Ben Phillips, an economist from the Housing Industry Association (HIA), said that there are a range of reasons for prices in Canberra rising so rapidly.

“You have strong income growth and population growth in Canberra,” he said. “There is a general level of positivity towards housing at the moment that wasn’t there 12 months ago, so that’s why we are starting to see some strong gains in terms of house pricing .,”

With higher interest rates and the end of the boost to the first home buyers grant, 2010 looks to be a tough year for first home buyers “We’ve seen large increases in house prices in Canberra, so things are pretty difficult for the first home buyers,” he said.

According to the Commonwealth Bank and the HIA Affordability Index, the average repayment for first home buyers in Canberra is $2800 per month which is “about 30% of their disposable income.”

Canberra resident and prospective first home buyer Stuart Biggs is considering buying in Goulburn because the prices in Canberra are too high.

“The house repayments for buying in Canberra are more expensive than buying the same house in Goulburn and commuting every day; cost of petrol and lost work hours included,” he said.

Mr Phillips says that there is a general lack of housing supply across the country, which in turn tends to inflate the cost of housing.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, from December 2008 to December 2009 house prices rose in Canberra by 12.4 %, just .4 of a per cent behind Sydney.

Mr Phillips says Canberra house prices are extremely close to overtaking Sydney’s, but Sydney is in a worse situation than that of Canberra.

Mr Phillips says that the ACT Government needs to be releasing approximately 2000 lots of land per year to prevent Canberra house prices overtaking Sydney’s.

A popular event throughout the world, the photo-marathon will take place in Canberra on March 27. More than 20 people of those signed up come from interstate.

Photo-marathon participants must take a series of photographs using a digital camera of specific themes in a set time, in this case 12 themes in 12 hours.

According to organizer Chris Oosthuizen, the themes can be emotions, visual, or Canberra-based and are published on the morning of the event.

“My first encounter was at the Pretoria, South Africa in 2005,” he said. “Several photographers were running the streets of Pretoria trying to interpret vague themes like “6th Sense” and “Snow White”.

Oosthuizen thought Canberra would be the perfect city to launch the event in Australia as it “has easy access to get around and has a lot of keen photographers”.

Canberra photographer Kate Walton thinks it’s a great idea.

“There are a lot of photographers in Canberra but there’s not much of a ’scene’, per se, due to a lack of interaction so events like a photo-marathon really help in bringing everyone together and that, in turn, leads to such increased creativity.”

The oldest and longest running photo-marathon is in Copenhagen and has been running for over 30 years. The event has now spread throughout the world with events taking place throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.

There will be prizes for the best three portfolios of 12 photos, and prizes for the best three photos of each theme.

Oosthuizen has considered expanding the photo-marathon to other cities but “it’s still early days yet”.

The news of a national curriculum has been welcomed by the defence force and teachers, who see it as a step towards alleviating stress for ADF families. Already in place is the Defence Schools Transitional Aids (DSTA), who are present at schools which have large number of defence families and are responsible for minimising the stress of moving.

Stacey Jackson, the DSTA from St Thomas Moore’s in Campbell, praises the proposed curriculum.

“So many defence children struggle learning after moving interstate,” she said. “It is not uncommon for them to repeat years or skip ahead. This program will help alleviate that problem and allow them the opportunity, for a consistent education no matter where they move to in Australia.”

Principal Carmel Maguire from St Monica’s in Evatt believes the curriculum will benefit all children moving interstate.

“Having a national curriculum is incredibly important,” she said. “It will ensure that national standards are maintained. However, it is extremely important that parents, teachers and the community involve themselves in the program.”

People are asked to comment on the national curriculum online .

The program will be trailed in early 2011 andit implemented in all schools by 2013. It currently covers English, Science, Maths and History. Languages, Geography and Arts will be tackled next.

Education Minister Julia Gillard says that the new programs will have quite the opposite effect, helping a greater number of needy students across the country. Regardless of this dispute 150,000 students need a decision so they can get support.

University of Canberra Student Association president Geoffery Wakeford stresses the importance of predictable and reliable government support due to high relocation and tertiary expenses.

“The biggest issue for students is the uncertainty relating to their youth allowance and support for them to study,” he said.

University of Canberra student Sarah Conlan originally from Wagga Wagga, agrees that it would have been “impossible” to attend university without government help and that the majority are in the same boat.

“Without government support I would have had to work four or five days a week, it’s not realistic to spend that much time working and not studying or attending classes,” she said.

Scholarships and prizes officer, Dan Rowe, of the University of Canberra acknowledges the “massive impact” this has had on students ability to go to university, and the detrimental impact it has had on the university as well.

“Many students have taken a leave of absence to work for the year, and will return when things have settled down,” he said.

Some of Labor’s goals are to concentrate on students from low to middle income families, and prevent those from wealthy backgrounds receiving support they often do not need. A $1434 start up scholarship and a $4000 relocation scholarship have been designed to replace the other discontinued government measures but are yet to be implemented.

Labor also seeks to increase earning thresholds. Youth allowance payments are minimised once a receiver earns over $236 a fortnight but Labor wishes to increase this limit to $400. Labor’s scheme is backed by Australia’s 39 vice-chancellors.

According to new SQM research the number of houses available for rent in the ACT has decreased dramatically in the past five months.

Local renter and architect, John Glennan, said, “I found it almost impossible to find a house recently, I am currently paying through the roof to live with two of my mates in a very small apartment.”

Mr Glennan is lucky he has a roof to pay for, according to SQM research, vacancy rates are at 1.3 per cent. These rates have changed little since September 2008.

Australian Property Monitor has recorded an increase of 11 per cent for the median price of rental houses and units over the past six months.

The increase of the median price of rental properties is the highest of any major city in Australia.

Last year SQM research predicted the first home owner’s scheme would increase vacancy rates. The latest report released by SQM states that rent are likely to rise despite earlier reports suggesting a massive hike .

Economists have said the first home owner’s scheme did not work in Canberra. There is a shortage of houses to buy therefore the market will remain dominated by landlords.

“When the supply of rental accommodation is low and the demand high, the price of [of houses] and rent skyrockets,” economist Kylie Dougherty said. “Bringing in more supply will help the situation and bring down prices and rent, but it may take some time.” .

The only white light for Canberra renters is the increase of land releases. The Stanhope government has dramatically increased the amount of land for sale in the past five years in order to prevent the rental crisis from escalating.

The time lag from such an investment is predicted to be three years.

The grass-roots event staged at Indian restaurants across Canberra and Australia was created to combat bad publicity sparked by several allegedly racially motivated attacks on Indian students in Melbourne.

As the event’s creator Mia Northrop planned, it was attended by Australians from many different racial backgrounds in an attempt to portray the idea that Australia is a safe place for foreigners. “Let’s signal to the Indian media and other international observers that everyday Australians do not accept racially motivated violence and racism,” Ms Northrop said on the official Vindaloo Against Violence website.

Although there have been no recent racially-motivated attacks in the ACT, the Schmooze Young Professional Group initiated Canberra’s dinner at Shalimar Restaurant in Civic, aiming it at students and recent graduates who wanted to show support to the Indian community.

Nidhi Joshi, the Schmooze intern in charge of the event, said that as an international student she wanted to help portray the idea that foreigners, especially Indians, don’t want to be misrepresented and are actually very happy in Australia.

“Though the Vindaloo Against Violence dinner, we are able to show that we can all sit in the same room without killing each other…,” she said.

“Some really negative things have been said in the Indian media. Yes, the attacks could be racially motivated, I’m not sure, but it shouldn’t be said that because of [racism] Australia is unsafe .” She said that Schmooze’s Violence Against Vindaloo dinner was not linked to any particular business or political interest group. Before publicising the event in Canberra, Schmooze had spoken to Indian community leaders who thought that it was a great idea.

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs officer and graduate Kate Ford thinks everyone should have at least a three-year degree to put next to their name, but believes it’s what you do after your degree that benefits your career prospects.

“I was offered no jobs having completed a three year Bachelor of Arts at the ANU, and yet having done two months volunteer work in Cambodia, I was offered my first preference for a job,” she says.

Ford believes it’s all about getting your foot in the door which is why internships and graduate positions are so necessary for students these days.

“You have to do either honors or some kind of volunteer work just to get a look in for a graduate position,” Ford said.

A fellow graduate, Estelle Blair-Holt, agrees.

“The GFC has contributed to employers demanding a ‘one step further’ approach to one’s resume,” she said.

Blair-Holt said that the caliber of people applying for jobs these days is much higher than it once was, and in order to get some kind of opportunity you have to stand out in the crowd.

“Experience and volunteering is necessary in order to spice up ones ability in the work force, but I am more inclined to educate myself further by doing my Masters in order to become work ready,” she said.

Both these students agree experience is the key to success, and it appears so does the majority of the public.

ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said,“62% of the public believes that employers are more likely to hire university graduates than those people without a degree that could do the job just as well.”

However Chubb also found that “80% of people believed a university degree was not necessary to get a job.”

Obtaining a degree is becoming a more recognized and key factor in getting a job for the future, but not necessary in all industry areas. Experience, rather, is what individuals need in order to get some kind of opportunity.

The chamber’s director for workplace relations, Greg Schmidt, said employers might be less inclined to take on youths for short after school shifts.

“There will be less scope for young people to be employed for an hour or two after school unless the employer is committed to paying for a three hour shift, which may not be practical either for the employer or the employee,” Mr Schmidt said.

Unions ACT spokesperson Tim McCann believes the requirement provides some protection for young workers against employers unfairly exploiting them.

“If you don’t have those clear guidelines then people will be in a position where they may be asked to come in for one hour and they might have 45 minutes travelling time either way,” Mr McCann said. “It has to be fair and you have to draw the line somewhere.”

Mr Schmidt argues the current arrangements are inflexible and that other alternatives should be explored to ensure young workers aren’t disadvantaged.

“We should be looking at options like the ability to offer shorter shift lengths, maybe an hour or two hours at a time, if the offer went through some other vetting process besides just the agreement of the young person concerned,” Mr Schmidt said.

“For example, if the employee was under 18 or some relevant age, perhaps the agreement of a parent or guardian could go along with arranging that shift.”

Under the Federal Government’s Fair Work Act, the minimum shift requirement was raised from two hours to three. This brought the ACT and three other states in line with the rest of the country.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he will scrap the requirement should the Coalition be elected to government later this year.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, of the 196,000 workers in the ACT, around 12,000 are aged 15 to 19 years. Approximately three quarters of these are employed part-time.

, ADHD was is rapidly becoming an easy answer for parents and teachers to control their children and as a way of curbing their ‘”bad behaviour ”’, she said.

“There is a lot of pressure from parents and teachers to diagnose [ADHD],” Ms Roe said., “They want an easy fix because it can be fixed with medication . . . . Mmore and more parents are bringing their children for assessments from as young as four years.”

Australia has now become the third highest consumer in the world of ADHD medications. The United States is the first, and Canada is second, according to the Howard Florey Institute of Australia.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says that ADHD has been diagnosed more frequently in the lpast decade and three to five per cent of Australian children are now affected by the disorder.

Ms Roe believes that as more families are having marriage breakups and other family problems, parents are looking for answers and support for children who ‘”act- out”’ as a result of these disruptions. Teachers are encouraging parents to seek psychological help for their children and this pressure can result in a diagnosis.

“There are lots of reasons the child could be acting out and it is quite clear which of those have ADHD as opposed to trying to get attention from their parents,” she said. “A child with ADHD only has behaviour difficulties as a result of not being able to focus or curve their impulsivity to sit still in a class room. It’s quite obvious if they have it.,” she said.

One way to test if a child has ADHD is to trial them on medication such a Ritalin or dexamphetamine and see if it has an effect. If children become more out of control, then ADHD is not their problem.

“This can be stressful for the child,” Ms Roe said, “Sso I would like to urge parents to really think about bringing their child for a diagnosis.”