Labor this month successfully passed their climate bill through the lower house with amendments, marking a dramatic change in Australia’s approach to dealing with climate change. This bill was backed by the Greens, teal independents and Liberal MP Bridget Archer gaining an end-vote of 89 to 55 in favour. This marks the first definitive act on Australian climate policy in the past decade. The “climate wars” refer loosely to the period 2009–2014 where Labor, Greens and Libera

Mange is a major problem for the popular Australian marsupial. Here carers and environmentalists discuss the devastating impact it has, and how it can be treated.

VIDEOGAME REVIEW Title: Cult of the Lamb Run time: 15-20 hours (played – 10 hours) Who’s involved: Massive Monster (developer); Devolver Digital (publisher) Where: Playstation, XBox Games, Microsoft, Steam, Nintendo Rating: 4.5/5 – Indoctrinatingly good Cult of the Lamb shouldn’t work. Nearly everything about the game feels like it’s at odds. The adorable and charming art style clashes with the gory and horrifying visuals. The Animal Crossing -style village management gam

FILM REVIEW Title: Thirteen Lives Run time: 2h 27m Director: Ron Howard Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton Where and when: Streaming on Amazon Prime Rating: 4/5 Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives details the incredible true story of the rescue of 12 boys and their coach who were trapped deep in a cave system in Thailand for 18 days. With detailed precision and claustrophobic tension, Howard has returned to form with a massive success.  The film explores the many

MIFF FILM REVIEW Title: Holy Spider Run time: 1h 57m Director: Ali Abbasi Cast: Zar Amir Ebrahmi, Mehdi Bajestani Where and when: No current plans for release in Australia Rating: 4/5 Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider details the horrific true events that took place in the holy city of Mashhad, Iran, in 2000 and 2001, when 16 women were murdered because they were sex workers. Abbasi has created a nightmarish noir that sickens and shocks not with just the explicit acts of violence,

For 22-year-old Megan Sloane, Olivia Newton-John came into her life at exactly the right moment. “My grandmother passed away of cancer in 2014 when I was only 14, I didn’t know how to deal with that properly; I started self-harming. I was on anti-depressants and during that time was when I found her,” she said. “She was able to drag me out of that negative headspace with her bubbly personality, she made me want to change my outlook on life.” Olivia Newton-John was not only a

Genevieve Nardella unpicks the 'hemline hassle' and the fabled fashion influence of this classic film.

FILM REVIEW • Crimes of the Future • Melbourne International Film Festival • Director: David Cronenberg • Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart • Run time: 1h 47 minutes • When: On general release from August 25 • Rating: 3.5/5 Crimes of the Future opens on a shot of a seemingly normal young boy sitting by the beach. His mother tells him not to eat anything he finds. Minutes later, the boy is murdered by his mother after he is caught eating a plastic waste ba

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed young Australians directly yesterday, sharing his experiences as a world leader during wartime. Zelensky spoke through video link via the Australian National University Centre for European Studies, where he addressed more than 3000 students from more than 21 participating universities across the country. He spoke of the ongoing war in his country and the ever-important support required from overseas countries and allies. “Yo

An increase in reported Islamophobic incidents show a correlation between online media coverage and in-person attacks, studies by the Islamophobia Register Australia (IRA) reveal. The report by Dr Derya Iner from Charles Sturt University, published in March, analyses 247 incidents of islamophobia reported to the IRA, both in person and online. Mariam Veiszadeh, IRA founder and CEO of Media Diversity Australia, said anti-Muslim rhetoric was a growing problem. “Over the cour

Developments in Crypto-mining technology promise sustainable headwind for new investors, Nadia Alaoui reports. A new Melbourne-based company is aiming to put a greener, more constructive spin on cryptocurrency. Blockchain company  EcoGen Technologies , officially launched in June, is developing containerised power hubs that use the latest renewable energy technology. The company aims to place the off-grid transportable hubs in remote areas of developing countries such as the

Refugee activists are sceptical about seeing action on human rights after another group of refugees were transferred from the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) centre to Christmas Island last month. Despite a change in government, new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the Morrison government policy on boat arrivals would continue under his leadership. “The Labor Party’s position is very clear – we support boat turnbacks,” he said before the election.