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Editor's note
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Life’s all about ups and downs. Take interest rates, which this week went down to 1.25% in a desperate bid to boost the sluggish economy by giving mortgage-holders some extra spending money. The RBA would dearly like them to be much higher, but as Peter Martin writes, rates might have to go lower still if things don’t turn around soon.
On the flipside, government figures belatedly released this week reveal that Australia’s greenhouse emissions continue to climb, despite the urgency of bringing them down. Energy minister Angus Taylor resisted the urge to spin the data, presumably because there’s no escaping the fact that emissions have risen inexorably since the carbon price was scrapped.
And speaking of numbers, a huge thanks for the generosity shown by the 7,700+ of you who have kindly donated to our annual giving campaign. Thank you. Every donation counts, and your support helps us carry on publishing evidence-based, informed analysis by top researchers.
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Michael Hopkin
Environment + Energy Editor
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Top Stories
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Reserve Bank Governor Phi;lip Lowe will keep cutting rates until he has forced inflation up and unemployment down.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
The Reserve Bank cut interest rates on Tuesday because we weren't spending or pushing up prices at the rate it wanted. On Wednesday we might find things are worse than it thought.
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Energy minister Angus Taylor has a range of options when discussing complex emissions data.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Tim Baxter, University of Melbourne
Australia's new emissions data for the December 2018 quarter show a rise on the previous quarter, although the raw figures actually dropped. Here's what that all means.
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Politics + Society
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Denis Muller, University of Melbourne
This week's raids on media show our democracy at its darkest.
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Keith D. Parry, University of Winchester; Jamie Cleland, University of South Australia
Several Indigenous rugby league players have vowed not to sing the national anthem during this week's State of Origin match. Will the protest spark a conversation, or fizzle out?
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Health + Medicine
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Louisa Gordon, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
It is perfectly legal for a doctor working in private practice to charge what they believe is fair and reasonable. But that doesn't mean it's OK to charge tens of thousands of dollars for a procedure.
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Leon Straker, Curtin University
Contrary to what you might think, there's not one right way to sit. According to the principles of ergonomics, there are three good options.
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Environment + Energy
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Ben Moore, Western Sydney University; Edward Narayan, Western Sydney University
Did you know koalas rub noses to say hello?
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Science + Technology
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Bronwyn Orr, University of Sydney
We know that failing to provide basic care like food and shelter is cruel, but we often overlook how disregarding the mental lives of our pets can also negatively impact their welfare.
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Elizabeth Finkel, La Trobe University
As we enter an era where once incurable diseases become curable, be prepared for some challenging debates about how to pay for gene therapy and the value of a human life.
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Cities
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Simon Lockrey, RMIT University; Trivess Moore, RMIT University
Estimated costs for Victoria alone range from hundreds of millions to as much as $1.6 billion If work to rectify buildings fitted with combustible cladding isn't well handled.
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Edgar Liu, UNSW; Chris Martin, UNSW; Hazel Easthope, UNSW
Having quality housing matters. What's standing in the way of ensuring every Australian has housing that meets basic comfort and health standards? And how can we overcome these problems?
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Arts + Culture
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John Kinsella, Curtin University
For poet John Kinsella, veganism is an ethics of commitment. Living as a vegan, he writes, is not a holier-than-thou situation, but a move towards being more respectful of life.
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Heather Goodall, University of Technology Sydney
Denied an education in 1930s Australia because she was too black, Isabel Flick went on to fight segregation at her local cinema in the early 1960s. She became a powerful campaigner for Indigenous rights.
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Missouri
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La Trobe University — Australia
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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University of Western Australia — Mount Waverley, Victoria
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Featured events
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The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street , Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — Monash University
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Building #20, St Lucia Campus, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia — The University of Queensland
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