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This week the world marks a grim anniversary – two years since the horrific October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing Gaza war that has claimed thousands of lives and caused unimaginable suffering. But it’s also caused problems, albeit far less serious, closer to home.
Who would have thought, asks Michelle Grattan, that a faraway conflict would see court cases about the right to protest, or raise difficult questions about immigration, multiculturalism and freedom of speech? And in the process, it’s exposed weaknesses not only in our social fabric, but in the way some of our most powerful institutions respond to its fissures.
These rifts have not just come into being, of course. But the events of October 7, 2023 and the two years since have caused them to become dramatically wider. And even if the peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump has some chance of success – and we can only hope it does – those rifts will remain, and so will the deep, possibly intractable, policy challenges.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The war in Gaza has raised questions and caused serious divisions about the future of multiculturalism, free speech and the right to protest.
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Johanna Nalau, Griffith University
Nearly eight in ten homes facing severe to extreme flood risk are now not insured. We need to rethink how to keep communities safe.
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Amit Arora, Western Sydney University; Arosha Weerakoon, The University of Queensland
Adding fluoride to drinking water is a safe and effective way to prevent cavities. But some councils are removing it from their water supplies.
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Leslie Baird, CQUniversity Australia; Dominic Orih, James Cook University; Komla Tsey, CQUniversity Australia; James Cook University
The Family Wellbeing Program has decades of evidence backing it to help Indigenous people live better lives. Here’s how it works.
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Robin Shields, The University of Queensland
Australian teachers are reporting high rates of AI use in their own work, according to the OECD’s latest Teaching and Learning International Survey.
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Jason Weismueller, The University of Western Australia
Just because you ‘heard it on a podcast’, it doesn’t mean the info is necessarily more trustworthy than a random social media post.
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Amy Hume, The University of Melbourne
Hollywood’s first AI ‘actor’ has officially launched her career. Is this the future of film, or is it a gimmick?
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Qiang Tang, University of Sydney; Moti Yung, Columbia University; Yanan Li, University of Sydney
End-to-end encryption is the gold standard to protect data – and now it can be used beyond messaging platforms such as Signal.
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Politics + Society
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Susan St John, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The Jobseeker changes assume there are enough jobs for young New Zealanders looking for work – when one in eight are already not in a job, training or education.
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Angela Rintoul, The University of Melbourne
New research shows Australian gambling harms, including suicide, may have been systematically under reported.
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Health + Medicine
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Lauren Ball, The University of Queensland; David Chua, The University of Queensland; Stephanie Chua, The University of Queensland
Here’s what’s really going on while you’re in the waiting room.
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Sheila Skeaff, University of Otago
Most New Zealand adults consume more protein than the recommended amount. They could reduce meat without risking inadequate protein intake.
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Business + Economy
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Cameron Shackell, Queensland University of Technology
AI is showing some of the hallmarks of another technology’s rapid rise and fall back in the 1920s. These are the lessons we could learn.
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Environment + Energy
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Bruce Mountain, Victoria University
As the cost of Snowy 2.0 rises yet again, defenders claim the scheme can store energy cheaper than batteries. But this doesn’t stack up.
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Books + Ideas
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Darryl Jones, Griffith University
In 2002, an online database was set up allowing birdwatchers to record their species observations. It is now a vast resource, shaping scientific research.
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Words matter
"What’s happening in Gaza is not a 'war'. The killing of 66,000 mostly innocent people is a slaughter and genocide. Respectfully, I can’t accept that language."
Dénes Ujvari
Big job
"Sussan Ley is an interim leader at best for the Opposition. However Ley's situation is much more difficult than simply the potential challengers (whether it be Angus Taylor or Andrew Hastie). The Liberal Party in the Federal Parliament has lost so many seats that its membership is predominantly right wing and its policies (for example, climate change and energy) are simply not supported by the wider community. Ms Leys' task is herculean."
Charles Latimer
Seeing double
"I found the article on facial recognition confirmed my reservations. Many years ago on a project in Indonesia I encountered my double, an Italian. I am Anglo-Celtic, any Italian genes probably came from Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain. I agree the odds are astronomical for a physical encounter but such instances can occur, and the odds will probably drop significantly if one's face is compared against an international database."
Alan Walker
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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22 October 2025
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Carlton
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