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Articles by Ben Spraggon
What Australia can learn from 165 years of migration data
The story of Australia since colonisation is a story of migration, and the country's immigration system is once more at the centre of heated political debate. But how accurate are claims that immigrants are arriving in record numbers? And is this the biggest shift in the country's population ever? This chart tracks a figure known as "net overseas migration", or NOM for shorthand.
Nepal–Tibet floods in maps, photos and videos
Jessica Riga, Ben Spraggon, Simon Elvery and Matthew Liddy A torrent of floodwater has swept through the Himalayan border region between Nepal and Tibet. At least 160 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing, including 34 Australians. Climate experts believe a glacier avalanche likely caused the flood. The Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said river water levels rose by up to 9 metres in half an hour at the height of the flood.
The mystery of Australia's missing cash
Cash is used for less than one in five transactions, and yet the appetite for new banknotes is only growing. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has been printing billions of dollars' worth of bills, year after year, for decades. It's pretty unusual to come across a $100 note in everyday life, so what are they being used for? There is no shortage of hypotheses, from stacks of cash hidden in suburban households to large-scale illicit activities, but little in the way of definitive answers.
What a fall in house prices would mean for Australians
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What a fall in house prices would mean for Australians
After decades of growth Australian house prices are slowing. Here's what a fall could look like. Property prices are under more scrutiny than ever before. Following a shake-up to negative gearing and the capital gains tax (CGT) discounts, the housing market has stalled and auction clearance rates are down. There's some consternation among investors and home owners about a decrease in property values — and their concerns are backed by the big banks.
Coles has been found to have misled shoppers. These charts show how
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Coles has been found to have misled shoppers. These charts show how
The pricing patterns of these six products help us understand why Coles has been found guilty of using its Down Down marketing campaign to mislead shoppers. The Federal Court has found Coles guilty of misleading shoppers, after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued the supermarket giant for advertising false discounts. The consumer watchdog used 12 sample products to argue its case.
Will the RBA increase interest rates today?
The market thinks the likelihood of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lifting interest rates today is 71 per cent. But economists say to be cautious when looking at market expectations because it has been wrong before, and at some point it will be wrong again. In July last year, the market was 96 per cent confident the RBA was about to cut rates. It was wrong. We consulted four leading economists.
A visual guide to the prices that landed Coles in court
Margaret Burin, Ben Spraggon, Ashley Kyd and Matt Liddy The pricing patterns of these six products help us understand why Coles stands accused of using its Down Down marketing campaign to dupe shoppers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is suing Coles in the Federal Court, claiming the supermarket giant's marketing strategies have deliberately misled shoppers. The consumer watchdog is using 12 sample products to argue its case.
'I am shocked': Unpacking One Nation's spectacular rise in the polls
Pauline Hanson's One Nation has seen the fastest polling rise in modern Australian politics. What is going on? Since the federal election in May last year, One Nation's polling popularity has skyrocketed. For the first time in its 29-year history, One Nation is polling above 20 per cent nationally and is ahead of the combined vote of the Liberal and National parties. People who are paid to obsess over poll data in Australia have never seen anything like it.
Will the RBA increase interest rates tomorrow?
Ahmed Yussuf, Matt Liddy, Ben Spraggon and Ashley Kyd The market thinks the likelihood of the RBA lifting interest rates tomorrow is 72 per cent . [Embed datawrapper] But here's a very important caveat — the market has been wrong before and at some point it will be wrong again. You don't even have to look very far back to find a glaring example. In July last year, the market was 96 per cent confident the RBA was about to cut rates. It was wrong.
Labor's landslide victory obscures a disturbing trend for the major parties
Labor took the glory in last weekend's election, but beneath the surface an ongoing trend in how Australia votes has quietly carried on. The major parties' primary vote has, once again, fallen. In fact, there is a strong chance that the combined independent and minor party vote will beat one of the major parties for the first time in seven decades. On a simple two-sided political axis, most seats swung left towards Labor last Saturday.
Over five decades, here's how voters have shifted away from the major parties
This triangle is going to help us explain how Australian politics has fundamentally changed. Like typical triangles, it has three sides, and three corners. But this one has special meaning — each corner represents different electoral groups. In the bottom left, Labor. In the bottom right, the Coalition. And at the top, every other party and independent. We're going to plot electorates on this triangle, according to how the people in them vote.
Track rainfall and windspeed as ex-Cyclone Alfred hits Queensland and NSW
New South Wales and Queensland are still feeling the effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, with emergency alerts and flood watches issued throughout the night. Parts of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales have been lashed by driving rain, sparking flash flooding, as the system moves further inland.
Track wind speed and rainfall as ex-Cyclone Alfred hits Queensland and NSW
Strong winds have lashed south-east Queensland as ex-Cyclone Alfred made landfall over the mainland last night. As the system weakened, much of the focus had turned to the expected high rainfall totals and fears for life-threatening flash flooding, meaning many residents were surprised to see powerful winds smashing the suburbs of Brisbane. Even more homes are now without power, with more than 320,000 Queensland customers impacted on Sunday morning, and another 16,000 in northern NSW.
Track Cyclone Alfred wind speeds and rain totals in Brisbane, SE Queensland and NSW
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As Cyclone Alfred threatens to make landfall, destructive wind gusts above 100kph and heavy rain are forecast for the cyclone warning zone. We're tracking wind speeds and how much rain has fallen at key weather stations in Queensland and New South Wales throughout the day and night — refresh to see updates. Wind speeds shown are maximum gusts reported by the Bureau of Meteorology and are updated regularly. Locations are listed from north to south.
By Simon Elvery Verified, Ben Spraggon, Julian Fell, Margaret Burin Verified, Matthew Liddy Verified
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
Cyclone Alfred wind speeds: Track Queensland and NSW gusts as system crosses coast
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As Cyclone Alfred begins to batter the south-east Queensland coast and across the border into New South Wales, it's forecast to create destructive wind gusts above 100kph. We're tracking wind speeds from key weather stations throughout the day and night — refresh to see updates. Speeds shown are maximum gusts reported by the Bureau of Meteorology and are updated regularly. Labels show the highest and latest points on each chart.
By Simon Elvery Verified, Ben Spraggon, Julian Fell, Margaret Burin Verified, Matthew Liddy Verified
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
See how Trump's election wins (and loss) compare
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Donald Trump has won the US presidential election twice, and lost once. Take a look at how his results compare. When Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, he called this his "beautiful map". He also called the result a “massive landslide”. That wasn’t true. However, he did win comprehensively by 306 votes to 232 in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote to Clinton.
By Ben Spraggon, Ashley Kyd, Georgina Piper, Matthew Liddy Verified, Cristen Tilley Verified, Julian Fell
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
How Donald Trump won the US election
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Donald Trump has flipped the US election map, winning a return to the White House. Here's how. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris started election day needing to win 270 Electoral College votes to become president. Each of those votes is a hexagon on this map. Even before the polls opened, analysts rated 23 states as almost certain wins for Trump, with Texas and Florida also considered likely to go his way.
By Ben Spraggon, Ashley Kyd, Georgina Piper, Matthew Liddy Verified, Cristen Tilley Verified, Julian Fell, Elissa Steedman
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
Here's where the US election will be won and lost
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The stakes are high as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off in the race to the White House. Here's where the race will be decided. To secure the presidency, Kamala Harris or Donald Trump needs to win the majority of votes in the US electoral college. There are 538 electoral college votes, so whoever reaches 270 wins.
By Elissa Steedman, Ben Spraggon, Georgina Piper, Ashley Kyd, Matthew Liddy Verified, Cristen Tilley Verified
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
Donald Trump doesn't need the popular vote to win the election
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Donald Trump has run for US president twice already, and both times he was the loser in terms of sheer number of votes across the country. The reason he became president in 2016, despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, is because the election winner is actually determined through a system called the Electoral College. In the 2024 race, national polls show Trump in a neck-and-neck race with Kamala Harris. Either one could take out a majority of votes nationwide.
By Elissa Steedman, Ben Spraggon, Cristen Tilley Verified, Matthew Liddy Verified, Ashley Kyd, Georgina Piper
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
ABC winners at 2024 Australian IT Journalism Awards
The awards acknowledge the most outstanding journalists and outlets covering technology in Australia each year. The ABC won the prestigious gold Lizzie for Best Title. Recognising the collective sum of the ABC’s award-winning and nominated content across all categories, the award was a shared honour between ABC News Story Lab and ABC Radio.
ABC winners at The Lizzies
Congratulations to the ABC winners and nominees at the 2024 Australian IT Journalism Awards. Affectionately known as The Lizzies, they acknowledge the most outstanding journalists and outlets covering technology in Australia each year. The ABC won the prestigious gold Lizzie for Best Title. Recognising the collective sum of the ABC’s award-winning and nominated content across all categories, the award was a shared honour between ABC News Story Lab and ABC Radio.
Beyond No, here’s what we know about the Voice results
/ Posted 6 minutes ago, updated 5 minutes ago Australians in all six states have said a resounding No to a Voice to Parliament, sinking a years-long campaign for Indigenous constitutional recognition. For Yes campaigners, the picture is stark. There's still more counting to do, but only the ACT will return a vote for Yes. But these maps alone aren't enough to tell us the full story of how the country voted. Let's dig deeper and see what more we can reveal.
How a referendum works - and what it means for the Voice
/ Posted 3 minutes ago Just one day out from the first referendum in 24 years, plenty of people are still yet to decide how they're going to vote on the Voice. For more than a third of Australian voters, it will be the first time they've taken part in a referendum, and it's exposing all of us to an arcane yet vital part of Australia — our constitution. Let's look at how a referendum actually works.
A deeper look at housing stress reveals who's hurting and who's not Original
/ Posted 6 minutes ago If it feels like we're in uncharted territory when it comes to keeping a roof over your head, you're right. Housing costs are the highest on record, and a closer look reveals who is being hit hard and who is unscathed. This chart shows the average cost of housing as a percentage of disposable income the household has to spend. Thinking about housing costs this way is useful for understanding the financial stresses associated with the cost of keeping a roof over your head.
See your identity pieced together from stolen data
See your identity pieced together from stolen data 'Be warned: It might feel a little creepy.'
Find out what data is available about you online — but be warned, it might feel a little creepy
/ Posted Wednesday 17 May 2023 at 6:55pm, updated Thursday 18 May 2023 at 1:08am Have you ever wondered how much of your personal information is available online? Here's your chance to find out. We've all heard about high-profile data breaches at places like Optus and Medibank, but there are thousands more of them that we don't hear about. That's why Australian online security expert Troy Hunt created Have I Been Pwned?
This square is the average Australian salary – see how it compares to the size of planned tax cuts
Do you understand their true scale? Most people would love to pay less tax. Lower taxes means more money in our pockets to spend how we choose. However, there are two sides to every coin — each dollar not collected through taxes is a dollar of lost revenue for the government. That means less money to spend on services, infrastructure, and all the other things we rely on as a society.
How to wrench open the black box of algorithms that decide our fate
There is a decision being made about you in this box. But you're not allowed to look inside — and even if you could, it wouldn't tell you much. There are countless black boxes, just like this one, making decisions about your online and offline lives. Some of them are pretty benign, like recommending what movie you should watch next. But others decide the news you see, who you go on a date with and how much money you can borrow.
What's your personal rate of inflation?
While inflation has officially reached 7.3 per cent for the year, prices aren’t rising at the same rate across the board. This is why something called a personal inflation rate – that is, how quickly prices are going up for the things you actually buy – can tell you how much you're really being stung. By answering a few simple questions about your lifestyle, we can estimate yours, and show you which parts of your budget are being hit the hardest.
The true power of the royals is in the faces of the crowd
This is the moment King Charles III and his family followed his mother's coffin into Westminster Hall. The moment was carefully stage-managed, steeped in history, and draped in regalia. But what gave it weight sat behind the barriers. Strip away the crowds and try to imagine what it would be like. Would the moment have the same meaning without them? Like theatre, if there's no audience then the performance — and the performers — lose their power.
Examining census data visually allows you to see Australia in relatable detail
The census is Australia's biggest survey. Every five years it attempts to question every household across the country to create a big data snapshot of the nation. There's a lot it can tell us about Australia's 25,422,788 people. And there's a lot it can tell us about how we're changing. On this little map of Australia there are 100 dots, each representing 1 per cent of the population. It looks pretty different when we redistribute the dots into the states where everyone lives.
These two dots looked like anomalies — they were an election warning sign
Climate change. Women. Chinese Australians. Dislike of Scott Morrison. Rage. Despair. Community. A desire for greater political integrity. The loss of Liberal values. Bedwetters. When it comes to explanations for the election result, we've heard it all. Like, really. Everything. But is there any data that can help us unpick what happened? Well, our secret ballot voting system means we can’t figure out how individuals or specific groups of people voted.
How dung beetles, a tiny molecule and a giant extension cord could help solve our climate mess
In Australia, we've spent the last 14 years watching our politicians knock each other off over it. And while we've come to the party on net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, our 2030 targets — which are the ones that really matter — still fall far below what's needed to keep temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
Who does the most around your home? Now you can calculate it
Imagine if you were to outsource all the hours you spend working in the home. What is your time "off the clock" really worth? Who's doing the most unpaid labour? The people doing the most unpaid work are married women with dependent children, according to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey — taken prior to the pandemic.
Take a look at the thousands you're missing out on through 'invisible work'
Imagine if you were to outsource all the hours you spend working in the home. What is your time "off the clock" really worth? Who's doing the most unpaid labour? The people doing the most unpaid work are married women with dependent children, according to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey — taken prior to the pandemic.
Inside the 'secret underground lair' where scientists are searching the galaxies
Imagine an ancient particle zooming through space after the explosion of a star. This is a neutrino. It's been hurtling through space for billions of years, emanating from a massive dying star — a supernova — eight times bigger than our Sun. We wouldn't exist without supernovas — they contain the building blocks of life. So by learning about neutrinos, we can explore our own origins.
Could we cure coronavirus?
In the quest to find life-saving COVID-19 treatments, scientists are trying everything from using the blood of coronavirus survivors to recycling old HIV drugs. What's working — and how? On March 16, 50-year-old Damian Fawkner cancelled his regular blood donation to the Red Cross because he wasn't feeling well. Within two days, he couldn't get out of bed. "I woke up and just felt like my bones were being squeezed and my muscles were being squeezed," he says. "It was just an ache all over my body.
Damian got coronavirus. Now he's part of the quest to outwit it Original
By Catherine Hanrahan, Ben Spraggon, Josh Byrd and Annika Blau Posted August 06, 2020 04:59:22 In the quest to find life-saving COVID-19 treatments, scientists are trying everything from using the blood of coronavirus survivors to recycling old HIV drugs. What's working — and how? On March 16, 50-year-old Damian Fawkner cancelled his regular blood donation to the Red Cross because he wasn't feeling well. Within two days, he couldn't get out of bed.
The 'silver bullet' for coronavirus might one day cure cancer. So how does it work? Original
By Annika Blau, Ben Spraggon, Joshua Byrd and Catherine Hanrahan Updated June 22, 2020 16:44:11 The old-school, the slow and the silver bullet: three options for a vaccine to free the world. Dr Ross Jennens has devoted his career to saving lives — and now he's on the coronavirus frontline. But not in the way you might expect. Dr Jennens has put his hand up, or rather his arm, and become one of the first people in the world to receive a vaccine that could protect him from coronavirus.
Coronavirus numbers worldwide tracked: How COVID-19 is spreading around the globe
Coronavirus cases are still soaring around the world. These charts will help you understand what is going on. Statistics are central to the coronavirus story. Every day, we hear new numbers of cases and deaths, but what do they actually mean? Firstly, it's vitally important to understand what data we have and its limitations. The main thing we know for certain is that the numbers we're seeing are incomplete.
Coronavirus numbers worldwide tracked: How COVID-19 is spreading around the globe
Coronavirus cases are still soaring around the world. These charts will help you understand what is going on. Statistics are central to the coronavirus story. Every day, we hear new numbers of cases and deaths, but what do they actually mean? Firstly, it's vitally important to understand what data we have and its limitations. The main thing we know for certain is that the numbers we're seeing are incomplete.
One coronavirus number will let us know if Australia's outbreak is getting worse
The vast array of data on the coronavirus pandemic can feel overwhelming, as we all try to make sense of how fast COVID-19 is spreading around the world and the relentless daily count of new cases and deaths. Helpfully, there's one number that can tell us quickly and clearly whether the coronavirus outbreak is getting better or worse. It's called the growth factor. The main thing to understand is this — to be sure we're staying on top of the outbreak, we must keep this number below one.
One coronavirus number will let us know if Australia's outbreak is getting worse
By Simon Elvery, Ben Spraggon and Matt Martino Updated November 16, 2021 10:03:46 With new daily coronavirus infections approaching the highest seen in Australia, the confidence many were starting to feel has been crushed by the outbreak in Victoria and growing clusters in NSW. So with things changing quickly, is there a good way to track how Australia is doing that isn't so overwhelming?
Coronavirus data shows which countries have it under control. What did they do right?
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/ Posted Wednesday 25 Mar 2020 at 7:07pm, updated Sunday 26 Apr 2020 at 3:32am See how coronavirus is spreading around the world — and what lessons we can take from the countries beating the virus. Just two weeks ago coronavirus was an issue at the edges of the Australian consciousness. Now the globe is in crisis and the country is shell-shocked. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has now reached more than 2.8 million known cases, spread to 185 countries, and caused more than 200,000 deaths.
By Tim Leslie Verified, Colin Gourlay, Joshua Byrd, Catherine Hanrahan Verified, Simon Elvery Verified, Ben Spraggon, Matthew Liddy Verified
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ABC News (Australia)
Verified
It's microscopic in size, but you can see the impact of coronavirus from space
By Matt Liddy, Josh Byrd and Ben Spraggon Posted March 06, 2020 14:44:13 The new virus that causes coronavirus disease COVID-19 is microscopic in size and easily transmitted within a tiny respiratory droplet — but its impact has been global. In fact, some of its effects are already visible from space. Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows the global impact of coronavirus — in China, Japan, Iran and more — as usually crowded public spaces are left deserted.
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