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Australia’s unemployment rate has unexpectedly jumped to 4.3% – the highest level since late 2021. But while the news sounds concerning, it’s not necessarily cause for alarm.
As economist Jeff Borland explains, the rise was due largely to an increase in the number of people looking for jobs, rather than people losing them. That means the number of people willing and able to participate in the workforce is still growing. In the long run, that’s good news.
And there’s a silver lining for those paying off a mortgage. The new jobs numbers make it even more likely the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates when its board next meets – which is less than a month away.
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Liz Minchin
Executive Editor
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Jeff Borland, The University of Melbourne
While unemployment unexpectedly rose to 4.3%, there’s some good news hidden in the data. And for homeowners, it makes a rate cut next month more likely than before.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The first sitting weeks of the 48th parliament will see MPs of all persuasions adjusting to the new status quo - and avoiding political pitfalls.
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Bill Swannie, Australian Catholic University
The Federal Court recently found it is not inherently antisemitic to criticise the state of Israel or the Israel Defense Forces.
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Alexander Howard, University of Sydney
The Soviet ‘illegals’ program trained and embedded spies who lived surreptitiously in the West – just like TV’s The Americans. Who were they, and did they really go away?
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Wesley Morgan, UNSW Sydney; Riona Moodley, UNSW Sydney
The judge found Australia had not used the best available science to set emissions targets. The finding tightens the screws on Labor as it weighs our 2035 targets.
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Peter N. Meihana, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Corey Hebberd, Indigenous Knowledge; Shaun Paul Williams, Earth Sciences New Zealand
For the iwi, protecting the burial site is about more than its archaeological value. It holds deeper significance through its connections to the land and stories.
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Rachel Fitzgerald, The University of Queensland; Caitlin Curtis, The University of Queensland
Using AI well is not as simple as typing questions into a chat function. There are widely recognised ethical issues, including bias, privacy and misinformation.
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Lynne Chepulis, University of Waikato; Anna Serlachius, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Mattel’s new Barbie comes equipped with an insulin pump and wears a continuous glucose monitor on her arm.
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Anjum Naweed, CQUniversity Australia
Why do some of us crave surprise and suspense, while others find comfort in instant resolution? Here’s what psychology says.
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Politics + Society
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Madeleine Perrett, University of Adelaide; Mark Giancaspro, University of Adelaide
Sovereign citizens might seem eccentric, or even harmless. But those who look to engage in ‘pseudolaw’ can pose real risks.
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Health + Medicine
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Amelia Scott, Macquarie University
Who gets to sleep, and for how long, is a complex mix of biology, psychology and society. Here’s what we know so far.
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Hannah Dahlen, Western Sydney University; Jenny Gamble, Monash University
While things sometimes go wrong during childbirth, the majority of women who give birth in Australia do so safely.
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Matthew Hobbs, Sheffield Hallam University; Chris G. Sibley, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Elena Moltchanova, University of Canterbury; Taciano L. Milfont, University of Waikato
Mental health is not just connected to what’s inside our head. The environment around us can play a part – either supporting wellbeing or driving a decline.
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Science + Technology
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Faisal Hai, University of Wollongong
You may have heard that re-boiling water is not good for you. Here’s the truth.
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Arts + Culture
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Miriama Young, The University of Melbourne
Flanked by stone colonnades, wooden roof beams, and situated, in true Venetian style, on a bed of water – the Gaggiandre is a sound artist’s dream.
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Jo McDonald, The University of Western Australia; Amy Stevens, Indigenous Knowledge; Belinda Churnside, Indigenous Knowledge; Ben Mullins, Curtin University; Peter Hicks, Indigenous Knowledge; Terry Bailey, University of Tasmania
Murujuga is Australia’s 21st world heritage property, but only the second property listed exclusively for its Indigenous cultural values.
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The dumb defence debate
"Regarding your article on Malcolm Turnbull and AUKUS, it's pleasing to hear someone like Turnbull being brave enough to state the AUKUS deal has ‘never been dumber’. AUKUS simply doesn’t stack up economically, geopolitically or strategically and being a base for foreign nuclear submarines (while we wait, if ever, for our own) makes Australia and the citizens of Australia a potential nuclear target. There are many questions we're not being informed about. Why, for example, is Defence proceeding with plans for a temporary storage facility for nuclear waste from US and UK submarines when there are no long-term plans as to how we'll dispose of it? This is like a
distant ‘friend’ saying, ‘I have this toxic waste with a 300-year life that I don’t know what to do with. Let me dump it in your back yard until you figure something out.’ And you replying, ‘Please do. How can I help?’ Yes, Malcolm, you are right. This just keeps getting dumber and dumber."
George Burns, Adjunct Professor, The Cairnmillar School of Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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Auckland University of Technology
Auckland, New Zealand
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Contract
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Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
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Contract
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Diabetes Australia
Anywhere
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Temporary
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Charles Darwin University
Darwin NT, Australia
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Full Time
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