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MedicAlert: The life-saving service that just got even better

While traditional MedicAlert IDs have long been trusted for their reliability, the company that currently protects more than four million members worldwide has taken a huge step forward in enhancing emergency care and personal safety by <a href="https://www.medicalert.org.au/qr-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">integrating QR codes</a> into their medical IDs. These QR codes are a modern addition that provide rapid, comprehensive access to critical medical information, ensuring timely and accurate assistance in emergencies. When a MedicAlert QR code is scanned, first responders and healthcare professionals can immediately access the wearer’s detailed medical history. This includes information on allergies, chronic conditions, medications and emergency contacts, as well as your uploaded documents like Advanced Care Directives and specialist letters. The quick retrieval of this data can be lifesaving, especially in situations where every second counts. MedicAlert’s QR codes are designed to be user-friendly and secure. Scanning the code with a smartphone or any QR code reader directs the user to a secure webpage containing the medical profile of the ID wearer. This ensures that sensitive information is both accessible when needed and protected from unauthorised access. One of the standout features of MedicAlert QR codes is their global functionality. No matter where you are in the world, emergency responders can scan the code and access the information in multiple languages. This is particularly beneficial for travellers, providing peace of mind that their medical information is always within reach. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-70799" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/10/MEDICALERT-22nd-May-2024-219_O60.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The information linked to a MedicAlert QR code can also be easily updated. This means any changes in medical conditions, medications or emergency contacts can be promptly reflected, ensuring that the most current information is available at all times. As a registered Australian charity, MedicAlert also ensures that all online data is securely stored within Australia, providing peace of mind regarding the privacy and protection of your personal medical information. Their commitment to safeguarding your health data while offering reliable and accessible emergency support makes them an invaluable ally in maintaining your wellbeing. For a limited time, get 60% off all stainless steel MedicAlert products with the discount code 60OVER60. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.medicalert.org.au/qr-code">https://www.medicalert.org.au/qr-code</a> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HkmBEXerAFQ?si=FFtmmhywyzu6EPUr" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Images: MedicAlert This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with MedicAlert

Caring

"Love harder": Perth brothers farewelled at emotional memorial service

Six weeks after they were <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tragic-new-details-emerge-over-aussie-brothers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot dead</a> while on a surfing trip to Mexico, Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson have been farewelled in a heart-wrenching private memorial on Saturday. The memorial took place in Perth’s Sacred Heart College, where the brothers attended high school, and hundreds gathered at the college to remember the brothers. It was also live-streamed for those who could not fit into the theatre at the college, with Callum's friends also watching on from America, where he spent the last 14 years of his life. In an emotional tribute, their parents, Debra and Martin Robinson, thanked loved ones abroad and in Australia for their endless support, and talked about how special their sons were. "We're not here to dwell on the where or the how or try to understand the why of their passing but instead to say goodbye to two young men and hopefully start the healing process for everyone," Mr Robinson said. “It’s hard to describe the feeling of when your adult children come and visit you, until it’s gone,” Mrs Robinson added. “They loved life and they followed their dreams. “They were intelligent, respectful men with so much more to offer the world.” The cover of a memorial brochure had the phrase: “LIVE BIGGER, SHINE BRIGHTER, LOVE HARDER”. With shaky voices, the grieving parents described how their two sons exuded “pure love”. "We loved that Jake was curious, kind and happy and never judgemental. Callum always made a conscious decision to wake up and be positive every day. He saw so much fun in life," Mrs Robinson said. "We look around the room today at everyone and it gives us strength, so thank you. "We have cried many tears and we will cry many more … We miss you beyond description, Callum and Jakie boy, please shine on us." Childhood friends Adam Moore and Simon Moore also shared anecdotes about their friendships with the brothers. Adam recalled how the two brothers always excelled "at any sport imaginable" and always had so much energy, and Simon spoke of their surfing adventures through the years. The brothers and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were last seen alive on April 27. They were allegedly robbed for their car tyres and murdered while they were camping in the Baja California coastline. Three people have been <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/arrests-made-over-aussie-surfers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> over their suspected involvement in the robbery. Image: 7News

Caring

Jesse Baird's mother farewells her son in emotional memorial service

Slain TV presenter Jesse Baird has been farewelled by his loved ones at an emotional memorial service in Melbourne, one month after he was killed alongside his partner. Hundreds of friends and family packed into Melbourne’s Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre, all donning bright colours to remember the 26-year-old. Baird's mother Helen spoke about her "darling boy" in a tear-jerking tribute, saying, “My beautiful, generous, loving, precious, caring and talented boy, our hearts and lives are changed forever,” “I promise to fight for you and make you proud. My heart is broken my darling boy, and I love you more than this world." "Our hearts and lives are changed forever and there is less sparkle in the world. There will never be another you." Jesse's father Gary added, “You squeezed 100 years of life into 26 and our hearts are broken. You’ll be missed but never forgotten.” Kourtnee, Jesse's sister, battled through floods of tears to farewell her brother, saying, "You are the absolute light of my life. My biggest inspiration and my biggest cheerleader." Jesse's Studio 10 colleagues were also in attendance, with co-host Daniel Doody saying that Baird "was more than a co-worker, he was a brother, a best mate." "Just like all your live on-air appearances, I wish there was more time." Balloons spelling out Baird’s name adorned the convention centre’s stage alongside photos of him smiling at different stages in his life. After the service, the large crowd gathered outside to blow a flurry of bubbles. Image credits: 7News

Family & Pets

Veteran slams Australia Day “dawn service”

An Australian war veteran has slammed a Sydney council for their decision to hold a dawn reflection service on January 26th, saying it is “disrespectful” to those who fought and died for their country. The Anzac-day style service, held by Sydney’s Waverley council, will acknowledge the resilience and survival of First Nations people, recognising Australia Day as a “day of mourning” for many Indigenous Australians. Michael von Berg, a Military Cross recipient who served as a combat soldier in the Vietnam War, has denounced the council’s decision, saying dawn services should only be held on Anzac Day, as the events are synonymous with honouring past soldiers. “For God's sake. It's a disservice not only to the veteran community but also to First Nations soldiers who fought and died for their country,” he said. Mr von Berg, who claims to have served alongside Aboriginal soldiers on his first tour of Vietnam in the mid-1960s, questioned the purpose of the event, describing it as “cheap symbolism”. “Personally, a dawn service of this nature flies in the face of what they traditionally stand for, which is honouring soldiers,” he said. “This stuff doesn't help anyone. I have nothing but respect for First Nations people but there's got to be another way.” Mr von Berg urged Waverley Council to “seriously reconsider” the event, suggesting they “Hold it on another date.” However, Mayor of Waverley Council Paula Masselos hit back at criticism of the dawn service, given Australia Day was a day of mourning for many First Nations people. “As a Council that is committed to social justice, we understand that January 26 can be a difficult day for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and that many in our community are still coming to terms with the result of the Voice to Parliament referendum,” Mayor Masselos said. Australia Day, observed each year on January 26th, marks the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 when the first governor of the British colony of New South Wales, Arthur Philip, hoisted the Union Jack at Sydney Cove. But for many First Nations people, it is regarded as 'Invasion Day' or the 'Day of Mourning' because it marks the beginning of Australia's colonisation. Image credits: Getty Images / Facebook

Legal

Lilie James farewelled in emotional memorial service

Friends and family of Lilie James have honoured the 21-year-old water polo coach in an emotional memorial service. The memorial was held at Danebank Anglican School in Hurstville in Sydney's south on Friday morning, with Lilie's loved ones making the sweet gesture at the service. Friends, family and members of her school community at St Andrew's Cathedral school where she taught were asked to show up in bright colours, to remember Lilie fondly and celebrate her life, despite it being cut short. In a statement, Ms James' father Jamie said the 21-year-old was a vibrant young woman who was "always on the go". "On top of working and studying Lilie loved coaching and playing water polo. She loved to dance," he said. "Even with her busy schedule, she always still made time to support her brother Max, her friends and family." "We cannot thank the community enough for their thoughts, prayers, generosity and messages through this difficult time." "From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for the many great memories we all share of Lilie." He concluded, "Lilie James we are so proud of you and thank you for sharing a wonderful and jam-packed 21 years together." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Family and friends are gathering at a private service in Sydney's south this morning, to farewell Lilie James - who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend and colleague, at her workplace, last month. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9News?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9News</a> <a href="https://t.co/BXkRYdPkj1">pic.twitter.com/BXkRYdPkj1</a> — 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/9NewsSyd/status/1725316273431527677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2023</a></blockquote> A white hearse arrived at the school at 9:30am on Friday morning, as friends and family cried and embraced each other during the procession. NSW Premier Chris Minns was also seen arriving to pay his respects, with as many as 500 mourners expected at the service. As per the wishes of Ms James' family, the memorial at Danebank was for friends and the school community only, while the service was live-streamed into St Andrew's Cathedral School for students and teachers to view together. Lilie James was working as an assistant water polo instructor for the elite inner-city school when she was found dead with horrific head injuries inside the campus gymnasium toilets on October 25th. Image credits: Nine News

Caring

Woman’s hilarious food delivery mix-up

Kristi ordered one taco with avocado and no meat, assuming she’d be given a taco including avocado and plenty of salad options, veggies and sauces. To her surprise, she received a tortilla smothered in avocado and a hot sauce container on the side. "This is a tortilla with avocado. There is nothing else in it. It is full avocado, like pounds of it just in a tortilla. There's no cheese, no lettuce," Kristi explained in a TikTok. "What is happening?! They think just because I choose avocado, I don't want anything else?" she questioned. Her video received more than 280,000 views with many TikTokers seeing the funny side. "Whoever did your order is probably wondering why someone only got avocado lol," one said. "I mean, I don't see the problem," another teased. "Okay but that's probably $345 worth of avocado," added another. Kristi revealed there were no options to choose sides when she placed her order. One viewer explained, "Cheese, lettuce, tomato is a very Americanized version of a taco. I'm used to getting just meat.” Others joined in to share their own stories of mixed-up food orders. One said, ”One time I ordered a salad and selected my toppings - well I apparently had to select lettuce cos I just got a pile of toppings only.” While another wrote, "Once my sis in law ordered a cheese steak but said just the cheese and steak. She got steak in bread. That's it.” Kristi said she didn’t call and complain, rather she added her own sides from what she had at home. Image credit: TikTok

Food & Wine

Restaurant under fire for denying entry to war veteran with service dog

A Perth restaurant has been slammed after denying entry to a US war veteran and his service dog. David Pearce and his English Labrador, Gunner, were denied entry to the Chinese restaurant Juice Bao Bao on May 19. Gunner is a certified service dog who assists Pearce through life as he suffers from PTSD, hearing loss and a brain injury. "I tried to explain he's a service dog and they have to allow us in and they said no service dogs, the owner doesn't want any dogs," Pearce said "It was embarrassing, [and] a bit humiliating.” Pearce sustained his injuries while serving in Iraq and Syria. He has served in the US military for nearly 20 years. He and Gunner have been “best buddies” for nine years. "He's saved my life a couple of times," Pearce said. Pearce has launched an official complaint to the Western Australian government following the ordeal. Juice Bao Bao manager Elaine Hsu took responsibility for the decision to refuse entry to Pearce. "That was my personal decision so that's my fault," she told 9News. "We want to sincerely apologise to him and we want to ask him to come here [for a] free meal. "[We will] make sure this [does] not happen again.” The restaurant has received a number of negative reviews since Pearce shared his story. "I'm not really interested in a free meal, although some dumplings would go down really nicely," Pearce said . "I'm just happy that they're changing their policy." Assistance and service dogs are legally allowed to enter any public venue if their certification is displayed on their vest and the owner can provide a service animal ID. Image credit: 9News / Nine

Travel Trouble

Streaming service giant pays woman 5 figures to watch content

If you think you spend too much time on Amazon Prime, think again as one lucky lady has snatched up her “dream” job with the streaming service. The woman, Alex Bain, 36, has been dubbed Prime Video’s “Buff”, and her job entails reviewing content for Amazon Prime, which came after the platform searched nationwide to fill the role of watching new content. Here’s the real kicker, the 36-year-old will be paid $40,000 for three months of viewing new content and sharing her opinions. She is not new to the scene of content review as she frequently posts to her Instagram, TikTok and Youtube reviewing various TV shows and movies. Upon seeing the advertisement from Amazon Prime, one of Bain’s friends encouraged her to apply. “Everything on it, it was like seeing a list of what would be my ideal job,” Ms Bain told NCA NewsWire. “I’m 36, so I want to do something I’m passionate about, so I decided to just go for it. “I got a phone call from Amazon saying I’d been short-listed, and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’” She said the time between applying for the role and being told she was successful went “so quickly”. Not long after, she received the news she was the lucky one chosen to fill the role. Image credit: Instagram

Post apocalypse: the end of daily letter deliveries is in sight

Australia Post is seeing red. A lot of it. After posting a razor-thin profit of $23.6 million in the last six months of 2022, it anticipates a loss for the full 2022-23 financial year – only the second time since being corporatised in 1989. The last loss was in 2014-15, following a $190 million investment in “transformational reform” of Australia Post’s letters business. At the time, it expressed confidence those <a href="https://auspost.com.au/annualreport2015/docs/australia-post-annual-report-2015.pdf">efficiency improvements</a> would allow it “to maintain a five-day-a-week delivery”. Now it is pessimistic. With the ongoing collapse in demand for letter delivery, it sees only more losses ahead. That’s a huge problem, because Australia Post has two main obligations, enshrined in federal legislation. It is required to operate on commercial principles – that is, the federal government wants it to deliver a dividend – while also meeting strict <a href="https://auspost.com.au/about-us/corporate-information/our-organisation/customer-commitment-and-service-charter">community service obligations</a>. Those obligations – established in 1989 and <a href="https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/australian-postal-corporation/reporting-year/2019-20-78">last reviewed in 2019</a> – require delivering letters to 98% of all Australian addresses five days a week, and in more remote areas to 99.7% of addresses at least twice a week, generally within two days of posting. The Morrison government <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L00579">temporarily relaxed</a> those obligations between May 2020 and June 2021 so Australia Post could divert resources to its parcel delivery services as online shopping boomed during the pandemic. Now the organisation wants those community service obligations reduced permanently. <h2>Cost of service obligations</h2> Meeting the obligations cost $348.5 million in 2021-22, says a federal government discussion paper on “<a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/postal-services-modernisation-discussion-paper.pdf">postal services modernisation</a>” published this month. It says they “are no longer financially sustainable and are not well targeted at the needs of Australians due to changes brought about by the digitisation of the economy”. It’s hard to disagree. The numbers are incontrovertible. The hundreds of millions of dollars a year being lost on letter delivery will only get bigger. People just don’t need a daily postal service like they used to. <h2>In the red, and dying</h2> In the 2021-22 financial year, Australia Post made a slim profit of $55 million on revenues of $8.97 billion. That’s a 0.6% profit margin, far below the 8.5% average within the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/industry-overview/australian-industry/latest-release">transport services sector</a>. The surplus was due only to its parcel-delivery business, which grew about 12% in 2021-22 after four years of growing at more than 20%. Letters now account for less than 20% of Australia Post’s revenue. The discussion paper notes letter volumes in Australia is now less than half what they were in 2008. This is not as severe as countries such as New Zealand or Denmark, but worse than Germany, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. Government agencies and businesses now account for 97% of mail sent. Overall volume will decline as they move to cheaper, more efficient online methods. Even major postal events like election campaigns are likely to disappear, with postal voting replaced by <a href="https://101blockchains.com/blockchain-in-voting/">digital technology</a>. <h2>What can be done?</h2> The discussion paper flags a range of possible responses. One is to charge higher prices. Britain’s Royal Mail, for example, has raised postage prices by <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/cymraeg/amdanom-ni/about-us1/media/press-releases/citizens-advice-responds-to-royal-mail-raising-stamp-prices/">64% over the past five years</a>. Australia Post increased the rate for standard letter delivery from A$1.10 to A$1.20 in January, which the discussion paper notes is significantly less than the average of $2.08 for OECD countries. Higher prices may boost profit for a year or two, but in the longer term will just accelerate the transition to non-postal methods. Another option is investing in more efficient sorting technology, particularly automation. The French and German postal services are doing this. But Australia Post has already made huge investments in efficiencies, and doing more will cost the federal government money – something it won’t want to do given the budget position. <h2>What about local post offices?</h2> Another option is to reduce Australia Post’s network of post offices, of which there are more than 4,300. This number is tied to another community service obligation: that no one live further than 2.5km from a post office in a metropolitan area, or 7.5km in a non-metropolitan area. The discussion paper notes Australia has more post offices than supermarkets. They cost $1.3 billion to operate in 2021-22. These provide posting, pickup, banking, transaction and retail services. But their need is diminishing as all things are progressively digitised. An argument could be made that some, at least in metropolitan areas, could be replaced with smart lockers for parcel pick-up. But that’s likely to be politically contentious, with less financial gain, than the most obvious choice – to scrap the community service obligation to deliver post five days a week. New Zealand’s postal service did this in 2013, moving to delivery every other day. Sweden did so in 2020 as a trial, with the intention of making it permanent. Some will miss the daily service. But most of us won’t. As the relaxation to deliveries every second day showed during the COVID period, it is likely most people won’t even notice. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/post-apocalypse-the-end-of-daily-letter-deliveries-is-in-sight-201094" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Money & Banking

Olivia Newton-John's daughter's emotional memorial tribute

Olivia Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi has delivered an emotional speech at her mother’s memorial service, saying she “feels like a little girl”. Almost six months after her death at the age of 73, Newtown-John was remembered at a star-studded service at Hamer Hall in Melbourne. She passed away on August 8, 2022, after battling breast cancer for three decades. Newtown-John’s husband John Easterline spoke at the beginning of the service followed by his daughter’s emotional tribute. “My heart is broken in two. The other half is with my Mumma,” Lattanzi said with tears. “I know she is holding it for me until we meet again. I stand here before you so desperately wanting to feel strong and confident and speak eloquently. But the truth is, I feel like a little girl lost without her mother. “She was my safe space, my guide, my biggest fan and the Earth beneath my feet.” Lattanzi also said she knew her mother was “standing beside her” and could hear her voice telling her not to be afraid. The grieving daughter mentioned her and her mother had the same “cackle,” and revealed although her mother would never tell a dirty joke, she would “laugh the hardest at them”. “I loved making her tea and then making it five times again until I got it right. I loved our snuggles. I would crawl into bed with her late at night even until I was 20 years old. I loved the way that she smelled,” Lattanzi said. “I loved writing music and singing with her and how she would always notice if I was slightly off-key. “She cherished her friends and her family and she was so grateful to her fans and she loved you all so dearly. She would want us all to laugh and reminisce together, enjoy and celebrate her life.” Aussie singer and actress Delta Goodrem broke down at Newtown-John’s memorial service as she was giving a speech about how the late actress was so special to her. “It’s beautiful to see everybody,” Goodrem said as she was interviewed at Hamer Hall in Melbourne, ahead of a moving performance. “It’s beautiful,” Goodrem continued, flooded with emotion. “Sorry.” “I’m so happy to see everybody coming together on a day to celebrate someone who touched all of our lives,” she said when asked why she was so emotional. “I think that’s really what it is.” In a video shown at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, Dolly Parton said, "The world lost one of its greatest talents when Olivia left us.” Nicole Kidman also paid tribute, saying that Newton-John was "just a light in the world" and that growing up, she "wanted to be Olivia Newton-John.” Some of the other celebrities and friends who paid tribute to Newtown-John during the service included Hugh Jackman, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, RuPaul, Pink and Sir Elton John. Image credit: Getty

Family & Pets

Elderly pizza lady receives $390k tip after falling during delivery

Barbara Gillespie was completing a typical Friday night pizza delivery when things took an unexpected turn. The 72 year old had just made her way up a home’s front veranda stairs, arms laden with her pizza boxes, when she stumbled and fell on to a small white chair. The family, whose <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@momofthe5ks/video/7195696356508372266" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security camera captured the entire tumble</a>, came outside to see what had happened as the elderly driver was picking herself up from the ground. On shaky legs, Barbara apologised again and again for what had become of the family’s food, telling them that she’d “ruined” it. But the family - otherwise known as the Keighrons - were only concerned about her. “I opened the door and there she is, just laying on the ground trying to get up,” Kevin Keighron said on Good Morning America. “She was more worried about the food than anything else. And I was like, ‘I don't care about the food. I care about you’.” Kevin and his wife, Lacey, described Barbara as being “the sweetest”, and after the incident - which occurred in early February - the pair decided to set up a GoFundMe to give Barbara a “tip” for her hard work. “We would like to bless her by bringing by a ‘tip’ to help her with anything she may need,” Kevin said. “She is an older woman who fell and only cared about the food she dropped. “Let’s show her some kindness and take off some of this burden that our economy is causing the older generations especially!” More than 14,000 people donated, and the fundraiser achieved a whopping $390,000. “We thought we would get her a bigger tip and bring it to her. We never expected to get as much as we did,” Kevin said of their successful campaign. “We were just so excited and thrilled to be able to tell her the next day.” And when taking the surprise to Barbara, Kevin - Lacey, and two of their children - decided to make the grand reveal at her work. They later shared footage of the reunion to their TikTok account. <div class="embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620.262px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7195971641262755114&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40momofthe5ks%2Fvideo%2F7195971641262755114&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2F763d48ec7b5b4f728dcbe02bb60cc22f%3Fx-expires%3D1677142800%26x-signature%3DPCfbQDrxw5It6Ey%252FV9NWSJXsZ6A%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> They have since shared that with the extra funds, Barbara was able to put in her two-week notice and finally enjoy her well-deserved retirement. Barbara said that the generosity of everyone involved was overwhelming, and admitted she was close to giving up on people because some of them can be “so mean.” “And here we got loving, caring people. They care about someone else” she declared, seemingly delighted to have had her mind so thoroughly changed, “about an elderly woman.” Images: TikTok

Money & Banking

“Very questionable”: Kmart mocked after customer's "ridiculous" delivery

A woman has taken to Facebook to mock Kmart over her recent delivery. The shopper shared on Facebook she had ordered a 20mm combination padlock from Kmart and was caught by surprise when it was delivered to her home on February 13. The woman had received a large cardboard box, and when she opened it, it was filled to the brim with plastic wrap to protect the item. However, once she dug out the plastic, she saw a small padlock at the bottom of the unnecessarily large box. “My delivery arrived today,” the woman said on Facebook. Other Kmart fans were shocked by the large box for such a small item, with many users deeming it “ridiculous.” “Omg! Seriously,” a user commented. "Ridiculous honestly yet a pair of jeans get scrunched up into a bag for delivery," another added. "It's absolutely rubbish that they waste like that," a third chimed in. Another comment read, ”How ironic ... how easy is it to break this lock that it needs to be so protected when shipped? Would you need it if it is so fragile? Very questionable Kmart ... What a waste,” Many other users joined in on the teasing, claiming they also received small items delivered in unnecessarily large boxes. "This happened to us recently with a car air freshener," one shopper said. "Yeah they keep sending me one item in a stupidly big box. I’d be much more appreciative of multiple items jammed into a big box to stop wastage or happy to wait for all items to be ready together," another claimed. "I thought my three bowls packed like this was bad!" another commented. Back in May 2021, another Kmart shopper complained that she received a small book in a “huge box.” Although some said it was “terrible”, other users claimed the size of the box shouldn’t matter because it’s recyclable. A Kmart spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle that the complaints have been forwarded to Kmart’s online team, and they will reassess how they manage and replenish packaging materials. "Regrettably, in this instance, it appears the team member who has packed this order did not have available or use the most appropriately sized packaging components," the spokesperson said. "While our team are trained and aim to minimise packaging use and waste, it is likely that they did not have access to appropriately sized packaging options so used what was available in an effort to pack and dispatch this order as quickly as possible." Image credit: Facebook

Food & Wine

“It isn’t a good move": Woolies under fire over massive change to popular service

Woolworths supermarket has caused a stir after implementing a major change to a popular shopping service. Woolies has dramatically increased the minimum spend for online shoppers who are using their Direct to Boot shopping service. Earlier this month, the retail giant upped its minimum spend from $30 to $50, which is a 66 per cent climb. The free service allows customers to shop online and collect it from their local Woolworths without having to leave their car. “We bring your groceries to you. We’ll pick it, pack it, and pop it in your boot for free,” Woolworths says. The increase in minimum spend is not sitting well with the public, with one shopper arguing that it is a disadvantage to vulnerable customers. “Increasing the minimum spend on click and collect/direct to boot orders is only going to make shopping harder on pensioners and people with disabilities who will now either be forced to buy items they don’t need or can’t afford, or made to physically shop for themselves when they might struggle,” one customer said. “It also makes it more frustrating for single person households when they don’t need to buy bigger amounts at a time.” “It isn’t a good move, and I hope you reconsider and look to go back to putting customers first.” “I’m not sure how this improves the way I shop or allows anyone to ‘enjoy greater convenience’ though. It actually reduces convenience.” The customer added. A Woolworths spokesperson defended the minimum spend increase, telling <a href="http://7news.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7NEWS</a>, “Our free direct to boot services and pick up has remained unchanged for a number of years,” “Earlier this month, the minimum spend was increased by $30 to $50.” “We’re continuing to let customers know about this change through our stores and online.” A Facebook user also came to the supermarket’s defence, saying that Woolies shouldn’t have to “lose money” because of the service. “It costs them to have someone pick your order and deliver it to your boot,” the user said. “It also means no impulse purchases in the store so they aren’t making any extra that way. Why should they lose money by delivering things to your boot?” Image credit: Getty

Food & Wine

Loyal service dog's emotional final flight

A service dog has been honoured on her final flight after being diagnosed with an untreatable cancer. German Shepherd Kaya was trained to support veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and was in the care of handler Cole Lyle. After years of loyal service to Cole, Kaya was diagnosed with terminal cancer and recently boarded a South West Airlines flight in the US to live out her final days at home by Cole's side. Kaya received the very best treatment on the flight, and was honoured by the pilot and her fellow passengers in a heart-warming moment that has since gone viral online. "We have a special guest on today's flight," the pilot said. "Kays is a German Shepherd service dog who has been with her handler, Cole, since 2014. She was specifically trained to help veterans cope with mental health issues." "Since the integration of the PAWS act, it is federal law that allows us to unify service dogs with Veterans with post-traumatic stress which was signed into law in 2021," continued the pilot. <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 617px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7197534710090812715&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40southwestair%2Fvideo%2F7197534710090812715&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2Fea43bd3c48f54df8b328f42f35d8665a_1675806650%3Fx-expires%3D1676246400%26x-signature%3Drrq5YNMF5lC2JmunRKdaFD4SFQ4%253D&key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> "Sadly, Kaya was recently diagnosed with an untreatable cancer so we have the solemn honour of taking her on what will be her last flight as she goes home to rest where she was born and first met Cole." The pilot then encouraged the passengers to "show her some love", as cheering and applauding erupted for Kaya. The tear-jerking moment was captured and posted to TikTok by the airline, with the video racking up over 18 million views. The video was shared along with the caption:"We were honoured to fly our loyal friend and hero, Kaya, home to rest after a lifetime of hard work. Throughout her career, Kaya flew with us over 250 times to help establish the PAWS Act which united Veterans with service dogs." "We are so grateful to be a part of her legacy, and we thank her and her owner, Cole, for their many years of service." The comments were flooded with praise for the canine, with one person writing, "Bawling my eyes out. God bless you Kaya". Another wrote, "I'm literally in a puddle we Stan kaya she's so beautiful and perfect we love you sweet girl." "We don't deserve dogs," another simply said. It was later revealed in the comments of the video the Kaya had passed away at home by Cole's side. Image credits: TikTok

Family & Pets

Slain police officers farewelled in emotional memorial service

Queensland police officers Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold have been honoured for their service, after they were gunned down on a remote property last week. Thousands of people, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, paid tribute to the young officers in an emotional memorial service, which was telecast live across the nation. "Matthew and Rachel are side by side today. They're worthy of equal honours, they worked together, they served their community together, sadly they died together on the 12th of December," Police Chaplain Jeffrey Baills said. The officers were executed while responding to a missing persons check, but there was no mention of the men who inflicted the terror at the service. "Rachel and Matthew were just doing their job that day and the McCrow and Arnold families paid the ultimate sacrifice," Ballis said. "We have had a major attack on the police in Queensland, but… we will not be broken," Ballis said. Matthew Arnold, 26, was remembered by family friend Senior Sergeant Laura Harriss as a protector, leader and charmer. "Matt's smile and his charisma were his best tools and he used them relentlessly," Harriss said. Rachel McCrow, 29, had only been stationed in the town of Tara for six months when the shooting happened, as her best friends from the police academy spoke of the loveable larrikin who made friends with everyone. "Rach was so much more than the uniform she so proudly wore. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, a colleague and an amazing mum to her beloved four-legged (dog) Archibald," Senior Constable Melissa Gibson said. Archibald, Rachel's blue heeler dog, sat calmly in the front row for the service. Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll paid tribute to the duo's courage, bestowing on both officers the highest of honours: two national police service medals and two from Queensland. Image credits: A Current Affair

News

Pubs and clubs – your friendly neighbourhood money-laundering service, thanks to 86,640 pokies

Billions of dollars in proceeds of crime are being funnelled through clubs and pubs in New South Wales, <a href="https://www.crimecommission.nsw.gov.au/final-islington-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> the NSW Crime Commission. Predictably, the industry is claiming it’s not an issue and solutions are too difficult. Laundering money through a local club or hotel involves loading cash into one of the state’s <a href="https://www.liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au/resources/gaming-machine-data" target="_blank" rel="noopener">86,640 poker machines</a>, then cashing out and claiming the money as winnings. This is not a preferred method for most organised criminals, the crime commission says. Sophisticated criminals have other methods. But it is still a sizeable proportion of the estimated $20 billion in criminal proceeds laundered in NSW each year. In Queensland, you can put only $100 into a poker machine at one time. In Victoria the limit is $1,000. In NSW, newer machines allow $5,000, and older machines up to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/14/nsw-poker-machine-laws-may-increase-risk-of-money-laundering-says-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$10,000</a>. For supposedly harmless suburban fun it’s hard to understand why such sums are allowed. The findings of the NSW Crime Commission’s <a href="https://www.crimecommission.nsw.gov.au/final-islington-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inquiry into money laundering via clubs and hotels</a> follow scandalous money-laundering revelations from casino inquiries in <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-suitable-where-to-now-for-james-packer-and-crowns-other-casinos-154938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NSW</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/illegal-dishonest-unethical-and-exploitative-but-crown-resorts-keeps-its-melbourne-casino-licence-170625" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victoria</a>, Western Australia and Queensland. Those inquiries found Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment allowed hundreds of millions of dollars to pass through their casinos, in contravention of anti-money-laundering regulations. Both companies were found not fit to hold their licences. Crown has been fined <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/crown-casino-fined-80-million-dollars-china-union-pay/101111660" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$80 million</a> in Victoria. Star has been fined <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-16/star-casino-set-to-be-fined-100-million/101541354" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$100 million</a> in NSW, and had its licence suspended. Both have been required to undergo extensive “renewal”. They have agreed to adopt cashless gaming to better protect against money laundering. It’s therefore unsurprising the NSW Crime Commission’s principal recommendation is to introduce a cashless system for all electronic gaming machines in NSW. Also unsurprising is that the industry is focused on why it shouldn’t. <h2>Cashless gambling recommended</h2> The NSW Crime Commission’s report recommends a cashless gambling system for pubs and clubs the same as for casinos – consistent with the identification requirements of Australia’s <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021C00243" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act</a>. Electronic gaming cards would record amounts loaded and withdrawn, times, turnover, and losses/wins. The maximum amount of cash able to be loaded on to a player’s account in a single day would be $1,000. Josh Landis, the chief executive of ClubsNSW (which represents most of the state’s 1,200 licensed clubs) <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/sydney/programs/breakfast/breakfast/14090002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has said</a> that such technology has not been trialled, and was uncosted and unproven. But Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment are implementing such systems. Similar systems have been operating successfully in Norway <a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-571970219/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since 2009</a>, and in Sweden <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/resources/policy-and-practice-papers/pre-commitment-systems-electronic-gambling-machines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since 2013</a>. Victoria has already implemented a card-based <a href="https://www.yourplay.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">precommitment system</a>, incorporating most necessary characteristics. Every poker machine in the state is linked to this system. Its flaw is that it is voluntary, allowing those who wish to clean dirty money, or avoid a limit, <a href="https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/safer-communities/gambling/evaluation-of-yourplay-final-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to simply opt out</a>. <h2>It’s not just about money laundering</h2> Money laundering isn’t the only reason to introduce cashless gaming systems. On any day in NSW, <a href="https://www.responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/881279/NSW-Gambling-Survey-2019-report-FINAL-AMENDED-Mar-2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hundreds of thousands of people</a> are experiencing significant gambling harm, mostly using poker machines. Many hundreds of thousands more – <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14459795.2017.1331252" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partners, children, employers</a> – are also harmed as a consequence. A pre-commitment system incorporating all the features of the NSW Crime Commission’s cashless model would stop money laundering and also help those struggling to control their gambling. For those who want to stop it would provide a truly effective gambling self-exclusion system. The Tasmanian government <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-16/tasmania-pokies-gambling-limits-reform-explained/101446788" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has promised to implement</a> a statewide system by 2024. <h2>A matter of political commitment</h2> The real test here isn’t technology. It’s political will. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has expressed concern at the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/premier-says-pokies-taxing-on-the-misery-of-others-vows-to-do-better-20221002-p5bmjz.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exploitation of vulnerable people</a> via gambling. Opposition leader Chris Minns has <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/nsw/coalition-labor-set-to-be-wedged-on-cashless-gaming-card-as-crossbench-pushes-for-reform-20221027-p5bteh.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said the crime commission’s report is concerning</a> but will not commit to a cashless card. ClubsNSW and the Australian Hotels Association are two of Australia’s most powerful lobby groups. According to an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-23/how-gambling-industrys-biggest-political-donors-influence-votes/100592068" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC investigation</a>, they have doled out about a third of $40 million in political donations disclosed by gambling-related organisations over the past two decades. Since 2010, ClubsNSW has signed <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-million-dollar-men-who-run-the-clubs-industry-20221011-p5bowp.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memorandums of understanding</a> with incoming governments to protect its members interests. In the first six months of 2022 (the <a href="https://nswgov.sharepoint.com/sites/GamingMachineReports/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most recent data</a> available), people in NSW lost $4 billion using pokies – $2.4 billion in clubs, $1.6 billion in pubs. This is 23% more than the same period in 2019, before pandemic restrictions. Yet according to the Australian Hotels Association, the industry is on “<a href="https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/why-a-pokie-crackdown-will-have-pub-owners-nervous-20221026-p5bt48" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on its knees</a>” and being told to introduce “an unproven, untested, un-costed and unnecessary cashless system”. In NSW, gambling operators are not permitted to donate to state political campaigns. But ClubsNSW (and its member clubs) can because they are “<a href="https://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/Funding-and-disclosure/Political-donations/Unlawful-political-donations/Prohibited-donors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not for profit</a>”. If this continues, political parties will be open to the allegation that they, like clubs, are benefiting from the proceeds of crime. Pokie operators have billions of reasons to assert this is no big deal. Politicians should take a different view. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/pubs-and-clubs-your-friendly-neighbourhood-money-laundering-service-thanks-to-86-640-pokies-193312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Legal

Drone delivery is a thing now. But how feasible is having it everywhere, and would we even want it?

In recent years, cafes, supermarkets and online shops have started to trial drone delivery in a handful of locations around the world. More than a <a href="https://builtin.com/drones/drone-delivery-companies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dozen drone delivery companies</a> are now running such trials. Wing (owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet) announced a partnership with Australian supermarket giant Coles to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-26/qld-supermarket-drone-delivery-available-gold-coast-/101573808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deliver small items via drone to customers close to a Gold Coast supermarket</a>. Wing is already operating in parts of Canberra and Logan, Queensland. Given the technical success of various trials so far, it is worth exploring whether drone delivery might become mainstream and can actually be scaled up geographically. As you would expect, the answer is “it depends”. There are many issues when considering drones around people, such as safety and infrastructure. For example, a recent <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-30/food-delivery-drone-lands-on-power-lines-qld-browns-plains/101489670" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crash of a delivery drone on electricity lines</a> in a suburb of Logan left thousands without power. There is also potential <a href="https://theconversation.com/drones-to-deliver-incessant-buzzing-noise-and-packages-116257" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unwanted noise</a> and visual pollution, and a perceived issue around privacy. <h2>Safety first</h2> Adding potentially dozens of small aircraft to the sky above our homes, workplaces and roads each day is a serious business. As you would hope, currently the operation of commercial drones is a highly regulated undertaking in most countries. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority <a href="https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/industry-initiatives/drone-delivery-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has strict regulations</a> that aim to make the operation of drones as safe as possible. They also prohibit drone use if the craft can’t be used safely in a given situation. In fact, Australia was one of the first countries to have drone regulations. For example, you cannot fly a drone close to an airport, or directly over people. Commercial operators of drones are acutely aware of this and gain a licence to operate – it is not in anyone’s interest to operate unsafely, and it would be bad for business. <h2>A limited geographic market – for now</h2> To satisfy the requirement of operating drones safely, delivery operators focus on flying drones over unpopulated land, generally very low-density areas, and in particular the urban fringe. These are newer suburbs where drone flight paths can be planned to eliminate or minimise safety issues, such as an unexpected crash. It is no coincidence Wing has been running drone delivery trials in low-density areas of Southeast Queensland, and outer <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6009932/wings-delivery-drone-service-gets-the-green-light/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canberra suburbs</a>. These places are ideal for drone delivery and a great place to continue to develop this business, even if the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-11/wing-resumes-drone-deliveries-after-raven-attacks/100689690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">odd bird attack can disrupt things</a>. But drone delivery in dense parts of major cities? This is very unlikely in the medium term, due to extreme difficulty in safely operating drones in dense suburbs. If you live in an apartment building, where would the delivery take place? On the roof? Maybe, if your building was set up for it. This is where scaling up faces the largest difficulties, and the logistics of running potentially hundreds of drones from a distribution centre become truly challenging. However, if there was a high demand for it, and the right investments were made, it is feasible that drone delivery to dense city areas could be achieved. But just because it might be technically possible, doesn’t mean it will happen. The long-term business case would need to make sense, of course. But there is a more critical issue in the near term – the <a href="https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-social-license-to-operate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social licence to operate</a>. <h2>A social licence</h2> A social licence is not an official thing, a government body does not issue one. It is more about whether the general public accepts and supports the new thing. At the end of the day, this social acceptance is what often determines the success or failure of widespread uptake of new technology, such as delivery drones. Take nuclear power, for example. Many countries have nuclear power and the public there seem happy with that. Other countries had a social licence for nuclear power and lost it, such as Japan. In Australia we do not have a social licence for nuclear power, but that does not mean we won’t gain it in the future. A social licence is an ever-evolving construct based on the pros and cons of a technology, all of which is influenced by its perceived value. Most people are now seemingly comfortable to be tracked 24 hours a day by their smartphones, as they believe the benefits outweigh the potential negative impacts. It is likely we already have a solid social licence to use drones to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-022-00053-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deliver emergency life-saving medicine</a> to people in need. In a potential life-or-death situation like that, it is easy to see that normally the benefits outweigh any risks or inconvenience to others. But delivering a coffee or a tube of toothpaste by drone? I think the social licence for that is up for grabs. At this point in time, it could go either way. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/drone-delivery-is-a-thing-now-but-how-feasible-is-having-it-everywhere-and-would-we-even-want-it-193301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Australia Post announces hard dates for Christmas deliveries

Australia Post has revealed when Aussies should send Christmas gifts to loved ones overseas, warning that it will be another busy holiday season. For cards and gifts travelling by economy air, the postal service said that many destinations require they be sent by November 14, while packages sent through International Standard and Express shipping have some more time. "If posting with International Express, some popular destinations like the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Canada should be sent by 9 December," Australia Post said in a statement. "Recommended last sending dates for posting within Australia will be released in the coming weeks." The deadlines for shipping cover more than 180 international destinations and can be found on the <a href="https://auspost.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia Post website</a>. Gary Starr, Australia Post’s Executive General Manager, Customer and Commercial, said the organisation had worked closely with international carriers to give Aussies as much notice as possible. "We know our last sending dates provide an important guide for people in the lead up to Christmas and we've been preparing all year for another busy peak season to ensure things run as smoothly as possible," Mr Starr said. "For anyone who wants to send internationally for Christmas this year, we're encouraging them to visit our website and post by the dates advised. "As always, we'll continue to deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as possible but they may not arrive until after Christmas." Australia Post also warned that factors beyond its control, including custom delays and overseas postal disruptions, could delay packages. Meanwhile in New Zealand, the national postal service has also announced <a href="https://www.nzpost.co.nz/personal/christmas-sending-dates-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut-off dates</a> for sending packages for Christmas. Packages and cards sent by economy delivery need to be ready to send by November 23 if they are heading to Australia, November 18 for the South Pacific, UK, North America, and Europe, and by November 14 for the rest of the world. Delivery through a courier and express comes with later deadlines, with cut-off dates of December 6 for everywhere except Australia, the South Pacific, Asia, the UK, Europe and North America. Image: Getty Images

News

Ads are coming to Netflix soon – here’s what we can expect and what that means for the streaming industry

Ads are coming to Netflix, perhaps even sooner than anticipated. The Wall Street Journal has <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-seeking-top-dollar-for-brands-to-advertise-on-its-service-11661980078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Netflix has moved up the launch of their ad-supported subscription tier to November. The Sydney Morning Herald, meanwhile, is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/netflix-with-ads-is-coming-this-year-here-s-what-we-know-20220902-p5bezy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a> that Australia is amongst the first countries likely to experience ads on Netflix later this year. Netflix first announced they would introduce a new, lower-priced, subscription tier to be supported by advertising in April. This was an about-face from a company that had built an advertising free, on-demand television empire. Indeed, it was only in 2020 <a href="https://bgr.com/entertainment/netflix-ads-why-no-commercials-cheap-tier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings ruled out advertising</a> on the platform, saying “you know, advertising looks easy until you get in it.” The change of heart followed Netflix’s 2022 first quarter earnings report which saw a <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-market-swamped-with-streaming-services-netflixs-massive-loss-of-subscribers-is-a-big-deal-181780" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscriber loss</a> for the first time in over a decade. The addition of ads to the platform is a clear sign of the emerging period of experimentation across the streaming landscape. <h2>How will it work?</h2> It’s important to note that not every Netflix subscription tier will carry advertising. The current plan is there will be one newly introduced and cheaper subscription tier supported by advertising, targeting in the US market around USD $7-9 a month as the price point. This will represent a discount from the current cheapest plan of US $9.99 (AUD $10.99) a month. These prices will be adapted to the different currency markets Netflix operate across and the existing price points in those markets. By bringing a hybrid advertising/subscription tier, Netflix is adopting a business model already present on other streamers like Hulu. Netflix is keeping this a hybrid tier, meaning while the new tier will be cheaper, it will not be free, like ad-supported streaming available on Peacock. Advertising presents complex new technological and business challenges for Netflix, which has not worked in this market before. To enter this new market, Netflix announced advertising would be <a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-partners-with-microsoft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delivered through a partnership with Microsoft</a>. Partnering with Microsoft allayed some fears around Netflix entering a new media market and gives Netflix access to Microsoft’s extensive advertising delivery infrastructure. Netflix has announced that original movie programming may stay free of ads for a limited period upon release, and that both original and some licensed childrens’ content will remain free of ads. As well as staying away from children’s advertising, which in Australia is highly regulated by government and industry codes, Netflix is also avoiding any advertising buyers in cryptocurrency, political advertising, and gambling. Advertising will run around 4 minutes per hour of content - for context Australian commercial free-to-air TV networks are limited on their primary channels to 13 minutes per hour and 15 minutes per hour on multi-channels between 6am and midnight. Netflix will also have limits on the number of times a single ad can appear for a user and there is expectation that ads for movie content will be delivered in a pre-roll format, not interrupting the feature. <h2>Advertising in the streaming sector</h2> Netflix is not the only subscription service to announce advertising as part of new pricing strategies. Earlier this year <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/disney-raises-streaming-prices-services-post-big-operating-loss-rcna42600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney announced a highly successful quarter</a> from a subscriber uptake perspective, growing by 15 million subscribers, however streaming-induced losses were $300 million greater than estimated. Disney also announced that an ad-supported Disney+ subscription option will become available in December. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-price-increase-shows-limits-of-subscriber-growth-push-11660256118" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal reported that</a> the December timeline given by Disney is what drove Netflix to bring forward their ad plans. TV consumers are historically well accustomed to advertising in television - in Australia, commercial free-to-air networks Seven, Nine, and Ten carry advertising, public broadcaster SBS carries a limited amount of advertising, and even pay-TV provider Foxtel is supported by both subscription fees and advertising. Advertising itself is not new to audiences, but it has not been present on a number of premium streaming platforms like Netflix before. Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are seeking ways to both reach new audiences and to maximise their revenues from each user. There is a belief amongst top executives that providing a cheaper ad-supported tier will tap into the market of audiences who both do not mind advertising and see current subscription prices as too high. There is also evidence from other streaming platforms, such as Hulu and Discovery+, that have offered ad-supported subscription tiers, that these tiers can generate greater average revenue per user <a href="https://baremetrics.com/academy/average-revenue-per-user-arpu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(ARPU)</a> than higher priced subscription-only tiers. The ARPU is a metric used in the streaming industry that looks at how much money a company makes from each subscriber after deducting business costs. Having higher revenues from a subscriber can be driven by increasing subscription prices, driving subscribers to more expensive subscription tiers, reducing business costs, or by adding additional revenue streams like advertising. In 2021, <a href="https://www.nexttv.com/news/david-zaslav-says-discovery-gets-more-revenue-per-sub-dtc-than-with-cable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Discovery CEO David Zaslav noted</a> that Discovery+ was generating more revenue per subscriber from their cheaper ad-supported tier than their more expensive subscription-only tier thanks to the advertising revenue. Zaslav commented that advertisers were keen to reach an audience that was largely not accessible through other television means. With this in mind, Netflix and Disney are betting that their ad-supported tiers can perform similarly and increase the revenue they can generate per subscriber. <h2>Experimentation across the streaming sector</h2> Experimentation around established business strategies is ruling the current streaming landscape. HBO Max, under newly merged corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery, is now switching to licensing content in select markets rather than streaming on its own platform. With the airing of The Lord of the Rings prequel <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-new-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-the-rings-of-power-is-set-in-the-second-age-of-middle-earth-heres-what-that-means-175333" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Rings of Power</a>, Amazon Prime Video is discovering whether its experiment with the most expensive television production ever at US $715 million (AUD $1.05 billion) will pay off with audiences. There is experimentation across the streaming industry in licensing strategies, spectacle television, pricing models and beyond. The results of this experimentation will take time. But what the arrival of advertising on Netflix signals is that established strategy no longer rules the streaming landscape. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/ads-are-coming-to-netflix-soon-heres-what-we-can-expect-and-what-that-means-for-the-streaming-industry-190236" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

"The time for lip service is over": Dylan Alcott serves it up to Centrelink

During his appearance at the Jobs and Skills summit in Canberra, Aussie tennis legend Dylan Alcott delivered an impassioned speech on behalf of all people with disabilities, demanding they be allowed to work more hours without losing their Centrelink benefits. His plea comes as the nation suffers through what's been widely characterised as an extreme labour shortage – with Alcott's rallying cry to change the current rules surrounding employment and the disability pension powerfully underlined by his parting shot that "the time for lip service is over". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "My whole life it hasn't changed": Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott has called for an increase in workplace participation for Australians living with a disability during the government's jobs and skills summit in Canberra. Read more on the jobs summit: <a href="https://t.co/iyFrzKUT9l">https://t.co/iyFrzKUT9l</a> <a href="https://t.co/MFdrsEoADy">pic.twitter.com/MFdrsEoADy</a> — SBS News (@SBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBSNews/status/1565218388716261377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></blockquote> The Australian of the Year suggested that people with disabilities should have the advantage of picking up more work without losing Centrelink payments. Presenting the moving speech to 140 attendees, he spoke passionately about the current state of affairs for people with disabilities in the workforce. “Nearly 4.5 million people in this country have some form of physical or non-physical disability, visible or invisible, and only 54% of them are enrolled in the workforce,” he said “I'm 31 years old, that participation rate hasn't changed in 28 years. My whole life. It hasn't changed. “And to be honest, that's not fair. That really isn't fair. Because people with a disability are ready to have the choice if they want to work, just like anybody else.” “The time for lip service is over to be honest, because we've been getting that for a long time.” Australia's unemployment rate currently sits at 3.4% – however, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is almost triple that. Alcott suggests the best solution to combat the problem is to allow those on disability support payments to work more hours without losing their benefits. Currently someone on that payment loses 50c in every dollar they earn over $190 a fortnight, putting them off working extra hours. “There are so many opportunities to get out there and work at the moment, yet it's not really translating into people with disabilities getting that chance,” Alcott said. “We need to have the opportunity to get out there and have a crack.” Image: Getty

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"The time for lip service is over": Dylan Alcott serves it up to Centrelink

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