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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

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

"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

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

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

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

Why do I sprain my ankle so often and how can I cut the risk of it happening again?

Are you one of those people who seems to be forever spraining their ankle? To some extent, ankle sprains are <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/54/6/603/420863/Epidemiology-of-Ankle-Sprains-and-Chronic-Ankle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part and parcel</a> of being active. But if it’s happening again and again, here’s what may be going on – and how you can reduce your risk of recurrent ankle sprain. <h2>One sprain can lead to another… and another</h2> A large <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0102-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> of ankle sprain studies in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0102-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sports Medicine</a> found most people who actively play sport or train can expect to have a fairly low incidence of ankle sprain per 1,000 hours of training time. But it also said: <blockquote> Females were at a higher risk of sustaining an ankle sprain compared with males and children compared with adolescents and adults, with indoor and court sports the highest risk activity. </blockquote> The most frequent type of ankle sprain occurs if the ligaments on the outside of the ankle are stretched or torn when the joint moves beyond the normal range of movement. This is known as an inversion or lateral ankle sprain. Strong evidence from <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/56/6/578/466668/Lateral-Ankle-Sprain-and-Subsequent-Ankle-Sprain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">studies</a> suggests once people sprain their ankle, they are more likely to re-sprain it. As one <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/56/6/578/466668/Lateral-Ankle-Sprain-and-Subsequent-Ankle-Sprain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> of the evidence put it: <blockquote> a history of lateral ankle sprain is known to disrupt the structural integrity of the ligaments and sensorimotor function, likely impairing an individual’s ability to avoid injurious situations. </blockquote> Some ankle sprains might seem to be very minor, with almost no swelling or mobility problems. But some people can end up with what’s known as chronic ankle instability, where they tend to re-sprain their ankle again and again. Another <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0781-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> looking at factors contributing to chronic ankle instability found <blockquote> feelings of instability and recurrent ankle sprain injuries (termed chronic ankle instability, or CAI) have been reported in up to 70% of patients. The subsequent development of CAI has adverse health consequences including reduced quality of life and early-onset osteoarthritis. </blockquote> Once an ankle fracture is excluded, busy hospital emergency departments often send patients home with instructions to ice the ankle and keep off it for a day or two. There’s often no advice to follow up with a physio for rehabilitation. This is unfortunate, as evidence suggests people with a history of ankle sprains will likely: <ul> <li> become progressively <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/50/7/742/112426/Physical-Activity-Levels-in-College-Students-With" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less active</a> </li> <li> have <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/24/1496.long" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher</a> body mass indices </li> <li> report more general body <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/24/1496.long" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pain</a> and </li> <li> generally tend to have a lower <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/24/1496.long" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quality of life</a>. </li> </ul> <h2>Even the other ankle may be at risk</h2> Research suggests people who sprain their ankle may be more likely to have <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/56/6/578/466668/Lateral-Ankle-Sprain-and-Subsequent-Ankle-Sprain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">injuries</a> to other joints on the same leg, or even the opposite leg. A review in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4196323/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Journal of Sports Physiotherapy</a> noted “an ankle sprain is linked to both re-injury and subsequent injury to the contralateral side”. Why? It may have something to do with the brain’s tremendous ability to continually adapt. Just as <a href="http://www.ajnr.org/content/36/11/2048" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extended bed rest</a> or prolonged microgravity exposure in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68201-3_3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">astronauts</a> can cause changes in the brain and the way it relates to movement, perhaps our brains subconsciously compensate after an ankle injury. That could be by, for example, via limping or a slight change in the way you walk; perhaps you subconsciously don’t want to challenge the ankle due to fear of re-spraining. This may put other joints or the opposite limb at heightened risk. This neuroplasticity adds new challenges to the assessment or rehabilitation of ankle injury, and to predicting who is likely to be at increased <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913847.2020.1780098?journalCode=ipsm20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">risk of subsequent injuries</a>. <h2>What can you do to reduce the risk of re-spraining your ankle?</h2> If you’re getting recurrent ankle sprains, see a physiotherapist. They will be able to teach you how to reduce the risk. Currently the best evidence for reducing the chances of re-spraining your ankle sprain comes down to two main things: 1) Protecting the joint with an ankle brace when active This could mean using a <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/54/6/650/420871/Prevention-of-Lateral-Ankle-Sprains" target="_blank" rel="noopener">professionally fitted external support brace</a> (not an elastic sleeve). This is a relatively low cost and effective means of risk reduction. 2) Using balancing exercises and ‘proprioceptive training’ Examples of <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/52/11/1065/112804/Proprioceptive-Training-for-the-Prevention-of" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proprioceptive training</a> include: <ul> <li> balancing on each leg, one at a time, while throwing and catching a ball against a wall </li> <li> balancing on an ankle disc or wobble board for three to five minutes daily. </li> </ul> These exercises can help strengthen the muscles and ligaments in your ankle. As one literature review put it: Proprioceptive training is a cost- and time-effective intervention that can benefit patients who have sustained a previous ankle sprain during physical activity and can subsequently reduce the risk of further complications. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-sprain-my-ankle-so-often-and-how-can-i-cut-the-risk-of-it-happening-again-190751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Cooking from meal boxes can cut household food waste

The amount of food wasted by households each year was estimated at <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/unep-food-waste-index-report-2021">570 million tonnes</a> in 2019. This is food that has been produced, packaged and taken to shops and homes, only to end up in the bin. Not only is the food wasted, but the greenhouse gases emitted during the entire process – from raising livestock, making packaging, transporting fruit and vegetables in refrigerated vehicles – are a pointless ecological burden. Once in landfills, the food rots and releases gases that are highly toxic for the environment, such as methane. Studies have shown that food waste accounts for between <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste">6-8%</a> of all the greenhouse gas emissions fuelling climate change. Food waste not only squanders natural resources, money and effort, it degrades the environment. It’s also ethically wrong to waste so much food while so many people are hungry. The fact that households waste such vast quantities of food in the first place may come as a surprise. Most people tend to believe they waste very little and often <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590289X19300234">trivialise the consequences</a> of wasted food. But the amount of food being sent to landfill suggests we are not so good at predicting how much food we actually need when cooking. One way to limit the chance of cooking too much or buying too many ingredients may be to cook from subscription meal boxes. In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622035739?via%3Dihub">a recent study</a>, we looked at whether cooking from meal boxes helps reduce food waste. Are people better off outsourcing part of the cooking process with a subscription that sends pre-portioned ingredients in the exact quantities needed for each recipe? Our research suggests that the answer is yes. We found that households wasted on average 38% less food when they prepared dinner using a meal box compared to when they bought the ingredients from a shop. This was largely due to there being less food left in pots and pans after cooking with a meal box. <h2>Six countries, 914 kitchens, 8,747 meals</h2> We surveyed 914 households from six countries (the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands) that subscribed to a meal box scheme during November and December 2019. A subscription meal box provider helped by allowing us to run our survey on their customers. Households reported the amount of food waste from multiple dinners over the course of four weeks. Participants weighed the food they wasted while preparing their dinner and the uneaten leftovers in pots and pans and on plates after the meal. We measured food waste from 8,747 meals, of which around a third were cooked using meal boxes. We compared the food waste from these dinners to the food waste that accumulated when people cooked a meal from scratch with store-bought ingredients. Our results showed that most of the food waste from dinner is food left in pots and pans that isn’t served and eaten, and is instead thrown away. Meal box dinners reduced this type of waste by 34% compared with store-bought equivalents. Meal box dinners also cut food waste during preparation by 45%, but increased the amount of food wasted as leftovers on plates compared to meals made with store-bought ingredients by 15%. This may be because these recipes offer instructions for how to arrange the food on a plate which can induce people to dole out larger portions before serving. Combining these three different types of food waste, cooking from meal boxes reduced how much food was wasted at dinner by more than a third compared to traditional meals. By providing people with ingredients in amounts tailored to the number of people eating in a household, meal box providers can offer a convenient way to cut waste. Even without subscribing to a meal box provider, our results suggest that taking care to measure and weigh the exact amount of ingredients you need before cooking is a good way to lower the amount of food sent to landfill. 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/cooking-from-meal-boxes-can-cut-household-food-waste-by-38-new-research-192760">original article</a>. Image: Getty

Food & Wine

Bono reveals why Michael Hutchence cut ties with him

Bono has shared the details that led to the end of his friendship with late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. In his new book, titled Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the U2 frontman reflects on his tumultuous friendship with Hutchence and partner Paula Yates in the early 90s. Bono recalled the early days of Hutchence’s relationship with Yates, which started in 1994, while Yates was still married to Bono’s close friend, Bob Geldof. “Paula worshipped Michael at a time when he needed all the adoration he could get, things not going well on- and offstage for INXS,” Bono writes. Bono also says he and his wife of 40 years, Ali, had an immediate sense that the relationship was “going to go wrong, and that this intensity could not last a lifetime”. And soon enough, Bono writes, the couple were in “free fall – spiralling down the vortex of a recreational drug use that had become hard work for everyone, especially their family, especially the younger ones”. “As their behaviour changed, our friendship became strained, and we grew uncomfortable during their visits.” Paula and Michael had one child together in 1996: a daughter named Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. Bono and his wife were asked to be her godparents, to which they refused, as they were too “wigged out” by the couple’s rampant drug use. They hoped their rejection of such a meaningful offer would make the new parents think twice about the path they were on. True friendship, Bono writes, “meant being truthful. Friendship is not a sentimental business.” But instead, their refusal only further pushed the two couples from each other further, as Bono says, “It only made them think again about us.” “That we can half live with our conscience is no substitute for the fact that we can’t live at all with our friends. They are gone.” Michael Hutchence committed suicide aged 37 in a Sydney hotel room in November 1997, while Yates died of a drug overdose in September 2000, aged 41, leaving four children behind. “Neither of us dreamed they’d both end up dead so soon,” writes Bono. “Even now, I can’t believe I’ve just written that.” Image credits: Getty Images

Music

The fastest way to cut fruit and veggies

Whether you cook a little or a lot, after any time spent in the kitchen, you’ve probably wondered if there’s an easier way to cut fruit and vegetables. The answer is yes: there is. 1. The onion The onion is the bane of all preppers’ existence. They’re hard to hold, they make you cry, and many of us would be lying if we said we’ve never cut our fingers in the process. So the fastest way to cut an onion? Half the onion, lengthwise. Cut off the onion’s ends and peel off its skin. With each half’s flat-side down, dice the onion. No tears necessary. 2. Cherry tomatoes This method is pretty ingenious. Place the tomatoes on a plate and top with another plate, holding the tomatoes in between: firmly, but not so firmly that you squish them. Using a sharp knife, cut in between the two plates from one end to the other. Your tomatoes will be cut in half and you didn’t even have to look at them while you did it. It’s almost magic. 3. Kiwi fruit Cut each end off of the kiwi fruit and use a spoon to peel the kiwi’s flesh off, circling around the fruit. Then place the kiwi on its side and slice into disks! 4. Capsicum Capsicums couldn’t be easier. Cut the top and bottom off the capsicum and, using your hand, pull out its insides. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Rinse off any remaining seeds and slice into strips. 5. Mangoes If you’ve never seen a mango cut before, odds are your first attempt is going to be wrong. Mangoes have a long pit down their centre. Cut the cheeks off along either side of this vertical pit. In each cheek half, cut a grid into the mango (lines going up and lines going down, creating squares) then push from the peel side to pop the cubes so they’re standing up. Cut off the remaining delicious mango flesh that is around the pit. And that’s how it’s done! Image: Getty Images

Food & Wine

To make our wardrobes sustainable, we must cut how many new clothes we buy by 75%

If things don’t change fast, the fashion industry <a href="https://www.stockholmresilience.org/download/18.66e0efc517643c2b8103605/1617805679501/Sustainable%20Textiles%20Synthesis%20Report.pdf">could</a> use a quarter of the world’s remaining global carbon budget to keep warming under 2℃ by 2050, and use 35% more land to produce fibres by 2030. While this seems incredible, it’s not. Over the past 15 years, clothing production <a href="https://archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore/fashion-and-the-circular-economy">has doubled</a> while the length of time we actually wear these clothes has fallen by nearly 40%. In the EU, falling prices have seen people buying <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/textiles-in-europes-circular-economy">more clothing</a> than ever before while spending less money in the process. This is not sustainable. Something has to give. In our <a href="https://eeb.org/library/wellbeing-wardrobe-a-wellbeing-economy-for-the-fashion-and-textile-sector-summary">recent report</a>, we propose the idea of a wellbeing wardrobe, a new way forward for fashion in which we favour human and environmental wellbeing over ever-growing consumption of throwaway fast-fashion. What would that look like? It would mean each of us cutting how many new clothes we buy by as much as <a href="https://katefletcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Earth-Logic-plan-FINAL.pdf">75%</a>, buying clothes designed to last, and recycling clothes at the end of their lifetime. For the sector, it would mean tackling low incomes for the people who make the clothes, as well as support measures for workers who could lose jobs during a transition to a more sustainable industry. <h2>Sustainability efforts by industry are simply not enough</h2> Fashion is accelerating. Fast fashion is being replaced by <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/dec/21/how-shein-beat-amazon-at-its-own-game-and-reinvented-fast-fashion">ultra-fast fashion</a>, releasing unprecedented volumes of new clothes into the market. Since the start of the year, fast fashion giants H&M and Zara have launched <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/why-shein-might-be-worth-100-billion-in-four-charts">around 11,000 new styles</a> combined. Over the same time, ultra-fast fashion brand Shein has released a staggering 314,877 styles. Shein is currently the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-05/shein-is-the-new-darling-of-china-s-fast-fashion-industry-but-at/100964524">most popular shopping app in Australia</a>. As you’d expect, this acceleration is producing a tremendous amount of waste. In response, the fashion industry has devised a raft of plans to tackle the issue. The problem is many sustainability initiatives still place economic opportunity and growth before environmental concerns. Efforts such as switching to more sustainable fibres and textiles and offering ethically-conscious options are commendable. Unfortunately, they do very little to actually confront the sector’s rapidly increasing consumption of resources and waste generation. On top of this, <a href="https://cleanclothes.org/news">labour rights abuses</a> of workers in the supply chain are rife. Over the past five years, the industry’s issues of child labour, discrimination and forced labour have worsened globally. Major garment manufacturing countries including Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Vietnam are considered an <a href="https://www.maplecroft.com/insights/analysis/worldwide-decline-in-labour-rights-strikes-at-heart-of-global-supply-chains/">“extreme risk”</a> for modern slavery. Here’s what we can do to tackle the situation. <h2>1. Limit resource use and consumption</h2> We need to have serious conversations between industry, consumers and governments about limiting resource use in the fashion industry. As a society, we need to talk about how much clothing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629620304564?via%3Dihub">is enough</a> to live well. On an individual level, it means buying fewer new clothes, as well as reconsidering where we get our clothes from. Buying secondhand clothes or using rental services are ways of changing your wardrobe with lower impact. <h2>2. Expand the slow fashion movement</h2> The growing <a href="https://slowfashion.global/">slow fashion movement</a> focuses on the quality of garments over quantity, and favours classic styles over fleeting trends. We must give renewed attention to repairing and caring for clothes we already own to extend their lifespan, such as by reviving sewing, mending and other long-lost skills. <h2>3. New systems of exchange</h2> The wellbeing wardrobe would mean shifting away from existing fashion business models and embracing new systems of exchange, such as collaborative consumption models, co-operatives, not-for-profit social enterprises and <a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/certification">B-corps</a>. What are these? Collaborative consumption models involve sharing or renting clothing, while social enterprises and B-corps are businesses with purposes beyond making a profit, such as ensuring living wages for workers and minimising or eliminating environmental impacts. There are also methods that don’t rely on money, such as swapping or borrowing clothes with friends and altering or redesigning clothes in repair cafes and sewing circles. <h2>4. Diversity in clothing cultures</h2> Finally, as consumers we must nurture a diversity of clothing cultures, including incorporating the knowledge of <a href="https://www.russh.com/creator-of-australian-indigenous-fashion-yatu-widders-hunt-on-telling-stories-and-the-future-of-fashion/">Indigenous fashion design</a>, which has respect for the environment at its core. Communities of exchange should be encouraged to recognise the cultural value of clothing, and to rebuild emotional connections with garments and support long-term use and care. <h2>What now?</h2> Shifting fashion from a perpetual growth model to a sustainable approach will not be easy. Moving to a post-growth fashion industry would require policymakers and the industry to bring in a wide range of reforms, and re-imagine roles and responsibilities in society. You might think this is too hard. But the status quo of constant growth cannot last. It’s better we act to shape the future of fashion and work towards a wardrobe good for people and planet – rather than let a tidal wave of wasted clothing soak up resources, energy and our very limited carbon budget. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-make-our-wardrobes-sustainable-we-must-cut-how-many-new-clothes-we-buy-by-75-179569" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Beauty & Style

Why the nose-diving British pound matters for Australia

As the British pound hit its lowest value since 1971, experts are warning it could serve as a dire warning for those of us beyond UK shores. On Monday, it was reported that the pound was worth as little as $US 1.037 ($AU 1.60 or $NZ 1.82), its lowest since the currency was decimalised in 1971. It comes amid concerns about the state of the global economy, with central banks working to slow the rate of inflation, and economic changes the UK government has introduced. After Liz Truss became the UK’s new Prime Minister on September 6, Treasury chief Kwasi Krawteng released a controversial mini-budget including hefty tax cuts for the wealthy and an increase in borrowing to spur economic growth. But, many economists warn it’s more likely to increase inflation even further, with the British central bank expected to increase official interest rates in response. Since the announcement of the tax cuts on Friday, which come as the biggest cuts in 50 years, the pound lost more than five percent of its value against the US dollar. Along with the cuts that are set to total £45 billion ($AU 75 billion or $NZ 85 billion), the government also plans to cap prices for electricity and natural gas for homes and businesses to cushion the impact of price rises caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With the caps to the tune of £60 billion ($AU 100 billion or $NZ 114 billion), Kwarteng said the government would be borrowing the funds needed to finance it. How does it affect us? Though that could mean your next UK holiday is cheaper, economist Jason Murphy points to it as a warning for what could be in store for the Australian economy. Australia’s new Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is expected to release his first budget in October, which is expected to include his proposed tax cuts that will mostly benefit high-income earners, known as “stage three tax cuts”. These cuts are a hand-me-down from the Turnbull government’s 2018-19 budget, coming from then-Treasurer Scott Morrison, but they could pose some issues as Aussies face inflation everywhere from the supermarket to keeping the lights on. Tax cuts encourage spending and that spending encourages businesses to increase prices, resulting in inflation. With debts from the payouts delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/markets/world-markets/british-pound-hits-a-record-low-in-big-warning-for-australia/news-story/36c1a1c7b5c3431147948a9dcea5395a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Murphy argues</a> that steering clear of tax cuts will also help reduce the country’s debt, which is significantly higher than when Morrison’s budget was first announced. As we continue to watch what happens in the UK, senior investment and markets analyst Susannah Streeter said it’s difficult to know just how far it will fall. "It depends, I think, now on what the Bank of England does in response to sterling's most recent fall," she said. "There's been this dramatic loss of confidence in the government's economic management. But now the ball is in the Bank of England's court." Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Unvaccinated Queensland school workers to face pay cut

Roughly 900 Queensland school workers will have their pay reduced as disciplinary for being unvaccinated against Covid. This includes all teachers, teachers aides, administration staff, cleaners and school officers will be among those punished for failing to become vaccinated. The department claims that the penalties are being “individualised” based on the worker’s “circumstances”. “But generally, (penalties) involve a small-scale temporary reduction of one increment of pay for a period of 18 weeks,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday. The department claims the school workers have been ”non-compliant with the lawful direction from their employer enforcing the chief health officer’s direction to be vaccinated against COVID-19”. The penalties amount between $25 and $90 per week before tax. It claims reducing a worker’s pay is “not an uncommon” way to punish them for disciplinary breaches, and the move affects only 1% of the teacher workforce. “School staff were given ample opportunity to follow the lawful direction or provide evidence as to why they should be exempt from the direction since the vaccination requirements were announced in November 2021,” the statement read. The Queensland Teachers Union says of its 48,000 members, fewer than one per cent have “expressed concern” about being mandated to be vaccinated for COVID-19. “Statistically, state school educators lead the professional workforce in vaccine uptake, continuing the selfless, hard work QTU members have delivered through the pandemic,” the union said in a statement. Another union, the Teachers Professional Association of Queensland, has slammed the policy, labelling it “unconscionable”. “It’s unconscionable that imposing a financial penalty or any disciplinary measure would somehow be appropriate because these educators have not broken any law or engaged in serious misconduct in the workplace,” secretary Tracy Tully said. Image: Getty

Legal

News of Bali bomb-maker's sentence cut short sparks fury

The bomb-maker behind the devastating 2002 Bali bombings has been released early from Indonesian prison only days after his sentence was reduced by a further five months. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared this decision will add trauma to the victims’ families and says his diplomats are lobbying the Indonesian government regarding the reduction. This decision means that Umar Patek, the man who made the explosives that killed 200 people, including 88 Aussies in 2002, will have served only half of his original 20-year sentence. Indonesian authorities insist he has been ‘deradicalised’ but Mr Abanese has described him as ‘abhorrent’. The sentence had already been reduced by 18 months on a previous occasion, meaning his total reduction is now one year and 11 months. He would have been eligible for parole in January 2023 after serving two thirds of his sentence. Patek admitted making the suicide vests that went off at Sari Club and Paddy's Pub in Kuta but claimed he did not know what they would be used for. After nine years on the run in the Philippines and Pakistan, he was caught in 2011 and spared the death sentence after co-operating with police and apologising to victims' families. This coming October marks the 20th anniversary of the bombings. Images: Australian National Museum / Getty

Legal

Why the "just one drink a day" excuse no longer cuts it

According to a new study, those who have one standard drink a day are putting themselves at risk of permanent brain damage. The study of almost 21,000 people, published in the PLOS Medicine journal, found that consumption of seven or more units of alcohol per week is associated with higher iron levels in the brain. More iron in the brain is also linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and is a potential mechanism for alcohol-related cognitive decline. The participants reported their own alcohol consumption, and their brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Of those participants, 7,000 of them also had MRIs on their livers imaged to see the levels of systemic iron. They were also required to complete a few tasks to assess their cognitive and motor function. The participants' average age was 55 years old and 48.6 per cent were female. Anya Topiwala of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and her colleagues found that alcohol consumption above seven units per week led to higher iron levels in basal ganglia - the part of the brain that helps with movement. “Markers of higher basal ganglia iron associated with slower executive function, lower fluid intelligence, and slower reaction times,” the study reported. “Iron accumulation in some brain regions was associated with worse cognitive function.” They concluded that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with higher iron levels in the brain. Image: Shutterstock

Caring

Big winners from the impending tax cuts

Despite the overwhelming rise in the cost of living, it is well-off Australians who will get the biggest tax break. Anthony Albanese has promised to push ahead with tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high income earners. The Prime Minister has already warned of the pain to come as he admitted the government will have to place a strict cap on spending when it hands down its first budget, while also fulfilling commitments Labor made at the election. The Stage Three tax cuts are by far the biggest piece of spending, costing a whopping $15 billion per year. This will benefit higher-income Australians. Mr Albanese said Labor will push ahead with the implementation of already-legislated income tax cuts in 2024 which will create a flat rate of 30% for those making between $45,000 and $200,000. Those earning over $120,000 who are now taxed at 37% are set to benefit the most. With workers who are making $90,000 a year saving $1,125 and those on $200,000 will be over $9000 better off. Mr Albanese confirmed there will be another federal budget handed down on October 25th, 2022, just months after Scott Morrison’s government delivered a budget in March. Mr Albanese also warned of some tough decisions in the October budget. “We’re going to have to really put the brakes on some of the spending which is there,” he said. “There are a range of things we would like to do that we won’t be able to do in our first budget. He said election commitments like cheaper childcare, setting up Jobs and Skills Australia and climate change would be honoured, as would the tax cuts for high-earners. Professor Ben Phillips, an expert in welfare and cost of living said the cost of the tax cuts dwarfs the cost of Labor’s key promises and benefits a group of Australians who are already doing well for themselves. “These cuts blow everything else out of the water in terms of costs, so that’s where the biggest problem is going to come from in terms of balancing the books,” he said. “They could instead give more assistance to low-income areas like JobSeeker recipients – that’s where relief should be targeted because middle and higher income earners are doing OK.” Unemployed Australians receiving Centrelink payments will get no extra money after Labor ditched plans to review the rate of JobSeeker. A single person currently earns $642.70 a fortnight or $46 a day. Millions to benefit from minimum wage increase Millions of low-earning Australians will however benefit from a rise to the minimum wage. Roughly 2.7 million minimum wage and low-paid workers on awards are receiving a wage increase of up to 5.2%, the most generous in 16 years. From July 1st, this will see the lowest paid receive $812.60 a week, an increase of $40, and $21.38 an hour, up $1.05. Labor will also honour the abolition of the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset. Income earners on up to $126,000 have received the lower and middle income tax offset worth up to $1080 a year each financial year since 2018-19. The offset was due to end when stage two tax cuts came into play but was extended for two more years after the cuts were brought forward to 2020 due to the pandemic. The end of the rebate means that Aussies earning up to $126,000 will pay up to $1500 more income tax in 2023 than this year. Image: Skynews

Money & Banking

Crop that! Kate cut from royal family

A hilarious series of suggestions have surfaced following speculation that Princess Eugenie deliberately cropped Duchess Kate out of a batch of Platinum Jubilee photos she shared online. It is this Instagram post shared on Eugenie's official account that has sparked the furore: <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/Cegi8pUoenU/?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/Cegi8pUoenU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Princess Eugenie (@princesseugenie)</a> </div> </blockquote> The first photo in the series features Her Majesty waving to onlookers from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The second shows the Queen on the balcony with Prince Charles standing to one side and Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte on the other. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, simply don't make it into the photo, although enough of their sleeves have been left in so viewers can see that the photo has been cropped. Princess Eugenie is not a senior working royal and so wasn't on the balcony for the Jubilee events, but she shared the photos along with the caption: "Thank you, Your Majesty, Grannie, for 70 years of service, selflessness and dedication. You are such a shining light for us all. "Just a final roundup of some epic moments of the most special weekend that I was so honoured to be a part of." Several followers then accused Eugenie of purposefully cropping Kate and Camilla out of the photo. "Why did you take Kate and Camilla out of the second picture?" asks one. "Lovely photos but why would you cut out the next two Queens, Camilla and Catherine? Very petty my dear," adds another. "Nice photos but why cut Kate and Camila, they are also hardworking, brave and powerful women, do not exclude your gender," one person asks. It could be that Instagram chose default sizing when Eugenie was loading the photos to share on social media. Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex viewed Trooping the Colour from inside Buckingham Palace and were seated behind senior working royals at the Queen's thanksgiving service at St Paul's. Princess Eugenie and her family reside in Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. This is the former residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Eugenie and cousin, Prince Harry have always been close, with Eugenie and Meghan reportedly forming a friendship during their pregnancies. Image: Getty

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