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Aussie Vietnam vet reunited with lost war medals just in time

A Vietnam veteran has been reunited with his lost war medals that were missing for a year, just in time for Remembrance Day. When attending a Remembrance Day event in New Zealand last year, Townsville veteran Malcolm Edmiston lost his medals somewhere along the journey to Christchurch from Brisbane. The medals were left sitting unclaimed in Brisbane Airport's lost and found after being found in an airport terminal, before airport staff launched a social media campaign to find their owner. After seeing a post on Facebook, Edmiston was finally reunited with his precious medals just in time for this year's Remembrance Day events. "It's very good to have them back, great to have them back, I thought they were gone and gone for good," Malcolm told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/today/lost-war-medals-returned-to-vietnam-veteran-in-time-for-remembrance-day/b03bf4df-0d3c-440b-9783-1e6c7ac73a11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Today</a>. "The zip was opened on my case and somehow they fell out, so it's a good reminder for us to take extra care when we pack." Malcolm was not the only one in his family to serve the country, sharing how his father served in the Royal Navy, he had uncles in the Royal Australian Air Force and and the Royal Air Force and a brother who served in Naval Reserve. His son also served in the Navy and with so many of his fellow Vietnam veteran soldiers no longer alive, having his medals back today is something special. "Remembrance Day is a very important day for me," he said. Brisbane Airport's media manager Peter Doherty added that he was thrilled to see the medals return to their rightful owner. He said, "For Malcolm's lifetime of service, the least we could do was the door-to-door service to get the medals back to him." Image credits: Today

Retirement Life

Exploring The Lost Recipes by Ross Dobson

In his quest to unearth Australia’s forgotten culinary treasures, Ross Dobson has dredged up everything from the delicate to the downright curious – recipes that had slipped into obscurity like an old record player and are now ready for a comeback. During the Covid pandemic I embalmed myself in nostalgia. There was loss on a global scale and, for many of us, it was also a time of great personal loss. Within a few short years, just prior to and during the pandemic, I lost both my parents. I found peace and comfort (and joy in spades) in reading old Australian recipes. I devoured recipes in old books, newspapers, magazines – anything I could get my hands on. Simple and even not-so-simple recipes. Shared or sought. I became interested in (nay, obsessed with) the forgotten: recipes that have been overlooked or disregarded, or were barely noticed in the first place. These are the lost recipes. We found a culinary oasis that was the beginning of the end of our ‘meat-and-two veg’ diet: a rival more exotic and delicious. The original idea for this book was to limit it to baking recipes: cakes, slices, biscuits and puddings. Surely we have all heard of, eaten or made a lamington, custard kiss, finger bun, passionfruit sponge or pav. These have all received top billing in any production of Australian classics. But what about a whimsy, fluffy dick, Napoleon cake, Australian shortbread or cream lily? These delicious things have been waiting in the wings for far too long. I am nudging them into the limelight. But as I perused an article in a magazine or newspaper, it was not uncommon to see a cake or slice recipe incongruously sandwiched between recipes for braised breast of lamb and devilled whitebait, or turmeric duck and farmhouse casserole (rabbit with inside-out stuffing). How could I possibly resist including these? And so, the scope of the book fell into place. I was drawn to the recipes that were popular at one point in time. A good recipe would be printed in newspapers again and again. Today, we would say it has ‘gone viral’. But, like a whispered game of ‘pass it on’, some good recipes would lose something or become something else over time. In researching for a previous book, Australia: The Cookbook, I noticed a recurring lack of nuance. There seemed to be little room for movement or deviation from a recipe. A lamington recipe was just that. There are, to this day, slight variations. Some recipes might call for a filling of jam, cream, buttercream or even panna cotta, a contemporary take. And if this was the case, it wasn’t a regional thing. It was shared and enjoyed on a national level. Much like a recipe for pavlova, meat pie or a hamburger with the lot. Nigella Lawson says of Australian food: ‘These [recipes] demonstrate that peculiar mixture of macho and camp that is a feature of a certain kind of Australian cooking tradition.’ I agree. I feel like much of our food tradition is binary: the meat and the sweet. The brown of a beef stew and the garish pink of coconut ice. Of course, this is reducing Australian recipes to a simple notion. There are exceptions to the rule, not as rare as one might think. It is these exceptions that I went in search of. In doing so, I inadvertently discovered that some Australians did cook with ingredients such as garlic, ginger, coconut milk and chilli. A simple roast lamb with garlic (page 110) and a chicken curry (page 96) laden with ginger and green chilli are testament to that. Capers, anchovies and lentils are also used in recipes that went under the radar. Looking at our past offers insight into who we are now. Through this culinary looking glass we can also see the opposite of what we might expect or what we might think is the norm. What we choose to cook and consume can be a revelation of our identity, of who we are. Our Indigenous culture is the oldest in the world, yet many of us are unfamiliar with native ingredients; Europeans brought cuisines and cultures to these shores, yet we are not European; Asia is our nearest neighbour and the origin of some of our favourite dishes, but we are not Asian. We are unique. In all this, there is wonder to be had, and wonder I do. To learn more about The Lost Recipes and other exciting upcoming publications from Echo Publishing, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook, or visit our website at <a href="https://www.echopublishing.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.echopublishing.com.au/</a> Images: Echo Publishing Brought to you by Echo Publishing

Food & Wine

What to claim for lost, delayed or damaged bags on overseas flights

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-johnston-123333">Rebecca Johnston</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hodgkinson-6574">David Hodgkinson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> If you get on a plane and your baggage ends up being delayed, damaged or lost, who’s responsible: you or the airline? And what rules apply when you’re flying between different countries – even if you don’t have travel insurance? Airlines (otherwise known as carriers) generally include baggage requirements in their terms and conditions of carriage, which are set out or referred to on your ticket. These are the rules that apply to the journey that you have booked. But for international flights, a carrier’s liability for damage, loss or delay of baggage is governed by a number of overarching international treaties, which many passengers aren’t aware of. <h2>International agreements</h2> The <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.1929/doc.html">Warsaw Convention</a> of 1929 was the first of these treaties, and the latest is the passenger-friendly 1999 <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.unification.convention.montreal.1999/">Montreal Convention</a>. In order for one of these treaties to apply to a particular journey, the same treaty must be in place at the point of departure and the passenger’s final destination. For many trips, the agreement that will apply will be the Montreal Convention, which has to date <a href="http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf">108 state parties</a>, covering everywhere from Albania and Australia to Zambia. In time, the Montreal Convention is expected to apply to almost all air travel. The Warsaw Convention (as amended by the <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.hague.protocol.1955/doc.html">Hague Protocol</a> and <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.montreal.protocol.4.1975/doc.html">Montreal Protocol No. 4</a>) will generally apply where the Montreal Convention does not. It is less favourable to passengers. All these treaties have similar provisions to deal with baggage claims – but very different limits to what you might get if you need to make a claim. <h2>What the airline is responsible for</h2> A carrier is liable if your checked baggage is lost, delayed or damaged regardless of fault. This is so unless the damage resulted from the inherent defect or quality of the baggage or, in terms of delay, if it proves that it took all reasonable measures to avoid the damage occasioned by that delay. As for unchecked baggage (that is, carry-on baggage), the carrier is only liable if the damage is due to the fault of the carrier or its agents. Unless otherwise specified, reference to “baggage” includes both checked and unchecked baggage. <h2>Calculating baggage compensation</h2> Under the Warsaw Convention (as amended by the <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.hague.protocol.1955/doc.html">Hague Protocol</a> and <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.montreal.protocol.4.1975/doc.html">Montreal Protocol No. 4</a>) and the Montreal Convention, liability limits are expressed in <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/sdr.HTM">special drawing rights</a> (SDRs). An SDR is a type of foreign exchange reserve asset created by the International Monetary Fund. Its value is based on an artificial basket of currencies consisting of the US dollar, the euro, the pound and the Japanese yen. The liability limits are reviewed every five years. As of October 16, 2014, the <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/param_rms_mth.aspx">value of an SDR</a> is about US$1.49, £0.93 or A$1.70. Current SDR values for other currencies are also listed <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/param_rms_mth.aspx">here</a>. <h2>So what is your baggage worth?</h2> In terms of baggage liability limits, the Warsaw Convention is of relatively little assistance to passengers. If your international travel is subject to Warsaw (for example, if you flew out of the United States on a one way ticket to Guatemala), liability for delayed, damaged or lost baggage is limited to 17 SDRs (about US$25.33, £15.81 or A$28.90) per kilogram per passenger for checked baggage and 332 SDRs (about US$494.68, £308.76 or A$564.40) per passenger for unchecked baggage. In contrast, a carrier is liable to pay far greater damages if the Montreal Convention applies. For any travel covered by Montreal, the carrier’s liability for baggage is limited to 1131 SDRs per passenger (US$1685.19, £1051.83 or A$1922.70), unless otherwise declared. The carrier is not liable for damages caused by delay if the carrier took all reasonable measures, or if it was impossible for it to take such measures. <h2>Time limits on baggage claims</h2> Time limits are imposed on making a claim for delayed, damaged or lost baggage. Any potential claims should be made to a carrier in writing within these specified limits. Article 26 of Warsaw provides that any complaint as to delay of baggage must be made at the latest within 21 days from the date the baggage was placed at the passenger’s disposal. <figure class="align-right zoomable"></figure> Similarly, under Article 31 of Montreal, a complaint must be made within 21 days of a passenger receiving their baggage. With respect to damaged baggage, under Warsaw, any claim must be made “forthwith” after the discovery of the damage and at most seven days from the date of receipt of the baggage. Montreal also gives passengers seven days from receipt of checked bags to report a damage claim. Neither convention imposes a time limit for reporting lost baggage claims. But it is advisable that you make your complaint as soon as possible. Warsaw does not state when baggage is considered “lost”, leaving it up to carriers to make that ruling. Under Montreal, baggage is only considered lost after 21 days or if the carrier admits that they have lost it. If a passenger fails to make a complaint within the specified times, the carrier will not be liable unless there has been fraud on the carrier’s part. <h2>Insurance alternatives</h2> If you are concerned that the contents of your baggage exceed the liability limits outlined above, you can make a special declaration of the value of your baggage prior to check-in and pay any additional fee (if required). In this case, the carrier will be liable to pay a higher amount, unless it is proved that the declared amount is greater than the actual value of your baggage. Alternatively, prior to travelling, check with your insurance company as to whether your travel insurance covers any excess from delayed, damaged or lost baggage. You might also want to <a href="http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf">check this list</a> to see whether the places you’re departing from and finally arriving at are parties to the Montreal Convention. If not, you might just find yourself out of pocket.<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/32111/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-johnston-123333">Rebecca Johnston</a>, Adjunct Lecturer, Law School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hodgkinson-6574">David Hodgkinson</a>, Associate Professor, Law School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</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/what-to-claim-for-lost-delayed-or-damaged-bags-on-overseas-flights-32111">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Trouble

Australia’s fertility rate has reached a record low. What might that mean for the economy?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-boymal-392960">Jonathan Boymal</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashton-de-silva-3066">Ashton De Silva</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-sinclair-385470">Sarah Sinclair</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Australia’s fertility rate has fallen to a new <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/latest-release">record low</a> of 1.5 babies per woman. That’s well below the “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7834459/#:%7E:text=PIP%3A%20Replacement%20level%20fertility%20is,of%202.1%20children%20per%20woman.">replacement rate</a>” of 2.1 needed to sustain a country’s population. On face value, it might not seem like a big deal. But we can’t afford to ignore this issue. The health of an economy is deeply intertwined with the size and structure of its population. Australians simply aren’t having as many babies as they used to, raising some serious questions about how we can maintain our country’s workforce, sustain economic growth and fund important services. So what’s going on with fertility rates here and around the world, and what might it mean for the future of our economy? What can we do about it? <h2>Are lower birth rates always a problem?</h2> Falling fertility rates can actually have some <a href="https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR1274.pdf">short-term benefits</a>. Having fewer dependent young people in an economy can increase workforce participation, as well as boost savings and wealth. Smaller populations can also benefit from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537112000620.">increased investment</a> per person in education and health. But the picture gets more complex in the long term, and less rosy. An ageing population can strain pensions, health care and social services. This can hinder economic growth, unless it’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21302431/">offset by increased productivity</a>. Other scholars have <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/end-economic-growth-unintended-consequences-declining-population">warned</a> that a falling population could stifle innovation, with fewer young people meaning fewer breakthrough ideas. <h2>A global phenomenon</h2> The trend towards women having fewer children is not unique to Australia. The global fertility rate has dropped over the past couple of decades, from 2.7 babies per woman in 2000 to <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/WLD/world/fertility-rate">2.4 in 2023</a>. However, the distribution is not evenly spread. In 2021, 29% of the world’s babies were born in sub-Saharan Africa. This is projected to <a href="https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-dramatic-declines-global-fertility-rates-set-transform">rise to 54% by 2100</a>. There’s also a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/psp.2720">regional-urban divide</a>. Childbearing is often delayed in urban areas and late fertility is more common in cities. In Australia, we see <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/latest-release#data-downloads">higher fertility rates</a> in inner and outer regional areas than in metro areas. This could be because of more affordable housing and a better work-life balance. But it raises questions about whether people are moving out of cities to start families, or if something intrinsic about living in the regions promotes higher birth rates. <iframe id="U1wEx" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/U1wEx/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <h2>Fewer workers, more pressure on services</h2> Changes to the makeup of a population can be just as important as changes to its size. With fewer babies being born and increased life expectancy, the proportion of older Australians who have left the workforce will keep rising. One way of tracking this is with a metric called the old-age dependency ratio – the number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age individuals. In Australia, this ratio is currently about 27%. But according to the latest <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/publication/2023-intergenerational-report">Intergenerational Report</a>, it’s expected to rise to 38% by 2063. An ageing population means greater demand for medical services and aged care. As the working-age population shrinks, the tax base that funds these services will also decline. Unless this is offset by technological advances or policy innovations, it can mean higher taxes, longer working lives, or the government providing fewer public services in general. <h2>What about housing?</h2> It’s tempting to think a falling birth rate might be good news for Australia’s stubborn housing crisis. The issues are linked – rising real estate prices have made it difficult for many young people to afford homes, with a significant number of people in their 20s <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/more-australian-adult-children-are-living-with-their-parents-longer">still living with their parents</a>. This can mean delaying starting a family and reducing the number of children they have. At the same time, if fertility rates stay low, demand for large family homes may decrease, impacting one of Australia’s most significant economic sectors and sources of household wealth. <h2>Can governments turn the tide?</h2> Governments worldwide, including Australia, have long experimented with policies that encourage families to have more children. Examples include paid parental leave, childcare subsidies and financial incentives, such as Australia’s “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-baby-bonus-boost-looks-like-across-ten-years-81563">baby bonus</a>”. Many of these efforts have had only limited success. One reason is the rising average age at which women have their first child. In many developed countries, including Australia, the average age for first-time mothers has surpassed <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/australias-mothers-babies/contents/overview-and-demographics/maternal-age">30</a>. As women delay childbirth, they become less likely to have multiple children, further contributing to declining birth rates. Encouraging women to start a family earlier could be one policy lever, but it must be balanced with women’s growing workforce participation and career goals. Research has previously highlighted the factors influencing fertility decisions, including levels of paternal involvement and workplace flexibility. Countries that offer part-time work or maternity leave without career penalties have seen a <a href="https://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/mdo738/research/Doepke_Hannusch_Kindermann_Tertilt_Handbook_23.pdf">stabilisation or slight increases</a> in fertility rates. <h2>The way forward</h2> Historically, one of the ways Australia has countered its low birth rate is through immigration. Bringing in a lot of people – especially skilled people of working age – can help offset the effects of a low fertility rate. However, relying on immigration alone is not a long-term solution. The global fertility slump means that the pool of young, <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2020/03/can-immigration-solve-the-demographic-dilemma-peri">educated workers from other countries</a> is shrinking, too. This makes it harder for Australia to attract the talent it needs to sustain economic growth. Australia’s record-low fertility rate presents both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, the shrinking number of young people will place a strain on public services, innovation and the labour market. On the other hand, advances in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence and robotics, may help ease the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0164070420302020">challenges of an ageing population</a>. That’s the optimistic scenario. AI and other tech-driven productivity gains could reduce the need for large workforces. And robotics could assist in aged care, lessening the impact of this demographic shift.<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/241577/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-boymal-392960">Jonathan Boymal</a>, Associate Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashton-de-silva-3066">Ashton De Silva</a>, Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-sinclair-385470">Sarah Sinclair</a>, Senior Lecturer in Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT 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/australias-fertility-rate-has-reached-a-record-low-what-might-that-mean-for-the-economy-241577">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Lost touch with someone? Reach out – your friend will likely appreciate it more than you think

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peggy-liu-818769">Peggy Liu</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-pittsburgh-854">University of Pittsburgh</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-min-1354136">Lauren Min</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-kansas-1588">University of Kansas</a> <h2>The big idea</h2> The next time you wonder whether to reach out to a friend, family member, classmate or other person who’s been out of touch for a long time, go ahead and do it. According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402">our just-published research</a>, it’s likely they’ll appreciate it more than you think. In a series of 13 experiments involving over 5,900 participants, we – along with colleagues <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0Stzf1cAAAAJ&hl=en">SoYon Rim</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TZQefJAAAAAJ&hl=en">Kate Min</a> – wanted to investigate whether people accurately predict <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402">how much their social contacts appreciate being reached out to</a>. In one experiment we conducted, college students wrote a note “to check in and say hello” to a classmate they hadn’t interacted with in a while. Then we asked them how much they thought their classmate would appreciate receiving this note. Next, we delivered these notes to their classmates and asked the recipients how much they appreciated receiving them. We found that the students who received the notes were much more appreciative of the gesture than the students who wrote them had anticipated. Other experiments varied the scenario by involving older adults as participants rather than college students, switching the written message to a small gift – such as cookies or coffee – and comparing how much the sender underestimated the appreciation that an emotionally distant contact would feel compared with a close contact. Overall they yielded the same basic finding: People tended to underestimate how much others appreciated hearing from them. What drives this underestimation? Our results suggest that it’s related to how little the people reaching out factor in the surprise felt by those being contacted. When we asked recipients what they focused on when indicating how appreciative they felt, they reported paying a lot of attention to their positive feelings of surprise, which were linked to how appreciative they felt. Comparatively, potential senders did not report focusing much on recipients’ positive feelings of surprise. It also mattered whether the two parties were already in a close relationship. People’s underestimations were even greater when their contact was a distant acquaintance because these recipients were especially surprised at being contacted. <h2>Why it matters</h2> Many people can name at least one person with whom they would like to reconnect. Taking a new job, moving to a different city, becoming a parent, or the busyness of everyday life – these are just some of the life events and circumstances that can cause people to lose touch. Then, if the desire to reconnect arises on one side, doubts may arise about whether the other person may appreciate being contacted out of the blue. When people consider taking the initiative to reach out, especially after a prolonged period of no contact, they may worry about being rejected. This worry might keep them from reaching out in the first place. Our research lessens this challenge by showing that often, these gestures will be much more appreciated than one might expect. <h2>What other research is being done</h2> Our findings fit within a growing stream of research examining the tendency to underestimate others’ appreciation of various social exchanges. For example, other researchers have found that people underestimate how much <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000277">others appreciate receiving compliments</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618772506">expressions of gratitude</a>. Our work adds to this area by broadening the scope of the contexts in which people underestimate how much social exchanges are appreciated. Reaching out could but need not require giving compliments or expressing gratitude – the gesture can be as simple as checking in with someone to show that one is thinking about them.<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/185001/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peggy-liu-818769">Peggy Liu</a>, Ben L. Fryrear Chair in Marketing and Associate Professor of Business Administration, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-pittsburgh-854">University of Pittsburgh</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-min-1354136">Lauren Min</a>, Assistant Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-kansas-1588">University of Kansas</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/lost-touch-with-someone-reach-out-your-friend-will-likely-appreciate-it-more-than-you-think-185001">original article</a>. </div>

Relationships

ATO urges Aussies to cash in on nearly $18 billion in lost or unclaimed super

The Australian Taxation Office is urging people to check whether they are eligible to cash in on almost $17.8 billion in lost or unclaimed superannuation. Lost super is when your fund has lost touch with you or your account is inactive, and this can occur if you've changed your name, moved homes or changed jobs, without updating your details. The lost super becomes unclaimed when your fund transfers this lost money to the ATO. "Since 2021, the ATO has reunited almost $6.4 billion of unclaimed super with its owners. But there is still more than $17.8 billion waiting to be found," ATO deputy commissioner Emma Rosenzweig said. "If you've changed jobs, moved house or simply forgotten to update your details, you may have lost or unclaimed super. "We're urging Australians to check if some of the $17.8 billion in lost and unclaimed super belongs to them." As of June 30, 2024, super funds and the ATO are holding lost super for over 7.1 million accounts, with retirees among those with lost or unclaimed super. The ATO revealed it was holding $471 million on behalf of those aged over 65. “Superannuation is a key part of your retirement, and we want to make sure Australians are claiming the investment they’ve worked for,” Rosenzweig said. You can check for lost super online through the <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/keeping-track-of-your-super/super-health-check#ato-Check3Checkforlostandunclaimedsuper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATO</a>. For those wanting to search for unclaimed cash, including unclaimed refunds, share dividends, uncashed cheques and more, you can visit <a href="https://asic.gov.au/for-consumers/unclaimed-money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal</a> and state websites to see if you have anything owed to you. Unclaimed money is cash owed to people who can't be located, either due to name or address changes, lost paperwork or just forgot about the cash. Image: Shutterstock

Money & Banking

Rod Stewart "puts the record straight" over family rift

Rod Stewart has taken to social media to hit back at the tabloids claiming his marriage to Penny Lancaster is on the rocks. The 79-year-old singer explained that he "wanted to put the record straight" and disputed the reports that his marriage is in trouble. "There is absolutely no rift between Penny and I and no disagreement over where we should reside, in fact it's the opposite," he wrote on Instagram. "We moved permanently back to our beloved Britain a year ago but are fortunate to also have homes in different countries, which we love to visit." "Originally we did think it made sense to sell our house in LA, but having spent a wonderful time there this summer with family and friends during my Vegas residency we realised that it makes sense to keep our house there," he explained. "Two of my eldest children still live in Celtic House (the LA residence)." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QbYc5gS_u/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QbYc5gS_u/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sir Rod Stewart (@sirrodstewart)</a> </div> </blockquote> He ended the message saying he could not be more in love with his wife after almost three decades together. "Penny and I could not be more in love with each other after 27 glorious years. Please trust me on this..... there's no disharmony in our marriage. "Rod 'a very lucky man' Stewart." Fans praised the rockstar for standing up to the media. "It was none of our business and I’m sorry you had to stand up for yourself like this. Stronger together for sure!" one wrote. "Very sad when you have to put out statements like this because of intrusive media speculation. Glad you're both very happy and in love," another added. "As if you'd be silly enough to let Penny go!!! She's absolutely incredible and you are indeed a lucky guy ❤️ you make a wonderful couple, ignore the rubbish, you know the truth and that's all that matters!" a third commented. Images: Instagram

Relationships

Australia’s gender pay gap has hit a record low – but we still have work to do

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leonora-risse-405312">Leonora Risse</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> Australia’s gender pay gap – a key measure of economic inequality between men and women – has fallen to a record low of 11.5%. That’s down from 13% this time last year, the steepest annual fall since 2016. Ten years ago, it was almost 19%. The latest figures are great news for our economy and our society – evidence we’re getting better at recognising and fairly valuing women’s capabilities and contributions. More opportunities are now open to women in the workforce, helping them gain and retire with greater financial independence than in previous decades. But national averages don’t tell the whole story. While gender pay gaps have fallen in some industries, they’ve also been rising in others. Today, August 19, is <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/pay-and-gender/equal-pay-day-2024">equal pay day</a>. This marks the 50 extra days past the end of the last financial year that Australian women would need to work for their earnings to match those of their male colleagues. This offers us a timely opportunity to reflect on what exactly has driven this year’s improvement – and where we still have work to do. <h2>Women’s earnings picking up pace</h2> We calculate the gender pay gap by comparing the average weekly ordinary-time, full-time <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/average-weekly-earnings-australia">earnings</a> for men and women. In dollar terms, women are now earning $231.50, or 11.5%, less than men, on average, in their weekly full-time pay packet. <hr /> <iframe id="HwwJ5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HwwJ5/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> The recent narrowing is being driven by women’s average earnings growth picking up pace. This contrasts with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-02/fact-check-gender-pay-gap/10302358">earlier periods</a> in which the narrowing of the gap tended to be due to a slowdown in the growth of men’s earnings. <hr /> <iframe id="R7uFE" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/R7uFE/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>What’s behind the improvement?</h2> While changes in the gender pay gap reflect a range of economy-wide factors, the Albanese government has been quick to attribute the recent fall to the various <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7229747376511447040/">targeted actions</a> it has taken since coming to office. Let’s look at whether and how these actions have played a role. First, the government sought to make wage information more transparent. It <a href="https://theconversation.com/pay-secrecy-clauses-are-now-banned-in-australia-heres-how-that-could-benefit-you-195814">banned pay secrecy clauses</a> and now requires the gender pay gaps of all large companies in Australia to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/qantas-pays-women-37-less-telstra-and-bhp-20-fifty-years-after-equal-pay-laws-we-still-have-a-long-way-to-go-223870">publicly reported</a>. These reforms took effect from 2023, targeting private companies. The gender pay gap in the private sector, though higher to begin with, has fallen more swiftly than that of the public sector, suggesting these actions have had an effect. <hr /> <iframe id="ZKMdm" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZKMdm/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> Second, the government targeted gender-patterned biases in industrial relations – including the <a href="https://theconversation.com/50-years-after-equal-pay-the-legacy-of-womens-work-remains-118761">legacy effects</a> of past decisions – and instilled gender equity as a new objective of Australia’s Fair Work Act. The Fair Work Commission is now required to take gender equity into account in its wage deliberations, including its <a href="https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/resources/2024fwcfb3500.pdf">minimum wage decision</a>. The government also introduced multi-employer bargaining in an attempt to strengthen workers’ bargaining capacity in female-concentrated sectors. The effects of these changes will continue to flow across the workforce as the Fair Work Commission undertakes its review of modern awards, prioritising those affecting <a href="https://www.fwc.gov.au/hearings-decisions/major-cases/gender-undervaluation-priority-awards-review">female-concentrated industries</a>. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> And third, further addressing the historical undervaluation of “women’s work”, the government directly addressed low pay in female-concentrated sectors by supporting a pay rise for <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/news/15-per-cent-wage-increase-aged-care-sector">aged care workers</a>. Targeting the low pay and under-valuation of an industry that is about 87% female helped fuel the downward momentum in the overall gender pay gap. The government’s recently announced pay rise for <a href="https://ministers.education.gov.au/anthony-albanese/pay-rise-early-educators-while-keeping-fees-down-families">early childhood education and care workers</a> – a workforce that is around 95% female – will also target gender patterns in low pay once they come into effect. These government actions have been essential for undoing the gender biases embedded in existing systems. And they have complemented other initiatives that have taken effect in the past year, such as the <a href="https://www.respectatwork.gov.au/new-positive-duty-employers-prevent-workplace-sexual-harassment-sex-discrimination-and-victimisation">Respect At Work Act</a>, requiring employers to proactively stamp out sexual harassment. But there is still a way to go to keep closing the gender gaps across all parts of the workforce. <h2>Falling in some industries, rising in others</h2> Breaking down the gender pay gap in earnings by sector paints a more varied picture. In industries like construction, public administration and safety, and retail trade, it has fallen notably over the past two years. <hr /> <iframe id="poLND" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/poLND/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> But it remains high in industries like healthcare and social assistance, at over 20%, and finance and insurance at 18%. <hr /> <iframe id="6cLnT" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/6cLnT/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> In some industries, the gap has actually increased over the past two years. In arts and recreation services, as well as electricity, gas, waste and water services, it’s been continually rising. <hr /> <iframe id="M8fve" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/M8fve/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>That could reflect a bigger shift</h2> It’s important to interpret these figures carefully. In some instances, a widening of the gender pay gap can reflect a positive shift in an industry’s makeup, if it reflects more women joining a male-dominated sector at entry level, and growing a pipeline of senior women for the future. That’s why the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) gives organisations a chance to explain these dynamics in their <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/about/our-legislation/publishing-employer-gender-pay-gaps">employer statements</a>, which are published on the WGEA website alongside organisations’ gender pay gaps. Over time, the entry of more women at the junior level can flow through to more gender balance as these women progress to senior and decision-making roles. The real test will be to ensure – by fostering more gender equitable, inclusive and respectful work cultures and systems – that they do.<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/236894/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leonora-risse-405312">Leonora Risse</a>, Associate Professor in Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</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/australias-gender-pay-gap-has-hit-a-record-low-but-we-still-have-work-to-do-236894">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Pet cat lost in the outback ends in purr-fect reunion months later

A beloved pet cat who went missing in the South Australian outback while on a road trip with his owner has been miraculously returned to his family months later. In June, Murry Rantall was travelling from Warnambook Victoria to Darwin in a caravan when he made a pit stop on the Stuart Hwy so his Burmese cat Raj could use the litter box. Rantall went for a walk and came back assuming that his 14-year-old feline friend was still inside so he drove off. It wasn't until 200km later, when he went to check on Raj, that he realised the cat was missing. “I was just about bawling … I knew he was in trouble,” Rantall said. Rantall who had recently lost his wife said that Raj was the only loved one he had left at home. “We were sort of looking after each other more or less,” Rantall said. He turned back to search for Raj, and even had his daughter, Katrina drive from Victoria to South Australia to help find the cat, but they had no luck. The feline was lost but not fur-gotten as Rantall's children put up Facebook posts about Raj missing in the South Australian outback. Two months later, the outback cat-astrophe ended with the purr-fect homecoming when Raj was found in Port Augusta, about 50km from where he ran away. Raj was found in Milla Dey’s backyard on Thursday, August 8. “I just saw that he was there and covered in prickles. We got him some food and water and he spent probably 15 to 20 minutes just eating,” Dey said. He was taken to a local vet to scan his microchip, but the details were outdated. Locals managed to track down Rantall's family on social media after seeing the Facebook posts about Raj, and they were reunited over the weekend. Rantall said Raj had lost a lot of weight but was content to be back in his arms. “We’ll feed him up, he’ll be all right,” Rantall said. Port Augusta City Council animal control officer Kylie McKerlie said the reunion was thanks to the care and dedication of the local community. “It’s just a really good town and a really good feeling for everyone,” she said. Rantall also thanked everyone who helped saying, “it’s unbelievable, the help I’ve had.” Images: 7News

Family & Pets

"All or nothing": Arisa Trew shatters records to become Australia's youngest Olympic Gold Medallist

Arisa Trew from the Gold Coast has made history by becoming Australia's youngest-ever medallist, clinching gold in the women's park skateboarding final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. At just 14 years and 90 days old, Trew has broken a 68-year-old record, previously held by swimmer Sandra Morgan from the Melbourne 1956 Olympics. Born on May 12, 2010, Trew is too young to vote, drink or even stay at the Olympic village. However, these limitations did not hinder her from delivering an extraordinary performance when it mattered most. Heading into her third and final run, Trew was in the bronze medal position and poised for a podium finish. However, her most impressive performance was yet to come. "My coach, Trev, he was just like, 'you've just got to go all out," she told Nine News after being crowned champion. "And I was just like, 'yep, who cares? Just all or nothing.'" With a remarkable score of 93.18 in her final run, Trew soared into the top spot. She then faced a tense wait as the higher-qualified skaters attempted to surpass her score. Despite the pressure, Trew showed sportsmanship by cheering on her competitors. After clinching the gold, the young athlete said, “I got told by a few people that I’m Australia’s youngest gold medallist, which is, like, pretty insane and really cool, because that’s, like, who I’m representing and, like, it’s just amazing. “It’s just, like, super cool that I have won the gold medal because it has been like a dream. I’m just, like, so excited.” This victory makes Trew Australia's youngest-ever medallist. The previous record had stood for 68 years since Sandra Morgan won gold in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay at the age of 14 years and 184 days. Trew, at 14 years and 90 days, has also become the youngest athlete to medal at Paris 2024 so far. Images: Nine News

International Travel

"Meant to be": Magical moment mum finds lost ring 15 years later

Some stories are so unbelievable that it seems like divine intervention played a part in making them happen. Samantha was only eight or nine years old when she lost a ring that her parents gave her for Christmas, only to miraculously find it 15 years later. She recalled the remarkable story of her lost ring on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie. "So when I was about eight or nine, it was Christmas time, and we were holidaying up at Umina Beach Caravan Park," Samantha began. "I was in the surf, and my mum and dad had bought me this beautiful little first diamond ring for Christmas, and I was sort of in the waves up to sort of my knees, and I thought, Oh, I better take my ring off and put it around my necklace, because if I get dumped or under the waves, I might lose it." Samantha recalled that she was in the middle of taking her ring off when a "freak wave" came and knocked her over, causing her to drop the ring in the ocean. "I'm crying... my mum's crying, we're all crying, and I lost the ring," she said. 15 years later she returned to the same beach with her own kids, when things took a turn for the better. "My daughter's collecting shells, and she picks up this big shell, and I said, 'Oh, that's beautiful. Like, that's a big one. We don't find them up this way'," she told the radio hosts. "And she said, 'Oh, hang on. I think there's like a creature or something in it'... So I said 'Put it down, put it down', and I picked it up and just make sure she wasn't going to get bitten or anything. "And I looked inside, and my ring was inside the shell." Samantha told the hosts that she remembered her mum giving her the ring and telling her "when you grow up and you have a daughter, you can give this to her." "When we found it, I think I cried for like, a week, it's a story that we still don't believe." Radio hosts Kate, Fitzy and Wippa were all in shock, with Kate telling the mum that the ring was "meant to be" with her. "Well, the funny thing is, my mum, actually, at the moment, is palative," Samantha shared. "She's very, very unwell, and out of everything that she does remember, she still remembers that story. "She'll still say to me, 'don't you ever get rid of that ring'. And I'm like, my daughter's got it in a box at home, and she's not even allowed to wear it." Image: Shutterstock

Domestic Travel

"I am so lost without you": Sam Rubin's son speaks out

Sam Rubin’s son has delivered an emotional on-air tribute to his late dad just days after his <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/legendary-today-show-reporter-dies-unexpectedly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing</a>. The entertainment reporter died unexpectedly at the age of 64, after reportedly suffering a heart attack in his Los Angeles home last Friday. He worked for LA TV station KTLA as their entertainment reporter, and was a regular guest on Aussie programs like Today and Today Extra. Colby Rubin, the youngest of the reporter's four children, joined KTLA 5 Morning News on Monday to reflect on his father's death. “Hi dad. I wrote this under the desk in your cubicle – only you weren’t there to wake me up this time. Dad, I can’t believe you’re gone,” the 16-year-old began. “I love you so much. On the day you died, I hope you heard me say that. You were the kindest soul, the light in every room. I can’t imagine my life without you... You were always there.” He said he idolised his father calling him his hero, and said: “I never got to tell you that, and I’m so sorry dad.” Colby then shared some of their private texts showing how encouraging his father was when he was unsure of himself, telling him: "You can do this,” and "you have every gift. Respect your own talent." At this point, Colby was overwhelmed with emotion, with the hosts telling him he could take a break but the teen powered on. “I can’t believe I’ve lost you. I had more of a father in 16 years than some people get in their entire lives, and I’m so grateful. "You are a beautiful human and you will never be forgotten. Dad I love you. I am so lost without you, I’ll miss you every day. I hope you know how loved you are.” Colby's tribute left his father's colleagues in tears with one co-host telling him simply: “He knew.” “He would be so proud of you. All of us are parents, we all can say – that is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” another said as she fought back tears. Viewers praised Colby for his “strength and composure” in delivering such an emotional tribute just days after losing his father. “Amazing how Colby was able to do this with such grace, strength, and composure. You can tell Sam was an amazing father through Colby’s tribute,” TV anchor Stephanie Myers wrote on X. Sam is survived by his wife Leslie and four children: Perry, 28, Rory, 23, Darcy, 18, and Colby. Image: KTLA/ X

Family & Pets

Adorable Collie sells for world record-breaking price

A border collie has been sold for a world record-breaking amount at the Ray White Rockhampton Working Dog Sale and Trial. Helen and James Parker paid $40,000 for Liz, a border collie who they describe as the "whole package". The couple, who run a wagyu cattle farm in Monto, Queensland are keen to welcome the pup who will help them muster cattle as part of the day-to-day running of the farm. "We leave in the morning early, they might do three to four hours mustering in the morning, then we get the cattle to the yard and then in the afternoon we'll walk them away," Helen said. "Our mustering round's about a week, so all day for a week, so some big days and it's hot up here in summer so they need to be able to travel and follow us on a horse and big days in hot conditions so we can't do the job without them." Liz, who was raised by Joe Leven, is the second dog the couple have purchased from Joe, and they say the price was worth it. "We weren't planning on breaking records but we're happy to have her," Helen told 2GB's Ben Fordham. "She's the whole package, she's got breeding behind her, she has all herding ability, natural instinct. I just think she's a great asset to our team." Although Liz is an unusual name for a cattle dog, it is actually a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth. "Joe named them and there's a bit of a story behind how Liz got her name. She was born the year that Queen Elizabeth passed away, so she's really upheld her name, she's the queen," Helen explained. The Rockhampton Working Dog trial and Sale was a success for Joe and Cabra Glebe Working Dogs, who managed to sell another dog, Jenny for $38,000. Image: Ray White Working dog sale Facebook

Family & Pets

Sydney Airport launches massive auction of lost property

Have you ever lost something at the airport? You're not alone. This year there were more than 2,500 unclaimed items left at the airport including electronics, jewellery and designer handbags, and now they are up for grabs for a fraction of their retail price. The airport has launched their annual online auction, with all the money raised going to the Harding Miller Education Foundation, which grants four-year scholarships to high-school girls with high academic potential who are experiencing disadvantage. Over the past decade, the auctions have raised $1.6 million for various charities. “It’s clear the public love nabbing a bargain in support of a worthy cause," Sydney Airport general manager of corporate affairs Josh Clements said. “There’s something for everyone with plenty of great tech, clothing, accessories and beauty products as well as a host of unique items like a massage table, an electric scooter, a leaf blower and a quintessential Aussie favourite, a jaffle maker (sandwich press),” he added. “It’s great to see these unclaimed items find new homes, while also supporting a charity that’s offering comprehensive scholarships to help level the playing field for high school girls facing disadvantage.” “Opening bids start at just $10, which means shoppers have a chance to grab a great deal while also supporting an impactful charity,” Theodore Bruce Auctioneers director, Casi Prischl, said. The auction runs until Sunday May 12, with the <a href="https://www.theodorebruceauctions.com.au/sydney-airport-lost-property-auction-2024a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complete list of auctions currently open for bids below</a>: <ul> <li>Tech & Gaming - Saturday 4 May to Saturday 11 May, closing at 10am</li> <li>Sunglasses, Bags, Scarves & Accessories - Saturday 4 May to Saturday 11 May, closing at 2pm</li> <li>Jewellery & Watches - Saturday 4 May to Sunday 12 May, closing at 10am</li> <li>Clothing - Saturday to May to Sunday 12 May, closing at 2pm</li> <li>Beauty, Alcohol, Home - Saturday 4 May to Sunday 12 May, closing at 4pm</li> </ul> Goods can be delivered at a price, or picked up by appointment. Images: Theodore Bruce Auctions

Money & Banking

Teen with Down Syndrome sets new world record

A 19-year-old teen with Down Syndrome has conquered the London Marathon and became a Guinness World Record after just five months of training. Lloyd Martin from Cardiff completed the 42.1 km course across the capital with his mother cheering him on. Guinness World Record has awarded him the certificate for becoming the youngest person in his learning disability category to finish a marathon. "I'm so excited to run London. I love being fit and healthy and I want to make my family and friends proud," the teenager said. Mum Ceri Hooper also told the BBC how proud she was of her son's accomplishment. "In Lloyd's words, it's achieving his dream," she said. "Really anything is possible if you put your mind to it. With a bit of work, you can achieve it." Recalling the experience, the proud mum said: "He ran continuously for 14 miles which is the longest he's ever run before." Although Lloyd walked for a bit after his 14-mile-long streak, the crowd cheered him on every step of the way, and despite the challenge the mother-and-son duo had "a ball". The pair were at a loss for words when he finally crossed the finish line and they both "burst into tears." Lloyd is also now the third Welsh Special Olympics athlete to compete in the London Marathon. Prior to completing the world-famous marathon, Lloyed had completed an astonishing 30 Parkruns. Until last Christmas the teenager had never run further than three miles, but his mother was determined to get him marathon-ready. Ceri, who has taken on the London Marathon four times, created a specialised training regime for her son which included weekly runs. Lloyd managed to secure a spot in the marathon thanks to the help of the Special Olympics GB, where he is also a footballer and a gymnast. Images: Facebook/ Twitter

Caring

Attempts to access Kate Middleton’s medical records are no surprise. Such breaches are all too common

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-baer-arnold-1408">Bruce Baer Arnold</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-20/claim-hospital-staff-tried-to-access-kate-middleton-health-info/103608066">alleged</a> data breach involving Catherine, Princess of Wales tells us something about health privacy. If hospital staff can apparently access a future queen’s medical records without authorisation, it can happen to you. Indeed it may have already happened to you, given many breaches of health data go under the radar. Here’s why breaches of health data keep on happening. <h2>What did we learn this week?</h2> Details of the alleged data breaches, by <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/breaking-kate-middleton-three-london-32401247">up to three staff</a> at The London Clinic, emerged in the UK media this week. These breaches are alleged to have occurred after the princess had abdominal surgery at the private hospital earlier this year. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office <a href="https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/03/ico-statement-in-response-to-reports-of-data-breach-at-the-london-clinic/">is investigating</a>. Its report should provide some clarity about what medical data was improperly accessed, in what form and by whom. But it is unlikely to identify whether this data was given to a third party, such as a media organisation. <h2>Health data isn’t always as secure as we’d hope</h2> Medical records are inherently sensitive, providing insights about individuals and often about biological relatives. In an ideal world, only the “right people” would have access to these records. These are people who “need to know” that information and are aware of the responsibility of accessing it. Best practice digital health systems typically try to restrict overall access to databases through hack-resistant firewalls. They also try to limit access to specific types of data through grades of access. This means a hospital accountant, nurse or cleaner does not get to see everything. Such systems also incorporate blocks or alarms where there is potential abuse, such as unauthorised copying. But in practice each health records ecosystem – in GP and specialist suites, pathology labs, research labs, hospitals – is less robust, often with fewer safeguards and weaker supervision. <h2>This has happened before</h2> Large health-care providers and insurers, including major hospitals or chains of hospitals, have a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/22/st-vincents-health-australia-hack-cyberattack-data-stolen-hospital-aged-care-what-to-do">worrying</a> <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/medical-information-leaked-in-nsw-health-hack-20210608-p57z7k">history</a> of <a href="https://www.innovationaus.com/oaic-takes-pathology-company-to-court-over-data-breach/">digital breaches</a>. Those breaches include hackers accessing the records of millions of people. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/11/medical-data-hacked-from-10m-australians-begins-to-appear-on-dark-web">Medibank</a> data breach involved more than ten million people. The <a href="https://www.hipaajournal.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics/">Anthem</a> data breach in the United States involved more than 78 million people. Hospitals and clinics have also had breaches specific to a particular individual. Many of those breaches involved unauthorised sighting (and often copying) of hardcopy or digital files, for example by nurses, clinicians and administrative staff. For instance, this has happened to public figures such as <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-15-me-britney15-story.html">singer</a> <a href="https://journals.lww.com/healthcaremanagerjournal/abstract/2009/01000/health_information_privacy__why_trust_matters.11.aspx">Britney Spears</a>, actor <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/nyregion/10clooney.html">George Clooney</a> and former United Kingdom prime minister <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/20/when-fame-and-medical-privacy-clash-kate-and-other-crises-of-confidentiality">Gordon Brown</a>. Indeed, the Princess of Wales has had her medical privacy breached before, in 2012, while in hospital pregnant with her first child. This was no high-tech hacking of health data. Hoax callers from an Australian radio station <a href="https://theconversation.com/did-2day-fm-break-the-law-and-does-it-matter-11250">tricked</a> hospital staff into divulging details over the phone of the then Duchess of Cambridge’s health care. <h2>Tip of the iceberg</h2> Some unauthorised access to medical information goes undetected or is indeed undetectable unless there is an employment dispute or media involvement. Some is identified by colleagues. Records about your health might have been improperly sighted by someone in the health system. But you are rarely in a position to evaluate the data management of a clinic, hospital, health department or pathology lab. So we have to trust people do the right thing. <h2>How could we improve things?</h2> Health professions have long emphasised the need to protect these records. For instance, medical ethics bodies <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2255">condemn</a> medical students who <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-14/picture-sharing-app-for-doctors-raises-privacy-concerns/5389226">share</a> intimate or otherwise inappropriate images of patients. Different countries have various approaches to protecting who has access to medical records and under what circumstances. In Australia, for instance, we have a mix of complex and inconsistent laws that vary across jurisdictions, some covering privacy in general, others specific to health data. There isn’t one comprehensive law and set of standards <a href="https://theconversation.com/governments-privacy-review-has-some-strong-recommendations-now-we-really-need-action-200079">vigorously administered</a> by one well-resourced watchdog. In Australia, it’s mandatory to report <a href="https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/notifiable-data-breaches">data breaches</a>, including breaches of health data. This reporting system is currently <a href="https://theconversation.com/governments-privacy-review-has-some-strong-recommendations-now-we-really-need-action-200079">being updated</a>. But this won’t necessarily prevent data breaches. Instead, we need to incentivise Australian organisations to improve how they handle sensitive health data. The best policy <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1475-4932.12693">nudges</a> involve increasing penalties for breaches. This is so organisations act as responsible custodians rather than negligent owners of health data. We also need to step-up enforcement of data breaches and make it easier for victims to sue for breaches of privacy – princesses and tradies alike.<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/226303/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-baer-arnold-1408">Bruce Baer Arnold</a>, Associate Professor, School of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> 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/attempts-to-access-kate-middletons-medical-records-are-no-surprise-such-breaches-are-all-too-common-226303">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Legal

“I lost all ability to fly the plane”: Pilot's shock claim after plane drops mid-flight

At least 50 passengers have been injured with a dozen hospitalised after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner suddenly plunged about two hours into the flight from Sydney to Auckland on Monday. LATAM Airlines said that the plane experienced an unspecified "technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement." Passengers on board the flight have recalled the terrifying moment the plane took a nose-dive mid-flight. "The plane dipped so dramatically into a nose dive for a couple of seconds and around 30 people hit the ceiling hard," Daniel, who was travelling from London, told the NZ Herald. “None of us knew what had happened until after the flight, I was just trying to keep everyone calm. We never heard any announcement from the captain." He added that passengers were screaming and it was hard to tell whether blood or red wine was splattered through the cabin. Another passenger, Brian Jokat, told broadcaster RNZ that the incident took place in "split seconds". "There was no pre-turbulence, we were just sailing smoothly the whole way,” he said. “I had just dozed off and I luckily had my seatbelt on, and all of a sudden the plane just dropped. It wasn’t one of those things where you hit turbulence and you drop a few times … we just dropped.” He added that a passenger two seats away from him, who was not wearing his seatbelt, flew up into the ceiling and was suspended mid-air before he fell and broke his ribs. “I thought I was dreaming,” he said. “I opened my eyes and he was on the roof of the plane on his back, looking down on me. It was like The Exorcist.” Paramedics and more than 10 emergency vehicles were waiting for passengers when the plane landed in Auckland. Around 50 patients were treated, with 12 of them hospitalised and one in serious condition. At least three of those treated were cabin crew. Jokat told RNZ that after the plane landed, the pilot came to the back and explained what had happened. "He said to me, ‘I lost my instrumentation briefly and then it just came back all of a sudden,’” Jokat said. In another interview with Stuff.co.nz, Jokat recalled the pilot also saying: “My gauges just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane.” The airline's final destination was Santiago, Chile, but it was landing at Auckland Airport in accordance with its normal flight path, according to Reuters. "LATAM regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards," the airline said. Images: Brian Jokat/ News.com.au

Travel Trouble

The art of ‘getting lost’: how re-discovering your city can be an antidote to capitalism

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-dobson-1093706">Stephen Dobson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Do you remember what it was like to discover the magic of a city for the first time? Do you remember the noises, smells, flashing lights and pulsating crowds? Or do you mostly remember cities through the screen of your phone? In 1967, French philosopher and filmmaker Guy Debord <a href="https://files.libcom.org/files/The%20Society%20of%20the%20Spectacle%20Annotated%20Edition.pdf">publicised the need</a> to move away from living our lives as bystanders continually tempted by the power of images. Today, we might see this in a young person flicking from one TikTok to the next – echoing the hold images have on us. But adults aren’t adverse to this window-shopping experience, either. Debord notes we have a tendency to observe rather than engage. And this is to our detriment. Continually topping-up our image consumption leaves no space for the unplanned – the reveries to break the pattern of an ordered life. Debord was a member of a group called the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Situationist-International">Situationist International</a>, dedicated to new ways we could reflect upon and experience our cities. Active for about 15 years, they believed we should experience our cities as an act of resistance, in direct opposition to the (profit-motivated) capitalistic structures that demand our attention and productivity every waking hour. More than 50 years since the group dissolved, the Situationists’ philosophy points us to a continued need to attune ourselves – through our thoughts and senses – to the world we live in. We might consider them as early eco-warriors. And through better understanding their philosophy, we can develop a new relationship with our cities today. <h2>Understanding the ‘situation’</h2> The Situationist International movement was <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183p61x">formed</a> in 1957 in Cosio di Arroscia, Italy, and became active in several European countries. It brought together radical artists inspired by spontaneity, experimentalism, intellectualism, protest and hedonism. Central figures included Danish artist <a href="https://museumjorn.dk/en/">Asger Jorn</a>, French novelist <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/michele-bernstein-10219/">Michèle Bernstein</a> and Italian musician and composer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Olmo">Walter Olmo</a>. The Situationists were driven by a <a href="https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34141">libertarian form of Marxism</a> that resisted mass consumerism. One of the group’s early terms was “unitary urbanism”, which sought to join avant-garde art with the critique of mass production and technology. They rejected “urbanism’s” conventional emphasis on function, and instead thought about art and the environment as inexorably interrelated. By rebelling against the invasiveness of consumption, the Situationists proposed a turn towards artistically-inspired individuality and creativity. <h2>Think on your own two feet</h2> According to the 1960 <a href="https://hts3.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/situationist-international-manifesto.pdf">Situationist Manifesto</a> we are all to be artists of our own “situations”, crafting independent identities as we stand on our own two feet. They believed this could be achieved, in part, through “<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/psychogeography#:%7E:text=Psychogeography%20describes%20the%20effect%20of,emotions%20and%20behaviour%20of%20individuals">psychogeography</a>”: the idea that geographical locations exert a unique psychological effect on us. For instance, when you walk down a street, the architecture around you may be deliberately designed to encourage a certain kind of experience. Crossing a vibrant city square on a sunny morning evokes joy and a feeling of connection with others. There’s also usually a public event taking place. The Situationists valued drift, or dérive in French. This alludes to unplanned movement through a landscape during journeys on foot. By drifting aimlessly, we unintentionally redefine the traditional rules imposed by private or public land owners and property developers. We make ourselves open to the new unexpected and, in doing so, are liberated from the shackles of everyday routine. In <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-8100-2">our research</a>, my colleagues and I consider cities as places in which “getting lost” means exposing yourself to discovering the new and taken-for-granted. <h2>Forge your own path</h2> By understanding the Situationists – by looking away from our phones and allowing ourselves to get lost – we can rediscover our cities. We can see them for what they are beneath the blankets of posters, billboards and advertisements. How might we take back the image and make it work for us? The practise of geo-tagging images on social media, and sharing our location with others, could be considered close to the spirit of the Situationists. Although it’s often met with claims of <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/when-why-not-to-use-geotagging-overtourism-security">over-fuelling tourism</a> (especially regarding idyllic or otherwise protected sites), geo-tagging could <a href="https://www.melaninbasecamp.com/trip-reports/2019/5/1/five-reasons-why-you-should-keep-geotagging">inspire us</a> to actively seek out new places through visiting the source of an image. This could lead to culturally respectful engagement, and new-found respect for the rights of traditional custodians as we experience their lands in real life, rather than just through images on our phones. Then there are uniquely personal and anarchistic forms of resistance, wherein we can learn about the world around us by interweaving ourselves with our histories. In doing so we offer a new meaning to a historical message, and a new purpose. The Situationists called this process <a href="https://www.theartstory.org/movement/situationist-international/">détournement</a>, or hijacking. For instance, from my grandfather I inherited a biscuit tin of black and white photographs I believe were taken in the 1960s. They showed images of parks and wildlife, perhaps even of the same park, and cityscapes of London with people, streets and buildings. I have spent many hours wandering the London streets tracking down the exact places these images were snapped. I was juxtaposing past with present, and experiencing both continuity and change in the dialogues I had with my grandfather. In this way, I used images to augment (rather than replace) my lived experience of the material world. Urban art installations can also be examples of detournment as they make us re-think everyday conceptions. <a href="https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/forgotten-songs/">Forgotten Songs</a> by Michael Hill is one such example. A canopy of empty birdcages commemorates the songs of 50 different birds once heard in central Sydney, but which are now lost due to habitat removal as a result of urban development. There are also a number of groups, often with a strong environmental or civic rights focus, that partake in detournment. <a href="https://popularresistance.org/dancing-revolution-how-90s-protests-used-rave-culture-to-reclaim-the-streets/">Reclaim the Streets</a> is a movement with a long history in Australia. The group advocates for communities having ownership of and agency within public spaces. They may, for instance, “invade” a highway to throw a “<a href="https://pasttenseblog.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/road-rave.pdf">road rave</a>” as an act of reclamation. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bUL0C_T-Sqk?wmode=transparent&start=999" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> As French avant-garde philosopher <a href="https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/07/24/the-poetics-of-reverie-gaston-bachelard/">Gaston Bachelard</a> might have put it, when we’re bombarded by images there is no space left to daydream. We lose the opportunity to explore and question the world capitalism serves us through images. Perhaps now is a good time to set down the phone and follow in the Situationists’ footsteps. <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/221606/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-dobson-1093706">Stephen Dobson</a>, Professor and Dean of Education and the Arts, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/the-art-of-getting-lost-how-re-discovering-your-city-can-be-an-antidote-to-capitalism-221606">original article</a>.

Travel Tips

"Lost everything": Retirees left homeless after houseboat destroyed

Two grandparents from South Australia have lost everything after a tree fell on their houseboat during a wild storm. Pam, 77, and David, 82, moved into their two-bedroom houseboat on the Murray River when they first retired over 20 years ago, after finally living out their dream of living on the water. During a storm on February 13th, when their houseboat was moored about 700m from the Renmark boat ramp, their lives were changed forever when a tree fell through their roof. Their granddaughter Shenay Harris said it was a miracle the pair escaped with only minor injuries. “They’re both sitting in their armchairs next to each other. My nan was actually stuck. Her legs were pinned from all the rubble of the roof caving in, and my pop managed to be able to stand up and reach for the phone to call emergency services,” Harris told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/south-australian-grandparents-lose-everything-after-tree-falls-on-houseboat-in-murray-river-during-storm--c-13615764" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>. “Looking at the boat and where they were sitting and everything, we have no idea how they are still with us. It’s just absolutely amazing that they’re still here, and they’re OK.” Shenay said her grandparents were now feeling lost about their future, while also grieving the loss of their retirement home. “My pop, he’s absolutely shattered. He’s said to us ‘it’s all over now’ ... (we’re) trying to reassure him (that) ‘no, it’s just a new beginning’,” Harris said. “They’ve been on that boat for 23 years, so it’s been my whole childhood and life with them living on the boat." The houseboat was not insured at the time of the accident, leaving both of the retirees homeless, with no hope for a replacement boat or a payout to get them back on their feet. “They’ve literally just lost everything they’ve got, you know, no assets, nowhere to go, no money,” Shenay said. An <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/riverland-houseboat-tragedy-pamelas-joy?cdn-cache=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online fundraiser</a> has been set up to support the couple as they figure out the next stage of their life, so far raising $3,000. “They’re both pensioners, they’ve really got nothing to their name now, having lost the boat. So really just to get them back on their feet.” Image credits: GoFundMe / 7News

Retirement Life

Arrests made over record-holder's sudden tragic death

Arrests have been made after Kelvin Kiptum's father claimed that four men had attended his home looking for the Kenyan superstar before his death. The marathon world record holder tragically <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/world-record-holder-dies-tragically-at-age-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> at the age of 24, after a horrific collision that occurred in Western Kenya on Monday killed both him and his coach Gervais Hakizimana. Kenyan police have arrested four unidentified men after Kiptum's father, Samson Cheruiyot, called for an investigation into a visit that he said occurred just before the accident. "The four were taken to Elgeyo Marakwet for further investigations," Keiyo South Sub County commandant Abdullahi Dahir said. "They all come from Uasin Gishu County." Kiptum's devastated father broke down as he spoke about the death of his own child. "There are people who came home a while back who were looking for Kiptum, but they refused to identify themselves," Cheruiyot recalled. "I asked them to provide identification, but they opted to leave. It was a group of four people." He also recalled the moment he found out about his son's death. "I got the news of my son's death while I was watching the news," Kiptum's father said. "I went to the scene of the accident but the police had taken the body to Eldoret." Kiptum broke the marathon world record that was previously held by Eliud Kipchoge, after storming through the race in Chicago in just two hours and 35 seconds. Cheruiyot said that he last spoke to his son a day before his death. "He told me someone will come and help us build a house," he said. "He said that his body is now fit and he can now run for 1:59. "Kiptum was my only child. He has left me, his mum and his kids. I have no other child. His mum was sick for a while. Right now I'm deeply saddened." Images: Getty

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"Lost everything": Retirees left homeless after houseboat destroyed

Arrests made over record-holder's sudden tragic death

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