A COVID inquiry has been announced. Michael Toole, Heidi Drummer and Suman Majumdar ask, but is COVID still a thing? Do I need a booster? Today’s announcement of an independent inquiry into Australia’s COVID response will examine how we’ve handled the pandemic and how we could...

When on a journey of self-improvement, we often find ourselves succumbing to the promises of countless apps that will ‘make life easier’. If you’re anything like us, you might use it once, only to delete it a week later. It’s a common cycle many of...

An expert review of work done on preterm babies published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has found that thanks to medical advancements, most of these tiny fighters now survive, but many of them face developmental challenges that can impact their future. The...

Researchers Tonia Gray, Jaydene Barnes and Marion Sturges write that you should stand back and avoid saying ‘be careful!’ There is ongoing concern about the impact of “helicopter parenting” on children’s growth and development. Keen to ensure the best outcomes for their children, helicopter parents tend to...

Simon Byrne has some advice and looks at the treatment options available Anxiety disorders are common among Australian children, affecting nearly 7% of those aged 4–11 years. Children’s fears can focus on areas such as being alone, talking to strangers or going to sleep. In small amounts,...

As the 2023 school year's final term beckons, LiteracyPlanet has a special gift just for educators! These invaluable resources are now available for a free download via the LiteracyPlanet Pinterest page. In a climate of constrained educational budgets and limited classroom hours, LiteracyPlanet recognised the critical need...

In the world of Cub Scouts, the message is clear: bullying has no place. We are excited to share with you an important collaboration between Scouts NSW and renowned author Susanne Gervay aimed at educating our young Cub Scouts about bullying, its identification, and how to...

Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) has listed the following children and young adult books for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize. The Final winners will be announced on 19 October 2023. For more information about the awards and to see last year’s winners, please visit the...

by Professor Gary RanceWe all know that talking and listening in large, noisy spaces (like restaurants, shopping centres or concert venues) is tough. Trying to piece together snippets of conversation with background noise is frustrating, exhausting and a definite barrier to communication. Hearing and understanding speech...

A recent report titled "Future-proofing Safety: Surfacing Inequality and Building Service Capacity for Crisis-Ready Responses" sheds light on the crucial issues surrounding front-line social services responses to reduce the impacts of large-scale disasters on vulnerable groups. Released by Family Safety Victoria, this report stresses the need...