Stories of upfront bonds, failure to pay wages, harassment and deplorable conditions are being heard by the parliamentary inquiry into whether a modern slavery act is needed to protect working backpackers from exploitation.
A coronial inquest into the murder of NSW environment officer Glen Turner will raise critical questions of government regulation where biodiversity conservation clashes with farmers’ rights.
In the aftermath of cyclone Debbie’s floodwaters, the northern New South Wales town of Murwillumbah is suffering a housing crisis, with homelessness rife.
While the deputy PM sees relocation to rural areas as a solution to poor housing affordability in capital cities, the risks are high without government support for infrastructure and planning.
A government proposal to compulsorily acquire farmland outside Townsville, to be leased to the Singapore Army for a training base, has local graziers gearing up for a fight.
As coal seam gas is promoted as essential to Australia’s future energy needs, there is insufficient research being funded on the contribution to climate change of ‘fugitive emissions’ from gas mining.
The initial findings of a royal commission into the merits of South Australia becoming a hub for uranium mining and waste storage raised as many questions as they answered.
