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The queen’s death has engendered significant tension between those who wish to publicly mourn her passing, and those wishing to critique British colonial history and protest the monarchy.
Many people have been castigated online for tweeting comments critical of the queen and the monarchy, and some anti-royal protesters have even been arrested in the United Kingdom.
Monash University legal expert Maria O'Sullivan writes that these events raise tricky questions about how to balance the rights of those who wish to mourn and grieve, with those who wish to protest.
Ultimately, though, she says “the ability to voice dissent is vital for a functioning democracy”.
“It may be uncomfortable or even distressing for those wishing to publicly grieve the queen’s passing to see anti-monarchy placards displayed. But that doesn’t make it a criminal offence that allows protesters to be arrested.”
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Liam Petterson
Deputy Politics Editor
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Maria O'Sullivan, Monash University
It’s understandable some people wish to publicly grieve the Queen and offer their respects to her and the monarchy. But those who disagree with the monarchy also have a right to freedom of speech.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Albanese’s bid to change Australia’s constitutional arrangements has been pencilled in for a second term, assuming Labor gets one.
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Richard Shaw, Massey University
If the prime minister is right, and New Zealand’s ties to the monarchy will only strengthen under Charles III, the country will be swimming against the Commonwealth tide.
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John Thwaites, Monash University; Liam Smith, Monash University; Margaret Hellard, Burnet Institute
We found most governments were ill-prepared, too slow to act, paid too little attention to the most vulnerable, and were hampered by low public trust and an epidemic of misinformation.
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Ben Phillips, Australian National University
The tax cuts only look big when compared to no cuts, an alternative that isn’t realistic.
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Kate Trinajstic, Curtin University; John Long, Flinders University
The findings come from placoderm fish fossils found in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. This extinct order of fish represents some of our earliest jawed ancestors.
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Albert Pessarrodona Silvestre, The University of Western Australia; Karen Filbee-Dexter, The University of Western Australia; Thomas Wernberg, The University of Western Australia
Our ocean forests of seaweed are enormous. But these quick-growing, life-supporting forests are already vanishing.
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Lucas Walsh, Monash University
A new survey found one quarter of female high school students felt down or worried about choosing a career.
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation
Follow The Conversation Weekly podcast for new episodes every Thursday.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
f you have a look into the media coverage it would seem that it's not a problem at all. [But] COVID deaths are far greater than at any time in the last two to three years"
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Sharon McLennan, Massey University; Apisalome Movono, Massey University
Fiji is open for tourists but visitors need to be careful not to add extra strain to the country’s already struggling health system.
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Bianca Johnston, Monash University; Catherine Flynn, Monash University; Faith Gordon, Australian National University
Young women lack voice and visibility in discussions about family violence in Australia, and particularly intimate partner violence. This must change, urgently.
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Health + Medicine
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Mianna Lotz, Macquarie University
From next year, uterus transplants are being trialled in Australia. But it’s likely to be a while before they becomes mainstream clinical treatment.
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Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; David Welch, University of Auckland
The decision to remove the testing requirement for international arrivals seems shortsighted. All outbreaks in Aotearoa have been caused by new variants coming across the border.
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Simon Davidson, University of Newcastle; Christopher Williams, University of Sydney; Jane Linton, University of Sydney
Government health organisations need to provide better support for Indigenous people suffering from musculoskeletal conditions.
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Science + Technology
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Marian-Andrei Rizoiu, University of Technology Sydney
A study of more than 20 million LinkedIn users shows acquaintances you have about 10 friends in common with are the most likely to help you get a new job.
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Kate Mannell, Deakin University; Eden T. Smith, The University of Melbourne
Scuttlebutt is an entirely decentralised social network – and it shows we can learn to make the internet better.
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Environment + Energy
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Rebecca Pearse, Australian National University
The safeguard mechanism is supposed to stop Australia’s largest polluters from emitting over a certain threshold. It’s been widely criticised for lacking teeth, and is finally under review.
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Paul Callister, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Robert McLachlan, Massey University
Biofuels are heralded as a climate-friendly replacement of fossil fuels, but encouraging people to drive less and shift to other modes of transport would cut more emissions.
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Hussein Dia, Swinburne University of Technology; Christian A. Nygaard, Swinburne University of Technology; Krzysztof Dembek, Swinburne University of Technology; Magnus Moglia, Swinburne University of Technology
Air pollution from traffic causes the deaths of thousands of Australians. A swift transition to electric vehicles will save lives – and save households and businesses money in the long run.
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Arts + Culture
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Daryl Sparkes, University of Southern Queensland
MASH was designed as a ‘black comedy’ set during the Korean War. It was really a thinly veiled critique of the war in Vietnam, which was raging at the time.
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Books + Ideas
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Danielle Clode, Flinders University
Koalas are often regarded as cute but dumb: slow, sleepy and incapable of change. But they have been known to approach humans for help. And maybe they have been set free by their remarkable diet.
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Bonny Cassidy, RMIT University
Shaun Prescott’s second novel is a gothic tale of skin-crawling, psychological dysfunction.
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