Placeholder Content Image

Michael Schumacher attends first 'public' event since accident

<p>Michael Schumacher has reportedly attended his <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/michael-schumacher-s-daughter-ties-the-knot-at-luxury-spanish-villa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daughter's wedding</a>, making this his first public appearance in 11 years. </p> <p>Gina Schumacher tied the knot with Iain Bethke at the family’s luxury villa in Mallorca over the weekend, and while Michael's attendance was previously unknown, several outlets have reported that he attended the special event. </p> <p>The Formula 1 icon's wife, Corinna, has kept his condition private since his tragic skiing accident in 2013, with only an extremely small inner circle of people allowed to see him, therefore this marks the first time that Michael has been 'seen' by extended friends and family. </p> <p><em>The Daily Mail</em> reported that privacy was extremely tight at the event, with wedding guests required to leave their phones at the front door upon arrival. </p> <p>The family also reportedly looked at hiring a large security team to keep photographers away. </p> <p>The success of the event has reportedly raised hopes that the family will consider future opportunities for the Ferrari icon to be seen in public, with more people reportedly being let into the 'inner circle'. </p> <p>Michael's son Mick, who has been dating 23-year-old Danish model Laila Hasanovic for two years, is reportedly engaged to her, and in January it was reported that she had been given approval to visit the F1 legend. </p> <p>Updates on the former racer's health have been few and far between.</p> <p>Late last year, Schumacher's former boss at Ferrari and close friend Jean Todt revealed: "He is simply not the Michael he used to be. He is different, and is wonderfully guided by his wife and children who protect him. His life is different now, and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him. That's all there is to say."</p> <p>Corinna also spoke publicly about the accident and her decision to keep Michael's condition private in a 2021 Netflix documentary.</p> <p>"'Private is private’, as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible,” she said. </p> <p>“Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael. What he really didn’t like was the press, the people, all the hype around him. That’s not what he wanted. He wanted to do the sport," she continued. </p> <p>In the documentary she also said: “I miss Michael every day.</p> <p>“But it is not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here.</p> <p>“Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength. We’re together. We live together at home.”</p> <p>Michael reportedly moved from his Swiss home to the exclusive Spanish villa where Gina's wedding was held in September 2020 according to the Spanish press. </p> <p>According to<em> The Sun</em>, Michael spent much of his recent life at the  $50 million villa, which is believed to have been adapted allowing a team of doctors and nurses to provide round-the-clock care. </p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Michael Schumacher's daughter ties the knot at luxury Spanish villa

<p>Gina Schumacher has officially married her partner Ian Bethke. </p> <p>The 27-year-old daughter of racing icon Michael Schumacher, tied the knot in an ultra-private ceremony in Mallorca on Sunday, September 30. </p> <p>The happy couple, who reportedly met while at riding school, had a stunning ceremony at the Schumacher family home, Villa Yasmin, in Puerto De Andraitx.</p> <p>"Forever yes to you, yes to forever ❤️" she wrote in an Instagram update. </p> <p>Set near the beach, with a beautiful view of the mountains, the newlyweds shared an embrace, with the beautiful bride in a creamy white lace gown that she accessorised with dainty jewelry. </p> <p>Gina opted for a low, tousled ponytail which highlighted her natural features. </p> <p>The groom donned a pinstripe suit with a dark grey tie and crisp white dress shirt. </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/DAejBeBoJ8T/?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/DAejBeBoJ8T/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Gina Schumacher (@gina_schumacher)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Michael's brother, Ralf Schumacher, was also in attendance and shared a snap with his boyfriend, Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, who he has been publicly dating since July.</p> <p>They shared a glimpse of the wedding with a photo of them posing in front of a sunset, with the caption: "We had a wonderful time in #Mallorca. The sunsets and the atmosphere were magical ✨✨✨."</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/DAglZouMUDd/?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/DAglZouMUDd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne (@etn_cst)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fans congratulated Gina and her husband on their new milestone.</p> <p>"Congratulations Gina you look gorgeous, your great dad will be so proud of you," one wrote. </p> <p>"Congratulations to both of you. ❤️" added another. </p> <p>"All the best and happiness + health for the whole family," wrote a third. </p> <p>It has yet to be confirmed whether Michael was in attendance, as the former race car driver has not been seen publicly since his skiing injury in 2013. </p> <p>German publications report the ceremony was kept secret until the announcement on social media. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

Placeholder Content Image

Indigenous netball player shares "disgusting" hate letter after sponsorship drama

<p>An Indigenous netball star has shared a vile hate letter she received from a netball fan, two years on from the Netball Australia sponsorship drama.</p> <p>Prior to her first game with the Australian Diamonds national team in 2022, Donnell Wallam, a Noongar woman from Western Australia, refused to wear the uniform which featured the logo of Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.</p> <p>The 30-year-old athlete shared that her reasoning was over racist comments made by Rinehart's late father in the 1980s, when he suggested Aboriginal people should be sterilised.</p> <p>In response to Wallam's boycott, Gina Rinehart dramatically tore up her $15 million sponsorship deal with Netball Australia, which had been set to run until the end of 2025.</p> <p>Now, two years on from the sponsorship drama, Wallam shared a photo on of hate mail she received about the controversy, from a woman named “Mary”.</p> <p>The letter posted to Instagram, which accused Wallam of being "radicalised by the Aboriginal left", includes a mocking imitation of an Indigenous Acknowledgement of Country paying “respects to British and European elders”.</p> <p>“As if the hate online wasn’t enough, Mary thought she’d send me a letter,” the netballer wrote. “I’m beyond disgusted and hurt but I will never stop advocating for my people. Blak, Loud and Proud. ALWAYS.”</p> <p>The letter reads, “I am writing to you to express my sadness that your [sic] cost the Australian Diamonds, of $15,000,000, caused by your radically influenced comments about Gina Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock.” </p> <p>“Mr Hancock’s comments about serialisation [sic] of Aboriginals was disgusting and made by one man. However, at the time his daughter was not yet born as you were not yet born. You were influenced by the nasty activist Aboriginal clique that hates everything Australia. You fell into their spell and caused such loss of donations to Australia Netball. Hang your head in shame girl, for being manipulated by the radical Aboriginal filth.”</p> <p>Mary adds that she went to school in Perth “and had many good Noongar friends that I still love today”. </p> <p>“You are a disgrace to the Noongar Tribe,” she wrote. “I will never watch you play, ever.”</p> <p>Wallam’s supporters slammed the letter as “disgusting”, saying they will always support the inspirational athlete.</p> <p>“You are such an inspiration for so many, I am completely disgusted but sadly not shocked, what an absolute piece of s**t this woman is,” one wrote.</p> <p>“I will defs be watching your next game to support you,” another said. “Sounds like Mary’s loss!”</p> <p><em>Image credits: DARREN PATEMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Michael Schumacher’s family's huge legal victory

<p>Michael Schumacher's family are celebrating a big win against a German magazine, after they published what they claimed was an "exclusive interview" but was actually AI-generated. </p> <p>The family have received a compensation payment of 200,000 euros ($327,065 AUD) more than a year after the magazine printed the fake interview with the Formula One legend. </p> <p>In April 2023, Schumacher appeared on the front cover of German publication Die Aktuelle under the headline, “Michael Schumacher, the first interview”.</p> <p>The publishers left a very small hint on the page that the article wasn't real, although adding that the interview “sounded deceptively real”.</p> <p>The article seemed to be a real interview, featuring artificial "quotes" from Schumacher about his health and his family. </p> <p>However, Schumacher has famously not been seen publicly since his ill-fated skiing accident in the French alps in December 2013, and his health battle has been kept intensely private by his family. </p> <p>But the article appeared to say otherwise, with one of there fake quotes reading, "I can, with the help of my team, actually stand by myself and even slowly walk a few steps.”</p> <p>“My wife and my children were a blessing to me and without them I would not have managed it. Naturally they are also very sad, how it has all happened."</p> <p>“They support me and are standing firmly at my side.”</p> <p>A spokesperson for the Schumacher family confirmed to Reuters the $327,065 judgement had been made against Funke Mediengruppe, the owners of the magazine.</p> <p>Funke Mediengruppe apologised to the family in the aftermath of the article and the editor of Die Aktuelle was sacked two days after it was published.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Attila Kisbenedek/EPA & HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/EPA-EFE / Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Petition to put Gina Rinehart's portrait in Times Square goes viral

<p>When Gina Rinehart's portrait featured in an exhibition at the National Gallery in Canberra, she <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/gina-rinehart-demands-for-national-gallery-to-remove-her-portrait" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded</a> it be taken down. </p> <p>The gallery refused, and said it would stay hanging in the gallery until the end of the end of the exhibit on July 21st. </p> <p>Rinehart's outrageous request to take down the artwork went viral on social media, and even saw her feature on Stephen Colbert's late night TV show. </p> <p>Now, comedian Dan Ilic has started a <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/put-vincent-namatjira-s-work-in-times-square#/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petition</a> to get the artwork displayed in New York City's iconic Times Square. </p> <p>Ilic told <em><a href="https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2024/05/21/rinehart-times-square" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Daily</a></em> that it is important to celebrate Australia’s art and artists, because “not many other people are”.</p> <p>“The person who was seeking for it to be removed has a unique place in Australian culture and politics, and uses their power for things that are very much in line with their interests,” he said.</p> <p>“Us, using our own power as a community to try and leverage a lot of little people’s contributions to this celebration of great Australian art, is a great thing.”</p> <p>Ilic said people approached him to launch the fundraising campaign because “I’ve become the person to do such things”.</p> <p>“I happened to go to an art event on the weekend with some people who know [artist] Vincent Namatjirawell and I asked them to check if he would like it,” he said.</p> <p>“He said it’s very funny, so we went ahead with it.”</p> <p>A 10-minute slot in Times Square costs $16,000, however Ilic is campaigning to raise $30,000 to beam Rinehart’s portrait into one of the busiest locations on the planet, with any excess money being donated to Indigenous-led youth climate network Seed Mob.</p> <p>He said, “By the very nature of that organisation, they’re at odds with a lot of what big corporations like Hancock Prospecting are all about.”</p> <p>Ilic said he was confident about passing the $30,000 goal and making the 10-minute slot a reality, after already raising over 70 percent of his goal.</p> <p>“There is an old maxim in crowdfunding: If you reach 50 per cent within the 50 per cent mark of time, you’ll get the rest,” he said.</p> <p>“We hit that earlier this morning and it’s about halfway now, so I think we’ll get the rest.”</p> <p>Ilic has previously campaigned to have features in Times Square, with one such ad highlighting Australia's lack of climate change action ahead of the COP26 meeting in 2021. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Dan Ilic - Indiegogo</em></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Gina Rinehart's financial advice for Anthony Albanese

<p>Gina Rinehart has offered some free and unsolicited financial advice to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the wake of his divisive Federal Budget. </p> <p>Australia's richest woman, who has no experience in politics, suggested cutting the fuel excise and halting immigration would have a greater positive impact on the economy, as opposed to the Albanese government's measures to curb the cost of living. </p> <p>Rinehart has been critical of the $300 handout to combat energy bills regardless of household income, and believes that a big-spending budget is not the best way forward.</p> <p>Rather than tax Australians more to hand the money out again through handouts and welfare, she said lower taxes overall was a better way forward.</p> <p>Ms Rinehart said cutting fuel tax, which the government has rejected as too expensive, was one option.</p> <p>“I have advocated strongly for the government to directly reduce costs of living for Australians by cutting their fuel excise taxes, which would spread not only to car users, but all products that require transport,’’ she told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/gina-rinehart-tells-anthony-albanese-to-cut-fuel-excise-migration/news-story/bb84ef69e8a19506e7e3ae3e1f678e7c" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>news.com.au</em></a>.</p> <p>“I have also advocated for cutting other taxes, payroll tax, stamp duty and license fees, that not only would bring down the cost of living, but were supposed to have been cut when GST was introduced decades ago."</p> <p>“Big spending, big government costs all (which I advocate against), and adds to the costs of living."</p> <p>“Recycling taxes paid is very inefficient, the taxpayer is actually better off paying less tax, and spending their income as they prefer.”</p> <p>Ms Rinehart, who has racked up a net worth of over $46.5 billion AUD through her investments into mining, has previously suggested a better way is to cut taxes and allow people to keep more of what they earn.</p> <p>“To help people suffering the most on low incomes, such as veterans, pensioners and uni students, if the government really cared about these fellow Australians struggling with high costs, they would remove the onerous government paperwork and their unfair limits on pensioners, veterans and students working hours, each of whom face higher effective tax rates than me if they choose to work above a very small threshold of hours,’’ she said.</p> <p>“Letting Australians who want to work, work, would be not only better for those Australians and their families, but would save the need for the government’s very expensive policy of hugely increased immigration, to allegedly bring in more workers.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Darren England/EPA-EFE & LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial</em></p> <p> </p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

Can you control your image? Gina Rinehart, King Charles and ‘moral portraits'

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-benjamin-119535">Roger Benjamin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>“She’s no oil painting”.</p> <p>Those were the unkind words of a colleague commenting on the subject of Vincent Namatjira’s acrylic painting, Gina. Every one of the prominent Australians and cultural heroes in Namatjira’s ensemble <a href="https://theconversation.com/vincent-namatjiras-paintbrush-is-his-weapon-with-an-infectious-energy-and-wry-humour-nothing-is-off-limits-217361">Australia in Colour</a> (2021) is subject to his trademark distortions.</p> <p>When the painter gets to work interpreting the press photographs that his main source, resemblance is always stretched. No one comes out unscathed: Tony Abbott looks just as scary as Angus Young from AC/DC; a grimacing Queen Elizabeth as grisly as a roaring Cathy Freeman. Indeed, in the <a href="https://thamesandhudson.com.au/product/vincent-namatjira/">2023 volume on Namatjira</a> there are no fewer than four paintings of Gina Rinehart – and they look like four different people.</p> <p>Do we expect a portrait to be a moral <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiognomy">physiognomy</a>, the ancient pseudoscience that assumes the way someone has lived their life shapes their features and appearance?</p> <p>Roman emperors were shown to be ideal types: the heroic portrait. Who knows what these men actually looked like? In the case of King Charles III, whose <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68981200">new portrait</a> by Jonathon Yeo was unveiled this week, we can compare his likeness to the myriad photographic and filmic images.</p> <p>Newspaper caricature, <a href="https://firstamendmentmuseum.org/exhibits/virtual-exhibits/art-politics-300-years-of-political-cartoons/political-cartoons-part-1-1720-1800/">popular since the 1700s</a>, works hard to point out imperfections, posit animal likenesses, and exaggerate specific facial features to satirise public figures.</p> <p>Namatjira brushes with caricature even when depicting himself.</p> <h2>Can you control your image?</h2> <p>I think Rinehart should be flattered to be one of Namatjira’s favourites. The wits in the twittersphere have in the past 24 hours shown several more of his Ginas, and it turns out there are also at least half a dozen colour portraits of her by other artists.</p> <p>They range from <a href="https://scottmarsh.com.au/products/mothers-milk">Scottie Marsh’s mural</a> on a Sydney wall of a matronly Rinehart giving the breast to infant Barnaby Joyce (with apologies to Raphael), to Xavier Ghazi’s demonic hard-hatted Gina <a href="https://citynews.com.au/2023/bald-archy-prize-heading-for-immortality/">giving Australians the finger</a> – it’s in newspaper caricature mode, his entry in the Bald Archies competition for 2023.</p> <p>Although Rinehart has reportedly called for Namatjira’s painting to be taken down, the initiative <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/gold-medallist-led-campaign-to-take-down-gina-rinehart-portrait-20240516-p5je1y.html">apparently comes</a> from members of the Australian swimming team and their former coach (Rinehart is that sport’s major private sponsor).</p> <p>I suspect their discomfort comes from reading Namatjira’s Gina as a moral portrait; that is, ugliness of appearance projects an ugly spirit (whereas for them she is the epitome of generosity).</p> <p>It’s an interesting idea that the fresh-faced teenage daughter of Lang Hancock in <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/abcs-australian-story-focuses-on-gina-rineharts-bond-with-father-lang-hancock-20150706-gi6h1f.html">old news photos</a> has changed not just because times takes beauty away (as we all know), but because of the impact of things she inherited from her father: not just the extreme wealth and the jawline, but the conservative views, and the ways she has used her money and power.</p> <p>Her control of vast tracts of (unceded) grazing land across western and central Australia give reason to reflect on what Western Aranda man Namatjira might think of her.</p> <h2>And yet what about commissions?</h2> <p>When can a sitter control their portrait image? Only when they commission the work. Art history has plenty of cases in which a sitter has rejected their portrait. Monet in the 1860s painted his brother Leon, who so disliked the canvas he locked it in an attic, from which it emerged 150 years later.</p> <p>Portrait paintings have had to be altered, payment refused, or be paid for then destroyed. The commissioned portrait, it’s assumed, must flatter the sitter or at least offer a fair and non-judgemental likeness.</p> <p>The British royal family has historically been very forgiving about portraits, and has the sophistication to know it is futile to protest a likeness. Doing so invokes the perverse “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect">Streisand effect</a>”, as we see happening with Namatjira’s Gina.</p> <p>There are dozens of depictions of Elizabeth II and Charles III in Namatjira’s pantheon – including one of the late queen alongside Rinehart in Australia in Colour. Namatjira has a family link to Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who met Albert Namatjira (the painter’s great grandfather) on their 1954 tour of Australia.</p> <p>But no one is asking for Queen Bess to be removed from the National Gallery of Australia.</p> <p>As a mark of <em>noblesse oblige</em>, King Charles has accepted the newly unveiled commissioned portrait of himself by Jonathon Yeo. It is an absolute shocker, and he should have sent it back.</p> <p>The King, de-aged by 20 years, looks pleasantly out at us from a floor-to-ceiling fog of strawberry- and cerise-coloured paint that covers his dress uniform. The joke, of course, is that the red colouration can be read as a reference to “<a href="https://time.com/6226657/crown-charles-camilla-tampongate/">tampongate</a>”, the product of an infamous case of tabloid phone-hacking in 1993.</p> <p>It’s a case of a portrait generating an unintended consequence – just as Namatjira surely did not expect to provoke international headlines today with his Gina, whom he’s been depicting for years.</p> <p>Fittingly, wise heads have rejected calls for the gallery to remove the canvas, starting with director Nick Mitzevich’s <a href="https://amp.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/portrait-gina-rinehart-doesn-t-want-you-to-see-mogul-demands-national-gallery-remove-her-image-20240513-p5jd59.html">measured statement</a>, seconded by the National Association for the Visual Arts whose <a href="https://visualarts.net.au/news-opinion/2024/nava-defends-vincent-namatjiras-artistic-freedom-amid-demands-removal-nga/">press release</a> insists on freedom of expression.</p> <p>Finally, late yesterday, Namatjira, resisting myriad calls for interviews, issued a statement in the pithy mode of his book texts. Let him have the last word:</p> <blockquote> <p>I paint people who are wealthy, powerful, or significant – people who have had an influence on this country, and on me personally, whether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad. Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too.<!-- 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/230297/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> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-benjamin-119535"><em>Roger Benjamin</em></a><em>, Professor in Art History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</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/can-you-control-your-image-gina-rinehart-king-charles-and-moral-portraits-230297">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

“I paint the world as I see it": Artist responds to Gina Rinehart's demand

<p>Acclaimed Aboriginal artist <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Vincent Namatjira </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">has found himself at the centre of controversy following criticism from mining magnate Gina Rinehart over his portrait of her displayed at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Rinehart reportedly <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/gina-rinehart-demands-for-national-gallery-to-remove-her-portrait" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded the removal of the painting</a>, which she deemed unflattering, sparking a debate on artistic expression and the portrayal of power in contemporary art.</span></p> <p>Namatjira's artistic style is characterised by caricatures that border on the cartoonish, portraying influential figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, AFL player Adam Goodes and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. His work challenges viewers to question the societal constructs surrounding power and influence, inviting them to delve deeper into the underlying messages within his art.</p> <p>In response to the removal request from Rinehart, Namatjira released a statement saying:</p> <p>“I paint the world as I see it. People don’t have to like my paintings, but I hope they take the time to look and think, ‘why has this Aboriginal bloke painted these powerful people? What is he trying to say?’"</p> <p>"I paint people who are wealthy, powerful, or significant – people who have had an influence on this country, and on me personally, whether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad. Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too.”</p> <p>Through his art, Namatjira confronts the complexities of privilege, wealth and authority, presenting a perspective that may not always align with mainstream perceptions.</p> <p>Despite objections raised by some, the National Gallery of Australia has stood by its decision to retain the painting, reaffirming its commitment to fostering dialogue and engagement with art in all its forms.</p> <p>Reports of complaints, including accusations linking the portrayal to political agendas, underscore the broader societal divisions that art can sometimes expose. However, the NGA's refusal to yield to external pressure reaffirms the institution's role as a custodian of artistic expression, providing a platform for diverse voices to be heard and interpreted.</p> <p>Namatjira's exhibition, "Australia in Colour", serves as a testament to the power of art to provoke, challenge and inspire. Through his unique lens, he invites audiences to reconsider notions of power and influence, urging them to look beyond the surface and engage with the deeper narratives embedded within his work.</p> <p>In a world where influence is often wielded unequally, his paintings serve as a catalyst for reflection, inviting viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and embrace the diversity of perspectives that define our collective experience.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty \ X (Twitter) \ National Gallery of Australia</em> </p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Gina Rinehart demands for National Gallery to remove her portrait

<p>Gina Rinehart has demanded that her portriat be removed from the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra because she doesn't like it. </p> <p>The portrait of Australia's richest woman appears alongside many others, including Queen Elizabeth and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in an exhibition by acclaimed Archibald Prize-winning Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira.</p> <p>Namatjira's works are known for having cartoon-like qualities, as he often paints famous figures as caricatures. </p> <p><a title="www.smh.com.au" href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/portrait-gina-rinehart-doesn-t-want-you-to-see-mogul-demands-national-gallery-remove-her-image-20240513-p5jd59.html">Nine Newspapers </a>have the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) have been flooded with a dozen complaints about the portrait of Rinehart, including some from athletes she sponsors through her company Hancock Prospecting. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, has demanded the National Gallery of Australia remove a portrait of her from an exhibition by Archibald Prize-winning Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira. THAT’S A GOOD REASON TO SHARE THE PORTRAIT WIDELY. <a href="https://t.co/pYoMh6vQcW">pic.twitter.com/pYoMh6vQcW</a></p> <p>— Maurie Mulheron (@maurie_mulheron) <a href="https://twitter.com/maurie_mulheron/status/1790621641502036239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>One complaint allegedly accused the NGA of “doing the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party” with the portrait of Ms Rinehart. </p> <p>On the NGA website, Ms Rinehart is listed as a “friend” of the gallery, as she historically has donated up to $9999.</p> <p>The NGA has refused to take the painting down, and the artwork will be on display until July 21st.</p> <p>“Since 1973, when the National Gallery acquired Jackson Pollack’s Blue Poles, there has been a dynamic discussion on the artistic merits of works in the national collection, and/or on display at the gallery,” the NGA said in a statement. </p> <p>“We present works of art to the Australian public to inspire people to explore, experience and learn about art.”</p> <p>In response to the demand to have the painting removed, Namatjira released a statement saying, “I paint the world as I see it. People don’t have to like my paintings, but I hope they take the time to look and think, ‘why has this Aboriginal bloke painted these powerful people? What is he trying to say?’"</p> <p>"I paint people who are wealthy, powerful, or significant – people who have had an influence on this country, and on me personally, whether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad. Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / X (Twitter)</em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Michael Schumacher’s wife makes emotional call

<p>Michael Schumacher’s family has made the difficult decision to auction off his personal collection of luxury watches ahead of the Italian Grand Prix on May 19. </p> <p>The F1 legend's wife Corinna is believed to have made the decision as she continues to care for him after his devastating skiing accident over 10 years ago. </p> <p>Corinna manages Schumacher's $970 million fortune, which is set to grow with the sale of Schumacher's eight most valuable watches, including a one-of-a-kind FP Journe Vagabondage 1 Model, which is expected to sell for between $1.7 million and $3.4 million.</p> <p>Auction house Christie’s will conduct the sale of the F1 legend's watch collection, which is believed to be worth roughly $6 million. </p> <p>“Christie’s expresses sincere thanks to the Schumacher family for their trust in us and their wish to share these masterpieces of horology with other passionate collectors around the globe,” Rémi Guillemin, Christie’s Head of Watches Europe and US, said. </p> <p>“We are proud to present these iconic and unique timepieces belonging to one of the most celebrated Formula 1 legends. An exceptional moment, for watch and F1 enthusiasts alike.</p> <p>“We are looking forward to meeting with passionate collectors during our international exhibitions and the auction on 13 May in Geneva.”</p> <p>One of the other watches going up for auction is an Audemars Piguet watch which features the Ferrari emblem, Schumacher’s helmet design, symbols representing his seven titles and an engraved message, which read: “Xmas 2004 — Jean Todt for my friend Michael Schumacher." </p> <p>The watch was given to him by Todt and is expected to sell for between $250,000 and $425,000. </p> <p>The auction is another financial move by Corinna, who reportedly meets with a small group of financial advisers about three or four times a year to make decisions about the family's sales and investments. </p> <p>Ever since the accident Corinna has also been protecting her husband's privacy, with no one outside of Schumacher's inner circle knowing what happened to the F1 legend. </p> <p><em style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Figtree, Roboto, 'Noto Sans Hebrew', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">Image: Getty/ Christie's</em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

Inside Gina Rinehart's 70th birthday bash

<p>Gina Rinehart has celebrated her 70th birthday in style, hosting a star-studded black tie event featuring a horse show and Australian music. </p> <p>The billionaire mining magnate threw the bash on the banks on the Swan River in Perth last week, setting up an enormous marquee where Guy Sebastian performed the national anthem to kick off the celebrations. </p> <p>Gina was joined by her staff at Hancock Prospecting, Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas who MC'ed the evening, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who made a a nine-hour round trip just to spend 40 minutes at the private gathering as the star guest speaker.</p> <p>The evening was documented on Rinehart's business website, with the staff attendee recalling the glamorous party. </p> <p>“Many attended wearing their Rossi boots, and enjoyed a horseshow backed by the fantastic Aussie music, ‘The Man from Snowy River’, with riders accordingly also dressed in iconic Driza-Bone, and Rossi boots, carrying large Australian and company flags,” Hancock Prospecting said on its website.</p> <p>Mayor Zempilas also recalled the evening on Perth radio, saying, “It was a very special night actually.” </p> <p>“To see the admiration of the staff, the loyalty, I guess. And yes, it doubled as a 70th birthday party for the current West Australian of the Year.”</p> <p>The mining magnate, who has a net worth of $37.4 billion, was named 2023’s Western Australian of the Year for her philanthropic support of “worthwhile causes supporting several medical, sporting, veterans, health and other organisations personally and through the Hancock companies”.</p> <p>Gina's 70th birthday was celebrated with multiple chocolate cakes as she was joined by other company executives who have February birthdays.</p> <p>“The event celebrated the incredible life of one of Australia’s icons and recognised the long-serving staff members of Hancock Prospecting companies, including Roy Hill, Atlas Iron, Hancock Agriculture,” the company said.</p> <p>“The event was greatly enjoyed by all, with very positive comments by staff who attended, including, ‘The best night of my life.’”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Courtesy of Hancock Prospecting</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Gina Rinehart snaps up another iconic Aussie brand

<p>Not long after being crowned<em> The Australian Financial Review’s (AFR)</em> Business Person of the Year, Gina Rinehart has made another big move in the fashion industry. </p> <p>The mining magnate has purchased heritage shoe brand Rossi Boots, which has been operating since 1910, as part of her  “commitment to preserving iconic national brands”. </p> <p>“(This) ensures that Rossi’s manufacturing excellence remains in Australian hands and will see it expand into new markets,” Rinehart’s company S. Kidman and Co said. </p> <p>Rossi Boots was founded by Arthur Rossiter, and sell high-quality leather boots for both men and women.</p> <p>They even supplied hundreds of boots to Australian soldiers during World War I and World War II, which Rinehart said is a “recognition of our national history”.</p> <p>“Rossi Boots is more than just a brand, it represents a cherished part of rural Australia’s way of life,” she said.</p> <p>“We are committed to nurturing its legacy by maintaining operations in Australia and are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Rossi Boots under the umbrella of S. Kidman and Co.”</p> <p>The acquisition of Rossi's boots follows Rinehart's recent purchase of another heritage fashion brand, Driza-Bone, known for their oil-skin jackets, which has been a staple in Aussie wardrobes for 125 years.  </p> <p>“We want to keep and preserve its magnificent past but we also want to rejuvenate it,” she said. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

“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>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

F1 caller faces termination over "abhorrent" Schumacher comment

<p>A Formula One pundit recently found himself issuing an apology for an unfortunate slip of the tongue during a live TV broadcast, where he inadvertently made an insensitive remark about the legendary Michael Schumacher. The incident unfolded in the aftermath of the Japanese Grand Prix during a post-race discussion on Spanish television, as reported by <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p>Antonio Lobato, the pundit in question, raised Schumacher's name during the discussion. Regrettably, his comment quickly made its way online, inciting outrage among fans due to its insensitivity toward the Formula One icon's ongoing health struggles.</p> <p>In the clip in question, one of Lobato's fellow broadcaster quipped to him in Spanish, "Let Adrian Newey (Red Bull's chief technical officer) be shaking because Antonio Lobato is coming."</p> <p>Lobato, perhaps in an attempt at humour in the moment, shot back, "Let Michael be shaking! Well... not Michael, he cannot shake."</p> <p>Following this exchange, the pundits shared a laugh with their colleagues, Noemi de Miguel, Pedro de la Rosa, and Toni Cuquerella.</p> <p>The incident provoked a strong backlash from viewers, with many demanding that Lobato apologise to Michael Schumacher's family. Some even called for his removal from DAZN, the broadcasting platform. One individual on X (formerly Twitter) remarked, "An apology would be the minimum, a sign of decency. You don't disrespect ANYONE that way, especially when thousands of people are watching you. Journalism in Spain has a very bright present and future with people like this."</p> <p>Another comment read, "Using someone's medical condition as the punchline of a joke is unacceptable and abhorrent. Michael is beloved and respected in this sport, and [Lobato] doesn't deserve the platform he is given."</p> <p>Subsequently, Lobato released an apology video on X, which has since garnered over five million views. In the five-minute video, he attempted to explain the "accident" while justifying his actions. Lobato stated in Spanish, "I made a mistake without any bad intentions. It was simply a mistake of pure clumsiness, of pure inability to express myself correctly, maybe because of too many hours up, jet lag in Madrid, or whatever – which is not an excuse for those of you who didn't see it."</p> <p>He went on to clarify that he never intended to make a joke or mock Michael Schumacher and that anyone who knew him would understand this.</p> <p>Lobato acknowledged his error, saying, "I think that everyone who knows me and knows what I'm like knows perfectly well that I would never make a joke about something like that. Never, but I was clumsy." He admitted that he had realised his mistake instantly after making the comment.</p> <p>He also emphasised his deep regret, stating, "So the only thing I have to do, I think it's fundamental, is to apologise to all those who felt offended by that phrase yesterday. I really, really mean it. It was not my intention to say it to laugh, nor to make any kind of joke with Michael, whom I knew, whom I admire, and whom I think is a reference and who I think was quite unlucky."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="es">Creo que es necesario dar explicaciones y reconocer que me he equivocado. Por favor, escuchad mi vídeo. Es un poco largo, pero creo que necesario. <a href="https://t.co/89QlCMws2v">pic.twitter.com/89QlCMws2v</a></p> <p>— Antonio Lobato (@alobatof1) <a href="https://twitter.com/alobatof1/status/1706287035445653736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Images: Twitter (X) / Netflix</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

"Without hope": Close friend shares sad Schumacher update

<p>It has been a decade since the tragic skiing accident that left Formula 1 racing legend Michael Schumacher with life-threatening injuries, and the most recent update on his condition paints a decidedly sombre picture.</p> <p>Renowned motorsport journalist Roger Benoit, a close friend of Schumacher, recently conveyed a disheartening assessment, describing Schumacher's situation as "a case without hope" in an interview with the Swiss newspaper <em>Blick</em>.</p> <p>Schumacher's catastrophic incident occurred in December 2013 when he struck his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps, resulting in severe brain damage. Despite wearing a helmet and skiing with his son Mick, Schumacher's life took a tragic turn. He spent 250 days in a medically-induced coma before finally returning home.</p> <p>Since then, updates on Schumacher's condition have been exceptionally scarce, primarily due to the steadfast commitment of those close to him to protect his privacy.</p> <p>In his recent interview, when pressed for a specific update on Schumacher's condition, Benoit offered these bleak words: "This sentence says everything about how (Michael) has been doing for over 3500 days. A case without hope."</p> <p>In 2021, Schumacher's wife, Corinna, broke her silence and spoke about the accident for the first time in eight years during a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/he-s-a-very-proud-dad-unearthed-snap-of-michael-schumacher-stuns-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Netflix documentary</a>. She shared: "Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find. We're together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will."</p> <p>Now 54 years old, Michael Schumacher has not been seen in public for a decade. His absence has left a void in the world of Formula 1, where he was a legendary figure, having clinched the Drivers' World Championships seven times, a record tied with Lewis Hamilton for the most titles in history. Schumacher's impressive 91 career Grand Prix wins rank second only to Hamilton's 103 victories.</p> <p><em>Image: Netflix</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

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

Placeholder Content Image

Schumacher’s family suing German magazine over fake interview

<p dir="ltr">Michael Schumacher’s family is preparing to take legal action against German tabloid magazine <em>Die Aktuelle</em>, for publishing an AI-generated “interview” with the star.</p> <p dir="ltr">The publication has been slammed for using Michael’s face on their April 15 front cover, promoting the piece as “the first interview” since the star’s skiing accident in December 2013.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No meagre, nebulous half-sentences from friends. But answers from him! By Michael Schumacher, 54!” read the text in the magazine.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It sounded deceptively real,” they added in the strapline, which was the only indicator that the piece was fake.</p> <p dir="ltr">The “interview” included quotes that insensitively described Schumacher’s recovery, following the accident where he suffered a serious brain injury.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was so badly injured that I lay for months in a kind of artificial coma, because otherwise my body couldn’t have dealt with it all,” the quote read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve had a tough time but the hospital team has managed to bring me back to my family,” they added.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was only at the end of the article that the publication revealed that they used Character.ai, an AI chatbot, to create the interview.</p> <p dir="ltr">A spokesperson for Schumachers confirmed their intention to take legal action against <em>Die Aktuelle</em> to <em>Reuters</em> and <em>ESPN</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">This isn’t the first time Schumacher’s family have taken action against <em>Die Aktuelle</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2015, Michael’s wife, Corinna Schumacher filed a lawsuit against the magazine after they used Corinna’s picture with the headline: “Corinna Schumacher – a new love makes her happy.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The story was actually about their daughter, Gina, but the lawsuit was dismissed.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Sad update on Schumacher's wife

<p>Eddie Jordan, former F1 boss and friend of the Schumachers, has opened up about how Corinna Schumacher has lived “like a prisoner” since her husband’s 2013 ski accident. </p> <p>Corinna, who has been declared “Michael’s guardian angel” on more than one occasion, has been battling for an entire decade to uphold his wish for privacy when it comes to his health and his ongoing recovery. </p> <p>It is reported that Corinna handles the Schumacher family’s affairs, and it’s a rare occasion when she does speak about her husband and family, despite overwhelming interest in how Michael is doing - all while helping son Mick launch his own career in Formula 1.</p> <p>And now, Eddie Jordan - who was a key player in Michael’s 1991 F1 experience - has spoken up about the reality of Corinna’s situation, admitting in an interview with <em>The Sun Online</em> that she is living “like a prisoner”. </p> <p>"This was the most horrific situation for Mick and Corinna," he said. “It's been nearly ten years now and Corinna has not been able to go to a party, to lunch or this or that, she's like a prisoner because everyone would want to talk to her about Michael when she doesn't need reminding of it every minute."</p> <p>He confessed that Corinna once denied him a visit with his friend, as she had imposed a kind of “family only” rule when it came to seeing Michael after the 2013 incident. Eddie wasn’t offended, instead supporting her decision, aware that the rule had come from a place of love, and that he knows her “very well, and a long time before Michael Schumacher.” </p> <p>However, there is apparently one individual who is allowed to stop by - Jean Todt, F1 chief and former boss for Ferrari.  </p> <p>"She's a lovely girl,” he continued, “and I knew her when she married Michael so there is a long history of good relations.</p> <p>"I made an effort to go see Michael in the early days and Corinna refused, and rightfully so because too many people wanted to go see him.</p> <p>"Jean Todt was given the privilege to go see him because of how close they were from their time together at Ferrari which is completely understandable.</p> <p>"I was not able to go see Michael and they said 'we love you Eddie and we've been involved with you for a very long time, but we do need privacy and safeguard of Michael'."</p> <p>This isn’t the first time that Eddie has spoken out about his friends, having explained early in 2023 that the 54-year-old Michael was “there, but not there.” </p> <p>And Corinna has revealed something similar herself, as seen in the documentary <em>Schumacher</em>, where she said, “I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him.</p> <p>"It's the children, the family, his father, everyone around him.</p> <p>"I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here. Different, but he's here and that gives us strength … we try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.</p> <p>“'Private is private', as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.</p> <p>"Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael."</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Gina Rinehart responds to $544m super rumours

<p dir="ltr"> It can be hard being rich. Sometimes you have to deny you have $544 million in your super, and other times you have your spokesperson do it for you. </p> <p dir="ltr">The internet has been hard at work trying to guess whose name is attached to the staggering <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/who-is-the-one-australian-with-over-500-million-in-superannuation">$544m superannuation fund</a> reported and thrust to viral heights by a graph-wielding tweet. </p> <p dir="ltr">The account holder’s name cannot be revealed as it is protected under the Taxation Administration Act of 1953, but the internet couldn’t be stopped from compiling a list of guesses, with Gina Rinehart taking the number one spot. </p> <p dir="ltr">The executive chair of Hancock Prospecting is Australia’s richest person, so it wasn’t a stretch for the internet to circle back to her again and again.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, it appears that people may have to get their magnifying glasses back out, and slap on their detective badges, as Rinehart’s spokesperson has reached out to tell <em>news.com.au </em>that the mining magnate is not the account holder of Australia’s richest superannuation fund. </p> <p dir="ltr">Simply put, they could “confirm that Mrs Rinehart is not the person with that $544 million super balance.”</p> <p dir="ltr">No further detail was provided, prompting some to question if the statement was just to throw them off the scent, though most were happy to take it at face value. </p> <p dir="ltr">They didn’t have much sympathy for the super rich Rinehart either way, despite the certainty that the government’s announced superannuation changes will impact her accounts. </p> <p dir="ltr">Under the changes, “Australians with over $3m in their super accounts have their <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/anthony-albanese-confirms-changes-to-superannuation">concessional tax rate doubled</a> - from 15 per cent to 30 per cent - and won’t be effective until around 2025-26.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Only 0.5% of Australians are set to be impacted, leaving a small pool of only 88,000 people to focus on while trying to figure out the $544m mystery. While the likes of Clive Palmer and Kerry Stokes seem quite likely, some have come to believe that the account holder may in fact be owned by someone in an opposing political party, and perhaps even one of the most vocally opposed. </p> <p dir="ltr">And at the end of the day, the general public don’t seem too fazed about it all - though it would be nice to get to the bottom of the account - as the average Australian can only dream of having the $3m threshold in their super fund anyway. </p> <p dir="ltr">And luckily for us all, you can’t tax a dream (yet). </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

F1 legend shares rare update Michael Schumacher

<p>Formula 1 icon Eddie Jordan has shared a health update about his close friend Michael Schumacher, saying the motorsport legend is “there, but not there” as mystery continues to surround his health.</p> <p>Schumacher, 54, has not been seen or heard from for nearly ten years after his horror ski crash in 2013.</p> <p>He was left with a severe brain injury and in a medically induced coma.</p> <p>Mystery surrounds his condition as his family has imposed a strict “family only” rule on who can visit him.</p> <p>It came as Michael’s son Mick followed in his dad’s footsteps into F1.</p> <p>Unfortunately, 23-year-old Mick struggled and lost his race seat at the end of 2022 after a series of crashes for the Haas team.</p> <p>Eddie was denied a visit to see Michael but has been in contact with Mick.</p> <p>The F1 star said his “love” for the seven-time world champion “still lasts and will always do so while I’m able to draw breath.” when speaking to sports betting firm OLBG.</p> <p>Last year, he revealed his son Mick had reached out to him.</p> <p>“As far as I’m concerned, I was touched by it and the reason I was touched by it was because it can’t be easy knowing that your father is not able to be part of the family, he’s there but he’s not there,” Jordan said.</p> <p>Jordan revealed that Mick spoke highly of his father while he was enduring his own struggles in F1.</p> <p>“It touched me because I felt so much about Michael, I went out of my way to find him, give him his first chance in Spa, didn’t last very long but that love for him still lasts and will always do so while I’m able to draw breaths,” Eddie said.</p> <p>Mick was dropped by Haas in favour of veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg for 2023 and is now a reserve driver at Mercedes.</p> <p>Mick will be backing up Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, potentially stepping in for them if they have to miss a race.</p> <p>Eddie believes Mick has it in him to find his way back into a full-time race seat.</p> <p>“He’s been dropped for somebody else, and that’s a tough decision, he has another fight to come back and to make his name, climb up that ladder again,” Eddie said.</p> <p>“I’m quite sure he will do it.”</p> <p>Jordan also revealed Michael named his son after racing champion Mick Doohan, saying Mick was given his name “as a mark of respect” to Doohan.</p> <p>“Mick Schumacher isn’t named after his dad like a lot of people seem to think,” he said.</p> <p>“Mick Schumacher is named after a person who his father, Michael, was in total awe of, a sportsman who had won five world titles back to back with Honda.</p> <p>“And that is no other than Mick Doohan.</p> <p>“As a mark of respect, Michael Schumacher called his son Mick.”</p> <p>Last year, Jordan revealed that Michael’s wife denied him permission to visit Schumacher after his horror skiing accident.</p> <p>His wife Corinna keeps his health journey a closely guarded secret.</p> <p>Corinna prefers to treat her husband privately at their home in Geneva, Switzerland, with ex-Ferrarri boss Jean Todt, one of the only people allowed to see him outside his immediate family.</p> <p>Jordan said he contacted Corinna, who was once the girlfriend of his team’s driver Heinz Harold Frentzen.</p> <p>Jordan told the Irish Daily Mirror, “I reached out and one stage asked was it appropriate and did I think we should go and visit him.</p> <p>“The answer was no. No visitations for anyone at that moment except the actual direct family.</p> <p>“However, since then, young Mick Schumacher – Michael’s son – has reached out to me, and he has been extraordinary.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Caring

Our Partners