Melinda Boutkasaka

The death of George Floyd at the hands of police in the United States is leading Australia’s migrant communities to confront their own ideas about racism. Mr Floyd, an African-American, was murdered by white police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. Chilling footage shows Mr Floyd repeatedly crying out “I can’t breathe” as Chauvin kneels on his neck. The killing of George Floyd reignited the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement and sparked massive protests against ra…

From his humble beginnings with the Newcastle Knights, to playing internationally as part of both the Kangaroos and Wallabies, Timana Tahu’s career journey is one many footy players would envy. But the dual international rugby player, who played for 19 years across league and union, says some of the proudest moments he’s had on the field are playing alongside his Indigenous teammates. With a Māori dad and an Indigenous mum, Tahu has played for both the All Stars and New…

Gundabooka man Percy Hobson was the first Indigenous athlete to ever win a Commonwealth Games gold medal. At only 20 years old, the high jumper broke a record and made his country proud when he bounded over a 6’11 high bar at the 1962 games in Perth. “It was relief. Didn’t sink in straight away, you know… I was just emotional. I didn’t cry or anything, I just felt really good,” said Mr Hobson. “On the night I'd won it, mum never had any visit…

A new generation of stargazers are exploring how their ancestors used the night sky to thrive and survive in the Australian landscape.

The ban has been in place since September last year, and is now extended to all businesses based in Australia, or using an Australian bank. “The good news for consumers is that businesses can now only surcharge what it actually costs them to process card payments, including bank fees and terminal costs," ACCC Deputy Chair Dr Michael Schaper said. "For example, if a business’s cost of acceptance for Visa Credit is 1.5 per cent, consumers can only be charged a surcharg…

Bao Hoang always wanted to share his mum’s delicious Vietnamese cooking with the world. ”Mum's always cooked great food. We always felt that we could take some of mum's cooking and do something with it.” So he, his school friend Ray Esquieres and his cousin Tin Ly pooled together $110,000 in savings and loans to open up Rolld in Melbourne’s Goldsborough Lane. They decided against opening up in the traditional Vietnamese hubs like Springvale in Melbourne and…

Move over Uber and Airtasker - Ladies Running Errands helps busy Sydneysiders, get around and get errands done.

If social media is any measure of success, then Showpo is bigger than Myer and David Jones. The online fast fashion retailer has 700,000 followers, compared to the two fashion giants who both have less than 500,000 followers each. However success doesn’t come without roadblocks along the way. It was during the Global Financial Crisis when Jane left her stable corporate finance job at EY to follow her entrepreneurial dreams. Jane was too afraid to tell her parents. “Coming from an i…

At first glance, with a Potts Point apartment overlooking Sydney Harbour and career as a property mogul, Zaki Ameer’s life seems nothing short of glamorous. However, it wasn’t always the case. Zaki was only 18 when he was left stranded on the street outside his Sydney apartment – he had been evicted. He was only six months into his studies in Australia when he received a call from his parents; they were no longer able to afford his university fees and he had to return home t…

Abhijit Deonath is a “small town boy’ whose identity has helped shape an imagination fit for the silver screen. The Indian-born filmmaker from Canberra grew up in Ballarpur, in central India, to parents who never forced anything on him. And that let him find his interests and become the person he is today. “Music, literature, cinema – they were always my big passions, you know, right from my earliest ages,” he said. “I’m an explorer. I like to exp…