Australia is neglecting its role in the Pacific – Sean Dorney says that we’ve taken our position in the region for granted for too long and with China’s increased involvement it’s now time to wake up.

Parliaments are failing to resolve contentious issues and instead handballing them to the courts to decide. Former judge Jonathan Sumption says that the expansion of the role of the courts may not be good for democracy and politicians need to step up.

Long before colonisation, fire was shaping the Australian landscape. Burning was deliberately conducted by indigenous people. But for European Australians, fire quickly became something to fear.

Generous tax concessions and a real estate boom have widened the wealth gap between young Australians and their parents and grandparents. Is it time to change economic policy to rebalance the relationship between the generations?

Anna Funder reflects on life in the former GDR under constant scrutiny of the secret police – the Stasi. Has the Stasi left a legacy that people still feel today?

Jonathan Sumption examines the implications of law filling the gap left by politics and how the growth of the law, driven by demand for greater security and less risk, means we have less liberty.

The link between climate change and health has many dimensions. Health professionals are being urged to take a political stand and call for climate change action.

Intelligent machines can perform tasks usually done by humans but should they make life and death decisions? Lethal autonomous weapons will be deployed on the battlefields of the future unless a campaign to ban them is successful. Should robots be asked to make moral decisions?

In business and government it's getting harder to speak to a human. Computer programs are being used to deliver all kinds of services. They can decide if you're eligible for a loan , a welfare benefit or even to judge if you're a good candidate for parole. Are these automated decision-makers fair and ethical?

The ethical design and application of artificial intelligence and autonomous military robots