Pill testing isn't the only way to keep festivals safe

Editor's note

An inquest into the recent deaths of at least five festival goers in NSW is due to start this week. As Nicole Lee and Monica Barratt explain, MDMA is most commonly implicated in drug-related harm at festivals due to high purity, dangerous contaminants, and other factors such as overheating or drinking too much water. To reduce deaths at festivals, they argue we first need to stop using tactics like drug-detection dogs and random searches, which may prompt festival goers to take multiple pills at once to avoid being caught.

Fron Jackson-Webb

Deputy Editor/Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Politics + Society

Governments are making fake news a crime – but it could stifle free speech

Alana Schetzer, University of Melbourne

Human rights activists, legal experts and others fear these laws have the potential to be misused to stifle free speech or unintentionally block legitimate online posts and websites.
Labor sets up review into election loss as top official falls on his sword

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The wide-ranging review will look at everything from Labor's general campaign strategy to its preference negotiations, candidate selection and gender diversity.
There’s no clear need for Peter Dutton’s new bill excluding citizens from Australia

Sangeetha Pillai, UNSW

Australia already has an extensive suite of anti-terrorism legislation, and the government hasn’t clarified what gap, if any, this new bill would fill.
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the 46th parliament’s first week, and Jacqui Lambie

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

After a hectic first week for the new parliament, Michelle Grattan speaks with Deep Saini about Jacqui Lambie's role in helping pass the government's tax cuts, and a further cut to interest rates - now 1%.

Cities
Build to rent could shake up real estate but won’t take off without major tax changes Hal Pawson, UNSW Constructing buildings to rent, rather than sell, may fulfil important housing policy objectives – but it won't take off without tax reform.

Business + Economy

What we missed while we looked away – the growth of long‐term unemployment

Jeff Borland, University of Melbourne

We've 41,000 more long-term unemployed than would be expected given the unemployment rate. Something has changed.
NZ’s plan for deposit insurance falls well short of protecting people’s savings

Helen Mary Dervan, Auckland University of Technology

New Zealanders store just under NZ$178 billion of their cash in banks, but their savings aren't insured. This would change if the government introduces a deposit insurance.

Education
China crisis? Hardly - it doesn’t matter most Aussie kids don’t speak fluent Mandarin Warren Midgley, University of Southern Queensland Even if only 130 Australians of non-Chinese heritage can speak Mandarin fluently, there are many more if you count those of Chinese heritage. And a level of fluency is not the only measure of success.

Science + Technology
I’ve always wondered: who calls cyclones their names? Richard Wardle, Australian Bureau of Meteorology In 1887 Queensland’s chief weatherman Clement Wragge began naming tropical cyclones, using names from the Greek alphabet, fabulous beasts and politicians who annoyed him.

Environment + Energy
Eelgrass keeps the oceans alive and preserves shipwrecks, so just cope when it tickles your feet Valentina Hurtado-McCormick, University of Technology Sydney Seagrass may look unassuming, but healthy oceans depend on the huge meadows that grow in temperate and tropical waters.

Arts + Culture
Inside the story: 99 versions of the same tale in The Drover’s Wives Dave Drayton, University of Technology Sydney Ryan O'Neill's book reimagines a classic Australian short story. He retells The Drover's Wife 99 times in various forms, including a poem, an Amazon review, and even as a Cosmo quiz.

Health + Medicine
Thinking of laser hair removal? Here’s what you need to know Rodney Sinclair, University of Melbourne How well laser therapy works depends on your type of hair and skin, the type of laser and the skill of the person operating it.