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Worried your address, birth date or health data is being sold? You should be – and the law isn’t protecting you

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katharine-kemp-402096">Katharine Kemp</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p>Australians don’t know and can’t control how data brokers are spreading their personal information. This is the core finding of a newly <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Digital-platform-services-inquiry-March-2024-interim-report.pdf">released report</a> from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).</p> <p>Consumers wanting to rent a property, get an insurance quote or shop online are not given real choices about whether their personal data is shared for other purposes. This exposes Australians to scams, fraud, manipulation and discrimination.</p> <p>In fact, <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/consumers-lack-visibility-and-choice-over-data-collection-practices">many don’t even know</a> what kind of data has been collected about them and shared or sold by data firms and other third parties.</p> <p>Our privacy laws are due for reform. But Australia’s privacy commissioner <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4224653">should also enforce</a> an existing rule: with very limited exceptions, businesses must not collect information about you from third parties.</p> <h2>What are data brokers?</h2> <p><a href="https://cprc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CPRC-Singled-Out-Final-Feb-2024.pdf">Data brokers</a> generally make their profits by collecting information about individuals from various sources and sharing this personal data with their many business clients. This can include detailed profiles of a person’s family, health, finances and movements.</p> <p>Data brokers often have no connection with the individual – you may not even recognise the name of a firm that holds vast amounts of information on you. Some of these data brokers are large multinational companies with billions of dollars in revenue.</p> <p>Consumer and privacy advocates provided the ACCC with evidence of highly concerning data broker practices. <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Salinger%20Privacy.pdf">One woman</a> tried to find out how data brokers had got hold of her information after receiving targeted medical advertising.</p> <p>Although she never discovered how they obtained her data, she found out it included her name, date of birth and contact details. It also included inferences about her, such as her retiree status, having no children, not having “high affluence” and being likely to donate to a charity.</p> <p>ACCC found another data broker was reportedly creating lists of individuals who may be experiencing vulnerability. The categories included:</p> <ul> <li>children, teenage girls and teenage boys</li> <li>“financially unsavvy” people</li> <li>elderly people living alone</li> <li>new migrants</li> <li>religious minorities</li> <li>unemployed people</li> <li>people in financial distress</li> <li>new migrants</li> <li>people experiencing pain or who have visited certain medical facilities.</li> </ul> <p>These are all potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited, for example, by scammers or unscrupulous advertisers.</p> <h2>How do they get this information?</h2> <p>The ACCC notes <a href="https://cprc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CPRC-working-paper-Not-a-fair-trade-March-2025.pdf">74% of Australians are uncomfortable</a> with their personal information being shared or sold.</p> <p>Nonetheless, data brokers sell and share Australian consumers’ personal information every day. Businesses we deal with – for example, when we buy a car or search for natural remedies on an online marketplace – both buy data about us from data brokers and provide them with more.</p> <p>The ACCC acknowledges consumers haven’t been given a choice about this.</p> <p>Attempting to read every privacy term is near impossible. The ACCC referred to a recent study which found it would take consumers <a href="https://www.mi-3.com.au/06-11-2023/aussies-face-10-hour-privacy-policy-marathon-finds-study">over 46 hours a month</a> to read every privacy policy they encounter.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=165&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=165&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595623/original/file-20240522-23-2zkuc.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=165&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The approximate length and time it would take to read an average privacy policy in Australia per month.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/publications/serial-publications/digital-platform-services-inquiry-2020-25-reports/digital-platform-services-inquiry-interim-report-march-2024">ACCC Digital Platform Services Inquiry interim report</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Even if you could read every term, you still wouldn’t get a clear picture. Businesses use <a href="https://cprc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CPRC-Singled-Out-Final-Feb-2024.pdf">vague wording</a> and data descriptions which <a href="https://theconversation.com/70-of-australians-dont-feel-in-control-of-their-data-as-companies-hide-behind-meaningless-privacy-terms-224072">confuse consumers</a> and have no fixed meaning. These include “pseudonymised information”, “hashed email addresses”, “aggregated information” and “advertising ID”.</p> <p>Privacy terms are also presented on a “take it or leave it” basis, even for transactions like applying for a rental property or buying insurance.</p> <p>The ACCC pointed out 41% of Australians feel they have been <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/choice-renttech-report-release">pressured to use “rent tech” platforms</a>. These platforms collect an increasing range of information with questionable connection to renting.</p> <h2>A first for Australian consumers</h2> <p>This is the first time an Australian regulator has made an in-depth report on the consumer data practices of data brokers, which are generally hidden from consumers. It comes <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/data-brokers-call-transparency-accountability-report-federal-trade-commission-may-2014/140527databrokerreport.pdf">ten years after</a> the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conducted a similar inquiry into data brokers in the US.</p> <p>The ACCC report examined the data practices of nine data brokers and other “data firms” operating in Australia. (It added the term “data firms” because some companies sharing data about people argue that they are not data brokers.)</p> <p>A big difference between the Australian and the US reports is that the FTC is both the consumer watchdog and the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2312913">privacy regulator</a>. As our competition and consumer watchdog, the ACCC is meant to focus on competition and consumer issues.</p> <p>We also need our privacy regulator, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), to pay attention to these findings.</p> <h2>There’s a law against that</h2> <p>The ACCC report shows many examples of businesses collecting personal information about us from third parties. For example, you may be a customer of a business that only has your name and email address. But that business can purchase “<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4224653">data enrichment</a>” services from a data broker to find out your age range, income range and family situation.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A03712/latest/text">current Privacy Act</a> includes <a href="https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/read-the-australian-privacy-principles">a principle</a> that organisations must collect personal information only from the individual (you) unless it is unreasonable or impracticable to do so. “Impracticable” means practically impossible. This is the direct collection rule.</p> <p>Yet there is no reported case of the privacy commissioner enforcing the direct collection rule against a data broker or its business customers. Nor has the OAIC issued any specific guidance in this respect. It should do both.</p> <h2>Time to update our privacy laws</h2> <p>Our privacy law was drafted in 1988, long before this complex web of digital data practices emerged. Privacy laws in places such as California and the European Union provide much stronger protections.</p> <p>The government has <a href="https://ministers.ag.gov.au/media-centre/speeches/privacy-design-awards-2024-02-05-2024">announced</a> it plans to introduce a privacy law reform bill this August.</p> <p>The ACCC report reinforces the need for vital amendments, including a direct right of action for individuals and a rule requiring dealings in personal information to be “fair and reasonable”.<!-- 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/230540/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/katharine-kemp-402096">Katharine Kemp</a>, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law &amp; Justice, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW 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/worried-your-address-birth-date-or-health-data-is-being-sold-you-should-be-and-the-law-isnt-protecting-you-230540">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Legal

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Princess Diana's iconic jumper to be sold at auction

<p>The iconic black sheep jumper worn by the late Princess Diana is going to auction. </p> <p>The woollen jumper was worn by Lady Di to a polo match in Windsor in June 1981, just one month before she married Prince Charles. </p> <p>Soon after Diana wore the garment to the polo match, it was returned to Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, founders of the label Warm &amp; Wonderful because of a tear at the cuff.</p> <p>It was sent back to the designers along with a note from Buckingham Palace, requesting that the jumper be either repaired or replaced.</p> <p>A new jumper was knitted for Diana, with Joanna Osborne believing the original garment has been lost after the replacement was sent to the Princess of Wales, which she wore to another polo match in 1983. </p> <p>However, earlier this year Osborne discovered the jumper, which has been preserved underneath an old cotton bedspread, while searching her attic looking for an old pattern. </p> <p>She got in touch with Sotheby's auction house which has since given the garment an auction estimate of £50,000-£70,000 (approx. $95,000 - $133,000 AUD).</p> <p>It will be auctioned online between August 31st and September 14th.</p> <p>Speaking to <em><a title="The Telegraph" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/royals/you-can-now-buy-princess-dianas-original-sheep-jumper/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Telegraph</a> UK</em>, Osborne said, "We didn't think we had any of the original sheep jumpers, because at the time, we were so desperate to complete orders that we never owned one ourselves, so I couldn't believe I'd found the original Diana sheep jumper."</p> <p>"It took a while to sink in. And we're so lucky it's not fallen to pieces."</p> <p>Sotheby's said of the now-iconic design, "The Black Sheep sweater is one of the most iconic pieces worn by Princess Diana to ever come to market."</p> <p>"The cultural impact of this moment from the 1980s is exemplified by the head of Rowing Blazers, Jack Carlson, who in 2020, requested to partner with the original designers and license the sheep design to be reproduced for his own fashion line."</p> <p>"The business partners reported an outstanding response from consumers, emphasizing the immortality of Diana's taste and her influence on popular culture."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Unique transportable home to be sold at low-cost

<p>A tiny foldable house is set to sell for less than a quarter of the average Queensland home loan deposit, already attracting 48 bids in an ongoing auction.</p> <p>The 35sqm portable house, popularly known as a donga, was listed for auction “brand new” by a company in Toowoomba.</p> <p>The 19ft by 20ft modified transportable house has seen 48 bids cast, lifting the price to $13,000, with bids rising in $250 increments. Market prices for fully fitted out dongas generally sell for around $20,000, depending on the quality of the fittings required.</p> <p>The owner of the literal ‘pick-up-and-go’ home has no reserve price set for the little container, meaning whenever the highest bid is made, the auction will close. </p> <p>The unique foldable home has an ensuite with a basic shower, toilet, sink and mirror. It also has eight lockable windows, one door and is decked out with timber flooring.</p> <p>There are hot and cold water inlets, two waste outlets, lighting, an exhaust fan vent, gas struts and winches for easy assembly. The container home has an efficiency star rating of 4, with water consumption at 4.5l full flush and 3.1l half flush.</p> <p>“Units are plumbed for the shower but showerhead/mixer needs to be supplied and installed by buyer.”</p> <p>The only issue with this unique little unit is it does not come wired, so the buyer has to arrange for an electrician to supply and install the wiring.</p> <p>The home also has “adjustable feet for easy levelling” and can be folded up and ready to transport.</p> <p><em>Image credit: realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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Daryl Braithwaite crashes Harry Styles' sold out tour

<p>As Harry Styles continues his sold out Australian tour, the British pop star has added an unusual track into his nightly setlist.</p> <p>Starting the new tradition at his first show in Perth, Styles has treated Aussie audiences with his own rendition of <em>The Horses</em>, originally sung by Rickie Lee Jones in 1989, but famously covered by Daryl Braithwaite in 1990. </p> <p>As Styles makes his way around Australia, his own version of the song has had audiences belting out the tune night after night, with one artist left very impressed. </p> <p>Performing in Melbourne's sold out Marvel Stadium, Daryl Braithwaite himself was seen in the audience, singing along to the song that made him a household name. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Daryl Braithwaite watching Harry cover The Horses at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia - February 25 (via fenellamai) <a href="https://t.co/zsEot2TbQt">pic.twitter.com/zsEot2TbQt</a></p> <p>— HSD Love On Tour (@hsdlot) <a href="https://twitter.com/hsdlot/status/1629529137680351232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Impressed with the cover, Braithwaite shared his admiration for Styles on Facebook, saying, “What an extraordinary night it was at Harry’s gig."</p> <p><span style="caret-color: #050505; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, '.SFNSText-Regular', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: #ffffff;">"I just love the feeling of these massive concerts as they take on a life of their own."</span></p> <p>“Harry Styles is so good at what he does and they loved him. I was completely overwhelmed by the night.”</p> <p>When Styles first performed <em>The Horses</em> in Perth, he described the track as "catnip" to Aussies, with every member of the audience knowing every word to the iconic song. </p> <p>“I’ve been playing that a couple of times here and there,” Styles said of the song. “And every time you are around an Australian, this happens.”</p> <p>Styles then turned his back to the Perth audience, pretended to hear the song, quickly twisting his head with interest, and asked, “Is that Daryl Braithwaite?”</p> <p>On Saturday, after a rousing rendition, he told Melbourne fans, “I can feel Australia coursing through my veins. I can feel it.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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Million-dollar home sold with squatter living in the basement

<p dir="ltr">A house in the US state of Virginia has sold for way above the asking price, despite coming with a stranger living in the basement. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to public records, the five-bedroom, four-bathroom house sold for $A1.1m ($US805,000) to an unnamed buyer on April 15th. </p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3709-Prado-Pl-Fairfax-VA-22031/51836844_zpid/">online listing</a> quickly went viral, after it noted that putting an offer in on the home required  “an acknowledgement that home will convey with a person(s) living in lower level with no lease in place.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“NO ACCESS to see lower level,” the listing added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Just days after the home was listed, an Instagram account called Zillow Gone Wild posted about the bizarre listing, noting that it came with “a specific clause in the purchase price”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The post racked up over 35,000 likes and comments from users speculating about the identity of the basement tenant and poking fun at the unusual circumstances of the sale.</p> <p dir="ltr">“800k for 5 bd, 4 ba and your own serial killer,” a user commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Is the basement haunted? Feels like the basement is haunted,” another wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Before the sale closed, the listing agent told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/04/14/virginia-man-selling-home-after-squatter-refuses-to-leave/">New York Post</a> that the seller of the home was an elderly man who was sick in the hospital and had offered the basement dweller a place to stay three years ago after she cleaned his home and “convinced him that she needed a place to stay”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So he offered her the basement, but then she never left. And she does not pay rent,” Rodgers-Rickert added.</p> <p dir="ltr">The agent told the publication that the man’s family was hoping to sell the home before he died because he didn’t have a will and they didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer to work on the eviction of the “tenant”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rodgers-Rickert declined to comment to NBC News on the circumstances of the seller or the basement dweller following the sale of the house to a new owner. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Zillow</em></p>

Real Estate

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The BIZARRE reason why Courteney Cox sold her home

<p dir="ltr">Courteney Cox has opened up about an experience with the paranormal in her personal life, and how it prompted her to make a life-altering decision: to sell her home.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Friends star <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/courteney-cox-sold-her-house-because-she-thought-it-was-haunted/ZLSFVTGYDWHC3YUPLXQCYA5JIM/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was asked</a> about her experience with ghosts during an appearance on <em>Jimmy Kimmel Live!</em>, where she was promoting her new horror comedy series, Shining Vale.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Are you a believer in ghosts? Have you had a ghost experience?” Kimmel asked.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6fda740e-7fff-0547-d678-d6ae8d6fab09"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I have had one. I didn’t believe it at first, but I lived in this house in Laurel Canyon, which is in LA, obviously,” Cox replied.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/courtney-cox1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Courteney Cox told Jimmy Kimmel about her brush with the paranormal while promoting her new show. Image: Jimmy Kimmel Live (YouTube)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">She added that its residents included late burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee and famed singer Carole King.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[King] said that there had been a divorce and that was really ugly and there was a ghost in the house, and I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever’,” Cox continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But other people who would stay there with me like … friends of mine said they felt an encounter with a woman (who) was sitting on the edge of the bed, and I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She shared that King even came over and held a seance with her, but that she was too starstruck to be fully immersed in the experience.</p> <p dir="ltr">It wasn’t until later that Cox had her own experience with the ghost her friends had been talking about.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was at the house one day, not being a big believer, and the doorbell rang and it was a UPS guy,” she recalled.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I opened the door and he said, ‘Do you know this house is haunted?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah why?’</p> <p dir="ltr">“And he goes, ‘Because there’s someone standing behind you’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And I was like, ‘Let’s sell’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After her story elicited gasps from the audience, Kimmel asked whether it was really the reason why Cox offloaded the home.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Probably,” she quipped in reply.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t think of it the same way. You start seeing things,” she added.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4065822b-7fff-528d-073b-f0d8517b56ff"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">You can watch the full interview below.</p> <p dir="ltr"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YtADP8RvqX8" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b6e8a431-7fff-70d9-028c-708a04c75933"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Jimmy Kimmel Live (YouTube)</em></p>

Real Estate

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Fake Banksy print sold on the artist’s website for over $450,000

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A hacker has been forced to return over $450,000AUD to a British art collector after he tricked him into purchasing a fake Banksy print. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NFT (non-fungible token) print was posted on Banksy’s official website, fooling many fans of the elusive street artist. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The auction of the print ended early after the art collector offered 90% of rival bidders. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy’s team spoke to the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58399338"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and assured art fans that, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"any Banksy NFT auctions are not affiliated with the artist in any shape or form."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NFT’s are a relatively new phenomenon in the art world, which show artworks that can be “tokenised” to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought and sold. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They often don’t give the buyer the actual artwork of copyright, but are seen as more of an investment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The man who got duped by the site believed he was buying Banksy’s first ever NFT. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The man, who wished to remain anonymous, explained over Twitter that he suspected Banksy’s official site was hacked and that he was the victim of an elaborate scam. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hacker returned all the money, with the exception of $9,000AUD transaction fee once he was caught out. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The prominent NFT collector used the online name Pranksy, and said the whole experience was bizarre but that the hacker may have got scared.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The refund was totally unexpected, I think the press coverage of the hack plus the fact that I had found the hacker and followed him on Twitter may have pushed him into a refund. “</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I feel very lucky when a lot of others in a similar situation with less reach would not have had the same outcome," he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NFT was called Great Distribution of the Climate Change Disaster, and is not linked to the famous street artist.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Banksy</span></em></p>

Art

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Bought for $225k, sold for $43 million

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three siblings from southeast Melbourne have become multi-millionaires overnight after selling their family’s former pea farm in Officer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The life changing sale saw the siblings sell the 12.3 hectare Rix Road block for $43 million last week - $11 million above the reserve price - after attracting local and international developers looking to snap up the urban growth zone site.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to CoreLogic records, the property last sold in 1988 for just $225,000.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843065/farm.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2166570146d461781ba882a30749666" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: realestate.com.au</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sun Herald</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reported that the siblings and their elderly mother were the beneficiaries of the trio’s late stepfather’s estate, which included the land.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CBRE agent David Minty, who brokered the sale along with fellow CBRE agents, said the three siblings were aged in their 50s and had “standard” day jobs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They weren’t wealthy people so this is completely life changing for them,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s a really special sale just knowing how life changing it is for this particular family. You go from a simple day job, you don’t have a huge amount of money, and all of a sudden you’ve got a sizable sum. They’ve always been a private, courteous and respectful family. They may just maintain their same lifestyles - they’re not flashy people.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Minty said the land had formerly been used to grow peas, and he believed the siblings’ grandfather had worked as a farmer for former Governor-General and federal minister Lord Richard Casey, which the City of Casey was named after.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Developers YouLand and Satterley have projects surrounding the block, but YourLand, backed by Japanese company Nippon, was able to secure the sale.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re experiencing strong demand from developers looking to secure development pipelines in this region, which is unlikely to be satisfied in a market which is very short on appropriately zoned or earmarked landholdings,” said Mr Murfale, who also brokered the deal.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is understood that the buyer paid more than it hoped for, having first offered the family $27 million off-market last year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The sale price smashes all metrics achieved for a development site sale in Officer, representing a record rate of $3.65 million per hectare,” Mr Minty said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Whether it’s a shift in mindset with COVID, with people wanting to live out in the areas and buy their own house and set up their families, [the demand is] just quite extraordinary.”</span></p>

Real Estate

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RECALL on multiple IKEA items sold across the country

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several Ikea products have been taken off the shelves due to concerns they could cause serious injuries during use.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The recall was issued for Ikea’s Heroisk and Talrika plastic plates, bowls, and mugs, amid fears the products could break when filled with hot liquids and increased risks of burns, scalding, or serious injuries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Heroisk bowls, plates, and mugs were sold in two-packs while the Talrika range was sold in sets of four.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Talrika plates that have been recalled include the light green, red, and dark blue versions, and the light red mug is also included.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height:214.6153846153846px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842247/ikea-plates.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/93c0d45eaaf74a14aa76dd14de60ce38" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the Heroisk range, the green and yellow bowls, the light red and yellow mugs, and the red, green, and blue plates have also been recalled.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Ikea received reports these products could break and potentially cause burns due to hot content,” the retail giant said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Customers have been urged to return the products to Ikea for a full refund or exchange, and a proof of receipt is not required.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The products were sold across the country between August 2019 and May 2021.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Full details and product IDs are available </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/ikea-pty-limited-heroisk-and-talrika-plates-bowls-and-mugs" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Ikea Australia / Instagram, news.com.au</span></em></p>

Legal

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Roald Dahl letter to be sold

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A letter written by the beloved children’s author Roald Dahl is set to go under the hammer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The handwritten letter, dated August 2 1989, reveals his opinion of his own work and his determination to encourage children to read.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Librarian Christine Wotton said she wrote to Dahl “speculatively” when she was a 20-year-old student studying literature and linguistics at university in the late 1980s.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The item has been given a guide price of $915 to $1460 AUD by Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The letter reads: “Never shelter children from the world .. the ‘content’ of any children’s book is of no importance other than that it enthrals the child - and thus it teaches or seduces him or her to ‘like’ books to become a fit reader - which is vital if that child is going to amount to anything in later life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The book-reading child will always outstrip the non-book-reading child in later life. There are very few messages in these books of mine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"They are there simply to turn the child into a reader of books.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Damn it all, they are mostly pure fantasy. Have you read the latest one, Matilda?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It seems to have broken every sales record in the history of hardback publishing."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Explaining the story behind the letter, Wotton first “stumbled across Dahl’s address listed in the back of an old library book”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“On a whim I asked him questions which intrigued me regarding his style and attitude towards children’s literature, never really dreaming of a response.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The response she received was a “chatty double-sided, handwritten A4 reply” as well as a dissertation he lent to her “presumably written in his famous garden shed” and “discussing the importance of reading for children” with reference to his newly published book </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Matilda</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As he indicated himself, it was unusual for him to reply to letters like mine, so I really struck lucky,” she added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With the happy-go-lucky optimism of youth, I don’t think I fully appreciated my good fortune.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The letter will go to auction on June 15 in Hansons’ specialist library auction in Staffordshire.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jim Spencer, head of books and works on paper at Hansons, said: “It’s unusual to see such conversational correspondence from a big name like this.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for why she has chosen to sell the letter, Wotton said: “I’ve enjoyed and treasured the letter for over 30 years and the time has come to share it, for others to read and enjoy his wise words which are dashed off in his wonderfully inimitable, flamboyant style.”</span></p>

Books

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Hotel where Michael Hutchence died sells for 300 percent profit

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Intercontinental Hotel Double Bay, the spot where Princess Diana stayed in 1996 and INXS frontman Michael Hutchence was found deceased in 1997 has been sold for $180m to an apartment developer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sources told the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wentworth Courier</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the deal was brokered by the Agency’s Steven Chen.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The buyer, Melbourne apartment developer Fridcorp, later released a statement confirming the purchase of the refurbished 140-room hotel, refurbished by Bates Smart, and land in a joint venture with Piety Group from vendor Shanghai Group, who had paid $140m four years ago.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 3670-square-metre luxury hotel originally opened as a Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1991 and was the hotel of choice in the 90s for famous guests, including Princess Diana, Madonna, Bill Clinton, and Elton John.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The circa $180m price tag is triple the $60m that the site sold for only eight years ago.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is understood the deal was done on Friday, May 7.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PG1gNlTij/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PG1gNlTij/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by InterContinental Double Bay (@intercontinentaldoublebay)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several other prominent Sydney-based apartment developers are known to have been interested in the hotel and given its record price, sources say it “Absolutely must be a development site”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a statement sent to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Courier</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Fridcorp confirmed the sale and noted that in 2011, Woollahra Council granted a permit to demolish the existing hotel and take advantage of the gorgeous harbour views by adding an eight-storey residential building and retail offering. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior to this, the hotel was rebranded as the Sir Stamford Double Bay in 2001 and operated until 2009, then underwent a complete facelift and became the Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay in 2014.</span></p>

Real Estate

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Urgent recall issued for popular tea sold by major supermarkets

<p>A popular herbal tea has been removed off Australian supermarket shelves over fears of chemical contamination.</p> <p>Authorities said some batched of Nerada Organics Lemon &amp; Ginger Organic Herbal Infusion Tea was found to have ethylene oxide contamination inside its tea bags.</p> <p>Food Standards Australia has issued a warning to customers, saying they should not consume the tea that is widely sold in Woolworths, Coles and IGA.</p> <p>Nerada Tea Pty Ltd is conducting the recall due to the product potentially causing illness or injury from anyone who consumes it.</p> <p>Ethylene oxide exposure can cause local irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, affect the nervous system and in extreme long-term cases has also been associated with increases in cancer rates, according to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/ethlyene-oxide.aspx" target="_blank">NSW Health</a>.</p> <p>“Consumers should not consume this product and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/foodrecalls/recalls/Pages/Nerada-Organics-Lemon-&amp;-Ginger-Organic-Herbal-Infusion-Tea-60g-.aspx" target="_blank">Food Standards Australia said on Monday.</a></p> <p>The product was sold in Woolworths in NSW, the ACT and Queensland.</p> <p>Coles customers in NSW, ACT and Victoria have also been warned.</p> <p>It was also on shelves in IGA in NSW, ACT, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and WA.</p> <p>The recall relates to any products with Best Before dates showing from 08/01/23 up to and including 22/01/23.</p>

Legal

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Furious bride's epic response to sold ring goes viral

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A scorned bride-to-be has won over thousands after she explained why she's selling her engagement ring.</p> <p>UK single mum Lisa placed an ad selling her engagement ring, offering it for sale at £500 ($AUD $900) ($NZD 947) and accepted "reasonable offers".</p> <p>Lisa explained it had been worn for 9 months and was purchased from a popular store.</p> <p>When another Facebook user asked why she was selling the ring, she got more than she bargained for after a 600-word-long reply from the seller.</p> <p>Lisa, a nurse, also said she was going to use the money from selling her ring to have a “banging Christmas dinner”.</p> <p>“Well, Pam, I met this bloke about three years ago and thought he was really nice - a big soft giant, been hurt and cheated on blah blah blah [who] was going to make me happy and all that bollocks.</p> <p>“So I thought I’d give it a try being the naive, vulnerable person I am and not realising everything he was saying had happened to him is actually what he had done to his ex wife - and before that, the mother of his children.</p> <p>“I am a mug, Pam. I really am.</p> <p>“Anyway, get back to the story. So I meet this bloke, don’t find him physically attractive that much but a nice person (again, wrong).</p> <p>“So fast forward a year and he proposes to me on a holiday to Egypt which was really nice and all but I knew then it wouldn’t ever happen cos he repulsed me more than attracted me. I’d actually said to my daughter the day before that I’d die if he proposed on this holiday and **** my life, he did it.</p> <p>“Anyway, I had to say yes cos we were in a restaurant full of people, all tables decorated and about 10 Egyptians stood round the table waiting to do this traditional Egyptian dance thing.</p> <p>“The ring’s already inside a glass of champers which I wish I’d taken the risk of choking on to be honest. And it’s all too late, I’m in too deep, Pam.</p> <p>“My daughter’s white [with shock], my other daughter’s crying, I’m crying through despair not happiness - little did they know and it’s all gone too far, Pam, I couldn’t say no then could I?</p> <p>“Anyway, fast forward again a few months and he’s already had seven birds behind my back - well tried - six turned him down and one was a prozzy (prostitute). So I can’t say he did actually cheat, but he did try.</p> <p>“So by now I’m really not feeling it all so [I’m] thinking just get past Christmas, then next thing ******* boom! We’ve booked a New York trip and I’m trapped again. At least he can’t propose on this one though.</p> <p>“So a week before New York, we have a massive row and the horrible fat bastard strangles me on the bed mid-way through an argument. Oh and he’s just admitted to stealing over $50k out of his dad’s bank account, who’s got dementia so bad that the poor old sod doesn’t even know what a bank account is any more!</p> <p>“So I’m at the end of the road by then, Pam, I really am! Proper had enough babe.</p> <p>“Anyway, fast forward again to four weeks ago and I won in court for the trying to kill me blip and got him a nice electronic ankle bracelet to wear. And I thought you know what, now it is definitely over now and I’ve still got that f****** ring I wish I’d choked on.</p> <p>“It’s Christmas and I’m a single mum, I work part time as a nurse and I’m skint so let’s sell this little beauty!</p> <p>“I mean it was only an investment for him really as women are just there to feed and pay his bills so I might as well get some dollar back and have a banging Christmas dinner, Pam!</p> <p>“Might even buy me a nice pair of shoes too so I can walk away from the next fat bastard who tries to ruin my life.</p> <p>“He’s moved on too, Pam. Got a new bill pair now so it’s definitely not needed.</p> <p>“So that’s why I’m getting rid Pam, hope that answers your question.”</p> <p>People were shocked by the reply, saying it was a "wild ride".</p> <p>“No multi-billion dollar Hollywood blockbuster has ever been nearly as entertaining as this roller coaster,” said one.</p> <p>Wrote one more: “Oh, I love Lisa. She’s honestly great. I hope she has a great Christmas.”</p> <p>Said a third: “I thought the ‘I’m a mug Pam, I really am’ part was the funniest, but it really only got better from there!”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Relationships

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Mother reunited with her son 32 years after he was snatched and sold for less than $900

<p>A mother in China was left heartbroken as her son was taken from her at the age of 2 in 1988.</p> <p>Mao Yin was taken by strangers outside a hotel after his father stopped at a hotel to get him some water, and his mother Li Jingzhi hasn’t stopped searching for him since.</p> <p>She never gave up hope she would find her son again and quit her job to hand out 100,000 flyers at the time of his disappearance.</p> <p>The family now know that he was taken and sold to a childless couple for less than $900 and have finally reunited after 32 years.</p> <p>The touching moment Li finally holds her son Mao brings them both to tears.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Mao Yin was snatched in 1988 when he was walking home from nursery with his father, aged just two and a half.<a href="https://t.co/BIfaLXwfDt">https://t.co/BIfaLXwfDt</a></p> — 🌊Arctic_Char🗣Resists (@Arctic__char) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arctic__char/status/1262798921585180672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Li followed more than 300 false leads over the decades, but police finally made a breakthrough in April, 2020.</p> <p>Li told Chinese media that the police received a tip off about a man in Sichuan province who had bought a child from Shaanxi in the late 1980’s, which is where Mao was taken.</p> <p>Xi’an officials say that the boy was renamed Gu Ningning and grew up with no knowledge of his birth parents, nor the knowledge he had been abducted and sold.</p> <p>However, when police tracked down Gu and carried out a DNA test, Li received the news she’d been waiting years to hear.</p> <p>“I don’t want him to leave me anymore. I won’t let him leave me anymore,” Li said as she held onto her son’s hand.</p>

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