The Citizen –A publication of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne

Share house blues: tenants hit hard on lease transfers amid housing crisis

Agents are charging tenants who need to transfer a lease hundreds of dollars in fees. Experts and tenants say these fees are excessive, exploit a legal grey area and cause hardship during a housing and cost of living crisis. James Worsfold investigates.

Story by James Worsfold

Welcome to
The Citizen

We publish independent news, features and analysis. Our reporters are students in the Master of Journalism and Master of International Journalism programs, and our editors are experts drawn from the Centre for Advancing Journalism and industry. Below, check out some of our latest programs and partnerships.

LATEST NEWS

Photo: Coco Veldkamp

Failing Gaza: Journalist enlists the political, professional and personal to demand media reform

Words and pictures by Coco Veldkamp

Lore of the land: right fire, right Country, right time

Story by Ricky Sproule

Photo: RF._.studio

No end to pain of unpaid placements for overseas students

Story by Fatemeh Mirjalili

Photo: Minum Barreng

Vision for change: A 15-year project delivers improvements in Indigenous eye health, but still a way to go

Story by James Costa

Photo: James Costa

Up in arms: Inside the eight-year battle waged by academics against UniMelb weapons links

Story by James Costa

What lies beneath? More than a wee problem

Story by Filment Ho

Photo: James Worsfold

Vulnerable Australian species at risk from looming avian influenza

Video report by James Worsfold

Photo: Ashleigh Wyss

From dog days to golden years: Why aged care homes are opening their doors to pets

Story by Ashleigh Wyss

Gone Feral: Spotlight on invasive species with Cosmos Online

Image: Unsplash

Trout are a prized catch for anglers, but experts warn these ‘freshwater rabbits’ threaten native fishes

Story by Brendan Kearns

Image: Shutterstock

Elegant and devastating, feral deer stir passions as they chomp through ecosystems and farmland

Story by James Worsfold

Image: National Fire Ants Eradication Program

Fire ants are on the march – and you’ll know all about it when you get bitten

Story by Filment Ho

Image: Shutterstock

When the cat’s away: Time’s up on roaming moggies, experts say

Story by Charlotte Walkling

Building Ballarat: Reporting for the Ballarat Courier

Photo: Georgie Preston

Planning, and planting, for humans and animals in a more crowded, warmer future

Story and pictures by Georgie Preston

Image: istock/Kieferpix

As calls for help escalate, motels not the answer for families fleeing violence, crisis workers say

Story by Ashleigh Wyss

Escape to the country, but no escaping city gridlock as public transport lags

Story by Sam Irvine

Photo: Gemma Grant

Affordable housing lures renters, buyers to Ballarat, but squeeze is on

Story by Gemma Grant

Photo: Enduring Domain Architecture

Building for tomorrow: The case for sustainable, smaller, smarter homes

Story by Coco Veldkamp

Photo: Tara Highet

Showdown on Bakery Hill: Heritage versus housing in historic Ballarat

Story and photos by Tara Highet

CAMPUS PROTESTS

Photo: James Costa

Transparency? Melbourne University disclosures on weapons links stir more questions

Story by James Costa

Photo: Alipriya Biswas

Win or no win? On the last day of a fervid semester, withdrawal and a precarious truce

Story by Alipriya Biswas and Ellen Cutler, additional reporting by Preeshita Shah, Fatehmeh Mirjalil and James Costa

Photo: Kristian Oka Prasetyadi

Deal or No Deal Part #2: Protesters going nowhere as standoff drags on

Report by James Costa

Photo: James Costa

Deal or no deal? Student protesters claim partial victory, vote to pack up. It all swings on an email from uni HQ

Additional reporting by Preeshita Shah, Ellen Cutler, Fatehmeh Mirjalili, Alipriya Biswas and Kristian Oka Prasetyadi James Costa

UNCURATED PODCAST SEASON THREE: UNPACKING AUSTRALIA'S HIDDEN HISTORIES

Donations – Looking past Eurocentric knowledge foundations

Audio report by Jiaxuan Zhu

Hosted by Brendan Kearns

Collectors – The forgotten people behind Melbourne Uni’s collections

Audio report by Haoyue Deng

Hosted by Brendan Kearns

Country – The men who tried to curate the countryside

Reporting by James Worsfold

Hosted by Brendan Kearns

Stones – The forgotten history of Melbourne Uni’s Old Quad

Reporting by Giulia Scenna

Hosted by Brendan Kearns

Remains – Melbourne Uni’s troubled past of grave robbing

Reporting by Arshia Anand, Nanxi Xu and Velentina Boulter

Hosted by Brendan Kearns

The Global Citizen

The Global Citizen

Students studying at the University of Melbourne

Navigating the challenges and rewards of life studying abroad

Words and Photos by Yingyi Wang Aiqi Xu Tongyu Wu Xieshu Dong Jiahui Xu

The Global Citizen

Traditional calligraphy meets digital technology

Story and Photos by Meiqi Shao Qianxi Fu Zhiyi Zhao

The Global Citizen

Is live-streaming the answer to China’s youth unemployment crisis?

Story and Photos by Zhenni He

The Global Citizen

The digital revival of street music

Story and Photos by Jiayu Yu Yunpeng Lyu