Ecosystems need our help Australian scientists have just recently released a very sobering report detailing 19 ecosystems across Australia that are collapsing due to the impact of humans and warned urgent action is required to prevent their complete loss. The groundbreaking report - the result of work by 38 scientists from 29 universities and government agencies - details the degradation of coral reefs, arid outback deserts, tropical savanna, the waterways of the Murray-Darling Basin, mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and forests stretching from the far north to Tasmania. This is news, but not new news. Previous in-depth studies, including the government s state of the environment report and last year s review of the national environment laws, have found Australia s natural heritage is in a perilous and worsening state.
Don t make waves! Systems and patterns of the abuse of power are evident in social and political environments today, wherever gender imbalance persists. Perpetrators prey upon disempowered subordinates, in cultures where inequality is normalised with impunity. A conspiracy of silence protects offenders. Brittany Higgins represents many working women in a male-dominated workplace. In a male work culture you understand who are the powerful and who are the vulnerable. Her hesitation to report alleged sexual indiscretion by a Federal Government staffer, in fear of reprisal, is why sexual assault upon the vulnerable is still problematic in our third millennium society. In an election year particularly, you don t make waves.