Mike Ross says it is a fight he is willing to take down to the wire. As chairman of the Olkola Aboriginal Corporation in Cape York and the biggest non-government landholder in the region, he holds a vision for his people’s land that doesn’t involve mining. But under Australia’s current Aboriginal land acts, Indigenous people…
Hyderabad, India: For Froza Saluja, 42, and her partner Arpita, 38, finding love in deeply conservative India was near impossible before the couple met through a unique Indian organisation called the Arranged Gay Marriage Bureau. “I was looking for a partner for the past three years, before which I was in a serious relationship.” Saluja says…
Goa, India: On a blazing hot February Friday afternoon about a kilometre from the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach, Goa, an international techno trance DJ is playing as the sun sets. About 1500 revellers dance to the beats, kicking up clouds of red dust under bare feet. The crowd is a mix of European, Japanese…
Apple’s planned incursion of Melbourne’s Federation Square mirrors the insidious creep of commerce into pseudo-public spaces all over the world After almost two years of speculation and rumour, the Victorian government this week released official plans and images of a new Apple“flagship store” to be built right in the middle of Melbourne’s Federation square. The…
Renters could save close to $1000 in power bills, improve their overall health and cut their carbon emissions if better energy efficiency standards were applied to rental homes, according to a new report. The Bringing Rental Homes up to Scratch report, recently presented to a state government review of rental laws, identified a lack of government incentives…
For most Australian workers in 2017 the notion of working the same job for their entire career is something of a bygone relic from a previous generation. The mass casualisation of the workforce on top of fast-changing industry trends and automation means many of us churn through jobs in a way previously unimaginable. According to…
It’s magpie swooping season – the time of year when male birds seek to protect eggs and chicks from potential predators. At this time of year my morning commute to the tram stop sometimes feels a bit like extreme sport as I’ve been forced to take refuge beside lamp posts and under any available canopies…
For Charmian Eckersley, keeping the windows and doors of her home permanently sealed has become an everyday necessity. Eckersley and her husband have lived in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Eraring, about 130 kilometres north of Sydney, since 1993. It is one of the fastest-growing population regions in New South Wales and only a short…
Amid obfuscation and excuses from National and One Nation politicians, the Greens are the only party to have dealt with the matter honestly and with principle Barnaby Joyce has this week become the latest victim of the citizenship saga shaking up the federal parliament after it was revealed the deputy prime minister is a citizen…
Dimitri knew what was happening as soon as he received a call from police, ordering him to “come outside now”. He had been dreading this moment. But in Chechnya, if you’re homosexual, the threat of violence or worse is always close. They were already waiting at his front door. The police made him keep his…
Berlin: Rosa Parks may have refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, but her house has now made a move of its own – across the ocean all the way to Berlin. American activist Rosa Parks‘ refusal to be segregated triggered a wave of ultimately successful protests against racial discrimination and…
Since Richard Murray lost his job as a strategy consultant in February last year, he has churned through many “gig economy” jobs including being an Uber driver, private tutor, freelance researcher, copy-writer and web developer. The 29-year-old from western Sydney is part of the new generation of workers for whom performing flexible and diversified tasks…
