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Editor's note
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A challenge facing the recently announced Royal Commission into quality and safety in aged care is to define “quality”. We asked readers on social media how they would want a loved one treated in residential aged care. Their responses showed people have similar views on what qualities are important: dignity, social connection, caring staff and personal autonomy. Unfortunately, some people have a bleak view of aged care, expressing the desire to die rather than live in a residential facility. As Joseph Ibrahim writes, this speaks more to the fear of losing independence, autonomy and identity in older age than it does of entering a care facility. Though fears like this are common, and should be addressed by the Royal
Commission.
As the weather warms up, lots of young people will be planning to go to their favourite music festivals. But new research by Bianca Fileborn and colleagues shows young women in particular often do not feel safe at music festivals, and many have had experience of sexual harassment or even assault.
And in the competitive food market, the price of milk stirs passions like nothing else. But the federal minister of agriculture’s call for a boycott of supermarket-branded milk is misguided. He needs to read the ACCC’s report: supermarkets aren’t necessarily the bad guys here.
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Sasha Petrova
Deputy Editor, Health + Medicine
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Top story
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Social connections help retain a sense of purpose in older age.
from shutterstock.com
Joseph Ibrahim, Monash University
The Conversation asked readers how they would want a loved one to be cared for in a residential aged care facility. What they said was similar to what surveys around the world have consistently found.
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Despite the survey’s findings, it is heartening that many music festivals have taken serious steps towards stamping out sexual violence.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Bianca Fileborn, UNSW; Phillip Wadds, UNSW; Stephen Tomsen, Western Sydney University
Many women do not feel safe at music festivals, citing the particular combination of big crowds and alcohol and drug intake making them particularly wary.
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Calls to boycott supermarket-branded milk only put greater pressure on the dairy farmers who supply it.
AAP Image/Mal Fairclough
Gary Mortimer, Queensland University of Technology
Calls to boycott supermarket-branded milk are misguided; and a royal commission into treatment of dairy farmers would be money wasted.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
An interesting and notable point of detail about the “lifetime ban” legislation is that it would not apply to the refugee children.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Some in the Nationals would like Barnaby Joyce back in the leadership before the election. Joyce says if the leadership were offered, he would be up for it - though he insists he is not canvassing.
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Alex Reilly, University of Adelaide
As families are airlifted off Nauru for medical treatment, there is at last a glimmer of hope that a long-standing and cruel policy might finally be put to rest.
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Ben Grimes, Charles Darwin University
The NT is the only jurisdiction in Australia mandating the use of English in the Legislative Assembly – despite the fact 42% of the population doesn't speak English at home.
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Business + Economy
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Chris Doucouliagos, Deakin University; Tom Stanley, Deakin University
The internet has always been just about to deliver an enormous spurt of economic growth or productivity growth A new meta-analysis of 59 econometric studies finds it is yet to do so.
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Environment + Energy
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David Lindenmayer, Australian National University; Michelle Young, Australian National University
Beyond trucking in hay and water, drought-stricken farmers need money and advice on improving the natural features of their land.
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Adam Frew, Charles Sturt University
An ancient relationship between plants and fungi could be used in sustainable agriculture. But there's still a lot we don't know, and new research suggests these fungi can sometimes do more harm than good.
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Cities
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Sharon Goldfeld, University of Melbourne; Billie Giles-Corti, RMIT University; Geoffrey Woolcock, University of Southern Queensland; Hannah Badland, RMIT University; Ilan Katz, UNSW; Karen Villanueva, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Robert Tanton, University of Canberra; Sally Brinkman, Telethon Kids Institute
Research has started to identify the key factors in creating communities that promote good early childhood development.
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Science + Technology
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Jo Robinson, University of Melbourne; Pinar Thorn, University of Melbourne
Researchers are beginning to look at the opportunities offered by social media to aid in suicide prevention.
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Chris Mulherin, University of Melbourne
An Anglican priest teaching about climate change says people have a naïve view of how science really works.
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Featured jobs
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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Griffith University — Bundall, Queensland
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Featured events
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Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) 1 Convention Centre Place , South Wharf, Victoria, 3000, Australia — The Conversation
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Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus, Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia — Deakin University
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Various locations, Footscray, Victoria, 3011, Australia — Victoria University
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