Society

Arts, Culture and Society

A shift in energy

by Gemma Wolk

With the growing urgency to reach net zero by 2050, 17 Hunter Valley mines will close over the next 20 years. Conversations often centre around job losses, but what comes next for those who will remain?

Busines, Law and Politics

Money isn’t free. Here’s what to know before downloading a cashback app

by Mirella Atherton, Lecturer, University of Newcastle

“Cashback” apps make an enticing promise. You download an app or click on a web browser extension. You go about your online shopping as usual, spend money, but then get some cash back. It sounds simple, right?

Education

‘Mum and Dad both finished school in Year 10’ - How to help first-in-family students graduate from uni

by Sally Patfield, Lecturer, University of Newcastle

Each year, about 30% of new undergraduates in Australia are the first in their families to go to university.

Arts, Culture and Society

It’s time to face an uncomfortable truth: maybe our pampered pets would be better off without us

by Nancy Cushing - Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle

Pet-keeping is often promoted for the benefits it brings humans. A close association with another animal can provide us with a sense of purpose and a daily dose of joy.

Arts, Culture and Society

Pope Francis tried to change the Catholic Church for women, with mixed success

by Tracy McEwan School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences and Kathleen McPhillips Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. On Easter Sunday, he used his message and blessing to appeal for peace in Middle East and Ukraine.

Busines, Law and Politics

Conservative governments protect more land while socialists and nationalists threaten more species

by Matt Hayward, Professor of Conservation Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Andrea Griffin, Associate Professor in Wildlife Conservation Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, and Jacob Jones, PhD Candidate in Conservation Politics, School of Environmental and Life Sciences

The dire state of biodiversity across the globe suggests not all governments are willing to act decisively to protect nature. Why is that the case, and is a country’s political ideology a factor?

Health and Wellbeing

Should school nurses weigh students? We asked 5 experts

by Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics (University of Newcastle), Fron Jackson-Webb Deputy Editor and Senior Health Editor (The Conversation), Brett Montgomery, Senior Lecturer in General Practice (The University of Western Australia), Natasha Yates, General Practitioner & PhD Candidate (Bond University), Rachael Jefferson, Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Human Movement Studies (Health and PE) and Creative Arts (Charles Sturt University), and Vivienne Lewis, Assistant

One in four Australian children aged two to 17 are classified as above a healthy weight, based on their body mass index (or BMI, which is weight divided by height squared).

Busines, Law and Politics

Australia’s first civilian jury was entirely female. Here’s how ‘juries of matrons’ shaped our legal history.

by Alice Neikirk, Lecturer in the School of Law and Justice

It’s hard to imagine now, but for almost 1,000 years, pregnant women in England could avoid the death penalty just by virtue of being pregnant. A pregnant woman sentenced to death would receive a stay of execution until the baby was born.

Busines, Law and Politics

Digital ‘death knocks’: is it fair game for journalists to mine social media profiles of victims and their families?

by Alysson Watson, Associate Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences

The family of Ash Good, one of the Bondi stabbing victims and the mother of the nine-month-baby who was also stabbed, issued a plea overnight for media to stop reproducing photos of Ash, her partner and their baby without consent.

Arts, Culture and Society

Big dreams built through remote community partnership

by Shahni Wellington

The unlikely pairing of outback Menindee and seaside Newcastle have successfully bridged the distance

Education

Teacher transformation scores top marks

by Madelaine Love

A new way of teaching has helped turn the tables at Cessnock High School. The results speak for themselves.

Arts, Culture and Society

Who invented the flat white? Italian sugar farmers from regional Queensland likely played a big role

by Garritt Van Dyk - Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences (History)

Australia’s coffee culture – a source of great national pride – is usually associated with the wave of Greek and Italian migrants who settled in Melbourne and Sydney following the second world war. But it was very likely in regional Queensland that one of Australia’s favourite brews first took root.

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