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Albanese calls May 3 election, with cost of living the central battleground

<div class="theconversation-article-body">Australians will go to the polls on May 3 for an election squarely centred on the cost of living.</p> <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Yarralumla first thing on Friday morning.</p> <p>Later he told an 8am news conference at parliament house the election choice was “between Labor’s plan to keep building or Peter Dutton’s plan to cut.</p> <p>"Only Labor has the plan to make you better off over the next three years,” he said. “Now is not the time for cutting and wrecking, punching down.”</p> <p>Less than a week after the federal budget and following an earlier delay caused by Cyclone Alfred, the formal campaign starts with government and opposition neck and neck and minority government considered a real possibility.</p> <p>But in recent days, the government has gained more momentum and Labor enters the campaign more confident than at the start of the year.</p> <p>The aggregated January-March quarterly Newspoll had the Coalition leading Labor 51-49%, but Albanese leading Peter Dutton as preferred PM 45% to 40%. A YouGov poll published March 21 had Labor and Coalition on 50-50. Polling only shows a snapshot of the present, and the campaign itself could be crucial to the election result.</p> <p>This is the fourth consecutive election launched off the back of a budget, with both sides this week bidding for voters’ support with big handouts.</p> <p>Labor pushed through legislation for its $17 billion tax cut, the first stage of which comes in mid next year. Opposition leader Peter Dutton in his budget reply promised a 12-month halving of excise on petrol and diesel and a gas reservation scheme.</p> <p>Labor goes <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/guide/pendulum">into the election</a> with 78 seats in the lower house, and the Coalition with 57 (counting the seats of two recent Liberal defectors). The large crossbench includes four Greens and half a dozen “teals”.</p> <p>With a majority being 76 seats in the new 150-seat parliament, the Coalition needs to win 19 seats for an outright majority. This would require a uniform swing of 5.3% (although swings are not uniform). A swing of less than 1% could take Labor into minority. The Coalition would need a swing of about 3.6% to end with more seats than the government. While all states are important if the result is close, Victoria and NSW are regarded as the crucial battlegrounds.</p> <p>If the Coalition won, it would be the first time that a first-term government had been defeated since 1931, during the great depression.</p> <p>Since the end of the second world war, while all first term governments have been reelected, each saw a two-party swing against them.</p> <p>One challenge for Albanese is that he has only a tiny majority, providing little buffer against a swing.</p> <p>The combined vote of the major parties will be something to watch, with the vote steadily declining from 85.47% of the vote just 19 years ago at the 2007 election, to only 68.28% at the 2022 election.</p> <p>Labor won the last election with a two-party vote of<br />52.13% to the Coalition’s 47.87%.</p> <p>As of December 31 2024, 17,939,818 Australians were enrolled to vote.</p> <p>The start of the formal campaign follows a long “faux” campaign in which both leaders have been travelling the length and breadth of the country non-stop, with the government making a series of major spending announcement but the opposition holding back on policy.<!-- 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/250774/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> <h2>Marginal seats based on the redistribution</h2> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/03/Antony-Greens-ABC-Electoral-Pendulum.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="1535" /></p> <p><em> * Seat with a sitting ALP member ** Seat with a sitting Liberal member *** Warringah MP Zali Steggall was elected before the 2022 ‘teals’, but is regarded as one of them. <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/dat/news/elections/federal/2025/guide/FED2025_PostRedistPendulum.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Antony Green's ABC Electoral Pendulum</a></em></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-grattan-20316">Michelle Grattan</a>, Professorial Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a></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/albanese-calls-may-3-election-with-cost-of-living-the-central-battleground-250774">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: </em><em style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box;">Image credits: LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial</em></p> <div class="footer-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;"> </div> </div>

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"Patrons yelled to stop": Comedy Festival rocked by death on opening night

<p>Melbourne’s comedy scene was rocked by tragedy on the opening night of this year’s International Comedy Festival, as an attendee suffered a fatal medical episode mid-show, leading to the abrupt cancellation of the event.</p> <p>The distressing incident occurred during comedian Michael Hing’s performance at the Palais Theatre, where a man on the upper level of the venue suffered a medical emergency. Attendees quickly responded, providing CPR in the dark while Hing remained unaware of the unfolding crisis.</p> <p>“[It] would have been at least 15 mins worth before the show stopping, and [it] only stopped as patrons yelled to stop performing,” one audience member told <em>The Daily Mail</em>.</p> <p>Another witness expressed dismay over the handling of the situation, stating, “I can’t believe they [the organisers] didn’t communicate with backstage to halt the show, and that it took the public to yell out to the comedian to stop for something to happen.”</p> <p>The Melbourne International Comedy Festival addressed the incident in a statement posted on Instagram, confirming the show’s cancellation.</p> <p>“Melbourne International Comedy Festival regrets to confirm that there was a medical emergency while the Opening Night Allstars Supershow was taking place this evening at the Palais Theatre,” a festival spokesman said. “The show was stopped and cancelled. The Festival will be in touch with all ticket holders tomorrow.”</p> <p>Victoria Police later confirmed the man’s death. “Police will prepare a report for the Coroner following the death of a man in St Kilda on Wednesday, 26 March,” a spokesman said. “Emergency services were called to a theatre on Lower Esplanade about 9pm. A man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene.”</p> <p>Health worker Andrea Bortoli, who was sitting in the upper level’s front row, described the distressing scene as people began leaving and it “became quite obvious that someone was getting CPR. It was just obviously really distressing, so we wanted to leave,” she told <em>The Age</em>. </p> <p>Eventually, the theatre lights were turned on, and patrons were informed that the show had been cancelled.</p> <p>The Allstars Gala is one of the most anticipated nights of the festival, bringing together some of the biggest names in comedy. This year’s event was hosted by Hing.</p> <p>As news of the tragedy spread, comedian Dave Hughes expressed his sympathies on social media, writing, “All performers thoughts are with the family affected”.</p> <p><em>Images: Palais Theatre / MichaelHing.com</em></p>

Caring

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New evidence points to fossilised remains of Noah's Ark

<p>A team of international researchers has reignited a centuries-old debate after uncovering new evidence suggesting that the Durupinar Formation in Turkey could be the fossilised remains of Noah’s Ark.</p> <p>According to <em>The Jerusalem Post</em>, experts have found that the boat-shaped mound – long believed by some to be the biblical vessel – was likely submerged underwater during a catastrophic flood approximately 5,000 years ago.</p> <p>Located roughly 35km south of Mount Ararat’s summit, near the Iranian border in Turkey’s Dogubayazit district, the 164-metre geological structure has fascinated researchers and religious scholars for decades. Composed primarily of limonite, an iron-rich ore, the formation closely matches the biblical description of Noah’s Ark. The Book of Genesis describes the ark’s dimensions as “a length of three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits,” which align with the measurements of the Durupinar site.</p> <p>Since 2021, an international team has been studying the formation to determine whether it could indeed be a massive preserved vessel. Their latest findings provide compelling evidence that the region was once covered in water.</p> <p>Soil samples taken from the site contain traces of clay-like materials, marine deposits, and even remnants of seafood—suggesting the area was submerged between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago, around the same time as the biblical flood.</p> <p>Professor Faruk Kaya, one of the lead researchers, stated, “According to the initial results, it’s believed there were human activities in this region since the Chalcolithic period.” The presence of marine deposits further supports the theory that the area once harbored aquatic life before being inundated.</p> <p>“Our studies show that this region harboured life in that period and that, at some point, it was covered by water, which reinforces the possibility that a catastrophic event of great magnitude occurred,” the researchers explained.</p> <p>The Durupinar Formation was first discovered in 1948 and has since been the subject of intense debate. While some believe it could be the fossilized remains of Noah’s Ark, others argue it is simply a natural rock formation shaped by geological forces.</p> <p>Religious texts from Christianity, Judaism and Islam all recount the story of Noah and the ark, but the scientific community has yet to confirm its historical accuracy. Nevertheless, recent findings have fueled speculation that the biblical flood may have a basis in reality.</p> <p>“The evidence suggests that the story might have a basis in reality,” researchers concluded, leaving the door open for further exploration and debate.</p> <p><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

International Travel

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Tennis legends immortalised with special honour

<p>Tennis legends and grand slam champions Ash Barty and Evonne Goolagong Cawley have bene immortalised as one-of-a-king Barbie dolls in honour of International Women's Day. </p> <p>The tennis duo were recognised together by Mattel's celebration of "the power of friendship".</p> <p>Barty opened up about the surreal experience, saying, "I think my first reaction was almost disbelief. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be a Barbie myself. I think it's just such an incredible experience to be a part of."</p> <p>Barty's doll wears a replica of the outfit she wore while winning at the 2021 Wimbledon, while Goolagong Cawley's Barbie is wearing the skirt and shirt combination she wore to award Barty with her trophy.</p> <p>Goolagong Cawley confessed: "It's just absolutely amazing. I just love it; I can't believe it's happened."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DGxAMpxBTCB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DGxAMpxBTCB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The women became friends in 2011 after first meeting at the Junior Wimbledon, as Barty recalled of their first meeting: "There were so many similarities and just such easy conversation. Obviously there were so many things that we could relate to with each other in tennis, but also in life. It was just that connection straight away, without a doubt."</p> <p>Goolagong Cawley opened up about the early days of their friendship, and said: "We understood each other perfectly, I think. And we never talked about tennis. Ever. I was more concerned with her wellbeing ... I just want her to be happy, and she makes me happy."</p> <p>Mattel senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls said of the collaboration, "One of the greatest tools that a girl can have is the support and encouragement of her peers."</p> <p>"As we approach International Women's Day, Barbie is proud to honour legendary female friendship duos across different backgrounds, professions, and parts of the world."</p> <p>"We know firsthand that friendships formed at a young age can help fuel social and professional growth, setting girls up for limitless possibilities."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram/ Barbie - Mattel</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Travel expert shares top luxury destinations for 2025

<p>More travellers are prioritising luxury holidays than ever before, with a travel expert revealing the top luxury destinations for 2025. </p> <p>Mark Trim, founder and managing director of <a title="Onboard Luxury" href="https://onboardluxury.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Onboard Luxury</a>, said there are a selection of hotspots around the world that keep reappearing in online searches. </p> <p>Whether you're after a city stay or a relaxing resort getaway, Trim shared the top luxury spots with <a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations/top-luxury-destinations-for-aussie-travellers-for-2025-in-pictures/d92ae530-7f82-4e49-ab2b-46cbd25758d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>9Travel</em></a>. </p> <p>One destination that Trim said has become a particular hotspot is Sardinia in Italy.</p> <p>"This sophisticated island boasts pristine beaches, charming villages, and world-class golf courses like Pevero Golf Club," says Mark.</p> <p>Blessed with an array of spectacular swim spots, Sardinia has long been a bucket list holiday spot for many eager travellers. </p> <p>Trim said it's best to visit during the months between June to September to make the most of the weather, but be aware that this is the busiest time for tourists.</p> <p>For those looking for more of an adventure, the Okavango Delta in Botswana is a once-in-a-lifetime trip with its array of incredible animals. </p> <p>"This untamed beauty is one of Africa's Seven Natural Wonders, and it offers a unique opportunity to witness incredible biodiversity up close," says Mark.</p> <p>Those in search of a picturesque tiny town holiday should add the Norwegian town of Bergen to their itinerary. </p> <p>"This UNESCO World Heritage City is nestled amidst stunning fjords and boasts colourful wooden houses and panoramic views of the Northern Lights," says Mark.</p> <p>If you're in search of the ultimate beach resort getaway, Trim says you can't go past the Maldives. </p> <p>"If you're dreaming of a tranquil island escape with unparalleled luxury, the Fari Islands in the Maldives should be at the top of your list," says Mark.</p> <p>"With its convenient location just a short flight from Australia, it's the perfect getaway for those seeking a luxurious and rejuvenating experience," he added.</p> <p>For others looking for a beach holiday but wanting to stay closer to home, Fiji is always a popular choice, with many opting to explore the Mamanuca Islands.</p> <p>"This stunning archipelago boasts idyllic beaches, vibrant coral reefs and showstopping sunsets," says Mark.</p> <p>"Plus, with direct flights to Nadi and a short boat or helicopter ride to Malolo Island, it's incredibly convenient to reach for Australians."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

International Travel

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Methanol victims parents call for boycott

<p>The parents of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, the two Melbourne teenagers who died of methanol poisoning in Laos, have urged Australians to boycott the country, after the government refused to meet with them three months after the tragedy. </p> <p>The two 19-year-olds were on a trip of a lifetime in Vang Vieng last November when they fell ill after consuming drinks that contained methanol at the Nana Backpacker Hostel. </p> <p>Bianca's parents, Mark and Michelle Jones, have told ABC on Monday that they still have not received any updates from the Laos government. </p> <p>“I mean, our girls were murdered and nothing’s getting done. And that’s really hard,” they said. </p> <p>“What are they hiding? That’s what I’m thinking, that’s what we’re all thinking. Someone’s got to be accountable for it.”</p> <p>Holly's mum has also urged Australian's against travelling to the country, saying: “Don’t go. Don’t go. It’s just not safe for travellers, it just isn’t, and we’ve seen that first hand." </p> <p>Mr Bowles added, if Laos wants “people to come to your country, make it safe. Make it a safe place”.</p> <p>The parents of Anne-Sofie Orkild, who also passed away after consuming the drink, agreed that a boycott of Laos is their only hope for answers. </p> <p>“It’s a lot of leverage, it’s a lot of money,” they said. </p> <p>“Our recommendation is not to go to Laos, it will hurt them.”</p> <p>Though the hostel remains closed, the staff members who were arrested after the tragedy have since been released from custody and are believed to be under house arrest, according to the ABC. </p> <p>“We were led to believe they had 12 people in custody, they’ve all been released,” Mr Jones said. </p> <p>“It’s incredibly concerning, it seems to reek of a cover-up.</p> <p>“I can’t imagine that from the distilling process through to handing out drinks, there’s not one Lao national who was involved in the chain – so something seems incredibly off.”</p> <p>Since the tragedy, the Australian government has backed the families' call for a transparent and thorough investigation, with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong telling <em>Sunrise </em>last month: “I completely understand the anguish of the families who haven’t heard from the Laotian government for the last couple of months.</p> <p>“We will continue to press the Laotian government.”</p> <p><em>Image: 60 Minutes/ 7News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Search for missing fisherman called off

<p>Police have suspended their search for fisherman Paul Barning who fell overboard his boat during a fishing competition in New South Wales. </p> <p>The 58-year-old was competing in the Game Fishing Association state tournament off the Port Stephens coast on Sunday, when he fell overboard while trying to reel in   large mako shark. </p> <p>Barning was helping his crew when became entangled in fishing wire and was dragged into the water as the shark darted back into the ocean.</p> <p>After a major three-day search, NSW Police have called off the search on Tuesday morning, with his family saying they “have no words” to describe how they are feeling. </p> <p>“Despite the efforts of searchers, the man has not yet been located and the search was suspended at 5pm today and will not resume (on Wednesday),” NSW Police said.</p> <p>The fisherman's wife, Leonie told <em>7News</em> that the family have mixed emotions after the search was suspended, but are extremely grateful to everyone involved. </p> <p>“We just want to send out a huge thank you to everyone involved in the search and rescue, we were informed every step of the way,” she said.</p> <p>“And a huge thank you to the whole fishing community. We have been overwhelmed with kindness from everyone.</p> <p>“Our family meant everything to Paul, he would never hesitate to do the same for anyone else.”</p> <p>It is understood the fisherman was not wearing a life jacket when he went overboard. </p> <p>Barning, a father-of-three, was an experienced game fisherman and the secretary and past president of the Port Hacking Game Fishing Club.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-barning-family" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe </a>has since been launched by NSW Game and Fishing Association president Steve Lamond, to assist Barning's family during this difficult time, with over $148,000 raised. </p> <p>“We are raising funds to assist the family through this tragic time so they can focus on processing their grief," the fundraiser read. </p> <p>“Anything you could give to assist will be greatly appreciated.”</p> <p><em>Image: NSW Marine Rescue/ Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Incredible winners of the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year awards

<p>From thirsty camels and curious seals, to stealthy sharks and ocean-floor discoveries, these photos have been recognised as some of winners of the <a href="https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year awards</a>. </p> <p>More than 6,700 photos were entered into this year's competition by photographers from 28 countries, with the contest capturing all that lies beneath the surface of oceans, lakes and rivers around the world. </p> <p>The winner of this year's prestigious overall Underwater Photographer of the Year prize is Alvaro Herrero for his mesmerising shot of the "special relationship between a mother humpback whale and her newborn calf". </p> <p>Competition judge Peter Rowlands says of the winning photo, "This delicate yet powerful study of a mother and calf’s bond says all that is great and good about our world. We face our challenges, but the increasing populations of humpback whales worldwide shows what can be achieved."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards </em></p>

International Travel

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1975 was declared International Women’s Year. 50 years on, the ‘revolution in our heads’ is still being fought

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marian-sawer-3336">Marian Sawer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p>In December 1972, the same month the Whitlam government was first elected, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1975 as International Women’s Year (IWY). This set in train a series of world-changing events, in which Australia was to play a significant part.</p> <p>The aim of IWY was to end discrimination against women and enable them to participate fully in economic, social and political life. Fifty years later, such participation has become an indicator of development and good governance. But the full promise of International Women’s year has yet to be fulfilled, hampered by pushback and the scourge of gender-based violence.</p> <h2>‘The greatest consciousness-raising event in history’</h2> <p><a href="https://history.duke.edu/books/international-womens-year-greatest-consciousness-raising-event-history">Dubbed</a> “the greatest consciousness-raising event in history”, the UN’s first World Conference on Women took place in Mexico City in June 1975. Consciousness-raising had been part of the repertoire of women’s liberation. Now it was taken up by government and intergovernmental bodies.</p> <p>The Mexico City conference was agenda-setting in many ways. The Australian government delegation, led by Elizabeth Reid, helped introduce the world of multilateral diplomacy to the language of the women’s movement. As Reid said:</p> <blockquote> <p>We argued that, whenever the words “racism”, “colonialism” and “neo-colonialism” occurred in documents of the conference, so too should “sexism”, a term that had not to that date appeared in United Nations documents or debates.</p> </blockquote> <p>Reid held the position of women’s adviser to the prime minister. In this pioneering role, she had been able to obtain government commitment and funding for Australia’s own national consciousness-raising exercise during IWY.</p> <p>A wide range of small grants promoted attitudinal change – “the revolution in our heads” – whether in traditional women’s organisations, churches and unions, or through providing help such as Gestetner machines to the new women’s centres.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UinNIfzUglQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>IWY grants explicitly <a href="https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-3519">did not include</a> the new women’s services, including refuges, women’s health centres and rape crisis centres. Their funding was now regarded as an ongoing responsibility for government, rather than suitable for one-off grants.</p> <p>IWY began in Australia with a televised conversation on New Year’s Day between Reid and Governor-General John Kerr on hopes and aspirations for the year. On International Women’s Day (March 8), <a href="https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/original/00003643.pdf">Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s speech</a> emphasised the need for attitudinal change:</p> <blockquote> <p>Both men and women must be made aware of our habitual patterns of prejudice which we often do not see as such but whose existence manifests itself in our language and our behaviour.</p> </blockquote> <p>The Australian postal service celebrated the day by releasing a stamp featuring the IWY symbol, showing the spirit of women breaking free of their traditional bonds. At Reid’s suggestion, IWY materials, including the symbol, were printed in the purple, green and white first adopted by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1908 and now known as the suffragette colours.</p> <h2>Policy power</h2> <p>Inside government, Reid had introduced the idea that all Cabinet submissions needed to be analysed for gender impact. After the Mexico City conference, this idea became part of new international norms of governance.</p> <p>Following the adoption at the conference of the World Plan of Action, the idea that governments needed specialised policy machinery to promote gender equality was disseminated around the world.</p> <p>Given the amount of ground to be covered, IWY was expanded to a UN Decade for Women (1976–85). By the end of it, 127 countries <a href="https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/nationalm2004/docs/EGM%20final%20report.26-jan-05.pdf">had established</a> some form of government machinery to advance the status of women. Each of the successive UN world conferences (Copenhagen 1980, Nairobi 1985, Beijing 1995) generated new plans of action and strengthened systems of reporting by governments.</p> <p>The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing was a high point. Its “platform for action” provided further impetus for what was now called “gender mainstreaming”. By 2018, every country recognised by the UN except North Korea had established government machinery for this purpose.</p> <p>The global diffusion of this policy innovation was <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3096100">unprecedented</a> in its rapidity. At the same time, Australia took the lead in another best-practice innovation. In 1984, the Commonwealth government pioneered what became known as “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/1354500110110029?needAccess=true">gender budgeting</a>”. This required departments to disaggregate the ways particular budgetary decisions affected men and women.</p> <p>As feminist economists pointed out, when the economic and social division of labour was taken into account, no budgetary decision could be assumed to be gender-neutral. Governments had emphasised special programs for women, a relatively small part of annual budgets, rather than the more substantial impact on women of macro-economic policy.</p> <p>Standard-setting bodies such as the OECD helped promote gender budgeting as the best way to ensure such decisions did not inadvertently increase rather than reduce gender gaps.</p> <p>By 2022, gender budgeting had been taken up around the world, including in 61% of OECD countries. Now that it had become an international marker of good governance, Australian governments were also <a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/gender-equality-in-australia_54c8b400-en.html">reintroducing it</a> after a period of abeyance.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pH9V0GIGr-4?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Momentum builds</h2> <p>In addition to such policy transfer, new frameworks were being adopted internationally. Following IWY, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979. CEDAW became known as the international bill of rights for women, and has been ratified by 189 countries. This is more than any other UN Convention except that on the rights of the child.</p> <p>All state parties to CEDAW were required to submit periodic reports to the UN on its implementation. Non-government organisations were encouraged to provide shadow reports to inform the questioning of government representatives. This oversight and dialogue relating to gender equality became part of the norm-building work of the UN.</p> <p>However, this very success at international and regional levels helped fuel “<a href="https://theloop.ecpr.eu/feminist-governance-here-to-stay-or-gone-tomorrow/">anti-gender movements</a>” that gathered strength after 1995. No more world conferences on women were held, for fear there would be slippage from the standards achieved in Beijing.</p> <p><a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/gender-equality-in-australia_54c8b400-en.html">In Australia</a>, the leveraging of international standards to promote gender equality has been muted in deference to populist politics. It became common to present the business case rather than the social justice case for gender-equality policy, even the cost to the economy of gender-based violence (<a href="https://plan4womenssafety.dss.gov.au/resources/useful-statistics/">estimated by KPMG to be $26 billion in 2015–16</a>).</p> <h2>The battle continues</h2> <p>Fifty years after IWY, Australia is making up some lost ground in areas such as paid parental leave, work value in the care economy, and recognition of the ways economic policy affects women differently from men.</p> <p>However, all of this remains precarious, with issues of gender equality too readily rejected as part of a “woke agenda”.</p> <p>The world has become a different place from when the Australian government delegation set out to introduce the UN to the concept of sexism. In Western democracies, women have surged into male domains such as parliaments. Australia now has an almost equal number of women and men in its Cabinet (<a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/resources/ministry-list-20-january-2025">11 out of 23 members</a>).</p> <p>But along with very different expectations has come the resentment too often being mobilised by the kind of populist politics we will likely see more of in this election year.<!-- 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/241791/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marian-sawer-3336"><em>Marian Sawer</em></a><em>, Emeritus Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: National Archives of Australia </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/1975-was-declared-international-womens-year-50-years-on-the-revolution-in-our-heads-is-still-being-fought-241791">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Legal

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Couple forced to sit next to dead passenger on international flight

<p>A couple has recalled the distressing moment they were forced to sit next to a dead passenger on an international flight. </p> <p>Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were en route from Melbourne to Venice with Qatar Airlines, via the city of Doha, when a female passenger died mid-flight. </p> <p>The crew decided to put the dead passenger's body in Ring and Colin's row for the remaining four hours of the flight, which the couple said left them traumatised.</p> <p>The incident unfolded when a woman walked out of the bathroom and collapsed next to their row.</p> <p>"Unfortunately the lady couldn't be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch," Ring told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/couple-forced-to-sit-next-to-corpse-for-hours-on-flight/24d51b24-9a7f-4e6c-be04-ec2dbf6df1c4" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>A Current Affair</em></a>.</p> <p>"They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn't get her through the aisle."</p> <p>"They looked a bit frustrated, then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me, my wife was on the other side, we were in a row of four."</p> <p>"They said, 'Can you move over please?' and I just said, 'Yes no problem'. Then they placed the lady in the chair I was in."</p> <p>The couple claims cabin crew did not offer them a different seat to move to, with a passenger in the row behind them instead offering a spare seat to nervous-flyer Colin.</p> <p>"There were a few spare seats I could see around us," Ring said.</p> <p>Ring spent the remaining hours of the flight in the same row as the corpse, saying he was told to stay seated after the plane landed as medical crews took off blankets covering the body.</p> <p>"I can't believe they told us to stay … it wasn't nice," he said.</p> <p>The couple said they have not been offered any support from Qatar Airways, with Ring saying, "They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff, we should be contacted to make sure, do you need some support, do you need some counselling."</p> <p>"I don't really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I'm alright."</p> <p>Colin said the pair was now trying to make the best of their Italian holiday of a lifetime after the disturbing flight. </p> <p>"I'm trying to make the best of a pretty hard situation, but, you know, we're on holidays so we're really trying to have a good time," she said.</p> <p>Since <em>A Current Affair</em> spoke to the couple, Qatar Airways says it is looking into the situation.</p> <p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Prince William’s heartbreaking call after Kate's cancer diagnosis

<p>A former aide to the Prince of Wales has revealed that he was at his "lowest" after his wife Princess Kate was diagnosed with cancer about <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/kate-middleton-reveals-cancer-diagnosis-in-heartfelt-message" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a year ago</a>. </p> <p>In an interview with <em>60 Minutes Australia</em>, Jason Knauf, who was the chief executive of William and Kate’s Royal Foundation, revealed the phone call he shared with the Prince of Wales, after Kate's cancer diagnosis last year. </p> <p>"It was awful, absolutely awful. It's the lowest I've ever seen him.</p> <p>"Within a couple of weeks, if you're Prince William, you find out that both your wife and your father have cancer. I couldn't believe it."</p> <p>Princess Kate is now in <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/kate-middleton-confirms-the-end-of-her-chemotherapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remission</a>, while King Charles receives ongoing treatment. </p> <p>The Princess of Wales' diagnosis was made public in March last year, with Knauf recalling: “But the problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background, online. ‘Was she really ill?’.</p> <p>“But they didn’t want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn’t told the children and they were still working through how to tell the children.”</p> <p>Knauf stepped down from his position at the end of 2021. He also previously worked for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as their communications secretary. </p> <p>The Prince of Wales previously told reporters at the end of his visit to South Africa in November last year, that 2024 had been  “the hardest year" of his life. </p> <p>"Honestly? It's been dreadful. It's probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult," he told the BBC at the time. </p> <p>“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”</p> <p><em>Image: 60 Minutes/ Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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Calls for major shops to ditch "toxic" product

<p>Common poisons sold at Bunnings, Mitre 10, Coles and Woolworths could potentially wipe out five species of carnivorous mammals.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972500467X" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" data-ylk="slk:and a new study by Edith Cowan University;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" data-rapid_p="12" data-v9y="1">A new study by Edith Cowan University</a> has discovered the impact of these common rat poisons is more widespread than first thought, with predators also being impacted by the toxins as well as the pests.</p> <p>“This is the first documentation of pretty substantial rodenticide exposure in our entire suite of top marsupial carnivores in Australia,” researcher and adjunct lecturer Dr Michael Lohr told <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/calls-for-bunnings-mitre-10-coles-and-woolworths-to-ditch-toxic-product-going-to-kill-everything-063045604.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Yahoo News</em></a>.</p> <p>“Tasmanian devils and quolls are potentially being exposed at rates that could have a substantial impact on the trajectory of their populations going forward, and not in a good way.”</p> <p>The use of second-generation rat baits is currently under review by a government regulator – the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), with Dr Lohr urging retailers to take them off shelves. </p> <p>"I think it's really important for Australia at this point to try to catch up to the rest of the developed world," he said. "Action is needed on this and the world has already agreed on that."</p> <p>The use and sale of these pesticides are heavily restricted in the United States, European Union and United Kingdom, but are freely available in Australia.</p> <p>More than 7,000 people have signed a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/help-wildlife-and-pets-poisoned-dying-in-agony-bunnings-stop-selling-sgar-rat-baits" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" data-ylk="slk:Change.org petition;cpos:9;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" data-rapid_p="20" data-v9y="1">Change.org petition</a> calling for supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to ditch these "highly toxic" rat baits which it said can kill pets and native animals.</p> <p>Veteran wildlife advocate Cat Coake told <em>Yahoo</em> retailers have a duty to stop non-targeted poisons, as she said, "Otherwise they're going to kill everything."</p> <p>In a statement, Bunnings noted that it's not the only major retailer in Australia selling second-generation rodenticides.</p> <p>"Like many retailers, we offer a range of rodent control products, including anticoagulant rodenticides and non-poisonous alternatives, to provide choice for customers on the best solution to their specific rodent problem," it said.</p> <p>Bunnings also said it's complying with government regulations on the sale of these poisons. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Home & Garden

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"Living legend": Bruce McAvaney makes the best call in sports history

<p>In breaking news that has AFL fans across Australia leaping from their couches with unbridled joy, legendary broadcaster Bruce McAvaney is officially back in the Channel 7 commentary box for the 2025 season!</p> <p>Yes, you heard that right. The man, the myth, the vocal magician who can make a standard half-forward flanker look like an Olympic gold medallist is returning to bless our ears once again.</p> <p>On Wednesday, Seven confirmed that the Australian Football Hall of Famer and Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee will headline the network’s AFL coverage on Sunday nights and for marquee matches. Translation? Footy just got 100 per cent more special.</p> <p>For those unfamiliar with McAvaney’s illustrious career (aka, people who have spent the last three decades living under a rock), the 71-year-old maestro has called over a thousand AFL games, 20 AFL Grand Finals, and hosted 21 Brownlow Medal nights – an incredible feat that makes even the most seasoned commentators look like they’re still on their learner’s permit.</p> <p>McAvaney, who originally retired from AFL commentary in 2021, sent the nation into a frenzy when he made a thrilling cameo in the 2024 AFL Finals. The brief return had fans (and possibly a few rival broadcasters) whispering, "Could he? Would he? Should he?!" Well, the answer is a resounding YES.</p> <p>Reflecting on his return, McAvaney shared, “I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to hold my end up, but I enjoyed it and loved it... <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">I’m 71 and my health is going well.</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">” In other words, the GOAT of AFL commentary wasn’t just dipping his toes back in the water – he was cannonballing right back into the deep end. </span></p> <p>Seven’s Head of AFL and Sport Innovation, Gary O’Keeffe, described McAvaney as a “living legend” – which might be the understatement of the year. McAvaney himself is apparently itching to get back behind the mic. “Some of my fondest memories have been in Seven’s AFL commentary box," he said. "And I can’t wait to witness more unforgettable moments during the 2025 season.” </p> <p>Meanwhile, across the AFL media landscape, Fox Footy has been bolstering its already stacked lineup, securing the services of Leigh Matthews, Tom Hawkins and Shaun Burgoyne. But let’s be honest – while Fox is building an empire, Seven just re-signed the emperor.</p> <p>So, footy fans, prepare yourselves. The dulcet tones of Bruce McAvaney are back, and the 2025 AFL season just became a whole lot more special.</p> <p><em>Image: Seven Network</em></p>

TV

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Summer holidays haven’t changed much since ancient Greece and Rome (except maybe the sand wrestling)

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/konstantine-panegyres-1528527">Konstantine Panegyres</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722"><em>The University of Melbourne</em></a></em></p> <p>Imagine a summer holiday at a seaside resort, with days spent sunbathing, reading books, exploring nature and chatting with friends.</p> <p>Sounds like it could be anywhere in Australia or New Zealand in January, doesn’t it?</p> <p>This is also how the Roman emperor <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3508?product=orecla">Julian</a> spent his summers in the 4th century CE. Towards the end of 357 CE, Julian wrote a <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/emperor_julian-letters/1923/pb_LCL157.79.xml?rskey=Sa5rUn&amp;result=1&amp;mainRsKey=pqeNrD">letter</a> to his friend Evagrius, telling him how he spent his holidays at his grandmother’s estate as a boy and young man:</p> <blockquote> <p>Very peaceful it is to lie down there and glance into some book, and then, while resting one’s eyes, it is very agreeable to gaze at the ships and the sea.</p> <p>When I was still hardly more than a boy I thought that this was the most delightful summer residence, for it has, moreover, excellent springs and a charming bath and garden and trees.</p> </blockquote> <p>As Julian got older, though, he had less time for summer holidays. Work consumed him. Even when he was on a break, he couldn’t fully relax.</p> <p>This might sound familiar, too. It seems very little has changed from the days of the ancient Greek and Roman empires when it comes to finding time to unwind – and being on holidays, too.</p> <h2>Finding time for a break</h2> <p>Taking time off was important in ancient Greek and Roman times. Even <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00397677908590731">Greek and Roman slaves</a> were permitted to take a few holidays each year.</p> <p>Not everyone could enjoy their holidays, however.</p> <p>In 162 CE, <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-984">Marcus Aurelius</a>, then emperor of Rome, took four days of holiday at a resort in Alsium, a city on the coast of modern-day Italy.</p> <p>According to his friend <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1846">Marcus Cornelius Fronto</a> (c. 95-166 CE), though, the emperor could not stop working. In a letter, Fronto <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/marcus_cornelius_fronto-correspondence/1919/pb_LCL113.5.xml?mainRsKey=Q5rXrd&amp;result=1&amp;rskey=fAbCGr">criticises</a> Marcus for continuing to work hard rather than sleeping in, exploring the seaside, rowing on the ocean, bathing and feasting on seafood.</p> <p>Fronto amusingly says that Marcus, rather than enjoy his holiday, has instead “declared war on play, relaxation, good living, and pleasure”.</p> <h2>Going to the seaside</h2> <p>Relaxing by the coast was one of the things people in ancient Greece and Rome most enjoyed doing in the summer.</p> <p>The rich built summer residences on the coast, while people of all walks of life flocked to seaside resorts to enjoy the fresh air and cool water.</p> <p>The orator <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3675">Libanius</a> (314-393 CE) <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/libanius-oration_45_emperor_prisoners/1977/pb_LCL452.165.xml?rskey=EVUxsK&amp;result=1&amp;mainRsKey=ISthry">wrote</a> that the people who really enjoy life the most are those who have the freedom to “drive to their estates, visit other towns, buy land, and visit the seaside”.</p> <p>Health tourism was also a popular reason why people came to the seaside. Many ancient doctors recommended sea water and air as cures for all kinds of health problems, especially those related to the skin and respiratory system.</p> <p>For example, the doctor <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-705">Aretaeus of Cappadocia</a> (c. 150-200 CE) <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=v4gIAAAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA463&amp;dq=Aretaeus+sea+water&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjh-f6OiuCJAxW4dPUHHXQQH5oQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&amp;q=Aretaeus%20sea%20water&amp;f=false">recommended</a> bathing in sea water, wrestling on sand and living by the sea as therapies for those who get frequent headaches.</p> <h2>Travelling abroad</h2> <p>Visiting foreign places was another of the things people in ancient Greece and Rome most enjoyed doing on their summer holidays.</p> <p>For the Romans, trips to see Greece – and in particular Athens – were especially popular.</p> <p>The Roman general <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3396?rskey=xWdUMg&amp;result=1">Germanicus</a> (15 BCE–19 CE) went on a tour of Greece in 18 CE, travelling from Athens eastward to Euboea, Lesbos, the coast of Asia Minor and then to Byzantium and Pontus.</p> <p>According to the Roman historian <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-6205">Tacitus</a>, Germanicus was motivated by a desire to see famous ancient sites. Like many Romans, he was fascinated by the old stories of the Greek past, so <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/tacitus-annals/1931/pb_LCL249.469.xml">he was</a> “eager to make the acquaintance of those ancient and storied regions”.</p> <p>Another popular destination for ancient Greeks and Romans was Egypt, which had always been regarded as a land of wonder.</p> <p>Roman tourists could catch regular boats from <a href="https://www.romanports.org/en/the-ports/88-puteoli.html">Puteoli</a> to the great Egyptian city <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Alexandria-Egypt">Alexandria</a>. The trip took anywhere from one to two weeks, stopping along the way in Sicily and Malta.</p> <p>Once there, the highlights were typically the great Nile River and Pyramids. Tourists marvelled at the immense temples and walls of hieroglyphic writing.</p> <p>When Germanicus visited Egypt in 19 CE, he was so curious about the meaning of the hieroglyphics that he <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/LCL249/1931/volume.xml">asked</a> an old Egyptian priest to translate some for him.</p> <p>In Alexandria, another attraction was the tomb of <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095401572">Alexander the Great</a> (356-323 BCE). His body was stored in honey in a coffin made of glass. Ordinary tourists were not allowed to visit it, but VIPs like Roman emperors were.</p> <p>Tourists might also have enjoyed the different vibe in Alexandria. According to the Greek orator <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dio-Chrysostom">Dio of Prusa</a> (c. 40-110/120 CE), the atmosphere in the coastal city was relaxed, with plenty of music, chariot racing and good food.</p> <h2>Lazy summer days</h2> <p>We can probably all relate to what the writer <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-5134">Pliny the Younger</a> (61/62-112 BCE) said about his summer break.</p> <p>Writing on a holiday in Tuscany, he <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/pliny_younger-letters/1969/pb_LCL059.95.xml?rskey=Mdlmkl&amp;result=1">said</a> he can only work “in the lazy way to be expected during a summer holiday”. Working any other way was simply not possible. Many of us will be able to relate to that!<!-- 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/243367/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/konstantine-panegyres-1528527"><em>Konstantine Panegyres</em></a><em>, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, researching Greco-Roman antiquity, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/summer-holidays-havent-changed-much-since-ancient-greece-and-rome-except-maybe-the-sand-wrestling-243367">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

International Travel

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Four travel trends expected to boom in 2025

<p dir="ltr">The way we see the world changes each year as more travel trends come and go. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to a new survey from <em><a href="http://booking.com/">booking.com</a></em>, travellers are desperate for unique and new experiences, as four big trends are set to skyrocket in 2025. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Noctourism</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Noctourism, or travelling to experience the night in all its glory, is on the rise in 2025.</p> <p dir="ltr">Noctourism will see travellers seeking out dark-sky zones to marvel at the solar system and engage in things like stargazing activities, constellation tracking and once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events. </p> <p dir="ltr">Others had a different take on noctourism, with 60% of people admitting they want to travel to places less light polluted to experience the wonders of a clear night sky.</p> <p dir="ltr">Aussie travellers are also seeing this type of holiday as a way of avoiding harmful UV rays, with 56 per cent saying they want to reduce their time in the sun while on holiday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Longevity retreats </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Taking a new twist on the classic ‘eat, pray, love’ holiday is the new phenomenon of ‘longevity and wellness retreats’, where the focus is on the “pursuit of a longer, healthier life”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Booking.com data shows that 60% of travellers are interested in these unique holidays in 2025, with travellers planning health-focused trips around experiences designed to extend their lifespan. </p> <p dir="ltr">These breaks will see the popularity of cutting-edge experiences like red light therapy, cryotherapy and stem cell treatments spill over into the travel industry as people seek wellness breaks that offer long-term benefits beyond in-the-moment relaxation. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>AI-led holidays </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">While planning holidays can be fun, others can find the experience overwhelming and stressful.</p> <p dir="ltr">Because of this, many are turning to AI to help book their perfect getaway. </p> <p dir="ltr">60 percent of Aussie travellers are keen to use technology to find less crowded spots or hidden gems, and 29 per cent are interested in utilising AI for trip curation. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Multigenerational trips </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The trend of Spending Kids’ Inheritance (SKI) is set to continue in 2025, as nearly half of travellers would prefer to spend their money on a trip of a lifetime rather than leaving an inheritance. </p> <p dir="ltr">This trend is particularly strong among baby boomers and the silent generation, but it's not all bad news for the younger family members.  </p> <p dir="ltr">Multigenerational trips will rise in 2025, with family trips prioritising shared experiences over material wealth, with 80% of boomers happy to fund their children’s and grandchildren’s holidays.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

International Travel

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Tourists explain why they love “overrated” capital cities

<p dir="ltr">A group of travellers have explained why they love some capital cities that are often dubbed as “overrated”. </p> <p dir="ltr">On a dedicated travel thread on Reddit, one person asked the question, “Which capital city gets a lot of hate that you loved visiting?” which welcomed an influx of responses. </p> <p dir="ltr">A few capital cities were mentioned several times, one of which being the Greece capital of Athens. </p> <p dir="ltr">One Reddit user said they “avoided” Athens for a long time “because all I heard was negativity about it”.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, when they “finally went”, they say they “loved it” and “can't wait to go back”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another person said they actually “loved” the city's “gritty feel” adding, “Incredible history at every turn, delicious affordable food, fun bars, cool music venues, neighbourhoods full of character and beautiful viewpoints.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another capital that was mentioned was the Norwegian capital of Oslo, with one person saying the Scandinavian city was perfect for a short getaway. </p> <p dir="ltr">They wrote, “I’m not advising anyone to go for a long time but for a weekend trip, it’s lovely. The seaside is great with lots of beautiful modern architecture, the old town is picturesque, lots of trendy new places to eat and drink, some old castles to walk to and in general a really nice vibe and very walkable.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Washington D.C. was also mentioned with many people defending the city, with one person claiming “it’s generally other Americans who hate it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">One person wrote of the city, “We have great museums, food, way more nature than you’d expect for a city, and incredible music and dance scenes. It’s not just insufferable bureaucracy and politics.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Belgian capital of Brussels was also mentioned, with the city often copping a lot of flack amongst travellers. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, many were quick to defend the city, as one person wrote,”I loved Brussels, it’s beautiful in places, has amazing museums, great beer, the EU Parliament is really interesting and the Atomium is awesome.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p> </p>

International Travel

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Nine star Liz Hayes calls it quits after 44 years

<p>Veteran journalist and news reporter Liz Hayes is bidding farewell to Channel Nine after an incredible 44-year run, leaving fans and colleagues alike in shock.</p> <p>The iconic reporter, known for her work on shows like <em>60 Minutes</em> and <em>Today</em>, announced she'll be "pursuing new opportunities" outside the network in 2025.</p> <p>Hayes, who's been a fixture on Aussie TV screens for decades, joined Nine way back in 1981 with nothing but "a notebook and a typewriter". She quickly made her mark, working her way up from a reporter on <em>9News</em> to co-hosting <em>Today</em> with Steve Liebmann for a solid decade. But it was her role as a correspondent on <em>60 Minutes</em> that really cemented her status as a journalism legend.</p> <p>Throughout her career, Hayes has covered everything from US presidential elections to natural disasters across the globe. She's sat down with prime ministers, Hollywood A-listers, music legends and world-class athletes. But it wasn't just the glitz and glamour that defined her work. Hayes had a knack for shining a light on everyday people caught up in extraordinary situations.</p> <p>In recent years, Hayes fronted <em>Under Investigation with Liz Hayes</em>, a show that dug into unsolved crimes and complex social issues. Her work on the program even snagged her the 2024 Media Diversity Australia Award for her efforts.</p> <p>Reflecting on her time at Nine, Hayes said, "When I arrived at Nine I had little more than a notebook and a typewriter, but like my new and far more experienced colleagues, I carried with me an enormous passion for telling stories. I was blessed. I had found my tribe."</p> <p>But Hayes isn't calling it quits on storytelling quite yet. She's made it clear that she'll "continue to tell" good stories, hinting at exciting new ventures on the horizon. While she's leaving her full-time gig at Nine, the network has said she'll still be part of the family, popping up for special stories and events.</p> <p>Nine's Director of TV, Michael Healy, sang Hayes' praises in a statement. “Liz Hayes is an Australian television legend and has dedicated most of her career to Nine," Healy said. "She will leave an undeniable legacy.</p> <p>“Her many accomplishments speak volumes about the type of journalist she is – tenacious, a truth seeker, and above all, a storyteller. I’d like to recognise Liz for the impact she has had on Australian journalism and thank her for all she has done for Nine over the past 44 years.</p> <p>“We know Liz’s next chapter will be just as successful as her last, and she has our full support.”</p> <p>As for that next chapter, Liz is keeping her cards close to her chest. But with a book on Australian astronomer Trevor Barry in the works and a promise of more stories to come, it's clear she's not ready to hang up her microphone just yet.</p> <p>"This is not goodbye," Hayes assured her fans. "This is the beginning of what I see as a great, new, exciting chapter in my life. I hope you'll come along for the ride."</p> <p><em>Images: Nine \ Instagram</em></p>

TV

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Extraordinary winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards

<p>From fiery volcanoes and busy cities, to extraordinary mountains and underwater adventures, the winners of the 2025 <a href="https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sony World Photography Awards</a> have been announced. </p> <p>Over 419,000 images from more than 200 countries and territories were submitted to the 2025 contest overall, this year's awards "celebrate a great diversity of visual storytelling from across the globe".</p> <p>The National and Regional Awards program was set up by Sony and the World Photography Organisation to support "local photographic communities around the world", with the program winners capturing moments of a "crash-landing" penguin in Antarctica, a lava-streaked volcano in Indonesia and an underwater cave on a South Korean island. </p> <p>The Sony World Photography Awards exhibition featuring awarded works will take place in London between April 17th and May 5th.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards</em></p>

International Travel

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Young woman dies suddenly after international holiday

<p>Christine Visnjic, 24, from western Sydney was eagerly making plans for the year ahead, and had just returned from her dream trip to Japan. </p> <p>On January 10, a month after her overseas trip, the young woman woke up with a sharp pain in her leg and found it swollen and red. </p> <p>Christine was ushered into her father's car so he could driver her to nearby Westmead Hospital to get it checked out, but started vomiting and suffered seizures during the journey. </p> <p>“Westmead Hospital is only about 2km from us, but about 500 meters down the road she told my dad to stop the car to vomit. So he stopped the car, he opened the door, she shifted herself to lean over the side, and then she experienced a seizure," her brother, Jason, told Y<em>ahoo News</em>. </p> <p>She fell unconscious not long after, and two nurses who happened to be following in another car came to her aid. </p> <p>An ambulance was called and she was rushed to hospital, but three days later, scans showed Christine was brain dead after she had suffered a bilateral stroke, disrupting blood flow to both sides of her brain. </p> <p>“There was a blood clot in her leg that broke off and travelled up to her lung, then to her heart and then to her brain,” Jason said.</p> <p>With no family history of blood clots, it is believed that the clot was a result of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition that in rare cases can arise from long-haul plane travel. </p> <p>However, the exact cause is still unknown. </p> <p>“I was talking to a doctor and I asked him ‘how often do you see this?’ and he said to me ‘a case like this, we do know about it in literature…in my career of 44 years in the ICU, this is the second time’ and he started crying,” Jason said.</p> <p>"It's unbelievable, just unbelievable," he told <em>Yahoo News</em>.</p> <p>"Who would’ve thought - 24 years old and getting a blood clot that becomes so fatal."</p> <p>Christine's family had to make the heartbreaking decision of turning off her life support. </p> <p>“We embraced her and watched her pass. For about 20 minutes her heart was independent and we just slowly saw it all go away — and she doesn’t even know,” Jason said. </p> <p>He hopes that his sister's death will "at least echo a message to all the young women and men out there" to be on alert for health issues and cherish life.</p> <p>"Don’t just go chasing work. There are many lessons to take away. Luckily for her, Christine still managed to enjoy her life till her prime, both at career and social level." </p> <p>Christine's family and friends have since created a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/headstone-in-honor-of-christine-visnjic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> to raise funds for her headstone, where they have described her as a "young, beautiful, healthy girl, full of energy and love for others, whose life was tragically cut short."</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Supersonic jets are making a comeback – but despite the hype, don’t expect to book yet

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chris-james-1178340">Chris James</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>Late last week, American company Boom Supersonic flew faster than the speed of sound with its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft. It’s now the first <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/press-release/boom-supersonic-achieves-supersonic-flight">piloted non-military aircraft to break the sound barrier</a> since the Concorde was retired from service in 2003.</p> <p>It’s the first step in Boom’s ambitious goal to have <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/united">supersonic airliners carry passengers by 2029</a>.</p> <p>But what exactly is supersonic travel? There are good reasons why it’s not more common, despite the hype.</p> <h2>What is supersonic flight?</h2> <p>The Mach number is defined as a plane’s speed divided by the speed that sound waves move through the air. To “break the sound barrier” means to fly faster than the speed of sound, with Mach numbers greater than 1.</p> <p>The Mach number is an important ratio: as a plane flies, it disturbs the air in front of it. These disturbances move at the speed of sound. In supersonic flight these disturbances combine to form shock waves around the vehicle.</p> <p>When people say you can see a fighter jet before you hear it, they’re referring to supersonic flight: <a href="https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/top-10-worlds-fastest-fighter-jets">fighter jets can travel at around Mach 2</a>.</p> <p>The sound from the fighter jet is trapped inside its shock wave; until the shock wave moves to your position on the ground, you won’t hear the plane.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=360&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=360&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=360&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=452&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=452&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=452&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Illustration of how disturbances propagate in subsonic, Mach 1, and supersonic flow.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transonico-en.svg">Chabacano/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The allure of supersonic travel</h2> <p>For efficiency reasons, most passenger jets cruise slightly slower than the speed of sound, at around Mach 0.8 (this is subsonic flight).</p> <p>Boom plans to build <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/overture">an airliner called Overture</a> that can fly at Mach 1.7. Flying supersonically can drastically decrease flight times. The company claims a trip <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/flyby/summer-travel-trends-future-travel-onboard-overture">from New York to Rome</a> on Overture could take just four hours and 40 minutes, instead of eight hours.</p> <p>Boom isn’t the only company working on this lofty goal. American firm Spike Aerospace is also developing a supersonic business jet, <a href="https://www.spikeaerospace.com/spike-s-512-supersonic-diplomat/">with the tagline</a> “delivering the world in half the time”.</p> <p>This is the value proposition of supersonic passenger travel.</p> <p>In limited ways, it did already exist in the 20th century. However, due to timing, bad luck and the laws of physics, it didn’t continue.</p> <h2>Remember the Concorde?</h2> <p>Designs for supersonic airliners began in the mid-20th century, and by the 1970s we had supersonic passenger flight.</p> <p>There was the little-known <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-144">Russian Tupolev-144</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Concorde">Concorde</a>, a Franco-British supersonic airliner operated by British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003.</p> <p>Concorde had a capacity of <a href="https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-cabin--passenger-experience">up to 128 passengers</a> and cruised at Mach 2. It regularly travelled from London to New York <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/what-happened-concordes">in around three hours</a>. The flights were expensive, mainly shuttling business people and the rich and famous.</p> <h2>Why supersonic passenger flight didn’t take off</h2> <p>Concorde was designed in the 1960s when it seemed like supersonic passenger transport was going to be the next big thing.</p> <p>Instead, the Boeing 747 <a href="https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8">entered commercial service in 1970</a>. Cheap, large and efficient airliners like it blew Concorde out of the water.</p> <p>Designed to cruise efficiently at supersonic speeds, Concorde was extremely fuel inefficient when taking off and accelerating. Concorde’s expensive, “<a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-03-concorde-technical-feat-financial-fiasco.html">gas guzzling</a>” nature was a complaint levelled against it for most of its lifetime.</p> <p>A catastrophic <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/tu-144-crash-puzzle-persists-50-years-after-fatal-paris-display/153782.article">1973 Paris air show crash</a> of the competing Russian airliner, Tupolev Tu-144, also shifted public perception on supersonic flight safety at a time when many airlines were considering whether or not to purchase Concordes.</p> <p><a href="https://www.heritageconcorde.com/airframe-detail">Only 20 Concordes were manufactured</a> out of the <a href="https://simpleflying.com/concorde-orders/">planned 100</a>. It is still disputed today whether Concorde <a href="http://www.concordesst.com/faq.html">ever made money for the airlines who operated it</a>.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Illustration of a shock wave propagating from a supersonic aeroplane and hitting the ground to produce a sonic boom.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Supersonic_shockwave_cone.svg">Cmglee/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Noise is a real problem for supersonic flight</h2> <p>Remember the fighter jets? When a plane travels supersonically, its shock waves propagate to the ground, <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104540/sonic-boom/">causing loud disturbances called sonic booms</a>. In extreme cases they can shatter windows and damage buildings.</p> <p>In the early 1970s, sonic boom concerns led the United States government to <a href="https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/supersonic-travel-dead-on-arrival/">ban supersonic passenger flight over land in the US</a>. This hurt the Concorde’s potential market, hence its only two regular routes were trans-Atlantic flights principally over the water.</p> <p>The Concorde was also a very loud plane at take off, since it needed a lot of thrust to leave the ground.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3x9hO7n5WiA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Video footage of the final Concorde takeoff from New York’s JFK airport.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The future of supersonic travel</h2> <p>A future for supersonic travel relies on solving some or all of the issues Concorde faced.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission/quesst/">NASA and Lockheed Martin’s Quesst project</a> aims to show sonic boom can be dissipated to manageable levels. They plan to fly their X-59 supersonic aircraft over US cities and gauge responses from citizens.</p> <p>Quesst aims to use the geometry of the X-59, with a long elongated nose, to dissipate sonic booms to a weak “thump”, hopefully allowing supersonic airliners to travel over land in the future.</p> <p>Spike Aerospace’s Spike S-512 Diplomat concept also aims to be a <a href="https://www.spikeaerospace.com/quiet-supersonic-flight/">“quiet” supersonic aircraft</a> with a less disruptive sonic boom.</p> <h2>Can Boom surpass Concorde?</h2> <p>Boom Supersonic don’t plan to fly supersonically over land. Their plan is to fly over land at Mach 0.94, which they claim will allow <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/overture">20% faster overland travel</a> than standard passenger airliners, even subsonically.</p> <p>They also claim the design of their engines will ensure Overture is <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/flyby/the-new-sound-of-supersonic-q-a-with-booms-principal-acoustic-engineer">no louder than modern subsonic airliners when it takes off</a>.</p> <p>In terms of gas guzzling, they plan to use up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel to reduce emissions and <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/press-release/boom-supersonic-and-dimensional-energy-announce-sustainable-aviation-fuel-offtake-agreement">their carbon footprint</a>.</p> <p>Concorde was made of aluminium using design tools available in the 1960s. Modern design methods and modern aerospace materials such as titanium and carbon fibre should also allow Overture and similar craft to weigh much less than Concorde, improving efficiency.</p> <p>While Boom are currently receiving a lot of interest, <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/overture">with orders from many airlines</a>, Concorde did have similar commitment before it become available. <a href="https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-orders-and-options">Most of it didn’t eventuate</a>.</p> <p>Additionally, Concorde was the product of an analogue era when the idea of flying to London or New York for the day for an important business meeting seemed like a necessary thing. In a world of remote work and video meetings, is there still a need for a supersonic airliner in the 2020s?</p> <p>For now, supersonic airliners like Overture are likely to remain in the realm of the rich and famous, like Concorde did. But with modern technological advances, it will be interesting to see whether supersonic passenger travel once again becomes reality – or even goes mainstream. Only time will tell.<!-- 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/248656/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chris-james-1178340"><em>Chris James</em></a><em>, UQ Amplify Senior Lecturer, Centre for Hypersonics, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Boom Supersonic </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/supersonic-jets-are-making-a-comeback-but-despite-the-hype-dont-expect-to-book-yet-248656">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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