Parliament of Australia in Canberra. Credit: Sammi Sastradipradja Jim Chalmers revealed his fifth budget as Treasurer last Tuesday, with tax reform and housing affordability for young people at the core of Labor’s plan. The war in Iran has greatly disrupted the global economy, sending shocks through oil supply chains. Global fuel shortages significantly impacted our economy, and cost of living is predicted to worsen. There is a lot to digest in this Budget. This is how you w

Hundreds gathered in Melbourne over the weekend to protest Labor’s proposed cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Rallies in every state and territory were organised by the Protect Our NDIS Alliance for a national day of action on Saturday, May 9. Andrew Bretherton, convenor for the Accessible Victorian Greens and a person with ME/CFS, said the cuts would “lead to the deaths and the discrimination of a lot of disabled people”. “It’s going to be Robodebt 2.0

Amyl and the Sniffers at Rough Trade. (Credit: Paul Hudson under the Creative Commons License) Young people are opting towards international acts rather than Australian artists at a higher rate than before, despite Australia’s passion for live music culture. This has posed a challenge for smaller Australian live music venues' ability to flourish, as the majority of their revenue stems from Australian artists' gigs. This struggle has been felt by smaller local music venues su

Carlton Neighbourhood learning Centre. (Credit: Blake Lee) Neighbourhood Houses Victoria is calling on the State Government to provide an extra $11.7 million in annual funding, warning some centres may close without urgent support. Rising costs and increased community demand have forced the sector to advocate for the past six months through their “Keep Our Doors Open” campaign. Around 185,000 Victorians use neighbourhood houses each week, despite half of the state’s 400 c

Crowd in protest, outside of Parliament House. (Credit: Hudson Farr) More than 1,000 local council workers staged a 24-hour strike last week, escalating an ongoing dispute over wages and working conditions. The industrial action, coordinated by the Australian Services Union (ASU), saw workers from eight jurisdictions march from Victorian Trades Hall to Parliament House. The strike followed earlier disruptions in April, when workers in Hume, Darebin, and Merri-bek left more t

Isobel Buckley and Grace Gibson of Rack Off Records. (Credit: Isobel Buckley) Musicians Isobel Buckley and Grace Gibson had one goal in the creation of their punk record label: No boys allowed. Rack Off Records, founded in 2020 by Buckley and Gibson, is a Melbourne-based record label with the mission of promoting the non-male musical talent in the punk and hardcore scene. “Having female [and] non-binary representation on your line-ups [and] bands should be something to be exc

Image credit: Benjamin Crone - stock.adobe.com About 160,000 will be removed from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by 2030 under reforms aimed at curbing rising costs. Health Minister Mark Butler said the reforms would save Australian taxpayers $35 billion over the next four years, bringing the projected $70 billion price tag down to $55 billion. “Unless we take action to make it sustainable, it simply will not be there in the future for the Australians who nee

From left to right, Associate Professor Natalie Borg, Dr Denver Linklater, Distinguished Professor Elena Ivanova and study lead author Samson Mah. Image credit: RMIT University Media Centre A fast-moving strain of influenza called ‘Super K flu’ has been spreading in Australia since late 2025. Every year, there are new seasonal influenza strains and subtypes that spread through the community and contribute to the respiratory illness season. To stop the spread of diseases like

Participants of the snap rally helped to 'set sail' paper boats in honour of the Global Sumud Flotilla. (Credit: Harrison Caithness) Students for Palestine organised a snap rally on Thursday afternoon at Bowen St, RMIT University, demanding universities to cut ties with weapons companies and for the return of Australian activists. The snap rally, part of Palestine Solidarity Week, was held in light of the Global Sumud Flotilla being intercepted off the coast of Crete by the I

Credit: Ruta Alai The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to increase the official cash rate to 4.1 per cent aims to combat the growing economic and geopolitical pressures that are being felt by the whole nation. However, as borrowing costs increase, family businesses have found themselves swimming in the deep end of increased operating costs and drowning amongst larger corporations who have networks to fall back on. Mark Gibbs, owner and co-founder of the Melbourne-based Gi

Credit: Adobe Stock Images From high school classrooms to University lecture halls, experts warn that the Manosphere is seeping into Australia’s education system. The manosphere refers to an online network of influencers, content creators, podcasters and online communities that can be found on nearly any social media platform. These digital mediascapes promote misogynistic and anti feminist ideologies to a predominantly young male audience. Monash University and Australia’s

Mr Tulk Cafe at the State Library. (Credit: Nicole Manolitsas) After nine successful years of operating, Mr Tulk Cafe will be forced to close in mid-May after losing a tender process. Located on Swanston Street and adjoined to Melbourne’s iconic State Library, the indie cafe is a celebrated community hub for academics, students and tourists. Mr Tulk is owned by a married couple, Michael and Maria Togias, who bought the business in 2017. Michael Togias explained that library s

Credit: Adobe Stock Images Young Victorians are feeling the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis amid increasing fuel costs and daily living expenses as a result of the war in the Middle East. Bowser prices sit at about $2.23 per litre for unleaded petrol and $3.29 per litre for diesel in Melbourne’s northern suburbs at the time of reporting. Monash University research fellow Dr Lauren Pearson said household budgets were being impacted by the petrol supply and global disruption

Credit: Adobe Stock Images Victorian public transport is free during April, with experts saying that most public transport is protected from fuel related price spikes when full fares return. Transport Victoria announced last week that public transport will be free for all passengers across the state from March 31 to April 30, excluding airport buses, ferries and private services. The initiative aims to reduce the pressure on Australian fuel reserves and help Victorians stru

Melbourne, a city once known for its arts sector, faces industry degradation as state government funding declines. Victoria has seen a $20 million decline in support for the arts industry over the past five years. Writers Victoria’s board chair Janice Gobey said the decline represented how little interest the Victorian Government has in the arts. “There’s no money to go around and there’s other competing priorities,” she said. At least 14 cultural institutions faced compl

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