This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and milestones from Australia — covering advances in conservation, public health, Indigenous rights, clean energy, and more. Each entry highlights progress worth knowing about.
The Australian state’s new laws — which take effect in January 2023 — allow people 18 and older who are expected to die within 12 months, and who meet strict eligibility criteria, to seek medical assistance to end their lives.
The population of Australia’s largest wombat species dipped to as low as 35 in the 1980s. Since then, with the help of predator fencing, habitat management, and more, the population has grown to more than 300.
Australia solar power just pulled off something historic: for a few minutes after noon on a sunny August Sunday, panels across the country generated 9,427 megawatts — edging past coal for the first time since the national electricity market began two decades ago. South Australia ran entirely on wind and sun during the window, and Victoria produced more renewable electricity than the whole state could use. Researchers credit a sweet spot of clear skies, mild temperatures, and low weekend demand, but the deeper story is a grid quietly tilting toward clean power. Brief as it was, the moment hints at what’s becoming normal — and what’s possible for energy transitions everywhere.
The Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac, and National Australia Bank are closing their books on fossil fuel financing in response to shareholder pressure.
The two parks will be established around Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean to the northwest of continental Australia. The new parks cover 740,000 square kilometers (286,000 square miles) of ocean.
Australian scientists have developed and validated a world-first test that is claimed to accurately measure levels of a brain protein known to be associated with depression and bipolar disorder.
The state of South Australia for a short period earlier in October met 100 percent of its energy needs from solar power – a world-first for a jurisdiction of its size.
The solar farm, which is three times larger than the world’s current largest solar farm in northern China, is also expected to provide thousands of jobs related to construction and hundreds of jobs once construction is done.
The team from Australia’s Flinders University has developed a breath test that can detect exhaled breath profiles associated with head and neck cancers, with the tool demonstrating a high degree of accuracy in early trials.
If only 10% of global cattle herds consumed the supplement, created by FutureFeed Ltd, it would be the same as taking 50 million cars off the roadways.
