Category: People and Places

The hope and climate catastrophe roadshow: ‘there’s just this thirst for optimistic story’

April 2022: It’s just after 6pm on a Monday evening in the small New South Wales South Coast town of Batemans Bay, and as is the case most weeknights – especially drizzly, prematurely dark ones like this – the main shopping area is rapidly emptying. Just a handful of people remain, pushing laden trolleys down … Continue reading The hope and climate catastrophe roadshow: ‘there’s just this thirst for optimistic story’

Electric Monaros and hotted-up skateboards : the ‘genius’ who wants to electrify our world

February 2022: It is late morning at the home of inventor, entrepreneur and CEO, Saul Griffith, in the coastal village of Austinmer, south of Sydney, and the scene is instantly familiar. Beach towels and children’s shoes are strewn by the front door; rogue socks and pieces of Lego line the stairwell; breakfast dishes are stacked … Continue reading Electric Monaros and hotted-up skateboards : the ‘genius’ who wants to electrify our world

Declaration of independents

December 2021 - January 2022: It’s mid afternoon on a humid, rain-punctuated day in early November when Dr Helen Haines swings her bright orange Mazda – affectionately known as the “Orange Rocket” – into the parking lot at Barnawartha Primary, a little school of 45 children in north-east Victoria. From the boot, Haines, the independent … Continue reading Declaration of independents

The dispossessed

The Griffith Review Edition 32: Wicked Problems, Exquisite Dilemmas 2011 IN mid-afternoon just days after Christmas, finding a park in the small National Heritage town of Central Tilba, on the far South Coast of New South Wales, was proving difficult. Rows of Audis, Prados, the occasional BMW and all kinds of shining new four-wheel drives … Continue reading The dispossessed

Japan: Will Obama meet the survivors of Hiroshima?

New Matilda 11th November 2009 It’s amazing that Sunao Tsuboi survived the atomic bomb blast of 1945 at all — let alone the subsequent years of chronic disease, blood disorders, and two bouts of cancer. Yet he’s made it to the age of 84 possessing a remarkable vitality. When I arrive to interview him on the … Continue reading Japan: Will Obama meet the survivors of Hiroshima?

The Social Investment Guide

In 2008 I teamed up with the Greenstone Group, a philanthropic advisory firm who created the  Social Investment Guide.  Effectively a "giving guide",  it's a tool for emerging philanthropists who are looking to invest in social change. The guide features 23 different projects from across Australia - all deemed worthy of funding. We chose 2 … Continue reading The Social Investment Guide

Guam – The Tip of the Spear

"Guam - The Tip of the Spear" Dateline, SBS Television. 21st May 2008 The tiny pacific island of Guam has been designated as the focal point for the United States military strategy in the Western Pacific; the so called "Tip of the Spear". But with thousands of marines and military hardware about to descend upon … Continue reading Guam – The Tip of the Spear

Japan’s Legal Revolution

"Japan's Legal Revolution" Dateline, SBS Television. 7th May 2008 The jury system is something that most Australians, Americans and Britons take for granted. But for the Japanese its introduction into their legal system is  something of a revolution that's challenging a culture where "speaking your mind" is not always valued. Proponents hope it will go … Continue reading Japan’s Legal Revolution

Inner Mongolia – A Land Without Water

"Inner Mongolia - A Land Without Water" Dateline, SBS Television. 13th February 2008 Inner Mongolia is on the front line of climate change. Already one of the driest regions in China, it is now getting progressively drier and the lack of water  is forcing entire villages to shut down. People are moving en masse to … Continue reading Inner Mongolia – A Land Without Water