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Imagine hunting for a needle in a haystack that’s doing everything in its power not to be found. Then add sheeting rain, howling wind, heavy fog and snow. That’s what police are dealing with in Victoria’s rugged high country as they try to hunt down Dezi Freeman, the man alleged to have killed two officers on Tuesday.
Freeman is an experienced bushman who knows the mountainous area like the back of his hand, but police have some tricks up their sleeve too.
As former detective Terry Goldsworthy writes, these tactics include the use of elite squads specialising in high-risk searches, helicopters with infrared imaging technology and armoured ‘Bearcat’ vehicles.
Meanwhile, after another high-profile week for Australia’s top spy agency, Michelle Grattan looks at why ASIO boss Mike Burgess, despite being a spycatcher, is keen to be in the limelight.
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Niall Seewang
Sport + Society Editor
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Terry Goldsworthy, Bond University
As police try to locate the alleged gunman who killed two officers in Victoria, what difficulties do they face while hunting in dense bushland?
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
If the intelligence community had its Logies, ASIO chief Mike Burgess would be chasing gold this week.
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Bruce Wolpe, University of Sydney
Gavin Newsom has energised fellow Democrats with his ‘fight fire with fire’ approach to the president – if he wins, he may be a strong candidate for the White House.
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Milad Haghani, The University of Melbourne
The Stonehaven school bus rollover, which killed a young girl, is a tragic reminder of how devastating such crashes can be. But there are ways to make buses safer.
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Vibhu Arya, University of Technology Sydney; Renu Agarwal, University of Technology Sydney; Wen Helena Li, University of Technology Sydney
Card surcharges cost Australians more than $1 billion a year. Switching to real-time payments – which are already here – would cut costs for shoppers and business.
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Andrew Norton, Monash University
Something major has happened to student demand in recent years. But how much of this is due to the fees students are paying?
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Ada Cheung, The University of Melbourne; Nicola Dean, Flinders University; Sav Zwickl, The University of Melbourne
Without rebates, surgeries for trans people can cost between $20,000 and $100,000.
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Pep Canadell, CSIRO
Reforestation can contribute significantly to tackling climate change, but research found its global potential is only a fraction of what’s been claimed.
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Belinda Castles, University of Sydney
The explosion of writing set in the cities and towns of Australia allows us to walk amid history, subcultures and alternative visions of urban places.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The health minister also says fewer kids are now vaping because of the government’s ban, which ‘exploded’ as a health problem during the COVID years.
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Ryan Storr, Swinburne University of Technology
In coming out as bisexual, the former AFL player’s announcement will have far-reaching consequences for the sport and people coming to terms with their sexuality.
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William Gourlay, Monash University
Young Turks, in particular, are increasingly looking for an alternative to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule.
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Health + Medicine
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Timothy HoYuan Chan, Australian Catholic University
There are lots of myths about autistic people who don’t talk. Here are three and why they’re so wrong.
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Business + Economy
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Nicola Charwat, Monash University
The battle over parcel shipments is a microcosm of the larger strategic competition between the US and China.
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Stephen Espiner, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Charging entry fees at world-famous destinations like Milford Sound and expanding commercial use of public land would raise money. How it’s spent is the challenge.
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Science + Technology
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Daniel You, University of Sydney; Micah Boerma, University of Southern Queensland; Yuen Siew Koo, Macquarie University
It’s no surprise these lifelike AI companions are attractive to lonely people. But for some, these relationships are harmful and even dangerous.
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In defence of universities
“Universities have not lost their way, but rather are enacting strategies that respond to external forces acting on them, particularly high demand from international students, and reduced government funding. The one thing we must not drop our guard on is quality, of both research and teaching, because doing so will indeed comprise ‘losing our way’. As to vice chancellors’ salaries, I suggest that the whingeing is unjustified and we let the market work because a high-quality VC is worth every cent.”
Professor Danny Samson, Department of Management and Marketing,
University of Melbourne
AI and us
“The question we must urgently ask of AI technology is: who benefits? If current trends continue, the answer may be troubling. We are witnessing a growing concentration of wealth and power, with AI increasingly used to reduce labour costs and maximise profits – often at the expense of workers. The risk is clear: a future where wages are driven down, jobs are eliminated, and economic inequality deepens. This is not an inevitable outcome. It is a choice.”
Scott Draffin
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