Helping ‘impatient’ students stay in school
Keeping young people in school is a key element in addressing inequality. Completing school is a minimum requirement for many jobs, as well as necessary for getting access to most types of training and university...Read more
Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop
You may have heard of play. It’s that thing children do – the diverse range of unstructured, spontaneous activities and behaviours. Children play in many ways, including by exploring movements, constructing with equipment, creating games,...Read more
A chance to even the odds
A child’s destiny is heavily influenced by the lottery of socio-economic status and where they happen to grow up, but access to quality early learning can help even the odds for all Australian children. Each...Read more
The cost of climate (in)action
In this Australian election, will the major parties’ climate policies get Australia on track to meet its Paris commitments and how does Australia compare to what other countries are doing? As the Australian federal election approaches,...Read more
Our cities fall short on sustainability, but planning innovations offer local solutions
Australia’s sprawling cities present many challenges to sustainability, but planning innovations can help achieve at least half of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Thirty years after the landmark Brundtland report, the debate on urban sustainability...Read more
Building cities for a changing climate
Our cities are responsible for a large chunk of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, so the way we plan and construct them has to adapt to the future impacts of climate change. Worldwide, buildings are responsible...Read more
The next generation of Australian schools
With hundreds of new schools needed in Victoria in the coming decade, how will they meet future student and community needs? Australia will need an estimated 400 to 750 new schools to accommodate 650,000 additional students...Read more
Keeping our cities working
Making our biggest cities more efficient, affordable and accessible will raise the living standards of nearly all Australians, but it will also require some compromise. Australia’s economic future depends on the smooth operation of its big...Read more
Who is left behind under the new child care subsidy?
Australian families are increasingly relying on childcare but a change in policy may leave those who need it most locked out. The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey reveals Australians are...Read more
Why don’t Australian school kids feel a sense of belonging?
Respectful and valued relationships with teachers and the wider community are key to helping more students feel greater connection to their school, leading to far-reaching positive effects. The sense of belonging Australian students feel at school has...Read more
One in three Australian children ‘exposed to disadvantage’
The long-term health and wellbeing of Australian children suffers if they live in neighbourhoods lacking basic amenities like schools, parks and libraries, says a new study. Changing Children’s Chances looked at the experiences of more than 5,000...Read more
What’s it like to be young and from overseas in Australia?
The first ever census of young Australians from refugee and migrant backgrounds paints a mixed picture of optimism and belonging against a backdrop of ongoing discrimination. The majority of refugee and migrant young Australians feel strongly...Read more
Breaking gender stereotypes early
Gender stereotyping can be tackled in preschool, promoting equality in the skills children learn and the possibilities they see for themselves. But it’s not about banning books. We all know that children are like little detectives....Read more
Children design the city!
The Greater Dandenong City Council in Victoria, Australia, engages local children to help shape the local city and the experience children have as active participants within it. In May 2016, the Council invited primary school aged...Read more