An art exhibition of work by Indigenous artists who are or were in jail is highlighting the transformative impact of the program, an organiser says. The exhibition Confined 13 is showing 400 artworks from 350 different indigenous artists now or previously in prison. Indigenous arts officer Matty Chilly from support group The Torch says the aim is to prevent prisoners from reoffending, by “keeping that work ethic up”. “The program is there to help them find a focus in their

“Preston Market is the soul of the city,” says Darebin councillor Gaetano Greco. “The market cannot be demolished or relocated. You can build something new, but how do you transpose all that character and soul?” In April, the Victorian Planning Authority released revisions to the draft redevelopment plan for historic Preston Market, after considering 386 submissions from a host of individual objectors and community groups. Changes include a reduction in the maximum height of

The rise in interest in board games is giving hope to two Melbourne University students who last week finished the initial development of their tabletop game. Game design students Ango Zhu and Kris Lee demonstrated their food industry game Undercooked! at the uni’s Melbourne Connect space last weekend to see how it tested with players. The game requires three players to work co-operatively to complete food orders in under four minutes. Lead game designer Ango Zhu was optim

Some young Australians not taking flu seriously enough this year – leaving themselves exposed, experts warn. Ian Barr, the deputy director at the WHO Collaboration Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, said that the nation’s vaccination rate against the flu is very low, particularly for university-aged Australians. “Currently we’re only having about 20 per cent of people being vaccinated who are eligible … and young adults are probably some of the lowest vaccination

When Ellie Phillips turned 15, she was excited to land her first job at McDonald’s. “My mum worked at Maccas when she was a kid, and all I’d been told is that they have great training programs and it looks really good on your resume,” Phillips, who is now a nurse, says. Seven years later, Ellie is one of almost 20,000 young workers who are part of a multi-million dollar class action against the fast food giant. The action alleges that McDonald’s ripped off underage workers

For Taylor Watkins, two days at home after her second miscarriage was not enough time for her to be able to recover and return to work. “[The] miscarriage was life-shattering; I think I cried every day for a month straight and it was the hardest thing I have ever been through emotionally,” she says. “I don’t think it’s something that I will ever truly recover from, to be honest.” Australia’s Fair Work Act was amended last year to give parents who experience a miscarriage two

Throughout the election campaign, Labor leader Anthony Albanese did not hesitate to remind us of his humble roots: the housing commissions of rough and tumble western Sydney, raised by a single mother on a disability pension. Yes, he may have sounded like a broken record, but one could make the argument that if you had such an uplifting story, you’d probably struggle to keep it to yourself. But in the current attention economy, the fight to win over the imagination of voters

Despite a new global review showing e-cigarettes are dangerous and addictive, experts say calls to ban them are misguided and could backfire. The major review by the Australian National University , released last month, found that the use of e-cigarettes or vapes was rapidly increasing in Australian youth, causing “addiction in a new generation of users”. Vaping and e-cigarette use was reportedly highest among young people aged 18-24, with studies showing users are three time

ACTION FILM REVIEW Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Run time: 2h 6mins Who: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor Where, when: In cinemas now Rating: 4/5 stars Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most recent movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is for both diehard fans of the franchise, and movie-goers looking for an enjoyable two hours of action. It combines classic MCU with throwback superhero sequel arcs and 80s horr

The use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental health issues should be decriminalised in Australia urgently, an advocate says. Australian Psychedelic Society vice-president Antanika Hoberg said her experience with psychedelic drugs were “lifesaving and lifechanging” to treat her complex post-traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD). “I should not be made to feel like a criminal, or be scared that my family was going to be taken away, because I needed to treat myself when other treat

Hundreds of jobs could be lost in the already struggling homelessness services sector, after the federal budget revealed a plan for major pay cuts in the community services and crisis accomodation sectors. Council to Homeless Persons policy and advocacy officer Damien Patterson said this could have a “deeply concerning” impact for homeless services in Victoria. “This is hundreds of staff who will be cut from homelessness services. It’s not a huge industry, so hundreds of s

A parent goes into a crowded fast-food restaurant with their child. The waiting time is long and the child gets bored. They keep nagging and asking when the food is coming out. The parent, busy with checking text messages on their phone, gives the child an iPad and tells them to watch some YouTube videos, kill the time and be quiet. For many of us, this is an everyday scene. Digital took over parenting Children’s nervous systems are more sensitive to the impacts of electrom