ABC Radio Melbourne

11 hours ago | abc.net.au | Emma Field |Selina Green

Farmers in South Australia and Victoria have started sowing their crops in the dry as they wait for substantial rain. Some in the southern states have had four consecutive years of drought and concerns are growing for farmer income and welfare. Not a lot of rain on the horizon, with BOM forecasting below-average rain to continue for most of SA and large parts of Victoria in May.

1 day ago | abc.net.au | Amelia Bernasconi |Courtney Yeandle

One of New South Wales's largest coal mines has been given a lifeline by the state government, two months before it was due to close. Hunter Valley Operations' mining approvals for HVO North, between Singleton and Muswellbrook, were due to expire by the end of June. The Yancoal-Glencore joint venture mine has been given an 18-month time extension while it continues its bid to mine out to 2050.

1 day ago | abc.net.au | Emily Clark

Australia is now in the thick of a federal election cycle, the United States just came out of one and in New Zealand, the fallout from the last national election has brought into focus a part of the political machine often out of view. To a voter's naked eye, the impact of think tanks and so-called research centres on public policy and any public vote might be imperceptible.

1 day ago | abc.net.au | Natasha Meten |Kim Lester |Inga Stunzner

This week's episode of Sistas, Let's Talk is a repeat of the show broadcast on 6th June 2024Child protection workers in the Pacific are seeing increased reports of child abuse including sexual abuse. According to a recent study by Save the Children, more than, 80% of the child protection workers who were surveyed in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji said emotional, physical and sexual violence had increased or significantly increased in their country.

1 day ago | abc.net.au | Yumi Stynes |Elsa Silberstein |Tamar Cranswick |Alex Lollback

Are chick flicks and rom-coms your secret indulgence but you feel too embarrassed to admit it? Caroline O'Donoghue, host of the hit podcast, Sentimental Garbage, says it's time to stop apologising for the culture we love. Under the tongue-in-cheek banner 'Justice for Dumb Women', O'Donoghue celebrates the pop-culture we've long been told we should feel ashamed for loving, from Sex and the City to Taylor Swift (and Twilight).