By Ishan Karanjit: It’s that one religious day of the year where you can play with unlimited colours. It’s that auspicious day when you can splash yourself as much as you want in colourful waterpools. It’s that huge day when we celebrate the beautiful occasion of Holi...
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Council Amalgamations: Joining Forces Always Increases Strength ?
By Alexandra Laki: According to the NSW Government the current system of local councils needs an overhaul. In its $1 billion ‘Fit for the future’ initiative, the State Government plans to amalgamate 152 Sydney and regional councils into 112. These new larger councils...
Why has science stalled in Australia?
By Elliot Scanes: The retraction of scientific investment in Australia has been a slow processes, solidified in the minds of many young Australians during the Abbot Government’s now notorious federal budget of 2014. This budget saw the withdrawal of millions of...
The Australian Government should stop funding private schools
By Christine Cardona: The USA and the United Kingdom do not fund private schools and yet Australia is one of the very few countries in the OECD whose government funds over $10 billion a year towards private (independent or religious) schools. According to the...
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Drone attacks in Pakistan
By Iman Sohail: The mainstream media has largely avoided discussing a surreptitious military operation that has existed by the order of the Bush administration since 2004; drone attacks in Pakistan. The ‘playstation mentality’ of targeted killings that serves as an...
Australian Police “winning” on social media
By Emi Clancy: Law enforcement can be one of the toughest jobs, but social media is changing the way the community sees these individuals and is able to show a side not normally seen on duty. In a term that is described as “winning the internet”, the Queensland Police...
Schoolies urged to be careful
By Emi Clancy: As the end of the year draws near, many school students have planned trips and parties across Australia to celebrate completing their higher school certificates. Many students will make their way to the well-known party district in the Gold Coast,...
Pulling down the bars on smoking in jail
By Angela van der Horst: With the NSW jails heading into their third month of being smoke-free zones, questions are being raised about the discriminatory nature of the ban. The smoking ban was implemented over a period of eighteen months in which Corrective Services...
Own or stream ? Music now
By Fenella Henderson-Zuel & Samantha Bulloch: There is rising popularity among young people to stream their music via digital platforms such as Spotify, Pandora, and the newcomer, Apple Music. The ease of use, convenience and portability of these digital music...
Charity Dumpers Send Poor Message to Disadvantaged
By Carl Sargeant: In the main, Australians are a charitable bunch. We donate billions of dollars to not-for-profit organisations, more than 1 in 3 of us give gifts to non-government organisations and our volunteers rack up nearly a billion hours of unpaid work a year....
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Surviving the Chaos of Being a Student
University isn’t just filled with lectures and attending classes. It’s packed with lessons no one prepares you for. It’s a new beginning, whether you’re coming straight from high school or pivoting onto a different path, your journey will have ups and downs. The good...
The AI Reckoning: A Crossroads for Humanity | Opinion Piece
The Soundtrack to Modern Life: A Dangerous Complacency A subtle hum of artificial intelligence has become the soundtrack to modern life, so pervasive that we sometimes overlook it. Everything from setting alarms to selecting what show to watch uses AI powered...
Is TikTok the Future of Journalism?
(Hamish Macdonald and Rully Kurniawan speaking during event. Photo credit: Garish (Luci) Kugathasan, 2025) Early in 2025, acclaimed journalists Hamish Macdonald and Rully Kurniawan attended Western’s Parramatta South campus for a journalism masterclass. They discussed...
Jacinda Ardern: A Different Kind of Powerful Woman
(Front cover of ‘A Different Kind of Power’ by Jacinda Ardern. Photo credit: Natasa Aster-Stater, 2025) Reading this memoir made it clear that Jacinda Ardern has been one of the people that she is trying to serve. She isn’t from a dynasty like the Kennedys or the...
How to stay kind to yourself in a world of plastic?
Are you doing/did you do Plastic Free July? Plastic Free July (PFJ) is exactly what it sounds like – a whole month without single-use plastic. There are often two reactions to this. The first is: “that’s impossible”. The second is: “well, a month isn’t going to make a...