Good leadership, or just Anglo traits?

Editor's note

We all think we know leadership when we see it, but do you prefer to be led by someone who is charismatic and inspiring or someone who knows how to save face?

Your answer will depend on your cultural background. As Dan Caprar explains, Australia’s lack of business leaders from diverse backgrounds could be because the dominant view of leaders is Anglo influenced.

Jenni Henderson

Section Editor: Business + Economy

Top story

Race Discrimination Commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, has criticised the lack of diversity in Australian business leaders. Lukas Coch/AAP

Part of what Australians think is good leadership, might just be Anglo traits

Dan Caprar, University of Sydney

Some leadership attributes, like being trustworthy or encouraging, are viewed the same way in all cultures but there are other traits that only spell leadership to people of Anglo-Celtic backgrounds.

Cities
A closer look at business cases raises questions about 'priority' national infrastructure projects Glen Searle, University of Sydney; Crystal Legacy, University of Melbourne Analysis of the business cases for three of the biggest projects deemed "high priority" by Infrastructure Australia raises questions about the process.

Politics + Society

Israel Folau's comments remind us homophobia and transphobia are ever present in Australian sport

Ryan Storr, Western Sydney University

Wallaby and Waratahs player Israel Folau's recent comments about gay people are just one example of the homophobia in Australian sport. Recent research suggests the problem is widespread.
Ban Middle East sheep trade, says Liberal MP Jason Wood

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Wood's call follows NSW Liberal and former health minister Sussan Ley declaring the trade should cease.
How fake assistance animals and their users are gaming the system and increasing prejudices

Paul Harpur, The University of Queensland; Martie-Louise Verreynne, The University of Queensland; Nancy Pachana, The University of Queensland

A national legal framework for accreditation and authorisation could prevent the growth of fake assistance animal users.

Science + Technology

Tech giants are battling it out to supply the global internet - here's why that's a problem

Claudio Bozzi, Deakin University

Tech companies such as SpaceX, Facebook, Google and Microsoft are competing to bring internet to areas without access in the developing world. And that's a problem.
Sharp claws helped ancient seals conquer the oceans

David Hocking, Monash University; Felix Georg Marx, Monash University

Northern seals use strong claws to tear apart large prey and this gives us clues about how the earliest seals likely behaved when they first began feeding in water.

Environment + Energy

How the 2016 bleaching altered the shape of the northern Great Barrier Reef

Selina Ward, The University of Queensland

The 2016 bleaching event resulted in 30% mortality on the Great Barrier Reef, with many corals dying of the heat before they bleached and the loss of branching corals creating less complex reef structure.
The shipping sector is finally on board in the fight against climate change

Beatriz Garcia, Western Sydney University; Jolene Lin, National University of Singapore

Until now, the international shipping industry has been excluded from the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol, despite its major contribution to global emissions.

Arts + Culture

Why you should read China's vast, 18th century novel, Dream of the Red Chamber

Josh Stenberg, University of Sydney

Dream of the Red Chamber, by Cao Xueqin, follows the travails of a pubescent boy. Somehow, through the spats, crushes and rivalries of a handful of teenagers, the great questions of the human condition are broached.
As Wentworth slips quietly onto the ABC, the series still asks tough questions about gender politics

Sue Turnbull, University of Wollongong

Wentworth is a reimagining of the revolutionary Australian soap opera Prisoner. Both of these influential TV shows demonstrate how the system so often fails those who fall between the cracks.

Health + Medicine

Pre-cancerous: warning sign or cause for panic?

Susan Woods, University of Adelaide; Hannah Brown, University of Adelaide; Tamsin Lannagan, University of Adelaide

A diagnosis of precancerous cells isn't a cause for panic, but it does mean you should keep a close eye on your health.
Explainer: what's new about the 2018 flu vaccines, and who should get one?

Kanta Subbarao, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

While not perfect, the seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to protect against influenza. There are a few changes to the flu vaccine and what is available this year. Here's what you need to know.

Education
Lowering the HELP repayment threshold is an easy target, but not the one we should aim for Tracey West, Griffith University With HELP debt likely to increase to A$75 billion in 2020, research from the US shows offering students financial literacy courses may be a gentler way to combat student debt.

Business + Economy
Will Rio Tinto’s bid to escape from its contracts with Rusal succeed? Mark Giancaspro, University of Adelaide Many contracts have been ended in cases of war or changes in the law. But government action making a contract more expensive does not mean it will be terminated.