News Features

Mardi Gras 2016

'No Pride In Detention' activists say their Mardi Gras float was moved so politicians could 'save face'

Jenny Noyes 6:09 PM The float organiser says Mardi Gras officials threatened to expel them for making Labor and Liberal politicians on nearby floats "uncomfortable".

IWD 2016

Turkish police fire rubber bullets to break up Women's Day rally

10:53 AM "You see the power of women. We are here despite every obstacle and we will continue to fight for our cause," one protester said.

PM puts the brakes on same-sex marriage pledge

Gareth Hutchens, Nicole Hasham Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has failed to endorse a pledge made by Attorney-General George Brandis to hold a same-sex marriage plebiscite by the end of 2016.

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Call for women to be more militant in quest for equal pay

Bridie Smith Zelda D'Aprano is no stranger to campaigning for gender pay equity. In 1969 she famously chained herself to the doors of the Arbitration Court in Spring Street to draw public attention to the cause.

Domestic violence

Mobile women-only police stations to prevent domestic violence, expert says

Amy Mitchell-Whittington A "one-stop shop" that addresses the causes of domestic violence could be the best way to prevent the deaths of women at the hands of their partners, a Brisbane criminology expert says.

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Gay refugees on Nauru 'prisoners' in their home

Nicole Hasham Two gay refugees who fell in love at the Nauru detention camp say they are virtually prisoners in their home: holed up in fear for their lives after being bashed and verbally abused in a nation where homosexuality is illegal.

NSW Police apologises to Mardi Gras founders the 78ers

Daisy Dumas Saturday's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is set to be a momentous occasion after the NSW Police added its voice to the acknowledgment that discrimination and mistreatment of gay rights protesters at the first Mardi Gras in June 1978 was wrong and unjust.

Privacy breach

Students rally behind South Carolina teacher who resigned after nude photo theft

Jonah Bromwich A South Carolina high school teacher who says she was forced to resign after a student took her phone and circulated a nude picture of her has garnered the support of hundreds of students who signed a petition demanding she be reinstated.

Court denies Oscar Pistorius murder conviction appeal

Andre Janse van Vuuren South Africa's highest court denied Oscar Pistorius leave to appeal his murder conviction for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Olympic games

Refugee team given green light to compete at Rio Olympics

"We want to send a message of hope to all the refugees of the world," the IOC president, Thomas Bach, said.

South Dakota Governor vetoes bill that would've restricted bathroom access for transgender students

Matt Pearce The veto represents an important victory for LGBT rights activists who have seen their push for stronger civil rights protections countered by conservative lawmakers.

Speaking visit not 'appropriate', Catholic school tells gay author

Miki Perkins Just days after he came out as gay, an award-winning young author has invitation to speak at a Catholic school cancelled and is told that parents 'might not be happy'.

Pat Dodson

Pat Dodson to fill Labor's vacant WA Senate spot

Michael Koziol Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has put forward "the father of reconciliation" Patrick Dodson as the replacement for outgoing Western Australian senator Joe Bullock.

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Trent Zimmerman uses maiden speech to target those who 'peddle prejudice'

Matthew Knott Joe Hockey's replacement was told not to focus on his sexuality in his maiden speech. He didn't listen.

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Sydney woman's plea for marriage equality after partner's death in crash

Megan Levy, Kate Aubusson On a death certificate, there is no tick-box that accurately describes the relationship between Sydney couple Lara and Elise Ryan.

'I was naked all over the internet': the ordeal of sportscaster Erin Andrews

Sarah Kaplan Erin Andrews wanted to be "the girl next door who loved sports," she said. "And now I'm the girl with a hotel scandal," the Fox sportscaster tearfully told a courtroom.

Joe Bullock retires from Senate two years after election

Latika Bourke West Australian Senator Joe Bullock has announced he is retiring from politics citing an inability to support the Labor Party's position requiring MPs to vote in favour of same-sex marriage.

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Pell must have known about abuse: Ridsdale victim

Melissa Cunningham A victim who was raped daily while living with notorious paedophile Gerald Ridsdale at a presbytery in Mortlake says he finds it unfathomable that Cardinal George Pell didn't know he was being sexually abused.

Stereosonic throws full support behind pill testing

Lisa Visentin The organisers of Stereosonic, one of Australia's largest music festivals, have become the first to publicly support on-site pill testing in a bid to prevent overdoses and deaths.

Linda Burney

Linda Burney set to make history in federal parliament

Sean Nicholls Deputy NSW Labor leader Linda Burney is set to make Australian political history by becoming the first Indigenous woman to hold a seat in the federal House of Representatives.

'It's just so wrong': mother and child asked to leave Sydney Lyric Theatre performance

Kate Aubusson The mother of a teenager with developmental disabilities says they were subject to discrimination at a Sydney theatre when they were asked to leave ten minutes into a performance.

Q&A; debate flares over claims same-sex marriage will lead to new 'stolen generation'

Marissa Calligeros Tony Abbott has called for the abolition of the Safe Schools program, as debate flared on ABC's Q&A; about same-sex marriage leading to a new "stolen generation".

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Facebook boost for same-sex marriage 'yes' campaign

Judith Ireland Social media giant Facebook has partnered with marriage equality advocates in a major boost for the "yes" campaign in the planned plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

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Gay marriage 'would lead to drug use and disease'

Matthew Knott The pamphlets, which have been authorised by a former parliamentary secretary to John Howard, indicate the potential lines of attack for the "no" campaign.

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Social

Facebook 'dislike button' could cause new wave of bullying, says Cara Delevingne

Hannah Furness The introduction of a 'dislike' button to Facebook could lead to a "whole new wave of bullying", Cara Delevingne has said.

Ian Thorpe to host new ABC documentary on teen bullying

Ian Thorpe is calling out to teenage victims of bullying in order to create a TV show that will examine the causes, context and consequences of the issue in today's Australia.

Uterus transplant

Surgeons have performed the United States' first successful uterus transplant

Surgeons in Cleveland say they have performed the nation's first uterus transplant, a new frontier that aims to give women who lack wombs a chance at pregnancy.

Canberra doctor behind pill testing trial at music festivals

Natasha Boddy A leading Canberra doctor behind a plan to roll out a private pill testing trial at music festivals believes it could persuade up to 60 per cent of people who use the service not to take potentially dangerous drugs.

'Go kill yourself, faggot': School 'not safe' for bullied gay teen

Jill Stark A 15-year-old who attempted suicide after being terrorised at school for two years and beaten with a skateboard says he was bullied for being gay and told to "kill yourself, faggot".

Airline sexism

An 81-year-old woman is suing Israeli airline El Al for sexism after being asked to switch seats

Isabel Kershner Renee Rabinowitz is a sharp-witted retired lawyer who escaped the Nazis as a child. Now she's about to become a test case in the battle over religion and gender, after being asked to switch seats to accommodate an ultra-orthodox Jewish man.

State Treaty

Victoria begins talks about Australia's first-ever treaty with Indigenous people

Nick Toscano The historic meeting with up to 500 First Nations representatives, passed a motion demanding that the state resource a treaty process instead of the federal government's proposal for constitutional recognition.

Gay senator calls on Liberal colleagues for empathy

Judith Ireland and Adam Gartrell The Coalition's first openly gay MP, Dean Smith, has called for empathy in the increasingly heated debate about the Safe Schools program.

Detention centre workers suffering trauma

Nicole Hasham The mental health issues suffered by asylum seekers is well-documented but it is now emerging that dozens of their teachers, carers and captors are struggling with their own trauma after dealing with riots, suicide and self-harm.

Adam Liaw's cauliflower gratin with pickled celery

Adam Liaw Vegetables not only taste amazing but there are dozens of them, and so many delicious ways to cook them.

Graffiti tagger destroys historical Smith Street feminist mural

Neelima Choahan An infamous graffiti tagger has defaced a 30-year-old mural depicting Northcote women so badly it is probably beyond saving.

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Manus asylum seekers hoping PNG Supreme Court will order them to be freed

Bianca Hall 'Their rights have been breached' says lawyer who expects everyone held in detention centre to join legal challenge to ongoing loss of liberty.

Advanced style

Debbie Cuthbertson At the age of 105, West Australian artist Loongkoonan is the eldest and last remaining speaker of the Nyikina language, and possibly Australia's oldest practising artist.

India cools on rapid-fire female sterilisations

Ellen Barry For decades, India has relied on female sterilisation as its primary mode of contraception, funding about 4 million tubal ligations every year, more than any other country. Now an alternative is making an appearance.

Division of labour

Why women still do most of the unpaid work

Danielle Paquette Men are holding women back in their careers when they don't share in the household chores, global data suggests.

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Mardi Gras apology

'The actions you took in 1978 have been vindicated'

Daisy Dumas On June 24, 1978, more than 500 activists took to Taylor Square to call for an end to criminalisation of homosexual acts and discrimination against homosexuals. They were met with mass arrests. Today, NSW said sorry.

U.S. abortion rights

Louisiana court order may shut all but one abortion clinic

A New Orleans appeals court order may force the closure of all but one abortion clinic in Louisiana unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.

Men overwhelmingly dominate family violence offence, new figures show

Karlis Salna Men overwhelmingly dominate domestic and family violence offences - outstripping women by four to one - and most are aged in their 20s and early 30s.

'At least I'm not a homophobe': Bill Shorten in tense exchange with Cory Bernardi

Fergus Hunter Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and conservative Liberal senator Cory Bernardi have exchanged blunt words over a review into the Safe Schools LGBTI education program.

Mardi Gras apology

Herald apologises to the 78ers

Daisy Dumas Discrimination towards gay rights protesters at the hands of police, government and media in 1978 was wrong and unjust, the Herald acknowledges.

'She caught the bullets so they didn't': hero mother saved playing children from shooter

Colby Itkowitz Tiana Carruthers was watching several children, one of them her own, outside her apartment building on Saturday evening when a man approached. He asked a question. Then he started shooting.

Melbourne primary school bans unvaccinated children

Kaitlyn Offer More than 20 children have been banned from Princess Hill Primary Schooll after two students contracted measles.

Safe schools

PM orders review of Safe School LGBTI program

Matthew Knott and Judith Ireland Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ordered a review into a controversial school education program aimed at promoting acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBTI) students.

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'To encourage a guy to wear a dress would just be setting him up for bullying'

Francesca Wallace, Eryk Bagshaw Students at a Sydney high school have won a battle to change their uniform policy to allow students to wear boys or girls uniforms regardless of their gender.

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106-year-old dances like a schoolgirl as she finally meets the Obamas

Michael Miller 'I thought I would never live to get in the White House,' said Virginia McLaurin who had written to the Obamas more than a year ago asking to meet them.

School harassment

One in five British girls sexually harassed in school, survey finds

Lin Taylor At least one in five British women experienced unwanted sexual contact while they were in school, and of that number, nearly half said the abuse was frequent.

eBay pay gap

Buyers on eBay bid more for goods sold by men

Pam Belluck Study uncovers yet another incarnation of the gender pay gap.

'Supercondom' backed by Gates Foundation stops AIDS, enhances pleasure

Marty Toohey The antioxidant that makes the condom work that way also enhances the sexual experience - a property that could help to encourage the condom's use and counteract the stigma this kind of contraception carries in much of the developing world.

Opals forward Alice Kunek faces backlash over 'blackface' post on social media

Liz Cambage calls out teammate Alice Kunek's Instagram post which featured her in "blackface" make-up an image.

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'Sounds like fun': Aussie diplomats mocked reports of Indonesian rape and murder of Timorese

Tom Allard Reports to the Australian embassy in Jakarta of atrocities in East Timor prompted a shocking response.

Keep Sydney Open: protesters march to 'unlock' Sydney's nightlife

Patrick Begley Thousands mock premier in anti-lockout rally.

Turnbull, Shorten have spoken over Baby Asha case: Owler

Deborah Snow Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have become embroiled in the stand-off over the fate of asylum-seeker child Baby Asha, currently in a Brisbane hospital, the head of the Australian Medical Association President Brian Owler says.