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.

A WORD

AQ: Australian Quarterly

Hands on the Wheel: Social Media and Youth Mental Health • From December, young people in Australia will have to be 16 years or older to use some social media platforms. This world-first legislation has been the subject of wideranging debate in parliament and the media, with public interest and advocacy from youth organisations. There will be challenges in implementing and enforcing the legislated social media age restrictions. Yet beyond this technical challenge there remains the far greater – and largely ignored – issue of preparing young people, both before they turn 16, and after, to safely use social media as they navigate a largely unregulated environment.

Ending HIV in Australia: Is it Possible? • For more than four decades, HIV has been a global health crisis, but the tide has turned dramatically since the dark days of the 1980s. Advances in prevention, testing, and treatment have made the elimination of HIV transmission not just a distant dream but a tangible, achievable goal.

Time for Australia to SLAPP back • Like so many revolutions, the transformation of Australia’s worst domestic climate polluter into a case study of ambitious emissions reduction, began with posters that mocked the status quo for all to see. Appearing first online in May 2021 and then, more traditionally, pasted up in prominent real-life locations around Sydney and Melbourne, the placards were clear in their satirical intent.

Empowering the Collective: The Fight Against Mis/Disinformation • Mis/dis-information is a complex and crucial challenge for our global community, particularly when it comes to communicating science. In Queensland, engaging citizens in science and building knowledge and trust in the scientific process, and the ways science is communicated, is a key focus for the Queensland Chief Scientist.

Youth Crime in Australia: Rhetoric vs Reality

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