The Wire - Individual Stories

Last Thursday at Sydney University, the Public Health Association of Australia hosted a health debate that provided a glimpse of the areas of health policy that will be the focus of the upcoming election. Attending were the minister for Health Labor’s Ryan Park, the shadow minister the National’s Sarah Mitchell and the Greens Dr Amanda Cohn. Stephen Hill reportsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Its Kinship Care Week in Victoria, a time of recognition for all the contributions family members and friends provide in caring for children and young people unable to live with their parents. However, due to increasing difficulties in recruiting carers and the growing demand for positions with highly complex needs, Victoria’s foster and kinship care systems face challenging times ahead.  Now there are calls for all of Victoria’s political parties to deliver on improvement at the upcoming state election. To view the Centre’s full list of election’s key priorities – click here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between 180,000 and 300,000 Victorian children and young people aged five to 25 live with or support someone experiencing mental illness. Many never see themselves as carers. A new campaign, Make Young Carers Visible, led by Tandem and Satellite Foundation through Victoria's Statewide Young Carer Network, is calling for greater awareness, earlier identification and funded, age-appropriate support for young carers. The Wire's Jon King speaks with Merewyn Foran, CEO of Tandem, and Nadine Bartholomeusz-Raymond, CEO of Satellite Foundation, about hidden young carers, what carers need from the next Victorian Government, and why listening is the first step anyone can take.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hilary McPhee, a titan of Australian publishing and editing, died last Thursday, aged 85. Alongside Dianne Gribble, McPhee founded the feminist independent publisher McPhee Gribble in 1975, nurturing a new generation of Australian writers. From Cloudstreet to Puberty Blues, Helen Garner to Kaz Cooke, McPhee championed the local, the unexpected and the often overlooked. The Wire’s Lucy Grant spoke to Professor Mark Davis and Doctor Alice Grundy about McPhee’s lasting legacy on Australian cultural life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mohamed Semra is 27 years old and the mayor of Maribyrnong, in Melbourne’s North west. He’s part of a new generation of young leaders making their mark in local politics, while representing a diverse and growing community. For Semra, being mayor means staying connected to the people he represents — taking a ‘boots on the ground’ approach to local politics. His career has also involved navigating the realities of leadership. So, what does leadership look like for a young mayor, and how does Semra balance the needs of his community with the difficult decisions that come with the job?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.