Features Archive

The Festival of Dangerous Ideas unites the most brilliant and daring minds across the globe for a weekend of talks at the Sydney Opera House. The likes of Germaine Greer and Jason Silva will debate topics as diverse as atheism, climate change, …

  This is not your typical Facebook status: “Offer: Maria from Vaucluse has litres of frozen breastmilk. PM her if interested.” The proposition: “Lauren in Matiland has 600mls to donate,” is not a post which pops up on most Facebook news feeds …

Andres Mejia still remembers the day when he arrived in Sydney in 2005, with just AUS $1200 and a lot of uncertainly about his future. “Now those days seem like a dream,” he said. Although Andres did not have money to spend …

I’ve never been much of a technophile but there I am standing outside the café, smartphone in hand, waiting to meet a friend for a breakfast arranged by text in response to an email that was confirmed by way of a Facebook …

Sophia Bashford investigates whether we’re getting our money’s worth for free-range eggs. I’m standing in Aisle 4 of the supermarket – the eggs section. Staring at the shelves in front of me, I’m met with a familiar dilemma. Do I pay the extra …

In my world, a teasing text message is a real turn-on. An innuendo-loaded Facebook status floats my boat. A frisky email? Totally hot. As many can relate, this is my twenty-something world of modern dating. Wooing in a technological era. Techno-romance has always been …

A staggering 2.4 million people are being trafficked around the globe at this very second, 80 per cent of them forced into sex slavery, according to the United Nations Crime-Fighting Office. Disturbingly, the heinous crime has infiltrated Australia, prompting a draft amendment …

It was Saturday night. Having just arrived in Australia for the first time, walking down George Street at 2am was a fast and hard lesson in the female social standards of native nightlife writes Jessica Beder. Navigating a forest of staggering stilettos …

Steven Berveling is very tall and thin. The white shirt and dark pants make him look professional. “It’s very nice to meet you,” he greets me in a gentle voice, standing at attention and stretching his hand to shake mine. He has …

As Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrives in Australia for talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard,  there is speculation that the increased US presence in Australia’s north, announced during President Barack Obama’s visit in November, may be another item up for discussion during the two-day leaders’ …