Smoking, democracy, plain packaging and the Soviets

Richard P Grant: It's too soon to say whether plain packaging works, and even if it does, it is undemocratic

Double barred: the two reasons I can’t donate blood in Australia

Gary Nunn: I'm British and gay – which forbids me to give blood in Australia. Safety of blood supply is paramount, but to 'defer' gay men is discriminatory and demeaning

Australia is rated best place to live and work for third year running

UK comes 10th in OECD index, behind US and Scandinavian countries but ahead of France and Germany

World’s happiest OECD countries: in full

Australia retains its place as the world's happiest industrialised nation for the third year running – with the UK coming in 10th

George Osborne’s sugar pills won’t heal the pain, but Julia Gillard’s may

Gaby Hinsliff: The placebo effect has its place beyond medicine – as long as those who soothe us do so with our best interests at heart

The Australian cigarette packet that puts you off smoking

Purposefully hideous and utterly unappealing, this future design classic is now up for an award

Cervical cancer vaccine a success, says Lancet report

Australian study of injection to protect against HPV virus reveals drop in high-grade abnormalities among under-18s

One HIV test, but two results

Elizabeth Pisani: The realities of HIV depend on geography. We can't treat our way out of this epidemic

First human trials of swine flu vaccine begin in Australia

Two biotechnology companies start injecting adult volunteers with swine flu vaccine

Australia’s Miss Universe contestant Stephanie Naumoska ‘too thin’

Australia's Miss Universe contest thrown into controversy as doctors label Stephanie Naumoska 'skin and bones'