We can expect 1.5 hotel quarantine leaks a month

With another seven days of lockdown on the cards for those in Melbourne, many are cursing the hotel quarantine system responsible for the outbreak, and wondering how many more they’ll have to endure.

The federal government claims hotel quarantine is a highly effective system, yet new modelling shows for every 204 infected travellers in hotel quarantine, one outbreak occurs.

With no changes and just over 300 infected travellers a month, we can expect 1.5 leaks every month. But there are ways to improve Australia’s quarantine system, as Driss Ait Ouakrim and his colleagues explain.

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Fron Jackson-Webb

Deputy Editor/Senior Health + Medicine Editor

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James Ross/AAP

Hotel quarantine causes 1 outbreak for every 204 infected travellers. It’s far from ‘fit for purpose’

Driss Ait Ouakrim, The University of Melbourne; Ameera Katar, The University of Melbourne; Tony Blakely, The University of Melbourne

The government says hotel quarantine is 'serving Australia very well'. But if you look at the leaks as a proportion of COVID-positive returnees, it's a different story.

James Ross/AAP Image

We’re seeing more casual COVID transmission. But is that because of the variant or better case tracking?

Catherine Bennett, Deakin University

People are not more likely now to get infected by brushing past someone on the street. We're just better at finding links between cases.

ADI WEDA/EPA

Indonesia may be on the cusp of a major COVID spike. Unlike its neighbours, though, there is no lockdown yet

Tim Lindsey, The University of Melbourne; Max Walden, The University of Melbourne

New cases have more than doubled in the past two weeks, sparking concerns that last month's Eid holiday could have been a super-spreader event.

Bianca De Marchi/AAP

Australia’s closed border is costing the economy $36.5 million a day

Andreas Chai, Griffith University; George Verikios, Griffith University; Tom Nik Verhelst, Griffith University

To calculate the cost of Australia's closed border, we've focused on estimating losses from international tourists and students.

Mark Aldenderfer

World-first artefact dating method shows humans have lived in the shadow of the Himalayas for more than 5,000 years

Jan-Hendrik May, The University of Melbourne; Luke Gliganic, University of Wollongong

The Su-re site has provided a historical connection between local Tibetans in the highlands with Nepali Sherpas in the Himalayan lowlands.

This isn’t a painting or a stained-glass window — it’s a microscope image of light shining through the Earth’s mantle. Heather Handley

Photos from the field: the stunning crystals revealing deep secrets about Australian volcanoes

Heather Handley, Macquarie University

I look at fragments of the Earth's mantle under a microscope to learn how fast molten rock moves from deep in the Earth to the surface. This can help us prepare for future volcanic eruptions.

Business + Economy

The four GDP graphs that show us roaring out of recession pre-lockdown

Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

Things looked good, although we were still cautious at the end of March. Our national accounts are prepared with a lag.
How Sydney’s Barangaroo tower paved the way for a culture of closed-door deals

Dallas Rogers, University of Sydney; Chris Gibson, University of Wollongong

James Packer's Barangaroo tower has not just changed Sydney's skyline. It has changed the whole planning system.

Education
Universities’ relevance hinges on academic freedom Kristen Lyons, The University of Queensland In a volatile and uncertain world, academic freedom is the foundation of universities' capacity to be responsive to all of the challenges we face today.

Arts + Culture

Guide to the Classics: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a tragicomedy for our times

Mark Byron, University of Sydney

Samuel Beckett's first play was once most notorious for the audible yawns, walkouts (and fights) during interval. But it is a play of great insight into the condition of waiting.
Growing up with trees: new books use story and science to connect kids with nature

Kathryn Williams, The University of Melbourne

Children need to connect with Australia's bountiful variety of trees. New picture books are helping them to do so.

Science + Technology

New Zealand relies on scientific research for good policy. It’s a pity the budget didn’t reflect this

Nicola Gaston, University of Auckland

The government's 10-year target is to increase research and development funding to 2% of GDP. Investment in science in the latest budget is out of step with that goal.
Yes, the global microchip shortage is COVID’s fault. No, it won’t end any time soon

John L Hopkins, Swinburne University of Technology

Shutdowns at microchip factories, panic-buying by electronics manufacturers, and legions of workers and home-schoolers needing new devices, have put a global squeeze on the electronics market.

Politics + Society

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Mark Butler on the vaccine rollout and democracy in the Labor Party

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Michelle Grattan discusses the vaccine rollout, aged sector, and internal Labor politics with shadow minister Mark Butler
COVID-19 restrictions have left many Stolen Generations survivors more isolated without adequate support

Professor Steven Larkin, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

In a survey of Stolen Generation survivors, two-thirds reported a decline in their physical health as a result of COVID restrictions, while 75% reported a decline in their mental health and wellbeing.

Environment + Energy
‘Green steel’ is hailed as the next big thing in Australian industry. Here’s what the hype is all about Jessica Allen, University of Newcastle; Tom Honeyands, University of Newcastle Australia's abundant wind and solar resources mean we're well placed to produce the hydrogen a green steel industry needs. But there are technical and economic challenges ahead.