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Editor's note
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The latest survey of secondary students’ sexual health shows that by year 11, almost half of students (46%) have had sex. But as Christopher M. Fisher writes, this isn’t a reason to worry – the proportion has remained stable over time, and most students are discussing sex and sexual health beforehand. Most are in a relationship, have a partner roughly the same age, and feel positively about their last experience. But there is some way to go to
improve condom use and STI testing.
One of the important research questions on sexuality is the proportion of the Australian community that identifies as non-heterosexual. As Francisco Perales and Alice Campbell explain, it’s something around which there has been a great deal of uncertainty internationally, and in Australia there has also been a relative paucity of data. But it is important that we understand it better, to design and deliver more inclusive social policies and
services.
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Fron Jackson-Webb
Deputy Editor/Senior Health + Medicine Editor
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Top story
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Australia’s teens get their sexual information from a variety of sources and seem to know a lot about STIs.
Kevin Laminto/Unsplash
Christopher M Fisher, La Trobe University
Australia's year 10-12 students are getting good marks when it comes to sexual health, according to new research out today. But there's room for improvement.
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Who identifies as non-heterosexual varies on who, what and when you ask.
AAP/Joel Carrett
Francisco Perales, The University of Queensland; Alice Campbell, The University of Queensland
To better understand Australians' lives and their needs, we need a clearer understanding of sexual orientation - but the research presents a complicated picture.
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Politics + Society
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Keith Rathbone, Macquarie University
For years, women footballers have resorted to everything from strikes to lawsuits to fight for gender equity. Why is it taking so long to close the pay gap?
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Peter Greste, The University of Queensland
After this week's police raids on media outlets, we need a better way to balance two crucial elements of our democracy - national security and press freedom.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Geoff Crisp speaks with Michelle Grattan about the week in politics.
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David Hall, Auckland University of Technology
Jacinda Ardern has used the word “transformational” often during her 2017 election campaign. Now the coalition government's well-being budget is held to that aspiration.
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H. K. Colebatch, UNSW
The High Court has failed to clarify the Section 44 mess over who is eligible to stand for parliament, so now it's time for MPs to act.
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Arts + Culture
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Dorothy Ann Lee, University of Divinity
A recent Vatican commission report on women's ordination as deacons was inconclusive. But allowing women priests would help the Catholic Church achieve much-needed reform.
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Leigh Boucher, Macquarie University
Queerdom, an exhibition of photography and poetry, presents a history of queer and trans performance in Sydney that challenges recent narratives about queer life in Australia.
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Cities
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Philip Laird, University of Wollongong
More than half a century after the first high-speed trains began running overseas, Australia is still waiting for the long-promised service. Right now, faster rail is a better short-term prospect.
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David MacKenzie, University of South Australia; Tammy Hand, University of South Australia
The brutal killing of a young homeless woman has led to calls for more crisis accommodation. This is a short-term fix. We have to move beyond crisis management to sustained housing for people at risk.
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Science + Technology
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Melissa de Zwart, University of Adelaide
This are looking up when it comes to launching things into space from Australia. The rules on what can be launched are currently under review and open for comment.
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Bruce Englefield, University of Sydney; Paul McGreevy, University of Sydney
We need a better system to care for the welfare of injured wildlife in Australia as the current one is too fragmented, contradictory and inconsistent.
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Heather Handley, Macquarie University; Christina Magill, Macquarie University
Volcanic ash is made of tiny crystal and rock fragments that during an eruption can reach as high as the cruising altitude of commercial aircraft, and that's a concern for airlines.
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Valentin Christiaens, Monash University; Daniel Price, Monash University
Astronomers have found the first observational evidence for a disc of material around a giant young planet at a distant star. It's a place they think moons can form.
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Education
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Melissa Cain, Australian Catholic University; Melissa Fanshawe, University of Southern Queensland
Interviews with students who have a vision impairment show they wish their teachers and friends knew more about them. Here are the four key messages they want to communicate.
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Health + Medicine
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Melinda Martin-Khan, The University of Queensland
All around the world, women are living longer than men. While women are born with some early advantages, there are lifestyle factors that men can modify to improve their lot.
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Apo Aporosa, University of Waikato
Australia is considering whether to double the amount of kava people can bring into the country for personal use. While many welcome the move, the rules on kava reflect a bias against its cultural use.
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Mark Wilson, University of Wollongong
Whether women should need a prescription to get the pill has long been controversial. But making it available over the counter would compromise the provision of comprehensive women's health care.
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Environment + Energy
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Euan Ritchie, Deakin University
This massive red gum has stood for 300 years, as if in defiance of the modern world and the development that has encircled it.
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Heshani Edirisinghe, Massey University
Ladybirds do not have tails because they have no backbones.
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Columnists
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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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Treasury Theatrette, 1 Macarthur Street, East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3002, Australia — Australia New Zealand School of Government
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Monash University, Level 7, 271 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Victoria, 3000, Australia — Monash University
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United States Studies Centre, Institute Building (H03), City Road, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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