July 23, 2026
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
Jasminda's Advice

‘On the couch’ with Jasminda

DEAR Jasminda, MY daughter’s class is holding a fundraiser to raise funds to paint the play equipment. I’ve let the relatives know and now they are getting competitive with their offers. Kylie G. Dear Kylie, Fundraisers used to be done in a clandestine way, much like nanna slipping little Jimmy a cool fifty bucks in […]

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Letter to the Editor: On being brave and hindsight
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: On being brave and hindsight

DEAR News Of The Area, SINCE my teens, following the 1973 Arab oil embargo, we have been acutely aware of the finite nature of fossil fuels. And although scientists have warned that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change for over a century, these concerns have become urgent since the 1980s. So, in Australia we […]

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Legal Hypothetical: Migration law – Love without romance
Hypothetical

Legal Hypothetical: Migration law – Love without romance

ANITA, a foreign citizen, has been living in Australia on a temporary visa and has been unsuccessful in obtaining a long-term visa. Anita meets an elderly Australian widower while volunteering at a neighbourhood community centre. Patrick is 85 years old and has lived alone since his wife died six years earlier. Anita initially visits regularly […]

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Letter to the Editor: Forestry claims that beggar belief
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Forestry claims that beggar belief

DEAR News Of The Area, THE letter of 4 March 2026 from Steve Dobbyns, Chair and Director of Forest and Wood Communities Australia titled “We can’t transition to plantations overnight”, is a rolling ball of contradictions, false accusations and exaggerations. In his opening paragraph Mr Dobbyns identifies several comments he made in “an unpublished Forest […]

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Letter to the Editor: Why fear campaigns work
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Why fear campaigns work

DEAR News Of The Area, I FIND it hard to find sensible discussion about migration coming from the opposition. Instead they seek to politicise the issue and turn it into a fear campaign. Fear campaigns work because they do not require facts, merely a grievance, and appeal to our natural desire for simple solutions to […]

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