David Sparkes
David is a reporter for ABC Audio Current Affairs, filing stories for AM, The World Today and PM. He began his career at the Gladstone Observer newspaper in Central Queensland and eventually moved north to the Townsville Bulletin. He then switched to the ABC as a rural reporter in Townsville and Mackay. Since then, he has worked as a news reporter for the ABC in Melbourne and Sydney and is passionate about broadcast journalism and its transition to the digital age.
Latest by David Sparkes
Majority of Australians living under 'housing stress', survey finds
A new report from campaign group Everybody's Home finds 80 per cent of renters are spending more than a third of their income on housing.
Diesel crisis threatens to grind Australia to a halt, transport industry warns
The transport industry is warning of a potential crisis that could stall the nation's diesel trucking fleet, as a key chemical used to remove pollution from their exhausts is running out.
How do criminals get drugs through Australia’s ports?
The AN0M raids revealed just how easy it has been for criminal networks to get drugs into Australia, with some experts saying there are "gaping holes" in security at air and maritime hubs.
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Playing games and calling parents: mobile phone trends among Aussie children
Phones are more technologically advanced then ever before and so it seems are Australian kids, with half of all children aged between 6 and 13 having access to a device.
AI used to invent more effective flu vaccine in 'world first'
By David Sparkes and Rhett Burnie
A "turbocharged" flu vaccine created by an Adelaide-based computer with artificial intelligence called Sam is set to be trialled in the United States, researchers say.
No time to waste: Asia is talking tough and the race to recycle is heating up
The recycling industry says it is ready to capitalise on election promises made by the Morrison Government to tackle Australia's waste crisis, but is warning they only address half the problem.
Performers ready to usher in a new year for Indigenous languages
Indigenous culture will play a more prominent role at Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations, with UNESCO having declared 2019 a year to celebrate and protect the languages of first nations people around the globe.
Daylight saving time: the controversy that (still) divides a nation
Daylight saving time is loved by some, despised by others, might be harmful to your health, and is still provoking debate in Australia a century after it was first introduced.
Ancient cave reveals secrets of technological innovation in the Stone Age
Archaeologists exploring an enormous cave in Kenya have discovered some of the oldest examples of technological innovation by humans, beginning more than 60,000 years ago.
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Community groups band together to help new Australians find their feet
Armenian refugee Mano Derboghossian looks like any other affectionate father as seven-month-old Hasmig bounces on his knee. But adjusting to his new life could have been daunting without the help of the Northern Beaches Refugee Initiative.
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AGL plans $200m upgrade at Bayswater Power Station as electricity shortage looms
AGL says a $200 million upgrade at Bayswater Power Station in NSW is part of an effort to hold off the expected 1,000 megawatt shortfall when it closes its Liddell Power Station.
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Sydney school teacher charged with indecent assault of 9yo students
By David Sparkes and Ursula Malone
A primary school teacher is charged with indecently assaulting three nine-year-old girls at Tyndale Christian School in Sydney's west.
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Indigenous blindness rates fall dramatically, but work still needed
The rate of blindness among Indigenous Australians is rapidly reducing, but experts say it's still three times worse than the national average.
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New $100m brain cancer fund aims to boost survival rates
A $100 million fund to fight brain cancer, which aims to double the survival rate of patients within a decade, is announced by the Federal Government.
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One dead, dozens injured in bus rollover north-west of Ballarat
A woman dies and dozens more are injured — five of them critically — after a bus they were travelling in rolls in Victoria's west on Saturday afternoon.
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Lawyer slams Fair Work Commission as hearing begins
By Gloria Kalache and David Sparkes
A union lawyer tells the Federal Court the Fair Work Commission failed to meet its legal obligations when it decided to cut Sunday pay rates.
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Flowers get clever, combining fragrance and colour to attract just the right bee
Scientists already knew flowers used special colours to attract the right bees, but it turns out they are also combining complex fragrances to create a combined signal.
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Cyclist injuries continue to rise in Victoria despite falling road toll
By David Sparkes and Tom Nightingale
The number of cyclists sustaining major injuries more than doubles in nine years, new research shows, despite the overall road toll falling in the state over the same period.
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Renewable energy agency assesses incentives for households to cut power
Twenty-four proposed projects are being assessed to help tackle summer blackouts under a scheme hoping to offer households incentives to cut their usage.
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Detectives call for witnesses to police shooting
Victoria Police wants more witnesses to come forward, after officers shot and wounded two people at a swingers party in July.
Tram catches fire in Melbourne, forcing evacuation and delays
A witness describes hearing two "explosions" as a tram carrying 30 passengers catches fires in Melbourne, after an overhead power line falls on top of it.
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Victoria Police launches new podcast to tackle sexual crime
Victoria Police hopes a new podcast about sexual assault and child abuse will encourage more victims to come forward.
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'Distressing' poster a 'disturbing trend' in same-sex marriage debate
A sign reportedly seen in Melbourne using inflammatory language and discredited statistics shows how hurtful the national debate on same-sex marriage is becoming, Victoria's Human Rights commissioner says.
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'Killer robots' could be used in terrorism, tech leaders warn
By Andie Noonan and David Sparkes
Fears that so-called killer robots could be used by terrorist groups to kill people prompt more than 100 tech leaders to call on the United Nations to ban them.
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Winter ends early for snakes, watch out you don't step on them
Unusually warm, sunny winter days have brought Victoria's snakes out of hibernation ahead of their expected springtime arrival, wildlife experts say, as they warn people to keep an eye out.
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