Lucy Barbour

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour |Catherine McAloon |Wiriya Sati |Sarah Lawrence

As polling day draws closer, federal Coalition candidates have been campaigning on crime and believe it could swing votes in some seats. Candidates have seized on the issue, with one suggesting people in his electorate don't feel safe taking public transport and going to the shops. Peter Dutton, the police officer turned politician, has promised that a Coalition government would "take crime seriously" and "reduce the problem" in suburbs across the country.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour

Local in the outback town of Winton in central west Queensland are tired of seeing families forced apart of out of town due to the lack of aged care available. A Coalition election promise to build a new aged care facility has brought hope to the town.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour

A Liberal-National Coalition government will seek to end childcare deserts, improve healthcare access and fund more roads and infrastructure in the regions, with a $20 billion fund that would exist in perpetuity. The Regional Australia Future Fund (RAFF) would sit under a new 'Future Australia Fund'. It would provide a $1 billion dividend each year to pay for infrastructure and services that local councils cannot afford, including ways to boost phone and internet connectivity.

Feb 9, 2025 | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour

Among more than 200,000 retired Australians who rent, two-thirds are living in poverty. And older single women are disproportionately affected. New analysis from the Grattan Institute calls for the major parties to raise Rent Assistance - a fortnightly sum available to renters who already receive welfare.

Feb 9, 2025 | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour

Lyn's first football match was Footscray Bulldogs icon Ted Whitten's last. Her home, deep in a Melbourne industrial pocket where she has rented for 12 years, remains a shrine to her beloved Bulldogs. She is, as Whitten was, an embodiment of the working-class western suburbs. Lyn now faces the very real threat of having to pack up her Bulldogs memorabilia and leave, with nowhere else to go. "I feel I'm letting a lot of people down in what has become of my situation," she said.