Drew Rooke

As an inquiry examines the potentially illegal strip searches of minors at NSW music festivals, legal experts say it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

With overseas countries rejecting more and more of Australia’s recycling, the federal and state governments are finally working towards a solution – 10 years after industry experts warned of the impending problem.

As the NSW deputy state coroner examines the MDMA-linked deaths of six young music festival-goers, security precautions, pill testing and overdose procedures come under scrutiny.

Paul Mac has gone from playing the organ at church to forming a band with Daniel Johns, remixing tracks by Kylie Minogue and recording his latest album, Mesmerism. Here, he discusses his art, his love of trains and his political activism. “Unless we are continuously vigilant about the rights that we’ve gained, they can quite easily disappear again.”

Nils Frahm brings a playfulness to his serious compositions for piano and electronics, which leaves audiences delighted as well as enraptured. He vividly remembers crying when listening to English jazz saxophonist John Surman’s 1987 album, Private City, which mixes synthesisers with improvised saxophone.“It’s overwhelmingly powerful, emotional music that made me feel things that I didn’t know were in me. And that’s a great discovery – when you realise that music is not just invoking emotions, but creating emotions.”

As Australia’s first Aboriginal press photographer, Mervyn Bishop created history, helping to take control of how Indigenous people were portrayed in images. Five decades later, his passion for observing the human side of daily life has not diminished.

As the NSW government moves towards redeveloping a pivotal public housing area of Sydney, many residents believe its motives are purely to profit from the planned ‘social mix’.

Despite a campaign to develop better support services for victims of sexual assault on campus, students say universities are more concerned for their own reputation.

NSW Police is cracking down on cyclists in a bid to ‘educate and promote awareness’. Some riders, however, claim the aim is to drive them off the streets.

Not only are The Star and forthcoming Crown casinos omitted from NSW lockout zones, they also enjoy exemptions from smoke-free laws, the ‘Three Strike’ liquor licence scheme and violent venues list.

The annual Birdsville Races draw thousands to the remote outback town, for a gathering of self-described ‘real Australians’.

Food waste due to aesthetic standards is being combated by dumpster divers, a restaurant that uses scrapped ingredients and supermarkets now selling less-than-perfect stock.

Amid a maze of poker machines, time stands still for gamblers hankering after the next win as their cash slides ceaselessly into a void.