LATEST ARTICLES

Cultural resilience key to dealing with crisis

Cultural resilience key to dealing with crisis

Australian companies are fostering internal “cultural resilience” with extensive training, by testing staff on potential outage scenarios and by using past incidents as learning opportunities. Systemic weaknesses in digital platforms have been exposed by massive disruptions in recent years and the government, clients, consumers and shareholders now expect corporate Australia to take action to repel, reduce and …read more

Third-party risks are no longer someone else’s fault

Third-party risks are no longer someone else’s fault

Australian finance sector organisations will soon have to demonstrate oversight of their service providers’ risk management practices, providing a level of transparency now considered critical in an increasingly technologically complex and digitally interconnected world. Coming into force on July 1, 2025, APRA’s CPS 230 rule will make finance sector companies responsible for their own operational resilience …read more

Stemming the tide of gender bias

Stemming the tide of gender bias

Ashlee Caddell first began enjoying science when she was 10 years old. Now 28 and a University of Queensland astrophysics doctoral candidate researching dark matter, she has had a long struggle with gender stereotypes – from being one of just a few girls in a Sunshine Coast state high school physics class, to coping with mean schoolboys …read more

Girls keep their distance from science and maths

Girls keep their distance from science and maths

Girls still trail boys in mathematics and science in Australia, according to regular nationwide surveys. Despite extensive government ­efforts to encourage girls to buck historic trends and consider STEM education and STEM ­career paths, the gender differential has proved hard to shift. Helen Watt, professor of educational psychology at Sydney University, says in one indication, …read more

How to decide the best super strategy for you

How to decide the best super strategy for you

A geophysicist who worked for decades for a large international firm, Richard Plumb had no superannuation in Australia. Now 65, Plumb and his wife Marisa, a couple of years older and a former teacher’s assistant, were concerned the private company pension offered by his international employer would be considered foreign income and attract tax in Australia. So, …read more

A guide to living your best retirement life

A guide to living your best retirement life

Quantity surveyor Ian Jackson, now 71 and “pretty well retired”, sought expert financial planning advice in 2007, when he was a director of a professional surveying/consulting firm and earning a share of company profits. Initially, Greg Barter, now director and principal financial adviser at Allied Wealth, suggested various strategies to maximise Jackson’s funds, including arranging super …read more

Using spider venom to treat heart attack and stroke

Using spider venom to treat heart attack and stroke

A molecule discovered in funnel-web spider venom can prevent the cascading cell death that often follows a heart attack or stroke, according to research by Glenn King and a team of his colleagues at the University of Queensland. More than 55,000 Australians have a heart attack each year and 68,000 have a stroke – physical …read more

Don’t leave me on my own!

Don't leave me on my own!

It’s often said every pharmacist remembers their first script. The first prescription they checked – and checked again (and possibly again and again) once they attained full registration. What’s not always remembered is the sense of fear, trepidation or anxiety that often accompanies stepping up into the responsibility and accountability of becoming a registered pharmacist. While the first script may be the most memorable, those early …read more

‘Maintaining trust’ the key for this mining recruiter

‘Maintaining trust’ the key for this mining recruiter

Recruitment professional Michael Walters launched the Mergent Group agency midway through the pandemic. As COVID spread, the private sector was forced to institute widespread lay-offs and stand-downs; investors were skittish and workers confused and angry. There was a growing need for professional recruitment expertise, particularly in regional Australia.

Short courses offer an alternative for time-poor students

Short courses offer an alternative for time-poor students

The explosion of education options beyond the traditional university degrees is poorly understood by the general public, experts say.  Consumers can now choose from a vast array of short courses, micro-credentials (short courses with certification), and enterprise education options offered by Australia’s universities and colleges, as well as courses from less traditional providers such as …read more