Wavelength

With hundreds of homes being left vacant in the Adelaide CBD, the idea of a vacancy tax has popped up to help those sleeping rough on the streets and make sure landlords don’t keep their properties empty. So would a vacancy tax provide the right incentive to help the homeless? We talk to Shelter SA CEO Alice Clark and the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness CEO David Pearson about the op...

Chances are you've heard about the escalating feud between Paramedics and the State Government in recent weeks. There are concerns over growing times spent ramping at hospitals, delays in sending out ambulances and tough working conditions, with paramedics resorting to industrial action such as not charging patients for certain trips. While the State Government says it's committed to addressing th...

With the government announcing a raise to JobSeeker (formerly known as NewStart) for the first time since 1994, welfare groups have been left dissatisfied with the $25 weekly increase. To get to the bottom of whether the implementation is reasonable, we talked to Dr Jeff Borland from the University of Melbourne about how raising the rate to $125 per week would still provide people with an incentiv...

Chances are you may have heard about Cyberpunk 2077 over the past few months. Built up over years as one of the most ambitious video games of all time, the game launched last December to outrage over its serious technical issues. So with this sort of situation increasingly happening for new releases, should we reconsider pre-ordering games when they're not guaranteed to be playable? We spoke with...

In Australia, the 12 step recovery program has been one of the most prominent forms of drug and alcohol rehabilitation available for those struggling with addiction. But while traditional methods may work for some, there are new alternatives being offered to help people struggling with addiction. We get insight from someone who has gone through Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART recovery, learning abo...

COVID-19's taken a bat to local businesses over the last year, but in defiance of this global pandemic we're all living through, a number of new venues are popping up all over Adelaide and are actually doing pretty well. So what's their secret? We chat to the operators of three new venues to find out.  Meanwhile, it's a story you may not have heard about but it's definitely an important issue...

With the Adelaide Fringe fast approaching, there’s an air of excitement since the large-scale event got the green light despite concerns surrounding coronavirus. Although a lot of what we love about it will still be there, it’s only natural things will be slightly different from usual. We get all the details about how the Fringe will run this year from Fringe Director and CEO Heather C...

This year has definitely flipped our worlds upside down, with small businesses most notably trying to keep their heads above water. With the on and off lockdowns in Adelaide, it’s tested the patience of people who want to go out and enjoy themselves. To understand how operations have changed and where things need to improve, Managing Partner of Maybe Mae Ollie Margan gave us insight into wha...

It's a bit of a kinky episode this week with our deep dive into the world of Shibari rope bondage. It's an old Japanese art form that's been steadily gaining in popularity with people from all age groups, and even sometimes extends into the bedroom. So what exactly is Shibari all about? What's the draw of it? How can we normalise it and how do you do it while staying safe? Shane from Shibari Adela...

Although it’s been hard to gain a sense of normalcy this year, some Aussie music festivals have managed to run successfully despite the fact we’re living in a pandemic. Like, up in Darwin, where The Rebound Festival had people come together on October 3rd to enjoy live music without social distancing or capacity caps. To understand how organisers pulled it off, publicity manager Elle W...

The so called Parafield Cluster has quickly taken over our lives in the past week and we're here with a special episode of Wavelength dedicated entirely to covering what's been happening. First off, we give you a quick recap of the last week, then Professor Nigel McMillan , an Infectious Diseases expert from  Griffith University, spoke with us about this latest COVID outbreak, the lockdown an...

SA was once the frontrunner when it came to involving women in politics, being the first state to allow women to vote and stand in parliament. But in the current era, it’s fallen behind the rest of the nation. With only 29% of SA’s parliament consisting of women, it’s estimated that gender parity won’t be reached until 2050. So, what’s happened? We talked to senior re...

There are concerns that our current self-defence laws are too vague with seemingly no clear indication of how far a person can go to defend themselves in potentially life-threatening situations. So should there be reforms made in this area? What amount of 'force' is appropriate? This week, we spoke with Craig Caldicott, an experienced Defence Lawyer here in Adelaide, along with Adrian Cartland, a...

With the announcement of who will win America’s presidential election not far, we try to make sense of the political climate and whether there’s any truth to claims made by Trump about voter fraud. If Biden wins, will Trump actually refuse to leave the White House? Dr David Smith from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney shares his insight into the election and...

In an age where we get to meet people online and offline, women have encountered situations where they may find it difficult to turn someone down. Whether it's on dating apps, in the club or at work, a reluctance to voice discomfort is not uncommon. So even though we’ve seen progress in society, why are women still afraid to say no? Ebonie Sanderson talks about her nightmare Tinder experienc...

Despite scepticism, naturopaths are the largest group of alternative medicine practitioners in Australia. To get to the root of naturopathy, Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) student Bianca Markovic explains how it can help people and breaks the myths surrounding the practice. On the flip side of medicine, our favourite Medical guru Dr. Lane shares how complimentary therapies can work along...

There's no doubt South Australia has fared exceptionally well when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. While other states have varying levels of restrictions, we're largely able to go about our lives as normal, despite important safety measures staying in place. We spoke with the legend herself Professor Nicola Spurrier, the state's Chief Public Health Officer, about SA's effort to battle the Coron...

A 2020 National Inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace found Australia’s standing in this area of law was “no longer fit for purpose.” With two in five women and one in four men experiencing harassment at work, the issue has become widespread. We were joined by the Director of the Working Women’s Centre Abbey Kendall and SRC Women’s Officer Rebecca Etien...

One of the things everyone seems to miss most about pre-COVID life is dancing, live music and, of course, festivals. Most major events including Splendour, Falls and even Coachella have all been cancelled thanks to health concerns. But now things are looking up for SA and the music industry is hoping to get restarted. We spoke with Fresh fave Courtney Dukafrom Five Four Entertainmentas well a...

'Soup Soup Soup'. You may have seen those very words on stickers right around Adelaide and you'd be justified in being a little confused. The street art scene here is currently perplexed by the new stickers and so this week we take a deep dive into the issue. What's the reasoning behind 'Soup Soup Soup'? Listen in to find out! Meanwhile, we've all been sorely missing going out and seeing some rive...

With Australia entering a recession and youth unemployment numbers at an all time high, having the right skills for the jobs that are out there is increasingly important. In order to find work you may need to learn new skills or enter into a different industry than you originally planned. Our reporters spoke to the 'Godfather' of economics Darryl Gobbett on where jobs in SA are emerging. We also s...

*TRIGGER WARNING*  This weeks episode discuss sexual violence.  Last year Hamzeh Bahrami tied up and raped a 10-year-old girl multiple times in a Blair Athol toilet block. After initially denying the crime Bahrami eventually pleaded guilty. He was recently sentenced and given a jail term of four years with a minimum of three. However, he can be out in as little two years with time served...

COVID-19 has been devastating for all of us from both a physical health perspective as well as an economic one. However, COVID has also had a serious effect on our young people with a study from Headspace showing that 50% of young people's mental health had gotten worse since the pandemic struck. Our team spoke to both Headspace as well as Youth Opportunities, to find out what resources are out th...

When it comes to issues of inequality we have come a long way, particularly for those of different sexual orientation and those who are gender diverse. However, in the LGBTQI+ community, many people including those who are apart of the queer community often forget about those who identify as intersex.  Our reporters Adrian and Jamie spoke to Lud Allen, a facilitator of sexual health and couns...

LGBTIQ+ Conversion Therapy has had a long and controversial history, and incredibly, is still legal in South Australia. It seeks to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or even their gender identity, which is said to have major impacts on LGBTIQ+ people. All this leads to the question, should this practice be banned? We spoke with Equality Australia CEO Anna Brownabout the practice and...