AQ: Australian Quarterly

For over 85 years AQ: Australian Quarterly has been packing its pages with the country’s most distinguished and passionate thinkers, tackling the big issues in science, politics and society. With longer-style articles written by those at the forefront of the debates, AQ is unique in bridging the gap between journal and magazine, combining the compelling writing of a glossy with the intellectual rigour of a journal. If it matters to Australia then it matters to AQ.

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AQ: Australian Quarterly

Embracing the Complexity of Bushfire in the Pyrocene • Two years removed from the Black Summer fires of 2019-20 and Australia is once again on fire. As I write, fires threaten communities near Perth and in western Tasmania, while earlier this season massive savanna fires burnt through large parts of northern Australia. The question of humanity’s coexistence with fire has re-emerged, like a phoenix from the ashes.

The Role of Storytelling in Place-Based Initiatives

Start me up Science Creates Business • Despite being home to many start-up business successes in the past two decades, there is no room for complacency as the state strives to build a sustainable culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, writes Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Possingham.

Riding on the Brain’s Back Building a Strong Brain Science Research Community • Every Australian’s dayto- day life is impacted by discoveries in brain sciences research. These range from neuroeducational principles applied in the classroom, neuromorphic engineering helping to detect and predict seizures, neuropharmaceuticals, neurotechnologies, and the study of how these innovations impact ethics, law and society.

Neural interface devices – Risk and reward where human meets machine

Context Matters Science, Policy and the Lingering Effects of Colonialism • In recent years, the movement toward evidence-informed policymaking has been profound, with the practise becoming synonymous with ‘good policy’ – at least in the minds of its practitioners. Rather than relying on opinions and assumptions to frame and develop policy, evidence-informed policymaking requires the consideration of a diverse range of scientific inputs, including research studies, systematic reviews and monitoring, and evaluation reports. These inputs seek to enhance the “rigour of policy development and improve the accountability of decision makers.”

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