What is going wrong with childcare in Australia?

Experts, Gabrielle Meagher and Marianne Fenech, investigate why many Australian childcare centres are not meeting regulatory standards for early childhood education services. Recently, an ABC’s Four Corners investigation reported shocking cases of abuse and neglect in Australian childcare centres. This included examples of children being sexually abused, restrained for hours in high chairs, and fed nutritionally...

EDITOR’S PICKS

Half of Aussie Teens Face Chronic Health Challenges: What Every Parent Should Know
Research uncovers overlap with ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, mental health, screen time, smoking and alcohol The Hidden Health Struggles Affecting Our Teens Nearly one in two Australian teenagers is living with a chronic illness or developmental condition like ADHD, autism, asthma, or food allergies, according...
Editor
08 May, 2025
The 2025 Young Archie arts competition is open for entries
The Art Gallery of New South Wales invites budding artists between the ages of 5 and 18 to submit a portrait for the Young Archie competition. Young Archies 2025 Finalists announced From more than 3200 (70 selected as finalists + 20 honourable mentions). The Art...
admin
03 May, 2025
When Bullying Breaks a Child: One Mother’s Fight to Be Heard
What do you do when your child is being bullied—and the school insists everything is fine? Anthea Rowan shares her harrowing journey through denial, doubt, and finally, decisive action to protect her son. The First Signs: “Some of the boys hit me” It began when...
Editor
01 May, 2025
What can you do when you kids are constantly fighting?
It’s so stressful hearing my children constantly fighting with each other. How do I cope and get them to stop? Nigel Latta has some suggestion Take a firm and non-negotiable line. I don’t favour the UN approach of endless negotiations and hollow pleas; I think...
Editor
24 April, 2025
A father’s lasting legacy on Anzac Day
Today, the ANZAC spirit continues to live on across Australia as thousands wake at dawn or stop to take a moment on the 25th of April to commemorate our servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. For Queensland Mum Julie...
Staff
22 April, 2025
How one mother handled her kids Creative and Remarkable Art Projects (CRAP)
Lucinda Bertram tries to deal tactfully with her daughters’ prolific artistic output. “Oh, it’s lovely,” I hear myself saying as, yet again, my daughter walks proudly towards me at the end of the preschool day, holding a mountain of biscuit and tissue boxes glued together....
Editor
10 April, 2025

Celebrating Mothers

Embracing The Moment
Marian O’Connell finds that her response to her son’s bedtime demands turns from severe frustration to serene reflection. There is an almost imperceptible change in breathing and a certain weightlessness that overcomes a child when they finally fall asleep. This is detectable only to the...
Editor
08 May, 2025
The Hidden Dilemma of Frozen Eggs
What Every Hopeful Parent Needs to Know With the rise of egg freezing, more people are preserving their fertility for future parenthood. But what happens when those eggs remain unused? A new study from Monash University and Monash IVF highlights a growing issue: thousands of...
Editor
24 April, 2025
Alcohol and Pregnancy: what is FA Syndrome
Even low levels of alcohol use during pregnancy are linked to changes in unborn babies report Evelyne Muggli and Professor Alicia Spittle Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes a range of severe neurodevelopmental impairments caused by alcohol exposure before birth. People with FASD can experience...
Editor
21 April, 2025
What are ‘reassurance scans’ during pregnancy?
Why do women get ‘reassurance scans’ ? asks Christopher Rudge. And how can you spot a dodgy provider? Recent media coverage in the Nine newspapers highlights a surge in non-medical ultrasound providers offering “reassurance ultrasounds” to expectant parents. The service has resulted in serious harms,...
Editor
20 April, 2025