The ACT Police and Human Rights Commission is striving to improve Canberra’s justice system after it was revealed this year that the ACT has the highest rate of unprosecuted sexual assault cases in Australia. The Sexual Assault Police Review (SAPR), released in March 2024, examined 684 sexual offence cases between July 2020 and December 2021 that were reported to ACT Policing. Victim Support ACT (VSACT) Change Manager Ms Allison Munro and her colleagues are determined to better understand the factors behind low progression rates and improve advocacy and support for victim-survivors, noting that only seven per cent of charges were…
Author: Freya Spring
Tender Funerals opened its new Canberra branch last month, bringing a fresh approach to the ACT’s death care industry with affordable, personalised services. The social enterprise has been redefining traditional funeral practices in Port Kembla since 2016, offering authentic, meaningful, and affordable services that break away from the rigid norms of the industry. Jo Malone was inspired to become Tender’s Funeral Director in Canberra after empathising deeply with those who wish to be actively involved in the memorial process, drawing from her own personal experiences with the loss of loved ones. “When I was in my 20s when my dad…
Government officials are confident that the ACT Government’s robust measures to contain June’s Bird Flu outbreak have successfully brought the ACT through the worst of the crisis. Following the outbreak of Avian Influenza (HPAI H7N8) detected in the Territory in late June, the Government established two quarantine zones to restrict bird movement, including materials and equipment posing a high risk of spreading the infection. Mr Kieran Lawton, ACT’s acting Executive Group Manager of Environment, Heritage and Parks played a role in coordinating the comprehensive response to the outbreak, which first emerged at commercial Pace Farm, and subsequently spread to a…
The ACT’s recent success in generating climate-cooling micro forests has garnered international attention. The capital’s innovative fundraising techniques and communal commitment to urban greening will be showcased at Japan’s upcoming International Symposium on Miyawaki Forests and Urban Forests in October. Edwina Robinson, founder of The Climate Factory, has pioneered the integration of microforestry into Canberra’s suburban design since 2019. “Urban micro forests are densely planted pockets of native vegetation that grow quickly to cool the landscape,” Ms Robinson said. “2019 was the turning point – Australia’s hottest year on record culminating in the Black Summer Bushfires,” Ms Robinson said. “It…