Should we help farmers with drought relief?

Editor's note

The outpouring of support for farmers hit by drought runs the risk of doing more harm than good, say senior economists at the Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences in a thought-provoking piece published this morning. While drought relief can help in the short term, if it becomes routine it risks weakening the incentives to destock ahead of droughts and to shift resources to their best managers. Climate change is making droughts more frequent and more severe.

Meanwhile, Darwin’s climate is getting even hotter, which is one of the main reasons people leave the city, so how do we make our tropical cities cooler and more liveable? Here’s former Northern Territory Government Architect Lawrence Nield on what has to be done.

And diets that have you cutting out gluten, eating like a southern Italian or choosing food based on your blood type to shed the kilos sound appealing, but how does the science stack up? Clare Collins and colleagues road test four popular diets and outline how to spot a fad.

Peter Martin

Editor, Business and Economy

Top story

Policies such as subsidies for livestock feed risk weakening proper management incentives for farmers to plan for and adapt to drought. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Helping farmers in distress doesn’t help them be the best: the drought relief dilemma

Neal Hughes, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES); Steve Hatfield-Dodds, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)

We need to make sure well-meaning policy responses to drought don't do more harm than good.

Cities
Requiem or renewal? This is how a tropical city like Darwin can regain its cool Lawrence Nield, University of Newcastle Darwin's climate is getting even hotter and it's one of the main reasons people leave the city. A lot more can be done, though, to make our tropical cities safe, cool and enjoyable.

Health + Medicine

Blood type, Pioppi, gluten-free and Mediterranean – which popular diets are fads?

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle; Lee Ashton, University of Newcastle; Rebecca Williams, University of Newcastle

Diets that promise drastic results with minimal effort, or that ban whole food groups, should ring alarm bells.
Health Check: how much physical activity is enough in older age?

Anne Tiedemann, University of Sydney; Cathie Sherrington, University of Sydney

It's never too late to start exercising, and age isn't a reason to stop either.

Science + Technology

Digital diagnosis: How your smartphone or wearable device could forecast illness

Caleb Ferguson, Western Sydney University; Sally Inglis, University of Technology Sydney

If you carry your smartphone with you everywhere, then the data it tracks could provide a comprehensive picture of your health – and alert you if it begins to deteriorate.
Report recommends overhaul of My Health Record, but key changes not supported by Coalition

Robert Merkel, Monash University

The government has rejected a call to extend the My Health Record opt-out period while amendments are made to ensure the privacy and security of the system.
Curious Kids: Why do flies vomit on their food?

David Yeates, CSIRO; Bryan Lessard, CSIRO

Bush flies and blowflies all vomit on their food, but other flies are a little more polite at the dinner table and don’t vomit at all.

Arts + Culture

Australian literature’s legacies of cultural appropriation

Michael R. Griffiths, University of Wollongong

Non-Indigenous writers, if they wish to engage ethically with Indigenous culture, must learn to respect it as a form of property grounded in kinship and country.
Decoding the music masterpieces: Rossini’s opera, Otello

Peter Tregear, University of Melbourne

“They have been crucifying Othello into an opera,” Lord Byron later wrote after watching Rossini's opera. But the performance does much to highlight the play's racial politics.

Environment + Energy
Chocolate Labradors die earlier than yellow or black, and have more disease Paul McGreevy, University of Sydney; Bethany Wilson, University of Sydney Breeding dogs for certain colours can affect their health, behaviour and life-span.

Politics + Society
Why children in institutional care may be worse off now than they were in the 19th century Nell Musgrove, Australian Catholic University; Deidre Michell, University of Adelaide Young people leaving out-of-home care aren't receiving the support they need to further their educations and transition successfully to adulthood.