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I decided to ask 12 friends, ranging from 43 to 50 years of age, what they thought about this murky, surging undertow as we forge ahead into the next part of our lives.

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How you judge today's federal budget depends what you think a budget is for. Conventional wisdom has it that the best budgets stimulate the most growth. Conventional cynicism says the winner budgets are the ones that give enough prizes to the right voters to lock in a majority come polling day.

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As the budget draws closer I can only hope, for the sake of Malawi and for the sake of our self-respect, that the cut to Australian aid is not as deep as predicted.

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Everyone knows you should never get between a politician and a "working family." Working families are the political gold. They pay the tax, while creating the future tax-payers, and they've been the apple of every treasurer's eye since opinion polling was invented. But Tuesday night Scott Morrison erased them from his political sell. Gone in a puff of Mathias Cormann's cigar smoke.

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I don't believe Selena Gomez or Andra Day would intentionally harm a single child, and yet their association with Coke will inevitably set millions of children on a path to poor health. We can't go on letting these stars use their cachet to hook our kids.

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Bodies such as the Human Rights Commission are a vital part of the checks and balances on executive power. If it is cowed by fear of retribution or vicious personal attacks on its members, we are all the poorer.

Michael Amendolia

I've seen the generosity of Australians first hand. So when I hear reports that Australians think we should cut foreign aid, I'm genuinely surprised. It contradicts what I've always known.

Chris Poole

It's hard to log onto Facebook without being confronted by a kitten being adorably derpy. But why are cats the animal of an entire generation of the internet obsessed?

Jenna Wiley

With all of the stress that comes with teaching, I think it's easy to forget all the amazing things I experience as a teacher that would never be the status quo in a "normal job."

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If your career is your driving passion you will expect to be given as many opportunities in your workplace as the guy next to you. We know it doesn't always quite work out that way. These are eight things women have told me they have had to endure being told.

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If the Turnbull Government's budget does not boost funding for domestic violence services, it will leave women in grave danger. Even though the money is there to protect them, it's just being frittered away.

Justine Van Den Borne

I wet myself in public a few days after my Facebook message to the person who left a note on my car went viral. I sympathise with people who don't understand. I didn't understand MS or disability until I was diagnosed. I do now.

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Microbes in the air and soils of natural environments can be unique. Microbial differences on the skin of those living in close proximity to more diverse vegetation may directly influence immune function throughout the body and may even influence mood.

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Since snatching the Prime Ministership from Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull has done little to alter the Abbott Government's policies. The reason for Turnbull's inaction is that he is captive to his party's right wing.

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UNGASS 2016 was controversial by UN standards. While it stopped well short of a drug reform revolution, it has provided some very important first steps in the evolution of global drug policies.

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What makes the perfect parent? Is there a recipe or a list of ingredients you can follow to become a person capable of raising a child? What do you need to have to be an outstanding mum or dad?

Jodie Payne

I am learning to love myself, but sometimes it's not enough. All the love I can give myself can't cancel out the hate that people have for fat bodies. If we want to be real about changing the way that beauty is portrayed and what bodies are considered good, then everyone has to do the heavy lifting to normalize marginalized bodies together.