Young people with disability living in nursing homes are one of the most marginalised and isolated groups of people in our society. More than half of them, 53%, receive a visit from a friend less than once a year. They generally lead impoverished lives, characterised by loneliness and boredom.

These problems affect more than 6,200 people under the...

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was “innovation” – at least, it was this time round. In 2015, the Word was “excellence”. And in the antediluvian era of the 1980s and 1990s, the Word was, variously, “access”, “diversity”, and “Australian”.

The Word may be different but...

Election budgets are notoriously hard to get right. Governments are tempted to announce electoral sweeteners, make new promises, and commit to new spending (even when they don’t have the money). On the other hand, governments need to be seen to be behaving economically responsibly.

It’s a dilemma Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison have...