Santilla Chingaipe

Author and contributor to The Monthly, Santilla Chingaipe on the travel guidance we rely on for our safety and what it tells us about how race functions in bureaucratic definitions of Australianness.

Far-right Indian nationalism is spilling into Australia, with sections of the Indian diaspora responsible for hate crimes against Sikhs and Muslims. Political leaders are being asked to be more aware of the danger.

Under sections 501 and 116 of the Migration Act, visas can be cancelled or refused under a broad ‘character test’. This legislation is being used to detain and deport immigrants, and is the subject of a proposed class action against the Australian government for alleged human rights breaches.

Under the amended section 501 of the Migration Act, the federal government has the power to cancel or refuse visas and deport people who fail a ‘character test’ – even those who assumed they were Australian citizens.

How does one objectively review a master’s first novel in nearly half a century? In my case, it proved to be an impossible task. There’s been much hype surrounding Wole Soyinka’s Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth, …

Despite government promises to fix Australia’s mental health system, experts have identified that young people in particular are still struggling to access urgent care and support.

Despite government promises to increase funding during the pandemic, Australian experts are identifying a mental health emergency for young people.

One year ago, nine public housing towers in Melbourne were locked down as a second wave of Covid-19 loomed. An investigation by the Victorian ombudsman has found the government’s directive went against advice from public health officials.

The Underground Railroad, a new series on Amazon Prime, is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead.

Moonlight director Barry Jenkins’ television adaptation of The Underground Railroad is a brilliant and deeply moving depiction of slavery in America.

Asylum seekers held in a Brisbane hotel have been transferred to Melbourne without warning, while others are being arbitrarily released into the community. Advocates argue immigration detention is out of control.

Australians are desperate to be repatriated from Ethiopia as armed conflict between the government and separatists escalates in the country’s Tigray province, cutting off access to basic supplies, transport and the internet.

With the health system already under pressure, nursing students warn of a shortfall in graduates next year as Covid-19 hinders their ability to officially complete their placements and other course requirements.

While residents of Melbourne’s public housing towers were given no notice of an impending hard lockdown, concerns raised earlier to the DHHS and department of Housing about the threat posed by Covid-19 to those families were largely ignored.

Residents in the public housing towers had no warning they would face some of the world’s toughest restrictions, as the state undertook a Covid-19 testing blitz.

As debate over police accountability reaches boiling point, research finds ‘risk-based’ approaches to law enforcement, known for targeting racial minorities, are in use in Australia.

As the aged-care royal commission rolls on, community groups fear that the welfare of elderly migrants who do not speak English is being forgotten.

A new study highlighting systemic racism in the Australian media has called for stronger guidelines to regulate against both overt and covert prejudice.

A call to GoldLink, one of the rising stars of hip-hop, and a man looking to unite disparate communities with his new album, Diaspora.

As federal and state governments impose tougher laws to deter animal activists from trespassing on farms, there is growing concern that journalists and whistleblowers will be unable to report on unethical farming practices.

Discussions about housing affordability have frequently omitted those who are most severely affected by the crisis: people experiencing homelessness. Advocates in the homelessness sector are calling on the government to act.

Under the Coalition government, the processing of citizenship paperwork has increased to often upwards of 300 days, causing a huge backlog of applications and infuriating refugee groups.

The federal government is preparing an action plan after a senate inquiry found stillbirths are occurring disproportionately among Indigenous and migrant women.

The fate of a group of South Sudanese men awaiting deportation from detention on Christmas Island is unknown, after the closure of the island’s detention centre.

Five years ago guidelines were established to help Indigenous AFL recruits throughout their careers. But with little being done, a group of ex-players has now decided to turn words into actions.

A South Sudanese man who grew up in Australia awaits deportation from Christmas Island, as Peter Dutton uses ministerial powers to punish refugee members of ‘Apex’.

For skilled professionals forced to flee countries such as Syria, the challenges they face getting their qualifications certified in Australia harm the wider community as much as they harm them.

A new documentary on footballer Héritier Lumumba calls out systemic racism in the AFL but also holds a mirror up to endemic problems in Australian society.

“Uhlmann made some strong statements on his personal position on North Korea’s missile testing and his view of how that should have been handled, as well as his views on Russia and China’s recent actions. It raised questions about a journalist’s …”

Federal budget changes to a program that teaches new Australians language skills are, according to the Adult Migrant English Service, prioritising cost savings above social integration.

The sister of a young man who vanished on a family holiday to South Sudan believes her brother was kidnapped by rebel soldiers. Why then, she asks, is DFAT doing nothing to find him?

For a society to be progressive and inclusive, cultural differences must be accepted and celebrated. And that includes hair.

The media’s reporting of gang crime across Melbourne has racial overtones, singling out Sudanese Australians and engendering fear and stereotyping in the community.