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Strangers lock toddler in plane bathroom to stop her tantrums

The video of a controversial incident on a plane has caused outrage, as two women reprimanded a screaming toddler by locking her in the bathroom on the aircraft. On a Juneyao Airlines flight from Guiyang to Shanghai, China, in late August, a one-year-old child, who was travelling with her grandparents, reportedly sobbed non-stop during the nearly three-hour flight according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/30/lifestyle/strangers-lock-crying-tot-in-airplane-bathroom-to-educate-her/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NY Post</a>. After being fed up with the toddler's tantrum, two women who were strangers to the family reportedly transported her to the bathroom to “educate her.” Shockingly, the child’s grandmother consented to the treatment. The punitive pair then shared the video of this alleged “potty training” on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. In the clip, the women can be seen seated in the locked lavatory with the screaming infant, as one of the women is heard saying, “If you stop crying, aunty will take you back to grandma” and “We won’t let you out unless you stop crying.” As the girl stopped crying, the woman filming the video picked her up and told her: “If you make any noise again, we’ll come back (to the bathroom).” One of the women was initially proud of her cruel and unusual-seeming form of discipline, as she wrote that the tantrum was so disruptive that “many passengers were using tissues to block their ears” while others “had moved to the back of the plane to escape the noise.” According to a statement from the airline, the little girl's mother, who was not travelling with them, reportedly sympathised with the self-appointed aeroplane posse’s behaviour. Since the video went viral, and was subsequently deleted, Juneyao Airlines’ reps have since condemned the pairs’ actions and apologised for the incident and “oversight of the crew”. Despite the video being wiped from the social media site, many were quick to slam the behaviour of the women, saying their discipline was completely unacceptable. “Adults in their 30s can have emotional breakdowns, but people don’t allow toddlers to have theirs,” one person commented, Another wrote, “The grandmother and the two aunts should be sued, and social services should intervene. If there are parents like this, children will suffer in the future.” “When will these people understand that babies have the right to cry and the right to travel, they are part of society, and so are babies!!!!!!!” declared a third. Image credits: Weibo

Travel Trouble

What is ‘slot hoarding’ – and is it locking out regional airlines like Rex?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/doug-drury-1277871">Doug Drury</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> It’s been a depressing year for regional aviation. Rex Airlines has just become the second Australian airline to go into voluntary administration this year, after Bonza’s collapse in April. Is Qantas’ chief executive Vanessa Hudson right – that there simply <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/australia-can-t-sustain-more-than-three-airlines-says-qantas-boss-20240714-p5jtlo.html">aren’t enough passengers</a> in Australia to support more than three airlines? That’s certainly a convenient narrative for the members of our domestic airline duopoly, Qantas and Virgin Australia, who now face even less competition. Or did Rex fall victim to other airlines’ strategic management to limit the number of airport slots available to them to successfully fly between the capital cities? This practice is known as “slot hoarding”. On Thursday, the former chair of the the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Rod Sims, seemed to think so, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/01/rex-airlines-administration-qantas-virgin">telling ABC radio</a>: <blockquote> The government outsources the management of the slots at Sydney airport to a company that’s majority-owned by Qantas and Virgin, it is just unbelievable. </blockquote> It’s certainly not a new allegation. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/06/rex-and-bonza-call-for-immediate-overhaul-of-sydney-airport-laws-to-increase-competition">Rex</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/06/rex-and-bonza-call-for-immediate-overhaul-of-sydney-airport-laws-to-increase-competition">Bonza</a>, and the <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/accc-warns-sydney-airport-slots-manager-has-conflicts-of-interest-20231220-p5espy">ACCC</a> have all previously raised concerns. So how exactly do airline slots work, and does the system need reform? <h2>What are slots?</h2> Back in the 1970s, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) developed the airline slot system to reduce airport congestion. The aim was to improve the traffic flow during peak travel times at “level 3” high traffic density airports – a category that includes Sydney and Melbourne. Under the system, airlines are allocated a daily number of slots they can use. Importantly, there is a set amount of slots available, as they represent specific time windows for aircraft to take off or land. Airlines <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2018.04.005">schedule</a> their slots ahead of time as part of a yield management program. This plan looks across the whole calendar year, taking into account projected peak and off-peak travel times for business and leisure travellers. An airline owns the time slot it is designated by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2018.04.005">airport infrastructure</a> capacity, whether it gets used or not. The IATA system relies on what’s called the “<a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2024/02/80-20-rule-looks-to-survive-government-overhaul-of-sydney-slots/#:%7E:text=Currently%2C%20an%20airline%20can%20keep,calls%20it%20%E2%80%9Ctoo%20generous%E2%80%9D.">80/20 rule</a>”, which states an airline must use 80% of its allocated slots or it will loose its unused slots. The 20% is a buffer. But it has been <a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2024/02/80-20-rule-looks-to-survive-government-overhaul-of-sydney-slots/">criticised</a> as overly generous. Airlines can also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1000936123002340">buy sell or lease</a>, slots they are not using due to slow demand or the need for financial gain. These can sell for <a href="https://simpleflying.com/biggest-airport-slot-deals-list/">huge sums</a>. <h2>Can slots be hoarded?</h2> Broadly speaking, slot hoarding is the practice of booking slots for use only to cancel them in bad faith, preventing other airlines from getting access to premium travel times. In June last year, Rex’s then-deputy-chairman John Sharp <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/06/rex-and-bonza-call-for-immediate-overhaul-of-sydney-airport-laws-to-increase-competition">accused Qantas</a> of engaging in the practice: <blockquote> It’s as plain as the nose on your face that Qantas is hoarding slots by cancelling sufficient flights to remain within the 80/20 rule. </blockquote> Slot availability is a particular <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/accc-warns-sydney-airport-slots-manager-has-conflicts-of-interest-20231220-p5espy">issue for Sydney Airport</a>, because takeoffs and landings are capped at 80 per hour. Sydney Airport Corporation’s executive general manager of aviation, Robert Wood, as well as the airport’s then-chief-executive Geoff Culbert also both expressed <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-21/airlines-qantas-virgin-slot-hoarding-solving-problems/103110390">serious concerns</a> about slot use last year. In February this year, the federal government unveiled a <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/reforming-sydney-airport-slots-boost-efficiency-competition-and-consumers-outcomes">range of reforms</a> for Sydney airport’s slot system. These included requirements for increased transparency on how slots are used, and new independent audits. Notably though, the government made <a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2024/02/80-20-rule-looks-to-survive-government-overhaul-of-sydney-slots/">no change</a> to the 80/20 rule. <h2>What needs to change?</h2> A number of further reforms could help make the airport system friendlier to new entrants and more equitable. One possibility is to sell a predefined number of slots to the major participating airlines. Airlines would have to make a business case outlining their proposed needs over the next calendar year. Currently, airlines request slots from the airport slot management team at no cost to the airline, a system which favours established airlines that have met the 80/20 rule. But a key criticism of this proposal is that the cost of purchasing slots <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-21/airlines-qantas-virgin-slot-hoarding-solving-problems/103110390">would be passed down</a> to the flying public, likely resulting in higher airfares. Bidding for slots would also add new cost barriers to entry for would-be startup challengers. Another possibility is to look at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2019.0926">slot allocation based on fairness</a>, measuring an airline’s needs against airport infrastructure. Airlines that had historically used 80% of their allocated slots would be given priority bidding on up to 50% of the following year’s total airport slot allocation. The remaining 50% of slots could be prioritised for new airlines without an established history, with the goal of awarding them take off and landing times that aren’t necessarily premium, but close enough. Airlines that didn’t achieve this 80% target or were found to be abusing the slot hoarding rules would be removed from the top-tier fairness status and placed in a slot allocation “sin bin” until their performance measures were brought up to standards. Australia has challenges ahead for domestic flights that are already at capacity. Government reforms that provide better oversight of airport usage of the 80/20 rule could help mitigate the risk of anti-competitive behaviour. Australian airlines have the right to compete without feeling unfairly held back, and we as consumers have the right to reasonable airfares. <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/235960/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/doug-drury-1277871">Doug Drury</a>, Professor/Head of Aviation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/what-is-slot-hoarding-and-is-it-locking-out-regional-airlines-like-rex-235960">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Trouble

Shopping centre locked down after violent altercation

Two teenage boys have been arrested after a violent altercation broke out in South Australia's largest shopping centre. On Sunday afternoon, three boys allegedly confronted another group of teens at the Westfield Marion centre’s food court armed with “expandable batons”, with reports one of the boys was also armed with a knife. The violent altercation triggered Westfield’s emergency lockdown and evacuation procedures, with alarms blaring throughout the centre and major storefronts locking their doors to keep shoppers safe. Heavily armed specialist police officers stormed the centre in search of the teens, but they were unable to be found. Following hours of investigating, two boys, aged 15 and 16, were found, arrested and charged with assault, affray and aggravated robbery. The two teens will appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Monday afternoon, and police continue to search for any outstanding suspects. Assistant Commissioner Duval said police knew the identity of a third offender, and encouraged him to turn himself in. “His identity is known, and at some point we will catch up with him,” he told Today. Duval said police believe the boys knew each other and it was "not a random attack". He also confirmed that police had seized two expandable batons from the teens, explaining, "It's a baton that effectively expands, not dissimilar to what police would use." "Certainly the possession of them is very concerning, that formed part of the allegation of what these boys were charged with." Following the incident, a spokesperson for Westfield issued a statement saying the safety of customers, business partners and people is their "highest priority". Image credits: Nine News

Legal

First state to lock in Matilda's public holiday promise

New South Wales premier Chris Minns has backed Anthony Albanese's proposal to implement a public holiday if The Matildas win the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Prime Minister flagged the idea of a public holiday if the Australian women's team claim the victory, however, the actual decision for the day off will come down to each individual state. NSW Premier Chris Minns has thrown his support behind the idea, and has even put forward the idea of a "ticker tape parade" through the Sydney CBD. "If the Matildas win the semi-final and then win the World Cup final, then yes we will pursue a public holiday in NSW, not just to celebrate the victory but also to have a massive civic celebration and allow the Matildas to celebrate with the people of Sydney what will be an amazing, like, life-changing and unbelievable event in the state's history," Minns told 2GB's Ben Fordham on Monday morning. He said the government was currently working on "contingency plans" in the event of the Matilda's victory. Minns went on to say that any celebrations would happen the week of the winning game, and not the Monday after. Despite the surge of support for the Matildas throughout the tournament, some businesses have opposed the idea of a public holiday, saying they can't afford the expense. "If we did do it in Sydney for a big public holiday, and a massive ticker tape parade, can you imagine the kind of energy and economic excitement," Minns said. The Matildas will be taking on England in the semi-final game on Wednesday night, with the winner going into the final against either Spain or Sweden. Image credits: Getty Images

News

“I didn’t have a voice”: Natt Barr's frank question for Candice Warner

Candice Warner has spoken candidly of her experience following her 2007 bathroom ‘scandal’ with rugby’s Sonny Bill Williams, revealing the real reason she kept her silence for so long. It was during an interview on Sunrise with host Natalie Barr, where Candice was promoting her memoir Running Strong, that she faced another round of questioning over the 16-year-old incident. And it was one question in particular, from Natalie, that prompted the floodgates to open. “Did you think about coming out straight away and talking more about it?” Natalie asked. “This was 16 years ago,” Candice responded. “16 years ago, we lived in a society where we didn’t have the voice, women didn’t have the voice that we do now. I didn’t have the opportunity. “Back then, I was forced to apologise for - I was single - for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nowadays that just wouldn’t happen. “I didn’t have a voice back then, now I do, and our society has changed. “It still has a long way to go, but I feel like as a woman, I now have the confidence to be able to tell my side of the story and be heard.” The former ironwoman - who now dedicates her time to her family and her career with Triple M radio and Fox Sports - went on to explain that the reason she hasn’t previously opened up was because of her three daughters with husband David Warner. “In part it was for my three daughters,” she told Natalie, “who in time will be able to read the book, and I wanted them to get a better understanding of my story without any interference or judgement from outside.” Candice has offered a similar explanation in the past, after confronting abuse at the cricket in 2022. “A long time ago, when I was young, I got myself in a compromising position, which I regret,” she said during her appearance on SAS Australia. “It had a huge impact on my family. Huge. It was just a personal situation. Too many drinks. “Living with that and having to explain to my kids in the future is going to be very difficult. Especially when you’ve got three girls. “I remember sitting on the side of the street and not being able to take it anymore. “Yes, I’d made a mistake. But is that really worth, every single day, the media trying to drag me down? I don’t think so. “It’s not something I am proud of but it’s something I can never take back.” Images: Getty

Police smash window to rescue two toddlers left in locked car

NSW Police officers were forced to take drastic action in a hot northern Sydney carpark and smash a car’s windows to rescue the two young children trapped inside. The officers were alerted to the potential danger by concerned shoppers who believed they had spotted a child in the silver Honda. Upon arrival, however, the police, firefighters, and paramedics on scene were shocked to discover that there were actually two children trapped in there - one aged one, the other four. After first trying to unlock the car and proving “unsuccessful” in their efforts, as NSW Police later announced in a statement, officers were forced to break the vehicle’s window to get inside and access the children. The pair were reportedly in their carseats, waiting for their mother to return. She did - as police were already well into their rescue. "A woman returned to the vehicle a short time later and was spoken to by police," the statement by NSW Police read. "Inquiries continue." The entire incident was caught on camera and quickly uploaded to social media, with many strong opinions coming to the surface in the wake of the near miss. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Two young children have been freed from a locked car in a Sydney shopping centre carpark, with emergency services' rescue efforts captured on film | <a href="https://twitter.com/nswpolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nswpolice</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FRNSW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FRNSW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NRMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NRMA</a> <a href="https://t.co/L2Ha1EhipX">pic.twitter.com/L2Ha1EhipX</a> — 10 News First Sydney (@10NewsFirstSyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/10NewsFirstSyd/status/1630068785599184898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote> “The toddlers' mother reportedly returned to the car in a distressed state as the scene unfolded,” 10News tweeted. “Paramedics assessed the boy and girl at the scene, with neither requiring significant medical attention.” “Hopefully she was charged,” replied one woman. “Why are parents still doing this?” questioned another. And while many called for the mother to be charged for her actions, some were not so quick to condemn her, instead suggesting that the situation was blown out of proportion. “In a ventilated garage ... not in the open sun. Turns out the kids were fine ... if not traumatised by the police actions that saw windows being smashed and glass splinters flying everywhere,” complained one. “Nothing like an overreaction on a slow news day!” “Underground carpark, 26 deg (max) outside, no treatment required,” agreed another. “Yeah, not ideal but really no danger, yeah? Couldn't the NRMA guy get in less dramatically?” While the act may seem unnecessary to some, after the recent tragedy that saw a three-year-old boy lose his life when left inside a blisteringly hot car, to many it was the right move to prioritise the children. Of the latest incident, NRMA’s Peter Khoury told Yahoo News Australia about the number of children being left in cars, and how they consider it to be “alarming”. "January this year we rescued 213 children, it was the highest month in five years," he explained. "And 2022 was the highest in 10 years considering both children and pets [4267]." "The overwhelming majority of those cases are accidental where people lock their keys in the car with their child and call us frantically." He went on to explain that there are a few possible reasons for the increase in cases. One being that perhaps the Covid-19 pandemic had people preferring to keep children and pets in the car rather than risking exposure outside. And the other being the weather, with Khoury stating “we didn’t have a particularly hot 2022 and so because of that people thought 'well, it’s not hot, it's not an issue'. Whereas we tell people that regardless of the weather, it's not safe to leave children in vehicles.” Images: 7News

Legal

Locking up kids has serious mental health impacts and contributes to further reoffending

This article contains information on violence experienced by First Nations young people in the Australian carceral system. There are mentions of racist terms, and this piece also mentions self harm, trauma and suicide. The ABC Four Corners report “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-14/locking-up-kids:-australias-failure-to-protect/101652954" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Locking up Kids</a>” detailed the horrific conditions for young Aboriginal people in the juvenile justice system in Western Australia. The report was nothing new. In 2016, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-25/australias-shame-promo/7649462" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Four Corners</a> detailed the brutalisation of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory’s Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, in its episode “Australia’s Shame”. Also in 2016, <a href="https://www.amnesty.org.au/amnesty-international-welcomes-queensland-youth-detention-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amnesty International</a> detailed the abuse children were receiving in Queensland’s juvenile detention facilities. Children should be playing, swimming, running and exploring life. They do not belong behind bars. Yet, on any given day in 2020-21, an average of <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/youth-justice/youth-justice-in-australia-2020-21/contents/summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4,695</a> young people were incarcerated in Australia. Most of the young people incarcerated are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in WA making up just <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/youth-justice/youth-justice-in-australia-2020-21/contents/state-and-territory-fact-sheets/western-australia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">6.7%</a> of the population, they account for <a href="https://www.oics.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Banksia-Hill-2020-002.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 70%</a> of youth locked up in Perth’s Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre. <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/agispt.20211109056541" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The reasons</a> so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are detained are linked to the impacts of colonisation, such as intergenerational trauma, ongoing racism, discrimination, and unresolved issues related to self-determination. The Four Corners documentary alleged children in detention were exposed to abuse, torture, solitary confinement and other degrading treatment such as “folding”, which involves bending a person’s legs behind them before sitting on them – we saw a grown man sitting on a child’s legs in this way in the documentary. The documentary also found Aboriginal young people were more likely to be held in solitary confinement, leading to the young people feeling helpless. Racism was also used as a form of abuse, with security calling the young detainees apes and monkeys. One of the young men detained at Banksia Hill expressed the treatment he received made him consider taking his own life. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> No action taken against Don Dale guards over 'excessive force' in fresh Four Corners vision <a href="https://t.co/RdJgN8vQhu">https://t.co/RdJgN8vQhu</a> — Sarah Collard (@Sarah_Collard_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sarah_Collard_/status/1592451372808802305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote> How does incarceration impact young people’s mental health? Many young people enter youth detention with pre-existing neurocognitive impairments (such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-youth-with-foetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-need-indigenous-run-alternatives-to-prison-56615" target="_blank" rel="noopener">foetal alcohol spectrum disorder</a>), trauma, and poor mental health. More than <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10398560902948696" target="_blank" rel="noopener">80%</a> of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in a Queensland detention centre reported mental health problems. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that more than <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/youth-justice/young-people-in-child-protection/summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30%</a> of young people in detention were survivors of abuse or neglect. Rather than supporting the most vulnerable within our community, the Australian justice system is <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/agispt.20211109056541" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imprisoning traumatised</a> and often developmentally compromised young people. <a href="https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S027273581300010X?token=9CBCD682BF76BBE308B2073C2A3980D63745C157813CAC79F171AA4577C849EC40D0B848B6DB0D009AFACC05B8BC6185&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20221116031322" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> has shown pre-existing mental health problems are likely exacerbated by experiences during incarceration, such as isolation, boredom and victimisation. This inhumane treatment brings about retraumatisation of the effects of colonisation and racism, with feelings of <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/SCLSI/Youth_Justice_System/Submissions/Submission_44-Parkville_College.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hopelessness</a>, worthlessness and <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/report2/c06" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low self-esteem</a>. Youth detention is also associated with an <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/news-policy/news/detention-of-children-in-adult-prisons-must-stop#:%7E:text='Youth%20detention%20is%20associated%20with,substance%20use%2C%20and%20behavioural%20disorders." target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased risk</a> of suicide, psychiatric disorders, and drug and alcohol abuse. Locking young people up during their <a href="https://www.cypp.unsw.edu.au/sites/ypp.unsw.edu.au/files/Cunneen%20%282017%29%20Arguments%20for%20raising%20the%20minimum%20age%20of%20criminal%20responsibility.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crucial years</a> of development also has long-term impacts. These include poor emotional development, poor education outcomes, and worse mental health <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5260153/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in adulthood</a>. As adults, post-release Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-842X.2004.tb00629.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ten times</a> more likely to die than the general population, with suicide the leading cause of death. You don’t have to look far to see the devastating impacts of incarceration on mental health. Just last year, there were <a href="https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Hansard/hansard.nsf/0/A4A8FAAE33FDD6BE48258844001C7E29/$File/C41%20S1%2020220511%20All.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">320 reports</a> of self-harm at Banksia Hill, WA’s only youth detention centre. Locking up kids increases the likelihood of reoffending Imprisoning young offenders is also associated with future <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273581300010X?casa_token=TJ6WoQJnWnsAAAAA:NKTzeYv-LJcHuwT7Xs5fxeHUx9lHsKzVlQDpLpWPyG7u4KAXb1866s-sdupwbQmcbPR93qArg99O" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offending behaviours</a> and <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Committees_Exposed/atsia/sentencing/report/chapter2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued contact with the justice system</a>. Without proper rehabilitation and support post-release, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples often return to the same conditions that created the patterns of offending in the first place. Earlier this year, the head of Perth Children’s Court, Judge Hylton Quail <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-10/hylton-quail-slams-conditions-banksia-hill-detention-centre/100819262" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> the treatment of a young person in detention at Banksia Hill, stating: <blockquote> When you treat a damaged child like an animal, they will behave like an animal […] When you want to make a monster, this is how you do it. </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Today marks 5 years since the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Detention and Protection of Children in the NT, which recommended closing Don Dale. We now have record numbers of Aboriginal children incarcerated due to punitive bail laws introduced last year. <a href="https://t.co/buxMFFucW7">pic.twitter.com/buxMFFucW7</a> — NAAJA (@NAAJA_NT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NAAJA_NT/status/1593059263223844864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2022</a></blockquote> What needs to be done? There needs to be substantive change in how young people who come in contact with the justice system are treated. We need governments to commit, under <a href="https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/national-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Closing the Gap</a>, to whole-of-system change through: <ol> <li> recognising children should not be criminalised at ten years old. The <a href="https://raisetheage.org.au/campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Raise the Age</a> campaign is calling for the minimum age of responsibility to be raised to 14. Early prevention and intervention <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/agispt.20211109056541" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approaches</a> are necessary here. Children who are at risk of offending should be appropriately supported, to reduce pathways to offending. </li> <li> an approach addressing why young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are locked up in such great numbers is required, driven by respective First Nations communities. This means investing in housing, health, education, transport and other essential services and crucial aspects of a person’s life. An example of this is found in a pilot program in New South Wales called <a href="https://www.justreinvest.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JRNSW-I-Reinvestment-Forum-I-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Redefining Reinvestment</a>, which tackled the social determinants of incarceration using a community approach. </li> <li> future solutions must be trauma-informed and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. </li> </ol> Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are not born criminals. They are born into systems that fail them, in a country that all too often turns a blind eye before locking them up. The Australian government needs to work with First Nations communities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including our future generations. If this article has caused distress, please contact one of these helplines: <a href="https://www.13yarn.org.au/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsdKbBhDHARIsANJ6-jfrUNMB9So6Gd1ICVQPd6uvGbfEaceXNR0BNYnEVCoxnMs7eiMmv20aAjDaEALw_wcB">13yarn</a>, <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/">Lifeline</a>, <a href="https://headspace.org.au/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsdKbBhDHARIsANJ6-jdx8qmNF8hzPZNjURGbT9af0wT_xGUjDU26wX5Eftykygb35_OPLccaAp5uEALw_wcB">Headspace</a><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/194657/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Summer May Finlay, Ee Pin Chang, Jemma Collova and Pat Dudgeon. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/locking-up-kids-has-serious-mental-health-impacts-and-contributes-to-further-reoffending-194657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Mind

Coles "drops and locks" prices on popular products

Coles has announced they have "dropped and locked" the price on 150 products both in store and online until January 31st 2023. The supermarket giant says the initiative is a response to "cost of living pressures", which has seen the price of popular items reduced between 10 and 40 percent. Some of the most popular brands affected include Steggles, Kleenex, Golden Circle, Kellogg’s, Bulla, Pepsi, Masterfoods, Cadbury, Handee and Whiskas, as well as selected items from the Coles deli. Coles originally trialled the campaign in August, which "locked" the price of over 1,100 items in store and online. Coles Chief Executive of Commercial and Express Leah Weckert said Coles was committed to helping customers find key staple products that will be dropped and locked in price for a few months. “We know it’s been a really tough year for many of our customers and they are looking for prices they can rely on each time they shop to help their household budget go further,” Weckert said. “Our ‘locked’ campaign has been successful because customers can clearly identify products that won’t go up in price until at least the end of January 2023." “They’ll now be able to see where we can provide savings on products Aussies love and keep them locked." “As we get closer to Christmas, we want our customers to know that they can depend on Coles to bring them reliable value and great prices during the festive season.” Image credits: Shutterstock

Money & Banking

Toddler "traumatised" after being left locked in daycare

A mother went to collect her child from Kindcare Learning Center, north of Miami, to find her 2-year-old daughter locked inside alone at 6:30 pm on a Wednesday. After lights had been turned off and workers had left for the day, Stephanie Martinez reportedly saw her child peeking through the window of the locked childcare center. In a video recording of a 911 call Ms Martinez shared with NBC Miami, the room appears dark and Ms Martinez can be heard telling a dispatcher that she could see her daughter crying. “She was able to push a chair up to the door and call for my name, and that was the only reason I was able to see her, ” Ms Martinez said. Fire department workers pried open the door of the Sunrise Boulevard day care and found the girl in good health roughly 20 minutes later, according to the Plantation Police Department incident report. Ms Martinez shared that her daughter is “super traumatised.” Police later learned that the day care worker responsible for checking out children left at 6:20 pm and locked the doors. The police report does not say if criminal charges are expected and further investigations are being made by the local child protection agency. A spokesperson for KinderCare, which owns the facility, said in a statement that while the company was “thankful the child was quickly found and was safe, this incident should not have happened.” Image: NBC

Family & Pets

Teacher locks son with Covid in car boot

A Texas teacher has been arrested and charged with endangering a child after locking her Covid-positive son in the boot of her car in order to protect herself from exposure to the virus as they drove to a testing site. Sarah Beam, 41, was arrested after a witness called police and told them they heard someone in the vehicle’s trunk on January 3 at a testing site in Harris County, Texas. Beam reportedly opened the boot to reveal the 13-year-old boy lying inside. She explained that her son had tested positive for COVID-19 and that she was taking him to a testing site at Pridgeon Stadium for a second test to confirm the result. She reportedly said that she had placed her son in the boot as she did not want to be infected herself. A health worker told her that no test would be administered until the boy was allowed to sit in the back seat of the car. Ms Beam has been working as a teacher at Cypress Falls High School since 2011, but is now on administrative leave. CY-Fair ISD Police Department said in a statement, "CFPD was alerted that a child was in the trunk of a car at a drive-thru Covid-19 testing site earlier this week. Law enforcement conducted a full investigation, resulting in a warrant for arrest. Thankfully, the child was not harmed." Sergeant Richard Standifer, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told reporters that the boy could have been seriously injured if the vehicle had been involved in an accident. He added, "I have never heard of somebody being put in a trunk because they tested positive for anything.” Image: Silvia Bianchini

Travel Trouble

“Self-entitled morons”: Beach pic enrages locked down Sydney

As Greater Sydney and surrounding areas are currently in lockdown with intense restrictions, a photo of beachgoers enjoying the sunshine at Manly has angered many. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmanlyobserver%2Fposts%2F359306502506980&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="715" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe> Local community news site Manly Observer shared the photo on Facebook, which shows many ignoring social distancing as well as others in deep discussion. “Every day we’ve been sent photos of people clearly close (camera angles can be deceptive and exaggerate proximity, but it’s clear there are too many people not in well distanced pairs in most pics),” it wrote. “We have held off publishing them because we are trying to create unity not division and anger. “But this image, taken just this morning from a tradie securing his worksite as he is no longer able to work, is disappointing.” People were enraged by the photo. "These people are just stupid idiots. Not helping at all," a woman wrote. "This is not right," one person replied. “So sad and irresponsible,” one woman wrote. One woman couldn't hold her anger back and said they were "self-entitled morons". People in Sydney's southwest were especially furious as they remain monitored by police and are under intense restrictions from the NSW government, which include residents not being able to leave their suburbs unless they do essential work. Those that must leave have to undergo COVID-19 testing every three days. <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/this-is-not-right-alarming-sydney-image-prompts-anger-online-053321256.html">Yahoo News!</a> took matters into their own hands and contacted NSW Police about the photo to get a statement. NSW Police earlier said in a statement on Sunday it was continuing to undertake "high visibility patrols to ensure the community is educated and complies with the new requirements of the Public Health Order."

News

"He has never said his part": Candice gets candid on cheating scandal

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Candice Warner has revealed that her husband, Aussie cricket star David Warner, has more to say than he's letting on about the infamous ball-tampering scandal of 2018. She also implied that fans don't know the whole story as he's been keeping parts of it private. Warner and then-captain Steve Smith were banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months and batsman Cameron Bancroft was given a 9-month suspension after the trio were found to be using sandpaper to alter the state of the cricket ball during a Test match in South Africa. Warner, in particular, was crucified for his role in the scandal, as he was identified as the ring leader and encouraged the youngsters to cheat. Candice spoke about the scandal on Channel 7's SAS Australia and hinted there was more to the story. Asked if Warner had tampered with the ball, Candice said: “No. That’s other people’s opinion. He has never said his part.” “Too many people I feel are quick to make a judgment or opinions on myself or my family,” she added. “The media make us out to be people that we’re not — bad people, bad parents.” <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/tv/CGzUx8PDCjd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGzUx8PDCjd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">For Recruit #2 Candice Warner, it's all about making her family proud. #SASAustralia</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/sasaust7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> SAS Australia on 7</a> (@sasaust7) on Oct 26, 2020 at 2:37am PDT </div> </blockquote> Candice also opened up about how she was mocked by cricket fans who were wearing Sonny Bill Williams face masks, a cruel reference to her tryst with the footy star in a hotel 13 years ago. “There were incidents in South Africa where people were trying to make fun of me, mock me. Belittle me in front of my family,” she said. “Because of an incident that happened in the past. And they think it’s funny.” David Warner has refused to open up publicly about the incident, but his manager James Erskine <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/he-has-never-said-his-part-candice-warner-on-ball-tampering-crisis-20201026-p568n0.html" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">said</a> that his client "will write a book" when the time is right. </div> </div> </div>

“Can you call my mum?” Teen's terrified phone calls after fatal stabbing finally revealed

A teenage boy’s desperate Triple Zero call has been revealed after a coronial inquest into the fatal stabbing of two men who raided a 19-year-old’s Queensland home. As part of a Cairns inquest, the calls were played as evidence. They reveal the horrific details surrounding after a then-19-year-old Dean Webber opened his door to help 29-year-old Candice Locke, who had told him she was trying to escape a group of men. It was the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final that Sydney Roosters just beaten the Melbourne Storm when a small part in Alva Beach in North Queensland went devastatingly wrong. The two men who died outside Mr Webber's home were Tom Davy and Corey Christensen. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838253/police-call-teen-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/13974151e5e84602a1ee734284ab05e2" /> Mr Christensen and Mr Davy had been drinking with Ms Locke at a party down the road before the incident occurred. Mr Webber has never been charged by police over their deaths. He told authorities he fought the men off in self-defence with a kitchen knife. He did so in a bid to protect Ms Locke who had fallen from a beach buggy and injured her shoulder before she knocked on the teenager’s door. Mr Webber took her in and locked the door but says that Ms Locke's boyfriend Mr Davy, 27, and Mr Christensen, 37, ripped the sliding door off its tracks to get in. Mr Webber can be heard crying in the devastating phone call, asking for his mum while he told the operator: "I need police right now. I've just stabbed a bloke that broke into my house". "Broke into my house… there's blood everywhere. I think I've killed him," he said. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838252/police-call-teen-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fe2dfaa2c3894bc4bb28fe16f6f39516" /> "Were gonna kill me, I didn't want to do it. "They ripped the door off." Mr Webber told the operator he was thrown to the ground which is when he started stabbing. "I've got an injured lady with me they tried, they physically assaulted her and (indistinct) assaulted me," Mr Webber told the operator. "I just, he, he grabbed me arm and it was in me left, I had it in me left arm and I tried anything I could to protect myself because he was gonna kill me. "I don't know how I'm still alive to be honest." After the struggle with Mr Webber, both Mr Christensen and Mr Davy staggered outside onto the street. 20 minutes went by before police arrived on the scene. "Can you call my mum? I know it's stupid," Mr Webber could be heard saying. "You can get some extra police like a police person physically talking to me? Then I'll feel safe, I'll feel safe to hang up." <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838254/police-call-teen.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f874d38ded994f48adce3e425396d629" /> On the call Ms Locke can be heard explaining the pain in her shoulder while defending Mr Webber's actions. "He needs help Dean as well he's a mess, and Dean didn't do anything wrong," Ms Locke said. Dean protected me." The operator went on to ask the pair to turn on the lights after sitting in complete darkness the entirety of the ordeal. Mr Webber and Ms Locke can be heard becoming hysterical after seeing the distressing scene before them. "Oh my god that was such a bad decision," Mr Webber said. It is noted police did not immediately enter the property but instead dealt with the bloody situation outside. Mr Webber and Ms Locke can be heard on the call comforting one another. "Candice if you don't see me again after this, I'm just glad I could help," Mr Webber said. "No, you're not going anywhere you helped me and that will f----- stand," Ms Locke said. When the police finally got to the door, the operator told Mr Webber not to move and to do what the police said. "Yep, I'm in handcuffs it's all good," he said.

Legal

Pete Helliar and Steve Price locked in bitter clash over lockdown laws

<div class="body_text "> The Project hosts have been clashing after an intense discussion over Melbourne's lockdown laws. The discussion came after co-host Carrie Bickmore read out an article around coronavirus fines in Melbourne for excess guests. “Ten parties (in Melbourne) over the weekend; one of them had 40 people. Now, 40’s obviously over the top, but would you dob in someone who had half a dozen people over at their house for a barbecue?” asked Price. Helliar’s response was immediate: “I wouldn’t think twice about it.” “Really? You’re a dobber? You’re a dobber. It’s unAustralian, Peter,” Price pushed. “Mate, I don’t care. That’s bulls**t,” Helliar shot back, as Price repeated his “unAustralian” claim. “You can say it again if you want – I’ll say the same thing,” Helliar continued. “Haven’t you been paying attention to what we’ve all been going through? We’re so close to the end. The fact that 40 people are like-minded enough to think that it’s OK to have a party is ridiculous.” Bickmore had advice for Price, with her suggesting that he sits in a park if he wants a small gathering. “Well what’s the difference between sitting in a park or sitting in my backyard?” “Because that’s what you’re allowed to do!” said an exasperated Bickmore. Host Waleed Aly took control and asked if Price was planning to host an illegal house party. “Yes! I am! Yes! … Let me be clear, I’m not encouraging people to break the law. I’m saying, don’t dob them in.” Fans of the show didn't agree with him. <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/RichardTuffin/status/1310501560523214850" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/RichardTuffin/status/1310501560523214850</a> <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/Dicentraspect/status/1310553805906345984" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Dicentraspect/status/1310553805906345984</a> <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/christine_w86/status/1310501504806129664" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/christine_w86/status/1310501504806129664</a> </div>

News

Dad of children locked in hot truck freed from jail

<div class="body_text "> An Oklahoma father who was accused of the deaths of his young son and daughter after they spent 5 hours in a hot truck has been released after surveillance footage showed that the children climbed into the truck on their own. Dustin Dennis, 31, was released after investigators reviewed a neighbour’s surveillance camera footage that showed his four-year-old daughter Tegan and three-year-old son Ryan getting into the truck but not coming out. No formal charges have been filed, but Dennis was arrested on Saturday on two second-degree murder warrants. Dennis explained to police that he took his children to a QuikTrip store around noon and he went inside and fell asleep for four or five hours. He then told police that after waking up, he was unable to find his children and had found the pair on the floorboard of the truck. He quickly called 911 and moved the children into the living room of the family home before paramedics arrived and pronounced the children dead. “Video surveillance footage from a neighbour’s home confirmed that the children managed to get into the truck and tragically never got out,” the Tulsa District Attorney's Office said on Monday. “It is always important to note that our Constitution guarantees the presumption of innocence for any person accused of or arrested for a crime,” the DA statement added. “That presumption of innocence remains until and unless a judge or jury determines otherwise.” Tragically, Dennis had posted a sweet Facebook status explaining his love for his children a few days before the accident. “2 in the morning up watching my kids sleep, I can’t believe they’re mine, I love them so much and nobody in this world could ever make me feel as loved as they do. The other day I was so depressed because I just missed them, and I got to thinking of when they get older and become adults,” he wrote. “If you don’t have kids you may not understand this but that is the scariest but most amazing thing to think of, watching them become their own person and seeing what they will experience and achieve. He added: “I hope our bond only grows stronger, I hope they always want to call me or see me just to talk or ask for advice. I can’t imagine this world without them.” Photo credits: <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8427761/Tulsa-dad-released-jail-video-shows-kids-climbed-hot-truck-dying.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a> </div>

News

Malnourished teens found locked up in Brisbane home

Two teenage boys with autism were found malnourished and naked in a Brisbane home where police found a man dead. Police had been responding to the discovery of a 49-year-old man’s body in the front yard of a Stafford property on Wednesday morning when they found the teenagers, aged 17 and 19, after hearing sounds from a locked bedroom. The 49-year-old man, whose death is not being treated as suspicious, was understood to be the father of the pair. Neighbours said the boys had been living in squalid conditions. Photos and footage obtained by the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-28/department-of-child-safety-notified-brisbane-teens-locked-house/12297766">ABC</a> dating back to October 2018 show the teenagers wearing only nappies in a room with smeared excrement on the walls and the floor. A neighbour said she contacted the Department of Child Safety in February but was told there was nothing they could do. She said her family had witnessed the man’s “disgusting” mistreatment of the boys over the past 18 months and recalled seeing the teenagers being locked outside “in nothing but a nappy”. “I rang [the department] because to me, I couldn’t believe how hot it was, that you would leave a child outside,” she told the ABC. “[The department] basically said because they technically have shade, and they technically are in an enclosed yard, there’s nothing that they can do, which doesn't sit well with me being a mum. “They didn’t even ask me for the address.” Another neighbour said it was “extremely difficult to see it, hear it, know it all the time and not being able to do anything about it and to try and get things done about it … but just not being heard by people who could change it.” A Queensland Ambulance spokesman said the teenagers were being treated at Prince Charles hospital. Queensland’s minister for child safety Di Farmer said her “thoughts are with these two young men who are getting the support and care they need”. The Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women said it could not confirm whether they were investigating the situation. “The strict provisions of [the Child Protection Act] make it illegal to disclose publicly whether an individual or family is known or not known to the department,” it said.

News

Why the COVID lock-down is clearly worth the cost

Will the number of lives saved as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions be outweighed by the deaths from an economic recession? This is a vital question to answer for governments responding to the current global tragedy. Without <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23812346.2020.1741940">numbers</a>, there’s no obvious way of working out whether the economic impacts of the lock-down could be more harmful than the virus. With health economics consultant <a href="http://paxtonpartners.com.au/who-we-are">Daniel West</a>, I have attempted to estimate the numbers involved in Australia. In order to provide a strong challenge to the status quo of lock-down the estimates we have used for increased deaths from a lockdown-induced recession are at the high end of the likely scale. The estimates we have used for deaths from COVID19 if the lockdown ends are at the low end. Our analysis suggests that continuing strict restrictions in order to eradicate COVID-19 is likely to lead to eight times fewer total deaths than an immediate return to life as normal. Lives the lock-down could cost The most obvious deaths likely to follow from a lock-down-induced recession are suicides. Studies in 26 European countries over four decades suggest that increases in unemployment of more than 3% are associated with increases in suicides by <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1016.4083&rep=rep1&type=pdf">4.45%</a>. A similar relationship was found <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hec.3495">in Australia</a> during the global financial crisis. The projections for increases in unemployment if the lock-down continues are grim, some pointing to an unemployment rate of up to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-15/how-coronavirus-crisis-compares-to-1990s-recession-australia/12148020">15%</a> which might not return to normal for up to a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-16/coronavirus-economic-impact-could-take-decade-to-recover-from/12058706">decade</a>. To account for the prospect that the coming recession will be more severe than most, we have used double the highest European estimate of the relationship between increased unemployment and suicide. This estimate suggests that an increase in the unemployment rate to 15% followed by a gradual decline over ten years would produce a distressing 2,761 extra deaths due to suicide. Loneliness takes lives too Continued restrictions could also significantly increase <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340487993_Increased_Risk_of_Suicide_Due_to_Economic_and_Social_Impacts_of_Social_Distancing_Measures_to_Address_the_Covid-19_Pandemic_A_Forecast">loneliness</a>, which, for those who are lonely, can increase deaths from all-causes by between <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?type=printable&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0190033">15%</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691614568352">29%</a>. Research suggests that quarantine can increase the number of people showing psychological distress by about <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30460-8/fulltext">20%</a>, an estimate we have used as a proxy for the effect of loneliness, even though the lock-down restrictions are less severe than quarantine. This points to an additional 4,015 deaths associated with loneliness from a lock-down of six months. Although it would be reasonable to assume that a recession would increase the number of deaths from other causes, studies show this isn’t the case. Research into “all-cause mortality” consistently shows <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953617304495">declines in deaths</a> during recessions, due in part to a reduced number of heart attacks. The current lock-down might also increase deaths in specific ways, such as deaths from alcohol abuse. On the other hand, if hospitals are overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases, deaths from non-COVID-19 injuries and illnesses will increase as people cannot access health care. Because we have no data on these offsetting possibilities, we have assumed they are roughly matched in size. It is also worth noting that although we assume lock-down restrictions will hurt our economy more severely, cities that implemented more severe restrictions during the 1918 Spanish flu had economies that bounced back faster after the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3561560">pandemic</a>. Lives the lock-down might save We have estimated the number of deaths from COVID-19, suicide and loneliness under three different scenarios <ul> <li> an immediate return to life as normal, while still quarantining suspected cases </li> <li> an easing of restrictions that allows the virus to slowly spread in order to achieve so-called herd immunity </li> <li> the maintenance of restrictions until the virus is contained, followed by extensive tracking and tracing aimed at eliminating the virus </li> </ul> Scenario 1. Return to normal <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333315/original/file-20200507-49579-1fjeiob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333315/original/file-20200507-49579-1fjeiob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> With no lock-down measures other than the quarantine of suspected cases, the government believes <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/covid19-icu-modelling-summary.pdf">68%</a> of people would contract the virus. Our estimates suggest this would result in more than 287,000 deaths from COVID-19 as the health system could not cope with the volume. We assume this would produce a recession lasting five years instead of ten, with 10% initial unemployment and an associated 753 extra deaths from suicide. Scenario 2. Herd immunity <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333026/original/file-20200506-49569-3hqr0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333026/original/file-20200506-49569-3hqr0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> The government says that to achieve herd immunity, about <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/deputy-chief-medical-officer-interview-on-sky-news-on-9-april">60%</a> of people would need to eventually contract the virus. If it is done slowly, intensive care units will not be overwhelmed, keeping the death rate per infection low. Our estimates suggest the strategy would lead to 141,000 deaths from COVID-19. We assume this would result in a deep recession of ten years with 15% initial unemployment and an associated 4,015 deaths from loneliness and 2,761 deaths from suicide. Scenario 3. Eradication <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333027/original/file-20200506-49556-dmbnk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333027/original/file-20200506-49556-dmbnk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Under the eradication scenario, <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/covid19-icu-modelling-summary.pdf">11.6%</a> of people would be expected to contract the virus, resulting in 27,000 deaths from COVID-19. As with the herd immunity strategy, we have assumed a deep recession over ten years with 15% initial unemployment and an associated 4,015 deaths from loneliness and 2,761 from suicide. Note that given Australia’s current success, it is very possible that with continued prudent restrictions, the number of deaths due to COVID19 will be well below 27,000. The calculus of death Regardless of the strategy, the estimated number of deaths from COVID-19 far exceeds the estimated number of deaths from suicide and loneliness. Despite assuming that an immediate return to life as normal would prevent all further deaths from loneliness and 70% of deaths from the increased suicide rate associated with high unemployment, the life as normal scenario is predicted to result in by far the highest overall number of deaths: 288,000. This is almost twice the number of deaths predicted for the herd immunity scenario (148,000) and more than eight times as many as eradication (34,000). The <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/suicides-toll-far-higher-than-coronavirus/news-story/25a686904b67bdedbdcd544b1cab7f96">Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney</a> has reported larger estimates for suicides from increased unemployment: an extra 750 to 1,500 suicides per year for five years. The top end of this range projects an extra 7,500 suicides, almost three times our estimate. Even using this higher estimate, the number of lives that would be lost from COVID-19 without lock-down measures would dwarf the number of extra suicides. People are understandably concerned about what the lock-down will do to their jobs, businesses and investments. That damage extends beyond lives lost. The lives that will be lost are important. The implementation of preventative measures will be vital to reduce the risk of suicide. Yet our calculations clearly suggest that, when it comes to human lives, far fewer will be lost by continuing restrictions than would be lost by ending them now. <hr /> If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. This article was produced in collaboration with Daniel West. An extended version can be found <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZhF9T12ZgqSbxdtp6o9aF8pddKl4HLOt/view?usp=sharing">here</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137716/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neil-bailey-135535">Neil Bailey</a>, Research Fellow at the Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> 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/the-calculus-of-death-shows-the-covid-lock-down-is-clearly-worth-the-cost-137716">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

Royal lock-out: Embarrassing blunder leaves Queen waiting

Queen Elizabeth has undergone an embarrassing security blunder after being locked outside the gates of her home. The monarch and her security team were unable to enter the Windsor Castle premises in two Range Rovers on Thursday afternoon. The rare blunder occurred while Her Majesty was sat wearing a headscarf sitting in the backseat, while she and her team were left waiting outside the Nelson’s Gate entrance. Reports say a member of staff forget to let her inside. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835020/queen.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/dbaf58b0dc7740caa4f521851cec08b6" /> Pictures taken of the royal mistake show a female bodyguard attempting to open the heavy wooden gate blocking their entrance. The error was made apparent when the two vehicles performed a U-turn and drove through a remote-controlled gate in a second approach. The Windsor Estate is the Queen's favourite residence and she usually arrives there on Thursday afternoons and leaves again on Tuesday. One onlooker told the Daily Mail they had "never seen anything like it in 30 years". "I'm not sure if someone was sleeping on the job or simply that they were not expecting her, but it's unheard of," the source said. "And it's not often you get to see a queen locked out of her own castle."

Travel Trouble

Brave Australian woman who helped lock Rolf Harris behind bars goes public: "Bad day with a dirty old man"

An Australian woman has bravely unveiled her mask of anonymity to tell the harrowing story of her own molestation by disgraced entertainer, Rolf Harris. Suzi Dent was an anonymous character witness who testified in Harris’ trial in the UK. She aided in putting him behind bars after he was charged with 12 counts of indecent assault of girls and a young woman between 1968 and 1986. Ms Dent told ABC’s 7.30 she was just 24 when she met Rolf as a make-up artist after being offered the opportunity to work at a Channel 7 studio. While she said she was “very excited” to meet the TV star back in 1986, she now looks back at that “bad day with a dirty old man,” with no fondness. “I had an all-day groping experience with a man who couldn't keep his hands off me,” she said. “As soon as he sat in my make-up chair - I was wearing baggy pants at the time, baggy shorts - he'd run both hands up my legs all the way up my shorts right up to my thighs. “He would grab the leather belt and pull me towards him so he could crotch-grind, which never quite happened, but he certainly tried.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BqQdBzXFTFi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BqQdBzXFTFi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by TV SHOWS THAT SHOULDNT HAPPEN (@tv_trauma)</a> on Nov 16, 2018 at 1:56pm PST </div> </blockquote> The situation caused her to freeze up. “I didn't jump or move or anything like that, because it's my job as a make-up artist to not upset the talent,” she explained. “So if I had said something to him or, you know, slapped his hand away - which I might add is not what we did in 1986 - it was not acceptable behaviour for women to stand up for themselves like that, they had to cop it on the chin and grin and bear it and be polite.” Ms Dent further explained the actor had made “disgusting” comments about her legs and body, making her feel like a “piece of meat.” “I had a rip in my shorts, and he was trying to stick his fingers in there. I'd slap his hand away like he was a naughty boy,” she said. “No one did anything to stop him, and I couldn't fight back because the number one rule back then – and now - was you never upset the talent. “I had to be a good little girl, and it was the mentality that boys will be boys.” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.8877551020408px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7832625/abc-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/53232819fd0144ccb5851be6c11e00a5" /> Ms Dent as a young woman Despite confiding in a colleague for comfort and support, the former makeup artist was shocked by their response. “She said to me, much to my surprise, ''Oh, I thought you knew that - his nickname's The Octopus'',” Ms Dent recalled. “He does that sort of thing all the time to make-up artists and he doesn't keep his hands to himself. He's like an octopus but because he puts his hands everywhere.” Ms Dent says that when the day of horror was over for her, it was her job to remove all makeup from Harris’ face. “There was absolutely no way I was going back into the makeup room by myself. I felt unsafe. I knew I was putting myself at physical risk if I went into the room alone with him,” she said. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd-QvsnHh9I/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd-QvsnHh9I/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by sinti mosi 🎛 (@sintimosi)</a> on Jan 15, 2018 at 6:05am PST </div> </blockquote> “If he was going to behave like that in a room full of people, who knows what he would have done in a room with me alone. I was not stupid. “I decided to hide in a broom cupboard. I could see up the hallway, and I saw him standing there waiting for me. “Eventually the bosses came down and assumed I'd already left, so he was escorted out the door.' When Harris was charged for his crimes, it came as little to surprise to Ms. Dent, and immediately contacted British authorities to see how she could help to prosecute during the trial in the following year. “I didn't need to come forward for me, because it wasn't about me. I came forward to support the women who were little girls,” Ms Dent said. “'I came forward for the women who were little girls when they were molested by Rolf Harris. “All I had to do was tell the truth about a man who couldn't keep his hands off me, and what it was like and how he behaved.” “They were little girls and there were other things that he did that he shouldn't have done, physical things, invasive things, that is just line crossing.” Thanks to Ms Dent and other women’s accounts with similar experiences, Harris was found guilty on 12 counts of indecent assault, and was sentenced to five years and nine months in jail in 2014. “There are women from, I think, four or five different countries around the world who say that it did [happen] and we all had very similar stories,” she said. “I was thrilled. I was thrilled for the process. I was happy for his victims, that maybe they would get a little bit of closure now. And be happy that they came forward to tell their story.” Harris, now 89, was released on parole in May 2017 after three years behind bars. He now lives life as a recluse in Berkshire looking after his wife of 61 years, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

News

Woman, 83, locked in toilet for six days

A woman has been found after she was locked in her cramped toilet for six days. The police rescued the woman, where she was found alive but in very weak health at her home in Dinan, a town in north-western France’s Brittany region. The 83-year-old was unable to make any distress calls or signals from the room she was held prisoner in. However, thankfully the woman’s niece alerted police after she had not heard from her after a few days. A team of officers rushed her to the hospital and miraculously found the woman to be alive despite being severely malnourished and unwell. Law enforcement made an announcement via social media they had found the senior woman trapped in her home’s toilet. She had been stuck in there for six days, waiting for someone to come rescue her. Police said she is thankfully in recovery after being in a room which was “cramped”. It is unclear whether the toilet was fitted with a sink and how she managed to stay alive. The 83-year-old was in such a weakened state, firemen were called to carry her out of the building. She is now recovering from the horrific ordeal. The police said their intervention had been “providence”.

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