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Editor's note
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The sudden closure of Victoria’s Hazelwood coal power station in 2017 should have been a wake-up call to governments. In just a few short months a huge slice of the state’s electricity generation dissipated. The market had scant time to get its shoes on to build replacement capacity. Supply dwindled and power prices rose.
But two years on, as Grattan Institute researcher Guy Dundas writes today, it’s clear the federal government’s policy response was inadequate. Consumers are still suffering under high power bills and the threat of sudden coal plant closures remains. This does not bode well. Australia’s entire fleet of coal plants is headed for retirement - so where’s the robust government plan to manage it?
The Grattan Institute has a bold suggestion. Coal plant operators should be required to put down a bond of sorts, worth several hundred million dollars, which they would lose if they exit the market ahead of schedule. It would help ensure that, in Australia’s inexorable move from coal-fired power to wind and solar, the lights stay on.
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Nicole Hasham
Section Editor: Energy + Environment
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Top stories
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) and Energy Minister Angus Taylor at Snowy Hydro Scheme. The Grattan Institute says the government should better encourage investment rather than build electricity infrastructure.
LUKAS COCH/AAP
Guy Dundas, Grattan Institute
Australia's entire coal fleet will retire in the next few decades. The federal government's response to the Hazelwood coal plant closure has left a mess – it must do better.
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When Dirty Dancing is reduced to its dance sequences, the powerful politics of the film are erased.
Vestron Pictures
Jessica Ford, University of Newcastle; Dr Phoebe Macrossan, Queensland University of Technology
Dirty Dancing's dance sequences are stand-alone properties, famous in their own right. But when they're considered in isolation, the film's messy class, race and gender politics are sidelined.
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Physiotherapists sometimes use acupuncture to treat knee osteoarthritis and low back pain, but it’s not recommended.
NiP Studio/Shutterstock
Joshua Zadro, University of Sydney
New international research shows one in four physiotherapists provide treatments that aren't based on evidence. These treatments aren't likely to cause harm, but they might waste patients' time.
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Last financial year White Ribbon Australia borrowed almost $300,000 to keep going.
Joe Castro/AAP
Michelle Cull, Western Sydney University; Nicole Ibbett, Western Sydney University; Ushi Ghoorah, Western Sydney University
All the warning signs that White Ribbon Australia was is deep trouble were there – for those with the management and accounting knowledge.
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Health + Medicine
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Helen Rawson, Deakin University
Australia’s rich diversity is reflected in its older population. It's time our nursing homes do the same.
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Education
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Diarmuid Cooney-O'Donoghue, Monash University; Jonathan Benney, Monash University
The majority of students from China come to Australia to learn English and be exposed to a different culture. This helps them get a competitive edge over graduates in their home country.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
A report from The Australia Institute says at least 20 to 30 large private dams have been constructed in the Murray-Darling basin in recent years.
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Chris Barrie, Australian National University
A Senate report recommended several measures the government should take to prepare for climate-fuelled migration, natural disasters and conflicts. The response so far has been underwhelming.
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Silke Meyer, Monash University
While it's important to protect vulnerable children from exposure to further harm, it's also important to give them a voice to speak about their own trauma from domestic violence.
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Science + Technology
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Mohiuddin Ahmed, Edith Cowan University; Paul Haskell-Dowland, Edith Cowan University
Drones are now an integral part of defence force capability, from intelligence gathering to unmanned theatre engagement. But what happens if our own technology is turned against us?
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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La Trobe University — Bundoora, Victoria
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Charles Sturt University — Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
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Western Sydney University — Parramatta, New South Wales
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Featured events
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Deakin Burwood Corporate Centre, Level 2, Building BC, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia — Deakin University
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Roundhouse, UNSW Sydney, ANZAC Ave, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW
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Treasury Theatrette, 1 Macarthur Street, East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — Australia New Zealand School of Government
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Leighton Hall, UNSW Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales, 2033, Australia — UNSW
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