Australia Top news API - Live news headlines from Australia

Supported Countries - 165

Get top headlines from Australia with our JSON API.

🔑 Get API key for the Australia top News API

Country Parameter

The country paramter for the Australia is AU.

Some example queries:

Below is the search query to fetch random 100 news-sources of Australia.

https://newsdata.io/api/1/sources?country=au&apikey=YOUR_API_KEY

Some of the well known sources

Live Example

This example demonstrates the HTTP request to make, and the JSON response you will receive, when you use the News API to get top headlines from Australia.

Top Headlines from Australia

https://newsdata.io/api/1/latest?country=au&category=top&apikey=YOUR_API_KEY

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  - "article_id": "e993bf70852a108b5bbb2fdabdb6ca6d",
  - "title": "This Brain Mechanism Explains Why Teens Love Risk More Than You",
  - "link": "https://www.sciencealert.com/this-brain-mechanism-explains-why-teens-love-risk-more-than-you",
  - -
    "keywords": [
    - "msft content",
    - "health"
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    "creator": [
    - "Jess Cockerill"
    ],
  - "video_url": null,
  - "description": "It's all in your head.",
  - "content": "The developmental progress from daredevil teen to risk-averse senior is more complex than we thought, according to a new study that identified changing relationships between neural structures related to risk avoidance at different life stages. Neuroscientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, led an investigation into a critical part of the brain that help us determine whether we ought 'take the leap' or avoid life-threatening danger. Ours isn't the only species where adolescents engage in markedly risky behaviors – a pattern that's at odds with protecting ones' survival at all costs. Other animals, such as mice for example, share this trait. \"These behaviors may compete with the drive to avo id threatening situations, leading to a reduction in avoidance behaviors in PMA (platform-mediated avoidance assays),\" the authors report in their new paper. \" Here, we uncover a circuit mechanism that causally contributes to lower levels of threat avoidance in adolescence.\" By studying the brains of mice, they found the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) 'referees' neural pathways that take on distinct structures at certain points throughout life. It's as if the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain credited for our ability to steer our emotional meat ship on a more deliberate course – is negotiating with the structures that advocate for what we might call 'instinct' (the basolateral amygdala , or BA, being the locus of fear and pain memory; the nucleus accumbens , NA, being crucial to reward, reinforcement and aversion). These negotiations, the experiments showed, depend greatly on age. In an experiment reminiscent of James Dean's game of 'chicken run' in Rebel without a cause , mice were trained to step on a platform to dodge a threat; a decision made more difficult with a smorgasbord laid out in front of them just out of reach of the platform. Despite knowing very well how to escape the beep they'd come to associate with an electric shock, juvenile and adolescent mice chose to take their chances and keep on eating for longer, while older mice generally stepped dutifully onto the platform, waiting until the threat had passed. \"A lthough mice of all ages had similar levels of conditioned fear and some exploratory behaviors during the retrieval test, juveniles and adolescents explored the threatening part of the environment more than adults,\" the authors report . Fluorescent molecules injected into the test subjects' brains allowed the researchers to track the physiology underpinning these behaviors. Higher levels of glowing molecules generally indicate greater amounts of neural activity. Activating genes using light through a process of optogenetics revealed further details on how activity in these brain structures related to threat avoidance strategies in juvenile, adolescent and adult mice. The dmPFC, it turns out, becomes more sensitive to threats with age. Much like aging in the rest of the body, however, changes in the structure's configuration occur in staggered stages characterized by maturation of synapses and re-arrangement of the circuits connecting the BA and NA. The brain's risk-avoidance system may be wired to best suit age-specific challenges as they arise, prioritizing risk when the nest is getting too crowded, and safety when it comes time to settle down. This is a mouse study, so it's not clear if these same patterns hold true for humans. But, as mammals, we aren't too far-removed from mice , providing us with a proxy understanding of how our own brains might navigate the tug-of-war between rewarding risk and safety. \" The lack of studies on the causal functions of the mPFC, BLA and NAc circuits in the developing brain has left a major gap in our understanding of how interactions between these regions produce developmental transitions in threat-induced behaviors,\" the authors write . \" In revealing the processes by which top-down circuit maturation guides changes in threat-induced behaviors, we establish a foundation to understand how they can become disrupted. \" This research is published in Nature Neuroscience .",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 19:00:42",
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  - "image_url": "https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2025/03/old-and-young-on-rollercoaster.jpg",
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  - "article_id": "fce3bc73c5b53e4f07a197795811f546",
  - "title": "Australia becoming a republic best hope for keeping miners off farmland",
  - "link": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-31/donald-mineral-sands-mine-farm-acquisition/105063360",
  - -
    "keywords": [
    - "agriculture",
    - "mining and metals industry",
    - "rural and remote communities"
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    "creator": [
    - "Gillian Aeria"
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  - "video_url": null,
  - "description": "In Australia the Crown owns all resources under the ground, regardless of who owns the property. Therefore the Byrne family face a lengthy and costly legal battle with limited prospects of success.",
  - "content": "The Byrne family is determined not to give up their property in western Victoria to a US-backed mineral sands mining company. But under Australian law the fifth-generation farming family has few options. Experts say landowners not wanting to hand over their land to approved mines face a lengthy and costly legal battle with limited prospects of success. For David Byrne it is not just about passing the Banyena farm onto his sons — it is also where the cherished memories of his late brother Daniel live. \"That's our last connection,\" he said. Astron Corporation, which has been granted a mining licence over part of the Byrne family farm, has offered to buy a parcel of their land or pay them compensation to lease and mine it until 2060. Roughly a quarter of the Byrne's 1,500 hectare farm, including the house where David was born, is in the footprint of the company's Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project. It aims to produce mineral sands and rare earth elements . Peter Byrne (right) has fond memories of raising his children on the farm. Mr Byrne could not disclose how much Astron had offered him because he was bound by a confidentiality agreement but said the amounts were \"insulting\". \"It was well and truly underwhelming, a long way off what I paid for this farm in recent times.\" Agriculture's returns rivalling mines Leasing land for mining is often touted as a more secure income stream than farming, but Mr Byrne said agricultural science has come a long way. \"I don't buy into the boom-and-bust theory,\" he said. \"This year was a perfect example. A very, very average year turned into quite good year for us, which back when I first started 20 or 30 years ago would have been a disaster.\" He said one of the hardest things was getting city and townsfolk to understand how devastating mining can be for farming families. David's young sons would be the fifth generation to work on their Banyena farm. Mr Byrne's father Peter said the mine's development would include demolishing his home, where he raised his eight children, to access the mineral deposits underneath. \"[The grandkids] want to come back here. They love riding the bikes that their mums and dads rode, the same tracks are still here,\" he said. \"They're the great memories that I'll always have and I don't really want to lose it.\" David Andrewartha, a property lawyer with Nevett Wilkinson Frawley law firm in Ballarat, said state and territory governments in Australia owned all resources under the ground, regardless of who owned the property. \"Here all minerals are vested in the state of Victoria and it's the government that has the legislation and regulation that apply to how those minerals can be extracted,\" he said. Lawyer David Andrewartha says the best outcome for landowners is to negotiate assertively for compensation. Mr Andrewartha said this meant that once the government granted a company a mining licence there was no veto right for private landowners. He said landowners could either sell the land to the mining company or negotiate compensation agreements to allow the company access to the land. \"The best pathway for [landowners] is to participate in negotiations to ensure they're getting the appropriate compensation for the use of their land,\" Mr Andrewartha said. But neither option appealed to Mr Byrne. For parties that can not come to a financial agreement Mr Andrewartha said the only legal option was to take the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). The matter would be heard at VCAT or appealed in the Supreme Court where a compensation amount would be set in a court order. David (centre) is not interested in selling, compensation, or leasing because he wants to keep it for his family. \"Some people have said it's all in the favour of the miner because they can go to VCAT and get an order, but that's not correct,\" Mr Byrne said. \"[Mining companies] need to show they have engaged in meaningful negotiation before they can make an application.\" He said he knew nothing about land access laws but was passionate about not allowing his farmland to be mined. A spokesperson from Astron Corporation said the company could not comment on specific negotiations with individual landholders. In a statement, a Victorian government spokesperson said, if a mining licence is granted, the state’s mining legislation considers the economic significance of mining and a process for excluding high value agricultural land. \"Victoria wants to attract minerals developers that can demonstrate a history of working with landholders, engaging with local communities and safeguarding the environment.\" David's sons already work on the family farm with him. Peter Byrne, David's father, said resource exploration had been happening in the area since the 1990s, but like many other farmers he was not sure how seriously to take it. While some community members put in a submission opposing Astron's planned mine in the early 2000s the Byrne family did not. Back then Peter said there was no water pipeline servicing the region, which is necessary for mining, so he could not conceive how the project would be feasible. Maree (left) has lived in their home behind David's family since the 1970s and gave birth to David there. In 2010 the Victorian government granted Astron a mining license for 42 years to mine 2,778 hectares across three farms in Banyena for zirconium, titanium, and rare earths. After in 2024, Astron started developing worker accommodation and water pipelines for the mine site. Mr Andrewartha said once a mining licence had been granted any opportunity for the community to object to a project was gone. Protecting landowner interests David says he's not interested in the potential of money for his land. Deakin Law School professor Samantha Hepburn said the escalation in demand for critical minerals meant mining and farming were increasingly competing for the same land in Victoria. She said while mineral and rare earth commodities were important for renewables, mining private farmland could be catastrophic for small rural communities. \"You can't automatically say that mining is in the best public interest because farming is critically important as well,\" she said. But giving landowners veto rights would require a radical change to laws. Professor Samantha Hepburn says landowner protections should be strengthened under Victorian law. In the meantime, Professor Hepburn said there was more that Victorian law could do to better balance the interests of both industries. She said farmers and landowners should be made aware of the full implications of a project before exploration by any mining company was attempted. \"At the moment there is an obligation to consult with the community, but that occurs after the [exploratory] licence has been issued,\" Professor Hepburn said. \"That's tokenistic.\" Peter's (right) grandfather started farming in Banyena in the Wimmera in the 1900s. She said some farmers were also unaware they could apply for their land to be exempt from any mining — something that must be done before any exploration occurred. She said Queensland legislation provided better protections because it reimbursed farmers the cost of getting early legal advice should the project go ahead, lowering a financial barrier. \"It's very important to make sure they're supported and protected in the legislative framework,\" she said.",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:52:35",
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  - "article_id": "ddb59564374138f7d7284d9679ab18fc",
  - "title": "'We could have died': Inside the insanity of an unlikely 90s TV hit",
  - "link": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-31/inside-90s-abc-race-around-the-world-australian-story/105023986",
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  - "description": "The untold stories from behind the scenes of Race Around the World, the show that launched John Safran and became one of the 90s most unlikely hits.",
  - "content": "It was on the Ivory Coast, 30 days into the first season of Race Around the World, that John Safran stumbled on the style that would define his career — a career still going strong nearly 30 years later. Safran had taken a little time to find his feet on the ABC series — a documentary competition format that saw eight aspiring documentarians travel the world for 100 days producing 10 four-minute films that were then awarded points by a panel of judges. \"I was just thrown into this thing and had to work it out,\" explains Safran, who was working as an advertising copywriter when he applied for the show. \"I just knew I wanted to do something odd or funny but I hadn't worked it out yet.\" John Safran was the break-out star of the 1997 series, Race Around the World. For his fourth effort he went around to various villages asking voodoo priests to put a curse on his ex-girlfriend. The resulting film was controversial, curious about religion, ironically self-obsessed and very funny. John Safran had found his schtick. \"That story just fell into place, almost like my whole life had been leading up to that,\" Safran says. \"Before I went on the show, I hadn't thought about this whole genre of gonzo journalism, putting my personal stories into these themes that are so much bigger than me. And I feel like everything I've done since has been just some version of that.\" Safran was the break-out star of the 1997 series and went on to have a successful career as a societal irritant and provocateur. He scuffled with Ray Martin in an ill-fated ABC pilot, baited Shane Warne with cigarettes for Seven's The Late Report, had a fatwa placed on Rove McManus on SBS's John Safran Versus God and squatted in Kanye West's LA mansion for his most recent book. But every one of the eight competitors — none of whom had previous television experience — forged a career in the industry. It's a result few would have anticipated when the idea for the show was first presented. Sixteen applicants were chosen for a six-week documentary bootcamp. Nationwide call out for contestants Race Around the World was brought to the ABC by filmmaker Mike Rubbo, who became the ABC's head of documentaries after working in Canada for 20 years. It was a modest Canadian format that producer Paige Livingston shaped into something that would capture the imagination of the Australian public. \"People loved it,\" says Richard Fidler, who hosted the studio component of the show. \"It was one of those really happy accidents in TV history.\" Eight competitors were chosen from an initial field of 1,345 applications. There was a nationwide call out for contestants and the response exceeded all expectations. \"The phone lines at the ABC were ringing hot,\" recalls Livingston. \"The switchboard operators were going, 'What is this? And stop it!'\" By then, an astonishing 25,000 people had requested application forms, although the application process quickly thinned the field. \"The application form was epic,\" explains Olivia Rousset, the eventual winner of the series. \"It was like 10 pages of writing about yourself, what you thought of the world, ideas for short films. Then filming yourself telling a story on camera, then a piece to camera while you're walking or doing something, then a four-minute mini doc. It was massive.\" Nevertheless, 1,345 people went through the arduous process and 44 of them were selected for an interview. The applicants were further whittled down to 16, who were then put through an intensive six-week training course at the Australian Film and Television School. The documentary competition Race Around the World became one of the 90s unlikeliest TV hits. At the end of this, eight were selected — Safran, Rousset, Ben Davies, Daniel Marsden, Kim Traill, Claudia Rowe, Scott Herford and Bentley Dean. \"I was so stoked,\" recalls Marsden, who had returned from a job in London for the experience. \"It was a mix of elation and pure terror.\" Looking back, Livingston's only regret is how homogenous the casting was. \"I think it wasn't a true representation of Australia,\" she says. \"To do it again, which I hope some day they do, it would be more diverse, for sure.\" Host Richard Fidler with the eight competitors posing for a group photo at the airport. 'What could possibly go wrong?' From the start, Race Around the World was a logistical nightmare. \"Every single thing was, like, 10 times bigger than what we thought it was going to be,\" says Livingston. Getting the eight contestants on their way with itineraries booked and visas secured was a task in itself but then they had to figure it out on their own. \"We gave them, I think, $8,900 to plan their trip and we gave them $100 a day, and that was it,\" recalls Livingston. That $100 had to cover accommodation and food as well as fixers and translators. Contestants had just 10 days from the moment they landed in a country to find a story, film it and write detailed instructions for the editors back in Australia. \"You could only use two 30-minute tapes to capture your story,\" Marsden explains. \"We had to log our footage, do an edit script — you know, these are the pictures, these are the words — put them in a bag and just send it off. Like, some dude on a motorbike would come up and grab the bag and off he'd go. What could possibly go wrong?\" John Safran is one of the most well known competitors from the 1997 production of Race Around the World. Doubt about the concept On paper, Race Around the World looked like a bit of a mess, with its combination of travelogue, current affairs reporting and studio-based hosting and judging. \"We just thought, a bunch of young people going around the world making shit films — who's going to watch that?\" says Rousset. Certainly, Fidler was unimpressed with the concept and initially declined an offer to host it. \"I thought it was going to be a show about international niceness,\" Fidler says, \"and I thought it was going to be ugly and boring.\" Hoping to change his mind, Livingston showed him the audition tapes, including John Safran's, in which the 24-year-old interviewed a man who promoted the health benefits of drinking your own urine. At the end of the film, Safran joined him for a glass (\"It was mine,\" Safran clarifies. \"I'm not insane\"). \"When I saw that, I thought, 'oh, is that where we're going with this series?',\" Fidler recalls. \"And at that point I said yes to doing the show.\" Olivia Rousset won the 1997 series of Race Around the World. Bizarrely, Safran's wasn't the only audition video to involve urine. Rousset's was about a man who had been arrested for asking schoolgirls for samples of theirs. And it was Rousset's first film for the series that extinguished any fears Race Around the World would be an exercise in international niceness. The film, titled The Money Shot, saw Rousset in Los Angeles on the set of a porn movie called Boob Watch 3. \"I was staying in the San Fernando Valley, which was where porn was made and distributed,\" Rousset recalls. \"I thought maybe I'll find a young woman trying to break into the porn industry and that would be sort of a tragic story, like trying to show how exploitative the industry was.\" A newspaper clipping from 1997 featuring a story about Race Around the World. Instead, she met a man, Chris, a pharmacist who was about to turn 30, had never done porn before and was hoping to break into the industry. \"I said, 'Have you got any work yet?' And he said, 'Yeah, tomorrow, I've got my first one out in Malibu.' And I was like, 'Can I come?'\" Sadly for Chris he was unable to — as they say in the business — \"get wood\" and provide — as they also say in the business — \"the money shot\". \"It turned into a tragi-comedy,\" Rousset recalls. \"It was like a gift of documentary moments for me and his worst nightmare. And it probably, to this day, is one of the only films that I've never sent to the person who was in it, because I don't think he'd want to see it. He lived it.\" \"You could see on her face as she was reporting it her powerful mixed feelings about what she was seeing,\" recalls Fidler. \"She knew parts of it were unintentionally hilarious and nonetheless she was very alive also to the strangely awful cruelty of what she was witnessing. It was magnificent and I think it marked her out as the front runner right at the start.\" Claudia Rowe during the six-week film bootcamp. A time before TikTok Race Around the World was a surprise hit for the ABC. \"There was a freshness and oddness to it that really captured people's imaginations,\" says Safran. It was parodied on the popular comedy series Full Frontal and the judges soon found themselves being stopped in the street. \"People felt like they should come and tell me what their opinions about my opinions were,\" says filmmaker David Caesar, whose assessments of the contestants' efforts could be withering. \"People would often confront me in supermarkets and start abusing me for my what they felt like were my transgressions as a judge.\" John Safran found his unique style on Race Around the World. In many ways the show was ahead of its time. When Caesar gained a reputation as the mean judge, he was anticipating talent show judges such as Simon Cowell and Kyle Sandilands, although he would doubtless flinch at the comparison. More importantly, the films themselves anticipated a video style that is now ubiquitous — short and personal with a DIY aesthetic. The kind of videos that flood social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and most obviously TikTok. Twenty-seven years ago, the digital camcorders coming onto the market were small and light and revolutionised documentary making. They allowed the filmmakers to be unobtrusive and get incredibly intimate access, while the rotating screen allowed them to film themselves easily. Kim Traill (right) came second in the 1997 series of Race Around the World. That last feature might have gone unused were it not for a rule that each film had to include at least two pieces to camera. That simple requirement gave the films a tone and style that was groundbreaking at the time but now feels instantly familiar. \"We could do video diaries and that just seemed totally unusual and exciting for an audience watching it back in Australia,\" explains Safran, whose self-conscious style fitted most comfortably with the requirement. \"Here were the initial little threads being formed for how storytellers on YouTube and social media and TikTok do their thing.\" Competitor John Safran and host Richard Fidler. 'We could have died' Despite the show's title, it wasn't a race and none of the contestants ever really saw it as a competition. What it definitely was, however, was a health and safety nightmare. \"It was mad,\" says Safran. \"Not only could we have died, we could have died and they didn't know about it.\" Although the show's producers had to deal with plenty of late-night calls from teary contestants worried about stories falling over and missed deadlines, the contestants were only required to call in every 10 days. Producer Paige Livingston and host Richard Fidler working on Race Around the World. \"There were times where they may not have been in touch for eight or nine days,\" says Tony Squires, one of the show's regular judges. \"And you could see in Paige, the producer, that concerned-parent look on her face. Just wondering where her lost children were.\" \"Stories would come in late and cameras would be lost and people would be sick and so many different things,\" Livingston says. \"It definitely aged me.\" \"Occupational health and safety was the furthest thing from our minds,\" Rousset says. \"I'm sure that was an issue for the ABC management, but we were in it for the adventure; we were in it for the risk. When you're in your 20s, you don't care or think about that stuff. That's for your parents to worry about. That's for the ABC to worry about.\" John Safran was working as an advertising copywriter when he applied for the show. Could it be done again? Despite its popularity, Race Around the World only ran for two seasons before being downscaled to Race Around Oz and then a teen version called Race Around the Corner. The cost and logistics were just too much for a cash-strapped and risk-averse ABC. What those two series did, though, was unearth a generation of filmmakers, editors and producers. Apart from the ABC series Hungry Beast, which aired a decade later and unearthed another generation of television talent, there's been nothing like it. And for that reason alone, it's sorely missed. But would a show like Race Around the World be possible today? \"I don't think Race Around the World would work just because of the way technology works now,\" says David Caesar: \"You don't need to have access to a television station or whatever. You can go out with your mobile phone and film a story, edit it on the phone itself, and then broadcast it through YouTube or any of the other video sites.\" The ABC was inundated with applications for Race Around the World. Says Safran: \"You watch something like the voodoo story and I think that just seemed very odd at the time, like oversharing things about your life. Now, everyone does it.\" Fidler wonders whether the culture has changed too much. \"I think that identity politics would be lathered over the whole thing,\" he says. \"Like, should you have gotten that kind of person? Does that person have the right to tell that story? I think we live in a kind of culturally constipated moment that wouldn't want that.\" Technological and cultural issues aside, perhaps the greatest hurdle to overcome would be administrative — insurers would run a mile. While the 1997 contestants regularly travelled through geopolitical hotspots, the world these days seems a more dangerous place and there is less appetite for risk. It's hard to imagine the ABC sending eight twenty-somethings out into the world alone with little more than a round of vaccinations and a day's self-defence training. Clockwise from top left: Claudia Rowe, Daniel Marsden, Olivia Rousset, John Safran, Bentley Dean, Ben Davies and Scott Herford. Would it be possible to make the series less of a health and safety nightmare while retaining the loose, anarchic edge that made it so engaging? \"I think the fact all that was required was for them to call in once every 10 days shows how much the culture has changed, particularly with young people,\" Fidler says. \"I think there was an expectation then that to be young was to put yourself at risk; that to be creative was to put yourself at risk physically. We just don't have that anymore. Safety is now everywhere.\" Rousset, however, remains optimistic. \"Let's hope that we continue to give young people opportunities and encourage them to take risks, and that television takes risks and isn't focused on ratings. If they were focused on getting ratings for the ABC they never would have made a show like Race Around the World. There was no guarantee that it was going to work.\"",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:52:16",
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  - "title": "'He said, I'm here to kill you': Principals speak out on rising violence",
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  - "description": "The level of violence faced by school leaders is the worst it's ever been, with both students and their parents reportedly making threats, according to a long-running survey of more than 2,000 principals.",
  - "content": "Rob Halliday was on bus duty at a school in country South Australia when he was aggressively confronted by an adult, who was friends with a year 9 student he had reprimanded for throwing apples at other students. \"He said 'I'm here to kill you' and a lot of expletives, and with that, he threw a fist which hit the side of my head,\" Mr Halliday said. He and another teacher were able to subdue the man. Twenty years have passed and he's now happily retired after a 40-year career as a vocational education teacher and deputy principal, but the impact remains. \"It really changed me ... because I'd never encountered anything like that,\" he said. Teachers today are banned from speaking to the media and Mr Halliday said he wanted to speak out to give the profession a voice and call for greater respect for educators. \"Teaching is one of the toughest jobs going around and they should be the most highly respected professional group in our society,\" Mr Halliday said. Mr Halliday had concerns about the lack of respect towards school staff back when he worked in education — but a new survey indicates the issue has dramatically worsened. 'Kicked' and 'bitten': Principals report record-level violence Violence against teachers has increased by 80 per cent since 2011, when data was first collected for The Australian Catholic University's long-running principal wellbeing survey. According to the report, both direct violence and threats are now at record levels, leaving too many school leaders experiencing behaviours that \"should not be tolerated in professional workplaces\". \"They [principals] are at the point of saying, 'I do not wish to continue, I don't need this. I love my job [but] I'm just not willing to continue,'\" ACU researcher and former principal Paul Kidson said. \"That's a tragic loss.\" Half of the 2,182 school leaders to complete the survey reported experiencing violence during 2024. \"A lot of the physical violence that they are subjected to sadly comes from students, and that can be a variety of incidents,\" Dr Kidson said. \"In the last couple of weeks, I've had teachers report to me incidents of being kicked, one teacher showed me where they had been bitten.\" More than half of school leaders — 54.5 per cent — also reported being threatened with violence. Parents and caregivers were often responsible for the threats, whether it be through sending emails or \"turning up\" at school and threatening staff in person, Dr Kidson said. He said there were also issues with cyberbullying, with parents going online and saying \"unconscionable things with a sense of impunity\". The deteriorating safety, along with increasing workloads, has left more than half of the profession considering walking away. \"There is a risk of losing a couple of generations,\" Dr Kidson said. The research was partly funded by a number of principals' unions. It also found persistent mental health problems among principals, though there was a decline in the number of teachers experiencing severe depression compared to last year. Dr Kidson said there was hope on the horizon with , but also social workers and even paramedics. No escape from societal problems spilling into schools Teachers and principals' unions are also reporting growing concerns about safety among their members. Mat Grining, the president of the Tasmanian Principals Association (TPA), puts the worsening situation in the classroom down to a complex mix of problems outside of schools. Mr Grining was a principal himself until he took up his current job two years ago, and is able to speak to the media because of his union role. \"Schools are this intersection in the community where we feel every impact of the pressures in society: whether that's housing affordability, homelessness, issues around substances or family violence situations,\" he said. Mr Grining said his members were increasingly concerned about violence and harassment. \"The experiences that are reported by principals range from persistent threats on social media, threats of harm, threats of violence, threats of property damage, right through to school leaders needing to take out legal orders to protect themselves,\" Mr Grining said. \"For some school leaders, it would feel like there is no escape.\" The TPA was not one of the groups that helped fund the research. Mr Halliday, who was assaulted 20 years ago, eventually had surgery on his knee, which hit the ground during the incident. He said teachers deserved better. \"I would say to anyone out there, if you've got someone teaching your child, support them and tell them what a good job they're doing,\" he said. Related stories Education Bullying Educational Institutions Related topics Australia Education Encounter Bay Law, Crime and Justice Social Problems Teachers",
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  - "title": "Watchdog delivers scathing review into super funds on death benefit claims",
  - "link": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-31/superannuation-death-benefit-claims-delays-asic-report/105107640",
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  - "description": "Australia's corporate watchdog calls on superannuation funds to overhaul the way they deal with death benefit insurance claims, noting excessive delays, poor customer service and ineffective claims handling.",
  - "content": "Australia's corporate watchdog has called on superannuation funds to overhaul the way they deal with death benefit insurance claims, noting excessive delays, poor customer service and ineffective claims handling are leaving Australians worse off at some of the most vulnerable times of their lives. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has called on industry leaders to \"take ownership of the problems and flex their muscle to fix the failings\" after launching detailed investigations into 10 super funds, including interviews with their CEOs, over a two-year period to March 31, 2024. ASIC's review excluded two industry giants — Australian Super and Cbus — due to legal action the watchdog was taking against these funds over their handling of death benefit and disability claims. But the 10 funds it did include in the review featured some of the nation's biggest and were collectively responsible for 38 per cent of all member benefits in superannuation funds regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). If you have more information about this story please contact at or Joe Longo has criticised the CEOs of superannuation funds for not having a grip on their own data about claims processing delays. ASIC chairman Joe Longo said while some funds performed better than others, \"tellingly, none of the reviewed trustees monitored or reported on their end-to-end claims handling times or performance\". \"At the heart of this issue is leadership that doesn't have a grip on the fund's data, systems and processes — and ultimately, it is the customers who suffer for it,\" Mr Longo said. \"This kind of disconnect is unacceptable in any area of corporate Australia, but in the superannuation sector it is particularly serious, because super affects everyone from the boardroom to the living room.\" Misplaced paperwork and compensation for delays 'insulting' While Cathy Clark is not named in the ASIC report, she is one of the people saying Australian Super dragged its feet in paying out a death benefits claim owed to her and other family members. Australian Super has been accused by the watchdog of \"efficiently, honestly and fairly\" between July 2019 and October 2024. And Cbus is being sued for delays in processing . Cathy Clark has been battling her late brother's superannuation fund. Ms Clark's brother, Craig Clark, was an Australian Super member who was diagnosed with cancer in August 2022 and died from it in January 2023. Ms Clark says she approached her solicitor about the case in February 2023. She says the fund took months to receive her brother's death benefit payment, worth about $11,000. She says the beneficiaries — including herself — finally got paid in March 2024. Despite Australians paying almost $7 billion for group insurance within super annually, new research shows more than a quarter aren't aware if they have cover or the details of their policies. Ms Clark says she faced repeated paperwork requests and was told by Australian Super they had misplaced documents and she needed to resend them. \"I got to the point where I was ringing ... and just saying, 'what's going on, why are you taking so long?'\" she said. Ms Clark received a letter for compensation from Australian Super in early March for $28.99, to be divided between three people, 12 months after the death benefit payment. \"They sent me a letter — Australian Super — saying 'We're sorry we took so long to pay you, acknowledging the length and that it was unreasonable,\" she said. \"I felt insulted. I would have preferred just an apology. It was — it's not even worth, by the time I get it and then divide it by three.\" Cathy Clark looking through superannuation paperwork. Ms Clark says she understands that super funds have an administrative process and certain documents need to be provided. Under the law, superannuation funds are required to pay out the entire benefit including any remediation and inform the members about it. As ASIC puts super funds on notice, an Australian Super member has hit out at the fund for delays in processing an insurance claim for disability related payments. An Australian Super spokesman told ABC News it was not able to comment on individual cases, but the fund was in the process of compensating people whose historical death benefit claims lodged between May 2020 and October 2024 \"took longer than the fund's internal target to finalise\". It added that paying out members' retirement savings and insurance after they died was \"one of the most important services that we provide\". It said these claims were now being dealt with in-house, with \"75 dedicated case managers handling individual death claims from start to finish\" and that since being launched in April 2024, \"we have seen a significant reduction in claim processing times and are now achieving our target\". Australian Super says it has changed how it deals with claims. ASIC review finds evidence of 'deep grief, vulnerability, genuine suffering' ASIC's report noted that many of the complaints the watchdog reviewed were \"distressing and evidenced deep grief, vulnerability, frustration and genuine suffering\". Just 18 days before Russell Wayne Hirst died of a cardiac event in November 2021, superannuation giant Cbus cancelled his insurance policy, leaving the beneficiary of his account in a year-long fight to have her claim approved. The review said that overall, \"claims processes and procedures were often unclear and inconsistent\" and that \"communication and engagement was often ineffective and insensitive\". ASIC's review found big variations in claims handling times, with about 48 per cent of death benefit claims closing in 90 days but the slowest trustee closing only 8 per cent of claims in this time. Of the claim files ASIC reviewed, 78 per cent had delays caused by processing issues within the trustee's control. And 27 per cent involved poor customer service including phone calls not being returned and queries being dismissed. It also found 17 per cent of claim files reviewed had claimants who were experiencing vulnerability and about 30 per cent of those were handled poorly. ASIC commissioner Simone Constant said grieving Australians should not have to suffer further stress because of the failure of superannuation trustees to approach claims in a \"timely, clear, and respectful manner\". In one case, a trustee took over 500 days to pay a death benefit of around $100,000 to a First Nations woman who was grieving the loss of her husband. The trustee failed to respond to her concerns about financial hardship and did not support her when she struggled to understand and navigate the claims process. \"The money from a death benefit can make a huge difference and each day a trustee delays that payment causes real harm to families — trustees need to do better,\" Ms Constant said. 'Harm' and 'stress' from delayed death benefit payments ASIC's report noted that when processing of a death benefit was delayed, \"not only does the beneficiary suffer the stress of engaging with a complicated process while grieving, they are also denied access to money they are entitled to\". Australia's largest superannuation fund, Australian Super, is being sued by the corporate regulator for \"significant delays\" in processing thousands of death benefit claims. \"Claimants suffering financial hardship may not be able to afford the funeral, burial or cremation arrangements that are personally or culturally important for their grieving, leading to ongoing distress,\" the review said. ASIC said if a claimant relied on the member for financial support, \"they may not be able to afford rent or mortgage payments, risking eviction or foreclosure and the associated fees and penalties\". ASIC also noted that many of the reviewed trustees had a practice of moving the member's account balance and any insurance proceeds (when paid by the insurer) into the fund's cash investment option, which could erode their retirement savings. \"While this reduces the risk of investment losses, it also reduces returns — delays exacerbate lost investment earnings,\" the report said. ASIC did not collect data about fees charged as part of its review but noted that \"it is common for trustees to continue to charge administration fees and investment fees\". Super funds vow to improve claims handling post ASIC review ASIC's review comes after an uptick in complaints to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which in 2023-24 alone, received 7,325 superannuation complaints — a 5 per cent increase from the previous year. A Senate inquiry examining Australia's $4 trillion superannuation industry has been scathing of funds including Cbus. Despite this rise, superannuation complaints have consistently accounted for about 7 per cent of AFCA's total complaints. Ms Constant said ASIC would review the progress all trustees had made on improving their death benefit claims handling processes to ensure that they were appropriately prioritising the needs of members and their beneficiaries. ASIC noted that \"to prioritise taking action against misconduct, any trustee that was being considered for enforcement investigation was excluded from the final phase of the review\". It said the 10 trustees they did focus on had since undertaken their own reviews into the reasons for complaints handling delays.",
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  - "title": "Akeso's 2024 Results: Strengthening Global Competitiveness and Transforming the Treatment Landscape with Bispecific Antibodies",
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  - "title": "Health and energy compete for attention as Labor campaign shifts west",
  - "link": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-31/federal-election-campaign-update-monday/105114664",
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  - "description": "The first full week of the campaign could be shaped by economic events including an RBA meeting and deadline day for Trump tariffs.",
  - "content": "Anthony Albanese's re-election bid has brought him to Perth, where he will seek to capitalise on the popularity of the state Labor government as he begins the first full week of the federal campaign with the focus squarely on health as a series of newly released opinion polls show a shift in his direction. Meanwhile, Peter Dutton has made a beeline for Labor's Western Sydney heartland, campaigning on energy prices in the seat of energy minister Chris Bowen on Sunday but non-committal about what his own plan would mean for prices. But the leaders may spend much of the week responding to economic events outside their control, with the Reserve Bank to begin meeting on interest rates on Monday and the threat of further American tariffs awaiting on Thursday. Mr Albanese could not shed any light on the Trump administration's plans on Sunday, telling the ABC's Insiders that Australian officials had \"engaged very constructively\" but that he had still not spoken personally to the US president. What do you need to know before you vote in the upcoming federal election? What would you ask the candidates? Have Your Say. The details of Mr Trump's \"liberation day\" remain shrouded in mystery, but his threat to put \"reciprocal\" tariffs on countries he believes are penalising American exporters has been linked to Australia's GST and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Even if Australia escapes direct tariffs, the global economic fallout of a US-led trade war could have economic implications on our shores, a source of uncertainty set to weigh heavily on the deliberations of the Reserve Bank, which will welcome two new members to its revamped board. Mr Dutton said on Sunday he could \"drive a better deal\" for Australia in negotiations with Mr Trump if he were elected, saying the PM was \"seen as weak on the world stage\". Peter Dutton attended an Assyrian community event in Labor minister Chris Bowen's seat of McMahon on Sunday. Albanese meets Cook with gas on Dutton's agenda The prime minister's Perth trip will see him unveil a $200 million contribution to upgrade the St John of God Midland Public Hospital in the federal seat of Hasluck, one of a handful Labor gained in a landslide in 2022 and is eager to retain. The government will seek to capitalise on the afterglow of Labor Premier Roger Cook's resounding re-election in Western Australia earlier this month, with his government to contribute $155 million of its own to the upgrade. \"Together with the Albanese Labor government, we're investing in projects that will make a meaningful difference to patients,\" Mr Cook said, welcoming the investment. The PM has made a habit of brandishing a Medicare card at campaign stops so far, boasting \"the largest ever investment\" in the public health system, headlined by Labor's $8.4 billion bulk-billing scheme. But the issue of gas is also likely to feature, given the Coalition's policy to quarantine Australian-made gas for use on the east coast will affect west-coast gas giants. Mr Dutton promised on Sunday that he would soon produce modelling with \"some percentage figures and some detail\" on the effect of the gas policy, which would force producers to keep up to 20 per cent of \"uncontracted\" gas here in Australia. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? He told reporters there was \"no disputing the fact that if you put more supply into the market, prices will come down ... It is only a Coalition government managing the economy successfully where you will see prices come down, energy prices\". But campaign spokesperson James Paterson told the ABC's Insiders the Coalition was \"not planning on putting a dollar figure on how much your personal bills will go down,\" with modelling likely to instead focus on the gas wholesale price. And the mechanism for getting more gas into the grid is unclear, Senator Paterson saying only that it would be developed \"in consultation with the industry\" and adding that fining gas companies would be on the table \"if that's what's necessary\". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he would be willing to direct gas companies to secure more supplies for Australia if needed. Mr Albanese said Labor's Code of Conduct arrangement with gas producers meant it already had a mechanism to work with them to reserve more gas \"if it's needed ... We have supported appropriate gas\". \"Peter Dutton can't explain anything about his policies, how it will work, how it will make a difference,\" he said. But Mr Albanese swerved the details of his own first major campaign policy, a pledge to outlaw supermarket price gouging which does not as yet include a definition of price gouging, to be worked out after the election by a taskforce. Asked how it would be defined, Mr Albanese said \"people know when they're being ripped off\", and later added the definition of price gouging was \"taking the piss\". Mr Dutton said the PM was \"trying to create this massive distraction from his own failings ... Prices are up at supermarkets at the moment because of Anthony Albanese.\" \"I would say that the prime minister is as weak as water, I really would. He is as weak as water, and the supermarkets know it and Australians know it.\"",
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  - "title": "A corrupt cop was jailed for one crime, but the evidence tells a bigger story",
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  - "description": "An investigation spanning more than a decade finds Mark Standen protected criminals, sabotaged investigations, and is believed to have helped facilitate drug imports.",
  - "content": "Infamous crime fighter Mark Standen's corruption was far deeper and more sinister than the public ever knew. Rather than arresting drug traffickers, Standen was working with them. The NSW Crime Commission has always maintained that its former assistant director committed just one drug import. A Four Corners investigation, spanning more than a decade, has challenged this narrative. It found Standen sabotaged investigations into organised crime, protected criminals and was believed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to have been involved in multiple drug imports. Standen was released from prison last June after serving 16 years. He was convicted of perverting the course of justice and conspiracy to import and supply pseudoephedrine to make tens of millions of dollars' worth of the drug ice. Standen was the most senior crime fighter in the country ever to be convicted of drug importation. The agency he worked for, the NSW Crime Commission, is a secretive body with sweeping powers to fight organised crime. Former commission boss, Phillip Bradley, maintained that Standen turned corrupt from February 2007 — that his crime was a one-off. Crooked An explosive document, seen by Four Corners, showed just how deep Standen's corruption went. The document, written in 2010, revealed that the Australian Federal Police believed Standen was involved in multiple drug imports in 2006. Much of the evidence showing Standen conspired to import drugs was captured in hundreds of telephone calls, emails and listening device recordings. But he was not under surveillance until May 2007. Documents state that in 2006, the year before surveillance on him commenced, authorities believed he: Mr Bradley in a statement that any allegations against Standen were investigated by the AFP and were assessed by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. \"The investigation gave rise to a suspicion that Standen may have been previously involved with the same accomplices, but the federal authorities determined that there was insufficient evidence [to charge him],\" he said. He said he had been transparent with authorities and the public. \"At no time did I or others at the commission improperly keep from the public or other agencies or officials of the government information that suggested Standen was guilty of more criminality than that for which he was found guilty.\" In his first ever television interview, Mark Standen told Four Corners the allegations were \"rubbish\", and he'd never committed a crime — including the ones for which he was jailed. \"I think that, having been charged with these things, I'm an easy pile on, a simple out for them on some story, easy to point the finger in the direction of the guy sitting in the dock,\" Standen said. Standen said although he was innocent, he was not bitter after serving 16 years in prison. \"No, it's just a fact of life,\" he said. \"I'm a very pragmatic about everything. It's done and dusted. I told them what happened as best as I knew at the time and that wasn't accepted.\" Crimes and commissions In 2003, Standen was involved in the arrest of a member of global Dutch drug syndicate, British man James Henry Kinch. After the arrest, Standen and Kinch became friends and were secretly meeting around Sydney. At the same time, Standen was lobbying the Director of Public Prosecutions to drop drug and money laundering charges against the drug trafficker. The following year, Kinch was released and Standen started taking secret payments from him, passed through his friend Bill Jalalaty. \"It may be considered a crime that I got money from Jalalaty knowing that it came from Kinch, that could be considered a crime,\" Standen said. \"Not one I was charged with.\" James Kinch, in a Thai jail, before being extradited to Australia. Not long after Standen took secret payments from Kinch, they started planning their own drug import. Former NSW Police deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas never trusted Standen. At the time, he didn't trust the crime commission either, after he, and others, were improperly investigated by a NSW Police Force internal affairs unit operating out of the commission's office. \"Looking back it had to be the case that [Standen] was involved in a lot more than what he was charged with,\" he said. \"I do think there were probably many other matters that he should have been charged with that didn't get to court.\" Mr Kaldas said \"some very senior police\" had doubts about Standen as early as 2003. \"I think there's always been question marks about him.\" A crime commission document seen by Four Corners suggested Standen had a long-standing gambling problem. Former police commissioner Mick Keelty told the commission in 2007 that Standen \"had taken a redundancy from the AFP to discharge unmanageable gambling debts\". Phil Donato, the chair of the crime commission oversight committee, said having someone with a gambling problem overseeing organised crime was \"like putting a fox in charge of the chickens\". Former commission boss Phillip Bradley said when he had hired Standen it wasn't known that he had ever had a gambling problem. For his part, Standen said, \"I was a casual weekend punter, a couple of hundred dollars at most.\" Oversight Critics say after Standen's arrest multiple government agencies failed to look thoroughly at Standen's wider criminality. Phil Donato said the commission's oversight committee was never briefed on evidence of other crimes. \"I would've thought this had a high public interest, that it should be disclosed to the committee,\" he said. After Standen's arrest, there were calls for a royal commission into the crime commission but one was never established. Instead, a special commission of inquiry was established in 2011 with a very narrow purview and given only three months to report. Then-commission boss Phillip Bradley speaks to the media after Standen's arrest in 2008. Inquiry chief David Patten noted in his report that he was not authorised to look at the 12 years Standen worked for the commission or his possible involvement in any other \"criminal activity, corruption, or misconduct whilst an officer of the commission\". A few years later, another member of the oversight committee, Paul Lynch, asked a question to parliament about Standen's wider criminality. The commission responded via then-police minister David Elliott a month later: \"The NSW Crime Commission is not aware of any misconduct or criminal activity involving Mr Standen while he was an employee, other than that dealt with at court.\" Lynch said he assumed the response was \"about protecting the organisation's reputation.\" The crime commission now has new leadership and in recent years has undergone major reforms. In a statement, it said: \"Had these measures been in place when Mr Standen was recruited in 1996, he would not have been offered employment.\" It once again stated that it was unaware of evidence of further criminality by Standen. Mr Donato said if there was enough evidence of criminality, Standen should be reinvestigated. \"There's a high public interest in these matters, we must ensure the level of scrutiny and accountability and transparency in an organisation like the crime commission meets community expectations,\" Mr Donato said.",
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  - "description": "Rescuers braved aftershocks to scour the devastated city of Mandalay for survivors on Monday, after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.",
  - "content": "Rescuers braved aftershocks to scour the devastated city of Mandalay for survivors on Monday, after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand. The initial 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The tremors collapsed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads, with mass destruction seen in the city of more than 1.7 million people. Tea shop owner Win Lwin picked his way through the remains of a collapsed restaurant in his neighbourhood on Sunday, tossing bricks aside one by one. \"About seven people died here\" when the quake struck, he told AFP. \"I'm looking for more bodies but I know there cannot be any survivors.\" A small aftershock struck in the morning, driving people scurrying out of a hotel for safety, following a similar tremor felt late Saturday evening. And around 2:00 pm (0730 GMT), another aftershock -- of 5.1-magnitude according to the US Geological Survey -- sent alarmed people into the streets once again, temporarily halting rescue work. Myanmar's ruling junta said in a statement Sunday that about 1,700 people were confirmed dead so far, about 3,400 injured and around 300 more missing. But with communications down in many areas, the true scale of the disaster remains unclear in the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly. At a destroyed Buddhist examination hall in Mandalay, Myanmar and Chinese responders worked to find buried victims on Sunday. San Nwe Aye, sister of a 46-year-old monk missing in the collapsed hall, appeared in deep distress, and told AFP she has heard no news about his status. \"I want to hear the sound of him preaching,\" she said. At a collapsed apartment block in the city, rescuers thought they had saved the life of a pregnant woman trapped under rubble for more than 55 hours. They even amputated her leg to free her, but after pulling her out they were unable to resuscitate her and she was pronounced dead. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday. Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters. Myanmar has already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021. Reports have emerged of sporadic violence even after the quake, with one rebel group telling AFP on Sunday that seven of its fighters were killed in an aerial attack soon after the tremors hit. Anti-junta fighters in the country have declared a two-week partial ceasefire in quake-affected regions starting Sunday, the shadow \"National Unity Government\" said in a statement. The UN said overnight that a severe lack of medical equipment is hindering Myanmar's response to the quake, while aid agencies have warned that the country is unprepared to deal with the disaster. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Sunday launched an emergency appeal for more than $100 million to help victims, while the World Health Organization said the quake was a top-level crisis and urgently launched its own appeal. Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck. Rescue teams and aid have been arriving from donor countries around the world, with Thailand on Sunday dispatching 55 military personnel and six rescue dogs, along with equipment including cranes and diggers. China sent 118 search and rescue personnel as well as canine units, demolition equipment and field hospital systems, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. Across the border in Thailand, rescuers in Bangkok worked Sunday to pluck out survivors trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper that was under construction collapsed after the Friday earthquake. At least 18 people have been killed in the Thai capital, city authorities said Sunday, with 33 injured and 78 still missing. Most of the deaths were workers killed in the tower collapse, while most of the missing are believed to be trapped under the immense pile of debris where the skyscraper once stood. Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones have also been deployed to seek signs of life in the collapsed building, close to the Chatuchak weekend market popular among tourists.",
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  - "title": "Worn and faded, this slouch hat means more to the AWM director than you think",
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  - "content": "Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson with his father's old slouch hat. Picture by Gary Ramage It's not unusual for one to expect there to be a slouch hat in Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson 's office. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue What is unusual is just how worn this slouch hat is. The stitching is coming loose on the edge, the felt is softer than it once was, and the khaki colour is slightly faded from being in the sun. This hat was never destined to be on public display, but still is one of the most significant items Mr Anderson owns, because it once belonged to his dad. A member of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals in the 1950s, Mr Anderson has memories of his dad continuing to wear it long after his service. Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson with his father's old slouch hat. Picture by Gary Ramage \"Service to him was one of those things that, over time, he just didn't talk about,\" he said. \"He didn't think it was remarkable because everyone his age did it. And when Dad finished his national service, the only thing that he held on to was his slouch hat. He would mow the lawns with it on and then leave it on a rusty nail hanging up in the garage. \"After he passed, many years ago now, I remember asking Mum if I could take it into my care, and it's been in my offices ever since. Captain Ken Mair, right, security officer, Royal Australian Corps of Signals, watches as an unidentified member of the security troop works in 1954. Picture Australian War Memorial, HOBJ5172 \"I guess I wish that I had asked my Dad the story behind the hat because if that was the only thing he kept, it must have meant something.\" Mr Anderson's father may not have spoken about his time in the army, but it is a time that the war memorial director has been wondering about more this year. This year marks 100 years of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals - something which will be marked during Anzac Day in April as they lead the march. Signal personnel working on Morotai Island in Indonesia in 1945. Picture Australian War Memorial, 108791 Forming officially in 1925, the Royal Australian Corps of Signals (also known as RA Sigs) has evolved into a group of highly technical specialists who provide communications, electronic warfare and cyber capabilities support for the Australian Defence Force's operations around the world. \"This is a corps of the Australian Army that started strictly looking at communications and are the great innovators of the Army because, over time, they have evolved not only into communications but also, of course, into cyber warfare today and electronic warfare,\" Mr Anderson said. \"It would be fair to say that there wouldn't be deployment of the Australian Defense Force, or certainly any element of the Australian Army today, anywhere in the world, that didn't have a communications element embedded within it. Such as their importance as an enabler to the Australian Defense Force.\" This year's event is also calling on current and former Australian Defence Force, Commonwealth, or Allied force veterans, along with their relatives, to march even if they are not part of a formal group or association. \"Most people think, 'Oh, I'll go to the march and watch' even if there is someone that they were seeking to commemorate',\" Mr Anderson said. \"And medals that you've earned you wear on your left, but medals that belong to a relative, you can wear on your right. And increasingly, you see people doing that honouring a family member who is no longer with us or is unable to march. Signaller Phil Smith, pictured in 1970, was a radio operator in the 104th Signals Squadron, Royal Australian Signals Corps. Picture Australian War Memoiral, FAI/70/0084/VN \"Anzac Day, really, in its truest form, is honouring all of those who have been prepared to put service before self. And service impacts families just as much as it impacts the individual who served both positively and negatively sometimes, and we just want to honour that on the exact day.\" The dawn service will commence at 5.30am, followed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association Commemorative Ceremony at 7.30am. The National Commemorative Service will be at 9.30am on the Parade Ground of the Australian War Memorial, followed by the Veterans' March and an address delivered by Major Angela Uphill, a physiotherapist from the 2nd Health Brigade. The day will finish with the Last Post Ceremony at 4.30pm. To register to march go to awm.gov.au . Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Amy Martin Canberra Times lifestyle reporter As the lifestyle reporter, I love finding out what makes people tick and giving insight into the different ways that you can enjoy the city we live in. Email: amy.martin@canberratimes.com.au As the lifestyle reporter, I love finding out what makes people tick and giving insight into the different ways that you can enjoy the city we live in. Email: amy.martin@canberratimes.com.au More from History Worn and faded, this slouch hat means more to the AWM director than you think 6m ago No comment s It may be the unloved v the unelectable. But therein lies a deadly trap for each side No comment s Albert Hall's history is in safe hands thanks to dedicated volunteers No comment s Shipwreck hidden for 130 years revealed by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred No comment s 'As good as it gets': why ACT self-government is like a 'Rolls-Royce' for Humphries No comment s 'I loved it all': Coralie Wood farewells Canberra after 55 years of spreading gold dust No comment s Newsletters & Alerts View all DAILY Your morning news Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Loading... 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  - "title": "The giant G-string': Residents divided over local shop upgrades",
  - "link": "https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8926428/charnwood-debate-over-incomplete-shop-upgrades/",
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  - "content": "Charnwood residents are divided over upgrades to the local shops, with some concerned the government hasn't finished the job. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue The centre upgrades, which were completed in mid-2024, involved repaving walkways, planting trees and constructing a narrow shade cloth one resident has nicknamed \"the giant G-string\". Charnwood's \"self-appointed mayor\" Larry O'Kane said the project stopped short of repaving the whole centre. Larry O'Kane and the 'G-string' of Charnwood in the background. Picture by Keegan Carroll He said the pavement outside the childcare centre was still a hazard, the carpark needed to be resurfaced, and some of the walkways still flood in heavy rain. \"This was supposed to be the revamped, Mickey Mouse top-of-the-range job,\" he said. \"What have the politicians got against Charnwood?\" 'Tell the tourists to come' Mr O'Kane, who used to work as a bus driver, said he'd asked Chief Minister Andrew Barr and other ACT MLAs when the works would be completed but had only been told they \"were looking into it\". \"Must be a very big mirror because they're all looking into it,\" he said. \"All I'm asking is when they're going to come back and finish and do what they were supposed to do. \"Until then let them tell the tourists to come to Charnwood to see the tourist attraction, the giant G-string.\" An ACT government spokesperson said all improvements included in the scope for the Charnwood shops upgrade project were delivered within budget. Photos of the raised pavement outside the childcare centre at Charnwood Shops. Pictures by Keegan Carroll \"The purpose of the project was to address issues with pavers lifting and causing trip hazards for pedestrians in the public space areas outside the shops. Car park resurfacing did not form part of the project scope,\" the spokesperson said. \"Additional public space improvements that were not included in the final scope for construction have been documented for future upgrades as part of the ACT government planning process.\" Pharmacist Rebecca Richardson at Capital Chemist Charnwood. Picture by Keegan Carroll Pharmacist at Capital Chemist Charnwood Rebecca Richardson said she was mostly pleased with the upgrades, but the carpark still had large potholes. \"There's still work to be done on the resealing of the car parks, the pothole keeps opening up... every time it rains,\" she said. \"I love the mural... I think the paving's nice. I think it's definitely an improvement to what it was.\" Ms Richardson said staff used to have to rush outside and bandage up people who had tripped on the uneven pavement. \"We had lived with this for years where the paving was lifting and we would have to run out the front because, oh my god, Joe Blow's fallen over again, come and patch them up,\" she said. \"That hasn't happened now, so that's good for us.\" $1.4 million in upgrades The ACT government began consultation for the shopping centre upgrades in July 2022, with construction starting in 2023. The construction works and street mural were completed in June 2024 and received $1.405 million in federal and territory funding. ACT Labor also committed to \"future stages of upgrades\" to Charnwood Shops at the 2024 territory elections. Upgrades to the shopping centre were also made in 2018. Charnwood resident Leslea Geary, who has been living in the suburb since 1988, said the shops have changed a lot since she moved in. \"The shopping centre used to be quite dangerous ,\" she said. Charnwood resident Leslea Geary at the shopping centre. Picture by Keegan Carroll Ms Geary wasn't so concerned by the shade cloth. \"One of the things my son and I do sometimes is get takeaway, come and eat in the evening and sit at the tables, then it's not an issue,\" she said. \"The shade changes as the sun moves, and I don't think even our local councillors can fix that.\" Regal Charcoal Chicken owner Angelo Galanopoulos said he offered to put up half the money to build a shade cloth outside his shop for his customers. The narrow shade cloth was instead built outside the Woolworths. \"I'd like to fix something here for the customers. There's nothing there, all the shops are around here,\" Mr Galanopoulos said. \"[The shade cloth] doesn't cover nothing anyway.\" Mr Galanopoulos said some of the area outside his shop still floods in heavy rain, even after the pavement was redone. His shop has been in Charnwood for 22 years. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Lucy Arundell Journalist Lucy is the city reporter for the Canberra Times, covering business, hospitality, retail, transport and everything in between. Got a tip? Email her at lucy.arundell@canberratimes.com.au. Lucy is the city reporter for the Canberra Times, covering business, hospitality, retail, transport and everything in between. Got a tip? Email her at lucy.arundell@canberratimes.com.au. More from Latest News Patrick Gorman's secret briefing on the US bureaucracy 7m ago No comment s Comcare leaving workers traumatised, damaged as review delayed 7m ago No comment s We asked women to identify their barriers in business. The answers shocked us 7m ago No comment s In every China-US war game scenario I've seen, America has lost 7m ago No comment s When school leaders thrive, so too do students and teachers 7m ago No comment s Calls to level gender playing field amid work from home backlash 7m ago No comment s Newsletters & Alerts View all DAILY Your morning news Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Loading... AS IT HAPPENS Public Service News Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service. Loading... WEEKDAYS The lunch break Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Loading... WEEKDAYS The evening wrap Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Loading... WEEKLY Note from the Editor Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. Loading... WEEKLY What's On Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. Loading... DAILY Sport The latest news, results & expert analysis. Loading... DAILY Early Look At David Pope Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon. Loading... WEEKLY Times Reader's Panel Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers. Loading... WEEKLY Weekend Reads We've selected the best reading for your weekend. Loading... WEEKLY Property Get the latest property and development news here. Loading... WEEKLY Explore Travel Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. Loading... WEEKDAYS The Echidna Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Loading... TWICE WEEKLY The Informer Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. Loading... TWICE WEEKLY Voice of Real Australia Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. Loading... WEEKLY Motoring Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. Loading... AS IT HAPPENS Breaking news alert Be the first to know when news breaks. Loading... DAILY Today's Paper Alert Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Loading... DAILY Your favourite puzzles Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Loading...",
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  - "link": "https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/8929183/opinion-role-of-job-satisfaction-in-school-principals/",
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  - "content": "After long periods of drought, the sight of new shoots in the ground is often met with joy and anxiety. Joy, because it's a sign that new growth is on its way, but anxiety that much-needed rains must come if the new shoots are to grow and flourish. or signup to continue reading That's what our latest Australian Principal Occupational Health and Wellbeing Survey feels like. For the last 14 years, we've been reporting that being a school leader is unsustainable in its current form, that increasing numbers of school leaders are subjected to unacceptable threats and abuse, and that many of them are saying \"enough is enough\" and want to walk out. These disappointing findings, like droughts, have continued for many years. Some of them are even worse in our latest report. Nearly 55 per cent of school leaders report they are subjected to threats of violence, 37 per cent experience bullying, and 35 per cent are subjected to cyberbullying. All three figures are the highest recorded since the survey started in 2011. Even more sad is that it is parents and caregivers who are the main perpetrators. We don't tolerate this in other workplaces, and we shouldn't tolerate it in our schools. It's also a poor example to set for our children and young people about how to work through disagreement and conflict. The main sources of stress continue to be the sheer quantity of work and lack of time to focus on teaching and learning, closely followed by student-related issues and mental health issues for staff, which have now slightly overtaken the mental health issues for students. It's now the second time we have seen such high results, and one immediate implication is that less time is spent on teaching and learning while these important health and social priorities are addressed. It's not surprising, then, that more than 53 per cent of participants chose the option to \"consider leaving my current job\". It's a sober statistic. Across Australia, there are around 10,000 school principals, and nearly 2200 of them participated in the latest survey. If only half of them acted on their intention to leave, we'd be looking for another 1000 school principals immediately, and we know that we don't have enough to replace those already on the job. This would be a catastrophe for the nation, and most acutely felt in regional and remote parts of the country where it's already hard to attract and retain principals and teachers. So what's the joyful news? Despite these disappointing results, there's great resilience and commitment to the job amongst school principals. That speaks to their professional generosity and dedication to our children and young people. We also found that those whose job satisfaction is higher are far less likely to have an intention to leave. The way forward, then, seems clear: find ways to make the job more satisfying, and principals who love the job will stay. This will also make the job more attractive for those we will need in years to come. Governments across the nation are starting to do some good things to help. Policies to ban mobile phones during school hours are showing positive signs, and the right-to-disconnect laws are helping to create time and space for teachers and principals to be with their family, friends and their community. The new Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, now agreed to by all state and territory governments and the Commonwealth government, will provide full funding for all government schools and additional money for supporting the wellbeing of students and teachers. It will also support schools to work with other important service providers like psychologists, social workers, youth nurses and counsellors. These are good starts - the green shoots breaking through - but there is some anxiety here, too. In the shadow of an upcoming federal election, educators need to be assured by all sides of politics that these supports and funds will come through, regardless of how the next parliament is comprised. The future of the nation depends on it. There's plenty of work still to do, and school leaders have big hearts. But for too many, their energy is waning. We can't take them for granted. As a community, we all need to support them and their work. We need positive school communities where teachers, students and families commit to working together in respectful and cooperative ways. Our latest report shows these are the conditions in which school leaders thrive. When they thrive, so do our schools and the teachers and students within them. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement",
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  - "title": "Brand power: How a new generation of AFL stars are making big bucks off the field",
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  - "description": "The list of the league’s most marketable players is changing rapidly, and their capacity to cash in with multimillion-dollar off-field deals has been revolutionised in the past five years.",
  - "content": "The AFL is entering a new era of player empowerment as superstars turn to off-field experts to tap into a multimillion-dollar market. The Gemba Group – an industry leader in providing insights into the sport and entertainment world – rated Dustin Martin, Gary Ablett jnr, Nat Fyfe, Nic Naitanui and Trent Cotchin as the game’s five most marketable footballers at the end of the 2020 season. Chad Warner, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid and Nick Daicos are young stars of the AFL developing their own brand. Credit: Aresna Villanueva Fyfe, who turns 34 this year, is the only one of that quintet still in the AFL. Replacing them is a precocious batch of stars with arguably greater interest in cultivating their off-field brand, including Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid, Bailey Smith, Isaac Heeney, Charlie Curnow, Will Ashcroft, Chad Warner, Toby Greene, Nick Watson, Jack Ginnivan and Tom Green. Collingwood’s Daicos came out on top in Gemba’s most up-to-date pecking order of the AFL’s most marketable players, as of this month, which considers reach, interest, influence and momentum. Jay Rowlings, a commercial guru who formerly worked at TGI Sport (then known as TLA Worldwide) and now runs MADE Sports Group with co-founder Will Edwards, has seen the industry shift dramatically. “When I was at TLA, we had Cotchin, [Joel] Selwood and Jonathan Brown, but the top players today are doing triple or quadruple the commercial deals of what those boys were doing in their prime,” Rowlings told this masthead. “It’s extraordinary. I would argue that Nick Daicos would probably rival Christian now.” The Petracca prototype Melbourne’s Petracca, who Gemba rated at No.18 among the most marketable, boasts one of the biggest brands among AFL footballers, a group his captain, Max Gawn, also belongs in. He has branded himself as “an athlete who likes to cook” and shares “quick and simple recipes” on his OnTrac5 website, as well as videos on Instagram and TikTok. Melbourne star Christian Petracca is also building a brand off the field, including his popular cooking videos on Instagram. Credit: Elke Meitzel The Age revealed this month Petracca’s decision to split with powerhouse management agency Connors Sports and instead be represented by talent and partnerships expert Anna Scullie, who is also Eddie Betts’ wife. Scullie had already been working with the Demons midfielder since August last year on his commercial deals and intends to officially become a player agent. Petracca’s wife, Bella, also helps him with his cooking side-hustle. Rowlings has negotiated deals for Petracca, too. He and MADE have an exclusive working relationship – beyond some notable examples – to represent Connors Sports’ elite clients, from Daicos to Reid, Smith, Curnow, Greene and Harry Sheezel. MADE, which also drives commercial outcomes for Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant and Pilates expert Sara Colquhoun, negotiated Petracca’s Woolworths arrangement, plus a Colgate advertisement alongside Heeney. Petracca, who is contracted to Melbourne until the end of 2029, told this masthead a fortnight ago that the split was “not necessarily” about increasing his off-field opportunities. “I think, for Connors Sports specifically, they’ve got only so many hours in the day,” Rowlings said. “We provide that proactive arm, where we sit down with talent, work out what their brand is, where it’s going, who they’re authentically aligned with, and we contact those brands and nut out those deals.” Connors Sports is also involving MADE in certain pitches to prospective teenage clients, in a development that is moving closer towards the United States model. For example, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hires an agent to negotiate playing contracts, but his all-female management team includes a media relations expert, a publicist, a marketing and branding specialist, and a senior client manager. Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos is arguably the AFL’s most marketable player. Credit: Getty Images What the future might look like Ex-Adelaide captain Rory Sloane, who is passionate about AFL players improving their post-career fortunes, said he would split his affairs if he was still playing, and thinks it could be a new trend with current players. In fact, Sloane, a former AFLPA vice-president, thinks he might not even hire a traditional player agent if he had his time over again. “I’d structure up in a way where every time I come out of contract; I’d have a sports lawyer who knows the industry and can look after my contract negotiations,” Sloane told this masthead. Rory Sloane would use a different management structure if he had his time over again. Credit: Getty Images “Then, I think you should, and there are players who would want to, get a PR agency involved, or someone who might help them with their socials, where they also generate a bit of a revenue stream. And then there’s the accounting piece, too, which, I think, is crucial and probably one of the most important pieces.” Sloane also said some players were frustrated with the commission model used by managers, in particular how much they still owed after a deal was agreed upon. The latest collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and AFL Players’ Association, which stretches from 2023-27, has already delivered a salary boom that could see the league’s number of millionaires double from 25 last season by the end of it . That CBA also introduced a $34.6 million marketing fund that will present the game’s biggest stars with the chance to earn even more cash with the AFL’s existing sponsors and corporate partners. Being one of the best players is the obvious first step to cashing in off the field. However, Rowlings said there were several other factors: being a “good person” who could be relied upon; an ability to stand out, which he said they assisted footballers with; and a want to “drive commercial opportunities, build a brand and have something outside of footy”. As players become more aware, and interested in, their brand, Rowlings said it was important for football agencies to adapt and not be shortsighted about working with other specialists. He points to their “creations” service as one way they add value, where they help athletes develop their own businesses rather than solely promoting brands. In just his second season, Harley Reid is already one of the AFL’s most recognisable and in-demand players. Credit: AFL Photos Greene and Heeney benefited from this with their business, 5th Quarter Camps, which aims to provide football experiences and opportunities for Sydneysiders. “The $2 million in deals we did last year for talent adds so much value to Paul [Connors], Robbie [D’Orazio] and their business,” Rowlings said. “We’re not stepping on their toes. We’re getting new deals, we’re adding new revenue, and the talent are as happy as they have ever been. “They feel loved because Paul and Robbie are investing in us, which essentially is giving them more opportunity.” Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter .",
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  - "title": "Beyond books: the surprising things to borrow from public libraries",
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  - "description": "Need a pasta machine or telescope? The library has it covered.",
  - "content": "Libraries evoke images of quiet spaces filled with well-thumbed books on ordered shelves but tucked away in a corner you may find a guitar, a cake tin or even a karaoke machine for loan. or signup to continue reading The 'Library of Things' is a growing movement where people can borrow non-traditional objects. In northern Queensland, Mackay Regional Libraries offer not only ukuleles to borrow - but also free lessons. Mackay Regional Council community outreach team leader Kimberly Lehto-Head said their Library of Things collection allows people to afford to explore an interest despite the . \"Maybe I'd like to play the ukulele, but I don't have $300 to go buy an entry-level, and maybe I won't like it,\" she said. \"But I can actually borrow it from the library [and] attend one of our ukulele programs, take it home, keep practising it, and then say, 'Yes, I'm willing to make that financial commitment'.\" Australian parents spend, on average, $1779 per child on extra-curricular activities like music lessons, sports, or tutoring per year, according to research by ING Bank. Households are pulling back on discretionary spending, with recreation (-1.6 per cent) and hospitality (-1.2 per cent) in particular taking a hit, according to CommBank's Household Spending Insights for February 2025. \"The lift we saw in spending at the end of 2024, driven by discount and sales activity, hasn't carried through to the new year as constrained consumers dedicate a large portion of their wallet to spending on the essentials,\" Belinda Allen, a senior economist with Commonwealth Bank Australia, said. Mackay's collection began in late 2021 after they had great success loaning out cricket sets on National Backyard Cricket Day. Their Library of Things collection now includes guitars, bird-watching kits, LEGO sets, board games, and pickleball. Oral history kits are also available for First Nations people to record stories and language while on country. The Mackay libraries use donated wool for their collection and the knitting and crocheting programs. The Keep Warm Project then encourages members to donate their finished products to local charities. In the regional NSW town of Tamworth, library shelves are stocked with cake tins and baking tools. The library stocks items that people \"need occasionally but don't necessarily want to buy\", the central northern team leader of library resources at Tamworth City Library, Megan Pitt, said. \"There are lots of novelty kids' cake tins, Spider-Man and a car ... and like a number one [shaped cake tin], which is something that you're not going to use all too often,\" Ms Pitt said. The library also has a seed selection where gardeners can borrow seeds and save seeds from their crops to donate to others. Some of the quirky items available in public libraries across Australia include: A GoPro, lint remover and DJ set are just some of the items available to borrow from the Hobsons Bay Library of Things in inner Melbourne. Hobsons Bay City Council mayor Daria Kellander said the libraries will soon add video and board games to their collections. \"People will be able to borrow consoles, video games, traditional and role-playing games to try out and enjoy at home,\" Cr Kellander said. \"With the current , the Library of Things makes learning opportunities more accessible to more people.\" Mrs Lehto-Head, from Mackay Regional Council, said the collection of objects brings \"a quirky edge\" to their regional libraries and it challenges the stereotype that they are quiet spaces where people just read books. \"How do you remain relevant if you do the same thing all the time?\" she said. National video journalist at Australian Community Media. Previously a cadet journalist at the Illawarra Mercury and a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio. Story tips? marlene.even@austcommunitymedia.com.au National video journalist at Australian Community Media. Previously a cadet journalist at the Illawarra Mercury and a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio. Story tips? marlene.even@austcommunitymedia.com.au Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement",
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  - "content": "Libraries evoke images of quiet spaces filled with well-thumbed books on ordered shelves but tucked away in a corner you may find a guitar, a cake tin or even a karaoke machine for loan. or signup to continue reading The 'Library of Things' is a growing movement where people can borrow non-traditional objects. In northern Queensland, Mackay Regional Libraries offer not only ukuleles to borrow - but also free lessons. Mackay Regional Council community outreach team leader Kimberly Lehto-Head said their Library of Things collection allows people to afford to explore an interest despite the . \"Maybe I'd like to play the ukulele, but I don't have $300 to go buy an entry-level, and maybe I won't like it,\" she said. \"But I can actually borrow it from the library [and] attend one of our ukulele programs, take it home, keep practising it, and then say, 'Yes, I'm willing to make that financial commitment'.\" Australian parents spend, on average, $1779 per child on extra-curricular activities like music lessons, sports, or tutoring per year, according to research by ING Bank. Households are pulling back on discretionary spending, with recreation (-1.6 per cent) and hospitality (-1.2 per cent) in particular taking a hit, according to CommBank's Household Spending Insights for February 2025. \"The lift we saw in spending at the end of 2024, driven by discount and sales activity, hasn't carried through to the new year as constrained consumers dedicate a large portion of their wallet to spending on the essentials,\" Belinda Allen, a senior economist with Commonwealth Bank Australia, said. Mackay's collection began in late 2021 after they had great success loaning out cricket sets on National Backyard Cricket Day. Their Library of Things collection now includes guitars, bird-watching kits, LEGO sets, board games, and pickleball. Oral history kits are also available for First Nations people to record stories and language while on country. The Mackay libraries use donated wool for their collection and the knitting and crocheting programs. The Keep Warm Project then encourages members to donate their finished products to local charities. In the regional NSW town of Tamworth, library shelves are stocked with cake tins and baking tools. The library stocks items that people \"need occasionally but don't necessarily want to buy\", the central northern team leader of library resources at Tamworth City Library, Megan Pitt, said. \"There are lots of novelty kids' cake tins, Spider-Man and a car ... and like a number one [shaped cake tin], which is something that you're not going to use all too often,\" Ms Pitt said. The library also has a seed selection where gardeners can borrow seeds and save seeds from their crops to donate to others. Some of the quirky items available in public libraries across Australia include: A GoPro, lint remover and DJ set are just some of the items available to borrow from the Hobsons Bay Library of Things in inner Melbourne. Hobsons Bay City Council mayor Daria Kellander said the libraries will soon add video and board games to their collections. \"People will be able to borrow consoles, video games, traditional and role-playing games to try out and enjoy at home,\" Cr Kellander said. \"With the current , the Library of Things makes learning opportunities more accessible to more people.\" Mrs Lehto-Head, from Mackay Regional Council, said the collection of objects brings \"a quirky edge\" to their regional libraries and it challenges the stereotype that they are quiet spaces where people just read books. \"How do you remain relevant if you do the same thing all the time?\" she said. National video journalist at Australian Community Media. Previously a cadet journalist at the Illawarra Mercury and a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio. Story tips? marlene.even@austcommunitymedia.com.au National video journalist at Australian Community Media. Previously a cadet journalist at the Illawarra Mercury and a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio. Story tips? marlene.even@austcommunitymedia.com.au DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement",
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  - "title": "Brand power: How a new generation of AFL stars are making big bucks off the field",
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  - "description": "The list of the league’s most marketable players is changing rapidly, and their capacity to cash in with multimillion-dollar off-field deals has been revolutionised in the past five years.",
  - "content": "The AFL is entering a new era of player empowerment as superstars turn to off-field experts to tap into a multimillion-dollar market. The Gemba Group – an industry leader in providing insights into the sport and entertainment world – rated Dustin Martin, Gary Ablett jnr, Nat Fyfe, Nic Naitanui and Trent Cotchin as the game’s five most marketable footballers at the end of the 2020 season. Chad Warner, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid and Nick Daicos are young stars of the AFL developing their own brand. Credit: Aresna Villanueva Fyfe, who turns 34 this year, is the only one of that quintet still in the AFL. Replacing them is a precocious batch of stars with arguably greater interest in cultivating their off-field brand, including Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid, Bailey Smith, Isaac Heeney, Charlie Curnow, Will Ashcroft, Chad Warner, Toby Greene, Nick Watson, Jack Ginnivan and Tom Green. Collingwood’s Daicos came out on top in Gemba’s most up-to-date pecking order of the AFL’s most marketable players, as of this month, which considers reach, interest, influence and momentum. Jay Rowlings, a commercial guru who formerly worked at TGI Sport (then known as TLA Worldwide) and now runs MADE Sports Group with co-founder Will Edwards, has seen the industry shift dramatically. “When I was at TLA, we had Cotchin, [Joel] Selwood and Jonathan Brown, but the top players today are doing triple or quadruple the commercial deals of what those boys were doing in their prime,” Rowlings told this masthead. “It’s extraordinary. I would argue that Nick Daicos would probably rival Christian now.”",
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  - "title": "Brand power: How a new generation of AFL stars are making big bucks off the field",
  - "link": "https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/brand-power-how-a-new-generation-of-afl-stars-are-making-big-bucks-off-the-field-20250324-p5lm3q.html",
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  - "description": "The list of the league’s most marketable players is changing rapidly, and their capacity to cash in with multimillion-dollar off-field deals has been revolutionised in the past five years.",
  - "content": "The AFL is entering a new era of player empowerment as superstars turn to off-field experts to tap into a multimillion-dollar market. The Gemba Group – an industry leader in providing insights into the sport and entertainment world – rated Dustin Martin, Gary Ablett jnr, Nat Fyfe, Nic Naitanui and Trent Cotchin as the game’s five most marketable footballers at the end of the 2020 season. Chad Warner, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid and Nick Daicos are young stars of the AFL developing their own brand. Credit: Aresna Villanueva Fyfe, who turns 34 this year, is the only one of that quintet still in the AFL. Replacing them is a precocious batch of stars with arguably greater interest in cultivating their off-field brand, including Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid, Bailey Smith, Isaac Heeney, Charlie Curnow, Will Ashcroft, Chad Warner, Toby Greene, Nick Watson, Jack Ginnivan and Tom Green. Collingwood’s Daicos came out on top in Gemba’s most up-to-date pecking order of the AFL’s most marketable players, as of this month, which considers reach, interest, influence and momentum. Jay Rowlings, a commercial guru who formerly worked at TGI Sport (then known as TLA Worldwide) and now runs MADE Sports Group with co-founder Will Edwards, has seen the industry shift dramatically. “When I was at TLA, we had Cotchin, [Joel] Selwood and Jonathan Brown, but the top players today are doing triple or quadruple the commercial deals of what those boys were doing in their prime,” Rowlings told this masthead. “It’s extraordinary. I would argue that Nick Daicos would probably rival Christian now.” The Petracca prototype Melbourne’s Petracca, who Gemba rated at No.18 among the most marketable, boasts one of the biggest brands among AFL footballers, a group his captain, Max Gawn, also belongs in. He has branded himself as “an athlete who likes to cook” and shares “quick and simple recipes” on his OnTrac5 website, as well as videos on Instagram and TikTok. Melbourne star Christian Petracca is also building a brand off the field, including his popular cooking videos on Instagram. Credit: Elke Meitzel The Age revealed this month Petracca’s decision to split with powerhouse management agency Connors Sports and instead be represented by talent and partnerships expert Anna Scullie, who is also Eddie Betts’ wife. Scullie had already been working with the Demons midfielder since August last year on his commercial deals and intends to officially become a player agent. Petracca’s wife, Bella, also helps him with his cooking side-hustle. Rowlings has negotiated deals for Petracca, too. He and MADE have an exclusive working relationship – beyond some notable examples – to represent Connors Sports’ elite clients, from Daicos to Reid, Smith, Curnow, Greene and Harry Sheezel. MADE, which also drives commercial outcomes for Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant and Pilates expert Sara Colquhoun, negotiated Petracca’s Woolworths arrangement, plus a Colgate advertisement alongside Heeney. Petracca, who is contracted to Melbourne until the end of 2029, told this masthead a fortnight ago that the split was “not necessarily” about increasing his off-field opportunities. “I think, for Connors Sports specifically, they’ve got only so many hours in the day,” Rowlings said. “We provide that proactive arm, where we sit down with talent, work out what their brand is, where it’s going, who they’re authentically aligned with, and we contact those brands and nut out those deals.” Connors Sports is also involving MADE in certain pitches to prospective teenage clients, in a development that is moving closer towards the United States model. For example, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hires an agent to negotiate playing contracts, but his all-female management team includes a media relations expert, a publicist, a marketing and branding specialist, and a senior client manager. Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos is arguably the AFL’s most marketable player. Credit: Getty Images What the future might look like Ex-Adelaide captain Rory Sloane, who is passionate about AFL players improving their post-career fortunes, said he would split his affairs if he was still playing, and thinks it could be a new trend with current players. In fact, Sloane, a former AFLPA vice-president, thinks he might not even hire a traditional player agent if he had his time over again. “I’d structure up in a way where every time I come out of contract; I’d have a sports lawyer who knows the industry and can look after my contract negotiations,” Sloane told this masthead. Rory Sloane would use a different management structure if he had his time over again. Credit: Getty Images “Then, I think you should, and there are players who would want to, get a PR agency involved, or someone who might help them with their socials, where they also generate a bit of a revenue stream. And then there’s the accounting piece, too, which, I think, is crucial and probably one of the most important pieces.” Sloane also said some players were frustrated with the commission model used by managers, in particular how much they still owed after a deal was agreed upon. The latest collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and AFL Players’ Association, which stretches from 2023-27, has already delivered a salary boom that could see the league’s number of millionaires double from 25 last season by the end of it . That CBA also introduced a $34.6 million marketing fund that will present the game’s biggest stars with the chance to earn even more cash with the AFL’s existing sponsors and corporate partners. Being one of the best players is the obvious first step to cashing in off the field. However, Rowlings said there were several other factors: being a “good person” who could be relied upon; an ability to stand out, which he said they assisted footballers with; and a want to “drive commercial opportunities, build a brand and have something outside of footy”. As players become more aware, and interested in, their brand, Rowlings said it was important for football agencies to adapt and not be shortsighted about working with other specialists. He points to their “creations” service as one way they add value, where they help athletes develop their own businesses rather than solely promoting brands. In just his second season, Harley Reid is already one of the AFL’s most recognisable and in-demand players. Credit: AFL Photos Greene and Heeney benefited from this with their business, 5th Quarter Camps, which aims to provide football experiences and opportunities for Sydneysiders. “The $2 million in deals we did last year for talent adds so much value to Paul [Connors], Robbie [D’Orazio] and their business,” Rowlings said. “We’re not stepping on their toes. We’re getting new deals, we’re adding new revenue, and the talent are as happy as they have ever been. “They feel loved because Paul and Robbie are investing in us, which essentially is giving them more opportunity.” Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter .",
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  - "title": "Brand power: How a new generation of AFL stars are making big bucks off the field",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/afl/brand-power-how-a-new-generation-of-afl-stars-are-making-big-bucks-off-the-field-20250324-p5lm3q.html",
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  - "description": "The list of the league’s most marketable players is changing rapidly, and their capacity to cash in with multimillion-dollar off-field deals has been revolutionised in the past five years.",
  - "content": "The AFL is entering a new era of player empowerment as superstars turn to off-field experts to tap into a multimillion-dollar market. The Gemba Group – an industry leader in providing insights into the sport and entertainment world – rated Dustin Martin, Gary Ablett jnr, Nat Fyfe, Nic Naitanui and Trent Cotchin as the game’s five most marketable footballers at the end of the 2020 season. Fyfe, who turns 34 this year, is the only one of that quintet still in the AFL. Replacing them is a precocious batch of stars with arguably greater interest in cultivating their off-field brand, including Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca, Harley Reid, Bailey Smith, Isaac Heeney, Charlie Curnow, Will Ashcroft, Chad Warner, Toby Greene, Nick Watson, Jack Ginnivan and Tom Green. Collingwood’s Daicos came out on top in Gemba’s most up-to-date pecking order of the AFL’s most marketable players, as of this month, which considers reach, interest, influence and momentum. Jay Rowlings, a commercial guru who formerly worked at TGI Sport (then known as TLA Worldwide) and now runs MADE Sports Group with co-founder Will Edwards, has seen the industry shift dramatically. “When I was at TLA, we had Cotchin, [Joel] Selwood and Jonathan Brown, but the top players today are doing triple or quadruple the commercial deals of what those boys were doing in their prime,” Rowlings told this masthead. “It’s extraordinary. I would argue that Nick Daicos would probably rival Christian now.” Melbourne’s Petracca, who Gemba rated at No.18 among the most marketable, boasts one of the biggest brands among AFL footballers, a group his captain, Max Gawn, also belongs in. He has branded himself as “an athlete who likes to cook” and shares “quick and simple recipes” on his OnTrac5 website, as well as videos on Instagram and TikTok. revealed this month Petracca’s decision to split with powerhouse management agency Connors Sports and instead be represented by talent and partnerships expert Anna Scullie, who is also Eddie Betts’ wife. Scullie had already been working with the Demons midfielder since August last year on his commercial deals and intends to officially become a player agent. Petracca’s wife, Bella, also helps him with his cooking side-hustle. Rowlings has negotiated deals for Petracca, too. He and MADE have an exclusive working relationship – beyond some notable examples – to represent Connors Sports’ elite clients, from Daicos to Reid, Smith, Curnow, Greene and Harry Sheezel. MADE, which also drives commercial outcomes for Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant and Pilates expert Sara Colquhoun, negotiated Petracca’s Woolworths arrangement, plus a Colgate advertisement alongside Heeney. Petracca, who is contracted to Melbourne until the end of 2029, told this masthead a fortnight ago that the split was “not necessarily” about increasing his off-field opportunities. “I think, for Connors Sports specifically, they’ve got only so many hours in the day,” Rowlings said. “We provide that proactive arm, where we sit down with talent, work out what their brand is, where it’s going, who they’re authentically aligned with, and we contact those brands and nut out those deals.” Connors Sports is also involving MADE in certain pitches to prospective teenage clients, in a development that is moving closer towards the United States model. For example, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hires an agent to negotiate playing contracts, but his all-female management team includes a media relations expert, a publicist, a marketing and branding specialist, and a senior client manager. Ex-Adelaide captain Rory Sloane, who is passionate about AFL players improving their post-career fortunes, said he would split his affairs if he was still playing, and thinks it could be a new trend with current players. In fact, Sloane, a former AFLPA vice-president, thinks he might not even hire a traditional player agent if he had his time over again. “I’d structure up in a way where every time I come out of contract; I’d have a sports lawyer who knows the industry and can look after my contract negotiations,” Sloane told this masthead. “Then, I think you should, and there are players who would want to, get a PR agency involved, or someone who might help them with their socials, where they also generate a bit of a revenue stream. And then there’s the accounting piece, too, which, I think, is crucial and probably one of the most important pieces.” Sloane also said some players were frustrated with the commission model used by managers, in particular how much they still owed after a deal was agreed upon. The latest collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and AFL Players’ Association, which stretches from 2023-27, has already delivered a salary boom that could see the league’s number of millionaires . that will present the game’s biggest stars with the chance to earn even more cash with the AFL’s existing sponsors and corporate partners. Being one of the best players is the obvious first step to cashing in off the field. However, Rowlings said there were several other factors: being a “good person” who could be relied upon; an ability to stand out, which he said they assisted footballers with; and a want to “drive commercial opportunities, build a brand and have something outside of footy”. As players become more aware, and interested in, their brand, Rowlings said it was important for football agencies to adapt and not be shortsighted about working with other specialists. He points to their “creations” service as one way they add value, where they help athletes develop their own businesses rather than solely promoting brands. Greene and Heeney benefited from this with their business, 5th Quarter Camps, which aims to provide football experiences and opportunities for Sydneysiders. “The $2 million in deals we did last year for talent adds so much value to Paul [Connors], Robbie [D’Orazio] and their business,” Rowlings said. “We’re not stepping on their toes. We’re getting new deals, we’re adding new revenue, and the talent are as happy as they have ever been. “They feel loved because Paul and Robbie are investing in us, which essentially is giving them more opportunity.”",
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  - "title": "Your Say: What matters to Tasmanian voters this federal election?",
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  - "description": "With the federal election campaign underway, we've spoken to 15 Tasmanians from across the state's five electorates to see what topics they most want to see addressed.",
  - "content": "The federal election campaign is underway, with a polling date set for May 3. The ABC's Your Say campaign is running because we want to hear from you about the issues that affect you most and what you want the politicians to be talking about. We've spoken to three Tasmanians in each of the state's five electorates to see what matters most to them. We'll revisit them in the final week of the campaign to find out if they think the politicians have been listening. Bass: Health care and the cost of living are key concerns for voters in the northern electorate of Bass. Launceston retiree Tracey Brown said funding for health care was \"at the top\" of her list as she and her husband age. \"More funding spent on pretty well any area of health. Obvious areas like the emergency department, which a lot of people would have experienced the long waiting times there,\" Ms Brown said. Increased funding for health care and the rising cost of insurances are some of the main concerns for those in Bass. Increasing costs are also on Ms Brown's mind coming up to the election. Bridport pub manager Todd Sarich wanted to see the next federal government address the challenges facing small businesses. What do you need to know before you vote in the upcoming federal election? What would you ask the candidates? Have Your Say. \"The hospitality industry is always the ones who seem to wear the brunt of the taxes,\" Mr Sarich said. \"Customers come in and say, 'every time we come in it's 50 cents dearer', and we say, 'it's not our fault, there's a government [that is] putting it up'. \"They've just put a freeze on it, which is really good news for us.\" Scottsdale real estate agent Andrew Bennett also raised the issues of the shortage of general practitioners, plus the cost of living. \"Obviously, high interest rates affects our business, because we're not selling as much real estate,\" Mr Bennett said. \"At the moment, because of the interest rates where they are, people are not buying investment properties. So sooner or later, there's going to be an outcry of shortage of investment properties, as in rental properties.\" Braddon: In the north-west electorate of Braddon, living expenses and the cost of business are front of mind in the lead-up to May 3. Wynyard disability pensioner Christine Leslie was cutting down on her spending. Voters in the seat of Braddon say they want living expenses addressed. She wanted to see politicians follow through on their cost-of-living pledges. \"They say a lot [about] what they're going to do. They're not trying to help with pensions and cut the prices back on food and bus services, all that sort of thing,\" she said. Port Sorell mother Paige Williams said it was getting \"pretty expensive\" to raise a family. She wanted to see living expenses reduced. Burnie's Andrew Turner owns two hospitality businesses and believed the government wasn't doing enough to assist small businesses stay afloat. \"You feel like you would maybe get a bit of a hand for doing that, but you just get punished the more people you employ; death by a million cuts as far as owning a business goes,\" Mr Turner said. \"We can only charge so much for a coffee. Got a bill for coffee beans the other day that is literally double what we paid six years ago.\" Clark: Sandy Bay's Kiran Yellapa said she was worried about rising anti-immigrant rhetoric. All eyes will be on whether the Liberals can flip Lyons on election night, but could there be other surprising contests in Tasmania? Labor is hoping for a Braddon surge, while one of its ministers could be looking over her shoulder. Moonah financial firm director Tony Leggett said he wanted to see political stability. \"I would just like to see post the election we've got a stable government, and we've got one that can make some decisions that will assist generally the community and the business sector,\" Mr Leggett said. \"And we can move forward with simply more confidence, because I think that is the key to this. There's just not enough confidence out there in the current climate.\" Event management specialist Emily Masatora wanted more representation of First Nations people in federal parliament. \"Until we do, policies will just continue to be made for us, rather than with us,\" Ms Masatora said. Clark is the smallest federal electorate in Tasmania, and takes in the Hobart CBD and suburbs including Sandy Bay, West Hobart, New Town, Moonah and Glenorchy, ending just shy of the construction site at the Bridgewater Bridge. Franklin: Tradie Toby Martin was worried about the rising cost of living, and how conflicts overseas might affect it going forward. \"Geo-politically, we've got a lot going on, and I don't think too many people really know,\" Mr Martin said. In the federal seat of Franklin, which takes in areas of suburban Hobart, the environment was one of the topics front-of-mind. \"We don't want to stress everybody out, but we could have some shocks financially based on other countries' decisions.\" Lauderdale teacher Sue Leake said she wanted politicians to focus on addressing the \"climate crisis\", without throwing the nation into poverty. \"I've got three adult children who [have] just entered the housing market, so I do lay awake at night and worry about the size of their mortgage[s].\" Veteran and public housing tenant Michael Reardon was also worried about the cost of living. \"Cost of living is the thing that's killing everybody at the moment, especially me,\" Mr Reardon said. Lyons In Dodges Ferry, casual teacher Hrisanthi Dokos was worried about the impact of salmon farming on Tasmania's marine environment, but also health and education. Keep up with all the major commitments promised by Labor and the Coalition as they campaign for Australia's vote. \"To further expand [fish farms] is really not good for our environment and not good for our future generations,\" Ms Dokos said. \"Education in this country is a really big issue. We're not reaching the standards that we really should be.\" Longford 18-year-old Shaykira Bourke wanted more affordable and accessible rentals. \"I was on just under $500 [a week], almost all of the houses around this area, the lowest I could find was, I think, one or two for $450 [a week] and the rest were all $500 plus,\" Ms Bourke said. Lyons is Tasmania's largest electorate geographically and takes in just under half of the state. Voters there want the standard of education to rise and worry about the increasing cost of rentals. Brighton mother Kylie Andrews was also worried about the cost of rentals. \"If someone has to pay $500 a week in rent, it doesn't really leave much money for medications. There's nothing left,\" Ms Andrews said. She also wanted action to tackle other costs. \"You used to be able to go to the supermarket and buy $150 worth [of groceries to last] a week,\" she said. \"Now that's $400 to $500 and you're not getting any extra.\" Having problems seeing the form? Try .",
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  - "title": "Art for art’s sake? How NZ’s cultural organisations can maintain integrity and still make money",
  - "link": "https://theconversation.com/art-for-arts-sake-how-nzs-cultural-organisations-can-maintain-integrity-and-still-make-money-252362",
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    - "Ksenia Kosheleva, Doctoral candidate, Marketing, Hanken School of Economics",
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  - "description": "Arts and culture are neither luxuries nor commodities, but integral parts of a thriving society. Balancing profitability with artistic integrity demands new ways of thinking.",
  - "content": "Stokkete/ShutterstockWhen Auckland mayor Wayne Brown said in 2022 that the Auckland Art Gallery had the foot traffic of a corner dairy and cast the institution as an “uneconomic” entity, he conceded he was at risk of “being seen as something of a philistine”.But the mayor’s comments also highlighted a very real challenge. How can New Zealand cultural organisations secure their future when the value of art and culture is seen through the economic lens of profit? And does an overemphasis on profit make cultural groups wary of market and strategy, hampering innovation in the art and culture sector?Our research proposes a concept we call “generative coexistence”. We suggest that when market approaches are integrated thoughtfully, market forces and cultural missions can work together and enable each other. Why the market vs. culture debate is changingFor years, cultural organisations were shielded from the market by state funding. But while government support remained relatively consistent, there was no consistent funding strategy. With each budget round being akin to a lottery, calls for change are becoming louder.The 2024 budget included significant reductions in arts funding. Cultural organisations were expected to find new ways to stay viable. However, as art institutions turn to practices like sponsorship, ticketed events and merchandising to boost revenue, there’s understandable concern about a potential loss of artistic integrity.Yet, market principles and cultural values can be aligned. In 2023, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra launched a digital platform, NZSO+, to stream performances, open rehearsals and artistic talks. Later that year, the NZSO performed to a flock of farm chickens, to support ethical farming and, simultaneously, modernise its brand image.The moves raised questions about whether the orchestra’s essence could be nurtured outside of concert halls. At the same time, they showed a possibility for cultural organisations to blend their authentic mission with commercial acumen, without compromising their intrinsic values.The NZSO’s streaming strategy didn’t just address a budget shortfall. It allowed the orchestra to reach wider, younger and more diverse audiences who might not otherwise engage with classical music. Through this market-driven approach, the symphony orchestra sustained its core mission of bringing music to all New Zealanders.Our research includes examples of cultural groups from around the world. It captures how, rather than seeing commercialisation as a “necessary evil” undermining the arts, cultural groups can use the tensions that come from the competing demands to produce creative solutions. Here, generative coexistence allows cultural organisations to adapt in ways that not only keep the lights on but also broaden their impact. Wellington’s Te Papa Museum uses blockbuster ticketed exhibitions to attract a wider audience while maintaining its cultural status. travellight/Shutterstock Generative coexistence in the artsWe identified three main strategies for organisations in the arts and culture sector designed to help them thrive in a world where financial and cultural goals can seem at odds with each other.First, organisations need to embrace the commercial potential of cultural products. When approached thoughtfully, the strong commercial appeal of cultural products can support an organisation’s core mission and create a democratic counterbalance against sponsorship dependency. Wellington’s Te Papa Museum, for example, creates value through blockbuster ticketed exhibitions that attract a wider audience – such as last year’s Dinosaurs of Patagonia. By using selective commodification processes, Te Papa maintains its educational and cultural status and generates the revenue needed to innovate and expand its reach.Cultural organisations also need to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. Organisations worldwide experiment with innovating existing business models to allow for creative and operational freedom. For example, performing art organisations are increasingly moving away from legacy models – such as venue-based events with tickets as the key revenue stream – into hybrid and digitally-led ones.Similarly, galleries and art spaces are opting for nomadic models, eschewing permanent locations but maintaining a strong online presence. This enables cultural actors to adapt and lower reliance on funding while creating cultural value.Finally, cultural organisations need to look into cross-disciplinary collaborations that align on shared goals. Finding a balance between financial stability and cultural integrity requires recognising opportunities to work together. How market and cultural values can coexistThe New Zealand arts sector is still cautious about non-intuitive collaborations with adjacent fields, such as gaming, fashion or advertising. But partnering with the tech industry holds the promise of new levels of visitor engagement, while staying rooted in the commitment to community enrichment. Cultural organisations have to navigate a complex landscape where financial pressures and cultural missions intersect and create tensions.Our concept of generative coexistence encourages a more flexible view. Examples from around the globe show it isn’t about choosing between culture and commerce. It’s about turning tensions into a foundation for innovation, accessibility and resilience. Arts and culture are neither luxuries nor commodities, but integral parts of a thriving society. We are certain that New Zealand’s creative sector, which is unique, resilient and economically viable, can secure its place in a future that honours both the power of art and the realities of financial sustainability.Ksenia Kosheleva receives funding from The Foundation for Economic Education, Finland.Julia Fehrer and Kaj Storbacka do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:22:20",
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  - "article_id": "cfa0e9977de114d009f59375c37ca4df",
  - "title": "5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday",
  - "link": "https://www.fool.com.au/2025/03/31/5-things-to-watch-on-the-asx-200-on-monday-31-march-2025/",
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  - "description": "It looks set to be a tough start to the week for Aussie investors.The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.",
  - "content": "On Friday, theÂ S&P/ASX 200 IndexÂ (ASX: XJO) ended the week on a mildly positive note. The benchmark index rose 0.15% to 7,982 points.Will the market be able to build on this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:ASX 200 expected to sinkThe Australian share market looks set to sink on Monday following another selloff on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 91 points or 1.1% lower. In the United States, the Dow Jones fell 1.7%, the S&P 500 sank 2%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 2.7%.Buy Qantas sharesGoldman Sachs thinks that investors should be buying Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) shares this week. This morning, the broker has reaffirmed its buy rating and $11.80 price target on the airline operator's shares. This implies potential upside of 25% for investors over the next 12 months. It said: \"Despite peer weakness and subsequent valuation gap vs US peers narrowing, QAN is trading at a discount vs regional & US peers and at lower PE vs pre-COVID.\"Oil prices fallIt looks set to be a subdued start to the week for ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after oil prices fell on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was down 0.8% to US$69.36 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was down 0.5% to US$73.63 a barrel. This couldn't stop oil prices from recording a modest weekly gain amid supply concerns.Gold price hit new record highASX 200 gold shares including Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a great start to the week after the gold price charged to a new record high on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was up 0.9% to US$3,118 an ounce. Trade war concerns sent the precious metal to a new all-time high.Dividends being paidA number of ASX 200 shares will be rewarding their shareholders with their latest dividend payments on Monday. Among the companies making payouts are Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN), Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT), Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR), Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE), Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR), and Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA). Bendigo and Adelaide Bank will be paying eligible shareholders a fully franked 30 cents per share dividend.The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.Should you invest $1,000 in Bendigo And Adelaide Bank Limited right now?Before you buy Bendigo And Adelaide Bank Limited shares, consider this:Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Bendigo And Adelaide Bank Limited wasn't one of them.The online investing service heâs run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys... See The 5 Stocks*Returns as of 6 March 2025(function() { function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) { if( !param || !param.includes('#')) { var button = document.getElementsByClassName(\"pitch-snippet\")[0].getElementsByClassName(\"pitch-button\")[0]; button.style[property] = defaultValue; } } setButtonColorDefaults(\"#43B02A\", 'background', '#5FA85D'); setButtonColorDefaults(\"#43B02A\", 'border-color', '#43A24A'); setButtonColorDefaults(\"#fff\", 'color', '#fff');})()More reading Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today ASX gold shares rally on another fresh record for the gold price 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares todayMotley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woodside Energy Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goldman Sachs Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bendigo And Adelaide Bank. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:21:00",
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  - "article_id": "24d1cf7b846ad6e9ef3861c21e37da15",
  - "title": "Brian spent two years on Victoria's 'hidden' surgery waitlist",
  - "link": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-31/victoria-planned-surgery-elective-waitlist-health-hospital/105090042",
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  - "description": "Victoria's planned surgery waitlist has been growing again, with warnings many are still languishing in a \"hidden\" queue in the state's complex health system.",
  - "content": "Two years ago, Brian Mier thought the stares and embarrassing questions about the lumps on his forearm and shoulder might soon be at an end. The lipomas had appeared a couple of years earlier and while benign, they were growing. \"When I wear short sleeves, it is very obvious,\" he said. \"I'm sure other people don't ask but have a bit of concern, as with so many health things these days, because we don't want to catch them — but this certainly isn't contagious.\" Brian Mier has two lipomas awaiting removal, one on his shoulder, and the other on his forearm. So, in January 2023, he was relieved when he received confirmation of his referral for surgery at Melbourne's Eastern Health to remove the lipomas. Nearly two years passed before he received a consult appointment at Blackburn Public Surgical Centre, where a surgeon confirmed the lumps should be removed. In January this year, the 79-year-old received a second letter confirming he was now on the planned surgery waitlist. The letter advised he should be seen within a year. Mr Mier says the years-long wait has been challenging. Despite trying to call multiple times for updates, Mr Mier was still waiting on a surgery date in late March. \"The system ought to be better than that,\" he said. An Eastern Health spokesperson said the service was unable to comment on the circumstances of specific patients, and that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to \"an increase to the desired waiting times\". \"Eastern Health is currently making significant inroads to the surgery waitlists across all categories,\" the spokesperson said. Victoria's surgery waitlist is on the rise again Mr Mier's name joined thousands of others on an elective surgery waiting list that is, once more, growing rapidly. As of December last year, 62,878 people were on Victoria's waiting list — an increase of 9.4 per cent on figures from June, according to Victorian Agency for Health Information figures. The increase broke a two-and-a-half-year run, during which the number of people waiting for surgery fell by over a third, dropping from a COVID-era high of 88,434 patients to 57,476. Victoria is not the only state facing challenges with its elective surgery waitlist. in the last quarter of 2024, compared to the same time in 2023, and in According to national data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Victoria had been one of only two states that improved its performance on getting through the elective surgery waitlists in the 2023/24 year, with the other being the Australian Capital Territory. However, Victoria's state-specific data shows that since mid-2024 when the AIHW data ended, waitlists have started growing once more. Australian Medical Association Victorian president Jill Tomlinson says Victoria should not allow missed targets to become a norm. The change in trajectories coincided with the end of so-called COVID catch-up funding, the , and the to 210,000. Australian Medical Association Victoria president Jill Tomlinson and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Victorian chair Damien Loh told the ABC that as long as overdue surgeries did not start rising again, there was no immediate cause for concern. However, Dr Loh pointed out Victoria's total waitlist numbers should be treated with caution, with some health services having supplied incomplete data for recent quarters. Concern more should be done to tackle 'hidden' waitlist Mr Mier's delay in getting onto a surgical waitlist speaks to a separate issue, which Melbourne-based surgeon Neela Janakiramanan described as Victoria's \"hidden waitlist\". Mr Mier has watched the lump on his forearm double in size in the over two years since he was referred for surgery. \"The surgical waiting list doesn't reflect the number of people with a surgical condition who require surgery — it reflects the number of people who have somehow gotten themselves onto a surgical waiting list,\" Dr Janakiramanan said. There were many patients, she said, who had been referred for surgery, but had not yet been placed on the list, and these patients were more or less invisible to those monitoring planned surgery numbers. \"I do feel strongly that any discussion about elective surgery waiting lists has to include those hidden patients,\" Dr Janakiramanan said. Surgeon Neela Janakiramanan says the system could be made more efficient if information was better shared. She said in Queensland, GPs and medical professionals could check wait times and lists at surgeries around the state, allowing referrers to send patients to centres where they would be seen quickest. She said In Victoria, only administrators of surgical departments knew their centre's workload, but if such insights were more widely available, they could create efficiencies as demand could be better spread out. \"The entire time I have been a doctor, which is over 20 years now, surgeons have been saying that making those clinic appointment waiting times reportable would be useful,\" Dr Janakiramanan said. For Victoria's chief surgical advisor Ben Thompson, the challenge of tackling the \"hidden\" surgery waitlist is nothing new. \"It's not hidden because we're hiding it, it's hidden because we can't see it,\" he said. Ben Thomson is director of surgical services at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, as well as the chief surgical advisor to the Victorian Department of Health. He said Victoria was working to boost the visibility of planned surgery waiting lists for doctors across the system. The first step had been allowing physicians to see where patients were referred to multiple places to reduce double-ups, and the eventual goal was to give doctors visibility of lists so patients could be sent to centres with the shortest wait times. Professor Thomson put increased planned surgery waitlists down to seasonal changes, and a slower Christmas period, and said he did not expect overdue surgery rates to increase. \"Other times of year we have much bigger throughput,\" he said. Although the funding was finished, Professor Thomson said part of the spending went on finding efficiencies, which would continue to benefit the system. The efficiencies might mean doing the same surgery repeatedly over multiple days to increase speed, or ramping up day-care surgery, where patients were seen, had their surgery, and were sent home the same day. Surgery waitlists were brought down significantly due to a concerted effort and additional funding post-Covid. The Victorian government was criticised for with the final figure coming in at 209,925. A Victorian government spokesperson said this figure was a record high, and the state would match it this year. \"Victoria is leading the nation in delivering the most urgent surgeries faster, thanks to our significant investment and reform to ensure people get the care they need,\" the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also pointed to a . Mr Mier has now received a slot for surgery in early-May — an appointment that was offered to him in a phone call a day after the ABC made enquiries with Eastern Health about the delays he had faced. \"At least the job will get done,\" Mr Mier said. Brian Mier has previously complained to the Department of Health about delays at Eastern Health.",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:10:40",
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  - "article_id": "37fe06f1ee8c88db069243d08b738c9c",
  - "title": "Debt and deficit: Labor’s budget naysayers ignore the cold hard facts",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/debt-and-deficit-labor-s-budget-naysayers-ignore-the-cold-hard-facts-20250330-p5lnm8.html",
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  - "description": "When it comes to the budget, there’s been an element of good management as well as good luck, for which Chalmers and Albanese deserve some credit.",
  - "content": "The independent economist and former Treasury officer Chris Richardson, the leader of Treasury-in-Exile and thus chief apostle of fiscal rectitude, does the country a favour with his eternal campaigning to keep budget deficits and public debt levels low. It works like Defence, where the retired generals do the talking for the serving generals, whose opinions must be expressed only to their political masters in private. But all those people who, only in recent times, have joined the protest march demanding an end to deficit and debt don’t want to do the country any favours. I’m no great admirer of the Albanese government, but that doesn’t make every criticism of its performance reasonable. According to these partisans’ version of events, the budget was in surplus and doing fine until this terrible government started spending with abandon, plunging the budget into deficit, where it’s likely to stay for the next decade, leading to ever-rising public debt. So should some great global mishap come along, we’d be in deep doo-doo. The first thing wrong with this narrative is its implication that the prospect of a decade of deficits is all Labor’s doing. There’s nothing new about budget deficits; the budget’s been in deficit for more than two in every three years in the past half-century. What’s more, Treasury was projecting a decade of deficits in then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s budget before the last federal election in 2022. So why don’t I remember the people who profess to be so worried now, expressing much concern then? Surely not because debt and deficits only matter when you’ve got a Labor government? Actually, and as Treasurer Jim Chalmers never tires of reminding us, the projected decade of deficits and rising debt we’re told about today isn’t nearly as bad as the one we were shown back then – the one that didn’t seem to worry anyone. Why was the projection three years ago so much worse than this one? Because Treasury’s forecasts and projections soon became woefully wrong. The budget deficit of $78 billion it was expecting in 2022-23 turned out to be a surplus of $22 billion. For the following year, the expected deficit of $57 billion was a surplus of $16 billion. That’s an improvement of more than $170 billion right there. And because this hugely better outcome came so early in the decade, it also meant a huge reduction in the feds’ projected annual interest bill. But while Chalmers is wrong to claim so much credit for this astonishing turnaround, his critics are wrong to give him none. They dismiss this vast improvement in the debt outlook as nothing more than good luck. Huh? Rather than falling, as Treasury always assumes they will, iron ore and coal prices took off, so mining company profits and company tax payments boomed. That’s only half the story, however. Treasury failed to foresee that the economy would return to near full employment – and pretty much stay there to this day, despite the big increase in interest rates intended to get the inflation rate down. This meant a record proportion of the working-age population in jobs, earning wages and paying income tax. As well, the inflation surge meant a lot more bracket creep than expected. So, remembering the Albanese government and Reserve Bank’s joint policy of seeking to get inflation down without inducing a recession, you have to say there’s been an element of good management as well as good luck, for which Chalmers and Albanese deserve some credit. Chalmers gets credit for saving rather than spending most of the government’s higher-than-expected tax collections – something that have happened if Labor had been spending as uncontrollably as the partisan critics claim. Much effort has been put into demonstrating that government spending is “out of control” and will continue that way for a decade unless something’s done. But analysis by Dr Peter Davidson of the Australian Council of Social Service gives the lie to such claims. Davidson measures budget spending by the average annual increase after adjusting for inflation and population growth – real spending per person. Over the 27 years to 2018, the long-term average increase was 1.7 per cent a year. But under the Abbott and Turnbull governments from 2014 to 2018, there was a period of budget austerity when the spending increase averaged just 0.1 per cent a year, as backlogs were allowed to build up and deficiencies were ignored. Then, during the Covid response period from 2018 to 2022, spending grew by an exceptional 2.6 per cent a year. Now, over the six years to 2028, spending growth is expected to average 1.3 per year. So claims of Labor’s profligate spending are themselves on the profligate side. It’s here that the critics move from partisanship to self-interested ideology. Their obsession with government spending comes from their ideology that, while all tax cuts are good, all spending increases are bad. Why are they bad? Because they increase the pressure for higher taxes and reduce the scope for tax cuts. A decade of deficits caused by excessive tax cuts would be OK, but one caused by trying to ensure the punters got decent education, healthcare and social security is utterly irresponsible. The final respect in which decade-of-deficits bewailers are wrong is their claim that our government’s financial position has us sailing close to the wind. Rubbish. As former top econocrat Dr Mike Keating advises, if you take the debt of all levels of government in 2024, our gross public debt is equivalent to just 58 per cent of our gross domestic product. This compares with the Euro area on 90 per cent, Britain on 103 per cent, Canada on 105 per cent and the US on 122 per cent. Much of the credit for our relatively low level of debt and deficit should go to decades of preaching by Treasury and its alumni, including Chris Richardson. But though they sometimes imply we’re at risk of being dangerously overloaded with debt, what they’re really trying to do is maintain our longstanding record as only moderate drinkers.",
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  - "article_id": "d2f638493c56e5a902d1f9ff9d0554ca",
  - "title": "Debt and deficit: Labor’s budget naysayers ignore the cold hard facts",
  - "link": "https://www.watoday.com.au/business/the-economy/debt-and-deficit-labor-s-budget-naysayers-ignore-the-cold-hard-facts-20250330-p5lnm8.html",
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  - "description": "When it comes to the budget, there’s been an element of good management as well as good luck, for which Chalmers and Albanese deserve some credit.",
  - "content": "The independent economist and former Treasury officer Chris Richardson, the leader of Treasury-in-Exile and thus chief apostle of fiscal rectitude, does the country a favour with his eternal campaigning to keep budget deficits and public debt levels low. It works like Defence, where the retired generals do the talking for the serving generals, whose opinions must be expressed only to their political masters in private. Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese deserve some credit for our economic good fortunes. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen But all those people who, only in recent times, have joined the protest march demanding an end to deficit and debt don’t want to do the country any favours. I’m no great admirer of the Albanese government, but that doesn’t make every criticism of its performance reasonable. According to these partisans’ version of events, the budget was in surplus and doing fine until this terrible government started spending with abandon, plunging the budget into deficit, where it’s likely to stay for the next decade, leading to ever-rising public debt. So should some great global mishap come along, we’d be in deep doo-doo. The first thing wrong with this narrative is its implication that the prospect of a decade of deficits is all Labor’s doing. There’s nothing new about budget deficits; the budget’s been in deficit for more than two in every three years in the past half-century. You have to say there’s been an element of good management as well as good luck, for which Chalmers and Albanese deserve some credit. What’s more, Treasury was projecting a decade of deficits in then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s budget before the last federal election in 2022. So why don’t I remember the people who profess to be so worried now, expressing much concern then? Surely not because debt and deficits only matter when you’ve got a Labor government? Actually, and as Treasurer Jim Chalmers never tires of reminding us, the projected decade of deficits and rising debt we’re told about today isn’t nearly as bad as the one we were shown back then – the one that didn’t seem to worry anyone. Why was the projection three years ago so much worse than this one? Because Treasury’s forecasts and projections soon became woefully wrong. The budget deficit of $78 billion it was expecting in 2022-23 turned out to be a surplus of $22 billion. For the following year, the expected deficit of $57 billion was a surplus of $16 billion.",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:08:00",
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  - "title": "ASX set to fall as Wall Street tumbles",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/markets/asx-set-to-fall-as-wall-street-tumbles-20250331-p5lnq4.html",
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  - "description": "Worries are building about a potentially toxic mix of worsening inflation and a US economy slowing because of households afraid to spend due to the global trade war.",
  - "content": "Another wipeout walloped Wall Street on Friday. Worries are building about a potentially toxic mix of worsening inflation and a US economy slowing because of households afraid to spend due to the global trade war. The S&P 500 dropped 2 per cent for one of its worst days in the last two years. It thudded to its fifth losing week in the last six after wiping out what had been a big gain to start the week. The Dow Jones sank 715 points, or 1.7 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite fell 2.7 per cent. The Australian sharemarket is set to slump, with futures pointing to a drop of 91 points, or 1.1 per cent, at the open. Lululemon Athletica led Wall Street lower with a drop of 14.2 per cent, even though the seller of athletic apparel reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It warned that its revenue growth may slow this upcoming year, in part because “consumers are spending less due to increased concerns about inflation and the economy,” said CEO Calvin McDonald. Oxford Industries, the company behind the Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer brands, likewise reported stronger results for the latest quarter than expected but still saw its stock fall 5.7 per cent. CEO Tom Chubb said it saw a “deterioration in consumer sentiment that also weighed on demand” beginning in January, which accelerated into February. They’re discouraging data points when one of the main worries hitting Wall Street is that President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs may cause US households and businesses to freeze their spending. Even if the tariffs end up being less painful than feared, all the uncertainty may filter into changed behaviors that hurt the economy. A report on Friday showed all types of US consumers are getting more pessimistic about their future finances. Two out of three expect unemployment to worsen in the year ahead, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. That’s the highest reading since 2009, and it raises worries about a job market that’s been a linchpin keeping the US economy solid. A separate report also raised concerns after it showed a widely followed, underlying measure of inflation was a touch worse last month than economists expected. It followed reports on other measures of inflation for February, but this is the one the Federal Reserve pays the most attention to as it decides what to do with interest rates. The report also showed that an underlying measure of how much income Americans are making, which excludes government social benefits and some other items, “has been treading water for the last three months,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “Households aren’t in a good place to absorb a little tariff pain,” he said. “The Fed isn’t likely to run to the rescue either as inflation moved up more than expected in February.” The Fed could return to cutting interest rates, like it was doing late last year, in order to give the economy and financial markets a boost. But such cuts would also push upward on inflation, which has been sticking above the Fed’s 2 per cent target. The economy and job market have been holding up so far, but if they were to weaken while inflation stays high, it would produce a worst-case scenario called “stagflation.” Policy makers in Washington have few good tools to fix it. Some of Wall Street’s sharpest losses on Friday hit companies that need customers feeling confident enough to spend, and not just on yoga wear or beach clothes. Delta Air Lines lost 5 per cent. Casino operator Caesars Entertainment dropped 5 per cent. Domino’s Pizza sank 5.1 per cent. The heaviest weights on the market were Apple, Microsoft and other Big Tech stocks, whose massive sizes give their movements more sway over indexes. They and other stocks that had gotten caught up in the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology have been among the hardest hit in Wall Street’s recent sell-off. Their prices had shot up so much more quickly than their already fast-growing revenues and profits that critics said they looked too expensive. CoreWeave, whose cloud platform helps customers manage complex AI infrastructure, was flat in its first day of trading on the Nasdaq. On the flip side, among the relatively few rising stocks on Wall Street were those that can make money almost regardless of what the economy does, such as utilities. American Water Works rose 2.2 per cent. All told, the S&P 500 fell 112.37 points to 5,580.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 715.80 to 41,583.90, and the Nasdaq composite lost 481.04 to 17,322.99. Stock markets worldwide will likely remain shaky as an April 2 deadline approaches for more tariffs. That’s what Trump has called “Liberation Day,” when he will roll out tariffs tailored to each of the United States’ trading partners. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell sharply in Japan and South Korea as automakers felt more pressure following Trump’s announcement that he plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on auto imports. Hyundai Motor fell 2.6 per cent in Seoul, while Honda Motor fell 2.6 per cent, and Toyota Motor sank 2.8 per cent in Tokyo. Thailand’s SET lost 1 per cent after a powerful earthquake centered in Myanmar rattled the region, causing the prime minister to declare a state of emergency for the capital, Bangkok. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury tumbled to 4.25 per cent from 4.38 per cent late Thursday. It tends to fall when expectations for either US economic growth or inflation are on the wane.",
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  - "description": "Worries are building about a potentially toxic mix of worsening inflation and a US economy slowing because of households afraid to spend due to the global trade war.",
  - "content": "Another wipeout walloped Wall Street on Friday. Worries are building about a potentially toxic mix of worsening inflation and a US economy slowing because of households afraid to spend due to the global trade war. The S&P 500 dropped 2 per cent for one of its worst days in the last two years. It thudded to its fifth losing week in the last six after wiping out what had been a big gain to start the week. Wall Street closed its week with another tumble. Credit: Reuters The Dow Jones sank 715 points, or 1.7 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite fell 2.7 per cent. The Australian sharemarket is set to slump, with futures pointing to a drop of 91 points, or 1.1 per cent, at the open. Lululemon Athletica led Wall Street lower with a drop of 14.2 per cent, even though the seller of athletic apparel reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It warned that its revenue growth may slow this upcoming year, in part because “consumers are spending less due to increased concerns about inflation and the economy,” said CEO Calvin McDonald. Oxford Industries, the company behind the Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer brands, likewise reported stronger results for the latest quarter than expected but still saw its stock fall 5.7 per cent. CEO Tom Chubb said it saw a “deterioration in consumer sentiment that also weighed on demand” beginning in January, which accelerated into February. Loading They’re discouraging data points when one of the main worries hitting Wall Street is that President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs may cause US households and businesses to freeze their spending. Even if the tariffs end up being less painful than feared, all the uncertainty may filter into changed behaviors that hurt the economy. A report on Friday showed all types of US consumers are getting more pessimistic about their future finances. Two out of three expect unemployment to worsen in the year ahead, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. That’s the highest reading since 2009, and it raises worries about a job market that’s been a linchpin keeping the US economy solid. A separate report also raised concerns after it showed a widely followed, underlying measure of inflation was a touch worse last month than economists expected. It followed reports on other measures of inflation for February, but this is the one the Federal Reserve pays the most attention to as it decides what to do with interest rates.",
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  - "title": "Migration tipped to plummet as post-COVID visas set to expire",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/migration-tipped-to-plummet-as-post-covid-visas-set-to-expire-20250330-p5lnkv.html",
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  - "description": "A key election issue is high immigration levels, but new research says these will plunge. That’s in addition to falling fertility and shorter lifespans.",
  - "content": "Immigration numbers are likely to plummet as people on short-term visas start to leave the country en masse, pre-eminent demographers have predicted, amid signs birth rates will continue to ebb and expected lifespans falter. Peter McDonald and Alan Gamlen, from the ANU Migration Hub, said the surge in migrants that has pushed Australia’s population to record highs – a key campaign issue – is already receding and this trend will start to accelerate. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has vowed to cut the official permanent migration intake by 25 per cent, while the government is forecasting net overseas migration, which includes visa holders and permanent immigrants, to ease from 446,000 in 2023-24 to 225,000 by 2028-29. But McDonald and Gamlen said the surge in migration caused by a series of specific visas issued by the previous and the current government would start to rapidly recede as the terms of many of those visas begin to end in 2027. The numbers include people from Britain and Ireland on working holiday visas that let them stay in the country for three years. There was a surge in these arrivals between September 2022 and 2024, helping take the number of young people on working holiday visas to a record 190,000, with many businesses using these workers. A Coalition government policy to extend temporary work visas for people who could not return to their home nation because of COVID-related travel bans, plus a current government decision to extend from two to four years the length of the temporary graduate visa, had also swollen the number of non-permanent migrants. According to McDonald and Gamlen, there are also 92,000 people on protection visas yet to be deported, while there are almost 350,000 on bridging visas who will have to leave the country in the next two to three years. “Despite overseas migration reaching unprecedented levels in the 2022-23 financial year, net overseas migration to Australia has fallen by 100,000 in each of the past two years and it can be expected to continue falling at a moderate rate in the next two years,” they said. “However, from around 2027, as the number of departures expands considerably, net overseas migration is likely to plummet.” Migration numbers have been in a state of flux since the start of the decade. Net overseas migration hit a record low of minus 94,400 in the 12 months to the end of March 2021 during COVID-era restrictions. But by mid-2023, net overseas migration reached an all-time high of 555,000. McDonald and Gamlen said much of the election debate over high migration levels ignored the economic impact that would flow from a sharp decline in migration. “The bigger risk is that undue panic could induce knee-jerk migration cuts that cause migration levels to whipsaw up and down, instead of settling back to a more stable normal,” they said. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics last week revealed the number of departures were up by 19.3 per cent in the 12 months to the end of September. Over the same period, migrant numbers into the country fell by 18.2 per cent. Despite the large swing in departures and arrivals, net overseas migration was still 380,000 over the 12-month period. In last week’s budget, net overseas migration was forecast to fall to 335,000 this financial year before edging down to 260,000 in 2025-26. Without such high levels of migration, Australia’s population growth rate would collapse. The budget revealed a substantial downgrade to the nation’s fertility rate – the number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifespan – and to projected lifespans. The national fertility rate is expected to fall to a record low of 1.44 this financial year and then only increase marginally to 1.54 by 2028-29. A year ago, the budget assumed the fertility rate would be 1.64 this year and remain around that level for the rest of the decade. The rate has been falling consistently since 2008. In his last budget as treasurer, Josh Frydenberg in 2022 assumed fertility would be 1.65 even though the rate at the time was already substantially lower. The budget also downgraded life expectancy forecasts, which have been hit by increased deaths associated with COVID. Last year, Jim Chalmers’ budget forecast a male born in 2025-26 would enjoy a lifespan of 82.3 years. This year, that is now 82.1 years. For women, expected lifespan has fallen from 86.1 years to 85.9 years. In the 12 months to the end of September, 187,000 Australians died, an increase of almost 14 per cent compared to the year before the pandemic. Over the same period, births fell by 4.5 per cent.",
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  - "title": "Migration tipped to plummet as post-COVID visas set to expire",
  - "link": "https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/federal/migration-tipped-to-plummet-as-post-covid-visas-set-to-expire-20250330-p5lnkv.html",
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  - "description": "A key election issue is high immigration levels, but new research says these will plunge. That’s in addition to falling fertility and shorter lifespans.",
  - "content": "Immigration numbers are likely to plummet as people on short-term visas start to leave the country en masse, pre-eminent demographers have predicted, amid signs birth rates will continue to ebb and expected lifespans falter. Peter McDonald and Alan Gamlen, from the ANU Migration Hub, said the surge in migrants that has pushed Australia’s population to record highs – a key campaign issue – is already receding and this trend will start to accelerate. Departures of migrant visa holders are expected to accelerate in coming years, according to leading demographers. Credit: Bloomberg Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has vowed to cut the official permanent migration intake by 25 per cent, while the government is forecasting net overseas migration, which includes visa holders and permanent immigrants, to ease from 446,000 in 2023-24 to 225,000 by 2028-29. But McDonald and Gamlen said the surge in migration caused by a series of specific visas issued by the previous and the current government would start to rapidly recede as the terms of many of those visas begin to end in 2027. The numbers include people from Britain and Ireland on working holiday visas that let them stay in the country for three years. There was a surge in these arrivals between September 2022 and 2024, helping take the number of young people on working holiday visas to a record 190,000, with many businesses using these workers. Loading A Coalition government policy to extend temporary work visas for people who could not return to their home nation because of COVID-related travel bans, plus a current government decision to extend from two to four years the length of the temporary graduate visa, had also swollen the number of non-permanent migrants. According to McDonald and Gamlen, there are also 92,000 people on protection visas yet to be deported, while there are almost 350,000 on bridging visas who will have to leave the country in the next two to three years. “Despite overseas migration reaching unprecedented levels in the 2022-23 financial year, net overseas migration to Australia has fallen by 100,000 in each of the past two years and it can be expected to continue falling at a moderate rate in the next two years,” they said.",
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  - "description": "There were wins for Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga while RB Leipzig sacked Marco Rose as coach and appointed Zoltan Low.",
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  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:01:40",
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  - "article_id": "82e3dfd8d28d4017a653a3495d2c763c",
  - "title": "The PM bought a house here. I can understand why",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/traveller/inspiration/the-pm-bought-a-house-here-i-can-understand-why-20250328-p5lnbv.html",
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  - "description": "Copacabana is the Platonic ideal of egalitarian Australia. No one cares who you are.",
  - "content": "Sooner or later, is always right. The animated TV series is famous for having predicted a Donald Trump presidency way back in 2000, and now even its brutal ribbing of Australia from 30 years ago seems to have some basis in fact. Back in season six, the Simpson family visited Australia, where they drank beer, introduced an invasive species, and were sentenced to a “booting”. There was also a scene in which an outraged Australian reported the Simpsons to his local member of parliament – who was next door tending to a pig farm – who then escalated it to the prime minister, who was in a nearby lake, floating naked in an inner tube, drinking a can of Fosters. “Hey, Mr Prime Minister!” the politician yelled. “Andy!” You get the joke. Australia is a provincial backwater where, if you want to speak to the prime minister, you just have to lean over your back fence and call out. It would be deeply insulting if it wasn’t true. Because here I am in Copacabana, a sleepy enclave on the NSW Central Coast, and the prime minister has bought a house just over the back fence. “Hey, Mr Prime Minister!” you could yell. “Albo!” The new Albanese digs is actually a bit more than yelling distance away – the house he bought last year with fiancée Jodie Haydon is on the upper reaches of Del Monte Place, a clifftop abode with gorgeous views of beach and ocean. We’ve rented a holiday home in what I would class as “lower Del Monte”, part of the street that hugs Cockrone Lagoon, where the views are more modest but the vibes more relaxed. What inspired Albo to buy a house in Copa, an isolated hamlet just south of Avoca, something of a local secret in the region affectionately known as the “Costa Centrale”? We can’t know for sure, though no doubt the relaxed nature was appealing. This is the sort of beach where pretty much anyone – prime minister, rock star, plumber, travel writer – could roll in to Burnt Honey, the excellent local bakery, for a flat white and a croissant and absolutely no one would bat an eyelid. Copacabana is the Platonic ideal of egalitarian Australia. No one cares who you are. There’s more to the attraction, however, particularly for holidaymakers like me. Copa is a classic Aussie beach town with none of the hustle or glamour of somewhere like Palm Beach, which is just across the Hawkesbury from here, or Bondi, a few hours down the highway but in another world. There’s one bakery in Copa, a pizza place, a cafe, a surf club canteen. There’s one modest hotel, the Copacabana Shores. A bunch of houses by the beach have small signs outside advertising the property agency handling their holiday bookings. The name of Copacabana, by the way, is a real estate agent’s marketing ploy, in much the same way Hollywood was for Los Angeles. This area was known as Tudibaring to the original inhabitants, and indeed to the colonial farmers first gifted access; it wasn’t until 1954 that property developer Willmore & Randell was given permission to sell packages of beachfront property, and named the area Copacabana with an eye for the exotic. The guesthouses here fill up in the summer holidays, when those from Sydney and beyond come looking for a beach that’s the way beaches used to be: no crowds, free parking, plenty of space to just hang out and take it all in. As with most holiday communities, Copa is at its best in the morning, before the day-trippers arrive. You can have a swim, walk along the beach, grab a coffee and a pastry from the bakery with pretty much no one else around. There’s a sense of idyll here even when the visitors do turn up. You’re reminded that there are few better feelings in the world than the end of a day at the beach, your skin kissed by salt and sun, the sound of the waves still in your ears. The kids are dog-tired every evening, worn out by beach swims and paddles in the lagoon, by chasing a frisbee around and digging holes in the sand. The adults are ready for a cold beer on the back deck, time to decompress and wonder: Should we call Albo?",
  - "pubDate": "2025-03-30 18:00:00",
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  - "title": "‘It’s getting worse and worse’: Young Perth mother with terminal cancer stuck in ED for 36 hours",
  - "link": "https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/it-s-getting-worse-and-worse-young-perth-mother-with-terminal-cancer-stuck-in-ed-for-36-hours-20250329-p5lnhu.html",
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  - "description": "She posted a video after hospital staff were forced to park her at the end of a hallway and put up a makeshift curtain while they waited for a bed in a ward.",
  - "content": "A dying mother battling an infection and agonising radiation burns has been forced to wait 36 hours for a bed, part of it in a corridor, in another example of the crisis facing Western Australia’s health system. Shar Christoff Harris, 37, was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma, a form of breast cancer, in 2023 and has documented her journey on Tiktok. On the advice of her doctor, Harris presented to the emergency department at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital at 2.30pm on Thursday. She posted about her stay in ED where she said the hospital did not have the pain medication she needed. “I was in a lot of pain all night. I was in tears begging for an anaesthetic,” the former early childhood teacher said. Harris said the nurses called her doctor at 1am and reportedly told them that what happened to Harris “was not good enough”. “They did everything in their power to help me,” Harris said. On Friday evening she posted a video after hospital staff were forced to park her at the end of a hallway and put up a makeshift curtain for privacy while they waited for a bed in a ward to become available. “The infection is really bad, they are worried about sepsis and I’ve been waiting 36 hours to go from ED to a bed ward,” she said.",
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  - "description": "Australia’s commodity exports are expected to fall almost 7 per cent, piling pressure on the government to cushion the impact ahead of the election.",
  - "content": "Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Australia’s commodity exports are expected to fall almost 7 per cent this year, piling pressure on the government to step up efforts to cushion the impact on the mining sector ahead of the federal election. The latest quarterly figures from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources highlight the impact of slowing commodity prices and increased global market supply on Australia’s mining sector. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Introducing your Newsfeed Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Latest In Mining Fetching latest articles Most Viewed In Companies BOSS Financial Review",
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  - "title": "Second passenger train line faces two-month closure",
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  - "description": "Commuters also face disruptions from full or partial closures of the busy M1 metro line over several weekends, as well as services stopping earlier some nights.",
  - "content": "A second Sydney rail line will be closed to train passengers for more than two months, forcing thousands of commuters onto replacement buses or to seek alternative ways to get to their destinations. The closure of the T6 Bankstown and Lidcombe line from April 27 to June 29 comes several weeks after the NSW government confirmed that the shutdown of the rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown will last longer than the planned 12 months . Commuters will be forced to catch replacement buses between Bankstown station and Lidcombe. Credit: Kate Geraghty The looming 63-day closure of the T6 line is connected to the conversion to metro train standards of the T3 line between Bankstown and Sydenham, which has been shut since September. Up to 60,000 commuters a day have been forced to catch replacement buses to travel along that corridor in the city’s southwest. Transport officials say the two-month closure of the T6 line is necessary to allow major construction works associated with this conversion. Work also involves signalling upgrades and extending platforms at Bankstown station to enable eight-carriage trains to run on the T6 line to Lidcombe, up from the current four-carriage trains. “These important works will allow all Sydney Trains fleet to access Bankstown station and provide additional capacity for future service growth on the T6 Bankstown line,” Transport for NSW said. “We know this will be disruptive for passengers and the community that relies on the T6 line, and we apologise for the inconvenience.” Fare-free replacement buses will operate during the T6 line’s closure, comprising express services and an all-station stop route between Bankstown and Lidcombe. Shuttle train services operating on the T6 have provided more travel options to commuters disrupted by the partial shutdown of the T3 line by connecting Bankstown to Lidcombe via Yagoona, Birrong, Regents Park and Berala. About 11,000 passengers use trains on the T6 line on an average weekday. While Yagoona, Birrong and Bankstown stations will be closed to trains, commuters at Berala and Regents Park stations will be able to use services on the T3 Liverpool line to travel to and from the CBD and inner west during the two-month shutdown of the T6 line. Commuters also face disruptions from full or partial closures of the popular M1 metro line over several weekends to allow work and testing necessary for the Sydenham-Bankstown conversion. A section of the M1 line between Central Station and Sydenham was shut last weekend. Sydney Metro said testing of the new extension from Sydenham to Bankstown was due to start shortly, adding that powering up of the line was complete. “Sydney Metro is working closely with stakeholders to lock in a date for metro trains to make their first journey on the new line,” it said in a statement. The agency warns that passengers on the M1 line will experience “significant disruption” as the testing program progresses due to full or partial closures on several weekends, along with services ending at 10pm some nights. Platforms at Bankstown station will be extended during the two-month shutdown. Credit: Louise Kennerley “We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but the disruption is required to complete the rigorous testing to prepare for first passenger services,” it said. “When the metro was extended from Chatswood to the lower north shore, CBD and Sydenham, the north-west section of the line was closed for 73 days over 12 months to enable the safe extension.” The 13-kilometre section of rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown was originally due to reopen as the final part of the M1 metro line late this year but has been delayed until next year. The government has said that a date next year for the opening will depend on the testing of metro trains on the line over coming months. It committed up to an extra $1.1 billion in late 2023 to finish the troubled conversion, pushing the price tag for the entire metro line between Chatswood and Bankstown via the CBD to $21.6 billion. That was up from an original forecast of $12 billion when the project was announced last decade. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .",
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  - "title": "Federal election 2025: Anonymous donors bankroll South West teal Sue Chapman’s ‘transparent’ campaign",
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  - "title": "More people are driving into the CBD – and parking fines are up",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/victoria/more-people-are-driving-into-the-cbd-and-parking-fines-are-up-20250328-p5lnbm.html",
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  - "description": "Changes to parking in the City of Melbourne aimed at simplifying the experience enabled the council to rake in an additional $5 million in parking fines last year.",
  - "content": "Changes to parking in the City of Melbourne aimed at simplifying the experience enabled the council to rake in an additional $5 million in parking fines last year. In 2023-24 the City of Melbourne collected $36.452 million in parking fines, up from $31.95 million the year before. The boost to the council’s coffers comes as the is forecast to reach an unprecedented $216 million by the end of June. The City of Melbourne two years ago in a bid to simplify signage and, where possible, apply the same rules consistently across different times of the day and week. A council spokeswoman said more people were travelling to the CBD by car and were often staying longer due to extended hours of parking. Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the changes to parking in the CBD had resulted in higher turnover of parking spaces. “That’s more people finding a car park and shopping in the city, which is a win-win for drivers and traders,” he said. Reece said parking signs and conditions were now simpler and more consistent. “This has led to more on-street parking spaces being available, as well as a much smaller increase in parking fines than forecast – one of the anticipated benefits of the improvements.” However, Nicole Batch, who parked in Lonsdale Street on Sunday, said the street signs were still difficult to decipher. “We spent quite a bit of time looking at what all these signs mean,” she said. Batch said she rarely drove into the city and while it was easy to get a park she was worried about the time limits. “We’re going to a church service, and I don’t know that two hours is going to be long enough,” she said. “So that’s also a bit of a pain.” Jasmine Greer, who parked in Russell Street on Sunday, said she had never received a parking fine in the CBD but the cost of the fines in the City of Melbourne, which ranges from $99 to $199, was “ridiculous”. Greer said it was frustrating that street parking in the CBD was limited to two hours. “That’s why we usually go to the QV [underground carpark] because it doesn’t have those time constraints,” she said. Doctor Rebecca Clements, a post-doctoral fellow at RMIT, said enforcement was one of the most important parts in shaping behaviour around parking. “Fines and pricing are two of the most ... powerful mechanisms that we have for shifting behaviour,” she said. “It is important that there are well-enforced parking fines.” However, Clements said it was disappointing the City of Melbourne had not done more during and after the pandemic to encourage more people to use public transport and active transport such as cycling and walking. “It could have been a time where we gave much bigger and more integrated pushes away from car use,” she said.",
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  - "title": "The rules around toilets on planes (and lack of them)",
  - "link": "https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/the-rules-around-toilets-on-planes-and-lack-of-them-20250328-p5lndg.html",
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  - "description": "Earlier this month, Qantas passengers on a nine-hour flight to Hong Kong were warned that three of the five toilets wouldn’t be working.",
  - "content": "When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. But some people seem to have superpowered holding capacity, or maybe it’s just fear of what lies in store when they open the door of the aircraft toilet. The visit to the aircraft’s cabinet of curiosities is never something to look forward to, but it gets worse when some are out of action. There are no specific rules about how many toilets an airline needs to provide on board. Credit: iStock Earlier this month, a Qantas aircraft from Melbourne to Hong Kong took off with three of the five toilets in economy class inoperable. Passengers were messaged about 90 minutes before take-off, being told: “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and we know this is not the experience you expect from us.” There was no offer to rebook or get a refund. How many toilets on an aircraft must be operable for it to fly? Theoretically, zero, although you can imagine the stench from passengers. There is nothing in the flight rules. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority publication General Operating and Flight Rules Plain English Guide makes only one mention of toilets, in relation to the non-smoking regulation. In the US, although the Federal Aviation Administration has a minimum equipment list, there’s nothing in the regulations that requires a minimum number of operating toilets. In better news from Qantas, the airline revealed last week it would be putting an extra toilet on its new Airbus A321XLR planes , which will replace its short-haul Boeing 737s. How do aircraft toilets work? It’s a myth that waste in the toilet gets sucked out of the aircraft, though leaks can occur. Credit: iStock Aircraft toilets operate on a vacuum system. When the toilet’s flush button is pressed, a valve opens and the vacuum sucks the waste in the bowl into a holding tank. Only a small amount of liquid sanitising solution is required to clean the bowl, which is a big advantage in an aircraft, where a conventional flush toilet system would need a huge quantity of water. There are other advantages to a vacuum system over the standard gravity flush mechanism. The sewer line can use smaller diameter pipes, and the pipes can be routed sideways or even upwards because the vacuum system works in any direction. On the ground, the tank is emptied and the waste disposed of at a treatment facility. While the system copes well with human waste and toilet paper, some things are never meant to go into an aircraft toilet, as passengers on an Air India flight discovered in early March. According to a CNN report, the flight from Chicago to New Delhi was several hours into its journey and over the Atlantic when passengers reported clogged toilets. Eventually, eight of 12 lavatories on board were “unserviceable”. Due to restrictions on night landings at European airports, the Boeing 777-300ER was unable to continue its eastward journey and had no choice but to return to Chicago. Upon inspection, rags, articles of clothing and polythene bags had been stuffed into the toilets, causing blockages. Wipes, disposable nappies and paper hand towels are also common causes of blockages. Can the toilet waste leak from an aircraft? It has happened, although it’s rare. If waste seeps from the aircraft’s holding tank – most often from a faulty hose valve where the liquid is extracted – it would freeze as soon as it exited the skin of the aircraft because the average temperature at an aircraft’s cruise altitude is about minus 40 degrees. Then, when the aircraft descends into warmer air, the ice would thaw and eventually fall from the fuselage. Whatever hits the ground is mixed with blue toilet disinfectant and therefore it’s known as “blue ice”. What people get up to in aircraft toilets There’s the famous mile-high club, which must require yoga-like contortions given the dimensions of aircraft toilet cubicles. If this is on the agenda and it’s a twin-aisle aircraft, go for the mid-cabin toilets, which offer more headroom, and choose an Airbus, which have more spacious toilets than aboard comparable Boeings. Some of the smallest toilets are those aboard Boeing’s 737 MAX, measuring just 100 centimetres by 61 centimetres. On an Air India flight from Delhi to Sydney several years ago, a fellow passenger repurposed the toilet as a bar. He locked himself in and consumed a decent amount of the duty-free liquor he had bought at the airport. Returning to his seat in the row behind me, he became very chatty. Although he was docile and non-threatening, the crew zip-tied his wrists to the armrests, later removing him to the rear of the aircraft. When we landed in Sydney all on board had to remain seated for some time while security boarded the plane and removed him. Plane toilet etiquette",
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  - "description": "As they battle tight budgets and the rising pressures to deliver outcomes, for principals to also have to put up with students pushing, shoving, biting, kicking or throwing items is unacceptable.",
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  - "description": "Experts say 2 million Australians could qualify for a UK pension when they retire, but the opportunity is about to end.",
  - "content": "Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login When 57-year-old IT specialist Denise Moloney first heard that for a payment of just $1750 she may qualify for a retirement pension from the UK government she suspected it was a scam. Moloney, an Irish expat who moved to Australia in 1993, had worked in the UK between 1988 and 1993, during which time she paid National Insurance (a system of contributions paid by UK workers and employers) for five years. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Introducing your Newsfeed Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Latest In Personal finance Fetching latest articles Most Viewed In Wealth BOSS Financial Review",
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  - "title": "Second passenger train line faces two-month closure",
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  - "description": "Commuters also face disruptions from full or partial closures of the busy M1 metro line over several weekends, as well as services stopping earlier some nights.",
  - "content": "A second Sydney rail line will be closed to train passengers for more than two months, forcing thousands of commuters onto replacement buses or to seek alternative ways to get to their destinations. The closure of the T6 Bankstown and Lidcombe line from April 27 to June 29 comes several weeks after the NSW government confirmed that the shutdown of the rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown will last longer than the planned 12 months . Commuters will be forced to catch replacement buses between Bankstown station and Lidcombe. Credit: Kate Geraghty The looming 63-day closure of the T6 line is connected to the conversion to metro train standards of the T3 line between Bankstown and Sydenham, which has been shut since September. Up to 60,000 commuters a day have been forced to catch replacement buses to travel along that corridor in the city’s southwest. Transport officials say the two-month closure of the T6 line is necessary to allow major construction works associated with this conversion. Work also involves signalling upgrades and extending platforms at Bankstown station to enable eight-carriage trains to run on the T6 line to Lidcombe, up from the current four-carriage trains. “These important works will allow all Sydney Trains fleet to access Bankstown station and provide additional capacity for future service growth on the T6 Bankstown line,” Transport for NSW said. “We know this will be disruptive for passengers and the community that relies on the T6 line, and we apologise for the inconvenience.” Fare-free replacement buses will operate during the T6 line’s closure, comprising express services and an all-station stop route between Bankstown and Lidcombe. Shuttle train services operating on the T6 have provided more travel options to commuters disrupted by the partial shutdown of the T3 line by connecting Bankstown to Lidcombe via Yagoona, Birrong, Regents Park and Berala. About 11,000 passengers use trains on the T6 line on an average weekday. While Yagoona, Birrong and Bankstown stations will be closed to trains, commuters at Berala and Regents Park stations will be able to use services on the T3 Liverpool line to travel to and from the CBD and inner west during the two-month shutdown of the T6 line. Commuters also face disruptions from full or partial closures of the popular M1 metro line over several weekends to allow work and testing necessary for the Sydenham-Bankstown conversion. A section of the M1 line between Central Station and Sydenham was shut last weekend. Sydney Metro said testing of the new extension from Sydenham to Bankstown was due to start shortly, adding that powering up of the line was complete. “Sydney Metro is working closely with stakeholders to lock in a date for metro trains to make their first journey on the new line,” it said in a statement. The agency warns that passengers on the M1 line will experience “significant disruption” as the testing program progresses due to full or partial closures on several weekends, along with services ending at 10pm some nights. Platforms at Bankstown station will be extended during the two-month shutdown. Credit: Louise Kennerley “We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but the disruption is required to complete the rigorous testing to prepare for first passenger services,” it said. “When the metro was extended from Chatswood to the lower north shore, CBD and Sydenham, the north-west section of the line was closed for 73 days over 12 months to enable the safe extension.” The 13-kilometre section of rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown was originally due to reopen as the final part of the M1 metro line late this year but has been delayed until next year. The government has said that a date next year for the opening will depend on the testing of metro trains on the line over coming months. It committed up to an extra $1.1 billion in late 2023 to finish the troubled conversion, pushing the price tag for the entire metro line between Chatswood and Bankstown via the CBD to $21.6 billion. That was up from an original forecast of $12 billion when the project was announced last decade. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .",
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  - "title": "Super-green pasta rotolo",
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  - "description": "This vegetarian pasta bake is swanky enough for a dinner party but simple enough to pull off on a weeknight.",
  - "content": "This vegetarian pasta bake is swanky enough for a dinner party but simple enough to pull off on a weeknight. March 31, 2025 You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this recipe for later Add recipes to your saved list and come back to them anytime. If you like cannelloni, you’ll like rotollo, a baked dish made with pasta sheets rolled around a filling. This vegetarian version is elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough to pull off on a weeknight, thanks to the sneaky use of store-bought lasagne sheets. Add a simple green salad and that’s dinner, done. vegetable oil to grease oven dish 2 cups frozen peas (about 370g) 3 cups baby spinach leaves (about 90g) 250g ricotta 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 75g (1⁄2 cup) dried breadcrumbs 40g (1⁄2 cup) finely grated parmesan 7 sheets fresh lasagne 300ml thickened cream 375ml (11⁄2 cups) white wine salad leaves, to serve Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional). Prepare a 20cm x 30cm ovenproof dish by lightly oiling the insides. Cook the peas in boiling water for 3 minutes, or until just tender. Drain. Place the peas in the bowl of a food processor with the spinach, ricotta, breadcrumbs, half the parmesan, and the garlic. Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Cut each lasagne sheet in half lengthwise (or into 5cm-wide strips) and spread a little of the ricotta mixture over each sheet. Roll to enclose. Cut each roll in half again to create 28 rolls. Arrange the rolls in the prepared dish, and pour the cream and wine over and around the pasta. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and golden. Serve with the remaining parmesan and a green salad . The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. More: From our partners Similar Recipes More by Jessica Brook",
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  - "title": "No Lycra required: New NZ route is perfect for the unserious cyclist",
  - "link": "https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/traveller/inspiration/no-lycra-required-new-nz-route-is-perfect-for-the-unserious-cyclist-20250321-p5llec.html",
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  - "description": "This New Zealand cycleway will change the way you see biking forever.",
  - "content": "Bike riders fall into two tribes: roadies, sporting Lycra shorts and carbon racing machines, usually seen holding up traffic on Saturday mornings; and mountain bikers, with their baggy shorts, knee pads and mud-splattered faces. I see them hunched over their handlebars; all wearing grimaces, all with killer scowls. And when they’re not riding, they’re talking about it; about pedals and cleats and gear ratios, and a hundred other ways to puncture the fun out of it. But there’s a third category – the unserious cyclist club – of which I’m a card-waving member. Easily recognised by the smiles on their faces, this elite group enjoys multiple pit stops – for pastries, bookstore cats, vintage treasure or scenic detours. There’s only one rule, and that’s that the path must be flat and dedicated to cyclists or walkers (cars, be gone). My search for the perfect path has brought me to Dunedin, a UNESCO Creative City freewheeling at the fringe of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s not only creative but seriously cool, with the smarts of a university town (University of Otago), the vibe of a surf village (with legendary point breaks to prove it) and an alternative music culture that gave rise to the distinctive “Dunedin Sound”. When these clever cogs got together, they came up with the idea for Te Aka Otakou, the Otago Vine, a purpose-built pathway that follows the picturesque Otago Harbour. Completed in late 2023, the shared pathway links heritage pubs with harbour beaches, craft breweries with sculpture gardens and museums. When I hear the trail includes a bike ferry crossing, my only question is: where’s the starting line? The genius of Te Aka Otakou is that walkers or bikers can start or finish where they like. The full loop comprises two sections: the 9.7-kilometre Te Ara Moana, Ocean Path, which follows the western edge of the harbour, and the 16.2-kilometre Te Awa Otakou, Ocean River, which traces the eastern edge. A three-kilometre urban path connects the two halves. I want it all, so with an e-bike and a handy turbo button at my fingertips I’m tackling the complete 32-kilometre loop in one day. I start at the revitalised neighbourhood hub of Steamer Basin near the historic wharves, pedalling alongside ocean-themed street art in a city with more than 50 murals, OCHO chocolate factory and Dunedin Craft Distillers, where bakery waste is crafted into spirits. Leaving the industrial neighbourhood, I follow the train tracks to the stunning Dunedin Railway Station, where the Otago Farmers Market is in full bloom (Saturdays 8am-12.30pm, northern car park). It’s apricot season, so I grab a bagful and continue on my way past Emerson’s Brewery, making a mental note to come back for their Sunday music session. Soon the city is behind me with the harbour stretching ahead, its distant edges trimmed with rolling green hills. As my pace picks up I glide across the 610-metre boardwalk that spans Blanket Bay, rolling into the quaint village of Port Chalmers. There’s ample time for a coffee and a peek inside the Flying Whale gallery before boarding the ferry to Portobello. Lunch is a platter of marinated vegetables, olives, cheese and chutney from Augustines of Portobello, a newly opened farm store and kitchen featuring seasonal, farm-to-table food. A wedge of blueberry lamington and I’m back on the trail, heading clockwise along the peninsula towards the city. It’s a gorgeous day, the sun beaming over the harbour as I ride past colourful boat sheds, the path so close to the water I can see my own reflection. After a quick splash at Broad Bay Beach, I shift into high gear for the final stretch. As the sun dips, so does my energy – it’s been a huge ride for this non-serious rider, even with a turbo burst – yet I can’t keep the smile off my face. Air New Zealand offers flights between Sydney and Melbourne to Dunedin, with one stopover (either Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch). See A two-bedroom apartment at The Thomas Gregg Apartments from $NZ790 ($722) for two nights, two people. See Bike House Dunedin – one-day bike hire from $NZ70 ($64). See Port-to-Port ferry $NZ20 ($18) a person and $NZ15 ($14) a bike, one way. See",
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  - "title": "The surprising reason this neighbourhood opposes a new development",
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  - "description": "Inner West residents are pushing back against the state’s largest ever build-to-rent development – because they want more affordable housing on the site.",
  - "content": "Inner West residents are pushing back against what would become the state’s largest ever build-to-rent development – for the surprising reason that they want more affordable and social housing included on the site. Developer Rent to Live Co, co-owned by the founders of student housing giant Scape, last month submitted plans to the state government for the Marrickville Timberyards development, which if approved would transform more than two hectares of an old industrial site into a high density mixed-use precinct made up of seven buildings containing 1188 units and more than 10,000 square metres of public space. An artist’s impression of the development. Credit: Rent to Live Co. Unlike regular developments that would see individual apartments sold off to owners, the entirety of the Marrickville Timberyards would be rented and managed by Rent to Live Co, with rent prices set at market rates, according to the developer. But in a twist to the average neighbourhood response to development, residents living around the proposed centre say they are supportive of the land being transformed into a high-density urban precinct, but want to see more affordable and social housing on the site, as well as a reduction in height of some buildings. “We want something to happen here, we want more houses for people, but we just don’t think this is the right way to do it, nor is it the right housing mix,” said Rachmat Djajadikarta, a neighbour who also works in the development industry, and who has led a community push for Rent to Live Co to adjust its plan for the site. “The Timberyards development has the potential to benefit our entire community, but the current plan is shaped by greed and prioritises profit over people. It does not provide the right homes and infrastructure we need,” he wrote on a website set up to engage neighbours. Neighbours, including Rachmat Djajadikarta, second from right, are campaigning to adjust the proposed development. Credit: Wolter Peeters Rent to Live Co is proposing to build 589 “co-living” dwellings, 83 studio apartments, 201 one-bedroom units, 275 two-bedroom units, and 40 three-bedroom units on the site. Ten per cent of the homes, spread equally across different sizes, will be affordable housing, which allows the developer to build more apartments because of a state government incentive. Djajadikarta said residents wanted “at least 20 per cent” of homes to be designated affordable housing managed by a community housing provider, and that more homes should be designated for families.",
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  - "article_id": "de89189993092a5c6a2f384538fda8cd",
  - "title": "Despite a dip in attendance, the Bendigo Relay for Life still raises $24K",
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  - "description": "The event took place at Victory Christian College on March 29.",
  - "content": "The Relay For Life committee have raised more than $24,000 for cancer research despite lower numbers than previous years. or signup to continue reading The 2025 event was held on March 29 at Victory Christian College and had around 10 teams taking part in the three hour fundraiser. Bendigo committee chair, Teresa Jones, said she has been involved for 24 years. Ms Jones said there were 10 teams which took part in the walk and managed to raise $24,779 for the 2025 Relay For Life. \"It was a lovely day, we were very lucky as it rained before the event started and there were quite a few kangaroos out there when we first got there,\" she said. \"It went really well, it went as planned and we had lovely guest speakers.\" It was the 26 Bendigo Relay For Life event. Overall, the local group has raised $3,884,779 for the Cancer Council which will go towards funding research for all cancer types. The money will also be used to fund trials at Bendigo Health. The committee chair said it has been a struggle post-COVID to attract the same number of attendees as prior relays. Ms Jones said she was a survivor of breast cancer of which she was diagnosed with in 2012. However, her husband was also diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014 with the time between his diagnosis and his passing only amounting to seven-and-a-half weeks. The committee chair said her story was one of the \"good stories\" but unfortunately it was not a good story for her husband. \"I remember being diagnosed and the doctor saying 'I hate to tell you this but you have got breast cancer',\" she said. \"I said 'oh that is alright' we have been fundraising for all this research which was going to help me and he thought I was a little bit crazy, but I believed it and sure enough I was fine -- I have been lucky.\" \"We were very thankful for the time that we had him but we realised that he went far too young but in saying that you would never want someone to stay suffering so that you feel better in yourself.\" Ms Jones said her passion for the event came from the knowledge of how many people they were helping by raising money for the Cancer Council. She said the hope was still that a cure will be found one day. \"We would love to say one day that nobody will hear the words 'you have cancer because they are the worst three words that can be told to you,\" she said. Ms Jones said in the coming years it would be good to see more people, especially young people, look to volunteer on the committee. She said new people might have fresh ideas about how to run the annual relay. \"The committee are all volunteers, we have six on our committee and all the people that support us are volunteers,\" she said. \"All those that walk are asking their families and friends for money and putting on little fundraisers themselves together for that. \"It has been an amazing achievement over the years.\" Ms Jones said it would be a great achievement for the organisation if they were able to hit the $4 million mark. The 2025 Relay For Life included an opening ceremony, a candlelight walk and survivors and carers morning tea and a candle bag decorating event. WA boy in Bendigo, happy to be in Central Victoria. WA boy in Bendigo, happy to be in Central Victoria. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!",
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  - "article_id": "a7800b89cc9c6bfd3ff75e722befde09",
  - "title": "Will younger voters contribute to the Trump bump?",
  - "link": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-31/gen-z-millennial-voters-trust-politicians-populism-donald-trump/105098404",
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  - "description": "Gen Z and millennials will outnumber Baby Boomers on polling day. What do we know about their political beliefs?",
  - "content": "In his opening pitch for re-election, Anthony Albanese said: \"We don't need to copy from any other nation to make Australia even better and stronger. We only need to trust in our values and back our people.\" It was Albanese's first, and I suspect not the last, attempt to evoke the image of Donald Trump and the chaos he is wreaking in the US and imply, but not directly say, that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is attempting to borrow the same ideas and tactics here. Asked if he was referring to Trump, Albanese said people would \"make their own judgements\". \"But people will have a look at the mass sackings of public servants,\" he said, referring to Dutton's promise to cull the Commonwealth public service by 41,000. In response, Dutton accused Albanese of starting a \"sledge-a-thon\" over Trump. Donald Trump does not poll well with younger Australians. The Trump bump There's a reason Albanese wants to handcuff Dutton to Trump and a reason why Dutton sees it as a smear. Around the world, a new phenomenon is emerging called the Trump bump — incumbents that talk tough on Trump and lean into their own country's sense of national pride are seeing political dividends. While incumbency was political cryptonite during the inflation crisis, Trump is giving incumbents their mojo back. As Donald Trump goads the US' partners and allies into a worldwide fight, there are signs Americans are losing faith in the president they hoped would bring them boomtimes. Trump is particularly toxic in Australia with younger voters, too. The 2025 federal election will be the first election where gen Z and millennials will outnumber boomers in every state and territory, dramatically changing the way political parties campaign and target voters. A study of voters aged 18-44, prepared for the John Curtin Research Centre by the RedBridge Group in March and shared exclusively with this column, is an eye-opener into what young voters really think on a range of issues. The ABC's politics podcast, Politics Now, dives into the biggest stories, giving you a balanced look inside the strategies and decisions behind the headlines. The survey finds that most gen Z and millennials in Australia do not want a leader like Trump, but those with a radical right political disposition do. The majority of Australian voters aged 18-44 say Australia would not benefit from a leader like Trump. Just 12 per cent say Australia would definitely benefit and 11 per cent say it probably would, coming to a total of 23 per cent on the yes side. Conversely, almost half (48 per cent) say Australia would definitely not benefit from a leader like Trump, and another 10 per cent say it probably would not (a total of 58 per cent on the side of no). Across all the social, economic and political groups analysed in this study, a plurality in almost every single group said that Australia would not benefit from a leader like Trump. Even among Coalition voters aged 18-44, a plurality demurred on a Trump-like leader (39 per cent said no, 36 per cent said yes). Indeed, even among the most populist quintile, a leader like Trump was not seen as beneficial for Australia (-28 per cent net yes). Young people reject business as usual Nick Dyrenfurth, executive director of the John Curtin Research Centre, said he commissioned Redbridge to look at gen Y and gen Z voters to understand their priorities and was not surprised by their attraction to anti-establishment politics. \"These cohorts have known little else other than economic flux, uncertainty and growing inequality since they entered the workforce, having been buffeted by the short- and long-term effects of the global financial crisis with a decade plus of anaemic growth, stagnant real wages and the housing affordability and supply crisis, all exacerbated by COVID,\" Dyrenfurth says. \"Overseas polls and election results have shown that young people are attracted to anti-establishment politics, from Argentina to Trump and left-wing strongholds like Sweden, and on the left expressed by fleeting support for [Bernie] Sanders and [Jeremy] Corbyn. \"Now we know that the rage and resentment they feel towards an economic system that they think is gamed against their generation — with much justification — is not a case of Australian exceptionalism.\" What do you need to know before you vote in the upcoming federal election? What would you ask the candidates? Have Your Say. Dyrenfurth notes this trend was most pronounced with young men, the \"somewhat radical right quintile\" spikes notably for men in their mid-to-late 20s. \"Labor must keep a close eye on this trend in coming years,\" he says. In the survey, Dutton is more liked than Trump, less trusted than Albanese and scores a lower rating than US populist right podcaster Joe Rogan. The only two people in the list of names shown to respondents that have overall net positive trust scores are two former centre-left politicians: Barack Obama (+12) and former NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern. For Labor, there is danger with the Greens' Max Chandler-Mather and Adam Bandt scoring the most trust from these voters. Younger generations both progressive and conservative The research shows that younger voters are not straightforwardly right-wing or left-wing or conservative or progressive. Young men across the world have been embracing right-wing politics, while young women have moved to the left. Will it happen in the Australian election too? \"They have highly progressive attitudes towards gender roles and issues like the death penalty,\" Dyrenfurth says. The most fascinating part of the findings is views on immigration. It shows that gen Z and millennial voters are generally not confident that governments in Australia will take actions that align with their interests and concerns on the policy areas they believe are most important, indicating widespread disillusionment with politics and the role of the state. Voters were least confident about: immigration (-42 per cent net confidence), economic inequality (-40), housing affordability (-36), crime and disorder (-35) and cost of living (-30). Dyrenfurth says that when understood in terms of housing availability and simple demand and supply or wage suppression, it makes sense to see scepticism. \"It is one thing to support immigration in principle but another when, unchecked, it smashes living standards, most importantly housing affordability,\" he says. \"That these generations are defined by their stress on material issues is confirmed by views on the salience of climate change, cost of living, the economy and housing.\"",
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  - "title": "‘Listen, Roger’: Green energy boss name-drops WA premier in bid to stave off wind-up, bogus invoice claims",
  - "link": "https://www.theage.com.au/national/western-australia/listen-roger-green-energy-boss-name-drops-wa-premier-in-bid-to-stave-off-wind-up-bogus-invoice-claims-20250325-p5lmhx.html",
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  - "description": "The boss of hydrogen hopeful Infinite Green Energy has attempted to stave off a wind up bid by claiming premier Roger Cook can help the company plug a multimillion-dollar debt.",
  - "content": "The boss of hydrogen hopeful Infinite Green Energy has claimed WA Premier Roger Cook can help the company plug a multimillion-dollar debt while attempting to stave off the company’s collapse. For five weeks, IGE has been quietly fighting a Supreme Court bid by Queensland-based entity DD Investment to have accountants Hall Chadwick appointed liquidators over its failure to repay a $3.85 million debt. Infinite Green Energy CEO Stephen Gauld. Credit: Kate Ferguson The application came just three months after the investor secured a judgment to recover the debt, which stemmed from a May 2023 investment deal inked before the relationship between the two parties soured. IGE chief executive Stephen Gauld, who represented the company before engaging lawyers Edwards Mac Scovell, told the court this month that challenging global markets were to blame for delays in settling the debt. Gauld insisted repaying the debt was a priority, before claiming he could call the premier and obtain $5 million from a taxpayer fund for economic diversification. “If I need to go to Roger Cook tomorrow or Monday next week and say, ‘Roger, listen’ because he has got $60 million right now for renewable energy projects ... Roger could give us $5 million from the [investment] attraction fund,” Gauld told the court, according to transcripts of the proceedings. “I can go back to him next week and say, ‘Listen, we’ve got an urgent commitment, I need another $5 million’, and we will get this all done. It’s not an issue.” But DD Investment’s lawyer Martin Bennett rubbished those claims, pointing out the funds could not be used for that purpose and their release hinged on its projects reaching certain milestones. “This idea that Mr Gauld has such a relationship that he can ring up the premier and say, ‘Can you give me $5 million to settle a debt?’ is just imaginary,” Bennett told the court. A spokesperson for the premier confirmed he had no personal relationship with Mr Gauld. The WA government spokesperson also told this masthead grants from the Investment Attraction Fund were issued through a competitive process and their release depended on the recipient achieving milestones under a financial assistance agreement. According to court documents obtained by this masthead, DD Investment agreed to hand over $3 million for the issue of shares in IGE at a price of $2.25 if the hydrogen hopeful’s initial public offering was not completed by June 30, 2024. But the deal was later varied and stipulated that IGE would redeem the 1.685 million shares DD Investment held in the defendant company if the float was not completed by the extended deadline. Despite demand, DD Investment maintains IGE has failed to pay up. The investment firm told the court it had grave concerns about IGE’s financial health and its capacity to recover the debt, submitting six months’ worth of correspondence between Gauld and DD Investment’s business consultant, Richard Cao, as evidence. The text and email threads lay bare DD Investment’s efforts to recover the funds between June 2024 and January 2025, and the dozen occasions IGE promised payment was imminent. But the most serious allegation was contained in correspondence from Deutsche Bank’s anti-financial crime department, seen by this masthead, which claimed documents IGE sent purporting to be evidence of bank transfers worth millions of dollars were inauthentic and should be treated with a “high degree of scepticism”. IGE and Gauld vehemently denied the allegations in court, claiming there was no evidence its assets were in jeopardy and branding the appointment of a liquidator a “drastic intrusion” into its affairs. Lawyers for Infinite Green argued the wind-up application should be thrown out, accusing DD Investment of prejudicing the ability of interested parties to be heard on the matter by failing to lodge a notice of application with the corporate watchdog within the required timeframe. Both IGE and Gauld have penned undertakings vowing not to dispose of, deal with or diminish the value of the company’s assets until the case is finalised. The parties have filed supporting documents in their respective cases ahead of the matter returning to court on April 8. This masthead understands a second investor has since raised concerns about the financial health of the company. Gauld declined to answer questions when contacted by WAtoday , stating only that IGE intended to settle the matter within days. The clean hydrogen hopeful, formerly Infinite Blue Energy, is behind several projects earmarked for Western Australia worth hundreds of millions of dollars. IGE and partners Samsung C&T and Doral Energy have been trying to secure approval to build a $127 million small-scale hydrogen production facility in Northam, which was backed by the WA government in 2023 to the tune of $5 million but has struggled to garner support from planning authorities. The stoush comes as the state’s environmental watchdog pores over IGE’s Arrowsmith Hydrogen Plant plans, which involve the construction of a wind and solar-powered hydrogen production facility across a 1929 hectare property about 30 kilometres south of Dongara. IGE hopes to produce first gas in the second half of 2026. The company has also joined forces with Swiss energy giant Axpo on the Valle Peligna project in central Italy, which, if successful, would be one of the largest commercial-scale hydrogen plants in Southern Europe. But there are mounting concerns about plans to make Australia a hub for the production of “clean” hydrogen, an emissions-free product which uses renewable energy rather than gas to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Sections of the industry had hung their hopes on the fuel as a substitute for fossil fuels in hard-to-abate industries, but proponents are struggling to make its production commercially viable. The lawsuit also comes almost 12 months after a board exodus at IGE, which saw the departure of its chair and former Woodside chief Peter Coleman, Australia Japan Business Co-op chair Tim Lester and former Rio Tinto iron ore boss Chris Salisbury. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .",
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  - "title": "‘Listen, Roger’: Green energy boss name-drops WA premier in bid to stave off wind-up, bogus invoice claims",
  - "link": "https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/listen-roger-green-energy-boss-name-drops-wa-premier-in-bid-to-stave-off-wind-up-bogus-invoice-claims-20250325-p5lmhx.html",
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  - "content": "The boss of hydrogen hopeful Infinite Green Energy has claimed WA Premier Roger Cook can help the company plug a multimillion-dollar debt while attempting to stave off the company’s collapse. For five weeks, IGE has been quietly fighting a Supreme Court bid by Queensland-based entity DD Investment to have accountants Hall Chadwick appointed liquidators over its failure to repay a $3.85 million debt. Infinite Green Energy CEO Stephen Gauld. Credit: Kate Ferguson The application came just three months after the investor secured a judgment to recover the debt, which stemmed from a May 2023 investment deal inked before the relationship between the two parties soured. IGE chief executive Stephen Gauld, who represented the company before engaging lawyers Edwards Mac Scovell, told the court this month that challenging global markets were to blame for delays in settling the debt. Gauld insisted repaying the debt was a priority, before claiming he could call the premier and obtain $5 million from a taxpayer fund for economic diversification. “If I need to go to Roger Cook tomorrow or Monday next week and say, ‘Roger, listen’ because he has got $60 million right now for renewable energy projects ... Roger could give us $5 million from the [investment] attraction fund,” Gauld told the court, according to transcripts of the proceedings. “I can go back to him next week and say, ‘Listen, we’ve got an urgent commitment, I need another $5 million’, and we will get this all done. It’s not an issue.” But DD Investment’s lawyer Martin Bennett rubbished those claims, pointing out the funds could not be used for that purpose and their release hinged on its projects reaching certain milestones. “This idea that Mr Gauld has such a relationship that he can ring up the premier and say, ‘Can you give me $5 million to settle a debt?’ is just imaginary,” Bennett told the court.",
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