Imagine what it is like to live in a corrupt country where the people are not free and the society illiberal. An unlucky country where people have bullets rained down on them for asking questions. This is what is like to be a journalist in Cambodia. Now let me introduce the remarkable young woman named […]

“A-lo!” She shouted down the line. (A mutual friend had warned me that the Sierra Leone-born Australian was “full-on”, “fiery”.) I took the phone away from my ear and placed it on speaker so I could better hear the electric mix of loud, bouncing West African intonations and subtle Australian inflexions bubbling from the phone. […]

About 3000 protestors took to the streets of Sydney on Sunday to rally against Israeli bombing of Gaza. For the third week in a row protesters gathered at the Town Hall at 1pm, where speakers addressed the crowd and led chants against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and the Abbott government’s perceived pro-Israeli stance. More than […]

A striking image of African migrants raising their phones to catch an elusive signal took out first prize in this year’s World Press Photo contest. The image, “Signal”, is on display at the New South Wales State Library in Sydney as part of a touring exhibition of the best photos. The year-long exhibition, which travels […]

Fines will double from $150 to $300 for misuse of disability allocated carparks on the Gold Coast, while people with permits may have to show photo ID with their displayed permit. Chairperson of the council’s Community and Cultural Development committee, Cr Bob La Castra, said the move was to show people that, “Hey, we’re serious […]

Two helicopters were brought into waterbomb a bushfire at Doolandella on Brisbane’s south on Tuesday afternoon. A Queensland Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson said four fire trucks worked closely with air operations to contain the blaze. She said although there was no threat, crews were working to protect a caravan and nearby homes. Backburning began […]

Outspoken independent councillor Nicole Johnston was evicted by police from Brisbane City Council chamber this afternoon. Police were called when Cr Johnston refused to accept a suspension order and leave the chamber during a 10-minute adjournment of the meeting. Three police officers arrived after 20 minutes and one entered the chamber to escort Cr Johnston. […]

Rolling work stoppages across Victorian schools have been threatened, with the first to occur in Premier Ted Baillieu’s electorate of Hawthorn. As part of Wednesday’s teachers strike Australian Education Union (AEU) members voted not to hold another full-day strike this year but instead implement rolling work stoppages expected to be begin in Term 4. However […]

The CBD was transformed into a sea of green and gold as fans lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Australia’s Olympic athletes after their return from London. Crowds in their thousands filled Queen Street Mall at midday on Friday to see about 80 athletes for the official Brisbane welcome home parade. Excited Olympians […]

Boots were thrown at Parliament House during a lunchtime demonstration on Tuesday by hundreds of fire fighters and ambulance officers protesting against altered work conditions. Frontline emergency workers challenged Premier Campbell Newman to walk in their boots before his government implemented any changes. The protesters gathered at Southbank before heading to Parliament House to protest […]

The masterpieces of Prado take their audience on a journey of religion, mythology and sainthood in the Queensland Art Gallery exhibition “Portrait of Spain”. As you step into the largest most significant international loan undertaken by Madrid’s museum, Museo Nacional del Prado, you feel as though you are stepping through the corridors of Madrid. Dr […]

Disaster relief and toxic waste were among issues fielded by Australian ministers at yesterday’s community cabinet meeting in Ipswich. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the establishment of a natural disaster fund was debated at the time of the Queensland floods -“in economic terms, the most costly natural disaster we had ever seen”. At the time, […]

In a tribute to Captain Cook’s famous 18th century voyage to observe the Transit of Venus, the Endeavour replica sailed to Lord Howe Island in rough seas for the 2012 transit. The expedition by the national maritime museum and Sydney Observatory commemorated transit observations by the NSW government at Lord Howe in 1882 as well […]

It’s a date! On Wednesday 6 June 2012, the silhouette of Venus will transit across the sun for the last time this century. School children around Australia will be citizen scientists for a day as they repeat the same scientific experiment conducted by Captain Cook and astronomer Charles Green that led to the discovery of […]

Indigenous men who served in the First World War alongside white comrades created the stepping-stones to reconciliation, an Aboriginal war veteran said today. Speaking at the Indigenous Veterans Ceremony at the Shine of Remembrance in Brisbane, George Bostock said World War I was a special chapter in history for indigenous and non-indigenous relations and should […]