It’s December! That means there’s a long hot summer of celebrations and music festivals ahead. Australia21 has done a lot of research into the use of alcohol and other drugs and the evidence is clear: preventing and reducing harm is far more important than punishing people for their mistakes. So here are a few tips for getting through without too much damage.

“We, as former Australians of the Year, representing the hearts and minds of the nation, are deeply concerned about the health and human disaster that is unfolding on Manus Island.”

The Science of Mindful Cooperation: The Mindful Futures Network is joined by Organisational Psychologist Dr Paul Atkins, a member of the international design team implementing PROSOCIAL, an evidence-based approach for improving the efficacy of groups that are trying to work together to achieve common goals.

Australia21 is calling on the Federal Government to end the human rights crisis among the refugees and asylum seekers our nation has confined to Manus Island, instead honouring our international obligation to protect them. We’re also urging ordinary Australians to voice their concerns.

As Victoria’s Upper House begins to debate the Assisted Dying bill passed by Lower House MPs, Australia21 is calling on those who will vote to set aside emotion and examine the evidence supporting change.

The first school to adopt ‘Smarter About Drugs: A conversation pack’ has integrated it into VCE Global Politics. Download it now and get students talking!

Forget the RET and the CET, now we’ve got the NEG. Confused? There’s a lot to digest in the Turnbull government’s new energy policy, so it’s not surprising a lot of people are suffering from metaphorical reflux. Is the National Energy Target a genuine attempt at improvement, or a political stunt? It depends who you ask, of course. So we’ve distilled the commentary and provided our own take on the plan, to help you out.

Mindfulness research can suffer from poor methodology, with subjective evaluation. The Mindful Futures Network is helping to map the best tests and measures of effectiveness in Australia.