Opinions by prominent lawyers on the impact of the Mabo High Court decision. reporters Kerry O'Brien and Don Greenlees

Transcript: The Mabo High Court decision was intended to provide land rights for Aboriginal people living a traditional lifestyle, but the case has unleashed a rash of land claims in south-east Australia and claims for compensation. Provided by MICAH, Canberra

Slow-down in predicted economic growth will affect the Government's ability to finance tax cuts promised in the One Nation statement

Transcript: Is One Nation beginning to fall apart with serious political consequences. Provided by MICAH, Canberra

Major constitutional reform is necessary before Australia can become a republic

Transcript. Provided by MICAH, Canberra

Reptiles on the brink: identifying the Australian terrestrial snake and lizard species most at risk of extinction

Australia hosts approximately 10% of the world's reptile species, the largest number of any country. Despite this and evidence of widespread decline, the first comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of Australian terrestrial squamates (snakes and lizards) was undertaken only recently. Here we apply structured expert elicitation to the 60 species assessed to be in the highest IUCN threat categories to estimate their probability of extinction by 2040. We also assessed the probability of successful reintroduction for two Extinct in the Wild (EW) Christmas Island species with trial reintroductions underway. Collation and analysis of expert opinion indicated that six species are at high risk (>50%) of becoming extinct within the next 20 years, and up to 11 species could be lost within this timeframe unless management improves. The consensus among experts was that neither of the EW species were likely to persist outside of small fenced areas without a significant increase in resources for intense threat management. The 20 most imperilled species are all restricted in range, with three occurring only on islands. The others are endemic to a single state, with 55% occurring in Queensland. Invasive species (notably weeds and introduced predators) were the most prevalent threats, followed by agriculture, natural system modifications (primarily fire) and climate change. Increased resourcing and management intervention are urgently needed to avert the impending extinction of Australia's imperilled terrestrial reptiles