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Keywords: Hope

  • ECONOMICS

    The trouble with a shrinking population

    • David James
    • 11 December 2024

    BlackRock CEO Larry Fink predicts AI and shrinking populations will bring higher living standards without growth. But his optimism overlooks a critical flaw: conflating productivity, efficiency, and the true cost of 'growth.' With economic foundations shifting, the future demands a radical rethinking of capitalism’s purpose and the systems driving it.

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  • EDUCATION

    The hidden cost of digital childhood

    • Peter Hosking
    • 11 December 2024

      In a world reshaped by smartphones and social media, Generations Z and Alpha grapple with rising anxiety, diminished attention spans, and the erosion of real-world connections. As governments and parents push for reforms, the challenge is clear: how can technology serve young people’s growth without exploiting their vulnerabilities for profit?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    What should we make of the social media ban?

    • David Halliday
    • 11 December 2024

    The global media fracas around a government daring to impose restrictions on children using social media was dramatic, but not unexpected. Reactions were predictably divisive and steeped in the sort of performative outrage that social media tends to encourage.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Climate finance still feels like charity, not justice

    • Damian Spruce
    • 10 December 2024

    At COP29, the world’s wealthiest nations promised to confront climate change—but delivered only a fraction of the required funds, leaving developing countries with a trillion-dollar shortfall. As Pope Francis warns of a sick planet, the question remains: Who pays for the climate crisis, and who bears the consequences?

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Russell Brand: Messiah or very naughty boy?

    • Cherie Gilmour
    • 06 December 2024

    Russell Brand's conversion to Christianity has sparked fascination and skepticism. Dismissing his newfound faith as a cynical PR move, critics cite his controversial past. Yet, his public embrace of grace and redemption speaks to a restless spiritual hunger. Is this a genuine transformation or another reinvention of Brand’s ever-shifting persona?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Tom Hughes, legend of Australian politics and law, farewelled

    • Peter Craven
    • 05 December 2024

    Tom Hughes, who passed away at 101, was a towering figure in Australia’s legal and political history. A barrister of dazzling skill, an Attorney-General with a penchant for reform, and a man of unshakable conviction, Hughes combined wit, charm, and grit to shape justice and inspire a legacy beyond party lines.

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  • ENVIRONMENT

    On worldbuilding

    • Michael McVeigh
    • 28 November 2024

    Following an underwhelming COP29 climate summit, many are grappling with a collective climate despair in light of sobering news that the 1.5-degree warming target is no longer achievable. How should we confront such a reality while working to build a better, more sustainable world with a sense of hope?

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Don Watson's elegy for an imperfect union

    • Barry Gittins
    • 22 November 2024
    1 Comment

    Before the U.S. election, Don Watson predicted the electoral victory of Trump in his essay High Noon, an exploration of a divided America teetering on the edge. Dissecting the economic, racial, and cultural forces that led to a Republican landslide reveals an imperfect union at its most vulnerable.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    The human cost of war

    • Michele Gierck
    • 21 November 2024
    2 Comments

    The war reports we hear on the news often focus on statistics: casualties, destruction, and key figures lost. But the true cost of conflict lies in the long-term human suffering. For those living through war, the trauma endures long after the fighting stops.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Reading the entrails of an election

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 21 November 2024
    5 Comments

      As Australia watches the U.S. navigate its Trump-era transition, we wait in uncertainty. Any interregnum period is a time for rethinking, for wondering about our own nation, and not just for focusing on another. It is a time to rethink what we have taken granted about what is for the good of Australian society.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Gladiator II: Are you not entertained?

    • Eddie Hampson
    • 20 November 2024
    1 Comment

    Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II promises grandeur. Paul Mescal dazzles, Denzel Washington commands, and sharks make their sword-and-sandals debut. But spectacle overshadows story in a sequel that’s more baffling than breathtaking. Are we entertained? Sort of.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    The Booker Prize and why it matters

    • Gillian Bouras
    • 12 November 2024
    5 Comments

    As the Booker Prize winner is announced, the perennial questions resurface: What does winning truly mean for writers — and for readers? As public values shift, literary prizes ignite fierce debate about artistic merit, cultural relevance, and the commercial impact of awards. Can a prize still shape the future of fiction?

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