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Kochie's warning for every Aussie parent

<p>Australian finance expert David Koch has warned parents to think twice before offering financial assistance to their adult children who are thinking of buying their first home. </p> <p>With many young Australians looking to buy property turning to the “Bank of Mum and Dad” for financial help, Kochie has advised parents to approach this with caution, structured agreements, and clear communication, to reduce the risks and protect both parties involved. </p> <p>“The Bank of Mum and Dad provided $2.7 billion to their adult children to buy property over the past year," the finance expert said on his latest column in <em>The Nightly</em></p> <p>He encouraged a structured approach to navigating the common intergenerational finance practice, and added that financial assistance from parents has become a significant player in the housing market. </p> <p>“If it was an actual bank, it would be somewhere between the fifth and ninth biggest mortgage lender," he said, referring to an estimation by the Productivity Commission. </p> <p>He then warned against the casual approach that is often taken, saying: “We all want to help our kids … But the question is what that help looks like.”</p> <p>“Treat the loan as a business transaction and draw up a formal agreement between each party outlining the terms of the deal, including a set repayment schedule,” he emphasised. </p> <p>Kochie also drew attention to the University of Newcastle’s findings on the increased risk of financial elder abuse associated with parental assistance.</p> <p>“Borrowing from the Bank of Mum and Dad encourages ageist attitudes, which leads to kids financially abusing their parents," he quoted the study. </p> <p>He then differentiated the different forms of financial assistance, explaining the difference between gifts, loans, and guarantees. </p> <p>“If your child is married or in a de facto relationship and it ends, gifts will usually be considered part of the family assets and divided up in court,” he warned. </p> <p>He also offered guidance on parental investments in entrepreneurial ventures, advising parents to “think of your role as that of a regular investor."</p> <p><em>Image: news.com.au </em></p>

Money & Banking

Nick Kyrgios' honest thoughts on Shane Warne's open letter

<p>In 2015, late cricket legend Shane Warne posted an open letter Nick Kyrgios on social media, calling out the then hot-headed tennis player's fiery behaviour off-court. </p> <p>"Dear Nick, we all realise you're only 20 and have a lot to learn buddy, but please don't waste your talent," the letter began. </p> <p>"Everyone in the world, especially us Australians want to respect you. You need to respect the game of tennis and yourself. We all make mistakes.</p> <p>"You're testing our patience mate, show us what you're made of and how hungry you are to be the best in the world. It's time to step up and start winning, no excuses," he added in the scathing letter. </p> <p>"We all make mistakes. It's how we learn from them and the way we conduct ourselves when we lose that shows true character. You're testing our patience mate," he concluded. </p> <p>A then 20-year-old Kyrgios had just beat Spanish champion Rafael Nadal during the 2015 Wimbledon, but also attracted a lot of controversy after insulting Stan Wawrinka at a tournament in Montreal, Canada. </p> <p>This was a particularly difficult time in Kyrgios' career, as he was suspended for 28-days and got a $34,705 fine from the ATP.</p> <p>Since the incident, Kyrgios has managed to get his professional life back on track, and in a recent interview with Piers Morgan on his show <em>Uncensored</em>, the tennis star shared that he never read the letter. </p> <p>"I saw it and didn't read it. I'm never going to be the first one to go out on social media and put someone down," he told the host. </p> <p>He added that he believed that Warne would be proud of how far he's come. </p> <p>"I look back at that letter and at how far I've come and I'd say he would be proud for sure. I’ve had a pretty successful career. I feel I've won a lot more than I've lost." </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

"So beautiful": Summer Warne overwhelmed by Coldplay's tribute to Shane

<p>Summer Warne has captured the emotional moment that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin paid tribute to her late father on stage. </p> <p>During their show in Perth on Sunday night, Martin bean singing an original acoustic song that honoured Shane Warne in a unique way. </p> <p>Shane's daughter Summer was in the audience for the performance, and was incredibly touched by the gesture. </p> <p>During the song, Chris Martin sang the lyrics, "Friends come, and friends go, there are just some people you're lucky to know. If I could, I'd do it all again, so thanks for everything Shane."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz1Ln4fRVQU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz1Ln4fRVQU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Summer Warne 🍒 (@summerwarne)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>He even joked at one point, singing "I needed sunglasses just to look at your teeth," and poked fun at the late cricketer's lack of rhythm. </p> <p>Summer posted a clip of the emotional moment to Instagram with the caption, "The most amazing song dedicated to Dad. Thank you Chris, so beautiful <a title="" href="https://www.instagram.com/coldplay/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">@coldplay</a> Love you dad xx."</p> <p>This isn't the first time Martin has honoured the star in song, as Coldplay dedicated an acoustic cover of their hit song <em>Yellow</em> to the sporting legend at Shane's memorial. </p> <p>The performance was done via video, as Chris began saying, "I am sorry I cannot be there today."</p> <p>"We are on tour in Central America and there are a lot of background noises, but I feel like that may be OK with him. I think chaos and Shane were good friends."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Music

"I couldn't save her": Husband's heartbreaking warning against weight loss drugs

<p>A grieving father has issued a desperate plea against using weight loss drugs after his wife passed away from possible side effects just months into her treatment. </p> <p>Roy Webster told <em>60 Minutes</em> that his wife Trish simply wanted to lose weight before their daughter's wedding, so she decided to take Ozempic - a drug which was originally designed to treat diabetes, but is now being prescribed as a weight loss drug. </p> <p>The 56-year-old mother lost 16 kilos from taking Ozempic and another weight loss drug, Saxenda, but she was also frequently ill and in January "something went seriously wrong".</p> <p>"I couldn't save her, that's the hard part," Webster said. </p> <p>"If I knew that could happen, she wouldn't have been taking it."</p> <p>The heartbroken Aussie father added that his wife tragically passed away in his arms. </p> <p>"She had a little bit of brown stuff coming out of her mouth and I realised she wasn't breathing, and started doing CPR," he said.</p> <p>"It was just pouring out and I turned her onto the side because she couldn't breathe." </p> <p>Trish's death certificate reveals that her cause of death was an acute gastrointestinal illness, although there isn't a direct link to weight loss drugs, Webster believes that they contributed to his wife's death. </p> <p>"I never thought you could die from it," he warned other Aussies. </p> <p>In the same interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>, Endocrinologist Dr Kathryn William, said that there's "growing evidence the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic can cause digestive complications."</p> <p>"When we prescribe them, we warn people," she said.</p> <p>"So if I say to someone, 'yes, it might be that you do vomit once or twice, but if you are having recurrent vomiting, you need to let me know and you need to stop the medication'."</p> <p>The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia is investigating local cases and encourages people like Webster to report their concerns. </p> <p>Webster also reportedly wants a coronial inquest to examine his wife's death.</p> <p>"She shouldn't be gone, you know," he said. "It's just not worth it, it's not worth it at all."</p> <p><em>Image: 60 Minutes</em></p>

Body

Jackson Warne speaks for the first time on the moment he found out about his father's death

<p>Jackson Warne has opened up for the first time about the life-changing moment he found out about his father's untimely death. </p> <p>Jackson was 22-years-old when his father, famous Aussie cricketer Shane Warne, passed away of a heart attack while holidaying in Thailand in March 2022. </p> <p>Now, for the first time, Jackson has recalled the moment he and his family found out abut the devastating news. </p> <p>Speaking with <em>SAS Australia</em> chief instructor Ant Middleton on the show's podcast ahead of the show's anticipated finale, Jackson spoke candidly about receiving the life-changing phone call. </p> <p>Middleton asked Jackson, who was a contestant on <em>SAS</em> three years ago, “Do you remember where you were when you got the news?” </p> <p>Jackson said, “Definitely, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to probably forget where I was or what I was doing. Because all you get is a phone call. And then when you hang up the phone call, your life that you’ve been living, your entire life, everything you ever knew sort of was like this, just gets whooshed, just completely flipped upside down."</p> <p>“You have all these thoughts, and you let the tears out, that you just sort of sit in silence. Like we, I was with my girlfriend, my sister, Brooke, and her partner, and then my mum. And we just got to call. Hung up the phone and we just sat in silence for hours."</p> <p>While going through the shock and devastation of finding out about his father's death, Jackson had a profound dream about his late dad, as he felt he was sending him a message. </p> <p>He began, "I can tell you about a dream that might sound bizarre, but it would have been maybe two weeks, or two-and-a-half weeks after dad passed, and I was driving my car. He was driving his car. And we used to sort not race, we used to just drive next to each other and, you know, race a little bit."</p> <p>“But he was always the better driver in the better car. So (he) always beat me all the time, all the time. And in this dream I had, I was driving my car, he was driving his car, we’re both looking each other left and right and driving and driving.</p> <p>“And then all of a sudden our cars sort of, they sort of merged, and I was in the driver’s seat of his car. And then I looked to my left, and he wasn’t there. And then I sort of woke up and I can really vividly remember that dream."</p> <p>“Everything about it, I can remember. And I sort of looked at that as he was sort of giving me the permission to be in charge. Now he’s like, ‘Jackson, I’m giving you the driver’s seat. You’re the one that’s, you know, going to be making the tough decisions. Now you’re the one that has to step up for the family. I’m not here anymore, you have to be (the one)‘."</p> <p>Jackson also shared the reason he is finally speaking out about his father, saying, “To keep someone’s memory alive, you have to keep talking about them."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

"I want to make Dad proud": Summer Warne's heart-wrenching revelation

<p>Summer Warne has shared a heart-wrenching revelation after making her TV debut on <em>The Masked Singer</em>. </p> <p>The 21-year-old, who is Shane Warne's youngest child with Simone Callahan, left the panel of judges in tears following an emotional performance of Coldplay’s <em>Yellow</em>. </p> <p>“That was his favourite Coldplay song. It’s such a significant song to me and my family,” she said. </p> <p>“I want to make Dad proud. Singing Yellow was absolutely amazing – that song was his funeral song. Chris Martin sang it at the state memorial.”</p> <p>Summer also took to Instagram to reflect on her TV debut, where she thanked the judging panel, host and fans for their love and support. </p> <p>"I will be forever grateful of this whole experience ❤️" she captioned the photos. </p> <p>She also paid tribute to her dad, and shared what an honour it was to perform for him.</p> <p>"My dad would love nothing more than hearing me sing and perform on stage, if it wasn’t for him I would have never been given an opportunity like this.</p> <p>"So thank you Dad, and I really wish you could have seen this, but I know you were by my side every step of the way ❤️"</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxpPcGvRRoJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxpPcGvRRoJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Summer Warne (@summerwarne)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In an interview with <em>Yahoo Lifestyle </em>after her performance, Summer shared a few candid insights into how tough it was to grow up with a famous father. </p> <p>“If I was out at a party, I thought I had to act a certain way, because if I did the wrong thing, or said the wrong thing, people would look at my family and go, ‘Oh, she’s a horrible person’.</p> <p>“I never wanted … I never asked to be in this life. And I think it was just very hard growing up in an environment where your whole life is kind of on screen.</p> <p>“And if Dad made a mistake, it would reflect on me. And, you know, I thought people were looking at me differently.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/like-a-bad-dream-shane-warne-s-family-in-shock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane passed away </a>of a suspected heart attack in Thailand on March 2022, and the news shocked the world. </p> <p>Ever since his passing, Summer said that life hasn't gotten any easier for her family. </p> <p>"I think it has gotten a bit more hectic, because they (paparazzi) can’t follow him around now, and they want to follow us,” she said.</p> <p>"They write stories and the public is like 'we don't want to hear about them or they're not celebrities'. But we're just living our lives, whether that's going out for breakfast, or going out on a Saturday night, you know, it's just gonna get written about.</p> <p>“We’re just trying to live our lives and move on. Unfortunately, it is what it is.”</p> <p>The 21-year-old has been very open about her grief and has recently shared a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/shane-warne-s-daughter-s-candid-admission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tribute to her dad</a> for what would've been his 54th birthday. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Shane Warne's daughter's candid admission

<p>Shane Warne's daughter, Brooke, has opened up about how her family has coped with the devastating loss, one year after the cricket legend's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/like-a-bad-dream-shane-warne-s-family-in-shock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing</a>.</p> <p>The 24-year-old candidly told <em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxRbtJHv_Fx/?img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stellar Magazine</a> </em>that, despite missing him deeply, her family, including her siblings Jackson and Summer, as well as her mother Simone Callinan, have remained close-knit in the wake of the tragedy. </p> <p>"As a family, we've always stuck together. We've always had each other's backs. We're going okay," she told the publication. </p> <p>"Obviously, I miss him and think about him every second – that's never going to change," she continued. </p> <p>"I think we just learn to accept life, that this is our life now, and do the best by him and make him proud... and be positive and enjoy everything. You don't know what's going to happen. </p> <p>"We just had to deal with what comes our way. We do it together, and that's the important thing," she concluded. </p> <p>This comes just days after loved ones took to social media to honour the legendary cricketer on what would've been his 54th birthday.</p> <p>Brooke took to Instagram stories to share a throwback photo of herself and her dad.</p> <p>"Your day King, Happy birthday dad," she captioned the photo posted on Wednesday the 13th with a love heart. </p> <p>Another photo showed her indulging in a few of her dad's favourite snacks including potato scallops, a donut, lollies and a bag of Musk sticks. </p> <p>"Birthday lunch for dad. All his faves," she captioned. </p> <p>Shane's son, Jackson also took to Instagram to honour his late dad, with a video about how he planned to mark the day. </p> <p>“Today would have been dad’s 54th birthday – happy birthday dad,” he said in the clip.</p> <p>“And I thought instead of being sad or posting a story in black and white with a big caption with things that are quite obvious, I’m going to do what dad would have wanted me to do which is be happy and do things that make me happy."</p> <p>He then listed three things that he used to do with his dad including getting Maccas, watching <em>Two and a Half Men, </em>and playing roulette.</p> <p>“Roulette is on par for me and dad with poker and we just loved cheering on a 23 for a spin. So we’ll go downstairs and see if we can hit a 23. Happy birthday dad," he concluded his video. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxH4e_BRaca/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxH4e_BRaca/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jackson Warne (@jacksonwarne18)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Shane's younger daughter Summer honoured her late dad with another throwback picture posted on Instagram stories with the caption: "Happy Birthday Dad. I love and miss you more than words can describe ❤️" </p> <p>This is the second birthday the family have had to endure without Shane, who passed away while on holiday in Thailand.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Julie Bishop’s warning over the Voice result

<p dir="ltr">Julie Bishop has warned that if the Voice to Parliament results in a “no” vote, it could send a “very negative message” to the rest of the world. </p> <p dir="ltr">The former foreign minister said that the Voice was an opportunity to “get things right” for Indigenous Australians. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve done a great deal of research and analysis on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the Yes campaign, the referendum, and we believe that this is an opportunity to get things right,” she told a Yes campaign event in Perth on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bishop was then quizzed about what a “no” vote would mean for Australia's international reputation, to which she said she was “most concerned at the message” it would send to our global friends. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s not a front-of-mind issue for most people, but I know that Australia’s international reputation can be affected by a No vote,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have no doubt that it would be sending a very negative message about the openness, and the empathy, and the respect and responsibility that the Australian people have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Voice referendum, like any Australian referendum, requires both a national majority and a majority in at least four of the six states in order to pass. </p> <p dir="ltr">Reports have suggested that support for the “Yes” campaign is slipping in Western Australia, hence Bishop’s appearance in Perth which was followed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s appearance on a local radio station. </p> <p dir="ltr">Albo described the Voice as “just an advisory group so that people can listen to what Indigenous people have to say about programs that affect their lives.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“That is all this is about, so as to get better results,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The constitutional change is really straightforward, recognition, listening through a voice in order to get better results. It won’t change the way that parliament functions, it won’t have a right of veto.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Albanese will announce the date of the referendum at a campaign event in Adelaide on Wednesday, with reports suggesting it will be held on October 14th. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

“Take official warnings seriously”: Aussies warned to not travel to surprising destination

<p dir="ltr">Australian travellers have been urged to exercise caution if they are planning to visit a popular Scandinavian tourist destination. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have warned Aussies to use “a high degree of caution in Sweden due to the threat of terrorism” in its official travel advisory for the country.</p> <p dir="ltr">The warning comes as Sweden has the country has seen a surge in racial and religious tensions, with violence escalating after anti-Islam activists publicly burned and damaged copies of the Islamic sacred text, the Quran.</p> <p dir="ltr">As a result of the violence, Australia's official <a href="https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SmartTraveller website</a> has placed the Scandinavian country on a Level Two alert, which means visitors need to be more cautious than normal.</p> <p dir="ltr">The warning does not include urging travellers to reconsider a trip or being told not to go to a destination. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You should maintain a high level of vigilance in public spaces,” the website says.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Since the beginning of 2023, there's been an increase in public burnings of the Quran, which has led to a deterioration in the security situation.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Swedish Government has assessed the risk of terrorism as an 'elevated threat', equivalent to a threat level of 3 out of 5.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“This rating means an attack could happen. Take official warnings seriously.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The website offers some further advice to “protect yourself from terrorism”, including avoiding places that could be terrorist targets (such as airports, travel hubs, tourism hotspots and places of worship), avoiding visiting such places at peak times and having “a clear exit plan if there's a security incident”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Travellers are also advised to “consider the level of security around you”, report suspicious items to police, and monitor official advice and media assessments.</p> <p dir="ltr">Australia is not alone in classifying Sweden as a more dangerous country for tourists, as the UK's Home Office has warned terrorist attacks “could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners”, while the US Department of State says terrorist groups “continue plotting possible attacks in Sweden”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

International Travel

"Totally absurd": Ben Fordham rages over Shakespeare content warning

<p>Hold on to your quills, folks, because we've got ourselves a Shakespearean drama fit for the 21st century! It appears that the Bard's timeless works are now under fire at an international university, and our dear radio host, Ben Fordham, is not amused.</p> <p>The talk radio host is taking on an English degree's "content warning" that has been applied to none other than William Shakespeare. That's right: The great bard of yore now comes with a caution label.</p> <p>The University of Wales Trinity Saint David has allowed students studying "Error and Sweet Violence: Shakespeare and Renaissance Comedy and Tragedy" to exit stage left – much like Shakespearean characters fleeing their woes – if the content ever gets too spicy or confrontational.</p> <p>Any student, at any time, is permitted “to leave the class, interrupt their activity or take any measure necessary to take care of their wellbeing without the need for explanation or justification”. </p> <p>And what content in particular are they worried about? The saucy romantic comedy "Twelfth Night", featuring a cross-dressing heroine and more mistaken identities than a masked ball gone wrong. Othello, Measure For Measure, and Coriolanus also make the list of potential "trigger warnings".</p> <p>Fordham couldn't resist taking to the airwaves to voice his disbelief. "So Shakespeare is now the subject of a trigger warning," he proclaimed with a clear mix of humour and disbelief. <span style="color: #343541; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You can just walk out of class, because university bosses are worried that some snowflakes may find the material too much. </span><span style="color: #343541; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once upon a time universities challenged students and now they wrap them in cotton wool.”</span></p> <p>In the land of Twelfth Night, Viola dons a disguise to woo the Duke Orsino, but alas, love plays its twisted game, and Olivia falls for the cross-dressing charmer instead. How scandalous! It's like the plot of a Hollywood rom-com but with more ruffles and poetic monologues.</p> <p>“The play features a cross-dressing heroine and in 2023 you would think that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow,” continued Fordham. “But someone wants to protect the students from Shakespeare. Can you believe it?”</p> <p>Also joining the fray was English actress Felicity Kendal, who described the warning as “totally absurd”.</p> <p>“Great art is meant to challenge our senses, our feelings and our prejudices," Kendal said in an interview with the Daily Mail. "We should not be deterring students from engaging with these works."</p> <p><em>Images: Nine Network / Wikimedia Commons</em></p>

Legal

Joh Griggs’ warning following husband’s health scare

<p dir="ltr"><em>Better Homes and Gardens </em>host Johanna Griggs has shared an update after her husband's health scare.</p> <p dir="ltr">Late last year her husband Todd Huggins was diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma, but the “simple surgery” led to complications which resulted in a bad infection.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to <em>7News</em>, the TV personality provided an update on how her husband is doing and a reminder for all Australians.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He had a skin cancer removed and they didn’t get enough of the margins around it, so when he went back in, he managed to pick up a random infection, which is not uncommon in hospitals,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He absolutely lucked out; it was very hairy stuff for a couple of weeks.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But he’s back, fighting fit, 100 per cent again,” Joh added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Joh looked at the positive side of things despite everything and said that the situation served as a reminder for her to get her skin checked, which she’s now encouraging other Australians to do.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If anything, I think it was an apt time to remind people to go and get their skin checked,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think that was one of the things during COVID that fell off the radar - people getting breast checks and skin checks, going to the dentist, all the health things that we are usually in the habit of doing regularly.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But during COVID, those health services weren’t as easily available, or people were concerned about going out.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We used to be so vigilant with skin checks because of my background in sport and with health - you didn’t want to miss anything.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But we realised he hadn’t actually gone and had a skin check throughout the duration of COVID,” she revealed the impact of the pandemic on her personal life.</p> <p dir="ltr">Joh spends a lot of her time outdoors, both as part of her job as the host of <em>Better Homes and Gardens</em> and in her everyday life, so the TV personality is taking sun protection more seriously - especially after her husband’s recent health scare.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a chance to say to people, ‘hey listen, put it back on your agenda and make it a priority’.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

"Possibly carcinogenic to humans": WHO's dire warning over common ingredient

<p dir="ltr">The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for one of the world’s most popular artificial sweeteners to be declared a possible carcinogen. </p> <p dir="ltr">The push will be led by the WHO’s research team for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), pitting it against the food industry and regulators.</p> <p dir="ltr">The sweetener, known as Aspartame, is used in products from Coca-Cola diet drinks, such as Diet Coke and Coke Zero, to Mars’ Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks.</p> <p dir="ltr">Later this month, the IARC will list Aspartame for the first time as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”</p> <p dir="ltr">The ruling from the IARC has assessed whether the sweetener is hazardous to humans or not, although it does not stipulate how much of the product a person can safely consume. </p> <p dir="ltr">This advice for individual consumers comes from a different organisation, known as JECFA (the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Expert Committee on Food Additives), who make consumption guidelines alongside national regulators. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the claims from the WHO, since as early as 1981 JECFA has said aspartame is safe to consume within accepted daily limits.</p> <p dir="ltr">An adult weighing 60kg would have to drink between 12 and 36 cans of diet soft drink, depending on the amount of aspartame in the beverage, every day to be at risk.</p> <p dir="ltr">Its view has been widely shared by national regulators, including in the United States and Europe.</p> <p dir="ltr">These conflicting reports have angered some regulators and consumers alike, with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official Nozomi Tomita writing to the WHO, “kindly asking both bodies to coordinate their efforts in reviewing aspartame to avoid any confusion or concerns among the public.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Body

“Turn your phone off”: The simple reason behind Albanese’s warning

<p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued a clear warning to the public, advising them to "turn their phones off" as a safety measure to avoid potential dangers.</p> <p>Albanese delivered this cautionary message last week while announcing the appointment of Australia's first national cybersecurity coordinator, Air Commander Darren Goldie of the Royal Australian Air Force.</p> <p>Goldie was quick to echo the Prime Minister's sentiments, emphasising the importance of mobilising both the private sector and consumers in the fight against cyber threats.</p> <p>"We all bear responsibility in this matter. Simple actions, such as turning off your phone every night for five minutes, can make a significant difference.</p> <p>"I encourage everyone watching to adopt this practice once every 24 hours, perhaps while engaging in daily routines like brushing your teeth," stated Albanese during the press conference.</p> <p>While rebooting your device on a daily basis may seem like a basic precaution, it can greatly enhance your protection against cybercriminals. Often, various applications and processes continue running in the background of your phone or computer, even when you're not actively using them.</p> <p>If unauthorised individuals gain access to these apps and processes, they can monitor your activities and collect your data, including financial information and identification documents, and even hijack your webcam or phone camera.</p> <p>By rebooting your phone, you force the closure of all background applications and processes, effectively evicting anyone attempting to track your virtual movements.</p> <p>Priyadarsi Nanda, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Technology Sydney, supported Albanese's advice, emphasising the importance of periodically turning off one's phone.</p> <p>"Considering how extensively we use smartphones in our daily lives, there have been cases where individuals haven't turned off their phones for an entire year," Dr. Nanda told <em>The Guardian</em>.</p> <p>"If there is a malicious process running, switching off the phone breaks the chain. While it may only provide protection while the phone is off, it undoubtedly frustrates potential hackers. Although not foolproof, rebooting can make it more challenging for hackers to compromise your device."</p> <p>It is crucial to note that this measure does not safeguard against all forms of cybercrime. If your password has been stolen or you are being repeatedly and strategically targeted, for example, a simple reboot is unlikely to deter the most persistent hackers.</p> <p><em>Image: Wikimedia / Australian Government</em></p>

Technology

"A night in hospital and a trip to the burns unit later”: Concerned mum's warning against popular fruit

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains images that some readers may find distressing.</strong></em></p> <p>A mother has taken to the internet and shared photos of her son’s severe burns that came as a result of him playing with a popular fruit. “A night in hospital and a trip to the burns unit later.” She began in her Facebook post.</p> <p>Her son Otis was playing happily outside with a lime in the sunshine, but the next day horror ensued.</p> <p>“It wasn’t until the next day that we noticed a rash appeared.” The mother said.</p> <p>The parents had assumed the rash must’ve been an allergic reaction to the lime juice, however, the rash quickly developed into a “horrific burn,” she added.</p> <p>The parents took Otis to the hospital where they were informed their son was suffering from a condition called phytophotodermatitis.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cku5QH2thxE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cku5QH2thxE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tiny Hearts (@tinyheartseducation)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Phytophotodermatitis, more commonly known as margarita burn, is a little-known condition which causes burns to the skin when a chemical called furocoumarin reacts to sunlight.</p> <p>The chemical is found in limes, citrus fruit and some plants.</p> <p>“The small lime he had been innocently playing with - had now burnt his skin horrifically!“ The mum said. “If our story can help raise awareness into phytophotodermatitis at least something good has come out of our horrific experience!”</p> <p>The woman has urged parents to be on the lookout for this little-known skin condition.</p> <p>To minimise the risks of phytophotodermatitis, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Healthline</a> suggests washing hands and other exposed parts of the skin immediately after being outdoors, wearing gloves when gardening, putting on sunscreen before going outdoors and wearing long-sleeved tops and pants in wooded areas.</p> <p><em>Photo credit: Getty</em></p>

Body

‘He was horrific!’: Nearly two thirds of family historians are distressed by what they find – should DNA kits come with warnings?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/susan-moore-1446031">Susan Moore</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>In 1853, my great great grandmother Charlotte died giving birth to her 13th child, in a tent on the banks of the Yarra River in what is now South Melbourne – but was then an overcrowded, muddy hellhole known as <a href="https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/our-stories/canvas-town-a-floating-city-devoured-by-the-sun/">Canvas Town</a>. The baby, William, died shortly afterwards. Researching Charlotte’s story made me both sad for her loss and angry at the powerlessness of women’s lives then.</p> <p>I’m not the only one to have experienced intense emotions – both negative and positive – while researching my forebears.</p> <p>On Facebook pages, in <a href="https://time.com/5492642/dna-test-results-family-secret-biological-father/">media stories</a> and <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/who-do-you-think-you-are">on TV</a>, you’ll find a flood of hobby genealogists discovering shocking things about their ancestors – or even their own identity.</p> <p>My recent research revealed about two thirds of family historians have experienced <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/2/26">strong negative emotions</a> like sorrow or anger through their hobby.</p> <p>And nearly all respondents had experienced strong positive emotions such as joy or pride.</p> <h2>Passionate ‘kin keepers’</h2> <p>In 2019, Doreen Rosenthal and I surveyed 775 Australian hobbyist family historians to examine their <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Psychology-of-Family-History-Exploring-Our-Genealogy/Moore-Rosenthal-Robinson/p/book/9780367820428">motivations</a>.</p> <p>They were adults aged between 21 and 93, but most were older and the median age was 63. The majority (85%) were women. This seems to be typical of hobbyist family historians. Women often take on the role of “kin keeper” – and have the time to devote to it when they’ve finished rearing children and have retired from paid work.</p> <p>Survey respondents described why they were passionately engaged with their hobby – and how it made them feel. Some 48% “sometimes” felt strong negative emotions about what they found, while 15% did “often”.</p> <p>There were five common distress triggers.</p> <h2>1. Ancestors behaving badly</h2> <p>The first and most common distress trigger was the discovery of ancestors who had behaved badly – either as individuals, or by profiting from unjust social conditions. Finding these forebears made family historians feel confronted, shocked and sometimes ashamed.</p> <p>They said things like: "[The worst thing was] finding the bigamist! He was horrific!! Very confronting thinking that I have some of his blood in my veins!"</p> <p>And: "[It was] difficult finding that ancestors may have been involved in unsavoury behaviours or events. The problem is trying to understand the context of how they were able to do things that are socially and legally unacceptable today and not things I can be proud of."</p> <h2>2. Ancestors treated cruelly</h2> <p>It was also distressing to discover ancestors who had been cruelly treated. This elicited disturbing, even “heartbreaking” feelings – and, at least implicitly, indignation at injustice. Many were deeply moved by what their ancestors experienced.</p> <p>As one survey respondent put it: "What is unexpected is the relationships that can be formed with those who are no longer with us. That I can be moved by the plight of my paternal step great great grandmother who was incarcerated in a mental institution from 1913 to 1948 without review, without visitors, to get her out of the way."</p> <h2>3. Sad stories</h2> <p>Sadness was often specifically mentioned. As in the case of my great great grandmother who died in childbirth, sadness was usually a response to the hardships and tragedies ancestors faced in more challenging times.</p> <p>Women commonly did not survive childbirth, neonatal deaths were frequent, people died of diseases medical science has now conquered. Poverty was rife and war a constant threat.</p> <p>"[It was difficult] discovering the tragedies encountered by my Irish ancestors who came to Australia and their struggles and heartbreaking stories of survival for the next three generations."</p> <p>"[It is distressing] to uncover particularly sad and desperate times in some ancestors’ lives. For example, a destitute widow who admitted her child to an orphan asylum for three years, only to have her child die of typhoid fever within two weeks of returning home."</p> <h2>4. Family secrets and betrayal</h2> <p>The fourth distress trigger was a belief by the family history researcher that they had been betrayed by other family members: through secrets, lies and feeling their lived experience was ignored or denied.</p> <p>This is particularly likely for those who discover “secrets” about their parentage – for example, the late-life discovery of adoption, parental infidelity or previously unknown siblings.</p> <p>Trust is damaged. If family members can lie about these important things, what else might they lie about?</p> <p>As one woman commented: "My mother’s half-sister did not accept that she shared a father with my mother. My great grandmother lied about who my grandfather’s father was. My great great grandmother also lied. All these lies were very distressing."</p> <h2>5. Moral dilemmas</h2> <p>Finally, several respondents expressed doubt and confusion at the moral dilemmas they faced on discovering information that could greatly distress other living relatives. Should they tell or not?</p> <p>An emotional burden attaches to withholding potentially distressing information of this kind. Yet there is also guilt and fear about the possible outcomes of sharing it.</p> <p>"I knew an aunt had an illegitimate child before she married. Through DNA I found her granddaughter. I have yet to inform this girl who she is. I don’t feel it’s my right as she has absolutely no idea of any adoption of her father."</p> <p>"A really distressing find was that my great aunt’s husband had committed a terrible murder. I have not been able to speak about this with the descendants of the couple."</p> <h2>Healthy outcomes from bad feelings</h2> <p>Sometimes these distressing feelings can promote healthy, growth-enhancing outcomes. After the initial shock, some traumatic genealogical discoveries lead to a greater understanding of the past and its influence.</p> <p>Placing ancestors’ maladaptive or distressing behaviours, or their misfortunes, into historical and social context can help with acceptance and forgiveness, and stimulate emotional healing and personal growth.</p> <p>Initial feelings of distress about past injustices and tragedies are sometimes replaced by admiration for the strength and resilience of one’s forebears. This can positively influence personal wellbeing and resilience.</p> <h2>How can family and professionals help?</h2> <p>I processed my great great grandmother’s story by writing it down and sharing it with family members. We reworked our sadness at her fate into a positive family narrative, emphasising her bravery and the strengths her surviving children showed.</p> <p>Support can mean just disclosing these stories to family members, friends and other family historians. But for some, it may be helpful to discuss these topics privately with a counsellor or therapist, especially if they’ve led to a breakdown in family relationships or an assault on one’s sense of identity.</p> <p>Counsellors and psychologists should develop strategies to support clients distressed by genealogical findings – and encourage them to use their new knowledge for personal growth and greater understanding of family dynamics.</p> <p>Should providers of genealogical research products (especially DNA tests) educate their customers about their products’ potential to cause distress?</p> <p>Trigger warnings might be overkill. But they could issue lists of support resources for those who are upset or disoriented by their findings.</p> <p>As more people gain access to more genealogical data – with the potential to challenge identity and uncover family secrets – it’s worth thinking about.<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/207430/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/susan-moore-1446031">Susan Moore</a>, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>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/he-was-horrific-nearly-two-thirds-of-family-historians-are-distressed-by-what-they-find-should-dna-kits-come-with-warnings-207430">original article</a>.</em></p>

Family & Pets

Shane Warne’s dad takes aim at Warnie series’ false narrative

<p dir="ltr">Keith Warne, father of the late cricket legend Shane Warne, has offered his take on Channel 9’s<em> Warnie</em> miniseries.</p> <p dir="ltr">A large number of viewers took issue with the first episode, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/rougher-than-sandpaper-gate-warnie-series-a-swing-and-a-miss-with-fans">voicing their displeasure across social media for all to see</a>, and while Keith’s thoughts weren’t quite as vehement, they didn’t shine the most positive light on the series, or paint an accurate picture on <em>Warnie</em>’s behalf.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Warne patriarch shared his thoughts with entertainment reporter Peter Ford ahead of the first episode going to air, and Ford went on to discuss that take with 3AW’s Jimmy Bartel and Mark Allen. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I took a call last night from Keith just before it went to air last night,” Ford told the hosts, before going on to share that the previous week, he’d reported that “Keith and Shane’s brother Jason had gone in for a private screening” and had come out both “pleasantly surprised” and “quite happy with what they had seen.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Ford explained that that was what he’d been “told by people who were there”, but in talking to Keith the night before, he’d learned that that was “not an accurate description of their reaction to it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Keith is a very astute man, he knows it’s entertainment, he knows it’s not a documentary, but he feels that they missed out on a few key things,” he continued. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The main thing is he feels they didn’t portray the growth of Shane from the larrikin teenager to the mature adult who wanted to make a difference in the world.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ford then shared that Keith felt “there were some inaccuracies that didn’t reflect well on Shane”, in particular the cricket great’s relationship with Liz Hurley.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shane’s 10-year marriage to Simone Callahan ended in 2005 when the couple announced their divorce, and he met Liz in 2010 at a horse racing event, with the two revealing their engagement in 2011. </p> <p dir="ltr">They were together for three years, but ultimately called off their engagement - and their relationship - in 2013. </p> <p dir="ltr">And while their romance was “correct”, according to Keith via Ford, “in the show it’s presented that he did that during the time he was still married to Simone and Keith is quite adamant there was a distance between those two things happening.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s not angry, he’s just disappointed by the result.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

"Stop putting things off”: Turia Pitt warns followers after recent health scare

<p>Inspirational burns survivor Turia Pitt has opened up about a health scare she faced in June 2023, confessing she has struggled with her ailment for “years”.</p> <p>Giving her one million Instagram followers some insight, Pitt revealed that she had a “weird growth” on her tongue for several years that she never asked a doctor about.</p> <p>“I used to have this really weird growth on my tongue that I recently got cut out,” she said.</p> <p>The public figure warned followers to “stop putting things off” as she did before, noting, “The hardest part of any task is….starting. Like, starting the process of getting my tongue looked at,”</p> <p>“I had this little bump on it for years…and I put off getting it looked at for far too long.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtYt1F-RNoi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtYt1F-RNoi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Turia (@turiapitt)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>While the surgery to remove the growth was presumably successful, it’s not the first time Pitt has been hospitalised due to poor health, with a freak accident involving a sewing needle that left her in “unbearable” pain in May 2022.</p> <p>She shared the story to her Instagram, revealing to fans she had stepped on the needle.</p> <p>“Once I’d recovered from the initial shock and pain (and had finished rolling around on the bed like a marinated pork chop, swearing loudly), I scoured the floor, searching for the culprit,” she wrote at the time.</p> <p>“There it was, sticking out of the carpet, like a soldier about to go into battle. ‘You absolute pr*ck;’ I said to it, casting my eye balefully over its dismembered body. All but a third remained.”</p> <p>Despite having two-thirds of the needle stuck in her foot, Pitt waited a full day before going to the hospital.</p> <p>"I was half expecting them to say 'You silly sausage, it’s just a bruise'," she wrote. "But instead they said, 'Wow, it’s really deep’."</p> <p>Lodged deeply into her foot, the needle was also resting on a nerve among her bones forcing her to undergo surgery.</p> <p>"I had an operation to remove the needle and woke up feeling like my foot was on fire,” she wrote on her blog.</p> <p>"But each hour that passed after that, I got better and better. I needed less pain medication because I was getting better, my head fog cleared, and I was no longer thinking about the pain."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

"Just one snowfall away": Aussie ski resorts dismiss doom and gloom warnings

<p>Australian ski resorts have dismissed warnings about the possibility of a below-average snowfall this season as they prepare for opening weekend.</p> <p>Meteorologists have warned that if a number of climate factors combine this winter, the 2023 snow season could be one of the worst in decades.</p> <p>Although images have shown poor snow coverage at NSW and Victoria’s biggest ski resorts, staff have rejected concerns the season won’t pick up.</p> <p>Michael Fearnside, operations director at Perisher Ski Resort, the largest in the southern hemisphere, told <em>news.com.au </em>it is “certainly not doom and gloom” for the industry.</p> <p>According to Fearnside, only time will tell.</p> <p>“This is my 38th winter working in the snow industry and some of our best seasons have begun with low snowfall at the start,” Fearnside said.</p> <p>“Our business is weather dependent but we’re always just one snowfall away, it’s no different to a farmer waiting for the weather to break.”</p> <p>Similar to other resorts, Fearnside added Perisher had made significant investments in snow-making and as a result, they haven’t had to rely on snowfall, with snow guns ready to be deployed “as soon as the conditions are right”.</p> <p>“Our snow-making covers 53.4 hectares across the resort and sets us apart for having the most reliable ski and board experience all season long,”</p> <p>“It’s certainly not doom and gloom, we’ve seen this before and we’re just waiting for the weather pattern to settle down.”</p> <p>Snowy Mountains ski resort Thredbo will need to rely on its own snow-making, despite it and Perisher being the first to see snow in April.</p> <p>Meanwhile, in Victoria’s Alps, the Mount Buller Alpine Resort has been steadily producing a mass amount of snow since the beginning of May and has a network of 341 snow-making guns ready to “kick into action” when necessary.</p> <p>Resort spokeswoman Rhylla Morgan said it is “all hands on deck” to finalise preparations.</p> <p>“In recent seasons there have been bumper early snowfalls and we’ve been spoiled with plenty of natural snow from the beginning,” she said.</p> <p>“And as much as we love to see snowfall at any time, we are taking comfort in the fact that early snow doesn’t translate to a better snow season.”</p> <p>Morgan noted two of the best snow seasons on record at Mt Buller, 1956 and 1958, “had no snow for the season start in June”.</p> <p>“But we’ll leave the forecasting to the professionals and, like all snow enthusiasts, we’ll be watching the forecast closely and hoping for the best.”</p> <p>Victorian resorts, Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek are hoping to repeat the record-breaking 2022 snow season, the first full return after the Covid lockdowns.</p> <p>Mt Hotham’s general manager of operations Len Dobell said the mountaintop resort had its “best season on record” in 2022.</p> <p>Falls Creek Alpine Resort head of marketing Andrew Eckersley said the resort had “more than 500,000 visitation days” in 2022, and was already expecting similar numbers of bookings in 2023.</p> <p>“Last year there was massive pent-up demand from people not being able to ski as much as they want over the last few years in,” Eckersley said.</p> <p>“The fact there’s not a huge amount of difference shows there’s still the appetite to visit the snow.”</p> <p>Although those numbers could be attributed to earlier snowfalls leading to an earlier season opening, Eckersley said he was hopeful the cold front ahead would bring some snow.</p> <p>Sky News Australia meteorologist Alison Osbourne confirmed that despite there being a cold front shifting across the alpine regions, it is not guaranteed to bring snow.</p> <p>“The best weather systems for good snowfall have the most precipitation after a cool change, so it's cold enough for heavy snow,” she said.</p> <p>“This is the opposite, heavy rain is coming before the cold weather does. The freezing level is far too high.</p> <p>“This rain is very likely to wash away the existing cover and while it remains warm, windy, and wet, conditions for snow-making are unfavourable.”</p> <p>Cooler westerly winds are expected to push over the Alps on June 16, lowering the freezing level in time for the June 10 snow season opening, but not enough for significant snowfall.</p> <p>“The silver lining is that snow-making conditions improve for the rest of the weekend.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Australia should follow Ireland’s lead and add stronger health warning labels to alcohol

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-kuntsche-430354">Emmanuel Kuntsche</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paula-obrien-4221">Paula O'Brien</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robin-room-3770">Robin Room</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em></p> <p>From <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/labelling/Documents/q-and-a-pwl-requirements-sep-2020.pdf">August 2023</a>, Australian beer, wine, spirits and pre-mixed drinks have to warn of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-some-of-the-highest-rates-of-drinking-during-pregnancy-its-time-to-make-labelling-mandatory-142645">harms of drinking alcohol while pregnant</a>. But they don’t have to mention the other harms of alcohol for the wider population.</p> <p>Ireland <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/22/ireland-to-introduce-world-first-alcohol-health-labelling-policy">recently signed legislation</a> to introduce tougher alcohol warning labels, to warn about the risks of liver disease and fatal cancers from drinking alcohol. These will be in place from 2026.</p> <p>Considering the ongoing efforts of the industry to undermine the introduction of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X21005702">effective alcohol labelling</a> worldwide, the Irish example is an important victory for public health.</p> <p>In Australia, it’s time to put consumer health and rights before commercial interests and warn people drinking and buying alcohol of the risks.</p> <h2>Educating consumers about the health risks</h2> <p>Alcohol causes <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol">more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions</a>.</p> <p>There is strong evidence that from the first drink, the risk of various cancers (of the breast, liver, colon, rectum, oropharynx, larynx and oesophagus) <a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/alcohol-cancer-risk/">increases</a>. This is <a href="https://www.cancervic.org.au/cancer-information/preventing-cancer/limit-alcohol/how-alcohol-causes-cancer">because</a>:</p> <ul> <li> <p>ethanol (pure alcohol) and its toxic by-product acetaldehyde damages cells by binding with DNA, causing cells to replicate incorrectly</p> </li> <li> <p>alcohol influences hormone levels, which can modify how cells grow and divide</p> </li> <li> <p>direct tissue damage can occur, increasing the absorption of other cancer-causing substances.</p> </li> </ul> <p>Alcohol use kills <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/2021">more than four Australians</a> a day (the highest rate in the past decade) and results in <a href="https://ndri.curtin.edu.au/ndri/media/documents/publications/T302.pdf">A$182 million of avoidable costs</a> per day.</p> <p>Yet only half of Australians know drinking alcohol <a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/alcohol-breast-cancer/">can cause cancer</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.2020.81.249">Research shows</a> mandatory health labelling is an important way to increase awareness and should form part of a comprehensive <a href="https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/academic/pdf/openaccess/9780192844484.pdf">alcohol control strategy</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530732/original/file-20230607-17-hl3pvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Person pours wine into a glass at a lunch" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many people are unaware of the link between alcohol and cancer.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/making-sure-glasses-stay-full-shot-2151108503">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Countering industry influence</h2> <p>The alcohol industry currently uses alcohol labels and packaging as a marketing and branding tool. Alcohol warning labels help counter these marketing messages.</p> <p>Alcohol industry interests have so far succeeded in exempting alcoholic drinks from the usual <a href="https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/academic/pdf/openaccess/9780192844484.pdf">consumer information requirements</a>. Under the <a href="https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/en/">international labelling guidelines</a>, all processed foods must have all ingredients listed on the label. But alcohol industry interests have so far succeeded in these rules <a href="https://movendi.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Hepworth-et-al-2020.pdf">not being applied to alcoholic beverages</a>.</p> <p>In Australia, the alcohol content and number of standard drinks must be <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/Pages/Labelling-of-alcoholic-beverages.aspx">listed on the product’s label</a>. However, there is no requirement, as for other foods and drinks, that ingredients (except for certain allergens such as milk or gluten) and nutritional information (energy, carbohydrates, and so on) be listed.</p> <p>Aside from warnings to pregnant women to abstain from alcohol, there is no provision for consumer information about the risks of alcohol consumption on alcohol packaging. Yet such warnings are required for other hazardous substances taken into the body, such as tobacco.</p> <h2>How Ireland is leading the charge</h2> <p>Ireland is leading the world with its alcohol labelling. From 2026, drinks containing alcohol will have to inform consumers about the specific risks of liver disease and fatal cancers.</p> <p>Labels will also have to notify buyers of the alcohol risks to pregnancy, the calorie content of the beverage, and the number of grams of alcohol it contains.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530734/original/file-20230607-16366-8nixs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="People walk past a pub in Ireland" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Health warning labels will be mandatory in Ireland from 2026.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dublin-ireland-july-11-2021-outdoor-2007076256">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>The new labelling move <a href="https://www.cancer.ie/about-us/news/irish-cancer-society-statement-on-the-introduction-of-health-warning-labels-on-alcohol-products">demonstrates</a> the government has prioritised reducing alcohol-related disease and has widespread support. A recent <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/33/2/323/7067991">household survey</a> in Ireland found 81.9% of the more than 1,000 participants supported the introduction of health warning labels on alcohol.</p> <h2>Barriers to overcome in Australia</h2> <p>In 2020, in the face of intense pressure from industry groups, the Australian government decided on new labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages, but only to warn about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-some-of-the-highest-rates-of-drinking-during-pregnancy-its-time-to-make-labelling-mandatory-142645">risks of drinking during pregnancy</a>. From a public health point of view, this was a mediocre compromise.</p> <p>Australia is currently considering introducing energy content (kilojoule) labelling on alcoholic beverages. This would be a positive step and but it is as far as Australia seems willing to go for now. There are no plans for Australia to follow Ireland’s lead.</p> <p>Some countries seem to be <a href="https://www.ibec.ie/drinksireland/news-insights-and-events/news/2023/05/16/strong-international-opposition-to-irelands-alcohol-labelling-proposals">gearing up</a> to use the World Trade Organization’s processes to oppose Ireland’s new labels.</p> <p>Australia <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22716074/">previously opposed</a> enhanced alcohol warning labels Thailand proposed, at the same time Australia was seeking international support for its tobacco plain packaging laws. This time, Australia should prioritise the public’s health over commercial interests and support Ireland’s alcohol warning messages in the World Trade Organization.<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/206985/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-kuntsche-430354">Emmanuel Kuntsche</a>, Director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paula-obrien-4221">Paula O'Brien</a>, Associate Professor in Faculty of Law, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robin-room-3770">Robin Room</a>, Professor, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em></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/australia-should-follow-irelands-lead-and-add-stronger-health-warning-labels-to-alcohol-206985">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

Parents' grim warning after losing 3-year-old to flu

<p>Doctors have issued a crucial warning for parents after a healthy and happy Perth toddler became the youngest person in Western Australia to die from the flu in 2023.</p> <p>Muhammed Saadiq Segaff is being remembered as a cheerful but cheeky boy after dying from a strain of the flu virus, influenza A.</p> <p>The three-year-old’s health rapidly declined at Fiona Stanley Hospital, located about 16km from the state's capital, where the toddler went from having difficulty breathing to cardiac arrest.</p> <p>As a result, he underwent open heart surgery before being transported to Perth’s Children's Hospital where doctors and nurses had to use a machine to keep Muhammed’s blood pumping during the transfer.</p> <p>Yet despite their best efforts, they couldn’t save his life, with his parents making the painful decision to turn off his life support on May 26 after his family flew in from Singapore to say their goodbyes.</p> <p>Although influenza is a common virus, it can be fatal in high risk groups as it attacks the lungs, nose and throat.</p> <p>Typical symptoms include chills, fever, fatigue, headaches and muscle aches, with most fit and healthy people able to recover without seeing a doctor.</p> <p>However, young children, senior adults, unhealthy adults and pregnant women have an increased chance of contracting more severe cases due to being immunocompromised.</p> <p>Doctors advise getting a flu shot annually, but statistics are showing that the uptake of flu vaccines in WA in 2023 is slower than usual.</p> <p>“We have a significant and effective prevention strategy for flu, it’s a flu vaccine,” Perth Children’s Hospital infectious diseases specialist Chris Blyth told <em>7News</em>.</p> <p>Despite the chilling warning, less than 14 per cent of children under five have gotten the vaccination in WA, with a slimmer figure for those aged between five and 15 years old.</p> <p>Dr Blyth said about 10 per cent of children who are admitted to hospital with the flu require intensive care.</p> <p>Parents are advised to monitor children for unusual symptoms associated with the flu, such as breathlessness and fast breathing, which Dr Blyth warned could impact the heart.</p> <p>“Confusion or drowsiness is another important sign. Both of those things would make me want to seek medical advice,” he said.</p> <p>“In the middle of winter, our hospitals are full of people with respiratory illnesses but if parents think their child is much sicker than they normally are they should be seeking advice.”</p> <p>Muhammed’s parents hope that by sharing their son’s heartbreaking story, more parents will consider vaccinating their children against the flu annually.</p> <p>“No parents want this to happen to their own children,” Muhammed’s mother Shikin Hasnawi told <em>7News</em>.</p> <p>“We just miss him so much,” his father Segaff Sinin said.</p> <p>The WA government has extended its free flu vaccine rollout to children and seniors until the end of June in an attempt to encourage further uptake of the shot.</p> <p><em>Image credit: 7 News Perth</em></p>

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Parents' grim warning after losing 3-year-old to flu

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Kochie's warning for every Aussie parent

Nick Kyrgios' honest thoughts on Shane Warne's open letter

"So beautiful": Summer Warne overwhelmed by Coldplay's tribute to Shane

"I couldn't save her": Husband's heartbreaking warning against weight loss drugs

Jackson Warne speaks for the first time on the moment he found out about his father's death

"I want to make Dad proud": Summer Warne's heart-wrenching revelation

Shane Warne's daughter's candid admission

Julie Bishop’s warning over the Voice result

“Take official warnings seriously”: Aussies warned to not travel to surprising destination

"Totally absurd": Ben Fordham rages over Shakespeare content warning

Joh Griggs’ warning following husband’s health scare

"Possibly carcinogenic to humans": WHO's dire warning over common ingredient

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Shane Warne’s dad takes aim at Warnie series’ false narrative

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"Just one snowfall away": Aussie ski resorts dismiss doom and gloom warnings

Australia should follow Ireland’s lead and add stronger health warning labels to alcohol

Parents' grim warning after losing 3-year-old to flu

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