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Editor's note
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To listen to young women’s accounts of being homeless is to be confronted by their desperation and vulnerability. And, write the researchers who interviewed them, these women are helping to raise awareness in the hope Australia will act on the growing scourge of homelessness.
We also look today at why people are being left out on the streets for very different reasons, after being evacuated from unsafe apartment buildings. With governments sitting on the recommendations of a February 2018 report on national building regulations, Geoff Hanmer wonders whether a royal commission might be the only way to end the buck-passing.
With 90% of Australia’s population urbanised, the challenges and opportunities of urban life directly affect most of us. Over the next 12 months, we want to do more in the Cities & Policy section to cover the complexities of this way of life. For example, how can we ensure everyone can afford a decent place to call home? How can we create a liveable and sustainable way of life? And how do we maintain cohesive communities in vast sprawling cities?
At The Conversation, we can tell those stories differently, drawing on expert, evidence-based analysis – but we can only do that with your help. Please make a tax-deductible donation to The Conversation today.
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John Watson
Section Editor: Cities + Policy
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Top stories
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People between the ages of 25 and 34 are the largest group of woman who find themselves homeless.
Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock
Jacki Montgomery, Western Sydney University; Aila Khan, Western Sydney University; Louise Carley Young, Western Sydney University
The largest group of homeless women is between the ages of 25 and 34, and family violence is most often the cause. Their stories testify to the dangers and stresses of not having a place to call home.
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The Mascot Towers building in Sydney’s inner south is cordoned off after residents were evacuated following the discovery of cracks in the building.
Bianca De Marchi/AAP
Geoff Hanmer, UNSW
Regulations that are meant to protect residents from building failures and fires have been found wanting. All governments must take responsibility for fixing the defective regime they created.
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The use of Krokodil has fluctuated throughout the 21st Century.
From shutterstock.com
Julaine Allan, Charles Sturt University
'Krokodil' means crocodile in Russian, named as such partly because of the effect it has on users' skin. But skin infection isn't the only danger the drug poses.
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Business + Economy
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Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute
It is widely believed that compulsory super saves the government money on pensions. It does, but nowhere near enough to pay for the accompanying tax concessions. Lifting compulsory contributions will make things worse, for a century.
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Politics + Society
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Charles Edel, University of Sydney; John Lee, University of Sydney
China threatens to divide the close bond Australia and the US have shared for decades.
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Cassandra Seery, Deakin University
The High Court has decided that a man who donated sperm to a friend is considered a legal parent – a ruling that could have a chilling effect on similar artificial insemination arrangements.
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Arts + Culture
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Darren Paul Fisher, Bond University
Frozen smashed Disney stereotypes on its release in 2013. But six years later, its sequel will arrive in a very different cultural moment.
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Science + Technology
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Oliver Griffith, University of Melbourne
We used to think a marsupial mum didn't know when she was pregnant, but new research shows that's wrong. And that could help in conservation of endangered species.
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Navjot Bhullar, University of New England
For people who aren't able to spend time in nature every day, exposure to virtual natural environments could be an effective way of improving psychological well-being.
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Education
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Amy Graham, Charles Darwin University
Most parents know how important it is to read to their child, but not as many know the importance of helping them learn emotional skills. And it's the emotional skills teachers find most important.
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Environment + Energy
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Frank Jotzo, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; Salim Mazouz, Australian National University
The federal government claims that Australia's rising emissions are offset by savings around the globe when Australian gas exports replace other fossil fuels. But the numbers don't stack up like that.
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Featured events
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