Health

The first thing I remember is the smell. Chlorine, yes, sharp and medicinal, like a promise that the water won’t kill you. But also, sunscreen warmed on skin, hot concrete, wet towels, the faint sweetness […]

There is a curious phenomenon in modern politics whereby leaders rejected by voters at home are reborn as sages abroad. It is a kind of political reincarnation, except instead of coming back as something wiser, […]

In Australia, we have, we ‘enjoy’, sometimes ‘suffer’, freedom of religion. Freedom of religion: What does that really mean, especially in the context of the urgent call to somehow inscribe restrictions on that in the […]

The first time I stood in front of a painting I didn’t understand, I felt something close to embarrassment, an embarrassment so ordinary it was almost invisible. I was on a school excursion. We’d been […]

By James Moore “There’s a promise in the air, a chance to reach the horizon if we just keep moving.” (John Steinbeck). Two American narratives came together for my family at a place called Nanih […]

In late January the country performs a small miracle of selective attention. We turn up the music, we pull a plastic chair into the shade, we talk about how lucky we are; we feel, many […]

I once believed, naively, that adulthood would be defined by grander thresholds. Love, perhaps. Or grief. Or some moment of professional arrival, a door opening, a hand extended, a sentence beginning with; “We’d like to […]

Whilst it was quite some time ago that I first experienced being a Centrelink “customer”, I still remember the sight, the smell, the atmosphere, and the feelings of that visit. I didn’t expect the shame […]

It’s not easy being a journalist in a paid job in corporate print, TV or radio media. You have to toe the corporate line. It’s best to be writing on a specialised topic where you’re […]

I worked for some time in harm reduction policy. I recall my first few weeks in the office, not having a clear understanding of the work that happened in needle syringe exchanges and more so, […]

By Chen Ziqi   Every time the Chinese New Year approaches, I find myself paying closer attention to the animal of the year. Not just the symbolism, but the stories behind it, where those meanings […]

By Denis Hay Description Environmental chemicals and health risks affect Australians through work, food, and water. Learn impacts, causes and solutions. Introduction Environmental chemicals and health are inseparable issues in modern Australia. For decades, Australians […]

By Denis Hay   Description Obesity and social justice collide. Discover how corporate greed and policy failures fuel Australia’s growing health crisis. 🎧 Prefer to listen to this article? Press play Introduction: The Forgotten Australia Brisbane, […]