Controversy has continued to surround the SBS documentary series Struggle Street, with the first part going to air last Wednesday night.

1.31 million Australians tuned into the show, the highest ever rating for a SBS documentary.

Jarni Blakkarly reports.

(Aired on SYN's Panorama on Friday the 8th of May 2015)

SYN Panorama - Struggle Street Controversy

On Tuesday night's federal budget the national arts body, the Australia Council had over a hundred million dollars in funding cut. 

The money is going to a new program but there are concerns the changes will bring more government control of the arts, as Jarni Blakkarly reports. 

(Aired on SYN's Panorama 15/5/2015) 

SYN Panorama -Political Arts

Protests have been held today in major cities against the changes to the arts funding in the budget, however the protest weren’t the usual chanting and marching. 

Jarni Blakkarly has this report. 

(Aired on Syn's Panorama on the 22nd of May 2015) 


#FreetheArts Protest -SYN Panorama

The Federal Government has cut funding to a phone advice service for Indigenous Australians when arrested in NSW and the ACT. 

The Custody Notification Service costs $500,000 a year to run and has been credited for the zero deaths in custody since the service began in 2000. 

Now the funding is being removed. Jarni Blakkarly has this report.

(Aired on SYN's Panorama on the 5th of June 2015)

Indigenous Custody Phone-Line Cut

The Federal Government is examining a new proposal to put classes into the national curriculum to teach students to look for signs of 'radicalisation' at school. 

However the proposal has already drawn criticism from some members of the Islamic community. 

Jarni Blakkarly has this report. 

(Aired on SYN's Panorama on 12th June 2015)

School 'Jihad Watch'

A recent poll by the Lowy Institute has found that Australian's view of Indonesia as a country is at lowest point in a decade. 

Jarni Blakkarly takes a look why. 

(Aired on Tuesday 23rd of June)

Australians hold a frosty view of Indonesia

There’s an ongoing push inside the Labor party to abandon the parties opposition to the controversial government tactic of towing boats carrying asylum seekers back to Indonesia. 

Ahead of this weekends ALP conference Panorama's Jarni Blakkarly takes a look at the issue.



ALP's refugee policy a drift

It's been 70 years today since the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. 

Despite the around 140,000 lives lost and the catastrophic damage that lingers to today, it is an event that has largely been lost from western history. 

To mark the anniversary Jarni Blakkarly takes a look at the way we remember Hiroshima. 

(Aired on Panorama on SYN 90.7FM on the 6th of August 2015)  

How we remember Hiroshima

Melbourne based freelance journalist and radio producer. Done or doing things for Radio National, FSRN, Asia Calling and SYN. 

Tweets @jarniblakkarly