AU Edition - Today's top story: Many Australians are overqualified for their jobs – which comes at a price, new data shows September 24, 2026 AU Edition   Every year since 2001, the Melbourne Institute has tracked the same group of about 17,000 Australians – one of the largest surveys in the nation – to capture insights about their employment, education, health and wellbeing. Today, the survey – known by its acronym HILDA – reveals how the lives of Australians have changed over time. We’re more likely to be in housing stress, especially if we’re renting, while half of young adults up to the age of 29 are still living at home. Our chart wrap-up examines these housing trends and others including the incidence of cybercrime and the strength of long-term partner relationships. In our lead article, senior research fellow Inga Lass reveals that almost half of Australians believe they have more education than their job requires, often leading to boredom or a decline in wellbeing. That’s not good news for a government that has been on a mission to get more Australians into higher education.   Victoria Thieberger Business and Economics Editor   Today's newsletter supported by Belvoir St Theatre   Many Australians are overqualified for their jobs – which comes at a price, new data shows Inga Lass, The University of Melbourne Almost 50% of workers in the latest HILDA survey feel overeducated – which can make people more likely to feel bored at work, underpaid or more likely to quit. Housing stress is on the rise: 7 essential charts from this year’s HILDA survey Roger Wilkins, The University of Melbourne; Ferdi Botha, The University of Melbourne; Inga Lass, The University of Melbourne; Kyle Peyton, The University of Melbourne The high cost of housing is also keeping half of young adults up to age 29 living with their parents. As Australia’s rock ‘n’ roll outlaw, Angry Anderson embodied the appeal and limitations of Oz Rock Charlotte Markowitsch, RMIT University One of Australian rock’s most recognisable vocalists, Angry Anderson has died at 79. Trump has banned more media and started his own TV channel. In the process, he risks further eroding American democracy Matthew Ricketson, Deakin University Amid the outrage over Trump’s latest ban, it’s important to remember why good journalism is vital to democracy. View from The Hill: behind the cheesy smiles, Albanese and Trump couldn’t be further apart on AI and social media controls Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra With Albanese in New York, the US embassy in Canberra – which now has its Trump man in residence – attacked the government’s Digital Duty of Care plans. The UN is facing a crisis of trust and possible bankruptcy. Its new leader will have an enormous challenge Erika Feller, The University of Melbourne Rules of war are being shredded by combatants with virtually no accountability. It’s one of several key issues for the UN’s new leader to tackle. Unis and schools are moving away from AI-detection software. They should stop using it altogether Mark A. Bassett, Charles Sturt University Artificial Intelligence detection tools can sometimes create more problems for teachers and students than they fix. Personal locator beacons save lives. But they can’t make hiking safe Samantha Murdy, Australian Catholic University Personal locator beacons can save lives – but they must be coupled with education. Politics + Society Western Australia is experiencing a child safety crisis. Here’s what would help Jacynta Krakouer, Adelaide University ; Renna Gayde, Adelaide University Media has reported up to 15 children have been living unattended in a squalid house in WA’s Pilbara. While the danger didn’t start overnight, the fixes can. WA Police’s facial recognition trial delivered strong results. But was it an ethical success? Adam Andreotta, Curtin University WA’s live facial recognition technology was deemed successful. But what happens when it fails, and who bears the burden when it does? Danielle Wood’s blunt message to politicians: don’t undermine public trust by attacking institutions Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood has warned governments not to undermine public trust by “playing politics with our institutions”. Rape myths shape how we respond to sexual violence. What are they and what impact do they have? Jane Gilmore, Monash University The NSW government is moving to curb rape myths in trials to reduce the impact on victim-survivors and increase the likelihood of justice being done. What we learnt on the first day of Victoria’s Big Build royal commission William Partlett, The University of Melbourne Wednesday’s opening hearing was short and technical. But the commission signalled it is willing to act fast and extend its inquiry to the very top. Where should NZ stand on global AI risk? 3 principles to guide a stronger strategy Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato New Zealand has so far not joined other countries calling for tougher control of potentially dangerous AI development. Health + Medicine CMV infection can pass from mother to baby during pregnancy. Here’s how to prevent it Hayley Smithers-Sheedy, University of Sydney; Lisa Hui, The University of Melbourne Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, can pass from mother to baby in pregnancy and cause hearing loss, cerebral palsy or other lifelong disabilities. But it can be prevented. We asked people with dementia about voluntary assisted dying. Here’s what they said Adrienne Matthys, Charles Sturt University New research shares the stories of Australians with dementia who want a choice in how they live and die. Fit, thin, curvy and toned: the contradictory body ideals young NZ women face online Francesca Kurghan, University of Waikato; Holly Thorpe, University of Waikato We asked 200 young New Zealand women about the body ideals they encountered online. Here’s what they said. Education Why do politicians often want to change the school curriculum? What happens when you do? Emily Ross, The University of Queensland While curriculum reform is relatively easy to announce, changing what happens in classrooms is much harder. Environment + Energy The dingo debate is heating up. How we manage these animals will determine their future Niraj Meisuria, University of Sydney; Rhys Cairncross, University of Sydney; Thomas Newsome, University of Sydney A push is underway to better protect dingoes in NSW national parks. This inquiry will grapple with how to balance conservation and farmer concerns. Science + Technology Earth’s tides are shaped by more than the Moon. And they’re changing as the planet warms Luwei Yang, Australian National University; Callum Shakespeare, Australian National University For coastal communities, understanding how tides are changing is increasingly important. Worried about your car being hacked? You should be – no matter where it was made Dennis B. Desmond, University of the Sunshine Coast Connected vehicles can be hacked, posing risks for safety and privacy. In a culture obsessed with staying young, we ignore the many benefits of ageing Olivia Maurice, Western Sydney University; University of Sydney Ageing isn’t all downhill – science shows we gain more than wrinkles. Arts + Culture The Elevator is a smart commentary on corporate culture and a thrilling piece of theatre Charlotte Farrell, UNSW Female employees of a tech company get stuck in an elevator in Eloise Snape’s timely play about AI, corporate culture and the patriarchy. Coyote vs. Acme follows a 100-year-old tradition of placing animated characters in our ‘real’ world Ruth Richards, RMIT University Films using a mixture of animated and live-action elements have been around since the earliest days of animated cinema. Books + Ideas How has evolution shaped men’s and women’s minds? A new book tells an outdated story Cordelia Fine, The University of Melbourne Psychologist Steve Stewart-Williams’ third book about evolutionary psychology is A Billion Years of Sex Differences: How Evolution Shaped the Minds of Men and Women. Your Say The article ‘More than 2 million Indigenous people lived in Australia in 1788’, brought to mind an occasion around 2009 when I was working as an educational advisor in Qatar. Being male, I was only allowed into boys' schools. Many of the boys had friends and relatives in Palestine. During one of Israel's 'freedom' pushes there was an international media blackout, but the boys received cellphone photos from their friends. The art teacher suggested they use these images for drawings and paintings. It looks hauntingly similar to the picture in the article about the pre-European population of Australia showing 'police' work from 1897. — Frank Gibson Read the article Thank you for your article headlined ‘Australia is responding to domestic violence after the event, not preventing it from happening’. Financial stressors are often a huge factor in couples' arguments and the financial crisis in many families definitely must have an impact on the increase of DV. With this in mind, I can only see more cases and no amount of DV prevention programs by the government will change the statistics unless inflation decreases, helping to ease financial stress. This is a serious situation for more and more people and needs to be dealt with, by action not words! — Rosemary Wiggins Read the article   We'd love to hear from you. Each day we publish an edited selection of your views on our stories.