Last year 40,000 rough sleepers were moved into temporary housing. Governments announced spending to fund social housing and there were hopes many, if not most, of these people would eventually move into their own homes. What is happening to now? As it turns out, the news is not all good.
Collingwood’s leaked report on racism within the club came as no surprise. And if it weren’t for Eddie McGuire’s attempt at spinning its findings, it wouldn’t have been getting this much airtime. The discussion on racism in Australia takes centre stage once again. And that’s a good thing.
The push to lift the age of criminal responsibility for children from 10 to 14 years may have failed last year but the world is watching. At a recent UN gathering, 30 countries condemned the Australian government over high rates of child incarceration. They are demanding change.
It would have been easy to miss the news that the government is quietly releasing refugees from detention. A third group of refugees, including one woman, brought to Australia under now-repealed Medevac laws has just been released. We take a look at what’s been happening – and why.
Coverage of the pandemic dominated world headlines in 2020. But did you know that the launch of PlayStation 5 received 26 times more news attention than 10 humanitarian crises combined? Over 230 million people are in desperate need of help but you most likely never heard about it.
Like Trump claiming yet again he won’t vacate the White House, 2020 is throwing another temper tantrum. And while we may hear in the next few days that’s all it is – a small(ish) outbreak exclusive to the Northern Beaches – we are back to where we started in March. At home.
The transition to going cash-free was supercharged this year. “An ATM machine,” we eye-roll, “who even bothers?” But what if spare change was your main source of income? Charities, buskers and beggars angling for gold-coin donations are now missing out on vital support.
Before you throw a few Christmas-themed boxes of chocolates in your shopping trolley, consider this: 20 years ago, the world’s major chocolate producers pledged to stamp out child exploitation. Today, two million kids in West Africa still work in slave-like conditions. Here’s what brands to get behind this Christmas.
Asylum seekers are held in detention for longer than ever before and far longer than any comparable country. While Australia gets ready for a Christmas out of lockdown, Kopika and Tharunicaa will be facing the festivities in detention – ironically, on Christmas Island.
More women in Australia are going to prison than ever before. Over the past 10 years, there’s been a 75% increase in incarceration rates. Are women suddenly committing more serious crimes or have laws and policing practices changed so that minor crimes are more heavily penalised?
Low case numbers and a vaccine underway mean Australia is taking a collective (but tentative) sigh of relief. Whatever “normal” used to look like, we want it back in 2021. But what about the knock-on effects of this truly diabolical year? Well, some are good, some not so much…
Did you know that a paramedic is assaulted in Victoria every 50 hours? Paramedicine is one of the most dangerous jobs in Australia. Paramedics witness trauma regularly but it is violence committed against them that makes it so dangerous. The profession needs to change, and rapidly. Here’s why.
