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Major Cruise line scraps entire season

Virgin Voyages has cancelled all of its sailings in Australia and New Zealand for the next year after they were left with "no choice" in the wake of escalating tensions in the Red Sea. The Resilient Lady ship will not return Down Under for its promised second sailing season next summer due to safety concerns following a series of strikes on container ships in the Red Sea. The cruise line revealed on Tuesday that a lengthier alternative return route around Africa was not viable for the company. "On the heels of these recent changes and based on the regional and government advice we have received, we remain very concerned about potential escalations in the Red Sea over the next 12 months," a spokesperson from Virgin Voyages said. “This significant and ongoing conflict puts unacceptable risks for safe passage through the region for our Sailors, crew and vessel." “To say that we are disappointed to have come to this tough conclusion is an understatement. “These adjustments are happening now to minimise potential future disruption to our passengers’ holiday plans, knowing there is a high likelihood that changes would need to happen in the future.” The cancellations will impact customers with trips planned in late 2024 and early 2025 on repositioning voyages between Europe and Australia. Virgin Voyages have indicated that a return to Australian waters will remain a possibility, as they continue to look for available options. They also said that if the 2024/25 can go ahead, customers who had previously booked their holiday will be prioritised if they would like to re-book. Currently, impacted customers have the option to re-book a different trip or request a full refund. A few other cruise companies who operate seasonal sailings or world cruises through the Red Sea and Suez Canal have also had to cancel, reposition, or re-route their sailings. MSC have cancelled three repositioning sailings in April, while Cunard, Princess and Seabourn have re-routed their world cruises to avoid the Suez Canal. Image: Virgin Voyages

Cruising

Woolies boss grilled for scrapping Aus Day merch

Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci has shared the reason why the retailer chose to drop Australia Day merchandise. The supermarket giant copped some <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/woolworths-under-fire-for-dropping-australia-day-merch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backlash </a>after they announced that they would stop selling the merch, with even opposition leader Peter Dutton calling for a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/peter-dutton-calls-for-woolworths-boycott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boycott</a> for their decision. They have since issued a full-page advertisement insisting the supermarket giant is not anti-Australia Day, which Banducci was grilled for in his latest appearance on the Today show. “We aren’t trying to ‘cancel’ Australia Day, rather Woolworths is deeply proud of our place in providing the fresh food that brings Australians together every day,” Banducci wrote in the letter. “So you’re not anti Australia today as a company?” Today show host Karl Stefanovic asked in reference to the letter. “Karl, we are a very proud Australian company. We’ve been around for 100 years. "We have 178,000 hard working team members who are going to be in store doing the right thing for our customers on Australia Day, and we’re passionate about this country,” the Woolworths chief executive replied. “But you’re not anti Australia Day?” Stefanovic asked again. Banducci replied saying that the day “means different things to everyone” and that he supports Aussies to commemorate the day in whatever way they wish. He added that while customers won't be able to buy Australia Day merch at their stores, they will decorate their stores across the country in “green and gold” to commemorate the day. “You must have serious regrets about this?” Stefanovic grilled. “I think we could clearly have done a better job of explaining our decision, that’s why I’m here,” Banducci replied. “I do feel anxious about the impact that this is having on our team. They are proud, hard working Australians, and for them to be seen as anti-Australian or woke is fundamentally unfair.” He added that this decision was made 12 months ago when they found that there was “gradual decline” in demand for the merchandise. Images: Today

Legal

Why millions of Aussies are delaying, modifying or scrapping their travel plans

While it might seem like everyone around you is enjoying a luxurious European summer vacation, recent data reveals that the majority of Australians are facing obstacles in pursuing their travel dreams. The rising cost of living and inflated travel prices are compelling millions of Australians to reconsider and adjust their holiday plans, according to the latest consumer sentiment survey conducted by NAB, which involved approximately 2,000 local respondents. According to an alarming <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-millions-of-australians-are-cancelling-or-postponing-their-holidays/gbyz8v0yt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">piece by SBS</a>, the survey found that nearly two-thirds of Australians (65 per cent) who had intentions of traveling in the next 12 months have been forced to either cancel or postpone their trips. Among them, 24 per cent decided to scrap their plans entirely, while 42 per cent opted to delay their vacations. The data shows that an overwhelming number of individuals believe that travel and holidays have become considerably more expensive. According to the SBS piece, Tara Hartley, NAB's retail customer executive, offered some reassurance to those experiencing FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) on extravagant European holidays. She stated that many Australians are making prudent spending decisions, prioritising their expenses based on what they value most. With the cost of living rising, including grocery bills and fuel prices, Australians are finding it increasingly challenging to budget for their holiday plans. As a result, they are making thoughtful adjustments to their spending habits. Approximately 40 per cent of respondents have scaled back their travel plans, opting to explore domestic destinations instead of traveling abroad to save money. Hartley mentioned examples like people swapping trips to the Mediterranean for Maroochydore or Bali for Burnie, indicating that Australians are finding joy and relaxation within their own country. One significant factor contributing to the hesitance in making travel arrangements is the soaring cost of airfares. Airlines have been slow to resume normal operations after the COVID-19 pandemic caused international flights to come to a halt. The combination of increased demand for flights, inflation, rising fuel prices, and a shortage of staff has led to a surge in airfare costs. Data released by online travel company Kayak in May indicated that return flights from Australia to overseas destinations are now over 50 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels. For instance, the average return economy international flight between July and December currently costs $1,827, compared to $1,213 in 2019. Domestic flights have also experienced a notable increase, with costs up by 10 per cent compared to 2019 figures and 15 per cent higher than last year. Even though capacity is expected to return to the airline industry, outgoing Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce cautioned that airfares might not return to their pre-pandemic affordability. Nevertheless, the adjustments in travel plans have had some positive financial impacts. On average, Australians have saved around $392 each month by changing their travel plans. Over the course of a year, these adjustments have translated to approximately $4,704 in savings. The rising cost of living and inflated travel prices are causing millions of Australians to reconsider their holiday plans. With airfares surging and travel becoming more expensive, many are opting to modify their trips or explore domestic destinations instead. While these changes may bring financial benefits, it remains uncertain when airfares will return to their pre-pandemic levels. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

"I'm not here to apologise": Dan Andrews fires up as Comm Games is scrapped

Dan Andrews has fired up at disappointed journalists after making the shock announcement that the 2026 Commonwealth Games would be cancelled. The Victorian premier shocked the nation with the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday, saying the event would not go ahead due to funding issues. He said the government had considered “every conceivable option” to still hold the games, but new budgets revealed the event, which was originally tipped to cost $2.6 billion, would likely blow out the budget to $7 billion. “I’m not here to apologise for not spending $7bn to deliver an event,” he said. “It’s about, do you deliver it at any cost or not? And the answer is we’re not.” Journalists then quizzed Andrews on what the cost of abandoning the event would be, which he refused to answer but assured the costs would be “fully accounted for” at a later date. While he said he would not “speculate” on discussions, he confirmed “very little costs had been incurred to this point”. Regional Victoria were awarded the rights to host the 2026 event last year after no other countries in the Commonwealth Games Federation volunteered. The Games were set to be held from March 17th to 29th in the regional towns of Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton. Andrews went on to say the state could benefit much more from allocating the hefty multi-billion budget to other areas. “Today it’s not about finding fault with those cost estimates,” Mr Andrews said. “I will not take money out of hospitals and schools in order to fund an event that is three times the cost as estimated and budgeted for last year.” Mr Andrews said he had informed the Commonwealth Games authorities the state would seek to terminate the contract and said the subsequent meetings had been “amicable and productive”. In lieu of the Games, Mr Andrews announced the government would deliver the legacy benefits of the “housing, sporting infrastructure and tourism” benefits through other policies, using funds from the allocated $2.6 billion budget. Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Almost 200,000 Aussies will have robodebt review scrapped

Nearly 200,000 Australians caught up in the controversial robodebt scheme will see their cases dropped by the federal government. After the scheme was put on hold in 2019 by the then-Coalition government, 197,000 Aussies who were under a robodebt review will no longer be under investigation. The practice, which ran from July 2015 until November 2019, assessed income data from the Australian Tax Office against fortnightly Centrelink payments and raised $1.73 billion in unlawful debts against over 400,000 people. While initially hailed as a cost-saving measure to crack down on fraudsters, the government ended up repaying about $751 million, plus interest, wrongly taken from 381,000 people. The latest announcement will see letters sent confirming the scrapping of the debt to about 124,000 people who received an initial review letter, as well as 73,000 who didn’t know a review had begun at all. It is understood the debt investigations will be dropped to avoid a hit to public confidence in the social security system and because of the likelihood that any debts uncovered wouldn’t be worth the money needed to pursue them. Labor Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said she was pleased to relieve the stress the scheme caused to those affected by the “fiasco”. "The Robodebt fiasco is something that should be of deep concern to all Australians. It was meant to save money, however, we know it had a significant human cost," she said in a statement. "We know as late back as 2016, there were members of the public flagging concerns that these debts weren't right. "Individuals felt increasingly anxious, depressed, and worried because these debts kept coming and they couldn't understand them." With <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/he-was-harassed-woman-tells-how-son-took-his-life-over-incorrect-robodebt-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 2,000 Australians dying</a> after receiving hefty debt notices and being harassed by debt collectors, families of the victims have directly blamed the scheme for their deaths. Bill Shorten, the Government Services Minister, described the scheme as “shameful and illegal”. "We are removing any doubt that has been hanging over the heads of Robodebt victims for almost a decade," he said. "These dodgy debts were raised by the former Government in an illegal shakedown against some of the most vulnerable to underpin their discredited surplus forecasts." The announcement comes as public hearings in a $30 million <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/pm-launches-probe-into-unlawful-robodebt-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">royal commission</a> into the scheme are expected to commence later this month. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

World’s sixth largest cruise ship will never sail

A cruise ship designed to hold more than 9,000 passengers - making it one of the largest in the world - will never set sail, instead travelling straight to a scrapyard. In a shipyard on Germany’s Baltic coast, the Global Dream II was almost complete when MV Werften, the shipbuilder, filed for bankruptcy in January 2022, per <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/20/global-dream-ii-unfinished-9000-passenger-cruise-ship-to-be-scrapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>. Lacking the funds to complete the vessel themselves, the company sought a buyer for it. Though the facilities were successfully sold to a German naval unit, the Global Dream II will be scrapped as it isn’t outfitted for military purposes. Christoph Morgen, the administrator for the bankrupt company, reportedly told a press conference that the Global Dream II would need to be moved out of the shipyard by the end of the year. German cruise industry magazine <a href="https://anbord.de/global-dream-ii-wird-verschrottet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An Bord</a> reported that its lower hull would be disposed of for scrap price. The looming ship, along with its sister ship, Global Dream, would have held the record for largest cruise ships by passenger capacity. With a combined weight of 208,000 tons, the ships would have also been the sixth largest cruise ships by size, trailing behind the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships. Image: Getty Images

Cruising

Insulting Wimbledon tradition to be scrapped

The All England Lawn Tennis Club will reportedly replace its Wimbledon honour boards ahead of the 2022 grand slam tournament. Titles before the names of its female champions will be withdrawn. Honorifics in front of female winners will be removed next month to “move with the times”, while the process of married women taking the initials and surnames of their husbands will also be updated. Since the tournament began in 1884, female champions had titles “Miss” and “Mrs” in front of their names, while the men didn’t. For example, former world No. 1 Ash Barty is currently immortalised as “Miss A Barty”, while 20-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic reads “N Djokovic”. Meanwhile, the name of Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who won Wimbledon in 1980, is written “Mrs R Cawley” because her husband’s name is Roger. As sports reporter Paul Dennett wrote last year: “Surely Wimbledon must do away with such outdated and insulting styling". “It is time to rewrite the honours board. Remove all the anachronistic instances of ‘Miss’ and ‘Mrs’ and get rid of the initials of female players’ husbands. ‘Miss. R. Cawley’ should be ‘Evonne Goolagong-Cawley’ and ‘Miss. J.M. Lloyd’ should be ‘Chris Evert’.” In 2019, Wimbledon stopped using terms “Miss” and “Mrs” when announcing the names of players during matches, a move that “surprised” Djokovic. “I thought that tradition was very unique and very special; I thought it was nice,” the Serbian said at the time. “It’s definitely not easy to alter or change any traditions here that have been present for many years. It’s quite surprising that they’ve done that.” The move comes after Wimbledon, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious tennis event, was stripped of ranking points by the sport’s main tours in response to the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament, following the invasion of Ukraine. This essentially reduced Wimbledon to the status of a high-profile exhibition event. Image: Getty

Travel Trouble

"Cold and brutal": Karl grills treasurer over scrapping of disaster payments

Today Show co-host Karl Stefanovic has criticised the federal government over its plan to scale back, and eventually scrap, COVID-19 disaster payments. It was announced on Tuesday that the government will begin winding down the payments, which give $750 a week to people who have lost at least 20 hours of work, and $450 a week to those who have lost between eight and 20 hours, as each state and territory reaches their 70 and 80 per cent vaccination targets. Per the changes, once a state or territory reaches 70 per cent fully vaccinated, people will have to reapply each week for the payment, instead of it being automatically renewed. At 80 per cent, the payment will be phased out entirely within two weeks. For states and territories like NSW or the ACT, which are <a href="https://twitter.com/CaseyBriggs/status/1442700206420549636/photo/1">estimated</a> to reach 80% fully vaccinated by October 18th and 21st respectively, this change means the scrapping of the payment is imminent. Talking to treasurer Josh Frydenberg on the Today Show on Wednesday morning, co-host Karl Stefanovic called the decision “cold and brutal”, telling Frydenberg, “I get that you can’t keep it going and going but many industries won’t be back to normal at 70 or 80 per cent – you have the arts, nightclub, hospitality and tourism, especially in Far North Queensland … to cut them off is kind of cold and brutal, isn’t it?” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> “We can't continue with these emergency payments indefinitely.” The Federal Government will announce today that COVID disaster payments will be wound back as each state hits the 80 per cent double-dosed vaccination target. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/jHMFvZtDSH">pic.twitter.com/jHMFvZtDSH</a> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1442976255402340363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2021</a></blockquote> In response, Frydenberg outlined the government’s partnership with the Queensland Government to support Queensland businesses, concluding that, “It’s those sorts of direct economic payments that complement what we’ve been doing at higher, broader level with the Covid disaster payment and other economic support.” Frydenberg failed to address how the federal government would provide support to those who have lost work as a result of COVID-19 and are not able to find replacement work in between now and the looming deadline. Many anti-poverty advocates and welfare campaigners expressed concern about the phasing out of the payments online, including the Antipoverty Centre, who tweeted, “They’re making a huge gamble with our lives, betting that jobs will magically return overnight.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The government has started the poverty clock ticking. They’re making a huge gamble with our lives, betting that jobs will magically return overnight. All that will come of this is more people in poverty and more lives destroyed. The disaster payment living up to its name. <a href="https://t.co/LtwzgMXotU">https://t.co/LtwzgMXotU</a> — The Antipoverty Centre (@antipovertycent) <a href="https://twitter.com/antipovertycent/status/1442856771341664264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2021</a></blockquote> Image: TODAY Show/Nine

Money & Banking

Julianne Moore calls for “sexist” term to be scrapped

Actress Julianne Moore is questioning how women are viewed and talked about as they age, calling for one particular term to be dropped completely. Moore, who turned 60 in December, criticised those who use the phrase “ageing gracefully” in the latest issue of As If magazine, according to People. <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/CQ03jz0DeEw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ03jz0DeEw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Julianne Moore (@juliannemoore)</a> </div> </blockquote> he described the term, especially when used while speaking about women, as “totally sexist”. “There’s so much judgement inherent in the term ‘ageing gracefully’,” Moore told the publication. “Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don’t have an option of course. No one has an option about ageing, so it’s not a positive or negative thing, it just is,” she said. Moore questioned the perception that women in particular had some kind of influence over, so they could opt in or out of doing it “gracefully”. “It’s part of the human condition, so why are we always talking about it as if it is something that we have control over?” she asked. Stressing the value of “inner growth”, Moore argued that people should be more concerned with how they continue to evolve as they age instead. “We are given a narrative as children that we keep growing through school, maybe go to college then, after school is finished, the idea of growth is done … But we have all this life left to live,” she said. “How do we continue to challenge ourselves, to interest ourselves, learn new things, be more helpful to other people, be the person that your friends and family need or want? How do we continue to evolve? How do we navigate life to have even deeper experiences?” Moore also endorsed a comment Helen Mirren made last year during an interview for O, The Oprah Magazine, where she hit back against the phrase “anti-ageing”. “Ageing is a requirement of life: You either grow old or die young,” Mirren said during the interview. “I take great issue with the term, actually. You can’t avoid ageing. The way I see it, you have two choices in life: You can either get older, or die,” the 75-year-old said at the time. “And I want to continue to see what life has in store. I think about Kurt Cobain and all that he missed. I mean, how sad is it that he never knew about GPS.” Image: Julianne Moore / Instagram

Legal

"Day of mourning": Calls to scrap Australia Day grow louder

Every year, right before January 26, Australians clash over a date that some see as a celebration and others see it as a day of mourning. This year will be no different. The Australia Day public holiday has seen thousands of Aussies take to the streets to protest, as they call it Invasion Day. The Invasion Day rallies call for a changing of the date to reflect the fact that for some it represents more than the beginning of British colonialism when the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove in 1788. They want it to be moved because that same date represents the “continued genocide of Aboriginal people”. This year, due to the pandemic, Victorians won't be able to gather for an Australia Day rally, but Melbourne City Council has approved an Invasion Day Dawn Service. Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp says the seated, 250-capacity service at Kings Domain is “a way of supporting an event that reflects that ancient Australian history”. On social media, calls to scrap Australia Day entirely are being shared in huge numbers. “I cannot celebrate a country built off the continued genocide of Aboriginal people,” one person wrote. “A place where Aboriginal people, including children are incarcerated at a higher rate than any people in the world. Where over 445 Aboriginal people have died in police custody since just 1991 with no one held accountable. Where governments and corporations continue to destroy sacred land for their colonial pursuits. “January 26th and every other day of the year represents continued genocide, mourning, resistance and strength. Until there is meaningful First Nations led change, there will be no right day to celebrate so called Australia. Sovereignty was never ceded.” Another person wrote that “changing the date isn’t our end game”. “Changing the outcomes for our people is. However, we cannot change our outcomes until we as a nation COLLECTIVELY acknowledge the past wrongs of history and how they still til this day are affecting our people. Don’t tell us to get over it because it happened 100s of years ago while we continue to remember the ANZACS. Don’t tell us that you didn’t invade Australia when you’re still benefiting from the dispossession and genocide of our people.” Lidia Thorpe, the first Indigenous woman in Victorian Parliament, is asking for change. On Twitter, she wrote: “Too many Australians still think January 26 is a day of celebration, but for Aboriginal people across this country, it’s a Day of Mourning. “That’s why I’m inviting communities, councils and organisations to fly the Aboriginal flag at half-mast on #InvasionDay.”

Domestic Travel

The new COVID-19 argument for scrapping Daylight Saving

There are growing calls from health professionals around the world to scrap daylight saving, with warnings turning clocks forward for half the year can have significant impacts on people’s health. An Australian professor has voiced his concerns about the health risks associated with the change of time, saying the risks could be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Another professor that has issued a warning has been the professor of diabetes at Monash University, saying the upcoming change can have negative impacts. “In terms of the scientific evidence, which we will want to stick with at the moment, there are more heart attacks just after daylight saving, more road accidents, and then you’ve got workplace accidents, car accidents and their implications,” he said. “There is also cognitive dysfunction in relation to the daylight saving and the change in timing to our normal body rhythms.” The Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews shut down the possibility of cancelling daylight saving during a press conference on Wednesday. “I don’t want to be disrespectful to the professor, who may be a very learned individual. No. Daylight saving will be proceeding,” Mr Andrews said. “That’s why the curfew changes, that extra hour is really important, well ahead of daylight saving.” Mr Andrews said the extra hour of daylight would hopefully help make the summer “like no other”. “If we stay the course we’ll be able to get close to normal, COVID normal but close to normal, but people will be able to go out and enjoy the city, enjoy the state, enjoy being back at work, enjoy a sense of confidence as they go into 2021 and you know what they’ll enjoy most? They’ll enjoy the fundamental truth that all that they’ve given, all that they’ve done count counted for something,” the premier said. “It wasn’t frittered away. It wasn’t because pressure came on a bad decision was made, the wrong decision was made. We’ve got to avoid that. “This will be a summer like no other and daylight saving, I can confirm, will be a feature of it.” Daylight saving will kick off at 2 am on October 4, with residents in NSW, Victoria, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania turning their clocks forward by an hour.

News

Primary school slammed for scrapping free time for students

A primary school in Perth has ignited debates between child-play experts after a controversial plan to limit free play for students. Clarkson Primary School has made the controversial decision to scrap free play at recess and replaced it with structural play as students weren’t engaging with each other. "A lot of that we attributed to increased social media, the likes of screen time plus a breakdown in families," Principal Tony Shields said to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/clarkson-primary-school-under-fire-over-free-play/2f7cd722-32d4-465d-82ef-b296c1e06d82" target="_blank">9News</a>. "We wanted to come up with a way on teaching kids how to play properly." At recess, students are given 15 minutes of teacher coordinated play and 15 minutes of eating. There is also 5 minutes to wind-down. The only free play is at lunch time after 10 minutes of eating. Naturally, the move has sparked debate among experts. "If it becomes part of school policy, the norm and the practice, they will become frustrated agitated, tearful," early childhood education expert, Dr Sandra Hesterman said. "It is the Government's responsibility to promote societal attitudes that promote play based learning." Another expert says that the school is being pro-active to a problem. "There does need to be a balance, but I certainly don't see a problem with the school who has taken a pro-active approach to a problem," parenting expert, Claire Orange said. Principal Shields has said that the program is about promoting play instead of preventing it. They’ve had no complaints so far. "The kids are terrific, they're friendly and polite and there's a really calm comfortable environment in there." Feedback from parents has also been positive, saying that their children are eating better since the structured play sessions have been adopted by the school. "This one is a very poor eater but when they all sit together everybody is eating and everybody is talking, it makes a difference," mother Renjini Neir said.

Body

Good news: Most hated tax in Australia to be scrapped

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who has been spearheading the move to scrap the “tampon tax” that attracts the 10 per cent goods and services tax (GST), said that “common sense has prevailed,” reported <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/03/tampon-tax-to-go-as-treasurers-finally-agree-to-gst-exemption" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. Frydenberg received the support of states and territory treasurers to forge ahead with the motion in a meeting in Melbourne on Wednesday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison had flagged the scrapping of the tax when he was still treasurer in August. While it's a win for consumers with the price of tampons to be reduced, states and territories will take a revenue hit of $30 million. “The cost to New South Wales is about $10 million a year, but for a good cause," said NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/tax/hated-tax-to-be-scrapped-as-government-pushes-changes-to-the-gst/news-story/e1a946612aed4d5a9af2157397bd0c9b" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>. “I think it’s something that should have been done some time ago,” Perrottet added. “This is a huge win for all Australians who menstruate and shows the power of grassroots movements when we work together,” said Greens Senator Janet Rice. “I’m so pleased that finally, both major parties have listened to the huge groundswell of Australians who knew from the start how sexist and unfair this tax was.” It’s been a long, hard-fought battle to have this most hated of taxes removed ever since John Howard’s government ‘s introduction of the GST in 1999, which didn’t fall under the health goods exception, reports The Guardian. The disparity became glaringly apparent when other products like condoms, lubricant, Viagra, nicotine patches and sunscreen were included under the health exemption. The “tampon tax” is due to cease from January 1, 2019. What other GST taxes do you think should be scrapped? Have your say in the comments below.

Money & Banking

Why school grades and reports could be scrapped under a radical new plan

School reports could be a thing of the past under a radical proposal to have students taught according to their ability, not their age. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has put forward a controversial submission to a federal government review into schools. The ACER wants to end the existing school system where students are graded on the content they have learnt, with marks ranging from A to E. The independent non-profit group argued there were advanced Year 3 students who could read at the same standard as an average Year 9 student. “We can no longer pretend that students of the same age are more or less equally ready for the same learning experience,” its submission, cited by The Australian, said. “The problem with A to E grades and similar methods of reporting is that they do not show where students are in their long-term learning or indicate progress over time.” The researchers also believe it is better to replace end-of-term school reports with “more informative, ongoing forms of communication”. Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said that he wasn’t keen on no longer grading students. “Progression should be considered against both the starting abilities of a student and relative to their year level expectations of competency,” he told The Australian. The Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools is due to deliver a final report and recommendations to the Turnbull Government in March 2018. What do you think of these proposed changes to scrap grading and reports in schools? Let us know in the comments below.

Books

5 scrapped TV spin-offs you’ll never get to see

Spin-offs are tricky business and if they do not go down well fans, they not only cease production, but they ruin the perfectly good storyline of the original show. These TV show spin-offs next made it on our screen, but some even made it as far as shooting a pilot. Here are TV spin-offs that got called off. 1. Rose Tyler: Earth Defence This idea was a Doctor Who spin that followed Rose Tyler’s adventures after she departed the flagship in 2006. The story was meant to follow Tyler as she worked for Torchwood after she ended up stranded on a parallel Earth. The spin-off was green lit and had a budget allocated for the first episode of a series of specials, but it was stopped due to fears that bringing back Rose too soon would lessen the impact of her departure. 2. Cherry Hill Prison Break was going to get a spin-off which would follow well-to-do housewife Molly as she’s thrown into a women’s prison. Molly was going to be introduced in the third season of Prison Break, but the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike forced production to shut down and the change in storylines. 3. Assignment: Earth Assignment: Earth was intended to be the sister series of the original Star Trek. Star Trek’s final episode in season two introduced Gary Seven, an alien from the 24th century who time travelled to protect Earth’s history. It was organised for Gary Seven to have more standalone adventures, but the idea never happened. 4. How I Met Your Dad While there is a different How I Met Your Mother spin-off potentially in the works, the first spin-off idea was created in 2014. The spin-off series would’ve been a gender-swapped remake of the original series. The pilot of the spin-off starred Greta Gerwig as the lead and had Meg Ryan perform the voiceover as the older version of her character Sally. CBS passed on the idea, but now a revamped version called How I Met Your Father could still be picked up. 5. Springfield One Simpson’s episode ‘22 Short Films About Springfield’, which focused on Springfield’s other residents, was so popular that a spin-off was nearly created. Former showrunner Josh Weinstein told <a href="http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/feature/a818387/scrapped-tv-spin-offs-doctor-who-prison-break-buffy/" target="_blank">Digital Spy</a>, "We felt at that time – around season seven – that we all knew the family so well, so let's start exploring all these great side-characters.” "It would be a chance to tell full stories about these other characters, but that never happened. I think it could've been great, but everyone was so busy at the time." What is your favourite TV show spin-off series? Let us know in the comments below.

This annoying computer program is about to be scrapped

Adobe is planning to remove its Flash Media Player by the end of 2020, the company announced in a blog post on Tuesday. Adobe Flash Player is still being used by a number of gaming, education, and video sites, but the company is encouraging businesses and people that use Flash to migrate to other platforms. <img src="http://cdn.arn.com.au/media/8340179/flashupdate.jpg" alt="undefined" style="width: 354px; height: 223px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> Say goodbye to annoying update messages like this. “We will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats,” Adobe said in a statement. In the past few years, web browsers Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari have all blocked Flash ad used HTML5 instead. Adobe Flash was crucial in enabling early websites to run videos and online games. But as the web has evolved and improved, there's little need for Flash now. The full migration to HTML5 will likely result in more secure experiences and longer battery life.

Technology

86-year-old raises $521K for children’s home by collecting scraps

Meet Johnny Jennings, whose life mission has finally come to fruition at 86 years of age. Georgia resident Johnny was 18 years old when he first visited the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home. When a child ran up to Johnny begging to be adopted, it was a moment that would change the course of his life. “When we went to leave, these three little boys grabbed me by the knees and said, ‘Will you be my daddy?’” Jennings told TODAY. “And I said I’ll do what I can. That took my heart, right there.” For that day onwards, Johnny did everything he could do to help the home. He wasn’t ready to adopt, he didn’t have much money, but he could find a way to raise money. So he collected paper and aluminium products and cashed them in for money. <img width="455" height="311" src="http://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2017_09/1198500/johnnyinline_b6d67bd61b88b7671b89f50b19fe923c.today-inline-large.jpg" class="j-entry-img" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> Over the past 30 years Johnny has donated more than $400,000 (AUD$527,000) to children’s homes. "Johnny Jennings is one of the most gracious individuals I have ever met,” Georgia Baptist Children’s Home President Dr. Kenneth Thompson told TODAY. “I have always admired his quiet, humble spirit, his commitment to helping others and most of all, his love for the children in our care.” Every year Johnny presents a cheque to the church's annual meeting. It’s a special moment for Johnny as the kids from the children’s home are also in attendance. Johnny has served on the church’s board for four five-year terms. “I’ve been a trustee for 20 years,” Johnny said. “I’m just part of the family.” Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/02/elderly-woman-gets-arrested-for-bucket-list/">Dutch woman in her 90s ticks “getting arrested” off bucket list</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/02/elderly-man-dancing-in-street/">Sweet elderly man dancing in the street will make your day</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/02/bride-asks-92-year-old-grandmother-to-be-her-bridesmaid/">Bride asks 92-year-old grandmother to be her bridesmaid</a>

Retirement Life

The food scraps you should be eating

Did you know that Kiwis discard 122,547 tonnes of food a year? That's enough to feed around 262,917 people, or the population of the Bay of Plenty for 12 months. The average household sends around 79kg of edible food to landfills every year, costing the average household $563 a year. Bread, fruit and vegies, and meal leftovers are the most commonly discarded foods. There is plenty that we can do to reduce the amount of food we waste. Without knowing it, we are often discarding the best parts of the fruit and vegetables. The skins, peels, stalks and rinds are often full of flavour, and more importantly, full of vitamins and nutrients. How to save money and reduce your footprint <ul> <li>Plan your shopping list so that you only buy the food you need. </li> <li>Eat leftovers. </li> <li>Freeze food before it goes off. </li> <li>Use up food that you already have at home before buying more</li> <li>Compost your food waste instead of putting it in the general waste bin</li> <li>Reuse food scraps you would normally discard</li> </ul> What food scraps are good to eat? <ul> <li>Juice pulp is full of fibre and nutrients. You can add the pulp back into your juice or add it to smoothies, frittatas, muffins, cakes and bakes. It can also be used to add flavour to chicken stuffing. If you don't want to use it right away, you can store it in the fridge for a few days or freeze it for future use.</li> <li>Stems of herbs such as parsley and coriander can be juiced, added to stock, broths and soups or thinly sliced and added to salads and frittatas. They are chock full of flavour so you can even use them to infuse oils and vinegars.</li> <li>Broccoli and cauliflower stalks are similar in nutrient content to the florets and can be used in much the same way – steam, bake, stew or add to broths and soups.</li> <li>Root vegetable peels from potatoes, parsnips, beetroots, carrots, swedes and ginger can be chopped and added to soups, casseroles, stews, vegetable fritters and meatballs. Root vegetable skins can also be oven-baked with a sprinkling of salt and spices for a moorish and healthy chip-like snack. Make sure you clean the fruit or vegetable well before peeling and opt for organic produce that's free from pesticides where possible.</li> <li>Citrus peels and their zest is perfect for adding a concentrated flavour to cakes, bakes and salad dressings. After hand juicing, citrus halves can be stuffed inside a chicken or duck before roasting or thinly sliced and added to salads.</li> <li>Watermelon rind can be finely grated and added to salads or pickled and served as a side with other dishes.</li> <li>Onion skins are high in antioxidants and dietary fibre and can be added to stock or soups to extract the nutrients or used to stuff poultry before roasting.</li> <li>Pear and apple cores (and peels) can be poached and added to crumbles and fruit cakes. They also work well in chutneys and preserves.</li> <li>Celery leaves can be chopped and used as you would celery stalks.</li> <li>Cauliflower and broccoli leaves contain the same, if not more nutrition than the florets and can be steamed or sautéd like other greens.</li> <li>Beetroot leaves can be steamed or sautéed like other greens.</li> <li>Fennel fronds can be chopped and added to broths, soups, stews and salads.</li> <li>Carrot tops can be juiced, steamed or sautéed like other greens.</li> <li>Pawpaw seeds can be juiced, added to a fruit salad or dried in the sun until they resemble black peppercorns. Add to a pepper grinder and use much like pepper to spice food.</li> <li>Pumpkin seeds can be scooped out and toasted on a tray in the oven for 15 minutes at 180C and eaten as a snack or sprinkled on steamed vegetables or salads for extra texture.</li> <li>Corn silk is the fine strands found when we peel back the corn leaves on a cob. It's full of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral and fibre. Drink as a tea or chop and add to soups and stews.</li> </ul> How do you re-use your leftover scraps? Let us know in the comments below. Written by Anthia Koullouros. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a> Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/05/how-to-stop-crying-when-chopping-onions/">How to stop crying when chopping onions</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/05/kitchen-tricks-foodies-will-love/">16 kitchen tricks foodies will love</a> <a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/06/5-foods-you-should-never-reheat/">5 foods you should never reheat</a>

Home & Garden

Why you shouldn’t feed your pet table scraps

Don’t cave into those big brown puppy eyes! If you feed your furry friend scraps from the dinner table, you could be unwittingly sending them to an early grave. Pet obesity is on the rise with vets seeing an increasing number of obese animal in the last few years. However, many owners remain unaware their pets were on the heavy side or that pet obesity was even a problem. Roy Morgan Research found that 42 per cent of Aussie dog owners were feeding their pooch table scraps, with many people underestimating just how fattening the food is for our pets. For example, one sausage for a nine kilogram pooch is the equivalent of a person eating three hamburgers. Similarly, one biscuit for a small animal is like us demolishing the entire biscuit packet! Zara Boland, a clinical vet, told the Daily Mail: “By feeding scraps and human food treats to our pets we are literally shortening their lives as well as accelerating them towards a range of adverse health conditions associated with malnutrition and obesity. Yet simply by ensuring nutritionally balanced and tasty meals, we can demonstrate our love and commitment to them.” However, not all people food is bad for our pets. Kristina Johansen, a dog nutritionist, says, “Vegetables such as green beans, baby carrots, broccoli, zucchini or any other dog-safe crunchy vegetable are excellent treats, as are some fruits such as apples, pears, bananas, and melon.” She recommends pet owners “avoid treats that are high in fat and calories such as cheese, sausages and peanut butter, and feed them smaller treat portions”. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/clever-cop-saves-dog/">Clever cop saves dog with a moment of inspiration</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/happiest-dogs-in-the-world/">The happiest dogs in the world</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/interspecies-animal-friendships/">15 unlikely friendships that will melt your heart</a>

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86-year-old raises $521K for children’s home by collecting scraps

The food scraps you should be eating

Why you shouldn’t feed your pet table scraps

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