The phenomenal success of Fortnite one year on, and CFMMEU stoushes

Editor's note

Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore the success of the online game Fortnite. One year on from its release, Steven Conway takes a look at the game that’s free to play but has managed to encourage almost 70% of its 125 million players to pay for extras to fight and dance it out in this online world.

And in a real life battle, David Peetz explains what the stoush between the powerful CFMMEU and the federal government is really about. Peetz argues the government’s threats to deregister the union are not so much about industrial relations as they are about ideology and politics (and the fact we are heading towards an election is of no small consequence, either).

Michael Lund

Deputy Editor: Science + Technology

Top story

Call that a weapon? Playing Fortnite, a web-based multiplayer survival game. Shutterstock/Lenscap Photography

Stay alive, and if something moves, shoot it: one year of phenomenal success for Fortnite

Steven Conway, Swinburne University of Technology

The epic online game Fortnite was released a year ago and has attracted millions of fans (and detractors). So how has this game made such an enormous impact?

Politics + Society

What the stoush between the federal government and the CFMMEU is really about (spoiler: there’s an election coming)

David Peetz, Griffith University

The stand-off between the Morrison government and one of the country's largest unions, the CFMMEU, should be seen as a contest of politics and ideology rather than simply one of industrial relations.
Labor leads 54-46% in Newspoll that shows slight improvement for government

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The Newspoll two party vote remains much worse than the last days of Malcolm Turnbull, and the controversy over his ousting continues.
Influence in Australian politics needs an urgent overhaul – here’s how to do it

Kate Griffiths, Grattan Institute; Carmela Chivers, Grattan Institute; Danielle Wood, Grattan Institute

A new report from Grattan Institute argues the secrecy and inequality surrounding who has "say" and "sway" in Canberra can be remedied – if politicians can just find the will to do it.
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on strawberries, Sudmalis, schools, and the au pair affair

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Michelle Grattan speaks with University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini about the week in politics.
New laws help juries understand why victims of sexual violence struggle to recall their assaults

Cindy Grahame, University of Newcastle; John Anderson, University of Newcastle; Kcasey McLoughlin, University of Newcastle

The change in law is part of broader reforms that came out of the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse in both NSW and Victoria.

Health + Medicine

Australia’s residential aged care facilities are getting bigger and less home-like

Ralph Hampson, University of Melbourne

Large institutions for people with disability and mental illness were once commonplace. These have now been replaced with smaller community-based services. With aged care, we're doing the opposite.
If privacy is increasing for My Health Record data, it should apply to all medical records

Megan Prictor, University of Melbourne; Bronwyn Hemsley, University of Technology Sydney; Mark Taylor, University of Melbourne; Shaun McCarthy, University of Newcastle

New laws mean My Health Record data is more protected than other patient data. Privacy policies should be the same across the board.

Cities
I’ve always wondered: are SUVs and 4WDs safer than other cars? David Logan, Monash University; Stuart Newstead, Monash University Perceptions about safety might be one of the reasons more and more people are buying SUVs. The evidence from crash data, though, is troubling – particularly for other road users.

Arts + Culture

Cuts and restructures send alarm through South Australia’s arts sector

Jo Caust, University of Melbourne

The arts have long been championed in SA, but in recent years the sector has started to stagnate.
Peter Grimes is a thrilling and moving staging of the great English opera

Trevor Jones, Griffith University

Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes premiered in 1945, when the composer was 31. The work can be seen as an examination of the individual versus the community and the sinister potential of the collective.

Environment + Energy
Grass trees aren’t a grass (and they’re not trees) John Patykowski, Deakin University Grass trees are wonderfully odd. They fit no neat definition, and can live up to 600 years.

Business + Economy
Super. If Labor really wanted to help women in retirement, it would do something else Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute; Owain Emslie, Grattan Institute Bill Shorten says Labor's plan to make super contributions on behalf of women on paid parental leave would have a "big impact". We find its impact would be be minuscule.

Science + Technology
Is it time for Australia to be more open about research involving animals? Tyler Paytas, Australian Catholic University Since 2012, more than 120 of Britain’s universities, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies have signed a public pledge committing them to greater openness in their animal research programs.

Education
Three charts on: why Catholic primary school parents can afford to pay more Peter Goss, Grattan Institute New analysis shows wealthy parents at advantaged Catholic primary schools could actually afford the increase to school fees under the needs-based model.