Every so often, beneath the soft whirr of the sea and the swaying trees, you may hear the hum of music, an excited murmur, or an eruption of applause – a musical rhythm that pulses through the heart of Stanwell Park. For fifty years, the Stanwell Park Arts Theatre, more commonly known as SPAT, has provided this rhythm. In 1974, a small but passionate group of locals embarked on a journey to bring the delight of live performance to the northern suburbs of the Illawarra. The inaugural production, a pantomime called ‘Babe in the Woods’, was written by Joy Wierdersatz, the…
Author: Jasmine Gulaj
The Australian Government will cut $3 billion worth of student debt for more than three million Australians in an effort to ease cost of living pressures. In the release of the Federal Budget earlier this month, the Government announced its commitment to cap the HECS-Help indexation rate to be the lower of either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI). Indexation maintains the real value of the loan by adjusting it in line with changes in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the rate of inflation. With the proposed…
Rental prices are facing the strongest annual growth since 2009, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the March 2024 quarter revealed rental prices rose 7.8 per cent annually, reflecting low vacancy rates and a tight rental market. Wollongong resident Sage McAteer said that renting in Sydney would allow him to live closer to university. He said that moving to Sydney would save him two hours of travel time a day. However, despite multiple attempts, the rental market is too competitive, and too expensive to break into. “I’ve gone through…
As the proposal for an Illawarra offshore wind farm gains momentum, questions are being asked about the potential impact on whales. But, a local marine biologist says, climate change may pose a bigger threat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f–2w4Q7qXY