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Mysterious leg pain that’s quietly killing older Australians

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) has long been overshadowed by its more widely recognised counterparts, such as heart attacks and strokes. Often referred to as the “poor cousin” or “Cinderella” of cardiovascular diseases, PAD affects one in five older Australians, yet it remains largely under-diagnosed and misunderstood. However, a wave of optimism is sweeping through the medical community with the launch of <a href="https://www.hri.org.au/our-research/centreforpad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Centre for Peripheral Artery Disease</a>, an Australian-first facility dedicated to pioneering research and improving patient outcomes. Spearheaded by the Heart Research Institute, the Centre for Peripheral Artery Disease, marks a significant step forward in addressing the challenges posed by PAD. The centre aims to fill critical gaps in our understanding of the disease, which is responsible for a limb amputation in Australia every two hours. This initiative promises to enhance diagnosis, transform patient care, and raise awareness about PAD. Associate Professor Mary Kavurma, the Centre Lead, is at the forefront of this ground-breaking effort. “We’re supercharging research into PAD because there are still many unknowns about the disease’s biology that could unlock new methods for early detection and better management,” she explains. This research is particularly urgent given the prevalence of PAD among women and First Nations Australians, groups that remain disproportionately affected by this condition. The centre’s mission is to develop a simple blood test for early diagnosis and explore novel therapies that could reduce the need for limb amputations and significantly improve patients’ quality of life. Unlike current treatments that primarily focus on symptom management, this new approach seeks to prevent the disease from progressing. One of the most inspiring aspects of the centre is its commitment to involving patients and their families in the research process. At the inaugural consumer meeting, nearly 20 patients and their carers shared their personal experiences with PAD. Take the story of Simon Josephson, a renowned advertising guru – who famously designed the Solo logo. PAD almost cost him his life after taking more than five years to diagnose. He woke up one morning with a sore leg, thinking he’d overdone it exercising but the 73-year-old – who was otherwise healthy and active – unknowingly had Peripheral Artery Disease, caused by a build-up of plaque in his arteries causing them to narrow and stiffen. It wasn’t until a trip to the hospital emergency department years later that doctors would discover his aorta had expanded to more than twice the usual size and was at risk of rupturing. He immediately underwent open heart surgery and has faced a lengthy recovery. The launch of <a href="https://www.hri.org.au/our-research/centreforpad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Centre for Peripheral Artery Disease</a> heralds a new era of hope and progress in the fight against PAD. Through world-leading research, community engagement, and a commitment to patient-centred care, the CPAD is poised to make a profound impact on the lives of many Australians. As Assoc Prof Kavurma aptly put it, “By understanding more about this debilitating condition, we are paving the way for better health outcomes and a brighter future for all those affected by PAD.” Images: CPAD

Caring

Aussie flag bearers for Paris Olympics announced

The Australian flag bearers have been announced for the upcoming opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Chef de mission Anna Meares officially confirmed the flag bearers for the event on the River Seine to massive applause at a function in Paris on Wednesday, announcing Jess Fox and Eddie Ockenden as the two champions who will carry the flag. Meares admitted that she told Fox, an award-winning canoeist, about the special honour two months ago so she could break the news in person. “Even though I’ve known a little while, it’s really hit me today ... all the emotions came up,” Fox said. “It is probably the greatest moment of my career ... just visualise us, leading our team down the Seine.” History-making Kookaburra Eddie Ockenden, who will become the first Australian hockey player to play five Games, will join Fox in carrying the flag. He also carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham two years ago. “This really means a lot to me ... if I get emotional, it’s because of gratitude, so thank you,” Ockenden said. “I feel special, to represent Tasmania. It’s something that I’ve always felt a real connection to and if I could even say to kids in Tassie - dream big and chase your dreams, sport or otherwise. “It doesn’t feel real yet ... it’s a huge honour. I never thought this was something that could be a possibility.” The opening ceremony of the Paris Games will be like none other in history with boats taking athletes from each county down the Seine River. Image credits: Pete Dovgan/Speed Media/Shutterstock Editorial

International Travel

We have too few aged care workers to care for older Australians. Why? And what can we do about it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-swerissen-9722">Hal Swerissen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a> In a country like Australia, we all expect that when we get old, we’ll be able to rely on a robust aged care system. But aged care providers can’t find staff and a crisis is brewing. If the problem isn’t fixed, there are serious risks to quality and access to services for older people who need support. There are also broader social, economic and political consequences for undervaluing the rapidly expanding health and social assistance workforce. Aged care <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/10/2020-aged-care-workforce-census.pdf">employs</a> around 420,000 people. Around 80% of those are front line staff providing care and demand for them is increasing rapidly. <h2>Australians are ageing</h2> The number of people aged 80 and over is <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/IGR_2010_Overview.pdf">projected to double</a> by 2050. At the same time, informal family care is becoming less available. In the next 25 years, <a href="https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/executive/shortfall-of-400000-aged-care-workers-predicted-by-2050/">twice as many</a> aged care staff will be needed. Currently, about 1.4 million older people <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australians/contents/aged-care">receive</a> aged care services, including basic and more intensive home care and residential care. Health care and social support job vacancies and ads are the highest of any industry. Between 30,000 and 35,000 additional direct aged care workers a year are already needed. By 2030 the <a href="https://cedakenticomedia.blob.core.windows.net/cedamediacontainer/kentico/media/attachments/ceda-duty-of-care-3.pdf">shortfall</a> is likely to be 110,000 full time equivalent workers. <h2>Why don’t enough people want to work in aged care?</h2> Despite recent <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aged-care-workforce/what-were-doing/better-and-fairer-wages">pay increases</a>, it is difficult to attract and retain aged care workers because the work is under-valued. The Australian workforce is undergoing profound change. A generation ago, manufacturing made up 17% of the workforce. Today it has fallen to 6%. By contrast, the health care and social assistance workforce has doubled from 8% to 16%. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/607090/original/file-20240716-17-hup1e8.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>The manufacturing workforce has declined, while health, aged care and social assistance has risen. ABS 6291.0.55.001 Labour Force, Australia.</figcaption></figure> Manufacturing jobs were <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Manufacturing-Briefing-Paper-FINAL.pdf">mainly</a> secure, full-time, reasonably paid jobs dominated by male workers. By contrast, jobs in aged care are often insecure, part-time and poorly paid, dominated by women, with many workers coming from non-English speaking backgrounds. Since moving to take over aged care in the 1980s, the federal government has over-emphasised <a href="https://arena.org.au/a-genealogy-of-aged-care/">cost constraint</a> through service privatisation, activity-based funding and competition, often under the cover of consumer choice. The result is a highly fragmented and poorly coordinated aged care sector with almost 3,200, often small and under-resourced providers centrally funded and regulated from Canberra. This has <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/a-matter-of-care-australia-s-aged-care-workforce-strategy.pdf">led to</a> high levels of casualisation, low investment in training and professional development, and inadequate supervision, particularly in the home care sector. Aged care is facing a perfect storm. Demand for care and support staff is increasing dramatically. The sector is poorly coordinated and difficult to navigate. Pay and conditions remain poor and the workforce is relatively untrained. There are no minimum standards or registration requirements for many front-line aged care staff. <h2>What are the consequences?</h2> An understaffed and under-trained aged care workforce reduces access to services and the quality of care and support. Aged care providers <a href="https://www.agedhealth.com.au/content/compliance-and-governance/news/troubled-outlook-for-aged-care-reforms-1224428737#:%7E:text=Its%20report%20found%20that%2053.8,was%20%22impossible%20to%20achieve%22.">routinely report</a> it is difficult to attract staff and they can’t meet the growing demand for services from older people. Staff shortages are already having an impact on residential care occupancy rates falling, with some regional areas now down to only 50% occupancy. That means older people either don’t get care or they are at increased risk of neglect, malnutrition, avoidable hospital admissions and a poorer quality of life. Inevitably, lack of aged care workers puts pressure on hospital services when older people have nowhere else to go. <h2>What needs to be done?</h2> Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach. Australia will need a massive increase in the number of aged care workers and the quality of the care they provide. Wages have to be competitive to attract and retain staff. But better pay and conditions is only part of the story. Unless aged care becomes a career the community recognises, values and supports, it will continue to be difficult to train, attract and retain staff. The recent <a href="https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/aged-care">Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety</a> highlighted the need for a more skilled workforce, emphasising the importance of ongoing professional development for all staff. To date the federal government’s aged care workforce initiatives have been underwhelming. They are a limited and piecemeal rather than a coherent workforce strategy. In the short term, skilled migration may be part of the solution. But progress to bring in skilled aged care workers has been glacial. Currently only about 1% of providers <a href="https://theconversation.com/overseas-recruitment-wont-solve-australias-aged-care-worker-crisis-189126">have agreements</a> to bring in staff from overseas. At best, overseas migration will meet only 10% of the workforce shortfall. Registration, qualifications and training for direct care work have to become mandatory to make sure care standards are met. Much more significant and systematic incentives and support for training will be needed. Supervision, career progression and staff development will also have to be dramatically improved if we are to attract and retain the workforce that is needed. “Learn and earn” incentives, including scholarships and traineeships for aged care, are needed to attract the future workforce. At the same time, a much broader investment in upskilling the entire workforce through continuing professional development and good quality supervision is necessary. Like manufacturing a generation ago, aged care needs to become valued, skilled, secure and well-paid employment if it is going to attract the staff that are needed to avoid a looming crisis.<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/232707/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-swerissen-9722">Hal Swerissen</a>, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-too-few-aged-care-workers-to-care-for-older-australians-why-and-what-can-we-do-about-it-232707">original article</a>. </div>

Caring

"This is crazy": MasterChef Australia 2024 winner crowned

MasterChef Australia has crowned its 2024 winner! Nat Thaipun has emerged as the winner of the coveted title and took home a whopping $250,000. In the intense finale, the final two contestants Josh Perry and Nat Thaipun had 75 minutes to cook up something spectacular for the judges using black peppercorns as the key ingredient. While Perry went with a rib-eye with some brussels sprouts and peppercorn sauce, with a spin on the vegees and some pureed sauce, Thaipun went with a Thai twist on a hearty pub meal, the scotch egg. In the first round, Thapun managed to secure a total of 36/40, while Perry walked away from round one with 33/40. In the second round, the contestants were asked to recreate renowned British chef Claire Smith's "Core-teaser", an incredibly detailed version of the classic Malteaser, with 113 steps to follow. Both contestants struggled with the dessert, but Perry ended up struggling the most with one of the dish's key elements which resulted in his malt sugar ball going "pear-shaped". Perry "absolutely nailed it" despite missing an element of the dessert, and Thaipun was "pretty bang on" with the flavours of the dish, but the judges thought her texture was off. Despite this, it was the extra points in the first round that gave Thaipun the advantage of winning the show. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9e3cmaP66A/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9e3cmaP66A/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau)</a> </div> </blockquote> Speaking about her huge win, she told the judges: “I feel so good. This is crazy, it feels like a dream, but it’s not!” Former MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin congratulated Thaipun on her win on Instagram. "Congratulations Nat and to all who competed. Best wishes for whatever adventures come next!" she wrote. Fans also congratulated Thaipun. "From the immunity pin winner to the Masterchef winner !!! 👏👏👏" wrote one. "Omg, congratulations! She's so consistent and strong and clever innovative from start to the grand finale!🙌" added another. "What a great finale cook!!! Truly enjoyed this season. So many talented cooks but so delighted Nat won 💛" a third wrote. Images: Channel 10/ Instagram

Food & Wine

Jack Black cancels Tenacious D tour after on-stage Trump comment

Jack Black has cancelled the rest of Tenacious D's Australia and New Zealand tour after his bandmate Kyle Gass’s on-stage joke about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump was widely condemned. Gass was celebrating his 64th birthday on stage at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on Sunday night, just hours after Trump was fired upon at a rally Pennsylvania, when Black presented him with a cake and asked for his birthday wish. “Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass replied. The moment was captured and posted to TikTok where it quickly went viral, even attracting attention from radio shock jock <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/kyle-slaps-comedy-legends-with-lifetime-ban-for-twisted-trump-joke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyle Sandilands</a>, who proposed Tenacious D receive a lifetime ban from touring in Australia. Since the moment garnered online attention, Kyle Gass has been dropped by his talent agency, Greene Talent, with rep Michael Greene telling <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/07/16/tenacious-d-kyle-gass-dropped-talent-agency-trump-shooting-comment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">TMZ</a> they have parted ways due to the incident. In the hours after the show, Jack Black took to Instagram where he shocked fans by announcing the rest of their tour would be cancelled, as the joke prompted a falling out between the two bandmates. “I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black wrote in a statement. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.” Gass has since apologised for the joke, saying, “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake." “I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement." “I profoundly apologise to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.” Image credits: Reynaud Julien/APS-Medias/ABACA/Shutterstock Editorial/TikTok

Music

King Charles and Queen Camilla's Australia tour confirmed

King Charles and Queen Camilla are officially coming to Australia! Buckingham Palace confirmed on Monday morning that the monarch and his wife will embark on their first royal tour of Australia as King and Queen in October, with stops including New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. They will also visit Samoa, where they will attend the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This marks the first time a reigning monarch has visited since the late Queen Elizabeth's trip in 2011. However, Charles and Camilla will not be visiting New Zealand based on the advice of doctors, according to the Palace. "The King's doctors have advised that such an extended programme should be avoided at this time, to prioritise His Majesty's continued recovery," a Palace spokesperson said. "In close consultation with the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers, and with due regard for the pressures of time and logistics, it has therefore been agreed to limit the visit to Samoa and Australia only," the spokesperson continued. "Their Majesties send their warmest thanks and good wishes to all parties for their continued support and understanding." Charles' programme in both Australia and Samoa will also "be subject to doctors' advice", and his itinerary may also change according to his health. The royals are expected to spend six days in Australia, before heading to Samoa for the meeting. The last time the couple visited Australia was in 2018, when Charles was still a prince. Image: The Royal Family Instagram

International Travel

Australian couple killed in the Philippines identified

An Australian couple who were allegedly murdered in the Philippines have been identified. The bodies of 54-year-old David Fisk and his de-facto partner Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, were found with their hands and feet tied by hotel staff at the Lake Hotel in Tagaytay city, south of Manila, on Wednesday. The body of another woman, Cortez's 30-year-old daughter-in-law Mary who lives in the Philippines, was also found in the room. Hotel staff were alerted to the issue when they knocked on the door repeatedly to tell the couple it was time to check out. Fisk allegedly had his throat was slit with a sharp object that may have caused his death while the two women apparently may have been suffocated using a pillow, Tagaytay police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan told The Associated Press. Ongoing autopsies would verify those initial indications, he said. Fisk's family, based in NSW's Sutherland Shire, issued a statement saying they "pray for answers and the truth in this horrific matter". "The love we have for our Father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare," the family said. Capagcuan said the motive for the killings was not immediately clear and added some valuables of the victims, including their mobile phones, were not taken by the suspect. "We were shocked by this incident," Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino said, apologising to the families of the victims. "We're very sorry to our Australian friends. We will resolve this as soon as possible." Tolentino said investigators were interviewing witnesses and examining security cameras at the hotel which could help identify the suspect or suspects, as a suspicious hooded figure was seen in the corridors of the hotel around the time of their deaths. A Filipino relative of the Australian woman told the AP that the Australian couple flew from Sydney to the Indonesian resort island of Bali for a vacation then headed to the Philippines on Monday to visit her two children from a previous marriage in the country. It's understood the Australian couple had been due to fly back home to Sydney on July 13th. Image credits: Cavite Provincial Police Office

Caring

‘I keep away from people’ – combined vision and hearing loss is isolating more and more older Australians

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moira-dunsmore-295190">Moira Dunsmore</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/annmaree-watharow-1540942">Annmaree Watharow</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-kecman-429210">Emily Kecman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Our <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health">ageing population</a> brings a growing crisis: people over 65 are at greater risk of dual sensory impairment (also known as “deafblindness” or combined vision and hearing loss). Some 66% of people over 60 have hearing loss and 33% of older Australians have low vision. Estimates suggest more than a quarter of Australians over 80 are <a href="https://www.senseswa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/a-clear-view---senses-australia.pdf">living with dual sensory impairment</a>. Combined vision and hearing loss <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0264619613490519">describes</a> any degree of sight and hearing loss, so neither sense can compensate for the other. Dual sensory impairment can occur at any point in life but is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2012.02.004">increasingly common</a> as people get older. The experience can make older people feel isolated and unable to participate in important conversations, including about their health. <h2>Causes and conditions</h2> Conditions related to hearing and vision impairment often <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-lose-our-hearing-and-vision-as-we-age-67930">increase as we age</a> – but many of these changes are subtle. Hearing loss can start <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/highlighting-priorities-for-ear-and-hearing-care">as early as our 50s</a> and often accompany other age-related visual changes, such as <a href="https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/">age-related macular degeneration</a>. Other age-related conditions are frequently prioritised by patients, doctors or carers, such as <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-deaths/chronic-disease/overview">diabetes or heart disease</a>. Vision and hearing changes can be easy to overlook or accept as a normal aspect of ageing. As an older person we interviewed for our <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/2123/29262">research</a> told us <blockquote> I don’t see too good or hear too well. It’s just part of old age. </blockquote> <h2>An invisible disability</h2> Dual sensory impairment has a significant and negative impact in all aspects of a person’s life. It reduces access to information, mobility and orientation, impacts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09638280210129162">social activities and communication</a>, making it difficult for older adults to manage. It is underdiagnosed, underrecognised and sometimes misattributed (for example, to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz043">cognitive impairment or decline</a>). However, there is also growing evidence of links between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12054">dementia and dual sensory loss</a>. If left untreated or without appropriate support, dual sensory impairment diminishes the capacity of older people to live independently, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12054">feel happy and be safe</a>. A dearth of specific resources to educate and support older Australians with their dual sensory impairment means when older people do raise the issue, their GP or health professional may not understand its significance or where to refer them. One older person told us: <blockquote> There’s another thing too about the GP, the sort of mentality ‘well what do you expect? You’re 95.’ Hearing and vision loss in old age is not seen as a disability, it’s seen as something else. </blockquote> <h2>Isolated yet more dependent on others</h2> Global trends show a worrying conundrum. Older people with dual sensory impairment become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12054">more socially isolated</a>, which impacts their mental health and wellbeing. At the same time they can become increasingly dependent on other people to help them navigate and manage day-to-day activities with limited sight and hearing. One aspect of this is how effectively they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.25522">comprehend and communicate in a health-care setting</a>. Recent research shows <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12080852">doctors and nurses in hospitals</a> aren’t making themselves understood to most of their patients with dual sensory impairment. Good communication in the health context is about more than just “knowing what is going on”, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/8/852">researchers note</a>. It facilitates: <ul> <li>shorter hospital stays</li> <li>fewer re-admissions</li> <li>reduced emergency room visits</li> <li>better treatment adherence and medical follow up</li> <li>less unnecessary diagnostic testing</li> <li>improved health-care outcomes.</li> </ul> <h2>‘Too hard’</h2> Globally, there is a better understanding of how important it is to <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240030749">maintain active social lives</a> as people age. But this is difficult for older adults with dual sensory loss. One person told us <blockquote> I don’t particularly want to mix with people. Too hard, because they can’t understand. I can no longer now walk into that room, see nothing, find my seat and not recognise [or hear] people. </blockquote> Again, these experiences increase reliance on family. But caring in this context is tough and largely <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.572201">hidden</a>. Family members describe being the “eyes and ears” for their loved one. It’s a 24/7 role which can bring <a href="https://doi.org/10.1159/000507856">frustration, social isolation and depression</a> for carers too. One spouse told us: <blockquote> He doesn’t talk anymore much, because he doesn’t know whether [people are] talking to him, unless they use his name, he’s unaware they’re speaking to him, so he might ignore people and so on. And in the end, I noticed people weren’t even bothering him to talk, so now I refuse to go. Because I don’t think it’s fair. </blockquote> So, what can we do? Dual sensory impairment is a growing problem with potentially devastating impacts. It should be considered a unique and distinct disability in all relevant protections and policies. This includes the right to dedicated diagnosis and support, accessibility provisions and specialised skill development for health and social professionals and carers. We need to develop resources to help people with dual sensory impairment and their families and carers understand the condition, what it means and how everyone can be supported. This could include communication adaptation, such as social haptics (communicating using touch) and specialised support for older adults to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2019.1627088">navigate health care</a>. Increasing awareness and understanding of dual sensory impairment will also help those impacted with everyday engagement with the world around them – rather than the isolation many feel now.<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/232142/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moira-dunsmore-295190">Moira Dunsmore</a>, Senior Lecturer, Sydney Nursing School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/annmaree-watharow-1540942">Annmaree Watharow</a>, Lived Experience Research Fellow, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-kecman-429210">Emily Kecman</a>, Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Linguistics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-keep-away-from-people-combined-vision-and-hearing-loss-is-isolating-more-and-more-older-australians-232142">original article</a>.

Body

Daryl Somers drops big hint over Hey Hey It's Saturday tour

Daryl Somers, 72, was named Victorian of the Year during a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall on Monday. During his speech, the TV veteran revealed that he was "serious" about touring highlights from his iconic show, Hey Hey It's Saturday. “I’m seriously considering going out and touring with the archives because we’ve digitised well over 20 years worth of Hey Hey,” Somers revealed. “There are some marvellous backstories to things that happened over that time.” The presenter accepted the honour for his charitable contributions and services to entertainment, after a nearly 30 year career on the show, which ran until 1999. He told the audience that he was a "performer at heart" and missed the excitement of live entertainment. During his speech, he also admitted that even though it was an honour to receive the award, it had come at a difficult time, following the death of close friend and former co-star John Blackman, who served as Hey, Hey’s voiceover artist for the show. Blackman passed away on June 4 after a battle with cancer. “It is an honour, I’m a born-and-bred Victorian,” he said. “You think about the highs and lows in life and this is a high for me at the end of a rather solemn week. “Last week, we laid to rest my dear friend John Blackman. John was a passionate and loyal Victorian as well. “He is not here, but in part I’d like to dedicate this award to him because we had an endearing friendship. I love the guy – we went back over 50 years.” Somers also thanked his team and his wife, Julie for supporting him throughout his career. The TV veteran was also involved with plenty of charities over the years including Lost Dogs Home, Kids Under Cover and Camp Quality. Images: Channel 9

Cheaper mortgages, tamed inflation and even higher home prices: how 29 forecasters see Australia’s economic recovery in 2024-25

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-martin-682709">Peter Martin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> Australia’s top economic forecasters expect the Reserve Bank to start cutting interest rates by March next year, taking 0.35 points of its cash rate by June. If passed on in full, the cut would take $125 off the monthly cost of servicing a $600,000 variable-rate mortgage, with more to come. The panel of 29 forecasters assembled by The Conversation expects a further cut of 0.3 points by the end of 2025. This would take the cash rate down from the current 4.35% to 3.75% and produce a total cut in monthly payments on a $600,000 mortgage of $335. The forecasts were produced after last week’s news of a higher than expected <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-inflation-rate-jumps-to-4-putting-an-rba-rate-rise-back-on-the-agenda-233331">monthly consumers price index</a>. Several of those surveyed revised up their predictions for interest rates in the year ahead, while continuing to predict cuts by mid next year. Only two expect higher rates by mid next year. Only four expect no change. <hr /> <iframe id="6eIe8" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/6eIe8/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Now in its sixth year, The Conversation survey draws on the expertise of leading forecasters in 22 Australian universities, think tanks and financial institutions – among them economic modellers, former Treasury and Reserve Bank officials and a former member of the Reserve Bank board. Eight of the 29 expect the first cut to come this year, by either November or December. One of them is Luci Ellis, who was until recently assistant governor (economic) at the Reserve Bank and is now at Westpac. She and her team are forecasting three interest rate cuts by the middle of next year, taking the cash rate from 4.35% to 3.6%. <h2>Reserve Bank a ‘reluctant hiker’</h2> Ellis says inflation isn’t falling fast enough for the bank to be confident of being able to cut before November. But after that, even if inflation isn’t completely back within the bank’s target band but is merely moving towards it, a “forward-looking” board would want to start easing interest rates. Another forecaster, Su-Lin Ong of RBC Capital Markets, says in her view the bank should hike at its next board meeting in August after the release of figures likely to show inflation is still too high. But she says the bank is a “reluctant hiker” and keen to keep unemployment low. Although several panellists expect the Reserve Bank to hike rates in the months ahead, almost all expect rates to be lower in a year’s time than they are today. <hr /> <iframe id="2xF3M" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2xF3M/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> The panel expects inflation to be back within the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% target band by June next year, and to be close to it (3.3%) by the end of this year. Twelve of the panel expect inflation to climb further when the official figures are released at the end of this month, but none expect it to climb further beyond that. And all expect inflation to be lower by the end of the financial year than it is today. One, Percy Allan, a former head of the NSW Treasury, cautions that the tax cuts and other government support measures due to start this month run the risk of boosting spending and falling progress on inflation. <hr /> <iframe id="LGJa7" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/LGJa7/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> The panel expects wages growth to fall from 4% to 3.5% over the year ahead, contributing to downward pressure on inflation, but to remain higher than prices growth, producing gains in so-called <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/realincome.asp">real wages</a>. It expects wages growth to moderate further, to 3.2%, in 2025-26. <hr /> <iframe id="iV7mZ" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/iV7mZ/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Consumer spending is expected to remain unusually weak, growing by only 1.7% in real terms over the next 12 months, up from 1.3% in the latest national accounts. Mala Raghavan, from the University of Tasmania, said even though inflation was falling, previous price rises meant the prices of essentials remained high. AMP chief economist Shane Oliver expected the boost from the <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/tax-cuts">Stage 3 tax cuts</a> to be offset by the depressing effect of a weaker labour market. <h2>Unemployment to climb modestly</h2> The panel expects Australia’s unemployment rate to climb steadily from its present historically low 4% to 4.4%. Moodys Analytics economist Harry Murphy Cruise said although the increase wasn’t big, the effect on pay packets would be bigger. Employers were shaving hours and easing back on hiring rather than letting go of workers. <hr /> <iframe id="SM8PI" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/SM8PI/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Panellists expect China’s economic growth to slip from 5.3% to 5% and US growth to slip from 2.9% to 2.4%. Australia’s economic growth is expected to climb from the present very low 1.1% to 1.3% by the end of this year and to 2% by the end of next year. Although none of the panel are forecasting a recession, most of those who offered an opinion said if there was a recession, it would start this year when the economy was weak. Some said we might later discover that we have been in a recession if the very weak economic growth of 0.1% recorded in the March quarter is revised and turns negative when updated figures are released in September. <hr /> <iframe id="3I49o" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3I49o/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Home prices are expected to continue to climb notwithstanding economic weakness. Sydney prices are expected to increase a further 5% in the year ahead after climbing 7.4% in the year to May. Melbourne prices are expected to rise a further 2.8% after climbing 1.8% in the year to May. Percy Allan said Sydney had fewer homes available than Melbourne, and Victoria’s decisions to extend land tax and boost rights for tenants had upset landlords, many of whom were offloading their holdings. <h2>Home prices to climb further</h2> Julie Toth, chief economist at property information firm PEXA, said rapid population growth was colliding with an ongoing decline in household size since COVID. At the same time, fewer new homes were being commissioned and long delays and high construction costs were also keeping supply tight. <hr /> <iframe id="JzLaY" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/JzLaY/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> The panel expects non-mining business investment to continue to climb in the year ahead, by 5.2%, down from 6.9%. It expects the Australian share market to climb by a further 5.6% Read the answers on <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3350/2024-25_The_Conversation_AU_Forecasting_Survey.pdf">PDF</a>, download as <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3351/2024-25_The_Conversation_AU_forecasting_survey.xlsx?1719478737">XLS</a> <hr /> <h2>The Conversation’s Economic Panel</h2> Click on economist to see full profile. <iframe id="tc-infographic-1066" class="tc-infographic" style="border: none;" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/1066/93fb29ba32e178ec2dcda111f014a50cf7ea1f49/site/index.html" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe><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/233244/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-martin-682709">Peter Martin</a>, Visiting Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cheaper-mortgages-tamed-inflation-and-even-higher-home-prices-how-29-forecasters-see-australias-economic-recovery-in-2024-25-233244">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Tucker Carlson hits back at "stupid" Aussie journalist

The poster boy for conservative America has locked horns with an Aussie journalist in a heated exchange that has gone viral. Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host in the USA and all round controversial figure, is currently doing the rounds Down Under as a guest of Clive Palmer, and took to the stage to make a speech at the Australian Freedom Conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra on Tuesday. With his signature move being to look for an argument, Carlson found a worthy opponent in AAP Newswire’s Kat Wong, who wasted no time in attempting to get under the 55-year-old’s skin. Wong quizzed Carlson about his controversial immigration views, saying he had “talked” about the “Great Replacement Theory” and how “white Australians, Americans and Europeans” are being replaced by “non-white immigrants”, but Carlson was quick to challenge the question. “Whites are being replaced? I don’t think I said that,” he interjected. “Well, it’s been mentioned on your show 4000 times,” Wong replied. “Really? When did I say that? I said ‘whites’ are being replaced?” he responded. When Wong insisted he had, Carlson challenged her to “cite that”. “I said native-born Americans are being replaced, including blacks,” he continued. “African-Americans have been in the United States, in many cases, for more than 400 years and their concerns are as every bit as real and valid and alive to me as the concerns of white people whose families have been there for 400 years." “I’ve never said that ‘whites’ are being replaced. Not one time and you can’t cite it.” When Wong said “I believe that’s untrue”, Carlson took it up a level. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Meet the Australian media. <a href="https://t.co/IyiEqihPkb">pic.twitter.com/IyiEqihPkb</a> — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1806034521369776406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2024</a></blockquote> “We just met, but when our relationship starts with a lie, it makes it tough to be friends,” he said. “You actually can’t cite it because I didn’t say it and I don’t believe it, and I’m telling you that to your face. So, why don’t you just accept me at face value?” Carlson doubled down on his views by calling immigration "immoral", saying governments were negligent by “shifting their concern” to immigrants in order to solve the population growth. “In my view, happy people have children,” he said. “And a functioning economy allows them to do that.” “So you need to fix the economy and fix the culture so the people who want to have kids can,” he continued. “You don’t just go for the quick sugar fix of importing new people. That’s my position and if you think that’s racist, that’s your problem.” Wong replied by saying “I never called you a racist” but it only fired Carlson up more. “But of course, you are suggesting … I must say one of the reasons why people don’t like people like you in the media is that you never say exactly what you mean,” Carlson said. “Your slurs are all by implication. You’re about to tell me the Great Replacement Theory is racist or antisemitic, whatever. I’ve said what I’ve said to you right now like 100 times in public." “I hope to, if I live long enough, to say it 100 more times. I think it’s completely honest and real, not racist or scary. It’s factually true. It’s not a theory, it’s a fact." Carlson then took the fight to the issue of gun control when Wong suggested that it is Americans the same immigration theories that turn to violence and commit mass shootings, to which Carlson quickly rejected as he took aim at Wong. “Oh god, come on,” Carlson said. “How do they get people this stupid in the media? I guess it doesn’t pay well. Look, I’m sorry, I’ve lived among people like you for too long. I don’t mean to call you stupid, maybe you’re just pretending to be." He clarified his stance by saying, "But I’m totally against violence." But Wong wouldn’t stop her line of questioning, asking “Right, so therefore you support gun control?” “What?! I thought it couldn’t get dumber, but it did,” he said. “No, I don’t support disarming law-abiding people so they can’t defend themselves, so the government has a monopoly on violence. I don’t think so." Before leaving the stage, Carlson took a broad swipe at Australian media, saying, "I got here and the country is so unbelievably beautiful, and the people are so cheerful and funny, and cool, and smart. " “I’m like, ‘your media has got to be better than ours. It can’t just be a bunch of castrated robots reading questions from the boss’." “And then it turns out it’s exactly the same. Maybe even a tiny bit dumber.” A lengthy clip of the tense exchange has since gone viral amongst conservative X users, with Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi chiming in on the discourse. “If you are going to show up and make outrageous claims and try to connect Tucker Carlson to mass killers, then I don’t know, perhaps go to the trouble of citing a source, have a direct quote from the man,” Ms Panahi said. “Otherwise, you are going to look like an absolute fool.” Image credits: LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline;">

News

"A true fighter": Tragic loss to Australian media

Trailblazing journalist and editor Judith Whelan has passed away at the age of 63. The ABC confirmed Whelan's death, saying she died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. ABC managing director David Anderson was among the first to pay tribute to the “loved and respected” Whelan, confirming her death. “We have lost a great friend and journalism has lost a true fighter,” <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/about/media-centre/statements-and-responses/judith-whelan-announcement/104027286?utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said in a statement</a> released by the public broadcaster. “Judith always had the instincts that made her such a formidable journalist. She carried with her a commitment to truth and accountability and instilled these values in those who worked with her." “A valued mentor to younger journalists, Judith nurtured while leading by example. Judith was tough but caring and wanted those around her to succeed. Young reporters knew Judith would champion their work if the story needed to be told.” Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields said Whelan will always remain a beloved part of their team. “Judith was a wonderful editor, colleague and friend. She was at the Herald for more than three decades and remains part of our DNA. We are heartbroken by her death,” he told the Herald. “She had a finely tuned news radar but also revelled in journalism that could entertain and inform readers. She was a natural leader and a beautiful person. Our thoughts are with Chris, Sophia and Patrick.” Whelan first joined the ABC in 2016, where she was first appointed Director of Regional and Local News before taking the role of ABC editorial director in 2022. Prior to her work at the public broadcaster, Whelan worked for several other publications, including Sydney Morning Herald, where she also served as news director and editor of its weekend edition. The talented media executive was one of just three female editors in the SMH’s history. Well respected in her field, Whelan’s career also saw her stationed in both the Pacific and Europe as a foreign correspondent, and she was also nominated for a Walkley Award for her news and feature writing. Image credits: ABC

Caring

World's best airline for 2024 revealed

The world's best airline has been revealed for 2024, with the winning airline being voted above the rest for quality, customer service and overall flying experience. Qatar Airways, the Doha-based airline, reclaimed the title in the annual Skytrax’s World Airline Awards dubbed “the Oscars of the aviation industry”, returning to the top for an unprecedented eighth time. The 2023 winner, Singapore Airlines, fell back a spot to second place, while Emirates came third. Coming in next on the list was ANA All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, EVA Air, Air France and Swiss International Air Lines in 10th spot. Qatar also took home three other awards: World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge and Best Airline in the Middle East. It’s also become the first aviation group to win Best Airline, Best Airport and Best Airport Shopping, in the same year in Skytrax history. “This is a proud moment for Qatar Airways. I am honoured to share this award with my dedicated team,” Qatar Airways group chief executive officer, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said at the Skytrax event in London on Monday. “This award is a testimony to our relentless commitment to providing unparalleled service and innovation. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers with the highest level of excellence.” The Skytrax awards are based on the votes of travellers across over 100 nationalities, with any airline in the world eligible to be nominated. In terms of Aussie airlines, Qantas plummeted seven spots to be ranked 24 this year, while Virgin Australia fell from 46 to 54 and Jetstar from 69 to 75. However, Australian regional airline REX climbed from spot 56 to 50. Image credits: Shutterstock

International Travel

Logies 2024 Award nominations revealed

The nominations for the 2024 Logie Awards has just dropped and here are all the stars and shows going for gold this year. Andy Lee, known as the host of The Hundred with Andy Lee is returning to the Logies with his first nomination since 2015, and is hoping to get his very first Gold Logie win for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. "It's a super exciting time for me and for our show The Hundred which just keeps getting bigger and bigger," he told 9Entertainment. "I think there must've been an administration error and they've confused my name with Hamish [Blake's]," he joked. He is up against, Julia Morris, Robert Irwin and Sonia Kruger among other stars vying for this year's Gold Logie. 60 Minutes and A Current Affair were both nominated in the Best Current Affairs Program category, while Travel Guides and Better Homes and Gardens picked up a nomination in the lifestyle program category. This year's Logies will be hosted by comedian Sam Pang and will be broadcast on Channel Seven on Sunday, August 18. Here is the full list of nominations: <h4>Most popular awards </h4> Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television <ul> <li>Andy Lee</li> <li>Asher Keddie</li> <li>Julia Morris</li> <li>Larry Emdur</li> <li>Robert Irwin</li> <li>Sonia Kruger</li> <li>Tony Armstrong </li> </ul> Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter <ul> <li>Hamish Blake, Lego Masters Australia, 9Network</li> <li>Julia Morris, I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, Network 10</li> <li>Larry Emdur, The Chase Australia and The Morning Show, Seven Network</li> <li>Robert Irwin, I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, Network 10</li> <li>Sonia Kruger, Dancing With The Stars, The Voice Australia and Big Brother, Seven Network</li> <li>Tony Armstrong, ABC News Breakfast, ABC</li> </ul> Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent <ul> <li>Alyla Browne, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> <li>Ava Caryofyllis, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li>Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Imi Mbedla, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li>Lee Tiger Halley, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Tristan Gorey, Home and Away, Seven Network</li> </ul> <h4>Best awards </h4> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actor in a Drama <ul> <li>Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Hugo Weaving, Love Me, BINGE</li> <li>Rob Collins, Total Control, ABC</li> <li>Rob Collins, RFDS, Seven Network</li> <li>Sam Reid, The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li>Simon Baker, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> </ul> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actress in a Drama <ul> <li>Aisha Dee, Safe Home, SBS</li> <li>Anna Torv, The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li>Deborah Mailman, Total Control, ABC</li> <li>Phoebe Tonkin, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Rachel Griffiths, Total Control, ABC</li> <li>Sigourney Weaver, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> </ul> <ul class="ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU List_unordered__yNZx8" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; overflow: visible; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" role="list" data-component="List"> <li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;" data-component="ListItem"> </li> </ul> <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy <ul> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ben Feldman, Population 11, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bob Morley, In Limbo, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lincoln Younes, C*A*U*G*H*T, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Matt Okine, Mother and Son, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Rob Sitch, Utopia, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ryan Corr, In Limbo, ABC</li> </ul> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy <ul> <li>Celia Pacquola, Utopia, ABC</li> <li>Danielle Walker, Gold Diggers, ABC</li> <li>Denise Scott, Mother and Son, ABC</li> <li>Kate Box, Deadloch, Prime Video</li> <li>Kitty Flanagan, Utopia, ABC</li> <li>Madeleine Sami, Deadloch, Prime Video</li> </ul> <ul class="ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU List_unordered__yNZx8" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; overflow: visible; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" role="list" data-component="List"> <li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;" data-component="ListItem"> </li> </ul> <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Supporting Actor <ul> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bryan Brown, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Guy Pearce, The Clearing, Disney+</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Jay Ryan, Scrublands, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lee Tiger Halley, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Stephen Curry, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Travis Fimmel, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> </ul> <ul class="ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU List_unordered__yNZx8" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; overflow: visible; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" role="list" data-component="List"> <li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;" data-component="ListItem"> </li> </ul> <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Supporting Actress <ul> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ariel Donoghue, Wolf Like Me, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kerry Fox, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Leah Purcell, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mabel Li, Safe Home, SBS</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Michelle Lim Davidson, The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sophie Wilde, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> </ul> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best News or Public Affairs Presenter <ul> <li>Ally Langdon, A Current Affair, 9Network</li> <li>David Speers, Insiders, ABC</li> <li>Liz Hayes, Under Investigation with Liz Hayes, 9Network</li> <li>Michael Usher, 7NEWS and 7NEWS Spotlight, Seven Network</li> <li>Peter Overton, 9News, 9Network</li> <li>Sarah Ferguson, 7.30, ABC</li> </ul> Best Drama Program <ul> <li>Love Me, BINGE</li> <li>NCIS: Sydney, Paramount+</li> <li>RFDS, Seven Network</li> <li>The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li>The Tourist, Stan</li> <li>Total Control, ABC</li> </ul> Best Miniseries or Telemovie <ul> <li>Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Erotic Stories , SBS</li> <li>Safe Home, SBS</li> <li>The Claremont Murders, Seven Network</li> <li>The Clearing, Disney+</li> <li>The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> </ul> Best Entertainment Program <ul> <li>ABC New Year's Eve, ABC</li> <li>Australian Idol, Seven Network</li> <li>Dancing With The Stars, Seven Network</li> <li>Take 5 With Zan Rowe, ABC</li> <li>The Voice Australia, Seven Network</li> <li>Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight, 9Network</li> </ul> Best Current Affairs Program <ul> <li>7.30, ABC</li> <li>60 Minutes, 9Network</li> <li>A Current Affair, 9Network</li> <li>Australian Story, ABC</li> <li>Foreign Correspondent, ABC</li> <li>Four Corners, ABC</li> </ul> Best Scripted Comedy Program <ul> <li>Deadloch, Prime Video</li> <li>In Limbo, ABC</li> <li>Mother and Son, ABC</li> <li>Population 11, Stan</li> <li>Strife, BINGE</li> <li>Utopia, ABC</li> </ul> Best Comedy Entertainment Program <ul> <li>Gruen, ABC</li> <li>Hard Quiz, ABC</li> <li>Have You Been Paying Attention?, Network 10</li> <li>Thank God You're Here, Network 10</li> <li>The Weekly With Charlie Pickering, ABC</li> <li>The Yearly With Charlie Pickering, ABC</li> </ul> Best Competition Reality Program <ul> <li>Alone Australia, SBS</li> <li>Australian Survivor: Titans V Rebels, Network 10</li> <li>I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Network 10</li> <li>Lego Masters Australia, 9Network</li> <li>MasterChef Australia, Network 10</li> <li>The Block, 9Network</li> </ul> Best Structured Reality Program <ul> <li>Farmer Wants A Wife, Seven Network</li> <li>Gogglebox Australia, FOXTEL and Network 10</li> <li>Married at First Sight, 9Network</li> <li>Muster Dogs, ABC</li> <li>Old People's Home For Teenagers, ABC</li> <li>SAS Australia, Seven Network</li> </ul> Best Lifestyle Program <ul> <li>Better Homes and Gardens, Seven Network</li> <li>Gardening Australia, ABC</li> <li>Love It Or List It Australia, FOXTEL</li> <li>Restoration Australia, ABC</li> <li>Selling Houses Australia, FOXTEL</li> <li>Travel Guides, 9Network</li> </ul> Best News Coverage or Public Affairs Report <ul> <li>A Silver Lining: Silverchair, Australian Story, ABC</li> <li>Ben Roberts-Smith: The Truth, 60 Minutes, 9Network</li> <li>Bishop of Broome, 7NEWS, Seven Network</li> <li>Israel-Hamas War, 7NEWS, Seven Network</li> <li>Old School — Louise Milligan, Four Corners, ABC</li> <li>The Forever War — John Lyons, Four Corners, ABC</li> </ul> Best Factual or Documentary Program <ul> <li>Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, Prime Video</li> <li>John Farnham: Finding The Voice, Seven Network</li> <li>Matildas: The World at Our Feet, Disney+</li> <li>Nemesis, ABC</li> <li>Revealed: Ben Roberts-Smith Truth on Trial, Stan</li> <li>War On Waste, ABC</li> </ul> Best Sports Coverage <ul> <li>2023 AFL Finals Series, Seven Network</li> <li>2023 NRL Grand Final, 9Network</li> <li>2023 State of Origin, 9Network</li> <li>Australian Open, 9Network</li> <li>FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™, Seven Network</li> <li>Fox League Las Vegas Week, FOXTEL and Kayo Sports</li> </ul> Best Children's Program <ul> <li>Beep and Mort, ABC</li> <li>Bluey, ABC</li> <li>Eddie's Lil' Homies, NITV and Netflix</li> <li>Gardening Australia Junior, ABC</li> <li>Ginger and the Vegesaurs, ABC</li> <li>Play School, ABC</li> </ul> Images: Nine/ Seven

Prince William shakes it off at Taylor Swift's concert

Prince William has celebrated his 42nd birthday with a boogie at the first of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concerts at Wembley Stadium in London. The pop star took to Instagram to share a selfie she took with the future King and his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as her boyfriend NFL star Travis Kelce She captioned the photo: "Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@taylorswift13</a> for a great evening! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LondonTSTheErastour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LondonTSTheErastour</a> <a href="https://t.co/NFSi8hAl1o">pic.twitter.com/NFSi8hAl1o</a> — The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1804489979294364005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2024</a></blockquote> The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared another angle of the selfie, this time without Kelce included in the photo, to their joint Instagram account. "Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour," they captioned a photo. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"> 📲| Prince William dancing to "Shake It Off" at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in London <a href="https://t.co/c0J7aSM1Li">pic.twitter.com/c0J7aSM1Li</a> — The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1804453576560808210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2024</a></blockquote> Eagle-eyed fans who attended the show also spotted the royal shaking it off on the balcony of a private box at the stadium on Friday night and shared a snippet of Prince William dancing the night away to X, formerly Twitter. "Prince William dancing to "Shake It Off" at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in London" they captioned the video. Fans were amused at the royal cameo, with one saying: "He was getting it with the ultimate dad moves." Another quipped: "Prince William got moves and boy I tell you George & Charlotte are definitely embarrassed." "Shake it off Prince William! Shake it Off!" added another. Images: Instagram/ X

Music

First lady of Australian television dies aged 92

Renowned Australian children’s presenter Dawn Kenyon has died aged 92. Kenyon, originally Dorothy Dingwell, was born in Toowoomba in 1932 and made her TV debut in 1956, the same year that it was introduced in Australia. She became the country's first female host of children's show, with her appearance on Captain Fortune, and was later referred to as the “first lady of Australian television”. Known affectionately as Miss Dawn, she hosted several early Australian children's shows and became a household name with her role on Channel Seven’s Romper Room in the late 1950s, almost a decade before ABC’s Play School made its debut in 1966. In addition to her on screen roles, she also made significant contributions behind the scenes as a producer and screenwriter. A year after she made her TV debut, she married Fred Kenyon, a British TV engineer, and they share three children, Steven, Peter and Anne. After her marriage she chose to step away from her presenting career and relocated to England when her husband accepted a job there. Her legacy endured, with her friends in the media industry paying tribute to her as news broke of her death. “Dawn was always a shining light,” Australian journalist Anita Jacoby said. “She was so often the first to greet us, introduce us to new families, and lead us deeper into that magic of the Merry Makers,” 60 Minutes’ Jeff McMullen said. Image: National Archives of Australia/ news.com.au

Caring

"These can't be real": Boomers' Olympic uniform sparks instant outrage

Australia’s basketball uniforms for the Paris Olympics have hit a new low, or should we say a new “high jump” with the kit’s release on social media sparking a full-blown hoopla. Designed by Asics, these uniforms have quickly become the butt of jokes faster than a basketball rolling down a court. The “outfit” features a bright yellow singlet with “Australia” across the chest, an Asics logo on one shoulder, and the coat of arms on the other – and the reactions have been nothing short of a slam dunk of disdain. Daniel Moldovan, a basketball player manager with a flair for theatrics, didn’t hold back. “Let’s just call a spade a spade," he wrote on X, "yet another embarrassment for a team full of NBA players at the peak of their sport. Our guys are going to be dressed like marathon runners. If the old adage ‘Look good, feel good’ has any truth to it, then our guys are going to feel like trash.” He even suggested that whoever approved these “marathon runner uniforms” for the Boomers should have their citizenship revoked. “What the f*** is this abomination?” he asked. Even past and present Boomers players chimed in. Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising star, simply commented “lol absolute joke”. Jock Landale of the Houston Rockets humorously mused, “Looks like we are off to throw a javelin.” And Andrew Bogut, never one to mince words, quipped that the Australian Olympic Committee had Stevie Wonder design the uniforms. Ouch. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Let’s just call a spade a spade. This is a fucking DISGRACE. Yet another embarrassment for a team full of NBA players at the peak of their sport. Our guys are going to be dressed like marathon runners. If the old adage of “Look good feel good” has a modicum of truth to it,… <a href="https://t.co/mSxlLeHvGl">https://t.co/mSxlLeHvGl</a> — Daniel Moldovan (@AgentMoldovan) <a href="https://twitter.com/AgentMoldovan/status/1800659140022595903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2024</a></blockquote> The social media backlash was swift and savage. Benyam Kidane of NBA Australia tweeted, “Nah, this disrespectful. Boomers gonna bring home the gold in the decathlon.” Sam Vecenie from The Athletic added, “Pumped to see the Australian basketball team compete in the high jump at the Olympics. Probably not the optimal use of their skill, but will be fun to see them in these track-and-field-ass uniforms.” NBA Straya was in on the joke too: “Great to see we’re following in a hallowed Aussie tradition and getting Bali knockoff jerseys for the national team.” And one user couldn’t believe their eyes: “Is April Fools Day a different day? These can’t be real!!” The ASICS website, in its defence, claims the design incorporates Indigenous Australian artwork and Japanese design features. They boasted about the recycled fabrics and the artworks by Paul Fleming and David Bosun. While noble, it seems like they may have missed the mark on “aesthetic appeal”. The Boomers are set to kick off their Paris Olympics campaign on July 27, with warm-up matches against Japan, China, Serbia and the USA. Let’s just hope they’re not mistaken for a track-and-field team when they step onto the court. After all, no one wants to see them dribble with a javelin. In the end, perhaps the real win would be for the Boomers to win gold while sporting these “unique” threads. It might just prove that in the world of fashion, sometimes the ugliest outfits make for the most unforgettable moments. Images: Asics

Beauty & Style

Worrying pattern of cancellations shows Australian TV's grim future

As the future of free-to-air Australian television continues to be more and more "uncertain", a worrying pattern of dozens of cancelled programs show how the industry has been in trouble for quite some time. In recent years, dozens of seemingly popular shows have been axed across three major networks with thousands of people across the industry preparing themselves for further cancellations, pay cuts, job losses and career changes. According to <a href="https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/exclusive-34-axed-aussie-shows-revealed-as-future-of-free-to-air-tv-uncertain-224725084.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo Lifestyle</a>, 34 shows across Seven, Nine and Ten have either been axed, put on an indefinite hiatus, or quietly removed from TV schedules with no mention of it again over the last five years. Many Aussie TV staples such as Millionaire Hot Seat, The Bachelor, and Australian Ninja Warrior, which were all once the highest rated shows on television, have been binned due to declining viewership and dwindling ratings. Channel Ten's The Masked Singer has also become a casualty in the TV wars, as host Dave Hughes <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/hughesy-spills-the-beans-on-major-shows-set-to-be-axed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> that he simply hadn't received a production schedule for the new season of the show, only to discover it had been shelved. In an attempt to breathe new life into the channels, newer shows like Shaynna Blaze’s Country Home Rescue or Kate Langbroek’s My Mum, Your Dad premiered, but have only survived for single seasons after failing to grab an audience. Even revived classics like Big Brother, Celebrity Apprentice and <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/channel-10-axes-another-show-amid-ratings-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gladiators</a> haven’t been able to survive as they now face growing competition from streaming giants like Netflix and Stan. As the list of cancelled shows continues to grow, one seasoned lighting director, who asked to remain anonymous, told Yahoo Lifestyle that job insecurity for casts and crews is a major concern. They said, “Every year the breaks between jobs are getting longer and longer to the point a lot of us (crew) are now leaving the industry. Ten years ago we’d be booked consistently with jobs locked in 12 months in advance for all of the networks, now everyone’s scrambling to try to get on a three-day pilot shoot. Everything is so uncertain.” Below are all of the free-to-air shows from the last five years that haven’t been renewed. Channel Seven Big Brother (2001-2008, 2012-2014, 2020-2023) SAS Australia (2020-2023) This Is Your Life (1975-1980, 1995-2005, 2008, 2011, 2022-2023) Blow Up (2023) Million Dollar Island (2023) We Interrupt This Broadcast (2023) The Voice: Generations (2022) Big Brother VIP (2021) Holey Moley (2021) Ultimate Tag (2021) Wife Swap Australia (2012, 2021) House Rules (2013-2020) Plate of Origin (2020) Pooch Perfect (2020) Channel Nine Millionaire Hot Seat (2009–2023) My Mum, Your Dad (2022-2023) The Beach House Escape (2023) Rush (2023) Snackmasters (2021-2022) Australian Ninja Warrior (2017-2022) Beauty and the Geek (2009-2014, 2021-2022) Celebrity Apprentice (2011-2015, 2021-2022) Country Homes Rescue (2022) This Time Next Year (2017-2019) Australia’s Most Identical Channel Ten Gladiators (1995-1996, 2008, 2024) The Bachelor (2013-2023) Studio 10 (2013-2023) The Masked Singer (2019-2023) The Traitors (2022-2023) Would I Lie To You? Australia (2022-2023) The Real Love Boat (2022) The Bachelorette (2015-2021) Bachelor In Paradise (2018-2020) Image credits: Ten / Seven

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

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-arrow-45">Michelle Arrow</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a> The Beatles began their first and only tour of Australia 60 years ago this week. It remains a landmark event in our social and cultural history. The Beatles spent almost three weeks in Australia and New Zealand. Touching down in a wet and cold Sydney on Thursday June 11 1964, they played 32 concerts in eight cities: first Adelaide (where drummer Ringo Starr, suffering from tonsillitis and pharyngitis, was replaced by Jimmie Nicol), then Melbourne (with Starr again), Sydney, Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and two final shows in Brisbane on June 29 and 30. Charming and irreverent as they were, The Beatles themselves were only part of the reason the tour was so memorable. It was the hordes of screaming fans who followed their every move that astonished onlookers. <h2>The rise of Beatlemania</h2> By 1964, Australian teenagers had access to a global youth culture. As the feminist author Anne Summers, then an Adelaide teenager, recalled in her memoir Ducks on the Pond: "It was rare for world-famous pop stars to come to Adelaide and unheard of for a group at the height of their celebrity." That Australian teenagers had the opportunity to see The Beatles in person in 1964 was due to a stroke of luck for tour promoter <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/brodziak-kenneth-leo-kenn-32165">Kenn Brodziak</a>. In late 1963, Brodziak secured the then up-and-coming Beatles for a three-week tour of Australia at a bargain rate. By the time the tour took place, the Beatles were the biggest band in the world. Their popularity had skyrocketed throughout 1964. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenWdylTtzs">I Want To Hold Your Hand</a> went to number one on the Australian charts in mid-January and the top six singles that year were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_top_25_singles_for_1964_in_Australia">all by The Beatles</a>. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iUCl9FWLzgM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> So when the band arrived here, Beatlemania was the predictable result: crowds of surging, screaming young people, who turned out in massive numbers wherever the Beatles appeared. While the earliest rock ‘n’ roll fans (and even performers) in the late 1950s were often labelled <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/633/1/moore_keith.pdf">juvenile delinquents</a>, there were too many teenagers swept up in Beatlemania for them to be dismissed in the same way. The crowds became a spectacle in themselves. <h2>‘A chanting mass of humanity’</h2> Beatlemaniacs were loud and unruly. The Daily Telegraph reported: "50,000 screaming, chanting, struggling teenagers crowded outside Melbourne’s Southern Cross Hotel this afternoon to give the Beatles the wildest reception of their careers." It was a similar story in Adelaide. The Advertiser described: "police, their arms locked together and forming a tight circle around the car carrying the Beatles, had to force a path through the surging, screaming crowd […] Police said they had never seen anything like it." The crowds overwhelmed observers with their sheer size – a “solid, swaying, chanting mass of humanity”, according to The Age – and noise. The Daily Telegraph consulted an acoustics expert to conclude “Beatles fans scream like [a] jet in flight”. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2MOFBmxPUCs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Beatlemania was visible (and noisy) evidence of a growing teenage consumer market and the assimilation of rock music, dancing and youth culture into the leisure practices of middle-class youth. It was proof (if anyone still needed it) the youth market was highly developed and extremely lucrative. The speed with which companies found a ready audience for Beatles merchandise (wigs, souvenirs, magazines) demonstrated the relative affluence of the youthful consumer in mid-1960s Australia. This market would continue to grow throughout the decade. <h2>A new idea of youth</h2> Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of Beatlemania was its femaleness. While not all Beatles fans were girls, it was the crying, screaming girls who attracted the most media comment. The Daily Telegraph described them this way: "It was the girls, the nymphets of 1964 in their uniform of black slacks and duffle coats and purple sweaters – who showed the orgiastic devotion due to the young men from the damp and foggy dead end of England […] the girls wept, screamed, grimaced, fainted, fell over, threw things, stamped, jumped and shouted […] [The Beatles] were the high priests of pop culture, taking due homage from a captive, hypnotised hysterical congregation." The references to “nymphets” with their “orgiastic devotion” tells us many Australians thought these young women were transgressing the norms expected for their era. Young women in the early 1960s were still expected to be demure and responsible. Beatles fans were breaking these rules, and helping to rewrite the meanings of youth and gender in 1960s Australia. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wyrs5uR-nwc?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Beatlemania was an expression of female desire. The Beatles were powerful objects of fantasy for many fans in a world where sexual mores were slowly changing but where women were still expected to police male desire, stopping young men from “going too far”. A fantasy relationship with a Beatle became a way for young women to dream about their ideal relationship. Screaming, chasing a Beatle down the street: these were acts of rebellion and joy that prefigured the rise of women’s liberation, with its embrace of rebellious femininity. Beatlemania reminds us that, even if women were not always behind the microphone or playing the guitar, they have been important to the history of rock ‘n’ roll music as fans and audience members. Beatlemania marked the ascendancy of a new idea of youth: these young people weren’t mere replicas of their parents, but they were not juvenile delinquents, either. The Beatles tour drew young Australians more closely into a transnational youth culture, fostering the development of a distinctively Australian variant here. Beatlemania also demonstrated the massed power of youth. By the end of the 1960s, many Australian teenagers were gathering on the streets to protest, rather than celebrate, and to make political demands, rather than to scream.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/227680/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-arrow-45">Michelle Arrow</a>, Professor of History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a> Image credits: Granger/Shutterstock Editorial This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/screaming-chanting-struggling-teenagers-the-enduring-legacy-of-the-beatles-tour-of-australia-60-years-on-227680">original article</a>. </div>

Music

1 in 5 deaths are caused by heart disease, but what else are Australians dying from?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/garry-jennings-5307">Garry Jennings</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Nobody dies in good health, at least in their final moments. But to think the causes of death are easy to count or that there is generally a single reason somebody passes is an oversimplification. In fact, in 2022, four out of five Australians had multiple conditions at the time of death listed on their death certificate, and almost one-quarter had five or more recorded. This is one of many key findings from a <a href="https://pp.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-deaths/what-do-australians-die-from/contents/about">new report</a> from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The report distinguishes between three types of causes of death – underlying, direct, and contributory. An underlying cause is the condition that initiates the chain of events leading to death, such as having coronary heart disease. The direct cause of death is what the person died from (rather than with), like a heart attack. Contributory causes are things that significantly contributed to the chain of events leading to death but are not directly involved, like having high blood pressure. The report also tracks how these three types of causes can overlap in deaths involving multiple causes. In 2022 the top five conditions involved in deaths in Australia were coronary heart disease (20% of deaths), dementia (18%), hypertension, or high blood pressure (12%), cerebrovascular disease such as stroke (11.5%), and diabetes (11.4%). <hr /> <iframe id="MzQHA" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/MzQHA/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> When the underlying cause of death was examined, the list was similar (coronary heart disease 10%, dementia 9%, cerebrovascular disease 5%, followed by COVID and lung cancer, each 5%). This means coronary heart disease was not just lurking at the time of death but also the major underlying cause. The direct cause of death however was most often a lower respiratory condition (8%), cardiac or respiratory arrest (6.5%), sepsis (6%), pneumonitis, or lung inflammation (4%) or hypertension (4%). <h2>Why is this important?</h2> Without looking at all the contributing causes of death, the role of important factors such as coronary heart disease, sepsis, depression, high blood pressure and alcohol use can be underestimated. Even more importantly, the various causes draw attention to the areas where we should be focusing public health prevention. The report also helps us understand which groups to focus on for prevention and health care. For example, the number one cause of death in women was dementia, whereas in men it was coronary heart disease. <hr /> <iframe id="NosVz" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NosVz/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> People aged under 55 tended to die from external events such as accidents and violence, whereas older people died against a background of chronic disease. <hr /> <iframe id="1l3OS" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1l3OS/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> We cannot prevent death, but we can prevent many diseases and injuries. And this report highlights that many of these causes of death, both for younger Australians and older, are preventable. The top five conditions involved in death (coronary heart disease, dementia, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes) all share common risk factors such as tobacco use, high cholesterol, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, or are risk factors themselves, like hypertension or diabetes. <hr /> <iframe id="7Eb8O" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7Eb8O/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Tobacco use, high blood pressure, being overweight or obese and poor diet were attributable to a combined 44% of all deaths in this report. This suggests a comprehensive approach to health promotion, disease prevention and management is needed. <hr /> <iframe id="2MmGg" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2MmGg/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> This should include strategies and programs encouraging eating a healthy diet, participating in regular physical activity, limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and seeing a doctor for regular health screenings, such as the Medicare-funded <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/heart-health-checks">Heart Health Checks</a>. Programs directed at accident prevention, mental health and violence, especially gender-related violence, will address untimely deaths in the young.<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/231598/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/garry-jennings-5307">Garry Jennings</a>, Professor of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-5-deaths-are-caused-by-heart-disease-but-what-else-are-australians-dying-from-231598">original article</a>. </div>

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