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Why do organisations still struggle to protect our data? We asked 50 professionals on the privacy front line

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-andrew-10314">Jane Andrew</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-penelope-bowyer-pont-1550191">Dr Penelope Bowyer-Pont</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/max-baker-25553">Max Baker</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>More of our personal data is now collected and stored online than ever before in history. The rise of data breaches should unsettle us all.</p> <p>At an individual level, data breaches can compromise our privacy, cause harm to our finances and mental health, and even enable identity theft.</p> <p>For organisations, the repercussions can be equally severe, often resulting in major financial losses and brand damage.</p> <p>Despite the increasing importance of protecting our personal information, doing so remains fraught with challenges.</p> <p>As part of a <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.25910/psq3-q365">comprehensive study</a> of data breach notification practices, we interviewed 50 senior personnel working in information security and privacy. Here’s what they told us about the multifaceted challenges they face.</p> <h2>What does the law actually say?</h2> <p>Data breaches occur whenever personal information is accessed or disclosed without authorisation, or even lost altogether. <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-20/optus-hack/104002682">Optus</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-09/medibank-data-release-dark-web-hackers/101632088">Medibank</a> and <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/canva-criticised-after-data-breach-exposed-139m-user-details-20190526-p51r8i">Canva</a> have all experienced high-profile incidents in recent years.</p> <p>Under Australia’s <a href="https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/cth/consol_act/pa1988108/">privacy laws</a>, organisations aren’t allowed to sweep major cyber attacks under the rug.</p> <p>They have to notify both the regulator – the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) – and any affected individuals of breaches that are likely to result in “<a href="https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/cth/consol_act/pa1988108/#:%7E:text=Whether%20access%20or%20disclosure%20would%20be%20likely%2C%20or%20would%20not%20be%20likely%2C%20to%20result%20in%20serious%20harm%2D%2Drelevant%20matters%20%C2%A0">serious harm</a>”.</p> <p>But according to the organisational leaders we interviewed, this poses a tricky question. How do you define serious harm?</p> <p>Interpretations of what “serious harm” actually means – and how likely it is to occur – vary significantly. This inconsistency can make it impossible to predict the specific impact of a data breach on an individual.</p> <p>Victims of domestic violence, for example, may be at increased risk when personal information is exposed, creating harms that are difficult to foresee or mitigate.</p> <h2>Enforcing the rules</h2> <p>Interviewees also had concerns about how well the regulator could provide guidance and enforce data protection measures.</p> <p>Many expressed a belief the OAIC is underfunded and lacks the authority to impose and enforce fines properly. The consensus was that the challenge of protecting our data has now outgrown the power and resources of the regulator.</p> <p>As one chief information security officer at a publicly listed company put it:</p> <blockquote> <p>What’s the point of having speeding signs and cameras if you don’t give anyone a ticket?</p> </blockquote> <p>A lack of enforcement can undermine the incentive for organisations to invest in robust data protection.</p> <h2>Only the tip of the iceberg</h2> <p>Data breaches are also underreported, particularly in the corporate sector.</p> <p>One senior cybersecurity consultant from a major multinational company told us there is a strong incentive for companies to minimise or cover up breaches, to avoid embarrassment.</p> <p>This culture means many breaches that should be reported simply aren’t. One senior public servant estimated only about 10% of reportable breaches end up actually being disclosed.</p> <p>Without this basic transparency, the regulator and affected individuals can’t take necessary steps to protect themselves.</p> <h2>Third-party breaches</h2> <p>Sometimes, when we give our personal information to one organisation, it can end up in the hands of another one we might not expect. This is because key tasks – especially managing databases – are often outsourced to third parties.</p> <p>Outsourcing tasks might be a more efficient option for an organisation, but it can make protecting personal data even more complicated.</p> <p>Interviewees told us breaches were more likely when engaging third-party providers, because it limited the control they had over security measures.</p> <p>Between July and December 2023 in Australia, there was an increase of <a href="https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/notifiable-data-breaches/notifiable-data-breaches-publications/notifiable-data-breaches-report-july-to-december-2023">more than 300%</a> in third-party data breaches compared to the six months prior.</p> <p>There have been some highly publicised examples.</p> <p>In May this year, many Clubs NSW customers had their personal information potentially <a href="https://www.rimpa.com.au/resource/more-than-a-million-australian-data-records-potentially-exposed-in-nsw-club-and-pub-data-breach.html#:%7E:text=Outabox%2C%20the%20IT%20services%20provider,and%20has%20notified%20law%20enforcement">breached</a> through an attack on third-party software provider Outabox.</p> <p>Bunnings suffered a <a href="https://australiancybersecuritymagazine.com.au/bunnings-customer-data-compromised/">similar breach</a> in late 2021, via an attack on scheduling software provider FlexBooker.</p> <h2>Getting the basics right</h2> <p>Some organisations are still struggling with the basics. Our research found many data breaches occur because outdated or “legacy” data systems are still in use.</p> <p>These systems are old or inactive databases, often containing huge amounts of personal information about all the individuals who’ve previously interacted with them.</p> <p>Organisations tend to hold onto personal data longer than is legally required. This can come down to confusion about data-retention requirements, but also the high cost and complexity of safely decommissioning old systems.</p> <p>One chief privacy officer of a large financial services institution told us:</p> <blockquote> <p>In an organisation like ours where we have over 2,000 legacy systems […] the systems don’t speak to each other. They don’t come with big red delete buttons.</p> </blockquote> <p>Other interviewees flagged that risky data testing practices are widespread.</p> <p>Software developers and tech teams often use “production data” – real customer data – to test new products. This is often quicker and cheaper than creating test datasets.</p> <p>However, this practice exposes real customer information to insecure testing environments, making it more vulnerable. A senior cybersecurity specialist told us:</p> <blockquote> <p>I’ve seen it so much in every industry […] It’s literally live, real information going into systems that are not live and real and have low security.</p> </blockquote> <h2>What needs to be done?</h2> <p>Drawing insights from professionals at the coalface, our study highlights just how complex data protection has become in Australia, and how quickly the landscape is evolving.</p> <p>Addressing these issues will require a multi-pronged approach, including clearer legislative guidelines, better enforcement, greater transparency and robust security practices for the use of third-party providers.</p> <p>As the digital world continues to evolve, so too must our strategies for protecting ourselves and our data.<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/236681/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-andrew-10314">Jane Andrew</a>, Professor, Head of the Discipline of Accounting, Governance and Regulation, University of Sydney Business School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-penelope-bowyer-pont-1550191">Dr Penelope Bowyer-Pont</a>, Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/max-baker-25553">Max Baker</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-organisations-still-struggle-to-protect-our-data-we-asked-50-professionals-on-the-privacy-front-line-236681">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Legal

"Struggling": Sad update on Molly Meldrum's health

<p>A close friend of Molly Meldrum has shared a sad update on his health, after he failed to show up for a special <em>Countdown</em> event. </p> <p>With November 2024 marking 50 years since <em>Countdown</em> first aired, the Royal Australian Mint has launched a commemorative coin for the anniversary, holding an event in Melbourne in celebration. </p> <p>However, Meldrum was a no-show at the event, with former <em>Countdown</em> announcer and close from of Molly's Gavin Wood saying he has largely retreated from the public eye as he has struggled with declining health ever since he fell off a ladder in December 2011 which almost killed him. </p> <p>"The fall, it is all down to the fall, was a horrible thing to have happened," Wood told <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/molly-meldrum-health-update-as-50th-anniversary-of-iconic-tv-show-countdown-looms/news-story/ce8a356063c9cb3af4072f2a83d929ec" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">the<em> Herald Sun</em></a>.</p> <p>"He is 82 in January. He has been a public figure all his life and I think he is just enjoying a quieter life."</p> <p>"He is still Molly, still interested in music and still has it turned up to 11. He is still naughty, he has still got that spark that we love, but I think he is enjoying life being a normal person."</p> <p>Although Meldrum did not attend the coin launch, he did release a statement, sneaking in his famous catchphrase whenever he recommended an artist on <em>Countdown</em>. </p> <p>"I am left with such fond memories of those days and a show that will never be forgotten," Meldrum said.</p> <p>"We made a difference to the music industry in Australia and so I am thrilled to see commemorative coin being made."</p> <p>"Do yourself a favour and get one. Iconic <em>Countdown</em> lives on."</p> <p>Wood said that his former colleague Meldrum would be "chuffed" to see something "as beautiful and as imaginative" as the coins commemorating the show on the special anniversary.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

Nicole Kidman reveals her past struggles with bullying

<p>Nicole Kidman has revealed how before she was a household name and an award-winning performer, she was bullied and teased relentlessly through her childhood.</p> <p>The Aussie actress opened up about her struggles in the new documentary series, <span id="U8417448510243ZD"><em>In Vogue: The 90s</em> on Disney+, </span>which gives viewers an inside look at the fashion world during the decade of supermodels.</p> <p>The 57-year-old admitted that it wasn’t until the fashion world invited her into its inner-circle that she felt comfortable in her own skin due to being bullied throughout her childhood.</p> <p>“I mean, I was a red-headed, fair-skinned girl who was almost 5’11 at the age of 14,” she said.</p> <p>“I would get teased, and it wasn’t kind. So every time I was given access to that whole world, you feel like a little girl who’s been given the chance to step into this sort of fantasy world.”</p> <p>As Kidman rose to fame in the 90s, she was approached by legendary designer John Galliano, who wanted to dress her for the 1997 Oscars.</p> <p>Revealing what was going through her mind when the iconic designer reached out, Kidman delved into some of her struggles from her youth regarding her body image and what it meant to her to have a dress designed specifically for her.</p> <p>“Can you believe it?” Kidman rhetorically asked. “My whole life, I wanted to be 5’2” and curvaceous and suddenly, being 5’11 and completely sort of skinny and flat chested was like, ‘Great, we can dress you.’ ”</p> <p>“I grew up watching Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly — all these women whose style was created with the designers that they’re affiliated with,” Kidman continued, speaking of ushering in a new era in red carpet fashion.</p> <p>“They just loved fashion. So I remember thinking, but of course, this should be brought into Hollywood now, and we should be wearing the things that are made in these gorgeous little salons in Paris. Because that’s what they used to do, so why aren’t we still doing it?”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

The psychology of retirement: why do so many athletes struggle to call time?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-tillott-1462234">Sarah Tillott</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/diarmuid-hurley-1462235">Diarmuid Hurley</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p>Think back to when you met someone for the first time. One of the first questions you asked, or were asked, was likely: “what do you do for work?”</p> <p>It’s a polite, innocuous and socially ingrained way of getting to know more about a person. But it also demonstrates the central role of our professional lives as part of our personal identities.</p> <p>For professional athletes, their careers, exploits and recognition can become the defining aspect of their identity.</p> <p>So what happens when sporting careers end?</p> <p>The transition to retirement, across professions and countries, can be extremely tough to navigate.</p> <p>It can be especially difficult for elite sportspeople, who can experience retirement as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029221001679?casa_token=L4g3UTN8T78AAAAA:VHqcgJN7jIpW82cp32TXq9gIcKFzD2jtf6Jc_OX-3fjpHVnowlp0p8fcqE01BVF3Qjx0bmiRz4T1">loss of identity</a>, connected to their sense of achievement, meaning and control in life.</p> <h2>How retirement impacts athletes</h2> <p>A common saying with many sportspeople is “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jannfreed/2024/06/29/athletes-die-twice-retirement-as-a-death/">athletes die twice</a>” – once when they retire and again at their death.</p> <p>Former Wallaby Brendan Cannon <a href="https://www.impact.acu.edu.au/lifestyle/after-the-final-siren-helping-athletes-to-adapt-to-life-after-sport">has spoken of</a> this difficulty:</p> <blockquote> <p>[People] want to talk to you about what you used to be, and all you want to focus on is what you want to become.</p> </blockquote> <p>During the transition to retirement, elite athletes can be affected by how they got into their chosen sport, how long they stayed in the system and the variables that either accelerated or ended their careers.</p> <p>Other factors include whether they played a team or individual sport, male vs female pathways, whether their exit from sport was voluntary or involuntary and their age when retiring.</p> <p>My (Sarah) interviews with former professional athletes demonstrate the complexity of retiring from elite sport.</p> <p>To the public, William Zillman, former NRL star turned vet, seems to have it all together. But it didn’t come without hardship, pain and struggles in navigating the harsh terrain of retirement.</p> <p>When asked about his retirement, Zillman said: “[Being an NRL player was] all I knew.”</p> <blockquote> <p>I turned up to work each day, I was told what to do, how to do it and when to do it […] but when I left the system, I think I lost the ability to think for myself. I went from having all the help in the world to very little – it was tough.</p> </blockquote> <p>Retiring from high-performance sport can have profound effects on an athlete’s <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2020/10000/the_psychological_burden_of_retirement_from_sport.11.aspx/1000">physical and mental health</a>, as well as their social and professional development.</p> <p>While “regular people” usually retire in their 60s or 70s, an athlete’s retirement often occurs earlier, coinciding with crucial phases of career development and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10513329/">family planning</a>.</p> <p>Some have to adjust from being highly paid and highly managed to surviving on minimum wages with very little support.</p> <p>“It’s a recipe for disaster,” Ryan James, who considers himself one of the lucky ones, said.</p> <p>A former forward for the Gold Coast Titans, James has been working closely with the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) with the aim to address some of the complex issues with the transition experience.</p> <p>James knows only too well the struggles some people in the system face as their careers begin to wind down:</p> <blockquote> <p>Many of our players come into the system from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds and while we have made a start, there is more we can be doing. Financial literacy and management is just one avenue we need to tackle. I’ve known too many retired, vulnerable players who were homeless, sleeping in cars with their young families. It’s devastating.</p> </blockquote> <p>It took former English captain turned NRL superstar James Graham a good part of 18 months to re-configure his identity:</p> <blockquote> <p>You come out feeling so lost and alone. Most of your life is spent training, connecting with mates, having a lot of routine and structure to almost nothing. It’s strange and confronting.</p> </blockquote> <h2>What are the major codes doing?</h2> <p>Across various sporting codes there are programs that aim to assist athletes to prepare for retirement.</p> <p>For example, <a href="https://www.rlpa.com.au/past-player-and-transition-program">the RLPA has a program</a> to support athletes who are transitioning.</p> <p>Other major professional Australian codes have similar programs, including <a href="https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2021/10/Player-Retirement-Scheme_Booklet_A5_4.pdf">the AFL</a>, <a href="https://www.thepfa.com/players/union-support/pension-scheme">Professional Footballers Association</a> (soccer) and <a href="https://auscricket.com.au/programs-community/past-player-programs/">cricket</a>.</p> <p>However, whether or not athletes choose to participate in these programs is usually at the discretion of the players.</p> <h2>The importance of planning, preparation and support</h2> <p>One of the key factors influencing how an athlete transitions into life after sport is how much they have <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-just-retiring-athletes-who-need-mental-health-support-young-sportspeople-need-it-too-230296">prepared for it</a>.</p> <p>Research with elite athletes from <a href="https://elevateaus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-end-of-a-professional-sport-career-ensuring-a-positive-transition.pdf">the AFL, NRL and A-League</a> shows those who planned and prepared for life after sport and who had goals, direction and identities beyond sport, experienced more acceptance, autonomy (control) and optimism about the future.</p> <p>On the other hand, those who were unprepared or did not plan ahead experienced negative emotional and psychological states, and struggled to move on. This negative effect is even more pronounced for those who were forced to <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2020/10000/the_psychological_burden_of_retirement_from_sport.11.aspx/1000">end their career due to injury</a>.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="lQixA" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/lQixA/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <h2>How to improve the situation</h2> <p>A recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10513329/">scoping review</a> explored the notion of retirement for professional athletes and their ability to adapt to life after sport.</p> <p>It summarised many areas that need more attention:</p> <p><strong>Make athletes aware of what’s ahead</strong></p> <p>Expect that when you leave, it may be hard. Reach out to your club, coach and support services and surround yourself with people who you can talk to and who may be able to help.</p> <p>Athletes should expect that it will take time to adjust, and this adjustment period is crucial for mitigating the adverse effects of retirement. This adjustment period can also significantly reduce the initial negative impacts on their mental and physical health.</p> <p><strong>Tailored support programs</strong></p> <p>Developing tailored support programs that address the specific needs of different sports and athlete sub-groups can help mitigate the challenges associated with retirement.</p> <p>These programs might include career counselling, mental health support and opportunities for continuous involvement in the sports community.</p> <p><strong>A need for further research</strong></p> <p>There is a pressing need for more research to identify effective support mechanisms for retiring athletes. Understanding the types of support that facilitate a smoother transition can help in designing programs and interventions tailored to the unique needs of elite athletes.</p> <p>Additionally, mapping out the factors that aid or hinder the transition across different sports and athlete sub-groups would provide valuable insights.<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/234559/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-tillott-1462234">Sarah Tillott</a>, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/diarmuid-hurley-1462235">Diarmuid Hurley</a>, Lecturer, Faculty of Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-of-retirement-why-do-so-many-athletes-struggle-to-call-time-234559">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Retirement Life

Pauline Hanson's surprising act of kindness for struggling family

<p>Pauline Hanson has revealed a surprising act of kindness for a struggling Queensland family, who have been battling the private healthcare system. </p> <p>Nine year old Kadee Byrnes, from Yeppoon, about 740km north of Brisbane, has been on the public hospital waiting list for seven years waiting for the adenoid surgery she desperately needs.</p> <p>The surgery is a procedure to remove the adenoids, small tissue lumps in the nasal cavity, to address her chronic tonsillitis.</p> <p>While on the waitlist, Kadee had to repeat the fourth grade after missing so much school due to reoccurring infections. </p> <p>After hearing of Kadee's plight, the One Nation senator said she was "disgusted" the young girl had to wait so long for surgery and promised to cover the cost of her private treatment.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson has promised to cover the surgery costs for a nine year old Yeppoon girl, who has been on the public hospital waiting list for more than seven years. <a href="https://t.co/WbYeQT6ZHu">https://t.co/WbYeQT6ZHu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cpenny_6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CPenny_6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7NEWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7NEWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/AdToZNR6Ii">pic.twitter.com/AdToZNR6Ii</a></p> <p>— 7NEWS Central Queensland (@7NewsCQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/7NewsCQ/status/1817847532908912803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>"I'm grateful for the opportunity to help 9-year-old Kadee by covering the cost of her private treatment," Ms Hanson said on Tuesday.</p> <p>"It is unacceptable that young Kadee was told she would have to repeat Grade 4 due to missing so many school days because of tonsillitis."</p> <p>"Situations like this are sadly all too common and highlight the severe consequences of the Labor government's lack of investment in our public hospitals, especially outside South East Queensland."</p> <p>Senator Hanson broke the happy news to Kadee's mother, Kahlia, at a speaking event in Roslyn Bay.</p> <p>"Straight away, I said we're going to get this operation done. Kahlia you don't know, I'm paying for it, all right, I'm going to pay for it," Senator Hanson said. </p> <p>Kahlia said she was grateful for Senator Hanson's generosity and to see her daughter finally have a normal life. </p> <p>"I am very that it's going to end this way," Kahlia said. "She is finally going to have a surgery and she is finally going to be able to live a life as a normal nine year old."</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News </em></p> <p class="mol-para-with-font" style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; min-height: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; font-family: Inter, sans-serif;"> </p> <p> </p>

Caring

‘Screaming, chanting, struggling teenagers’: the enduring legacy of the Beatles tour of Australia, 60 years on

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-arrow-45">Michelle Arrow</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p>The Beatles began their first and only tour of Australia 60 years ago this week. It remains a landmark event in our social and cultural history.</p> <p>The Beatles spent almost three weeks in Australia and New Zealand. Touching down in a wet and cold Sydney on Thursday June 11 1964, they played 32 concerts in eight cities: first Adelaide (where drummer Ringo Starr, suffering from tonsillitis and pharyngitis, was replaced by Jimmie Nicol), then Melbourne (with Starr again), Sydney, Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and two final shows in Brisbane on June 29 and 30.</p> <p>Charming and irreverent as they were, The Beatles themselves were only part of the reason the tour was so memorable.</p> <p>It was the hordes of screaming fans who followed their every move that astonished onlookers.</p> <h2>The rise of Beatlemania</h2> <p>By 1964, Australian teenagers had access to a global youth culture. As the feminist author Anne Summers, then an Adelaide teenager, recalled in her memoir Ducks on the Pond: "It was rare for world-famous pop stars to come to Adelaide and unheard of for a group at the height of their celebrity."</p> <p>That Australian teenagers had the opportunity to see The Beatles in person in 1964 was due to a stroke of luck for tour promoter <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/brodziak-kenneth-leo-kenn-32165">Kenn Brodziak</a>. In late 1963, Brodziak secured the then up-and-coming Beatles for a three-week tour of Australia at a bargain rate.</p> <p>By the time the tour took place, the Beatles were the biggest band in the world.</p> <p>Their popularity had skyrocketed throughout 1964. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenWdylTtzs">I Want To Hold Your Hand</a> went to number one on the Australian charts in mid-January and the top six singles that year were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_top_25_singles_for_1964_in_Australia">all by The Beatles</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iUCl9FWLzgM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>So when the band arrived here, Beatlemania was the predictable result: crowds of surging, screaming young people, who turned out in massive numbers wherever the Beatles appeared.</p> <p>While the earliest rock ‘n’ roll fans (and even performers) in the late 1950s were often labelled <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/633/1/moore_keith.pdf">juvenile delinquents</a>, there were too many teenagers swept up in Beatlemania for them to be dismissed in the same way. The crowds became a spectacle in themselves.</p> <h2>‘A chanting mass of humanity’</h2> <p>Beatlemaniacs were loud and unruly. The Daily Telegraph reported: "50,000 screaming, chanting, struggling teenagers crowded outside Melbourne’s Southern Cross Hotel this afternoon to give the Beatles the wildest reception of their careers."</p> <p>It was a similar story in Adelaide. The Advertiser described: "police, their arms locked together and forming a tight circle around the car carrying the Beatles, had to force a path through the surging, screaming crowd […] Police said they had never seen anything like it."</p> <p>The crowds overwhelmed observers with their sheer size – a “solid, swaying, chanting mass of humanity”, according to The Age – and noise. The Daily Telegraph consulted an acoustics expert to conclude “Beatles fans scream like [a] jet in flight”.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2MOFBmxPUCs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Beatlemania was visible (and noisy) evidence of a growing teenage consumer market and the assimilation of rock music, dancing and youth culture into the leisure practices of middle-class youth. It was proof (if anyone still needed it) the youth market was highly developed and extremely lucrative.</p> <p>The speed with which companies found a ready audience for Beatles merchandise (wigs, souvenirs, magazines) demonstrated the relative affluence of the youthful consumer in mid-1960s Australia. This market would continue to grow throughout the decade.</p> <h2>A new idea of youth</h2> <p>Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of Beatlemania was its femaleness. While not all Beatles fans were girls, it was the crying, screaming girls who attracted the most media comment.</p> <p>The Daily Telegraph described them this way: "It was the girls, the nymphets of 1964 in their uniform of black slacks and duffle coats and purple sweaters – who showed the orgiastic devotion due to the young men from the damp and foggy dead end of England […] the girls wept, screamed, grimaced, fainted, fell over, threw things, stamped, jumped and shouted […] [The Beatles] were the high priests of pop culture, taking due homage from a captive, hypnotised hysterical congregation."</p> <p>The references to “nymphets” with their “orgiastic devotion” tells us many Australians thought these young women were transgressing the norms expected for their era. Young women in the early 1960s were still expected to be demure and responsible. Beatles fans were breaking these rules, and helping to rewrite the meanings of youth and gender in 1960s Australia.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wyrs5uR-nwc?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Beatlemania was an expression of female desire. The Beatles were powerful objects of fantasy for many fans in a world where sexual mores were slowly changing but where women were still expected to police male desire, stopping young men from “going too far”. A fantasy relationship with a Beatle became a way for young women to dream about their ideal relationship.</p> <p>Screaming, chasing a Beatle down the street: these were acts of rebellion and joy that prefigured the rise of women’s liberation, with its embrace of rebellious femininity.</p> <p>Beatlemania reminds us that, even if women were not always behind the microphone or playing the guitar, they have been important to the history of rock ‘n’ roll music as fans and audience members.</p> <p>Beatlemania marked the ascendancy of a new idea of youth: these young people weren’t mere replicas of their parents, but they were not juvenile delinquents, either. The Beatles tour drew young Australians more closely into a transnational youth culture, fostering the development of a distinctively Australian variant here.</p> <p>Beatlemania also demonstrated the massed power of youth. By the end of the 1960s, many Australian teenagers were gathering on the streets to protest, rather than celebrate, and to make political demands, rather than to scream.<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/227680/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-arrow-45"><em>Michelle Arrow</em></a><em>, Professor of History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Granger/Shutterstock Editorial</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/screaming-chanting-struggling-teenagers-the-enduring-legacy-of-the-beatles-tour-of-australia-60-years-on-227680">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Music

What just happened to Bonza? Why new budget airlines always struggle in Australia

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-douglas-2932">Ian Douglas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/seena-sarram-1469656">Seena Sarram</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p>The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/grounded-five-of-australias-biggest-airline-failures-20221216-h28pzn.html">littered with broken dreams</a>. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold.</p> <p>Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industry’s <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/bonza-flights-cancelled-as-aircraft-repossessed-20240430-p5fnjf">latest casualty</a>, entering voluntary administration on Tuesday after abruptly cancelling all flights.</p> <p>Losing the airline would be heartbreaking for the 24 regional Australian locations that were <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/domestic-airline-competition-report-february2024_0.pdf">not connected directly</a> by any other airline. It would also mean even less competition in a heavily concentrated domestic air travel market. Over 85% of routes are operated by just <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/domestic-airline-competition-report-february2024_0.pdf">three airline groups</a>.</p> <p>But Bonza hasn’t just fallen into this situation by chance. Strategic missteps likely played a key role from the very beginning.</p> <h2>What went wrong</h2> <p>First, running an airline is an expensive business – any cost savings airlines can find are extremely valuable.</p> <p>Bonza chose to enter the Australian market with a very small fleet of <a href="https://skybrary.aero/aircraft-family/b737-series">Boeing B737</a> jet aircraft. But these had no operating cost advantage over the B737s already flown by Qantas, Virgin and Rex. Bonza’s small fleet also lacked any scale advantage in scheduling aircraft or crew.</p> <p>Second, to sell tickets, Bonza adopted a radically different “<a href="https://flybonza.com/media/bonza-gets-wheels-up#:%7E:text=Bonza%20is%20the%20first%20airline,uniform%20including%20custom%20Bonza%20sneakers.">app first</a>” approach. The only place customers could search for and book tickets directly was the official Bonza app. But this meant potential customers using conventional search tools – such as search engines or booking websites – often couldn’t find Bonza flights.</p> <p>The fact Bonza <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/business/qld-business/gold-coast-airport-sweetheart-deals-raise-concern-for-bonza/news-story/5ecdfe749b7c8a636cfe740ee0359ba3">struggled</a> to gain traction on its routes to Gold Coast airport, which handles a sizeable 250,000 domestic passengers each month, underscores this issue with the company’s approach.</p> <p>And third, although it served a unique range of locations, Bonza’s flight schedule across its network was far from optimal. In some cases, routes were flown only <em>once weekly</em>, compared to much more frequent gateway city services on Rex and QantasLink.</p> <p>For European airlines like easyJet or Ryanair, less-than-daily flights to smaller tourist destinations might be viable. But these airlines have the scale and connectivity to offer customers alternative pathways across their networks. Unlike Bonza, small regional routes are not at the core of their business model.</p> <h2>Making an airline succeed</h2> <p>Bonza isn’t the first Australian budget carrier to fail, and likely won’t be the last. Why are so many new entrants doomed to fail?</p> <p>Making a jet airline succeed hinges on optimising three key factors – market scale, airport access, and geography. For would-be budget airlines, Australia offers a brutal starting ground on all three.</p> <p><strong>Market scale</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.icao.int/sustainability/Pages/Low-Cost-Carriers.aspx">Low-cost carrier</a> and ultra low-cost carrier airlines have successfully gained strong footholds in Europe, the US, and Southeast Asia. But these markets are orders of magnitude larger than Australia.</p> <p>The US, for example, offers airlines a market of <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/183600/population-of-metropolitan-areas-in-the-us/">large cities across a large area</a>. New York’s population is approaching 20 million, Chicago 9.6 million, Houston 7.1 million, and Miami 6.1 million.</p> <p>The population of the European Union is close to 450 million. And if you include the UK, there are over 30 cities in Europe with populations over 1 million. Australian carriers have only a handful of cities on that scale.</p> <p>Australia lacks both the population density of Europe, and the range of secondary airports that European low-cost carriers have leveraged to access nearby markets and to drive down operating costs.</p> <p>After more than a year of operation, Bonza had only achieved an overall market share of <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/domestic-airline-competition-report-february2024_0.pdf">about 2%</a>.</p> <p><strong>Airport access</strong></p> <p>Airport access is the next key barrier facing low-cost and ultra low-cost market entrants. The main routes between large Australian cities are all in a corridor along the east coast, and the largest flow into Sydney.</p> <p>Use of Sydney airport is heavily constrained, both by the incumbent operators who <a href="https://australianaviation.com.au/2023/07/sydney-slot-system-a-threat-to-bonza-owner-hints/">hold most of the slots</a>, and by regulations that artificially limit the flow of aircraft at peak times to just 80 movements (take-offs or landings) per hour.</p> <p>In contrast, London Heathrow, another constrained two-runway airport, delivers a capacity of <a href="https://www.caa.co.uk/media/dwfgyk53/estimating-the-congestion-premium-at-heathrow.pdf">88 movements per hour</a>.</p> <p>Completion of the new Western Sydney Airport will provide some relief from this capacity constraint. But it will not alter the fact Sydney Airport operates under an imposed constraint on operations.</p> <p><strong>Geography</strong></p> <p>Geography is the third constraint in Australia. Unlike Europe, the US, or Southeast Asia, most of our major cities are in a line on the east coast. There is no hub to connect our major cities with smaller regional points.</p> <p>Towns that are too distant for convenient rail or road links often have populations that are too small to support viable – let alone frequent – flights to the larger centres.</p> <p>Some regional routes are successfully serviced by small “<a href="https://nbaa.org/business-aviation/business-aircraft/turboprop-aircraft/">turboprop</a>” aircraft. Operating these incurs a higher cost per passenger than the passenger jets connecting the major cities. But it makes no sense to fly larger aircraft on these routes if the planes are half empty.</p> <h2>A big loss for regional Australia</h2> <p>The combination of Australia’s small population, the capacity constraints imposed on Sydney Airport, the presence of strong incumbent airlines, and our linear east coast market make new entry difficult.</p> <p>Virgin Blue occupied the space created by the collapse of Ansett. But Impulse, Tiger, Air Australia, Ozjet, and two versions of Compass were unsuccessful market entrants. Even Air New Zealand – which has the fleet, brand strength, and market access to support entering the market – chooses not to operate domestically in Australia.</p> <p>Understanding why new entrants fail offers little consolation to underserved regional towns in Australia. But given Bonza’s small footprint, capital city travellers looking for more competition on the major east coast routes will hardly notice a change.<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/228995/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-douglas-2932">Ian Douglas</a>, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation., <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/seena-sarram-1469656">Seena Sarram</a>, Lawyer and Casual Academic, UNSW School of Aviation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Bonza - PR Image</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-just-happened-to-bonza-why-new-budget-airlines-always-struggle-in-australia-228995">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

Restaurant's kind act for struggling Aussies

<p>As Aussies continue to adapt to the rising cost-of-living, one restaurant owner took it upon herself to give back to the "struggling" community. </p> <p>Aleeya Hamidan the owner of Manoosh & Co in Eagle Vale, southwest of Sydney, realised that a lot of people in the community are struggling to afford food.</p> <p>"Prices are going up in rent, and there are a lot of large families that live here as well. They don't have much spare money to go out and eat with their kids after school," she told <em>Yahoo News Australia</em>.</p> <p>So, she decided to implement a system where customers in need can get a free meal that has been paid for by other customers. </p> <p>The text: "Please take one if [you're] in need!! Already paid for from our beautiful customers" is written on a whiteboard, with six receipts containing various orders valued at around $10-$12 attached to it. </p> <p>Hamidan was the first to put up an order on the board a few weeks ago to encourage other customers to do the same, and the system has grown in popularity since. </p> <p>"One man came in a few weeks ago and took one of the free meals, but the following week when he did have money, he purchased one for someone else," she said. </p> <p>"We just didn't want it to be intimidating for people who can't afford our products.</p> <p>"It was just something we started doing for a little but have now continued to do. We've had such amazing feedback on it."</p> <p>The restaurant owner's kind deed was praised after local woman Amanda Mauga posted a picture of the board on social media. </p> <p>"If you are having a hard time and need a meal or coffee, go down to Manoosh Eagle Vale," she shared in a community Facebook page. </p> <p>"People buy food for people who need it. So if you're in need head down there, I have left you a coffee. Enjoy."</p> <p>Mauga said that she "felt inspired to help" after seeing the thoughtful gesture, and wanted to help those who were homeless and struggling in their community "in some small way". </p> <p>The post racked up thousands of likes and comments from people impressed by the "great initiative". </p> <p>"What a great idea! We need more like this. So many people are struggling, bravo," one wrote. </p> <p>"Well done folks... nice there are caring people around," another commented</p> <p>"What an amazing shop for even doing this," a third commented.</p> <p><em>Images: Manoosh & Co</em></p> <p> </p>

Domestic Travel

"It was a relief": Rebecca Gibney opens up on mental health struggles

<p>Rebecca Gibney has revealed what a "relief" it was to finally open up about the mental health struggles she faced from 14 to 30-years-old. </p> <p>The New Zealand actress, 58, said she spent a lot of that time "pretending" she was okay despite growing up around domestic violence, as her mother suffered from abuse in the hands of Gibney's late father, Austin. </p> <p>In an interview with <em>Stellar</em> on Saturday, the <em>Packed to the Rafters </em>star shared that she is "loving" how mental health is now being framed. </p> <p>“When I started talking about my mental health struggles and anxiety ... it was a relief,” she told the publication. </p> <p>“I could drop the mask of pretending that I was OK. What I’m loving seeing is that more and more people are now going, ‘I’m not OK’”.</p> <p>Gibney first opened up about her struggles in 2017, when she opened up about the abuse her mother faced and how she was “beaten so badly she had bruises for six months on her legs.</p> <p>“She’d always shut the doors ... you’d hear the yelling and the shouting and the slapping, but you’d never actually see it," she told <em>Women's Day</em>, at the time. </p> <p>After Gibney's father died in 1982, the actress began seeing a therapist, but was "on Valium and in a dark place for quite a while”.</p> <p>In her latest interview with <em>Stellar</em>, Gibney also added that more needed to be done to prevent domestic violence and help survivors. </p> <p>“We still don’t want to talk about it. We need to really drill down (and question), ‘Why is this happening?’ We need more education, more centres," she said. </p> <p>“We need people to be able to get the help they need.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Mind

5 signs your friend is struggling with serious debt

<p>Money is always going to be a sensitive topic, and part of the reason for this is the fact that so many people willingly suffer in silence. But if you notice the warning signs, you have to take action. Here are five signs your friend is struggling with serious debt.</p> <p><strong>1. They keep cancelling plans</strong></p> <p>Whether you’re talking about dinner, drinks or even just the occasional coffee, if your friend keeps cancelling plans (particularly if they didn’t have a reputation for doing so in the past) that could be a sign that they’re struggling with their finances.</p> <p><strong>2. Unopened bills</strong></p> <p>If you’re visiting your friend’s home and you notice a pile of unopened bills, this is a classic sign of money troubles. Generally these bills are left unopened because the recipient does not want to see what’s inside, or deal with the monetary consequences.</p> <p><strong>3. Sudden changes in behaviour</strong></p> <p>Does your friend seem more fidgety that usual? Do they become cagey or defensive when money matters are mentioned? Are they bitter when discussing other people’s spending habits? This could indicate stress about their own individual financial situation.</p> <p><strong>4. Ignoring calls and knocks on the door</strong></p> <p>If you’ve been staying at your friend’s house and noticed a knock on the door or phone that’s been left unanswered on multiple occasions this could be a very bad sign. Often this is out of fear of dealing with a debt collector who could be on the other side.</p> <p><strong>5. Not adapting to changes in circumstances very well</strong></p> <p>Lifestyle changes generally come with a change in financial circumstances, but if you’ve noticed a sign that your friend is living in the same way that may be a sign that they’re ignoring the demands of their new situation and not putting themselves in a position to succeed.</p> <p><strong>What can I do?</strong></p> <p>Experts recommend taking the following steps if you know a friend who is struggling to deal with debt. That being said, sometimes just providing someone to talk to about it can make all the difference.</p> <ul> <li>Encourage them to talk to their credit provider and discuss payment options.</li> <li>Talk about applying or a hardship variation to help make payments.</li> <li>Direct them to a financial counselling service.</li> <li>Encourage them to take up free legal advice.</li> </ul> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

Keen to get off gas in your home, but struggling to make the switch? Research shows you’re not alone

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sangeetha-chandrashekeran-330214">Sangeetha Chandrashekeran</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/julia-de-bruyn-1250694">Julia de Bruyn</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>More than five million households in Australia are connected to the gas network. Tackling climate change requires homes and businesses to move away from gas, and instead embrace electric appliances as the power grid shifts to renewable energy.</p> <p>People can <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Getting-off-gas-why-how-and-who-should-pay.pdf">save</a> considerable money by switching away from gas – even more so if they have solar panels installed. But still, millions of Australians haven’t yet made the move. Why?</p> <p>Our new research, <a href="https://www.bsl.org.au/research/publications/enabling-electrification/">released today</a>, seeks to shed light on this question. We focused on lower-income households in Victoria and found while most participants supported the transition from gas, few owned electric appliances for heating, cooking and hot water.</p> <p>There were two main barriers: people couldn’t afford the upfront cost of buying new electric appliances, or were renting and so had little or no say over what appliances were installed. Overcoming these and other challenges is crucial to ensure no-one gets left behind in Australia’s energy transition.</p> <h2>Making it fair for all</h2> <p>Victoria has <a href="https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/climate-action-targets">committed</a> to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. To help achieve this, the state government is developing a <a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/renewable-energy/victorias-gas-substitution-roadmap">plan</a> for the state to electrify. Other states and <a href="https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/energy/switching-from-gas#:%7E:text=The%20ACT%20will%20transition%20away%20from%20fossil%20fuel,ACT%20during%203%20March%20%E2%80%93%2020%20April%202023.">territories</a> are also moving in this direction.</p> <p>But to date, not enough research and policy attention has been paid to making this transition fair and equitable for everyone.</p> <p>Low-income households <a href="https://www.bsl.org.au/research/publications/energy-stressed-in-australia/">spend</a> a larger proportion of their income on energy bills compared to higher-income households. This is despite those households using less energy.</p> <p>The affordability of gas will become worse as more households electrify. That’s because part of a gas bill includes the fixed cost of running gas infrastructure – so as progressively fewer people use gas, the remaining users pay more.</p> <p>And those who don’t make the move away from gas miss out on the long-term economic benefits. <a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0039/579882/Victorias-Gas-Substitution-Roadmap-Embracing-electricity-to-cut-your-bills-at-home.pdf">Analysis</a> last year suggested a typical Victorian household could reduce its annual energy costs by A$1,020 by replacing gas heating, cooking and hot water systems with electric ones. The figure rises to $1,250 for those with solar power. These savings will be amplified if the price of gas continues to rise relative to electricity.</p> <p>That’s why it’s important to help as many lower-income people as possible to make the switch to electric appliances. Our research set out to understand what might prevent or enable that shift.</p> <p>We studied households in Victoria: the state with the highest prevalence of residential gas use in Australia and where plans for an economy-wide transition away from fossil gas are underway.</p> <h2>What we found</h2> <p>We conducted an online survey, which received 220 eligible responses. We also undertook focus groups with 34 people. All participants were from lower-income households.</p> <p>Most participants – 88% – used gas in the home, reflecting its prevalence in Victoria.</p> <p>More than two-thirds indicated some level of support for a transition away from household gas to cleaner energy sources. Support was greater with higher levels of education. There was no significant difference based on financial stress, housing tenure, location or age.</p> <p>But this support had not translated into action. Just one in ten surveyed households had replaced gas appliances with electric ones within the past five years. Among those who had switched or planned to switch, the main reasons were lower running costs and environmental benefits.</p> <p>Respondents considered electric appliances to be safer and better for the environment. Gas appliances were considered better for heating and cooking. Many respondents were unsure about the relative benefits of electric versus gas appliances when it came to cost, reliability, safety and the environment.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=175&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=175&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=175&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538548/original/file-20230720-15-61nj78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Graph showing the benefits of gas versus electric appliances, as perceived by participants in the study.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Preferences were strongly linked to what people were currently using. Most people preferred gas cooktops over electric ones, because of the perceived speed, ease and flexibility. However, few participants had used electric induction stoves, which can also offer these benefits.</p> <p>People who spoke a language other than English were significantly more likely to prefer gas for heating and hot water.</p> <p>For those who had not replaced gas appliances, being a renter was one of the biggest barriers to electrification. Some renters said they lived in poor housing, but were unwilling to request improvements in case the landlord increased the rent or evicted them.</p> <p>Respondents also said they would struggle to afford the upfront costs of electrification, such as buying new appliances and, in some cases, wiring upgrades and other building modifications.</p> <p>Many participants were aware of and had received state government assistance to help with energy bills. But far fewer people knew about or had used <a href="https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/home-heating-cooling-upgrades?redirectSrc=heatingupgrades.vic.gov.au">programs</a> that could support them to adopt electric appliances.</p> <h2>Embracing the switch</h2> <p>An overall strategy is needed to help all households make the shift to electric appliances and technology. Our research suggests this must include specific measures for lower-income households, such as:</p> <ul> <li> <p>targeted and well-promoted electrification programs</p> </li> <li> <p>more evidence-based information on the benefits of electric appliances</p> </li> <li> <p>incentives for landlords and standards requiring efficient electric appliances in rental homes</p> </li> <li> <p>means-tested rebates for electric appliances such as reverse cycle air-conditioners and heat pump hot water, and where appropriate, no- or low-interest loans.</p> </li> </ul> <p>These measures should, where possible, be linked to measures to improve household energy efficiency. And lower-income households, as well as others facing barriers to getting off gas, must be included when planning the transition.</p> <p><em>Researchers David Bryant and Damian Sullivan from the Brotherhood of St Laurence contributed to this article and co-authored the research upon which it is based.<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/209589/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sangeetha-chandrashekeran-330214">Sangeetha Chandrashekeran</a>, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/julia-de-bruyn-1250694">Julia de Bruyn</a>, Associate Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/keen-to-get-off-gas-in-your-home-but-struggling-to-make-the-switch-research-shows-youre-not-alone-209589">original article</a>.</em></p>

Home & Garden

Cost of living relief on the way for struggling Aussies

<p>As the ongoing cost of living crisis continues to affect hard-working Aussies, a series of changes set to be introduced by the government will ease the financial burden for a few select groups. </p> <p>As the new financial year begins on July 1st, a 15 per cent pay rise for aged care workers, cheaper childcare and changes to paid parental leave will come into effect. </p> <p>The policies promised in the last federal budget will come into effect, including electricity bill relief for some households and a small business incentive to help eligible companies become more energy efficient.</p> <p>Five million households will be eligible for up to $500 in power price relief while one million small businesses will be able to access up to $650.</p> <p>As well as this, eligibility for the first home guarantee and regional first home guarantee will now include any two borrowers beyond married and de facto couples.</p> <p>It will also apply to non-first home buyers who have not owned a property in Australia in the previous 10 years.</p> <p>Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the new measures are designed the help Aussies who are doing it tough. </p> <p>"The suite of policies which will start to roll out from Saturday, will make a real difference in the lives of millions of hardworking Australians while delivering an economic dividend and laying the foundations for future growth," he said.</p> <p>"Key policies like energy price relief will directly reduce inflation, while others like cheaper childcare and enhanced paid parental leave will boost the capacity of our economy."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

RBA boss' blunt suggestion for struggling renters

<p>Reserve Bank of Australia governor Phillip Lowe is warning Aussies that the nationwide rental crisis will worsen before it gets better.</p> <p>Despite high interest rates and a good chance of another increase as inflation continues to skyrocket, the housing market is showing signs of recovery.</p> <p>However, renters are faced with a short supply and the possibility of the biggest rent hike in decades.</p> <p>Lowe urged people struggling with their payments to consider getting a flatmate or housemate or moving back home.</p> <p>He also suggested people rent out their spare rooms to help with the crisis.</p> <p>"The way that this ends up fixing itself, unfortunately, is through higher housing prices and higher rents," he said.</p> <p>"Because as rents go up people decide not to move out of home, or you don't have that home office, you get a flatmate.</p> <p>"The increase in supply can't happen immediately, but higher prices do lead people to economise on housing."</p> <p>Lowe explained that housing supply was the biggest challenge on the market and that rents were expected to increase by 10 per cent.</p> <p>That would be the biggest price hike since the 1980s.</p> <p>However, homeowners will be pleased to hear that the market is showing signs of recovery, with a 1.2 per cent growth recorded in May 2023.</p> <p>Image credit: Getty</p>

Real Estate

1 in 4 households struggle to pay power bills. Here are 5 ways to tackle hidden energy poverty

<p><a href="https://energyconsumersaustralia.com.au/news/how-increases-in-energy-prices-are-impacting-consumers#:%7E:text=Energy%2520affordability%2520is%2520not%2520just,in%2520the%2520past%252012%2520months.">One in four Australian households</a> are finding it hard to pay their gas and electricity bills. As winter looms, <a href="https://www.aer.gov.au/news-release/default-market-offer-2023%25E2%2580%259324-draft-determination">energy price rises</a> will make it even harder. Cold homes and disconnections resulting from energy poverty threaten people’s health and wellbeing.</p> <p><a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ACOSS-cost-of-living-report2-March-2023_web_FINAL.pdf">Income support for welfare recipients</a> and retrofitting homes to make them more thermally efficient – by adding insulation, for example – can ease the burden. And when homes are not too cold or hot, <a href="https://theconversation.com/fuel-poverty-makes-you-sick-so-why-has-nothing-changed-since-i-was-a-child-living-in-a-cold-home-201787">people’s health benefits</a>. This in turn <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/319556">eases pressure on the public health system</a>.</p> <p>However, many people are missing out on assistance as programs often do not recognise their difficulties. Their energy vulnerability is hidden.</p> <h2>What forms does hidden energy poverty take?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629623000737">Our newly published study</a> has revealed six aspects of hidden energy vulnerability. These are:</p> <ol> <li> <p>underconsumption – households limit or turn off cooling, heating and/or lights to avoid disconnections</p> </li> <li> <p>incidental masking – other welfare support, such as rent relief, masks difficulties in paying energy bills</p> </li> <li> <p>some households disguise energy poverty by using public facilities such as showers or pooling money for bills between families</p> </li> <li> <p>some people conceal their hardship due to pride or fear of legal consequences, such as losing custody of children if food cannot be refrigerated because the power has been cut off</p> </li> <li> <p>poor understanding of energy efficiency and the health risks of cold or hot homes adds to the problem</p> </li> <li> <p>eligibility criteria for energy assistance programs may exclude some vulnerable households. For example, people with income just above the welfare threshold are missing out on energy concessions. Energy retailer hardship programs also ignore people who have voluntarily disconnected due to financial hardship.</p> </li> </ol> <h2>5 ways to help these households</h2> <p>Our studies suggest trusted intermediaries such as people working in health, energy and social services can play a vital role in identifying and supporting such households.</p> <p>First, energy efficiency and hardship initiatives may be <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/about/schools-colleges/property-construction-and-project-management/research/research-centres-and-groups/sustainable-building-innovation-laboratory/projects/care-at-home-system-improvements">integrated into the My Aged Care in-home care system</a>. Energy poverty risk identification, response and referral could be built into the national service’s assessment form. This could leverage existing client screening processes.</p> <p>The system’s front-line staff could connect at-risk householders with energy counsellors. These counsellors could help people access better energy contracts, concessions, home retrofits and appliance upgrade programs.</p> <p>A new Commonwealth “energy supplement” could help pay for essential energy-related home modifications. This would help avoid My Aged Care funds being diverted from immediate healthcare needs.</p> <p>Second, general practitioners and other health professionals could help identify energy vulnerability among patients with medical conditions of concern. They could also provide letters of support emphasising renters’ health-based need for air conditioners or heaters.</p> <p>Third, energy providers could use household energy data to identify those that seem to be under-consuming or are often disconnected. They could also identify those that are not on “best offer” deals. They could be proactive in checking struggling householders’ eligibility for ongoing energy concessions and one-off debt relief grants offered by states and territories.</p> <p>Energy providers could also make it easier for social housing providers to ensure concessions for tenants renew automatically.</p> <p>Fourth, local councils could use their data to identify at-risk householders. They might include those with a disability parking permit, discounted council rates or in arrears, on the social housing waiting list, Meals on Wheels clients and social housing tenants. Maternal and child health nurses and home and community care workers making home visits could call attention to cold or hot homes.</p> <p>Councils could employ in-house energy counsellors to provide assistance and energy literacy training. Council home maintenance teams could develop bulk-buying, insulation and neighbourhood retrofit programs.</p> <p>Strategies to reduce vulnerability to energy poverty should be part of municipal public health and wellbeing plans. Under these strategies, net-zero-carbon funds set up by states and local councils to reduce emissions could finance targeted housing retrofits.</p> <p>We also suggest setting up a central helpline to improve access to energy assistance via local referrals.</p> <p>Fifth, residential energy-efficiency programs could become more person-centric. For example, we already have <a href="https://www.homescorecard.gov.au/">Residential Efficiency Scorecard</a> audits to assess the thermal quality of a home. These audits could also explore whether concessions and better energy deals are available to the household.</p> <h2>Building capacity at all levels</h2> <p><a href="https://cur.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tackling-hidden-energy-final.pdf">Capacity-building strategies</a> are needed at all levels – individual, community and government – to overcome the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629623000737">challenges</a> of reducing energy poverty. Current obstacles include the competing priorities of service providers, lack of time and resources, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629622003553">poor co-ordination between siloed</a> programs and services.</p> <p>Access to essential energy services should be part of state and local governments’ strategic health plans. Housing, energy and health departments could work together to include housing retrofits in preventive health programs.</p> <p>A comprehensive approach is needed to overcome hidden energy poverty. It must include public education, integrated services and well-funded energy-efficiency programs. Regulatory reforms and ongoing funding are both needed to improve the availability of energy-efficient, affordable homes for tenants.</p> <p>Our suggested strategies start with improving the skills and knowledge of trusted intermediaries. Doctors, social workers, housing officers, community nurses and volunteers can play a central role. Using these front-line professionals to help identify and act on energy poverty offers a novel, cost-effective and targeted solution.</p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-4-households-struggle-to-pay-power-bills-here-are-5-ways-to-tackle-hidden-energy-poverty-204672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

Struggling to start an exercise plan?

<p>Many of us don’t like the idea of exercise, so we avoid it.</p> <p>Here’s the thing: our bodies were designed to move. Yet in developed countries like Australia, many of us spend far too much time sitting on our backsides.</p> <p>The fact that we are more sedentary has become a health issue: in fact, it’s killing us.</p> <p>The <span><a href="http://www.health.gov.au/">Department of Health</a></span> says low levels of physical activity is the <span><a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pubhlth-strateg-active-evidence.htm">fourth leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases</a></span> (NCDs) worldwide, with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancers contributing to more than three million preventable deaths annually (six per cent of deaths globally).</p> <p>The seven diseases most closely linked to physical inactivity (in descending order) are:</p> <ol> <li>Diabetes</li> <li>Bowel cancer</li> <li>Uterine cancer</li> <li>Dementia</li> <li>Breast cancer</li> <li>Coronary heart diseases</li> <li>Stroke</li> </ol> <p>The Department of Health says if all Australians did an extra 30 minutes of brisk walking at least five days each week, this would reduce “the disease burden” due to physical inactivity in the population by 26 per cent.</p> <p>The good news – and any personal trainer will tell you this – is that it is never too late to start exercising. In fact, recent research has found no difference between people who had always been fit and those who decided to take it up later in life.</p> <p>But even armed with this information, starting an exercise regimen can seem like more trouble than it’s worth. A lot of this has to do with the perception that exercise has to be goal-oriented, and a lot of us don’t enjoy feeling pressure to perform. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.</p> <p>“People often associate exercise with pain,” says Brisbane-based sports and exercise psychologist <a href="http://positivepsychologystrategies.com.au/about-patrea/">Patrea O’Donoghue</a>.</p> <p>She says exercise can be anything you want it to be these days – the image of a macho instructor barking at you to do 50 push-ups is a thing of the past. A lot of people don’t like showing their bodies in public, yet you can have your own trainer or yoga instructor on your phone via an app or do a workout in the privacy of your home on a treadmill and cycling machine. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.</p> <p>“People think it has to be all about joining a gym or buying a $2000 bike or looking the part, but you don’t need a fancy kit. You can just start with a decent pair of walking shoes.”</p> <p>Here are a few points exercise newbies need to consider:</p> <ul> <li>See your doctor. If you’ve never really done much exercise, ask your GP to give you the all-clear to start an exercise program.</li> <li>Assess your diet. There is not much point in starting to exercise regularly if your diet doesn’t complement it. Even if your goal is not to lose weight but to rather get fit or healthy, a balanced diet will help.</li> <li>Think about what you would enjoy doing – walking, cycling, tennis, golf, jogging, swimming, yoga, or even skipping.</li> <li>Turn your exercise into a habit.</li> </ul> <p>“If you decide, for instance, that you’ll go for a walk or to the gym twice a week, take steps to follow through with it no matter what,” says O’Donoghue.</p> <p>“If you find that work or a personal commitment means you won’t have time to go to the gym on the day you’d allocated, go anyway. Even if you just spend five minutes in the gym on that day, that’s psychologically and physically better than not going at all, as you’ve maintained the habit and you’re sticking to your commitment.</p> <p>“With any habit, any time you start to make excuses like not having time – you’re in danger. It’s like many people who make a New Year’s Eve resolution to get fit: they attack the gym for two weeks and completely overdo it, then never follow through. That’s never going to work.”</p> <p><strong>Remember to take baby steps</strong></p> <p>“If the person has been very sedentary in their habits and wants to make some lifestyle changes, I’d say to them, ‘Let’s start small’. I’d get them to look at one small thing they could do that they could attach to an existing behaviour, so they could say to themselves, ‘When I get home, I put on my walking shoes straight away and go for a walk’. Even if they just start off with five minutes, depending on their level of health. Start with just one thing and stick to it.</p> <p>“As they progressed, I’d ask them how long was acceptable to them to keep going so that the five minutes is turning into 15 minutes and so on. I’d ask them to tell me how many times a week they’re committing to do it. It’s not about saying it’s good or bad whether they did it or not but maintaining the habit and what’s realistic for them."</p> <p>O’Donoghue says she’d also ask the exercise newcomer to think about what successes they’ve had in their life (not associated with exercise) such as in their career or personal life and ask them to think about how they achieved that success. “It might be a presentation or how well they cook – get them to extract the key principles from that and apply it to their exercise.</p> <p>“It’s important to look at the role of feelings associated with exercise,” she says. If we have the thought one cold dark morning that we just don’t feel like doing any exercise and there is that self-talk going on in our heads, making sure you turn that around. Maintaining the momentum is very important.”</p> <p>You can exercise alone, with a friend, or in a group. What’s important is working out what will work best for you. “If someone said they really did struggle to exercise by themselves, I’d be encouraging them to exercise with a friend or neighbour or a group,” says O’Donoghue. “They are more likely to uphold a commitment to someone else than themselves. That sense of accountability can be useful.”</p> <p>It’s worthwhile knowing that research shows you don’t have to do a big block of exercise in one hit. You can break it down into 10-minute blocks – walk to the shops instead of driving; go up the stairs instead of taking the lift; even doing housework, standing up while watching TV, or doing some gardening counts! Think about anything that contributes to you burning calories.</p> <p>Before you start patting yourself on the back, O’Donoghue says it’s important to recognise the difference between being healthy and being fit. Initially, regular exercise such as fairly brisk walking for half an hour for five or six days is about getting healthy so that you are mildly out of breath as you walk – but if your aim is to get fit, your heart rate needs to go up when you exercise.</p> <p>Older Australians also need to think about doing some light strength training up to three times a week, using exercises to work all the major muscle groups of your body (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders and arms) to maintain bone health and muscle mass. To avoid injuries, have a professional show you how to apply low levels of impact on the muscles. Elastic band exercises, for example, are ideal.</p> <p>Are you ready to start exercising? What made you decide to give it a serious go?</p> <p><em>Written by Robin Hill. Republished with permission of <span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/exercise/struggling-to-start-an-exercise-plan.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a></span>.</em></p>

Body

Stranger’s “kind” act for a struggling single mum

<p dir="ltr">A struggling single mother has been moved to tears by a stranger’s random act of kindness while doing her grocery shopping. </p> <p dir="ltr">The mother, hailing from Ipswich in Queensland, was doing her shopping ahead of the school term starting up as she paced the aisles mentally tallying the cost of her groceries to not go over her strict budget. </p> <p dir="ltr">As she continued to add carefully selected items to her trolley, a young girl approached her with a gift. </p> <p dir="ltr">The girl handed her a $50 note saying it was a gift from her mother, in a random act of kindness that left her “shaking and crying”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I had the most incredible thing happen to me today. I'm in Woolies Riverlink in Ipswich QLD getting a few things for back to school and I'm adding my shopping up on my calculator and checking the price of EVERYTHING,” the mum wrote in a Facebook post. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Next, a lovely little girl came up to me handing me a $50 and said 'My mummy wants to give you a gift', I said 'Thank you, have the wrong person, honey'.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The young girl assured the woman she was the person her mum wanted to give the $50 to and ran off before she could say anything else. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I looked up at her mum shaking and in tears and she gave me a nod and a thumbs up,” the woman said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“She had no idea just how much I needed this right now. Her kindness meant the world to me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Many applauded the stranger’s generosity as more families are feeling the pressure with sky-rocketing costs of living, with like-minded budgeting mothers sharing how they were touched by the sweet story. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Made me cry this lovely Sunday morning. Always gives hope to know there are some really wonderful people out there,” one person said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There are some truly wonderful people in the world! You don't have to give someone $50 to make their day - any small kind gesture can change the course of someone's life,” a second agreed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There are some absolute angels out there for sure!” said another. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

Money guru's generous home loan offer for struggling Aussies

<p>Finance guru Mark Bouris has offered to help five homeowners pay off their mortgages amid continuously rising interest rates. </p> <p>A vocal critic of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s dramatic hiking of interest rates, Bouris is determined to help struggling Aussies get ahead. </p> <p>The executive chairman of Yellow Brick Road Home Loans is lending a helping hand to homeowners hit hard by massive increases in their month mortgage payments with a generous cash injection of $12,000.</p> <p>“All Australians deserve a fair go on their home loans and right now you’re not getting one,” Mr Bouris said on Today. </p> <p>“I know many Australians are doing it tough out there right now. Through no fault of their own, homeowners are having to manage skyrocketing mortgage repayments."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpjyXECgnNr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpjyXECgnNr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Yellow Brick Road (@ybrhomeloans)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to increase the official cash rate for the past 10 consecutive meetings has left nearly 800,000 Australians at risk of mortgage default. At YBR Home Loans, we’re on a mission to hear the voices of those impacted most by this aggressive increase in interest rates."</p> <p>“We want to hear from you: your story, your struggles and particularly, if you’re worried about your ability to meet your mortgage repayments.”</p> <p>Mr Bouris and his team at YBR Home Loans will randomly select five lucky winners who are having trouble meeting their home loan repayments and give $12,000 to each winner “in order to help ease the strain of rapidly increasing interest rates”.</p> <p>“If you’re going to struggle to meet your mortgage repayments as you come off your fixed interest rate, or if you’re already struggling to meet your repayments, please fill out your details and outline your circumstances,” Mr Bouris said.</p> <p>Homeowners can write to Mr Bouris and Yellow Brick Road at <a href="https://ybr.com.au/fairgo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ybr.com.au/fairgo</a> to be entered into the competition.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Real Estate

Michael J Fox reveals more details about his struggle with Parkinson's

<p>Michael J. Fox has delivered an emotional and heartfelt speech, during which he recalled keeping his life-changing Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret, in fear it would impact his career.</p> <p>The famed actor was diagnosed with the disorder in 1991, at only 29 years old. It wasn’t until seven years after that he made public his health battle.</p> <p>As he accepted the Jean Hershel Humanitarian Award (an honorary Oscar recognising his philanthropic efforts), Fox said the “uncertainty” of his condition caused him to stay silent the entire time.</p> <p>"I was told I only had 10 years left to work. That was s---ty. That's what happened," he told the crowd, as per People magazine. "The hardest part of my diagnosis was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation. I only knew it would get worse. The diagnosis was definite, the progress was indefinite and uncertain."</p> <p>"Then I entered into seven years of denial, trying to make sense of it all," he recalled. "The kid who left Canada convinced that he would make anything happen, at least by working hard and by believing, now had a tall order in front of him.” He said he told "very few people" about his diagnosis and they all kept his "secret".</p> <p>"Then there were all kinds of doctors who helped me understand the physical processes that were at work, or not at work, in my brain, as the case may be," he shared. "Finally, I felt like I needed to tell everybody. I understood it would have a huge impact on my career."</p> <p>Fox eventually spoke about his diagnosis with American journalist Barbara Walters and the aftermath of the intimate interview surprised him.</p> <p>"What happened next was remarkable," he remembered. "The outpouring of support from the public at large, the beautiful reaction from all of my peers in the entertainment business, all of you, thank you, and the people that I worked with, was transformative."</p> <p><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

Caring

Jennifer Aniston bares all to share struggles with infertility

<p>Jennifer Aniston has bared all in her latest cover shoot, while opening up about her desperate struggle to have children. </p> <p>The 53-year-old actress admitted to <a href="https://www.allure.com/story/jennifer-aniston-december-2022-cover-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Allure magazine</a> that she regrets the decision to not freeze her eggs when she was younger, revealing that she "threw everything" at her infertility battle, including going through IVF in a desperate attempt to conceive. </p> <p>"I was trying to get pregnant. It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road," she said of her IVF journey, which the magazine notes was "several years ago". </p> <p>"All the years and years and years of speculation... It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it."</p> <p>She also slammed speculation that any of her former husbands, including Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux, initiated a divorce because she "wouldn't give him a kid", noting that the constant rumours about her relationship made her infertility battle all the more difficult. </p> <p>The actress added that she wishes someone had told her to freeze her eggs when she was younger, adding that she has now come to terms with the fact that she will never conceive children. </p> <p>"I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, 'Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.' You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed," she said. </p> <p>Aniston admitted that she was too focused on her career at the height of her fame from starring on the sitcom <em>Friends</em> to think about the possibility of having a family. </p> <p>"I just cared about my career. And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child," she said.</p> <p>"And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn’t give him a kid. It was absolute lies. I don’t have anything to hide at this point."</p> <p>Jennifer went on to say that she has come to terms with the fact she won't have children, saying she found some "relief" in the fact that the possibility of kids is no longer lingering over her as never-ending "maybe".</p> <p>She has found self-confidence in her age, saying she no longer cares what anyone thinks about her.</p> <p>"I would say my late 30s, 40s, I’d gone through really hard s***, and if it wasn’t for going through that, I would’ve never become who I was meant to be," she explained. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram - Allure</em></p>

Body

“There was a hole inside of me”: Rebecca Gibney's secret struggles

<p dir="ltr">TV star Rebecca Gibney has opened up about her mental health, revealing she has battled with crippling panic attacks.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Kiwi actress spoke about her struggles during Monday’s episode of <em>This Is Your Life</em>, saying her mental health began to falter in the 1990s when she was rising to fame and her marriage to musician Irwin Thomas broke down.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was pretty tough,” she told the program.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And that was the hard thing, you do put on a front. My career was going great guns.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I just couldn't verbalise there was a hole inside of me and I was tumbling into it."</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Packed to the Rafters</em> star said that at one point she was having 15 panic attacks a day, and recalled one of her lowest moments on a flight from France to Australia on which she said she needed five Valium to “survive”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I had anxiety attack after anxiety attack. I was in such a hole, and I thought I'm not going to make it," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I was struggling, and I couldn't verbalise what was wrong. I just knew there was a hole inside me and it was getting bigger and bigger, and I was tumbling into it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I didn't even tell Mum, I couldn't even tell my family, because I couldn't explain it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's so important that now, people talk about their struggles. Because if you get the help, you can get through it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Now I know that if I start to slide into that pit, I know that there's a way out of it."</p> <p dir="ltr">The 57-year-old credits therapy for helping in her recovery.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-58e7b796-7fff-eab8-667a-e0031a7b6340">Following the airing of Gibney’s episode of <em>This Is Your Life</em>, the actress took to Instagram to thank those involved and described it as a “joyous and humbling experience”.</span></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkoYi8TBQkK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkoYi8TBQkK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Rebecca Gibney (@rebeccagibney_)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“So much laughter, so many tears,” she wrote, sharing a collection of snaps from the show.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you to all the beautiful people that showed up on the night and continue to show up in my life. I was blown away by the love - such a joyous and humbling experience.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Host Melissa Doyle also took to social media both to praise Gibney, describing her as “one of the world’s loveliest people”, and shared how the star was told she would be on the show.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2f54a39c-7fff-3060-fc51-41c74782b608"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“The surprise is always the best part! We sprung @rebeccagibney_ in stunning New Zealand, on the set of ‘Under the Vines’,” Doyle wrote.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckpnq5wrPmz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckpnq5wrPmz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Melissa Doyle (@melissadoyleofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“I hid in the lighting truck waiting for the low-loader with her car on the back to arrive. To say she was surprised is an under statement (sic)!</p> <p dir="ltr">“Rebecca is truly one of the world’s loveliest people. The applause on set from her colleagues is testament to how much she is loved.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-839cbd24-7fff-55a7-89e6-a7f9dd273fbc"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @rebeccagibney_ (Instagram)</em></p>

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