Ageism in Australia; and calls for a national EPA

Editor's note

“Most older people don’t know when to make way for young people” - that’s one of the statements used to test views on ageism in a new Australian study. It found more young people and men agree with these sorts of statements.

And although the study shows we’re not all negative towards older people, ageism still exists and it’s proving a challenge for five generations all working alongside each other.

Also today, environmental, legal and medical NGOs are lobbying Canberra for the creation of an independent federal agency with the power to make decisions on environmental issues such as greenhouse emissions and air quality.

As David Shearman writes, we let the Reserve Bank do it for interest rates. And Peter Doherty argues it’s time to take the politics out of environmental policy.

Jenni Henderson

Section Editor: Business + Economy

Top story

We found the prevalence of ageism among younger people is most apparent when participants were asked about succession statements like whether older people should actively make way for the young. www.shutterstock.com

Men and young people more likely to be ageist: study

Joshua Healy, University of Melbourne; Ruth Williams, University of Melbourne

Men and young people are more likely to be ageist, but few Australians are resolutely ageist in their views, a new survey finds.

Environment + Energy

Why Australians need a national environment protection agency to safeguard their health

David Shearman, University of Adelaide

Environmental and health groups have called for the creation of a non-political federal agency with the power to rule on pollution levels - much like the Reserve Bank does for interest rates.
Climate policy is a fiendish problem for governments – time for an independent authority with real powers

Peter C. Doherty, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

Scientific problems require evidence-led solutions. A new proposal to create a federal environmental decision-making body would take some of the politics out of climate policy.
Future 'ocean cities' need green engineering above and below the waterline

Katherine Dafforn, UNSW; Ana Bugnot, UNSW; Eliza Heery, National University of Singapore; Mariana Mayer-Pinto, UNSW

Artificial islands that are now mushrooming across the ocean are regarded as 'engineering marvels'. But, little attention is paid to how these human-made structures affect sea life.

Health + Medicine

Kids with autism less likely to be fully vaccinated

Alexandra Hansen, The Conversation; Phoebe Roth, The Conversation

Children with autism and their younger siblings could be at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, with new research showing they are under-vaccinated compared to the general population.
How birth interventions affect babies' health in the short and long term

Hannah Dahlen, Western Sydney University; Lilian Peters, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Our study found babies born via medical or surgical intervention were at increased risk of health problems, from jaundice and feeding issues, to diabetes, respiratory infections and eczema.

Politics + Society

The 'gay wedding cake' dilemma: when religious freedom and LGBTI rights intersect

Liam Elphick, University of Western Australia

The government's review of religious freedom protections must ensure that any additional protection of religious freedom does not further undermine the right to non-discrimination.
Pensioners would retain cash refunds on franked dividends under Labor backdown

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The decision follows a government scare campaign and some sharp public reaction through the media.
Just not cricket: why ball tampering is cheating

Keith Parry, Western Sydney University; Emma Kavanagh, Bournemouth University; Steven Freeland, Western Sydney University

Altering the condition of the match ball is against the rules of the sport, contrary to 'the spirit of cricket', and deemed to be 'unfair'. It is a form of cheating.
Coalition trails 47-53% in 29th consecutive Newspoll loss

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Labor retains a 53-47% unchanged two-party lead in the latest Newspoll.

FactCheck
FactCheck Q&A: are South Australia's high electricity prices 'the consequence' of renewable energy policy? Dylan McConnell, University of Melbourne On Q&A, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said South Australia's high electricity prices were "the consequence" of Jay Weatherill's renewable energy policies. Is that right?

Cities

Lessons not learned: Darwin's paying the price after Cyclone Marcus

Akhilesh Surjan, Charles Darwin University; Deepika Mathur, Charles Darwin University; Jonatan A Lassa, Charles Darwin University; Supriya Mathew, Charles Darwin University

After Cyclone Tracy, you'd expect Darwin of all cities to be ready for the next one. But as the clean-up after Cyclone Marcus continues, it's clear more must be done to increase the city's resilience.

Education
More than a haircut: how elite schools are struggling with the pressure to excel Howard Prosser, Monash University The anger at the sacking of the deputy headmaster at Melbourne's Trinity Grammar is less about the haircut and more about what it represents.

Arts + Culture

Lisa Reihana's Emissaries is a vital retelling of colonial history

Jane Lydon, University of Western Australia

Lisa Reihana's video installation Emissaries combines Indigenous actors and performance techniques to reenact Captain Cook's encounters across the Pacific.
Speaking with: satirist Armando Iannucci on The Death of Stalin

Stephen Harrington, Queensland University of Technology

Armando Iannucci, the satirist and director behind the film The Death of Stalin spoke with Associate Professor Stephen Harrington, an expert on political satire.
No laughing matter: Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin reveals the anxieties of team Putin

Mark Edele, University of Melbourne

The Death of Stalin has been banned in Russia. While the film is hardly disrespectful to Russian people, it does make Putin uncomfortable with its satirical take of leadership.

Science + Technology

We're still playing catch up with academia's longstanding #MeToo sexual harassment problem

Michael J. I. Brown, Monash University

Another case of alleged sexual harassment in academic highlights the slow progress being made to protect people from abuse.
The day Australian cricket lost its integrity and a country reacted with shock and anger

Peter Terry, University of Southern Queensland

Australia's cricketers were once known as tough but fair, but the latest ball tampering scandal has many asking how some of the leading players could have stooped so low.
Should lab-grown meat be labelled as meat when it's available for sale?

Hope Johnson, Queensland University of Technology

Can you call it meat if it's been artificially produced? That's the question cattlemen in the US are asking, and something food regulators will have to grapple with soon when it coms to labelling.

Business + Economy

Why China is a leader in intellectual property (and what the US has to do with it)

Alice de Jonge, Monash University

China established a system of approving foreign investments on condition the businesses involved agreed to partner with local firms and transfer knowledge and skills to the local Chinese market.
Australia should steer clear of the sanction fight between the US and China

Bruce Baer Arnold, University of Canberra

Even though Australia sides with the US on more areas of policy, it should be careful about being dragged into the back-and-forth of sanctions between the US and China.
Trust and profitability: how some NZ brands are shortchanging domestic customers

Sharon Forbes, Lincoln University, New Zealand

Some of New Zealand's most trusted brands are implementing strategies that are misleading domestic consumers and risking their long-term brand reputation.