Inequality is about much more than economics

Editor's note

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been talking a lot about inequality lately. In fact, it’s occupied a great deal of public political debate in Australia in recent times. Today, Eva Cox asks a slightly different question: is it actual inequality, or the perception of inequality, that is driving disillusionment with our political system and the fracturing of support for the major parties? If politicians are serious about tackling inequality, Cox argues, they will need to think beyond a simple redistribution of wealth.

Amanda Dunn

Editor

Top story

We need to consider whether values are the basis of beliefs about inequality. Shutterstock

There's far more to the fair go than just economics

Eva Cox, University of Technology Sydney

Who do you trust? Increasingly the answer seems to be nobody, especially when it comes to inequality.

Cities

The Knowledge City Index: Sydney takes top spot but Canberra punches above its weight

Lawrence Pratchett, University of Canberra; Michael Walsh, University of Canberra; Richard Hu, University of Canberra; Sajeda Tuli, University of Canberra

The changing nature of work means the knowledge capabilities of cities are more important than ever. Here's what the new Knowledge City Index tells us about 25 Australian cities.

Education
School uniform policies need to accommodate students' cultural practices Renae Barker, University of Western Australia A case before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal highlights the need for schools to accommodate articles of religious and cultural practice in their uniform policies.

Business + Economy

A focus on goals rather than behaviour is creating workplace monsters

Chris Jackson, UNSW; Dr Benjamin Walker, UNSW; Elliroma Gardiner, Griffith University

Effective organisations encourage self-control, good process, proper discussion and are more driven by growth mindsets than unrealistic performance metrics.
Family trusts often cause more harm than good

Dale Boccabella, UNSW

Overwhelmingly, trusts are used to minimise tax, avoid paying creditors and to avoid the fair division of property after a relationship breakdown.

Science + Technology

Politically charged: do you know where your batteries come from?

Ben McLellan, Kyoto University

We need to think about the raw materials of batteries -- where they come from and their environmental cost.
Australians left to monitor their own NBN broadband speeds

Thas Ampalavanapillai Nirmalathas, University of Melbourne

Tough action is promised against companies that promise faster internet speeds than they can deliver over the NBN. But it's up to consumers to monitor and report on any speed issues.

Arts + Culture
Decoding the Music Masterpieces: Debussy's Clair de Lune Stephanie Mccallum, University of Sydney Debussy's Clair de Lune, meaning 'moonlight', is one of the most easily recognised pieces of music, but its origins are complex. The piece was influenced by poetry, Baroque music and the Impressionist movement.

Health + Medicine

Blood tests and diagnosing illness: what can blood tell us about what's happening in our body?

Karen Dwyer, Deakin University

Blood is perhaps the most important window through which we can peer into a person's health or illness.
Anaesthesia: the gift of oblivion and the mystery of consciousness – book review

Kara Allen, University of Melbourne

Author Kate Cole-Adams delves into fascinating questions about consciousness and self.

Environment + Energy

Finally facing our water-loo: it's time to decolonise sewerage systems

Matt Barlow, University of Adelaide

Modern sewerage infrastructure, exported from Britain to the globe, is entirely dependent on water. In a world of growing climate extremes, it's time to look beyond this colonial legacy.
Supreme Court ruling on NZ's largest irrigation dam proposal respects conservation law and protected land

Christine Cheyne, Massey University

New Zealand's Supreme Court rejected a proposed land swap that would have seen conservation land used for an irrigation dam, but the government is now considering a retrospective law change.
Is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan broken?

Ross M Thompson, University of Canberra

The system that allocates water use in Australia's largest river basin relies on a shared commitment by states to uphold the rules. New allegations of water theft threaten to break that trust.

Politics + Society
Constitution's wide net catches even MPs who had no idea they're foreign citizens Helen Irving, University of Sydney At the heart of the current controversy is that the senators were either ignorant of their second nationality or believed themselves to have lost it.