Relationships Australia Blog

Guest Blog by Neighbours Every Day Ambassador Kate Mulholland (7 February 2025) When I was a child, I was different to most children around me, not because I played the flute, but because I was brought up in a religion that most Australians found extreme and unusual,...

Guest Blog by Jenny Kirschner Pharmacies have a unique and personal relationship with their patients. Pharmacists and pharmacy staff all know of the many patients who visit more often, just so they can come in for an extra chat. For many older individuals who are...

Guest Blog by Michelle Ridsdale – Founder of Kaboose  In a world grappling with loneliness, one in four feels the weight of isolation. Modern life is becoming increasingly more complex. The economic cost of autism globally is a staggering 1 trillion US dollars...

Guest Blog by NED Ambassador DJ Cooper Smith "Melbourne based DJ and producer, Cooper Smith is an 18-year-old with cerebral palsy (CP) who … as a DJ artist brings high energy and passion to his performances. He loves producing music with an emotional vibe and dreams...

Guest blog by NED Ambassador Hugh Mackay AO 42,000 years ago, a cataclysmic climatic event wiped out four of the five species of humans that had been roaming Earth for the previous 2-300,000 years. Why was homo sapiens the only one to survive? According to a group of...

It’s understandable we want to put COVID behind us. But in our desire to move on, let’s not throw out this hard-won lesson: given the opportunity and support, local communities come up with the best solutions. Communities through COVID banded together to fight...

Do you remember as a child neighbourhood street play? An international movement, now here in Australia, is revitalising street play and reconnecting socially isolated communities. A Play Street is a simple concept, it is a temporary street closure on a quiet...

Guest blog by Mark Pearce, Chief Executive Officer Volunteering Australia Volunteers Are Change Makers Millions of volunteers across Australia are giving their time and energy to make change in our communities. This National Volunteer Week we are celebrating the power...

By Harry Lovelock, Acting CEO Mental Health Australia. Last weekend, amid an anti-trans rally, the passing of South Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament Bill, and the New South Wales state election results, Neighbour Day had its 21st anniversary. Neighbour...

Guest blog - Neighbours Every Day Ambassador Hugh Mackay AO Every community has its differences of opinion, its social divisions, and its cultural tensions, which is simply to say that every community is both diverse and, inescapably, human. If you want to master the...

Guest blog - Neighbours Every Day Ambassador Hugh Mackay AO We become deeply attached to particular places because of the life we associate with them. The most lavish house in the world will ultimately seem pointless and empty – except as the equivalent of a...

Building a future where everyone has equal opportunity to belong, contribute and thrive. This is the heart of Welcoming Australia’s mission, and it’s also a fitting way to enter the holiday season. When our families and communities gather as another year comes to a...