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"We've all gone": Why Jackie O stormed off set

Jackie O Henderson has marched out of KIIS FM in the middle of The Kyle and Jackie O show, after finding out that the station has the highest gender pay gap disparity across Australian radio. “Southern Cross Austereo has a disgraceful 5.9% pay gap. At Nova and Smooth FM it is even worse, six per cent." Kyle Sandilands told listeners on Tuesday. "But unfortunately, the number one spot is at KIIS FM, – at the top of the tree with a 12% pay gap disparity.” Sandilands, who famously fought for Henderson to secure equal pay on their radio program, then brought on one of the show’s producers Pete Deppeler and another female KIIS FM producer, who revealed she was only being paid half of what Deppeler was. “Are you freaking joking? Why is Peter getting that much money? I’m so angry about that, it makes my blood boil,” Henderson replied. She then left the studios with all her female colleagues. “We’ve all gone,” she said. "We are just here with the fellas. I don’t know whether I am enjoying this, bring the girls back!” Sandilands told listeners. On Tuesday, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency published the gender pay gap for more than 5,000 Australian companies. This was done after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ordered the information to be made public for the first time ever, so the data can be compared within and across industries. The new data revealed that the national gap for total remuneration sits at 19 per cent and the median Australian female worker is taking home $18,461 less than their male counterpart. Despite a few criticisms on Albanese's decision to publicise this data, Workplace Minister Tony Burke has said that releasing this data is effective. “People on this side know that releasing that sort of data is effective and you will only find in the other side of politics anyone arguing that it is useless,‘’ he said. “The days of secretly paying women less than men are now over.” Images: Kyle and Jacki O Show

Money & Banking

From this week, you’ll be able to look up individual companies’ gender pay gaps

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/natasha-bradshaw-1358801">Natasha Bradshaw</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> There will be nervous executives all over Australia this week. Come Tuesday, large private sector organisations will have their company’s gender pay gaps published for the first time for all to see, name, and shame. As they brace for the fallout, let’s look at how what we will be told is changing, and what it will mean for you. <h2>What is changing?</h2> Every year, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (<a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/">WGEA</a>) collects information from every employer with more than 100 employees. Until now it has published only a summary of the findings on its website, including Australia’s overall gender pay gap, and the gap by industry and employment arrangement. But for the first time legislation enacted last year also allows WGEA to publish the gender pay gaps of individual employers. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Tuesday’s release will include each large company’s median gender pay gap, and the share of women it employs in lower- and higher-paid jobs. Employers will have the chance to publish a <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/data-statistics/data-explorer">statement</a> alongside their results to provide context. That means from Tuesday you will be able to look on the <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/">WGEA website</a> and find the median gender pay gap of your large private sector organisation, or of an organisation you are thinking of joining, and how it stacks up against its competitors. <h2>Why the change?</h2> Australian women, like women elsewhere, have made astounding progress in the workforce in recent decades. Women are both working and earning more than ever before. But progress has stalled, and the gender pay gap remains stubbornly persistent. The Albanese government has shown its commitment to gender equity by increasing the <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-care-subsidy">childcare subsidy</a> and extending <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/parental-leave-pay">paid parental leave</a>. But beyond this, the options for governments are limited. Most of the barriers to women getting better-paid jobs can only be broken by employers. The public naming and shaming that will begin on Tuesday will push accountability onto employers, holding them responsible for the conditions in their workplaces. Workers and bosses are going to take notice: when employer gender pay gaps were released in the UK in 2018 it was the <a href="https://www.genderpay.co.uk/wp-downloads/moving-forward-may-2018/presentations/Gender_Pay_Gap_Moving_Forward_May_2018_Studio_2_5_Nick_Bishop.pdf">biggest business news story of the year</a>, with coverage rivalling the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. At a time when companies are fighting for top talent, it is going to make it more difficult for employers with large pay gaps to hire talented women. Research shows that on average women are willing to accept a <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3584259">5% lower salary</a> in order to avoid working for the employers with the biggest gender pay gaps. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vAr1Lhaw0Ao?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Workplace Gender Equality Agency.</figcaption></figure> <h2>Let’s not rush to judge</h2> While <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/about/our-legislation/publishing-employer-gender-pay-gaps">naming and shaming</a> will help make this policy effective, we should be careful about rushing to judgement. It is possible for an employer to be making serious efforts to improve while its gap remains large. And some actions aimed at improving things, such as implementing a gender quota on entry-level positions, can worsen a company’s apparent gender pay gap in the short term by temporarily increasing the number of lowly-paid women. Also, there will be firms that have a low gender pay gap because they pay both men and women poorly. On Tuesday, we should instead look closely at whether the organisation has outlined clear steps it will take to improve, and how it compares to its competitors. In future years, we will be able to see how things have changed. <h2>What will matter is what employers do next</h2> Since the UK reforms were introduced in 2018, the gender pay gap has narrowed by <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3584259">one-fifth</a>, with the biggest improvements coming from the worst offenders. UK companies have also become more likely to include wage information in their job ads, equalising the starting point of wage negotiations for all applicants. But for existing employees, the narrowing of the gap has been caused more by slower growth in men’s wages than faster growth in women’s wages, which isn’t good news for anyone looking for a pay rise. The full effects of the Australian reforms won’t be seen for some time. It is likely that making high-paid jobs more accessible to women will allow employers to tap into a new talent pool and encourage more highly credentialed women into the workforce, adding to productivity growth. What is clear now is that if we want to narrow the gender pay gap, we need to know what’s happening. The avalanche of data due on Tuesday will be a start.<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/224167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/natasha-bradshaw-1358801">Natasha Bradshaw</a>, Senior Associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-this-week-youll-be-able-to-look-up-individual-companies-gender-pay-gaps-224167">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Robert Irwin's exciting new role

Robert Irwin has reportedly landed a high-profile hosting role on Channel Ten. After Dr Chris Brown's departure from I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, rumours have swirled over who would replace the veteran host. Many believed comedian Joel Creasey would be stepping into the hosting role, but reports have emerged from <a href="https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2023/09/15/exclusive-the-new-co-host-of-im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here-is/?feed_id=146232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TV Blackbox</a> that the 19-year-old wildlife warrior will be heading to the South African jungle to host alongside Julia Morris. The rumours have yet to be confirmed by Channel Ten, who said in a statement, “Any announcements regarding our program schedule for 2024 will be made at our intimate Upfronts presentations.” Despite being a relatively inexperienced host, Irwin has previously stepped in for hosting duties to replace Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac on occasion, and has certainly spent a lot of time in front of the camera. Robert’s expertise with dangerous creatures is also likely to come in handy on the jungle set for I’m A Celeb. Earlier this year, Julia Morris began teasing details about the new I'm a Celeb host, saying Dr Chris's replacement would have the show going "a completely different way". “I’m going to have to leave everything of the past behind,” she told <a href="https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/julia-morris-spills-on-new-im-a-celebrity-co-host-completely-different-012241033.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo Lifestyle</a>, explaining that she was doing “chemistry” tests with six potential candidates. “Whoever comes in is going to want to build that together. So there’s plenty of space for that person, we’re just looking forward to finding out who that’s going to be.” Morris also outlined the pressure that was on her and the successful candidate after many successful years of the show. “Whoever that person is going to have a huge effect on whether I’m working over the next few years, so I want it to work,” she said. Image credits: Instagram

How Bert Newton inspired Patti's new role on the stage

Patti Newton has shared how her late husband Bert inspired her new role on the stage. The 78-year-old, who has had a long career in showbiz, has joined the cast of Mary Poppins as the bird lady, but held her reservations before accepting the role. Speaking candidly with Perth's 6PR radio station, Patti admitted she had a bittersweet feeling about returning to the stage without Bert. "I love a lot of musical theatre and Bert's done some fabulous shows, he and I did a couple together and musical theatre is something that gets in your blood," she told 6PR's Perth Live with Oliver Peterson. "When I was offered this role, it wasn't long after Bert passed and I was very lost and didn't quite know what I was going to do." "Then this came and I thought to myself, 'I think Bert sent this to me' because it's come straight from heaven, it's a beautiful role." <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/CvO8noRtRsp/?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/CvO8noRtRsp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Mary Poppins Musical Australia (@marypoppinsmusicalau)</a> </div> </blockquote> In August, Patti was awarded with a Walk of Fame star at Adelaide Festival Centre, 22 years after Bert was presented with the same honour. Patti told Oliver Peterson that the accolade meant they would "always be together", as she reflected on the highlights of her career. "I was absolutely thrilled, it was probably for me going to Vietnam many years ago in the '60s entertaining the troops - and probably the fact that I'm Mrs Bert Newton," she said. "Now I think it doesn't matter what happens, now we'll always be together on that Walk of Fame and we've both got a star there." "I was really thrilled about that, I thought that was very, very moving for me." Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Horrifying moment plane crashes in gender reveal stunt

A gender reveal party in Mexico has ended in tragedy after the stunt plane crashed killing the pilot. The video, filmed by a party guest, showed an expecting couple smiling as they waited for the plane to ascend and perform the reveal. The pair stood in front of a sign that read: "Oh baby!" as the small plane approached them releasing pink smoke, signalling to the couple that they are having a girl. Tragedy struck when the pilot pulled the Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee aircraft upwards and the left wing suddenly gave way, sending aircraft into a tailspin, ultimately leading to the fatal crash. The Sun reported that the attendees seemed oblivious to the crash as they continued to celebrate the gender reveal. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Pilot killed after his Piper PA-25 left wing failed at a gender reveal party in the town of San Pedro, Mexico. <a href="https://t.co/6JILK7fsGm">pic.twitter.com/6JILK7fsGm</a> — Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/aviationbrk/status/1698255432630796349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2023</a></blockquote> Later on, graphic photos of the horrendous aftermath emerged showing the 32-year-old pilot, Luis Angel N., lying in the wreckage of the plane before he was rushed to hospital where he unfortunately passed away, according to local media reports. A few other photos of the wreckage has also been posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a few people rushing to get the pilot out. Footage of the gender reveal party has since gone viral, with viewers sharing their condolences to the pilot, while others slammed the "extreme gender reveals". "The way the camera panned back to the couple with not the slightest care in the world for the pilot is sad," one commented. “Why do they have to do such extreme gender reveals lately? Why can’t they just settle for something simple?” added another. “It looks like he over stressed the aircraft. I wonder if he was above safe manoeuvring speed? I hate to see it," wrote a third. A fourth person commented: “Whats the point of this at the first place? I see so many accidents and incidents doing gender reveals.” Images: Twitter

Family & Pets

How biological differences between men and women alter immune responses – and affect women’s health

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helen-mcgettrick-1451122">Helen McGettrick</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-birmingham-1138">University of Birmingham</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/asif-iqbal-1451123">Asif Iqbal</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-birmingham-1138">University of Birmingham</a> Most people will have heard the term “man flu”, which refers to men’s perceived tendency to exaggerate the severity of a cold or a similar minor ailment. What most people may not know is that, generally speaking, women mount stronger <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36121220/">immune responses</a> to infections than men. Men are <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1005374">more susceptible</a> to infections from, for example, HIV, hepatitis B, and Plasmodium falciparum (the parasite responsible for malaria). They can also have more severe symptoms, with evidence showing they’re more likely to be <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1005374">admitted to hospital</a> when infected with hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and Campylobacter jejuni (a bacteria that causes gastroenteritis), among others. While this may be positive for women in some respects, it also means women are at <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri2815">greater risk</a> of developing chronic diseases driven by the immune system, known as immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Here we will explore how biological factors influence immune differences between the sexes and how this affects women’s health. While we acknowledge that both sex and gender may affect immune responses, this article will focus on biological sex rather than gender. <h2>Battle of the sexes</h2> There are differences <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90">between the sexes</a> at every stage of the immune response, from the number of immune cells, to their degree of activation (how ready they are to respond to a challenge), and beyond. However, the story is more complicated than that. Our immune system evolves throughout our lives, learning from past experiences, but also responding to the physiological challenges of getting older. As a result, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90">sex differences</a> in the immune system can be seen from birth through puberty into adulthood and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jleukbio/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jleuko/qiad053/7190870">old age</a>. Why do these differences occur? The first part of answering this question involves the X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20651746/">X chromosome</a> contains the largest number of immune-related genes. The X chromosome also has <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00018-020-03526-7">around 118 genes</a> from a gene family that are able to stop the expression of other genes, or change how proteins are made, including those required for immunity. These gene-protein regulators are known as microRNA, and there are only <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24808907/">two microRNA genes</a> on the Y chromosome. The X chromosome has <a href="https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/X-Chromosome-facts">more genes overall</a> (around 900) than the Y chromosome (around 55), so female cells have evolved to switch off one of their X chromosomes. This is not like turning off a light switch, but more like using a dimmer. Around <a href="https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-019-5507-6">15-25% of genes</a> on the silenced X chromosome are expressed at any given moment in any given cell. This means female cells can often express more immune-related genes and gene-protein regulators than males. This generally means a faster clearance of pathogens in females than males. Second, men and women have <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.604000/full">varying levels</a> of different sex hormones. Progesterone and testosterone are broadly considered to limit immune responses. While both hormones are produced by males and females, progesterone is found at higher concentrations in non-menopausal women than men, and testosterone is much higher in men than women. The role of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6533072/">oestrogen</a>, one of the main female sex hormones, is more complicated. Although generally oestrogen <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000887491500026X?via%3Dihub">enhances immune responses</a>, its levels vary during the menstrual cycle, are high in pregnancy and low after menopause. Due in part to these genetic and hormonal factors, pregnancy and the years following are associated with heightened immune responses to external challenges such as infection. This has been regarded as an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90">evolutionary feature</a>, protecting women and their unborn children during pregnancy and enhancing the mother’s survival throughout the child-rearing years, ultimately ensuring the survival of the population. We also see this pattern in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628977/">other species</a> including insects, lizards, birds and mammals. <h2>What does this all mean?</h2> With women’s heightened immune responses to infections comes an increased risk of certain diseases and prolonged immune responses after infections. An <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328995/">estimated 75-80%</a> of all immune-mediated inflammatory diseases <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32542149/">occur in females</a>. Diseases more common in women include multiple sclerosis, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri2815">rheumatoid arthritis</a>, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90">thyroid disorders</a> such as Graves disease. In these diseases, the immune system is continuously fighting against what it sees as a foreign agent. However, often this perceived threat is not a foreign agent, but cells or tissues from the host. This leads to tissue damage, pain and immobility. Women are also prone to chronic inflammation following infection. For example, after infections with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5818468/">Epstein Barr virus</a> or <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jwh.2008.1193">Lyme disease</a>, they may go on to develop <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/">chronic fatigue syndrome</a>, another condition that affects more women than men. This is one possible explanation for the heightened risk among <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2023.1122673/full">pre-menopausal women</a> of developing long COVID following infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. Research has also revealed the presence of auto-antibodies (antibodies that attack the host) in patients with long COVID, suggesting it might be an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568997221000550">autoimmune disease</a>. As women are more susceptible to autoimmune conditions, this could potentially explain the sex bias seen. However, the exact causes of long COVID, and the reason women may be at greater risk, are yet to be defined. This paints a bleak picture, but it’s not all bad news. Women typically mount <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24966191/">better vaccine responses</a> to several common infections (for example, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A and B), producing higher antibody levels than men. One study showed that women vaccinated with half a dose of flu vaccine produced the same amount of antibodies compared to men vaccinated with <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/773453">a full dose</a>. However, these responses <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nri.2016.90">decline as women age</a>, and particularly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3954964/">after menopause</a>. All of this shows it’s vital to consider sex when designing studies examining the immune system and treating patients with immune-related diseases.<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/208802/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helen-mcgettrick-1451122">Helen McGettrick</a>, Reader in Inflammation and Vascular Biology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-birmingham-1138">University of Birmingham</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/asif-iqbal-1451123">Asif Iqbal</a>, Associate Professor in Inflammation Biology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-birmingham-1138">University of Birmingham</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-biological-differences-between-men-and-women-alter-immune-responses-and-affect-womens-health-208802">original article</a>.

Body

Eddie McGuire's new hosting role revealed

Eddie McGuire's new hosting role has been revealed, after it was announced that Millionaire Hot Seat will go on hiatus at the end of the year. After 15 seasons on the air, the popular quiz show was axed earlier in August, with the last episode set to air in December. Now, Eddie McGuire has his sights set on a new hosting role with the comeback of The Footy Show. To celebrate the show's 30th anniversary, a special episode is set to air ahead of the AFL grand final in September. According to reports from the Herald Sun, the special episode will feature some of the show's signature highlights and performances. Other veteran hosts such as Sam Newman have also been approached to take part in the episode. The first Footy Show Grand Final Spectacular aired in 1993, before the midweek Footy Show was launched in 1994. Fans were left shocked when it was announced that Millionaire Hot Seat had been axed earlier this month, with Eddie announcing the news and sharing the impact the show has had. "It's with great pride and joy and also sadness that I announce this morning Millionaire Hot Seat will go into hiatus at the end of January next year," Eddie said on 3AW this month. "There will be a replacement show at 5pm on the Nine Network after we will hit our 25th anniversary as we go into 2024." "I love the fact so many people would come and say, I sat there with my grandparents and we did these things together [watched the show]." "There were four millionaires in total, two from each show, while many people won $250,000 and $500,000," Eddie added. Eddie said he loved being the host of the show because he got to meet people from all walks of life across Australia. "What I love about it is I've seen multicultural Australia, people who have come out in their sexuality, coming on the show and feeling really free to do so. I've seen a snapshot of Australia," he said. "Every person's got a story, they've got battles in their life, they don't want big a handout, they just want a bit of sunshine come their way." Image credits: Nine

"I was heartbroken": Why Sam Kerr had to hide her gender

Sam Kerr is known as one of the greatest strikers in women's football. And now, with the Matlidas on the way to the World Cup semifinals, we are learning more and more about the challenges Kerr faced as a junior Aussie Rules player in South Fremantle, WA Kerr, who grew up in East Fremantle, south of Perth, did not have an easy start to what would be an exceptional football career, as she initially started playing for the boys' team when she was around five or six. Kerr, was the only girl who played junior Australian rules football for South Fremantle, but that didn't deter her from fulfilling her dreams. “I knew I’d be the only girl on the team but that didn’t worry me at all,” she wrote in her new book My Journey to the World Cup. Kerr said that her teammates assumed she was a boy because she had “short hair and blonde tips”, but didn't do anything to correct them as she was comfortable with it. So she decided to keep her gender a secret. "I didn’t want them to treat me any differently just because I was a girl," she said. “I remember one of the boys crying when he found out. “But as good as I was out on the field, and as much as I loved playing the game, the physical differences between the guys and me eventually became too pronounced and the play was too rough," she added. “One day, I came home from a game with yet another black eye and bloody lip, and that’s when my dad and brother both said, ‘Nup, this isn’t happening anymore’. “I was getting battered around so much out on the field that it was getting to be a big problem. Dad and my coach both sat me down then and said it was getting far too dangerous for me to continue to play," she said. Kerr revealed that she was devastated that she wasn't allowed to play football anymore because there were no girls' teams in her area for her to join. “They said they were sorry, but that I wasn’t allowed to play football any more. I understood the reasons why, but I was heartbroken. "Back then, there were no girls’ teams in my area for me to join, and to know that I’d never play a sport that I loved so much ever again was devastating.” By the age of 12, she switched to association football, but a year later she was spotted by Perth Glory striker Bobby Despotovski who has fascinated by her raw talent and athleticism. By the age of 15 she made her professional soccer debut and earned her maiden Matildas cap and the rest is history. Images: Ryan Pierse Getty Images/ Nine

Family & Pets

Sickness or health: Healthy life split along gender, education lines

Australians are living and working longer than ever, but the number of healthy years they’re enjoying with this added longevity isn’t shared equally between the sexes, or by those who finished school before Year 12. <div class="copy"> A paper recently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00129-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00129-9">published</a> in The Lancet Public Health from the Ageing Futures Institute at the University of New South Wales shows an increase in longevity in Australia. Other data in the publication reveal detail about “healthy years”. Men, and those with higher levels of education, worked about 2 years longer in good health. For women and those with lower education, the years of healthy life expectancy have gone backwards. The report, led by statistician Dr Kim Kiely who is now based at The University of Wollongong, compared representative cohorts of people aged 50-100 who participated in the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (HILDA). Those cohorts were measured over decade long periods – the first from 2001-2010 and the second from 2011-2020. Men added an extra 11 months of healthy life between the cohorts, while women lost a month. Similarly those of any gender who had completed year 12 added about 10 months to their healthy life expectancy, while the same amount of time was lost by those who hadn’t. “Everyone’s increasing their working life expectancy, so the years they’re expected to be working,” Kiely says. “What is different is how long they’re expected to be living in good health: women and people with low education didn’t have an improvement in healthy life expectancy. “Everyone’s also living longer than ever before, but for women, those extra years seem to be years of poor health. People with lower education – they end up going backwards, they’re losing years of healthy life.” Australia’s working life trends are similar to those in Europe and the UK, though this research suggests the Australian labour force works longer in poor health than their antipodean counterparts. Kiely says the findings are important considerations for policymakers pondering questions of retirement and pension ages: the demands of some labour may not be evenly spread when it comes to considering health implications. “We have a pension age that has been rising steadily over the past couple of decades – it’s not rising anymore – but there is a strong expectation for people to be working longer,” Kiely says. “And if that is the case, then we need opportunities for work for mature age, older adults, and those work opportunities have to be suitable for their capacity to work. “We do need to address things like age and gender discrimination in the workforce. And we need to think about how we support people who are unable to work before they reach the pension age.” Kiely is extending his research into how the nature of work in Australia influences these high-level findings. He hopes this can explain why gender and education influence healthy working years. Further drilling down into other subgroups is important, say Dr Marty Lynch and Dr Ross Wilkie from Keele University, UK. They investigated healthy working life expectancy as part of Britain’s Independent State Pension Age Review last year. They too found Briton were working longer, but not at a rate that keeps pace with the national pension age. In a Lancet editorial accompanying the Australian research, they point out that the HILDA data evaluation only shows changes in average ages on gender and education lines. “The extent of HWLE [Healthy Working Life Expectancy] inequalities between subpopulations with multiple specific characteristics are likely to be even wider and will also indicate targets and interventions to increase the number of years that people can be healthy and in work,” they say. The impact of socioeconomic status on life expectancy and disease burden was recently highlighted in a large-scale review of Australia’s 30-year health data. <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/australias-life-expectancy-is-up-but-healthy-years-are-a-different-story/">It found</a> while Australians have added 6 years to their life expectancy since 1990, those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds had a higher risk of death-causing disease. Image credits: Getty Images <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/sickness-or-health-healthy-life-split-along-gender-education-lines/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="null">Cosmos</a>. </div>

Retirement Life

Hugh Sheridan quietly changes pronouns

Hugh Sheridan has quietly changed his pronouns back to he/him after identifying as non-binary for the last two years. The Aussie actor had been going by they/them pronouns, after coming out as a “nonbinary bisexual human” in 2021. Nonbinary people don't categorise their gender identity as either male or female and often go by the inclusive pronouns of they/them. On Tuesday evening, the 38-year-old quietly changed his pronouns to he/him on his Instagram profile. Hugh has previously made the announcement that he was non-binary on Instagram in a post to promote landing the cover of gay men's magazine <a href="https://www.dnamagazine.com.au/hugh-sheridan-our-leading-man-dna-magazine-exclusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNA</a>. “I AM still a human (non binary/bi/me/Hughman) but I'm in a monogamous relationship with another human, who I love,” Hugh wrote. He continued, “I don't accept a label cause it limits me… if you want it, take it.” “I chose zero labels for no other reason except the exclusion, limitations, separation, I believe are all one, deeeeep down.” “And who knows? Why choose? Be you. Be true. Be free to BE, to JUST BE… you, a human, same as me.” In the interview with DNA, Hugh said that he was now comfortable with being called “gay”, despite not subscribing to labels. “Now I'm marrying a guy you can call me gay,” Hugh explained to the magazine. At the time, the Packed to the Rafters star was set to marry influencer Kurt Roberts, but the pair <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/hugh-sheridan-splits-from-fiance-after-eight-month-engagement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">split</a> just eight months after announcing their engagement. “Whatever! The point is, we're all human and, in my case, labelling put me into a box that felt like a cell,” he added. Image credits: Getty Images

How 1920s high society fashion pushed gender boundaries through ‘freaking’ parties

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dominic-janes-347508">Dominic Janes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/keele-university-1012">Keele University</a> The 1920s brought about a rise in androgynous fashion among a high society set that broke boundaries and caused controversy. This drew on a subculture that had existed for decades, perhaps centuries, but after the first world war gender-bending fashions became front page news. It was a time of upheaval. Established regimes were toppling across Europe. In Britain, women over 30 had finally been given the vote and there was widespread concern about the new hedonism of their younger “flapper” sisters. There was also a new market for novels, such as Radcylffe Hall’s <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/stories/articles/2019/4/1/radclyffe-hall-well-of-loneliness-legacy#:%7E:text=On%20November%2016%2C%201928%2C%20Biron,its%20immediate%20removal%20from%20circulation.">banned book</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221121-the-well-of-loneliness-the-most-corrosive-book-ever">The Well of Loneliness</a> (1928) that focused on, rather than merely hinted at, queer lives. Daring male university students <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/tcbh/hwab036">started wearing makeup</a>. One of these was <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/cecil-beaton-an-introduction">Cecil Beaton</a>, the future celebrity photographer, who <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/ht24wj66t">delighted in cross-dressing</a> both on stage and off. Beaton became part of a set of high society socialites who were known as the “<a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/cecil-beaton-bright-young-things/exhibition">bright young things</a>”. They were often socially privileged, many of them were queer and their antics were <a href="https://djtaylorwriter.co.uk/page10.htm">widely followed in the media</a> with a mixture of horror and fascination. The “things” took partying seriously and paid great attention to their outfits. They dressed to transgress. In 1920, high society magazine <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/freak-to-chic-9781350172609/">The Sketch reported</a> that what it termed “freak parties” were suddenly in vogue with the younger set. Before the war, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/freak-to-chic-9781350172609/">articles had appeared</a> condemning unusual styles as “freak fashions”, but suddenly “<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/freak-to-chic-9781350248083/">freaking</a>” was all the rage. Until this point, menswear had been heavily circumscribed. Black was the default colour for formal occasions and tweed for informal settings. But suddenly there was a circle who were keen to try out new looks, no matter how bizarre – or queer-looking – the results. <h2>Queer parties, queer fashions</h2> These styles were often worn as fancy dress, but they borrowed looks from marginalised queer communities such as feminine-styled queer men, some of whom made a living by selling sexual services. One such man was Quentin Crisp, whose memoir <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/324730/the-naked-civil-servant-by-quentin-crisp/">The Naked Civil Servant</a> (1968) was dramatised as a <a href="http://www.crisperanto.org/news/NCSusa2007.html">pioneering TV drama</a>. Another source of inspiration was the <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3682948.html">freak show</a>. These displays, horrifying from a 21st century point of view, were a popular element of circuses at the time. They featured such stock characters as the muscled giant and the bearded lady, some of whom <a href="https://www.thehumanmarvels.com/annie-jones-the-esau-woman/">became celebrities</a> in their own right. Masquerade and fancy dress parties had long been a feature of urban social life, but the bright young things innovated in that they impressed less through the expense of their outfits and more through their queer implications. Many such parties were themed, such as a Greek-themed freak party that was hailed as the greatest “Dionysia” of 1929 (Dionysus being the Greek god of sex and pleasure). Androgynous and cross dressing looks were common and men such as Beaton designed their own frocks. In July 1927, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Her-Husband-was-a-Woman-Womens-Gender-Crossing-in-Modern-British-Popular/Oram/p/book/9780415400077">one magazine declared</a> that an event attended by Beaton’s friend Stephen Tennant dressed as the Queen of Sheba and bisexual actress Tallulah Bankhead dressed as a male tennis star was: “one of the queerest of all the ‘freak’ parties ever given in London”. <h2>The party’s over</h2> The Wall Street crash of 1929 led to a rapid shift in public mood. Economic recession led people to favour sobriety over flamboyance. Money for the parties ran out and media attention faltered. Gender-bending style vanished from the fashionable arena, although it persisted on inner cities streets. Quentin Crisp’s mode of <a href="https://bodleianshop.co.uk/products/british-dandies">queer dandyism</a> was daring for its time, but it only became extraordinary by virtue of his unwillingness to modernise. Seemingly he, and pretty much he alone, continued to wear the queer looks of the interwar period into the television age. He duly <a href="http://www.crisperanto.org/news/AnEnglishmanInNYmovie.html">became a transatlantic celebrity</a> late in life when he became the inspiration for Sting’s song <a href="https://www.sting.com/discography/album/189/Singles">Englishman in New York</a> in 1987. Cecil Beaton, meanwhile, became a leading photographer for Vogue magazine and was commissioned to take official <a href="https://www.rct.uk/cecil-beaton-1904-80">coronation portraits of Elizabeth II</a>. He also designed the fantastic dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film <a href="https://www.tatler.com/article/in-cecil-beatons-show-stopping-designs-for-my-fair-lady-lies-a-story-of-tantrums-and-top-hats">My Fair Lady</a> (1964), inspired by the gowns he and his compatriots had dreamed up for themselves some 40 years earlier.<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/205893/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dominic-janes-347508">Dominic Janes</a>, Professor of Modern History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/keele-university-1012">Keele University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-1920s-high-society-fashion-pushed-gender-boundaries-through-freaking-parties-205893">original article</a>.

Beauty & Style

Harrison Ford is back as an 80-year-old Indiana Jones – and a 40-something Indy. The highs (and lows) of returning to iconic roles

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-mccann-398197">Ben McCann</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a> Saddle up, don the fedora and crack that whip: Harrison Ford is back as the intrepid archaeologist in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The film premiered at Cannes, where Ford was <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/harrison-ford-honorary-palme-dor-cannes-1235495463/">awarded</a> an Honorary Palme d’Or in recognition of his life’s work. Reviews for the fifth film in the franchise <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/indiana-jones-5-review-roundup-1235495961/">have been mixed</a>, and it is the first Indy film not to be directed by Steven Spielberg (this time, it’s James Mangold, best known for his motor-racing drama Ford v Ferrari). But this is “event” cinema that combines nostalgia, old-school special effects and John Williams’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-jaws-to-star-wars-to-harry-potter-john-williams-90-today-is-our-greatest-living-composer-176245">iconic score</a>. So, Ford is back, aged 80. What draws actors back after all this time? <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eQfMbSe7F2g?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Role returns</h2> Ford first played Indy in 1981 and last played him in 2008. That is a full 15 years since the most recent film in the series, and 42 years since his first outing in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ford has form in returning to celebrated characters. One of the great pleasures of watching The Force Awakens back in 2015 was seeing Ford play Han Solo again for the <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3j2j09">first time in over 30 years</a>. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xQSIdSRlAk?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Actors return to roles for numerous reasons: <ul> <li>financial (Ford was reportedly paid <a href="https://okmagazine.com/exclusives/harrison-ford-paid-indiana-jones-5-plagued-with-problems/">US$25 million</a> for Dial of Destiny)</li> <li>protection of their brand, image and star persona (Michael Keaton <a href="https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za/the-flash-movies-biggest-hero-how-michael-keaton-saved-the-film/">returning to play Batman</a> after three decades and three other actors who have embodied the role)</li> <li>professional (Tom Cruise admitted over the 36 years between Top Gun films he wanted to make sure the sequel <a href="https://screenrant.com/top-gun-maverick-tom-cruise-return-how-explained/">could live up to the original</a>)</li> <li>personal (once-huge stars are working less and less, and only feel the need to return to a built-in fan base every few years – Bill Murray in the 2021 Ghostbusters sequel springs to mind).</li> </ul> It’s not always a successful endeavour. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone – two of the biggest action stars of the 1980s off the back of iconic roles as The Terminator, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo – have repeatedly returned to those roles, and critics have been <a href="https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-undermined-john-connor-storyline-franchise-bad/">particularly harsh</a>. It did not work for Sigourney Weaver in <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/alien-resurrection-1997">Alien: Resurrection</a> in 1997, 18 years after her first time as Ripley; nor for Keanu Reeves in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/21/the-matrix-resurrections-review-keanu-reeves">The Matrix Resurrections</a> in 2021, 23 years after the original. And still, I’m intrigued to see what Michael Mann could do with his long-rumoured sequel to Heat, his definitive 1995 crime film. Ever since Mann published his novel Heat 2 last year – a kind of origin story for Heat’s key protagonists – fans have been hoping a de-aged Al Pacino (now aged 83) <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/04/michael-mann-heat-2-warner-bros-adam-driver-young-neil-mccauley-1235316777/">might return</a> as LA cop Vincent Hanna. <h2>Undoing time</h2> “Digital de-ageing” first entered the Hollywood mainstream in 2019 with The Irishman and Captain Marvel. <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/de-aging-actors-history-benjamin-button-dial-of-destiny-harrison-ford-1234863938/">Via this process</a>, older actors (Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Samuel L. Jackson have all been subject to the technology) move back and forwards in time without younger actors having to play them. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OF-lElIlZM0?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Films still tend to cast two actors to play older and younger versions of the same character, a choice that dates back at least to 1974’s The Godfather Part II, in which a young Robert de Niro plays Vito Corleone, portrayed by the much older Marlon Brando in the first film. In 1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade features a delightful opening scene where River Phoenix plays the young version of Indiana Jones, before Ford takes over for the rest of the film. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AwH6-Yh7_SM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Actors used to just play characters of their own age when reprising earlier roles. Paul Newman finally won a Best Actor Oscar for his role as “Fast Eddie” Felson in The Color of Money (1986), a quarter of a century after first playing him in The Hustler. The sequel plays on Newman’s age, and his role as a mentor to an upcoming Tom Cruise, and bathes viewers in nostalgia and memories of <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/paul-newman-schooled-tom-cruise-the-color-of-money/">a younger Newman</a>. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k7gmrKAFshE?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> But actors no longer have to exclusively play their age. The first part of Dial of Destiny is an extended flashback, set in 1944, in which Ford has been digitally de-aged to appear in his 40s. This process used an AI system that scanned used and unused reels of footage of Ford from <a href="https://www.cbr.com/harrison-ford-de-aging-indiana-jones-dial-of-destiny/">the first three Indy films</a> to match his present-day performance. Here, it is as if we are getting two Fords for the price of one: the “younger”, fitter Indy and the older, more world-weary version. It makes for a powerfully emotional connection on screen. Yet there are some <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/indiana-jones-5-harrison-ford-de-aging-not-working-1235618698/">pitfalls to de-ageing</a>. Some viewers complain that the whole process is distracting and that the hyper-real visual look of de-aged scenes resembles a video game. Even so, de-ageing in Hollywood cinema is here to stay. Tom Hanks’s <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/tom-hanks-robin-wright-digitally-deaged-robert-zemeckis-movie-1235507766/">next film</a> is using AI-based generative technology to digitally de-age him. Given its reduced cost, speed and reduced human input, AI-driven innovation might have <a href="https://filmstories.co.uk/news/new-ai-driven-de-ageing-tools-to-be-used-in-tom-hanks-project/">industry-changing ramifications</a>. <h2>The star of Ford</h2> Harrison Ford remains a bona fide “movie star” in an industry profoundly buffeted by COVID, the rise of streaming platforms, the demise of the monoculture, and the changing nature of who constitutes a star. In the midst of all this industry uncertainty, it seems there is no longer a statute of limitations on actors returning to much-loved characters. The next big ethical issue for the film industry as it further embraces AI is whether to <a href="https://collider.com/james-dean-digital-cgi-performance-in-new-movie/">resurrect deceased actors</a> and cast them in new movies. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing more actors de-aged as the technology improves and audiences acclimatise to watching older actors “playing” younger versions of themselves. We are only at the start of Hollywood’s next big adventure.<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/202357/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-mccann-398197">Ben McCann</a>, Associate Professor of French Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/harrison-ford-is-back-as-an-80-year-old-indiana-jones-and-a-40-something-indy-the-highs-and-lows-of-returning-to-iconic-roles-202357">original article</a>.

Movies

“I was wrong”: Dominic Perrottet admits Catholic faith played a role in gambling reform 

Dominic Perrottet has changed his tune. After reflecting on his decision to implement a new gambling policy, he admits his Catholic faith played a role. Last week ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis made a comment claiming the premier’s “conservative Catholic gut” was linked to his decision to implement cashless poker machines across all venues in NSW. As a result, the ClubsNSW board decided to fire Landis. Perrottet responded to the comment and claimed his views were “not informed by the fact that I’m Catholic.” Since then, Perrottet has changed his mind. He admitted that the decision was influenced by his Catholic faith. “Certainly my upbringing and my faith has had an impact,” the premier said. “I don’t think that is something I should be ashamed of.” When asked why this policy is such a priority for him, he reflected on his time as NSW treasurer, “We were receiving revenue and profit from people’s misery.” Perrottet has been the state’s premier since October 2021, dealing with the state opening up after COVID and the Omnicron wave. “I haven't got everything right in the time I've been in politics, but you learn from it,” he said. “Politics is not easy. It's difficult and there will always be the external events and mistakes get made.” If Perrottet is re-elected this year, the gambling law overhaul will begin early next year with the roll-out of cashless poker machines. Image credit: Getty

Legal

6 movie stars who turned down Oscar-winning roles

The Academy Awards is unarguably the most prestigious and sought after award in the movie industry. Actors must carefully select the scripts that will advance their careers and highlight their acting skills. Although the movie stars below have had successful careers in Hollywood, here are the times the roles they walked away from ended up receiving the prestigious golden statuette. 1. Julia Roberts Julia Roberts was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love which took Best Picture in the Academy Awards in 1998. People reported that Julia was one contract away from starring in the film when she found out that Daniel Day-Lewis turned down the role. Julia wanted Daniel to play the role of Bard of Avon so when he turned down the role, she decided to pull out. Gwyneth Paltrow was then given the role and ended up winning an Oscar for Best Actress for the film. 2. Harrison Ford Harrison Ford has made a great name for himself in Hollywood. He won an Oscar for his role in The Fugitive and has played two of the greatest action heroes of all time, Hans Solo and Indiana Jones. Harrison could have had one more Oscar on his shelf had he not turned down the offer to act in Syriana. Harrison was offered the role of CIA Agent Robert Barnes but declined the role as he “didn’t feel strongly enough about the truth of the material.” George Clooney ended up with the role and won Best Supporting Actor in 2006. After watching the film, Harrison changed his mind on the film as the issues he had with the material were rectified. 3. Gregory Peck Gregory Peck had been nominated for an Oscar four times before he took home Best Actor in 1963 for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory might have taken home an Oscar sooner had he not passed on the offer to star in High Noon. Gregory passed on the role as he had just starred in a western The Gunfighter and wanted to avoid typecasting. The role was then offered to Gary Cooper who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance. Gregory later said, "I don't think I would have been as good as Gary Cooper but I still think it would have been a good film with me in it." 4. Gwyneth Paltrow In 2016, The Danish Girl received three nominations and one win at the Academy Awards. The film, however, had been stuck in the development stages for years as actors and directors continually abandoned the project. The role of Gerda Wegner, Lili’s wife, moved from Charlize Theron to Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth was ready to star in the film when a last-minute shooting location changed the actress’ mind. As she didn’t want to spend too much time away from her kids, Gwyneth decided to walk away from the role. Tom Hooper, Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander came on board with the project years later. Alicia played Gerda and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. 5. Anne Hathaway In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence won her first Oscar for Best Actress for playing Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook. Even though Jennifer was outstanding in the film, she wasn’t the first pick for the role. Film executive Harvey Weinstein admitted that Anne Hathaway was slated for the lead female role and Bradley Cooper’s role was meant for Mark Wahlberg. Both actors were ready to star in the film until Anne had some “creative differences” with director David O. Russell. The differences couldn’t be resolved so Anne left the project and Mark Wahlberg followed her. Anne Hathaway did end up winning an Oscar that year for Best Supporting Actress in Les Miserables. 6. Paul Bettany The portrayal of George Vi in The King’s Speech was not originally intended for Colin Firth. Screenwriter David Seidler believed Paul Bettany was perfect for the role and Paul was offered the part but declined as he didn’t want to be separated from his family for a long period of time. Paul had been working for five months so decided to go home to his family instead of working on a new film in Buckingham Palace. Reflecting on his decision to walk away from the role Paul said, “I regret not working with such amazing, amazing actors and directors and writers. But no, I have to do the right by my family every time.” Colin Firth was chosen for the role and in 2011, he won Best Actor in this film. Images: Getty

Movies

"I fell for it!": Boys in blue crash gender reveal party

One Sydney couple have taken their friends and family by surprise with their high-stakes gender reveal, where the father-to-be was apparently put under arrest by two police officers. Mina Ibrahim revealed their elaborate prank with a video posted to his TikTok account. Mina’s video begins with footage of the moment of his ‘arrest’, before it cuts to the TikToker at a later date, explaining that “that’s me being arrested at my baby’s gender reveal.” He goes on to share the full video, and a promise that the ending will answer any questions his viewers may have. In the clip, the parents-to-be can be seen talking to two uniformed NSW ‘police officers’, guests all around them, with Mina asking for onlookers to get their phones out. He then pushes one of the officers, telling them to leave, and both grab him before attempting to handcuff him, while his pregnant partner attempts to intervene. As family members rush to assist, one of the officers calls for everyone to calm down, then delivers news that takes them all by surprise - and delight - by telling them, “it’s a baby girl.” “So it was the cops who announced to everyone that I was having a baby girl,” present-day Mina informed his audience, before noting that there was a fake balloon inside to throw their guests off the surprise scent. <div class="mol-embed" style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; text-align: center; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff;"> <blockquote id="v34606683345148116" class="tiktok-embed" style="margin: 18px auto; padding: 0px; min-height: 1px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; position: relative; width: 605px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.15; overflow: hidden; text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: proxima-regular, PingFangSC, sans-serif; max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@mina.ibs/video/7232964823296773383" data-video-id="7232964823296773383" data-embed-from="oembed"><iframe style="letter-spacing: -0.01em; border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 605px; height: 735px; display: block; visibility: unset; max-height: 735px;" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7232964823296773383?lang=en-GB&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-12082153%2FGender-reveal-party-prank-sees-cops-arrest-father-be.html&embedFrom=oembed" name="__tt_embed__v34606683345148116" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin"></iframe></blockquote> </div> The prank attracted thousands of views online, with many flocking to his comments section to share their congratulations with the parents-to-be. Others, while thrilled for them and their happy news, were open about their concern, having fallen for the trick right along with the couple’s loved ones. “I fell for it and I was worried for your wife!!!,” one confessed. “I was freaking out hahahah you got me”. “I was worried too haha … you scared me,” another said. “Omygosh! I was ready to sue them coppas with you!” came one response, “but congratsss! What a way to reveal!” One other simply wanted to know if the entire situation was even allowed, believing that impersonating the police may not be. And another had simply been suspicious from the very start, noting “Broooo the whole time I was like … something ain’t right! He’s not carrying his gun”. Images: TikTok

Family & Pets

Erin Doherty’s new role sure to be approved by Princess Anne

Erin Doherty might just get the tick of approval from Princess Anne as she holds the reins in the forthcoming series A Thousand Blows. Doherty, 30, who played the role of horse-mad Princess Anne in The Crown, will star in the new drama which tells the story of the Forty Elephants, an all-woman crime syndicate specialising in shoplifting from department stores. Much like her role as Princess Anne, images from the upcoming series have seen the actress in a Victorian outfit driving a horse-drawn carriage on set in London. The period drama will also star actor Stephen Graham and it’s created by Stephen Knight who was responsible for the hit gangster drama Peaky Blinders. The presence of horses is sure to please King Charle’s sister as she is a known horse-lover. Prince Phillip once joked, “If it doesn’t fart or eat hay, she isn’t interested.” The series will also be heavy on boxing but will explore the social climate of London during the post-industrial revolution era. It is still under production and is set to be released on Disney+ with 12 episodes. Image credit: Instagram

Ever feel like your life is a performance? Everyone does – and this 1959 book explains roles, scripts and hiding backstage

Shakespeare’s adage — “All the world’s a stage” — suggests human beings are conditioned to perform, and to possess an acute social awareness of how they appear in front of others. It resonates in the age of social media, where we’re all performing ourselves on our screens and watching each other’s performances play out. Increasingly, those screen performances are how we meet people, and how we form relationships: from online dating, to remote work, to staying in touch with family. While the idea of performance as central to social life has been around for centuries, <a href="https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0228.xml">Erving Goffman</a> was the first to attempt a comprehensive account of society and everyday life using theatre as an analogy. His influential 1959 book <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-presentation-of-self-in-everyday-life-9780241547991">The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life</a> is something of a “bible” for scholars interested in questions of how we operate in everyday life. It became a surprise US bestseller on publication, crossing over to a general readership. Goffman wrote about how we perform different versions of ourselves in different social environments, while keeping our “backstage” essential selves private. He called his idea <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003160861-3/dramaturgy-charles-edgley?context=ubx&refId=6e9b71d0-973c-4ebe-b90b-41a372d12623">dramaturgy</a>. Playwright Alan Bennett <a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n19/alan-bennett/cold-sweat">wrote admiringly</a> of him, “Individuals knew they behaved in this way, but Goffman knew everybody behaved like this and so did I.” <h2>Goffman as influencer (and suspected spy)</h2> In a <a href="https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/about-isa/history-of-isa/books-of-the-xx-century">poll of professional sociologists</a>, Goffman’s book ranked in the top ten publications of the 20th century. It influenced playwrights such as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/019027250907200402">Tom Stoppard</a> and, of course, Bennett, who <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Alan-Bennett-A-Critical-Introduction/OMealy/p/book/9780815335405">was interested in</a> depicting and analysing the role-playing of everyday life that Goffman identified. Goffman was <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781444396621.ch24">born in Mannville</a>, Alberta in 1922 to Ukrainian Jewish parents who migrated to Canada. The sister of the man who would become famous for his theatre analogies was an actor, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0062844/">Frances Bay</a>: late in life, she would play quirky, recognisable roles such as the “marble rye” lady on <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-of-seinfeld-131606">Seinfeld</a> and a recurring part on <a href="https://theconversation.com/ill-see-you-again-in-25-years-the-return-to-twin-peaks-32624">Twin Peaks</a> (as Mrs Tremond/Chalfant). The path to Goffman’s book was an unusual one. It didn’t come from directly studying the theatre, or even from asking questions about theatregoers. While completing postgraduate studies at the the University of Chicago, Goffman was given the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in the Shetland Islands, an isolated part of northern Scotland, for his <a href="https://www.mediastudies.press/pub/ns-ccic/release/4">PhD dissertation</a>. Goffman pretended to be there to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470999912.ch3">study agricultural techniques</a>. But his actual reason was to examine the everyday life of the Shetland Islanders. As he observed the everyday practices and rituals of the remote island community, he had to negotiate suspicions he may <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Goffman-Social-Organization-Sociological-Routledge/dp/0415112044">have been a spy</a>. In Goffman’s published book, the ethnography of the Shetland Islands takes a back seat to his dramaturgical theory. <h2>More than a popular how-to manual</h2> <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-presentation-of-self-in-everyday-life-9780241547991">The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life</a> quickly became <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Sociological-Bent-InsideMetro-Culture/dp/0170120015">a national bestseller</a>. It was picked up by general readers “as a guide to social manners and on how to be clever and calculating in social intercourse without being obvious”. This fascinating and complex academic work could indeed be read as a “how-to” manual on how to impress others and mitigate negative impressions. But Goffman <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Erving-Goffman/Smith/p/book/9780415355919">didn’t mean</a> “performance” literally. Reading the book as a guide to middle-class etiquette misses some of its nuances. One is the sophisticated understanding of how reality and contrivance relate to each other. A good performance is one that appears “unselfconscious”; a “contrived” performance is one where the fact the social actor is performing a role is “painstakingly evident”. In everyday language, we tend to describe the latter as trying too hard. But Goffman is making a more general point, about the way we all perform ourselves, all the time – whether the effort is visible or not. If “All the world is not, of course, a stage”, then “the crucial ways in which it isn’t are not easy to specify”. <h2>Playing roles and being in character</h2> Today, we regularly use theatrical terms like “role”, “script”, “props”, “audience” and being “in and out of character” to describe how people behave in their everyday social life. But Goffman is the one who introduced these concepts, which have become part of our shared language. Together, they highlight how social life depends on what Goffman terms a shared definition of particular situations. Whether we are performing our work roles, having dinner with someone for whom we have romantic affections, or dealing with strangers in a public setting, we need to produce and maintain the appropriate definition of that reality. These activities are “performances”, according to Goffman, because they involve mutual awareness or attentiveness to the information others emit. This mutual awareness, or attention to others, means humans are constantly performing for audiences in their everyday lives. <h2>Being in and out of character</h2> It matters who the audience is – and what type of audience we have for our performances. When thinking about how people adapt their behaviour for others, Goffman differentiates between “front regions” and “back regions”. Front regions are where we must present what is often referred to as the “best version of ourselves”. In an open-plan office, a worker needs to look busy if their supervisor is about. So, in the front region, they need to look engaged, industrious and generally perform the role of being a worker. In an open-plan office, a worker needs to be constantly “in character”, as Goffman puts it. Back regions are where a social actor can “let their guard down”. In the context of a workplace, the back regions might refer to the bathroom, the lunchroom or anywhere else where the worker can relax their performance and potentially resort to “out of character” behaviour. If the worker takes a diversionary break to gossip with a colleague when their supervisor is no longer in earshot, they could be said to be engaging in back region conduct. Front and back regions are not defined by physical locations. A back region is any situation in which the individual can relax and drop their performance. (Of course, this means regions overlap with physical locations to some extent – people are more likely to be able to relax when they’re in more private settings.) Thus, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/opinion/open-plan-office-awful.html">open-plan offices</a> are often unpopular because workers feel they are constantly under surveillance. Conversely, the work-from-home arrangements that have become more common since the era of COVID lockdowns are popular because they allow people to relax their work personae. Renowned writer Jenny Diski <a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v26/n05/jenny-diski/think-of-mrs-darling">reflected</a> in 2004, "reading Goffman now is alarmingly claustrophobic. He presents a world where there is nowhere to run; a perpetual dinner party of status seeking, jockeying for position and saving face. Any idea of an authentic self becomes a nonsense. You may or may not believe in what you are performing; either type of performance is believed in or it is not." <h2>21st-century Goffman</h2> Dramaturgy has survived the onset of our new media environment, where the presentation of the self has migrated to platforms as diverse as <a href="https://theconversation.com/instagram-and-facebook-are-stalking-you-on-websites-accessed-through-their-apps-what-can-you-do-about-it-188645">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-corn-how-the-online-viral-corn-kid-is-on-a-well-worn-path-to-fame-in-the-child-influencer-industry-189974">TikTok</a>. In some ways, it’s more relevant than ever. Goffman’s approach has been applied to <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/no-sense-of-place-9780195042313?cc=au&lang=en&">electronic media</a>, radio and <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Media_and_Modernity/asB7QgAACAAJ?hl=en">television</a> <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003160861-19/reception-goffman-work-media-studies-peter-lunt">studies</a>, <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262515047/new-tech-new-ties/">mobile phones</a> – and, more recently, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13548565211036797">social media</a> and even <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0263276419829541">AI studies</a>. The “successful staging” (as Goffman terms it) of our social roles has only become more complex. This is perfectly illustrated by “BBC Dad” Robert Kelly, whose 2017 <a href="https://junkee.com/bbc-dad-pictures-kids-now-marion-james/324165">live television interview</a> from his home study was interrupted when his children wandered into the room. This was before COVID lockdowns, when our home and work lives (and personae) increasingly merged. “Everyone understands that now,” <a href="https://junkee.com/bbc-dad-pictures-kids-now-marion-james/324165">wrote Reena Gupta</a> in 2022. “You or someone in your family or circle of friends has been BBC Dad.” Maintaining and maximising performances still matters. And so does Goffman. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/ever-feel-like-your-life-is-a-performance-everyone-does-and-this-1959-book-explains-roles-scripts-and-hiding-backstage-195939" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Getty

Books

Palace confirms Prince George's role at Coronation

As King Charles' highly-anticipated Coronation ceremony draws closer, the Palace has confirmed a very special role for Prince George. Just one month before the historic event is set to take place at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace has shared that the King's eldest grandson will have a key role at the coronation, acting as one of the four page boys attending to the King throughout the ceremony. In total eight pages will be involved, four assigned to the King and four to the Queen Consort. Joining Prince George, who will be nine at the time of the coronation, assisting the King as pages will be Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Nicholas Barclay and Ralph Tollemache. Camilla will have her grandsons, Gus and Louis Lopes, 13, and Freddy Parker Bowles, 13, helping her and along with her great-nephew, Arthur Elliot. The news of Prince George's involvement comes as the Palace has released the official coronation portrait, which was taken last month inside the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace by Hugo Burnand. In addition to the official portraits, the Palace shared an image of the elaborately illustrated invitation that will be sent out later this month to 2,000 guests who have secured a much-coveted place at the Coronation. As stated on the invitation, it has been revealed that "Consort" will be dropped from Camilla's official title, as she will be referred to as "Queen Camilla" after the Coronation. The invitation reads, "The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla." When asked about the title, a senior royal aide confirmed, "It made sense to refer to her Majesty as The Queen Consort in the early months of His Majesty’s reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II." "Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using 'Queen Camilla' in an official capacity." Image credits: Buckingham Palace / Getty Images

Family & Pets

5 books for kids and teens that positively portray trans and gender-diverse lives

<a href="https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/blog/trans-day-visibility-global-perspective">International Transgender Day of Visibility</a> is an opportunity to celebrate trans and gender-diverse people – and to raise awareness of the ongoing discrimination they experience. Trans and gender-diverse people <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7826417/">experience</a> higher levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal behaviours than the general population. Recent events in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/25/whats-behind-the-terrifying-backlash-against-australias-queer-community">Australia</a>, <a href="https://time.com/6250646/united-kingdom-scotland-transgender-bill/">the United Kingdom</a> and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d378d/anti-trans-bills-2023">the US</a> remind us of the need to promote acceptance of trans and gender-diverse young people, and to support their mental health and wellbeing. Community, school and family <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-019-00118-w">are vital</a> tools for this. So are books that positively represent trans and gender-diverse experiences, themes and issues. Such books can expand young people’s awareness, understanding and acceptance of gender differences from an early age. They also validate the lived experience of trans and gender-diverse youth. The five books below all positively portray trans and gender-diverse lives in age-appropriate ways. <h2>1. My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart (ages 4-9)</h2> This picture book, <a href="https://larrikinhouse.com.au/products/my-shadow-is-purple">My Shadow Is Purple</a>, considers gender diversity through the use of colour. The story focuses on a boy whose shadow is purple: presumably a blend of masculine blue and feminine pink. Early in the story, the boy celebrates his gender hybridity, enjoying a range of both traditionally masculine and feminine activities. Stuart also explores the way society regulates and limits gender expression, and how this can have negative effects on individuals. That said, the picture book is positive and offers a promising message to readers. Through both resistance and collective support, we can acknowledge and celebrate the spectrum of colours our shadows might take. <h2>2. Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff (ages 10-12)</h2> In his <a href="http://www.kylelukoff.com/my-books/tbts">award-winning</a> junior novel, <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/too-bright-to-see-9780593111178">Too Bright to See</a>, Kyle Lukoff uses the ghost story to explore <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/">gender dysphoria</a> and grief. Trans boy Bug, aged 11, lives in a house with relatively benign spirits. However, during the summer before school starts, Bug’s uncle dies and a new ghost takes up residence in the house. It is not only the grief of his uncle’s death that Bug must learn to live with. His best friend, Moira, is eager to give him a feminine makeover and the new ghostly resident seems intent on sending him a message. Bug’s investigation of the ghost and his journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance is sensitive and nuanced, allowing readers to learn about transgender issues (and grief) alongside Bug. <h2>3. Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans (ages 12+)</h2> <a href="https://www.echopublishing.com.au/books/euphoria-kids">Euphoria Kids</a> is an urban fantasy young adult novel that centres on three trans and gender-diverse teenagers: Iris, who grew from a seed; Babs, the daughter of a local witch; and the boy, named so because his current name does not fit him. The world Evans creates is one of strange magic, free from the trauma and gender dysphoria often associated with representations of transgenderism <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-transgenderism-in-film-and-literature-71809">in literature and film</a>. The characters’ quest to break a curse enables them to demonstrate their resilience, develop their confidence and experience euphoria. Evans explains (in the author note) their decision to create a positive narrative for trans youth, "I want people to know about gender euphoria. I want them to learn about it before gender dysphoria. I want young trans kids that will read this book to be proud of who they are, and imagine wonderful magic lives for themselves." <h2>4. Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (ages 14+)</h2> <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780063038837/meet-cute-diary/">Meet Cute Diary</a>, a heartfelt young adult romantic comedy, explores gender identity and sexuality – and recognises self-discovery entails continuous questioning, rather than a linear progression. Noah Ramirez, a Japanese, white, Afro-Caribbean 16-year-old trans boy, loves the idea of falling in love. He writes fictional trans love stories for his blog, “Meet Cute Diary”. Noah is confronted in real life by Drew, a white cisgender boy who Noah has featured on his blog. After Noah explains his actions, Drew agrees to pretend to date him, in order to validate his stories. Their pretending quickly becomes real. Things become complicated, though, when Noah finds himself attracted to his nonbinary and asexual coworker, Devin. The narrative explores the changing nature of relationships and love. Lee creates interesting characters and complex relationships that respect gender fluidity and recognise the blurry boundary between the platonic and romantic. <h2>5. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (ages 14+)</h2> Felix, the 17-year-old protagonist of <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/felix-ever-after-kacen-callender?variant=32280909578274">Felix Ever After</a>, is Black, queer and trans. The marginalisation and transphobia he experiences are exacerbated when pre-transition images of him are prominently displayed at his school. Felix’s search for revenge sees him open up more about himself to others. And he forms new relationships, including with his friend, Ezra Patel. Similar to Lee’s depiction of self-discovery in Meet Cute Diary, Callender suggests that learning about yourself and your identity is an ongoing process. Felix continues to make new discoveries about himself, including the realisation that he is not a boy but a <a href="https://queerintheworld.com/what-does-demiboy-mean/">demiboy</a>. Callender’s writing is engaging, and the cast of diverse characters that populate the narrative reflects the variation in our communities. This tender trans young adult romance sensitively explores the complexity of friendship, forgiveness and self-discovery. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-books-for-kids-and-teens-that-positively-portray-trans-and-gender-diverse-lives-202832" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Books

Kate Langbroek reveals real reason she parted ways with Hughesy

Kate Langbroek has caused a stir during an appearance on The Project, revealing the truth about why she and Hughesy went their separate ways, with a hefty pay gap hanging between them. The 57-year-old TV presenter was there to discuss gender pay gaps with her fellow panellists when she decided the time had come to share her own experience, admitting that she had earned a staggering 40% less than her co-host David Hughes on their shared radio show. “It’s unusual because in showbiz it’s not a standard situation, but Hughesy and I did a radio show together for 18 years,” she began, referencing their 2001-2019 Hughesy & Kate show. “[We] had never, ever discussed what we got paid,” she explained. “And then the second last job we did together, it turned out he was getting paid 40% more than I was.” Kate went on to note that in show business, if someone has a higher profile they’re likely to be getting more, but that crucially “this was the Hughesy & Kate show that we had made together. “Like, it didn’t exist without Hughesy and Kate.” She spoke next of how the discovery had changed their relationship, and how she had then left him. “So then the show ended?” co-panellist Waleed Aly sought to confirm. “It’s a really hard thing to do,” Kate said, “who’s going to talk about money? “It’s just not the Australian way. And yet it’s true that women - because we are the ‘breeders’ … we do that, and we take time out of our [careers].” Sarah Harris, another of the show’s panellists, spoke up then to expand on that, explaining how “often we are drawn to part-time and casual work because we want to make it work with our families.” She then shared how she’d been doing her taxes the previous night, and how the “deductions for what helped you with your job” brought her thoughts to childcare, and how she “would have loved to [have] put childcare down” but couldn’t, as “you can’t claim it on tax”. “Until we get those sorts of things worked out,” she said, “I don’t think we’re going to get that close in pay.” Kate took over again from there, sharing how she believed it was about “much more than just equal pay”, and how she “thought it was illegal to pay someone differently depending on whether they’re male or female. It’s just so nuanced.” “I think what people don’t understand with the gender pay gap,” Waleed contributed, “is [that] they think it’s people being paid unequally for the same work. And that is part of it, but it’s actually a relatively small part of it, a lot of it has to do with career progression for women being halted because they have babies, things like that.” Kate, agreeing, chimed in again with a final note to say that “because we’re lovers and nurturers … we’re like, kind of punished for that, at the other end of our working lives as well.” Images: The Project / Ten

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"We've all gone": Why Jackie O stormed off set