By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image An Afghan hospital medic inside a home in Afghanistan, February 17, 2026. Before the Taliban banned women from universities, she studied journalism and public relations. © 2026 AFP via Getty Images (New York) – Afghanistan’s Taliban have entrenched one of the world’s worst human rights crises and systematically dismantled the rights of women and girls since taking power five years ago, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a timeline of abuses over the last five years. Afghanistan is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis with nearly 40 percent of the population…
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By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania
Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education, Charles Sturt University
Tom Hartley, Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania
The new-look Commonwealth Games wrapped up in Glasgow this morning (Australian time) with plenty of questions about the stripped-back format and what the future may hold for the event.
The 2026 games were originally awarded to the Australian state of Victoria before it baulked at the costs. Glasgow then stepped in – but with a…
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By Gigi Foster, Professor, School of Economics, UNSW
If we do pay our kids for their chores, do we risk creating kids who care more about money than doing good deeds for their own sake?
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By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato
On its own, the Drug Overdose (Assistance Protection) Legislation Bill is no magic bullet. But it would add to an existing range of effective harm-reduction tools.
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By Graham Short, Research Associate in Ichthyology, Australian Museum
David Harasti, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University
No one has ever seen one of these fish alive. But they are most likely still swimming in a part of the sea we hardly ever visit.
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By Amber Gwynne, Lecturer in Writing, The University of Queensland
International hit Sorrow and Bliss is a tough act to follow. Sophie, Standing There, a book-loving novel about loss, is less funny – but has its own, quieter merits.
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By Liz Allen, Demographer, POLIS Centre for Social Policy Research, Australian National University
Here are ten practical things to know about the 2026 census, including fines if you lie or ignore it, what happens to your data and how to ask for help.
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By Karinna Saxby, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
When Australians complete the census on August 11, they’ll face a new question that’s been a long time coming.
For the first time, people aged 16 and over will be asked about their sexual orientation – whether they identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual or use another term.
The information the census collects shapes
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By Xavier Mills, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Transformative Media Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology
Sal Clark, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Sociology, Swinburne University of Technology
After backlash from the LGBTQIA+ community, the government agreed to include gender and sexual orientation questions in the new census. So why not intersex?
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By Marija Taflaga, Senior Lecturer, School of Political Science and International Relations, Australian National University
Matteo Bonotti, Associate professor, Monash University
Zareh Ghazarian, Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
The Liberals never gave members the same scope to be involved and influence policy as Labor did. Now, they are paying the price for it.
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