The first papal visit to the young nation since its independence has generated widespread excitement. Behind the T-shirts and fervour, the visit is politically significant.

A risk-based approach to regulating AI can help minimise the dangers of the new technology

They may not realise it but the authoritarian regimes that have poured billions into world spot might not be getting the results they desire.

Progress on housing policy has been patchy, in part because there’s no national plan guiding efforts to address homelessness. A bill currently in front of parliament could fix this.

The Wikileaks founder will return to Australia after years behind bars and in exile. What happens now?

A long-awaited report has recommended Australia introduce a human rights act. Such a move would be a step forward in the protection of Australians’ rights.

Pilger inspired many with his willingness to critique the damaging effects on ordinary people’s lives of capitalism and Western countries’ foreign policies. But he also provoked global controversy.

Some 189,000 Afghans have applied for visas to Australia, but the government has only approved 31,500 refugee spots for the next four years. Women face the biggest hurdles to resettlement.

The overturning of almost 20 years of legal precedent allowing indefinite detention is a watershed moment. But stateless people in Australia have few rights and little say over their futures.

It’s often the most vulnerable who suffer most in war. That remains true, with children making up around 40% of the casualties in the Israel-Hamas conflict. It’s devastating, now and into the future.

A ‘no’ result in the vote could compromise Australia’s moral authority when it seeks to advocate or pressure other states on human rights issues.

From the war in Ukraine and China’s role in the Pacific, to multi-billion-dollar military decisions, New Zealand will face huge challenges during the next term of government.

China is seeking not merely to resist but to dismantle a foundational idea of the post-Cold War international order – the universality of human rights.

Practices used in detention in Australia such as spithoods and solitary confinement could amount to torture, according to international law.