Attacking the ABC may come back to bite the Coalition

Editor's note

Last weekend, the Liberal Party’s federal council resoundingly adopted a motion that the ABC should be privatised, unleashing yet another political storm about the mission, integrity and future of the public broadcaster. But as Denis Muller writes, such an idea, no matter how strongly repudiated, is political poison, especially in rural and regional areas. Australians may think the ABC needs improvement in some areas, but they treasure it too, and the government’s constant budget-cutting, carping and vexatious complaints about the ABC may come back to bite it electorally.

Amanda Dunn

Section Editor: Politics + Society

Top story

ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie has launched a strong defence of the public broadcaster. AAP/Julian Smith

Constant attacks on the ABC will come back to haunt the Coalition government

Denis Muller, University of Melbourne

A motion to privatise the ABC, no matter how vigorously repudiated by the government, is political poison, and may now reap a political harvest.

Business + Economy

Why we don't need to prepare young people for the 'future of work'

Shirley Jackson, University of Melbourne

Young people are the most vulnerable as industry and the labour market undergo radical change, but meeting this challenge could just be a matter of plugging existing gaps.
What will freight and supply chains look like 20 years from now? Experts ponder the scenarios

Roberto Perez-Franco, Deakin University

Supply-chain experts see reliable data, STEM education and smarter regulation as essential for Australia to succeed in an increasingly automated world under pressure to be environmentally sustainable.

Science + Technology

We don’t own data like we own a car – which is why we find data harder to protect

Vincent Mitchell, University of Sydney; Bernadette Kamleitner, Vienna University of Economics and Business

People find data difficult to own – and things we don't own, we tend not to protect.
Fossil fish with platypus-like snout shows that coral reefs have long been evolution hotspots

Benedict King, Flinders University

Brindabellaspis had eyes on the top of the head, facing upwards, and a skull stretched into a long and broad snout. Although around 400 million years old, it was clearly a specialised fish.

Health + Medicine

How eye disorders may have influenced the work of famous painters

Andrew Anderson, University of Melbourne

Disease and disorders can affect how we see. Can the images in painted artworks tell us something about the state of an artist's vision?
Explainer: why do people get haemorrhoids and how do you get rid of them?

Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University

Haemorrhoids can be painful, and may sometimes require surgery. We don't know exactly why they can become problematic but there are some things you can do to reduce the risk of getting them.

Arts + Culture
Bangarra's Dark Emu is beautiful, but lacks the punch of its source material Justine Shih Pearson, University of Sydney Bangarra's Dark Emu is a response to Bruce Pascoe's book of the same name. But it doesn't embrace the full potential of its source's game-changing impact.

Cities
Take heart, charity stunts can make CEOs better people Jacki Montgomery, Western Sydney University; Aila Khan, Western Sydney University It's easy to be cynical about charity drives like the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Are they just PR stunts or can they make a difference beyond fundraising? Our study shows they can, and they do.

Environment + Energy

New river council will give traditional owners in the Kimberley a unified voice

Sue Jackson, Griffith University; Sarah Laborde, Griffith University

The new Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council aims to overcome a management problem faced by many traditional owners: the fact that major rivers flow through lands home to many different groups and languages.
Scientists create new building material out of fungus, rice and glass

Tien Huynh, RMIT University; Mitchell Jones, RMIT University

Waste byproducts from rice and glass combined with fungus can create a construction material with the potential to save lives and the planet.
Curious Kids: Do cats and dogs lose baby teeth like people do?

Anne Fawcett, University of Sydney

Puppies and kittens are born without teeth, but by around two months of age they have a full set of baby teeth.

Education
The great irony in punishing universities for 'failing' to uphold freedom of speech Katharine Gelber, The University of Queensland Liberal Senator James Paterson recently called for universities to be punished if they fail to uphold the values of intellectual freedom and free speech. He said fringe academics in universities are “an…

Politics + Society

Government set to call Senate's bluff on income tax bill

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The Senate on Thursday is set to pass intact the government's $144 billion three-stage income tax package - but whether the plan is fully delivered will depend on who wins the election.
Politics Podcast: Attorney-General Christian Porter on a crowded agenda

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Christian Porter says the response to the consultations for a national apology to victims of child sexual abuse has been very strong with a total of 167 attendees at consultation sessions so far.
As the US leaves the UN Human Rights Council, it may leave more damage in its wake

Sarah Joseph, Monash University

The UN human rights council can certainly be improved, but the worst way to do that is by walking away.