“In Bloom” at the MCA Sydney is a living sculpture that invites consideration of the often uneasy relationship between nature and industrial ‘progress’. Here, 11 bronze-cast car tyres are stacked in a seemingly random arrangement to form a planter. Following previous iterations in Aotearoa New Zealand, this is the first presentation of In Bloom in Australia. The artist has collaborated with La Perouse-based Aboriginal-owned social enterprise and native plant nursery IndigiGrow. Together, they have made a selection of critically endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub species, found in the sandy coastal stretches of Dharawal, Bidjigal and Gadigal Country in Sydney. stevecarr.co.nz

Habeas is an emerging Australian legal tech startup that offers a suite of AI tools for researching case law, accessing key legal insights and synthesising information quickly and reliably. Some of the tools available include a ‘semantic search engine’ (which retrieves and summarises relevant case law, allowing for cross-search and extraction of key information from publicly accessible legal databases); ‘Web Chat’ functionalities that allow lawyers to get immediate answers to complex queries; and a ‘Report Generator’ tools which allows lawyers to generate detailed legal research reports. To learn more, head to https://www.habeas.ai/

Tibber is the world's first fully digital energy company selling wholesale renewable energy to customers. They can also connect all your smart devices and automatically optimise your energy consumption for you. You can also control your consumption yourself via the app, whilst receiving real-time and forecasted wholesale pricing information. Perhaps most interestingly, Tibber is an energy company that wants you to reduce the amount of energy you consume - ideally by at least 20% - why? Because the "greenest energy is the energy you don't use". 

The race continues to find more abundant, more sustainable, safer and better performing alternatives to lithium. This article discusses some of the more surprising ones being researched - from cotton to lignin to melon seed shells!https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231108-batteries-of-the-future-how-cotton-and-seawater-might-power-our-devices

2023 has again demonstrated the challenges of amending Australia’s constitution and managing the nation’s finances through the unresolved issues stemming from the Federation in 1901.   Our political leaders have demonstrated their inability to address complex issues within the context of modern-day politics, and they need more vision and statecraft to build consensus within the community for sorely needed change.   A constitutional convention that includes everyday people – not just politicians, insiders, academics and elites – would be an excellent process for building a better future for all Australians.