Australian artists benefit – will help ensure a healthy music ecosystem in the future.

    Catherine Strong has received funding from the Victorian Music Development Office.

    Ben Green receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australasian Performing Right Association.

    – ref. The ARIA charts are about to undergo a big change. It could be a boost for local artists – https://theconversation.com/the-aria-charts-are-about-to-undergo-a-big-change-it-could-be-a-boost-for-local-artists-259788

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Magpies may not be a pesky Australian import – new research finds their ancestors thrived in NZ a long time ago

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanesa De Pietri, Senior Research Fellow in Palaeontology, University of Canterbury

    Shutterstock/Russ Jenkins

    For many New Zealanders, the Australian magpie is a familiar, if sometimes vexing, sight. Introduced from Australia in the 1860s, magpies are known for their territorial dive-bombing during nesting season, which has cemented their reputation as an unwelcome import.

    But our new research reveals a fascinating twist in this narrative.

    For more than two decades, we have been unearthing fossils from sites near St Bathans in Central Otago. These sites, once at the bottom of a large prehistoric lake, offer the only significant insight into Aotearoa New Zealand’s land vertebrates from about 16 to 19 million years ago.

    This unique window into the past has recently revealed fossils belonging to an ancient relative of the Australian magpie. This discovery suggests magpies have a much deeper connection to Aotearoa than previously thought, challenging common perceptions about their “Aussie immigrant” status.

    Together with fossils of other songbirds from St Bathans, these discoveries reshape our understanding of what it means for a species to be “native”. They paint a picture of a dynamic, ever-changing land, rather than a static pre-human ecosystem.

    An ancient relative

    We named the species we describe in our research the St Bathans currawong (Miostrepera canora). It lived in New Zealand about 19 to 16 million years ago during the Early Miocene.

    This bird, roughly the same size as today’s Australian magpie, was a cracticine – a group of songbirds that includes modern currawongs, magpies and butcherbirds. Its discovery challenges the very notion of what is “native” or “introduced” on a geological timescale.

    We often regard magpies as an undesirable Australian species that lacks a place in the New Zealand ecosystem. However, its close relatives did live here in the past, and likely did so until a cooling climate limited their habitat near the end of the Miocene, about five million years ago.

    The pied currawong is native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. It is one of three currawong species in the genus Strepera and closely related to butcherbirds and Australian magpies.
    D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA

    The presence of this ancient magpie ancestor strongly suggests an over-water dispersal event from Australia to Zealandia early in the evolution of the magpie-currawong group.

    We propose this colonisation was likely helped by a diverse subtropical or warm-temperate flora then present in New Zealand. This vegetation created a hospitable environment for species arriving from across the Tasman.

    Currawongs eat a wide variety of fruits, insects and small animals. New Zealand’s Miocene flora included many fruit-bearing trees, of which puriri and taraire are two survivors, and offered abundant food.

    New Zealand’s ever-shifting ecosystems

    Our research at the St Bathans fossil sites reveals a past far from a static, unchanging paradise prior to human arrival.

    We know from numerous pollen studies that New Zealand’s forests were changing continuously for millions of years. This continual reworking of the composition and distribution of forests challenges the common conservation aim to return New Zealand to a pre-human ecological state.

    Indeed, during the Miocene, New Zealand’s forests would have been unrecognisable to modern eyes. They boasted numerous eucalypts, laurels and casuarinas – plants more typical of Australian forests in Queensland today. This rich floral diversity supported a broader range of fauna, including the newly described currawong, illustrating how different ancient Aotearoa was.

    Authors Vanesa De Pietri and Trevor Worthy excavating fossils at the St Bathans site in Central Otago.
    Paul Scofield, CC BY-SA

    A symphony of ancient songbirds

    Further research by our team on other fossil songbirds (of the bird order passeriformes) from St Bathans paints an even richer picture of ancient avian life.

    Our analysis of the diversity of tiny leg bones indicates the Early Miocene New Zealand bush had significantly more kinds of songbirds than it did just before human arrival.

    Our studies demonstrate the presence of potentially up to 17 different songbirds in the Early Miocene fauna. This ancient choir included species varying in size from a large honeyeater (of the bird family Meliphagidae), which was bigger than today’s tūī, to a tiny New Zealand wren. Several different families are also represented.

    These findings suggest Zealandia had a far greater diversity of songbirds during the Early Miocene than in the Holocene (past 11,000 years).

    The legacy of Miocene climate cooling

    Why did these diverse ancient songbirds, including the St Bathans currawong, disappear?

    Research points to a dramatic global climate shift. Starting around 13 million years ago, during the later part of the Middle Miocene, New Zealand experienced a period of rapid cooling. This profound climatic change triggered a drastic loss in floral diversity throughout the Middle and Late Miocene.

    Many plants that thrived in warmer climates went extinct. This loss of plant life had devastating cascading effects on birds. The disappearance of numerous fruiting trees meant the decline and eventual local extinction of birds such as currawongs and certain pigeons that relied on these food sources.

    Lower habitat complexity and fewer kinds of food led to a significant decrease in the number of songbird species.

    The story of the St Bathans currawong and the rich songbird diversity of ancient New Zealand serves as a powerful reminder that ecosystems are not static. They are constantly evolving, shaped by climatic shifts, geological events and dispersal across the ocean.

    Understanding this deep history allows us to view concepts such as “native” and “introduced” with more nuance. We then appreciate that the biodiversity we have today is but one snapshot in a long, dynamic and ever-unfolding story.

    Change is to be expected and ongoing, as seen in the newest of New Zealand’s native birds – the barn owl and Australian wood duck – which self-introduced in the past decade.

    Vanesa De Pietri receives funding from the the Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fund.

    Paul Scofield receives funding from the Royal Society of New Zealand.

    Trevor H. Worthy received funding from the ARC for this project several years ago.

    – ref. Magpies may not be a pesky Australian import – new research finds their ancestors thrived in NZ a long time ago – https://theconversation.com/magpies-may-not-be-a-pesky-australian-import-new-research-finds-their-ancestors-thrived-in-nz-a-long-time-ago-258795

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Oil shocks in the 1970s drove rapid changes in transport. It could happen again if Middle East tensions continue

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology

    The Image Bank/Getty

    As the world watches the US–Iran situation with concern, the ripple effect from these events are reaching global oil supply chains – and exposing their fragility.

    If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz as it is considering, it would restrict the global oil trade and trigger energy chaos.

    Petrol in some Australian cities could hit A$2.50 a litre according to some economists. As global instability worsens, other experts warn price spikes are increasingly likely.

    What would happen next? There is a precedent: the oil shocks of the 1970s, when oil prices quadrupled. The shock drove rapid change, from more efficient cars to sudden interest in alternative energy sources. This time, motorists would likely switch to electric vehicles.

    If this crisis continues or if another one flares up, it could mark a turning point in Australia’s long dependence on foreign oil.

    What would an oil shock mean?

    Australia currently imports 80% of its liquid fuels, the highest level on record. If the flow of oil stopped, we would have about 50 days worth in storage before we ran out.

    Our cars, buses, trucks and planes run overwhelmingly on petrol and diesel. Almost three-quarters (74%) of these liquid fuels are used in transport, with road transport accounting for more than half (54%) of all liquid fuels. Australia is highly exposed to global supply shocks.

    The best available option to reduce dependence on oil imports is to electrify transport.

    How does Australia compare on EVs?

    EV uptake in Australia continues to lag behind global leaders. In 2024, EVs accounted for 9.65% of new car sales in Australia, up from 8.45% in 2023.

    In the first quarter of 2025, EVs were 6.3% of new car sales, a decline from 7.4% in the final quarter of 2024.

    Norway remains the global leader, with battery-electric passenger cars making up 88.9% of sales in 2024. The United Kingdom also saw significant growth – EVs hit almost 20% of new car registrations in 2024.

    In China, EVs made up 40.9% of new car sales in 2024. The 12.87 million cars sold represent three-quarters of total EV sales worldwide.

    One reason for Australia’s sluggishness is a lack of reliable public chargers. While charging infrastructure is expanding, large parts of regional Australia still lack reliable access to EV charging.

    Until recently, Australia’s fuel efficiency standards were among the weakest in the OECD. Earlier this year, the government’s new standards came into force. These are expected to boost EV uptake.

    Could global tensions trigger faster action?

    If history is any guide, oil shocks lead to long-term change.

    The 1970s oil shocks triggered waves of energy reform.

    When global oil prices quadrupled in 1973–74, many nations were forced to reconsider where they got their energy. A few years later, the 1979 Iranian Revolution caused another major supply disruption, sending oil prices soaring and pushing much of the world into recession.

    Huge increases in oil prices drove people to look for alternatives during the 1970s oil shocks.
    Everett Collection/Shutterstock

    These shocks drove the formation of the International Energy Agency in 1974, spurred alternative energy investment and led to advances in fuel-efficiency standards.

    Much more recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed the European Union to face up to its reliance on Russian gas and find alternatives by importing gas from different countries and accelerating the clean energy shift.

    Clearly, energy shocks can be catalysts for long-term structural change in how we produce and consume energy.

    The new crisis could do the same, but only if policy catches up.

    If fuel prices shot up and stayed there, consumer behaviour would begin to shift. People would drive less and seek alternate forms of transport. Over time, more would look for better ways to get around.

    But without stronger support such as incentives, infrastructure and fuel security planning, shifting consumer preferences could be too slow to matter.

    A clean-energy future is more secure

    Cutting oil dependency through electrification isn’t just good for the climate. It’s also a hedge against future price shocks and supply disruptions.

    Transport is now Australia’s third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Now that emissions are falling in the electricity sector, transport will be the highest emitting sector emissions source as soon as 2030.

    Building a cleaner transport system also means building a more resilient one. Charging EVs on locally produced renewable power cuts our exposure to global oil markets. So do biofuels, better public transport and smarter urban planning.

    Improving domestic energy resilience isn’t just about climate targets. It’s about economic stability and national security. Clean local energy sources reduce vulnerability to events beyond our control.

    What can we learn from China?

    China offers a compelling case study. The nation of 1.4 billion faces real oil security challenges. In response, Beijing has spent the past decade building a domestic clean energy ecosystem to reduce oil dependency and cut emissions.

    This is now bearing fruit. Last year, China’s oil imports had the first sustained fall in nearly two decades. Crude oil imports fell 1.5%, while oil refinery activity also fell due to lower demand.

    China’s rapid uptake of EVs has clear energy security benefits.
    pim pic/Shutterstock

    China’s green energy transition was driven by coordinated policy, industrial investment and public support for clean transport.

    China’s rapid shift to EVs and clean energy shows how long-term planning and targeted investment can pay off on climate and energy security.

    What we do next matters

    The rolling crises of 2025 present Australian policymakers a rare alignment of interests. What’s good for the climate, for consumers and for national security may now be the same thing.

    Real change will require more than sustained high petrol prices. It demands political will, targeted investment and a long-term vision for clean, resilient transport.

    Doing nothing has a real cost – not just in what we pay at the service station, but in how vulnerable we remain to events a long way away.

    Hussein Dia receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre, Transport for New South Wales, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, and Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

    – ref. Oil shocks in the 1970s drove rapid changes in transport. It could happen again if Middle East tensions continue – https://theconversation.com/oil-shocks-in-the-1970s-drove-rapid-changes-in-transport-it-could-happen-again-if-middle-east-tensions-continue-259670

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘I’m dreading birthing in such a system’: what Indigenous women globally think of birth care and what they’d like to see instead

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Nina Sivertsen, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

    Pregnancy and having a baby can be a special time. And families want to feel safe and trust their maternity care.

    But when we reviewed the evidence, we found many Indigenous families globally face unfair treatment during pregnancy and birth. This can include racism, neglecting cultural aspects of their care, or using health care poorly designed to accommodate their needs.

    We found similar themes in research involving more than 1,400 Indigenous women, Elders, fathers, family members and health workers from locations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Greenland and Sápmi (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).

    Many Indigenous families felt disrespected. They said hospital staff often didn’t understand their cultures or give them basic rights during their maternity care, such as being listened to, included in decision-making, or giving informed consent.

    As a result, some families felt hesitant to seek care in mainstream hospitals. As one Indigenous woman told us during recent Australian research submitted for publication:

    I’m dreading birthing in such a system.

    But there are alternatives.

    What can hospitals do?

    There is a clear need to improve birthing services and cultural safety in mainstream hospitals with a focus on respecting the beliefs, practices and traditions of all families, including Indigenous ones.

    For example, many Indigenous families view childbirth as a communal event with extended family support. But hospital policies that limit the number of support people often disregard these important cultural practices.

    Indigenous families also need to get the type of health care they trust and feel comfortable with. Ideally this might involve staff with sound cultural knowledge and who can support families clinically in a culturally safe way.

    Aboriginal patient liaison officers are sometimes available in hospitals or health services. But there are not often enough, they have to service entire facilities, and they provide cultural support not clinical patient care.

    Indigenous families may also want to access a specific type of care. One example is “continuity of care”, where the same midwife or a small team of midwives, supports the family through the whole pregnancy. Ideally, these midwives should be Indigenous or, if not, be trained in supporting Indigenous families with respect and understanding.

    What is ‘birthing on Country’?

    For Indigenous women living in rural and remote areas, being sent away from home to give birth in a city hospital can be really hard.

    Sometimes women and families are evacuated from their home communities and have to stay for weeks or months in temporary accommodation in the city, both before and after birth, or if their baby is born pre-term and needs extra care. This temporary accommodation can be far from the hospital.

    All this takes place in unknown cities and towns, without family support, and sometimes away from their other children cared for by the community back home.

    This makes it harder for mums who need extra support, and can get in the way of starting breastfeeding and bonding with their baby.

    Again, there is an alternative. For many Indigenous families, giving birth is not just about having a baby. It’s also a spiritual and cultural event that strengthens their identity and connection to Country. A “birthing on Country” model of care, which respects Indigenous traditions and knowledge, reinforces that.

    This is midwife-led care designed for and with Indigenous communities. It doesn’t mean you have to birth in rural and remote spaces, but it is a model of care that focuses on culture, and can also be implemented in the city.

    Ideally, families would see the same midwife or team of midwives and use the “birthing on Country” model.

    What else can we do?

    Maternity services can be led by Indigenous people, which many women prefer. But Indigenous staff make up about 3.1% of the Australian health workforce.

    So it is crucial to engage non-Indigenous staff in building relationships and to support Indigenous families in their right to receive culturally safe care.

    This can start with better training for staff, not only to understand and respond to an Indigenous person’s individual needs, but to know when and how to speak up, call out or report racist or disrespectful behaviour.

    This is everyone’s problem

    A health system you can trust should be safe for everyone. If some people feel unsafe or face discrimination when getting care, this not only affects them, it affects everyone.

    For instance, when Indigenous women avoid or delay going to the hospital because of past bad experiences or discrimination, it can lead to health problems that could have been prevented.

    This not only harms the women, it puts more pressure on the public health system, which affects us all.

    By talking about these issues, we hope all Australians begin to care about the safety of all women during pregnancy and birth.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘I’m dreading birthing in such a system’: what Indigenous women globally think of birth care and what they’d like to see instead – https://theconversation.com/im-dreading-birthing-in-such-a-system-what-indigenous-women-globally-think-of-birth-care-and-what-theyd-like-to-see-instead-256877

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘I’m dreading birthing in such a system’: what Indigenous women globally think of birth care and what they’d like to see instead

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Nina Sivertsen, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

    Pregnancy and having a baby can be a special time. And families want to feel safe and trust their maternity care.

    But when we reviewed the evidence, we found many Indigenous families globally face unfair treatment during pregnancy and birth. This can include racism, neglecting cultural aspects of their care, or using health care poorly designed to accommodate their needs.

    We found similar themes in research involving more than 1,400 Indigenous women, Elders, fathers, family members and health workers from locations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Greenland and Sápmi (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).

    Many Indigenous families felt disrespected. They said hospital staff often didn’t understand their cultures or give them basic rights during their maternity care, such as being listened to, included in decision-making, or giving informed consent.

    As a result, some families felt hesitant to seek care in mainstream hospitals. As one Indigenous woman told us during recent Australian research submitted for publication:

    I’m dreading birthing in such a system.

    But there are alternatives.

    What can hospitals do?

    There is a clear need to improve birthing services and cultural safety in mainstream hospitals with a focus on respecting the beliefs, practices and traditions of all families, including Indigenous ones.

    For example, many Indigenous families view childbirth as a communal event with extended family support. But hospital policies that limit the number of support people often disregard these important cultural practices.

    Indigenous families also need to get the type of health care they trust and feel comfortable with. Ideally this might involve staff with sound cultural knowledge and who can support families clinically in a culturally safe way.

    Aboriginal patient liaison officers are sometimes available in hospitals or health services. But there are not often enough, they have to service entire facilities, and they provide cultural support not clinical patient care.

    Indigenous families may also want to access a specific type of care. One example is “continuity of care”, where the same midwife or a small team of midwives, supports the family through the whole pregnancy. Ideally, these midwives should be Indigenous or, if not, be trained in supporting Indigenous families with respect and understanding.

    What is ‘birthing on Country’?

    For Indigenous women living in rural and remote areas, being sent away from home to give birth in a city hospital can be really hard.

    Sometimes women and families are evacuated from their home communities and have to stay for weeks or months in temporary accommodation in the city, both before and after birth, or if their baby is born pre-term and needs extra care. This temporary accommodation can be far from the hospital.

    All this takes place in unknown cities and towns, without family support, and sometimes away from their other children cared for by the community back home.

    This makes it harder for mums who need extra support, and can get in the way of starting breastfeeding and bonding with their baby.

    Again, there is an alternative. For many Indigenous families, giving birth is not just about having a baby. It’s also a spiritual and cultural event that strengthens their identity and connection to Country. A “birthing on Country” model of care, which respects Indigenous traditions and knowledge, reinforces that.

    This is midwife-led care designed for and with Indigenous communities. It doesn’t mean you have to birth in rural and remote spaces, but it is a model of care that focuses on culture, and can also be implemented in the city.

    Ideally, families would see the same midwife or team of midwives and use the “birthing on Country” model.

    What else can we do?

    Maternity services can be led by Indigenous people, which many women prefer. But Indigenous staff make up about 3.1% of the Australian health workforce.

    So it is crucial to engage non-Indigenous staff in building relationships and to support Indigenous families in their right to receive culturally safe care.

    This can start with better training for staff, not only to understand and respond to an Indigenous person’s individual needs, but to know when and how to speak up, call out or report racist or disrespectful behaviour.

    This is everyone’s problem

    A health system you can trust should be safe for everyone. If some people feel unsafe or face discrimination when getting care, this not only affects them, it affects everyone.

    For instance, when Indigenous women avoid or delay going to the hospital because of past bad experiences or discrimination, it can lead to health problems that could have been prevented.

    This not only harms the women, it puts more pressure on the public health system, which affects us all.

    By talking about these issues, we hope all Australians begin to care about the safety of all women during pregnancy and birth.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘I’m dreading birthing in such a system’: what Indigenous women globally think of birth care and what they’d like to see instead – https://theconversation.com/im-dreading-birthing-in-such-a-system-what-indigenous-women-globally-think-of-birth-care-and-what-theyd-like-to-see-instead-256877

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘I’m dreading birthing in such a system’: what Indigenous women globally think of birth care and what they’d like to see instead

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nina Sivertsen, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

    Pregnancy and having a baby can be a special time. And families want to feel safe and trust their maternity care.

    But when we reviewed the evidence, we found many Indigenous families globally face unfair treatment during pregnancy and birth. This can include racism, neglecting cultural aspects of their care, or using health care poorly designed to accommodate their needs.

    We found similar themes in research involving more than 1,400 Indigenous women, Elders, fathers, family members and health workers from locations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Greenland and Sápmi (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).

    Many Indigenous families felt disrespected. They said hospital staff often didn’t understand their cultures or give them basic rights during their maternity care, such as being listened to, included in decision-making, or giving informed consent.

    As a result, some families felt hesitant to seek care in mainstream hospitals. As one Indigenous woman told us during recent Australian research submitted for publication:

    I’m dreading birthing in such a system.

    But there are alternatives.

    What can hospitals do?

    There is a clear need to improve birthing services and cultural safety in mainstream hospitals with a focus on respecting the beliefs, practices and traditions of all families, including Indigenous ones.

    For example, many Indigenous families view childbirth as a communal event with extended family support. But hospital policies that limit the number of support people often disregard these important cultural practices.

    Indigenous families also need to get the type of health care they trust and feel comfortable with. Ideally this might involve staff with sound cultural knowledge and who can support families clinically in a culturally safe way.

    Aboriginal patient liaison officers are sometimes available in hospitals or health services. But there are not often enough, they have to service entire facilities, and they provide cultural support not clinical patient care.

    Indigenous families may also want to access a specific type of care. One example is “continuity of care”, where the same midwife or a small team of midwives, supports the family through the whole pregnancy. Ideally, these midwives should be Indigenous or, if not, be trained in supporting Indigenous families with respect and understanding.

    What is ‘birthing on Country’?

    For Indigenous women living in rural and remote areas, being sent away from home to give birth in a city hospital can be really hard.

    Sometimes women and families are evacuated from their home communities and have to stay for weeks or months in temporary accommodation in the city, both before and after birth, or if their baby is born pre-term and needs extra care. This temporary accommodation can be far from the hospital.

    All this takes place in unknown cities and towns, without family support, and sometimes away from their other children cared for by the community back home.

    This makes it harder for mums who need extra support, and can get in the way of starting breastfeeding and bonding with their baby.

    Again, there is an alternative. For many Indigenous families, giving birth is not just about having a baby. It’s also a spiritual and cultural event that strengthens their identity and connection to Country. A “birthing on Country” model of care, which respects Indigenous traditions and knowledge, reinforces that.

    This is midwife-led care designed for and with Indigenous communities. It doesn’t mean you have to birth in rural and remote spaces, but it is a model of care that focuses on culture, and can also be implemented in the city.

    Ideally, families would see the same midwife or team of midwives and use the “birthing on Country” model.

    What else can we do?

    Maternity services can be led by Indigenous people, which many women prefer. But Indigenous staff make up about 3.1% of the Australian health workforce.

    So it is crucial to engage non-Indigenous staff in building relationships and to support Indigenous families in their right to receive culturally safe care.

    This can start with better training for staff, not only to understand and respond to an Indigenous person’s individual needs, but to know when and how to speak up, call out or report racist or disrespectful behaviour.

    This is everyone’s problem

    A health system you can trust should be safe for everyone. If some people feel unsafe or face discrimination when getting care, this not only affects them, it affects everyone.

    For instance, when Indigenous women avoid or delay going to the hospital because of past bad experiences or discrimination, it can lead to health problems that could have been prevented.

    This not only harms the women, it puts more pressure on the public health system, which affects us all.

    By talking about these issues, we hope all Australians begin to care about the safety of all women during pregnancy and birth.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘I’m dreading birthing in such a system’: what Indigenous women globally think of birth care and what they’d like to see instead – https://theconversation.com/im-dreading-birthing-in-such-a-system-what-indigenous-women-globally-think-of-birth-care-and-what-theyd-like-to-see-instead-256877

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Do not eat’: what’s in those little desiccant sachets and how do they work?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kamil Zuber, Senior Industry Research Fellow, Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia

    towfiqu ahamed/Getty Images

    When you buy a new electronic appliance, shoes, medicines or even some food items, you often find a small paper sachet with the warning: “silica gel, do not eat”.

    What exactly is it, is it toxic, and can you use it for anything?

    The importance of desiccants

    That little sachet is a desiccant – a type of material that removes excess moisture from the air.

    It’s important during the transport and storage of a wide range of products because we can’t always control the environment. Humid conditions can cause damage through corrosion, decay, the growth of mould and microorganisms.

    This is why manufacturers include sachets with desiccants to make sure you receive the goods in pristine condition.

    The most common desiccant is silica gel. The small, hard and translucent beads are made of silicon dioxide (like most sands or quartz) – a hydrophilic or water-loving material. Importantly, the beads are porous on the nano-scale, with pore sizes only 15 times larger than the radius of their atoms.

    Silica gel looks somewhat like a sponge when viewed with scanning electron microscopy.
    Trabelsi et al. (2009), CC BY-NC-ND

    These pores have a capillary effect, meaning they condense and draw moisture into the bead similar to how trees transport water through the channelled structures in wood.

    In addition, sponge-like porosity makes their surface area very large. A single gram of silica gel can have an area of up to 700 square metres – almost four tennis courts – making them exceptionally efficient at capturing and storing water.

    Is silica gel toxic?

    The “do not eat” warning is easily the most prominent text on silica gel sachets.

    According to health professionals, most silica beads found in these sachets are non-toxic and don’t present the same risk as silica dust, for example. They mainly pose a choking hazard, which is good enough reason to keep them away from children and pets.

    However, if silica gel is accidentally ingested, it’s still recommended to contact health professionals to determine the best course of action.

    Some variants of silica gel contain a moisture-sensitive dye. One particular variant, based on cobalt chloride, is blue when the desiccant is dry and turns pink when saturated with moisture. While the dye is toxic, in desiccant pellets it is present only in a small amount – approximately 1% of the total weight.

    Indicating silica gel with cobalt chloride – ‘fresh’ on the left, ‘used’ on the right.
    Reza Rio/Shutterstock

    Desiccants come in other forms, too

    Apart from silica gel, a number of other materials are used as moisture absorbers and desiccants. These are zeolites, activated alumina and activated carbon – materials engineered to be highly porous.

    Another desiccant type you’ll often see in moisture absorbers for larger areas like pantries or wardrobes is calcium chloride. It typically comes in a box filled with powder or crystals found in most hardware stores, and is a type of salt.

    Kitchen salt – sodium chloride – attracts water and easily becomes lumpy. Calcium chloride works in the same way, but has an even stronger hygroscopic effect and “traps” the water through a hydration reaction. Once the salt is saturated, you’ll see liquid separating in the container.

    Closet and pantry dehumidifiers like this one typically contain calcium chloride which binds water.
    Healthy Happy/Shutterstock

    I found something that doesn’t seem to be silica gel – what is it?

    Some food items such as tortilla wraps, noodles, beef jerky, and some medicines and vitamins contain slightly different sachets, labelled “oxygen absorbers”.

    These small packets don’t contain desiccants. Instead, they have chemical compounds that “scavenge” or bond oxygen.

    Their purpose is similar to desiccants – they extend the shelf life of food products and sensitive chemicals such as medicines. But they do so by directly preventing oxidation. When some foods are exposed to oxygen, their chemical composition changes and can lead to decay (apples turning brown when cut is an example of oxidation).

    There is a whole range of compounds used as oxygen absorbers. These chemicals have a stronger affinity to oxygen than the protected substance. They range from simple compounds such as iron which “rusts” by using up oxygen, to more complex such as plastic films that work when exposed to light.

    Some of the sachets in your products are oxygen absorbers, not desiccants – but they may look similar.
    Sergio Yoneda/Shutterstock

    Can I reuse a desiccant?

    Although desiccants and dehumidifiers are considered disposable, you can relatively easily reuse them.

    To “recharge” or dehydrate silica gel, you can place it in an oven at approximately 115–125°C for 2–3 hours, although you shouldn’t do this if it’s in a plastic sachet that could melt in the heat.

    Interestingly, due to how they bind water, some desiccants require temperatures well above the boiling point of water to dehydrate (for example, calcium chloride hydrates completely dehydrate at 200°C).

    After dehydration, silica gel sachets may be useful for drying small electronic items (like your phone after you accidentally dropped it into water), keeping your camera dry, or preventing your family photos and old films from sticking to each other.

    This is a good alternative to the questionable method of using uncooked rice, as silica gel doesn’t decompose and won’t leave starch residues on your things.

    Kamil Zuber does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Do not eat’: what’s in those little desiccant sachets and how do they work? – https://theconversation.com/do-not-eat-whats-in-those-little-desiccant-sachets-and-how-do-they-work-258398

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Parenthood or podium? It’s time Australian athletes had the support to choose both

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jasmine Titova, PhD Candidate, CQUniversity Australia

    When tennis legend Serena Williams
    retired in 2022, she stated:

    If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labour of expanding our family.

    Many elite athletes end their sporting careers prematurely to have children, with the physical burden of pregnancy one of many barriers.

    Despite these barriers, a growing number of elite athletes are proving motherhood and elite sport are compatible and even complementary – but they need better support.

    Responding to this need, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) today announced new recommendations in this space, which are the most comprehensive of their kind globally.

    Just seven years out from Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, this clearer new policy could give confidence to countless Australian athletes who are determined to become parents as well as striving for the podium.

    The push for more support

    Women can train safely during and after pregnancy but it is often practical challenges – like a lack of contract security, ranking and categorisation protection and limited access to parenting facilities – that prevent them from continuing in their sport.

    In Australia, Olympic sprint kayaker Alyce Wood, marathon runner Genevieve Gregson and water polo player Keesja Gofers have gone on to reach personal bests and career-highs after having children. These athletes have highlighted the challenges and gaps they faced along the way, despite organisational support for athlete mums improving in recent years.

    Alongside others athlete mums, they are now advocating for better support systems.

    This call to action has become increasingly urgent as women’s sport experiences unprecedented growth through increased visibility, investment and professionalisation.

    Research driving change

    Our CQUniversity research team partnered with the AIS and the Queensland Academy of Sport to develop national evidence-based recommendations to guide sporting organisations in how to support pregnant and parenting athletes.

    Underpinning these recommendations was a comprehensive series of studies spanning four years.

    The project began by exploring global findings to understand the barriers and enablers faced by elite athletes during preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and parenting.

    Our research found elite athletes encounter more than 30 unique barriers during these critical windows, including:

    • challenges planning pregnancy around sporting competitions
    • the physical impacts of pregnancy and childbirth
    • training considerations
    • the logistics and cost of caring for an infant while travelling.

    Central to these findings was sporting organisations’ lack of pregnancy and parenting policies.

    A subsequent review found only 22 out of 104 (21%) national sporting organisations had at least one policy detailing support for pregnant and parenting athletes.

    Listening to athletes and staff

    To better understand the gaps, our research team met with more than 60 elite women athletes, support staff (like coaches and health professionals) and organisational staff across 25 sports.

    We investigated the experiences and needs of elite athlete mothers and those planning children.

    We discovered the vast majority were unhappy with the level of pregnancy and parenting support provided by sporting organisations.

    They cited a lack of clear frameworks and women’s health education, prevailing stigma, discrimination and limited access to parenting facilities as key barriers.

    As one athlete shared:

    No one ever talks about it [starting a family] in my environment. It feels like a taboo topic because it’s kind of expected that it’s something you think about after sport. Like, your priority should be training and performing.

    Another athlete described:

    I’ve got a lot of friends who have also tried [returning after children] and have just not wanted to return because of the environment and lack of [organisational] support […] you have to go back to club level and then work your way back up to state and national level without any help or support.

    This input helped shape the AIS recommendations, which are the most comprehensive of their kind globally.

    They comprise of 19 policy recommendations and 89 practice recommendations (practical, actionable steps for sporting organisations to follow).

    The guide is also the first to include a suite of resources including pregnancy and return-to-sport plan templates, checklists, frameworks and helpful resources to support implementation.

    With the adoption of these recommendations, athletes will be able to:

    • disclose pregnancy on their own terms (excluding required medical clearances and safety precautions)
    • develop and regularly review a comprehensive, individualised plan guiding them through preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and parenting, in collaboration with relevant staff
    • take time away from their sport during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum without facing financial or ranking/categorisation implications
    • have continued access to facilities, services and relevant professionals during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum
    • maintain their preferred level of engagement with the sporting organisation while taking parenting leave.

    Sporting organisations adopting the recommendations should:

    • implement accessible pregnancy policies
    • educate athletes and staff on reproductive health
    • provide essential parenting facilities like designated breastfeeding and childcare spaces.

    The recommendations mark a significant step forward for women’s sport, directly addressing longstanding barriers. They will ensure women athletes receive the same basic rights and privileges standard for parents in most Australian workplaces.

    Jasmine Titova received funding from the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Government’s Research Training Program.

    Melanie Hayman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Parenthood or podium? It’s time Australian athletes had the support to choose both – https://theconversation.com/parenthood-or-podium-its-time-australian-athletes-had-the-support-to-choose-both-257725

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Stable public housing in the first year of life boosts children’s wellbeing years down the track – new research

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaimie Monk, Research Fellow, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research

    Phil Walter/Getty Images

    New Zealand’s unaffordable housing market means low-income families face big constraints on their accommodation options. This involves often accepting housing that is insecure, cold, damp or in unsuitable neighbourhoods.

    But little is known about the impact of housing type early in life on children’s wellbeing over time.

    Using data from nearly 6,000 children in the Growing Up in New Zealand study, our new research compared outcomes for children provided with public housing support during the crucial earliest years (pregnancy through to nine months) with those in other types of housing.

    What we found supports ongoing investment in secure, quality housing as a way to reduce inequalities in New Zealand – particularly for those with very young children.

    Importantly, by the age of 12, children who started life in public housing had higher levels of wellbeing than some of their peers.

    Tracking wellbeing

    For our project, we used data on the type of housing at nine months of age, as well as mothers’ assessments of children’s social and emotional development across the period when the children were two to nine years old.

    The final data we used were the children’s own responses regarding their quality of life at 12 years old.

    Housing was categorised into four types: private ownership (52.3% of children), public rental (9.1%), private rental (35.8%) or other (2.9%).

    The New Zealand government provides housing subsidies to approximately 7% of the population. Public housing comprises around 4% of the country’s housing stock.

    Demand for help has remained high, with 20,300 people on the waitlist for social housing in December 2024. At the same time, Kāinga Ora has axed 212 housing projects because they did not stack up financially, or were in the wrong locations.

    Housing influences behaviour

    Throughout our research, we found children who began life in public housing were the group facing the most disadvantage. They exhibited higher levels of behavioural difficulties in early childhood than those in other housing types.

    These behavioural difficulties include conduct, hyperactivity and emotional or peer relationship problems. However, their difficulty scores declined more steeply over time, getting closer to their peers by age nine.

    In contrast, children’s trajectories of prosocial behaviour, such as being kind and helpful, were the same for each group.

    By 12, self-reported wellbeing for children who started life in public housing was at or above that of their peers in private rentals, despite being in the most disadvantaged group in their early years.

    These results are different to the outcomes seen in similar research from Australia which found children in public housing had widening gaps in wellbeing compared with their peers in privately owned houses.

    In New Zealand, factors such as strong relationships with important adults such as parents and teachers, and reduced exposure to bullying, were found to be more strongly associated with quality of life at this age than housing type or frequency of moving house.

    The importance of a stable home

    Our work focuses on the early years of a child’s life where security, financial stability and a warm, dry home are important for children’s healthy development. Public housing filled this need for many low-income families.

    Despite the positive results seen at 12, gaps in behavioural development between children from the public housing group and their peers were apparent when children started school.

    These differences in school readiness mean these children are likely to need wider support to ensure they can make the most of long-term educational opportunities.

    But overall, having access to public housing in infancy appears to have cumulative benefits for vulnerable children in New Zealand, providing a stable base for families as children start their lives.

    Jaimie Monk received funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Programme for this research and has previously received funding from the Ministry of Social Development.

    – ref. Stable public housing in the first year of life boosts children’s wellbeing years down the track – new research – https://theconversation.com/stable-public-housing-in-the-first-year-of-life-boosts-childrens-wellbeing-years-down-the-track-new-research-259534

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From HAL 9000 to M3GAN: what film’s evil robots tell us about contemporary tech fears

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Daniel, Associate Lecturer in Communication, Western Sydney University

    © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Filmgoers have long been captivated by stories about robots. We are fascinated by their utopian promise, their superhuman intelligence and, in the case of the cyborg, their often uncanny resemblance to humans.

    But it is the evil robot – the machine that malfunctions, rebels or was built to harm – that has most powerfully gripped the collective imagination of audiences.

    From the silent menace of Maschinenmensch in 1927’s Metropolis, to the relentless pursuit of the Terminator, to the campy violence of M3GAN, evil robots continue to resonate.

    These films not only thrill, scare and entertain audiences. They also reflect deep-seated cultural anxieties about the unpredictable consequences of the current and future human-robot relationship.

    The killer robot is far from a simple villain. It is a mirror held up to some of the most pressing cultural questions we have about human autonomy and responsibility in the digital age.

    The precarity of human control

    The enduring appeal of the evil robot narrative lies in the way horror often channels our deepest cultural anxieties about the speed of technological advancement and the precarity of human control in an increasingly digital (and robotic) world.

    In The Spark of Fear, scholar Brian Duchaney posits that improvements in technology necessitate new types of horror stories, and that horror as a genre acts out our distrust of the social advances that new technology brings.

    In the late 1960s, there was unease about the growing sophistication of computers and the impacts of the Space Race. HAL 9000 of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) represented this threat through a disembodied AI that icily turned against its human creators.

    The android Ash in Alien (1979) added another layer of menace, disguised as a human embedded in the spacecraft crew and programmed to prioritise corporate interests over human life. In this case, Ash became a proxy for concerns over corporate adoption of automation, and the increasing role of technology in military and industrial contexts.

    During the Cold War era, fears of nuclear annihilation and concerns over reaching a point where we could no longer switch off the machines led to the unforgettable T-800 and shape-shifting T-1000 in the first two Terminator films (1984 and 1991).

    In the 21st century, as artificial intelligence and robotics became more prevalent in everyday life, the cinematic robot has entered our homes, culminating in M3GAN’s companion-gone-rogue.

    In M3GAN (2022), Gemma (Allison Williams) is a robotics designer who creates an AI-powered companion doll to help her orphaned niece Cady (Violet McGraw) cope with her grief. But the doll becomes dangerously overprotective.

    In M3GAN 2.0 (2025), the consciousness of the titular robot appears to have survived the 2022 film and, in a move that borrows from The Terminator 2, M3GAN shifts from villain to protector.

    The new film explores the consequences of the underlying tech for M3GAN being stolen and misused by a powerful defence contractor to create a military-grade robot, known as Amelia. The only option to counteract Amelia is for Gemma to resurrect M3GAN – complete with upgrades to make her faster, stronger and more deadly.

    Our technological anxieties

    Why is M3GAN such an effective avatar for our contemporary anxieties?

    Horror theorist Noël Carroll argues that monsters are often frightening because they don’t fit neatly into normal categories. They may be “in-between” things (such as part human, part machine) or contradictory (for example a zombie: both alive and dead at the same time).

    M3GAN is a great example of both. She looks and acts like a young girl, with expressive facial features and a snarky sense of humour. But she’s really just artificial intelligence inside a robot body.

    She’s also contradictory: she is designed to care for and protect her owner, yet she does so in exceedingly violent and deadly ways. These paradoxes make her both frightening and fascinating for audiences.

    M3GAN and M3GAN 2.0 bring to the surface our technological anxieties, and defuse them through their camp qualities.

    One sequence in the earlier film sees M3GAN break into a fluid yet unsettling dance, mimicking the performance of many a TikTok teen, only for the dance to end abruptly when she snatches a paper cutter blade and returns to stalking her victim.

    This meme-ified moment – combined with some deadpan one-liners and often comically ironic facial expressions – have led to M3GAN becoming a gay icon in the wake of the original film.

    M3GAN’s campiness doesn’t completely neutralise the horror. It reformulates it, offering a cathartic release that makes the subject matter more digestible. While we feel fear, we do so without real-world consequences. The fear is disarmed through humour.

    This multifaceted horror experience more fully reflects the complexities of our evolving relationship with new technology. These relationships often move through a spectrum of concern, anxiety and fear before we find ways to manage and normalise those feelings.

    Humour and catharsis are two of these coping mechanisms. Movies provide us with a way of neatly and temporarily resolving what often remain unresolved questions.

    Films like M3GAN 2.0 illustrate how horror narratives can also transform alongside the technologies they critique, offering not only tension and jump scares, but also philosophical consideration, comedy and cathartic release.

    Adam Daniel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. From HAL 9000 to M3GAN: what film’s evil robots tell us about contemporary tech fears – https://theconversation.com/from-hal-9000-to-m3gan-what-films-evil-robots-tell-us-about-contemporary-tech-fears-258397

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From HAL 9000 to ME3AN: what film’s evil robots tell us about contemporary tech fears

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Daniel, Associate Lecturer in Communication, Western Sydney University

    © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Filmgoers have long been captivated by stories about robots. We are fascinated by their utopian promise, their superhuman intelligence and, in the case of the cyborg, their often uncanny resemblance to humans.

    But it is the evil robot – the machine that malfunctions, rebels or was built to harm – that has most powerfully gripped the collective imagination of audiences.

    From the silent menace of Maschinenmensch in 1927’s Metropolis, to the relentless pursuit of the Terminator, to the campy violence of M3GAN, evil robots continue to resonate.

    These films not only thrill, scare and entertain audiences. They also reflect deep-seated cultural anxieties about the unpredictable consequences of the current and future human-robot relationship.

    The killer robot is far from a simple villain. It is a mirror held up to some of the most pressing cultural questions we have about human autonomy and responsibility in the digital age.

    The precarity of human control

    The enduring appeal of the evil robot narrative lies in the way horror often channels our deepest cultural anxieties about the speed of technological advancement and the precarity of human control in an increasingly digital (and robotic) world.

    In The Spark of Fear, scholar Brian Duchaney posits that improvements in technology necessitate new types of horror stories, and that horror as a genre acts out our distrust of the social advances that new technology brings.

    In the late 1960s, there was unease about the growing sophistication of computers and the impacts of the Space Race. HAL 9000 of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) represented this threat through a disembodied AI that icily turned against its human creators.

    The android Ash in Alien (1979) added another layer of menace, disguised as a human embedded in the spacecraft crew and programmed to prioritise corporate interests over human life. In this case, Ash became a proxy for concerns over corporate adoption of automation, and the increasing role of technology in military and industrial contexts.

    During the Cold War era, fears of nuclear annihilation and concerns over reaching a point where we could no longer switch off the machines led to the unforgettable T-800 and shape-shifting T-1000 in the first two Terminator films (1984 and 1991).

    In the 21st century, as artificial intelligence and robotics became more prevalent in everyday life, the cinematic robot has entered our homes, culminating in M3GAN’s companion-gone-rogue.

    In M3GAN (2022), Gemma (Allison Williams) is a robotics designer who creates an AI-powered companion doll to help her orphaned niece Cady (Violet McGraw) cope with her grief. But the doll becomes dangerously overprotective.

    In M3GAN 2.0 (2025), the consciousness of the titular robot appears to have survived the 2022 film and, in a move that borrows from The Terminator 2, M3GAN shifts from villain to protector.

    The new film explores the consequences of the underlying tech for M3GAN being stolen and misused by a powerful defence contractor to create a military-grade robot, known as Amelia. The only option to counteract Amelia is for Gemma to resurrect M3GAN – complete with upgrades to make her faster, stronger and more deadly.

    Our technological anxieties

    Why is M3GAN such an effective avatar for our contemporary anxieties?

    Horror theorist Noël Carroll argues that monsters are often frightening because they don’t fit neatly into normal categories. They may be “in-between” things (such as part human, part machine) or contradictory (for example a zombie: both alive and dead at the same time).

    M3GAN is a great example of both. She looks and acts like a young girl, with expressive facial features and a snarky sense of humour. But she’s really just artificial intelligence inside a robot body.

    She’s also contradictory: she is designed to care for and protect her owner, yet she does so in exceedingly violent and deadly ways. These paradoxes make her both frightening and fascinating for audiences.

    M3GAN and M3GAN 2.0 bring to the surface our technological anxieties, and defuse them through their camp qualities.

    One sequence in the earlier film sees M3GAN break into a fluid yet unsettling dance, mimicking the performance of many a TikTok teen, only for the dance to end abruptly when she snatches a paper cutter blade and returns to stalking her victim.

    This meme-ified moment – combined with some deadpan one-liners and often comically ironic facial expressions – have led to M3GAN becoming a gay icon in the wake of the original film.

    M3GAN’s campiness doesn’t completely neutralise the horror. It reformulates it, offering a cathartic release that makes the subject matter more digestible. While we feel fear, we do so without real-world consequences. The fear is disarmed through humour.

    This multifaceted horror experience more fully reflects the complexities of our evolving relationship with new technology. These relationships often move through a spectrum of concern, anxiety and fear before we find ways to manage and normalise those feelings.

    Humour and catharsis are two of these coping mechanisms. Movies provide us with a way of neatly and temporarily resolving what often remain unresolved questions.

    Films like M3GAN 2.0 illustrate how horror narratives can also transform alongside the technologies they critique, offering not only tension and jump scares, but also philosophical consideration, comedy and cathartic release.

    Adam Daniel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. From HAL 9000 to ME3AN: what film’s evil robots tell us about contemporary tech fears – https://theconversation.com/from-hal-9000-to-me3an-what-films-evil-robots-tell-us-about-contemporary-tech-fears-258397

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Yes, Victoria’s efforts to wean households off gas have been dialled back. But it’s still real progress

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trivess Moore, Associate Professor in Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University

    MirageC/Getty

    On the question of gas, Victoria’s government faces pressure from many directions.

    The Bass Strait wells supplying Australia’s most gas-dependent state are running dry. Gas prices shot up in 2020 and have stayed high. Natural gas is mainly methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

    But weaning more than two million gas-using households off the fossil fuel is hard. The gas lobby pushed back against proposed changes, as did the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while resistance from some stakeholders led to a backdown on plans to phase out gas cooktops.

    That’s why the government’s decision to introduce most of the proposed changes is good news. Early plans to require dead gas heaters to be replaced with electric are gone for private housing. But from 2027, new homes have to be all-electric, while landlords will have to replace defunct gas appliances with electric and have ceiling insulation. The move will cut energy bills and accelerate the shift away from gas.

    How did we get here?

    This week’s announcement comes after lengthy consultation on changes first proposed in 2021.

    Some early responses have been supportive, though the gas industry isn’t happy, claiming the reforms will restrict customer choice and cost households more.

    Premier Jacinta Allan pitched the announcement as a way to reserve dwindling and more expensive gas supplies for industry, stating:

    by 2029, these reforms will unlock just under 12 petajoules of gas every year […] by 2035, they’ll deliver 44 PJ annually – enough to meet 85% of Victoria’s forecast industrial demand.

    What are the main changes?

    From January 2027, all newly built homes have to be all-electric. This closes a loophole in existing rules where the all-electric rule only applied to new houses requiring a planning permit.

    When a gas hot water system reaches end of life in an existing house, it will have to be replaced with an efficient electric alternative from March 2027.

    The news is even better for the rental sector.

    In 2021, the state government introduced minimum requirements for rentals. These are now being upgraded to include improved energy efficiency.

    From March 2027, new energy efficiency rules will apply to rentals and public housing, including:

    • gas hot water systems and heaters must be replaced with efficient heat pumps at end of life

    • at the start of a new lease, the rental must have draught proofing, ceiling insulation installed with a minimum R5.0 rating when there is no insulation already, and an efficient electric cooling system in the main living area.

    To help households transition, all upgrades are covered under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program which will help reduce capital costs.

    These plans are welcome. They will cut household energy bills and help meet wider sustainability goals.

    As any Victorian who has sweltered over summer or frozen through winter knows, many of the state’s houses are not great on thermal performance. Most existing homes were built before the introduction of minimum standards in the early 2000s.

    Older homes are also more likely to present health risks such as mould and damp.

    Old gas hot water units in Victoria can be repaired, but replacements will have to be electric from 2027.
    Rusty Todaro/Shutterstock

    Trade-offs proved necessary

    During the consultation period, the Victorian government floated even more ambitious plans, such as requiring all households to replace dead gas heaters with efficient electric options.

    The government originally explored making electric induction cooktops mandatory in new builds. These plans didn’t get through, potentially because of the attachment some householders feel to their gas heaters and cooktops, as we found in our research.

    The state government looks to have decided not to let perfect be the enemy of the good. Better to make significant improvements even with some trade-offs.

    When the market isn’t enough

    Policymakers usually prefer the market to find solutions rather than requiring change through regulations.

    This isn’t always possible. Here, Victoria’s gas supply challenges, subpar housing stock and the pressing need to act on climate change means regulatory nudges are needed.

    Could the government’s changes trigger a backlash? It’s possible, especially if the changes are framed as an added cost to landlords and their tenants. All-electric households are cheaper to run, but it costs money upfront to replace appliances. Waiting until an appliance’s end of life and providing upgrade subsidies will help reduce the cost impact. High gas-users save more – a Melbourne household quitting gas would save almost A$14,000 over ten years.

    18 months until launch

    The first of these changes will be in place in just 18 months.

    Schemes such as this have to be structured carefully. To ensure they work as well as possible for renters in particular, we suggest measures to avoid unintended consequences, such as means-testing any subsidy schemes to avoid leaving out lower-income households.

    We found many householders cannot access reliable information on retrofits and don’t always trust the skills and information given by tradespeople. This is why it’s vital to have accessible, independent, accurate and trustworthy support in understanding how best to replace gas appliances with electric – and how to assess tradie qualifications.

    The government’s decision to exempt rentals with existing ceiling insulation means rentals with old or compacted insulation will miss out.

    Victoria should instead look to the Australian Capital Territory, which mandates installation of new R5.0 insulation if existing insulation isn’t at least R2.

    The government must also ensure renters don’t carry the upfront cost of the upgrades in higher rent. In Sweden, rent increases linked to energy efficiency upgrades were banned.

    For the public to take to these changes, the government must ensure communication is clear and early and that any financial support is adequate and targeted to those most in need.

    Trivess Moore has received funding from various organisations including the Australian Research Council, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Victorian government and various industry partners. He is a trustee of the Fuel Poverty Research Network.

    Nicola Willand has received funding for research from various organisations, including the Australian Research Council, the Victorian state government, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, the Future Fuels Collaborative Research Centre, the National Health and Medical Research Council, Energy Consumers Australia and the British Academy. She is a trustee of the Fuel Poverty Research Network charity and affiliated with the Australian Institute of Architects.

    Sarah Robertson has received funding from various organisations, including the Australian Research Council, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Victorian state government, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, and VicHealth. She is a Steering Committee member for Future Earth Australia.

    – ref. Yes, Victoria’s efforts to wean households off gas have been dialled back. But it’s still real progress – https://theconversation.com/yes-victorias-efforts-to-wean-households-off-gas-have-been-dialled-back-but-its-still-real-progress-259695

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New climate reporting rules start on July 1. Many companies are not ready for the change

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Baird, Senior Lecturer , University of Tasmania

    PaeGAG/Shutterstock

    A new financial year starts on July 1. For Australia’s large companies, that means new rules on climate-related disclosures come into force.

    These requirements are the culmination of years of planning to ensure companies disclose climate-related risks and opportunities for their business. The Albanese government passed the legislation in September 2024.

    To be clear, the time to prepare is gone. From July 1, large public companies and financial institutions must gather significant amounts of information and data to include in a new year-end sustainability report. Collecting all this information is one challenge; another is finding the specialists across many fields to compile the reports.

    This is a huge change for corporate Australia. It is a whole new reporting regime, supported by volumes of technical detail. Directors will need to sign off on the report. Investors must also upskill to make sense of the disclosures. Neither of these outcomes is assured.

    And it is not clear the increased disclosures will do anything to reduce actual emissions.

    Climate impacts in focus

    Though it’s called a sustainability report, in reality it is very much focused on climate-related disclosures. If you go looking for wider sustainability matters such as social impact, environmental performance and ethical choices, you will be disappointed.

    Markets and ultimately the millions of Australians who hold shares will be watching to find out if:

    1. Corporate Australia is prepared for the transition to this new regulatory regime

    2. End users of the new reports are equipped to decipher and understand the huge amount of additional data.

    My research suggests the answer to both questions is a resounding no.

    Starting with the big end of town

    The government has wisely adopted a three-year transition for the new reporting regime, with only the big end of town facing the music this year. Think the big four banks, big supermarkets and large miners.

    Some large corporations have been publishing sustainability reports for years. National Australia Bank, for example, published its first one in 2017.

    Over the next two years, medium and then smaller companies will join the fold. By 2027–28, companies will be required to report if they meet two of three thresholds: consolidated revenue of A$50 million, or consolidated gross assets of $25 million, or more than 100 employees.

    The reasoning behind the transition is they have the benefit of watching how the larger companies adapt to the new laws.

    What has to be disclosed?

    Reporting entities must include:

    – climate statements for the year plus any notes, and

    – the directors’ declaration about these statements and notes

    This sounds rather simple and straightforward, but it is not.

    Arriving at a completed sustainability report involves an understanding of two detailed documents: the international standards and a new Australian Accounting Sustainability Standard.

    The Australian standards are mandatory and based on the international rules. In broad terms, companies will be required to gather and disclose information on many micro-level issues, which are grouped into four categories. These are: governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets.

    Some issues will straddle all four categories.

    For example, the physical risk of climate change (floods, uninsurable properties, supply chain disruption) can be considered at the board level and in dedicated climate committees (goverance); in planning for alternative supply chains in a climate transition plan (strategy); in risk assessment (risk management) and in data prediction of the costs involved (metrics and targets).

    The big challenge for corporate Australia is that the people, expertise and time required to deliver a sustainability report are in short supply.

    More than a quarter of ASX 200 companies do not use the international standards. This means they are not positioned to adapt to the new reporting regime. Even for those that have been early adopters, there has been selective use of the four categories.

    For the smaller companies that will follow the first reporting year, the stakes are high.

    More information is not always better

    The amount of new information (much of it technical) to be disclosed will be overwhelming for the producers of the sustainability reports – and for the readers, whether they are institutional or mum-and-dad investors.

    The cost of collecting and making sense of the data required to meet detailed reporting requirements will lead to many companies being swamped in data. More data collected does not equal better data.

    Deciding what data to collect and then making sense of it so it supports disclosures will be a major headache for most companies.

    The new climate disclosure rules will have a profound impact on corporate Australia. There is a significant gap in capacity and capability to meet the requirements of the new reporting regime. And there is a corresponding need to educate the readers of these new reports to make effective use of the disclosed information.

    Rachel Baird does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. New climate reporting rules start on July 1. Many companies are not ready for the change – https://theconversation.com/new-climate-reporting-rules-start-on-july-1-many-companies-are-not-ready-for-the-change-258706

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘I’m not going to give up’: how to help more disadvantaged young people go to uni and TAFE

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lucas Walsh, Professor and Director of the Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice, Monash University

    Oliver Rossi/ Getty Images

    On Wednesday, Education Minister Jason Clare hailed an increase in the numbers of Australians starting a university degree. In 2024, there was a 3.7% increase in Australian students starting a degree, compared to the year before.

    This follows Clare’s ambition to see more Australians with a tertiary qualification. The federal government wants 80% of workers to have a TAFE or university qualification by by 2050, up from the current 60%.

    A key part of this will be supporting more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to go on to further study.

    How can we do this? New data from the OECD and a new report from The Smith Family give us further insight into the issues and shows what is working for a group of disadvantaged young Australians.

    Young people and career uncertainty

    Last month, the OECD launched a tool to track teenagers’ career readiness across internationally comparable indicators.

    This shows us how disadvantaged Australian students are less likely than advantaged students to have certainty about the kind of job they would like at age 30 (69% compared to 77%).

    In this context, we are talking about socioeconomic disadvantage, including parents’ education and occupation and resources at home. This can have a “powerful influence” on students’ learning outcomes.

    Career uncertainty is an issue because studies suggest teenagers who have clear plans typically have better employment outcomes.

    What about ambition?

    Even for those with some certainty about the kind of occupation they would like to be working in at age 30, there is a significant gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students’ ambitions.

    The OECD tool shows 55% of disadvantaged students aspire to work as a senior manager or professional, compared to 80% of advantaged students. Similarly, 56% of disadvantaged students aspire to undertake tertiary education (either via a short course or university) compared to 85% of advantaged students.

    Disadvantaged students are also more likely to aspire to an occupation that requires tertiary education while not planning to complete a qualification at that level. One in four (26%) disadvantaged students are misaligned in such ambitions compared to 9% of advantaged students.

    Disadvantaged students are less likely to say they feel well-prepared for their future after school (57% compared to 70%) and less likely to have searched the internet for information about careers (80% compared to 91%).

    These trends suggest a need to enhance career education in school that supports disadvantaged students to better plan and prepare for their post-school pathways.

    What can help?

    A new report provides insight into how we can better support disadvantaged young people in their careers.

    From 2021 to 2023, The Smith Family did surveys and interviews with the same group of financially disadvantaged young people. There were almost 800 young people in the group, who were in Year 12 in 2020. They came from all Australian states and territories.

    Echoing the OECD data, participants were often uncertain about where to go for help or how to develop and pursue a career pathway they valued. The study showed several things can help young people find a path to work, training or study after school. They include:

    • a focus on direct career development skills both at school and post-school. This should include personalised career advice and support, which helps young people articulate their post-school plans and the steps required to achieve this plan

    • support that starts earlier than Year 12

    • support for family members’ to access up-to-date labour market, education and training information and support strategies

    • providing more opportunities to meet employers and build career-related adult networks.

    One young person, Byron, talked about how his careers adviser at school had organised for him to meet a paramedic and find out what the role involved.

    [My teacher] helped me get information for how I could achieve that goal […].

    Braden – whose parents had not finished school – also talked about emotional support provided by his high school teachers:

    There were a lot of teachers who were very supportive and really wanted to see me make it through.

    Does it work?

    With these supports, most young people in the study were trying to build their careers, through work, study or a combination of both.

    By their third year after leaving school, 87% were working and/or studying and 60% were on track to complete a post-school qualification. This is up from 77% in the first year of the study. As Evanna, who is working towards her goal of joining the police, said “I’m not going to give up”.

    Lucas Walsh receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He has worked with The Smith Family and sits in a voluntary capacity on the Growing Careers Project External Reference Group. He was not involved in the creation of the report discussed in this article

    – ref. ‘I’m not going to give up’: how to help more disadvantaged young people go to uni and TAFE – https://theconversation.com/im-not-going-to-give-up-how-to-help-more-disadvantaged-young-people-go-to-uni-and-tafe-259444

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 500,000 Australians live with mental illness but don’t qualify for the NDIS. A damning new report says they need more support

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Rosenberg, Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney

    stellalevi/Getty

    Half a million Australians are living with moderate to severe mental illness, but they don’t qualify for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and cannot access the support they need.

    In a damning report released on Tuesday, the Productivity Commission says addressing this gap must be an urgent priority for all governments.

    The commission is currently reviewing the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreements, signed by the federal government and each state and territory. They aim to improve the community’s mental health and reduce suicide.

    The commission has found little progress, calling the agreements “not fit for purpose”.

    So, how did we get here? And what should happen next?

    More than a lack of funding

    In 1992, the year of Australia’s first national mental health policy, 7.25% of the total health budget was allocated to mental health. In 2022-23, it was still only 7.31%.

    Yet, mental health and drug and alcohol issues account for nearly 15% of Australia’s total burden of disease. While mental health remains woefully underfunded, it is hard to expect much change.

    However, the commission’s main criticism isn’t about funding – it’s about the fragmented way mental health is tackled and the failure of federal and state governments to work together.

    While the agreements may have set out “what to do”, the report says they have failed to describe how change should happen.

    This lack of specific objectives, goals and targets has prevented national mental health reform at the scale required.

    Psychosocial supports

    The report says addressing the lack of psychosocial supports outside the NDIS – a gap that affects 500,000 Australians – must be an urgent priority for states, territories and the federal government.

    Psychosocial supports are non-clinical services for people experiencing mental illness that enable them to live independently and safely in the community.

    For decades, community and charitable organisations have provided these support services in Australia. They can connect people with mental illness to health, housing, employment, education or other community services. This helps people socialise and maintain relationships and daily living skills.

    There is already very strong Australian evidence that psychosocial support services can help people recover from even severe mental illness, improve their quality of life, provide earlier intervention and reduce the burden on hospital-based mental health care.

    Yet, Australia has never adequately funded psychosocial care.

    In 1992, these services received just under 2% of total spending on mental health by the states and territories. In 2022-23, it was 6%.

    The ‘missing middle’

    The lack of psychosocial services, and of community-based mental health care more broadly, is one of the key gaps in Australia’s existing mental health system, giving rise to the term “the missing middle”. This describes people with needs too complex for primary care (such as general practice), but not urgent enough to warrant hospital admission.

    The introduction of the NDIS failed to arrest this gap – and may have made it worse. The scheme was only ever designed to provide support to 64,000 Australians with the most severe, enduring, psychosocial disability.

    In providing funds to set up the NDIS, the federal government, in fact, closed some psychosocial programs it had only recently begun, such as Partners in Recovery and Personal Helpers and Mentors. State and territory funding for psychosocial services was already extremely limited, but they, too, withdrew some community-based supports.

    The neglect of psychosocial services fits into a broader pattern that affects all community mental health services because responsibility for mental health is split.

    The federal government manages primary mental health services, mostly provided by GPs and psychologists under Medicare. Meanwhile, state and territory governments focus on hospital-based, emergency, acute inpatient and outpatient services.

    Currently, nobody is responsible for community mental health care. No wonder these “secondary” services, both clinical and psychosocial, have failed to flourish.

    What’s next?

    The Productivity Commission’s interim report rightly recommends Australia urgently address this gap in psychosocial care.

    Governments are now considering a “foundational supports” funding stream, which would provide psychosocial services for people outside the NDIS.

    However, in 2020, the Productivity Commission found our mental health system to be fragmented and disorganised. Just adding one more funding stream or program to this environment probably won’t help.

    Before considering who funds what, real mental health reform should be based on a clear map that lays out how our mental health system should be organised and the respective role of medical, clinical and psychosocial care in that system.

    Where does the evidence indicate people should go for care? What services should they receive? And what should happen next if their mental health improves or declines?

    This kind of system-wide map can guide investments and prioritise reform, region by region. This would properly put the person, not the funders, at the centre of care.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Sebastian Rosenberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. 500,000 Australians live with mental illness but don’t qualify for the NDIS. A damning new report says they need more support – https://theconversation.com/500-000-australians-live-with-mental-illness-but-dont-qualify-for-the-ndis-a-damning-new-report-says-they-need-more-support-259549

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Remote cave discovery shows ancient voyagers brought rice across 2,300km of Pacific Ocean

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hsiao-chun Hung, Senior Research Fellow, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University

    Ritidian beach, Guam. Hsiao-chun Hung

    In a new study published today in Science Advances, my colleagues and I have uncovered the earliest evidence of rice in the Pacific Islands – at an ancient cave site on Guam in the Mariana Islands of western Micronesia.

    The domesticated rice was transported by the first islanders, who sailed 2,300 kilometres of open ocean from the Philippines about 3,500 years ago.

    The discovery settles long-standing academic debates and satisfies decades of curiosity about the origins and lifestyles of early Pacific peoples.

    The case of the Marianas, located more than 2,000km east of the Philippines and northeast of Indonesia, is especially intriguing. These islands were the first places in Remote Oceania reached by anyone, in this case inhabited for the first time by Malayo-Polynesian-speaking populations from islands in Southeast Asia.

    For nearly two decades, scholars debated the timing and the overseas source of these first islanders, the ancestors of today’s Chamorro people. How did they come to Guam and the Marianas?

    Archaeological research has confirmed settlement in the Mariana Islands 3,500 years ago at several sites in Guam, Tinian and Saipan.

    In 2020, the first ancient DNA analysis from Guam confirmed what archaeology and linguistics had suggested: the early settlers came from central or northern Philippines. Further ancestral links trace them back to Taiwan, the homeland of both their language and their genetics.

    A well-planned journey with rice onboard

    Was this epic voyage intentional or accidental? What food source allowed these early seafarers to survive?

    Today, Pacific islanders rely mostly on breadfruit, banana, coconut, taro and yams. Rice, though a staple food in ancient and modern Asian societies, is challenging to grow in the Pacific due to environmental constraints, including soil type, rainfall and terrain.

    Rice was originally domesticated in central China about 9,000 years ago and was spread by Neolithic farming communities as they migrated to new regions. One of the most remarkable of these expansions began in coastal southern China, moved to Taiwan, and spread through the islands of Southeast Asia into the Pacific.

    The migration laid the foundations of the Austronesian world, which today comprises nearly 400 million individuals dispersed across an expansive area stretching from Taiwan to New Zealand, and from Madagascar to Easter Island.

    For more than a decade, we searched for evidence of early rice in open archaeological sites across the Mariana Islands, but found nothing conclusive.

    This study marks the first clear evidence of ancient rice in the Pacific Islands. It also confirms renowned American linguist Robert Blust’s hypothesis that the earliest Chamorros brought cultivated plants with them, including rice.

    We found evidence of rice in the Ritidian Beach Cave, which would have been used for ceremonial purposes.
    Hsiao-chun Hung

    How we identified the rice

    Our research took us to Ritidian Beach Cave in Guam. To confirm what we found in the cave were rice remains, we used phytolith analysis. Phytoliths are microscopic silica structures formed in plant cells that persist long after the plant has decayed.

    Once our initial results confirmed the presence of rice, a more detailed analysis revealed we had found the traces of rice husks preserved on the surfaces of ancient earthenware pottery.

    Next, we used detailed microscopic analysis to figure out whether these husks had been mixed into the clay to keep it from cracking when it dried (a tempering technique commonly used by ancient potters) or had arrived by other means. We also analysed the sediment to rule out that the husks were deposited at the site later than the pottery.

    Our findings showed the rice husks were not used for manufacturing the pottery. Rather, they came from a separate, deliberate activity using the finished pottery bowls.

    Rice phytoliths from excavations at Ritidian Beach Cave in Guam.
    Hsiao-chun Hung

    Ritual use in sacred caves?

    The setting of the discovery – a beach cave – gives us another interpretive perspective.

    In Chamorro traditions, caves are sacred places for important spiritual practices.

    According to records of 1521 through 1602, the Chamorro people in the Marianas grew rice in limited amounts and consumed it only sparingly, reserved for special occasions and critical life events, such as the impending death of a loved one. Rice became more common after the intensive Spanish colonial period, after 1668.

    In this context, the ancient islanders more likely used rice during ceremonial practices in or around caves, rather than as a staple food for daily cooking or agriculture.

    One of the greatest journeys in human history

    This study provides strong evidence that the first long-distance ocean crossings into the Pacific were not accidental. People carefully planned the voyages. Early seafarers brought with them not only the tools of survival but also their symbolic and culturally meaningful plants, such as rice.

    They were equipped, prepared and resolute, completing one of the most extraordinary voyages in the history of humanity.

    Hsiao-chun Hung receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Remote cave discovery shows ancient voyagers brought rice across 2,300km of Pacific Ocean – https://theconversation.com/remote-cave-discovery-shows-ancient-voyagers-brought-rice-across-2-300km-of-pacific-ocean-259667

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –