AQ: Australian Quarterly

For over 90 years AQ: Australian Quarterly has been packing its pages with the debates that have shaped Australia and the world, tackling the big topics in science, politics and society. Grounded in evidence, yet written in a style accessible to everyone, AQ is unique in Australia’s publishing landscape, pushing back against the trends of subjective truth and media spin. If it matters to Australia then it matters to AQ.

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AQ: Australian Quarterly

Complex Interconnectedness: Climate Change & Non-Economic Loss in the Pacific Islands • Loss from climate change is already with us.1 Even if global average temperatures are limited to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, losses will continue to be unavoidable, and may in fact accelerate.2 Whether it is slow onset changes like sea level rise and droughts, or extreme and sudden events like cyclones and heatwaves, these losses are irreversible and occur despite our mitigation and adaptation efforts.3

HECS: Good Marks on a Tough Assignment – But Still Fit for Purpose? • Higher education finance is a policy nightmare. It has been understood since at least Adam Smith and The Wealth of Nations of 1776 that education can be viewed as a form of productive investment for both the individual and society. Identifying the concept is one thing, formulating practical policy for human capital (as it came to be called) is quite another.

Going Through Social Red Lights: Combatting Hate Speech, Prejudice, and Incitement • “Ultimately, hate speech is rooted in prejudice and a lack of appreciation of diversity, cultural differences and diverging opinions. Those attitudes and stances are learned and can be unlearned.” (UNESCO, 2023)

Housing Shortfalls & Overseas Migration A Tale of Two Regions • Australia is currently experiencing the most severe housing crisis in over three decades.1 The cost of living is escalating at a rate that surpasses wage growth, creating significant pressure on households. Rental vacancies are near all-time lows, particularly in major cities. 169,000 households are currently on public housing waiting lists, and on Census night in 2021, statistics estimated there were 122,494 people experiencing homelessness. That’s an increase of 5.2 per cent since the 2016 Census.2

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