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Is it OK to lie to someone with dementia?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steve-macfarlane-4722">Steve Macfarlane</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> There was disagreement on social media recently after a story <a href="https://x.com/HammondCare/status/1817738312372691046">was published</a> about an aged care provider creating “fake-away” burgers that mimicked those from a fast-food chain, to a resident living with dementia. The man had such strict food preferences he was <a href="https://www.hammond.com.au/resource-hub/smart-thinking-about-hamburgers-improved-life-for-one-man-living-with-severe-dementia-symptoms?utm_content=301880186&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-252995959">refusing to eat</a> anything at meals except a burger from the franchise. This dementia symptom risks malnutrition and social isolation. But <a href="https://helloleaders.com.au/article/the-dementia-debate-ignited-by-a-whopper-burger">critics</a> of the fake burger approach labelled it trickery and deception of a vulnerable person with cognitive impairment. Dementia is an illness that <a href="https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs">progressively robs us of memories</a>. Although it has many forms, it is typical for short-term recall – the memory of something that happened in recent hours or days – to be lost first. As the illness progresses, people may come to increasingly “live in the past”, as distant recall gradually becomes the only memories accessible to the person. So a person in the middle or later stages of the disease may relate to the world as it once was, not how it is today. This can make ethical care very challenging. <h2>Is it wrong to lie?</h2> Ethical approaches <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/deontological-ethics">classically</a> hold that specific actions are moral certainties, regardless of the consequences. In line with this moral absolutism, it is always wrong to lie. But this ethical approach would require an elderly woman with dementia who continually approaches care staff looking for their long-deceased spouse to be informed their husband has passed – the objective truth. Distress is the likely outcome, possibly accompanied by behavioural disturbance that could endanger the person or others. The person’s memory has regressed to a point earlier in their life, when their partner was still alive. To inform such a person of the death of their spouse, however gently, is to traumatise them. And with the memory of what they have just been told likely to quickly fade, and the questioning may resume soon after. If the truth is offered again, the cycle of re-traumatisation continues. <h2>A different approach</h2> Most laws are examples of absolutist ethics. One must obey the law at all times. Driving above the speed limit is likely to result in punishment regardless of whether one is in a hurry to pick their child up from kindergarten or not. Pragmatic ethics <a href="https://philonotes.com/2022/05/pragmatic-ethics-meaning-nature-and-dynamics#google_vignette">rejects</a> the notion certain acts are always morally right or wrong. Instead, acts are evaluated in terms of their “usefulness” and social benefit, humanity, compassion or intent. The <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aged-care/about-aged-care/aged-care-laws-in-australia#aged-care-act">Aged Care Act</a> is a set of laws intended to guide the actions of aged care providers. It says, for example, <a href="https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/resource-library/psychotropic-medications-used-australia-information-aged-care">psychotropic drugs</a> (medications that affect mind and mood) should be the “last resort” in managing the behaviours and psychological symptoms of dementia. Instead, “best practice” involves preventing behaviour before it occurs. If one can reasonably foresee a caregiver action is likely to result in behavioural disturbance, it flies in the face of best practice. <h2>What to say when you can’t avoid a lie?</h2> What then, becomes the best response when approached by the lady looking for her husband? Gentle inquiries may help uncover an underlying emotional need, and point caregivers in the right direction to meet that need. Perhaps she is feeling lonely or anxious and has become focused on her husband’s whereabouts? A skilled caregiver might tailor their response, connect with her, perhaps reminisce, and providing a sense of comfort in the process. This approach aligns with <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/news/it-ever-okay-lie-someone-living-dementia">Dementia Australia guidance</a> that carers or loved ones can use four prompts in such scenarios: <ul> <li> acknowledge concern (“I can tell you’d like him to be here.”) </li> <li> suggest an alternative (“He can’t visit right now.”) </li> <li> provide reassurance (“I’m here and lots of people care about you.”) </li> <li> redirect focus (“Perhaps a walk outside or a cup of tea?”) </li> </ul> These things may or may not work. So, in the face of repeated questions and escalating distress, a mistruth, such as “Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon,” may be the most humane response in the circumstances. <h2>Different realities</h2> It is often said you can never win an argument with a person living with dementia. A lot of time, different realities are being discussed. So, providing someone who has dementia with a “pretend” burger may well satisfy their preferences, bring joy, mitigate the risk of malnutrition, improve social engagement, and prevent a behavioural disturbance without the use of medication. This seems like the correct approach in ethical terms. On occasion, the end justifies the means.<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/236229/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steve-macfarlane-4722">Steve Macfarlane</a>, Head of Clinical Services, Dementia Support Australia, & Associate Professor of Psychiatry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-ok-to-lie-to-someone-with-dementia-236229">original article</a>. </div>

Mind

Bruce Lehrmann’s lie detector offer

Bruce Lehrmann has offered to take a lie detector test to determine what really occurred the night he returned to Parliament House with Brittany Higgins. The former Liberal Party staffer was quizzed by Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington on Sunrise about the timeline of events that took place on the evening that Ms Higgins accused Lehrmann of sexually assaulting her, as he shared what he would do to clear his name once and for all. After being asked by Nat Barr if he would undergo a lie detector test, Lehrmann, who has long maintained his innocence, said, “Absolutely, yes, I get that this has divided the nation and that just because of the high-profile nature of it and how this is a bad thing in the first place.” During the Sunrise interview, Mr Lehrmann said he did in fact see ten missed calls from his then girlfriend when he was in the office after 2am. At his trial, the jury was told he arrived at parliament at 1:40am and entered the office with Ms Higgins after a security officer unlocked the door at 1:48am and left the office without her at 2:31am the same morning. Barr asked Lehrmann why he didn’t check on Ms Higgins before he fled Parliament House and asked whether saying goodbye was “just a natural human behaviour”. “In hindsight, probably, I also had missed calls from my girlfriend when I saw my phone on the desk, I thought, maybe I should get out and go home,” he said. “Isn’t that a bit weird, you’re going back with someone in the middle of the night to do work and then you just take off?” Barr continued. “I had no reason to suspect … I didn’t expect that she needed to be checked on, she also needed to go back into work,” he said. Although the trial is over, many have continued to debate Lehrmann’s innocence, which Nat Barr summed up at the end of the interview by asking, “Why would she [Higgins] go to all this trouble and make it up?” “Well, I’m not in her mind,” Lehrmann said. Image credits: Sunrise

Legal

Police lie in wait for Kyle Sandilands after on-air boasts

Well, well, well, it seems like Kyle Sandilands has become quite the sensation among the law enforcement agencies. This Tuesday morning was no ordinary day for the radio star, as he drove into KIIS FM's studios only to find himself caught in a wild ambush by the cops. Yes, you read that right! In a video that was later shared on The Kyle and Jackie O Show's Instagram account, viewers were shown several police officers patiently waiting for Sandilands to arrive at the ungodly hour of 5:30 am. As Kyle stepped out of his luxurious $250,000 Cadillac Escalade Platinum 4WD, the officers approached him, ready to take action. But wait – it turns out this encounter wasn't your typical traffic stop. In fact, it was all about Kyle's on-air shenanigans! The station's employees spilled the beans, revealing that the police had a little chat with them while they eagerly waited for Kyle's arrival. Turns out, the boys in blue just wanted to have a friendly discussion with the father-of-one about his knack for making outrageous comments on the radio. "The highway patrol dude[s], they've come out and they've said, 'Listen, we've heard you on the air saying you think the coppers are after you," said Kyle. "And they've come out to tell me they're not after me." Kyle, being the smooth talker that he is, managed to talk himself out of any real trouble, with the audio recording from the station capturing his finesse in action. But here's the kicker: he didn't entirely believe their explanation. In fact, he expressed concern about his dwindling points on his driver's license, mentioning that he only had four left. However, the encounter did not end in tears or sirens blaring. In a surprising turn of events, Kyle decided to call one officer's fiancée, who happened to be a fan of the show, just to tell her that she had landed herself "a good one" in her law enforcement beau. Smooth move, Kyle, smooth move! Now, let's rewind to 2021 when Sandilands confessed to accumulating a whopping $16,000 worth of fines in just one year. He practically treats parking fines like they're going out of style. During a lively conversation with his manager and pal, Bruno Bouchet, on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Kyle spilled the beans on his parking escapades. Apparently, he has witnessed firsthand the magical art of getting away with parking violations. According to Bruno, there are a few parking rangers who are loyal fans of the show and would rather not deal with the hassle of booking Kyle. But Kyle takes his parking rebellion to the next level. He boldly declared, "I never buy a ticket, I say f**k the local council, I'm not paying you $4, screw yourself!" The numbers don't lie, and neither does Jackie O's shocked expression. Let's break down the fines, shall we? 18 fines for "parking continuously longer than indicated" racked up a bill of $2,088. Kyle's blatant disregard for stop signs earned him 25 violations, totalling $5,675. And if that wasn't enough, stopping in a loading zone like it's his personal VIP parking spot resulted in a staggering 42 charges, adding up to $8,148. The grand total for the year? A jaw-dropping $15,911! Naturally, Jackie couldn't hide her disbelief and told Kyle that it was a "waste of money." But Kyle had an explanation (or maybe an excuse?) up his sleeve. He admitted that sometimes he mistakes the ticket fines for Domino's flyers on his car window. Ah, the struggles of a wealthy and famous man! In the grand scheme of things, $16,000 is pocket change for Kyle, who reportedly rakes in a mind-boggling $5 million per year for hosting The Kyle and Jackie O Show. Well, there you have it, folks, a true rebel fighting against the system, one parking ticket at a time. Images: KIIS FM

Legal

"The numbers don't lie": Sunrise and Today take their ratings rivalry to the next level

Tensions have reached new heights between Australian networks Seven and Nine, with one broadcaster releasing a public statement in defence of its own reportedly lacklustre breakfast show audience numbers. According to a new report from the Daily Telegraph, Nine’s Today has been lagging behind Seven’s Sunrise, with year-to-date average audience figures putting Sunrise ahead by 18 per cent. At a national scale, things don’t look much better for Nine, with Sunrise’s average sitting at 363,000 viewers and 271,000 for Today - numbers confirmed by news.com.au. The publication also reported that a source claimed executives were concerned about Today’s new line-up of Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, and that it may not be connecting with their audiences as intended. Nine’s director of morning television, Steven Burling, had plenty to say about the report, calling it a “fabrication and a distortion of the old fashioned and out of date overnight ratings system.” He also noted that Today was actually in a favourable position with younger audiences, and considered that to be “all important”. However, Sunrise weren’t too keen on accepting that fact, with a spokesperson for their network informing news.com.au that the ratings that had placed Sunrise at the top of the pecking order were, in fact, accurate. “The numbers don’t lie,” they stated. “Sunrise has been number one for 19 years and is number one again this year, across the capital cities and nationally. “Sunrise wins in Sydney, New South Wales, Victoria, Adelaide, South Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland. It is growing well in Melbourne. Today is ahead in Brisbane.” They also had thoughts about Today being ahead with younger age groups, unwilling to believe it and instead arguing that Sunrise was the leader of the pack with the 25-54 group. The same couldn’t be said for the 16-39 age bracket, with Today still seizing the win there. The situation may yet change, as it’s already been in flux for a few years, with the two shows actually managing to narrow their gap in 2021. 2022 and 2023 were a different story, with that divide widening again, leading many to speculate that it may or may not have something to do with each breakfast programme’s chosen line-up. David Koch has been hosting over at Sunrise for 20 years - with co-host Natalie Barr contributing in some capacity for the same span of time. Meanwhile, Today has endured shake up after shake up in recent times, with Karl Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo only joining him at the helm in 2023, after Allison Langdon left for a position at A Current Affair. Images: Sunrise / Seven, Today / Nine

Lie detection tests have worked the same way for 3,000 years – and they’re still hopelessly inaccurate

Popular culture is fascinated with the ability to detect liars. Lie detector tests are a staple of police dramas, and TV shows such as Poker Face feature “human polygraphs” who detect deception by picking up tell-tale signs in people’s behaviour. Records of attempts to detect lies, whether by technical means or by skilled observers, go back at least 3,000 years. Forensic science lie detection techniques have become <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-1338.2005.00166.x">increasingly popular</a> since the invention of the polygraph early in the 20th century, with the latest methods involving advanced brain imaging. Proponents of lie detection technology sometimes <a href="https://www.press.umich.edu/3091709/lying_brain">make grandiose claims</a>, such as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09566-y">recent paper</a> that said “with the help of forensic science and its new techniques, crimes can be easily solved”. Despite these claims, an infallible lie detection method has yet to be found. In fact, most lie detection methods don’t detect lies at all – instead, they register the physiological or behaviour signs of stress or fear. <h2>From dry rice to red-hot irons</h2> The <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1529100610390861">earliest recorded lie detection method</a> was used in China, around 1000 BC. It involved suspects placing rice in their mouths then spitting it out: wet rice indicated innocence, while dry rice meant guilty. In India, around 900 BC, <a href="http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2844&context=jclc">one method</a> used to detect poisoners was observations of shaking. In ancient Greece a rapid pulse rate was taken to indicate deceit. The Middle Ages saw barbaric forms of lie detection used in Europe, such as the red-hot iron method which involved suspected criminals placing their tongue, often multiple times, on a red-hot iron. Here, a burnt tongue indicated guilt. <h2>What the polygraph measures</h2> Historical lie detection methods were based in superstition or religion. However, in the early 20th century a purportedly scientific, objective, lie detection machine was invented: the polygraph. The <a href="https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228091.pdf">polygraph measures</a> a person’s respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance (sweating) during questioning. Usually a “control question” about a crime is asked, such as “Did you do it?” The person’s response to the control question is then compared to responses to neutral or less provocative questions. Heightened reactions to direct crime questions are taken to indicate guilt on the test. <h2>The overconfidence of law enforcers</h2> Some law enforcement experts claim they don’t even need a polygraph. They can detect lies simply by observing the behaviour of a suspect during questioning. Worldwide research shows that law enforcers are often <a href="https://doi.org/10.5093/apj2022a4">confident they can detect lying</a>. Many assume a suspect’s nonverbal behaviour reveals deceit. A <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/14636641111134314/full/html">2011 study with Queensland police</a> revealed many officers were confident they could detect lying. Most favoured a focus on nonverbal behaviour even over available evidence. However, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-96334-1_3">research shows</a> that law enforcers, despite their confidence, are often not very good at detecting lying. Law enforcement officers are not alone in thinking they can spot a liar. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022022105282295">Global studies</a> have found that people around the world believe lying is accompanied by specific nonverbal behaviours such as gaze aversion and nervousness. <h2>What’s really being tested</h2> Many historical and current lie detection methods seem underpinned by the plausible idea that liars will be nervous and display observable physical reactions. These might be shaking (such as in the ancient Indian test for poisoners, and the nonverbal behaviour method used by some investigators), a dry mouth (the rice-chewing test and the hot-iron method), increased pulse rate (the ancient Greek method and the modern polygraph), or overall heightened physiological reactions (the polygraph). However, there are two major problems with using behaviour based on fear or stress to detect lying. The first problem: how does one distinguish fearful innocents from fearful guilty people? It is likely that an innocent person accused of a crime will be fearful or anxious, while a guilty suspect may not be. This is borne out with the polygraph’s <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10420/chapter/10#218">high false-positive rate</a>, meaning innocent people are deemed guilty. Similarly, some police have assumed that <a href="https://cqu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1rb43gr/TN_cdi_informaworld_taylorfrancisbooks_9781843926337">innocent, nervous suspects were guilty</a> based on inaccurate interpretations of behavioural observations. The second major problem with lie detection methods based on nervous behaviour is there is <a href="https://journals.copmadrid.org/apj/art/apj2019a9">no evidence</a> that specific nonverbal behaviours reliably accompany deception. <h2>Miscarriages of justice</h2> Despite what we know about the inaccuracy of polygraph tests, they haven’t gone away. In the US, they are still used in some police interrogations and <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/inside-polygraph-job-screening-black-mirror/">high-security job interviews</a>. In the UK, lie detector tests are used for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-bill-2020-factsheets/mandatory-polygraph-tests-factsheet">some sex offenders on probation</a>. And in China, the use of polygraphs in law enforcement may <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938414005964?via%3Dihub">even be increasing</a>. Australia has been less enthusiastic in adopting lie-detection machines. In New South Wales, the use of lie-detector findings was barred from court in 1983, and an attempt to present polygraph evidence to a court in Western Australia in 2003 <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1375/pplt.2004.11.2.359">also failed</a>. Many historical and current lie detection methods emulate each other and are based on the same assumptions. Often the <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/book/13865">only difference</a> is the which part of the body or physical reaction they focus on. Using fallible lie detection methods <a href="https://journals.copmadrid.org/apj/art/apj2022a4">contributes to wrongful convictions</a> and miscarriages of justice. Therefore, it is important that criminal-justice practitioners are educated about fallacious lie detection methods, and any new technique grounded in fear or stress-based reactions should be rejected. Despite outward appearances of technological advancement, over many millennia little has changed. Fearful innocents remain vulnerable to wrongful assumptions of guilt, which is good news for the fearless guilty. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/lie-detection-tests-have-worked-the-same-way-for-3-000-years-and-theyre-still-hopelessly-inaccurate-200741" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Getty

Technology

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caught out in another lie

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have once again had to bite their tongues after being caught out in another lie. At the beginning of their six-part Netflix series Harry and Meghan, a disclaimer hit the screen to say that all interviews were completed by August 2022 and that the royal family declined to comment. “All interviews were completed by August 2022. Members of the royal family declined to comment on the content within this series,” the statement read. However, sources have come out swinging to deny the claims, explaining that the royal family weren’t given an opportunity to comment. “Palace sources confirm Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace nor any Members of the Royal Family were approached for comment on the content of the series,” royal editor Robert Jobson tweeted. “Nor will be making any further comment on this or any other aspect of it. “Netflix claimed at the beginning of the series that they were.” Other family members who were targetted in the Netflix series include Prince William and Kate Middleton. The Duchess of Sussex was describing the first time she met the pair and how her outfit was “jarring” to them. “Even when Will and Kate came over and I met her for the first time. I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot,” Meghan said. “I’m a hugger. I've always been a hugger. I didn’t know that could be jarring for a lot of Brits. “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside, carried through on the inside. “That there is a forward facing way of being then you close the door and you go phew, great we can relax now. “But that formality continues on both sides and that was surprising to me.” Prince Harry also took a dig at his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales saying how it was ideal for the men of the family to marry someone they approved of. “I think for so many people in the family, especially men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mould as opposed to somebody who you are perhaps are destined to be with,” he said. Harry also then attacked his father, King Charles, after claiming that he has a “second family” following the death of his mother Princess Diana. “I was brought up by friends in Africa,” he said. “I’ve got a second family out there. A group of friends that literally brought me up.” Images: Netflix

“Absolute lie": Furious Charlie Teo hits back at 60 Minutes piece

Neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has slammed 60 Minutes for claims that he charged hefty prices for futile operations that left patients severely injured and families with false hope. In a one-on-one interview with A Current Affair’s Tracy Grimshaw, Dr Teo responded to a “comprehensive” story aired by the program last weekend, in which multiple families shared their upset about the large financial burdens placed on them and feeling that they had been given false hope by the acclaimed surgeon. Dr Teo dubbed the report as “abhorrent and disgusting”, and while he admitted he had made mistakes in his career, he said the idea that he was simply in it for the money was false. “For some outsiders not sitting in the room with you having a discussion with the patient, it‘s so wrong for them to judge you on what’s going on in the room,” he said. “If someone is trying to portray me as some money-hungry bastard that was operating and hurting children based on money, that’s what I want to correct. It’s not that case.” The surgeon, who is currently under investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission, told 2GB host Ben Fordham on Wednesday that he does have regrets about mistakes he’s made. “But I deny the accusation that it means nothing to me,” Dr Teo said. “I treat all my patients like a member of my own family.” When asked if he was sorry about the mistakes he’s made, Dr Teo said he was and that “you would have to be a sociopath” not to be sorry. “You’d have to be a sociopath not to be sorry because every mistake means some sort of bad outcome for the patient which means quality of life issues, sometimes even death, or paralysis, inability to speak,” he added. “I mean, if that didn’t affect you, you’d be like Dr Death, you’d be some sort of a psychopath.” During his 60 Minutes interview, Dr Teo responded to the case of one patient who lost their vision, explaining that he never gave 100 percent certainty that the procedure wouldn’t result in blindness. “If I had guaranteed that there was no chance of blindness, that is me saying the wrong thing, that’s misinformation,” he said. “I don’t do that, you can’t do that and not get sued, someone will sue you one day and after 11,000 cases, you don’t think if I have set out to a handful of patients I’d be sued by those patients? “In that case, I thought the chance of blindness was almost zero, but I never give a guarantee. They are claiming I said that I guarantee you won’t be blind, that is absolute lie, I did not say that I would never say that you be foolish to say that.” Dr Teo revealed that he has photos of his patients on his phone to remind him of the importance of his job, saying that he carried the devastation of failed operations with him every day. “There is a French vascular surgeon who wrote a book on the philosophy of surgery, and I don’t think you can put in any better words when he said ‘every surgeon carries with himself a small cemetery’,” he said. “My cemetery is not small, it’s a significant sized cemetery. (I have) pictures of my patients on my phone to remind me every day I’ve got to do it better.” While some of his former patients have been critical of the neurosurgeon, others have leapt to his defence, including 24-year-old Monica Lopresti. After she began to lose her memory in early 2021 but her blood tests returned normal results, it wasn’t until she received the results of an MRI in 2022 that it was discovered that she had a benign cystic tumour in the middle of her brain. Seven neurosurgeons turned her away, but Dr Teo agreed to perform surgery on her. Ms Lopresti said Dr Teo explained the risks, which included death, paralysis and being left in a vegetative state, and that she agreed to proceed with the knowledge of the risks. She added that “it just isn’t true” that the surgeon gave people false hope. “I wasn’t living a life. I was always calling in sick and I wasn’t having the quality of life that I wanted,” she told news.com.au. Since August 2021, Dr Teo has been banned from performing operations in Australia but still receives daily requests for help, telling the podcast The Soda Room that he estimates that nine patients a week are left without lifesaving care as a result. “So the sadness of the situation is that my entire practice was mostly taking out tumours that other people called inoperable, so that was 90 per cent of my practice,” he said. “That’s 10 tumours a week. So that means, quite conceivably, that there are nine patients a week, who are missing out on either extension of life or cure from a condition that I know that I can help. Now that’s sad.” Images: A Current Affair

Caring

"I had to lie for him": Ben Roberts-Smith’s ex drops bombshell

Ben Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/roberts-smiths-ex-wife-unloads-163118252.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has testified</a> against the SAS soldier, saying she was pressured to lie for him or lose her children.Emma Roberts wiped away tears on her first day of giving evidence after detailing the breakdown of her marriage to Mr Roberts-Smith which resulted in a series of fiery text messages with a friend.“I’m actually feeling so f***ing angry today,” one message read.“I want to punch the f***ing c*** in the face,” another said.The messages came nine days after Mr Roberts-Smith “left” for good.It was also several months after Ms Roberts found out about his affair with a woman codenamed Person 17, she said.The woman turned up unannounced on Ms Roberts doorstep, “crying a lot” and saying she had fallen pregnant with Mr Roberts-Smith, and revealing a black eye under dark sunglasses.“I asked why she was not seeing him (any more). She kept pointing to her black eye and said, ‘because of this’,” Ms Roberts told the court.Her testimony comes as the case between Mr Roberts-Smith and Nine newspapers continues, as the Victoria Cross recipient is suing The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times for defamation in relation to a series of articles claiming he committed war crimes in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012.Ms Roberts said her former husband said “I was to lie” if allegations ever surfaced in the press in relation to the encounter with Person 17.She recalled telling him she didn’t want to lie, and that he then pointed to their children.“If you don’t lie, you will lose them.”“I knew at that point I had to lie for him,” she said.After the affair was revealed in a news article, Ms Roberts said she was asked to pose for a photo accompanying a front-page story in The Australian, saying the couple had separated at the time.Though she denied suggestions from Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister that they had separated at the time of the article’s publication, her relationship with Mr Roberts-Smith drew to a close in January 2020.When money began to be withdrawn from their joint bank account at the time, she said she suspected it was being stashed in their garden.But, when she did dig in the soil she found a pink lunchbox containing several USBs in duffel bags, which she gave to a friend who downloaded the contents to a laptop.“I said ‘I do not want to see what’s on them’,” she told the court, recalling that she returned the box to the ground.She also testified to seeing Mr Roberts-Smith downloading photographs of his time in Afghanistan onto his laptop, before watching him douse it in petrol and set it alight.Ms Roberts denied that she was prompted by anger to fabricate stories to harm her former husband.She will continue to give evidence as the trial progresses. Image: Nine News

Legal

Exactly what happens if you lie on the Census

Tonight is Census night and every Australian needs to fill in the forms. And while mistakes can and do happen, deliberate lies are met with stern consequences. Every five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) asks every household to fill in a Census form on the same night to get a snapshot of Australia as a whole. We use this information when formulating future policies for the country’s health, education, transport and infrastructure needs. This year, it’s expected 75 per cent of households will complete their forms online, to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, because a high percentage of the country is currently in lockdown. Our last Census in 2016 was the first time we’ve attempted to submit our census forms online and this year is the second time. Officials from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are bracing themselves for online cyber attacks because in our last Census in 2016, we experienced major problems with online hackers. So much so, this time the government has hired ‘friendly hackers’ to test if the site is vulnerable. Can I choose not to fill in the census form? Filling in the census form is mandatory and if you don’t take part, you will be fined $222. If you go to the ABS website it says: “The Census is compulsory. Everyone who is staying in your household on Census night must be included. This includes visitors and babies. The website continues stating: “You can be fined if you refuse to complete the Census or submit an incomplete form.” Under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, you can be issued a Notice of Direction, which directs you in writing to complete the Census. Can I be fined if I make a mistake on the Census? The Census form asks a lot of specific questions about yourself including how much money you make and how much your rent or mortgage costs. Because these questions as so specific, it’s possible you could make a mistake and the ABS has assured people they won’t be punished if they make a mistake. However, if the ABS feels you’ve lied on purpose, this will be treated in a far different manner. What happens if I lie on the Census form? The ABS makes it clear that it’s an offence to: “…provide false or misleading statements or information.” The penalty for lying on the Census form is a fine of up to $2220. <img style="width: 24px; height: 24px;" src="/umbraco/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1af16fbdfdcf489bb264d62e9b3bc0b7" /><img style="width: 333.49609375px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842983/person-on-computer-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1af16fbdfdcf489bb264d62e9b3bc0b7" /> Will the information I enter be safe? Even though online hackers attacked the ABS website in 2016, they didn’t get hold of any of the data. The ABS says the information you give is not shared with any other government departments or agencies such as the police, Australian Taxation Office or Centrelink. The ABS is legally bound to protect the privacy of everyone and will not release information in a way which will identify any individual or household. If Census staff were to break these laws they can face penalties of up to $26,400 or imprisonment for up to two years - or both if confidentiality is broken. After 18 months the ABS destroys all the names and after 36 months they destroy all the addresses. However, they won’t do this if you tick the option for your information to be stored in the National Archives of Australia. If you do this, your information will be held for 99 years and then released publicly in a kind of time capsule. What if I can’t submit my form online? Some people may find it difficult to submit their census form online if they don’t have a computer or an Internet account. The ABS will check which households haven’t completed the form after Census night and those households who haven’t responded will receive reminder letters and visits from Census staff In cities, this type of follow up will mostly be through the mail, so if you can’t submit the form online, you will have received a letter from the ABS which has some instructions on it for submitting your form. This letter also supplies the ABS 24-hour automated hotline on 18000 130 250 and you can call this number and request a paper Census form is sent out to you. Once this form arrives in the mail, fill it in and post it back to the address supplied. Call the ABS 24-hour automated hotline on 1800 130 250 if you need help to submit your Census form tonight. Image: Getty Images

Legal

Blame it on Photoshop: Husband caught in ‘most ridiculous lie’

A woman has revealed she divorced her husband after finding a photo of him with an embarrassing mistake. Tylar shared the demise of her marriage in a TikTok video, claiming her alarm bells went off after seeing a photo of her husband “with a bunch of girls” at a nightclub. While the image was fairly candid, Tylar noticed and took issue with one missing detail. “He’s not wearing his wedding ring,” she said in the video. The image was taken by a professional photographer and shared on the venue’s page. When she broached the subject of the missing ring with her husband, Tylar says her husband responded to her suspicions with the “most ridiculous lie” she’d ever heard. “He tells me that they Photoshopped his ring off,” she told her viewers while laughing. “They ‘Photoshopped his ring off’? Oh, sure they did.” In a bold statement, Tylar announced, “We’re divorced.” In a follow-up video, Tylar confirmed her husband’s story changed after their confrontation, instead claiming he had taken the ring off to wash his hands and “must have” forgotten to put it back on. “What a convenient time to forget to put your ring back on,” she said. The caption of her post read, “I’d love for this sound to go viral because he will know he’s the only idiot that would tell such a whopper!!”. It appears her wish came true too, with the clip receiving more than 2.2 million views. Thousands of users also showed their support for Tylar. “Girl, you are not divorced! He’s just photoshopped out of your life,” one wrote. “I can’t believe he thought you would believe that,” another said. From wedding photos to ‘photoshopped’ rings, Tylar declared her ex-husband was simply “a narcissist”.

Relationships

Harry and Meghan admit secret wedding claim was a lie

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have confirmed that their "secret wedding" revealed in the shocking Oprah interview did not happen how it was described. The couple's publicised marriage certificate proved the claim was untrue and the couple confirmed this in a statement to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/marriage-certificate-proves-harry-and-meghan-did-not-marry-in-their-backyard-as-they-told-oprah?ref=scroll" target="_blank">The Daily Beast</a>. “The couple exchanged personal vows a few days before their official/legal wedding on May 19," the statement reads. Royal fans were frustrated to find out the pair lied, especially as Markle had said in the interview footage that the Archbishop of Canterbury was present at the vows. “You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. The vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury,” Markle explained. Prince Harry agreed, saying, “just the three of us”. Stephen Borton, former chief clerk at the Faculty Office, told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14411884/meghan-markle-prince-harry-wedding-certificate-three-days/" target="_blank">The Sun</a> that Markle was "obviously confused". “I’m sorry, but Meghan is obviously confused and clearly misinformed," he said. “They did not marry three days earlier in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury. “The Special Licence I helped draw up enabled them to marry at St George’s Chapel in Windsor and what happened there on May 19, 2018 and was seen by millions around the world was the official wedding as recognised by the Church of England and the law. “What I suspect they did was exchange some simple vows they had perhaps written themselves, and which is fashionable, and said that in front of the Archbishop – or, and more likely, it was a simple rehearsal.” The Archbishop of Canterbury has not commented publicly on the event, which has left others questioning whether it happened. Rev Mark Edwards, a C of E priest from Newcastle, also told The Sun: “When I called Lambeth Palace to ask about this I was told Justin doesn’t do private weddings. Meghan doesn’t understand. “But the fact that the Archbishop has not commented publicly needs to be addressed,” he added.

Relationships

Wuhan doctors admit they were told to lie about severity of COVID-19

Chinese doctors in Wuhan have been secretly filmed admitting to knowing how serious coronavirus was at the start of the outbreak, but were ordered to lie by authorities. There is growing evidence the Chinese Communist Party misled the global community in the early stages of the pandemic, a new documentary by UK broadcaster ITV called Outbreak: The Virus That Shook The World, has claimed. China informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) of the first 27 cases of COVID-19 on December 31, 2019. However they did not report any deaths until mid-January. But senior doctors in Wuhan were secretly filmed by a citizen journalist, and said they knew about the deaths as early as December. “We all felt there shouldn’t have been any doubt about human-to-human transmission,” one doctor said in the footage. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839576/wuhan-covid-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/839cf6b95524475189c53af0e096ed0a" /> “Actually, at the end of December or beginning of January, the relative of someone I know died of this virus. Many of those living with him were also infected including people I know.” Another doctor said: “We knew the virus transmitted from human to human, but when we attended a hospital meeting we were told not to speak out. Provincial government leaders told the hospitals not to tell the truth.” The doctors claimed that authorities knew the January Lunar New Year celebrations would accelerate the spread of the virus. However they allowed the festivities to go ahead anyway in order to “present a harmonious and prosperous society”. “They shouldn’t have allowed any gatherings,” one said. “The provincial and local governments knew the threat but they continued to allow crowds.” WHO infamously tweeted on January 14 about the virus: “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.” Taiwanese experts interviewed by the program backed up the Wuhan doctors’ testimony. Dr Yin-Ching Chuang from the country’s Infectious Diseases Prevention and Treatment Network said his team struggled to get an answer on whether the virus was spread through hand-to-hand transmission. After they were granted permission to travel to China, the truth finally emerged in a meeting. “We asked a lot of questions, very unwillingly they finally came out and said limited human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out,” he said. “What was the scale of infection? How big was this epidemic? How many patients were affected? We didn’t know. Only they knew this. Why didn’t China inform other countries of this human-to-human matter earlier?” Nationals backbencher Matt Canavan has since accused Beijing of having “something to hide” and said it vindicated the Morrison Government’s calls for transparency. “That’s why the federal government’s always been consistent in calling for a proper, transparent inquiry (on the origins of COVID-19),” he told Today. “The question has to be asked – if China has nothing to hide here, why they are going to these sort of lengths to hide things?” The prevailing theory as to how coronavirus began, is that it originated in bats and jumped to humans during a “wet market” that sold and butchered exotic animals. China, however, has begun pushing the theory that the virus originated overseas and arrived in Wuhan through imported frozen food products. The countries being accused include Europe, South America and even Australia.

Legal

Fury after Prince William chose to “lie” about coronavirus diagnosis

Kensington Palace is under fire over its decision to keep Prince William’s coronavirus diagnosis a secret for six months. It was recently revealed that the future King contracted the virus in April, just a few days after his dad Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were also diagnosed. William was reportedly left “struggling to breathe” but chose to keep his diagnosis under wraps as he didn’t want to ensue panic. But now royal commentator Rob Jobson has taken a swipe at the Palace, accusing them of lying and undermining trust. Jobson said The Standard newspaper, where he works, asked the Royal Family back in April after hearing of William’s diagnosis and was told that he did not have COVID-19. “It was quite clear in the email that we had it from an impeccable source that he had tested positive to coronavirus,” Jobson explained on Sunrise. “We had an email back saying “we get lots of these impeccable sources and they prove not to be true and this is a case and point here.” “Well If that is not a denial then I don’t know what is.” Jobson said it’s “appalling” that the Palace would “lie” to journalists rather than offer a simple “no comment” which is the standard response when they don’t want to confirm a story. “I understand why they didn’t want to cause panic at the time, but it’s the precedent they’re setting here that is the problem,” he said. “If you start lying to the media about this the what else are you lying about and why should you be believed?” Jobson also took to Twitter to slam the news in a series of strongly-worded posts. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Prince William’s decision to LIE about contracting COVID-19 earlier - for whatever reason - is appalling. KP were are asked several times by the media whether Prince William had contracted the virus and were told categorically “no”. This has created a serious issue of trust. — Robert Jobson (@theroyaleditor) <a href="https://twitter.com/theroyaleditor/status/1323154789178499072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2020</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> If the palace is prepared to LIE about an issue as serious as Prince William, second in line to the throne, contracting COVID-19 what else have they LIED about when questioned by the press and why should the media believe any denials going forward? This raises serious issues. — Robert Jobson (@theroyaleditor) <a href="https://twitter.com/theroyaleditor/status/1323156062124580866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2020</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The fact is the palace lied about it. KP were are asked several times by several media outlets whether Prince William had contracted the virus and were told categorically “no”. The decision was taken to LIE, thus creating a problem of trust going forward. Poor judgement. <a href="https://t.co/hrJ1LqnAMO">https://t.co/hrJ1LqnAMO</a> — Robert Jobson (@theroyaleditor) <a href="https://twitter.com/theroyaleditor/status/1323154036640698368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2020</a></blockquote>

Caring

Australian lawyer allegedly sacked for refusing to lie

A <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/legislation/corporations-act/">corporate lawyer</a> has commenced proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court after he was terminated from his position as a senior legal adviser with Meriton Property Services for allegedly refusing to lie in an affidavit. Sydney lawyer Joseph Callahan is claiming $556,500 in compensation and costs after being terminated from his $350,000 a year position in February 2020. He claims that during a meeting on 3 February 2020, his employer, billionaire property developer Harry Triguboff, demanded that he falsely state in an affidavit that Sydney Council had taken three years to approve a development application. According to his statement of claim, the lawyer responded by stating, “I’m a solicitor and can’t include something in an affidavit which I know isn’t true”. He says his employer then said, “Listen my friend, you write it my way or you can fuck off”, and “Fuck you. I pay you to win cases do you understand?”. Mr Callahan says he then told his employer, “I understand I am here to win cases, but it did not take three years to get the building approved, so I can’t give evidence to the Court that it did”, to which Mr Triguboff responded, “Enough crap from you. Write it my way or you are no good to me”. The lawyers says he stood his ground, telling his employer “Harry I won’t do it. It’s a lie”. He says his employer emailed him on 13 February 2020 to advise that his position had been terminated. Meriton Property Services refutes the allegations, filing a defence which states: “All allegations that suggest otherwise are strongly denied. Meriton disputes the sequence and nature of the events set out in the court filing”. The case is listed for hearing on 17 June 2020. The offence of swearing a false affidavit Swearing a False Affidavit is a crime under <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/legislation/oaths-act/swearing-falsely-in-affidavits/">Section 29 of the Oaths Act 1900</a>. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. For the offence to be established, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: <ol> <li>The defendant swore or affirmed an affidavit,</li> <li>The affidavit was affirmed or sworn before a person authorised to do so,</li> <li>The affidavit was false in any respect, and</li> <li>The defendant knew the affidavit was false in that or those respects.</li> </ol> In addition to this, <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/legislation/oaths-act/false-statement/">section 33 of the Oaths Act 1900</a> prescribes a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the offence of making a false statement in an affidavit. To establish that offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant: <ol> <li>Swore or affirmed an affidavit,</li> <li>Made a false statement within that affidavit, and</li> <li>Knew the statement was false.</li> </ol> Swearing to false information in an affidavit may also amount to perverting the course of justice, which is an offence under <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/legislation/crimes-act/perverting-course-of-justice/">section 319 of the Crimes Act 1900</a> carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. To establish that offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant: <ol> <li>Engaged in an act or made an omission, and</li> <li>Did so with the intention of perverting the course of justice.</li> </ol> ‘Perverting the course of justice’ is defined as ‘obstructing, preventing, perverting or defeating the course of justice or the administration of law’. Defendants have been found guilty of the offence for the following conduct: <ol> <li>Falsely swearing or declaring that another person was responsible for an offence,</li> <li>Attempting to bribe a police or judicial officer to avoid being prosecuted or punished,</li> <li>Using a victim’s phone or email in an attempt to create a defence to a crime,</li> <li>Encouraging or bribing another person to plead guilty to an crime they did not commit, to provide a false alibi and to give false testimony in court.</li> </ol> Where it is alleged that a false affidavit was used in connection with judicial proceedings – such as court proceedings – a person can be charged of perjury, which is an offence under <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/legislation/crimes-act/perjury/">Section 327 of the Crimes Act 1900</a> carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. To establish the offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that: <ol> <li>The defendant made a false statement under oath or affirmation,</li> <li>The statement was in, or in connection with, judicial proceedings,</li> <li>The statement concerned a matter that was material to those proceedings, and</li> <li>The defendant knew the statement was false or did not believe it was true.</li> </ol> The maximum penalty increases to 14 years in prison where the prosecution proves that the defendant intended to procure the conviction or acquittal of a person for a ‘serious indictable offence’, which is one that carries a maximum penalty of at least 5 years in prison. Defences to the charges In addition to prove each ‘element’ (or ingredient) the charges, the prosecution must disprove beyond reasonable doubt any legal defence which a defendant validly raise in court. <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/defences/">Legal defences</a> which apply to these offences include: <ol> <li>Duress</li> <li>Necessity, and</li> <li>Self-defence</li> </ol> Professional obligations In addition to obligations under the general law, a solicitor or barrister who falsely swears to information in a legal statement such as a statutory declaration or affidavit is liable to disciplinary action by the Law Society of New South Wales, including being <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/lawyers-struck-off-for-professional-misconduct/">‘struck off’ for professional misconduct</a>. Going to court for an offence against justice? If you have been charged with an offence against justice such as swearing a false affidavit, contempt of court, perverting the course of justice or perjury, call Sydney Criminal Lawyers anytime on (02) 9261 8881 to arrange a free first conference with an experienced criminal defence lawyer who will advise you of your options and the best way forward. Written by Ugur Nedim. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/lawyer-allegedly-sacked-for-refusing-to-lie/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a>

Legal

“We’re bloody sick of it”: Block couple Tess and Luke slam the show for being “all a lie”

The Block contestants Tess and Luke have spoken up against the hit renovation show, saying they wish they had never appeared on the program. In a new interview with <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/block-couple-tess-and-luke-go-rogue-sensationally-slamming-the-show/news-story/ebbda5d9e087c181e9522e7187d48d9e">news.com.au</a>, the Cairns couple said they could no longer tune in to the Channel 9 program because of the “upsetting” way the show portrayed them. “We’re getting sick of how they’re editing us as being these big lazy pr**ks who don’t get off their a**e and do a single thing,” Luke said. “For some reason they’re just not showing us doing any of the work. We’re just getting painted as these lazy people and we’re bloody sick of it. “We’re really disappointed. Even the other contestants have contacted us to say, ‘That didn’t happen, that was taken out of context’.” Tess said the show’s representation of their work was “all a lie” and “completely false”. “They said to us so many times, ‘There isn’t enough funding to finish this build’. There were so many things that happened throughout the show that made us go, ‘You don’t want us to finish’,” she said. “When you’re on the show, that’s hard enough. But when you sit back and watch it and it’s completely false, it’s really hard not to let that affect your mental health. We’re struggling more now than we were on the show. It’s really, really upsetting.” Tess said despite the show’s depiction, she and Luke were in fact one of the hardest-working couples in the season, with their bedtime being regularly delayed to 2am. In the episode aired last night, Tess could be seen storming off-site as host Scott Cam approached her to discuss the pair’s budget. According to Cam, they had spent $25,000 more on trades than any other team. Tess said the production team continued filming her when she walked away from the set. “I looked at a producer and said, ‘I’m not coping today. My mental health isn’t right. I can’t go in there and be slammed by Scotty over something that isn’t true’. So Luke took the beating and I hid because I wasn’t OK. Luke took it like a champ. And it was all a lie — we didn’t spend $25,000 more than the other contestants. We’ve been working our absolute a**es off,” she said. “So I walked off, because I couldn’t handle it. I did say, ‘You guys need to stop filming me because I’m not coping right now for mental health reasons’ — and they didn’t stop filming.” Luke said they wish they had never gone on the Channel 9 show. “We thought this was going to be an amazing, positive experience in our life, but we wish we never went on this bloody thing,” he said. “We got bullied the whole way through [filming] the show, and now we feel like they’re bullying us on the show as well.” A Nine spokesperson told news.com.au that Tess and Luke will continue to have the program’s support. “Tess and Luke have done an outstanding job creating a magnificent four-bedroom home. After a shaky start and budget struggles, they’ve won two room reveals so far and their renovating style has impressed the judges and viewers alike,” the spokesperson said. “We recognise the mammoth challenges facing all contestants. We supported all of them throughout the build and we had a psychologist and support team available at all times. We’ll continue to support them as the program is broadcast and beyond.” Tess and Luke’s accusation came a day after former House Rules contestant Nicole Prince won a workers’ compensation case against the Channel 7 show for <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/tribunal-finds-reality-tv-villain-owed-workers-comp-for-psychological-trauma-20191022-p5335j.html">psychological trauma</a>. Prince said she and her teammate Fiona Taylor were subjected to isolation, bullying and harassment by the producers and the other teams throughout the program’s fifth season in 2017, and that she had been unable to find a job afterwards due to her on-screen portrayal as a bully.

Carrie Bickmore almost caught in a lie while chatting to Brad Pitt

The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore was almost caught in an embarrassing lie while chatting to movie star Brad Pitt about his latest film. Bickmore flew to Tokyo to interview about his new film, Ad Astra, which is in cinemas this Thursday. Once the cameras stopped rolling after the interview, the pair were chatting about Aussie actress Margot Robbie. “As I was leaving he said, ‘Oh, do you know Margot Robbie?’ who he was in Once Upon a Time with,” Bickmore said on her Hit Network radio show Carrie and Tommy. “We were chatting and we were talking about movies and he said all the amazing stuff she is doing … she’s producing and directing a lot of stuff. “He (Pitt) mentioned she’s doing something with Joel Edgerton and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, have you seen his new movie?’ “In my brain I was thinking of the movie Boy Erased which isn’t new … it was out like a year ago. But I couldn’t remember the name of the movie. And then he says, ‘Kings?’” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> "I'm certainly better at listening, hearing them, and asking them questions about how they feel, instead of trying to imprint one of my bits of wisdom on them," Brad Pitt on how he's changing as a parent, the things his father taught him, and the future of his acting career. <a href="https://t.co/NwjGc05V5H">pic.twitter.com/NwjGc05V5H</a> — The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1173532331694600192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">16 September 2019</a></blockquote> It was at this point in the conversation that Bickmore had two choices: Either let Pitt know that she was lying and had the wrong film or play along and pretend she knew what film he was talking about. Naturally, she went with the second option. “He said, ‘Oh, have you seen that?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ And he said, ‘We made that’. I was like, ‘Oh god’,” Bickmore said. Pitt was likely to be confused by the encounter, as The King is a Netflix movie that’s not meant to be released until November 1. It gets even more awkward once Pitt asks a follow up question. “Then he said, ‘How have you (seen it?)’” Bickmore said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh god, I don’t even know if it’s out yet’. He’s thinking, ‘How has she got an advanced copy?’” Bickmore’s co-host, Tommy Little joked, “He’s probably gone out and fired a whole bunch of people because he’s like, ‘The King has been pirated, people have already seen it in Australia’.” Luckily for Bickmore, she was saved by a fellow publicist and was told to leave the room. It was after she left that she reflected on her lie to Pitt. “I really shouldn’t have lied to Brad Pitt … but I just wanted the conversation to continue,” The Project host said.

Barnaby Joyce continues to spread abortion lie

Politician Barnaby Joyce continues to make his stance on the decriminalisation of the abortion bill in NSW known as he said that pro-choice activists said “throw the foetus in the bin” while protesting. He repeated the claims to Sunrise. "The pro-side is walking down the street saying 'we will fight, we will win, throw the foetus in the bin'. It just feels evil." However, there is video footage posted by Joyce himself proving that the protesters are chanting “put the bigots in the bin”. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBarnabyJoyceMP%2Fvideos%2F1219144111619029%2F&show_text=1&width=560" width="560" height="463" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> Joyce also links to a video posted by LifeChoice Australia, where you can hear the protesters chanting. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLifeChoiceAu%2Fvideos%2F676717269473334%2F&show_text=0&width=476" width="476" height="476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> Despite the captions on the video saying “Put the foetus in the bin”, if you listen closely, they are chanting “put the bigots in the bin”. Women who attended the protest told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/ginarushton/barnaby-joyce-abortion-rally-chant" target="_blank">Buzzfeed News</a> that the chant was misquoted. "The chant was 'we will fight, we will win, put the bigots in the bin'," Sydney woman Chloe Barron said. "The word foetus was not used," she said. "It never left my mouth and I didn't hear it once."

News

60 Minutes exposes Australia's big recycling lie

Many Australians thought that their country was decent at taking care of the recycling waste that was left behind, but an expose on 60 Minutes has shown them otherwise. It has been revealed that the plastic isn’t being disposed of properly and mountains of recycling are being dumped, buried or burned in illegal processing facilities and junkyards across Southeast Asia. Most of Australia’s plastic rubbish ends up being stockpiled in warehouses or shipped to Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia to be disposed of. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Dozens and dozens of these illegal processing sites in Malaysia mean that your rubbish often ends up being dumped, buried or even burned, <a href="https://twitter.com/LiamBartlett9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LiamBartlett9</a> reports. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/60Mins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#60Mins</a> <a href="https://t.co/GUlKVVhgcA">pic.twitter.com/GUlKVVhgcA</a> — 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Mins/status/1117353519277719552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2019</a></blockquote> The Sunday night episode of 60 Minutes argues that since China stopped taking care of Australia’s plastic waste problem over a year ago, Australia has no idea what to do with the waste. This is due to the lack of facilities within Australia that are able to reprocess it into new plastic goods. Plastic Forests founder and owner David Hodge spoke to 60 Minutes about the problem, saying that Australians need to be enabled to recycle. “I think most people in Australia feel lied to, I think they feel disappointed,” Hodge told 60 Minutes. “Ninety per cent of people do want to recycle, and they need to be enabled to be able to do that.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> David Hodge is one of the few recyclers in our country who is actually recycling plastic. His business takes contaminated waste, cleans it, and turns it into new plastic products. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/60Mins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#60Mins</a> <a href="https://t.co/51St2aFTJb">pic.twitter.com/51St2aFTJb</a> — 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Mins/status/1117357232935411712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2019</a></blockquote> With 71,000 tonnes of Australian plastic being dumped in countries across Southeast Asia, Hodge recognises that there’s a problem. “We haven’t built the infrastructure. We haven’t thought ahead,” he told 60 Minutes reporter Liam Bartlett. “Now we’re here and we’re drowning in plastic.” An analysis of our waste exports commissioned by the Department of the Environment and Energy stated that several Asian countries have proposed crackdowns on waste imports. The analysis warned: “If Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand enacted waste import bans similar to China’s, Australia would need to find substitute domestic or export markets for approximately 1.29 million tonnes (or $530 million) of waste a year, based on 2017-18 export amounts.” Did you watch Sunday night’s episode of 60 Minutes? What do you think of the recycling problem within Australia? Let us know in the comments.

News

Colleen McCullough's will update: "On its face it's a lie"

The battle for the estate of best-selling author Colleen McCullough has taken a fresh new twist with a court hearing her husband ‘took a mistress’ just before her death. <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/" target="_blank">9news.com.au reports</a> the legal fight between Selwa Anthony, one of Ms McCullough’s best friends and the executor of her will, and the author’s husband, Ric Robinson, is proving to have drama that is worthy of a page turner itself. The author has two disputed wills – one that puts half her $2 million estate to an American University and another that gives everything to Mr Robinson. The solicitor working on the case, Piria Coleman, also added the belief that Dr McCullough was unwell during the essential care meetings and after noting bruising on her arm believed Mr Robinson was controlling the best-selling author. Ms Coleman had reportedly visited the author just weeks before her passing in January 2015, where Dr McCullough reportedly yelled at her to “give him what he wants”. On a later visit to execute the will that would have left everything to Mr Robinson, Ms Coleman noted Dr McCullough seemed “very unwell” and appeared to have heavy bruising. She also said the marks made on the document did not resemble each other. "I took it as evidence she didn't want to sign her name," she said. "I certainly didn't leave understanding that was a fresh will." But defence barrister David Murr SC said she had written a letter the next day referring to, “the updated will”. He asked the solicitor if that letter was a lie. "On its face it's a lie...one needs to read between the lines," Ms Coleman said. When asked why she did not ask Mr Robinson to leave the room, Ms Coleman said "there was an approach at that stage to placate Ric...to try to keep the peace...to keep Col from harm...Those were foremost in my mind on the 24th of October." Ms Coleman's cross-examination is set to resume on Thursday. What are your thoughts?

Legal

Sunrise stars’ shock confessions

Sunrise stars Samantha Armytage, David Koch and Natalie Barr have confessed to drug use and theft during a lie detector segment on the show yesterday. The segment got off to a juicy start when they were asked if there is any member of the Sunrise team that they don’t like. Both Kochie and Sam said no – but the lie detector machine revealed they were lying. All three of them said yes when asked if they have ever gossiped about their colleagues. “It’s television,” Kochie explained trying to justify his answer. When asked if they each think they’re the biggest star on Sunrise, all three personalities said no. But once again, all three were proven to be lying. “That is wrong, this is inaccurate,” yelled Nat when her answer came back as false. And when asked if they spend half their time on the show “talking crap”, the hosts were honest. “Yes, but that’s no reflection on me,” Sam answered. “I mean, I’m paid to do a job.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Have you ever smoked pot? Are there any colleagues you don’t like? Have you ever cheated on your partner? Nat, Kochie & Sam reveal ALL in the Sunrise lie detector test! ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/SmwYWljaGE">pic.twitter.com/SmwYWljaGE</a> — Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/967868407277170689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote> The trio also admitted to having spoked pot before. “Yes,” Nat said. “Oh my god, yes I have,” Sam said reluctantly. “Not much though. Maybe a bit at uni, I didn’t like it.” Even Kochie answered in the affirmative. The interrogator also asked Sam if she’s ever stolen anything. “Yes,” she answered. “I feel like I’m going to cry. “Once when I was maybe eight, I stole a packet of fake fingernails from Grace Brothers ... long red ones that stick on. Mum looked in the back seat of the car and saw them, turned the car around and made me take them back in and apologise. “That is the only thing I’ve ever stolen in my life,” Sam said, before the lie detector machine revealed that final statement was actually false. But perhaps the most hilarious answer was when Kochie was asked if he’s had any cosmetic surgery done. He said no but the machine indicated he was lying. “Look at me!” the host replied.

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