Growth steady
Australia's population grew by 2.1 per cent in the year to 30 June 2024, according to the latest figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Which states are growing fastest?
5 sleeps to Christmas!
We wish you a safe and happy holiday season. In our last edition for this year, how to make this a greener Christmas; fire-retardant housepaint; and the Colour of the Year 2025
Does your house need a firecoat?
Following years of experimentation, a new fire-retardant paint formulated by engineers at UNSW Sydney to withstand bushfire, is now available for sale.
Commercially branded 'FSA Firecoat', the paint has been designed to produce a thick layer of char which offers an insulating barrier and effectively deflects the heat from the fire.
Keep Christmas green
Christmas is a time of celebration and (often) excess, but that’s no reason our environmental footprint should increase, even though spending and waistlines might.
Here are some tips for a greener Christmas...
Capturing a mood of connection
Not sure we would want walls of it, but Pantone has just announced that its Colour of the Year 2025 is PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse.
Each year the Pantone Color Institute selects a colour that ‘captures the global zeitgeist, reflecting a global mood in the form of a single, distinct hue’. 2025 asks for a warming, brown hue imbued with richness the Pantone ED says, adding that it “nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort”.
Stop ants in their tracks
In the garden, all over the outdoor furniture, on the picnic rug or even throughout the house – ants can be a major pest when we want to enjoy a quiet meal outside.
Killing them en masse is not really an option. But they can be deterred by scent, so we take a look at common household items that will deter ants without impacting your family’s enjoyment of the space.