Lucy Barbour

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour

New research has uncovered shocking accounts of workers employed on temporary visas hiding pregnancies and attempting home abortions. The incidents involved workers employed through the Federal Government's PALM scheme, which is designed to address the skills shortage.

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour |Catherine McAloon

An Australian researcher has uncovered shocking accounts of workers employed on temporary visas hiding pregnancies, attempting home terminations, or spending thousands of dollars to access abortions. Australian National University's Lindy Kanan has been investigating the experiences of workers from Pacific Island countries and Timor Leste employed in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (known as PALM).

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Lucy Barbour |Lucy Sweeney

Every week, Australians seeking a legal form of health care are forced to traverse their home states and territories — sometimes crossing borders — to access an abortion. Depending on where someone lives, and how far into the pregnancy they are, the path to this time-critical procedure can be obstructed by hurdles that amplify fear, trauma and financial disadvantage. Abortion reform has come a long way in recent decades.

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

David Littleproud faces questions over his leadership of the Nationals with Barnaby Joyce indicating privately to colleagues that he would back former rival Michael McCormack if he sought the troubled minority party's top job. As fallout continues from the the party's aborted move to split from the Liberal Party this week, the ABC has been told that Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack have set aside past differences and regard reuniting the party as the primary goal.

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

Just a day after they filed for divorce, there is a backroom push underway to get the Liberals and Nationals back together. Senior Nationals MP Darren Chester has told the ABC he is talking with colleagues "across the political divide" about trying to find a way for the two parties to reunite within weeks. Mr Chester is not part of the Nationals leadership team but previously sat in the former Coalition's government's cabinet.