Staring into the void of Melbourne’s stage four lockdown, some local entrepreneurs found the inspiration to reimagine their businesses – and turn 2020 into a winning year. Kate Oxley reports.

Scott Rathman was lacking direction and motivation at school when a chance encounter with an artist changed his life. Scott – the grandson of a member of the Stolen Generation – often found himself skirting the law without understanding why. The artist showed him that a different life, one rich with possibilities that connected him to his culture, was possible. Born in South Australia’s Riverland region, the Arrernte descendant grew up struggling to fit into the Australian

COVID-19, with its disposable masks and bans on KeepCups, brought the fight for the environment to its knees. Meet the entrepreneurs and community leaders who found ways to keep their green hopes alive throughout Victoria’s COVID crisis. Gemma Davidson reports. This video was produced during stage four lockdown in Melbourne. #climatechange #COVID #environment

The UN’s WFP brings mass deliveries of food and equipment to Beirut as staple food prices spike following the August 2020 blast that levelled the port. Emily Spindler-Carruthers reports. Vision courtesy World Food Programme. #Beirut #Explosion #Lebanon #MiddleEast

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Caitlin Oakley lost her job working for a music theatre producer in Sydney. Worried she might never get another job, she moved back in with her parents in Melbourne. Work is a “defining” part of the 23-year-old’s identity. Without a purpose she struggled with confidence and self-worth. But instead of accepting her jobless fate or depending on others for work that might never eventuate, Caitlin decided to set up her own business. In Apr

When surf rock duo Hockey Dad stepped onstage at the Bulli Showgrounds in October, the crowd looked slightly different to the usual live gig fare. Instead of fans shoulder to shoulder, rows of cars stared back at them. With the audience ordering merchandise to their car doors and flashing their headlights to cheer, it’s a far sight from a pre-COVID show, but is a hopeful sight for musicians struggling to make ends meet and stay relevant. As the Australian music industry gra

The last time Australia went into a recession, Emma Dawson was finishing university. Three decades on, and with the country once again in recession, she is executive director at Per Capita, an independent think tank. Does she think the Federal Budget has done enough to help lower to middle income earners? “No, is the short answer,” she said. As for the long answer, the disproportionate tax cuts fail to properly support working people and will likely lead to higher rates in

After talking to a friend about the pressures on friendship groups during COVID-19, Callum Mackay took to a Facebook community to ask: are you satisfied with your friendships? Over half of the respondents to the post in the Carlton Good Karma Network said no, prompting a larger discussion about the impact lockdown has had on the way people connect with one another. As restrictions across Australia continue to ease, many are rushing to catch up with friends they haven’t seen s

TV series: Emily in Paris Available: Netflix Rating: 7/10 Reviewer: Breck Carter The creator of Sex and The City and Younger, Darren Star, is behind the latest romantic comedy series to be released by Netflix. The 10 episodes feature Lily Collins as Emily Cooper, an overachieving American with a Masters of Communication who gets the chance to work for a luxury marketing agency in Paris, despite speaking no French. According to the actress, the character is “22-ish”. Achi

As the local music industry begins its recovery, young people are ready to take the lead. Kate Duncan, CEO of Victorian youth music organisation The Push, says young people are going to need the support of both state and federal governments to elevate their voices as the sector reopens. “I think that young people have all the answers to what a COVID normal contemporary live music sector needs to be,” she says. We need to have our governments listen and provide meaningful wa

“The society, economy and jobs that we know will all cease to exist.” MRA Consulting Group managing director Mike Ritchie offered this dire warning about what life on earth will be like if we don’t start living more sustainably. “Australia will not be in a good place,” he said. “We register for 1.3 per cent of global emissions.” Part of living sustainably is making sure waste is dealt with properly. Poor waste management has plagued Australia in recent years since China st

It was “the most hotly contested resource project in the history of the state”. Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project proposal recorded more than 23,000 submissions, 98 per cent of which objected, according to Bruce Robertson, Energy Finance Analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The project was formally approved by the Independent Planning Commission a few weeks ago. It became another piece in the Morrison Government’s plans to pivot from coal