By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Naoero, formerly Nauru, island, March 2023. © 2023 mtcurado/Getty Images (Sydney) – The Australian government has caused thousands of people seeking asylum to suffer grave abuses under its offshore detention system, which began in September 2001, Human Rights Watch said today.Over the past 25 years, Australia has forcibly transferred more than 5,000 asylum seekers to Naoero (formerly called Nauru) and Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Those transferred have experienced inhumane conditions and serious harm to their mental and physical health. The United…
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By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology
A new book examines the outsized influence of one man on the pivotal 1984 election which ushered in a new New Zealand.
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By David Sanderson, Professor and Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture, UNSW
Disasters always bring an influx of aid money to communities. It must be spent wisely to avoid mistakes and ensure long-term recovery.
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By Chris Zomer, Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, Deakin University
On Tuesday, the Australian federal government announced a long-awaited amendment to the Online Safety Act, outlining a digital duty of care to protect Australians from preventable online harms.
The bill will be discussed by parliament before the end of the year. While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has presented the legislation as “world…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image The eight members of Zion Church who remain detained. Top from left to right: Gao Yingjia, Wang Cong, Wang Lin, Lin ShuchengBottom from left to right: Wu Qiuyu, Liu Zhenbin, Yin Huibin, Wang Zhong © Private Chinese lawyer Ruth Wang fled to Taiwan on September 2 after authorities threatened to shut down her law firm. Her offense? Representing members of China’s Zion Church, a prominent underground Protestant congregation.While founding pastor Ezra Jin was freed from custody in July following high-level US intervention, eight other church members have…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator at KontraS, attending a protest in Bandar Lampung, Sumatra on February 5, 2026. © 2026 Project Multatuli/Adrian Mulya A military court in Jakarta reduced the prison sentences and overturned the dishonorable discharge of two of the four military personnel convicted for the March 2026 acid attack against human rights activist Andrie Yunus. The appellate decision, dated August 20, reduced the sentences of 2nd Sgt. Edi Sudarko and 1st Lt. Budhi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono of the Indonesian military’s Strategic Intelligence Agency…
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By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne
Government critics say changes to health insurance rebates will strain the public health system. But the evidence shows the impact might not be what you think.
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By Jessica Gildersleeve, Professor of English Literature, University of Southern Queensland
We’ve been telling stories about 9/11 since it happened. The really great ones helped shape how we feel about the attacks and their aftermath.
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By Hamideh Khaleghi Mohammadi, Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Sydney
Ali Abbasi, Sessional Academic and Researcher in Media and Communications, University of Sydney
With food inflation over 128%, ordinary households are seeing – and documenting – the impact of sanctions at the checkout.
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By Sally Coggins, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Diseases and Treatment of Cats), University of Sydney
As a veterinarian who studies infectious diseases in cats, I’ve been repeatedly asked whether Australia’s outbreak of the H5 bird flu poses a risk to pets. The short answer is yes.
As this lethal virus continues to infect more mammals, poultry farmers and backyard…
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