Articles & Columns

The 2024 Penington Institute’s Annual Overdose Report stated that, ‘in 2022 there were 2,356 drug-induced deaths in Australia, equating to approximately six lives needlessly lost each day’.

Last week an old friend of mine died. His name was Gary Cook. We met here in Byron Bay, when I was 23. He would have been in his early 30s. He was handsome. And funny. And weird. And self-involved. He used to come to Ringos, where I worked as a waitress. He’d sing to himself, bludge cigarettes, and shine up the serviette holder. He loved looking at himself. He’d laugh and say, ‘God, I’m a handsome man,’ and then he’d laugh this really infectious laugh

The sudden resignation of controversy-plagued National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton has served to further highlight the failings of an organisation which began with such high hopes, having been one of the key demands of the first teal representatives and a core promise of the incoming Albanese Labor government.

We have seen the government ban under-16s from social media over concerns for mental health which include isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression, body image issues, and low self-esteem.

It is recommended that the following requirements are added to the latest draft of the Development Control Plan (DCP) for the former Mullumbimby Hospital site before it gets adopted to ensure that the final development meets the wishes of Council, state government and the local community.

I believe Australians are fine with fairness for housing. The issue is messy because Labor went a step too far by increasing capital gains tax on non-housing investment. It was a tax grab out of the blue, so yes there is blowback.

National Sorry Day has almost slipped by as days often do. The stories keep coming. Horrifying deeds done to the First Nation in an effort to eliminate them and their culture are still being told. The massacres, stolen children, dispossession of lands, intergenerational trauma, the list goes on.

A few months ago I shared a 30-second video on my socials of Old Men Dancing. They’re a small ensemble of, you guessed it ‘old men’ who meet on Mondays at the Drill Hall under the choreography and inspiration of dance teacher Kimberley McIntyre. I had invited them to open my Byron Live show with their interpretation of ‘Under Pressure’. It felt right. In a failing patriarchy, men are under pressure. So why not share the gift of interpretative dance?

Seven years since losing his seat in ignominious circumstances, Tony Abbott has returned from his long penance in the wilderness of Sky News and CPAC to become the latest president of what remains of the federal Liberal Party. He was elected unopposed after Alexander Downer withdrew.

Victoria is side-stepping the rising cost of fuel by offering free public transport. If only public transport was an option in the Northern Rivers, let alone it being free!

I have decided to join Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (PHON). I have tired of voting for losers, and can sense a wave of support. After all, if they can shamelessly publicly signpost a meeting at Mullumbimby’s Lulu’s Cafe, then they must be on the up. Yep, six per cent is not a great starting point, but that’s all they got in Farrer in 2025 as well.

Everyone needs their ‘people’. They are the people who get you. They might share your values, or have shared experiences. They don’t judge you. These are the people you can ‘unmask’ for. When you sit with your community, you have a sense of belonging. That belonging is what you use to navigate the other parts of your life where you often don’t belong. Belonging is your compass. And we all need a compass.

‘I want my country back. I want to bring back prosperity.’ As we listen to the strains of Pauline Hanson and her calls about how existing parties have ‘run this country into the ground’ following the One Nation win in the Farrer by-election I have to reflect on how her good mate Donald Trump has made America great again (MAGA).

In the kind of move that Labor once derided in their opponents, the government used the cover of the federal budget – while most journalists were literally locked up – to deliver its response to the late Peta Murphy's report into online gambling, 'You Win Some, You Lose More'.

David Attenborough reaching one hundred years of age feels reassuring. I grew up with him and he undoubtedly shaped my love of nature. In many ways he’s the original influencer, staring down the barrel of the camera from exotic locations with an unparalleled dedication to his craft. It’s as if nature is talking through him.

There is a story that we need to know. A great spirit who moves on the breeze. Who rests on Bundjalung country. Not that this fiercely visionary woman rested much! This woman of goanna and turtle dreaming who belongs not to one place, but to all places. All nations. Who dedicated her life to her community with compassion informed by powerful political advocacy.

The bookies were right, unfortunately. For the first time since 1996, Pauline Hanson has captured a seat in the House of Representatives via the democratic process, and this time it wasn't in Queensland.

The community frustration at Byron Shire Council was palpable on Monday night as they sought to understand why the draft development control plan (DCP) for the former Mullumbimby Hospital site failed so effectively at reflecting all the contributions they had made to the process.

Denzil Thomas can recall these tales and many more, as we sit one summer afternoon in the living room of his Possum Creek family home. Originally purchased in 1918 by his father Harry, an English dairy farmer, the home is a time capsule in itself, with the original dairy still standing down the path.

For those with patience, who are happy to spend long hours around freshwater wetland habitats, a reward in the form of a bittern sighting might be forthcoming.