July 21, 2025
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
Jasminda's Advice

‘On the couch’ with Jasminda

DEAR Jasminda, Since the recent heavy rain events, we now have a flock of bin chickens in our yard. They are not a very attractive bird, but I can’t seem to shoo them away. How do I get rid of them? Jonathan R. Ah, Jonathon Using the term bin chicken tells me everything I need […]

Read More
Legal Hypothetical: No bars on estate claim
Hypothetical

Legal Hypothetical: No bars on estate claim

MARVIN had been estranged from his family for several years and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence for a serious criminal offence. As a former legal officer in a national security agency, he was charged with leaking classified information. Following the death of his mother, Hilary, in 2023, her Will appointed her daughter, Emily, […]

Read More
Letter to the Editor: Does the Treasurer own a calculator?
Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Does the Treasurer own a calculator?

DEAR News Of The Area, LABOR’S proposal to introduce an unrealized capital gains tax on superannuation funds has created quite a bit of attention since Chalmer’s Federal Budget back on 25 March. I don’t believe Jim Chalmers owns a financial calculator or has thought through the effect of his tax. Recently the Government estimated that […]

Read More
Legal Hypothetical: How much is just enough?
Hypothetical

Legal Hypothetical: How much is just enough?

BETTY has two sons, Matthew and Daniel. She makes a will and sadly passes-away just a few days’ later. The will appoints Matthew as the executor. Daniel receives a lump sum legacy of $300,000 and Matthew receives the rest of the estate. When Daniel discovers that the estate is worth $3.5 million, he obtains legal […]

Read More
The first astronomers: Australia’s Indigenous stargazers The Emu in the Sky - not formed from stars, but from the dark dust lanes of the Milky Way.
Opinion

The first astronomers: Australia’s Indigenous stargazers

LONG before observatories dotted the land and satellites blinked overhead, the First Peoples of Australia were reading the stars. For over 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have looked to the sky – not for abstraction, but for connection, direction, and survival. Theirs is the oldest continuous astronomical tradition on Earth. To these […]

Read More
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
Jasminda's Advice

‘On the couch’ with Jasminda

DEAR Jasminda, WHEN I was in the hairdresser last week, I overheard the woman opposite me tell the hairdresser that she wanted a new style because she was about to leave her husband after 18 years of marriage. On my way out, I took a quick glance at the person in question, and realised, to […]

Read More
The Big Screen
Opinion

The Big Screen

ANOTHER week, another long-awaited “legacy sequel” in 28 Years Later, the pseudo-zombie, post-apocalyptic, horror film from director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). As the title implies, it has now been 28 years since the “rage virus” was initially unleashed upon the world, causing those exposed to instantaneously become uncontrollably violent. A small group of survivors living […]

Read More
Legal Hypothetical: Residence rights questioned after assault
Hypothetical

Legal Hypothetical: Residence rights questioned after assault

SIBLINGS William and Ken became the registered proprietors of their late mother’s home when she passed-away 15 years ago. They have both been living in the home since. Unfortunately, whilst in their 70s, an incident occurs whereby Ken assaults William with a baseball bat, causing him bodily harm. He is charged and enters into a […]

Read More
Stargazing: Enjoy your shortest day
Opinion

Stargazing: Enjoy your shortest day

HAVE you ever wondered why summer days last forever (well, almost!), and winter nights feel like they never end? It all boils down to two amazing celestial events: equinoxes and solstices! These are like nature’s cosmic calendar flips, marking the shift between seasons in Australia, down under where things are a bit opposite compared to […]

Read More
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
Jasminda's Advice

‘On the couch’ with Jasminda

DEAR Jasminda, I am going away with a group of school friends and we are sharing rooms. To save money, we booked a room with two queen beds, but one of our group members has become an incessant snorer. I’m a light sleeper. How do I tactfully ask that she is not my bed companion […]

Read More