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Commonwealth Games medallist pleas for missing daughter

<p>A Commonwealth Games medallist has issued an emotional plea for information on the whereabouts of his 15-year-old daughter. </p> <p>Marty Jackson's daughter Marlie was last seen in Port Melbourne four days ago, although she usually lives with her dad in Geelong. </p> <p>He believed Marlie had been in contact with friends, but her family had been "unable to make contact" with the teen. </p> <p>In an emotional post to Facebook, Marty asked his friends and family for any updates on his daughter's whereabouts.</p> <p>"If you hear from her or have any information that could held bring her home it would be greatly appreciated," he wrote, before adding, "Marlie is 15yo, approx 163cm tall with long strawberry blonde hair."</p> <p>He concluded by stating her disappearance had been reported to Geelong Police Station.</p> <p>Marty's post was flooded with comments from loved ones and strangers alike sending their well wishes for Marlie, and their hopes that she return home safely. </p> <p>Marty later updated the post to say Marlie had been in contact over the phone, but he was still concerned for her safety and adding that he "just wants her home".</p> <p>Marty Jackson is a para-athlete who won silver in shotput at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

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King Charles delivers heartfelt message amidst cancer treatment

<p>In times of adversity, the power of unity and compassion shines through, and this sentiment has never been more evident than in the heartfelt message delivered by King Charles amidst his cancer treatment.</p> <p>As news of his diagnosis spread, an outpouring of support enveloped the King from all corners of the Commonwealth. His gratitude and appreciation for this unwavering kindness were palpable as he addressed the nations in a video message, unable to personally attend the 2024 Commonwealth Day celebrations due to his health.</p> <p>"I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth," he said.</p> <p>"My belief in our shared endeavours and in the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been. I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey."</p> <p>The absence of the Princess of Wales, still in recovery from surgery, served as a reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing every moment with loved ones. In such moments, the strength of familial bonds and the support of a caring community become invaluable lifelines.</p> <p>As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth, we reflect not only on its historical significance but also on its enduring relevance in today's world. The theme of "One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth" resonates deeply as we navigate the challenges of the modern age together.</p> <p>King Charles' words remind us of the interconnectedness of our shared humanity, transcending borders and differences. He likened the Commonwealth to the wiring of a house, where each nation contributes to the collective energy and strength that sustains us all:</p> <p>"As I have said before, the Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house, and its people, our energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires. Together and individually we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences, and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time. This is true both at the level of nations and, indeed, at the local level. We recognise today that our diversity is our greatest strength."</p> <p>In facing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and socioeconomic shifts, the importance of collaboration and cooperation cannot be overstated. King Charles eloquently underscored the power of diversity as our greatest strength, recognising that it is through our varied perspectives and experiences that we find innovative solutions to complex problems.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lR6Z8ss_AW0?si=Gf8lGHmG-xnw9zCP" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image: Youtube</em></p>

Caring

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War veteran loses $18,000 to Netflix scam

<p>Shane Arnold, 71, was left with nothing after he fell for an elaborate Netflix scam, allegedly run by a teenager. </p> <p>The war veteran was robbed of $18,000 when he thought he was entitled to a refund after receiving a fake Netflix email.</p> <p>After he entered his personal banking details, the accused scammer allegedly used this information to call Arnold the following day claiming to be a security officer from Commonwealth Bank.</p> <p>"(It was) extremely convincing," Arnold told <em>9News</em>. </p> <p>"He spoke in a posh English accent."</p> <p>Arnold was allegedly told by a 19-year-old, whose voice had been disguised with AI, that his account had been compromised and ordered to put his bank cards in a bag, to be collected by a driver.</p> <p>Hours later, the accused teen who is from Braybrook, Melbourne allegedly withdrew thousands of dollars from ATMs in Braybrook and West Footscray, and purchased dozens of gift cards from Kmart.</p> <p>He also allegedly filled up on fuel, bought a new iPhone, and some strawberry milk and ice cream. </p> <p>The teen has since been charged over the incident, but Arnold is still fighting hard to get his money back. </p> <p>"I've worked for 50-odd years to get that money," he told the publication, adding that he felt "like my heart had been ripped out".</p> <p>The senior also claimed that the bank was partly to blame, and has lodged a report to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) who are currently managing his case. </p> <p>Arnold added that Commonwealth Bank had only offered to reimburse him $1000, and said that everyone who'd been scammed deserved to have their money returned to them.</p> <p>"I hope all those people get their money back," he said.</p> <p>"None of them deserved to be scammed and none of them did anything wrong."</p> <p><em>Images: Nine News</em></p>

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“Coast-to-coast”: Rinehart's radical plan to save the Commonwealth Games

<p>The 2026 Commonwealth Games has faced grim uncertainty ever since the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/i-m-not-here-to-apologise-dan-andrews-fires-up-as-comm-games-is-scrapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victorian government withdrew its commitment to host the event</a>, leaving Australia in a precarious situation.</p> <p>However, a new and radical proposal by Australia's wealthiest individual, Gina Rinehart, supported by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas, suggests a unique solution to save the Games. Rinehart's proposal involves hosting the event in two cities at opposite ends of the country – the Gold Coast and Perth.</p> <p>The initial plan by the Victorian government to host the Games across multiple towns in regional Victoria was abandoned due to the reported $4 billion price tag. This decision left Australia without a host city for the 2026 Games, and no alternative has been proposed since. Additionally, the withdrawal of support from the Canadian city Alberta for the 2030 event further complicated the future of the Commonwealth Games.</p> <p>Now, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Rinehart, Tate and Zempilas have suggested a bold coast-to-coast approach for the Commonwealth Games.</p> <p>The idea is to utilise existing facilities in the Gold Coast and Perth, with each city hosting a week of the Games. The proposal aims to showcase Australia on a national scale, providing a unique background for discussions with Commonwealth heads.</p> <p>“We believe that a coast-to-coast Games presents a special opportunity to showcase Australia and provides an excellent background for you to invite those heads of the Commonwealth you may wish to have further discussions with, and/or entertain,” the letter reads. “A background where Australia pulls well above its weight, and shines!”</p> <p>While the proposal has gained support from key figures, including Rinehart's assertion that it would not be too difficult to execute, some critics have raised practical concerns. Melbourne radio host Tom Elliott expressed skepticism about the feasibility of a dual-city approach, citing the vast distance between the Gold Coast and Perth, which is over 4000km.</p> <p>“You could not pick two cities in Australia that are further apart from each other," Elliott said on his 3AW radio talk show. </p> <p>He also questioned the logistical challenges, such as the need for two athletes' villages and the movement of officials and volunteers between the two cities: “To have a Commonwealth Games split between the Gold Coast and Perth, I just think is utter madness... The idea is that they do the first week of events on the Gold Coast and the second week in Perth. But think about it – unless every official and volunteer moves between the Gold Coast and Perth – and where would you put them all? They effectively have to recruit all the people again just to make the Games run. You’ve got to build two athletes villages. It’s just such a dumb idea.</p> <p>“I think we need to accept, as sad as this is, that the era of the Commonwealth Games is over. Not that many people watch it, not that many countries compete in it, it doesn’t make any money – that’s the reason cities don’t want to host it.”</p> <p>Rinehart's letter counters that criticism, claiming that the dual-city approach would be popular, in the national interest, and beneficial for athletes and cities. She contends that the proposal would be more popular and less expensive than other recent expenditures, suggesting that funds allocated for other purposes, such as Papua New Guinea football, could be redirected to improve Australian facilities for the Commonwealth and later Olympic Games.</p> <p>Rinehart's bold proposal to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in two cities at opposite ends of Australia certainly presents a novel solution. While critics question the practicality of the idea, proponents believe it could not only save the Games but also showcase Australia on a grand scale. As discussions unfold, the fate of the Commonwealth Games hangs in the balance, with Rinehart's vision offering a unique and ambitious alternative.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty / Facebook</em></p>

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Gina Rinehart's bid to save the Commonwealth Games

<p>Gina Rinehart has thrown her support behind a bid to save the 2026 Commonwealth Games, after Victoria abandoned hosting the event.</p> <p>Australia's richest person has vowed to work with sporting officials and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate to help salvage the Games and move them to Queensland, after Victorian premier Dan Andrews pulled the pin on the event over major budget issues. </p> <p>Gina's support comes amid fears the Commonwealth Games are in free fall after Canada pulled out of a bid to host the 2030 Games, meaning the Games currently have no future events planned and no host city.</p> <p>Following Victoria's abandonment of the 2026 Games, London, New Zealand and several cities in Scotland have launched campaigns to host the event, with each of them garnering some public support.</p> <p>According to reports from the <em><a title="www.couriermail.com.au" href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/gina-rinehart-backs-gold-coast-bid-for-2026-commonwealth-games/news-story/3a6d0b2b4acb5ff522dde7ea4bd3e6b7" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-tgev="event119" data-tgev-container="bodylink" data-tgev-order="3a6d0b2b4acb5ff522dde7ea4bd3e6b7" data-tgev-label="sport" data-tgev-metric="ev">Courier Mail,</a></em> Rinehart is not prepared to fund the Games herself, but is prepared to do whatever is needed to help the Gold Coast secure the Commonwealth Games.</p> <p>A spokesman for Rinehart said “direct athlete support” would remain the focus of Hancock Prospecting’s sports funding program, but she would back a Gold Coast bid.</p> <p>“Having seen the joy that athletes and their families experienced when competing in front of a home crowd for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Mrs Rinehart would certainly welcome the 2026 event to again be held in Australia, especially at the Gold Coast, where it was run so successfully before,” her spokesman said. </p> <p>Mayor Tate said Rinehart’s commitment was a significant endorsement in the Gold Coast, which he said could host the Games again at a cost of just over $1 billion.</p> <p>The city hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games and would have the facilities to hold the event just eight years later.</p> <p>“Her statement sends a clear message: We must show what we are capable of as a country,” Tate said.</p> <p>“The Aussie athletes deserve it, as does every young kid who dreams of representing their country."</p> <p>“The momentum behind a 2026 Gold Coast Games is growing.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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‘Existential questions’: is this the beginning of the end of the Commonwealth Games?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-fujak-290599">Hunter Fujak</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/damien-whitburn-1455572">Damien Whitburn</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday that the Victorian government has withdrawn from its commitment to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing an anticipated cost blowout from an original estimate of A$2.6 billion to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/18/australia-commonwealth-games-2026-victoria-cancels-event-after-funding-shortfall">over $6-$7 billion</a>.</p> <p>Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips described the decision as “beyond disappointing”. Phillips questions the government’s figures, <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/07/18/commonwealth-games-federation/">saying that the</a> cost of running the Gold Coast event in 2018 was $1.2 billion and the 2022 Birmingham Games was $1.8 billion.</p> <p>The government said existing funding set aside for the games will remain invested in regional projects intended to create an event “legacy”.</p> <p>Aside from the viability of the 2026 event, Victoria pulling out of hosting the event raises the broader question of whether the Commonwealth Games will survive.</p> <h2>How has this happened?</h2> <p>Victoria secured the Commonwealth Games in April 2022 with a unique multi-region model that sought to bring the event to regional Victoria.</p> <p>Despite the obvious risks and costs associated with decentralising a major event away from pre-existing infrastructure in Melbourne, Andrews <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-confirms-bid-for-2026-commonwealth-games-20220216-p59wvp.html">noted</a> at bid submission that "Victoria is Australia’s sporting state, and, if awarded the 2026 Commonwealth Games would demonstrate to the world a new way to deliver the competition."</p> <p>Andrews made clear the decision to withdraw was entirely financial, stating that the new estimated cost of potentially over $7 billion “does not represent value for money”.</p> <p>When pressed at his media conference to provide accountability as to how his government’s costing could have been so grossly inaccurate, Andrews said that certain event costs were unforeseeable.</p> <p>"What could not be reasonably foreseen, and was not foreseen, was the costs incurred in terms of services, security, transport […] there were estimates that were made and those estimates are clearly well and truly under the actual cost."</p> <p>The Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia dispute these costs estimates. They <a href="https://www.commonwealthsport.com/news/3594069/response-to-victoria-government-2026-commonwealth-game-host-withdrawal">signalled</a> the blame for any cost overruns lies with the Victorian government.</p> <p>"The numbers quoted to us today of $6 billion are 50% more than those advised to the Organising Committee board at its meeting in June."</p> <p>:Since awarding Victoria the Games, the Government has made decisions to include more sports and an additional regional hub, and changed plans for venues, all of which have added considerable expense, often against the advice of the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bit of a long one this morning.</p> <p>You might have heard the news this morning that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.</p> <p>And I wanted to tell you about the decision.</p> <p>— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1681087774110384128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <h2>The implications</h2> <p>The decision to withdraw from hosting the event will still incur costs. This includes pre-existing costs related to staffing contracts, renting premises and marketing, as well as to-be-determined contractual break costs as negotiated with the Commonwealth Games Federation.</p> <p>The financial costs of the withdrawal, however, may pale against the longer-term reputational damage done to Victoria and perhaps Australia more broadly.</p> <p>This decision may also damage Andrews’ reputation. In proposing an untested regional games delivery model, it was incumbent on the government to adopt a particularly rigorous process to ensure the the event’s viability, which does not appear to have been done.</p> <h2>Is Victoria still Australia’s ‘sporting capital’?</h2> <p>Victoria has long proclaimed itself Australia’s (and even the world’s) <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.143058285756777">sporting capital</a>. The state has developed an unparalleled portfolio of major sport events since the 1980s, and become a global exemplar in executing major events in the process.</p> <p>But withdrawing from the 2026 Commonwealth Games arguably represents Australia’s most prominent sporting failure of the past half-century, and is a significant reputational blow to Victoria’s sporting pre-eminence.</p> <p>What’s more, in an <a href="https://inqld.com.au/news/2023/07/12/take-that-melbourne-brisbane-now-rated-as-australias-sports-capital/">annual global ranking of sport cities</a> published last month, before the Commonwealth Games decision, Brisbane (15th) leapfrogged Melbourne (23rd) and Sydney (44th) to become Australia’s top ranked.</p> <p>Brisbane’s success isn’t only attributable to its impending hosting of the 2032 Olympics. Its ranking also recognises that the FIFA Women’s World Cup is being played predominantly in the north-east Australian states due to <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/soccer/not-a-realistic-option-why-the-matildas-aren-t-playing-at-the-mcg-20230717-p5doxk.html">stadium challenges</a> associated with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/03/melbourne-falls-short-in-womens-world-cup-venue-allocation">AFL-orientated</a> Victoria.</p> <p>Meanwhile, South Australia’s recent sporting successes include the hosting of <a href="https://www.afl.com.au/news/906620/afl-to-gather-round-again-in-sa-for-next-three-years">AFL Gather Round</a>, LIV Golf and recent procurement of the <a href="https://supernetball.com.au/news/location-2024-ssn-grand-final-revealed#:%7E:text=Adelaide%20will%20host%20the%202024,at%20the%20Adelaide%20Entertainment%20Centre.">2024 Super Netball</a> final from Victoria.</p> <p>Victoria’s grip on the “sports capital” title is increasingly tenuous.</p> <h2>The end of the Commonwealth Games?</h2> <p>Perhaps the most critical question is the viability not only of the 2026 Games, but also the broader Commonwealth Games movement.</p> <p>Victoria’s withdrawal continues a trend of recent instability. In 2017, the South African city of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-games-commonwealth-durban-idUSKBN16K1UN">Durban</a> was stripped of 2022 hosting rights for a failure to meet key obligations around governance, venues and funding.</p> <p>However, whereas the Commonwealth Games Federation had just under 2,000 days to secure a replacement host for 2022, Victoria’s withdrawal has occurred only 973 days prior to the start of the event.</p> <p>The movement’s broader existence is perilous given there’s a shrinking pool of host cities. Victoria was the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/melbourne-set-to-step-into-breach-as-2026-commonwealth-games-host-city-20220118-p59p6r.html">only formal applicant</a> for the 2026 edition.</p> <p>This is a challenge faced by large sporting events more broadly, with potential applicants <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Sport-Management-in-Australia-Organisation-Development-and-Global-Perspectives/Karg-Shilbury-Phillips-Rowe-Fujak/p/book/9781032330242?_ga=1233395845.1684800000">increasingly wary</a> of the significant costs.</p> <p>Even the summer and winter Olympic Games have increasingly struggled to attract applicants. This resulted in the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/2024-2028-host-city-election">unprecedented</a> move to simultaneously award the 2024 and 2028 summer games to Paris and Los Angeles in 2017 – normally the summer games are awarded to one city at a time.</p> <p>With seemingly little global appetite to host the event, and broader cultural discussions in Australia and abroad surrounding the role of the monarchy, existential questions surround the Commonwealth Games movement.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209961/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-fujak-290599">Hunter Fujak</a>, Lecturer in Sport Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/damien-whitburn-1455572">Damien Whitburn</a>, Lecturer, Sport Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/existential-questions-is-this-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-commonwealth-games-209961">original article</a>.</em></p>

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"Gross exaggeration": Sporting officials slam Dan Andrew's Comm Games spending

<p>Dan Andrews has been the subject of a blistering attack by sporting officials just hours after announcing the 2026 Commonwealth Games would not go ahead. </p> <p>The Victorian premier broke the news in a press conference on Tuesday, saying the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/i-m-not-here-to-apologise-dan-andrews-fires-up-as-comm-games-is-scrapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event has been cancelled</a> due to ongoing funding issues. </p> <p>He shared that the event, which was due to be held in numerous regional Victorian towns and was first expected to cost $2.6 billion, would now blow the budget out to a whopping $7 billion. </p> <p>However, following Andrews' announcement, Commonwealthh Games Australia Executive Officer Craig Phillips said the premier's cost update doesn't add up, with the $7 billion figure being a "gross exaggeration". </p> <p>“Beyond disappointing for us,” he said on Tuesday. </p> <p>“It’s a comprehensive let-down for the athletes, the excited host communities, First Nations Australians who were going to be at the heart of the Games and which millions of fans that would have embraced the sixth home Games in Australia.”</p> <p>Phillips also accused Andrews of telling misinformation surrounding the process in which the government put its hand up to host the event. </p> <p>After being confirmed to host in April 2022, planning documents showed the intentions were to establish hubs in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland, each with an athlete’s village.</p> <p>Shepparton was also planned to host events, and the MCG would have hosted the opening ceremony.</p> <p>In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Phillips made bombshell claims government officials ignored advice to save costs by moving events to existing stadiums and facilities in Melbourne. </p> <p>Phillips also said Commonwealth Games Australia was not notified about the changed budgetary estimates until the government had already made its decision.</p> <p>He said, “The detailed budgetary implications announced today have not been sighted or discussed with the CGF or CGA ahead of being notified of the Government’s decision." </p> <p>“The stated costs overrun, in our opinion, are a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented to the Victoria 2026 Organising Committee board as recently as June."</p> <p>“Beyond this, the Victorian Government wilfully ignored recommendations to move events to purpose-built stadia in Melbourne and in fact remained wedded to proceeding with expensive temporary venues in regional Victoria."</p> <p>Many were up in arms over the Games being cancelled, including Victorian opposition senator Anne Ruston, who has called on prime minister Anthony Albanese to “take responsibility” for Victoria’s decision to cancel the Commonwealth Games, arguing it has dented Australia’s international reputation.</p> <p>“I say to the prime minister: Australia’s reputation has been damaged today and you should be very worried about the damage this does to Australia’s international reputation,” Ruston said. </p> <p>“This is a terrible decision for Australia but it is also very disingenuous and I think as we dig into the decision this morning, which we will do through our Senate inquiry, you will see that the Victorian government is hiding its incompetence behind a smokescreen of saying this is a budget blowout.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p> </p>

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"I'm not here to apologise": Dan Andrews fires up as Comm Games is scrapped

<p dir="ltr">Dan Andrews has fired up at disappointed journalists after making the shock announcement that the 2026 Commonwealth Games would be cancelled.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Victorian premier shocked the nation with the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday, saying the event would not go ahead due to funding issues.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said the government had considered “every conceivable option” to still hold the games, but new budgets revealed the event, which was originally tipped to cost $2.6 billion, would likely blow out the budget to $7 billion.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not here to apologise for not spending $7bn to deliver an event,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s about, do you deliver it at any cost or not? And the answer is we’re not.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Journalists then quizzed Andrews on what the cost of abandoning the event would be, which he refused to answer but assured the costs would be “fully accounted for” at a later date.</p> <p dir="ltr">While he said he would not “speculate” on discussions, he confirmed “very little costs had been incurred to this point”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Regional Victoria were awarded the rights to host the 2026 event last year after no other countries in the Commonwealth Games Federation volunteered.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Games were set to be held from March 17th to 29th in the regional towns of Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton.</p> <p dir="ltr">Andrews went on to say the state could benefit much more from allocating the hefty multi-billion budget to other areas.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Today it’s not about finding fault with those cost estimates,” Mr Andrews said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I will not take money out of hospitals and schools in order to fund an event that is three times the cost as estimated and budgeted for last year.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Andrews said he had informed the Commonwealth Games authorities the state would seek to terminate the contract and said the subsequent meetings had been “amicable and productive”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In lieu of the Games, Mr Andrews announced the government would deliver the legacy benefits of the “housing, sporting infrastructure and tourism” benefits through other policies, using funds from the allocated $2.6 billion budget.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Busting a king-sized myth: why Australia and NZ could become republics – and still stay in the Commonwealth

<p>The imminent coronation of King Charles III is an ideal time for Australia and New Zealand to take stock of the British monarchy and its role in national life – including certain myths about what becoming a republic might mean.</p> <p>In particular, there is a common assumption that both nations must remain monarchies to retain membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. It might sound logical, but it’s entirely wrong. </p> <p>There is no basis for it in the rules of the Commonwealth or the practice of its members. Australia could ditch the monarchy and stay in the club, and New Zealand can too, whether it has a king or a Kiwi as head of state. </p> <p>Yet this peculiar myth persists at home and abroad. Students often ask me about it when I’m teaching the structure of government. And just this week a French TV station interpreted the New Zealand prime minister’s opinion that his country would one day <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/01/new-zealand-will-ideally-become-a-republic-one-day-says-chris-hipkins">ideally become a republic</a> to mean he would <a href="https://www.bfmtv.com/international/oceanie/nouvelle-zelande/nouvelle-zelande-le-nouveau-premier-ministre-souhaite-que-son-pays-quitte-le-commonwealth_AN-202305010328.html">like to see</a> it leave the Commonwealth.</p> <h2>What does ‘Commonwealth’ mean?</h2> <p>The implication that breaking from the Commonwealth would be a precursor to, or consequence of, becoming a republic relies on a faulty premise which joins two entirely separate things: the way we pick our head of state, and our membership of the Commonwealth. </p> <p>It would make just as much sense to ask whether Australia or New Zealand should leave the International Cricket Council and become a republic.</p> <p>The confusion may derive from the fact that the 15 countries that continue to have the British sovereign as their head of state are known as “Commonwealth Realms”. </p> <p>What we usually refer to as the Commonwealth, on the other hand, is the organisation founded in 1926 as the British Commonwealth of Nations. This is the body whose membership determines the competing nations of the <a href="https://www.commonwealthsport.com/">Commonwealth Games</a>, the highest-profile aspect of the Commonwealth’s work. </p> <p>King Charles III is the head of state of the 15 Commonwealth Realms and the head of the international governmental organisation that is the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth has 56 members – but only 15 of them continue to have the king as head of state.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Monday he personally favors his country becoming a republic, though it’s not a change he intends to push for as leader. <a href="https://t.co/1XEiFFtqPT">https://t.co/1XEiFFtqPT</a> <a href="https://t.co/aftsZ0hHmV">pic.twitter.com/aftsZ0hHmV</a></p> <p>— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Diplomat_APAC/status/1653406552693395457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <h2>Joining the Commonwealth club</h2> <p>To be fair, confusion over who heads the Commonwealth is nothing new. A <a href="https://www.royalcwsociety.org/_files/ugd/e578ea_5642f282aad345faa0b39c9eebd465e5.pdf">2010 poll</a> conducted by the Royal Commonwealth Society found that, of the respondents in seven countries, only half knew the then queen was the head of the Commonwealth. </p> <p>A quarter of Jamaicans believed the organisation was led by the then US president, Barack Obama. One in ten Indians and South Africans thought it was run by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.</p> <p>Given the king’s overlapping leadership roles and the different use of the word in the contexts of Commonwealth Realms and the Commonwealth of Nations, these broad misunderstandings are perhaps understandable. In fact, it was this ambiguity that allowed for the development of an inclusive Commonwealth during the postwar years of decolonisation.</p> <p>However the confusion arose, it is also very simple to correct. The Commonwealth relaxed its membership rules regarding republics when India became one in 1950. </p> <p>According to Philip Murphy, the historian and former director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, this decision was based on the erroneous idea that India’s huge standing army would underwrite Britain’s great-power status in the postwar world. </p> <p>From that point on the Commonwealth of Nations no longer comprised only members who admitted to the supremacy of one sovereign. To make the change palatable, a piece of conceptual chicanery was needed. Each country did not need a king, but theking was to be head of the organisation comprising equal members.</p> <h2>Monarchy optional</h2> <p>Since then, the number of Commonwealth members has steadily increased to the 56 we have today.</p> <p>As early as 1995, membership was extended to countries with no ties to the former British Empire. With the support of Nelson Mandela, Mozambique became a member, joining the six Commonwealth members with which it shared a border. </p> <p>Rwanda, a former German and then Belgian colony, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/oukwd-uk-commonwealth-rwanda-idAFTRE5AS1C520091129">joined in 2009</a>. It became an enthusiastic member and hosted the biennial meeting of states known as CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). The most recent countries to take up Commonwealth membership are the <a href="https://thecommonwealth.org/news/gabon-and-togo-join-commonwealth">former French colonies of Togo and Gabon</a>. </p> <p>According to the <a href="http://www.thecommonwealth.org/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp?NodeID=174532">Commonwealth’s own rules</a>, membership is based on a variety of things, including commitment to democratic processes, human rights and good governance. Being a monarchy is entirely optional. </p> <p>The new king offers the chance for a broader debate on the advantages of monarchy. But let’s do so knowing Commonwealth membership is entirely unaffected by the question of whether or not the country is a republic.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/busting-a-king-sized-myth-why-australia-and-nz-could-become-republics-and-still-stay-in-the-commonwealth-204750" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Princess Charlotte’s show-stopping faces

<p dir="ltr">Princess Charlotte stole the show at the Commonwealth Games with her adorable animated facial expressions.</p> <p dir="ltr">The seven-year-old attended the games with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to watch the swimming at Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham on Tuesday. </p> <p dir="ltr">During the races, the Duchess was explaining things about the race, while Prince William watched on. </p> <p dir="ltr">As England’s Luke Turley prepared for the 1500m freestyle the Princess and her parents watched on in glee.</p> <p dir="ltr">Turley smashed a gruelling 30 lengths of the pool in 15:35.65 which qualified him for the final on Wednesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">Princess Charlotte smiled when the race came to the end before rolling her eyes about something her dad said. </p> <p dir="ltr">Several images captured the Princess’ cute facial expressions as she watched the races.</p> <p dir="ltr">Check them out below. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

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Horror crash sees cyclist launch into crowd

<p>The opening session of the track cycling event at the Commonwealth Games has been cancelled after a horrific crash left several athletes and spectators injured. </p> <p>A cyclist and his bike were catapulted over the barrier and into the crowd in an incident that brought down several riders in a sickening scene during the men’s 15km scratch race qualifying at the Lee Valley Velodrome.</p> <p>Medical staff rushed to the area where they were seen tending to British cyclist Matt Walls for more than 40 minutes before he was taken to hospital. </p> <p>England’s Commonwealth Games team then provided a positive update on Matt's condition later in the day. </p> <p>“Matt is alert and talking (as he has been throughout) and is being given medical attention in hospital,” the team statement read.</p> <p>The 24-year-old was trying to avoid riders who had fallen in a crash lower down the banking but as he rode up, he clipped another wheel and went over the top into the crowd.</p> <p>Witnesses said that, because of the gradient of the banking, spectators in the front row had been unsighted for the crash.</p> <p>One man received treatment for cuts to his arm while a young girl also received medical attention.</p> <p>Isle of Man rider Matt Bostock was also taken away from the scene on a stretcher. </p> <p>A Birmingham 2022 spokesperson said three riders and two spectators were treated by the on-site medical team.</p> <p>All three riders were taken to hospital, while the spectators were tended to at the scene. </p> <p>The session was abandoned moments later with one more event still scheduled. </p> <p>England’s Commonwealth Games Team released a preliminary statement sending its best wishes to all those involved.</p> <p>“Following a crash in the cycling men’s scratch race, Matt Walls has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks,” the statement read.</p> <p>“We send our best wishes to the riders and spectators involved in the incident, and will provide a further update when we can.”</p> <p>England’s racing team also tweeted, “Thoughts are with all the riders involved in the crash in the velodrome.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Aussies make history at Commonwealth Games

<p dir="ltr">Australia’s star swimmers have claimed an absolute bounty of gold and new world records in the pool on day three of this year’s Commonwealth Games.</p> <p dir="ltr">After securing a record-equalling tenth gold medal in one of the relays over the weekend, 28-year-old Emma McKeon won gold again in the 50m freestyle final, overtaking the likes of Ian Thorpe, Susie O’Neill and Leisel Jones as the first athlete with 11 Commonwealth games gold medals to their name.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to the media on the pool deck, McKeon shed a few tears and was comforted by fellow Aussie Meg Harris, who took silver in the 50m race, as she talked about finding it “hard to be proud of herself”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It is special. It kind of makes me reflect on the last eight years or so since my first Commonwealth Games and I can sort of see how far I’ve come as a person and as an athlete," she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e0bf6af6-7fff-9903-3eee-5d240f885f42"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"To be honest I kind of find it hard to be proud of myself at times. So that’s something I guess I’ve struggled with along the way. But it’s nice to be here with these girls."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgsc4KBBsgD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/Cgsc4KBBsgD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Emma McKeon (@emmamckeon)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Later taking to Instagram, McKeon shared an emotional post about her “huge milestone” and her hopes that it inspires others.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A huge milestone for me. To be part of the history that some incredible athletes before me created is mind blowing,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I remember being a little girl watching these competitions on tv, which ignited something in me to want to do the same. I have the great athletes of this sport to thank for that.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope I can do a similar thing by inspiring those that are watching to strive for something, and believe in themselves and their goals.”</p> <p dir="ltr">McKeon isn’t the only one taking gold for Australia or breaking world records either, with Kaylee McKeown coming first in the final of the women’s 100m backstroke and several of their Dolphins teammates delivering a record-breaking performance in the 4x200m freestyle relay.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cc109098-7fff-dc10-b4cf-915c9a93fdf7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Madi Wilson, Mollie O’Callaghan, Kiah Melverton and Ariarne Titmus set a time of 7:39:29, beating silver-placed Canada by 12 seconds.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgnJvjrLHaJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CgnJvjrLHaJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ariarne Titmus (@ariarnetitmus_)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Titmus, who won gold in the individual 200m freestyle event, helped break the world record by more than a second with her time of 1:52.8 in the relay’s final leg.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m really happy to be able to perform for the girls,” Titmus said. “I mean, in the past couple of relays I have done I feel like I haven’t really performed my role as well as I would have liked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was disappointed last year at the Olympics, so I’m glad that I could do my job for the team.”</p> <p dir="ltr">At the end of day three, Australia was sitting in first place with a whopping 52 medals in total, including 22 gold, 13 silver and 17 bronze, with events across swimming, judo, hockey, gymnastics, netball, boxing, cycling, weightlifting and lawn bowls still to come.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1bbab45d-7fff-f4c3-c833-029a4624b5d2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Prince Charles, Duran Duran and a giant bull: All the highlights of the Comm Games Opening Ceremony

<p>The 2022 Commonwealth Games are officially underway, after the impressive opening ceremony kicked off on Thursday evening. </p> <p>The extravagant ceremony captivated the attention of local and international fans, with TV viewers around the word tuning in to the Birmingham event. </p> <p>Prince Charles arrived at the Alexander Stadium in style, driving the same Aston Martin the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge famously left Buckingham Palace in on their wedding day.</p> <p>The Prince of Wales drove his luxury, vintage car out onto the arena before a display where several motor vehicles combined to form a perfect Union Jack on the arena surface.</p> <p>The ceremony celebrated aspects of the rich history and culture of Birmingham, with a 10 metre tall mechanical "Raging Bull" being waltzed into the stadium. </p> <p>The Bull Ring is a major shopping district in the city, which also features a sculpture of a bull, while the mascot for these Commonwealth Games is Perry the Bull.</p> <p>Female chain makers dragged the bull into the stadium, representing the chains used during the slave trade.</p> <p>The bull then broke free of those chains — symbolising the abolition of the slave trade and the 1910 wage strike that paved the way for women to break free from poverty.</p> <p>Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai addressed the audience early in the ceremony, sharing a heartfelt message about how Birmingham became her home and welcomed her family.</p> <p>Musical act Duran Duran, who began their career in Birmingham, closed the ceremony as they belted out fan favourite tracks such as <em>Save A Prayer</em>, <em>Planet Earth</em> and <em>Ordinary World</em>.</p> <p>The Commonwealth Games will run until August 8th, with 72 countries competing in 19 sports over the 11-day event. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

International Travel

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National plans to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's death revealed

<p>Australians could be seeing a new public holiday commemorating Queen Elizabeth II as part of a national plan to observe the monarch’s death.</p> <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been handed a new brief in preparation for the ominous event.</p> <p>The plan states that Albanese will be informed of the Queen’s death roughly an hour prior to a Buckingham Palace public statement being sent out, and immediately after being informed of the news, our Prime Minister will also put on a special black tie to mark the Queen’s passing.</p> <p>It has been revealed that 10-12 notable Australians will be invited to the Queen’s funeral before the Governor General will publicly declare Prince Charles to be Australia's king.</p> <p>A National Day of Commemoration is more than likely to become a new public holiday for Australia.</p> <p>Meanwhile, in other commonwealth countries, during the period in between the Queen’s death and funeral, 10 days of mourning and remembrance will be observed.</p> <p>Flags will be flown at half-mast for the 10 days, except on the day of Prince Charles’ ascension to the throne, and bells will ring at churches across Australia. A state funeral will be held, as well as a special service at an Anglican cathedral.</p> <p>It comes after Queen Elizabeth says she had been “humbled and deeply touched” by the number of people coming out to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee at the conclusion of four days of festivities to mark her 70 years on the British throne.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Commonwealth Bank predicts moment when housing market will crash

<p><em>Image: Getty </em></p> <p>Australia’s biggest home lender is expecting property prices to fall by 12% soon after official interest rates go up again.</p> <p>The Commonwealth Bank forecast double-digit plunges in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobert in 2023, following strong gains since the end of 2020.</p> <p>Philip Lowe, the Governor of Reverse Bank of Australia, is now indicating the cash rate will be raised from a record low of 0.1 per cent in 2023 instead of 2024, as previously promised.</p> <p>But the Commonwealth Bank’s head of Australian economies Gareth Aird is predicting interest rates will now be raised in November 2022, marking the first cash rate increases in 12 years.</p> <p>‘The Australian housing market is in the twilight of an incredible boom that has been fuelled by record low mortgage rates,’ he said.</p> <p>Mr Aird is now predicting the Reverse Bank will raise the cash rate to 1.25% by September 2023, a level that hasn’t been seen since mid-2019, which ‘lies at the heart of our expectation that home prices will contract’.</p> <p>Should that predication materialize, the RBA would be raising rates five times on each occasion by 0.25 percentage points judging by previous moves.</p> <p>The Commonwealth Bank is expecting Sydney’s property prices to climb 27% in 2021, before slowing to 6% in 2022 and plunging by 12% in 2023.</p> <p>In the year to October, Sydney's median house price surged by 30.04% to an even more unaffordable $1.334million, CoreLogic data showed.</p> <p>CBA forecast Melbourne prices rising by 17% this year, before growing by a more subdued 8% in 2022 and diving by 10% in 2023.</p> <p>Melbourne's mid-point house price has grown by an annual pace of 19.5% to $972,659 as Canberra's equivalent value rose by 29% to $985,040.</p> <p>Canberra was also tipped to see double-digit falls, following a 26% rise in 2021, a 7% gain in 2022 before a 10 per cent plunge in 2023.</p> <p>Hobart prices were tipped to surge by 29% in 2021 followed by 5 per cent growth in 2022 and a 12 per cent plunge in 2023.</p> <p>Since October 2020, house values in the Tasmanian capital have climbed by 27.2% to $726,955.</p> <p>Australia wide, property prices were tipped to grow by 22% in 2021, 7% in 2022 before plummeting by 10%. in 2023.</p> <p>In the year to October, house and apartment values nationally rose by 21.6%, marking the sharpest annual increase since early 1989.</p> <p>By comparison, wages in the year to September edged up by just 2.2%.</p> <p>The mid-point national property price of $686,339 is now so dear someone earning an average, full-time salary of $90,329 would owe the bank six times their salary, even with a 20%.</p> <p>The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority considers a debt-to-income ratio of six or more to be risky.</p> <p>Mr Aird said strong property price growth could not be sustained as wages growth remained weak.</p> <p>'As home prices move higher, affordability becomes stretched,' he said.</p> <p>'That can be improved via a reduction in mortgage rates or higher income.’</p> <p>'But at some point the tailwind of lower mortgage rates on prices wanes unless there are further cuts in interest rates.'</p> <p>The Commonwealth Bank is expecting house prices across Australia to rise by 25% in 2021 before slowing to 6% in 2022 and falling by 11% in 2023.</p> <p>Apartment values were expected to rise by 14% this year, 9% next year and fall by 7% in 2023.</p> <p>Australia's biggest banks have already raised their fixed rate home loans multiple times in a matter of weeks, gradually ending the era of 2 per cent mortgage rates.</p> <p>'The phenomenal lift in prices is not over yet given dwelling prices are still rising briskly in most capital cities,' Mr Aird said.</p> <p>'But near term indicators of momentum coupled with the recent move higher in fixed rate mortgages suggest that conditions will moderate from here.'</p> <p>Regional areas have done even better than capital cities, with prices rising by 24.6% compared with 24% in the capital cities during the past year.</p> <p>Before the pandemic, younger first-home buyers willing to commute could buy a house on the Central Coast, an hour's drive north of Sydney. However, mid-point house prices there have surged by 35.4% in the year to October to $954,330 as more people were able to work from home.</p> <p>Woy Woy, on the Brisbane Water and near a train station, is even more expensive at $962,538.</p> <p>Queensland's Sunshine Coast saw a 32.5% increase, taking median house prices to $946,405, making it much dearer than nearby Brisbane's $731,392.</p> <p>Victoria's Mornington Peninsula had a 33.5% increase, taking its mid-point price for a home with a backyard to $979,554, making it marginally more expensive than greater Melbourne's $972,659.</p>

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“Acknowledge the past”: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan call on the Commonwealth

<p>Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have called on the Commonwealth to “acknowledge” its colonial past, even if it is “uncomfortable”.</p> <p>Speaking in a video-link discussion on institutional and systemic racism with young leaders from the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, Harry said the UK has to reckon with its historic involvement in other countries that now make up the Commonwealth.</p> <p>“When you look across the Commonwealth, there is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past,” he said.</p> <p>“So many people have done such an amazing incredible job of acknowledging the past and trying to right those wrongs, but I think we all acknowledge on there is so much more still to do.</p> <p>“It’s not going to be easy and in some cases it’s not going to be comfortable but it needs to be done, because guess what, everybody benefits.”</p> <p>The Commonwealth consists of 54 member states, nearly all of which were previously ruled by the British Empire.</p> <p>Meghan added: “We’re going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now, because it’s only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all ships.</p> <p>“Equality does not put anyone on the back foot, it puts us all on the same footing – which is a fundamental human right.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Watch the discussion now and share your thoughts on the actions we can take to create a fairer and more just world: <a href="https://t.co/WR7grpu9fG">https://t.co/WR7grpu9fG</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamQCT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamQCT</a></p> — The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (@queenscomtrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/queenscomtrust/status/1280109784042217472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>The pair also spoke about unconscious bias and the role it plays in people’s lives.</p> <p>“We can’t deny or ignore the fact that all of us have been educated to see the world differently,” Harry said.</p> <p>“However, once you start to realize that there is that bias there, then you need to acknowledge it, you need to do the work to become more aware.”</p> <p>Meghan reflected on her personal experience with unconscious bias and racism.</p> <p>“It’s not just in the big moments, it’s in the quiet moments where racism and unconscious bias lies and thrives. It makes it confusing for a lot of people to understand the role that they play in that, either passively and actively,” she said.</p> <p>“So much of what I’ve come to the understanding of, especially in learning even more about it of late and obviously having had personal experience with it as well, but in people’s complacency they’re complicit, and that I think is the shift that we’re seeing.”</p> <p>The conversation came as the Black Lives Matter movement continues in the US, where the royal couple is residing.</p> <p>Last week, Harry said he regretted not having done enough to “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/02/europe/prince-harry-institutional-racism-endemic-intl-scli/index.html">right the wrongs</a>” of the “endemic” institutional racism in society for young people.</p> <p>Last month Meghan <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/meghan-markle-addresses-black-lives-matter-movement-in-new-video-the-only-wrong-thing-to-say-is-to-say-nothing">addressed the killing of George Floyd</a> in a video message to her old high school, saying: “The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.”</p>

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“We were horrified”: CommBank discovers hidden channel of domestic abuse

<p>Commonwealth Bank has said it will suspend customers who have been using its online banking services to harass and intimidate other users.</p> <p>On Thursday morning, the bank said it had identified more than 8,000 customers who received low-value deposits, often less than $1, with potentially offensive or abusive messages in the digital transaction descriptions in just three months.</p> <p>Catherine Fitzpatrick, General Manager of Community and Customer Vulnerability said the three-month analysis of transaction descriptions came after a disturbing case.</p> <p>“After noticing disturbing messages in the account of a customer experiencing domestic and family violence, we conducted analysis to better understand the problem,” Fitzpatrick told <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/commonwealth-bank-australia-technology-abuse-found-in-transaction-descriptions/c826d375-eb30-4d2b-b90c-9c4793af3fb9">9News</a></em>.</p> <p>“We were horrified by both the scale and the nature of what we found.”</p> <p>Fitzpatrick said the nature of the messages ranged from “fairly innocuous ‘jokes’” to “serious threats and clear references to domestic and family violence”.</p> <p>The bank’s new acceptable use policy now states that any customer found to be using NetBank or the CommBank app to stalk, harass or threaten may have their transactions refused, access to digital banking services suspended or discontinued, or account closed.</p> <p>Fitzpatrick said the bank worked with experts, community partners and law enforcement to ensure its policy will not have unintended consequences.</p> <p>“These changes will ensure that all customers can continue to enjoy the benefits of digital banking in a safe and secure way and represents our first step to address the issue of technology-facilitated abuse,” Fitzpatrick said.</p> <p><em>If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, contact the 24-hour support line 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for more information on support and services that can help your situation.</em></p>

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Queen summons Meghan and Harry back to the UK

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Her Majesty has called back Meghan Markle and Prince Harry from their relaxed new life in Canada to attend a Commonwealth Service.</p> <p>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to Canada after announcing they were quitting royal life and becoming “financially independent”.</p> <p>The 93-year-old monarch has reportedly asked them to return to the UK next month for the service at Westminster Abbey.</p> <p>The couple attended the Commonwealth Service last year with Meghan heavily pregnant with Archie.</p> <p>If the couple attend the March 9 event, it will be the first royal engagement for Meghan since the couple quit.</p> <p><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=34784X1028065&amp;isjs=1&amp;jv=13.26.2-stackpath&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fnews%2F10925713%2Fqueen-calls-meghan-markle-prince-harry-back%2F&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Farticle%2Fharry-and-meghan-earn-1m-for-speech-in-florida-hrvf07xln&amp;xguid=17e9c84a97d49625f2521cd872b72ac6&amp;xs=1&amp;xtz=-660&amp;xuuid=b4ad45a1df2960b47ffacfe9162e3ff2&amp;xcust=01702c414a0700030f308df2f70a03073005306b0086e" target="_blank"><em>The Sunday Times</em></a><span> </span>reported the couple will make a round of final engagements in March before returning to North America. </p> <p>However, the Queen is “remarkably unfazed” by the couple’s decision to start a new life in Canada.</p> <p>“If that’s what they want, if they want to go, we must let them go,” she told friends.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNPb_9B0fn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNPb_9B0fn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal)</a> on May 8, 2019 at 8:39am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Prince Harry made his first public appearance at JPMorgan’s Miami billionaire’s summit, where he gave a speech and was reportedly paid $1 million plus expenses for the opportunity.</p> <p>The couple were reportedly flown on the JPMorgan private jet from Vancouver to Palm Beach and the summit was attended by the likes of Patriots owner Bob Kraft and billionaire philanthropist Robert Frederick Smith. </p> </div> </div> </div>

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Westpac to pay one year off mortgages for fire-affected customers

<p>Westpac has announced that it will pay one year off the mortgages for customers who lost their homes this bushfire season.</p> <p>Customers who took out mortgages through the bank will have their repayments paid for up to $1,200 per month over a period of one year, acting chief executive Peter King said.</p> <p>“These initiatives are designed to provide practical, on the ground support for our customers, our people and for those who are caring for affected communities,” King said in a statement.</p> <p>“In times of such unprecedented devastation, we want customers and communities to know we’re here to help alleviate financial concerns so they can rebuild their lives, homes and businesses.”</p> <p>Customers who need to rebuild their place of residence will also be eligible for interest free home loans through the Bushfire Recovery Support Package, while businesses may access low-interest loans.</p> <p>The initiative is Westpac’s latest effort to support bushfire-affected communities. Last week, the bank announced a $1.5 million Bushfire Fund, including emergency grants of up to $2,000 for temporary accommodation, food and clothing.</p> <p>There have been 10,550 insurance claims valued at $939 million lodged with Westpac as of Friday, the bank said.</p> <p>All four major banks have announced disaster relief packages. Commonwealth Bank and NAB each established a $1 million bushfire relief fund, while ANZ pledged $500,000 to support affected home loan customers and local community services.</p> <p>Westpac estimated that the bushfire crisis will cost Australia <a href="https://indaily.com.au/news/business/2020/01/13/bushfires-to-cost-nation-5b-westpac/">$5 billion in direct losses</a> and chip the country’s economic growth by 0.2 to 0.5 per cent.</p>

Money & Banking

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Commonwealth Bank issues urgent warning over phishing scam

<p>Commonwealth Bank has issued an urgent warning telling customers of an email scam that has hit thousands of unsuspecting inboxes across Australia.</p> <p>The scam, which contains the words “CommBank” was detected on November 29 by anti-virus software company Mailguard.</p> <p>Customers have received an email asking them to verify recent transactions on their card.</p> <p> “We encourage our customers to stay vigilant and look out for fraud and scams,” a spokesperson told<a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/business/banks/commonwealth-bank-issues-urgent-warning-on-new-email-scam-hitting-inboxes-right-now-c-587199" target="_blank"> <em>7NEWS.com.au</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>“We offer our customers the benefit from our 100 per cent guarantee against online fraud where they are not at fault.</p> <p>“Where there is fraudulent activity, our process is to fully reimburse our customers as quickly as possible to minimise inconvenience.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7833028/commbank.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/881a4a09c8e34134bef991afd5b851ab" /></p> <p>A blog shared by Mailguard about the phishing scam gave clear signs customers can follow to check if their emails from banks are authentic or not.</p> <p>The blog warned to check for spelling errors, and be aware if it takes you to the actual bank website or not.</p> <p>“This is another reminder for those who utilise online banking, to pay close attention to the emails they receive from their banks,” the post read.</p> <p>“To best protect yourself, it is imperative that you do not click any link contained within an email, especially if it does not address you by name.”</p> <p>Anyone who believes they have been scammed is urged to contact Commonwealth Bank. </p>

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