Skip to main content

News Ticker

Community Education

These students were promised a 'world-class' centre of education in agriculture. Three years in, they're still waiting

Students of a "world-class" agricultural school are stuck in hot, uncomfortable temporary classrooms as they wait for their promised "state-of-the-art" facilities to be built.
Three students stand in front of a fence watching the empty field where there school is supposed to be.

Nearly $30m worth of toys in Australian libraries help parents keep living costs down

Toy Libraries Australia expects memberships will rise further in the lead-up to Christmas, as families look for ways to keep costs down.
two kids playing with an ice cream cart

Fishing-related death of beloved swan prompts questions about Victoria's Little Angler Kit

Residents in Melbourne's north have questioned the rollout of a state government school fishing program after a swan named Evie died from injuries caused by a fishing hook.
A photo of a black swan on a lake

The local skate park once terrified Jane. Now it's her happy place

Jane McRoberts has spent much of her life as an outsider, but after a terrifying episode and a lot of inspiration she got on board with a community she's always longed for.
A man pushes a rectangular prism-shaped skate frame, while the woman on a skateboard inside the frame laughs

Music, mechanics and a safe place to escape keeping kids off streets in city with major crime problem

Last year, nearly 1,000 juveniles in Townsville were charged with property offences. But a game-changing program is working to cut youth crime, by giving vulnerable kids the support they need to get their lives back on track.
Renski stands behind the microphone in a dark recording booth foam sound baffles line the wall next door.

A record number of parents are educating their children at home

NSW has seen a jump of 37 per cent on last year, while Queensland and Victoria have seen similar jumps as well. Dr Rebecca English says there are a variety of factors.
ABC News Current
Duration: 3 minutes 47 seconds

NT Australian of the Year winner Blair McFarland recognised for tackling petrol-sniffing epidemic

NT Australian of the Year Blair McFarland has been acknowledged for his decades-long commitment to improving the health and lives of some of Australia's most disadvantaged youth.
Man with white hair and beard holds blue trophy and faces camera smiling

For 75 years, this language program has helped migrants like Pasco Gasperov and refugees navigate life Down Under

Pasco Gasperov could speak four or five languages when he arrived in Australia from the former Yugoslavia in 1968, but couldn't speak a word of English. That quickly changed when he enrolled in English language classes.
A profile picture of an elderly man in his family home

In his youth, Sahr found himself continually in trouble. Now he's helping others break that cycle

Australians in the youth justice system can access psychologists, trainers, and youth workers while they are in detention centres. But South Australian youth workers say more needs to be done to support multicultural youth once they leave the system.
A young person holds a basketball on a court.

Aziza fled the Taliban, spent five years in refugee camps, and arrived in Australia alone. Now she's literally building her future

How a TAFE training program is preparing migrant and refugee women for jobs in the construction industry, and giving them the skills to forge a new life for themselves.
Updated
Migrant women learning trades

Local museums struggling to stay open as fading interest threatens to consign them to history

High overheads, shifting community priorities and an ageing volunteer base threaten the long-term survival of local historical societies, which hold the stories of the regions.
a display of white nighties and christening gowns

How this free gardening movement is helping sow the seeds for future food security

If disasters ever cause shortages on supermarket shelves, Psaltis Cauley and passionate volunteers like her are set to support local food security with a precious seed bank of hardy and heirloom variety vegetables.
MUST USE FIELD describe image for blind audience

Why Karen refugees living in remote Australia finally feel hopeful for the future

From war-torn hills and valleys, to the sheep and wheat paddocks of remote Australia, the Karen people are determined to pass down their language and traditions to the next generation.
Updated
young girl on bus

Singapore wants to be the first to outlaw cancel culture. But can it be done? Here's what experts say

With no existing blueprint, Singapore wants to regulate the social phenomenon to better support public discourse. Experts cast their doubts and say existing laws in Australia could help.
Updated
Tall buildings against the sky

A fire crew cuts a Warilla High School teacher out of a mock car wreck.

Students from Warilla High School watch on as their teacher Braden Harry is cut out of a car wreck during a mock rescue demonstration by local fire crew.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 33 seconds

'The queen of the desert': Indigenous education advocate Dr MK Turner remembered in state funeral

The Arrernte elder, artist and author died last month having dedicated decades of her life to helping future generations of Indigenous Territorians.
Updated
Elderly Indigenous woman with grey hair sit on a camping chair and makes a peace sign with her fingers

In a cost-of-living crisis, Melbourne's libraries are a precious resource. But they're not evenly spread

Data shows Melbourne's growth areas have some of the worst access to public libraries across the city, despite being home to some of the youngest populations in the city.
Updated
A woman wearing a hijab standing near two bookshelves.

Lily wants to beat her teenage phone addiction so she's jumped aboard a 'pirate' ship to learn to sail

The Windeward Bound brigantine ship is sailing along the Queensland coast from Tasmania to help teach young people like Lily Watson life skills out on the seas.
Updated
Brunette woman with small lifejacket in front of netting on a ship in marina

AFL Victoria tackling horror road toll with weekend campaign round

Seeing a lot of blue armbands at the footy or netball this weekend? Amid a horror year on the state's roads, the AFL is again backing a road safety campaign to encourage people in communities, clubs and family settings to have conversations about why road safety matters.
Updated
A line up of football players with their arms crossed wearing blue armbands

Artist surprises 'hundreds' of Ballarat residents with custom paintings of their homes

Simon Laffey is behind the artwork that residents have been finding inside their letterboxes, and says the gesture is a "tribute to Ballarat's great beauty".
Updated
house portrait of pistachio green coloured ballarat home by Simon Laffey

Disengaged young people keeping out of trouble by learning the art of barbering

The Fresh Start program teaches hair cutting techniques to young students, some of whom are youth offenders.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 12 seconds

Mental health program receives funding boost to expand from AFL to other sports

Lifeline Broken Hill Country to Coast gets a funding boost to expand the How’s Ya Mate? program, so more sporting codes can benefit from mental health training. 
Woman just left of centre speaking to people.

Broken Hill brings university to the outback to keep skills close to home

The Country Universities Centre is slowly shifting attitudes towards higher education, giving more locals the chance to pursue their dreams without moving away.
A blonde woman in a black turtleneck smiling outside a building with an orange sign

'It's about time it changed': Pioneer's African descent left out of South Australia's history books

John Harvey, the founder of Salisbury in Adelaide's north, was a man of African descent — but history often leaves out that detail.
An archival black and white council photo of a man

How Reign the spoodle's life on the road is helping anxious travellers spread their wings

Scott Daniel rarely left the house before he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. But he has since made up for lost time with faithful companion Reign by his side.
Updated
Dog sitting near a waterfall