Stephanie Boltje
Latest by Stephanie Boltje
'A compliment and a whack': Prime ministers reflect on Lowitja's legacy
By the Indigenous affairs team's Carly Williams and Stephanie Boltje
The late Lowitja O'Donoghue is being remembered for her trailblazing spirit, with leaders acknowledging she changed Australia's relationship with Indigenous affairs.
Why sharing the Survival Day spotlight with Gaza has mob talking
By the Indigenous affairs team's Carly Williams, Brooke Fryer and Stephanie Boltje
You may be wondering why the Aboriginal and Palestinian flags will fly together on Survival Day, but sharing the national spotlight with another minority group is not new for activist Paul Silva.
'This is truth-telling': At 94, Ruth Hegarty wants you to hear her story before you vote
By Isabella Higgins and Stephanie Boltje
Aunty Ruth Hegarty lived through a cruel chapter in Australian history. Now aged 94, she's approaching the Voice vote with optimism for future generations.
'It is not a surface thing': Why we spell Country with a capital C
As told to Stephanie Boltje
Do you know what Country is or what it means to care for it? Ever heard of Songlines? Margo Ngawa Neale, senior Indigenous art and history curator at the National Museum of Australia, is here to help.
What does it mean to be on Country with Indigenous Elders? Dan Bourchier reflects on a moving assignment
We travelled thousands of kilometres, navigated croc-filled waters and an encounter with a deadly taipan to record the stories of Indigenous Elders on Country for the ABC's One Plus One program.
How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders have shaped culture and country for tens of thousands of years
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders share stories and language, culture and wisdom, that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Three LGBTQIA+ Australians share what the queer alphabet means to them and the letters that resonate with them the most
What do the LGBTQIA+ letters stand for – and what does it mean to identify with one (or more) of them? The Drum asked three people about their identity and why it is important to them.
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Tetiana and Dasha fled Ukraine with just one backpack each – now they've set up a new life in Australia
Ukrainians living in Australia after fleeing the war still fear for the safety of their family and friends at home.
Indigenous Cabbage Tree Island community moves into new temporary home
As students of the island's flood-damaged public school move into new temporary buildings, the people of Cabbage Tree Island hold out hope their community can be rebuilt.
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'Plants have a beautiful capacity to hold memories': How nature can help dementia patients stimulate their brains
Dementia patients are smelling and touching plants to engage and stimulate their brains, in a new pilot program at Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden.
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Kids in Titjikala are flipping their eyelids up to get checked for trachoma – but why does this disease still exist in Australia?
The Drum / By Stephanie Boltje
As the Joint Council on Closing the Gap meets in Adelaide, cases of trachoma in Aboriginal communities are declining as NT Health pop-up clinics teach kids how to clean their faces properly — but a new date for eradication has not been set.
In Aboriginal communities like Benedict's, electricity is prepaid. But his power still gets cut off almost every week
The Drum / By Stephanie Boltje
In the Aboriginal town camp of Hidden Valley, power is in short supply. But plans are underway to secure electricity for residents through solar panels.
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'We were told never to speak our language again': How Indigenous elders are learning to revive their language
The Drum / By Stephanie Boltje
Indigenous Australians and Native Americans come together in the Red Centre to learn, from each other, how they can save their languages from extinction.
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My mum was diagnosed with PSP and was told she had six years to live
The Drum / By Stephanie Boltje
Around 180 Australians will develop signs of progressive supranuclear palsy each year – there's no cure, and researchers still don't know what causes it.
Ukrainian dance students find refuge in Australia's circus community
The Drum / By Stephanie Boltje
The Australian circus community is rallying to keep Ukrainian culture alive by bringing performing arts students down under to study.
'They should be handing it back': Descendants of William Barak in fight to save rare artwork from auction
The Drum / By Stephanie Boltje
Two rare Aboriginal artworks go under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York tonight – and William Barak's descendants want to buy them.
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'Really bad' domestic violence spike expected in flood-ravaged northern NSW
There is a link between domestic violence and natural disasters, say support organisations that are bracing for the fallout as they deal with their own resources and accommodation being decimated by floods.
Changing regional media: Is it the death knell for print or an opportunity?
Across Australia, where newspapers have closed or gone online, in some places others have taken their place, but many regional areas are missing out.
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What is the risk of COVID spread from an unvaccinated family member or friend?
As people gather to celebrate the festive season, health experts say there are measures everyone can take to limit the risk of COVID.
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New research suggests COVID vaccine in pregnant women could give newborns extra protection
Researchers are learning more and more about how COVID vaccines share protection from a pregnant mother to her unborn child.
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Aged care residents describe life under strict lockdown rules
Strict lockdown measures in New South Wales mean Minnie, 96, has not seen her family in months — and spent her birthday with staff.
Domestic violence service providers struggling as requests for help surge amid pandemic
Domestic violence services are reporting a pressure-cooker environment during the pandemic, issuing stark warnings about a rise in demand for help across New South Wales since the latest lockdown began.
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Callum says he's inherited 'the brain of an old man'. This is 'long COVID'
It's been over a year since Callum O'Dwyer caught COVID, but like other 'long COVID' sufferers, he's still feeling the effects.
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'Enough is enough': Calls for better support for young people leaving care
A new report finds little has changed for young people leaving out-of-home care in the past decade with many ending up homeless.
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'Tears of joy' as trans priest becomes Uniting Church minister
Australia's first openly transgender church minister is hoping her presence will inspire greater visibility for other transgender people in public roles.
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