Columnists

There are contrasting legal contexts in which children are represented in court. The Family Court deals with private matters at a federal level where parents are the disputing parties, whereas the Children’s Court deals with state based public law matters. The main focus of the Family Court is on the...

Food and cancer can be a complicated mix. Treatment often changes appetite, taste, or tolerance, and it can be hard to know what’s best to eat. Caley Schnaid, Accredited Practising Dietitian at GenesisCare, St Leonards, has been an integral part of my care, helping me navigate food choices with confidence. She shares...

We go through life with the knowledge that some things are inevitable. We are creatures of happiness, yet we will become sad. We yearn for wealth, though some will remain poor. We aspire for health, yet in time we will grow ill. If there is one certainty in life, it...

Somehow, impossibly, we’ve made it. October, our tenth month. The kids are on holidays, our Year 12s are buckling down for their HSC exams, and really, it’s basically Christmas already. Well, if the decorations I’m seeing at the shops are any indication. We have a fun October edition. Fun because we...

It was a busy month in September. Just three short weeks after the Lifeline Gala Ball on the 30th of August, I attended the gala dinner for the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter (HKWS), where the charity celebrated 10 years of providing vital assistance to women and children in our area....

Opinion Immigration is always a hot topic. My interest in immigration focuses on the unusually high number and ongoing lack of public consultation. It has therefore always been interesting to see that year after year, Australian governments grossly understate the annual permanent migration intake. The Labor Government announced that Australia’s...

It’s always inspiring to see what makes Bradfield such a special community, and my job is to make sure your voices are heard in Canberra. Recently, that’s meant championing a Willoughby resident’s letter in Parliament about the local impact of NDIS cuts, speaking up for parents affected by the sudden...

The Kiama by-election held on 13 September offered a rare yet valuable glimpse into the likely direction of the upcoming NSW state election, due in less than 18 months. By-elections are usually a litmus test on the incumbent government. With a primary vote swing to Labor—an impressive feat, as there...

During the last few years there have been ongoing changes to planning laws and regulations, many designed to reduce so-called ‘red tape’. One of the most recent changes is the implementation of the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA). While the HDA is not itself an approval authority, it is however a three person panel...

Identifying elder abuse can be a challenging process, especially as it usually creeps in insidiously over time. It is a subject rapidly expanding as its own legal jurisdiction. In NSW there are five recognised types of elder abuse that may co-exist simultaneously: Physical abuse: Intentionally inflicting physical pain, injury or...