The government has paid out $1.31bn in redress to institutional child sexual abuse survivors, but legal services advocating for them fear an uncertain and underfunded future unless there is an urgent intervention. In a joint inquiry into the national redress scheme on Monday, MPs and senators heard from the DepartmentContinue Reading
A combined 68 lawyers, academics and advocacy groups say proposed reforms that would make it more difficult for reoffending NSW teenagers to get bail will only increase crime and devastate Aboriginal and vulnerable communities. The potential change would apply to teenagers between 14 to 18 who recommit break and enterContinue Reading
A landlord in Victoria has said he views those living in his properties as “customers” and does not rent out to people on Jobseeker, as an inquiry hears growing calls to increase rent assistance. Long-time property owner Roman told a housing probe on Wednesday that while he had sympathy forContinue Reading
A short plane ride from here, a city once crushed beneath the weight of skyrocketing rents and eye-watering property prices has found a solution to the type of housing crisis plaguing Australia’s major cities. While bold and quite controversial, the fix was relatively simple, quickly implemented and highly effective, dramaticallyContinue Reading
Five hours after giving birth to her first child, Wollongong woman Naomi Bowden was forced to watch police officers put her in a “cold styrofoam box”. Born on November 4, 2009, Bella Grace was delivered stillborn. Despite going through one of the “worst moments of my life,” Ms Bowden saysContinue Reading
Medical bodies, advocacy groups and academics have called for women to be “empowered with information”, with figures suggesting one in three women undergo birth trauma after pregnancy. The widespread issue is being probed in a landmark NSW inquiry that has received more than 4000 submissions. The upper house probe willContinue Reading
West Australian Premier Roger Cook used his first keynote speech as the Labor leader to protect his state’s position against Canberra politicians and the eastern states, announcing a WA Hub in the nation’s capital. Marking 10 weeks in the job following Mark McGowan’s resignation Mr Cook said the “permanent andContinue Reading
When Lyn Swinburne was diagnosed with breast cancer over the phone in 1993, she left the experience feeling like “I was a tumour on legs”. The disease didn’t have the profile it does today, Swinburne says. Quite the opposite. She would soon learn from speaking to other women that poorContinue Reading
The federal government has been called to amend a bill to ensure vulnerable migrant workers will not face deportation for reporting employer exploitation. On Wednesday, Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles will launch a report into the disturbing treatment of temporary migrant workers, titled: Not Just Numbers: AContinue Reading
A decision could be made this week to bring forward the national phasing out of cage eggs to 2036, 10 years ahead of schedule. Agriculture ministers will meet on Thursday to discuss the future of the country’s egg industry, sparking fears the proposed move could lead to skyrocketing prices andContinue Reading