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"You will be a massive failure": Steve Price unleashes on Kyle Sandilands

<p>The feud between Steve Price and Kyle Sandilands has taken a new turn, as Price unleashed on Sandilands over the launch of The <em>Kyle and Jackie O Show</em> in Melbourne. </p> <p><em>The Project</em> panel were discussing the show's first episode in the Victorian capital which was met with a mixed reception, given the use of coarse language. </p> <p>Price took the discussion to the next level as he made it clear he is not a fan of the KIISFM show or its host. </p> <p>“Kyle, last time I mentioned you on this program I called you a grubby buffoon. That was a compliment in hindsight,” Price said on Monday night's episode of <em>The Project</em>. </p> <p>“That garbage you put to air this morning, sexualised rubbish, toxic, nobody should listen to it and you will be a massive failure in Melbourne.”</p> <p>Price continued his tirade, accusing Sandilands of sending him a “threatening message” last November after his “grubby buffoon” comments, and he dared the KIIS FM star to “do it again”.</p> <p>He ended the spray by saying, “I do note that you didn’t have the guts to sit down and do an interview with me to talk about your new radio show, perhaps because you’ve got the intellect of a cumquat”.</p> <p>Sandilands responded to Price's comments live on air on Tuesday morning, taking aim at the co-host and the show at large. </p> <p>“[<em>The Project</em>] is no good,” he said about the Channel 10 program. “It’s a piece of s**t”.</p> <p>“No one watches it, and they don’t like us.”</p> <p>As for Price's claims, Sandilands accused the fellow broadcaster of being “fake”, and claimed that Price sent a revealing note to his manager last month.</p> <p>The note allegedly said, “I’m very aware Kyle and I have had some interesting whacks at each other over the years but as we know, it’s all part of the game.”</p> <p>“See, I’m right, it is feigned outrage,” Sandilands said.</p> <p>“Does he mean what he says or is he just full of s**t?”</p> <p>Kyle and Jackie O tried to call Price on Tuesday morning to address their ongoing feud, but he didn’t answer.</p> <p><em>Image credits: The Project / Instagram </em></p>

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"Show us your Regina" tourism campaign labelled "a failure of epic proportions"

<p>A tourism campaign for the Canadian city of Regina has certainly gotten the world talking - just not for the right reasons. </p> <p>The controversial approach to promoting the area has outraged its locals, who condemned the marketing as not only “misogynistic” and also “pathetic and disgusting”. </p> <p>The tourism agency behind the campaign - Experience Regina - believed that “Show us your Regina” would be of benefit to the city, particularly as Regina rhymes with vagina. </p> <p>“The city that rhymes with fun” is another slogan they slipped into their controversial campaign, and was featured on a line of merchandise made in collaboration with 22Fresh. All posts featuring the clothing campaign have since been removed. </p> <p>Outrage came fast and furious, and the organisation was forced to acknowledge their mistake, taking to Twitter to share their thanks for everyone “holding them accountable”. </p> <p>“I want to start by apologising, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch," said Experience Regina’s Tim Reid in a statement to Twitter. </p> <p>He went on to note that they’d had positive feedback, but that it was “clear we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans we used.” </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you for using your voice, thank you for holding us accountable, and thank you for allowing us to be better.</p> <p>-Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina <a href="https://t.co/VdS4NyYop3">pic.twitter.com/VdS4NyYop3</a></p> <p>— Experience Regina (@ExpRegina) <a href="https://twitter.com/ExpRegina/status/1637586812427468801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>People were not thrilled with the apology, believing that it was up to the company to do more to right their wrongs, and to actually acknowledge where they had veered off course in their decision making process. </p> <p>“Do better. This is pathetic and disgusting,” wrote one unhappy Twitter user. </p> <p>“There needs to be significant changes and very public acknowledgement of the mistakes made,” said another, before allowing that “this is a start.”</p> <p>“Did you ask literally anyone if it was a good idea?” one asked. </p> <p>Someone else opted to outline exactly what the majority were trying to tell them, stating that “this is a failure of epic proportions. You not only showed complete disrespect for women in our community but also a complete disregard for the comfort and safety of women in this community. We are owed the full story about how this came to be.” </p> <p>The uproar was so loud that Regina City Councillor Cheryl Stadnichuk issued a statement to Facebook, declaring that she too was “incredibly disappointed and appalled … with the sexist messaging of the new Experience Regina.” </p> <p>She went on to explain that she hadn’t been given any advance notice regarding the campaign’s slogan, and her thoughts on them.</p> <p>“The slogans associated with the campaign … are misogynist and objectify women’s bodies. As one woman pointed out on social media, would we engage school children with this messaging? I also ask, do we want men harassing women in bars chanting ‘show us your Regina?’,” she wrote.</p> <p>“There are so many serious ramifications of these slogans. We have extremely high rates of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in our city. </p> <p>“As a society, we have a responsibility to teach boys and men about consent. These slogans do the opposite.”</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpermalink.php%3Fstory_fbid%3Dpfbid0B6NsGhF2GBJXi67JrVTotVSefpYn7wGqFGqcA1tMiEBXLz5habNboqp2Gt6LVMnfl%26id%3D100064052141182&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="276" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Response to her post was mostly positive - people were glad to see someone in power speaking out with them - but there were those that still wanted to hear more from the company itself. One day later, they did. </p> <p>Tim Reid once again took to Twitter to share what steps Experience Regina would be taking moving forward. </p> <p>To begin, they were removing “all content that is offensive or inappropriate”, something that many had been calling for from the beginning. </p> <p>They noted that they would also be “more stringent in evaluating all aspects of our brand” and that they were “committed to involving more diverse stakeholder groups in our decision making process”. </p> <p>That they hadn’t already in 2023 was a sore point for some, while others opted just to be glad they claimed to be “committed to making it right.” </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Please read for an update. <a href="https://t.co/OQTSvHuDV4">pic.twitter.com/OQTSvHuDV4</a></p> <p>— Experience Regina (@ExpRegina) <a href="https://twitter.com/ExpRegina/status/1637987662882643970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Images: 22Fresh / Instagram</em></p>

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Iron key to heart failure patients’ wellbeing

<p dir="ltr">Patients with chronic heart failure should be made aware of the importance of having their iron levels checked regularly, with research showing half of all heart failure patients have low iron, increasing their risk of hospitalisation, which is often associated with premature death.</p> <p dir="ltr">More than half a million Australians have chronic heart failure, and it is estimated that around 158,000 will require hospitalisation each year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hospitalisation for heart failure is associated with high rates of readmission, and death, with Australia recording an estimated 61,000 heart failure-related deaths each year.</p> <p dir="ltr">New Australian treatment guidelines recommend intravenous iron treatments rather than oral supplementation for patients with heart failure with reduced heart function who have low iron. </p> <p dir="ltr">This is in a bid to reduce the risk of hospitalisation, as oral iron has been shown to be ineffective in increasing iron levels in these patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">The updated guidelines reflect new research, including a 2020 study that found heart failure patients that received an intravenous iron treatment had a 26 per cent risk reduction in total heart failure hospitalisation, and were 21 per cent less likely to experience cardiovascular death and total heart failure hospitalisation.</p> <p dir="ltr">University Hospital Geelong cardiologist John Amerena, who co-authored the new treatment guidelines, said iron deficiency was easily diagnosed by a blood test, and should be screened for as part of routine management for heart failure patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Patients with heart failure with reduced heart function can experience symptoms of tiredness, restlessness, bloating and poor quality of life. </p> <p dir="ltr">These can occur regardless of whether the patient is anaemic or has experienced iron deficiency in the past,” Associate Professor Amerena said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heart failure prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to organs and tissues and can occur as the result of conditions such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart valve defects, viral infection, or alcohol misuse.</p> <p dir="ltr">Associate Professor Amerena said heart failure patients’ chances of survival decreased with each subsequent hospitalisation, with research showing a 25 percent chance of death within one year of first hospital admission.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said evidence showed intravenous iron could improve symptoms and patient quality of life, helping to prevent rehospitalisation.</p> <p dir="ltr">Women were more typically at risk of low iron, particularly before menopause, and should have their iron levels measured regularly, particularly if they had a history of heart problems or their family members had experienced heart issues, he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Women should be aware that low iron is common in heart failure. Measuring iron levels should be a part of routine blood testing. If their iron stores are low, there is good evidence that the administration of intravenous iron can improve their wellbeing and functional status, as well as reducing the risk for re-hospitalisation” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Has Labor learnt from the failure of the cashless debit card?

<p>Legislation passed through the House of Representatives this week to wind down the cashless debit card (CDC), which was introduced into the East Kimberley and Ceduna in 2016 and since applied at other trial sites around Australia. The card compulsorily quarantines 80% of social security payments received by working-aged people.</p> <p>Implementing the CDC has cost more than <a>$170 million</a>.</p> <p>Yet <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2020/02/compulsory-income-management-disabling-study-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> shows it does more harm than good to people forced to use it. First Nations organisations, social service organisations, and others have consistently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/03/cashless-welfare-card-fewer-than-10-of-senate-inquiry-submissions-back-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued against its expansion</a>.</p> <p>The Albanese government says winding back the CDC will “leave no one behind”. But its legislation leaves more than 23,000 mainly First Nations people in the Northern Territory – as well as people in other parts of the country – on the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2017/June/BasicsCard_and_Cashless_Debit_Card" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasicsCard</a>, a longer-standing compulsory income management scheme run by the Department of Social Services.</p> <p>We have known since 2014 that the BasicsCard <a href="https://caepr.cass.anu.edu.au/highlights/evaluating-new-income-management-northern-territory-final-evaluation-report-and-summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fails to meet its stated objectives</a>. Research published by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course found its use correlated with <a href="https://www.lifecoursecentre.org.au/research/journal-articles/working-paper-series/do-welfare-restrictions-improve-child-health-estimating-the-causal-impact-of-income-management-in-the-northern-territory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reductions in birth weight</a>, falls in <a href="https://www.lifecoursecentre.org.au/research/journal-articles/working-paper-series/the-effect-of-quarantining-welfare-on-school-attendance-in-indigenous-communities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school attendance</a> and other negative impacts on children.</p> <p>These are significant findings. The research suggests several possible explanations for reduced birth weight, including income management’s potential role in increasing stress on mothers, disrupting financial arrangements within the household and creating confusion about how to access funds.</p> <h2>Strong opposition</h2> <p>Given the government’s talk of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/anthony-albanese-s-speech-at-garma-festival-annotated-20220729-p5b5sp.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">respect and reconciliation</a>, it’s hard to know why it would continue a program introduced as part of the Howard government’s racially discriminatory and widely criticised <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/02/northern-territory-intervention-violates-international-law-gillian-triggs-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Territory Emergency Response</a>.</p> <p>When the Morrison government attempted to move people in the Northern Territory from the BasicsCard onto the CDC, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/CashlessCardTransition/Submissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Nations</a> leaders were clear about how damaging the BasicsCard has been, and recommended <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/CashlessCardTransition/Submissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">genuinely voluntary schemes</a> instead.</p> <p>As shadow minister, Linda Burney supported that position. “Our fundamental principle on the basics card and the cashless debit card [is that] it should be on a voluntary basis,” she <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/19/cashless-welfare-labor-vows-to-end-compulsory-use-of-basics-card">said</a> earlier this year, adding:</p> <blockquote> <p>If people want to be on those sorts of income management, then that’s their decision. It’s not up to Labor or anyone else to tell them what to do. At the moment it’s compulsion and that’s not Labor’s position.</p> </blockquote> <p>Yet the legislation introduced into the house last week maintains compulsory income management via the BasicsCard, promising only consultation. It leaves the door wide open for continued compulsory income management. As social security minister Amanda Rishworth said in her second reading speech, the bill allows her:</p> <blockquote> <p>to determine, following further consultation with First Nations people and my colleagues, how the Northern Territory participants on the CDC will transition, and the income management arrangements that will exist.</p> </blockquote> <h2>Policy from above</h2> <p>We have learnt a lot from the CDC, including how government claims that communities can decide about who goes on and off income management are often used to legitimise the continuation of compulsory income management.</p> <p>Both the CDC and BasicsCard are ideas that were developed and lobbied for by the Australian political and business elite. They never came from the “community”.</p> <p>The BasicsCard was one of many measures implemented under the Northern Territory Emergency Response, which included the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act and the use of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ten-years-on-its-time-we-learned-the-lessons-from-the-failed-northern-territory-intervention-79198" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Defence Force</a>.</p> <p>The CDC, on the other hand, was a key recommendation of mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s 2014 <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/forrest-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Indigenous Jobs and Training Review</a>. Since it was introduced, Forrest and his Minderoo Foundation have advocated for its extension.</p> <p>The government used much-needed funding for local services as a sweeetener to gain communities’ agreement for the CDC to proceed. In some cases, the threat of <a href="https://caepr.cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/Working_Paper_121_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funding cuts</a> was used in negotiations. In contrast, proposals from communities themselves for appropriate community- and Aboriginal-controlled services had long been overlooked.</p> <h2>Real consultation?</h2> <p>Governments routinely use “consultation” as a label for what are essentially information sessions, with no alternatives on the table, in an effort to signal broad-based support. In the case of the CDC, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi__I3yoKf5AhU9R2wGHSjBAuwQFnoECC8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aph.gov.au%2FDocumentStore.ashx%3Fid%3D9e59ccc9-b9e6-4fad-9fb6-2a992d84fd44%26subId%3D516467&usg=AOvVaw19C21P3oIBS4l5A1b2pr0R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calls for the program to be aborted</a> or changed dramatically were long ignored.</p> <p>Those who were forced onto the BasicsCard as part of the intervention were not offered a consultation process by the Howard government. And now, the Labor government has also failed to embrace their views and opted for a path of more consultation.</p> <p>If Labor forces people to stay on the BasicsCard, what has it learnt from the CDC? Governments have spent more than $1 billion implementing the two failed compulsory income management schemes, and the new government has implicitly committed to spending more. Imagine what else this money could be going towards.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-labor-learnt-from-the-failure-of-the-cashless-debit-card-188065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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‘Patently ridiculous’: State government failures have exacerbated Sydney’s flood disaster

<p>For the fourth time in 18 months, floodwaters have inundated homes and businesses in Western Sydney’s Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Recent torrential rain is obviously the immediate cause. But poor decisions by successive New South Wales governments have exacerbated the damage.</p> <p>The town of Windsor, in the Hawkesbury region, has suffered a particularly high toll, with dramatic flood heights of 9.3 metres in February 2020, 12.9m in March 2021 and 13.7m in March this year.</p> <p>As I write, flood heights at Windsor have reached nearly 14m. This is still considerably lower than the monster flood of 1867, which reached almost 20m. It’s clear that standard flood risk reduction measures, such as raising building floor levels, are not safe enough in this valley.</p> <p>We’ve known about the risk of floods to the region for a long time. Yet successive state governments have failed to properly mitigate its impact. Indeed, recent urban development policies by the current NSW government will multiply the risk.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">BBC weather putting Sydney’s downpour into context. <br />More rain there in 4 days than London gets in a year. <a href="https://t.co/FDkBCYGlK7">pic.twitter.com/FDkBCYGlK7</a></p> <p>— Brett Mcleod (@Brett_McLeod) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brett_McLeod/status/1544071890431623169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>We knew this was coming</strong></p> <p>A 22,000 square kilometre catchment covering the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney drains into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system. The system faces an <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydneys-disastrous-flood-wasnt-unprecedented-were-about-to-enter-a-50-year-period-of-frequent-major-floods-158427" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extreme flood risk</a> because gorges restrict the river’s seaward flow, often causing water to rapidly fill up the valley after heavy rain.</p> <p>Governments have known about the flood risks in the valley for more than two centuries. Traditional Owners have known about them for millennia. In 1817, Governor Macquarie lamented:</p> <blockquote> <p>it is impossible not to feel extremely displeased and Indignant at [colonists] Infatuated Obstinacy in persisting to Continue to reside with their Families, Flocks, Herds, and Grain on those Spots Subject to the Floods, and from whence they have often had their prosperity swept away.</p> </blockquote> <p>Macquarie’s was the first in a long line of governments to do nothing effective to reduce the risk. The latest in this undistinguished chain is the NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.</p> <p>In March, Roberts <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-planning-minister-scraps-order-to-consider-flood-fire-risks-before-building-20220321-p5a6kc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly revoked</a> his predecessor’s directive to better consider flood and other climate risks in planning decisions, to instead favour housing development.</p> <p>Roberts’ predecessor, Rob Stokes, had required that the Department of Planning, local governments and developers consult Traditional Owners, manage risks from climate change, and make information public on the risks of natural disasters. This could have helped limit development on floodplains.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Michael Greenway knows that as soon as he sees floodwater, it’s time to get the three boxes of family photos and move to higher ground. He’s lived in his Richards home for years and has experienced six floods - three of which have been this year <a href="https://t.co/t8Tgckc5lx">https://t.co/t8Tgckc5lx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSWFloods?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSWFloods</a> <a href="https://t.co/ErN6sf6hBn">pic.twitter.com/ErN6sf6hBn</a></p> <p>— Laura Chung (@Laura_R_Chung) <a href="https://twitter.com/Laura_R_Chung/status/1543890156675276800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Why are we still building there?</strong></p> <p>The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley is currently home to 134,000 people, a population <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projected to</a> double by 2050.</p> <p>The potential <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-stop-risky-developments-in-floodplains-we-have-to-tackle-the-profit-motive-and-our-false-sense-of-security-184062?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic returns</a> from property development are a key driver of the <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack of effective action</a> to reduce flood risk.</p> <p>In the valley, for example, billionaire Kerry Stokes’ company Seven Group is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-raising-the-warragamba-dam-wall-could-be-a-win-for-billionaire-kerry-stokes-20220222-p59yke.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly a part owner</a> of almost 2,000 hectares at Penrith Lakes by the Nepean River, where a 5,000-home development has been mooted.</p> <p>Planning in Australia often uses the 1-in-100-year flood return interval as a safety standard. <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is not appropriate</a>. Flood risk in the valley is increasing with climate change, and development in the catchment increases the speed of runoff from paved surfaces.</p> <p>The historical 1-in-100 year safety standard is particularly inappropriate in the valley, because of the extreme risk of rising water cutting off low-lying roads and completely submerging residents cut-off in extreme floods.</p> <p>What’s more, a “medium” climate change scenario will see a <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/resources/publications-and-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14.6% increase</a> in rainfall by 2090 west of Sydney. This is projected to increase the 1-in-100 year flood height at Windsor from 17.3m to 18.4m.</p> <p>The NSW government should impose a much higher standard of flood safety before approving new residential development. In my view, it would be prudent to only allow development that could withstand the 20m height of the 1867 flood.</p> <p><strong>No dam can control the biggest floods</strong></p> <p>The NSW government’s primary proposal to reduce flood risk is to <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raise Warragamba Dam</a> by 14m.</p> <p>There are many reasons this <a href="https://www.giveadam.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal should be questioned</a>. They include the potential inundation not just of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/traditional-owners-launch-federal-bid-to-stop-raising-of-warragamba-dam-wall-20210128-p56xkt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultural sites</a> of the Gundungarra nation, but threatened species populations, and part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/media/2855/infrastructure-nsw-resilient-valley-resilient-communities-2017-jan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost-benefit analysis</a> used to justify the proposal <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-submission-details.aspx?pk=65507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did not count</a> these costs, nor the benefits of alternative measures such as upgrading escape roads.</p> <p>Perversely, flood control dams and levee banks often result in higher flood risks. That’s because none of these structures stop the biggest floods, and they provide an illusion of safety that justifies more risky floodplain development.</p> <p>The current NSW transport minister <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/emergency-minister-says-raising-dam-wall-could-lead-to-more-development-on-floodplain-20210329-p57evo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested such development</a> in the valley last year. Similar development occurred with the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam in 1984, which hasn’t prevented extensive flooding in <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brisbane</a> in 2011 and 2022.</p> <p>These are among the reasons the NSW Parliament Select Committee on the Proposal to Raise the Warragamba Dam Wall <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/listofcommittees/Pages/committee-details.aspx?pk=262#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommended</a> last October that the state government:</p> <blockquote> <p>not proceed with the Warragamba Dam wall raising project [and] pursue alternative floodplain management strategies instead.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>What the government should do instead</strong></p> <p>The NSW government now has an opportunity to overcome two centuries of failed governance.</p> <p>It could take substantial measures to keep homes off the floodplain and out of harm’s way. We need major <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-submission-details.aspx?pk=65507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new measures</a> including:</p> <ul> <li>preventing new development</li> <li>relocating flood prone residents</li> <li>building better evacuation roads</li> <li>lowering the water storage level behind Warragamba Dam.</li> </ul> <p>The NSW government should help residents to relocate from the most flood-prone places and restore floodplains. This has been undertaken for many Australian towns and cities, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420914000028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grantham</a>, Brisbane, and <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along major rivers worldwide</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/5/4/1580/htm#B10-water-05-01580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Relocating residents isn’t easy</a>, and any current Australian buyback and relocation programs are voluntary.</p> <p>I think it’s in the public interest to go further and, for example, compulsorily acquire or relocate those with destroyed homes, rather than allowing them to rebuild in harm’s way. This approach offers certainty for flood-hit people and lowers community impacts in the longer term.</p> <p>It is patently ridiculous to rebuild on sites that have been flooded multiple times in two years.</p> <p>In the case of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, there are at least <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/federal-government-insurers-stop-housing-in-floodrisk-zones/news-story/cba71269eff2b0ea00d93445ff0e9f73" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5,000 homes</a> below the 1-in-100-year flood return interval. This includes roughly <a href="https://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/7657492/near-1000-flood-related-home-insurance-claims-already-in-hawkesbury/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,000 homes flooded</a> in March.</p> <p>The NSW government says a buyback program would be <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/farcical-minister-shoots-down-flood-relocation-says-residents-know-the-risks-20220308-p5a2qg.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">too expensive</a>. Yet, the cost would be comparable to the roughly $2 billion needed to raise Warragamba Dam, or the government’s $5 billion WestInvest fund.</p> <p>An alternative measure to raising the dam is to lower the water storage level in Warragamba Dam by 12m. This would reduce the amount of drinking water stored to supply Sydney, and would provide some flood control space.</p> <p>The city’s water supply would then need to rely more on the existing desalination plant, a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116001817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategy assessed as cost effective</a> and with the added benefit of bolstering drought resilience.</p> <p>The flood damage seen in NSW this week was entirely predictable. Measures that could significantly lower flood risk are expensive and politically hard. But as flood risks worsen with climate change, they’re well worth it.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/186304/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jamie-pittock-7562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Pittock</a>, Professor, Fenner School of Environment &amp; Society, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/patently-ridiculous-state-government-failures-have-exacerbated-sydneys-flood-disaster-186304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Healthy humans drive the economy: we’re now witnessing one of the worst public policy failures in Australia’s history

<p>Australians are getting a stark reminder about how value is actually created in an economy, and how supply chains truly work.</p> <p>Ask chief executives where value comes from and they will credit their own smart decisions that inflate shareholder wealth. Ask logistics experts how supply chains work and they will wax eloquent about ports, terminals and trucks. Politicians, meanwhile, highlight nebulous intangibles like “investor confidence” – enhanced, presumably, by their own steady hands on the tiller.</p> <p>The reality of value-added production and supply is much more human than all of this. It is people who are the driving force behind production, distribution and supply.</p> <p>Labour – human beings getting out of bed and going to work, using their brains and brawn to produce actual goods and services – is the only thing that adds value to the “free gifts” we harvest from nature. It’s the only thing that puts food on supermarket shelves, cares for sick people and teaches our children.</p> <p>Even the technology used to enhance workers’ productivity – or sometimes even replace them – is ultimately the culmination of other human beings doing their jobs. The glorious complexity of the whole economy boils down to human beings, using raw materials extracted and tools built by other human beings, working to produce goods and services.</p> <h2>A narrow, distorted economic lens</h2> <p>The economy doesn’t work if people can’t work. So the first economic priority during a pandemic must be to keep people healthy enough to keep working, producing, delivering and buying.</p> <p>That some political and business leaders have, from the outset of COVID-19, consistently downplayed the economic costs of mass illness, reflects a narrow, distorted economic lens. We’re now seeing the result – one of the worst public policy failures in Australia’s history.</p> <p>The Omicron variant is tearing through Australia’s workforce, from <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nurses-are-in-despair-as-staffing-shortages-bite-in-nsw-hospitals-20220103-p59ljc.html?fbclid=IwAR3obDpqk7Muu2xpOA1H7MH2D2TuxPIzMQrL_NKk2QoKHA2LriWoRcmRO8o">health care</a> and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hundreds-of-nsw-childcare-centres-shut-due-to-covid-20220104-p59ls4.html">child care</a>, to <a href="https://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/7575635/knock-on-effects-through-supply-chain-despite-eased-covid-rules-for-workers/">agriculture</a> and <a href="https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9388733/omicron-has-now-put-us-in-a-desperate-situation-in-regards-to-workers-shortage-and-shipping-issues/">manufacturing</a>, to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-06/supermarket-shortage-supply-chain-truck-driver-covid/100741392">transportation and logistics</a>, to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/surf-lifesavers-and-students-fill-paramedic-shifts-as-omicron-spreads-20220108-p59mrq.html">emergency services</a>.</p> <p>The result is an unprecedented, and preventable, economic catastrophe. This catastrophe was visited upon us by leaders – NSW Premier Dom Perrotet and Prime Minister Scott Morrison in particular – on the grounds they were protecting the economy. Like a Mafia kingpin extorting money, this is the kind of “protection” that can kill you.</p> <h2>Effect as bad as lockdowns</h2> <p>On a typical day in normal times, between <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia/nov-2021/EM2b.xlsx">3% and 4% of employed Australians</a> miss work due to their own illness. Multiple reports from NSW indicate up to half of workers are now absent due to COVID: because they contracted it, were exposed to it, or must care for someone (like children barred from child care) because of it. With infections still spreading, this will get worse in the days ahead.</p> <p>Staffing shortages have left hospitals in chaos, supermarket shelves empty, supply chains paralysed. ANZ Bank data, for example, shows <a href="https://twitter.com/ANZ_Research/status/1479284711151345666?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">economic activity in Sydney</a> has fallen to a level lower than the worst lockdowns.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>Spending in Sydney and Melbourne now near lockdown conditions</strong></p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440169/original/file-20220111-17-1jp9jpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440169/original/file-20220111-17-1jp9jpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="ANZ Bank data shows spending in Sydney and Melbourne has fallen to levels typical of lockdown conditions." /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ANZ Research</span></span></p> <hr /> <p>If relaxing health restrictions in December (as Omicron was already spreading) was motivated by a desire to boost the economy, this is an own-goal for the history books.</p> <h2>Relaxing isolation rules</h2> <p>Now the response to Omicron ravaging labour supply is to relax isolation requirements for workers who have contracted, or been exposed to, COVID-19.</p> <p>The first step was to shift the goalposts on “test, trace, isolate and quarantine” arrangements by redefining “close contact”.</p> <p>On December 29 <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-kirribilli-nsw-10">the Prime Minister said</a> it was important to move to a new definition “that enables Australia to keep moving, for people to get on with their lives”. The next day National Cabinet <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/national-cabinet-statement-12">approved a definition</a> such that only individuals having spent at least four hours indoors with a COVID-infected person needed to isolate.</p> <p>Australians certainly want supply chains to keep moving. That won’t happen by simply pretending someone with three hours and 59 minutes of face-to-face indoor contact with Omicron is safe. Putting asymptomatic but exposed and potentially infected people back to work will only accelerate the spread.</p> <p>The second step has been to reduce the isolation period for those who do pass this tougher “close contact” test. At its December 30 meeting National Cabinet agreed to a standard isolation period of seven days (ten days in South Australia), <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/gp-opinion/so-you-have-been-asked-to-self-isolate-or-quaranti">down from 14 days</a>.</p> <p>For “critical workers” in essential services including food logistics, the NSW and Queensland governments <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/isolation-rules-relaxed-for-critical-workers-as-nsw-battles-supply-chain-issues/news-story/2b97ef133f6c3caff9dcd5bc548cc58b">have gone even further</a>, allowing employers to call them back to work so long as they are asymptomatic.</p> <h2>Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory</h2> <p>This follows a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html">US precedent</a>, despite <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc2102507?articleTools=true">scientific evidence</a> indicating contagion commonly lasts longer than 5 days.</p> <p>Employers will use this change to pressure exposed and even sick workers to return to work, risking their own health, colleagues, customers, and inevitably spreading the virus further.</p> <p>Copying US COVID protocols only guarantees US-style infection rates. In fact, since 5 January, Australia’s seven-day rolling average infections per million <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;time=2021-03-30..latest&amp;facet=none&amp;pickerSort=desc&amp;pickerMetric=total_cases_per_million&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Metric=Confirmed+cases&amp;Interval=7-day+rolling+average&amp;Relative+to+Population=true&amp;Color+by+test+positivity=false&amp;country=USA%7EAUS">now exceed that of the US</a>.</p> <hr /> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440179/original/file-20220111-21-zzh3bj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440179/original/file-20220111-21-zzh3bj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people, Australia compared to United States." /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;time=2021-03-30..latest&amp;facet=none&amp;pickerSort=desc&amp;pickerMetric=total_cases_per_million&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Metric=Confirmed+cases&amp;Interval=7-day+rolling+average&amp;Relative+to+Population=true&amp;Color+by+test+positivity=false&amp;country=USA~AUS" class="source">Our Wold in Data</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license">CC BY</a></span></p> <hr /> <p>From one of the best COVID responses in the world to one of the worst, Australia has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.</p> <h2>It’s not too late to limit the carnage</h2> <p>The idea that health considerations <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/07/its-an-economic-crisis-too-in-nsw-what-a-difference-a-new-premier-makes">had to be balanced with economic interests</a> was always a false dichotomy. A healthy economy requires healthy workers and healthy consumers.</p> <p>The Omicron surge has created an economic emergency that will be difficult to endure.</p> <p>But it’s not too late to limit further avoidable contagion. Infection prevention practices (including masks, capacity limits, prohibitions on group indoor activities, PPE and distancing in workplaces, and free and accessible rapid tests) must be restored and enforced.</p> <p>Income supports for workers who stay home must be restored. Staffing strategies need to emphasise steady, secure jobs, rather than outsourcing and gig arrangements which have facilitated contagion.</p> <p>Above all, our policy makers need to remember the economy is composed of human beings, and refocus their attention on keeping people healthy. Protecting people is the only thing that can protect the economy.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174606/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jim-stanford-521684">Jim Stanford</a>, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work, Australia Institute; Honorary Professor of Political Economy, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>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/healthy-humans-drive-the-economy-were-now-witnessing-one-of-the-worst-public-policy-failures-in-australias-history-174606">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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A failure at 6? Data-driven assessment isn’t helping young children’s learning

<p>Children’s <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf">early years</a> from birth to the age of eight are crucial for their social, emotional and intellectual development. However, early years education in Australia is fragmented. It operates across two spaces, the pre-compulsory period, often called early childhood education, and the first three years of compulsory schooling.</p> <p>In recent times the focus in these three years has been on assessment that produces numerical data. Teachers need to demonstrate children are meeting standards.</p> <p>In contrast, in the pre-compulsory years the focus is on observing and interacting with the child. Practices are based on the belief that all children have agency and are capable learners.</p> <p>A chasm has opened up between these <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Early-Childhood-and-Compulsory-Education-Reconceptualising-the-relationship/Moss/p/book/9780415687744">separate education systems</a>. Children go from playing to being tested in the blink of an eye. This abrupt change in young children’s education is problematic.</p> <h2>What does research tell us about the early years?</h2> <p>A <a href="https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/391647/Dunn356707Accepted.pdf?sequence=2&amp;isAllowed=y">2015 review</a> of research on best practices in the early years identified key factors in successful teaching and learning. The review noted the importance of:</p> <ul> <li> <p>a smooth transition between pre-school education and compulsory school education</p> </li> <li> <p>play-based learning</p> </li> <li> <p>seeing children as capable and having agency in their learning</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/speakinglistening/Pages/teachingpracdialogic.aspx">dialogic interactions</a> involving <a href="https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/earlyYears/Documents/language-dialogic-in-action.pdf">rich discussions</a> between children and between children and teachers.</p> </li> </ul> <p>Australia has introduced a mandated curriculum and a national assessment program in primary schools. The review noted this meant many early years teachers have adopted a more formalised and narrow approach to learning in schools. It isn’t appropriate for young children.</p> <p>We can see the resulting <a href="https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/publications/where-are-the-early-years-of-school-in-contemporary-early-childho">divide between non-compulsory and compulsory</a> early years education in Victoria. On the one hand, teachers need to acknowledge the needs of children from birth to eight years. On the other hand, for those between the ages of five and 12, the <a href="https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/">Victorian Curriculum</a> requires teachers to assess and report against curriculum standards.</p> <p>The focus on formal assessment and numerical data in the early years of schooling means children as young as six can be labelled as failing. In countries like Finland and Singapore, which have been <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/strongperformers/">identified</a> as <a href="http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2016/international-results/pirls/student-achievement/pirls-achievement-results/">high-performing</a>, children do not even <a href="https://expatchild.com/school-starting-ages-around-world/">begin formal schooling</a> before the age of six or seven.</p> <p><iframe src="https://data.worldbank.org/share/widget?indicators=SE.PRM.AGES&amp;type=shaded&amp;view=map" width="100%" height="380" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/ciec.2014.15.2.185">One study</a> has described the early years in countries like the United Kingdom, America and Australia as being at the mercy of top-down policy development, leading to “a highly prescriptive and assessment-driven early years climate”. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Datafication-of-Primary-and-Early-Years-Education-Playing-with-Numbers/Bradbury-Roberts-Holmes/p/book/9781138242173">UK researchers</a> have identified the “datafication” of early years education and its impacts on children and teachers. And <a href="https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/a-sociological-analysis-of-australias-naplan-and-my-school-senate">Australian researchers</a> used the term “adultification” to describe the unrealistic expectations placed on young children.</p> <h2>So what happens in our schools?</h2> <p>My doctoral <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/268186">research</a> found “datafication” and “adultification” defined the early years of schooling in Victoria. I engaged with more than 100 early-years teachers to explore their literacy teaching and assessment practices. The recurring theme was these teachers were expected to frequently assess young children in formal ways that provided numerical data.</p> <p>Teachers voiced frustration. One described the early years as “death by assessment”. Another lamented that community expectations were unreasonable, saying “people are hung up on data, numbers”.</p> <p>There was an overwhelming sense that the teachers knew their children best and should be given the agency to assess and plan for literacy teaching rather than being required to use a suite of commercially produced assessment tools.</p> <p>The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (<a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf">VEYLDF</a>) is designed to support early years teachers working with children and families. Its premise is that children have the greatest opportunities to develop neural pathways for learning and are also most vulnerable to negative experiences from birth to eight years.</p> <p>The framework is based on research into best practice for children in these years. Rather than formal assessment based on numbers, the VEYLDF advocates for assessment that is authentic and responsive to how all children can best demonstrate their learning and development.</p> <p>The Victorian Education Department <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/Pages/veyldf.aspx">encourages</a> teachers in schools to use the framework. However, little is known about how many actually use the framework to inform teaching and learning.</p> <p>Making it mandatory to report against curriculum standards from the time children begin compulsory schooling sets the boundaries for how many teachers operate. It is hard to have a foot in both camps when reporting against these standards is mandatory and you feel compelled to prepare children for what comes next – which includes <a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/">NAPLAN</a>, the national assessment program.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432555/original/file-20211118-18-1xgrfo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Group of laughing and smiling children together among trees" /> <span class="caption">‘Death by assessment’ threatens the joy young children find in learning.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <h2>Schools can still let children be children</h2> <p>However, some schools are turning their backs on the relentless measuring of young children’s attainments. <a href="https://www.sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au/">St John’s</a>, a multicultural primary school in Melbourne’s inner west, is one example. You only need to look at the school <a href="https://www.sjfootscray.catholic.edu.au/learning/">website</a> to see its philosophy differs from many others.</p> <blockquote> <p>“St John’s Horizon [a school community-developed vision] clearly states ‘KIDS AT THE HEART’ which encapsulates our focus and belief in the image of the child – the child who is capable, curious, full of wonder, rich in knowledge, able to construct and co-construct his or her own learning. We believe in JOY – Joy in learning.”</p> </blockquote> <p>A conversation with the then principal, Gemma Goodyear, gave me an insight into these beliefs, which are inspired by teaching and learning in schools in <a href="https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/">Reggio Emilia</a>, Italy. Goodyear said children do not come to school to be “fixed”, and the teachers engage them by providing meaningful, contextualised learning experiences. And, yes, through their focus on rich learning they still get great results without relentless testing.</p> <p>It is time to revisit the early years of schooling and ensure teachers have the skills and understandings they need to support learners in this phase. These years should be a time when children become engaged and excited about learning, a time of great joy, and a time when children are allowed to be children.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169463/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/martina-tassone-1270226">Martina Tassone</a>, Early Childhood and Primary Course Coordinator and Language and Literacy Lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></span></p> <p>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/a-failure-at-6-data-driven-assessment-isnt-helping-young-childrens-learning-169463">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Tragedy strikes Sharon Stone’s family

<p>Sharon Stone has revealed her 11-month old nephew and godson, River, has died only days after he was found in his crib with 'total organ failure' that left him clinging to life in a coma.</p> <p>The <em>Basic Instinct </em>star, whose video tribute is set to Eric Clapton's <em>Tears in Heaven</em>, revealed the tragic news on Monday via her Instagram account.</p> <p>Stone took to her Instagram account, asking fans to pray for River saying he would need a ‘miracle’ to survive.</p> <p>He was the youngest child of Stone's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha, who live in Ohio with their three children.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTNcofsJlLC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTNcofsJlLC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sharon Stone (@sharonstone)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>While sharing the news of his death, Stone posted a video of her nephew with the caption: 'River William Stone. Sept 8, 2020 - Aug 30, 2021'</p> <p>It is still unknown at this time exactly what happened to the child and Stone has not yet shared any other information about his passing.</p> <p><strong>River’s mother posted a plea for prayers</strong></p> <p>River's mother Tasha also wrote an impassioned plea for prayers on her Facebook page last week, revealing that her son had been airlifted to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh on Thursday, where he was fighting for his life in a coma.</p> <p>Tasha wrote: 'This is the HARDEST thing I have ever had to post but I am BEGGING everyone and anyone who prays please pray HARD for River,' the devastated mother wrote. 'Every single second of this is literally killing me. I just want my sweet sweet boy back.'</p> <p>She didn't share the cause of her son's condition but she said doctors had told her River would “never be the same” if he ever woke up from his coma.</p> <p>'The doctor said if he does pull through he will never be the same,' Tasha wrote on her Facebook post: 'Please I am begging for prayers that my baby can be healed and come back with his family who love him so very much. I am beyond heartbroken.'</p> <p>Neither Tasha or Patrick have commented as yet on their son's tragic passing, and no details about the causes of his illness have been shared.</p> <p><strong>Stone was in Venice when she heard about River<br /></strong></p> <p>Stone was in Venice, Italy, when news of River's condition was revealed and she returned to the US over the weekend.</p> <p>There are a number of severe medical conditions which can lead to multiple organ failure in children but the leading cause is sepsis, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.</p> <p>Sepsis - which can be sparked by another infection in the body - is particularly dangerous for children, because the symptoms are more easily missed than they are in adult patients.</p> <p>Birth defects and other undiagnosed illness can also lead to paediatric organ failure but it is not yet known whether any of these conditions caused River's severe illness.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Urgent warning over deadly pet food

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dog owners have been warned about a disease outbreak in Victoria, with owners being asked to check the origin of their pet food.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Agriculture Victoria has issued a warning for pet owners that pet food sourced from Gippsland between May 31 and July 1 should not be fed to dogs, due to potential contamination that has resulted in pets suffering liver failure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a statement issued last week, Agriculture Victoria identified indospicine, a toxin found in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indigofera</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> species of native plants, as the cause of the illness.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While herbivorous animals can often consume large amounts of plants from this species, dogs are especially susceptible to the toxin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The current outbreak has resulted in 54 dogs being affected across Victoria, including 17 that have died.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The department has said all affected dogs were found to be “young, healthy and vaccinated”.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Owners who have unwell dogs that were fed fresh or frozen raw pet food bought between 31 May and 3 July, should contact their vet immediately. <br />Ag Vic is supporting a PrimeSafe investigation into a cluster of dogs affected with severe liver disease.<a href="https://t.co/ks2ccPzwFd">https://t.co/ks2ccPzwFd</a> <a href="https://t.co/BibteOC9Ab">pic.twitter.com/BibteOC9Ab</a></p> — Agriculture Victoria (@VicGovAg) <a href="https://twitter.com/VicGovAg/status/1416285537959235589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In their investigation into the cause of the deaths, the department has identified pet food to be one line of inquiry, and has issued a voluntary recall of fresh and frozen meat from a Gippsland knackery which is under investigation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“At this stage the investigation has no conclusive evidence of how the dogs have ingested the toxin, with pet food sources remaining a primary focus,” the department said in the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/about/media-centre/media-releases/primesafe-and-agriculture-victoria-statement-dog-liver-disease-cluster" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">statement</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This complex investigation is ongoing with multiple lines of inquiry across the pet supply chain and testing continuing at laboratories across Australia.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The knackery under investigation issued a statement on their Facebook page.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our hearts go out to all people and pets that have suffered or are still suffering as a result of the illness no matter how it was caused. We know people and animals are hurting - we are passionate dog and horse lovers ourselves - we understand people’s genuine pain, hurt and anger,” the statement reads.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Agriculture Victoria, this is the first incidence of indospicine toxicity in the state.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Animals including cattle, camels, and horses are known to carry the toxin, according to the department, particularly in northern Australia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the source of the toxin is yet to be determined, a number of samples of raw meat intended for pets are currently being analysed according to Yahoo News Australia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These samples may include prescribed animals such as horses, fallen stock, and sealed dressed game such as kangaroos.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following concerns regarding the spread of the disease to humans, Agriculture Victoria said in a statement the current outbreak is believed to only be affecting dogs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Pets suffering from liver disease associated with indospicine toxicity do not pose a risk to people,” the department said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There are no indications of any risk to human health nor of human food safety issues associated with these cases to date.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Currently, a number of products issued between May 31 and July 3 have been recalled as a precaution, including:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maffra District Knackery Mince</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maffra District Knackery Kennel</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mafra District Knackery Horse</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Backman’s Greyhound Supplies Mince</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Backman’s Greyhound Supplies Kennel</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Backman’s Greyhound Supplies Horse</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anyone who returns their product is entitled to refunds or exchanges.</span></p>

Legal

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“I take responsibility”: ScoMo takes the heat on vaccine rollout failure

<p><span>Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken responsibility for the slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout.</span><br /><br /><span>"I take responsibility for the problems that we have had, but I am also taking responsibility for the solutions we're putting in place and the vaccination rates that we are now achieving," he said while in quarantine from the Prime Minister's residence, The Lodge.</span><br /><br /><span>The Australian leader says one million Aussies have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the past seven days.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842593/scott-morrison.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cf053ec9445a4f0b8128c8537f7c8b7c" /><br /><br /><span>In Mr Morrison’s words, the country is on track to be vaccinated by the end of 2021.</span><br /><br /><span>He said the program was about two months behind the planned schedule at the start of the year.</span><br /><br /><span>"We've had our challenges with this program, we've had significant challenges with this program, as many countries have," Mr Morrison said.</span><br /><br /><span>"What matters is how you fix the things that need to be fixed … today, with the most recent seven day's data, we finally hit that mark of a million doses in arms in a week."</span><br /><br /><span>So far, 10.5 million people have received a vaccination, and 14 per cent of Aussies over 16 years of age are fully vaccinated.</span><br /><br /><span>The Prime Minister said he has been in contact with the government's vaccine advisory group to discuss whether the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is preferred for people over 60.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842590/scott-morrison-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/af27e7c574514b4dad8ac2b119a73433" /><br /><br /><span>"It's a constant appeal, it's a constant appeal, I can assure you," he said.</span><br /><br /><span>"They said they made that decision on the balance of risk, well it's now on them to constantly reconsider that risk."</span><br /><br /><span>The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has stated that young people may be at a rare risk of developing blood clots from the AstraZeneca vaccine.</span><br /><br /><span>It revised that age up to 60 last month.</span><br /><br /><span>People under 50 are advised to wait for the Pfizer vaccine.</span></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

News

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"She's a failure": Ita Buttrose cops direct spray from Michael Kroger

<p>Liberal Party powerbroker Michael Kroger has urged ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose to "just resign", revealing senior cabinet ministers regret ever putting her in the job.</p> <p>In an epic spray on Sky News, Mr Kroger has described the businesswoman, founding editor of Cleo magazine and now Chairman of the ABC as "a failure" because the national broadcaster was anti-Liberal.</p> <p>“Ita should resign,’’ Mr Kroger told Sky News.</p> <p>“Ita has been a terrible failure. And I know there are many people in the Coalition, including people in the cabinet who regret her appointment.”</p> <p>Ms Buttrose, a former Australian of the Year, was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1979 and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1998. She advanced to a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2019.</p> <p>“She and some of those board members should go. She’s lost control of the Board. The Board has lost control of the managing director. The managing director has certainly lost control of news and current affairs,’’ Mr Kroger said.</p> <p>Mr Kroger, who served on the ABC board for five years, said the ABC could not be reformed because the left-wing staff ran the organisation in defiance of any outside interference.</p> <p>“The ABC staff are more powerful than ever,’’ he said.</p> <p>Mr Kroger went on to describe various programs as throwing “political acid” in the Liberal Party’s face.</p> <p>“They have weaponised Four Corners, Q&amp;A in particular, which is like political acid in the face of the Liberal Party,’’ he said.</p> <p>“It’s a shockingly biased program. The Drum, these current affairs shows are just weaponised against the Coalition.”</p> <p>The Liberal Party powerbroker then claimed that the ABC's flagship current affairs program had investigated the "behaviour" of a senior ALP figure but had failed to publish a story.</p> <p>“I mean Four Corners had evidence of behaviour of a senior Labor frontbencher that they have not put to air. They have not been put to air.</p> <p>“They’ve got a lot of evidence. Now, they give the usual reasons I gather on the grapevine that, “Oh, well there wasn’t quite enough.</p> <p>“Well, there wasn’t quite enough against Christian Porter. As they admitted the other day when they settled. And I take the view that Christian Porter did exceptionally well with this litigation. Because the ABC had to admit they were never able to prove this.”</p> <p>Sky Host Chris Kenny proceeded to accuse Mr Porter of rape, which is he denies, saying it was “disgusting stuff to put into the public arena.”</p> <p>Mr Kroger then ended the interview by again calling for Ms Buttrose to resign.</p> <p>“She’s a failure. She should resign. You can’t get everything right in life. Morrison has got pretty much everything else right. But this was a bad appointment by the Coalition cabinet.”</p> <p>“She’s been a hopeless failure. It’s more biased. This is like a train that has got no driver.”</p>

News

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How I mastered baking a yeast bread from scratch after years of failure

<p>My introduction to baking started with the home-kitchen classic that cracks open the oven door for so many – chocolate chip cookies. It was the 1970s, and most of the mums in our largely Catholic neighbourhood were busy raising big families. For the girls in my house, that meant our mother made sure we knew our way around the kitchen. At the flour-dusted table, Mum taught eight-year-old me how to make the cookies perfectly chewy with a crispy exterior. (The big secret: Always chill your dough.)</p> <p>We crafted them by the dozen, measuring ingredients from yellow Tupperware containers and mixing everything in my mum’s aqua Butter­print Pyrex bowl, part of a set she’d received as a wedding gift in 1963. Friends who grew up in “fresh fruit is dessert” households could not get enough when they visited. And if they happened to come over when the cookie jar was empty, they were not shy about sharing their disappointment.</p> <p>So from a young age, I was crystal clear on the power of a baked-to-perfection cookie to make people happy. Baking cookies – then brownies, cakes and pies – became my hobby and a tasty form of social currency. First I used my skills with butter and sugar to impress a series of teenage boyfriends. In time, the fresh goodies were left on doorsteps to welcome new neighbours and set out in the break room for co-workers. Baking was my superpower.</p> <p>A few years ago, I became the content director for Taste of Home, Reader’s Digest’s sister magazine and website that celebrates the treasured recipes of home cooks. I’d never been more excited for a new job, but privately I worried that my baking chops wouldn’t measure up. Why? I had a secret as dark as an oven with a burned-out light bulb: While I had baked sweets my whole life, I’d never made a yeast bread from scratch.</p> <p>Mum couldn’t help me with this one. For her, store-bought frozen dough was her go-to when she needed “from scratch” bread. I understand why: Bread dough provides so many opportunities to fail. Cookies are forgiving. You can be a little off in your measurements, and, trust me, those cookies still disappear from the office break room. Not the case with yeast breads. Most recipes recommend weighing ingredients carefully, down to the gram.</p> <p>Then there’s the yeast. Yeast is fussy, the Goldilocks of ingredients. Mix it in water too cool and it won’t activate; too hot, and it dies. Yes, yeast is a living, one-celled member of the fungus family. Because it is alive, I could, of course, kill it – and unfortunately rather easily.</p> <p>And don’t forget that other potential failure point: the kneading. Too little kneading and the bread will be flat. But don’t overdo it! Knead it too much, and the loaf will be tough and chewy.</p> <p>Still, this was no time for excuses. I was a baker, now one with Taste of Home attached to my name. I may have been intimidated by bread, but it was time. I wanted in.</p> <p>Getting started, I found Instagram to be a friend. A basic no-knead bread was the one I was seeing online overlaid with dreamy filters. People described it as easy, and to be honest, the thought of removing even one intimidating variable – kneading – was enough to get me to buy two kilograms of bread flour and dive in.</p> <p>I gathered everything I’d need (“be prepared” is the first rule of any baking), including my mum’s trusty Pyrex. It had seen me through my first days as a baker, so I was counting on it to work its magic. I had an easy Taste of Home recipe all set on my iPad. I mixed the flour, salt, and yeast and made sure the water temperature was just right – 38 to 46 degrees – before pouring it in.</p> <p>And then it happened – or didn’t happen. I followed the instructions to the letter, but my dough didn’t rise. Somehow, impossibly, it looked smaller. Sludgy, gooey, wet with a few bubbles. Sad.</p> <p>The Pyrex bowl didn’t save me, so I had to figure out how to do it myself. Frantically googling “bread dough didn’t rise” yielded a likely answer – the room was too cold. But I found some solutions too. I put the disappointing dough in the oven with the light on, a trick that provides just a bit of gentle heat, to let it try again.</p> <p>Three hours later, after I’d resisted the urge to keep checking on it like a nervous mum with a newborn, a puffy dough filled the bowl. I hadn’t killed it; it was just … sleeping. A quick fold, a second rise, and then my bread went into my Dutch oven and off to bake.</p> <p>Thirty minutes later, I took it out. Sure, it was slightly misshapen, but in my eyes, it was golden-brown, crusty perfection, right down to the yeasty-sweet hit of steam coming from its top.</p> <p>Naturally, the first thing I did was grab my phone and hop on Instagram, positioning my beautiful bread just so in a shining stream of daylight on a wooden cutting board. No one needed to know it was my first yeast bread ever – or how close it came to getting scraped into the garbage can. The online reactions started almost immediately – heart emojis and comments like “This looks DELISH!” from my friends.</p> <p>They couldn’t taste it, but virtual sharing yields its own rewards.</p> <p>Finally I cut into that lovely brown crust and doled out slices to my husband and kids. Those slices led to seconds, then thirds, each piece slathered with softened butter and a little sprinkle of salt. I made my family perhaps happier with slices of warm, buttered homemade bread than I had with all the sweets combined. They were used to the cookies and brownies; this was something totally new and equally delicious. Soon enough, I was left with a butter-smeared knife, a few lonely crumbs on the cutting board, and, of course, my post on Instagram as the only evidence of its existence.</p> <p>At last, I was a bread baker – despite yeast’s best attempts to intimidate me on this first try. No more feeling inferior or afraid. Now I make bread and homemade pizza crust regularly. Yeast and I have such a good relationship that I’m done buying the little packs – I buy it in large enough quantities to fill its own Tupperware container. And I have enough confidence to start thinking (and stressing!) about my next difficult baking challenge: homemade croissants.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Tips from my trial and error</strong></p> <p>Read the whole recipe before you start.</p> <p>We’ve all gotten halfway through a recipe only to find we don’t have any buttermilk. Plus, a quick read can help you prepare for what’s ahead, particularly if there are any techniques with which you’re not familiar.</p> <p><strong>1. Use butter at the right temperature</strong></p> <p>Most cake and cookie recipes call for softened butter, which is the right consistency for creaming with sugar. Biscuit and pie pastry recipes call for ice-cold butter in order to create the flakiest layers. If your butter isn’t the correct temperature, your bakes won’t mix up the way they should.</p> <p><strong>2. Weigh all your ingredients</strong></p> <p>When it comes to baking, it’s always preferable to measure your ingredients by weight rather than volume. This ensures you get exactly the right proportions. It may not be critical for something simple like a pan of brownies, but it’s important with fussier baked items, such as macarons.</p> <p><strong>3. Chill cookie dough</strong></p> <p>We know how tempting it is to get your cookies in the oven the second you’re done mixing up your dough. However, chilling the dough can help develop flavours and prevent cookies from spreading too much. Do not skip this step!</p> <p><strong>4. Coat mix-ins with flour</strong></p> <p>When a recipe calls for add-ins (dried fruits, chocolate chips, and/or nuts), you’ll often see instructions to toss them in a bit of flour before adding to the batter. You might think that’s a waste – after all, there’s flour in the batter. But coating these heavy mix-ins helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan. The extra step gives you even distribution and a prettier result.</p> <p><strong>5. Cool cakes completely before icing</strong></p> <p>Always let your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies cool completely before icing them. If they are too warm, the icing will slide right off the top of your cake or melt and soak in. Cooling racks speed up the process. If you don’t have one, take the cover off your ironing board and use the board as a cooling rack.</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Written by </em><em>Jeanne Sidner</em><em>. This article first appeared on<a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/how-i-mastered-baking-a-yeast-bread-from-scratch-after-years-of-failure"> </a></em><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/how-i-mastered-baking-a-yeast-bread-from-scratch-after-years-of-failure"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/how-i-mastered-baking-a-yeast-bread-from-scratch-after-years-of-failure">.</a> For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.com.au/subscribe"><em>here’s our best subscription offer</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena discuss mental health in candid chat: “I felt like a failure”

<p>Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena got together for a special video chat on Instagram to discuss their mental health struggle.</p> <p>Fans were able to watch the pair’s video chat in a small clip posted to the social media site, where they encouraged fans to reach out to others who may be having a difficult time during the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena got together for a video chat on mental health struggles in lockdown earlier this week. </p> <p>“Having gone through mental health issues myself, I never ever want to think of someone suffering on their own,” Jess, 49, admitted honestly.</p> <p>“I felt like a failure, but came to realise I just simply had an illness that I needed help to get through. </p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_V6hZ5pcQs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_V6hZ5pcQs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jessica Rowe (@jessjrowe)</a> on Apr 23, 2020 at 4:49pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“During the uncertainty, it's easy to lean into fear and be unkind but now more than ever we need to lean into kindness,” she added.</p> <p>Jessica has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness over the years and has opened up about her own struggles. </p> <p>While speaking with<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/" target="_blank">Whimn</a><span> </span>in December of 2019, the former Studio 10 co-host admitted openly she struggled with depression and anxiety.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Q1iw0FdGv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Q1iw0FdGv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Tina Arena (@tinaarena)</a> on Apr 21, 2020 at 5:29pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I've had postnatal depression, depression and anxiety over the years, so I'm a passionate advocate for greater mental health awareness and the importance of asking for help,” she said.</p> <p>“I felt like a failure because of my mental illness, but now I know that it's an illness like any other and nothing to be ashamed of.   </p> <p>“I asked for help, went to a psychiatrist and started taking medication, and I'm far healthier in my head as a result,” she added.  </p> <p>Tina also went on record earlier this month to speak out about her own personal mental struggles while in lockdown with her “traumatised” 14-year-old son, Gabriel.</p> <p>Speaking to <span>Stellar magazine, Arena said: “I'm struggling. I've got emails from teachers saying, ‘Gabriel hasn't handed in this and that...’”   </span></p> <p>Tina added: “But we will get there. Our kids are traumatised. They can't see their mates, it's tough.”</p> <p>The Australian singer shares her son with French artist Vincent Mancini, who she married in 2000. </p>

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These pet food brands have been linked to heart disease in dogs

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pet food that has been marketed in Australia as healthy for dogs has been linked to several cases of canine heart failure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sixteen brands were linked by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration to cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is a condition that leads to heart failure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three brands, Earthborn Holistic, Orijen and Nutro were found in Australia and can be purchased through outlines including My Pet Warehouse and Pet Circle. This is according to </span><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/the-pet-food-brands-that-have-been-linked-to-heart-failure-in-dogs-125010665.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">7 News.</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The FDA found that the problem brands were commonly labelled as grain-free and contained a high proportion of peas, lentils and other legumes as well as potatoes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More than 500 cases of DCM have been reported to the FDA since the beginning of 2018, which prompted the organisation to issue a warning to pet owners.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over 90 per cent of products linked with cases of DCM were grain-free and 93 per cent of products had peas and/or lentils.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Symptoms of DCM include decreased energy, coughing, difficulty breathing and episodes of collapse.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The FDA urged pet owners to take their animal to a vet immediately if they suspect their dog is showing any symptoms.</span></p>

Family & Pets

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These pet food brands have possibly been linked to heart disease in dogs

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pet food that has been marketed in Australia as healthy for dogs have possibly been linked to several cases of canine heart failure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sixteen brands were linked by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration to cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is a condition that leads to heart failure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three brands, Earthborn Holistic, Orijen and Nutro were found in Australia and can be purchased through outlines including My Pet Warehouse and Pet Circle. This is according to </span><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/the-pet-food-brands-that-have-been-linked-to-heart-failure-in-dogs-125010665.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">7 News.</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The FDA found that the problem brands were commonly labelled as grain-free and contained a high proportion of peas, lentils and other legumes as well as potatoes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More than 500 cases of DCM have been reported to the FDA since the beginning of 2018, which prompted the organisation to issue a warning to pet owners.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over 90 per cent of products linked with cases of DCM were grain-free and 93 per cent of products had peas and/or lentils.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Symptoms of DCM include decreased energy, coughing, difficulty breathing and episodes of collapse.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The FDA urged pet owners to take their animal to a vet immediately if they suspect their dog is showing any symptoms.</span></p> <p>Champion Petfoods, makers of Orijen, have released a statement in regards to the matter.</p> <p>"On June 27, 2019, the FDA released an update saying that it is “continuing to investigate and gather more information in an effort to identify whether there is a specific dietary link to development of DCM.” More specifically, its update provides no causative scientific link between DCM and our products, ingredients or grain-free diets as a whole.</p> <p>"Our hearts go out to every pet and Pet Lover who have been impacted by DCM. We take this very seriously and will continue to work internally and with other industry leaders on research into the cause of DCM in order to help Pet Lovers understand the facts. Our own research, and the millions of pets who have thrived by eating our food over 25 years, have shown that Champion pet foods are safe.</p> <p>"DCM is a serious but rare condition. Of the 77 million dogs in the U.S., 0.5% to 1% have DCM, and of those dogs with DCM, fewer than 0.1% are speculated to have DCM related to diet, although that is not scientifically proven. In the recipes Champion makes, we emphasize fresh and raw meat with total animal-derived ingredients ranging from 60 to 85 percent of the finished product. Legumes are not a significant feature in Champion’s recipes, and never have been.</p> <p>"Champion’s mission is to provide high quality foods that are Biologically Appropriate and enhance the long-term health and well-being of cats and dogs and we carry out state-of-the-art nutritional research to ensure that our products remain that way. As Pet Lovers ourselves, everyone at Champion will continue our unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards for ingredients and food safety."</p>

Family & Pets

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"Failure is the greatest lesson": Johanna Griggs on career, romance and family

<p>Johanna Griggs has opened up about how she got through all the setbacks in her career and love life, from the hiccups in her swimming days to her 18-month long IVF battle.</p> <p>In a new interview with <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/johanna-griggs-kids-55261" target="_blank">The Australian Women's Weekly</a></em>, the former competitive swimmer revealed the challenges she faced throughout her career as an athlete and a TV presenter.</p> <p>A year after winning the bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Griggs was hit by chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced her to cut her career short. She returned to the pool at the age of 19 to break the world record in the 50-metre backstroke at the 1993 Australian Swimming Championships. However, the very next day, she announced her retirement.</p> <p>Following the announcement, she was surprised by the emerging offers from multiple television networks for her to become on-air talent. </p> <p>“It was so heady and exciting,” she said. “And again, I think how lucky I was.”</p> <p>However, Griggs’ journey as a broadcaster was not always smooth-sailing, as armchair critics panned her presenting style. </p> <p>In 1996, the Seven Network fired her via fax just two weeks before she was due to return as a sports newsreader from maternity leave. Back then, she was caring for three-month-old son Jesse and pregnant with Joe.</p> <p>“Failure is the greatest lesson in the world,” she said. “The greatest opportunities in my life, the greatest lessons I’ve learnt and the greatest pivot points where you totally change direction have come from my failures. And that’s not a bad thing.”</p> <p>Griggs also saw the bright side from her short-lived marriage with Australian actor Gary Sweet, whom she wed in 1995 and split from two years later. </p> <p>“When a marriage ends, you feel you’re such a failure in that aspect, but at the same time it really uncomplicated our lives,” she said.</p> <p>“I loved my years as a single mum. There are situations where people go between parents – we really didn't have to do that. So you’re the decision maker, they’re your little buddies. And I had a lot of support around me.”</p> <p>Years later, Griggs was introduced to her younger brother’s friend, Todd Huggins, whom she became quickly close to. She said Huggins would make visits to her sons Jesse and Joe, even when she was out of town for work. </p> <p>“He would turn up every day and either kick a footie, do their homework with them or hang with them and watch TV,” admits Griggs.</p> <p>“That was such a monumental thing to do. He’s never tried to be the boys’ dad because they have a dad but he is 100 per cent a person who influences them, who they still go to.”</p> <p>Griggs and Huggins finally tied the knot in 2006. The couple then began trying for children through IVF, but after two rounds of unsuccessful attempts they received the devastating news – they are part of a small percentage of people that the procedure would not be able to help.</p> <p>Griggs recalled her husband telling her, “I think it’s the universe telling us just to stop. It’s not going to happen for us.”</p> <p>However, the 45-year-old received another chance at expanding her family unit when her son Joe welcomed his first child Jax with his then-partner Katie Buttel in 2018. </p> <p>“That baby is the happiest, most chilled, extraordinary little boy,” said Griggs. </p> <p>“Joe and Katie are doing a fabulous job of co-parenting. Both families, right from the go, said, ‘He’s going to be loved in any direction he looks in’ – and he really is.”</p>

Home & Garden

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Lindt café sniper sues NSW Police over "failure" to save lives

<p>The chief sniper in the Lindt café siege is set to sue the NSW Police Force for negligence, alleging he and fellow officers were prevented from doing their jobs and that the lives of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson could have been saved.</p> <p>The officer, who was only identified as Sierra 3-1, claimed in a 30-page affidavit that he has suffered psychological trauma due to the decisions taken by his superiors during the December 2014 siege in Sydney.</p> <p>He lodged a complaint about the senior officers to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commissioner after the 2016 inquest, but the complaint was dismissed.</p> <p>“The way we trained for incidents like this is for the sniper co-ordinator to be in the command post,” he said. “I asked to perform that role on this occasion, but I didn’t.”</p> <p>A relative said making a complaint and taking a civil action was a “big decision” for the chief sniper, who was medically discharged from the force in 2017. </p> <p>“He believes Tori Johnson’s life was saveable and says that in his affidavit,” the relative said.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 333.008px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7826283/lindt.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b65db7cff7f144b6ac5bf0fee392ed9c" /></p> <p>According to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lindt-cafe-siege-sniper-sues-nsw-police-for-negligence-alleging-lives-could-have-been-saved/news-story/9db583e21cfd49864a2cc82601a78d18" target="_blank"><em>Daily Telegraph</em></a>, the civil action was lodged on April 12 in the NSW District Court for a one-day hearing scheduled for next year.</p> <p>The case is expected to re-examine many aspects of the siege, which saw 17 people being taken hostage by gunman Man Haron Monis.</p> <p>The 50-year-old terrorist was killed in the siege along with 34-year-old Lindt café manager Tori Johnson and 38-year-old barrister Katrina Dawson.</p>

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 Smoking hot Cassandra Thorburn’s Dancing With The Stars debut: “It was a failure”

<p>Cassandra Thorburn has received the lowest judges' score of the night on reality TV show <em>Dancing With the Stars</em> after what has been considered a difficult year for the ex-wife of Karl Stefanovic.</p> <p>Australian-born dancer and judge, Craig Revel Horwood, had a few slicing words to say to Thorburn after fans praised her on social media for her ‘smoking’ dress and hair.</p> <p>The judge, who has sat on the panel for UK’s <em>Strictly Come Dancing,</em> is known for his savage insults – and he didn’t hold back last night, critiquing a number of the Aussie celebs.</p> <p>What started as all smiles when the 47-year-old came out on stage with her partner Marco De Angelis, quickly soured into a harsh verdict by the Australian judge.</p> <p>“I felt beautiful, I felt confident, I felt happy,” Thorburn said after performing the waltz in a glimmering red gown.</p> <p>Horwood however had a few harsh words.</p> <p>“Well, it was all going well until the skirt was ripped off and you started to dance,” he said.</p> <p>“Then quite frankly, it was a failure.”</p> <p>Thorburn took the harsh verdict with grace, jokingly thanking the judge.</p> <p>Viewers were taken aback last night by the judge's harsh comments and took to Twitter to convey their distaste.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">The first week should be about a bit of encouragement and some constructive criticism to work with, not 'you were a failure from start to finish'. They're all trying their best, Craig. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DWTSau?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DWTSau</a></p> — Emmee (@blueemmee) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueemmee/status/1097441943141793792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">So so proud of you Cass, and everyone that performed tonight! It's so easy to sit on our butts and hate on them when their out living their lives. It's only jealousy. Love and light to you all <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DWTSau?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DWTSau</a></p> — Dani 🖤💛❤️ (@tamdanielle85) <a href="https://twitter.com/tamdanielle85/status/1097456527969931264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Others also commented on the fitting red dress she wore.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">I want Cassandra’s dress (and the body to rock it).🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DWTSau?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DWTSau</a></p> — Anouska (@AnouskaHaaket) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnouskaHaaket/status/1097440000466026496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>However, Thorburn wasn’t the only one to receive savage criticism last night even after Horwood received boos from the audience.</p> <p>He commented on <em>The Biggest Loser</em> trainer Michelle Bridges' dancing, comparing her swift movements to “two wooden legs".</p> <p>And it didn't stop there.</p> <p>“I thought a Ken doll would have danced with more fluidity to be honest … thank God you’re easy on the eye,” Horwood told lifesaver and model Jett Kenny, the son of Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny. He then went on to award him with a 2 out of 10 score.</p> <p>Not even <em>The Living Room’s </em>Miguel Maestre could avoid brutal feedback from Horwood.</p> <p>“You look like you just came out of a double hip replacement,” he commented.</p> <p>Sadly, Thorburn ended up at the bottom of the ladder on Monday night, alongside cricketer Curtly Ambrose, both receiving a measly score of 10 out of 30.</p> <p>Did you watching last night's debut episode of<span> </span><em>Dancing With The Stars</em>? Did you think judge Craig was unfair with his comments and scoring? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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