By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has called his budget “ambitious in the face of adversity”.
Speaking to reporters in the lockup on Tuesday, he acknowledged his latest budget is “not exactly the same budget we would have handed down in February for obvious reasons”.
The main adversity is a Middle East war that has disrupted around a fifth of global seaborne oil and gas supply. It has also hit global supply chains for fertiliser, chemicals, aluminium and plastics. Treasury assumes the global economy will slow from 3.5% growth in 2025 to 3% in 2026.
A slowing economy…
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By José Miguel Soriano del Castillo, Catedrático de Nutrición y Bromatología del Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universitat de València
Iodine deficiency is often seen as a problem of the past, but this isn’t entirely true. During the 20th century, the iodisation of salt became one of the most effective public health interventions for preventing conditions caused by a lack of this mineral, including goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) and preventable damage to neurological development.
The
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By Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation
The federal budget takes some big swings, with reforms to capital gains tax and negative gearing. There are also major spends on health, fuel and infrastructure.
This has meant some risky…
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By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra
Budget 2026 contains important changes to capital gains tax, negative gearing and trusts. While the reforms are significant, the timing is cautious.
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By Pablo Hernández Cámara, Profesor e investigador. Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica & Laboratorio de Procesado de Imágenes, Universitat de València, Universitat de València
Picture this: you’re driving on a mountain road, when you suddenly hit a thick patch of fog. You respond instinctively. Your vision sharpens, and you narrow your eyes to make out the shape of any oncoming cars.
Human beings handle these quick changes very well, but if it were a self-driving car – at least one with a current artificial intelligence (AI) system behind the wheel – things could easily end in disaster.
Today’s AI vision systems are extremely accurate when visibility is good. On a clear, sunny day a self-driving car can recognise pedestrians, road signs and other…
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By Deborah Shnookal, Research fellow, Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies, The University of Melbourne
For months, US President Donald Trump has been fixated on Cuba. He’s issued threats and imposed additional sanctions on the island. The US military has conducted dozens of…
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By Paul Formosa, Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Macquire University Ethics & Agency Research Centre, Macquarie University
Although Jimmy Donaldson might have you think otherwise, exploiting people for entertainment can’t be morally offset by doing good elsewhere.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Demonstrators display a banner in Arabic reading, ''Our history will not be halted, and our message does not freeze,'' during a rally after Tunisian authorities suspended the Tunisian League for Human Rights, outside the court of First Instance in Tunis, May 6, 2026. © 2026 Chedly Ben Ibrahim/NurPhoto via AP Photo Tunisian authorities on April 24 suspended operations of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, a longstanding refuge for human rights defenders. Suspensions are a drastic measure that should only be taken as a last resort with clear justification.Founded…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image © 2026 Glenn Harvey for Human Rights Watch EU member states host many companies that produce dangerous surveillance technology that can be used to violate rights, the export of which necessitates robust controls.The implementation and oversight of the EU regulatory framework governing export of surveillance technologies have serious flaws, resulting in the technology being sold to those who use it in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. The EU should tighten the controls requiring states to do greater human rights due diligence, block…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi speaks during a press conference in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 6, 2026. © 2026 Democratic Republic of Congo Presidency/Handout via REUTERS (Kinshasa) – The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are increasingly harassing and arbitrarily detaining journalists, activists, and political opposition members, Human Rights Watch said today.The clampdown on critical voices has occurred amid the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group’s occupation in eastern Congo and political tensions surrounding a potential constitutional amendment…
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