Search

Sydneysiders witnessed horrific scenes on Saturday. How do you process and recover from such an event?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-felmingham-9075">Kim Felmingham</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Like many, I watched the reports of the violent attack at Bondi Junction yesterday with shock, horror and disbelief. My heart goes out to the people involved, the courageous first responders and to those who have lost loved ones in this tragic event. I also feel for those who witnessed the horror and will be working out how to get through the initial shock and, over time, put it behind them. Distress and strong emotional reactions are <a href="https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-psychological-and-psychiatric-effects-of-terrorism-lessons-fr">common</a> after these types of mass violent events. But different people will have <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">different emotional reactions</a> – and some may experience a range of shifting emotions. <h2>The first few days and weeks</h2> In the days and weeks after traumatic events like these, people <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/isitptsd/common_reactions.asp#:%7E:text=All%20kinds%20of%20trauma%20create,stop%20thinking%20about%20what%20happened.">often experience</a> a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306457320308670">range of emotions</a>: from fear and anxiety, anger, sadness and grief, disbelief and numbness, guilt and worry about safety. They may be jittery, more irritable or on edge, or it may affect their sleep. For many, their sense of risk may be heightened, particularly as such random violence occurred during such an ordinary event – shopping on a Saturday afternoon. This <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">can lead to</a> a heightened awareness of danger and concern for safety. <h2>What’s likely to happen over time?</h2> For most people, as they begin to process and make sense of what happened, these feelings will gradually reduce in intensity and people will begin to recover. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25311288/">Research shows</a> the majority of people recover from mass violent events within the initial few months. However, for people with more direct exposure to the trauma, these events and reactions may be more difficult to process. Some people <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26084284/">may go on</a> to develop mental health difficulties, most commonly anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understandably, those <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26084284/">more at risk</a> are people who were present during the trauma and experienced a direct threat, as well as those who witnessed the violence or aftermath, first responders (paramedics and police) and those who had loved ones injured or lost during the event. People who had more intense emotional responses during the trauma, or previous psychological difficulties or traumatic experiences, may also be <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26084284/">at greater risk</a>. <h2>What helps – and hinders – your recovery?</h2> To help process these traumatic events and promote recovery, social support is <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">particularly important</a>. Spending time with trusted family and friends can help people process the events and their emotional reactions. Talking about your feelings with supportive people can help you understand and accept them. But even if you don’t want to talk about your feelings, spending time with loved ones is helpful. It is also fine to need some time to be alone, but try not to isolate yourself or withdraw. If you can’t talk about your feelings, try not to bottle them up or deal with them by using alcohol or drugs. Find <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957853/">another way to express them</a> – whether through writing, art or music, or exercise. Give yourself permission and time to feel these emotions. Remind yourself you have just been through something extremely traumatic, take things day by day, and don’t expect too much of yourself. Try not to judge yourself for your actions or how you are coping. Keep some structure in your day, setting small goals, and increase your self-care: eat well, rest (even if you can’t sleep well), try yoga or relaxation. When you’re ready, try to get back to your normal routine. Seek out information from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957853/">trusted sources</a>, but try to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0886260517742915">avoid</a> being saturated by images or stories about the trauma, particularly graphic footage or speculation common on social media. <h2>What if children have witnessed it, too?</h2> If your children have been impacted, reassure them that they are safe and loved. When they are ready, talk to them gently about the trauma, acknowledge it and answer their questions. Encourage them to express their feelings and spend more time together doing family activities. Importantly, try to limit their exposure to graphic footage and images of the events in the media, and on social media. <h2>When to seek mental health care</h2> Reach out for professional mental health support if you experience ongoing difficulty with your emotional reactions, or if you’re having distressing memories of the trauma, difficulty sleeping or nightmares, or you want to avoid things that remind you of the traumatic event. Not everyone requires professional mental health support, but if you are experiencing these types of post-traumatic stress reactions a few weeks after the trauma, it’s important to speak to your GP to seek out professional support from psychologists or counselling services. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.<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/227867/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-felmingham-9075">Kim Felmingham</a>, Chair of Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</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/sydneysiders-witnessed-horrific-scenes-on-saturday-how-do-you-process-and-recover-from-such-an-event-227867">original article</a>.

Caring

Millions of phones at risk of being cut off from calling triple-0

Over a million Aussies may be unable to contact triple-0 as two major telcos cut their 3G networks. Telstra's network will be closed on June 30 this year followed by Optus, which will shut their 3G network in September. While most late model phones are now serviced by either 4G or 5G networks, there are many devices that still rely on 3G. Approximately 113,000 Telstra customers have not upgraded their 3G handsets, while Optus have not disclosed a figure. The greater concerns lie for older 4G-enabled handsets that may not be able to call triple-0 once the 3G networks are switched off, because of the way those phones are configured. In March, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was informed that 740,000 Australians were in that category. A month later, that figure was revised to over a million. "I welcome the industry’s first report to government but am concerned around their disclosure of around one million potentially impacted consumers,” the minister said. “I am considering the detail provided and next steps, and the government will have more to say about the 3G switchover soon.” She also said that they were open to delaying the switchover "if warranted in the public interest”. “Options exist under law for the government to consider proposals to delay the planned switchover, subject to consultation and procedural processes,” she said. Telstra has informed customers about what to do if they are affected, and how they could check. “If your mobile device doesn’t have Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology, even if it uses 4G data, it will not be able to make voice calls on our network after 30 June 2024,” they informed their customers. “Not all VoLTE enabled devices support emergency VoLTE calling, meaning they will not be able to make an emergency call to triple-0 once 3G closes." “Without taking the recommended action you won’t be able to connect to a network after 30 June 2024,” they warned. Customers who are worried that they might be impacted, are encouraged to text 3 to the number 3498, so that the telco can inform the customer on their connection status. Optus have also encouraged customers to contact them if they think they may be affected. Image: Getty

Legal

Unimaginable scenes as Baltimore bridge collapses

The tranquil waters of Baltimore's Patapsco River turned tumultuous in the early hours of Tuesday following a catastrophic event that shook the city to its core. The aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse has left a community reeling, with one confirmed fatality and six individuals still missing as rescue efforts persist amid harrowing conditions. The calamity unfolded when a mammoth container ship lost power, careening into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the US East Coast. The impact tore through the bridge's supports, sending vehicles and people plummeting into the frigid river below. In the chaos that ensued, heroes emerged as authorities swiftly responded, managing to halt traffic on the bridge, averting further catastrophe. However, the toll was already significant, with one individual confirmed dead and six others, believed to be part of a construction crew, still unaccounted for. As the day wore on, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace provided updates on the situation, indicating that one survivor had been rescued and rushed to a local trauma centre in critical condition. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard initiated a relentless search for the missing individuals, leveraging sonar technology to scour the depths of the river. The vessel responsible for the devastation, known as the Dali, was under the management of Synergy Marine Group, navigating under the Singapore flag. Although the crew and pilots were reported safe, the repercussions of the collision have reverberated far beyond the immediate vicinity. US President Joe Biden has pledged federal support for the reconstruction efforts: "This is going to take some time," he said. "The people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt." The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge not only claimed lives but also severed a vital link in the region's infrastructure. The Port of Baltimore, a bustling gateway for maritime commerce, now faces significant disruption, with vessel traffic suspended indefinitely. The reverberations of this tragedy extend beyond Baltimore, with logistical challenges expected to ripple along the entire East Coast. As the day progressed, stories of resilience and compassion emerged. Retired Chief Donald Heinbuch, startled from his sleep by the rumbling impact, bore witness to the unimaginable destruction. "Never would you think that you would see physically see the Key Bridge tumble down like that - it looked like something out of an action movie," he said. "And you just think about, most importantly, which is what we all should be thinking about right now, nothing but those families and people that are impacted and those people who are risking their lives right now, for not just Baltimore City and Baltimore County but all over the state, to try to save lives. That should be our focus - the preservation of life. Because no one wants to see that happen, let alone someone in their family someone that they know, be injured in an incident like this." Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott echoed the sentiments of a community in shock, emphasising the paramount importance of preserving life above all else. Images: Streamlive | 9News

Caring

10 million animals die on our roads each year. Here’s what works (and what doesn’t) to cut the toll

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/graeme-coulson-1378778">Graeme Coulson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helena-bender-98800">Helena Bender</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> There’s almost no warning. A dark shape appears on the side of the road, then you feel a jolt as something goes under the car. Or worse, the shape rears up, hits the front of your vehicle, then slams into the windscreen. You have just experienced a wildlife-vehicle collision. This gruesome scene plays out <a href="https://www.bbcearth.com/news/australias-road-kill-map">every night across Australia</a>. When these collisions happen, many animals become instant roadkill. An <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/23121/Thesis%20updated%20for%20library%20submission.pdf?sequence=1">estimated 10 million</a> native mammals, reptiles, birds and other species are killed each year. Others are injured and die away from the road. Some survive with <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-million-animals-are-hit-on-our-roads-each-year-heres-how-you-can-help-them-and-steer-clear-of-them-these-holidays-149733">terrible injuries and have to be euthanised</a>. The lucky ones might <a href="https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/who-should-i-contact-about-injured-wildlife/">be rescued</a> by groups such as <a href="https://wildliferescue.net.au/">Wildlife Rescue</a>, <a href="https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/">Wildlife Victoria</a> and <a href="https://www.wires.org.au/">WIRES</a>. Wildlife-vehicle collisions also increase the risk to whole populations of some threatened species, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/WR17143">Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo</a> on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. People are affected, too. Human <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13361">deaths and injuries</a> from these collisions are rising, with motorcyclists at greatest risk. Vehicle repairs are <a href="https://www.mynrma.com.au/-/media/wildlife-road-safety-report--final.pdf">inconvenient and costly</a>. Added to this is the distress for people when dealing with a dead or dying animal on the roadside. How can we reduce the wildlife toll on our roads? Many measures have been tried and proven largely ineffective. However, other evidence-based approaches can help avoid collisions. <h2>Evidence for what works is limited</h2> Many communities are worried about the growing impacts of wildlife-vehicle collisions and are desperate for solutions. Recent reports from <a href="https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1822182/FULLTEXT01.pdf">Europe</a> and <a href="https://westerntransportationinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/4w7576_Huijser_etal_WVC_ConnectivityLiteratureReview_PooledFundStudyFinalReport_2021.pdf">North America</a> review the many methods to reduce such collisions. Do these findings apply to Australia’s unique fauna? Unfortunately, we don’t have a detailed analysis of options for our wildlife, but here’s what we know now. Well-designed fences keep wildlife off our highways but also fragment the landscape. Happily, animals will use crossing structures – overpasses and <a href="https://theconversation.com/good-news-highway-underpasses-for-wildlife-actually-work-187434">underpasses</a> – to get to food and mates on the other side of the road. Fences and crossings do work, but are regarded as too costly over Australia’s vast road network. As for standard wildlife warning signs, drivers <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494358/">ignore most of them</a> after a while, making them ineffective. Signs with graphic images and variable messages get <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani3041142">more attention</a>, but we need road trials to assess their effect on drivers and collision rates. <h2>Whistling in the dark</h2> Some drivers install cheap, wind-driven, high-pitched wildlife whistles on their vehicles. Tests in the United States 20 years ago found humans and deer <a href="https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1582071">could not hear any whistling sound</a> above the road noise of the test vehicle. Yet these devices are still sold in Australia as kangaroo deterrents. The Shu-Roo, an Australian invention, is an active wildlife whistle. It is fitted to the bumper bar, producing a high-pitched electronic sound, which is claimed to scare wildlife away from the road. Sadly, <a href="https://rest.neptune-prod.its.unimelb.edu.au/server/api/core/bitstreams/3c3154e0-2f48-5b73-a6cd-a7423c2a75ee/content">our tests</a> show the Shu-Roo signal can’t be heard above road noise 50 metres away and has no effect on captive kangaroo behaviour. We also recruited fleets of trucks, buses, vans, utes and cars to field test the Shu-Roo. Nearly 100 vehicles covered more than 4 million kilometres across Australia over 15,500 days. The drivers reported just over one wildlife-vehicle collision per 100,000km travelled, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2021.042">there was no difference in the rate</a> for vehicles fitted with a Shu-Roo versus those without one. The virtual fence is the latest attempt to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. It uses a line of posts spaced along the roadside, each with a unit producing loud sounds and flashing lights aimed away from the road. Vehicle headlights activate the units, which are claimed to alert animals and reduce the risk of collision. Early results from Tasmania were encouraging. A 50% drop in possum and wallaby deaths was reported, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/AM19009">this trial had many design flaws</a>. Recent trials in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/752">Tasmania</a>, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/10/1323">New South Wales</a> and <a href="https://www.redland.qld.gov.au/downloads/download/292/virtual_fence_to_reduce_vehicle_collisions_with_wallabies_on_heinemann_rd_-_final_report_2020">Queensland</a> show no effect of virtual fencing on collisions with possums, wallabies or wombats. Our concern is that this system is being <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-02/wildlife-fence-trial-underway-in-queensland-and-phillip-island/12268110">rolled out</a> in <a href="https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2023/june/councils-innovative-trial-helping-keep-local-wildlife-safe">many</a> <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-26/nsw-south-coast-council-first-virtual-fence-to-protect-wildlife/101571600">parts</a> of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/the-stealth-tech-aiming-to-stop-roos-from-becoming-roadkill-20231222-p5etda.html">Australia</a>. It gives the impression of action to reduce collisions with wildlife, but without an evidence base, solid study design or adequate monitoring. <h2>A very messy problem</h2> The problem has many dimensions. We need to consider all of them to achieve safe travel for people and animals on our roads. At a landscape level, collision hotspots occur where wildlife frequently cross roads, which can help us predict the collision risk for species such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13465">koalas</a>. But the risk differs between species. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01530">on Phillip Island</a> most wallaby collisions happen on rural roads, while most involving possums and birds are in urban streets. Traffic volume and speed are key factors for many species, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2306">kangaroos</a>. Driver training and experience are also important. In the Royal National Park in New South Wales, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/6/6/40">half the drivers surveyed</a> had struck animals, including wallabies and deer. Yet most still <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-million-animals-are-hit-on-our-roads-each-year-heres-how-you-can-help-them-and-steer-clear-of-them-these-holidays-149733">weren’t keen</a> to slow down or avoid driving at dawn and dusk. Road design has a major influence on wildlife-vehicle collions too, but the planning process too often <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.959918">neglects wildlife studies</a>. Smarter cars are <a href="https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1822182/FULLTEXT01.pdf">being developed</a>. One day these will use AI to spot animal hazards, apply automatic emergency braking and alert other drivers of real-time risk. To explore potential technological solutions, Transport for NSW is running a <a href="https://www.eianz.org/events/event/symposium-using-technology-to-reduce-wildlife-vehicle-collisions">symposium</a> at the University of Technology Sydney on May 21. The symposium will cover wildlife ecology and the evidence base for options to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in Australia. <hr /> If you see an injured animal on the road, call <a href="https://www.wildliferescue.net.au/">Wildlife Rescue Australia</a> on 1300 596 457. for specific state and territory numbers, go to the <a href="https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/who-should-i-contact-about-injured-wildlife/">RSPCA injured wildlife site</a>.<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/222367/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/graeme-coulson-1378778">Graeme Coulson</a>, Honorary Principal Fellow, School of BioSciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helena-bender-98800">Helena Bender</a>, Senior Lecturer, Environmental Social Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</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/10-million-animals-die-on-our-roads-each-year-heres-what-works-and-what-doesnt-to-cut-the-toll-222367">original article</a>.

Domestic Travel

Stage 3 stacks up: the rejigged tax cuts help fight bracket creep and boost middle and upper-middle households

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-phillips-98866">Ben Phillips</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> The winners and losers from the Albanese government’s <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/tax-cuts-government-fact-sheet.pdf">rejig</a> of this year’s Stage 3 tax cuts have already been well documented. From July 1 every taxpayer will get a tax cut. Most, the 11 million taxpayers earning up to A$146,486, will also pay less tax than they would have under the earlier version of Stage 3, some getting a tax cut <a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-tax-plan-will-give-average-earner-1500-tax-cut-more-than-double-morrisons-stage-3-221875">twice as big</a>. A much smaller number, 1.8 million, will get a smaller tax cut than they would have under the original scheme, although their cuts will still be big. The highest earners will get cuts of $4,529 instead of $9,075. But many of us live in households where income is shared and many households don’t pay tax because the people in them don’t earn enough or are on benefits. The Australian National University’s <a href="https://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/policymod">PolicyMod</a> model is able to work out the impacts at the household level, including the impact on households in which members are on benefits or don’t earn enough to pay tax. <h2>More winners than losers in every broad income group</h2> We’ve divided Australian households into five equal-size groups ranked by income, from lowest to lower-middle to middle to upper-middle to high. Our modelling finds that, just as is the case for individuals, many more households will be better off with the changes to Stage 3 than would have been better off with Stage 3 as it was, although the difference isn’t as extreme. Overall, 58% of households will be better off with the reworked Stage 3 than they would have under the original and 11% will be worse off. Importantly, there remain 31% who will be neither better off nor worse off, because they don’t pay personal income tax. <hr /> <iframe id="0CWXE" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0CWXE/4/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> But it is different for different types of households. In the lowest-earning fifth of households, far more are better off (13.5%) than worse off (0.2%) with the overwhelming bulk neither better nor worse off (86.3%). <hr /> <iframe id="KC5zy" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/KC5zy/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> In the highest-earning fifth of households, while more than half are better off (54.4%), a very substantial proportion are worse off (42.3%). Very few (only 3.1%) are neither better nor worse off. <hr /> <iframe id="WSkSL" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WSkSL/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>But high-earning households go backwards on average</h2> In dollar terms, the top-earning fifth of households loses money while every group gains. That’s because although there are more winners than losers among the highest-earning fifth of households, the losers lose more money. The biggest dollar gains go to middle and upper-middle income households with middle-income households ahead, on average, by $988 per year and upper-middle income households by $1,102. The highest-income households are worse off by an average of $837 per year. As a percentage of income, middle-income households gain the most with a 1% increase in disposable income. Lowest income households gain very little, while the highest-income households go backwards by 0.3%. <hr /> <iframe id="kAPmC" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kAPmC/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>The rejig does a better job of fighting bracket creep</h2> And we’ve found something else. The original version of the Stage 3 tax cuts was advertised as a measure to overcome <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2-main-arguments-against-redesigning-the-stage-3-tax-cuts-are-wrong-heres-why-221975">bracket creep</a>, which is what happens when a greater proportion of taxpayers’ income gets pushed into higher tax brackets as incomes climb. We have found it wouldn’t have done it for most of the income groups, leaving all but the highest-earning group paying more tax after the change in mid-2024 than it used to in 2018. The rejigged version of Stage 3 should compensate for bracket creep better, leaving the top two groups paying less than they did in 2018 and compensating the bottom three better than the original Stage 3. <hr /> <iframe id="YG0cT" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/YG0cT/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Not too much should be made of the increase in tax rates in the lowest income group between 2018 ad 2024 because some of it reflects stronger income growth. We find that overall, the redesigned Stage 3 does a better job of offsetting bracket creep than the original. It is also better targeted to middle and upper-middle income households. Having said that, the average benefit in dollar terms isn’t big. At about $1,000 per year for middle and upper-middle income households and costing the budget about what the original Stage 3 tax cuts would have cost, its inflationary impact compared to the original looks modest.<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/221851/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-phillips-98866">Ben Phillips</a>, Associate Professor, Centre for Social Research and Methods, Director, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/stage-3-stacks-up-the-rejigged-tax-cuts-help-fight-bracket-creep-and-boost-middle-and-upper-middle-households-221851">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

$280 million lotto winner cuts ties with "greedy" family

Scotland resident Gillian Bayford went from rags to riches in an instant when she won the equivalent of a $278.36 million jackpot in August 2012. Thinking luck was finally on her side, Bayford didn't expect the amount of drama that came with the life-changing prize. It all began just 15 months after her lucky win with then-husband Adrian, who she split with allegedly due to the stress of managing the jackpot. Not long after, she spent $1,324,304 to pay off her family's debt, which included money that her late father Ian McCulloch and her brother Colin owed over a series of failed business ventures according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-won-187m-lottery-severed-ties-greedy-family-2023-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business Insider</a>. “My dad and brother built up one company after another and then closed them down,” Bayford said. “I’ve bailed them out of every debt.” She continued to keep her family financially afloat spending a total of $37.31 million on them, and even bought her parents - who were broke and living in a caravan at the time - a $522,388 penthouse apartment in eastern Scotland. But, according to the Mirror, that wasn't enough and her father insisted that she should give her brother around $1.5 million, for a new play-centre business. She obliged, and instead of thanking her, Colin now drives Audis with private plates, owns a $546,000 house and reportedly stopped talking to his sister. He even got married to his girlfriend without inviting Bayford to the wedding. “They have lost touch with where they’ve come from,” Bayford told The Sun. “They’re rubbing people’s noses in it by flashing their cash, which I think is downright nasty.” At one point her father even tried to take control of her winnings and even take a piece of her business. “It’s upsetting and raw,” she told the publication. “The money was supposed to make everybody happy. But it’s made them demanding and greedy.” She added, "they brought our name into disrespect in the village, and we had people threatening to torch the family house.” Bayford said that despite it all she takes pride in herself "because I know I’ve taken them out of a situation.” The lotto winner officially cut ties with her family in 2016 after they called her an embarrassment, while her mum Brenda McCulloch claims she’s heartbroken over the lack of contact with her daughter and grandchildren. “Gillian says that we didn’t try and get in touch with them, but if I’d tried she wouldn’t have let me,” she said. Her mum also claimed that while her daughter was “generous,” the actual amount she gave her family was much lower. “Every word that comes out of their mouths is a lie. I wish them a happy life, but there will be no reconciliation now," Bayford refuted. Image: Getty

Money & Banking

"She saw it and dodged it": Incredible scenes as tree plunges through seat in Schoolies crash

In a harrowing incident on K'Gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, a group of teenage girls narrowly escaped a potentially tragic accident during their Schoolies celebration. The friends were exploring the picturesque island off the Queensland coast when a tree crashed through the windscreen of their car, plunging right through the headrest of the passenger seat. Miraculously, all occupants emerged unscathed from this near-miss, thanks to a combination of quick reflexes and the timely intervention of volunteers from the Fraser Coast Red Frogs. As the teens ventured through the island's terrain, their joyous celebration took a terrifying turn when a massive tree limb plummeted onto their vehicle. The impact shattered the glass directly in front of the passenger seat, creating a scene of devastation that could have resulted in serious injuries – or worse. Astonishingly, one of the girls was seated in the passenger seat at the time, and her quick thinking and agility allowed her to dodge the falling debris, narrowly avoiding a potentially life-threatening situation. Tim Winnington, the Fraser Coast Red Frogs coordinator, described the fortuitous nature of the escape, saying, "There was a girl actually sitting in the passenger seat. She saw it and dodged it. They were so lucky not to get injured." The Red Frogs, a charity organisation that provides support and education at events like Schoolies and music festivals, played a crucial role in the aftermath of the incident, with volunteers from the organisation waiting with the shaken teenagers until help arrived. Madhill Motor Group, the generous donor of the ute used by the Red Frogs team, highlighted the gravity of the situation with photos shared on Facebook to demonstrate just how close the call was. The teenagers, treated for shock by paramedics, were fortunate to walk away physically unharmed, a fact not lost on them or their friends. In the aftermath of the incident, a friend of the girls expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Red Frogs for their swift and effective response. “They were all so lucky to walk away with no one being injured, and very lucky the Red Frogs were on scene so quickly and helped them so much, getting them a room to stay, driving their car for them, cleaning up all the glass and calming them all down in this traumatic experience,” they wrote. “We are all extremely grateful that you were there.” Images: Facebook

Travel Trouble

Manhunt as two men who fled scene of fatal car crash identified

The young victims of a deadly crash crash have been identified, as police continue their search for two men who fled the scene. Braydan Collier, 13, and Kaine Bell, 14, were killed after a silver Ford sedan slammed into a telegraph pole and a jacaranda tree in Ashcroft, western Sydney, at high speed on Monday, splitting the vehicle in two and throwing one of the young boys from the car. Braydan had just celebrated his 13th birthday on Sunday, the day before he and his best mate would be killed in the horrifying crash. The two men, one of whom was driving the car, abandoned the scene, prompting a major manhunt from police. The men are claimed by police to be Nicholas Thew and Anthony Morris, according to report from <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/braydan-collier-and-kaine-bell-killed-in-horror-ashcroft-crash/news-story/15b23363d37e02c5e2b6fa1839c23869" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a>. Graphic CCTV footage of the accident captured the moment two adult men, who, the publication reports “played surrogate big brother roles” in their lives, pulled themselves from the wreckage of the car, stepped over the boys’ bodies and fled the scene. One of the men could be heard yelling to his fellow front seat passenger “I wanna go home” as they ran, leaving the teenagers behind, who died at the scene. Nicholas Thew’s younger brother Dridyn told The Telegraph his family was horrified by the accident. He said he and his mother had taken the young victims “under their wing”. “Mum’s more worried about the two little boys, she tried to take them under her wing, she took Kaine and Braydan under her wing even though she struggles herself,” he said. “They’re little ones I took under my wing to keep out of trouble, but I haven’t seen them for two days and look where they are now." “My younger brother went around there and identified them. I’m heartbroken.” NSW Police are investigating the crash and the events leading up to it as they hunt for the two men who ran from the wreck, with Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden saying the accident was “clearly avoidable”. “We are looking for that driver to present themself so we can speak to him. We do not know what role, if any, he has played in the crash, but it is certainly an active line of investigation,” he said. He urged the pair who fled the vehicle to come forward, warning: “we will find them”. “They just need to present themselves to a police station, so we can engage with them and they can assist us with the inquiries and work out how this tragic situation unfolded,” Mr McFadden said. Image credits: Nine News

Legal

"I'm officially cutting ties": Sunrise star quits media for glittering new career

Former Weekend Sunrise TV presenter Talitha Cummins is embarking on a new chapter in her life, bidding farewell to her 20-year-long media career. Cummins, widely recognised for her role as a newsreader on Weekend Sunrise and more recently as a newsreader on Triple M Sydney, recently shared on social media her decision to step away from the media industry. Her departure is driven by her passion for a new venture in the world of jewellery. In a heartfelt Instagram post, the 43-year-old former journalist reflected on her two decades in journalism and television while also announcing her exciting shift toward launching her own diamond and jewellery business: "It’s a big day for me today," she wrote. "I’m officially cutting ties with a 20 year career in journalism/television + media consulting and launching my business in diamond and jewellery creating. "It’s a big shift, but the move to launching my own business has given me an energy and drive like never before. "Our family has been creating diamond jewellery for 50 years and I’ve joined forces with my uncle Craig and cousin Kara to create @thecutjewellery - Bespoke diamond ring and fine jewellery using lab diamonds - all crafted by our team of jewellers in Sydney.... "I’m excited to be a part of what’s proving to be the biggest disruptor to the jewellery industry." Cummins gained widespread acclaim as a member of Seven's Weekend Sunrise team in 2014, where she assumed the role of newsreader following Jessica Rowe's departure. However, her journey took an unexpected turn in early 2017 during her maternity leave with her first child, Oliver. She received a call from Seven News chief Craig McPherson, who informed her that her contract as a newsreader on the show had been terminated. This abrupt decision was met with astonishment and disappointment, especially as Cummins had anticipated resuming her role on the popular weekend breakfast show. Instead, she was offered a weekday 5am time slot, leaving her feeling blindsided by the sudden change. The timing of this development was particularly challenging for Cummins, as she was gearing up to promote her episode on Australian Story, aired on ABC, in which she candidly shared her personal battle with alcoholism and her remarkable four-year journey to sobriety. Cummins contested her dismissal, asserting that it had been unjust. In a mere four months, the Seven network and Cummins reached a confidential settlement, putting an end to the legal dispute. Cummins' departure from the media world marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in her life as she immerses herself in the world of diamonds and jewellery, following in her family's tradition and pursuing her passion. Images: Instagram

Jubilant scenes as High Court hands down judgment against Qantas

In a landmark decision that saw former employees pumping their fists in celebration inside the courtroom, Qantas has issued a formal apology to its workforce after the High Court declared its actions unlawful when it terminated the employment of over 1,700 ground crew members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court upheld two prior rulings from the Federal Court that deemed the airline's outsourcing of baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff to be in violation of the law. The judgment delivered by Justices Susan Kiefel, Stephen Gageler, Jacqueline Gleeson, and Jayne Jagot underscores that taking "adverse action against another person for a substantial and operative reason of preventing the exercise of a workplace right by the other person contravenes (part of section 340 of the Fair Work Act) ... regardless of whether that other person has the relevant workplace right at the time the adverse action is taken." In essence, Qantas could not evade the law by taking such actions before the employees possessed the specific workplace rights the airline sought to obstruct. Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus, who was there for the judgment's announcement, posted a celebratory photo on social media, declaring, "The workers win against Qantas in the High Court. We will always have the backs of workers, well done ⁦@TWUAus" <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The workers win against Qantas in the High Court. We will always have the backs of workers, well done ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/TWUAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TWUAus</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/wvZr7ouULX">pic.twitter.com/wvZr7ouULX</a> — Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) <a href="https://twitter.com/sallymcmanus/status/1701749294947291564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2023</a></blockquote> This legal battle began when the Transport Workers' Union brought a case against Qantas in the Federal Court, asserting that the airline had violated the Fair Work Act by outsourcing its ground operations to circumvent enterprise bargaining rights. Qantas, which had laid off workers in 2020, suffered significant financial losses due to the pandemic's severe impact on the aviation sector. In its response to the High Court's decision, Qantas clarified that it made the decision to outsource its remaining ground handling function in August 2020, at a time when borders were closed, lockdowns were widespread, and COVID-19 vaccines were not yet available. The airline stated, "The likelihood of a years-long crisis led Qantas to restructure its business to improve its ability to survive and ultimately recover." Qantas then expressed deep regret for the adverse personal impact this decision had on the affected employees and offered an apology: "As we have said from the beginning, we deeply regret the personal impact the outsourcing decision had on all those affected and we sincerely apologise for that. "A prior decision by the Federal Court has ruled out reinstatement of workers but it will now consider penalties for the breach and compensation for relevant employees, which will factor in redundancy payments already made by Qantas." The airline outsourced the positions of baggage handlers and cleaners at ten airports in response to a drastic decline in business, citing sound commercial reasons as the motivation, as its operations had plummeted by over 90 percent. However, the Transport Workers' Union argued that Qantas had also sought to preempt industrial action once business returned to normal, contending that the dismissals were in violation of the Fair Work Act, which prohibited actions impeding workers' rights. After losing twice in the Federal Court, Qantas escalated the case to the High Court, which was tasked with determining whether the workers possessed the rights claimed by the union at the time of the outsourcing decision. The unanimous decision of the High Court now paves the way for the workers to pursue compensation. Images: Twitter (X)

Legal

Home and Away star takes fans behind-the-scenes

Ada Nicodemou has given fans a behind-the-scenes look at what happens on the set of Home and Away. The video, posted on Instagram, showed a day in the life of her character Leah Patterson, and it started off with Ada getting her hair and make up done. “Now in the makeup chair!” a visibly excited Ada exclaimed, to which her make up artist replied, “Let’s do it, yay!” A bare-faced Ada explained to fans that she also rehearses her lines while getting her make up done, before the clip cuts to a video of her arriving on set, wearing dark sunglasses and a colourful jacket. “So, I just got to the garage set now, and I’m gonna do my first scene!” she explained, before co-star James Stewart, who plays Justin Morgan popped in to say hello. “Don’t I love this set?” Ada said sarcastically, which prompted a grin from her co-star who added: “Well, no, the garage is not really Ada’s favourite set, but the rest of us like it!” The clip then cuts to the second set of the day outside the Summer Bay House, where she introduced director Chris Martin Jones and another crew member, Tony Gardiner. She also showed a few clips of her filming a scene with Emily Symons, who plays Marilyn Chambers on the show. “So this scene is with the beautiful Em, it’s just a nice two-hander,” she said, as Emily smiled for the camera. However, it's not always sunshine and rainbows on set, when the day suddenly transformed into a grim one as Ada panned the camera around a rainy set. "Hopefully we can shoot,” she said, now dressed in a thick jacket which was very different to her previously bright orange tank-top. <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/reel/Cw2LGtmyslV/?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/Cw2LGtmyslV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Home and Away (@homeandaway)</a> </div> </blockquote> Unfortunately, because of the dreary weather the rest of the day's filming was cancelled. “Okay, so let’s just say we didn’t finish the shoot, there’s thunderstorms and lightning ... surely that’s a song," she jokingly concluded, in reference to the iconic Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody. “Um, so yeah, it’s a wrap. It’s a wrap!” Fans were obsessed with the behind-the-scenes content. “Thank you, wow, you really all work together wonderfully, thank you for sharing this Ada,” wrote one fan. “Aweeee love Home & Away!! You guys are the best," commented another. “Loved this!! Thank you for sharing lovely,” wrote a third. One curious fan questioned why they don't film and work with the weather when it is raining, to which Ada replied: “They always have to give the impression it’s always summer in Summer Bay lol.” Images: Instagram

Does private health insurance cut public hospital waiting lists? We found it barely makes a dent

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuting-zhang-1144393">Yuting Zhang</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jongsay-yong-10803">Jongsay Yong</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ou-yang-937801">Ou Yang</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> The more people take up private health insurance, the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/senate/community_affairs/completed_inquiries/1999-02/pubhosp/report/c05">less pressure</a> on the public hospital system, including <a href="https://www.privatehealthcareaustralia.org.au/australians-sign-up-to-private-health-insurance-in-record-numbers-to-avoid-hospital-waiting-lists/#:%7E:text=%22Private%20health%20insurance%20is%20the,and%20keep%20pressure%20off%20premiums.">shorter waiting lists</a> for surgery. That’s one of the key messages we’ve been hearing from government and the private health insurance industry in recent years. Governments <a href="https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/health_insurance/surcharges_incentives/index.htm">encourage us</a> to buy private hospital cover. They tempt us with carrots – for instance, with subsidised <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-and-private-health-insurance/Private-health-insurance-rebate/">premiums</a>. With higher-income earners, the government uses sticks – buy private cover or pay the <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-and-private-health-insurance/Medicare-levy-surcharge/">Medicare Levy Surcharge</a>. These are just some of the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/delivering-australias-lowest-private-health-insurance-premium-change-in-21-years#:%7E:text=Home-,Delivering%20Australia's%20lowest%20private%20health%20insurance%20premium%20change%20in%2021,be%202.70%20percent%20in%202022">billion-dollar strategies</a> aimed to shift more of us who can afford it into the private system. But what if private health insurance doesn’t have any meaningful impact on public hospital waiting lists after all? That’s what we found in our <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/publications/working-papers/search/result?paper=4721936">recent research</a>. Our analysis suggests if an extra 65,000 people buy private health insurance, public hospital waiting lists barely shift from the average 69 days. Waiting lists are an average just eight hours shorter. In other words, we’ve used hospital admission and waiting-list data to show private health insurance doesn’t make much difference. <h2>What we did</h2> Our <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/publications/working-papers/search/result?paper=4721936">work</a> looked at data from 2014-2018 on hospital admissions and waiting lists for elective surgery in Victoria. The data covered all Victorians who were admitted as an inpatient in all hospitals in the state (both public and private) and those registered on the waiting list for elective surgeries in the state’s public hospitals. That included waiting times for surgeries where people are admitted to public hospitals (as an inpatient). We didn’t include people waiting to see specialist doctors as an outpatient. The data was linked at the patient level, meaning we could track what happened to individuals on the waiting list. We then examined the impact of more people buying private health insurance on waiting times for surgeries in the state’s public hospitals. We did this by looking at the uptake of private health insurance in different areas of Victoria, according to socioeconomic status. After adjusting for patient characteristics that may affect waiting times, these differences in insurance uptake allowed us to identify how this changed waiting times. <h2>What we found</h2> In our sample, on average <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/4721936/wp2023n09.pdf">44% of people</a> in Victoria had private health insurance. This is close to the national average of <a href="https://www.apra.gov.au/private-health-insurance-annual-coverage-survey">45%</a>. We found that increasing the average private health insurance take-up from 44% to 45% in Victoria would reduce waiting times in public hospitals by an average 0.34 days (or about eight hours). This increase of one percentage point is equivalent to 65,000 more people in Victoria (based on <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3101.0Main+Features1Jun%202018?OpenDocument">2018 population data</a>) taking up (and using) private health insurance. The effects vary slightly by surgical specialty. For instance, private health insurance made a bigger reduction to waiting times for knee replacements, than for cancer surgery, compared to the average. But again, the difference only came down to a few hours. Someone’s age also made a slight difference, but again by only a few hours compared to the average wait. Given the common situation facing public and private hospitals across all states and territories, and similar private health insurance take-up in many states, our findings are likely to apply outside Victoria. <h2>Why doesn’t it reduce waiting lists?</h2> While our research did not address this directly, there may be several reasons why private health insurance does not free up resources in the public system to reduce waiting lists: <ul> <li> people might buy health insurance and not use it, preferring to have free treatment in the public system rather than risk out-of-pocket costs in the private system </li> <li> specialists may not be willing to spend more time in the public system, instead <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1753-6405.12488">favouring working</a> in private hospitals </li> <li> there’s a growing need for public hospital services that may not be available in the private system, such as complex neurosurgery and some forms of cancer treatment. </li> </ul> <h2>Why is this important?</h2> Government <a href="https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/health_insurance/surcharges_incentives/index.htm">policies</a> designed to get more of us to buy private health insurance involve a significant sum of public spending. Each year, the Australian government spends about <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/delivering-australias-lowest-private-health-insurance-premium-change-in-21-years#:%7E:text=Home-,Delivering%20Australia's%20lowest%20private%20health%20insurance%20premium%20change%20in%2021,be%202.70%20percent%20in%202022">$A6.7 billion</a> in private health insurance rebates to reduce premiums. In the 2020-21 financial year, Medicare combined with state and territory government expenditure provided almost <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/hospitals/australias-hospitals-at-a-glance/contents/spending-on-hospitals">$6.1 billion</a> to fund services provided in private hospitals. There might be an argument for this public spending if the end result was to substantially take pressure off public hospitals and thereby reduce waiting times for treatment in public hospitals. But the considerable effort it takes to encourage more people to sign up for private health insurance, coupled with the small effect on waiting lists we’ve shown, means this strategy is neither practical nor effective. Given the substantial costs of subsidising private health insurance and private hospitals, public money might be better directed to public hospitals and primary care. In addition, people buying private health insurance can skip the waiting times for elective surgery to receive speedier care. These people are often <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/4682822/wp2023n08.pdf">financially well off</a>, implying unequal access to health care. <h2>What’s next?</h2> The Australian government is currently <a href="https://consultations.health.gov.au/medical-benefits-division/consultation-on-phi-studies/">reviewing</a> private health insurance. So now is a good time for reforms to optimise the overall efficiency of the health-care system (both public and private) and improve population health while saving taxpayer money. We also need policies to ensure equitable access to care as a priority. When it comes to reducing hospital waiting lists, we’ve shown we cannot rely on increased rates of private health insurance coverage to do the heavy lifting.<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/211680/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuting-zhang-1144393">Yuting Zhang</a>, Professor of Health Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jongsay-yong-10803">Jongsay Yong</a>, Associate Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ou-yang-937801">Ou Yang</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> 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/does-private-health-insurance-cut-public-hospital-waiting-lists-we-found-it-barely-makes-a-dent-211680">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

How air travellers can cut their door-to-door emissions right now – by as much as 13% on the Sydney-Melbourne route

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rico-merkert-90253">Rico Merkert</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-li-1460445">David Li</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Our climate is changing, and airlines are under pressure to reduce emissions from air travel. For many of us, especially in Australia, flying is an essential form of transport, so how can we reduce its environmental impact? Getting to and from the airport is an overlooked aspect of air travel that offers an immediate way to cut total carbon emissions from the trip by a surprisingly large amount. Our newly published <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920923002468">research</a> shows for an average economy passenger flying from Sydney to Melbourne, the carbon emissions from using a fossil-fuelled car to get to and from the airports make up a staggering 13.5% of the total door-to-door emissions. At a global scale, this number reaches 12.1% for long-haul flights and up to 22.8% for short-haul air journeys. For comparison, in the International Air Transport Association’s <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/roadmaps/">2050 net-zero emission roadmap</a>, 13% of global airline decarbonisation will come from electric and hydrogen propulsion. A further 65% is to come from mass adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel produced from non-petroleum-based renewable sources such as some municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats, greases and oils. Each of these big lifters requires a mammoth level of investment and technological breakthroughs, and comes with limitations and risks. Some solutions might make air travel prohibitively expensive. Airlines are moving mountains to decarbonise, but there are increasing concerns their net-zero plans might not stack up. In contrast, a 13.5% emission reduction on a Sydney-Melbourne door-to-door journey today may sound like a dream. Yet our research shows it’s easily achievable if travellers can be persuaded to change how they get to and from the airport. <h2>So how can travellers be convinced to switch?</h2> <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/agricultural-and-resource-economics-review/article/future-of-carbon-labeling-factors-to-consider/FDBC62244F2ACA29A7602886085B4A91">Research</a> has shown carbon “labelling” helps shift consumer behaviour towards greener choices. It’s a bit like how the nutrition label on the back of our cereal box helps us choose healthier options. For instance, when searching for a flight on online travel platform Skyscanner, all flight options are displayed with carbon emissions, so consumers can make a more informed choice. Two <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5n53672m">recent</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03611981211046924">studies</a> at the University of California, Davis, suggest showing consumers the emission outcomes of different gate-to-gate flight choices, such as aircraft types and transit stops, can prompt them to choose greener flights, reducing emissions by up to 3.8%. But air journeys don’t start or end at airports. They start at home and end at destinations, or vice versa. Our air-travel carbon emissions are divided into ground and air segments and counted as airport and airline emissions respectively. While airlines focus on gate-to-gate decarbonisation through future technologies, the door-to-door emissions produced by travel to and from airports can be reduced immediately. Let’s look at an example of a Sydney-to-Melbourne trip. Say you travel from North Sydney to Sydney Airport by car, then fly to Melbourne Airport and catch a taxi to the city centre. That trip emits 82 kilograms of CO₂ door-to-door. But if you use a train, bus or electric vehicle (charged from a renewable source) to travel to and from the airport, the emissions from your trip drop to 71kg: a 13.5% fall door-to-door. Although travel platforms are increasingly communicating gate-to-gate emissions to consumers, we’re not aware of any that are including door-to-door emissions. Helping climate-conscious consumers understand the door-to-door carbon impact of airport ground connections could drive them to choose greener options such as public transport and electric vehicles. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.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/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Google Flights chart of air travel options showing emissions and cost" /></a><figcaption>Travel aggregator search platforms are now labelling carbon emissions when offering flight options. Google Flights</figcaption></figure> <h2>Give airlines an incentive to inform passengers</h2> Governments and airports have long collaborated in driving consumers towards greener ground transit options. For instance, Transport for NSW has set a 50% emission-reduction <a href="https://www.future.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/Future_Transport_Strategy_2.pdf">target</a> for 2030. However, consumer adoption of these options has remained low. <a href="https://www.ttf.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TTF_Accessing_Sydney_Airport.pdf">Most airport trips</a> in Australia today are still made by conventional car. As consumers, we have relationships with airlines that we don’t have with airports. When it comes to flying, we choose our airline carefully. Yet we rarely think about how we get to the airport. Airlines are experts in customer communication and engagement. They operate some of the largest frequent-flyer programs in the world. Last time we checked, Qantas had <a href="https://www.finder.com.au/frequent-flyer/qantas">15 million</a> program members and Virgin had <a href="https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/velocity-frequent-flyer-soars-11-million-members">11 million</a>. Through these channels, airlines learn about us and how we tick when it comes to making flying choices. This puts them in an ideal position to keep us informed about door-to-door travel and drive the transition towards greener airport ground-connection options. To give them an incentive to do so, their efforts should be recognised through emission accounting. <h2>A cost-effective way to cut emissions</h2> Travellers using the Sydney Airport train station must pay an <a href="https://www.opal.com.au/en/opal-fares/airport_station_access_fee/">access fee</a>, which adds <a href="https://airportlink.com.au/trip-information/price/">A$15.74</a> to the cost of the journey. As our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920923002468">paper</a> highlights, the average customer using the airport train removes 2.7kg of CO₂. Achieving the same amount of decarbonisation during the flight using more sustainable aviation fuel – which is more expensive – would cost the customer about the same: between $10 and $16. So there is an opportunity for airlines to highlight this decarbonisation outcome as a way to persuade travellers to reconsider driving a car or catching a taxi, and instead take the airport train or bus. Airlines could also consider collaborating with airports to build airport charging facilities for electric vehicles as uptake in Australia approaches a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/31/australian-electric-vehicles-ev-sales-rise-increase">double-digit share</a> of new vehicle sales. This overlooked opportunity to cut door-to-door emissions from air travel has a substantial upside. It deserves far more attention from airlines, airports and consumers.<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/211099/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rico-merkert-90253">Rico Merkert</a>, Professor in Transport and Supply Chain Management and Deputy Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS), University of Sydney Business School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-li-1460445">David Li</a>, PhD Candidate, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of 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/how-air-travellers-can-cut-their-door-to-door-emissions-right-now-by-as-much-as-13-on-the-sydney-melbourne-route-211099">original article</a>.

Domestic Travel

Iconic movie scenes that nearly didn’t happen

There are a multitude of significant changes that get made throughout the creation of a feature film. These iconic movie scenes nearly didn’t happen but thankfully, a spark of genius made these beloved movie moments make it on our screens. 1. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gTVoFCP1BLg?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Originally, Spielberg went for a bleak ending where E.T. dies in government captivity, but people thought this ending was much too miserable. Instead, the ending was famously reworked to see E.T fly across the moon into freedom. Spielberg also ended up making that shot the logo of his production company Amblin Entertainment. 2. Lady and the Tramp <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9gwZC5s2IU0?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> The spaghetti date between Lady and the Tramp is the most iconic moment in the 1955 animation. Walt Disney thought the idea was a bit far-fetched to begin with and so he cut the scene from the first storyboards. “Walt wasn't convinced that that would be a very clean-cut scene," former Disney archivist Steven Vagnini told Yahoo Movies. "As you can imagine, if you have two pets and they eat a plate of spaghetti, it's hard to envision that being too graceful." Thankfully, the adorable scene was included. 3. Rocky The original ending of Rocky was going to feature Sylvester Stallone crowd surfing towards Adrian after his victory. However, there were not enough extras to carry Stallone so instead, a more intimate scene was created where he yells his girlfriend’s name. 4. Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LXVqSa2l6mg?feature=oembed" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Wrath of Khan’s ending was altered after a test audience said Spock’s death was too bleak. A last-minute scene was shot showing his coffin landing on the Genesis Planet, giving a glimmer of hope of his return. Leonard Nimoy only learned of the change when he watched the completed film. Images: Universal Pictures

Movies

Kate Winslet reveals behind-the-scenes secrets on Titanic

Kate Winslet has recounted the time she got Sir Peter Jackson into trouble with security. Speaking to Variety magazine, the Oscar-winning actress says she, her Heavenly Creatures director and his partner, screenwriter Fran Walsh, ran afoul of the authorities on the set of Titanic just over 20 years ago. "I've never told this story," she said of Jackson and Walsh's somewhat brief visit to the Los Angeles set of James Cameron's epic drama. "They were in L.A. and said 'oh, we must come down and see you'. I took them on set on a Sunday afternoon. We got out back, and the security guard said, 'You can't be here'. Until that moment, it hadn't occurred to me. They were my friends. What's lovely now is that James Cameron and Peter Jackson have a lot to do with each other because of Weta and Avatar. 'Of course you [Jackson] wanted to come visit! You're so cheeky. Duh.'" Asked what memories she had of the Titanic shoot itself, Winslet said shooting the scene behind the gate where Leonardo Di Caprio's character loses a key was "genuinely scary". "I didn't like shooting that at all". Confessing that she had no idea how big the movie, which came out in December 1997, was going to be, Winslet said she saw the film for the first time at a regular cinema screening in uptown Los Angeles. Absent for the premiere as she was in Morocco filming, Winslet recounted how she put on a baseball cap "because someone told me I ought to do that". "That was a real thrilling experience, to sit and watch a movie that I was in with a proper audience. I hadn't done that before or since." The 42-year-old English actress, currently onscreen in The Mountain Between Us, also contradicted earlier reports that Heavenly Creatures was the only one of her films she'd seen more than once. She told Variety that in fact it was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, because "my children love it". “That's really the only thing of mine they can actually see without their mother taking off her clothes or dying." Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Images: Getty

Movies

King Charles cuts ties with TV host over affair revelations

King Charles has cut all ties with UK television host Phillip Schofield, after he lied about having an affair. Schofield has been dumped from his hosting gig at This Morning, which he has been the face of for 21 years, after he admitted he had an affair with a much younger man who worked at the ITV network. The 61-year-old resigned from the network after lying about the “consensual on-off relationship", admitting in a statement that the affair was "unwise" but stressed it was "not illegal". He added that he was "deeply sorry" for having lied to his wife and to ITV about his relationship with the man reportedly 30 years his junior and who he first met as a teenager. “Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship,” he said in his recent statement. In light of the affair, Schofield has been dropped by The Prince's Trust, after being an ambassador for several years. A spokesperson from the King's charity told <a title="The Telegraph" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/30/phillip-schofield-dropped-princes-trust-this-morning-affair/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Telegraph</a> UK that it was mutually agreed it was "no longer appropriate to work together". "In light of Phillip's recent admissions, we have agreed with him that it is no longer appropriate to work together," a Prince's Trust spokesperson said. All references to Schofield have been removed from the charity's website and also his own page. It previously read, "Outside of work, Phillip is an ambassador for the charity The Prince's Trust, dedicating time to further the work of supporting vulnerable young people in the UK". The Prince's Trust was created in 1976 by then-Prince Charles to help young disadvantaged people in the UK, with the hugely successful charity helping more than one million young people by providing them with business grants, education and training. Following the bombshell revelation of Schofield's affair, ITV said it had investigated the allegations of his affair "several times" from early 2020, but said it didn't find any evidence. It's been a trying time for the ex-presenter with his brother Timothy recently being jailed for 12 years over child sex offences. Image credits: Getty Images

News

“Dreadful”: MasterChef fans appalled over behind-the-scenes snaps

MasterChef fans were shocked after the show’s official Instagram account posted a series of behind-the-scenes photos that showed the contestants hanging out at their accommodation. The post was captioned: "Blink and you'll miss it, it's already the end of week 2!" Fans quickly flooded the comment section after a few were left appalled at the poor quality of the accommodation, with one user calling it “dreadful”. "TBH I think Endomol Shine (or whoever it is) have a nerve giving these contestants such dreadful accommodation! I cant believe what I'm seeing,” wrote one user. "Doesn’t look a particularly inviting place to rest up and relax! Chipped old table etc," commented another. "What happened to that fancy house contestants used to live in?" questioned a third user. “Jeez have they got you living in dongas or something,” wrote a fourth. "Geez looks like they really lashed out on luxe digs this year,” commented a fifth user with laughing emojis. "Not impressed with the accommodation for the contestants. Looks like cabins at a caravan park," another added. However, a couple other fans didn’t have a problem with it and instead commented on how the contestants looked like they were having a good time. "I love seeing the camaraderie between the contestants," commented one person on the photos that were also shared on Facebook. "Lovely group of cooks this year," wrote another. “Loving the BTS photos of the cast interactions. Please post more,” commented a third. Other photos shared on the show’s official Facebook page show contestants posing for a selfie in what seems to be a serviced apartment, which according to <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-au/2022/06/11020764/masterchef-australia-questions-answered" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Refinery29 Australia</a> is where contestants stayed in the previous season. In 2020, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/masterchef-secrets-what-you-didnt-know-about-channel-10-cooking-show/news-story/6f008aae27d4294e90ee56e9304a3161" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a> also revealed that contestants usually live in "a multimillion-dollar mansion", so it’s possible that the photos shared on Instagram were taken backstage and not at their accommodation. Images: MasterChef AU Instagram

Why being married cuts your risk of skin cancer

A new study has found that married couples are less likely to die of skin cancer because they spot warning signs earlier than singles. The study, which observed 50,000 American skin cancer patients, found that 45.7 per cent of those who were married, had stage 1 tumours – which have a 98 per cent survival rate. The chance of catching skin cancer early dropped 32 per cent for singles, 38 per cent for divorcees and 70 per cent for widowers. The researchers from the University of Pennsylvania said they were stunned by the striking difference in diagnoses. The researchers believe these findings should help dermatologists adjust their advice to patients based on their relationship status, suggesting screening at an earlier age for single patients and encouraging home-screen training for those in relationships. Victims of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are expected to increase by seven per cent by 2035. For those diagnosed with stage 1 disease, the five-year survival is reportedly 98 per cent. The five-year survival drops to 62 per cent for those diagnosed with stage 3 disease The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, aimed to investigate how lifestyle and relationships could impact patients’ early detection chances. “Spouses likely facilitate early detection of melanomas by assisting in identification of pigmented lesions that may have otherwise gone unnoticed,” said corresponding author Dr Cimarron Sharon, a dermatologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “They may also provide support and encouragement to see a physician for evaluation. “Thus, married patients are likely to receive a better prognosis because of earlier surgical management.” The study also found that married patients were more likely than single, divorced or widowed patients to have a sentinel lymph node biopsy. SLNB is linked to survival as the sentinel lymph node is closest to a tumour and is the first place it would spread. Dr Sharon said this could be “associated with the spouse's role in supporting the patient and engaging in further discussion”. A partner also reduces the difficulty in travelling to and from a hospital and finding a carer post-surgery. This study is the largest of its kind to find the influence of marriage on the detection of melanoma. Dr Sharon said, “These findings support increased consideration of spousal training for partner skin examination and perhaps more frequent screening for unmarried patients. “Marital status should be considered when counselling patients for melanoma procedures and when recommending screening and follow-up to optimize patient care.” Image credit: Shutterstock

Body

Gardener exposes neighbour over loud mowing complaint

A neighbourhood “bully” has been slammed online after threatening to call the police on a gardener for making “too much” noise while cleaning up an overgrown property. James Selmes, from Lush Cut Lawns, was tidying a garden of a home in Blacktown, west of Sydney, when the disgruntled neighbour approached him to complain about the noise. “Mate, I’m just from up the road, how long are you going to be doing this for?” the miffed man asked. Mr Selmes told him he had been working on the lawn for a couple of hours, and that he’d likely be working a few more. “All morning you’ve given me a f***ing headache. You need to finish it up,” the man demanded. The gardener said it had only been two hours and that he was “allowed to mow lawns”. “It’s as simple as that. The neighbours have seen this lawn bad, and no one has even bothered to come and help them,” Mr Selmes said. “Perhaps if you guys helped, we wouldn’t have this issue.” The neighbour rejected his comments, responding “Do you think I care about that?” “Let me tell you again, I’m going to be a nice guy, 15 minutes alright? 15 minutes before I call the police. I can’t have this all morning. “So are you going to be here another two hours?" Mr Selmes advised him there were no laws against mowing during the middle of the day. “I’m allowed to mow lawns in the morning or any time during the day between reasonable hours,” he said, with the neighbour hitting back, “yeah, reasonable!” Mr Selmes again attempted to argue his point. “I’m here mowing the lawn, I’m here to help somebody out, that’s all I’m here to do,” he explained. It was clear the neighbour paid no mind to Mr Selmes’ remarks as he maintained he was going to call the police. “Fifteen minutes, I’ll call the police. You make up your own mind,” he said. At his wit's end, Mr Selmes encouraged the neighbour to call the police if he deemed it necessary. “Go and call the police then, I don’t really care. Seeya!” he said. Once the neighbour left, Mr Selmes said it had taken 18 months for him to receive a negative reaction to his work. “Well, that’s a first. It took me a year-and-a-half for someone to complain about the noise. Oh well, what’s he going to do? It’s not against the law." “Tough sh** as they say. I’m just here to do a job and that’s it. People can be kind of weird, hey.” The video of the encounter was uploaded to YouTube, attracting more than 1.8 million views and nearly 5,000 comments of support. “I bet that guy is a pain in the a*se to the entire neighbourhood. You did a great job on this lawn. And you told the guy what you thought of his threat,” one comment read. “After that encounter with that miserable neighbour, I would have definitely taken my time and made sure every inch of that property was perfect,” another added. “He is the same type of neighbour I had who would yell at the kids for laughing too loud as they played outside. Blessings to you for not letting him bring you down,” a third wrote. Image credit: YouTube

Home & Garden

“As good as it gets”: Behind the scenes of Elton John’s final tour

Richard Wilkins has shared priceless insights into the backstage experience of Sir Elton John’s final Australian tour after attending the music legend’s concert in Newcastle – and he even ran into a few more rock celebrities while meeting the man himself. Wilkins had the privilege of catching up with Elton in person, after Elton launched the Australian leg of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Farewell Tour in Newcastle, and the Today entertainment editor reported that he "absolutely delivered in spades". "To witness Elton John in concert is to witness an absolute masterclass in stadium entertainment and rock and roll - witnessing a legend at the top of his game," said Wilkins on the Today segment. And Wilkins wasn't alone backstage when it came to rubbing shoulders with the rock and roll royalty; Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were in attendance, and seemed more than happy to share a candid photograph with Sir Elton and Wilkins. <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/CnMB89Uri1u/?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/CnMB89Uri1u/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Richard Wilkins AM (@richardwilkins)</a> </div> </blockquote> Wilkins went on to say that everyone lucky enough to see Elton live would be waking up this morning "with a big smile on their face". "It's a joyous experience," he said. "A show for the ages and the great man will be waking up with a smile on his face as well knowing he's made a lot of people happy." “On-stage at seven. Offstage at nine-thirty. Two-and-a-half hours of hit after hit after hit… He’s “still standing”, and when he hits that piano you instantly know.” Image: Richard Wilkins / Instagram

Music

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Sydneysiders witnessed horrific scenes on Saturday. How do you process and recover from such an event?

Millions of phones at risk of being cut off from calling triple-0

Unimaginable scenes as Baltimore bridge collapses

10 million animals die on our roads each year. Here’s what works (and what doesn’t) to cut the toll

Stage 3 stacks up: the rejigged tax cuts help fight bracket creep and boost middle and upper-middle households

$280 million lotto winner cuts ties with "greedy" family

"She saw it and dodged it": Incredible scenes as tree plunges through seat in Schoolies crash

Manhunt as two men who fled scene of fatal car crash identified

"I'm officially cutting ties": Sunrise star quits media for glittering new career

Jubilant scenes as High Court hands down judgment against Qantas

Home and Away star takes fans behind-the-scenes

Does private health insurance cut public hospital waiting lists? We found it barely makes a dent

How air travellers can cut their door-to-door emissions right now – by as much as 13% on the Sydney-Melbourne route

Iconic movie scenes that nearly didn’t happen

Kate Winslet reveals behind-the-scenes secrets on Titanic

King Charles cuts ties with TV host over affair revelations

“Dreadful”: MasterChef fans appalled over behind-the-scenes snaps

Why being married cuts your risk of skin cancer

Gardener exposes neighbour over loud mowing complaint

“As good as it gets”: Behind the scenes of Elton John’s final tour

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Sydneysiders witnessed horrific scenes on Saturday. How do you process and recover from such an event?

Millions of phones at risk of being cut off from calling triple-0

Unimaginable scenes as Baltimore bridge collapses

10 million animals die on our roads each year. Here’s what works (and what doesn’t) to cut the toll

Stage 3 stacks up: the rejigged tax cuts help fight bracket creep and boost middle and upper-middle households

$280 million lotto winner cuts ties with "greedy" family

"She saw it and dodged it": Incredible scenes as tree plunges through seat in Schoolies crash

Manhunt as two men who fled scene of fatal car crash identified

"I'm officially cutting ties": Sunrise star quits media for glittering new career

Jubilant scenes as High Court hands down judgment against Qantas

Home and Away star takes fans behind-the-scenes

Does private health insurance cut public hospital waiting lists? We found it barely makes a dent

How air travellers can cut their door-to-door emissions right now – by as much as 13% on the Sydney-Melbourne route

Iconic movie scenes that nearly didn’t happen

Kate Winslet reveals behind-the-scenes secrets on Titanic

King Charles cuts ties with TV host over affair revelations

“Dreadful”: MasterChef fans appalled over behind-the-scenes snaps

Why being married cuts your risk of skin cancer

Gardener exposes neighbour over loud mowing complaint

“As good as it gets”: Behind the scenes of Elton John’s final tour

Our Partners

Join Over60