Sep
24
2025
Australia is on the cusp of the next big renewable energy leap: using the electric car to double as a home battery, according to experts in the field. Australia has already embraced solar energy with immense enthusiasm – one in three Australian houses now has solar panels – and with the recent government subsidy there …read more
Sep
24
2025
Australia leads the world in rooftop solar. About one-third of all Australian houses have rooftop solar installed and recently there has been a surge in demand for home batteries, so solar power can be stored and later used or sold. Yet some home-owners can’t afford or simply don’t want a solar system, others live in …read more
Jun
18
2025
Touch football is just as popular as netball at St Hilda’s, an independent day and boarding school for girls on the Gold Coast. AFL is one of the most popular sports at the school. “We have touch football, cricket, AFL, soccer,” says head of the school’s Athena Sports Program Lisa Cleverly. “Some of them are …read more
Jun
18
2025
Australian schools are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools for assessment and teacher assistance; to help provide individualised feedback to students and create new ways of learning. However, the take-up has been patchy, says Therese Hopfenbeck, director of the Assessment & Evaluation Research Centre (AERC) at the University of Melbourne, adding: “From a research perspective, we …read more
Jun
18
2025
Australia’s intense focus on nationwide numeracy and literacy test scores such as NAPLAN has made almost no difference to students’ measurable literacy and numeracy over time and comes at the expense of “values education”, says Dr Chris Duncan, CEO of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA). “I think the model has …read more
Jun
16
2025
It took just 72 hours for Aspen Medical to set up a comprehensive clinic to support fleeing Afghan nationals after the Taliban overran Afghanistan in August 2021. The chaotic mass evacuation known as the Kabul Airlift began within days of the Taliban takeover, and the Australian department of foreign affairs (DFAT) contracted Aspen Medical to …read more
Jun
16
2025
Employers should consider taking the time to talk person to person with ex-service people, says former Lance Bombardier Peter Sanderson. Ex-service people understand how to work in teams; they know how to give and follow orders; and they understand the importance of task completion, he says. Importantly, ex-service people might not even know how their …read more
Apr
9
2025
Australia needs “clever” defence systems and equipment to protect the nation’s interests over a huge landmass and expanse of ocean, says Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro. “We can’t just assume that we can build scale that will deter an adversary,” she tells The Australian. “So we have to do clever things.” Hundreds of defence research …read more
Mar
25
2025
Artificial intelligence can control increasingly sophisticated uncrewed aircraft and submersibles, changing the nature of warfare and raising questions about the many millions of dollars Australia is now spending on buying and developing crewed aircraft and submarines. Dominant on the frontlines in Ukraine, large-scale swarms of AI drones can overwhelm almost any opponent, says University of NSW …read more
Mar
5
2025
Many tens of millions of government dollars have been spent in recent years to encourage school students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – yet girls and young women seem to have been left behind. Most STEM subjects in schools and universities continue to be dominated by males, particularly subjects …read more