BONUS: Anne Hollonds on the uphill battle to get governments to act

After 5 years as the National Children's Commissioner, Anne Hollonds has been a first-hand witness to the slow pace of change in politics, even when it's a matter of keeping young Australians safe. While the social media ban for under-16s suggests there is the ability to move quickly, it seems pret…

A look at the year ahead

Goodbye to 2025

BONUS: Dr. Niranjike Wijesooriya Gunarathne debunking some of the myths around net-zero

Climate change, energy policy and net-zero targets became a key feature of the post-election political debate as the Opposition sought to rebrand itself. It sparked hours of internal meetings for the Liberal party, but also provided a unique opportunity for climate activists and a chance for expert…

Banned but not safe: what now for the youth of Australia?

D-day for the under-16s social media ban has come and gone to much fanfare. The national push to let 'kids be kids' and get them off social media has been well spoken about for over a year. But a few days in and it seems nothing much has changed. Will the government use this momentum it has created…

Wrapped up in Spotify: the impact of music streaming on local artists

As all eyes turn to users of music streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music, questions of ethics and supporting artists cannot be ignored. We speak to those in community broadcasting to find an alternative to the well-engrained culture of streaming and an artist who hopes others wi…

How do we address the domestic and family violence crisis?

Recent years of domestic violence advocacy and protest have fallen from prominence as rates of fatalities decrease. But away from the east coast policy is changing and organisations are pushing to keep the momentum going. South Australia established the only Royal Commission into family, domestic a…

The net-zero debate moves on as the Coalition leaves it behind

You could easily be forgiven for thinking the state of climate policy was a bit dire in Australia after weeks and months of speculation over the Coalition's eventual decision to dump net-zero targets. Despite all that, it appears emissions will continue to go down as state and territory Liberal par…

What is there to learn from the dismissal of Gough Whitlam?

50 years on from the Whitlam dismissal fewer and fewer people can recall exactly what happened and why it was such a critical moment in Australian political history. It's a story of holding up democracy, the human impact of politics, and something we should all remember so it isn't repeated it in t…

Fighting for fresh air in the Upper-Hunter valley

Shouldn’t we all have a right to clean air? It’s a question being asked by some in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Air quality monitors sit amongst the vast scale open cast coal mining, but are they adequate, and are they really protecting locals' lungs in an area where a medical trial …