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Biggest spenders of the Voice campaign finally revealed

The recently disclosed financial reports of the failed Voice to Parliament referendum in Australia have shed light on the substantial investments made by both the Yes and No campaigns. According to newly released disclosures, the Yes campaign significantly outspent its counterpart, with expenditures nearing $55 million – more than double the amount spent by the No campaign. Under Australian law, any campaign expenditure exceeding $15,200 must be reported to the Australian Electoral Commission. These reports, made public almost six months after the referendum's defeat, offer a comprehensive overview of the financial landscape surrounding the proposal to embed an Indigenous voice within the country's constitution, which ultimately saw a 60-40% defeat. Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition spearheaded the Yes campaign, amassing $47.5 million in donations and spending $43.8 million. Additionally, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), home to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, received $11.12 million in donations, allocating $10.3 million toward campaign efforts. On the opposing front, No campaign groups collectively spent over $25 million. Australians for Unity, also recognised as Fair Australia, invested $11.1 million, while Advance Australia allocated $10.3 million, despite receiving only $1.3 million in donations during the reporting period. A noteworthy highlight of the disclosures is the substantial contributions from various entities. The Paul Ramsay Foundation emerged as the largest individual donor, contributing $7.01 million to Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition. Other notable donors include corporate entities such as ANZ, Woodside Energy, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac, all of which supported initiatives associated with the Yes campaign. Conversely, mineral magnate Clive Palmer's Mineralogy led the No campaign with a spending of $1.93 million. Additionally, political parties played a role in the referendum's financial landscape, with the Liberal Party of Australia, the Nationals, and the Australian Labor Party all making significant contributions. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull notably donated $50,000 to the Yes campaign, reflecting a bipartisan interest in Indigenous recognition efforts. Moreover, local governments and independent candidates also made notable contributions to the referendum discourse. The Paul Ramsay Foundation, a significant donor to the Yes campaign, has been actively involved in addressing social disparities in Australia. With a focus on enabling equitable opportunities for marginalised communities, the foundation's support for Indigenous recognition aligns with its broader mission of fostering sustainable social change. While the referendum may have concluded, the broader pursuit of Indigenous rights and recognition remains an ongoing journey for the nation. Image: Two Way Street

Money & Banking

Harry and Meghan named "2023's biggest losers"

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been crowned "the biggest losers of 2023" by highly influential entertainment magazine The Hollywood Reporter. The publication released its annual list of winners and losers, with celebrities like Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig making the winners list. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the other hand topped this year's list of losers, which included Twitter/X/Elon Musk, and the streaming series Yellowstone. The publication wrote that this year's list reflected "some of the industry’s biggest success stories — and most embarrassing missteps." Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said that this is a huge blow for the royal couple, as The Hollywood Reporter is considered an "industry bible that people pay attention to". "It is humiliating in Meghan's home town and they refer to the couple's - and I quote this - 'whiney documentary', that 'whiney biography' and the horrible South Park episode," she said in an interview with Nine's Today. Despite being crowned this year's biggest losers, Arbiter said that the couple are looking forward to a better year ahead. "It is time to leave the royal family behind and really establish what it is they want to do and make positive steps forward if they plan to be successful in 2024," she said. "We've been promised a number of different things via rumours over the past year, with talk of Meghan's website The TIG relaunching and she was going to launch a lifestyle brand similar to Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. "Netflix paid $3 million pounds for rights to a book Harry and Meghan said they would turn into a rom-com, however we haven't had further development on those plans." The royal commentator added that Harry and Meghan will need to build consumer trust and avoid "negative, scandalous headlines that follow them everywhere", as they approach the new year. "Hollywood doesn't do well with negativity," she said. Check out the full list <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-winners-losers-2023-1235712279/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: Getty

The 4 biggest gift-giving mistakes, according to a consumer psychologist

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/julian-givi-1395671">Julian Givi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/west-virginia-university-1375">West Virginia University</a> A good gift can elicit a surge of happiness and gratitude in the recipient. It also feels great to give, <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-point-of-holiday-gifts-173306">with psychologists finding</a> that the joy of giving a gift is more pronounced than the pleasure of receiving one. Unfortunately, there are times when you receive a gift and you have to force a smile and fake your gratitude. I’m a consumer psychologist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wjAq_TcAAAAJ&hl=en">who specializes in gift-giving research</a> – in particular, gift-giving mistakes. Here are four of the most common ones. <h2>1. Prioritizing the big reveal</h2> One way givers can err is by focusing too much on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721416656937">the moment the recipient will open the gift</a>. Givers want their gift to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/675737">desirable</a>. They hope <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.03.015">to surprise</a> the recipient and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2733341">put a smile</a> on their face. A chocolate fondue fountain might meet these criteria – it’s quirky and sure to elicit curiosity and smiles from onlookers. However, when people receive a gift, they care less about the moment the bow comes off, and instead think about the weeks and months ahead. People want gifts that are <a href="https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1023703/volumes/v45/NA-45">useful</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/675737">reliable</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.03.015">meet their needs</a>. How often would a chocolate fondue fountain realistically be used? Compare that to a new coffee maker, which could see action every day. Sure, it isn’t a novelty – and probably won’t elicit “oohs” and “ahhs” on Christmas Day – but the recipient will be quite happy to have it on hand when their alarm rings each morning. <h2>2. Unique and new are overrated</h2> Another factor that can lead givers to go wrong involves unwritten rules for what constitutes good gift-giving practices. Givers often focus on these rules more than they should. For example, they may <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.023">avoid giving the same gift</a> to someone in back-to-back years because this goes against the norm of giving a unique gift each year. Givers also often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1348/014466604x23428">refrain from giving used products</a> as gifts because this violates the unspoken rule that a gift should be brand new. In contrast, recipients are quite open to gifts that violate these norms. If someone loves a certain type of wine, they’re <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.023">more than happy to receive it</a> in subsequent years. And if one digital camera is lightly used but possesses several innovative features, while another is new but has fewer features, people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1348/014466604x23428">are happy to receive the used one</a>. <h2>3. Being risk-averse</h2> Givers can make missteps when they avoid gifts that they see as too risky. Consider sentimental gifts, like a scrapbook or a nostalgic memento. Studies have shown that recipients <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2017.06.002">love these gifts</a>; they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000036">elicit happiness for extended periods of time</a>. Givers, however, tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2017.06.002">shy away from sentimental gifts</a> because they see them risky – sure, they could be a home run, but they could also whiff. Doubts can creep into shoppers’ heads as they consider sentimental gifts: What if it comes across as sappy? What if the recipient thinks I’m being cheap? And so people tend to opt for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105774081730044X">safer, superficial gifts</a> that they assume will be at least somewhat well-liked. Or, to continue with the baseball analogy, givers are happy to take the sure single. As another example, consider material goods versus experiences. When giving gifts, people often opt for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy010">tangible objects over experiences</a> because material goods are on the safer side – almost everyone could use a new appliance or a new shirt. Experiences are trickier; they require a bit more of an understanding of who the recipient truly is – not everyone loves going to see the symphony. Yet recipients tend to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1281">more open to experiences than givers anticipate</a> – and these gifts <a href="https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1017575/volumes/v42/NA-42">are actually more likely to make people happier</a> than material goods. <h2>4. Does the thought really count?</h2> Givers can also err by wanting their gift to appear especially thoughtful. Of course, recipients appreciate thoughtfulness – but not when it comes at the expense of receiving something that’s actually useful. This plays out when givers are shopping for multiple people. They’ll often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/674199">choose unique gifts for each recipient</a>, rather than give the same gift to everyone, because a distinct gift for each person will make them feel as though they put more time and effort into gift selection. People do this even if they realize that some recipients will be receiving less desirable gifts. You’ll also see this happen with <a href="https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1020146/volumes/v43/NA-43">gift cards</a>. Givers often choose specific gift cards – to a particular clothing store or restaurant, for example – that reflect the interests or tastes of the recipient. But recipients are more open to gift cards that give them more flexibility and freedom – think an Amazon or Visa gift card. That way, they can decide whether to splurge on a new sweater, dine out at their favorite restaurant – or do both.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195169/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/julian-givi-1395671">Julian Givi</a>, Assistant Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/west-virginia-university-1375">West Virginia University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-4-biggest-gift-giving-mistakes-according-to-a-consumer-psychologist-195169">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Extreme weather is landing more Australians in hospital – and heat is the biggest culprit

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-peden-1136424">Amy Peden</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Hospital admissions for injuries directly attributable to extreme weather events – such as heatwaves, bushfires and storms – have increased in Australia over the past decade. A new <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/extreme-weather-injuries/contents/about">report</a> from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows 9,119 Australians were hospitalised for injuries from extreme weather from 2012-22 and 677 people died from these injuries in the decade up to 2021. In 2021-22, there were 754 injury hospitalisations directly related to extreme weather, compared to 576 in 2011-12. Extreme heat is responsible for most weather-related injuries. Exposure to prolonged natural heat can result in physical conditions ranging from mild heat stroke, to organ damage and <a href="https://www.dea.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DEA-Fact-Sheet_HeatwavesWEB.pdf">death</a>. As Australia heads into summer with an El Niño, it’s important understand and prepare for the health risks associated with extreme weather. <h2>A spike every three years</h2> Extreme weather-related hospitalisations have spiked at more than 1,000 cases every three years, with the spikes becoming progressively higher. There were: <ul> <li>1,027 injury hospitalisations in 2013–14</li> <li>1,033 in 2016–17</li> <li>1,108 in 2019–20.</li> </ul> <iframe id="vLaas" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/vLaas/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> In each of these three years, extreme heat had the biggest impact on hospital admissions and deaths. <iframe id="P03sm" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/P03sm/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> Extreme heat accounted for 7,104 injury hospitalisations (78% of all injury hospitalisations) and 293 deaths (43% of all injury deaths) in the ten year period analysed. In 2011-12, there were 354 injury hospitalisations directly related to extreme heat. This rose to 579 by 2021-22. <h2>El Niño and La Niña</h2> Over the past three decades, extreme weather events have increased in <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/">frequency</a> and <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/">severity</a>. In Australia, El Niño drives a period of reduced rainfall, warmer temperatures and increased bushfire danger. La Niña, on the other hand, is associated with above average rainfall, cooler daytime temperatures and increased chance of tropical cyclones and flood events. Although similar numbers of heatwave-related hospitalisations occurred in El Niño and La Niña years studied, the number of injuries related to bushfires was higher in El Niño years. During the 2019–20 bushfires, in the week beginning January 5 2020, there were 1,100 more hospitalisations than the previous five-year average, an 11% increase. Although El Niño hasn’t directly been proved as the cause for these three spikes, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, two of the three years (2016-17 and 2019-20) were El Niño summers. And the other year (2013-14) was the warmest neutral year on record at that time. <h2>Regional differences</h2> Exposure to excessive natural heat was the most common cause leading to injury hospitalisation for all the mainland states and territories. From 2019 to 2022, there were 2,143 hospital admissions related to extreme heat, including: <ul> <li>717 patients from Queensland</li> <li>410 from Victoria</li> <li>348 from NSW</li> <li>267 from South Australia</li> <li>266 from Western Australia</li> <li>73 from the Northern Territory</li> <li>23 from the ACT</li> <li>19 from Tasmania.</li> </ul> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=632&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=632&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=632&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=794&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=794&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556987/original/file-20231101-27-3c98xm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=794&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><a class="source" href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/latest-reports">AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></figcaption></figure> The report also includes state and territory data on hospitalisations related to extreme cold and storms. During the ten-year period analysed, there were 773 injury hospitalisations and 242 deaths related to extreme cold. Extreme rain or storms accounted for 348 injury hospitalisations and 77 deaths. From 2019 to 2022, there were 191 hospitalisations related to extreme cold, with Victoria recording the highest number (51, compared to 40 in next-placed NSW). During the same period there were 111 hospitalisations related to rain and storms, with 52 occurring in NSW and 28 in Queensland. <h2>What about for bushfires?</h2> Over the ten-year period studied, there were 894 hospitalisations and 65 deaths related to bushfires. Bushfire-related injury hospitalisations and deaths peaked in 2019–20, an El Niño year with 174 hospitalisations and 35 deaths. The two most common injuries that result from bushfires are smoke inhalation and burns. During the 2019–20 bushfires, in the week beginning 5 January 2020 there were 1,100 more respiratory hospitalisations than the previous five-year average, an 11% increase. The greatest increase in the hospitalisation rate for burns was 30% in the week beginning December 15 2019 — 0.8 per 100,000 persons (about 210 hospitalisations), compared with the previous 5-year average of 0.6 per 100,000 (an average of 155 hospitalisations). <h2>Some people are particularly vulnerable</h2> Anyone can be affected by extreme weather-related injuries but some population groups are more at risk than others. This includes older people, children, people with disabilities, those with pre-existing or chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, and those with greater <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/813">socioeconomic disadvantage</a>. People in these groups may have reduced capacity to avoid or reduce the health impacts of extreme weather conditions, for example older people taking medication may be less able to regulate their body temperature. “Thermal inequity” includes people living in poor quality housing who have difficulty accessing adequate heating and cooling. For heat-related injuries between 2019–20 and 2021–22, people aged 65 and over were the most commonly admitted to hospital, followed by people aged 25–44. Across age groups, men had higher numbers of heat related injury hospitalisations than women. This difference was most notable among those aged 25-44 and 45-64 years, where over twice as many men were hospitalised due to extreme heat as women. <h2>We still don’t have a full picture</h2> The AIHW data only includes injuries which were serious enough for patients to be admitted to hospital; it doesn’t include cases where patients treated in an emergency department and sent home without being admitted. It includes injuries that were directly attributable to weather-related events but does not include injuries that were indirectly related. For example, it doesn’t include injuries from road traffic accidents that occur due to wet weather, since the primary cause of injury would be recorded as “transport”. Improved surveillance of weather-related injuries could help the health system and the community better prepare for responding to extreme weather conditions. For example, better data aids communities in predicting what resources will be needed during periods of extreme weather. A more complete picture of injuries during weather events could also be used to inform people of actions they can take to protect their own health. Given a predicted hot summer, this could be a matter of life or death. This article was co-authored by Sarah Ahmed and Heather Swanston from the Injuries and System Surveillance Unit at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216440/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-peden-1136424">Amy Peden</a>, NHMRC Research Fellow, School of Population Health & co-founder UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/extreme-weather-is-landing-more-australians-in-hospital-and-heat-is-the-biggest-culprit-216440">original article</a>.

Caring

"She had the biggest heart": Mum's tribute to five-year-old killed in a car crash

A heartbroken mother has paid tribute to her five-year-old daughter, who was killed in a horrific three car collision in Victoria's north. Savannah Kemp's mother Bryana remembered her daughter as a “precious” and “sassy” little girl who “had the biggest heart”. Savannah leaves behind three brothers - Layton, Cayden and Ryley, as well as her devastated mother. Bryana said in a statement that Savannah was due to start kindergarten at Guthrie Street Primary School with her three older brothers in 2024. "She has been wearing her school uniform around the house for weeks because she was so excited to go to school," she said. "She went to her first orientation a week or so back and even had to wear it." “Savannah was the most precious, sassy little girl. She had the biggest heart which was always full of laughter. She never walked anywhere, she danced or skipped. She was so brave and fearless, learnt it from her brothers. Nothing bothered her." Bryana went on to say that her daughter was destined to be a “fearless ballerina or soccer player” and that her three brothers were training her in their backyard so that she could become just that. “I would always make jokes that she would dance the ball into the goals and that’s exactly what she did with them,” she said. “For a term she has been doing acrobatics at Ucandance and she was learning cartwheels and the splits. She got very good at it in a few short weeks.” Savannah was “destined for great things”, Bryana said. “My sweet little baby, if (you) had the chance (you) would have ruled this world.” A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-the-name-of-savannah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page has been set up for the family to cover Savannah's funeral costs and any other financial difficulties the family may face, and has already raised over $36,000. Several other people were seriously injured in the crash, including a 32-year-old pregnant woman, whose unborn baby later died. The driver of the car Savannah was a passenger in, a 26-year-old Shepparton woman, was also taken to hospital with serious injuries. Another driver, a 33-year-old Shepparton man, and his passenger, a 22-year-old Katandra West man, were taken to hospital for minor injuries. A Victoria Police spokesperson said that officers are still working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the collision. Image credits: GoFundMe

Caring

Biggest change to public holiday in 70 years

2023 is marking history as the Queen’s Birthday public holiday will now be recognised as the King’s Birthday – a change not seen in 70 years – and one that will likely remain for at least the next two generations of monarchs. The name change follows the ascension of King Charles III to the throne after the death of Australia’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Despite the King’s birthday being November 14, most Aussie states celebrate the monarch’s birthday as a public holiday on the second Monday of June, in line with British celebrations. The King’s birthday will be observed on June 12 in South Australia, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern territory. For Queenslanders, the public holiday falls on the first Monday of October, which in 2023 will be October 2. As Western Australia celebrates Western Australia Day on the first Monday of June, it will observe the King’s birthday in September in an effort to spread out its public holidays. For WA, it will fall on Monday, September 25. Aside from a legislative amendment made to the states’ respective Public Holiday Acts to change the name, the day will remain the same in practice. Most Australians have only ever known the public holiday as the Queen’s Birthday, with Queen Elizabeth II reigning as monarch for 70 years, taking the throne in 1952 at just 25. Charles, however, became the oldest monarch to take the British throne at 73. The tradition of celebrating the sovereign’s birthday in June began with George II in 1748. He deemed November, his actual birth month, was too cold for a celebratory parade. During the reign of Edward, VII, also born in November, the standardisation of official summer birthdays was implemented. Compared to other public holidays such as Good Friday and Boxing Day, most businesses will remain open, although some with reduced trading hours. Image credit: Getty

Domestic Travel

"So traumatic": Michelle Bridges grilled over Biggest Loser's impact

Michelle Bridges has been slammed by a body positivity activist for the negative impact The Biggest Loser's strict rules around weight loss had on viewers. Appearing on The Project for a discussion around health and body image, Bridges went head-to-head with activist April Helene-Horton, who said she was unsure if she wanted to appear in the segment, given the “traumatic” presence The Biggest Loser was in her life. The weight loss program, which aired on Channel Ten from 2006 and ran for 11 seasons, featured Bridges as one of the several tough-talking trainers, motivating overweight contestants to intensively diet and exercise in a contest to lose the most weight in the fastest time for a big cash prize. During the discussion on The Project, Bridges and The Biggest Loser were put to the test to discuss what it means to be healthy. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsFI_QPu7Y9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsFI_QPu7Y9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Project (@theprojecttv)</a> </div> </blockquote> The Project host Sarah Harris asked Helene-Horton who was to blame “for the idea that larger bodies are bad”, as she listed “mainstream media, fashion, doctors who don‘t want to see fat patients, social media” among the main culprits. “Would you put the fitness industry in that same category?” Bridges asked. “Yeah I would. And I’ll be really honest and say, I was somewhat nervous coming here today to see you, because I would genuinely say that the show The Biggest Loser was one of the most traumatic things that ever happened to me,” Helene-Horton replied. “Yeah, I hear you. I absolutely hear you. Going on a show like that back in the day, I really had to dig deep and question my morals about why I’m in the health and fitness industry,” responded Bridges. Helene-Horton said that, having spoken to Bridges, she’d soon realised they had some things in common. “You, like me, are somebody who struggled against the idea that you need to be perfect. But the edit [on The Biggest Loser] still made me feel like someone who had the same values as you … would make me feel shame.” Bridges went on to admit that The Biggest Loser wouldn't "work" today, due to the liberation of the body positivity movement and the change in definition of what it means to be healthy. “When I look back on it, 17 years ago, it was a totally a different culture back then. I don’t think that show would work today. In fact, I know it wouldn’t,” she said. Image credits: The Project <div class="media image" style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; box-sizing: inherit; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; width: 705.202209px; margin-bottom: 24px; max-width: 100%;"> </div>

Body

Sam Armytage's biggest "regret" from her time on Sunrise

Samantha Armytage has opened up her decision to quit her hosting gig at Sunrise on her own terms, while sharing her one "regret" from her time on the Channel Seven morning show. Armytage, now the host of Farmer Wants a Wife, left the breakfast program in March 2021, and has shared how the role took a toll on her mental health. Ahead of the Farmer Wants a Wife premiere, Armytage told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/reality-tv/farmer-wants-a-wife/why-did-sam-armytage-leave-sunrise-77314" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TV Week</a> why she decided to leave Sunrise. "It was a huge risk, absolutely – and I did worry about that," she told the publication. "But I knew at that time that I had to make big changes for my own happiness and sanity." "I'm proud of myself that I made that jump into the complete unknown, because I didn't know what would come after that." "I also have several regrets about [moments] when I didn't stick up for myself," she added. "I've had time away now from that spotlight and I regret not standing up for myself more." Sam also admitted that she "put up with a lot of cr*p", especially during her time at Sunrise. "When it all got too much, I had to step away," she revealed. At the time of her departure from Sunrise, Armytage said she was stepping down from her hosting role after eight years to spend more time with her husband. She broke down in tears at the end of her final broadcast as she accused "some aspects of the media" of treating her unfairly during her tenure. A month before her departure, she had reportedly upset her Seven colleagues by saying the TV industry was filled with "narcissists" and "sociopaths" in a scathing magazine article. Image credits: Instagram

Real estate’s ‘Biggest Loser’ Michelle Bridges fails to sell home

Fitness entrepreneur Michelle Bridges has failed to sell her $6.5m Kangaloon home, amid plans to go back to Sydney. The former Biggest Loser trainer initially bought the five-bedroom home in 2017 for $2.7m for her family when she outbid chef Luke Mangan. The 4.1 hectare estate was listed last month with initial reports suggesting that the home should be sold for $7m. However, the private price guidance had offered it to buyers for $6.5m Now, The Agency real estate company has revised the price guide back down to $5m, after they failed to secure a buyer for the original price. The property, which is built on a hill offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside, with floor to ceiling windows in the main living room. The main bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, but the interior is not the only thing that’s worth boasting about. The luxurious estate has an in-ground pool, a tennis court and landscaped gardens which feature established trees and vegetable gardens designed by Michael Bligh. Other features include an outdoor dining area, an entertainment pavilion with a small fire pit, and a separate guest house complete with a loft bedroom and modern bathroom. Image: Realestate.com.au, Getty

Real Estate

Goldie Hawn shares biggest Hollywood regret

When Goldie Hawn’s name was read as the winner of the 1970 Best Supporting Actress Oscar, one might have expected the actress to be front and centre to accept the award. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth - the then 25-year-old was instead tucked up in bed, sound asleep ahead of an early call for her upcoming movie There’s a Girl in My Soup. And now, the Hollywood heavyweight has confessed that that may just be the biggest regret of her entire career. It was April 7, 1970, and the budding actress had only a few film credits to her name, as well as a coveted Academy Award nomination for her work in Cactus Flower. The awards ceremony was being held in Los Angeles’ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the nominated actress was an entire ocean away in London, when Fred Astaire took to the stage, opened the life-changing envelope, and read out Goldie’s name. And while 63.1 million Americans tuned in live to witness the moment, Goldie was instead watching the inside of her eyelids. “I never got dressed up, I never got to pick up the award,” Goldie told Variety, “I regret it. It’s something that I look back on now and think ‘it would have been so great to be able to have done that.’ “I forgot it was on TV that night,” she continued. “Then I woke up to a phone call at like four in the morning, and it was a man’s voice and he said ‘hey, congratulations, you got it.’” Goldie went on to explain that she’d asked what the man was talking about, before being informed that she “got the Academy Award for best supporting actress”, and that despite her shock, she was able to thank him, before calling her parents and having a much-needed cry. The actress admitted that part of the problem - her reason for not attending - was that she hadn’t expected to win. Cactus Flower was her first ‘real’ role in a movie, and she was nominated alongside a number of talented, established actresses. The likes of Sylvia Miles, Dyan Cannon, and Susannah York were her ‘competition’. Raqual Welch accepted the award on Goldie’s behalf, and until 2023, Goldie had never watched the moment her name was read from that winner’s envelope. It was Jimmy Kimmel - host of the 2023 ceremony - that encouraged her, while the two were on their way to a mutual friend’s party. “He said ‘did you ever see the part where you’re being announced by Fred Astaire?’” Goldie recalled, “and I said ‘Fred Astaire?!’ He’s my idol.” She then explained that she hadn’t known Fred was the one who announced her as the winner, and that when she finally saw the moment unfold, she found herself overcome with emotion. Goldie’s honesty and genuine attitude towards her life and career have followed her from that fateful moment on, a lesson that she told Variety had first been passed down from her father. “You’ve got to work for a living, stay compassionate, and stay realistic,” she said, “and I’m passing that on because that was what my father taught me: stay in reality, don’t get taken away with everything.” And Goldie’s reality may just see her make an anticipated return to the silver screen, with the actress noting that she’d take a step out of retirement for the right role - perhaps something that let her have fun with a “wild, crazy character” or even a sequel to one of her existing films, maybe even another film with her beloved long-term partner, Kurt Russell. “We all have dreams,” she concluded, “but it’s how we fulfil them.” Images: Getty

Movies

Why why WHYYYY Tom Jones' biggest hit is ‘cancelled’

Choirs have been informed that they are no longer allowed to perform Welsh singer Tom Jones’ classic “Delilah” during international rugby matches at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The announcement, made on Wednesday, came after allegations of misogyny, sexism, racism, and homophobia within the Welsh Rugby Union. Prior to banning the song, claims of a toxic culture within the WRU’s governing body were made public during a TV documentary, and chief executive Steve Phillips issued his resignation. Previously in 2015, the WRU had removed “Delilah” from its Test match playlists and half-time entertainment, but now guest choirs have been asked not to perform it. “‘Delilah’ will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium,” a spokesperson for the stadium confirmed. “Guest choirs have also more recently been requested not to feature the song during their pre-match performances and throughout games,” he continued, “the WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. "We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter." The lyrics of concern, written in the 1960s, reference a woman’s murder at the hands of her jealous partner. “I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door. She stood there laughing,” the song goes, “I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.” The decision to ban the song has been met with mixed response, with many unsure that it was the right step towards tackling the WRU’s issues - or if it was even a step at all. “All the things they need to do,” tweeted WRU wing Louis Rees-Zammit, in what is believed to be a comment on the situation, “and they do that first…” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> All the things they need to do and they do that first….😶 — Louis Rees-Zammit ⚡️ (@LouisReesZammit) <a href="https://twitter.com/LouisReesZammit/status/1620804107392155654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote> “Wrongheaded,” was what Welsh Conservative shadow sport minister Tom Giffard said of the decision. “One that amounts to simple virtue signalling, designed to ease the pressure the WRU are currently under. Calls to ban the song span at least the last decade, yet the WRU have chosen now to act.” He went on to state that people would rather see “institutional change” within the WRU, with better working practices and a refined complaint process. But, as he put it, “instead they are choosing to ban a much loved Tom Jones song. This action will solve nothing." Images: Getty

Music

The biggest winners and losers of the Oscar nominations

The nominees for the 95th Academy Awards were announced overnight, with fan favourites in for a shot at snagging the coveted Oscar awards. Actors Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams made the announcements from the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Some nominees came as no surprise to avid film fans, while others were a shock, with some favourite apparently snubbed by the Academy. Sci-fi comedy drama Everything Everywhere All At Once scored 11 Academy Award nominations, the most for any film in 2023, with Best Picture well within their sights. All Quiet on the Western Front and The Banshees of Inisherin came in second with a total of 9 nominations each. Australian actor Cate Blanchett was honoured with a chance at Best Actress for her leading performance in the psychological drama Tár. Cate is a favourite in this category, and a win would see her with three Oscar awards to her name. In the Best Actress category, many were shocked to see Viola Davis snubbed for her work in the historical drama The Woman King. Viola had been a contender for the award all season, with recognition at the BAFTA Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Australia’s own Baz Luhrmann missed out on a nomination for his directing work on Elvis, but the film didn’t miss out entirely, bagging nominations in eight categories, including the sought after Best Picture. James Cameron, director of Avatar: The Way of Water, best known for directing Titanic, did not receive a nomination for Best Director either. Catherine Martin, the most awarded Australian in the history of the Oscars with four wins to her name, received two nominations for her work on Elvis for both Costume Design and Production Design. The nominees for Best Actor came with no surprises, though many thought Tom Cruise may feature there for his performance in Top Gun: Maverick. Hugh Jackman also missed out on a nomination in this category for his work in The Son. Despite snubs in other categories, most films were acknowledged with multiple nominations, though perhaps not always in the areas they wanted. Fans were certain the likes of The Woman King, Babylon, and The Whale would be up for a chance at Best Picture, but each was left disappointed when the list of contenders was announced. With six nominations, Top Gun: Maverick looks set to take home at least one award, but all eyes are on Tom Cruise and his chance for a first Academy Award win. While he wasn’t nominated for Best Actor, the film did secure itself a chance at Best Picture, with many praising the Academy for honouring a box office success. The winners of the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on March 13 (Australian time), with comedian Jimmy Kimmel set to host the event. Image: Getty Images

Movies

Expat shares her five biggest culture shocks since moving to Australia

A British expat has listed the five biggest culture shocks she experienced since moving to Australia. Robyn Turner, who now lives in Melbourne, has been adjusting to her new life in Australia over the last five years. In a funny TikTok video, the personal trainer said there are five things she never knew existed until she relocated to Australia - including people walking bare feet in public, lemon lime bitters and 42°C days. “This is Australian things that sent me into a coma when I first moved here from the UK,” she said. The first thing of her list that caught her by surprise was people walking around bare feet at indoor public places. “People walking around the supermarket or any other store in bare feet, shocked me,” she said. “You would never catch anyone that wasn’t on a beach with bare feet in the UK. “It doesn’t appeal to me but I mean, you do you, I just won’t look at the floor.” Robyn said she was confused when she couldn’t find an aisle dedicated to alcohol inside supermarkets. “I had no idea this wasn’t a thing,” she said. “I was first like, ‘Where do I go and buy some wine from?’ and someone was like, ‘the bottle-O’ and I was like, ‘What’s a bottle-O?’ “I had no idea, shocked me to the bones.” The third overwhelming thing she couldn’t handle was the scorching weather, especially summer days that reach high temperatures of 42°C. “When I first lived here, I lived in Sydney and it wiped me out,” she said. “Absolutely killed me.” <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@r0bynturner/video/7176424965128899842" data-video-id="7176424965128899842"> <section><a title="@r0bynturner" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@r0bynturner?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@r0bynturner</a> Australian things that sent me (a brit) into a coma <a title="australiatravel" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/australiatravel?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#australiatravel</a> <a title="sydneytravel" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/sydneytravel?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#sydneytravel</a> <a title="uktoaustralia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/uktoaustralia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#uktoaustralia</a> <a title="britinaustralia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/britinaustralia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#britinaustralia</a> <a title="melbournetravel" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/melbournetravel?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#melbournetravel</a> <a title="backpackingaustralia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/backpackingaustralia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#backpackingaustralia</a> <a title="♬ original sound - Robyn" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7176425241798068993?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound - Robyn</a></section> </blockquote> Despite the culture shocks, she expressed her approval for lemon lime bitters, a popular cocktail in Australia that consists of lemonade, lime cordial, and Angostura bitters. “This surprise was in the best way possible,” she said. “Thank you for introducing me to lemon lime bitters. That is amazing stuff, it’s like liquid gold. “You (Aussies) are the ultimate gatekeepers not letting the rest of the world know about it.” Robyn said she also couldn’t get enough of espresso martinis after her friend introduced the cocktail to her. “It’s so good,” she said. Her video has been viewed over 600,000 times - with many agreeing with her culture shocks. Images: TikTok

Travel Trouble

The three biggest revelations from Harry and Meghan's documentary

The first instalment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's docuseries has been released, with the couple dropping major bombshells about life in the royal family. The first half of the series has largely revolved around the beginning of the couple's relationship and Meghan joining the royal family, while also touching on the first few dramatic encounters with paparazzi. Here's the biggest revelations from the series so far. Meghan meeting the royal family Meghan spoke of the first time she met Prince William and Kate Middleton, sharing how she didn't realise the level of formality the royal family carried outside of official engagements. She said, “Even when Will and Kate came over and I met her for the first time, I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot." “I’m a hugger I’ve always been a hugger. I didn’t know that could be jarring for a lot of Brits.” “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality out on the outside, carried through on on the inside. “That there is a forward facing way of being then you close the door and you go phew, great we can relax now." “But that formality continues on both sides and that was surprising to me.” Meghan and Harry also shared details of Meghan's first meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth, with Harry admitting the situation was "weird". He said, “(Meghan) had no idea what it all consisted of, so it was a bit of a shock to the system for her,” he said. “How do you explain (to people) to bow to your grandma? And that they’ll need to curtsy? Especially to an American – it’s weird.” Meghan described the “surreal” and unexpected moment she realised she’d be meeting the monarch, and that it had been sprung on her at the last minute by her then-boyfriend. “We were in the car and we were going to Royal Lodge for lunch and he goes, ‘Oh, my grandmother’s here – she’s going to be there after church’,” she recalled. “And I remember in the car driving up, he says, ‘you know how to curtsy right?’ And I thought it was a joke.” “I didn’t know what I was doing,” she admitted. Harry's warning to Meghan about the paparazzi During the early days of Harry and Meghan's relationship, Meghan was still living in Canada and working as an actress when she encountered a pack of “9 or 10” paparazzi as she left a florist. “They were all sort of blocking the cars, going, ‘Hey, how you doing, Meghan?’, and I said ‘Oh, thanks, stay warm guys,’” the Duchess of Sussex recalled. The next day, she’d gotten a very strict instruction from her new boyfriend to ignore paparazzi from then on. “I remember (Harry) saying the next day, ‘You can’t talk to them’,” Meghan said. “And I was like, ‘I’m just trying to be pleasant, I don’t know what to do, I’ve never dealt with this before’, and he said, ‘Yes, but the UK media is saying you love it. You’re smiling. You love it.” Harry then likened the treatment of Meghan by the paparazzi to how Princess Diana was also treated, making him very concerned for his wife. "The majority of my memories are of her [Diana] being swarmed by paparazzi," he says. Harry made several comparisons with his wife and Diana, saying "To see another woman in my life go through this feeding frenzy.. That's hard. It is really the hunter vs the prey". The couple felt they had to lie in their engagement interview When the couple got engaged in 2017, they had a sit-down interview on the BBC to discuss their milestone, which the Sussexes have now revealed was completely "rehearsed". Meghan called the interview an "orchestrated reality show", saying they "weren't allowed" to tell their true story when faced with questions about their relationship. Earlier on in the docuseries, they shared how they first began talking on Instagram before meeting for their first date, but were forced to change their story for the BBC chat. The second and final instalment of the docuseries will air on December 15th. Image credits: Netflix

Frequent flyer discusses the biggest sins of travelling

A frequent traveller has shared what she believes are the biggest sins of travelling. Posting a series of videos on TikTok, frequent flyer and travel influencer Tinx bluntly exposed the “worst things” people can do in airports and on planes. The 32-year-old regularly flies between London and New York to visit family, and understands that having to deal with the annoying behaviours of fellow passengers is not an easy task. Now Tinx, whose real name is Christina Najjar, has voiced her frustrations with her followers, revealing the “worst” behaviours that make for “awful travellers”, while urging anyone who is guilty of such sins to “take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror before you travel again.” While there are many things travellers can do that annoy their fellow holiday-goers, Tinx said being “unprepared” is the worst travel sin of all. “Let's begin with people that are unprepared at the front of the security line. It's a security line, you know what's coming, and yet there are still people who are fumbling around with their laptop like a child who forgot their homework.” "'Do I have to take off my jacket?’ Yes, spoiler alert, you always have to take off your jacket. Please keep the theatrical water chugging to the Uber,” she joked. Next up, Tinx trashed the “gate crowders” for their lack of awareness. “Next, let's discuss the gate crowders, they haven't even put up our flight on the little digital board and you're crowding around the gate like it's the stampede from The Lion King, grinding your foot into the ground like you're about to run with the bulls,” she said. “Aside from the fact that you're in group five, I got to tell you buddy, we're all going to the same place, we're all getting on the same plane.” Lastly, the influencer explained her anger at the other passengers who are “a**holes” when it comes to the overhead bins. “It always baffles me with the bins because it's very simple, just don't be an a**hole.” “Put your overstuffed away suitcase and your ugly little personal item in the seat in front of you,” she said. Many of Tinx’s viewers agreed with her travel qualms, with the comments being flooded with additional faux pas that get under the skin of frequent flyers. One user said, “How about those who as soon as the plane is stopped and the seatbelt sign is off they rush to the front of the plane.” Another commented, “What about the people that go back and forth in the aisle trying to choose a seat that suits their preference while other people are boarding?” Image credits: TikTok

Travel Tips

"A tunnel of grief": King Charles' biggest regret from Princess Diana's funeral

A royal biographer has revealed the one regret King Charles has from Princess Diana's funeral. According to author Christopher Andersen, the monarch "deeply regrets" making his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, join the procession behind their mother's coffin. “I think it haunts him because it haunts them, and they’ve spoken about it,” he told <a title="www.usmagazine.com" href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/king-charles-regrets-william-harry-procession-at-dianas-funeral/">Us Weekly</a>. “I’ve written that I believe it’s a form of PTSD.” The writer of the new biography, The King: The Life of Charles III, added that while researching the book, he learned that the Prince Harry has found it “triggering” to fly into London at times. “[He said] it reminds him of that day when he had to walk behind the coffin, and they were more or less bullied into doing it by the palace – by the men in grey who really run the palace, the people that Diana used to complain about,” he explained. “[Charles, Earl Spencer], Diana’s brother … has also said that he felt that he was tricked into doing it and regrets it. “He said it was like walking through a tunnel of grief.” At the time of their mother's death, Prince William was 15 and Prince Harry was just 12-years-old. Princess Diana died at age 36 after being chased by paparazzi in Paris, resulting in the fatal car crash in 1997. “I think both William and Harry thought, ‘Who are these strangers who never met her?’” said Andersen. “So, they were angry about what had happened. And Charles, I think, understands that to some extent he was responsible for them having to suffer through [that].” Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Karl Stefanovic called the “biggest wimp” by camel tour operator

Karl Stefanovic has been called a “wimp” on television during a live cross on Sunrise with weatherman Sam Mac. Sam was interviewing John, a Red Sun Camels tours operator in Broome, Western Australia for the company’s 22nd birthday. The weatherman then asked John to name the “biggest wimp” to ever ride one of the camels and he certainly did not hold back. “You’ve obviously had a lot of TV people, movie people; who’s been the biggest wimp on a camel in 22 years?” Sam asked. “Oh, you’re going to love this... Karl Stefanovic,” John responded. “We did the Today show many years ago. Lisa Wilkinson? Brave as all hell, could do anything. Karl? Nup, big girl with flowers.” “I swear I didn't set that up,”' Sam said. “That's not me trying to have some sort of petty rivalry. His words not mine. And the camels are a great judge of character, I heard. “Nah good on ya Karl.” Images: Sunrise/Today

Johnny Ruffo opens up about biggest fear

Aussie star Johnny Ruffo has shared an update on his battle with terminal brain cancer and opened up about the one thing that scares him above all else. The former Home and Away star told <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/johnny-ruffo-shares-biggest-fear-amid-brain-cancer-battle/news-story/f1adaa768aa06f838dfe1ac9af0e4d94" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a> that he hasn’t given up the fight against his brain tumour, which first appeared in 2017, but that he is also thinking about the possibility of death. Speaking about his biggest fear, the 34-year-old revealed that he was scared that his immediate family, including his partner Tahnee Sims, wouldn’t be around him when he dies. “I’m scared for my brother, my mum, Dad and Tahnee that they won’t be here with me [when I die],” he told the outlet. “There is no way my family will all be here. The likelihood of that is [slim]. It would be ideal if everyone was there – not for my sake, but theirs.” During the interview, Ruffo became emotional while speaking about Tahnee, who he described as his “guardian angel”. “She is living with it as much as I am. She is here with me every step of the way. I’m so very grateful to have her by my side, I don’t know what I would do without her,” he said. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjUyMHXOvxt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjUyMHXOvxt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tahnee Sims (@tahneesims)</a> </div> </blockquote> Ruffo, who shot to fame as a finalist on the 2011 season of X Factor, has been candid about his battle with cancer, giving fans the devastating update that <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/johnny-ruffo-s-devastating-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it was terminal</a> in an interview with The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore in August. “At some point it will get me, but I’m still fighting, still kicking on,” he said at the time. “Looking up my diagnosis and my tumour, the average life expectancy was three years. And for me it’s now been five years. I’m already winning. My goal now is to try and help as many people as I can and also live a happy life.” In the weeks before he broke the news, the West Australian <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/johnny-ruffo-marks-five-years-since-cancer-diagnosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marked five years since he was diagnosed</a> and released his first book, a memoir titled No Finish Line. Image: @johnny_ruffo (Instagram)

Caring

A class action against Optus could easily be Australia’s biggest

With the Optus data breach exposing almost 10 million current and former customers to identity theft, law firms are circling for what could end up being the biggest – and most valuable – class action case in Australian legal history. A settlement could well be worth billions, eclipsing the current record of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-15/black-saturday-bushfire-survivors-secure-record-payout/5597062" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$494 million</a> paid to 10,000 victims of Victoria’s 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Two class-action specialists, <a href="https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/35625-maurice-blackburn-investigates-action-against-optus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maurice Blackburn</a> and <a href="https://www.slatergordon.com.au/class-actions/current-class-actions/optus-data-breach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Slater & Gordon</a>, are considering suing, and it’s possible others will follow. (Maurice Blackburn also has another case against Optus on its books over a 2019 data breach involving 50,000 customers.) To proceed they’ll need to sign up at least seven people – one of whom acts as the “representative” or lead plaintiff. This shouldn’t be hard. They’ll then need to file a statement of claim for financial, economic or other loss. Multiple class actions are possible if those claims pursue different issues. Or the firms could work together, as they have in the past. <h2>Things to know about class actions</h2> There have been about 700 class actions in Australia in the past 30 years. Class actions can be pursued through state or federal courts. Most go to the Federal Court, which has been empowered to hear class actions since 1992. Less <a href="https://www.alrc.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/alrc_report_134_webaccess_2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">than 5%</a> of Federal Court actions have progressed to a judgement. About 60% have ended in a court-approved settlement, with the balance dismissed or discontinued. The most common type of class action is by shareholders for loss of earnings. These account for about a third of Federal Court class actions. The biggest shareholder settlement so far is $200 million, paid by Centro Property Group to almost 6,000 shareholders in 2012 over misleading and deceptive conduct by Centro’s board. This followed the Australian Securities and Investments Commission <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/asic-wins-case-against-centro-directors-20110627-1gmk5.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successfully prosecuting</a> Centro (also in the Federal Court). Class actions account for less than 1% of claims lodged with the Federal Court, but their scale and complexity means they take a disproportionate amount of court time, as well as media attention. Because of their cost, many class actions are funded by third parties as a type of business venture. This enables the law firms running the action to sign up plaintiffs on a “no win, no fee”. The litigation funder then takes a share of the settlement (as does the law firm for its legal fees). According to <a href="https://www.alrc.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/alrc_report_134_webaccess_2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Law Reform Commission</a> data for settled cases, the median percentage of any settlement going to plaintiffs is 57%, with law firms taking 17% and funders taking 22%. <h2>What would a class action against Optus involve?</h2> Based on what is currently known, there are two main ways a class action (or class actions) could proceed against Optus. First, it could argue negligence, with the scope of liability outlined in state or territory legislation. Second, it could argue breach of privacy, in contravention of the federal <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2014C00076" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Privacy Act</a>, in the Federal Court. To succeed in negligence, a court would have to find Optus had a duty of care to its customers to protect their personal information, that it breached its duty, and that customers suffered damage or loss. To succeed on a breach of privacy, the Federal Court would have to find that personal information held by Optus was subject to unauthorised access or disclosure, or lost, and that the company failed to comply with the “privacy principles” enshrined in the Privacy Act. A second basis for a class action in the Federal Court could be to argue a breach of the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018C00385" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telecommunications Act</a>. This legislation says carriers and carriage service providers “must to do their best” to protect telecommunications networks and facilities from unauthorised interference or unauthorised access. <h2>What are the precedents?</h2> The closest precedent in Australia to a successful class action for a mass breach of privacy is a 2019 case in the NSW Supreme court. This involved a claim by 108 NSW ambulance service employees against the NSW Health Department. The employees, represented by the firm <a href="https://www.centenniallawyers.com.au/nsw-ambulance-class-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Centennial Lawyers</a>, had their personnel files sold to a personal injury law firm by a contractor (who was convicted of unlawfully disclosing information and carried out community service for the crime). The court ordered NSW Health to pay the sum of <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au.ezproxy.newcastle.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWSC/2019/1781.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$275,000 in compensation</a>) – $10,000 for the lead plaintiff and about $2,400 for the others. <h2>How much could the Optus case be worth?</h2> Given the Optus data leak is established, there’s a strong basis to believe a class action would be successful. If so, a court could award compensatory damages for the time and cost of replacing identification documents, as well as exemplary (or punitive) damages, to send a message to corporations handling citizens’ private information. In determining damages, a court will take into account what efforts Optus has made to remedy the leak, mitigate the potential impact on those affected and pay for the costs of replacing drivers’ licences, Medicare cards or passports. Though the economic loss per customer may be relatively small, multiplied by the potential class-action pool size – up to 10 million plaintiffs – compensatory damages could easily be billions of dollars, even without exemplary damages. That makes this a hugely attractive prospect for a law firm or class-action funder. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-class-action-against-optus-could-easily-be-australias-biggest-heres-what-is-involved-191515" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Legal

5 million Aussies set to receive biggest cash boost in 30 years

Millions of struggling Australians will cop a much-needed cash boost this week, as Centrelink payments are set to increase to match the rising cost of living. The increased amount is set to be the biggest in 30 years and will benefit pensioners, disability support pensioners, carers' payments and those on Jobseeker and Rent Assist. Having been announced earlier in September, the increase will see the Aged Pension rise to $1025.50 for singles and $1547.60 for couples, while Job Seeker will rise to $677.20. Single parents are set to receive an extra $35.20, bringing their total up to $927.40, while Jobseeker recipients aged over 22 and without children will get an extra $25.70 per fortnight, bringing their total to $677. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said: “This indexation will be particularly big this month, because inflation is particularly challenging.” Image: Getty

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A class action against Optus could easily be Australia’s biggest

5 million Aussies set to receive biggest cash boost in 30 years

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

Biggest spenders of the Voice campaign finally revealed

Harry and Meghan named "2023's biggest losers"

The 4 biggest gift-giving mistakes, according to a consumer psychologist

Extreme weather is landing more Australians in hospital – and heat is the biggest culprit

"She had the biggest heart": Mum's tribute to five-year-old killed in a car crash

Biggest change to public holiday in 70 years

"So traumatic": Michelle Bridges grilled over Biggest Loser's impact

Sam Armytage's biggest "regret" from her time on Sunrise

Real estate’s ‘Biggest Loser’ Michelle Bridges fails to sell home

Goldie Hawn shares biggest Hollywood regret

Why why WHYYYY Tom Jones' biggest hit is ‘cancelled’

The biggest winners and losers of the Oscar nominations

Expat shares her five biggest culture shocks since moving to Australia

The three biggest revelations from Harry and Meghan's documentary

Frequent flyer discusses the biggest sins of travelling

"A tunnel of grief": King Charles' biggest regret from Princess Diana's funeral

Karl Stefanovic called the “biggest wimp” by camel tour operator

Johnny Ruffo opens up about biggest fear

A class action against Optus could easily be Australia’s biggest

5 million Aussies set to receive biggest cash boost in 30 years

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