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The first job of journalism is to inform the public by reporting unfolding events accurately. A second, perhaps even more important task, is to make sense of these events. Unless we sort the trivial from the momentous, reporting can obscure just as much as it reveals.
Unfortunately, working out what really matters is fiendishly difficult. If you ever get a chance to read some old newspapers you will be shocked by just how many things of great importance were treated with laughable disdain, while things of little consequence were obsessively debated.
This was front-of-mind this week as we covered the fracturing of the Coalition in Australian politics and the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Domestic politics won the lion’s share of our attention, which was right given the trauma and division in Australia after the Bondi atrocity, the significance of the debate over hate laws, and the broader political realignment in federal parliament. Michelle Grattan’s explanation of the politics was as informative, fearless and scrupulously reported as we have come to expect. Constitutional law expert Anny Twomey did a terrific job explaining the complex trade-offs and potential for the hate-crime legislation laws to chill free speech.
But I suspect that Mark Carney’s warning that the rules-based international order is undergoing a “rupture, not a transition” will ring out for years to come. Carney’s calm and resolute delivery singled him out as an international statesman.
What’s more, he identified a momentous change in global politics - the collapse of the rules-based order and new era of “great power” geopolitics. And he has serious suggestions about how middle powers like Canada and Australia should respond.
According to Emma Shortis, the speech could be a circuit breaker to Trump’s cycle of “chaotic cruelty”. International relations expert Shannon Brincat says Carney’s words are “a wake-up call” to drop the political point-scoring and short-termism and move towards a more meaningful, long-term investment in our region and the world.
Time will tell if anyone listens, but we’ll continue to cover these ideas throughout 2026 and beyond.
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Misha Ketchell
Editor-in-chief
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Shannon Brincat, University of the Sunshine Coast
The Canadian leader’s powerful speech has garnered headlines for his admission that the rules-based international order has been ruptured.
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Best reads this week
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Bruce Wolpe, University of Sydney
The president loves exercising power in the United States and abroad. But he’s tanking in the polls – and the November mid-terms may clip his wings at home.
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Shokoofeh Shamsi, Charles Sturt University
Recent shark attacks may be linked less to shark behaviour – and more to the pollutants, pesticides and parasites humans send into the ocean.
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Mark Beeson, University of Technology Sydney
The biggest difference between China and the US today is not ideological, but lies in their respective abilities to get things done.
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Craig Stevens, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA); Christina Hulbe, University of Otago; Yingpu Xiahou, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A four-year record from the heart of the Ross Ice Shelf shows how subtle changes could shape future sea level rise, ocean ecosystems – and even our weather.
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David Nichols, The University of Melbourne
The Midnight Oil drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst has died at 70 from pancreatic cancer.
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TC Weekly podcast
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
Listen to Paul Bierman, an expert on Greenland’s ice, talk to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the history of the island’s ice sheet.
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Justin Bergman, The Conversation; Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation
There’s a recipe for autocracy: six steps tried and tested by some of the world’s most notorious leaders. How many has Donald Trump ticked off?
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Our most-read article this week
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Uri Gal, University of Sydney
Starting later this year, Woolworths shoppers will able to use AI to plan meals and even add items to their carts. It’s convenient – but with potential hidden costs.
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In case you missed this week's big stories
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Sussan Ley may pay the price for the implosion of the Coalition, but the blame rests squarely with Nationals leader David Littleproud.
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Linda Botterill, Australian National University
Most coalitions are marriages of convenience for power, but the Liberal National arrangement continued even in opposition. Some time apart may be beneficial for all.
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Anne Twomey, University of Sydney
The new laws, which allow ‘hate’ groups to be banned, could also potentially affect people wanting to make legitimate criticisms of a foreign government.
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Markus Wagner, University of Wollongong
For the time being, European leaders are indicating a path of de-escalation – bordering on appeasement.
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Carlos Gutiérrez Hita, Universidad Miguel Hernández
A mistimed switch change could have caused the derailment.
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Dudley L. Poston Jr., Texas A&M University
The Asian giant is grappling with a dramatic population decline, with a fertility rate of 1.0, well below the 2.1 replacement rate.
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Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
The right-wing populist party continues to climb in polling following the Bondi terror attack, mostly at the expense of the Coalition.
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Michelle O'Shea, Western Sydney University; Mike Armour, Western Sydney University
Research finds period pain and heavy bleeding costs the Australian economy about A$14 billion every year in lost productivity.
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William Alexander Donald, UNSW Sydney; Jake P. Violi, UNSW Sydney
Millions of Australians now have tattoos. Yet unlike other countries, we don’t have rules on what’s in the ink.
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Maxime Aubert, Griffith University; Adam Brumm, Griffith University; Adhi Oktaviana, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN); Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Southern Cross University
People were creating cave art in Indonesia 67,800 years ago – before modern humans reached Australia.
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Rights and responsibilities
"Every right comes with responsibility. Too often, when we demand that our democracy delivers rights, such as to freedom of speech, we forget our equal responsibility for the well-being of our fellow citizens. Screaming hatred fails that test."
Hilary Sage
A time to listen
"What a great, positive article from Shannon Brincat on Mark Carney’s rallying cry. I hope our political leaders read and embrace the messages it contains."
Lynda Paterson 
Gone fishing
"The article on shark behaviour is good but I wonder if sharks are hungry and attack because we have eaten all the fish! I note the new fish market opened in Sydney this week. It shows just how enormous the plunder from the sea is!"
Emily Valentine Bullock, Glebe NSW
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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