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NSW Health worker charged over anti-semitic remarks

<p>A NSW Health worker who went viral over his <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/nsw-health-workers-stood-down-over-anti-semitic-remarks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-semitic remarks</a> during a video call at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital in Sydney's west has been charged. </p> <p>Ahmed Rashid Nadir, 27, and female co-worker Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, were recorded in a video call with Israeli influencer Max Veifer, where they said they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and allegedly threatened to kill them. </p> <p>The video has since gone viral and both nurses were stood down from their positions. </p> <p>After being stood down from the hospital, Nadir issued an apology through his lawyer, and told reporters the incident was a misunderstanding and a mistake. </p> <p>Nadir was arrested on Tuesday evening, and charged with threatening to menace, harass, or offend, as well as possessing a prohibited drug.</p> <p>He has been granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.</p> <p>Lebdeh, was charged last Tuesday, and faces charges of threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend, according to NSW Police.</p> <p>She is also scheduled to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on March 19. </p> <p>At the time of her arrest, Nadir was taken to hospital for assessment after paramedics were called to his home. He has reportedly been receiving ongoing medical treatment since then. </p> <p>The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency previously confirmed the pair’s credentials were no longer valid and they “cannot practise in Australia”.</p> <p><em>Image: TikTok</em></p> <p> </p>

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icare safeguards NSW workers with new Lung Health Mobile Clinic

<p>icare has launched a new, state-of-the-art Lung Health Mobile Clinic, which has embarked on its inaugural road trip to deliver lung health checks to individuals across NSW.</p> <p>The new mobile clinic continues the legacy of a bus that has served the community for nearly 16 years, travelling more than 700,000km (almost to the moon and back), screening more than 53,000 people, and visiting over 300 destinations across NSW.</p> <p>Each year, the program provides lung health checks to more than 5,000 people, ensuring early detection and treatment of dust diseases like asbestosis, silicosis, and mesothelioma.</p> <p>Minister for Industrial Relations and Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis MP, said the new Mobile Clinic underscores the NSW Government’s commitment to removing barriers like cost and location, ensuring workers across NSW have access to the critical support and care they need to safeguard their health.</p> <p>“Along with enforcement of the recent ban on engineered stone, the new Mobile Clinic demonstrates our commitment to improve outcomes for workers exposed to hazardous dust across NSW.”</p> <p>icare’s new Mobile Clinic is equipped with advanced technology and features including:</p> <p>• Digital chest X-ray technology, providing precise and reliable first instance imaging.</p> <p>• Enhanced spirometry (lung function) testing equipment to evaluate breathing capacity and respiratory performance.</p> <p>• Digital monitoring systems to streamline diagnostics and care.</p> <p>• A backup power supply to ensure uninterrupted operation in remote locations.</p> <p>• Greater accessibility and comfort, with larger clinical space designed to support both staff and clients.</p> <p>• An external design, created to help engage and welcome workers, and an interior mural by Mumbulla Creative - an Indigenous agency whose artwork reflects connection to Country, icare’s values and the people of NSW.</p> <p>icare urges anyone with past or present occupational exposure to hazardous dust - such as through mining, tunnelling, construction, or manufacturing - to prioritise their lung health.</p> <p>“A lung health check could save your life,” said icare Group Executive of General Insurance and Care, Britt Coombe. “Early detection is critical to effective treatment, and we’re here to make sure every worker, no matter where they live, has access to world-class care.”</p> <p>Lung health checks are painless, and take less than 30 minutes. The process includes:</p> <p>1. <strong>Chest X-ray</strong> to detect abnormalities or damage.</p> <p>2. <strong>Lung function testing</strong> to assess respiratory performance.</p> <p>3. <strong>Consultation</strong> with a specialist doctor, who interprets results and provides tailored advice.</p> <p>4. <strong>Referral</strong> for CT scan, as required to get a better image of the chest and lungs.</p> <p>Individuals are encouraged to contact icare directly, and the Dust Diseases Care team can help facilitate and fund lung health checks through local services, at icare’s Sydney CBD Kent Street clinic, icare’s lung bus, or organise transport should that be a barrier to screening in more remote locations.</p> <p>icare’s lung screening program adheres to the national guidance for doctors assessing workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust set by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, ensuring the highest standards of care for detecting and managing respiratory diseases.</p> <p>A clinical governance committee continually reviews emerging evidence on best-practice and makes recommendations to ensure icare delivers screening aligned with national standards.</p> <p>icare’s new Mobile Clinic underscores its commitment to removing barriers like cost and location, ensuring workers across NSW have access to the critical support and care they need to safeguard their health.</p> <p>For more information on lung health checks or to arrange a screening, visit the <a href="https://www.icare.nsw.gov.au/employers/employer-obligations/lung-screening-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lung Screening Service website</a> or call 1800 550 027.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied</em></p>

Caring

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New Zealand's tourism campaign targeted at Aussies ridiculed

<p>New Zealand's new tourism campaign aimed at getting Aussies to travel across the ditch has been slammed for its simple three-word slogan. </p> <p>New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the campaign, which cost $500,000, on Sunday, saying, “My message to Australians is it’s time to swap the thongs for the jandals, the Hunter Valley for the Hawke’s Bay and get the bloody hell over here.”</p> <p>The number of Aussies visiting New Zealand have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, sitting at 88 per cent of what they were in 2019.</p> <p>While the investment into the campaign was largely welcomed, some people were not thrilled about the slogan that reads, "Everyone must go". </p> <p>Labour’s tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel told <em>Radio NZ</em> that “it makes New Zealand sound like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale”.</p> <p>“We’ve had the digital nomad announcement, now we’ve got this – and the attitude of anyone, anytime, anywhere, is concerning,” she said.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Green Party tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown quipped: “I think ‘Everyone Must Go’ might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous.”</p> <p>Radio listeners also called up the public broadcaster to criticise the campaign and offer their own hilarious ideas to entice Aussies across the pond. </p> <p>“No crocs, no snakes, no killer spiders, no cane toads, no 50C heat, no red dirt – see you soon,” one person suggested.</p> <p>Other Kiwis across social media claim the slogan better describes the exodus of their own residents, after a record number of people – 72,000 – left the country in 2024, according to Stats NZ.</p> <p>“Everyone is going … to Australia,” one person wrote on the PM’s Instagram announcement, while another added, “Everyone is going, you don’t have to say it."</p> <p>“I think our Aussie mates are getting enough of a Kiwi experience in their own neighbourhood, hiring our nurses, teachers, police, engineers and doctors,” wrote a third.</p> <p><em>Image credits: NZ Tourism </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Driver reveals "surprising" way he got out of $410 seatbelt fine

<p>An Aussie driver who copped a $410 fine and three demerit points after their passenger made a common seatbelt move has revealed how they argued his way out of the ticket. </p> <p>Numerous motorists have been fined in recent weeks over the little-known road rule, where the driver could be penalised if a passenger reclines their seat too far back. </p> <p>Aussie lawyer Hayder Shkara argued that the rule is  "step too far" as well-rested passengers can help curb the growing rate of fatalities by taking over from fatigued drivers on long car trips.</p> <p>Shkara shared the story of how one of his followers had successfully overturned the seatbelt fine and demerit points on social media. </p> <p>"He applied for a review with the police, and he actually got approved," Shkara said.</p> <p>"In his review he focused on the fact that car manufacturers were allowed to import these vehicles with the ability to recline in the first place, and that if there was an actual issue with the vehicle in terms of its design, it should have been stopped at the importation basis.</p> <p>"[He] said to the police that they were practicing safe driving protocols by changing drivers and making sure that one driver was rested and at police actually withdrew the fine. He didn't have to pay anything, and he didn't get any demerit points."</p> <p>Shkara told<em> Yahoo</em> that "normally applications for review in traffic offences are extremely difficult to be successful in and there is a low margin of success." </p> <p>"What is the purpose of seat belts? It is for driver and passenger safety. But we all know that fatigue is a big problem for drivers, so if drivers are switching in and out, I believe that the safer thing to do is for one driver to have proper rest so they can continue to drive safely."</p> <p>He said he would also encourage others who receive a fine for the same offence to try and appeal their case, as the "review doesn't require you to pay any legal fees and it is worth a shot."</p> <p><em>Image: NSW Centre for Road Safety/ TikTok</em></p>

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NSW Health workers stood down over anti-semitic remarks

<p>Two NSW Health workers have been stood down from Bankstown Hospital amid allegations of the pair making anti-semitic remarks online. </p> <p>Footage has emerged of the duo talking to Jewish influencer Max Veifer during a livestream, and making anti-semitic remarks after learning that Veifer was from Israel. </p> <p>One of the nurses, a woman, allegedly said that if patients from Israel came to the hospital, she would not treat them. </p> <p>"I won't treat them, I'll kill them," she said.</p> <p>The other nurse, a man, claimed that he had killed Israeli patients. </p> <p>NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said two nurses had been "stood down immediately".</p> <p>"Obviously, the investigative process now takes place, I do not want to leave a sliver of light to allow any of them to be able to think they will ever work for NSW Health again."</p> <p>"Everyone is entitled to access NSW health and hospital services without fearing for their life, and without having that hate-filled attitude come through some of our health workers," he said.</p> <p>"This video is disgusting. It is shocking. It is appalling."</p> <p>Park also confirmed that the pair have been identified, with investigations currently underway. </p> <p>The NSW Health Minister also issued an apology to the Jewish community. </p> <p>"To the Jewish community today, I say not only am I sorry, but I can assure you this - the care that you get in our hospitals will continue to be first class, we will investigate this uphill and down dale," Park said.</p> <p>"We won't just be looking at this incident per se, and going through previous cases to make sure that that hospital has been working in a way that reflects those values around safety and care."</p> <p>NSW Police confirmed it was investigating the video, with Strike Force Pearl, the police task force targeting anti-semitic violence and vandalism, taking carriage of the investigation. </p> <p>"NSW Health believe they have identified the individuals involved and are currently assisting detectives with their investigation," they said. </p> <p><em>Image: Nine</em></p>

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From the Big Bogan to Larry the Lobster, why do towns build Big Things?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-clarke-248726">Amy Clarke</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a></em></p> <p>Big Things first appeared in Australia in the 1960s, beginning with the <a href="https://sahistoryhub.history.sa.gov.au/things/big-scotsman/">Big Scotsman</a> (1962) in Medindie, South Australia, the <a href="https://bigbanana.com">Big Banana</a> (1964) in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and the <a href="https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/the-murray/tocumwal/attractions/big-murray-cod">Big Murray Cod</a> (1968) in Tocumwal, NSW.</p> <p>These structures were inspired by earlier North American examples, such as <a href="https://lucytheelephant.org">Lucy the Elephant</a> (1882) in New Jersey, and several <a href="https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/randys-donuts/">big doughnuts in California</a>.</p> <p>While they differed in subject matter, all aimed to attract the attention of passing motorists: in the 1950s–1960s, private car ownership had soared and highway construction spread.</p> <p>Towns and regions across Australia, <a href="https://ourwayoflife.co.nz/11-iconic-big-thing-statues-around-new-zealand/">New Zealand</a> and North America used oversized landmarks to get travellers to stop, take a photo and hopefully spend money at local businesses.</p> <p>As awareness of these giant landmarks grew, so did the desire of other communities to have their own.</p> <p>Within a few decades, Australia’s Big Things had become a beloved fixture of road trips and summer holidays.</p> <h2>A big cultural impact</h2> <p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14443058.2022.2144928">My research</a> shows the number of Big Things being constructed in Australia hit an initial peak in the 1980s before experiencing a temporary decline.</p> <p>By the 2000s, however, towns as far afield as Tully in Queensland (<a href="https://www.australiantraveller.com/qld/big-gumboot/">Big Golden Gumboot</a>), Cressy in Tasmania (<a href="https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/cressy-tas">Big Trout</a>), and Exmouth in Western Australia (<a href="https://www.exmouth.wa.gov.au/news/exmouths-iconic-and-much-loved-crustacean-is-back/358">Big Prawn</a>) were reviving the tradition.</p> <p>Soon, Big Things became firmly entrenched in Australian popular culture: featuring on limited edition <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/redheads-pay-homage-to-icons/news-story/219026f222830073f4db107759e1145c">Redheads matchboxes</a> (2010), and on sets of <a href="https://australiapostcollectables.com.au/stamp-issues/aussie-big-things">Australia Post stamps </a>(2007 and 2023).</p> <p>But some of the older structures experienced declining popularity: the Big Wool Bales in Hamilton, Victoria (closed 2020), Victoria’s Giant Gippsland Earth Worm in Bass (closed 2020) and the Big Cask Wine in Mourquong, NSW (closed 2012), survive only in holiday photos and people’s memories.</p> <p>Icons like Larry the Lobster (Kingston, SA), the Big Prawn (Ballina, NSW), and the Big Pineapple (Nambour, Queensland) have battled <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/world/australia/larry-lobster-big-things-sale.html">changes in ownership</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-24/council-votes-to-sink-big-prawn/1441452">threat of demolition</a>, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/24/big-pineapple-reopen-queensland-woombye-history">closure</a>.</p> <p>Despite these challenges, and debates over heritage conservation, construction of these giant landmarks has not slowed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/outback-nsw/cobar-area/nyngan/attractions/big-bogan">The Big Bogan</a> was erected in 2015 in Nyngan, NSW, by community members who were eager to encourage visitors to the area.</p> <p>A local progress association in the small town of Thallon in Queensland unveiled William the <a href="https://www.stgeorgeregion.com.au/listing/william-the-wombat/">Big Wombat</a> in 2018, also with the aim to bring attention to the area.</p> <p>Similar hopes were held for the <a href="https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-5f72991d4390bc7c02ab8547-the-big-melon">Big Watermelon</a> erected in 2018 (Chinchilla, Queensland), and the Big Tractor (Carnamah, WA) <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-05/midwest-wa-town-carnamah-unveils-worlds-biggest-tractor/104388496">which opened this year</a>.</p> <p>Through my research, I spoke with many people involved with projects such as these, and they said they’d selected objects that were iconic to their area.</p> <p>This could be a product they specialise in, a local native animal, or, in the case of the Big Bogan, a joke based on the name of nearby Bogan River.</p> <p>Most builders openly acknowledge their primary motivation is to promote the region, attract tourist dollars and investment, and revive towns that have seen better days.</p> <p>But do Big Things actually achieve these goals? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer.</p> <h2>An economic return?</h2> <p>Local economies are complex, as are the reasons people choose to visit. Many Big Things are constructed on the sides of highways that connect Australia’s numerous regional towns.</p> <p>People who stop for photos may not set out with the goal of visiting that Big Thing – it may simply be convenient to take a break there while on the way somewhere else.</p> <p>And if people do stop, it doesn’t guarantee they will spend more than the cost of filling up their car with petrol, if that.</p> <p>Over the years, tourism researchers have developed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1447677021000322">several different models </a>for calculating the impact of rural and regional tourism on local economies.</p> <p>However, none of these approaches has proven to be universally effective. Most scholars agree tourists aren’t likely to travel long distances <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21568316.2019.1673811">for any one reason</a>.</p> <p>They will consider a range of factors including food and accommodation, and the closeness of numerous attractions. In other words: building a Big Thing won’t guarantee a sustained increase in tourism to the area on its own.</p> <p>Communities should factor this in when considering erection of a Big Thing, especially given the cost of construction.</p> <p>The Big Mango in Bowen <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-big-mango">reportedly cost $A90,000</a> when it was built in 2002, while the organisers of the Big Tractor in Carnamah <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-05/midwest-wa-town-carnamah-unveils-worlds-biggest-tractor/104388496">raised more than $600,000</a> to cover its price tag.</p> <p>The spread of social media and easy access to media outlets via the internet offers communities another reason to build Big Things, however.</p> <p>Australians are not the only ones fascinated by Big Things, and when a new one is unveiled — or an existing one goes “missing”, as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-26324023">the Big Mango did in 2014</a> — it is often covered by the press and then shared online.</p> <p>These giant landmarks are also highly “Instagrammable”: <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3039474/The-20-hottest-Australian-attractions-Instagram-revealed-spectacular-Sydney-Opera-House-Twelve-Apostles-don-t-forget-Big-Banana.html">a 2015 survey</a> revealed that six of Australia’s 20 most Instagrammed tourist attractions were Big Things.</p> <p>This sort of coverage doesn’t necessarily guarantee the long-term revival of a town’s economy.</p> <p>But it can help to remind people of the town’s existence, and it gives locals a memorable image on which to build.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/241129/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-clarke-248726">Amy Clarke</a>, Senior Lecturer in History, specialising in built heritage and material culture, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</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/from-the-big-bogan-to-larry-the-lobster-why-do-towns-build-big-things-241129">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Domestic Travel

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"Unfair" Australia Day ban sparks outrage

<p>A camping area in Bundeena has been slammed for making the "unfair" decision to ban boats and jet skis from Australia Day celebrations, with locals claiming they were left in the dark about the decision. </p> <p>The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will ban people from releasing their boats and jet skis from the access point at Bonnie Vale over the long weekend - the most popular time of the year to use the facility. </p> <p>The access point will be shut from 9pm on Friday, January 24 to 7am on Tuesday, January 28. </p> <p>Local Andrew Petty said he paid more than $300 for a camping holiday with his family and intended to take his kids fishing, but their plans have been derailed because of the ban. </p> <p>"We have one of the most beautiful waterways for all to use," he said. </p> <p>"We pay our boating licence, registration, fishing licence, national park entry fee, camping fee, and are denied access to the only ramp on that side of the Port Hacking."</p> <p>Petty added that he would have to drive more than an hour away to find another ramp to launch his boat, and believed he was paying the price for irresponsible jet ski users. </p> <p>"Maritime don't have the resources to prevent jet ski hooning so their alternative is to just force close the ramp and hire in traffic cops to police ramp access," he said. </p> <p>He believed that the ban was "unfair" because a lot of the traffic comes from jet ski users coming from the other side of Port Hacking. </p> <p>Another local called the move "another example of a government agency creating a problem instead of looking for more practical solutions." </p> <p>Locals also argued that the boat ramp offered a safe access point for leaving the isolated area in an emergency. </p> <p>The Port Hacking River is known for jet ski infringements in NSW and authorities claim they cause significant traffic congestion on nearby roads when the Royal National Park is full. </p> <p>They also said they hoped the closure would also improve safety for swimmers. </p> <p>"Public safety is always our number one priority and this temporary closure ensures Bonnie Vale remains a safer and more enjoyable space for all visitors over the long weekend," NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Royal area manager Brendon Neilly said.</p> <p>NSW Maritime officer Jay Ruming added that the state had recorded 1,700 jet-ski infringements in the past 12 months.</p> <p>"Our data tells us that jet skis are heavily over-represented in serious injury incidents. People involved in an accident on a jet ski have a 50 per cent likelihood they'll suffer a serious injury," he said. </p> <p><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Airline forced to apologise over controversial tourism ad

<p>An airline has copped major backlash over a controversial tourism campaign that promotes their return flights to Paris.</p> <p>Pakistan International Airlines posted a photo of a plane flying at the Eiffel Tower on X as part of its campaign to mark the first flight from Islamabad to Paris after a safety ban was lifted.</p> <p>“Paris, we’re coming today,” the ad reads. </p> <p>The campaign has been viewed more than 21 million times, but after receiving thousands of negative comments, the airline was forced to issue an apology. </p> <p>Many social media users drew comparisons with the Al-Qaeda attacks on New York’s Twin Towers on September 11th 2001 when two planes were hijacked and flown into the skyscrapers, killing nearly 3,000 people.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/qUoNCyL385">pic.twitter.com/qUoNCyL385</a></p> <p>— PIA (@Official_PIA) <a href="https://twitter.com/Official_PIA/status/1877555588533485884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote> <p>“This advertisement is sickening to see. Please do better with your imagery,” an irate user wrote. “Do you not see the airplane heading for the Eiffel Tower? Do you not know what it will be perceived as?”</p> <p>Another wrote, “Who tf made this graphic to further ruin Pakistan’s image in the world,” while others questioned how the graphic was approved, adding, “Who thought this ad was a good idea?”</p> <p>“Is this (an) advertisement or threat?” another user asked.</p> <p>After being online for a week, the airline issued an apology saying it was “blown out of proportion”.</p> <p>“Unfortunately, this was blown out of proportion with connations and perceptions that were not intended,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan told AFP.</p> <p>“It might have triggered some negative emotion, for which we truly apologise.” </p> <p>Despite the controversy, the ad remains on the airline's official X account.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Pakistan International Airlines</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Man dies and several others injured after severe storms lash NSW

<p>A man has tragically died after severe thunderstorms pummelled New South Wales on Wednesday night. </p> <p>The extreme storm system swept through the eastern part of the state on Wednesday evening, leaving several people injured and thousands without power. </p> <p>In the central west town of Cowra, 300km west of Sydney, a man in his 80s was killed when a tree fell on his car as the region experienced wind gust speeds of 107km/h at the time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.</p> <p>Police were in attendance at the scene and had launched an investigation into the incident, while the man has yet to be formally identified.</p> <p>Four campers have also been injured when their shelters were destroyed in high winds at Wagga Wagga in the Riverina region in the state’s southwest.</p> <p>The storm also triggered major power outages with Endeavour Energy reporting more than 47,000 impacted customers across the Blue Mountains, Western Sydney, Illawarra and the South Coast at 10pm, and Ausgrid reporting more than 62,000.</p> <p>On Thursday morning, the SES said they had received 2250 calls and responded to more than 1800 incidents in the last 24 hours, with the majority of the incidents were for fallen trees, powerlines and damaged properties.</p> <p>Scattered showers and severe storms are expected to continue on Thursday, particularly in the east and north east of the state. </p> <p><em>Image credits: 9News</em></p>

News

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"It doesn't go away": Former NSW premier reflects on Lindt siege

<p>Former NSW premier Mike Baird has reflected on the Lindt cafe siege that left two hostages dead in December 2014, revealing his struggle with post-traumatic stress. </p> <p>Baird, who was the state premier at the time of the attack, said it was his mother - who is a psychologist - who first noticed his signs of PTSD after he was tasked with coordinating a response to the siege. </p> <p>"I ignored it and there was other things to get on with and be busy about. But I should have listened," Baird told <em><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/mike-baird-former-nsw-premier-mental-health-struggle-10-years-after-lindt-cafe-siege/e5376455-411a-4b25-b71d-526eb86f7995" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 Minutes</a></em>. </p> <p>Reflecting on the terrifying day, he said, "Everyone just wanted them out. And you know, for it not to happen, there's a deep grief in that. And I think the impact is felt by everyone."</p> <p>"To have that loss of Tori and Katrina, I'll never lose that," Baird said, referring to the two hostages who were tragically killed during the siege.</p> <p>"It's just impossible not to feel guilt."</p> <p>Baird admitted he struggled to validate his own mental struggles, saying it feels like a very small part of the impact the siege had on Australians, including the enormous pain felt by the families of cafe manager Tori Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson who lost their lives. </p> <p>"In my mind there's a sense of, 'I shouldn't be impacted that way'," Baird said. "I was just there as an observer and trying to coordinate a response." </p> <p>Several hostages who survived the terrifying ordeal, including Louisa Hope, told 60 Minutes that the memories will never leave them.</p> <p>"For me personally it does not go away, but it is the thing that pushes me to continue to find the good or to find a good out of that awful situation," she said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 60 Minutes</em></p>

Caring

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Disgraced former cop launches legal action against NSW Police

<p>The disgraced former cop who was found guilty of manslaughter over the fatal tasering of a 95-year-old has launched an appeal to get his job back with the NSW Police. </p> <p>Former constable Kristian White faced an eight-day trial in November over the death of Clare Nowland, who White tasered in a nursing home last May. </p> <p>The deliberations lasted four days before the jury found Mr White guilty of unlawfully killing Mrs Nowland either by way of criminal negligence or a dangerous or criminal act.</p> <p>Just days after the guilty verdict, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb dismissed White from the police force. </p> <p>“Today I have determined that I do not have confidence in the officer’s suitability to continue as a police officer,” Commissioner Webb said in a statement at the time.</p> <p>“Accordingly, I have removed him from the NSW Police Force and he has been advised via his legal counsel.”</p> <p>On Monday, it was revealed Mr White had launched legal action against Commissioner Webb with the state’s Industrial Relations Commission, with the intention of having his job with the NSW Police reinstated. </p> <p>“NSW Police have been advised a former officer who was attached to Monaro PD, has filed in the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales an application for review under s 181E of the Police Act 1990,” NSW police said in a statement on Monday. </p> <p>“Given the matter is before the IRC no further comment can be made.”</p> <p>Mr White’s hearing, with the case name Kristian James Samuel White v Commissioner of Police, is listed for December 19th. </p> <p><em>Image credits: ABC News South East NSW: Floss Adams/ news.com.au</em></p> <p> </p>

Legal

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"Two strikes and you're out": Crackdown on dodgy taxi drivers

<p>The NSW government is introducing tougher penalties for taxi drivers caught ripping off passengers, as they crackdown on dodgy practices. </p> <p>Taxi drivers caught committing two fare-related offences will be disqualified from driving a taxi, rideshare or any other type of transport from December 6. </p> <p>The offences include not using their meter, overcharging, refusing a passenger travelling a short distance, demanding a fare not displayed on the meter, adding a surcharge and charging a maxi-taxi surcharge for less than five passengers. </p> <p>Transport Minister Jo Haylen emphasised that the "two strikes and you're out" system would be used to crack down on a “minority of rogue drivers” in the industry, ahead of the holiday season. </p> <p>"We're sending a strong message to the minority of rogue drivers that if they continue overcharging, not using the meter or refusing fares they now risk being kicked out of the industry," Haylen said.</p> <p>"From 6 December, drivers convicted twice for fare-related offences will not only be disqualified from the taxi industry but also rideshare companies like Uber and DiDi.</p> <p>"With these better regulations in place, passengers can have a safe and fair ride, while supporting the taxi industry.</p> <p>“This is a really busy time for the taxi and rideshare industries. Christmas parties are starting to kick off, people will be starting to come home through the airport, and then there are people rushing around for those last-minute gifts,” she added. </p> <p>"The majority of our state's 15,000 taxi drivers are doing the right thing, but these new measures will ensure that those who aren't, are out."</p> <p>The laws will also apply to Taxi drivers with existing breaches on record, who will now be at risk of being banned from the industry by the Point to Point Transport Commissioner Anthony Wing.</p> <p>More than 900 fines have been issued to taxi drivers by commissioner inspectors in the last two years. </p> <p>"Let me reinforce, most drivers are consistently doing the right thing, but we want all passengers to know that there will be harsh consequences for drivers who continue to break the rules - they now face being kicked out of the industry," Wing said.</p> <p>"We take all fare-related offences seriously which is why my Inspectors are frequently out conducting plain clothes operations along with highly visible compliance activities."</p> <p>He added that "small time first offenders" would not necessarily be prosecuted but issued a fine instead of a strike. </p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Legal

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NSW Government refunds millions of Covid fines

<p>Millions of dollars in fines dished out for breaches of Covid restrictions in NSW are set to be refunded, while close to 24,000 penalty notices will be officially erased. </p> <p>The announcement of the statewide refund by the NSW Fines Administration Commissioner on Tuesday came after legal advice cast doubt on the legal validity of the penalties handed out during Covid lockdowns. </p> <p>In total, more than $5.5 million will be handed back to those who have made either a full or partial payment towards paying off a Covid fine. </p> <p>Those in line for money, or with outstanding penalties, will be contacted by Revenue NSW within days.</p> <p>“Following representations made to the Commissioner of Police and myself concerning the validity of COVID-19 penalty notices, I have decided to exercise my statutory authority and withdraw these notices,” Fine Administration Commissioner Scott Johnston said.</p> <p>“Revenue NSW will be reaching out to all affected customers to support them through the finalisation of their matters.”</p> <p>At the height of the pandemic, the state government claimed they introduced the public health orders to "protect the community". </p> <p>Some fines have already been withdrawn, as in 2022 the Commissioner withdrew about 36,000 penalty notices tied to Covid-related offences because the information on them “made it difficult” for recipients to understand their offence.</p> <p>The remaining 23,539 penalty notices were believed to have provided a clearer explanation and were not withdrawn, but after further legal advice and consideration, it was considered “appropriate” to withdraw them too.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Xinhua News Agency/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Legal

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Tourism hotspot in Italy attracts attention for selling strange souvenir

<p dir="ltr">Italy’s picturesque region of Lake Como has started selling a unique souvenir, making many people raise their eyebrows. </p> <p dir="ltr">The north Italian tourist hotspot has long been known for being the backdrop of many Hollywood films, while also hosting countless celebrity weddings, with many famous faces owning houses in the region. </p> <p dir="ltr">For those travelling to the stunning Lake Como and wanting to purchase a souvenir to remind them of their travels, you can now forgo the classic keyring or magnet for a more unique souvenir item.</p> <p dir="ltr">Communications company ItalyComunica says it has bottled the very air of Italy’s picturesque Lake Como and is selling these cans for €9.90 ($16 AUD) apiece.</p> <p dir="ltr">Each can is said to contain 400 millilitres of “100% authentic air” collected from Lake Como, with the website stating buyers can “Open it whenever you need a moment of escape, tranquillity, or simply beauty.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In an attempt to capitalise on the ever-growing visitor numbers, marketing specialist Davide Abagnale originally created the e-commerce site to sell dedicated Lake Como posters, before delving into the world of the unique souvenirs. </p> <p dir="ltr">His latest initiative of selling canned air aims to “create a souvenir that could be easily transported in a suitcase for tourists” and “something original, fun and even provocative.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Abagnale told <em><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/04/travel/lake-como-air-cans-on-sale-intl-scli/index.html">CNN</a></em>, “It’s not a product, it’s a tangible memory that you carry in your heart,” adding that once tourists are home and have opened the can, they can repurpose it as a souvenir pen holder or plant holder. </p> <p dir="ltr">Not everyone was first onboard with the idea, as Como mayor Alessandro Rapinese said it wouldn’t be his first idea for tourists, and would prefer they take home other souvenirs, like the silk scarves the area is known for.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a novel idea, but not for everyone,” he told <em>CNN</em>. “But as mayor of one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, if someone wants to take some of their air home, that’s fine as long as they also take beautiful memories of this area.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: ItalyComunica/CNN/Shutterstock</em></p>

International Travel

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Sad end in search for young boy swept out to sea

<p>A body has been recovered in the search for a young boy swept out to sea in front of his family while on a fishing trip at The Entrance, NSW over the weekend.</p> <p>Laith Alaid, 11, was crossing a channel about 5pm on Sunday when he was caught in the outgoing tide. </p> <p>His father managed to save his other three sons aged, three, seven and nine, but he could not reach Laith in time.</p> <p>Bystanders looked after the three children while Laith's father tried to reach him. </p> <p>“(The father) came here by himself and with his four beautiful boys ... and he tried to save them all, he saved three and by the time he turned around (Laith) was gone ... in a split second,” family member Zeid Alhirz said. </p> <p>The family were visiting the Central Coast from Sydney and had been fishing when it is understood they took a shortcut across the channel between an estuary and the ocean. </p> <p>Relatives said they had visited and fished at the popular tourist spot for years and had crossed the channel at least three times before tragedy struck. </p> <p>An extensive multi-agency search was conducted and on Wednesday police were called back to The Entrance after a body was found in the water. </p> <p>“While the body is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of the missing boy,” NSW Police said.</p> <p>Inspector David Piddington said “lots of people try to move across that channel” but he advised against it.</p> <p>A report will be prepared for the coroner.</p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

Caring

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Chris Hemsworth's new tourism ad triggers major backlash

<p>Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky have come under fire after appearing in a major tourism campaign for Abu Dhabi. </p> <p>The Aussie actor and his Spanish model wife feature both feature in the production, that shows them having an intense day on-set of a fake action movie.</p> <p>While both dangling from the side of a building between takes, the duo claim they could “use a vacation about now”, before the ad showcases the best Abu Dhabi has to offer. </p> <p>With their three children in tow, Hemsworth and Pataky are shown enjoying various tourist attractions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital, including open-top car rides in the desert, surfing, relaxing massages and trips to the city’s National Aquarium and theme park.</p> <p>The video was posted by the official Abu Dhabi Instagram account, and quickly racked up thousands of comments from keen travellers saying the video had convinced them to book a holiday in the UAE. </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/DB_XZUvJO8g/?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/DB_XZUvJO8g/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Experience Abu Dhabi (@visitabudhabi)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>However, many commenters weren't quite as happy, as hundreds of fans questioned why Hemsworth, who has an estimated net worth of $225 million, would opt to promote a tourist destination that is notorious for restricted human rights.</p> <p>“Is he running out of money?” one person questioned, while another added, “Just got to ignore all the human rights abuses."</p> <p>“Not much of a vacation if you’re a member of the LGBTQIA+ community,” a third wrote.</p> <p>“A country without women’s rights and workers’ rights. An amazing thing to promote with your huge celebrity,” a fourth added.</p> <p>Abu Dhabi has a long and chequered history when it comes to human rights, with archaic laws inhibiting women’s rights, restricted freedom of speech and the continued criminalisation of homosexuality.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Investigation launched into deaths of two police dogs

<p>Detectives are investigating the deaths of two police dogs after they were found dead in a police vehicle in Sydney's south. </p> <p>Police dog Xtra and development dog Soldier had attended a development day with their handler in Lucas Heights.</p> <p>Authorities said the two German shepherds had been kept in air-conditioned pods in the police vehicle purpose-built for them. </p> <p>Their handler made the tragic discovery when they went to check on the dogs about 12.30pm on Thursday. </p> <p>“They were taken to a specialist veterinary clinic but were unable to be revived,” NSW Police said in a statement.</p> <p>An investigation overseen by detectives from the Sutherland Police Area Command and Fleet Services is now underway.</p> <p>Authorities did not reveal any information about how they died or whether there were problems with the vehicle. </p> <p>Commissioner Karen Webb paid tribute to the highly trained German shepherds, who were vital for officers serving the community. </p> <p>“Today is a very sad day for the Dog Unit and the thoughts of the whole police family are with them,” Webb said.</p> <p>“We owe it to PD Xtra and DD Soldier to conduct a thorough investigation.”</p> <p>Assistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty said the loss would be felt deeply by the police officers. </p> <p>"Our focus is on the welfare of all staff involved with ongoing support services made available to them," he said.</p> <p>Xtra gained accreditation as a general-purpose dog  in 2018 while Soldier only began service with the Dog Unit in February this year for training and development.</p> <p><em>Image: NSW Police Force</em></p>

Family & Pets

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New $1m reward for cold case murder of three children

<p>A new $1 million reward is being offered for information about each of the murders of three First Nations children around 34 years ago. </p> <p>Four-year-old Evelyn Greenup, Clinton Speedy-Duroux, 16, and Colleen Walker-Craig, 16, disappeared from Bowraville, a town in northern NSW over a five-month period from September 1990. </p> <p>Evelyn and Clinton's remains were found in nearby bushland, but Colleen's have never been found. </p> <p>The murders were initially investigated separately before being linked by the homicide squad. </p> <p>Now, after various appeals over the decades, NSW Police have issued a re-appeal for information into the murders, with a particular focus on locating the remains of Colleen.</p> <p>“A $1 million reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for each of the children’s murder remains in place, as well as for information leading to the location and recovery of Colleen’s remains,” NSW Police said on Monday.</p> <p>Detectives are also going to be spending the week in Bowraville to  speak to locals who may have information about the children's deaths. </p> <p>A man, who can't be named for legal reasons, was acquitted of Clinton's murder in 1994, and Evelyn's murder in 2006. </p> <p>The case was the subject of two police investigations, multiple trials, a coronial inquest, and a parliamentary inquiry. </p> <p>In 2018, the government tried to convince the NSW court of criminal appeal that there was fresh and compelling evidence – related to the disappearance of Colleen – in attempt to overturn the two acquittals and instead have a new single trial on three murder charges. </p> <p>However, the court refused to grant special leave to the NSW government to appeal against the decision. </p> <p>In 2019, hundreds protested in front of the gates of the Court of Appeal when a retrial was denied. </p> <p><em>Images: 7pm TV News NSW/ ABC News</em></p>

Legal

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‘Dark tourism’ is attracting visitors to war zones and sites of atrocities in Israel and Ukraine. Why?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/juliet-rogers-333488">Juliet Rogers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>There is a disturbing trend of people travelling to the sadder places of the world: sites of military attacks, war zones and disasters. Dark tourism is now a phenomenon, with <a href="https://dark-tourism.com/">its own website</a> and dedicated tour guides. People visit these places to mourn, or to remember and honour the dead. But sometimes they just want to look, and sometimes they want to delight in the pain of others.</p> <p>Of course, people have long visited places like the <a href="https://www.auschwitz.org/en/visiting/guided-tours-for-individual-visitors/">Auschwitz-Birkenau</a> Memorial, <a href="https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs">the site of the Twin Towers</a> destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, <a href="https://www.robben-island.org.za/tour-types/">Robben Island Prison</a>, where Nelson Mandela and others spent many years, and more recently, <a href="https://chernobyl-tour.com/english/">the Chernobyl nuclear power plant</a>. But there are more recent destinations, connected to active wars and aggression.</p> <p>Since the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/2024/10/11/one-year-hamas-oct-attack-israel-northern-border-1961816.html">Hamas military attacks</a> of October 7 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, celebrities and tourists have visited the related sites of the Nova music festival and the Nir Oz Kibbutz in Palestine/Israel.</p> <p>The kibbutz tours, guided by former residents, allow people to view and be guided through houses of the dead, to be shown photographs and bullet holes. Sderot, the biggest city targeted by Hamas, is offering <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-hamas-oct-7-tourism-sderot-8b21f590c37fa6780bf9190d6bfb62b7">what it describes as “resilience tours”</a>, connecting tourists with October 7 survivors.</p> <p>Similar places are visited <a href="https://wartours.in.ua/2023/02/25/dark-tourism-in-ukraine/">in Ukraine</a>. The “popular” Donbas war tour, for instance, takes visitors to the front lines of the conflict and offers “a firsthand look at the impact of the war on the local population”, introducing them to displaced locals, soldiers and volunteer fighters. There’s also <a href="https://wartours.in.ua/en/">a Kyiv tour</a>, which takes in destroyed military equipment and what remains of missile strikes.</p> <h2>Solidarity tours</h2> <p>These tours have various names, but <a href="https://touringisrael.com/tour/october-7-solidarity-tour/">one Israeli company</a> calls them “solidarity tours”. The idea of solidarity lessens the presumption of voyeurism, or the accusation of ghoulish enjoyment of pain or suffering. It suggests an affinity with those who have died or those who have lost loved ones.</p> <p>But solidarity is a political affiliation too. These tours are not only therapeutic. They are not only about “bearing witness”, as many guides and visitors attest. They are also about solidarity with the struggle.</p> <p>What is this struggle? Genocide scholar Dirk Moses <a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/more-than-genocide/">has written thoughtfully</a> on this after October 7. Colonial states seek not just security, but “permanent security”. This makes them hyper-defensive of their borders. Israel was created as a nation <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/truman-israel/">by the newly formed United Nations</a> in 1947, two years after the end of World War II and in the shadow of the Holocaust: it was an inevitable product of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-century-on-the-balfour-declaration-still-shapes-palestinians-everyday-lives-86662">Balfour Declaration</a> (1917) that carved up the Middle East.</p> <p>The creation of the Israeli state turned relationships between Palestinians and Jewish people into borders to navigate and police, producing a line of security to defend.</p> <p>These borders have long been sites of humiliation and denigration toward Palestinians, whose homelands have been now occupied for many generations. Israeli Defense Force soldiers themselves <a href="https://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos/29690">have spoken passionately</a> about the brutal and arbitrary violence that occurs there, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10978-016-9195-y">including “creative punishments”</a>. These were the borders that protected the sites targeted by Hamas. The Nova music festival was five kilometres from one of these borders.</p> <p>For many Israelis, any breach of those borders, any sense of loss of control, courts the terrors of the past. It raises the spectre of the Holocaust: the destruction of European Jewry, the loss of sovereignty over family, home, and over life, the loss of millions of lives, again. For Israel, as for any colonial state, security is a permanent aspiration, in Moses’s terms. The stakes are high.</p> <p>Dark tourism, seen in this light, is not only solidarity with those who have lost loved ones on October 7. It is solidarity with the border, with those who have lost that security. And that loss is profound, traumatic and, at least psychologically, can provoke violent reactions in an effort to have the borders – geographical and psychological – reasserted.</p> <h2>‘I stand with you’</h2> <p>Transitional justice mechanisms such as the truth commissions in <a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/">South Africa</a>, <a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/2002/02/truth-commission-timor-leste-east-timor">Timor Leste</a> and <a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/1983/12/truth-commission-argentina">Argentina</a> apply legal frameworks to heal nations from the trauma of crimes against humanity. These mechanisms are one choice after experiences of mass violence. Ironically, their catchphrase is <em>Nunca Mas</em> (never again), which was the title of the 1984 report by Argentina’s <a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/1983/12/truth-commission-argentina">National Commission on the Dissappeared</a>.</p> <p>Permanent security of the kind Israel is seeking is another choice – and its catchphrase might well be the same. Never again will Israel’s borders be breached, never again will Jewish life be subjected to mass destruction with impunity.</p> <p>This is what solidarity can mean: not only grieving alongside those who have suffered, but attachment to an identity and borders, which are reinforced through participation. “I stand with you” is perhaps what the visits are for. I stand with you on this land, at this time, and perhaps for all time.</p> <p>But stand beside you in what now? In grief, yes. But also in rage, in pain, in vengeance and, for some, in making Israel great again.</p> <p>The hashtag #standwithus accompanies some calls for visits to the October 7 sites, for this form of tourism. It means stand with us at Israel’s border. From there, you can hear the sound of bombs falling: <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/world/israel-7-october-massacre-sites-dark-draw-tourists-3101715">in Gaza</a>, a place where no solidarity tour will go. Yet.</p> <h2>Memorials, grief and understanding</h2> <p>Dark tourism is not always for those associated with the events. Some people visit sites of disaster and loss because they want to understand the greater sadnesses of the world and its formidable brutalities. Some want to show their respect to others. It’s not dissimilar to visiting memorials.</p> <p>Memorials collate the disparate parts of grief and reflect it as public memory. They offer fragments of historical pain that can be borne in more than one mind, to create a shared reality.</p> <p>In Pretoria, South Africa, a memorial called <a href="https://www.freedompark.co.za/">Freedom Park</a> depicts the names of every person who died in every war fought in South Africa, as well as those South Africans who died in the world wars. The names are written on a wall that circles the park. It is impossibly long and circular, and you cannot measure it with your own stride. It is disorientating and interminable, like grief.</p> <p>In this memorial-metaphor, you are unable to comprehend – and at the same time are awash with – a history of loss, represented by the names. The walls contain you, and then they cannot. Grief and even solidarity is not always about comprehension or containment. Sometimes it is about proximity. Sometimes, it is about sitting with not knowing. Sometimes, it is about solidarity with something that cannot be made sense of.</p> <p>Trauma, psychoanalysis tells us, is an experience of what we cannot assimilate. If you sit in proximity to people and places where traumatic events have happened, you can learn something. If you see the bullet holes at a site of loss, you can comprehend something. But not everything. Bullet holes in a wall are the very definition of a partial story.</p> <p>People visit memorials and sites of loss to learn and to unlearn. Dark tourism has this quality.</p> <h2>Obscenity of understanding</h2> <p>In my field, criminology and trauma studies, we try to understand why people do the violent things they do. Holocaust filmmaker and commentator <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26303924">Claude Lanzmann has said</a> we must not indulge in what he calls the “obscenity of the project of understanding” in relation to Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust.</p> <p>He regards curiosity about the minds of perpetrators and the rationale for violence as a violence in itself. Of the Holocaust, he says you cannot ask “Why were the Jews killed?”. It is the result that matters. But it is also the reaction that matters. The state of Israel itself – permanent security and its attendant horrors – is part of that reaction.</p> <p>But understanding can influence the reaction to violence, and contribute something to the promise of Never Again. Understanding allows us to hold more than one story in mind. It allows us to do more than <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/">count the more than 1,200 killed</a> in Israel, or the 41,689 (plus) Palestinians killed in Gaza. Bodies are always more than numbers. But explanation is one thing, justification another. Justification is best left to the courts, international or otherwise, after the violence has ceased.</p> <p>It is hard to hear about dark tourism in Israel/Palestine and in Ukraine and try to understand it. It is hard not to condemn the tourists. But we are quick to condemn at this time – and even quicker to demand others do the same. Perhaps we should not be so righteous, and we should resist the urge to easily condemn, from our homes in what <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/after-mabo-paperback-softback">Tim Rowse has called</a> the “ongoing colonial encounter sometimes called ‘Australia’”.</p> <p>Indigenous people here speak of the lack of memorials on this land. But every bordered property is a site for dark tourism in Australia. Dark tourism is the effort to seek out destinations of violence and devastation, but it is not hard to see genocide from our front door in this country.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/240119/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/juliet-rogers-333488"><em>Juliet Rogers</em></a><em>, Associate Professor Criminology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</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/dark-tourism-is-attracting-visitors-to-war-zones-and-sites-of-atrocities-in-israel-and-ukraine-why-240119">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

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Climate change threatens Australian tourism more than is widely believed. Here’s why

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-higgins-desbiolles-181651">Freya Higgins-Desbiolles</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p>Right now, Australia is one of the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/publications/travel-tourism-development-index-2024/">top five</a> tourist destinations in the world, a distinction the World Economic Forum says it shares with only the United States, France, Spain and Japan.</p> <p>So important is tourism to Australia’s economy that the best estimates are it employs <a href="https://www.tra.gov.au/en/economic-analysis/state-of-the-industry">655,000</a> people, 12 times as many as <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/jul-2024">Australia’s coal industry</a>.</p> <p>And most of them are employed in <a href="https://www.zurich.com.au/content/dam/au-documents/files/zurich-mandala-climate-risk-index-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-the-australian-tourism-industry.pdf">regional locations</a>, where jobs are scarce.</p> <p>This month a report by the Zurich insurance group and the economic consultancy Mandala found <a href="https://www.zurich.com.au/content/dam/au-documents/files/zurich-mandala-climate-risk-index-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-the-australian-tourism-industry.pdf">half</a> of Australia’s top 178 tourism assets were at risk from foreseeable climate change.</p> <p>There are reasons to believe its findings underplay what we are facing.</p> <h2>All major airports, all national parks at risk</h2> <p>The Zurich-Mandala report examines the impact of a 2⁰C increase in global temperatures on only eight so-called “climate perils”: wind, flood, heat, storm, drought, bushfire, hail and rain.</p> <p>It found that more than half of Australia’s top tourism assets faced a “significant risk from multiple perils” over the next 25 years, including all of Australia’s major airports.</p> <p>Scheduling disruptions and the closure of airports in extreme weather conditions were set to have major impacts on the transport of goods, the transport of tourists and accessibility for emergency services.</p> <p>All of Australia’s vineyards, national parks, scenic roads and railways were at risk.</p> <p>Queensland had the highest number of sites facing significant risk (79%) followed by Western Australia (69%) and the Northern Territory (63%).</p> <p>The report uses the impact of the 2019-20 <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1920/Quick_Guides/AustralianBushfires">black summer bushfires</a> to estimate that 176,000 jobs might be at risk nationwide from predictable climate change, most of them outside of Australia’s capital cities.</p> <h2>Multiple and interacting threats</h2> <p>Here is why I am fearful that the report underplays the threat Australia’s tourism industry is facing.</p> <p>There are many more threats to tourism from climate change than wind, flood, heat, storm, drought, bushfire, hail and rain.</p> <p>One is the threat to biodiversity. Iconic animals and habitats are an important part of Australia’s brand.</p> <p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-28/3-billion-animals-killed-displaced-in-fires-wwf-study/12497976">Three billion</a> animals were killed or displaced in the black summer bushfires.</p> <p>The deaths caused <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/01/alexis-wright-black-summer-bushfires-vigil-sydney-speech-3-billion-animals-killed-are-our-relatives-they-deserve-to-be-mourned">loss and grief</a> that risk indexes are incapable of capturing, but that nonetheless might make tourism less attractive.</p> <p>And biodiversity helps in another way by <a href="https://www.australianwildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Hayward-Et-Al.-2016-Could-biodiversity-loss-have-increased-Australias-bushfire-threat.pdf">protecting against bushfires</a>, meaning that as species vanish, other risks to tourism climb in ways that aren’t captured in the assumptions used to evaluate risk.</p> <h2>Threats unexamined</h2> <p>What makes holiday locations unattractive is hard to measure, but is fed by extreme weather events.</p> <p>Although temporary, the smoke and heat from the 2019-20 bushfires made parts of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra almost unlivable for a while, damaging the reputations of Australian capital cities in a way that is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/not-a-good-look-bushfire-smoke-threatens-to-pollute-sydney-s-tourist-image-20191206-p53hpl.html">probably ongoing</a>.</p> <p>Another curious omission, especially curious given that the report was prepared by an insurance company, is the damage extreme weather events do to the insurability of tourism assets.</p> <p>The report is also silent on the effort to reduce carbon emissions on Australia’s desirability as an international destination.</p> <p>For many tourists, air travel is the only way to get to Australia and it is likely to become more expensive and also less attractive as tourists try to reduce their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652614011810">carbon footprints</a>.</p> <p>Australia might increasingly become an Australian rather than an international destination.</p> <p>Our biggest upcoming international promotion, the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, might lose a good deal of its shine, with Queensland tourism assets at the greatest risk from climate change, and those risks set to climb over time.</p> <h2>The higher the temperature the bigger the threats</h2> <p>Zurich and the Mandala consultancy are to be commended for identifying 178 top tourism assets and examining eight types of risk they face.</p> <p>Their finding that just over half of them face serious threats from those risks is likely to be an underestimate because it excludes other risks and fails to examine the way in which some risks can intensify others.</p> <p>And they will be an underestimate if global temperatures climb by more than 2⁰C.</p> <p>The report says if global temperatures climb to 3⁰C above pre-industrial levels, 80% of the Australian sites it examined will face serious threats.</p> <p>Australia could attempt to limit the increase in global temperatures by taking up the opportunity to co-host the <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-a-big-deal-if-australia-and-the-pacific-are-chosen-to-host-un-climate-talks-heres-why-238320">2026 UN climate talks</a> with Pacific nations.</p> <p>It would give us a shot at making a difference and drawing attention to our present status as one of the world’s top tourism destinations.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/238768/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-higgins-desbiolles-181651">Freya Higgins-Desbiolles</a>, Adjunct professor and adjunct senior lecturer in tourism management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</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/climate-change-threatens-australian-tourism-more-than-is-widely-believed-heres-why-238768">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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