Beyond the froth and bubble of the daily political soap opera, there are some major threats confronting Australia and its government.

The recent premeditated killings of several children in Australia by their fathers has raised the issue of filicide (the deliberate act of a parent killing their own child) alongside the issue of domestic violence (DV) and femicide (the intentional murder of women or girls) as key areas that need research to help understand why these things happen.

The problem with Byron Shire councillors making decisions in confidential sessions ‘behind closed doors’ is that no-one knows what really happened apart from those in the room.

A Hemp Industry Development Plan has been announced by the NSW government, which promises 'to unlock new opportunities for NSW businesses and add value to the state's low-THC hemp industry, which is forecast to become a $100 million Australian industry by 2032'.

Our family has been trying to give up plastic. And I’m not just talking single-use straws or takeaway cups or bottled water. Like most people we did that years ago. I’m talking about all the other plastic that we ingest either directly or through chemical leaching. In the period of time since I was a child, to a child born now, the fossil fuel industry has become implicated in nearly every part of our daily routine.