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A senior member of Timor-Leste’s government, Agio Pereira, recently posted an explosive manifesto on his Facebook account.
He claimed organised crime was infiltrating his country’s government, with millions of dollars in cash allegedly being flown into Timor-Leste to secure “fraudulent licences” for illegal gambling operations and scam centres. Timor-Leste faces a simple choice, he said: will it be a democracy or a criminal state owned by foreign mafia syndicates?
Within days, the government cancelled all licences for online gambling operations in the country. But Pereira’s calls for an independent investigation into all officials allegedly involved have so far not been addressed.
As Michael Rose writes, the allegations pose one of the greatest tests for Timor-Leste’s democracy in its short history. Australia, too, must take heed – if organised crime is taking root on our doorstep, this could be a threat to our security, as well.
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Justin Bergman
International Affairs Editor
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Michael Rose, University of Adelaide
Timor-Leste’s government has cancelled all online gambling licences in response to the allegations, but many are calling for an independent investigation.
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Reihana Mohideen, The University of Melbourne
Even as clean energy progress slows in the US and EU, developing nations such as Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are surging ahead.
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Jill Sheppard, Australian National University
Winning government from opposition broadly involves three stages: establishing competence, offering an alternative vision of government, and surviving the campaign.
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Anne-Marie Laslett, La Trobe University; Cassandra Hopkins, La Trobe University; Ingrid Wilson, Singapore Institute of Technology
We can’t prevent violence against women and children without tackling men’s heavy alcohol use.
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Marg Rogers, University of New England; Margaret Sims, Macquarie University; Michelle Gossner, CQUniversity Australia
Imagine living in a town where three or more families are competing for a single early learning place.
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Julia Cook, University of Newcastle
While these strategies work for some people, they are not necessarily possible for most aspiring first-home owners.
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Emery Schubert, UNSW Sydney
Here’s what happens in your brain when you can’t get a tune out of your head.
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Martin Kear, University of Sydney
Anne Irfan’s history explains the complex background to Palestinian resistance in Gaza, allowing those who live there to tell their own stories.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The multiculturalism expert says increased tensions since the October 7 attacks have raised ‘the tideline of hate speech’ in Australia.
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William Partlett, The University of Melbourne
Paul Brereton’s ongoing conflict of interest woes threaten public trust in the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He urgently needs to change tack.
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Tristan Moss, UNSW Sydney
Papua New Guinean soldiers were deeply embedded in the Australian army from 1940–1975. Today’s treaty can build on this legacy.
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Health + Medicine
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Amanda Meyer, James Cook University; Monika Zimanyi, James Cook University
One type of sweat tends to smell more than the other, and it might not be the one you think.
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Anastasia Hronis, University of Technology Sydney
Modern life bombards our brains with stimulation, through scrolling feeds, video games, email pings and sugary snacks. Can going without for 24 hours help?
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Business + Economy
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Coral Gartner, The University of Queensland; Cheneal Puljević, The University of Queensland; Michaela Estelle Okninski, The University of Queensland
South Australian landlords who turn a blind eye on illegal tobacco can now be fined, while Queensland is proposing bigger fines and even a year in jail.
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Environment + Energy
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Christopher K. Woolley, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Catherine Iorns, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Jono Sylvester, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Nicola Jane Nelson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
All but four of New Zealand’s 120 lizard species are threatened or at risk. But little consideration is given to lizards during most land development projects.
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Julie Old, Western Sydney University
Wombats’ whiskery noses help them snuffle for food, navigate burrows and sense friend or foe.
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Conrad Pilditch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Simon Francis Thrush, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
An exception for commercial ring-net fishing in some protected areas of the Hauraki Gulf means they don’t count towards the global goal of protecting 30% by 2030.
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Science + Technology
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Caitlyn Forster, University of Sydney
With the warmer weather come more of these fluttering insects – which can be easily confused with each other.
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Arts + Culture
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Ruari Elkington, Queensland University of Technology
Bryan Brown shines in the new film which, although occasionally clunky, will appeal to fans of the opera and Australian cinema.
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Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne, Torrens University Australia
In a big win for the anti-fur movement, Condé Nast has formalised a fur-free policy across its global titles, including Vogue, Tatler, Glamour and Vanity Fair.
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What about the mortgage?
"As a single renter over 60, I have realised the opportunity for home ownership no longer exists. Even if I could afford payments, there are just not enough years left in my working life to be able to pay off a mortgage. For people like me, where do 5% deposit schemes leave us? Precisely nowhere."
M
What's in our water
"I find it hard to understand why some state governments don't take over the distribution of drinking water from councils. Water supplies to South Australians have been delivered by the state government for 160 years. This may be due to being 'the driest state on the world's driest continent'. As a consequence though it means that the fluoridation of water in South Australia is purely a health consideration. It isn't controlled by councils where supply is driven by the finances or ideology of the council."
Trevor Greenfield, Felixstow SA
Context on Gaza
"Rothwell addresses international law violations around the flotilla, yet omits the gravest violation of all. Grattan examines 'damage to Australian society' from this 'distant war', yet neglects to inform readers that several expert bodies have concluded it is genocide – while our government still refuses to even acknowledge it. That context becomes pivotal when seeking to understand why the Global Sumud Flotilla and others like it
exist, why people have been protesting our government's complicity every weekend for the past two years, and other social responses Grattan describes."
Stefano Perfili, Melbourne VIC
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