The University of Melbourne is a global leader in higher education. Across our campuses we convene brilliant minds from different disciplines and sectors to come together to address important questions and tackle grand challenges. In a disrupted world, that capacity has never been more important.
Our vision is to equip our students with a distinctive, future-facing education personalised around their ambitions and needs, enriched by global perspectives and embedded in a richly collaborative research culture. As active citizens and future leaders, our students represent our greatest contribution to the world, and are at the heart of everything we do.
We serve society by engaging with our communities and ensuring education and research are inspired from the outset by need and for the benefit of society, while remaining committed to allowing academic freedom to flourish. In this, we remain true to our purpose and fulfil our mission as a public-spirited organisation, dedicated to the principles of fairness, equality and excellence in everything we do.
We strive for an environment that is inclusive and celebrates diversity.
Beyond our campuses we imagine an Australia that is ambitious, forward thinking and increasing its reputation and influence globally. We are committed to playing a part in achieving this – building on our advantageous location in one of the world’s most exciting cities and across the state of Victoria, in a region rapidly becoming a hub for innovative education, research and collaboration.
Ee Ling Ng, The University of Melbourne; Deli Chen, The University of Melbourne, and Xia Liang, The University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is the first institution in Australia to have its nitrogen footprint calculated – it’s 139 tonnes per year, mainly because of food production, energy use and transport.
The public broadcaster’s editorial independence must be protected at all costs – from within and without.
Guy Pearce as the Chandleresque private investigator Jack Irish: in the early years of Australian crime fiction, convicts and bushrangers featured prominently.
Lachlan Moore
Australia’s rich tradition of crime fiction is little known – early tales told of bushrangers and convicts, one hero was a mining engineer turned amateur detective – but it reveals a range of national myths and fantasies.
Both humans and animals experience these reflex responses.
Pixabay
The loud noise might be a warning that there is something falling nearby, or flying towards you. Our brain tells our eyes to quickly shut, to help protect them from any damage.
Se ha dicho que los impresionistas eran miopes.
El Boulevard Montmartre de noche, Camille Pissarro/Wikimedia Commons
Las enfermedades y trastornos pueden afectar a nuestra forma de ver. ¿Es posible que las pinturas nos den pistas sobre la capacidad visual de los artistas?
Tourists take a photo of sunrise at Angkor Wat in 2016.
Shutterstock
Public trust in government is declining in democracies around the world, particularly among young people. Democratic reform is needed to re-engage disaffected citizens.
Some fanciful plans were imagined for Melbourne back in the day – some included jet cars.
C.F. Beauvais in the Argus Weekend Magazine, August 28, 1943/Trove
We have forgotten how to be imaginative when planning our cities. Looking back into Melbourne’s planning history, we might be able to find some inspiration to tackle rapid growth in a creative way.
Liberal MP Sarah Henderson, speaking on Q&A.
ABC/Q&A
In addition to the jobs claim, Liberal MP Sarah Henderson said 65,000 new businesses had started in the last year, compared to the closure of 61,000 businesses in Labor’s last year. Is that right?
More than 250,000 people took to the streets in a 2016 protest organised by hardline Muslim groups against Jakarta’s Christian mayor.
Lauren Farrow/AAP
While women’s sleep is affected by children, men’s sleep is affected by work and finance stress. Couples living in more gender equal countries have improved sleep quality.
We’re great at rationalising our own actions, whether it’s profiteering or eating meat.
Mavis Wong
It’s been half a century since Jim Bowler discovered Mungo Lady, which changed the course of Australian history. But now he says the find has fallen off the national radar, leaving a legacy of shame.
With some foul-mouthed words to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator David Leyonhjelm has turned a debate about the safety of women into a sleazy political sideshow.
AAP/Mick Tsikas/Sam Mooy
Many female politicians have had to endure sexist abuse, from Cheryl Kernot to Julia Gillard to Sarah Hanson-Young. And it is not a matter that should simply be brushed aside.
The existence of wormholes is not forbidden by our current theories of the universe. So we can say that they do exist in theory.
Marcella Cheng/The Conversation NY-BD-CC
A wormhole is like a tunnel connecting two places in space. They would be incredibly useful and are great for science-fiction stories.
The problem is we haven’t found any evidence of them existing.
Our cultural discomfort with discussing any sort of loss means women are often met with a wall of silence.
Hermes Rivera
Cliched comments like “it wasn’t meant to be” or “don’t worry, you’ll get pregnant” are hurtful and dismissive. Instead, acknowledge their loss, listen and let them grieve.