A sealed package bound for overseas. Inside, a DVD player. And inside that, wrapped in a black sock and bound with tape, a native Australian shingleback lizard – stuffed into a space between wires and plastic. It sounds improbable, but Australian border authorities intercept hundreds of attempted wildlife exports each year, more than four decades after Australia banned the commercial export of native wildlife. Wildlife ecologist Adam Toomes, the Co-Chair of the Coalition to Address Reptile and Amphibian Trade, explained that smugglers will often exploit the very traits that allow these animals to survive in the wild. “Typically they are…
Author: Serena Cremen Farrington
Australian has fallen from 11th to 15th in the latest World Happiness Report, with new research pointing to declining trust, social disconnection, and growing pessimism about the future. The latest polls from the Australian National University (ANU) has found that the average Australian life satisfaction has fallen to 6.22 out of 10 – the lowest recorded level in the survey’s history, and below levels recorded during the first COVID-19 lockdowns. University of Wollongong Associate Professor, Jordan McKenzie whose research focuses on happiness and social change, said the findings suggested Australians may still be emotionally recovering from years of overlapping crises.…
A new Australian review has found e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung and oral cancers, as vaping continues to rise among young people. The 2022–23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows e-cigarette use nearly tripled from 2.5 per cent in 2019 to 7 per cent, with 18 to 24-year-olds recording the highest rates. The Australian Centre for Health Engagement Evidence & Values research fellow, Dr Patti Shih, said the increase reflects how vaping has become embedded in youth social behaviour. “It’s been driven by novelty and a sense of coolness – it’s…
New data is raising questions about the effectiveness of NSW’s latest coercive control law, with hundreds of incidents recorded but only a handful of charges laid. A report published in March by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) detailed coercive control incidents recorded by police between July 2024 and December 2025. It is the first dataset released since the offence was criminalised. Over 17 months, police recorded 473 incidents, but only 22 led to charges – and just one resulted in a successful prosecution, marking a landmark conviction. Introduced on July 1 2024, the new offence criminalises…
Wollongong locals have marched from Andrew Lysaght Park to Flagstaff Point Lighthouse in a call for greater safety and respect for women. The annual Reclaim the Night March held last Thursday served as both a protest and a celebration of community, strength, and solidarity. The march not only honoured those affected by gender-based violence but reinforced the ongoing push for stronger protections and justice for survivors. The event also comes after recent NSW reforms, including tougher sentencing for intimate partner homicide, demonstrating how advocacy and community action are driving meaningful change. Serena Farrington reports.
A feature by Emma Schloeffel and Serena Farrington Tucked between the glass buildings of UOW’s Innovation Campus and the flats of university student accommodation, a couple of curved corrugated tin huts still cling to the earth. They are Nissen huts – relics of a past Australia. One now holds the Alumni Bookstore, the other a childcare centre. Seventy years ago, they were the homes for families stepping off of ships from Italy, England, Yugoslavia, and Denmark, chasing the post-war dream of a new life promised by the Australian government. “The Nissan huts that we lived in were the same as…
Reports released by two organisations – Master Builders Australia and Sustainable Population Australia – have highlighted a policy debate over whether migration is a solution or a contributing factor to the housing crisis. Master Builders Australia, the nation’s largest construction industry association, in the release of its September 2024 Future of the Workforce report, claimed there is an urgent need for skilled workers to build the homes the nation requires. The report forecasted that the building and construction industry needs 130,000 additional workers this year to overcome workforce shortages and keep up with demand. Master Builders CEO, Denita Wawn, said…
Two students from the University of Wollongong, Coby Ryan and Jono Keyes, have represented Australia in the Ultimate Frisbee World Championship held in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The World Championship concluded on September 7 with the USA triumphing and Australia placing second overall. Both Keyes and Ryan played in Australia’s Open team – the Dingoes – who took home bronze. 23-year-old Coby Ryan said it was incredible playing on the world stage. “Having people screaming your name on the sideline definitely creates an electric atmosphere,” Ryan said. The championship was the largest Ultimate event ever hosted in Australia and the…
Greens candidate Jess Whittaker, who received 35 per cent of the votes for Ward 1 in Saturday’s elections, has called for a position on the Wollongong City Council dedicated to encouraging community gardens, urban farms, and crop swaps. A council appointed food coordinator would develop local food systems by assisting residents in starting crop swaps and establishing community gardens, Ms Whittaker said. “People are finding it harder to buy good quality produce. They’re frustrated by the two large supermarket chains who have a stranglehold on our weekly shop. On top of that, growing quality produce is being affected by climate…
NSW nurses and midwives have rejected a second offer from Ramsay Health Care, continuing their industrial action for improved salary and conditions. On August 20, 78 per cent of Ramsay Health Care nurses and midwives refused an offer for a 12.5 per cent pay increase over the next three years. This is the second offer to be turned down in the last four months. Claire Nash, a member of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA), has supported and educated new mothers in the Postnatal Ward at Ramsay’s Westmead Private Hospital for over 12 years. She said the overwhelming ‘no’…