By Wellett Potter, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of New England
In recent months, celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Matthew McConaughey and Jeremy Clarkson have turned to trademark law to protect aspects of their identity associated with their brands.
It’s a relatively new legal tactic and not yet tested in court. But celebrities are using it in an attempt to fill a gap copyright law wasn’t designed to fill.
In late April 2026, Swift registered two sensory trademarks of her saying “Hey, it’s Taylor”, “Hey it’s Taylor Swift”,…
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By Juan Carlos Afonso, Associate Professor of Geoscience, University of Tasmania
Heather Handley, Senior Curator of Geosciences, Museums Victoria Research Institute; Monash University
Geothermal power used to be limited to volcanic areas. But advances in exploration and drilling technology mean huge new areas can be tapped.
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By Brendan Walker-Munro, Associate Professor (Law), Southern Cross University
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare vetoed research funding to 13 projects ‘for reasons relevant to the security, defence or international relations’.
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By Katelyn Barney, Associate Professor, Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and the School of Music, The University of Queensland
Ren Perkins, Lecturer in Indigenous Education, The University of Queensland
Leah Purcell has told the story of The Drover’s Wife across play, novel, film and now opera. Each form has extended its political and emotional reach.
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Monday, May 18, 2026
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has reduced the scale of violence in the Gaza Strip but killings and destruction continue, while forced displacement in the occupied West Bank has reached a rate “unseen in decades”, a senior official with the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Monday in Geneva.
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By Shane Homan, Associate Professor, English, Communications and Performance Studies, Monash University
Heather Margot Anderson, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Econometrics, Monash University
Susan Forde, Professor, Media and Journalism, Griffith University
New research suggests more investment in community radio could help recover some of this losses faced by the music industries.
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By Ashlynne McGhee, Head of Editorial Innovation, The Conversation
Isabella Podwinski, Social Media Producer, The Conversation
For 30 years, One Nation and Pauline Hanson have been ridiculed, dismissed and shut out. Now, no one is laughing. This is the story of how a party built on fear and grievance thrived, died and rose again to upend Australian politics.
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By Kai Lane, Traditional Owner Representative and Trainee Ecologist, Indigenous Knowledge
Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow in Biodiversity, Charles Darwin University
Kaori Yokochi, Wildlife ecologist and Lecturer, Centre of Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University
I’m a proud Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa man, an Indigenous astronomer and a trainee ecologist.
When I look at the night sky, I don’t just see stars. Instead, I see an ancient knowledge system that has guided people, culture and Country for tens of thousands of years.
But that knowledge is now at risk. In many of our towns and cities, the stars are increasingly…
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By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland
Emily Burch, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer, Southern Cross University
Sometimes the ingredients we throw away are the ones we should have cooked with all along. Here are some ideas to minimise food waste and save money.
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By Cassandra Mudgway, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Canterbury
New Zealand is changing the law to make sexualised deepfakes a crime. But this alone may not be enough to counter the rise in AI-generated fake sexual material.
This week the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill is set to go through its first reading, with support across the political spectrum. The amendment…
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