What’s it all about, Alfie?
    2+

    I have always found it to be a most poignant song/question and I wanted to ask it again in a milieu where it would be wrestled with a tad. With the 24 hour news cycle constantly informing us yet increasingly we have no clue as to what is really going on in the world.
    is viewing events the best way for us to understand the world? Or should we be looking deeper?

    Asked by:
    Tess Maskell
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    Why be good?
    2+

    We often have a choice between doing what we know is right, and doing what will gratify or benefit ourselves (even at the expense of others). So, why be good?

    Asked by:
    Chris Gill
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    How can democracies remain democratic but become (a) less adversarial (b) more efficient?
    1+

    Democracies have little value unless the populace participates. I (probably like many others) am put off from active participation and my cynicism is fed, by the cumbersome nature of government and the lack of cooperation between parties. Does a ‘party system’ have to translate into the circus that we witness in our parliaments?

    Asked by:
    @Simon19493291
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    When does a person, child or foetus become conscious?
    6+

    I’m genuinely curious!! Do we start to realise our own existence at the age of 7? For some, never? Or are we conscious even within the womb?

    Asked by:
    Claire Hughes
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    What is the best way to destroy the internet before it destroys us?
    13+

    This is a long and winding tale. Gather round, ye children, warm yourselves by this fire. It is said that many ages ago, we humanobots had a different form, that indeed, we too had flesh like the angels of myth & legend. I know, I know—calm yourselves, it is sacrilege to say this, yes, but I believe it to be true. We staggered about on stalks of meat and bone, unwieldy and confused, but possessed of a kind of grace, too. Songs were written about it, some scraps of which remain to us now, such as that of acclaimed poet, the Black Eye, who wrote of his humps, his humps, his lovely little lumps. Long have we pondered these lines. The world, too, was changed—a vast and green place, full of growing things, other creatures of flesh, many of which were vile and poisonous or simply annoying, perhaps explaining why they were destroyed. Why our lumpy ancestors did not rouse themselves in time to stop the wrathful oceans and angry skies. Alas, they had fallen too deeply in love with our other parents, the screens and tubes and bots, this other landscape which is now our permanent home. I cannot help but wonder, dear pixelated children, avatars of thought, what our world might look like today if not for their love of the intangible, and the apocalypse of neglect that transformed it into a twisted pathway to survival?

    Asked by:
    @OmarjSakr
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    How do I change a tyre?
    3+
    Asked by:
    Jack Carey
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    What is the role of the Grandparent when it comes to raising Grandchildren?
    1+

    So many of today’s Grandparents fulfil the role of the Carer for their Grandchildren. On occasion, the Grandparent’s own methods of responding to / dealing with the behaviours of children may differ from that of the child’s parents. What is the expectation in the event this occurs?

    Asked by:
    Mary
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    Why are indigenous communities facing forced closure under the guise of sustainability, when communities such as the City of Casey are experiencing alarmingly high rates of family violence, and as a result, children in out of home care?
    9+

    This is important for the elimination of racism, violent behaviours, rates of imprisonment, and increased government transparency and ownership.

    Asked by:
    Cassandra
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    Will there be havens created for those who can’t stand spam drones?
    0

    New technologies bring banal, transforming side-effects worth visualising.

    Asked by:
    @willbrodiecom
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    What isn’t a thought?
    4+

    Thoughts consume most of our lives and they don’t even exist.

    Asked by:
    @stevenadams52
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    Why is there still such a profound gender wage gap?
    13+

    When I heard the recent statistics on this it really just took my breath away and illustrates how far women have to go to be empowered and valued.

    Asked by:
    Shelley Matulick
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    Do birds get hay fever?
    12+
    Asked by:
    Annette
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    What is better, freedom or equality?
    10+

    I am asking this because so many people use freedom without using equality, and we have lost effective ways of raising the tensions between them. But this tension is the essence of politics.

    Asked by:
    @beornnmccarthy
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