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"Treated as fools": Prime Minister hits out at supermarkets

<p>On Thursday night the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released an interim report on its supermarket inquiry, and found the price of a typical basket of groceries has increased by more than 20 per cent since 2019. </p> <p>The report found that low-income households spent more than a fifth of their income on food. </p> <p>While prices across all grocery products have increased, the most considerable hikes were in staples such as dairy products by 32 per cent, bread and cereal items by 28 per cent and meat and seafood prices have increased by a fifth. </p> <p>The price of fruit and vegetables has increased by 19 per cent between the March 2019 quarter to the June 2024 quarter. </p> <p>The ACCC released the interim report after examining whether supermarket giants were dudding suppliers and ripping off customers due to a lack of competition. </p> <p>In a statement on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned major supermarkets. </p> <p>“Customers don’t deserve to be treated as fools by the supermarkets. They deserve better than that,” he said. </p> <p>“This is an important piece of work and we will study it closely.</p> <p>“My government is taking a range of actions to make sure Australians are paying a fair price at the checkout and Australian suppliers are getting a fair price for their goods.”</p> <p>Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh said this was the most comprehensive inquiry they've had in 15 years. </p> <p>“Businesses need to do the right thing by Australians,” he said.</p> <p>“Greater competition is critical for lifting dynamism, productivity and wages growth, putting downward pressure on prices and delivering more choice for Australians dealing with cost-of-living pressures.”</p> <p>The report also found that due to "excessive" prices, many shoppers were buying less food and focusing on cheaper products to stay within their budgets. Others were eating less frequently and have smaller meals, or changing their shopping habits by comparing online prices before going in store. </p> <p>As a result, ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said Australians were “losing trust in the sale price claims by supermarkets”.</p> <p>“These difficulties reportedly arise from some of the pricing practices of some supermarkets, such as frequent specials, short-term lowered prices, bulk-buy promotions, member-only prices and bundled prices,” he said. </p> <p>In Australia, Woolworths and Coles contribute to 67 per cent of supermarket sales, with Aldi accounting for 9 per cent and IGA contributing 7 per cent. </p> <p>The ACCC will release their recommendations in their final report due in February 2025. </p> <p>This follows the ACCC launching <a href="https://o60.me/2ssagq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal action</a> against Coles and Woolworths over allegations of misleading customers with fake discount prices. </p> <p><em>Image: Daria Nipot / Shutterstock.com/ </em><em>MICK TSIKAS/EPA-EFE/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Tim Tam Jatz: How an April Fool's joke became a real product line

<p>Snack enthusiasts have been left both bewildered and ecstatic as Arnott’s has announced the release of the long-awaited Tim Tam Jatz – a fusion biscuit that promises to revolutionise the sweet and salty game. What started as a mere April Fool’s prank has now escalated into a reality stranger than fiction.</p> <p>For years, brands like Arnott’s and Macca’s have toyed with our taste buds, teasing us with tantalising new product announcements on April 1st, only to dash our hopes with the cold reality of jest. But Arnott’s, oh Arnott’s, they decided to take it one step further.</p> <p>Last year, amid the chaos of April Fool’s 2023, they dropped the bombshell: Tim Tam Jatz was on its way. The internet erupted in a cacophony of disbelief and desire. Comments flooded in, ranging from desperate pleas to joyous declarations of snack nirvana.</p> <p>Fast forward to the present, and Arnott’s has delivered the unthinkable. The Tim Tam Jatz is no longer a figment of our collective imagination but a tangible delight that will soon grace the shelves of Coles, bringing joy to snack enthusiasts everywhere. Combining the decadent chocolatey goodness of a Tim Tam with the unmistakable crunch of a salty Jatz cracker, this biscuit is poised to redefine the very essence of snack time.</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/C5fBOF1veqy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/C5fBOF1veqy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Arnott's Biscuits (@arnottsbiscuits)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Rebecca Chan, the mastermind behind this stroke of genius and Tim Tam’s marketing manager, expressed her delight at bringing this unconventional creation to life. “We love getting behind an April Fool’s prank, and dreaming up new ways to tap into Australia’s love of Tim Tam,” she wrote.</p> <p>“But following the overwhelming number of comments and requests, we knew we had to bring Tim Tam inspired by Jatz to the shelf and make it available for every Aussie to enjoy.</p> <p>"We can’t wait to share the latest Tim Tam creation, where consumers can expect something a little bit sweet, and a little bit salty in every bite.”</p> <p>The announcement sent shockwaves across social media, with food bloggers and snack enthusiasts alike losing their collective minds over the prospect of this culinary marvel. </p> <p>As word spread like wildfire, social media erupted in a frenzy of anticipation. “My sister is obsessed with Tim Tams and Jatz, so she will love this,” proclaimed one user, already envisioning the delight on their sibling’s face. “OMG I need it immediately,” cried another, echoing the sentiments of snack lovers everywhere.</p> <p>But amidst the jubilation, there were voices of caution. “Ooh, I will be trying, but I seem to only ever buy a new Tim Tam once and then run straight back to my beloved double coat,” confessed a hesitant fan, torn between loyalty and curiosity.</p> <p>Only time will tell if Tim Tam Jatz will live up to the hype, but one thing is for certain: Arnott’s has unleashed a culinary juggernaut that is sure to leave a lasting impression on snack history. So brace yourselves; the sweet and salty revolution is upon us, and there’s no turning back.</p> <p><em>Image: Arnott's</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Hilarious reason dad couldn't be fooled by online scam

<p>One savvy dad has outwitted a scammer who posed as his daughter, after the scammer made one hilarious error. </p> <p>Ian Whitworth, a dad from Sydney, took to his LinkedIn page to share the message a scammer texted him in a classic phishing scam that targets parents. </p> <p>He shared the photo of what he thought was the "funniest phishing text any parent has ever received".</p> <p>The text read, "Hey dad, dropped my phone in the sink while doing the dishes. Its unresponsive this is my new number for now just text me here x."</p> <p>Despite the terrible grammar and punctuation that would immediately alert anyone to the possibility of a scam, it was something else that caught the dad's attention. </p> <p>Instead, Whitworth said it was the fact his daughter would never do the chore mentioned by the scammers.</p> <p>Still, he thought it was worth sharing a photo of the text in a bid to warn others, which he uploaded along with the comment, "Cybersecurity update. I just got this."</p> <p>"Perhaps the funniest phishing txt any parent has ever received. 'Doing the dishes', yeah, for sure."</p> <p>In a reply to one of the people who commented on his post, Whitworth joked that his daughter "at age four emerged from my parents' kitchen with a shocked look on her face. 'What's pop doing?'. He was washing up in the sink."</p> <p>Another commenter wrote, "Haha! There is NO WAY this is from my son or daughter, that's for sure."</p> <p>Another commenter said the giveaway that it wasn't from his own child was that they didn't immediately ask for money, to which Whitworth replied, "Ha, yeah, the phishers are like the seven step ladder of confidence before the money issue gets raised. Actual kids: MONEY NOW."</p> <p>According to the federal government's Scamwatch website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the "Friends/Family Hi Mum" impersonation scam was common.</p> <p>"Scammers send messages pretending to be a family member or a friend desperate for money," it said.</p> <p>"They say they have a new phone and they need you to pay money to help them out of a crisis."</p> <p>Scamwatch warns: "Don't assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are" and offers the following advice.</p> <p>"If someone you know sends a message to say they have a new phone number, try to call them on the existing number you have for them, or message them on the new number with a question only they would know the answer to," it said.</p> <p>"That way you will know if they are who they say they are."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / LinkedIn</em></p>

Legal

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Puzzles April 2023 Answers

<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">The Free OverSixty Newspaper is regularly with Crosswords, Sudokus, Word Finders and more for your entertainment and to keep that grey matter limbered up.</span></p> <p>So! Without further ado, here are the solutions to <a href="https://over60newspapers.azurewebsites.net/OverSixty_April_2023_Digital/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of the puzzles from the April 2023 issue</a> of the FREE OverSixty Newspaper. Enjoy!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Crosswise Answers:</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/04/Crosswise_solution_april2023.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="1276" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Sudoko Answers:</strong></p> <p><strong><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/04/Sudoku_solution_april2023.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="1245" /></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Before and After Answer:</strong></p> <p>MOUTH [ PIECE ] MEAL</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Word Finder Answers:</strong></p> <p>We found all of these words below in this issue's Word Finder. Did you find any more? Let us know via <a href="mailto:newspaper@oversixty.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newspaper@oversixty.com.au</a></p> <ol> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">EIGHT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ERG</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FOE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FOES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FOR</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FORE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FORESIGHT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FORT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FORTH</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FREIGHT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FRIES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FRIGHT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FRO</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FROTH</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">GIRT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">FIRTH</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">GRIEF</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">GROT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HIE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HIRE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HIRES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HIS</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HOE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HOER</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HOERS</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HOES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HORSE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">HOT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">IRE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">IRES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ORE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ORES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ORGIES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ORT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">REF</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">RHO</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">RIG</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">RIGHT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">RISE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ROE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ROES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ROT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ROTH</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">SERF</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">SIGH</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">SIGHT</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">SIR</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">SIRE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">THIEF</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">THIS</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">THOR</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">THRO</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">THROE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">THROES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TOE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TOES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TOR</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TORE</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TORES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TORI</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TORIES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TORS</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TORSI</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TREF</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TRIES</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">TRIG</li> </ol> <p> </p> <p><strong>Word Pyramid Answer:</strong></p> <p>For this puzzle you were given a number of clues. The first answer had two letters, the second three letters, the third four – and so on. Each answer consisted of the same letters as the previous one with the addition of one letter.</p> <p><strong>SOLUTION:<br /></strong><strong>French article (LE)<br /></strong><strong>Falsehood (LIE)<br /></strong><strong>Reside (LIVE)<br /></strong><strong>Large organ (LIVER)<br /></strong><strong>Splinter (SLIVER)</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Word Circles Answer:</strong></p> <p>We asked you to unscramble the letters in each circle to produce two words that are opposite in meaning to each other.</p> <p><strong>SOLUTION: EQUALITY, IMPARITY</strong></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

Mind

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"That was flawless": Sunrise host falls for hilarious April Fools prank

<p dir="ltr"><em>Sunrise </em>host Monique Wright got tricked by co-host Matt Doran’s elaborate April Fools’ Day prank on Saturday.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wright was convinced that she had scored an exclusive interview with US President Barack Obama, when in fact she was interviewing an impersonator called Reggie.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Mr Obama, what an absolute thrill to have you in the country,” she gushed “Gosh we love you here, and it was fantastic to have you on our programme.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you so much, safe travels home,” she added.</p> <p dir="ltr">To make the prank believable, the <em>Sunrise </em>team had intentionally distorted Wright’s screen so that she couldn’t recognise who she was speaking with over Zoom.</p> <p dir="ltr">Doran waited until after the interview to reveal the truth.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Just before we let you go, perhaps it might be an opportune time just to let Mon know that we’re actually speaking to Reggie from LA who is the top Obama impersonator in the world,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“G’day Reggie! That was flawless.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Wright was left fuming and blamed her gullibility on bad technology.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Reggie, they’ve actually used a monitor which looks very strange, I can’t see you properly,” she said, to which Doran joked that it wasn’t a valid excuse.</p> <p dir="ltr">She then acknowledged the “extraordinary” acting abilities of the <em>Sunrise</em> team and exclaimed: “I hate you, I was so excited!”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I ran down to get changed with two minutes' notice, so I would like to apologise to Chrissy the producer who saw me in my underwear,” she said, revealing how excited she was for the interview.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hate all of you but I mostly hate you!” she jokingly said to Doran.</p> <p dir="ltr">Doran then tried to make her feel better by saying that anyone would’ve fallen for the same prank.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You were given no notice, Reggie was so convincing,” he said, adding that he was terrified of what Wright might do to get him back.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wright then joked that he should be terrified after throwing everyone into a frenzy and getting the “whole building” involved in his elaborate prank.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Watch this space, stay comfortable Matt,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Channel Seven</em></p>

TV

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Neighbours reveals which stars are moving back to Ramsay Street

<p>New details have emerged over which <em>Neighbours</em> cast members will be returning to Ramsay St when the series launches on Amazon’s FreeVee late 2023. </p> <p>The show - axed after 27 years on air - will benefit from the presence of a few fan favourite faces, with Annie Jones, Rebekah Elmaloglou, Georgie Stone, and Tim Kano reprising their roles as Jane Harries, Terese Willis, Mackenzie Hargreaves, and Leo Tanaka respectively. </p> <p>And for those hoping to see Ramsay St’s iconic faces in the mix again, have no fear, Ian Smith will be returning at Harold Bishop. He will, however, only be returning as a guest, along with April Rose Pengilly (the actress behind Chloe Brennan), and Melissa Bell (Lucy Robinson). </p> <p>The announcement is not the first to delight fans of the long-running soap, with the likes of Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy), Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy), and Ryan Moloney (Toadie Rebecchi) already having confirmed their commitment to the revival. </p> <p>Georgie Stone took to Instagram to share the news of her return, along with a series of snaps with her fellow cast members. </p> <p>“Ramsay Street here we come… (again!),” she captioned the image, noting her excitement and that fans should “stay tuned”.</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/CpNEXARrsfH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CpNEXARrsfH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Georgie Stone (@georgiestone)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fans were thrilled with the news, and showered Georgie with their enthusiasm in the comments - a few, however, were miffed that they’d been through an entire finale only to have to pick it all back up again. </p> <p>“Fantastic to see the familiar favourites all coming back!” gushed one fan. “Can't wait for <em>Neighbours</em> to start back again! Honestly, I barely watch TV anymore without my daily fix of Neighbours.”</p> <p>“Yes, can't wait for watch <em>Neighbours </em>again,” echoed one. </p> <p>“Cannot wait to have you back on our screens,” wrote another.</p> <p>And in a comment that appeared to speak for the masses, one declared “love that you guys are all back!” </p> <p>The news was also shared to Neighbours’ official twitter account, with a special video from the cast members to commemorate the announcement. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">We're so excited to announce that Annie Jones, Georgie Stone, Rebekah Elmaloglou and Tim Kano will be reprising their roles in the new episodes of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Neighbours?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Neighbours</a> later this year! 🎉✨ Plus we will have special guest appearances by Ian Smith, April Rose Pengilly &amp; Melissa Bell! <a href="https://t.co/6ZLKkmKJWE">pic.twitter.com/6ZLKkmKJWE</a></p> <p>— Neighbours (@neighbours) <a href="https://twitter.com/neighbours/status/1630529084013834240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Neighbours</em>’ producers have announced that the series will not be jumping around with its timeline, instead picking up where the finale left off. </p> <p>The series is set to go into production in the next few months, with new episodes likely in the spring - Australians will be able to catch the first-run episodes on Channel 10, and one week later on Amazon Prime Video. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

TV

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Mum’s fool-proof hack to dry your clothes in half the time

<p dir="ltr">A clever mum has shared the ultimate laundry tip that will ensure your clothes air-dry in no time. </p> <p dir="ltr">With surging energy bills crippling households, air drying items is a much more efficient way of doing laundry. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, colder winter months can sometimes mean clothes and linen may take days to dry in the fresh air. </p> <p dir="ltr">One mum has found the answer to this problem, sharing her hack on the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/mumswhoclean">Mums Who Clean</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I have recently been staying with my elderly parents. While there, I did some washing for them," she says. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Mum said to me, 'Don't forget to do an additional spin cycle after the cycle has finished.'”</p> <p dir="ltr">"Her response was that it wouldn't take as long for the washing to dry on a cold winter's day when there isn't as much sun.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"And guess what, she was right!"</p> <p dir="ltr">The mum tried it for herself when she got home, saying it helped to dry her clothes in half the time.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Since returning home this week to Sydney and the rain, I tried this on a load of towels (bath sheets) before putting them in the dryer," she says.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Normally, the load would take one and a half to two hours to dry, and they took just under 60 minutes."</p> <p dir="ltr">Other group members were impressed with the hack, with many saying they would give it a go. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Oh wow, I'm going to give this a go!" said one person. </p> <p dir="ltr">Others said they’ve been doing this hack “for years”, and were happy others were going to try the handy tip. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Home & Garden

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Parachutes and underwater roller coasters: Did you fall for these pranks?

<p dir="ltr">Companies have made a tradition of making bogus, out-of-this-world announcements on April Fools Day - and even days before it they really want to get the jump on people - and travel companies are no exception.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-79aac467-7fff-1897-d967-1c98a3f53d1e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">This year, Destination Gold Coast got in on the festivities with their announcement of the world’s first underwater rollercoaster.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDestinationGoldCoast%2Fposts%2F5393004644043691&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="757" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">The tourism company revealed that the ride would be 40 metres tall, standing 20 metres above the water at full take, and would take riders on a 1-kilometre underwater journey.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though plenty were fooled by their joke, their posting of the announcement on March 31 saw them become the butt of plenty of other jokes, including some from their competitors.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Maybe don’t leave the work experience kid in charge of social media, shame, would have been funny … tomorrow!” Brisbane travel agency Premium Flyer commented on Thursday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Someone better look at a calendar … 31 days in March people,” another commenter wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cf4dfa94-7fff-3727-a11e-8ffefc018818"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/april-fools-day-2022-round-up-here-we-go-again-731149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Webjet New Zealand</a> announced the launch of a new seating option for passengers involving parachutes.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/20220224-WJNZ-BRAND-April-Fools-Day-header-banner-711-x-400.2-002-1.jpg" alt="" width="711" height="400" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Webjet NZ</em></p> <p dir="ltr">But, when you go to the <a href="https://www.webjet.co.nz/travel/outdoor-adventure/skydive-seats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> to find out more, a pop-up appears with the message, “April Fools!”</p> <p dir="ltr">“We asked legal and they said we’d have a lawsuit on our hands if we pushed people out of planes,” the pop-up continues.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you’re not too upset with us and are still looking for cheap domestic flights, you can search and compare the best deals online.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-68f4bcc8-7fff-4df5-d8ee-aea4469ad7a8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Webjet NZ / Destination Gold Coast (Facebook) </em></p>

Domestic Travel

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P&O Cruises Australia Cancels More Sailings Until April 2022

<p><em>Image: Cruise Passenger </em></p> <p>P&amp;O Cruises Australia has cancelled further cruises until mid-April 2022.</p> <p>The extension of the government’s cruise ban in Australia marks two years since the line has sailed Down Under. Cruises departing from March 3 till April 16, 2022 from Sydney and Brisbane will be cancelled and this also marks the 23rd cruise cancellation announcement since the pandemic.</p> <p>President of <span>P&amp;O</span> Cruises Australia Sture Myrmell said that during this entire period guests had displayed incredible patience and loyalty to <span>P&amp;O</span> and cruising.</p> <p>“However, as we approach the two-year mark in our rolling pause in operations, it is understandable that our guests will be very disappointed and frustrated that there is still no agreed restart plan for cruising in Australia,” Mr Myrmell said.</p> <p>“Federal and state governments are yet to outline their requirements for restart despite the nation’s high vaccination rate, the cruise industry’s comprehensive health protocols, vaccination policies for guests and crew and the successful resumption of cruising in other international markets.</p> <p>“Our loyal guests, travel agents and many suppliers whose businesses depend on cruising along with thousands of jobs are simply looking for certainty so that they can plan for the future. Reaching this two-year anniversary is discouraging for so many of them.”</p> <p>Late last week, the Federal Government extended Australia’s cruise ban by another two months.</p> <p>“After an absence of two years, it will take us several months and significant cost to manage the complex logistics necessary to return a ship to service before sailing back to Australian waters,” Mr Myrmell said.</p> <p>“This includes engaging our crew and re-training them to meet new operating protocols when they are known as well as re-stocking the ship with local fresh produce and refreshing onboard guest service operations that have also been on-hold for such a long time.</p> <p>“It is a big task and we need to understand the operating environment before we begin the process of returning. To date, no government authority, federal or state, has provided feedback on the industry’s proposed operational guidelines to enable an informed decision on bringing our ships back to Australia.”</p> <p> </p>

Cruising

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Jacki O completely fooled by Masked Singer reveal

<p>Two more celebrities were revealed on Sunday night’s episode of<span> </span><em>The Masked Singer<span> </span></em>– one of them n international music superstar, and the other a very recognisable face who left one of the judges foundering for excuses.</p> <p>It was none other than radio shock-jock Kyle Sandilands inside a Paw Patrol costume belting out Train’s<span> </span><em>Drops of Jupiter<span> </span></em>and somehow, his on-air partner of more than 20 years didn’t guess it was him from her position on the judging panel.</p> <p>“This is the worst you can get, I’m never living this down….this is so embarrassing,” judge Jackie O said after Kyle took his mask off.</p> <p>The embarrassment wasn't hers alone though, as Kyle pointed out that he knows every single member of the judging panel, and none of them picked it was him. Other guesses included Russell Crowe, Anthony LaPaglia and Guy Pearce.</p> <p>Jackie O couldn’t believe she’d been fooled so easily. “When you were singing, there was a flash of you in my mind, but then I was like ‘No.’ You never even let on once. We work together every morning, I’ve been telling you about<span> </span><em>Masked Singer<span> </span></em>every day. All the while, you knew you were gonna be on it!”</p> <p>Later in the episode, contestant Atlantis was unveiled as none other than US soul singer Macy Gray, best-known for global smash hit<span> </span><em>I Try.</em><br />With one of the most recognisable voices in music history, it was slightly surreal to hear the judges’ guesses after her rendition of the Elle King song<span> </span><em>Exes and Ohs.<span> </span></em>She was instantly recognisable from the very first note – but the judges guessed Delta Goodrem, Rhianna and Noni Hazelhurst.</p>

Music

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“You bloody fool!” The musk duck that learnt to swear

<p>A small number of animals, particularly birds, can learn to mimic other animals – including humans.</p> <p>The Australian musk duck can now be added to these ranks: a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0243" target="_blank">paper</a> in <em>Philosophical Transactions B</em> has shown that the ducks can imitate other bird sounds and human sounds – like doors slamming, and one truly Australian phrase uttered by their keepers.</p> <p>“You bloody fool,” agreed Ripper, musk duck and subject of the paper.</p> <p>The paper, written by Carel ten Cate, a researcher at the Leiden University’s Institute of Biology in the Netherlands, and Peter Fullargar, now retired from the CSIRO, analyses two sets of recordings made by two musk ducks.</p> <p>Ripper was a male musk duck, born in 1983 and raised in captivity at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in the ACT.</p> <p>Records at Tidbinbilla were destroyed by the 2003 Canberra bushfires, making aspects of Ripper’s past hazy, but one thing is known for certain: he could imitate human-made sounds.</p> <p>In 1987, some researchers (including Fullargar) made recordings of these sounds, including a door slamming, human speech-like mumbles, and a repeated phrase that sounded like “you bloody foo”: this was a common refrain from his caretaker.</p> <p>Ripper was particularly likely to announce this when humans approached him.</p> <p>In 2000, the researchers also recorded calls from another male musk duck, known simply as “Duck 2”.</p> <p>Duck 2, raised in Tidbinbilla by a captive female, could mimic the sounds of the Pacific black duck.</p> <p>He also made a sound similar to Ripper’s door-slamming noise.</p> <p>“This second duck had been exposed to Ripper, which may have affected this part of the sound,” write ten Cate and Fullargar in their paper.</p> <p>The authors point out that this is the first evidence of vocal learning in a member of the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anserinae" target="_blank">Anserinae</a> (ducks, geese and swans) family.</p> <p>“The Australian musk duck demonstrates an unexpected and impressive ability for vocal learning,” they write in their paper.</p> <p>They advocate for “a more extensive and systematic study of this and related, or other, species”, saying it could help to further understand how animals learn to make sounds.</p> <p>Check out the video here:</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MSJsKpKKBaI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em>Image credit: <span>Image: John Harrison / WikiCommons</span></em></p> <p><em>This article was originally written for <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/birds/you-bloody-fool-the-musk-duck-that-learnt-to-swear/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> by Ellen Phiddian.</em></p>

Technology

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Often fooled by optical illusions? Here’s why

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you have ever seen an optical illusion and wondered why you may have been tricked by it, you’re not the only one.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers interested in cognitive science and visual perception have used optical illusions to see how our brain works - even when we’re not being amazed or tricked by a deceptive image.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Illusions help us understand the rules our brain uses to create reality, based on the input it receives from our senses,” says Mark Williams, an honorary professor of cognitive science at Macquarie University.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What we actually see or hear or feel or taste or smell isn’t actually what’s out there, but what we think is out there.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Because we don’t see the world as it actually is, illusions help explain to us how we are creating the world we actually perceive.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This means that our brains don’t see the world wholly, instead responding to everything it perceives and filtering out what it doesn’t think is important.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our sensory systems respond to the sum of all contextual information in which the relative information is more important than the absolute,” says Dr Spehar, a psychologist from the University of New South Wales</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So for example, you perceive colour relative to the background, or you see orientation relative to the frame of reference.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s put our perceptions of reality to the test with this multicoloured illusion.</span></p> <p><strong>Is it moving?</strong></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:375.2900232018562px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843585/109a9c3cc8949eb4a12d252545fb759c.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9693caf172e54a1e8d66f94106e45659" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Wikimedia Commons</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though this image appears to move, staring at the centre of the image makes it stop.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This illusion, known as rotating snakes, triggers receptors in your eyes that detect movement in your peripheral vision.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr Spehar says that though we don’t fully know how the illusion works, it appears to involve the differences in contrast between the black, white, and coloured areas.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The illusion has a lot of light and dark elements, of both high and low contrast scattered everywhere,” Dr Spehar says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[These] stimulate motion-sensitive neurons in the periphery of our visual field.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even when you blink or move your eyes, parts of the illusion are projected onto different parts of your eye, meaning that it appears to move in a clockwise or counterclockwise movement.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Wikimedia Commons</span></em></p>

Mind

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5 fool-proof ways to achieve a spectacular garden

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to maintaining your garden, not everyone is a self-proclaimed green thumb.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A lot of different environmental and financial factors can alter the progress and growth of a healthy outdoor space. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But with these five tips, anyone can become an expert gardener in a few simple steps to have your garden thriving!</span></p> <p><strong>Plan your garden</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The key to a successful garden is planning and structuring before you even start.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You should know what type of soil you’re dealing with before you head to your local nursery to find plants that will work best. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You will also need to make sure you choose the right plants that will thrive in your garden outside, as well as what will work best in inside spaces. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So get planning, and talk to the professionals at your local nursery for fool-proof advice. </span></p> <p><strong>Buy plants that are difficult to kill</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are extensive ranges of low maintenance plants that are notoriously difficult to kill. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Renowned horticulturalist Mike Wells says there are many plants that are happy soaking in the sun without being regularly watered. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People need to remember to check on their gardens and their indoor plants. Most indoor plants can last a week without watering but they need a quality potting mix,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mike says one of his go-to and easy-to-please plants is succulents, for both indoors and outdoors, as they don’t need daily watering and can be very inexpensive.</span></p> <p><strong>‘Set and forget’ plants</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some gardeners are turning to growing their own fresh produce, as they require a lot less maintenance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These ‘set and forget’ plants are a great long-term investment, and do not need constant monitoring in larger garden beds</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs straight from your own backyard is a huge win financially, as well as for your kitchen!</span></p> <p><strong>Supercharging your plants</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In order to maintain a healthy, weed-free garden, mulching is a must. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mike Wells says that adding mulch to ornamental gardens can be a lifesaver by extending the longevity of all plants. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Cypress pine wood chips are best to 50 to 75mm deep. For a vegetable garden, these would be too coarse, so a chopped lucerne or fine sugar cane mulch to no deeper than 50mm is recommended,” says Mike.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For the gardeners who don’t want to fertilise often, choose a controlled release plus organics product which should only need light incorporation every six months.”</span></p> <p><strong>Self-watering plants</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the tech-savvy gardener, self-watering systems can be a lifesaver. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No more having to schedule watering your plants, and worrying if they are getting enough </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">water, as smart systems take the hassle out for you. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They reduce the amount of water you need for the garden. Just set up the automatic timer and away you go.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are multiple options when deciding on an indoor or outdoor plant watering system. Some are so high tech you can operate them using a mobile phone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These systems, combined with carefully planning and maintaining your garden, are destined to have your garden blooming all year round.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Shutterstock</span></em></p>

Retirement Life

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“Never get into an argument with a fool”: Dan Andrews’ fiery return to form

<p>Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has used his first press conference to thank his supporters and make a dig at the "vile rumours" being spread about the circumstances relating to his injury.</p> <p>The premier was back at work on Monday after spending 111 days recovering from broken ribs and spinal damage due to falling on wet stairs in March.</p> <p>Mr Andrews thanked his colleagues, medical professionals and his family for the continuous support during his recovery.</p> <p>"It's great to be back after a lengthy absence, one that was required in terms of a very serious injury," he said.</p> <p>"I want to thank Cath and the kids, I want to thank my medical team, I want to thank every Victorian that has sent me cards and notes and best wishes.</p> <p>"I want to thank Deputy Premier James Merlino who has done an astounding job."</p> <p>During the time of his accident, some details about Mr Andrews' condition was unknown, causing a Liberal MP to ask a series of questions about who owned the holiday home where Mr Andrews and his family were staying, who called the ambulance, and whether police had interviewed the premier.</p> <p>Mr Andrews said despite releasing a statement yesterday about his injury in his own words, putting an end to the "vile stories" about the incident may not be possible.</p> <p>However, the premier did not appear fazed by the "fools" who spread misinformation about his injury.</p> <p>"People who make up their own facts, you're best not really to get into an argument with them," he said.</p> <p>"It's very difficult to win those arguments. People know me, they know my work, they know my background. They know that I love my family and I love my state.</p> <p>"Never get into an argument with a fool."</p> <p>The premier said the "vile, wicked" rumours circulating had been "very hurtful" to his family.</p> <p>"It is very, very hurtful when kids are being taunted at school," he said.</p> <p>"It is very hurtful when you see some of this stuff printed. And I'm not speaking for myself. I'm speaking on behalf of my family."</p> <p>Now that he's back, Mr Andrews is ready to help Victorians.</p> <p>"I have spent four months doing rehab, not getting fit to get out, but getting fit and healthy to get back to work for the people of Victoria," he said.</p> <p>"That's what I'm doing, and that's what I'll do for as long as the people of Victoria want me to do that important work."</p> <p>Mr Andrews said he had booked the holiday home for a week, which he paid for himself. He was on official leave at the time of his fall.</p>

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SCAM: The fake Woolworths offer that fooled thousands of Aussies

<p>Woolworths customers have been issued a warning about a new scam that has fooled over 50,000 Australians in just 10 hours.</p> <p>The hoax has seen the fake Woolworths Store Facebook page offering a “free grocery box” to anyone who comments on its post.</p> <p>Over 25,000 people commented on the scam post in just 10 hours, while 50,000 people shared it to friends and family.</p> <p>A Woolworths spokesperson has confirmed that the supermarket is not affiliated with the post in any way.</p> <p>The sophisticated scam has fooled countless Aussies and uses photos of Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci and an array of grocery boxes to seem more legitimate.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 420.6471494607088px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838984/screen-shot-2020-11-30-at-25530-pm.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/0f5c4babfe9549418b78a45b896db330" /></p> <p>The post reads: “My name is Bradford Banducci and I’m the CEO of Woolworths Inc.</p> <p>“To celebrate our 100th birthday, every single person who shares and comments in the next 24 hours will get one of the Christmas good box (sic) delivered straight to their door on Monday, 30th November.</p> <p>“Each food box contains groceries worth $100 and a $75 Woolworths vouchers. Limit one Food Box per person.”</p> <p>Many shoppers inundated Woolworths official Facebook page to ask if the post was legitimate, while others indicated they’d already fallen for the scam.</p> <p>“Great thing you’re doing for Aussies after the year we’ve had. Good on you Woolies,” said one.</p> <p>Facebook has since removed the post, a move that has been appreciated by a representative for the supermarket.</p> <p>“We can confirm that this is not an authorised Woolworths Facebook page and is not affiliated with us in any way,” the spokesperson told <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/" target="_blank">7NEWS.com.au</a>.</p> <p>“We encourage our customers to be vigilant of online phishing scams, which seek to imitate well-known brands to collect personal information.</p> <p>“We will never ask our customers for their personal or banking details in unsolicited communications.</p> <p>“We report scams to the ACCC’s SCAM Watch and regularly update our Scam Alerts page on our website to help keep customers secure online.”</p>

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Famous hoaxes that (almost) fooled everyone

<p>In today’s technology-saturated Internet age, fake news and misinformation are everywhere. But these are by no means new concepts! People have always had the tendency to dupe and be duped, as these major hoaxes, which occurred as recently as 2017 and as long ago as 1726, prove. Some were meticulously planned in hopes of striking it rich. A few were accidental consequences of otherwise harmless actions. Many were perpetrated to be funny or malicious, and still others were done to prove a point. No matter the reason, here are 11 hoaxes that hoodwinked the world. For some more recent scams, here are some of the most outlandish things the Internet told us that just weren’t true.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>War of the Worlds</strong></p> <p>Orson Welles didn’t mean to mastermind one of the greatest hoaxes in history. Mass hysteria was simply a by-product of a high-quality radio play in an era where world war loomed, the space race was in its early stages, and most people got news and entertainment from their receivers. According to History.com, the October 30, 1938, broadcast began at 8pm with an introduction presenting the Mercury Theatre’s update of H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, but unfortunately, many people were listening to a popular ventriloquist on another station until 8.12 and therefore missed the disclaimer. Welles take on Wells’ Martian invasion tale started with a weather report and a concert live from the Hotel Park Plaza before news alerts about explosions on Mars, a meteor crashing into a New Jersey farm, and eventually aliens with tentacles, heat rays, and poisonous gas broke in. Terrified announcers were then saying cylinders had landed in Chicago and St. Louis, 7000 National Guardsmen had been wiped out, and that people were fleeing.</p> <p> </p> <p>Only the panic part turned out to be real as potentially a million listeners thought Earth was under attack. People crowded the highways, armed themselves, begged police for gas masks, requested their power be shut off so the aliens wouldn’t see them, and were treated for shock at hospitals. A woman ran into an Indianapolis church during evening service to proclaim, “New York has been destroyed. It’s the end of the world. Prepare to die!” When CBS got wind of hysteria IRL, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was fiction. The FCC investigation found no wrongdoing but networks agreed to be more cautious regarding programming going forward. The attention scored Welles a Hollywood contract, which enabled him to write, direct, and star in his 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Shed at Dulwich</strong></p> <p>For just six short months in 2017, The Shed at Dulwich, where patrons ordered entrees by mood, became the highest-ranked restaurant in London on TripAdvisor and the hardest reservation in town to get. Calls and emails poured in begging to be squeezed in for birthday dinners, romantic dates, and media coverage. All were ignored or told to call back as they were booked solid for more than half a year. Except that was a lie. The reason they couldn’t score a table was actually because the business was bogus. It was an experiment in algorithm manipulation and buzz creation by freelance writer Oobah Butler, who had been paid in the past by owners to review their restaurants positively without ever stepping foot inside on the site. To turn the South London garden shed he resides in into a fake fine dining experience, he bought a burner phone and a domain, created a website with soft-focus pictures of delicious-looking dishes made with ingredients you wouldn’t want to eat (paint, bleach tablets, shaving cream, the heel of his foot), and drummed up interest by providing minimum details, making it an appointment-only establishment, lying about it being full, and soliciting friends to write glowing reviews. According to The Washington Post, people contacted him looking for work and companies sent him free samples of their food products. He opened The Shed for one night and served canned soup—and some diners still asked to come again. Butler outed himself in an article and video for Vice a month after hitting the top spot and TripAdvisor removed the listing.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Cardiff Giant</strong></p> <p>This gentle giant remains one of 19th-century America’s most legendary hoaxes. Gideon Emmons and Henry Nichols unearthed a ten-foot petrified “man” on October 16, 1869, while digging a well on the New York farm owned by William Newell. Word spread about the discovery and Newell put up a tent and started charging a quarter (and then 50¢ as business boomed) to take a peek at the ground Goliath. Hundreds of curious onlookers and amateur archaeologists made the pilgrimage, many believing it was an ancestor of the Onondaga people and some claiming it was proof of the giants mentioned in The Bible—even after most professionals like Yale palaeontologist Othniel C. Marsh said it a fake. The “mummy” was eventually sold to a group of businessmen who sent him on tour. Greatest showman PT Barnum offered to buy it for $50,000, and when they declined to sell, he made a plaster knockoff and arranged for it to be shown in a New York City museum. By December, Binghamton cigar salesman George Hull admitted this was a stone-cold swindle. He’d commissioned a German stone cutter in Chicago to carve it out of a block of gypsum he’d bought in Iowa before he and his cousin Newell buried the 1356-kilogram statue. While it was a get-rich-quick scheme, Hull, an atheist, was also trying to prove a point about what he considered silly religious stories and how science could disprove most of them. Even after the hoax was revealed, the Cardiff Giant still made appearances and money. According to Archaeology.org, he showed up at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo and was sold in 1947 to the Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, where he’s on display today.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Michael Jordan is dead</strong></p> <p>In February 2015, an article published on the Cronica MX website said that former Chicago Bull Michael Jordan had gone to that big basketball court in the sky after suffering a heart attack while he slept. It even quoted his wife, Yvette Prieto. They also posted a video clip designed to resemble a breaking news segment on YouTube with footage of a tearful ESPN reporter Rich Eisen saying goodbye. According to Snopes.com, the footage was real but recycled from a NFL Game Day episode from a month earlier when Eisen had learned that his long time co-worker and friend Stuart Scott had lost his battle with cancer. It recirculates every once in a while, always trying to lure fans to click through to a spammy site or to provide their personal information. The same story was used again in 2017, this time by a site called Viral Mugshot, according to Inquisitr.com. Despite it containing the same spelling and grammar errors, it went viral on social media until debunking sites and news agencies reported it as fake news. And Jordan isn’t the only celebrity targeted by pranksters and hackers. If you believed everything you read on stars’ sites, fake Twitter accounts, or items reported by newspapers erroneously, many of your favourites would have been gone long before their time, including: former President Barack Obama (assassinated while campaigning in an Iowa restaurant), Will Ferrell (died in a 2006 paragliding accident), Nick Jonas (heart attack after a lap dance in a Dallas strip club), and, of course, Justin Bieber (suicide twice, nightclub shooting, and an overdose).</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Piltdown Man</strong></p> <p>Since Charles Darwin released his evolution theories in 1859, scientists have been on the lookout for proof of the missing link—a phase between full ape and full man—and in 1912, Englishman Charles Dawson announced he’d found it in a gravel pit in Piltdown. He used the fossils to build a skull model with a human-sized brain and an ape-like jaw and England declared itself the real birthplace of modern humanity. But other scientists immediately took issue, mostly because it didn’t match other fossils found around the world including the Australopithecines one dug up in South Africa. In 1915, Dawson doubled down and claimed he retrieved a second similar fossil, which was enough evidence for many average Joes. The hoax was not revealed until 1953 when British scientists used new technology to date the Piltdown pair. They deduced that the remains were only 500 years old, not the 1 million years old needed to be the link. They also took a bite out of his claim by discovering that the jaw was from an orangutan whose teeth had been filed to resemble human wear patterns and that the bones had been stained to match each other. Most people involved were dead by the 1950s so the prank plotter was never identified. One whodunit theory, according to the BBC: The doer was none other than Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He lived near the pit and was a member of Dawson’s archaeological society. The motive was revenge for being constantly mocked by scientists for his belief in spiritualism.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Cock Lane ghost</strong></p> <p>Even royals can fall prey to paranormal pranks, according to The Daily Mail. In 1762, Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, visited a home on Cock Lane in London that was said to be haunted by Scratching Fanny, a woman who had died of smallpox in the rented house after her loan shark lover William Kent had lent their landlord money with a high interest rate. Kent took the landlord Richard Parsons to court over the loan and won. Strange noises that sounded like a cat scratching a chair were reported at the property around this time, and Parsons and his daughter Elizabeth, who the noises actually emanated from, claimed the ghost was Fanny. To prove it, they held séances regularly, which were written up in the newspaper and drew religious leaders, the prince, the mayor, and so many other onlookers that the street became impassable. At the time, people widely believed that a person would return from the great beyond to warn the living or seek revenge, so they quickly accepted that it was Fanny communicating via a system of knocks that Parsons and a preacher developed. During one such communing, the “ghost” accused Kent of poisoning her and requested he be hanged. To clear his name, Kent and two doctors who had tended to Fanny on her deathbed attended a séance, and again Fanny declared he was her killer. But during a later gathering, Dr Samuel Johnson witnessed Elizabeth creeping from the bed where she was during encounters to pick up a piece of wood that she used to knock. She’d usually hidden the branch in her clothes. Parsons was trying to frame Kent after losing the case, but it was he who ended up behind bars for two years. (His wife also got a year in prison.)</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Hurricane Harvey freeway shark</strong></p> <p>Between social media sites and the 24-hour news cycle, it is impossible not to be bombarded with insane photos of daring rescues and heartbreaking destruction following any natural disaster these days. Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston in 2017 was no exception, with one image in particular proving you can’t always believe what you see. Twitter user @Jeggit posted a startling shot of a shark swimming in the floodwater that filled a Houston highway. It appeared to have been taken from the driver’s seat of a stalled car. It was retweeted almost 84,000 times and liked by 141,733 users fairly quickly. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox News host Jesse Watters was also fooled by the photo, even mentioning it during his show The Five. He later apologised for the mix-up on his Twitter account once Politifact tracked the doctored photo back to 2011. It appears to have first been circulated after Hurricane Irene struck Puerto Rico and posted on imgur.com. In 2012, social media users posted it saying it was taken in New Jersey during Sandy. It is believed that whoever created this fishy photo took the shark from an image that ran in Africa Geographic in 2005.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Hitler’s fake diaries</strong></p> <p>In 1979, Der Stern Magazine reporter Gerd Heidemann met with Nazi memorabilia collector Fritz Stiefel, who claimed to have a diary penned by Adolf Hitler. Stiefel said it’d been recovered from a 1945 crash of a plane transporting Hitler’s personal effects. (Records indicated the crash was real and that a chest was also recovered likely containing other journals.) After a couple of handwriting experts authenticated the script, more volumes turned up through Konrad Fischer, who’d procured them from an East German General who was planning to smuggle them out of Germany in pianos, according to the UnMuseum.org. Heidemann convinced his outlet to pony up 9.9 million marks (almost US$4 million) for 60 diaries. The magazine knew it could make their money back and then some from reprints. In April 1983, Stern broke the story and then Newsweek and London’s Sunday Times ran excerpts.</p> <p> </p> <p>Historians immediately balked, as Hitler loathed writing and there had been no indication from those close to him that he’d kept notes. Also, the content sparked skepticism as they portrayed Hitler as having little knowledge of concentration camps and wanting to deport, not exterminate, Jews. After many experts questioned the handwriting, the West German Federal Archives ran more tests. They concluded that the paper, ink, and glue were manufactured after the war had ended and Hitler had died. Heidemann, who always maintained he wasn’t in on it but had inflated the asking price and skimmed money off the top, was fired. Fischer turned out to be Konrad Kujau, a criminal specialising in forgery. He faked memorabilia first and worked his way up to whole documents and paintings. (In fact, a quarter of the works that were featured in the 1983 book Adolf Hitler: The Unknown Artist were done by Kujau.) Both Kujau and Heidemann were sentenced to almost five years in prison. Most of the money was never retrieved. While Heidemann was a pariah after serving, The Guardian reports that Kujau made regular appearances on talk shows and became a minor celebrity.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Mary Toft’s bunny babies</strong></p> <p>In 18th-century Europe, people paid good money to see weird stuff, particularly human deformities and unexplained phenomena. It gave poor Surrey servant Mary Toft a particularly gross idea in England in 1726, according to HowStuffWorks.com. She went into “labour” and her neighbour and mother-in-law “delivered” a liverless cat. After other animal bits were retrieved from her nether region, they rang local obstetrician John Howard. Over the next month, he “delivered” a rabbit’s head, a hog’s bladder, the legs of a cat, and nine dead baby bunnies. (Womb-ship Down happened in the course of one day, according to the University of Glasgow Library’s special collections.) She became the talk of the town and many paid to witness the bizarre births, including a Swiss anatomist and the Prince of Wales’ secretary. But her foetal fame didn’t last long. A German surgeon proved a rabbit could not have developed inside Toft because he found corn and hay in its dung. Someone was then caught smuggling a rabbit into her room. The jig was up and Toft confessed she’d been inserting animal parts into her vagina after suffering a miscarriage.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Balloon Boy</strong></p> <p>On October 15, 2009, the nation could not take its eyes off the non-stop news coverage of a homemade silver helium-filled balloon that looked like a UFO floating around the Colorado skies. After releasing it from Fort Collins, Richard and Mayumi Heene called emergency services to report that their six-year-old son Falcon was trapped aboard. National Guard helicopters and local police followed the blimp, which topped out at 7,000 feet, for 90 minutes and 80 kilometres until it landed 24 kilometres from the Denver airport. Falcon was not inside, but as some had seen something fall from the balloon, a land search ensued. That too turned up nothing. Several hours later he came out from hiding in the attic at home. When interviewed on air by Wolf Blitzer, the kid slipped and said his father had told him they were doing it to get a reality show. The first responders didn’t like their time or money wasted and the Heenes were arrested for the hoax. According to CNN, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department tallied the cost to be at least US$47,000. In addition, the FAA imposed an US$11,000 fine because airport traffic was delayed because the balloon had flown and landed close to it. The case’s judge decided it was “clearly a planned event done for the purpose of making money” and that it was “exploitation of the children, exploitation of the media, exploitation of the emotions of the people.” Both parents were sentenced to jail, four years probation, and more than 100 hours of community service and agreed to pay restitution of US$36,016. On the five-year anniversary, USA Today found the family living in Florida and the sons had started a heavy metal band. One of their CDs has a song called “Balloon Boy No Hoax.”</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Russian royal or insane Polish factory worker?</strong></p> <p>The 1918 grisly basement execution of Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, and their five children aged 13 to 22 in the dead of night by bullet and bayonets by Bolshevik revolutionaries is hardly the stuff of fairy tales. Which is likely why so many people wanted to desperately believe the rumours that the youngest daughter, Anastasia Romanov, had escaped. The mystery and hope were fuelled by the fact that no bodies had been found. Women popped up all over the world claiming to be her, the most believable of which was Anna Anderson, according to Refinery29. She had tried to kill herself by jumping off a Berlin bridge two years later and landed in an asylum for two years. She was the right age, had scars on her body, and a Russian accent. Some relatives and former Romanov friends and servants confirmed her identity while others denounced it. The murders had become common knowledge and Soviet counterintelligence did nothing to quell survival rumours. Her tale inspired multiple books, tabloid fodder, an Ingrid Bergman classic, an animated film, a stage musical, and an Amazon Prime TV series.</p> <p> </p> <p>After leaving the hospital, Anderson bounced around Europe, staying with distant relatives and wealthy supporters, but she was usually uncooperative, even malicious, when people tried to prove or disprove her identity. She also knew things the late royal would have known, which is how the son of a doctor who was killed with the family became her most ardent defender. Together they hired an attorney to try to get legal recognition of her title and access to the Tsar’s estate. The case lasted 32 years, the longest in German history, and ended without any conclusions. During the investigation, her detractors posited that she was Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish worker who disappeared after being declared insane after being injured in a factory explosion shortly before the incident at the bridge. Anderson died in 1984. Seven years later, five skeletons were found in a forest near the town where the family was executed and DNA testing identified them as Romanovs. With two bodies still missing, people argued she had been telling the truth all along. But that did not last long, as they tested their DNA against an intestinal sample from a prior Anderson surgery. No match. In 2007, the final two bodies were found at a different gravesite.</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Written by Carrie Bell. This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/famous-hoaxes-that-almost-fooled-everyone">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://readersdigest.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank" class="c-link" data-stringify-link="http://readersdigest.com.au/subscribe" data-sk="tooltip_parent">here’s our best subscription offer</a>.</em></p>

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April Fools pranks amid COVID crisis could face hefty penalties

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>America is in serious trouble as coronavirus continues to ravage the country. The death toll for the country has skyrocketed past China’s official count with 3,500 deaths and counting.</p> <p>US President Donald Trump has urged people to continue to follow social-distancing measures through April to prevent the virus from spreading.</p> <p>"Every one of us has a role to play in winning this war. Every citizen, family and business can make the difference in stopping the virus," the president said, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/death-toll-york-state-passes-1000-live-updates-200329234257896.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera</a></em>.</p> <p>"This is our shared patriotic duty. Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days and this is a very vital 30 days," Trump told reporters at the White House.</p> <p>The US currently has over 159,000 confirmed infections, which is more than any country in the world.</p> <p>Around the world, Italy has reported that the infection rate appears to have levelled off and new cases could start to decline, as 11,591 people have died from the virus already. The total number of infections has surged past 100,000 with a shocking 4,050 new cases reported.</p> <p>Spain is also on lockdown after surpassing China in the number of cases and quickly approaching Italy when it comes to the number of deaths. A record number of 849 people died on Tuesday, which brings the death toll to 8,189 while 85,000 people haves tested positive for the virus.</p> <p>"We say to our community not to keep looking at the figures and what's going on," said Australian expat Mandy Keillor to the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-01/spains-coronavirus-reality-is-grim-how-did-it-start-there/12103590" target="_blank">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p>"But you can't help it, because you have to be aware of what's happening."</p> <p>Spain have introduced tough new lockdown rules in the country as all non-essential workers are banned from travelling to work. People are only allowed to go outside to get food, visit a chemist or walk a pet as well as carry documentation explaining the outing.</p> <p>Worldwide, the total number of infections since the beginning of the outbreak have reached more than 775,000. Roughly, 160,000 people have recovered globally while nearly 37,000 have died.</p> <p>Worldwide from Thailand to India, countries have told people not to make April Fools’ Day pranks related to coronavirus, with some countries threatening jail time for spreading misinformation.<br />Tech giant Google, which is famous for its annual spoofs, has cancelled the tradition because of the pandemic which has killed about 40,000 people worldwide.<br />Thailand said on Tuesday that April Fools’ Day jokes about the virus could be punished under a law carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison.<br />“It’s against the law to fake having COVID-19 this April Fools’ Day,” the government said on Twitter.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">People around the world are suffering from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Covid19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Covid19</a> outbreak, and that's reason enough why people should be more considerate and not use this as a prank or a joke. <a href="https://t.co/DvF5A1WOv6">pic.twitter.com/DvF5A1WOv6</a></p> — PR Thai Government (@prdthailand) <a href="https://twitter.com/prdthailand/status/1244917499361034240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen took to Facebook to tell people not to prank about the virus. </p> <div id="fb-root"></div> <div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/tsaiingwen/photos/a.390960786064/10156580820386065/?type=3&amp;theater" data-width="auto"> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"> <p>大家都說4/1是愚人節,我想提前介紹 #愚人節好運貓貓,歡迎一起分享喔!    更重要的是,愚人節這天,忍不住的人可以發揮幽默,但切記...</p> Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tsaiingwen/">蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tsaiingwen/photos/a.390960786064/10156580820386065/?type=3">Tuesday, March 31, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> <p>She introduced her followers to Good Luck Cat, but quickly explained that article 63 of the prevention of infectious diseases act, saying that spreading rumours or false information about epidemics could result in up to three years in jail and/or a fine of up to NT$3 million ($A162,800).</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Calls mount for health insurers to suspend April price hikes

<p>Calls have mounted for private health insurers to cancel premium increases scheduled for April 1 amidst economic pressure from the new coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>Consumer advocate CHOICE said health funds should relieve customers from more financial burden by freezing the increases.</p> <p>The demand came as non-urgent elective surgeries such as hip replacements and cataract surgery were postponed indefinitely by the government.</p> <p>“If people can’t use the normal services that would allow them to claim on their private health insurance, then insurers’ costs will be going down,” said CHOICE CEO Alan Kirkland.</p> <p>He said health fund premiums have gone up by 61 per cent over the past decade. “Their justification is that the amount they pay out to cover your treatment is going up. But that doesn’t hold up this year. We don’t think people should be paying full price when they won't be able to access a full service,” he said.</p> <p>“There is no way they can justify increasing premiums in this context. Health funds should scrap their April 1 premium increases.”</p> <p>The first fund in Australia to commit to axe premium rises is Perth-based HBF, which was due to implement a 1.98 per cent increase.</p> <p>HBF’s CEO John Van Der Wielen said many of its one million members were affected by “extraordinary” financial circumstances.</p> <p>“Now more than ever access to the best healthcare is more important than ever,” he said. “We want to do everything we can to keep health insurance affordable for our members.”</p> <p>Other major health funds are yet to follow suit in cancelling the premium increases. The average increase across the industry this year is <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/privatehealth-average-premium-round">2.92 per cent</a>.</p> <p>Medibank and AHM announced a support package of more than $50 million on Thursday, allowing customers to suspend their policy or access reliefs on their premiums. Members would also receive benefits for coronavirus-related chest, heart, lung and kidney hospital admissions.</p> <p>Bupa also announced an assistance package of more than $50 million to help customers experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic. The insurer also confirmed all members with any hospital policy would be covered for COVID-19 related claims.</p> <p>GMHBA and HCF have also introduced financial hardship measures, encouraging customers who are struggling to pay premiums to reach out to discuss their options.</p>

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April fools? Harry and Meghan’s last day in office announced

<p>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s lives as working members of Britain’s royal family will end on March 31, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed Wednesday.</p> <p>Harry and Meghan’s office at Buckingham Palace will be closed starting April 1, with the pair set to be represented through their UK charity team going forward.</p> <p><span>The two will continue on as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and retain their titles: The Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and the Baron and Baroness Kilkeel. They will no longer represent Her Majesty or receive public funds for royal engagements.</span></p> <p>The terms of Harry and Meghan’s separation from the royal family is due for review in one year, <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/prince-harry-meghan-confirm-day-working-members-britains-69072813">the spokesperson said</a>.</p> <p>“As there is no precedent for this new model of working and eventual financial independence, the Royal Family and the Sussexes have agreed to an initial 12-month review to ensure the arrangement works for all parties.”</p> <p>Harry and Meghan’s use of the word royal, as featured in their Sussex Royal branding, is <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/queen-steps-in-and-orders-prince-harry-and-meghan-to-drop-royal-sussex-brand">under review</a>. Any changes will be announced alongside the launch of the couple’s foundation, the spokesperson said.</p> <p>The nonprofit is said to retain the couple’s charitable goals to focus on causes including “the Commonwealth, community, youth empowerment and mental health, collectively”.</p> <p>The couple is set to reside in Canada but “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/19/harry-and-meghan-to-split-from-royal-family-on-31-march">will be in the United Kingdom regularly</a>”, sources said.</p> <p>They are expected to have their last official appearance as working royals at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9 with the Queen and other senior members of the monarchy.</p>

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Can you recognise who this famous TV star is?

<p>A well known Hollywood star who is usually instantly recognisable by his facial hair has decided to shave it off.</p> <p>Dr Phil is an American television personality and psychologist on the show Dr Phil – made famous by his good friend Oprah Winfrey. The expert is well known for the facial hair he sports during his show and after 36 years, he decided to shave his moustache off.</p> <p>He shared a photo on Instagram with his 602K followers, with the caption saying, “Well, I did it.”</p> <p>There is also a video posted of him putting shaving cream on his moustache, with the next snap showing Dr Phil holding a razor very close to his face.</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BvuJaa-BHs_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=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="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BvuJaa-BHs_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">Well... I did it.</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/drphil/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Dr. Phil</a> (@drphil) on Apr 1, 2019 at 10:19am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Naturally, fans of the daytime TV star were attached to his moustache and went into meltdown.</p> <p>One fan commented: “No! I refuse to believe it. The world is ending!”</p> <p>Another fan was much more succinct, asking, “Whyyyyy”?</p> <p>The post quickly gained 7.5K comments in less than 12 hours.</p> <p>Luckily for fans of the star, it was all a prank. As the photo was posted on April Fool’s Day, or April 1st, some fans had cottoned on but others took the post at face value.</p> <p>It was only until Dr Phil posted another Instagram post saying “APRIL PHILS!” that fans had realised it was a joke.</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvu3VEABZAP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=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="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvu3VEABZAP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">APRIL PHILS! 😏😂</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/drphil/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Dr. Phil</a> (@drphil) on Apr 1, 2019 at 5:05pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In the video, Dr Phil explains that he would never shave off his moustache.</p> <p>“April Fools! You didn’t really think I would do it, right? I’d look like an aardvark if I took this off.”</p> <p>Did you believe that Dr Phil had shaved off his moustache in the photo above? Let us know in the comments.</p>

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