Explainers

VIDEOExplainers

World map more than meets the eye

Australia will now look bigger on the world map after the UN voted to change the way the Earth is projected into map form. Let’s take a look at maps and how they shape our world view

VIDEONews

Next stop Hollywood

Got a great story you want to tell? Trop Jr is back and looking for the best short films by kids from around the country. Don’t miss top tips from past winners – UPDATED

Money

HECS debt deadweight for grads

Burdened by HECS debt, today’s university graduates find their dreams of financial freedom chained to a huge debt ball right at the beginning of their adult careers, says cartoonist Mark Knight

Space

Meteors puts on cosmic show

This year’s Eta Aquariid meteor shower is set to be extra special as Jupiter sends the space dust left by Halley’s comet in a closer direction to Earth – and Australia is in a prime position to see it

Health

New clue into left-handedness

There could be a genetic reason some people are left-handed, with a new study finding that a rare variant is present in more than twice as many lefties as right-handed folk

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EXPLAINERArts

Rams’ FIFO plan a fizzer

Ahead of Friday’s NFL season opener at the MCG, cartoonist Mark Knight imagined the LA Rams’ fly in-fly out gamble as a military-style operation  but the San Fran 49ers won the battle

Animals

Staying safe this swooping season

Spring means swooping but one Aussie man says he has a quirky technique that not only prevents the dreaded magpie swoop, but builds a connection with our feathered friends. How does he do it?

EXPLAINERArts

Beacon of hope after flood tragedy

Religious pilgrims visiting one of the world’s holiest mountains were among those who lost their lives after the glacier collapsed at the Nepal-Tibet border, inspiring Mark Knight’s symbolic tribute

Society and Culture

Runaway train halted, or is it?

Mark Knight draws new Victorian premier Ben Carroll’s move to lower cost blowouts in the long-awaited Suburban Rail Loop as a battle of heroic proportions – but who will be the victor?

EXPLAINEREnvironment

Why landslides lead to flash floods

What caused the devastating flash-flooding event in the Himalayan border region of Nepal and Tibet, why did the mountainous terrain make matters worse – and do experts think climate change played a part? RED LEVEL (YRS 7-12)

Animals

Penguin parade turned vax queue

Phillip Island’s little penguin colony is famous for its nightly sea to the sand parade but National Science Week saw the world’s largest wildlife vaccination program begin, inspiring Knight’s toon

Explainers

Why gambling is a problem

The government has introduced new reforms aimed at protecting young Australians from gambling but many say the laws don’t go nearly far enough. But why is gambling such a huge problem?

Sport

Clubs on fine line for head knocks

Concussions in sport are under growing scrutiny and Geelong Football Club’s ‘secret deal’ to waive responsibility for a player’s concussions doesn’t pass the test, says cartoonist Mark Knight

Explainers

Why Colombian builds didn’t hold

Building standards of earthquake-prone Colombia helps explain why this week’s event caused such devastation, researchers have said. Find out which countries have quake safety by design

Arts

Will Vic hear Hanson’s siren song?

Ancient Greek mythology and modern Australian politics collide in cartoonist Mark Knight’s take on Pauline Hanson’s One Nation looking to lure Victorian voters away after 12 years of Labor

Explainers

What can be done to fight bird flu?

With the potentially devastating H5N1 strain of bird flu infecting resident Australian birds and threatening countless native species, experts say there are multiple ways to minimise the impact

Explainers

Be counted in the 2026 Census

The national Census is being held on August 11, marking a chance for our nation to be counted in all its diversity. Here’s what your family needs to know ahead of Census night

Arts

Labor’s Ben Carroll gets top job in Victoria

Bad polling as the most unpopular state premier of all time saw Jacinta Allan replaced by Ben Carroll as the new Vic premier as cartoonist Mark Knight wonders about the state’s returns policy

Explainers

All Oz phones to siren in test alert

A 10 second siren will sound on all smartphones, tablets and other 4G and 5G compatible devices in Australia at 2pm AEST on July 27. Here’s what your family needs to do when that happens

Arts

Is Albo strong enough to battle AI?

Cartoonist Mark Knight asks if Albo’s proposed new regulations are enough to fight big tech and AI to protect Australia’s creatives