The Quicky

We're being told that Melbourne's latest COVID-19 outbreak wouldn't have been so bad if more people had been vaccinated, but even if you are technically eligible, trying to actually get a jab can be very difficult. Making matters worse is the fact that every state and territory has its own systems and processes, and there is very little information publicly available about how many vaccines we hav...

Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka sparked controversy over her decision not speak to media at the French Open, before withdrawing from the competition altogether. Her reasoning that it is detrimental to her mental health saw many of her peers lash out and say she should just get on with her job, but what happens to those of us with more normal roles, who cannot afford to walk away from our resp...

As Prince Harry continues to speak out publicly about his personal life, the often strained relationship with his father Prince Charles keeps coming up as a key reason why he acted out and felt isolated as a young man.  No doubt this was one of many complicated factors having lived his entire life in the public eye, but what about for the rest of us who live more ordinary lives and have fraug...

It is National Reconciliation Week 2021, and the theme this year is More than a word. Reconciliation takes action . A significant part of that includes acknowledging the damage done to the First Nations people who are part of the Stolen Generations - those who were forcibly removed, as children, from their families and communities and placed into institutional care or with non-Indigenous foster fa...

Recently a number tech celebrities and artists have been making headlines for selling NFTs for hundreds of thousands, and sometimes even millions of dollars - but few of us actually understand what they are. The Quicky speaks to an expert in Non-Fungible Tokens - aka NFTs - to find how they work, who has the right to sell them, and what exactly the buyer can expect to receive. Subscribe to The Qui...

DNA testing is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more of us sending off a saliva sample to learn about our ancestry and health conditions. But despite the number of slick advertising campaigns used by many online companies, there is a dark side to this industry as you can never be certain where your DNA will end up. The Quicky speaks to two experts in bio-ethics, and one of Mamamia's ow...

We know that domestic and family violence is serious problem in Australia as everyday new and shocking statistics make the headlines, but what we hear less about are the many good people who work tirelessly to help victims escape, survive and thrive. The Quicky speaks to three domestic and family violence frontline workers to find out exactly what it's like to work face-to-face with survivors and...

In many countries, people cannot wait to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but in Australia headlines suggest many of us are reluctant to roll up our sleeve - but is that true, and if so, why? The Quicky speaks to a GP and an expert epidemiologist to debunk some of the myths circulating on social media, and discuss why we definitely should not be scared of being immunised. Subscribe to The Quicky a...

While the whole world is focused on defeating COVID-19, it seems Aussies have become complacent when it comes to protecting ourselves against other diseases, which has led to a series of recent Syphilis outbreaks in Melbourne. But this isn't the only sexually transmitted infection that is on the rise in both our cities and regional areas. The Quicky speaks to two experts, and a mother who only fou...

Like many countries, Australia has a long history of beauty pageants, where young, single, child-free women have been celebrated for their physical attributes and charity work. But do these kinds of competitions where mostly tall, white women parade around in their swimwear still have a place in 2021? The Quicky speaks to the current Miss Universe Australia, and an expert in gender studies to cons...

For many of us, Hollywood is to blame for the inaccurate and often offensive stereotypes conjured in our minds when we think of a person living with Schizophrenia.  That's why on this World Schizophrenia Awareness Day,  The Quicky is speaking to a psychiatrist, a woman living with the condition, and another woman who cares for her husband, to break down the stigma and discuss what it's r...

Eurovision conjures images of eccentric pop music, wild costumes and epic reactions from participants, the crowd, and fans alike, but why do we as Aussies love this over-the-top competition - that didn't until recently even include us - so much? The Quicky speaks to some of Eurovision's biggest Australian names to find out why this unusual celebration sparks such joy for millions of people all aro...

Determining exactly when a woman has become pregnant has improved significantly in recent decades, but despite the increased accuracy, many of us believe we are supposed to keep it a secret until after 12 weeks. But where does this idea come from?  The Quicky investigates whether there is there a legitimate medical reason to keep it quiet during the first trimester, or based purely on ol...

Social media has lit up over the news that 'Bennifer' - aka Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck - have allegedly gotten back together after 17 years apart. But can rekindling an old romance ever really work out, or is it just a temporary comfort in a time of need? The Quicky speaks to Mamamia's own celebrity expert, a relationship psychologist, and two women who went back to former lovers with very dif...

Over the past week, horrendous images of violence, death and destruction have dominated news headlines, as tensions between Israel and Palestine have flared up once again. For many outsiders, the source of the historical and current tension remains confusing as the region has a complex history when it comes to the long-running territorial dispute. The Quicky speaks to an expert in Middle East affa...

It's been more than one year since the Federal Government took the unprecedented step of closing Australia's international borders, forbidding almost everyone from entering, or leaving the country. But just how long exactly can we remain a closed shop, especially as the emotional toll is beginning to hit Australians as hard as the economic implications, with so many of us missing loved ones overse...

The entire Australian school curriculum is currently under review, with the intention of scaling back humanities subjects, increasing focus on problem solving, and reflecting a more honest account of the invasion story of our First Nations People. But with teachers already under significant strain, what do they think about the proposed changes, and will it just create more work? The Quicky speaks...

It's no secret that if you're a woman aged in your 20's, 30's or 40's, you can expect to be asked on almost a daily basis whether or not you have, or want to have children. For some, this will open a happy conversation about the joys of parenthood, but for many others it's the start of a far more difficult and defensive discussion about why not, and sometimes even why wish we hadn't become a mothe...

Life coaches have been around for decades, but rather than the big stadium-filled hype sessions of the 90's, the new generation of self-help gurus are using their Instagram following to push messages of inner strength and positive decision making. But what exactly is a life coach, and what qualifications do you need to become one? The Quicky speaks to three life coaching and psychology professiona...

Kobi Shepherdson, Kelly Wilkinson, Hannah Clarke and her three kids - these are just some of the many women and children who should have been protected from violent ex-partners and fathers by an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) but weren't. Tragically they all died at the hands of men who were supposed to love and care for them, even after the women did everything they could to protect themselves...

Getting a divorce is for many people one of the worst experiences of their life, but when your soon-to-be-ex spouse is one of the wealthiest and most famous people in the world, things can be really complicated. This week Bill and Melinda Gates announced they will be going their separate ways after more than 27 years of matrimony, but how do you even begin that process when there are hundreds of b...

With thousands of Aussies still stranded overseas amid the pandemic, calls to open our offshore detention facilities to quarantine returned travellers are mounting. But the Federal Government says locations such as the Christmas Island Detention Centre are 'not fit for purpose', even though it has spent millions of taxpayer dollars to house a Tamil family from Biloela there for nearly two years. T...

We've come a long way when it comes to discussing topics in public that used to be considered taboo or referred to as 'women's business', but one issue that is still shunned by society is menopause. Given the obsession with looking and feeling young, it can be difficult for anyone to have an open and honest discussion about this stage of a woman's life, which in turn can have seriously negative ph...

When the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were deferred until 2021 due to COVID-19, both organisers and fans hoped we would be well past the peak of the pandemic by the time July 2021 came round. But with just two months to go, we know the global number of cases and deaths are higher than ever, and even those of us in Australia whose lives are almost back to normal are still thinking about the dangers and...

With hundreds of thousands of Indian people testing to positive to COVID-19 every day, thousands dying and many more searching desperately for help, it's no wonder many Indian Australians are suffering with a sense of guilt that they are here. We speak to Aussies who have people back in India to find out from them what's really happening to their loved ones, and how they're handling the Australian...