Clare O’Toole’s “Best Before” Exhibition
“I really like the Minties painting, they’re the cartoons from when I was a kid, that were on the Minties packaging that I always found the most fun.” That’s Clare O'Toole talking about one of her favourite pieces of work. “Yeah so, essentially it was what was around,...
Young people are staying home longer.
Young people aged 15-30 are living with their parents longer because of the dip in disposable household income, according to the 2023 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census figures. The statistics show that more young people were choosing to live at home in...
The storm facing the music festival scene
The Australian Festival Association (AFA) has called on the government to better fund music festivals with two in five events experiencing a major impact due to a lack of funding. The call comes after the Soundcheck Report, commissioned by Creative Australia, revealed...
Challenges of living with epilepsy
Epilepsy is one of Australia's most prominent chronic diseases, according to research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. For some Australians, like Sophie Luxton, it is a lifelong condition that is detected from an early age, but most epilepsy...
Demystifying culture shock for higher research students
Embarking on a higher degree research journey presents many obstacles and many are often overlooked, according to experts at the University of Wollongong. Jo Pye has spent the past 30 years away from the classroom, developing her career the best way she knows how. Now...
Dude, where are my wheels?
Minette Kirkegaard had recently begun university when she found herself victim to a series of unfortunate events. This short audio feature recounts the emotions and challenges of student life when things go wrong. Warning: this story contains explicit language....
Lost in illusion, or awakened reality? The story of a trip
While on a cosmic voyage into a realm of taboo and darkness, Shawn (not his real name) takes a chilling peek behind the curtain. As he questions the very origins and limits of reality, his narrative sketches a portrait of life lived in the shadows of liminality. "Is...
2024 Splendour in the Grass cancelled – what does that mean for live music workers?
Live music workers in Australia received unexpected news last week about the ‘2024 Splendour in the Grass’ music festival. The North Byron Parklands based festival was cancelled two weeks after the official line-up was posted. The reason was due to unexpected events....
High road safety risks concern Wollongong drivers
There has been an increase in the death toll on Australian roads, according to a report from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE). The total number of road fatalities in Australia reached 1,266 in 2023, which is the highest it has been...
Could medical cannabis be the future of medicine?
Medical cannabis use has a growing acceptance, with legislative changes revealing a new era of treatment for Australians. Chronic pain, insomnia and bad appetite were issues for medical cannabis user Nathan Mileto, 22, who prior to taking the drug had relied on...