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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum
@openforum.bsky.social
180 followers 490 following 1.3K posts
We're an Australian website showcasing articles on a range of domestic and international issues. Submit an article to [email protected]
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
In praise of boredom

Boredom isn’t a problem to escape with another scroll on our phones but a precious opportunity to create the mental space we need to wrestle with life’s deeper questions of meaning, imagination and purpose. #Neuroscience

www.openforum.com.au/forums/in-pr...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Digital embassy or tech tax dodge?

Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar’s proposal to exempt datacentres on Australian soil owned by foreign companies from Australian law is all about tax evasion rather than encouraging innovation. #Technology

www.openforum.com.au/forums/digit...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Why is One Nation surging in the polls?

Support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party has doubled since the 2025 Election as public concern over immigration grows and the shell-shocked Liberals continue to flounder after their overwhelming defeat. #Auspol

www.openforum.com.au/forums/why-i...
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Another shot of smartphone

What makes our smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches so irresistible? It’s not just the apps. Their hardware features also play on our senses, tap into our emotions, and develop affective dependence. #smartphones

www.openforum.com.au/addicted-to-...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
A Pacific reflection on “Women, Peace and Security”

Pacific women have always been navigators, charting paths through complexity, building coalitions and sustaining communities. Now, the WPS agenda must rise to meet their leadership. #Pacific

www.openforum.com.au/a-pacific-re...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Actually intelligent?

Is AI actually intelligent? They may seem capable of a broad range of tasks, but it is still a limited set, and they perform those tasks in a very specific way that is sometimes useful and sometimes not. #AI

www.openforum.com.au/actually-int...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
The case for optimism

Fatalistic pessimism about the state of the world has become widespread, perhaps with good reason. But prolonged hopelessness, however justified, limits policymakers and commentators and should be avoided where possible. #Auspol

www.openforum.com.au/the-case-for...
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Defending the nation

In an age of heightened geopolitical competition and the real prospect of high-intensity conflict, Australia must embrace a whole-of-nation approach to national defence. #Auspol

www.openforum.com.au/defending-th...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
The mental impact of multiple developmental conditions

Health systems around the world face rising numbers of children diagnosed with multiple neurodevelopmental conditions which demand thoughtful, coordinated care. #childhealth

www.openforum.com.au/the-mental-i...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Forest dump

Hopes that higher levels of atmospheric carbon would boost tree growth and lock carbon into biomass have been dashed by a new survey which suggests that drought and higher temperatures are damaging tropical forests. #climate change

www.openforum.com.au/forest-dump/
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Alone together

The internet was supposed to make communication easier, share knowledge and strengthen democracy. Instead, it has empowered authoritarians while splintering democratic countries into ever smaller and angrier splinter groups. #Internet

www.openforum.com.au/alone-togeth...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Alpha and Omega

Three economists studying the role of innovation driven creation and destruction in the economy have won this year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. #economics

www.openforum.com.au/alpha-and-om...
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Who has the CEO’s ear?

The saying that ‘customers are always right in matters of taste’ is being ignored by today’s CEOs who tend to listen to tech experts who tell them what’s possible, rather than the marketing team who know if anyone will buy it. #Business

www.openforum.com.au/who-has-the-...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Why do people fall for scams?

Professor Neil Levy from Macquarie University’s discipline of Philosophy explains why some people bet on an attractive fantasy – and how we can avoid falling prey to scams. #neuroscience

www.openforum.com.au/why-do-peopl...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Wading through workslop

AI is being used to generate large volumes of low-value, error-prone work that creates busywork for others, rather than increase productivity, so, how can workers and employers cut back on workslop to actually realise AI’s benefits? #AI

www.openforum.com.au/wading-throu...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
A nation divided

The multi-cultural and political rifts that have surfaced over the last two years in response to the war in Gaza will leave fractures, anger, bitterness and fear across the Australian community. #Auspol

www.openforum.com.au/a-nation-div...
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Rebuilding trust in the trust commissioner

Australia’s new National Anti-Corruption Commission has come under scrutiny itself, but it’s not too late for the NACC and its leadership team to regain public trust and perform the role they are paid to do. #Auspol

www.openforum.com.au/rebuilding-t...
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
A dopamine detox?

Modern life constantly stimulates our brains, flooding them with dopamine and leaving us desensitised to real life, so can we ‘detox’ by putting our phones down, or is more radical action required? #Neuroscience

www.openforum.com.au/the-dopamine...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Using digital tools to support community resilience

Communities that band together and support each other are more resilient in the face of natural disasters and digital tools can help. #Australia

www.openforum.com.au/using-digita...
www.openforum.com.au
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openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
In pod we trust

While we shouldn’t blindly trust or dismiss any online platform, whether it’s a social media feed or a podcast, we must think critically about all the information we encounter in an age of misinformation and mindless AI slop. #Podcasts

www.openforum.com.au/in-pod-we-tr...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Closing the gap with “family wellbeing”

Family Wellbeing is an empowerment program created by Aboriginal Australians in the early 1990s and has proven its worth over the last 30 years in helping to ‘close the gap’. #Australia

www.openforum.com.au/closing-the-...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
AI in the classroom

A new survey on teacher workload and stress also offers some interesting data on teachers’ increasing use of artificial intelligence in the classroom. #Education

www.openforum.com.au/ai-in-the-cl...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Stand back and stand by

Donald Trump’s unchecked descent into authoritarian insanity continues to gain pace with his plan to use America’s military against its own people. #Trump

www.openforum.com.au/stand-back-a...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Four steps to a fairer Australia

To deliver a fairer future for Australians, it’s time we set transparent targets for inequality – then commit to policies needed to meet them. #Australia

www.openforum.com.au/four-steps-t...
www.openforum.com.au
openforum.bsky.social
Open Forum @openforum.bsky.social · 7h
Climbing out of the rabbit hole

New research challenges the idea of a ‘vicious cycle’ between psychological distress and conspiracy beliefs. #media

www.openforum.com.au/climbing-out...
www.openforum.com.au