Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England

Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the closest thing Australian cartooning had to a prophet. By turns over his long career, he was a poet, a prophet and a provocateur.

The challenge comes in attempting to understand Leunig’s significance: for Australian cartooning; for readers of The Age and other papers past; and for the nation’s idea of itself.

On this day, do you remember the gently philosophical Leunig, or the savagely satirical one? Do you remember a cartoon that you thought absolutely nailed the problems of the world, or one you thought was terribly wrong-headed?

Leunig’s greatness lay in how intensely he made his audiences think and feel.

There is no one straightforward story to tell here. With six decades of cartooning at least weekly in newspapers and 25 book-length collections of his work, how could there be?

The light and the dark

One thread is an abiding fondness for the whimsical Leunig. Mr Curly and Vasco Pyjama live on in the imaginations of so many readers.

Particularly in the 1980s and 90s, Leunig’s work seemed to hold up a moral and ethical mirror up to Australian society – sometimes gently, but not without controversy, such as his 1995 “Thoughts of a baby lying in a childcare centre”.

Another thread is the dark satirist.

In the 1960s and 70s, he broke onto the scene as a wild man in Oz and the Nation Review who deplored Vietnam and only escaped the draft owing to deafness in one ear.

Then he apparently mellowed to become the guru of the Age, still with a capacity to launch the occasional satirical thunderbolt. Decidedly countercultural, together with Patrick Cook and Peter Nicholson, Leunig brought what historian Tony Moore has called “existential and non-materialist themes to the Australian black-and-white tradition”.

By 1999, he was declared a “national living treasure” by the National Trust, and was being lauded by universities for his unique contributions to the national culture.

But to tell the story of Leunig’s significance from the mid 90s on is to go beyond the dreamer and the duck. In later decades you could see a clear distinction between some cartoons that continued to console in a bewildering world, and others that sparked controversy.

Politics and controversy

Leunig saw 9/11 and the ensuing “War on Terror” as the great turning point in his career. He fearlessly returned to the themes of the Vietnam years, only to receive caution, rebuke and rejection from editors and readers.

He stopped drawing Mr Curly and Vasco Pyjama. The world was no longer safe for the likes of them.

Then there was a cartoon refused by the Age in 2002, deemed by editor Michael Gawenda to be inappropriate: in the first frame, a Jew is confronted by the gates of the death camp: “Work Brings Freedom [Arbeit Macht Frei]”; in the second frame an Israeli viewing a similar slogan “War Brings Peace”.

Rejected, it was never meant to see the light of day, but ABC’s Media Watch and Crikey outed it because of the constraint its spiking represented to fair media comment on the Middle East.

That the cartoon was later entered, without Leunig’s knowledge, in the infamous Iranian “Holocaust Cartoon” competition of 2006, has only added to its infamy and presaged the internet’s era of the uncontrollable circulation of images.

A decade later, from 2012, he reworked Martin Niemöller’s poetic statement of guilt over the Holocaust. The result was outrage, but also acute division within the Australian Jewish community.

Dvir Abramovich (chairperson of the Anti-Defamation Commission) made a distinction between something challenging, and something racist, believing it was the latter.

Harold Zwier (of the Australian Jewish Democratic Society) welcomed the chance for his community to think critically about Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank.

From 2019 – a mother, distracted, looking at her phone rather than her baby. Cries of “misogyny”, including from Leunig’s very talented cartoonist sister, Mary.

Then from 2021 – a COVID-19 vaccination needle atop an armoured tank, rolling towards a helpless citizen.

Leunig’s enforced retirement (it is still debated whether he walked or was pushed) was long and drawn-out. He filed his last cartoon for the Age this August. By then, he had alienated more than a few of his colleagues in the press and the cartooning profession.

Support of the downtrodden

Do we speak ill of the dead? We hope not. Instead, we hope we are paying respect to a great and often angry artist who wanted always to challenge the consumer society with its dark cultural and geopolitical secrets.

Leunig’s response was a single line of argument: he was “Just a cartoonist with a moral duty to speak”.

You don’t have to agree with every provocation, but his purpose is always to take up the cause of the weak, and deploy all the weaponry at his disposal to support the downtrodden in their fight.

“The role of the cartoonist is not to be balanced”, said Leunig, but rather to “give balance”.

For Leunig, the weak were the Palestinian civilians, the babies of the post-iPhone generation, and those forced to be vaccinated by a powerful state; just as they were the Vietnamese civilians, the children forced to serve their rulers through state-sanctioned violence, the citizens whose democracy was undercut by stooges of the establishment.

That deserves to be his legacy, regardless of whether you agree or not about his stance.

The coming year will give a great many people pause to reflect on the life and work of Leunig. Indeed, he has provided us with a monthly schedule for doing just that: Leunig may be gone, but 2025 is already provided for, via his last calendar.

Richard Scully receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

Robert Phiddian receives funding from the Australian Research Council for the Cartoon Nation Discovery Project. He is affiliated with the Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

Stephanie Brookes receives funding from receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

– ref. The closest thing Australian cartooning had to a prophet: the sometimes celebrated, sometimes controversial Michael Leunig – https://theconversation.com/the-closest-thing-australian-cartooning-had-to-a-prophet-the-sometimes-celebrated-sometimes-controversial-michael-leunig-246409

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne

Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world.

While we tend to focus on avoiding UV damage to our skin, it’s important to remember our eyes as well.

Last summer, only six in ten Australians who spent time outside during peak UV exposure times said they wore sunglasses.

But sunglasses are much more than a fashion statement. Here’s why they’re important for our eye health (and our skin) – and some tips on how to choose a pair that works.

What is UV radiation?

UV radiation is a type of energy produced by sources like the sun. There are three types: UVA, UVB, UVC. UVA and UVB are responsible for the sun-related damage to our skin and eyes.

UV can be direct, scattered or reflected, bouncing off surfaces such as water, sand and snow. But unlike the other types of energy the sun makes (visible light and infrared radiation), we can’t see or feel UV radiation.

This is why we can’t rely on clear skies or hot temperatures to work out if UV levels are high.

Instead, we use the UV Index, a scale from low (1–2) to extreme (11+).

Official guidelines recommend sun protection when the UV index is 3 or higher. This includes protecting our eyes.

How does UV light affect our eyes?

Excessive UV radiation can have both short and long-term effects on our eyes and surrounding skin.

In the short term, you might become sensitive to light or develop photokeratitis, sometimes known as “snow blindness”.

Photokeratitis is like a sunburn to the cornea (the clear, dome-shaped part at the front of the eye that lets light in) and makes the eyes sore, red and sensitive to light. Photokeratitis usually resolves with rest from light and eyedrops.

But the long-term effects of chronic UV exposure can be more severe.

It can lead to a fleshy growth on the eye called a pterygium, also known as “surfer’s eye”. This growth can obstruct vision if it grows over the cornea, requiring surgical removal.

Excessive UV exposure can also speed up the development of cataracts (where the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy and blurs the vision) or lead to skin cancers on the eye and eyelid.

Excessive UV exposure can be particularly harmful to children as the lens in their eyes aren’t able to filter UV light as well as adults – so it’s important for children to wear sunglasses too.

What about the skin?

UV radiation can also accelerate skin ageing.

It breaks down proteins in the skin which keep it elastic, such as elastin and collagen, and can trigger low-grade inflammation.

Without sunglasses, we also tend to squint more to try and reduce the amount of light entering our eyes. These repeated movements can contribute to the development of wrinkles and “crow’s feet” around the eyes.

What sunglasses should I choose?

In Australia and New Zealand, every pair of spectacles with tinted lenses must be be labelled to show the category of protection they offer. They are regulated by Australian/New Zealand Standards.

There are five categories for lenses:

• categories 0–1 are “fashion spectacles”. They look like sunglasses but in fact offer little or no UV protection

• category 2 provide a medium level of sun glare reduction and good UV protection

• category 3 provide a high level of sun glare reduction and good UV protection

• category 4 lenses are very dark and only recommended for use in extreme levels of glare, such as mountaineering, or at sea. These lenses are too dark to be used for driving.

What else should I know?

Good sunglasses don’t have to be expensive. The category of protection is more important than the price tag – so always check the label to see how well they block UV radiation.

Sunglasses that fit close to eyes, with good wrap around the face, provide the best protection in reducing both direct and reflected UV radiation.

Lenses can also be polarised, blocking any light waves coming from a horizontal direction. This reduces glare from reflective surfaces while increasing contrast – especially useful for water activities such as fishing.

Some sunglasses may also use the term “eye protection factor” (EPF). The EPF rating is based on how well a pair of sunglasses can protect your eyes from UVA and UVB based on the lenses and frame design. Look for an EPF of 9 or 10.

The label “UV400” is also useful, as it means the lenses block almost 100% of UV.

Protecting your eyes year round

Sunlight can also be beneficial to our eyes.

For example, morning sunlight can help us reset our body clocks and promote proper eye development in children to prevent shortsightedness. It is also important for the body’s production of vitamin D.

But moderation is key. The safest way to get the benefits of sunlight during summer is a few minutes of mid-morning or mid-afternoon sunlight. In late autumn and winter when the UV index is below 3, spending time outdoors during midday is beneficial.

As we’re exposed to UV radiation all year round, sunglasses are a good idea in any season. In summer, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen, and limiting outdoor time during peak UV exposure, will also help protect your eyes and skin.

Flora Hui does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Sunglasses don’t just look good – they’re good for you too. Here’s how to choose the right pair – https://theconversation.com/sunglasses-dont-just-look-good-theyre-good-for-you-too-heres-how-to-choose-the-right-pair-245270

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney

Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one.

Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning a branded business by replicating proven management and business systems.

McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos, and Taco Bell are prominent multinational examples. But franchising isn’t limited to fast food, and not all franchise systems are American.

The model has transformed the business landscapes of most countries. Not least Australia, which has more franchising outlets per capita than any other country except New Zealand.

It can have some real benefits for both the franchisor – the entrepreneurial enterprise looking to expand, and the franchisee – the aspiring owner-operator seeking to enter an industry.

But it can also pose some unique challenges, including what might happen to you as a franchisee if the brand you’ve partnered with is sold.

What is franchising?

Franchising is essentially a strategy for marketing and distribution.

A small company with a successful business that is seeking to expand will face real financial and management challenges in scaling up organically. Franchising provides an increasingly popular alternative.

Under the franchising model, a company’s expansion is, in effect, outsourced to legally and financially independent operators called franchisees.

Franchisees are granted the right to develop and operate their own business using the brands, systems and know-how of the parent company, called the franchisor.

In return, franchisees pay franchisors a fee (usually a percentage of turnover) and enter an agreement for a fixed term.

The rights and obligations of the parties are recorded in a franchise agreement – a complex and lengthy document which addresses the intricate commercial relationship between both parties over the life of the agreement.

What are the benefits?

As noted by a 1990 US House of Representatives Committee, franchising provides a means for:

merging the seemingly conflicting interests of existing businesses with those of aspiring entrepreneurs in a single process that promotes business expansion, entrepreneurial opportunity and shared cost and risk.

The franchisor, looking to grow their business, benefits from more rapid market expansion than would be possible through organic growth.

Outlets are financed and managed by the franchisees, who provide them with a regular source of income. Most commonly, through the payment of fees based on a percentage of turnover.

The franchisee benefits from participating in a proven brand with established recognition, reputation and goodwill. They also receive training and ongoing support.

Beyond fast food

Australia’s franchise systems operate across virtually all consumer goods and services. Many business-to-business services are also offered through franchised systems.

An independent review of the Franchising Code of Conduct in 2023 recorded that Australia’s franchise sector comprised 1,144 franchise systems and more than 70,000 franchisees.

Collectively, the entire sector employed more than half a million people and generated about A$135 billion in annual revenue.

The expansion of the US fast food giants to Australia – McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut – in the early 1970s undoubtedly introduced Australian consumers to distinctive fast food concepts.

But it also introduced the franchising concept to local entrepreneurs who were quick to adopt and adapt it.

Today, according to the US Trade Commission, close to 90% of franchises operating in Australia are Australian-developed. US brands (not individual units) account for 3-5% of the market here.

Still relatively young

The remarkable success of franchising perhaps disguises its relative infancy as a method of business operation. Franchising in its contemporary business format only developed in the 1950s.

The expanding US Interstate Highway system, implemented by President Dwight Eisenhower in the mid-1950s, led to a demand for convenient and cheap food and accommodation offerings.

Franchise systems developed at that time took advantage of this opportunity. Harland Sanders adopted franchising in 1952 to expand his roadside fried chicken restaurant today known as KFC. Kemmons Wilson’s first Holiday Inn was franchised in 1954.

And in 1955 Ray Kroc developed a franchising strategy to exploit the massively successful hamburger stand developed by Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California.

Bigger and bolder

Franchising may have started as an expansion strategy for small businesses with a proven concept and the ambition to grow. But somewhere along the way, it got big.

The model has now evolved from its original form, where a national franchisor makes agreements with single unit franchisees, to increasingly innovative strategies.

Multi-unit franchising is where franchisees own and operate multiple units of the franchise system – for example, multiple stores.

Multi-brand franchising is where a company owns multiple franchise brands.

There’s even master franchising, where a franchisor grants an entrepreneur the rights to franchise the system in an entire country or territory.

However, these increasing complexities only deepen when companies list on the stock exchange – or when a franchise brand is sold.

Changing ownership

Changing ownership of a franchise brand will always present challenges.

When a franchisee running an individual store wants to transfer ownership of their business, they require their franchisor’s consent (although the mandatory Franchising Code of Conduct states this consent cannot be unreasonably withheld).

On the other hand, if a franchisor wants to sell the overarching brand, they aren’t required to get the consent of their franchisees, unless required under the franchise agreement (which would be highly unusual).

An announcement last month, that Queensland-based Retail Food Group would acquire boutique South Australian coffee franchise Cibo Espresso from its parent company, Retail Zoo, caused some controversy.

Cibo stores are set to be rebranded as Gloria Jean’s stores, one of Retail Food Group’s 11 franchise brands.

Retail Food Group expects to invest about $1.3 million into the Cibo network to help existing franchisees “accelerate their transition to Gloria Jean’s”.

Perhaps predictably, though, the announcement was not universally welcomed by all Cibo franchisees. Some expressed regret at the loss of a local South Australian brand.

Existing franchisees would face substantial financial hurdles in challenging the transition. In these and similar cases, experience suggests abundant goodwill is required on both sides for a workable commercial outcome.

This article is part of The Conversation’s “Business Basics” series where we ask experts to discuss key concepts in business, economics and finance.

Andrew Terry has previously served in unpaid roles as director of the Franchising Council of Australia, and as a member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Small Business and Franchising Consultative Committee. In 2016, he was inducted into the Franchise Council of Australia’s Franchising Hall of Fame for his contributions to franchise sector education.

– ref. How does franchising work? – https://theconversation.com/how-does-franchising-work-243585

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University

US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions.

These include positions like national cyber director, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and National Security Council cyber lead. These figures will be vital in securing America’s cyber security at a crucial time.

We believe there are three flashpoints that could be particularly troublesome for the incoming administration:

• how Trump will balance his economic and security priorities
• how his administration can effectively deter Chinese digital disruption
• how it will address the suspicions among some MAGA supporters of the powers of the intelligence “deep state”.

Intensifying Chinese cyber espionage

Chinese electronic surveillance and espionage activities against the US have reached an all-time high in terms of level of effort and, most importantly, effectiveness.

These espionage activities have been successfully targeting:

• the key intellectual property that provides the US with an economic and national security advantage
• the personal communications of senior US government and military officials, and
• the personal data of tens of millions of Americans.

As has recently been reported, the Chinese government has exploited vulnerabilities in America’s ageing telecommunications infrastructure to target secret government systems.

Hackers from the group “Salt Typhoon” were able to access the personal communications of high-ranking officials (including Trump) and expose the identities of US intelligence targets and sources in the US and overseas.

Salt Typhoon also appears to have extracted US telecommunications companies’ call data records. These detail the call history and associated phone numbers of all users of the network.

These sophisticated breaches follow years of brazen cyber operations to steal US intellectual property and state secrets concerning strategically significant technologies. These include artificial intelligence, next-generation aircraft, biotechnology and energy systems.

Indeed, researchers have found the majority of Chinese espionage activities against the US since 2000 have focused on stealing commercial technologies and information.

Alongside this, the US government believes Beijing is seeking to expand its ability to capture digital information on Americans.

The Biden administration responded to this threat with a number of measures to harden America’s technology ecosystem against Chinese-made devices and software that may contain backdoors or hidden surveillance features. The response included bans and restrictions on products made by Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera, as well as the social media platform Tiktok.

This all sets the scene for showdowns between Trump and China, as well as between Trump and America’s tech sector.

For example, the Trump administration will almost certainly have to compel telecommunications giants AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and others to address longtime deficiencies in their infrastructure. This includes the persistent use of unshielded components dating back to the 1970–80s.

Simultaneously, the personal targeting of Trump, his Cabinet, and senior government officials and their sources will require a forceful response to deter future operations.

But how much will the Trump administration be prepared to do in response to Chinese aggression?

President Joe Biden has hit back against China by targeting its semiconductor industry and curtailing its access to other strategic technologies. In any negotiations between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping over trade and tariffs, Beijing is likely to seek to have these measures removed.

If it does, Trump’s desire for a better economic “deal” with China may come into conflict with national security concerns.

Cyber sabotage on critical infrastructure

Chinese agencies have also been infiltrating American and allied critical infrastructure (including the cyber security centres in the “Five Eyes” partners) for the purposes of sabotage.

The aim is to pre-position themselves in target networks, installing sophisticated malware that can be activated to disrupt and degrade essential systems. This includes in a time of war.

The most noteworthy of these efforts has come from Volt Typhoon, a Chinese state-sponsored hacker group.

These efforts to infiltrate and cripple vital infrastructure are consistent with China’s long-standing doctrine of covert action intended to “win without fighting”.

These sabotage efforts are widely expected to intensify as we approach 2027. This is the crucial window when China’s People’s Liberation Army is expected to reach military readiness to attempt an invasion of Taiwan.

The greatest risk of this digital sabotage campaign is a possible escalation into a military conflict between the US and China.

If Chinese malware is used to target the celebrations for America’s 250th birthday in 2026 or the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, for example, how much restraint would Trump have?

Renewing America’s cyber espionage law

The final flashpoint will be a legislative one.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has long been the subject of passionate debate in the US. Most of this centres on Section 702, the basis for much of America’s cyber intelligence collection efforts on foreign targets.

This section allows US intelligence agencies to intercept phone calls, emails and other digital communications on non-Americans outside the US.

Congress has mandated these agencies to “minimise” the collateral collection of data on Americans. In practice, however, this has been difficult to achieve in the age of digital anonymity and transnational threats.

Bipartisan supporters of FISA consider it essential to national security agencies that are fighting to keep America and its allies safe. The MAGA-aligned House Freedom Caucus, however, has cast the act in a different light. They believe it empowers an unaccountable deep state intent on surveilling ordinary citizens.

Trump has at times aligned himself with this view. In April of this year, he posted that Congress should “kill FISA” due to allegations it enabled spying of his 2020 presidential campaign.

Section 702 will lapse in April 2026 unless Congress votes to authorise it again. While both houses of Congress will have Republican majorities, the disparate views within the party do not guarantee passage.

Raising the stakes further are the intensifying national security threats a second Trump administration will face.

Intelligence officials will argue the demand for FISA-sourced intelligence has never been higher. However, outsiders like Tulsi Gabbard (presumptive director of national intelligence), Kash Patel (presumptive FBI director), Pam Bondi (presumptive attorney-general) and Kristi Noem (presumptive secretary of homeland security) may oppose re-authorising the legislation.

Furthermore, America’s allies rely heavily on intelligence shared by US agencies using FISA warrants. Just as Trump looks set to demand NATO and other allies pay more for their own defence, he may well insist that Five Eyes and other intelligence partners do more of their own surveillance operations, too.

William A. Stoltz is a senior manager in strategy and consulting at CyberCX. He has received Australian government funding via projects conducted at the ANU National Security College, where he is currently an expert associate. He is an advisory board member of the Asia-Pacific Defence, Diplomacy, and Development Dialogue (AP4D), a council member of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (Vic), and a visiting fellow at the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne. He has previously been employed by Australia’s Department of Defence.

Admiral Mike Rogers (retired) is a member of the Global Advisory Board for CyberCX, Australia’s leading cyber security firm. Rogers served as the director of the National Security Agency and as commander U.S. Cyber Command between 2014 and 2018 for US presidents Obama and Trump. He is also a senior advisor at both the Brunswick Group and Bondi Partners.

– ref. As China expands its cyber espionage and sabotage operations, how will the Trump administration respond? – https://theconversation.com/as-china-expands-its-cyber-espionage-and-sabotage-operations-how-will-the-trump-administration-respond-244738

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Whittle, Director, Data61

I’m a computer scientist and a bad Christmas shopper. Over the weekend, I wondered whether AI systems might be able to help me out.

Could I just prompt ChatGPT to pick a personalised gift for my cousin Johnny and have it shipped in time to reach him? Alas, the cheerful chatbot couldn’t help, telling me it “can’t make purchases or handle shipping directly”.

In the two years since ChatGPT launched, we have seen wave after wave of AI products and features promising to save us from mundane tasks. Yet so far, gift shopping is beyond them – apart from the odd built-in chatbot on a shopping site or app.

However, things may be different by next Christmas. One thing many experts expect in 2025 is the rise of AI agents: bots that can take actions on your behalf in the real world.

Agents are already here

An AI agent can do more than just suggest where you can get a Santa suit. It can buy it for you and have it delivered to your door.

And the vision for “agentic AI” is that teams of AI agents will work together. You would give your team of agents a prompt:

I’m cooking Christmas dinner this year. Find my closest Facebook friends, send them invites, make sure one of them is a chef and tell them to bring the turkey.

The agents would sort it all, without you ever having to lift a finger. Crucially, AI agents should have the ability to coordinate across multiple websites.

In fact, limited AI agents are already here. A report by AI developer Langchain claims 51% of respondents to its survey already use AI agents in production.

In 2024, venture funds invested an estimated US$1.8 billion in AI agent projects. Deloitte’s latest Global Predictions Report argues 25% of companies that use generative AI will launch agentic AI projects in 2025.

Research firm Gartner predicts that by 2028, 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made by AI agents.

Agents for everybody?

We are also seeing agents for consumers beginning to emerge. These are systems that could potentially automate many browser-based tasks (including shopping).

In October, Anthropic – the company behind the popular Claude generative AI bot – released a “computer use” feature that allows the AI to take over a user’s mouse and keyboard to browse and take actions on any website.

Education expert Leon Furze created a demo using computer use to automatically browse to a learning management system, open the page for an assignment, create text for the assignment, and click the submit button. All done automatically from a single text prompt.

More recently, Google Deepmind released its own version, Project Mariner, which similarly allows an AI to autonomously navigate and carry out actions in the Chrome browser.

Both these systems are still early versions, with Project Mariner only available to a trusted set of testers. But they hint at what’s to come.

You can’t use either of these tools today to automate your Christmas shopping – at least, not easily. So what would be needed to make a truly useful Christmas shopping AI agent?

The technology exists

The technology side of a shopping agent is relatively straightforward. As a user, I might want to give a prompt such as

Send photo gifts to my family in England. Select some fun family photos from my phone, search for a website that does photo gifts, order appropriate gifts for each family member, and send using my address book.

Executing this would require multiple AI agents: one to find the photos, one to find the shopping sites, one to personalise the gifts, a credit card agent to buy them, and an address-finding agent.

Whether through computer use, Project Mariner, or some other AI agent platform, there is no technological reason why this can’t be done today.

The trust problem

However, there are two significant barriers to making AI agents useful.

First, and most obvious, is trust. Would you trust an AI agent with your credit card details?

Despite two years of advances in AI since ChatGPT, hallucinations – where the AI doesn’t know an answer and so simply makes something up – are still a problem.

A recent study showed that even in AI programming – one of the most popular and valuable uses of AI – 52% of AI-generated answers to coding questions contained errors.

It only takes one error from the AI to send Aunty Molly’s gift to Uncle Joe. And let’s just hope it’s a harmless error such as poor gift matching, not leaking your bank account details.

What agents need to know

The second and less obvious barrier is that for AI agents to be useful, they need to understand context. Even with something relatively simple like buying gifts, context is everything.

I have years of knowledge about what my mother likes. I won’t always get it right, but I’ll do a lot better than a generic AI response. This knowledge is usually tacit and there’s simply no way ChatGPT can have access to the rich history of human interactions that lead to that perfect gift.

Having said that, AI bots are already recording information about their users. To prove this, just ask ChatGPT, “What do you know about me?” Depending on your settings, you might be surprised by the answer.

Perhaps at some point the AI systems we use regularly will know enough about us and our family that Christmas shopping can be fully automated.

But this year, I will still have to attend to it myself. Bah humbug!

Jon Whittle works at CSIRO which receives R&D funding from a wide range of government and industry clients.

– ref. AI can’t do your Christmas shopping just yet – but next year might be different – https://theconversation.com/ai-cant-do-your-christmas-shopping-just-yet-but-next-year-might-be-different-246132

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Crosby, Professor of Economics, Monash University

This week, the value of the Australian dollar fell to 62 US cents, its lowest level since October 2022.

The acute cause? A revelation by the United States Federal Reserve that it expected interest rates to bottom out at higher-than-expected levels in two years time, due to fewer rate cuts in 2025.

Typically, higher interest rates in the US mean a stronger US dollar. The Australian dollar plummeted despite the fact that the Federal Reserve has recently cut rates three times.

Many – not least those Australians about to travel overseas – will be asking an obvious question: where will the dollar go next?

Unfortunately, short run movements in the exchange rate are nearly impossible to predict. For Australia, however, the bigger picture is what’s happening in China’s economy.

Ongoing economic weakness there has weighed on the Australian dollar, as has speculation about a new trade war, with the looming return of US President Donald Trump. All eyes are on what might happen next.

A proxy for the rest of the world

While the current level of the Australian dollar is a little low, historically, it isn’t highly unusual.

It has visited the 60 US cent range several times over the past couple of decades. In the early 2000s, it even dipped below 50 US cents.

In the short term, movements in the Australian dollar tend to be driven by market expectations of how well the global economy – and in particular China’s economy – is travelling.

This is because our economy is heavily dependent on commodity exports, such as iron ore. Road, rail and buildings are all very iron ore intensive.

When there’s strong growth in China or the rest of the world, commodities prices also go up, pushing up the value of the Australian dollar.

Why? because it creates greater demand for our currency. To buy Australian commodities, you typically first have to convert your own currency into Australian dollars.

On the flip side, pessimism about global – and in particular Chinese – economic growth prospects are likely to see commodity prices fall and weaken the Australian dollar.

This link between the Australian dollar and China’s economy was very evident shortly after the global financial crisis in 2008.

A Chinese infrastructure-led stimulus package led to a booming Chinese economy and demand for commodities, which over following years pushed the Aussie dollar up from the 60 US cents range to the US$1 mark.

China remains unsteady

Knowing this relationship between Chinese growth and the exchange rates helps us to unpack the Australian dollar’s recent weakness.

There’s been serious uncertainty surrounding China’s economy and the extent to which it can continue to grow strongly.

The Chinese government’s plans to stimulate its economy remain tentative. There also seems to be a willingness to allow the commodity-intensive construction sector to remain weak.

The broader outlook for global commodities remains cloudy, and the Australian economy does not have other drivers to support stronger economic growth. Hence, our weak dollar.

What about interest rates?

The other key factor impacting foreign exchange rates is interest rates. Normally, higher interest rates will cause money to flow to an economy and strengthen its exchange rate.

On this basis, the current movements might seem unusual at first glance. The US is already cutting rates, but our own Reserve Bank of Australia is holding steady and not expected to move them for a while yet.

So why did the Australian dollar fall against the US dollar? It’s all about changing expectations.

Markets had already priced in expectations about the pace of US rate cuts over the coming year, which is now expected to be slower.

How markets think interest rates will change in the future matters just as much for cross-border money flows as what they are right now.

However, China’s economic weakness over the past few years has overwhelmed interest rate impacts as far as the Australian dollar is concerned.

Winners and losers

A weaker exchange rate might seem like a bad thing. Australians about to head overseas will be bracing to spend more. On top of this, many of the products we import – such as cars, electronics and fuels – will become more expensive for Australians.

But a weak Australian dollar isn’t a problem for everyone. For some groups, it’s highly beneficial.

Australian exporters may benefit from becoming more internationally competitive because their goods become relatively cheaper. It can also make it cheaper both to visit Australia as a tourist, or pay international student fees to study here.

Overall, the long-term effect of a weak dollar on the Australian economy is often positive, with more jobs and spending in export sectors giving the economy a major boost.

Mark Crosby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Heading on an overseas holiday? The Australian dollar tumbled this week – but that’s not bad news for everyone – https://theconversation.com/heading-on-an-overseas-holiday-the-australian-dollar-tumbled-this-week-but-thats-not-bad-news-for-everyone-246321

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Quain, Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney

Around one third of Australian households live with at least one cat, yet surveys tell us the cats’ needs are not being met.

Cats may rule the internet, but humans often misconstrue feline behaviour. Earlier this year, the Washington Post boldly declared cat’s arent jerks – they’re just misunderstood. This was prompted by research showing that, contrary to unhelpful stereotypes, cats are not antisocial. They can and do bond closely with humans.

The more we learn about cats, the more we realise they are complex individuals with unique personalities and preferences, capable of learning.

From understanding your cat’s language to keeping them safe and healthy – here are science-backed tips to improve the lives of your feline flatmates.

1. Pay attention to body language

Cats communicate with humans using body language and vocalisation. However, while cats direct meows at humans, and the meows vary depending on the context, humans are not great at decoding them. But we can read cat body language.

For example, slow blinking is likely to indicate a positive emotional state. Cats who are not happy (for example, don’t want to be touched) will freeze, move away, flatten their ears, hiss, or – if they feel they have no other option – scratch or bite.

It is better to allow cats to approach you on their terms, rather than pushing for social interaction. A cat approaching you with their tail up is giving a friendly signal, while a tail swishing from side to side signals annoyance.

Cats should always have the option to opt out of any interaction, like being touched. If you aren’t sure, just “ask”: stop patting them. If they walk away, they’re not keen. If they rub their head against you, they want to continue the interaction.

2. Provide a healthy environment

The American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society of Feline Medicine have agreed upon five pillars of a healthy feline environment:

1. A safe space so that cats can retreat if frightened.

2. Multiple, separated key resources (food, water, toileting areas, scratching areas, play areas and resting or sleeping areas) so that cats can comfortably conduct their daily activities.

3. Opportunity for play and predatory behaviour, such as games with wand toys that simulate hunting.

4. Positive, consistent and predictable human-cat interactions, respecting a cat’s choice about whether and how they interact.

5. Respecting the importance of a cat’s senses by avoiding undesirable stimuli (strong smells and loud noises), and providing desirable sensory stimulation (for example, use of catnip or silver vine).

These pillars provide a useful checklist. If you read this and realise your cat’s food and water are right next to the litter tray, you can improve your cat’s environment (and their experiences of eating and toileting) by separating these resources right now.

3. Clean the litter tray!

A litter tray may represent an unpleasant chore to you, but the importance of a spacious litter tray to your cat cannot be overstated. Cats prefer using a clean litter tray, even if they are the only cat in the household.

Cats like to spend time in the tray before, during and after toileting, and they generally prefer a large tray.

Poor litter hygiene is associated with a risk of urinary problems, which can be life-threatening.
A survey of over 12,000 Australian cat owners found that urinary problems were more common in households with a low number of litter trays per cat, less frequent removal of faeces from the trays, and the use of crystal-type cat litter.

If you switch the type of litter you provide, a slow transition is recommended to allow cats to get used to the change.

4. Read the room

Do you have more than one cat? Tension between household cats is common but often overlooked, as it’s not always physical fighting. Signs of inter-cat tension can include prolonged staring, or even blocking the use of resources such as the litter tray or cat door, to prevent other cats from using them.

In their 2024 intercat-tension guidelines, the American Association of Feline Practitioners note this can case chronic fear, anxiety and stress-related illnesses in cats.

Learning to recognise and manage tension between household cats can improve the welfare of all parties.

When you love your cat, it is tempting to seek to amplify the joy by adopting another. But many cats prefer to be the only cat in the household, and don’t cope well with a feline flatmate. If they have positive interactions with familiar, trusted humans, they’re unlikely to be lonely.

5. Keep cats and other animals safe

Historically, domesticated cats earned their keep protecting grain stores from rodents. But what constitutes responsible cat ownership has changed. Around 65% of Australia’s cat owners confine their cats indoors always, while 24% keep their cats confined at night.

A major driver for indoor-only housing of cats is their predation of wildlife. Another is concerns about roaming-associated risks to cats, including cat fights, infectious diseases (such as feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV), misadventure and motor vehicle trauma. But owners of cats kept entirely indoors were more likely to report “problem” behaviours.

Ideally, cats shouldn’t be allowed to free-roam unsupervised where they can harm wildlife, even within the bounds of the property where you live. More than a third of local councils in Australia now require cats to be contained overnight or 24 hours a day.

Outdoor access provides sensory stimulation, with different sights, sounds and smells. Alternatives to free roaming include providing access to a well-designed cat run, harness-training your cat, or supervising your cat.

Cats who don’t leave home unless they’re moving house or being taken to the vet, quickly learn to associate the cat carrier with a trip to an unfamiliar environment. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that a vet visit is imminent when the carrier comes out.

But that negative association can be changed. Cats who were rewarded with treats when they approached, stepped inside or rested in the carrier for six weeks were much less stressed during veterinary visits.

Cats are intelligent, and contrary to popular opinion, can be trained. The process can be enriching for cats and humans alike. With patience and commitment, you can train your cat – from a simple “sit” to voluntarily stepping into the cat carrier.

In short, give cats choice, respect their “cat-ness”, pay attention to their needs and try to see our world from their point of view. Your cat will be happier for it.

Anne Quian has previously consulted to iCatCare, and works at Potts Point Veterinary Hospital. She has donated to several charities including the Cat Protection Society of NSW and the RSPCA NSW.

– ref. How can I keep my cat happy? 5 tips from a vet to help your feline friend live their best life – https://theconversation.com/how-can-i-keep-my-cat-happy-5-tips-from-a-vet-to-help-your-feline-friend-live-their-best-life-242774

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament & Director of the Wesley Centre, University of Divinity

Those beautiful white and gold angels you see on Christmas trees were originally monsters. At least, that is the claim made by scholar Esther Hamori in her book God’s Monsters. Hamori writes that angels “have acquired the soft-edged glow of a Hallmark card, but are some of the deadliest shapeshifters in a universe teeming with bizarre figures”.

Hamori, a scholar of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, demonstrates how angels in the biblical tradition destroy entire towns, unleash plagues, lead armies, and sometimes wield swords.

Biblical angels can be terrifying and monstrous. They appear covered in fire and can also cause fire. Their appearance is sometimes closer to that of a giant fiery, multi-winged serpent than anything human or cherubic. Even when they are more anthropomorphic in form, their faces might be bronzed or shining and their skin like gemstones, clues they transcend the normal created order.

The word angel (Greek: angelos; Hebrew: malach) simply means “messenger”. A messenger can be human, but angelos in the Bible usually refers to a messenger from another realm.

Other types of creatures grouped in the angel category include seraphs and cherubs. Seraphim are essentially burning creatures, probably serpents or dragons, that appear in Isaiah as six-winged heavenly creatures. Even cherubs – usually depicted today as chubby angel babies – did not start out that way.

In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, cherubs (cherubim) are warrior sentinels with fiery swords who guard the gate to the Garden of Eden and, later, the Ark of the Covenant.

There is not much physical description of them in the Bible, but we should not assume they are human-like or small. In one passage their wings span something like four metres (1 Kings 6); in another they are multi-faced creatures with wheels that move in all directions (Ezekiel).

These biblical angels are so different from contemporary angel Christmas decorations, that numerous amusing memes have been spawned using anatomically “correct” biblical angels.

Conversely, angels in the Bible can also be bringers of life. They save life by leading people to food or water and protecting them from wild beasts or enemies. They issue messages from God, including declarations to women who have previously been unable to have children that they will now have a child. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not the only woman in the Bible to have an encounter with an angel that leaves her pregnant.

As mediators and representatives of God, angelic creatures are capable of giving life or taking it. Perhaps this is why angels in the Bible spend a lot of time saying “do not fear” to terrified humans who are unsure whether angelic presence is going to bring life or death.

As beings who change shape, transverse realms, and exert incredible power, angels in the Bible function in a similar way to monsters in mythical stories and science fiction.

Why would we put such a creature on our Christmas tree? As usual, the answer is not always straightforward. For many, the angel at Christmas is a reminder of Gabriel, who visited Mary to announce she would bear a child called Jesus.

You do not need to be a regular church goer to have seen a nativity play with the angel Gabriel appearing to a young Mary telling her “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus”. The promise to Mary is that her son will “be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High”. Gabriel in these plays is usually dressed in a long white robe, perhaps with some white feather wings and a gold tinsel halo and accompanied by similarly clad little angel children – a thoroughly domesticated angelic throng compared with the biblical version.

In the Christian tradition, angels usher in the birth of Jesus, the one Christians believe to be saviour of the world. An angel on the tree serves as a reminder that God reaches out to God’s people and promises them good things, much as was promised to Mary.

For others, the angel might represent something a little more mystic, such as the presence of divine creatures who bring messages of hope and peace; things desperately needed in our world.

And while it might be tempting to dismiss the whole thing as pre-scientific nonsense, many religions have similar non-human divine messengers who play important roles in mediating the space between the divine and human world in antiquity.

Even monstrous beings function to help explain the chaos of the world or the presence of death and disease. In Monster Theory, monsters assume a cultural role in embodying our fears and desires, challenging our categories, and helping us make meaning in unimaginable situations.

At one point in her book, Hamori quotes the 5th-century theologian and philosopher Augustine, who called creatures contrary to nature “monsters” (Latin monstra) because they demonstrate something wondrous. For Augustine, the monstrous reflects the diversity of creation and therefore its “whole beauty”.

In her book Phosphorescence, Julia Baird explores the wondrous in every day life. For her, attentiveness to the moments of awe and beauty all around us sustain and bring happiness precisely when darkness threatens to overtake. Words like “unearthly” and “startling” feature in her stories, reminding us that awe can be disruptive. Awe and wonder refuse to be contained by our categories and transcend our logic. In this, they are a bit like angels.

Placing angels on our tree might seem an odd tradition given this complex history. Yet perhaps that complexity is itself the point. Angels embody both threat and promise: they remind us that the monstrous and the beautiful might not be so different, and that while real monsters roam our world, the possibility of wonder in everyday life remains.

Robyn J. Whitaker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. In the Bible, angels can be deadly. So why do we place them at the top of our Christmas trees? – https://theconversation.com/in-the-bible-angels-can-be-deadly-so-why-do-we-place-them-at-the-top-of-our-christmas-trees-241913

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Power, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University

New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week shows one in 20 (4.5%) Australians over 16 are LGBTQIA+.

For perspective: at around 900,000 people, that’s similar to the population of Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory combined.

Yet in health and wellbeing outcomes – particularly mental health – this population drags far behind the rest of the country.

Last week the government released a landmark ten-year national action plan to address these health disparities for LGBTQIA+ people. Here’s why it’s needed – and what it hopes to achieve.

How many Australians are LGBTQIA+?

An accurate assessment of the number of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia has long been a critical gap in research due to limited reliable, population-level data.

This has meant LGBTQIA+ people, and their health needs, have often not been visible, particularly in outer suburbs and regional or rural areas. Services and supports can be inadequate as a result.

We don’t yet have census data about the LGBTQIA+ population. After years of community advocacy (and controversy over the government’s reversal and reinstatement of the questions) the 2026 census will be the first to ask Australians about their sexual orientation.

But this week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its first report on estimates and characteristics of LGBTQIA+ populations in Australia. These data were combined from four recent ABS health surveys.

The new data show 4.5% of Australians are LGBTQIA+. The percentage was higher among younger people – almost one in ten (9.5%) 16- to 24-year-olds, who are also at higher risk of poor mental health outcomes.

Why do we need a dedicated action plan?

While LGBTQIA+ people have been included as a priority population in other Australian health strategies, the new action plan is the first focused specifically on them.

The report highlights poorer self-rated health for LGBTQIA+ people as a key concern, as well as mental health and suicide outcomes, when compared to the population as a whole.

One in three (31%) LGBTQIA+ people self-rate their health as only “fair” or “poor” – double the general population (15%). This subjective assessment of health is recognised as a reliable predictor of future health.

Recent Australian data shows LGBTQIA+ people are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. They have higher rates of self-harm and homelessness and are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

For example, LGBTQIA+ adults have attempted suicide at over 17 times the rate of the general population (5.2% compared to 0.3% over a 12-month period).

A smaller body of data shows these mental health impacts are heightened for some sections of the LGBTQIA+ community. These include people with intersex variations, trans and gender diverse people, people living with disability, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Why do LBTQIA+ people have poorer health?

These health disparities are not inherent to being LGBTQIA+. The evidence shows they are instead driven by social factors, such as rejection from families, experiences of harassment and discrimination, and lack of support within schools and communities.

When accessing health care and other support services, LGBTQIA+ people face multiple barriers which may further exacerbate gaps in health and wellbeing.

This may include a lack of LGBTQIA+ affirming care options. For example, health services may not ask about sexuality or gender identity on intake forms. This places the onus on LGBTQIA+ people to “out” themselves, which can be stressful and lead people to avoid health care.

Or it might involve accidental or overt discrimination, such as deliberate misgendering (referring to someone in a way that doesn’t reflect their gender identity) or outright refusal of service.

In some cases, health-care providers may draw on harmful stereotypes, such as negative ideas about LGBTQIA+ people and promiscuity, rather than focusing on the presenting needs of individual patients.

What will the action plan do?

Reducing stigma and discrimination requires changes in organisational culture and processes in health systems.

The National Action Plan acknowledges this requires considered action and investment to improve outcomes over the longer term. It aims to enhance access to inclusive health care and improve health literacy for LGBTQIA+ people.

For example, this will include ensuring LGBTQIA+ people are included in policy development and service planning across a range of health areas. It will also involve health education campaigns for LGBTQIA+ communities to encourage engagement in preventative health care.

The strategy prioritises workforce training and expanding research to address gaps in knowledge about this population.

Has LGBTQIA+ health improved with law reform?

LGBTQIA+ people report better health in jurisdictions where they receive greater legal protections and stigma is lower.

In recent decades, Australia has seen significant legal and cultural reforms to ensure recognition and equal rights are afforded to LGBTQIA+ people.

However, discrimination and stigma against sexual and gender minorities is far from eradicated. We are currently witnessing a global backlash against LGBTQIA+ rights.

In the United States in 2023, there were 75 instances of law change enacted to redact or remove LGBTQIA+ rights or visibility. This included banning classroom teaching on gender and sexual diversity and restricting access to public bathrooms for trans people.

Australia has also felt the impact of this backlash.

In 2023, “drag story time” events encountered threats of violence. In this same year a formal ball for young LGBTQIA+ people in Wangaratta was cancelled due to fears for participants’ safety.

Gains made toward greater equity in health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ people can be undermined or reversed with shifts in political culture or pressure from conservative forces.

Australia’s national action plan goes a long way toward protecting and advancing LGBTQIA+ people’s health in a way that is sustainable. However, there is still a long way to go and ongoing political support for the plan will be fundamental to its success.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

13YARN is a free and confidential 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. Call 13 92 76.

Jennifer Power receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Department of Health and Aged care.

Joel Anderson receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Medical Research Futures Fund.

Natalie Amos receives funding from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, the Medical Research Future Fund and Thorne Harbour Health.

Ruby Grant has previously received funding from Thorne Harbour Health and the Tasmanian Government.

– ref. Almost 1 million Australians are LGBTQIA+ – and for the first time, there’s a new national health plan for them – https://theconversation.com/almost-1-million-australians-are-lgbtqia-and-for-the-first-time-theres-a-new-national-health-plan-for-them-246143

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Kingham, Professor of Human Geography, University of Canterbury

Around the world, people are being encouraged to travel by foot, bike or public transport rather than by car. The reasons are many and varied: to mitigate climate change, pollution, traffic congestion and infrastructure costs, and to improve health and wellbeing.

But in New Zealand, despite efforts by governments, councils and individuals, sustained increases in the use of alternative modes of transport remain elusive.

Often this is a result of policies being implemented in isolation. The challenge, therefore, is to develop a more cohesive approach to transport planning, based on research, and applied appropriately depending on the context.

One recent example of how this can succeed is documented in a four-yearly survey conducted by the University of Canterbury to identify travel trends among staff and students.

The survey also asks about the main barriers to switching from driving, which helps inform policies to encourage more sustainable travel options. This year’s results show particular promise.

Driving in decline

The university is located four kilometres to the west of the centre of Christchurch, a city of 400,000 people in New Zealand’s South Island.

There are currently just over 24,000 students (up from around 12,000 20 years ago) and 6,000 full-time and part-time staff. An estimated 15,000 people travel to the university on a typical day.

Like many workplaces in low-density, car-dominated cities, the university saw a gradual increase in people driving to work in the 1980s and 1990s. The university has since tried to encourage staff and students to use public transport, or to walk, cycle and car-share.

The 2024 travel survey found the number of people driving to university has declined since 2020: 38% of those surveyed drove to campus, 21% cycled, 20% walked and 15% came by bus.

Staff are cycling more, mainly due to an increase in e-bike use. Electric vehicle use has also increased substantially. There was a big drop in students using cars, and a correspondingly large increase in bus travel.

The reasons for this decline in car travel, and what we can learn from it, demonstrate the interconnected nature of effective transport policy.

Cycling and buses

Christchurch City Council is responsible for roads and cycle infrastructure. Over the years, it has invested significant effort and resources in creating cycle infrastructure, mainly based around a series of major cycleways.

This includes the Uni-Cycle cycleway which links the university to the central city, and the Nor’West Arc cycleway which also goes through the university. The investment in these routes has seen a substantial growth in cycling in general, including to the university.

The regional council, Environment Canterbury, is responsible for public transport. The recent adoption of a low-cost, flat-fare scheme (NZ$2 adult fares and $1 concession fares) saw an increase in bus patronage.

Local research showed these lower-cost fares were especially important for people on low incomes, so the previous government’s inclusion of concessions for people under 25 was important in encouraging student bus use to university.

The travel survey showed cost as a barrier to students using the bus dropped from 30% in 2020 to 10% in 2024, suggesting the cheap bus fares were working. Sadly, the under-25 concession has been reversed by the current government.

To pay the cheaper fares, students will now have to be eligible (and apply) for a Community Services Card. Under another central government policy, bus fares will increase in mid-2025.

Incentives and disincentives

At the campus level, the university has implemented a number of policies to encourage active and public transport use:

• paid parking was introduced in 2023, initially costing $40 per year but now $1,000 for staff and $500 for students, and there is no free parking (even the vice chancellor pays)

• secure bike parking is provided, as well as bike repair stations and air pumps, and free shower and changing facilities

• on-campus bike repair is available, with an expanded repair and recycle scheme being investigated in response to 16% of students telling the travel survey that bike availability and cost were barriers

• free cycle skills workshops have been established, with a cycle safety workshop scheduled for March 2025.

The university also works closely with both councils, and collaborated on the development of bus routes, the Uni-Cycle cycleway, and has negotiated over parking requirements.

Lessons from the survey

The success in reducing car use for university travel lies in three main areas:

1. Good local transport policy and planning: local government has been committed to making it easier for people to choose not to drive by providing good cycle infrastructure and cheap bus travel. Until recently, this was supported and funded by central government.

2. Employer action and commitment: the university has passed on the cost of parking to those who drive, and invests in initiatives to encourage walking, cycling and bus travel to campus.

3. Close collaboration: the university and local councils have worked closely to make walking, cycling and taking public transport as easy and attractive as possible.

Overall, cohesive policies and planning – informed by research, appropriate to the context, and developed collaboratively – can encourage people out of their cars.

Simon Kingham is Chair of the University of Canterbury Sustainable Transport Reference Group.

Matt Morris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Getting people out of their cars is possible with the right plans and policies – case study – https://theconversation.com/getting-people-out-of-their-cars-is-possible-with-the-right-plans-and-policies-case-study-246023

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shukla Poddar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney

The Australian summer has started to unleash its power. On Monday, the Victorian town of Walpeup reached 47.1°C, and towns in Queensland, western New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory all hit temperatures above 45°C.

More sweltering days and nights are expected. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts above-average temperatures for most of Australia this summer.

What’s more, bushfire experts predict an increased fire risk across vast regions of the continent. Already this season, an out-of-control bushfire struck Creswick in central Victoria after Monday’s extreme heat.

All this is a dangerous cocktail for the electricity grid. Increasing temperatures puts a strain on supplies, while bushfire smoke can limit the electricity produced by solar panels. And troublingly, heatwaves and bushfires are set to worsen as climate change continues.

Here, we explain the challenges ahead this summer, and outline simple household measures to help keep your electricity supplies flowing.

The problem of heatwaves

Sometimes demand for electricity is greater than supply. This is most common in hot weather during the evening peak when, for example, many people return home and turn on their energy-hungry air-conditioning units at the same time.

Energy networks say the strain is greatest on the third and fourth consecutive hot days, when air-conditioners are turned up to combat heat that has accumulated in buildings. Electricity demand is also typically higher on weekends, and from mid-January as schools and businesses resume.

In some extreme cases, the immense demand means the entire electricity grid is at risk of becoming dangerously unstable. That’s when “load shedding” occurs. It involves the Australian Energy Market Operator intentionally cutting power to parts of the grid to reduce electricity demand and prevent the entire system from becoming dangerously unstable.

In January 2019, for example, supplies were temporarily cut to 200,000 electricity customers in Victoria. It followed a day of high temperatures and humidity, as well as outages at coal-fired power plants, and reduced output at others due to the heat.

As recently as last month, the market operator warned of potential blackouts in NSW amid a severe heatwave.

Heatwaves can also impede infrastructure such as generators and transmission lines. Power lines can droop and short-circuit. Transformers may overheat and fuses can fail.

Add bushfires to the mix, and the electricity grid can face even more challenges.

The bushfire threat

Solar electricity – both from solar farms and rooftop panels – is an important part of the electricity mix. It comprised 16% of total electricity generation last year, and this share is growing.

But bushfires can significantly reduce solar output. They release atmospheric aerosols in the form of smoke particles, which scatter and absorb the Sun’s rays. This reduces the radiation that reaches solar panels, reducing the amount of electricity they produce.

This is true for large-scale solar plants, as well as household rooftop solar systems.

For example, during the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, rooftop electricity generation from solar panels fell by up to 65% in affected areas.

Across the bushfire season, energy loss from residential and large-scale solar plants in NSW fell by 175 gigawatt hours, representing a 4.2% loss in total energy generation.

Particles released by fires can also settle on solar panels, again reducing their electricity output.

More broadly, fires can damage infrastructure such as transmission lines and towers, causing power disruptions and making it harder to keep the grid running smoothly.

The National Council for Fire & Emergency Services predicts an increased fire risk across large parts of Australia this summer. They include southeastern South Australia, western Victoria, around Alice Springs in central Australia, and the southern parts of Western Australia.

How you can prepare

So what can households do to keep electricity supplies stable this summer, amid the twin threat of bushfires and heatwaves?

If you live in one of the four million Australian households with rooftop solar panels installed, there are several steps you can take.

Consider installing a battery to soak up any solar electricity you don’t use. It will provide you with a backup source of power in case of grid outages. Also make sure you keep your solar panels clean – especially if there is bushfire smoke around – to make sure they are operating as efficiently as possible.

If you live in a bushfire-prone area, with a high risk of damage to transmission lines, consider talking to your neighbours about installing a community-scale battery. These are neighbourhood-scale facilities that enable people to store solar power and share it when needed.

Regardless of whether your home has solar panels, you can cool your house earlier in the day to reduce stress on the grid in the peak hours. The cool energy is stored in the building’s walls and floors, helping keep it comfortable later.

And ahead of next summer, consider other ways you can heat-proof your home. This might include window treatments such as double-glazed glass, awnings and external blinds, or installing better insulation.

If you are building a new home in coming years, its energy performance should be a key consideration. Think about factors such as window placement, building materials and orientation.

Australia has a hot climate with high risk of bushfire, and this problem will only get worse under global warming. While energy companies and authorities have much work ahead to insure the electricity grid against these challenges, every electricity user has a role to play.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Heatwaves and bushfires can be a dangerous mix for the electricity grid. Here’s how to shore up your supplies this summer – https://theconversation.com/heatwaves-and-bushfires-can-be-a-dangerous-mix-for-the-electricity-grid-heres-how-to-shore-up-your-supplies-this-summer-246041

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Stanley, Research Fellow in Social Psychology, UNSW Sydney

Strong emotional responses to environmental problems are remarkably common. We know people are angry about climate change – but how many?

Our new research surveyed 5,000 Australians and found almost half (49%) are angry about our warming world. So what do people do with their climate anger?

Anger can be a galvanising emotion, spurring us to action. But when faced by a seemingly insurmountable cause, it can also turn into despair.

Our research found responses to climate anger depend on what aspect of the problem people are angry about – and who they feel is responsible.

Not all emotions are created equal

Emotions differ in how energising they are – in other words, whether they motivate us to act. Anger has been shown to be a motivating emotion.

In our previous research, we found participants who felt more intense anger about climate change were more likely to take part in climate protests and switch to climate-friendly behaviours. Participants with more anger also reported less stress, depression and anxiety.

But not everyone gets angry at the same things.

To study the different kinds of climate anger, we asked a nationally representative sample of more than 5,000 Australian adults how angry they feel about climate change. We also asked about the environmental behaviours they take part in and about their recent experiences with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Just under 50% said they were at least “somewhat” angry.

Next, we asked them why.

Their responses ranged from a few words to long explanations. The sheer variety in their responses indicated many kinds of climate anger exist. In fact, we identified 13 distinct kinds held by our participants. That’s because anger is usually directed externally, to various targets.

13 kinds of climate anger

Far and away the most common type of anger was directed at the inaction and apathy of other people. About 60% of our angry participants were angry at what they saw as a lack of action and concern.

Who was this directed at? Sometimes, it was aimed at leaders: “a lack of action by government”. Or it was directed at regular people who “don’t care and aren’t willing to help change it”. Businesses or entire nations were also targets.

The next most common grievance (about 13%) was at those who deny climate change. For instance:

There are a lot of people who still think that climate change is not happening.

About 11% directed their anger at those they see as most to blame for causing climate change such as large corporations, while 10% were angry at humanity (“humans have done this”). Around 9% were mad about the damage climate change was doing and 8% about the slow pace of climate action. Another 8% felt angry because they felt powerless, believing their actions would be just a drop in the ocean.

Less common forms included:

• the injustice that younger generations would be more affected than older generations

• environmentally harmful behaviours participants had observed in others

• a lack of cooperation between people and nations on climate change

• a sense of unfairness when individuals or certain countries are expected to make sacrifices when large corporations or other nations are not doing more.

Which types of anger lead to action?

We wanted to know what our participants were doing about climate change, and whether their actions differed depending on what they were angry about.

We found clear trends. People who were angry about inaction and apathy reported more environmental behaviours such as reducing their meat consumption, or joining climate marches. This was especially true when they were angry about ordinary citizens not doing or caring enough, or governments not doing or caring enough.

Interestingly, participants angry about other people’s inaction and apathy had more symptoms of depression and anxiety. But participants angry about government inaction and apathy had fewer of these symptoms.

Being angry about a sense of powerlessness, or angry humanity broadly was to blame for climate change, was unrelated to taking action on climate change. But this group, who felt angry but powerless, were more likely to have increased symptoms of depression and anxiety.

One possible explanation for these findings is that anger could motivate climate action, but if that action leads to nothing, the anger might curdle into despair or fade into resignation.

Anger about a sense of powerlessness and humanity’s role in causing climate change were both higher in younger than older participants. Young Australians involved in climate action have told researchers taking action helps alleviate despair. But they also said having their anger ignored or dismissed has the opposite effect.

Climate anger could motivate action

Anger is complex. When we’re angry, we usually respond by trying to right something we see as wrong, by discussing the issue or compensating people who were harmed by the situation.

On climate change, our findings suggest feeling angry about broad inaction could motivate personal action. But if someone is directing their anger at fellow citizens they think aren’t doing or caring enough, it could affect their wellbeing.

Many people were angry because they feel nobody cares. But our results suggest the opposite is true. If 49% of Australians are angry about climate change, this means many, many people care.

Among young Australians, this figure is higher still – 57%, according to 2021 research.

People tend to falsely assume most other people don’t support climate action. For example, in the United States, people assume support for climate policy is about 40%. But real support is 66-80%. For instance, Americans assume only 43% of people support generating renewable energy on public land, but in reality, the figure is 80%.

In our body of research, we have found Australians are similar. Most policies aimed at tackling climate change we tested enjoyed healthy support, but people assumed support from other Australians was much lower.

As children, we were often taught to see our anger as a “bad” emotion. Anger has long been seen this way. But as we struggle to rise to the growing challenge of climate change, we could see anger differently. If harnessed appropriately, it could be a useful ally to strengthen our collective resolve on climate.

Samantha Stanley receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Iain Walker receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Teaghan Hogg and Zoe Leviston do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Climate anger can lead to action – or curdle into despair. We found out why – https://theconversation.com/climate-anger-can-lead-to-action-or-curdle-into-despair-we-found-out-why-245361

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elisabeth Duursma, Research Theme Fellow Education and Work, Western Sydney University

Many Australians know December 21 as “Gravy Day”. This is a reference to Paul Kelly’s song and new film How to Make Gravy, where a prisoner named Joe writes a letter to his family four days before Christmas. In it Joe, missing his wife and relatives, asks, “Won’t you kiss my kids on Christmas Day?”.

It’s estimated half the men in Australian prisons are fathers. While they are incarcerated, maintaining contact with their children is vital, both for the dads and the kids.

It allows fathers to keep contributing to their children’s lives and provides important social support. It can also reduce psychological distress for children.

One important way to do this is via “video visits”, which were spurred on by COVID restrictions. In our recently published research, we look at how families experienced video visits in two New South Wales prisons.

Our research

Video visits can be challenging if there is a lack of facilities in homes and prisons or problems with technological support. But our study set out to understand how they might support father-child relationships, given their widespread use during lockdowns.

We looked at one prison in an urban area and another in a regional area. A total of 27 fathers participated in interviews, of whom 11 identified as Aboriginal and four identified as culturally and linguistically diverse.

We also interviewed 17 carers, who were mostly mothers. They looked after children ranging from infants to teenagers.

Recognising each other

One way video visits support father-child relationships is allowing children to see and get to recognise their father’s faces and for the father to see the growing child. As one carer said:

She knew and recognised over the last two years that daddy’s on the phone, daddy’s on the iPad […] So, even though it was once a week she got familiar, seeing his face.

Fathers valued the visual contact with their children as well, to allow them to see how their children were changing and growing:

[…] there’s a huge difference, such a big difference between a phone call and a video call. The visual contact, you can’t hear a smile. You can hear laughter, but you can only see someone’s joy in their face by seeing them visually.

Another carer added:

As you know, five years is a long time, especially for a little kid. So, he got to watch him grow every week.

Part of family life

Carers appreciated the flexibility of video visits and how they could integrate them into daily life. Visits could take place at children’s sports activities or the beach. They could show their fathers their rooms, their art or the dance they just learned.
One carer said they organised events like blowing out candles on a birthday cake around video visits.

When organised in the home, it means video visits are happening where children are secure and familiar. As one carer told us:

[The child] does better on video than he does in person. On video, you know he’s in his home. He’s in his comfort [zone]. He can do whatever he likes. He can show [his father] his room. He can get new toys […] his options are a lot more there.

A father told us:

They’re happy, they’re comfortable, they’re not shy, they actually want to talk to you. It’s not like they have to stay here and talk to you. They can run off and come back.

Another carer described how video visits enabled the child’s fathers to observe some of his “firsts”:

When [the child] first learned to crawl. I put the phone up against the lounge and I moved [the child] maybe about half a meter away from the phone and I said to [the child], ‘go on, crawl to Daddy’, and [the child] crawled straight up to the phone and gave the phone a kiss.

Better for kids?

Several carers pointed out that the prison environment could be distressing for children. Not only did this sometimes involve hours of travel, but there were people they did not know, long waits and security processes to go through.

As one carer said, “it’s not somewhere you bring kids”. Another told us:

[the child] was really quite scared at the other inmates around. And yeah, so he actually prefers the video calls.

There are challenges

Interviewees also described some challenges with video visits, noting younger children quickly lose interest and “run off”.

They also said children could be upset at the end of a visit, particularly when it ended abruptly.

You know you’d get a beep, and then it’s switch off […] But you know there was times where that was very difficult, with [the child] in the middle of something like chatting about her day, and then, all of a sudden it will cut off, and she will get quite upset and not understand.

What next?

Our study strongly suggests these types of visits are important for families. Future work should focus on ways to improve the quality of visits and ask children for their views about what they want.

This is not to suggest video visits should replace in-person visits but they can help fathers and their children maintain a genuine relationship.

If they can’t be together, at least dads can give their children a virtual kiss on Christmas Day.

Elisabeth Duursma receives funding from The Australian Institute of Criminology.

Amy Conley Wright receives funding from Australian Institute of Criminology, Australian National Organisations for Women’s Safety and the Australian Research Council. She currently works with Inclusion Australia.

Natalia Kate Hanley receives funding from the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Helen Simpson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. ‘You can’t hear a smile’: how video visits help dads in prison stay connected with their kids – https://theconversation.com/you-cant-hear-a-smile-how-video-visits-help-dads-in-prison-stay-connected-with-their-kids-246032

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne-maree O’Rourke, Lecturer in Marketing, The University of Queensland

You might think spending $5,000 on a handbag or wallet would be prestigious and exclusive enough. What about taking things one step further – and personalising it with your own name?

Brands including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Dior now offer extensive customisation options – some for a few products, others for their entire range. Names and initials are an obvious, popular choice.

Some have hailed personalisation as the future of luxury goods. But as we enter the peak of the Christmas shopping period, it’s worth asking – could there be any downsides?

Research has shown there’s a trade-off to signalling social status with luxury goods. Luxury consumers are often perceived as less warm and friendly, more concerned with managing their image.

Our recent research examined whether name-stamping could increase this social cost. Our findings suggest for some customers, it can – increasing their fears of being negatively judged.

One-of-a kind products

These personalised touches are marketed as unique, one-of-a-kind products. They’re designed to appeal to a desire for individuality and exclusivity.

For luxury buyers, customisation offers a way to showcase their personality, passions and interests. It can enhance their feelings of connection to a brand and sense of psychological ownership of an item.

Enabling consumers to co-design a product can also help alleviate the impostor syndrome some consumers experience when buying high-end luxury items.

For the brands themselves, personalisation services can increase profit margins, improve market appeal and strengthen customer loyalty.

Much of this trend has been fuelled by millennial and Gen-Z luxury consumers, who are increasingly seeking out unique, tailor-made experiences.

By 2030, it’s expected that millennials and Gen-Z will account for 60–70% of all luxury purchases.

A 2017 survey found more than half of millennials who’d recently made a luxury purchase were willing to pay more for personalised luxury goods.

We love our own names

The popularity of name-stamping, in particular, may come down to a concept called “implicit egotism”.

Research suggests most people have a subconscious positive association with themselves. This extends to a preference for things that are connected to their sense of identity – such as the letters of their own name.

The drawbacks of personalisation are less widely discussed. One clear one is its impact on resale value. Personalised items are harder to sell.

This is particularly relevant for Australia’s booming second-hand luxury market, driven by younger consumers prioritising sustainability and affordability.

Research also suggests that excessive customisation – letting customers make design decisions on custom colours, fabrics, and so on – can decrease the signalling value of luxury items and undermine their status appeal.

Luxury’s social cost

Then there’s the cost that can come with luxury itself.

Research has shown luxury consumers can be perceived as less warm and friendly than those who forgo luxury.

Interestingly, this perception isn’t driven by envy. Rather, it stems from a belief that luxury wearers are actively managing their image to impress others.

Does name-stamping luxury increase this social cost even more? Our research, with co-authors Joanna Lin, Billy Sung and Felix Septianto, suggests the answer is yes.

We conducted four studies with 1,354 female luxury and non-luxury shoppers from the United States.

We found consumers who personalise luxury items with their name worry more about being negatively judged than those who purchase non-customised items.

This effect was consistent, regardless of whether the personalisation featured initials or full first names.

The overtness of name personalisation, in particular, may explain the added social cost. Customising a bag with a non-standard colour might only catch the eye of a luxury brand enthusiast. A prominently displayed name, however, unmistakably signals customisation to everyone.

Not all fear judgement

Importantly, we found not all luxury consumers share this fear of judgement equally. The impact depends on individual motivations for purchasing luxury items to begin with.

Those who are motivated to consume luxury goods for social reasons, such as standing out, are less concerned about receiving negative judgement from others.

In contrast, those who are motivated to buy luxury items for more individual reasons are more wary of how name personalisation might be judged.

For this group, which made up about half of the consumers we sampled, subtle, customised touches could be a more appealing option.

There could also be some variation across different cultures.

A report by KPMG found Chinese consumers – a group not included in our study – often seek luxury consumption as a means of social advancement and self-differentiation, meaning they are likely less concerned about the social costs.

On the other hand, we could speculate that Australian consumers, influenced by the “tall poppy syndrome” cultural phenomenon, may be even more sensitive.

Anne-maree O’Rourke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Personalising a luxury gift with a name or initial? Research suggests a hidden social cost – https://theconversation.com/personalising-a-luxury-gift-with-a-name-or-initial-research-suggests-a-hidden-social-cost-244521

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia

Christmas films appear in many guises. There is the witty (Christmas in Connecticut, Scrooged). The comedic (It Happened on 5th Avenue, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). The wonderfully sentimental (The Shop Around the Corner, Miracle on 34th Street).

There are the canonical ones everyone’s seen at least once (It’s a Wonderful Life, The Muppet Christmas Carol) and whacky masterpieces (A Christmas Story, the Hulk Hogan-starring Santa with Muscles). Not to mention all the Hallmark Christmas films and, now, all those made for streaming (usually of the “so bad it’s good” variety).

But about those who are sick of all the tinsel and baubles? What can they watch to kibosh the kitsch while still feeling part of Christmas?

They need the Christmas-adjacent film: films set during Christmas, that aren’t really about Christmas.

For those who like action

If you feel like watching an action thriller, the obvious is Die Hard (1988), even though Christmas is so deeply integrated into the structure and story of the film it’s hard to argue it isn’t a Christmas film.

Richard Donner’s masterpiece Lethal Weapon (1987) opens with a dazzling sequence in which Jingle Bell Rock accompanies a helicopter shot over Los Angeles before a young woman jumps from a building in a drug-induced stupor. Our introduction to Martin Riggs, Mel Gibson’s quintessential mad dog detective, takes place during a drug deal in a Christmas tree lot.

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) – like Lethal Weapon, written by Shane Black – is set during Christmas and ends in a dazzling explosive sequence at Niagara Falls on New Year’s Eve. The holiday underpins the narrative of amnesiac Martha Stewart-like suburban mum Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) as her past comes back to haunt her. She realises she’s actually an assassin who worked for the CIA, and now must protect her family.

For fans of grimmer action fare, Christmas decorations abound in the background of George P. Cosmatos’ Cobra (1986). Eccentric lone wolf Marion Cobretti (Sylvester Stallone) almost single-handedly battles a gang of axe-wielding serial killers, while protecting witness/model Ingrid Knudsen (Brigitte Nielsen).

I can guarantee Penguin biting off someone’s nose doesn’t happen in any Christmas film other than Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). This is the best of the two Burton Batmans – maybe the best Batman film, period – in its bleak, nihilistic combination of grotesque humour and violence.

For something darker

Paul Verhoeven’s brilliant psycho-drama Elle (2016) stars Isabelle Huppert in the role of her career as a sexual assault victim who turns the screw on her assailant. Much of the film takes place over Christmas.

In Thomas Vinterberg’s Danish stunner The Hunt (2012), kindergarten teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is hounded by his small community when he is accused of abuse by five-year-old Klara (Annika Wedderkopp). Though the film takes place across a year, many of its key dramatic moments occur around Christmas, including an intense confrontation in a church on Christmas Eve.

Note the creepy effects of Christmas lights around some of the scenes in Stanley Kubrick’s monumental Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – although orgies are not usual features in Christmas films.

For something lighter

Key moments in John Landis’ irreverent Trading Places (1983) occur over Christmas. It’s hard to forget the image of Dan Aykroyd in a filthy Santa suit hiding food in his beard.

In Ted Demme’s smarmy but stylish The Ref (1994), a burglar finds himself virtual marriage counsellor to a savagely bickering husband and wife (brilliantly played by Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey) when he takes them hostage on Christmas Eve.

In a similar vein, Harold Ramis’ black crime comedy The Ice Harvest (2005), though uneven, has some memorable moments, as mob lawyer Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) steals money from his boss on Christmas Eve.

For some horror

There are too many amazing Christmas horror films to mention (including some solid Australian ones like 2016’s Better Watch Out), but the following serve as a good introduction to this much-maligned subgenre.

Bob Clark – the Canadian auteur behind the crowd-pleaser A Christmas Story (1983) – made the Christmas horror masterpiece in the much-imitated (and twice remade) but never-bettered Black Christmas (1974).

The story is not particularly original (though you’ll never forget the ending). Set across a day or so in a sorority house, we follow various characters as they receive obscene phone calls and are then knocked off one by one. But the set-pieces are so brilliantly handled – unnerving, beautifully composed, and savage without an overemphasis on gore – and the sound design and score by Carl Zittrer so striking, with a cloud of sublime weirdness permeating the whole thing, it should make lists of top films of all time.

The other stand-out Christmas horror film was one of the controversial ones of the 1980s; “Banned in Queensland” was plastered like a banner of pride across the VHS cover. Yet Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), in which an axe-wielding Santa terrorises a community, is surprisingly tender in its study of the effects of trauma on children.

It is, of course, superbly hokey at the same time and pretty grisly, but anchored by a genuine warmth and touching performances.

Silent Night, Bloody Night (yes, a different film, this one from 1972) is an eerie slasher film featuring a (relatively) star-studded cast, involving a group of murders after a city lawyer inherits a small town home that used to be an insane asylum.

In Christmas Evil (1980), a rather deranged man decides to play Santa by keeping a “naughty and nice” list of the children in his neighbourhood. He delivers toys where they are unwanted and punishes people when it’s not exactly warranted. It is a hoot – a horror film that’s borderline comedy, featuring one of the best endings in the history of American film.

Is this enough Christmas-adjacent popcorn to keep even the most cynical of us stuffed until the big day itself?

Ari Mattes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Yuletide cheer – but not too much: cinema’s best ‘Christmas adjacent’ films (yes, including Die Hard) – https://theconversation.com/yuletide-cheer-but-not-too-much-cinemas-best-christmas-adjacent-films-yes-including-die-hard-243923

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Koskie, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Media and Communications, University of Sydney

In the space of three weeks, South Korea has seen a brief declaration of martial law, its sudden repeal and the impeachment of its president, Yoon Suk Yeol.

One underappreciated driver of the recent drama is the rise of YouTube-based agitators, activists and influencers, who both benefit from and fuel a new brand of populism. The effects in South Korea are stark – but the trend is global.

An extremely online constituency

In South Korea’s 2022 election, Yoon trailed his opponent for much of the campaign. His aggressive populist politics drew some support, but he looked set to fail.

Then he found a new constituency – a group of active and partisan young men focused on abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. These agitators used YouTube and other platforms to broadcast their message.

Along with traditional conservative voters, this crowd enabled Yoon to achieve a narrow win and control of South Korea’s most powerful political position. He then duly abolished the gender ministry, saying structural sexism was “a thing of the past”.

After gaining power, Yoon issued arrest orders for several of his perceived political opponents. Among these was Kim Eo-Jun, a critical and inflammatory YouTube journalist, and a polarising populist figure tied to liberal politics. Kim’s weekly videos broadcast news, guest interviews and caustic commentary to millions of active followers.

We have grown used to the idea that social media platforms influence democratic processes by spreading news and analysis and directing users’ attention by recommending particular content. However, the increasing political visibility of platform actors such as Kim suggests the influence is becoming more direct.

Platforms for populist news and views

Social media platforms provide access to a wide range of news and media producers, from legacy outlets to independent commentators at the furthest edges of the political spectrum. However, not all of the news gets equal attention.

Research shows, at least in South Korea, false news gets more likes and interactions than verifiable news. “Real news” tends to receive dislikes and derision.

More South Korean research shows citizens may use platforms to seek out conspiracy theories and pour scorn on disliked political groups or decisions. Users also notoriously direct hate towards issues such as women’s rights.

These problems are not limited to South Korea. Polarising and populist news and analysis is a global phenomenon.

Trust in traditional news media is declining, in part due to fears it is aligned with elite and powerful figures. These fears are often confirmed by social media influencers who are seeking to become the new opinion leaders.

Online influencers are great vehicles for populist politics. They have intimate connections with their viewers, tend to suggest simplistic solutions, and usually resist accountability and fact checking.

Platforms are often more likely to recommend polarising and even radicalising content to viewers, crowding out more balanced content.

Platforms for journalism?

However, these polarising figures are not alone in these spaces. Veteran journalists and newcomers are adjusting to platforms while still providing reliable information.

On YouTube, former mainstream journalists, such as Australia’s Michael West and the American Phil Edwards, have amassed followings while blending personal and casual content with more traditional journalism.

Non-journalists, such as Money & Macro and the English Tom Nicholas, have expanded their influence through adopting some core journalistic practices. They produce content that investigates, explores and explains current affairs news and analysis with the support of their many viewers.

These YouTube news influencers show journalistic content can contribute to the new news media ecosystem and attract large audiences without relying on populist and polarising content.

“Newsfluencers” producing journalism on platforms, such as YouTube, tailor their content to the conventions of the platforms.

Newsfluencers and the future

Newsfluencers often film in informal settings rather than traditional sets, and build a casual rapport with their audience. They leverage “authenticity”, going out of their way to “avoid looking like polished corporate media”.

Their multiple revenue streams include ads, sponsors, merchandise and, most importantly, direct audience contributions. These contributions may come via memberships or via third-party platforms such as Patreon and Substack.

Even major news organisations such as Australia’s ABC have begun adopting YouTuber norms. While produced under the aegis of the national broadcaster, the current affairs podcast If You’re Listening, for example, significantly out-performs traditionally formatted content with its casual style and focus on giving the audience what it wants.

In South Korea, YouTube channels such as VoiceOfSeoul make similar moves, combining street coverage with informal talk-show panels and investigative journalism. OhMyTV weaves together YouTuber and breaking news styles, and carries hyperlinks for personal contributions and sponsorships.

At the same time, legacy media such as KBS maintains a strong following through TV and portal sites like Naver. However, KBS’s conventional format struggles to achieve comparable viewership on these increasingly dominant platforms where these unconventional journalists have managed to thrive.

There is a clear space for journalism on YouTube and similar platforms. However, it will need to adapt.

As the South Korean experience shows, the time may be coming when platform journalism is vital for democracy.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. YouTube populists are driving South Korea’s political instability. It’s a warning for the rest of the world’s democracies – https://theconversation.com/youtube-populists-are-driving-south-koreas-political-instability-its-a-warning-for-the-rest-of-the-worlds-democracies-245845

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Thorpe, Professor in Sociology of Sport and Gender, University of Waikato

On the face of it, New Zealand’s new high-performance sport funding model announced yesterday is an increase on the previous round. But it is ultra-focused on already successful sports, and will put athletes under even more pressure.

High Performance Sport New Zealand is investing NZ$162.8 million over the next four years in the build-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics.

At a time when government spending is highly constrained, with cuts to many public services, this represents a boost of $31.8 million from the $131 million invested in the three years leading up to this year’s Paris Olympics.

But the funding is considerably less than the investments other countries are making in their elite sport performance programmes.

In June, the Australian government announced the equivalent of an extra $300 million for sport over the next two years, taking funding up to $530 million over that period. Earlier this week, the United Kingdom announced a record NZ$664 million for Olympic and Paralympic sports ahead of the next Olympics.

To remain competitive, then, a revised funding model is being developed in New Zealand. Over the next four years, money will be funnelled into 36 sports. But funding will shrink for 23 of these sports, and some sports have lost all funding entirely.

Podium sports in focus

The new model explicitly prioritises funding based on podium results. Only sports that did well in Paris and are predicted to medal at upcoming Olympics, Paralympics and world championships will see money this time.

With national sports organisations pitching to High Performance Sport New Zealand, the assessment criteria included past performance, future potential, and quality of pathways for developing talent.

Using these criteria, the decisions prioritised podium sports – those “highly likely to achieve multiple podium success at pinnacle events across multiple cycles” – over other markers of sporting success, achievement and impact.

The criteria do not allow for those sports with the highest levels of participation, and podium sports are not always the most accessible for anyone to participate in.

Sports scholars have raised concerns about such targeted investment in high performance sport in New Zealand and overseas.

Some suggest strategic funding such as this can, in fact, have unintended negative consequences for sports organisations, performance measures and athlete health and wellbeing. Others question such significant investment in high performance sport all together.

Winners and losers

Under the podium priorities, there are clear winners and losers. Rowing comes out on top, with funding of more than $6 million over the next cycle. This is on the back of 11 athletes winning medals in Paris.

Next come cycling, yachting, athletics and canoe racing, with all except yachting receiving large increases.

Swimming, equestrian and hockey see large funding reductions. Swimming New Zealand loses more than 40% of its funding, equestrian loses 45% and Hockey New Zealand’s high-performance funding is being cut almost in half.

Other sports, such as surfing, diving, badminton, e-sports (competitive video gaming, recently included in the Olympics with the announcement of the inaugural Olympic eSports Games in 2025) and football will not receive any investment funding at all.

The football decision is particularly surprising, given the huge national interest in the Football Ferns during the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the clear talent levels on the field. At this year’s Olympics, two talented New Zealand surfers held their own among the world’s best on challenging waves in Tahiti.

These cuts will have significant effects on the ambitions and dedication of current and future Olympic hopefuls. High-performance funding is important for supporting athletes in qualifying and competing internationally. But it is also key to building strong athlete development pathways for future successes, well beyond Los Angeles in 2028.

Under the new funding model, New Zealand is likely to see fewer sports represented at the Olympic level. The impact on participation levels in the types of sports children (and future athletes) are inspired to pursue remains uncertain. But as the saying goes, “if you can see it, you can be it”.

A ‘win at all costs’ model?

The other risk is a return to a “win at all costs” model that has not worked well in the past.

Cycling New Zealand, for example, will see an increase from $770,433 to $5.25m in the next round. This is largely the result of women track cyclists winning seven medals in Paris.

But at the same time, the organisation has been under scrutiny for mistreatment of athletes, highlighted in two reviews and a coronial inquiry into the death of Olivia Podmore.

Read more:
The price of gold — what high-performance sport in NZ must learn from the Olivia Podmore tragedy

Cycling is not the only sport to be exposed for toxic cultures that prioritised podium results over athlete health and wellbeing. But the new funding model looks like a clear reinforcement of the “win at all costs” model that has harmed many athletes in the past.

While High Performance Sport New Zealand has been clear that some of the funding will be allocated to ensure athlete health and wellbeing (including a comprehensive wellbeing programme), the pressures on athletes to win medals will be higher than ever.

When medals matter most, sports organisations make decisions in the knowledge that future funding depends on winning above all else. But research has consistently shown it is often the sporting stories of character, resilience and courage that inspire people most.

As we’ve seen in both football and surfing, it is not always podium results that contribute to strong national pride and important social legacies from sport. The longer-term impacts of funding cuts on those and other sports can’t be ignored.

Sometimes, success cannot be measured in medals alone.

In the past, Holly Thorpe has received funding from an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Research Grant focused on young people’s perceptions of the Olympic Games.

– ref. When medals matter most: high-performance sport funding risks a return to the ‘win at all costs’ model – https://theconversation.com/when-medals-matter-most-high-performance-sport-funding-risks-a-return-to-the-win-at-all-costs-model-246319

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Bonython, Associate Professor of Law, Bond University

The Victorian Supreme Court recently dismissed a class action on behalf of more than 1,400 women who received Bayer’s Essure contraceptive device.

The decision attracted significant publicity, including criticism from the Victorian Premier.

It left the women shocked and disappointed, particularly since Bayer had settled a similar claim in the United States for US$1.6 billion.

So why did the Victorian class action fail?

What’s Essure?

Essure offered an alternative to more invasive permanent contraceptive procedures such as tubal ligation.

The device was implanted into the fallopian tubes. This triggered an intended inflammatory response that blocked the tubes, preventing passage of sperm and ova.

In Australia, the device was implanted by gynaecologists. More than 3,000 devices are thought to have been implanted into Australian women.

In 2017, Essure was voluntarily withdrawn from our market after increasingly publicised concerns regarding safety, including in the US.

The US class action was settled out of court, enabling Bayer to avoid setting a legal precedent for similar claims in other jurisdictions.

Relevant US laws are different from those in Australia. Consequently, settlement of the US claim has only limited value in determining the likely outcome of litigation in Australian courts.

What went wrong with the device?

Lead plaintiff Patrice Turner began experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding, heavy periods and pelvic pain within a few years of using Essure.

She ultimately required a hysterectomy, which removed the Essure devices and resolved her symptoms.

Other class members experienced similar symptoms, with many also requiring hysterectomies.

The claim relied on three causes of action:

1. Essure had a safety defect which caused the plaintiff’s injury

2. Essure wasn’t of the quality consumers would reasonably expect

3. the defendants were negligent in Essure’s design, manufacturing and distribution. The alleged negligence included inadequately disclosing risks to patients considering Essure or who had already received Essure.

All causes of action required the plaintiff to prove a causal connection between her harm and the device.

What did the court find?

Proving causation in legal disputes is often complex and technical. That is particularly so in cases where medical or other interventions allegedly cause or exacerbate injury or disability, where harms can also potentially be caused by other factors.

In dismissing the class action, Justice Andrew Keogh found the extensive expert evidence did not demonstrate that Essure caused either the harms experienced by the class members generally, or by the plaintiff specifically. That evidence drew on a wide range of medical and scientific disciplines.

Justice Keogh found for Bayer, noting pelvic pain and abnormal uterine bleeding are common in pre-menopausal women, and there is a range of potential causes of each.

The 827-page judgment emphasised that medical devices, which are “inherently dangerous or known to carry a risk of harm”, cannot be expected to be “risk-free”. A device does not have a “safety defect”, nor is it of unacceptable quality, simply because it poses a risk to consumers.

Similarly, in considering the negligence claim, the critical consideration was not whether the defendants shouldn’t have produced Essure when there was a foreseeable risk it could cause harm.

Rather, it was about whether the defendants acted reasonably in managing that risk, including providing sufficient information about the risks associated with Essure.

Justice Keogh found the defendants did act reasonably, providing:

adequate warnings of the established Essure risks in the PTMs [physician training manuals] and IFUs [instructions for use]. It was reasonable to expect that treating gynaecologists would provide information and warnings about the established risks to their patients based upon their own specialist skill, expertise and experience and the information provided by the defendants.

So what happens now?

The plaintiff has until early 2025 to appeal the decision.

An appeal would require establishing that the judge erred in his interpretation and application of the law, rather than simply arguing that the outcome is wrong.

Significantly, health professionals should give Justice Keogh’s findings on warnings much thought.

Doctors potentially face more litigation related to medical devices if they do not appropriately provide patients with more extensive and customised warnings than the standard warnings by the manufacturer about risks associated with particular devices.

Could something like this happen again?

Regulatory frameworks governing medical devices have been significantly strengthened since Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration first approved Essure in the 1990s.

Increased publicity and successful class actions related to other problematic medical devices have resulted in significant reforms designed to reduce large-scale patient harms.

Medical devices carry inherent risks. These can only be managed rather than eliminated entirely without limiting access to devices and other interventions which may benefit significant numbers of patients.

However, given the court’s findings that the evidence did not indicate Essure caused the plaintiff’s harms, under the strengthened regulations for medical devices, a product like Essure could potentially meet the current requirements for sale in Australia.

Wendy Bonython does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The Essure contraceptive device left some women with chronic pelvic pain. Why did their class action fail? – https://theconversation.com/the-essure-contraceptive-device-left-some-women-with-chronic-pelvic-pain-why-did-their-class-action-fail-246137

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Hennegan, Senior Research Fellow; Co-Head, Global Adolescent Health Working Group, Burnet Institute

Many young women and other people who menstruate are turning to menstrual cups to manage their periods.

In 2021, my colleagues and I surveyed 15- to 29-year-olds in Victoria and found 17% had used a menstrual cup during their last period. A study in Spain published in 2022 found 47% of 18- to 25-year-olds had used a menstrual cup in the past year.

Menstrual cups are small, flexible cups that are inserted into the vagina to catch menstrual blood. Most are made of medical-grade silicone. They can be emptied, rinsed and reused, and sterilised using boiling water or a microwave steriliser.

A 2019 review of the research found menstrual cups are safe and effective. They also reduce environmental waste and are cheaper over time compared to single-use products such as pads and tampons.

However, our recent study found young people often face difficulties and discomfort that can discourage them from continuing to use menstrual cups. This highlights the need for better education and support.

We wanted to know what young people thought of menstrual cups

My colleagues and I surveyed 530 young people living in Australia between the ages of 15 and 24 who had ever tried using a menstrual cup.

To find participants we used the menstrual cycle tracking app Clue. Clue users received a pop-up message when they opened the app inviting them to join the study.

Using Clue meant we could reach a large group of young people. It also avoided the risk of our survey being shared to networks online that might be more biased, such as groups advocating for the use of cups.

At the same time, we relied on volunteers. We know more of our participants were from cities and wealthier areas than average. And it’s possible those who had more negative or positive experiences were motivated to complete the survey.

Pain, leaks and cups getting stuck

Lots of young people had difficulties with menstrual cups, particularly the first time they used them. During the first period participants used a menstrual cup:

• only 10% successfully inserted their cup on the first try

• more than half (54%) reported the cup leaked

• one in four (25%) reported pain or discomfort when the cup was in place

• 45% could not get the menstrual cup out on their first attempt, with 17% reporting they needed help to remove it

• 12 young people (2%) reported their IUD was displaced (IUDs are small contraceptive devices inserted into the uterus).

Participants described these difficulties as distressing. One said:

I kept being told the cup was a one size fits all and I really hurt myself trying to fit it in all the time and feeling anxiety that I was different somehow.

Almost one-third (29%) of young people had stopped using a cup by the time of the survey. Of this group, 40% stopped after trying the cup for just one menstrual period.

A learning curve

Experiences got better for those who kept using a menstrual cup. By the time they had used a cup for more than six cycles, 40% of young people reported no issues.

Of participants who kept using a cup, 48% felt confident after one to three cycles, and another 21% after four to six cycles. As one explained:

The first time trying to pull it out was scary because the grip is very different to a tampon. Feel like it is stuck and you won’t ever get it out […] all my friends have had the same first scary experience but then afterwards it’s fine!

Some participants switched to a different menstrual cup and found this helpful – 75% of those who switched reported it improved their experience.

Our findings are consistent with past research which has reported menstrual cups have a learning curve and users become more comfortable using them over time.

Education is important

We found many young people didn’t know enough about how to choose or use a menstrual cup.

Just 19% of young people strongly agreed when we asked whether they had enough information to make an informed choice about which menstrual cup to buy. Less than half (44%) knew different menstrual cups had different characteristics (such as different sizes, firmness, and that different ones are designed for different cervix heights).

We need better information on how young people can find the right cup fit more easily. Online resources such as the website “Put A Cup In It” aim to provide comparisons across cups to inform users.

More broadly, young people need more information about reusable menstrual products such as menstrual cups.

Providing realistic information about the learning curve and potential discomforts when starting out can help young people feel prepared and make informed product choices.

Better information could also help governments and other organisations that are considering providing free or subsidised menstrual cups as part of initiatives to make menstrual products more affordable.

Comprehensive menstrual health education should start in our schools, empowering young people with the knowledge to make informed choices about their bodies.

Julie Hennegan receives funding from Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute (RGHI) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the funders.

– ref. Menstrual cups are safe and sustainable – but they can be tricky for first-time users, our new study shows – https://theconversation.com/menstrual-cups-are-safe-and-sustainable-but-they-can-be-tricky-for-first-time-users-our-new-study-shows-246045

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor in Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia

It’s the time of year when many of us return to our favourite Christmas fables to get into the festive spirit.

While film often relies on the audience suspending its disbelief, it’s easy to watch and wonder if people could get away with these things in the real world. Are some of them even legal?

As a team of experts, we looked at the legal conundrums posed by Home Alone, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street and The Grinch.

Home Alone

Let’s begin by exploring one of the perennial favourites.

It’s never a good idea to leave your eight-year-old home alone for three days, even if he’s surrounded by Yuletide paraphernalia.

While there is no prescribed age at which time a child can legally be left alone, parents have a responsibility to ensure their children are safe and their needs are met.

Failure to do this can lead to a child protection investigation and even criminal charges.

But police may have breached their duty of care after promising to check on Kevin then departing when Kevin failed to answer, leaving him at the mercy of the “wet bandits”.

It’s possible the police may be liable in negligence for any damage Kevin suffered as a result, so the burglars are not the only ones in potential trouble.

In the meantime, Kevin sets booby-traps to foil the intruders. Could this approach to self-protection backfire legally?

The law of occupiers’ liability states that homeowners owe a duty of care to ensure their property is safe for visitors, and that includes uninvited guests, even those who might do them harm.

An injured trespasser could conceivably sue Kevin’s parents on the basis that they inadequately supervised their child.

Having said that, the criminal law allows Kevin to act in reasonable self-defence, but the key here is whether the use of a blowtorch, or a whack from a heavy iron are reasonable defensive tactics.

In any event, Kevin is under the minimum age of criminal responsibility and cannot therefore be criminally liable.

In his next Christmas mishap, Kevin is home alone again. He boards the wrong flight and arrives in New York. He tells a credible lie to the front desk clerk at the five star hotel he checks into: “my dad gave me his credit card”.

So who’s going to be responsible for Kevin’s expenditures as the ruse continues? All credit card contracts include terms that make cardholders responsible for any charges on that card.

Moreover, there’s a clear obligation on cardholders that they keep the card safe and ensure it’s only used by the relevant cardholder.

But there is an obligation on merchants, too, not to continue with a transaction that they should have reasonably suspected was suspicious.

Which view will prevail here? Answer: dad will need to cover the debts because he had not reported his card missing, and Kevin’s angelic face was pretty convincing!

Love Actually

Many scenes in Love Actually would be in breach of Australia’s positive duty laws regarding sexual harassment. These laws require employers to take proactive steps to prevent discrimination, harassment and other unlawful conduct in the workplace.

In the movie, there are multiple incidents that wouldn’t look out of place in the the #MeToo moment.

The fictional US president, while on a state visit, inappropriately touches staff member Natalie. There’s a high-risk power-imbalance between tortured author Jamie and his young, insecurely employed Portuguese housekeeper, Aurelia.

There’s also the sexually aggressive Mia, secretary to Harry, who organises an office party in a gallery of naked images and “dark corners for doing dark deeds”.

Alarm bells should have been ringing in many HR offices that Christmas, as “love” like that at work is not actually lawful.

There is a memorable scene in Love Actually where young Sam runs through airport security to see Joanna, to tell her of his love.

While it pays off for Sam (getting a kiss from Joanna) in real life such actions have serious legal consequences.

Under Australian aviation security legislation, specifically Regulation 9 of the Aviation Transport Security Act and Regulations, a breach of security can result in a fine of up to $10,500.00.

And Sam is 13, meaning he would be criminally liable in all jurisdictions in Australia (note the ACT will raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 in July 2025) because he clearly understands his actions are wrong.

So, while the scene touchingly highlights the lengths people will go for love, it’s a big gamble to breach security regulations. Running through airport security might not actually be worth it.

Miracle on 34th Street

Kris Kringle’s lawyer is going to need a miracle on 34th Street. He is taking some troubling instructions from his client. It’s in relation to an assault.

In order to be acquitted, Kris has to show that he’s not just someone who plays Santa, rather he’s the real Santa.

Under the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules, however, a different legal approach is necessary, because the lawyer has a paramount duty to the court not to make frivolous submissions.

While Kris’s fatuous belief about his identity does not render him incapable of providing instructions, any legal practitioner must exercise caution when listening to nonsense.

The Grinch

The Grinch disguises himself as Santa Claus, steals a sleigh and breaks into homes to steal gifts, decorations and food. Grinch is clearly guilty of larceny as his intention is to deprive his victims permanently.

In some Australian jurisdictions his stealing could be considered “aggravated”, given the late hour and the age of victims (under 16 and over 60), whom he must have known would be in Yuletide-festive readiness.

But wait! In the morning the Grinch awakens to cheerful singing, and, in a moment of about face rectitude, he returns the stolen gifts, a matter that will be taken as an important mitigating factor in sentencing.

So, what do we learn from these heartstring-tugging tales, redemption narratives, and stories of good conquering evil? As it happens, a lot about the law, actually.

Professor McKay AM has received funding from the ARC and several CRCs most recently RACE2030 and is a member of the Human rights committee of the Law Society and on the Board of Variety SA and the Australia Day Council of SA,

Matthew Atkinson receives funding from the Law Foundation of South Australia to support the UniSA Legal Advice Clinic. He is also a board member of the Northern Community Legal Centre.

Michelle Fernando receives funding from the Law Foundation of South Australia. She is a member of the Child Development Council of South Australia and the Australian Centre for Child Protection.

Paula Zito receives funding from the Law Foundation of South Australia to support the UniSA Legal Advice Clinic.

Sarah Moulds receives funding from the Australian Research Council and has previously received funding from the Law Foundation of South Australia. Sarah Moulds is also the volunteer Director of the Rights Resource Network SA and the Deputy Chair of the Law Society of South Australia’s Human Rights Committee.

Ben Livings and Rick Sarre do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Can you run through airport security for love? Leave a child home alone? Here’s what the law says about Christmas movies – https://theconversation.com/can-you-run-through-airport-security-for-love-leave-a-child-home-alone-heres-what-the-law-says-about-christmas-movies-244913

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Summerell, Lecturer, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide

While the holiday season is supposed to be a happy time, evidence suggests it’s one of the worst times of year for domestic and family violence.

Victorian crime data show family incidents tend to be more frequent in December and January compared with most other months. WA Police also report increased family violence incidents over the Christmas to New Year period, with the average daily number of reports increasing by 24.2%.

Already increased rates of violence over the festive season may be getting worse. Last year, Queensland Police saw a 32% increase in family and domestic violence-related calls over the Christmas to New Year period compared with the previous year.

In Victoria, the average number of recorded family violence incidents rose by 33% on Christmas Day alone.

These statistics are in line with research finding rates of violent crimes are related to major holidays.

But what is it about the holidays that makes violence more likely?

Below, we outline three factors that make the holidays an at-risk period for violent behaviour.

It’s important to note there is no single cause of violent behaviour. Rather, many complex factors interact to make it more likely that certain people will be violent in certain situations.

So even if you’re not concerned about violence in your life, it’s helpful to understand what may drive some people to act in a certain way. Then we can all have a safer, happier festive season.

Money, heat and alcohol

The holidays come with increased financial pressures associated with gift-giving and social events.

A recent report found more than 50% of Australians struggle to afford gifts for special occasions such as Christmas.

Alongside the current cost-of-living crisis, many people are in financial distress, which research shows is associated with intimate partner violence perpetration.

Holiday celebrations often involve alcohol consumption, which is also related to aggressive behaviour.

According to the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research around a quarter of domestic violence-related assaults from July 2023 to June 2024 were alcohol-related.

Not everyone who drinks alcohol will become violent. However, alcohol changes the way the brain functions by reducing our ability to control our impulses, which can increase the likelihood of becoming violent when provoked.

The holiday season in Australia also coincides with rising summer temperatures. Higher temperatures are associated with increases in violence.

Researchers suspect this association may be due to increased discomfort and frustration and more frequent social events where conflict may arise.

While these situational factors on their own don’t cause aggression, they can lower our ability to “keep our cool”. For example, if someone is already feeling hot and bothered, stressed about the cost of Christmas, and has had too much to drink, they might be more likely to react to even small triggers.

What can be done?

1. Drink responsibly

Research shows reducing harmful alcohol consumption can reduce violence.

Australian guidelines recommend consuming no more than four standard drinks on any one day.

If you do choose to drink, experts recommend considering low- or no-alcohol alternatives, pacing yourself, and making sure you’ve got a plan to get you and your loved ones home safely.

2. Stay cool

Early forecasts predict most capital cities will enjoy warm weather in the high 20s or low 30s on Christmas day.

To beat the heat, try to avoid being outside during the hottest parts of the day. Stick to the shade and stay hydrated.

3. Use emotion-regulation strategies

There are various ways you can manage negative emotions that may lead to violence.

One way is to adjust the situations you are in. While declining invitations to events that may upset you would be one way to use this strategy, family dynamics aren’t always that simple.

Modifying the situation may be more realistic. If there’s a family member with whom you’d rather not engage, focus your attention on interacting with others, or ask a trusted person to keep an eye out.

Research suggests these kinds of situation-based strategies may be particularly useful for people who find it difficult to control their emotions in the heat of the moment.

If conflict does arise, try to step away or redirect your focus. You could partake in backyard cricket or talk to someone else – anything that distracts you from how you’re feeling. Research suggests distraction can help “turn down the volume” of intense negative emotions.

Another way you can reduce negative emotions is by trying to see a stressful situation from a different perspective.

This strategy, called cognitive reappraisal, has been linked to lower levels of intimate partner violence.

Stressed about balancing a busy Christmas Day schedule? Try to remind yourself it’s a chance to show your loved ones you care. Tempers rising over the same old family arguments? Try to focus on the opportunity to be together.

These evidence-based strategies can help stop conflict from escalating and contribute to a safe and happy holiday season.

The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

Ella Moeck receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Elizabeth Summerell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Why does family violence increase during the festive season? Here are 3 contributing factors – https://theconversation.com/why-does-family-violence-increase-during-the-festive-season-here-are-3-contributing-factors-246026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milena Bojovic, PhD Candidate, Macquarie University

New Zealand’s dairy sector faces an uncertain future due to several challenges, including water pollution, high emissions, animal welfare concerns and market volatility.

All of these issues are building tensions and changing public perceptions of dairy farming.

In my new research, I argue the time has come for the dairy sector to adopt a “just transition” framework to achieve a fair and more sustainable food future and to navigate the disruptions from alternative protein industries.

The concept of a just transition is typically applied to the energy sector in shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

But a growing body of research and advocacy is calling for the same principles to be applied to food systems, especially for shifting away from intensive animal agriculture.

Aotearoa New Zealand’s dairy sector is an exemplary case study for examining the possibilities of a just transition because it is so interconnected in the global production and trade of dairy, with 95% of domestic milk production exported as whole-milk powder to more than 130 countries.

Environmental and economic challenges

New Zealand’s dairy sector faces significant threats. This includes environmental challenges such as alarming levels of nitrate pollution in waterways caused by intensive agriculture.

The sector is also a major source of emissions of biogenic methane from the burps of almost six million cows in the national dairy herd.

Debates about how to account for these emissions have gone on for many years in New Zealand. But last month, the coalition government passed legislation to keep agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme.

This means livestock farmers, agricultural processors, fertiliser importers and manufacturers won’t have to pay for on-farm emissions. Instead, the government intends to implement a pricing system outside the Emissions Trading Scheme by 2030. To meet emissions targets, it relies on the development of technologies such as methane inhibitors.

In addition to environmental challenges, global growth and domestic initiatives in the development of alternative dairy products are changing the future of milk production and consumption.

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra is pursuing the growth of alternative dairy with significant investments in a partnership with Dutch multinational corporation Royal-DSM. This supports precision fermentation start-up Vivici, which already has market-ready products such as whey protein powder and protein water.

Fonterra’s annual report states it anticipates a rise in customer preference towards dairy alternatives (plant-based or precision-fermentation dairy) due to climate-related concerns. The company says these shifting preferences could pose significant business risks for future dairy production if sustainability expectations cannot be met.

Pathways to a just transition for dairy

What happens when one the pillars of the economy becomes a major contributor to environmental degradation and undermines its own sustainability? Nitrate pollution and methane emissions threaten the quality of the land and waterways the dairy sector depends on.

In my recent study which draws on interviews with people across New Zealand’s dairy sector, three key transition pathways are identified, which address future challenges and opportunities.

• Deintensification: reducing the number of dairy cows per farm.

• Diversification: introducing a broader range of farming practices, landuse options and market opportunities.

• Dairy alternatives: government and industry support to help farmers
  participate in emerging plant-based and precision-fermentation industries.

While the pathways are not mutually exclusive, they highlight the socioeconomic and environmental implications of rural change which require active participation and engagement between the farming community and policy makers.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment recently published a guide to just transitions. It maps out general principles such as social justice and job security.

But the guide is light on advice for agricultural transitions. My work puts forward recommendations to shape future policy for a more just and sustainable dairy future. This includes issues such as navigating intensification pressures, supporting the development of alternative proteins and fundamentally supporting farmer agency in the transition process.

For the dairy transition to be fair and sustainable, we need buy-in from leadership and support from government, the dairy sector and the emerging alternative dairy industry to help primary producers and rural communities. This needs to be specific to different regions and farming methods.

The future of New Zealand’s dairy industry depends on its ability to adapt. Climate adaptation demands balancing social license, sustainable practices and disruptions from novel protein technologies.

Milena Bojovic received funding from Macquarie University as part of the RTP PhD Scholarship.

– ref. NZ’s dairy industry faces an uncertain future – its fate now lies in its ability to adapt – https://theconversation.com/nzs-dairy-industry-faces-an-uncertain-future-its-fate-now-lies-in-its-ability-to-adapt-245148

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daswin de Silva, Professor of AI and Analytics, Deputy Director of the Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, La Trobe University

In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) continued taking large and surprising steps forward.

People started conversing with AI “resurrections” of the dead, using AI toothbrushes and confessing to an AI-powered Jesus. Meanwhile, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, was valued at US$150 billion and claimed it was on the way to developing an advanced AI system more capable than humans. Google’s AI company DeepMind made a similar claim.

These are just a handful of AI milestones over the past year. They reinforce not only how huge the technology has become, but also how it is transforming a wide range of human activities.

So what can we expect to happen in the world of AI in 2025?

Neural scaling

Neural scaling laws suggest the abilities of AI systems will increase predictably as the systems grow in size and are trained on more data. These laws have so far theorised the leap from first to second generation generative AI models such as ChatGPT.

Everyday users like us experienced this as the transition from having amusing chats with chatbots to doing useful work with AI “copilots”, such as drafting project proposals or summarising emails.

Recently, these scaling laws appear to have plateaued. Making AI models bigger is no longer making them more capable.

The latest model from OpenAI, o1, attempts to overcome the size plateau by using more computer power to “think” about trickier problems. But this is likely to increase costs for users and does not solve fundamental problems such as hallucination.

The scaling plateau is a welcome pause to the move towards building an AI system that is more capable than humans. It may allow robust regulation and global consensus to catch up.

Training data

Most current AI systems rely on huge amounts of data for training. However, training data has hit a wall as most high-quality sources have been exhausted.

Companies are conducting trials in which they train AI systems on AI-generated datasets. This is despite a severe lack of understanding of new “synthetic biases” that can compound already biased AI.

For example, in a study published earlier this year, researchers demonstrated how training with synthetic data produces models that are less accurate and disproportionately sideline underrepresented groups, despite starting with unbiased data sets.

Tech companies’ need for high-quality, authentic data strengthens the case for personal data ownership. This would give people much more control over their personal data, allowing them, for example, to sell it to tech companies to train AI models within appropriate policy frameworks.

Robotics

This year Tesla announced an AI-powered humanoid robot. Known as Optimus, this robot is able to perform a number of household chores.

In 2025, Tesla intends to deploy these robots in its internal manufacturing operations with mass production for external customers in 2026.

Amazon, the world’s second-largest private employer, has also deployed more than 750,000 robots in its warehouse operations, including its first autonomous mobile robot that can work independently around people.

Generalisation – that is, the ability to learn from datasets representing specific tasks and generalise this to other tasks – has been the fundamental performance gap in robotics.

This is now addressed by AI.

For example, a company called Physical Intelligence has developed a model robot that can unload a dryer and fold clothes into a stack, despite not being explicitly trained to do so. The business case for affordable domestic robots continues to be strong, although they’re still expensive to make.

Automation

The planned Department of Government Efficiency in the United States is also likely to drive a significant AI automation agenda in its push to reduce the number of federal agencies.

This agenda is also expected to include developing a practical framework for realising “agentic AI” in the private sector. Agentic AI refers to systems capable of performing fully independent tasks.

For example, an AI agent will be able to automate your inbox, by reading, prioritising and responding to emails, organising meetings and following up with action items and reminders.

Regulation

The incoming administration of newly elected US president Donald Trump plans to wind back efforts to regulate AI, starting with the repeal of outgoing president Joe Biden’s executive order on AI. This order was passed in an attempt to limit harms while promoting innovation.

Trump’s administration will also develop an open market policy where AI monopolies and other US industries are encouraged to drive an aggressive innovation agenda.

Elsewhere, however, we will see the European Union’s AI Act being enforced in 2025, starting with the ban of AI systems that pose unacceptable risks. This will be followed by the rollout of transparency obligations for generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, that pose systemic risks.

Australia is following a risk-based approach to AI regulation, much like the EU. The proposal for ten mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI, released in September, could come into force in 2025.

Workplace productivity

We can expect to see workplaces continue to invest in licenses for various AI “copilot” systems, as many early trials show they may increase productivity.

But this must be accompanied with regular AI literacy and fluency training to ensure the technology is used appropriately.

In 2025, AI developers, consumers and regulators should be mindful of what Macquarie Dictionary dubbed the word of the year in 2024: enshittification.

This is the process by which online platforms and services steadily deteriorate over time. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen to AI.

Daswin de Silva does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. AI will continue to grow in 2025. But it will face major challenges along the way – https://theconversation.com/ai-will-continue-to-grow-in-2025-but-it-will-face-major-challenges-along-the-way-244515

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Farram, Associate Professor in North Australian and Regional Studies (History), Charles Darwin University

It is hard to comprehend the force with which Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin early on Christmas Day, 1974. It was so ferocious that it killed 66 people, partly or completely destroyed 10,000 homes, and wiped out most public utilities.

In its wake, at the height of the wet season, the town was left with no electricity, no reliable water supply and no sewerage. Thousands of people were made homeless overnight.

When the rest of Australia learned what had happened, an unprecedented recovery operation began. Fear of disease prompted a mass evacuation. Of the 47,000 people in Darwin that Christmas, 23,000 were evacuated by air to other cities within a week. Others left by road. By New Year’s Day, the population was down to 11,000. Many evacuees never returned, with some too traumatised to think of ever living in Darwin again.

With the 50th anniversary of the disaster this year, Cyclone Tracy is receiving a lot of attention. Books, documentaries, exhibitions and memorials are in the news as Darwin remembers one of the worst natural disasters in Australia’s history.

Despite all this attention, many newcomers have little idea about what to do in the event of a cyclone. Media, government and employers play an important role informing people of the appropriate precautions and responses, but the history of major cyclones in the Top End is little known, even among long-term locals. This history needs to be better understood.

The first recorded Northern Territory cyclone occurred at the Victoria settlement on the Cobourg Peninsula, about 350 kilometres east of Darwin, in 1839. Most buildings were destroyed, only two of 20 small boats survived. A larger boat, Pelorus, was forced on its side. Eight crew members died. The death toll was likely higher, as a track of fallen trees nearly 13 kilometres wide was later discovered in the surrounding countryside.

Victoria, on the Cobourg Peninsula, was abandoned in 1849, and Darwin established 20 years later. It experienced its first cyclone in 1882, but the damage was slight compared to what happened 15 years later.

In January 1897, a terrific cyclone hit Darwin. The weakest buildings were destroyed outright, and even the strongest stone buildings lost roofs, or suffered structural damage. Houses on piers were lifted into the air and crashed down further away. Eighteen of the 29 pearling luggers in the port were lost. Twenty-eight people were killed.

After the cyclone, the Charles Point Lighthouse was visited by large numbers of distressed Aboriginal people who had lost all their natural sources of food, as the surrounding bush had been stripped up to a distance of 65 kilometres.

When another major cyclone struck in March 1937, it destroyed or damaged nearly every building in Darwin. The damage might have been less if more care had been taken in the rebuilding since 1897, but for most people that was either a dim memory or something they knew nothing about. In the circumstances, it was lucky there was only one death.

And so, we come to 1974. Shortly before Tracy, the Institution of Engineers suggested that many buildings in Darwin were not strong enough to withstand cyclonic winds. That prediction proved to be true, and the newly-built northern suburbs were almost completely flattened.

After Tracy, Darwin was rebuilt using a tough new building code, but the city was not visited by another major cyclone for many years. In early 2011, Cyclone Carlos dumped massive amounts of rain on Darwin, and hundreds of trees collapsed due to high winds and inundated soil. Some houses and cars were crushed, but the damage was not massive.

The “big one” turned out to be Cyclone Marcus, which struck Darwin in March 2018. More than 400 power lines were brought down, leaving more than 26,000 homes without power for days. Thousands of falling trees caused extensive damage to cars, fences and buildings. Miraculously, no one was reported to have been killed or seriously injured. That was partly due to improved building standards, but it was also partly luck.

After Carlos and Marcus, many trees, especially the notoriously unstable African mahogany, were removed from urban areas around Darwin, but other trees can also cause damage.

My house, for example, was struck during Marcus by two falling mango trees from my neighbour’s yard, which we had complained about for years. We were also left without power for days. Because the NBN had replaced the copper line, this also meant we had no telephone. For those without mobile phones, this was a terrible inconvenience. People in nearby Nightcliff did not have these problems because that suburb is one of the few with underground power.

Successive governments have failed to meaningfully extend underground power. After the 2024 Northern Territory elections, the new government announced that existing plans to underground power had been scrapped in order to spend the money elsewhere.

Fifty years since Cyclone Tracy, it seems the lessons have still not been learnt.

Steven Farram does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Fifty years ago, Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin. The lessons from it have still not been learnt – https://theconversation.com/fifty-years-ago-cyclone-tracy-devastated-darwin-the-lessons-from-it-have-still-not-been-learnt-244168

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Harrison, Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney

If you have Australia is critically short of GPs – and the shortfall is growing, predicted to be 8,600 GPs by 2048.

So why can’t we just train more? Despite new programs to attract medical graduates, there are multiple reasons Australia is struggling to keep up with demand.

Why is demand for GPs going up?

Demand for GP services is increasing because our population is changing.

Between June 2019 and June 2023, the Australian population grew by 5.2%.

But more importantly, our population is ageing. Over the same period, the number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 13.1%.

Older patients, especially those with multiple chronic conditions, have a far higher demand for GP services than younger, healthy patients.

For example, in 2023 patients aged 10-14 years visited GPs an average of 3.5 times. Those aged 85 years or older averaged 17.3 GP visits in the same year.

Our ageing population means demand for GP services is increasing faster than the population is growing.

More GPs doesn’t mean more appointments

The number of GPs in Australia is actually going up. In recent years it has increased 5.1%, from 37,530 in 2019 to 39,449 in 2024. This mirrors total population growth.

However, the number of full-time equivalent GPs has decreased by 1.3% over the same period.

So, what’s going on? There are two main issues.

First, there has been a historical trend over the years where male GPs have been working fewer weekly hours.

Second, the proportion of GPs who are female has been increasing for decades. There are now nearly as many female GPs (49.6%) as male (50.4%).

Female GPs have traditionally worked fewer hours than male GPs. This is partly due to female GPs taking greater carer responsibilities than their male peers.

These two factors combined mean while the overall number of GPs has increased, the number of full-time equivalent GPs has decreased. This further exacerbates the shortfall of GPs.

General practice is not drawing graduates

As a profession, general practice has been finding it difficult to attract new graduates.

The latest Medical School Outcomes Database report showed only only 10.5% of graduates listed general practice as their first choice of specialisation.

Even when combined with those students who said they were considering a career as a rural generalist (a further 7.0%) this is not enough to meet the growing demand and more needs to be done to attract new graduates.

Why isn’t it attractive?

1. Lower financial incentives compared to other graduates

GPs earn less on average than other medical specialities. In 2021-22, GPs (including full-time and part-time) reported a median total income of $A142,279. That’s close to half of what psychiatrists earned ($268,135), and significantly less than surgeons ($373,720) and anaesthetists ($432,234).

In addition, general practice faces greater pressure than most specialities to bulk bill patients. Bulk billing means the fee is covered by a Medicare rebate, with no charge to the patient.

But yearly increases to Medicare rebates have been well below the consumer price index (CPI) and for several years they were frozen altogether.

At the same time, the costs of providing general practice care (including rent, wages for administrative staff and equipment) have risen far faster than the increases to Medicare rebates. This squeezes GPs who continue to bulk bill.

An increase to rebates for bulk billing incentive items in 2023 has likely relieved some of this pressure and has coincided with an increase in the number of patients being bulk billed.

2. Training pathway

Another issue in attracting future GPs is the required training path for doctors once they finish their medical degree.

During their medical degree, all medical students spend time in general practice. Those who want to become GPs after this must enter a general practice training program as part of postgraduate study, after completing the first postgraduate year (also known as internship).

However when they graduate from their medical degree they are required to work exclusively in hospitals – where they are exposed to colleagues who are almost always hospital-trained (and have never worked as GPs). This means general practice becomes less visible as a career option to many junior doctors.

3. Conditions

Another barrier is those who leave hospital jobs to enter GP training lose many entitlements, such as a reduction in pay and paid parental leave.

Hospital junior doctors are employees under the medical practitioners award, which includes paid parental leave.

But GP trainees are usually employed under minimum training standards, which is not an award and does not have mandated employer-paid parental leave. (They may still qualify for the paid parental scheme via Centrelink.)

This is at a time when they often have significant student debt and may be considering starting a family.

What’s being done to attract new graduates?

As a consequence of all these factors, for the past couple of years GP training places have not been filled to capacity.

The good news is enrolments into GP training are headed in the right direction.

For 2025, the Australian GP training program positions are full, an almost 20% increase on 2024 enrolments. That means there are 1,504 junior doctors who have accepted a training place for 2025.

It is still too early to tell if this increase is a one-off, why there has been improvement and whether or not it will be sustained.

There are several other pathways into GP training as well, including 32 places for doctors who want to train in Aboriginal Medical Services in rural and remote areas and some self-funded training options.

What else do we need?

These are steps in the right direction. But more still needs to be done to attract a new generation of graduates to enjoy the benefits of working in general practice.

We need sustainable strategies to address the inequities between general practice and other specialities, particularly training pay and conditions.

Without support for general practice – which provides first point of contact, comprehensive, coordinated and long-term care – we risk drifting to a system which fragments care and Australians will increasingly receive piecemeal health care.

Christopher Harrison has a current research contract with the Australian government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Julie Gordon has a current research contract with the Australian government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Marguerite Tracy receives sitting fees for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Quality Care committee. Marguerite has received Medical Research Future Fund grant funding.

– ref. Australia has an ongoing GP shortage. Why can’t we just train more GPs? – https://theconversation.com/australia-has-an-ongoing-gp-shortage-why-cant-we-just-train-more-gps-241677

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Knapp, Associate Professor in Biological Anthropology, University of Otago

As many Wellingtonians will know, kākā can be trouble. New Zealand’s pesky forest parrots have expanded throughout New Zealand’s capital city since they were reintroduced 22 years ago and they are not averse to “modifying” people’s homes to build nests in roof spaces.

But mostly, they are the ones in trouble.

Kākā populations across Aotearoa New Zealand have declined significantly over the past two centuries, in particular after the introduction of European mammalian predators.

Their former New Zealand-wide range is now reduced to a few isolated populations supported by intensive conservation efforts by the Department of Conservation. Private organisations such as Project Janszoon also work to prevent further decline and facilitate the species’ recovery.

The most critical tool for protecting kākā is effective control of introduced predators in the areas where the parrots have persisted. This allows these kākā populations to grow and maintain genetic diversity.

An additional benefit is that large healthy populations provide birds for natural dispersal to areas where they have become locally extinct or rare. However, in some places, the time frames over which natural dispersal will repopulate areas where kākā once existed are longer than we would like.

In these cases, conservation translocations are used to re-establish kākā, facilitate gene flow, reduce the risk of inbreeding and increase genetic diversity.

Challenges of moving birds between sites

Kākā translocations come with their own challenges. There are two different subspecies, the North Island kākā and the South Island kākā. They differ in size and plumage colour and are treated separately when it comes to translocations. North Island birds will only be translocated between North Island sites and South Island birds only between South Island sites.

In the absence of knowledge about what causes and maintains the differences between the birds from each island, this conservative approach makes sense to preserve the uniqueness of the two subspecies. But it comes at the cost of significantly reducing the number of birds that can be translocated, and the number of sites they can be translocated to.

This in turn reduces the gene pool for mixing and therefore means the genetic diversity of future generations might be more restricted than it could otherwise be.

To address this problem, researchers have explored kākā genetics. Curiously, the largest New Zealand-wide population study so far, published a decade ago, found there was no clear genetic difference between North Island and South Island kākā.

The problem is that the kākā genome is like a big instruction manual, written with more than a billion letters. The study was limited to surveying a small fraction of this manual, looking at fewer than a dozen “paragraphs”. Key genetic differences between the two subspecies may have remained hidden.

Deciphering the kākā genome

More recently, our team conducted a much deeper study of the genetic differences between North Island and South Island kākā. Yet, even after looking at more than 100,000 “paragraphs” of the kākā genome, the results remained the same. There is no clear distinction between the two subspecies.

Nevertheless, it is too early to start mixing North Island and South Island birds. While we have not found a clear genetic difference between the subspecies, we still do not know what causes their different looks on a molecular level.

There are several paths forward. We have now sequenced complete genomes of ten North Island and ten South Island birds. By looking at the full genomes, we hope to finally identify the parts that uniquely distinguish the two subspecies (if there are any).

But there are other questions that are equally important. How far back in time do we see the sharp distinction between North Island and South Island birds?

Early European explorers such as Sir Walter Buller reported a much bigger diversity of kākā forms than we see today. In fact, Buller collected birds that looked like North Island kākā on the West Coast of the South Island.

Could it be that what we are seeing today is an artifact of population decline? Perhaps what we know as North Island and South Island kākā are simply the only surviving forms of a formerly more diverse species. Perhaps the lack of genetic difference between the subspecies indicates that some natural mixing is still happening on a small scale.

Mātauranga Māori might hold important answers. Kākā feathers have been valued by iwi from across the motu. Is there traditional knowledge on the diversity of kākā plumage in pre- and early European times? Were there birds that looked like a mixture between North and South Island birds?

If so, the present-day separation of subspecies would not actually be of natural origin. This would support the mixing of North and South Island populations, which might help to reinstate the original kākā diversity.

In the end, combining traditional knowledge and state-of-the-art molecular tools may hold the key to enhanced and more effective conservation of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most well-known and beloved birds.

This article was written in collaboration by Denise Martini, Michael Knapp and Kevin Parker.

Michael Knapp received funding from the Royal Society of New Zealand (Rutherford Discovery Fellowship).

Denise Martini does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Could NZ’s two kākā subspecies actually be remnants of a more diverse species? Here’s why we need to know – https://theconversation.com/could-nzs-two-kaka-subspecies-actually-be-remnants-of-a-more-diverse-species-heres-why-we-need-to-know-242011

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Ramsay, Research Affiliate in Climate Adaptation, Monash University

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims undertake the Hajj –the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. In 2024, the pilgrimage took place in mid-June, the start of the Saudi summer.

But this year, more than 1,300 pilgrims never made it home. Lethal heat combined with humidity proved deadly.

Our new research shows the upper limits of human heat tolerance were breached for a total of 43 hours over the six days of Hajj. During these periods, heat and humidity passed beyond the point at which our bodies are able to cool down.

Scientists are increasingly worried about the death toll caused by humid heatwaves, and how it will escalate in the near-term. This year is now the hottest year on record, overtaking the previous hottest year of 2023.

So why was the pilgrimage so deadly? And what does it mean for us as the climate changes?

What happened in Mecca?

As the planet gets hotter, it is also becoming more humid in many places, including arid Saudi Arabia. Since 1979, periods of extreme humid heat have more than doubled in frequency globally, increasing the chance of lethal events like this.

To do the Hajj, you have to walk between six and 21 kilometres each day. Many pilgrims are older and not in good health, making them more vulnerable to heat stress.

This year’s pilgrimage started on June 14. Over the next six days, the temperature topped 51°C, while “wet-bulb temperatures” (the combination of temperature and humidity) rose as high as 29.5°C.

June is typically the driest month in Saudi Arabia with average relative humidity around 25% and wet-bulb temperatures averaging 22°C. But during this year’s Hajj, humidity averaged 33% and rose as high as 75% during the most extreme periods of heat stress.

Our research shows heat tolerance limits for older adults were breached on all six days of Hajj, including four prolonged periods of more than six hours. On one ferocious day, June 18, humid heat hit levels considered dangerous even for young and healthy pilgrims. The points at which wet-bulb temperatures enter the lethal zone depend on the exact combinations of temperature and humidity, because our bodies respond differently to dry or humid heat.

Saudi authorities have installed air-conditioned shelters and other cooling methods. But these are only available to pilgrims with official permits. Most of those who died did not have permits, meaning they could not access cool relief.

The pilgrimage will be even more dangerous in the future. In 25 years time, the timing of Hajj will cycle back to peak summer in August and September. At 2°C of warming, the risk of heatstroke during Hajj would be ten times higher.

How much heat and humidity can we handle?

In 2010, researchers first proposed a theoretical “survival limit”, which is a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C.

But we now know the true limit is actually much lower. Experiments testing human physiological limits inside controlled heat chambers, backed up by sophisticated models, have revealed new heat tolerance limits.

These limits vary depending on your age and how humid it is. For example, the tolerance limit for young people is around 45°C at 25% humidity but only 34°C at 80% humidity. For older people, the limits are lower still – 32.5°C at 80% humidity is dangerous.

These limits are the point at which it is too hot and humid for your body to cool itself down, even at rest. Sustained exposure leads to your core body temperature rising, heatstroke and after a number of hours, death.

Many of us are familiar with air temperatures of 34°C and above. But we tolerate dry heat far better than humid heat. Humid conditions make it far harder for us to use our main way of shedding heat – sweat.

We rely on air to evaporate the sweat from our skin and take the heat with it. But humidity changes this. When there’s more water in the air, it’s harder for sweat to evaporate.

Humid heat is a rising threat worldwide

Heat is a quiet killer. It’s not a visible threat, unlike fires, floods, droughts and other climate-fuelled extreme weather. Heat-related deaths are difficult to track and are likely underestimated. But what we do know indicates heat is the deadliest climate hazard in many parts of the world. Until now, much research has focused on one variable – the air temperature. It’s only recently scientists have begun to untangle the lesser known threat of lethal humidity.

Humidity comes from evaporation off oceans and large bodies of water. As climate change heats up the oceans, they produce more moisture. That means coastal regions – home to many of the world’s largest cities – are vulnerable. That’s why arid Saudi Arabia and other nations on the Arabian Peninsula are particularly at risk – they are surrounded by shallow, warming seas.

But humidity can also travel far inland, through the phenomenon known as “atmospheric rivers”, airborne rivers of moisture. This is how episodes of lethal humidity can strike landlocked areas such as northern India.

The threat of humid heat is set to worsen sharply. We are already seeing lethal humid heat in the Arabian Gulf, across Bangladesh, northern India and parts of Pakistan, and in Southeast Asia.

People are dying from these events, but the extent is poorly documented. Heatwaves this year closed schools in the Philippines, India and Bangladesh and killed dozens during India’s election.

Without a rapid phase out of fossil fuels, we could see lethal humid heat hit multiple times a year in every major economy, including the United States, India, China, South America, Europe and large parts of Africa.

There is a limit to adaptation

We like to think we can adapt to change. But there is a hard limit to our ability to adapt to lethal humidity and heat.

Technological adaptations such as air-conditioning do work. But they are not available to all. Nor are they fail-safe.

During a heatwave, many of us turn on the aircon at the same time, using lots of power and raising the chance of blackouts. Blackouts during heatwaves can have deadly consequences.

In the famous first chapter of Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel, The Ministry For The Future, an American aid worker struggles to survive an intense humid heatwave in India, which kills millions. The book is set just a few years into the future.

The deaths during the Hajj warn us that lethal humid heat is not fiction. It’s yet another reason to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by ending our reliance on fossil fuels.

Emma Ramsay is a member of the Lethal Humidity Global Council

Shanta Barley is the Chief Climate Scientist at the mining company Fortescue. She is a member of the Lethal Heat Humidity Global Council

– ref. More than 1,300 Hajj pilgrims died this year when humidity and heat pushed past survivable limits. It’s just the start – https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-300-hajj-pilgrims-died-this-year-when-humidity-and-heat-pushed-past-survivable-limits-its-just-the-start-245271

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Clark, Adjunct Professor of History, University of Adelaide

As students and teachers prepare to go on holidays, there’s a disagreement raging over a new school funding deal for 2025.

Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria have all refused to sign up to the Albanese government’s offer for the next round of funding. This offer would see the federal government contribute 22.5% towards government school funding, up from 20%. But these state governments think it should be 25% instead.

As the disagreement rolls into next year, many Australians may not realise the federal government hasn’t always contributed to school funding.

The federal government has only been funding schools for 60 years. And it would not have happened if not for a Soviet satellite, an Australian prime minister and some science labs.

Schools have historically been funded by the states

Before 1964, the federal government resisted involvement in school education.

Legislation between 1872 and 1895 made colonial and then state governments responsible for government schools. Government funding for non-government schools was abolished as a result. So all independent schools, including Catholic parish schools, had to rely on fees and philanthropy.

But this all changed during the 1963 federal election campaign and the subsequent States Grants Act of 1964.

Enter the space race

In 1957 something dramatic happened.

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik. The then Liberal Prime Minister Robert Menzies called it a “spectacular act of technology and propaganda”. But others bluntly argued it signalled the failure of the West to keep up with science education. As American physicist George Henry Stine reportedly said: “Unless the US catches up fast we’re dead”.

Fortunately, Menzies had already commissioned Sir Keith Murray from the United Kingdom to review the state of Australia’s universities in 1956.

The Murray report, tabled a month before Sputnik, warned of weaknesses in Australian science education.

In a foreshadowing of concerns about students’ STEM skills today, the Murray report showed the number of students studying physics and maths was low. First year failure rates in university science courses were high because the students were not properly prepared at school. Science teachers were insufficiently trained. The curriculum was outdated and facilities and equipment were either inadequate or nonexistent.

In other words, in the age of Sputnik, science education was not good enough.

This was especially the case in girls’ schools (again echoed in today’s concerns about a gender gap in science achievement). Girls usually studied biology if they studied science at all, as science was seen as “better suited to boys”. The number of women who became science teachers was very small and there was little financial incentive to do so.

Schools had no labs to teach science

By far one of the greatest problems for Australia was the lack of suitable laboratories in schools to teach science.

The problem was so acute, headmaster R.L. Robson (from elite Sydney boys school Shore) and CSR chair F.E. Trigg established The Industrial Fund, to raise money to build science laboratories in “schools of standing”. The fund successfully raised £623,000 to support 37 projects in large private boys’ schools between 1958 and 1964. No girls’ schools were funded.

Menzies was well aware of The Industrial Fund because he was regularly invited to open the new buildings.

So, not only did Menzies understand the importance of science education for national defence in a post-Sputnik world, he was aware of Australian education failings from the Murray report. He was also reminded of a way to fix this, every time he opened a new science laboratory.

The 1963 election

Then a domestic political opportunity presented itself.

In 1963, the federal executive of the Labor Party reversed a NSW State Labor Party decision to support government aid for science to non-government schools. This gave Menzies a unique and timely electoral window to differentiate his party.

In the election campaign of 1963 Menzies proposed to build science laboratories in high schools “without discrimination”.

Historians have long argued Menzies’ policy shift was all about courting the Catholic vote in the tight 1963 election (which he ultimately won).

But the States Grants Act also went beyond Catholic schools. Students benefited regardless of whether they attended a state school or not and whether they were boys or girls. In the end, more than 500 schools either received assistance to build a lab or were recommended to receive it.

From labs to libraries and beyond

Commonwealth assistance to schools expanded rapidly in the late 1960s.

In 1968, the federal government began a grants program for school libraries. Per capita grants were introduced for private schools in 1969 and for public schools from 1972.

What had begun as a specific scheme to improve science education grew into an ongoing commitment to support school education in general.

As today’s school funding wars continue into 2025, it is worth remembering the unusual history behind the federal government’s involvement. And how for some, it is not a natural funding source for the school system.

Meanwhile, increasing students’ skills and engagement with science has been a concern in Australia for more than six decades.

Jennifer Clark does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. How a Cold War satellite and Robert Menzies changed the way Australian schools are funded – https://theconversation.com/how-a-cold-war-satellite-and-robert-menzies-changed-the-way-australian-schools-are-funded-243012