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All I could see in those little black numbers was the degree I would not be studying, my five year plan not even falling apart but simply, unequivocally vanished. However, far more deeply etched into the woman I am today, are experiences I had in my final year of school that had nothing to do with my academic achievements.

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Hooray, December! A time for work Christmas parties, end-of-year school concerts, days at the cricket and holidays at the beach. So many Instagram-worthy moments. But wait just a tinsel-hanging second -- have you got consent to take or post that photo?

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I am guessing this is probably not the last time I will say the wrong thing, or say something the wrong way.

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We will exacerbate an intergenerational deficit unless we lift our sights and face up to the question of what sort of society we wish to bequeath. What is the nature of the capital are we bequeathing to future generations?

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Last year, we couldn't face festivity. What we had to face was huge and cold, the hardest thing we'd ever admitted: our cherished younger daughter, the quirky little girl who made the wonky angel, was lost to us.

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The "crazy" is everywhere. The question is whether, after the fear subsides, the varying political forces will return to "business as usual" as if nothing fundamental has changed in French politics.

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It's high time for Federal and State Governments to take action to deliver housing market outcomes that actually house people. The combined annual cost (or national loss) of the capital gains tax concession and negative gearing is around $7 billion. This in itself should drive pressure for reform.

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The Counting Dead Women campaign is an admirable, desperate effort by an inspirational group of people to highlight the savagery that widely exists behind closed doors in our community. Yet my mother, and thousands like her over the years, will not be counted among the 78.

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Mental illness is the greatest threat among the non-communicable diseases to the Australian and global economies over the next 20 years.

The Heart Foundation

Ticks and Stars are perceived as "rewards" and people interpret them as being "healthy". Why not just get rid of this system altogether? It detracts from the real message, which is that people should be eating whole, fresh, unprocessed foods.

I know that when Christmas comes I will be brave, and the actual day will be much better than the build-up. We're going to spend it with my parents, my sister and her family and there will be so many happy kids around I know I'll find it hard to feel too sad - or even have the time! But on Christmas Day I'll be thinking of Rog, wherever his soul may be, and sending him all the love in the world.

20th Century Fox

So 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' will be released in the coming days and the world has lost its collective mind. Except for me.

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I'm glad we've begun to raise our daughters more like our sons -- but it will never work until we raise our sons more like our daughters.

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If, as Prime Minister Turnbull believes, there's never been a more exciting time to be an Australian, we must embrace the responsibility to play our part in reducing global poverty and building prosperity. Not just as a good global player but also as one that realises what it takes to keep Australia strong.

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One cannot understate the importance of the agreement arrived at in Paris. For the first time, world leaders have faced up to the stark warnings that climate scientists have been issuing for years, instead of shrinking away with denial and delay. And while the commitments made in Paris aren't on their own enough to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at safe levels, they are enough to begin bending the emissions curve towards a safe climate. Paris is a beginning of a process.

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By sharing information about key threats and tools for addressing those threats we can take a practical, cooperative approach. That will help us minimise the impacts of chronic stresses and deal with shocks when they come.