Commission of Inquiry’s first public hearing of the new year to be in Toowoomba
The Commission of Inquiry into Child Safety has announced it will hold its first public hearing of 2026 in Southern Queensland with a key focus on the intersection between the child safety and youth justice systems. The public hearing will be held in Toowoomba, commencing on Monday the 16th of February ... Commissioner, the Honourable Paul Anastassiou KC said the community's input will help inform the Commission's work in its review of the effectiveness of the child safety system to keep children and Queenslanders safe.
Schools urged to play a frontline role in protecting children against forced marriage: AFP
The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation has called on school communities to help identify and protect vulnerable children amid a growth in reports of forced marriage. According to the latest figures, reports of forced marriage into the ACCCE jumped almost 30 per cent last financial year...
Three-day childcare guarantee now in effect for all families
Every child is now guaranteed three days of subsidised childcare, but there's a catch for rural families. The three-day childcare guarantee now in effect for all families. A new federal subsidy removes work test, but access to centres remains challenge in Barwon electorate, according to the local MP.
A letter through time: Anthony Bradford’s journey from Hay to building an empire in mental health
When the Anglican Church time capsule was cracked open, there was excitement in the air, and then dust, and then the first letter was drawn. It was addressed to the future children of Anthony Bradford ... Inside the year 2000-time capsule opened in Hay was a letter his grandfather, Jim Bradford Senior, had written to him back in 1972, a letter he’d completely forgotten about.
Community unites to honour Lauren
A powerful show of community resilience and strength unfolded at Nobby ... as family, friends and supporters gathered to honour the life and legacy of 21 y/o Lauren Smith, whose life was cut short by epilepsy ... the Smith family, alongside local haulage company OBrienco Transport, officially unveiled a specially branded B-Triple truck dedicated to Lauren’s memory...
How the housing boom broke the Lucky Country
Like every parent watching their adult kids edge toward the real estate market, I look at the numbers with growing alarm. In 25 years, Perth house prices have jumped from roughly $200,000 to close to $900,000 — a three-to-fivefold increase — while wages have barely doubled from $50,000 to $100,000. That’s not a generational squeeze; it’s a structural impossibility.
The line between being a good coach and an ugly parent
Kids’ sport should be a classroom for life — but when parents and coaches cross the line from supportive to suffocating, the game stops being fun and starts causing real harm ... Junior country sport relies on the army of volunteer parents who coach, manage, supervise, and oversee children’s sport. Coaches are a powerful influence on a child’s confidence...
Zonta’s yarn bomb sends a powerful message
If you've noticed trees wrapped in bright, colourful yarn around Kibble Park, Gosford, or down by The Village Green at Toukley, you've spotted Zonta Central Coast's latest yarn bomb – a community art project with a powerful message. The installations are part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence…
Welcome Baby to Country
Members of the local Aboriginal community gathered on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Koori Beach Narrandera for a Welcome Baby to Country celebration on Wiradjuri land. Around 20 babies from Narrandera and Leeton aged 0–12 months and their families attended the ceremony.
Another small step towards closing the gap on childcare
Negotiations initiated by Hay Shire Council are continuing with Homes NSW and NSW Police in a bid to improve childcare availability in the community. Hay has one early childcare provider, Hay Children's Services (HCS), with space for 24 children/day. There is a current wait list of over 90 spaces...
Amazing feat by two local Dads
Two Allora families have returned from a successful 11 day cycling adventure through France and the UK. Mark Mason and James Turner completed the 1200km ride from Lourdes France to Lords Cricket Ground in London to raise funds and awareness for type 1 diabetes research.
Australian War Widows feted by Riverland Vietnam Veterans on their National Day of Recognition
"Surviving Vietnam War Veterans deeply admire the war widows in our communities for their courage and resilience, for the ways they supported and cared for their veteran husbands during the living years, and how they dealt with the unimaginable grief and loss of their loved veteran partner": David Langdon.
Riverland Vietnam Veterans salute War Widows on their special day
War Widows Day on 19 October is now an official National Day of Commemoration first initiated in 2024 by the Commonwealth Department of Defence in collaboration with the Australian War Widows Inc. and Families of Veterans Guild. This is a special day of tribute dedicated to acknowledging and honouring the service and sacrifices of Australian war widows.
Barrel Farm – A labour of love and family
Barrel Farm is one of Albany’s newest food and beverage venues and its creation was just a labour of love and very much a family affair. Owned and operated by the Buxton family, Barrel Farm has been the decades-long dream of parents, Peter and Peg Buxton ... Situated on one of Albany’s old dairy farms, it is a creative blend of old and new.
Playbourhoods can create a better childhood if we dare to dream of something more
“This motion is fundamentally about the mental health of our children, it’s about the emotional stability of our children. It is about their cognitive and physical development. It is about their social development. This motion is about PLAY.”
On the road with The GOAT
Nathan Lyon has gone on a regional roadshow into New South Wales, back to where it all started, in his childhood community. Growing up in Young, and playing for Goulburn, Canberra, and Wagga Wagga, Nathan wants to give back to his community that has done so much for him. This week he hosted a children’s cricket clinic ...
Winning moments captured in Stay and Play Photography Competition
The Stay and Play Photography Competition, in partnership with Nexus Airlines, invited photographers of all skill levels to enter photos that convey the essence of why families should holiday in Geraldton.
Don’t get sick as you age
People living with age-related illnesses are falling through the cracks of a system designed to support the elderly ... Carer’s exhaustion and burn out, jeopardized safety, greater pressure on hospital emergency services, family conflict, incidents and accidents, delayed medical intervention have all reached breaking point for sufferers and carers thanks to a backlog of unprocessed applications.
Compassionate reversal
In a compassionate reversal of a previous decision, the Naracoorte Lucindale Council has this time unanimously agreed to waive all cemetery fees for children up to the age of 10, excluding the cost of plaques. This motion, which had been rejected in May, received full support from elected members in the council meeting held on July 22.
A new kidney, a new life for Will
As Australia marks DonateLife Week, and local neighbourhood houses in Buloke encourage everyone over the age of 16 to sign up, the Hogan family from Birchip have shared their life-changing moment and the gift of a kidney from father to son.
New life-saving first aid app brings emergency help to rural families
Launch of ground-breaking new first aid app, the All Hands Lifesaver app. “We wanted to put access to immediate help in every parents' pocket across Australia, removing some of the barriers rural and regional people face when it comes to both first aid education and access to emergency healthcare”: Grace Larson, co-founder of charity The Sisterhood Project and paediatric intensive care nurse.
Final 70 missing soldiers
As the 109th anniversary of Australia's first major battle on the Western Front approaches, the Fromelles Association of Australia is renewing calls for Queensland families to help identify the final 70 missing soldiers from the Battle of Fromelles. Among them are young men from across Queensland who served with the 31st Battalion. They died during a single night of fighting on 19 July 1916.
