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Most Australians remember iconic lines like “if you drink, then drive, you’re a bloody idiot”.
Those powerful campaigns helped dramatically reduce the harm of drink driving on our roads. That’s the good news. But the bad news is new national data shows more fatal crashes now involve drugs than alcohol.
Between 2010 and 2023, fatal crashes involving drugs rose from 7.6% to 16.8% – meaning drug driving is now the most common risk factor in fatal crashes.
But as transport expert Milad Haghani writes, there are obvious policy and behavioural changes that can reverse this trend.
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Niall Seewang
Sport + Society Editor
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Milad Haghani, The University of Melbourne
Drink driving in Australia is declining thanks to the right mix of laws, visibility and social messaging. Four strategies could make a difference with drug driving.
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Michelle Pace, Roskilde University
The UK plans to emulate Denmark's “zero asylum” policy and returns system. A migration researcher in the Nordic nation says the measures come at a cost.
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Alexander Korolev, UNSW Sydney
The EU is not abandoning Ukraine, but it is recalibrating its risk exposure. There's growing doubt that Ukraine can win – even if EU leaders won’t say so aloud.
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Christian Eva, Australian National University
The new research maps where $7 billion of contracts went over eight years. It shows Indigenous businesses in Canberra won a surprisingly large slice of the funds.
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Kelsie Boulton, University of Sydney; Adam Guastella, University of Sydney
New research shows children and families with the greatest and more complex needs have more delays to accessing assessments and support.
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Ben Edwards, Australian National University; Jessica Arnup, Australian National University; Kate Doery
An increasing number of Australian school students are applying for an early offer to university, before they have their exam results back.
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Heather L. Robinson, Flinders University
A new report shows that visits to Australian public libraries are up 10% – though funding is down. They provide everything from books and internet to help with CVs.
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Prudence Rees-Lee, RMIT University
Kraftwerk helped invent modern electronic music. What happens to their legacy when a co-founder’s studio is broken up and sold off?
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Michael J. I. Brown, Monash University
It’s not enough to point a rocket at the Sun and ignite the engines.
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Julie Deslippe, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The disaster should raise questions about how we fund, manage and protect these vulnerable habitats when climate change is outpacing conservation efforts.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Coalition parties on Sunday formally endorsed a joint policy on climate and energy that drops the commitment to net zero.
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Paul Spoonley, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
New statistics show a major reversal in immigration numbers and population growth, with parts of New Zealand now seeing population declines.
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Health + Medicine
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Ian Musgrave, University of Adelaide
Australia’s love affair with berries has prompted new advice about a common pesticide. But the risk of harm is low.
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Brian Oliver, University of Technology Sydney
Here’s what to know about the recalled products, and how to dispose of them safely.
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Business + Economy
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Ihsan Yilmaz, Deakin University; Nicholas Morieson, Deakin University
There’s a risk of a slide towards digital authoritarianism as Australia responds to these growing threats.
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Environment + Energy
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Anna Malos, Monash University
Despite the Coalition’s decision reversal on net zero, the momentum on the clean energy transition is unstoppable.
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Evi Hanninger, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Emma Betty, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Karen A Stockin, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Katharina J. Peters, University of Wollongong; Livia Gerber, CSIRO
New research has developed the first molecular ‘clock’ for common dolphins. It could be a game-changer for conservation.
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John Sibanda, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New Zealand’s decision to renew oil and gas exploration could place it in breach of emerging international climate law.
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Science + Technology
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T.J. Thomson, RMIT University; Aaron J. Snoswell, Queensland University of Technology; James Meese, RMIT University
Right now it’s something of an arms race as new technologies are developed – and detectors struggle to keep up.
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Kylie M. Cairns, UNSW Sydney; Melanie Fillios, University of New England
Two new studies suggest the story of dogs and their relationship with humans is older and more complex than once thought.
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Arts + Culture
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Delyse Ryan, Australian Catholic University
Performers turned into savage wolves in this mesmerising production that hit the Playhouse stage in Brisbane.
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No treaty
"This treaty and the creation of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria are a vanity project of the Victorian Government and represent a disastrous unravelling of democracy in Victoria. Only a tiny minority of the population of Victoria was entitled to vote and of that minority an even smaller number actually voted. Now we have the bizarre spectacle of less than 1% of the population holding the state to account."
Andrew Smallman
Build better
"Lost amongst the net zero wars are the real issues impacting the cost of power for most Australians: the ever-widening gap in our wealth and most of all, poor insulation/unsustainable building designs, none of which are discussed or addressed in policy by either party."
Jane Davis
The value of the arts
"An acquaintance of mine worked for a merchant bank which hired two types of university graduates: those with an arts degree and those with business/economics degrees. When the GFC hit in 2008, many from the arts degree team became supervisors of the business/economics team. The arts team could deal with changes and look outside the box for solutions, whereas the business team considered the system as it was. Arts degrees require independent thought, not rote responses. Job readiness limits graduates; open-minded learning prepares graduates for meeting changes and adjusting throughout life."
Dalton Dupuy 
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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