Unattractive side to new portrait of young people
Rachel Browne A new portrait of young people shows they are better educated and smoking less but are increasingly overweight, using illicit drugs and drinking at risky levels.
Charity offerings down but people power out in force
Rachel Browne THE groups that support needy people at Christmas are doing it tough themselves this year with charity organisations saying donations have slumped compared with last December.
What young people fear most - and it's not the environment
Rachel Browne FORGET trees. The biggest concern for the next generation is finding a job to support their families.
Single parents struggle after shift to Newstart
Shane Green, Rachel Browne A bleak picture of disadvantage among single parents forced onto Newstart has emerged, with a new Salvation Army report finding the contentious policy has compounded levels of deprivation.
At home with Simon Longstaff
Rachel Browne The philosopher has learnt much from his books but he values a life that is rich in experience.
Age no test for home owners' deepest roots
Rachel Browne Older people are clinging on to their empty nests: 90 per cent say they wish to stay in their current home rather than downsizing or moving into aged care.
Listen to children to avoid past tragedies, commissioner urges
Rachel Browne Australia's inaugural National Children's Commissioner, Megan Mitchell, has given her first major public speech.
Families still struggling with cost
Rachel Browne, Daniella Miletic and Mark Kenny More than one-third of families struggle to pay childcare fees despite increased federal government assistance over the past decade, according to a new report by public policy think tank The...
Parents of disabled want more flexibility to hysterectomy ban
Rachel Browne Parents of women with severe disabilities are being forced to take their daughters overseas for hysterectomies after their requests for the procedure were denied in Australia, a leading...
Hospital care 'inadequate' for patients with dementia
Rachel Browne Hospitals pose a health risk for dementia sufferers because staff fail to identify their condition, according to a new report, leading to inadequate treatment.
Young smoking less, more overweight
Rachel Browne A new portrait of young Australians shows they are better educated and smoking less but are increasingly overweight, using illicit drugs and drinking at risky levels.
Disabled in poverty 'need more help now'
Rachel Browne More than 600,000 people with disabilities are living below the poverty line, figures from the welfare group Australian Council of Social Service show.
A formidable champion for all the nation's children
Rachel Browne Australia's first Children's Commissioner grasps the importance of the role, having experienced her own childhood adversity.
Officials 'asleep' on nursing care
Rachel Browne and Vince Chadwick Aged-care advocates fear criminals are using a legal loophole to gain control of nursing homes.
Adoptions fall to historic low
Rachel Browne and Vince Chadwick The number of children adopted by Australians has fallen to a historic low, with only 333 children adopted in 2011-12.
Adoptions plunge as red tape adds to delay of getting a child
Rachel Browne SOCIAL AFFAIRS ADOPTION by Australians has fallen to a historic low, with 333 in 2011-12.
230,000 seek help as housing affordability bites
Rachel Browne Almost a quarter of a million Australians - or one in 98 people - requested help from welfare agencies because they were either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, according to figures from the...
First year of marriage can become wedded hiss for the unhappy couple
Rachel Browne The honeymoon period is a myth, according to new Australian research which has found that couples are unhappiest in their first year of marriage.
Economy weighs on young minds
Rachel Browne The economy has overtaken the environment as the most pressing concern for young Australians.
Disabled youth more abused than others
Rachel Browne Children and young adults with disabilities are three times more likely to suffer abuse and neglect than their peers without disabilities, according to a policy paper released on Tuesday.
