AQ 96.3 - New July-Sept 2025 Edition - Out July 1st

The electorate is getting wise to the fact that Australia's entrenched political  parties are so bound up in factionalism, vested interests, and murky donations arrangements that they no longer serve their constituents first.

Nowhere has this been more gallingly on display than with the Albanese government kicking off its second term by rolling over for a belly scratch from Woodside. While NSW was suffering yet another once-in-a-lifetime flood, the government was trading favours in WA, extending Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project for another 50 years and handing them an estimated $215 billion dollars of royalty-free gas.

Any suggestion that this Albanese government will be any braver or more principled on issues of climate, or the environment, or electoral reform, or political transparency have combusted like a flare-off from an oil rig. As Trump drives the world towards wars, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister have sided with the the real rogue state (the US), supporting blatant violations of international law...

In this edition, the concept of ‘care’ is forefront. Do we care about people over companies? Or whether our rhetoric on youth justice does more harm than good? Do we care enough to have the nuanced discussions required to protect youth mental health or end HIV transmission in Australia?

All this and more in the new edition of AQ!

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Youth Crime in Australia: Rhetoric vs Reality

In Australia, the topic of youth crime frequently dominates public discourse From sensationalist media reports to political rhetoric, the issue has become a lightning rod for fear and anxiety about the state of society, the safety of citizens, and the future of our young people across the country. These discussions, however, often obscure the evidence – youth crime is actually on the decline – which leads to policy solutions that are not only ineffective but at dangerously counterproductive.

Susan Baidawi

Hands on the Wheel - Social Media and Youth Mental Health

At 16, when a young person wants to get their Learner’s licence and drive a car, there are systems in place requiring supervision, study and practice, car safety standards, and road rules - we don’t just hand them the keys to the car and tell them to have fun! Yet with new laws banning under-16s from social media platforms, when they do come of age they are entering a sphere that is unregulated, un-policed, and not necessarily age-appropriate. What can we do to make social media more like getting your first car?

David Baker and Louise La Sala

Free Article: Read the full article for free!

State of the Nation: Prof Kerrie Wilson – Misinformation

The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risks Report has found that mis/disinformation poses the greatest immediate risks to our societies. Yet this is a complex challenge, particularly when it comes to communicating and understanding science. For the Queensland Chief Scientist, connecting science to community and engaging citizens in the scientific process, is critical to building trust and inoculating our society against manipulation of the knowledge we all rely on.

Kerrie Wilson & Carly Lubicz-Zaorski 

Time for Australia to SLAPP back

Australia is seeing a growing trend of cashed-up corporations and polluters using the courts to try and silence NGOs, protest groups, and community opposition using so called SLAPP – Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation - suits. There sinister motivations aim to weaken scrutiny, silence dissenting voices and bankrupt the organisations standing you for human rights, democracy, and our environment. This malignant exercise of power is making Australia more litigious and further weakening civil society. Australia needs to SLAPP back now, before it’s too late.

David Ritter and Vaidehi Shah

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