Category Features

For Forgotten Australians, it wasn’t Oranges and Sunshine!

0 Comments read Features, Migration
Laurie Humphreys, Eris Harrison, Maria (not in story) and Caroline Carroll. Photo Credit: Neena Bhandari/IPS

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 19.07.2011 (IPS): Laurie Humphreys was on the first ship after the Second World War that brought 150 British boys and girls, aged five to14 years, to Australia in 1947. At 13, he was promised oranges and sunshine and an adventurous holiday, but the reality was the contrary.

Tens of thousands of children suffered systemic physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect, exploitative work practices and deprivation of food, clothing and proper education while in government institutions, church organisations, orphanages, homes or foster care.

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Australia an ideal home for leading U.S. ICT companies

0 Comments read Business and Trade, Features, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 01.06.2011 (AMCHAM Australia): With growth in Internet and Globalisation, American Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies have been quick to clinch business, trade and investment opportunities that Australia offers.

A significant research infrastructure, highly skilled and experienced workforce, technology-hungry and solutions-driven customer base, strategic geographical position offering proximity to Asia-Pacific, and an English-language base with multi-lingual capability make Australia an attractive destination for U.S. ICT companies.

Major Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent, IBM, Dell, AT&T and Google, amongst others, have set up offices and built research and product development facilities in Australia.

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Indigenous Say It on Film

0 Comments read Features, Indigenous

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 24.05.2011 (IPS): From the Australian bush to Alaska’s Arctic wilderness, indigenous peoples’ stories and perspectives take centre stage at the Message Sticks Film Festival, the only annual event of its kind in Australia.

Message Sticks opened at the Sydney Opera House on May 13 and tours nationally until August 24, through remote Aboriginal communities in the towns of Broome, Townsville, Cairns, Alice Springs and Yirrkala, besides screening to mainstream audiences in state and territory capitals.

“The festival has grown in terms of audience and the quality of works,” said Australian indigenous film and documentary director Rachel Perkins.

“The pool of indigenous filmmakers has also grown with more access to targeted programmes for skills development. This, coupled with the means of production becoming more economically viable, has meant that there is more content to draw from,” Perkins, who has been the festival curator for the past 12 years, told IPS.

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