The Nation Reviewed

the nation reviewed LATEST

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

Mars attracts

Reviving the Viking mission’s experiments may yet find life as we know it on Mars, but the best outcome would be something truly alien

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

Indigenous rights

Truth after the Voice

The lost opportunity of the Voice referendum revealed Australians’ poor understanding of the Constitution, and the level of racism in the community

Image of Treasurer Jim Chalmers standing at lectern at Parliament House, October 25, 2023, taken from side stage

Federal politics

What kind of year has it been?

Was 2023 – beyond the referendum calamity – a year of government timidity or a demonstration of its ability to keep the national conversation on course?

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

Fashion

Strong suit

A visit to a master tailor in Albury was like a step back in time, and decades later the resulting suit is still good for all occasions

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

The seat of our plants

An environmental lawyer turned activist is installing street furniture in inner-suburban Sydney that discreetly turns food waste into compost

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

Fighting fire with fire

Early dry-season burning by Indigenous rangers in the Northern Territory is reducing the risk and severity of wildfires

Empty seats with No campaign placards on them in an event venue in Melbourne, September 15, 2023,

True colours

What the outcome of the Voice referendum suggests about the future of reconciliation, and what it says about the national character

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

The embolden age of Hollywood

The writers strike in America brought often solitary artists onto the streets to come together to protect their livelihoods

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

Read the roo

As Qantas flounders and the Australia Council drops its instantly recognisable kangaroo logo, what is the status of the erstwhile national symbol?

Illustration by Jeff Fisher

Ant music

Underestimating the economic value of arts labour reminds of the Aesop fable ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’