Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland

Ever ordered a salad on a first date when you really wanted the burger?

Many of us eat differently when we’re around other people, often without realising it. Our food choices shift depending on who’s at the table, who’s watching, or who might see our food if it’s shared online.

This isn’t just about manners or appetite. Experts are increasingly interested in the ways in which meals aren’t just eaten, but are curated. Psychologists and nutrition researchers call this “performative eating”.

The most recent viral example of this comes from TikTok, in the form of performative matcha. These videos show young, well-dressed men roaming in public with a matcha drink in one hand and a novel in the other – ostensibly to look attractive to women.

What is performative eating?

Performative eating refers to how we choose or avoid certain foods based not on taste or nutrition, but on what we think it signals to others. Food can be a powerful tool to signal identity and build connection.

People might consume certain foods to send a message about their

• health – such as by opting for a salad to appear “disciplined”

• gender – such as ordering a steak or beer to look “masculine”, or avoiding a “feminine” dessert or cocktail

• morals – such as by eating plant-based, to emphasise environmental values

• aesthetic – such as when people curate meals so they will look beautiful on social media feeds.

The way we eat is often shaped by social influences. We are aware of some of these influences, such as when we choose certain foods to fit in with family or friends. Others happen without us even noticing.

The role of social media

Food has been performative for hundreds of years (maybe more) – especially considering the luxurious and decorative eating habits of royal families.

Social media magnifies the dynamics of performative eating. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are inundated with food content, from aesthetic smoothie bowls, and matcha creations, to viral “what I eat in a day” videos.

These posts don’t just entertain – they influence.

Viewers may copy the meals, lifestyles, or even the values of creators they admire. As such, social media doesn’t just reflect eating trends. It also helps create and reinforce them.

The psychology and sociology of food

As social beings, our eating habits are deeply influenced by social modelling, wherein we tend to mirror what and how much others eat – especially when we like them or feel similar to them.

Research has found that knowing what foods or drinks others have chosen can influence us to make similar choices. Research also suggests people typically eat more when dining with friends or family, compared to when they eat alone. This suggests familiarity and social connection play a role in how much we eat.

Our food choices are also shaped by broader cultural beliefs, or what society says is “good” or “bad”. Online trends such as “trad wives” baking sourdough, detox regimens, and strict diets such as raw foodism can represent ideals of “purity” or discipline, or a desire to belong to a a particular community.

The reverse of this is also visible in popular culture, where indulgence is celebrated. Take mukbangs – videos where people eat large amounts of (often unhealthy) food while chatting with viewers. Originating in South Korea, mukbang videos have become a global trend, with some videos getting more than 30 million views.

Research shows mukbang videos can shape viewers’ eating habits. A recent review of the evidence suggests that for some they are helpful as they can encourage regular eating, and reduce binge eating or loneliness. But for others, they can trigger restrictive eating habits, or relapses into what is called “loss-of-control eating”.

When does it become a problem?

Performative eating sits on a spectrum. Sometimes it’s positive to share in certain foods, such as to connect with friends or family, or to celebrate your culture.

But it crosses the line when most of the focus is on appearing a certain way to others. This influence is particularly strong among adolescents and young adults. People in these age groups are often still figuring out who they are and where they belong, so fitting in can feel very important.

There are a range of potential downsides to performative eating. In more extreme cases, it might lead to disordered eating and body image concerns. For example, striving to present a “perfect”, socially approved diet can spiral into rigid rules or restriction that undermine one’s mental and physical health.

Performative eating may lead to reduced food enjoyment, as meals become more about spectacle rather than moments of nourishment or pleasure.

It can also lead to food shortages or strain on food supply, as we’ve seen in past matcha shortages.

Reconnecting with food

Performative eating isn’t always harmful. But if you think it could be affecting your physical or mental health in any way, you can ask yourself these questions:

• am I consuming this food or drink because I enjoy it, or because I will be viewed a certain way for it?

• do I order what I actually want to eat, or what I think I should be ordering?

• what emotions do I feel before and after engaging with various food content online?

Parents and caregivers can help children build lifelong positive relationships with food by modelling healthy eating, avoiding food restrictions, and encouraging autonomy in childrens’ food choices.

Lauren Ball receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Health and Wellbeing Queensland, Heart Foundation and Mater Misericordia, Springfield City Group. She is a Director of Dietitians Australia, a Director of the Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network, a Director of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and an Associate Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Emily Burch 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.

Pearl Wong receives funding from the Australian Government and The University of Queensland. She is a member of Dietitians Australia, serves as the Student Representatives Coordinator for the Dietitians Australia Queensland Branch Leadership Committee, and is also a member of Queensland Health Nutrition Education Materials Online (NEMO) Mental Health Group.

– ref. Matcha latte for the likes: how ‘performative eating’ is changing our relationship with food – https://theconversation.com/matcha-latte-for-the-likes-how-performative-eating-is-changing-our-relationship-with-food-262620

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niven Winchester, Professor of Economics, Auckland University of Technology

Women’s rugby is growing rapidly worldwide, and now accounts for 25% of the total global playing base. US women’s rugby star Ilona Maher is the most followed rugby player in the world, ahead of men’s stars Siya Kolisi and Antoine Dupont.

So there’s more interest than ever in the tenth Women’s Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in England on August 23. As with any big sports event, the pundits will be picking their winners based on recent win-loss records and overall performance trends – key factors that underpin official rankings.

Rugby Vision, a suite of statistical models I developed to predict outcomes for major competitions, uses similar information but with some important differences. Notably, it is less sensitive to the outcome of any single game.

The model uses three main components: a rating system for international teams; estimation of expected outcomes for each World Cup game using those ratings; and 10,000 simulations of the tournament to account for uncertainty around expected outcomes.

Rugby Vision has outperformed betting markets and other algorithms in recent men’s Rugby World Cups. I should add, though, it is not designed to support sports betting, but rather to illustrate how statistical modelling compares with real-world results.

Picking a winner

The probability of each team advancing to each stage of the tournament is shown in the table below. England, which has dominated women’s rugby in recent years and has home advantage, is overwhelming favourite with a 70.3% chance of winning the tournament.

New Zealand, which won the previous tournament, is second favourite with an 18.8% chance of defending their title. The next most likely winners are consistent performers Canada (6.7%) and France (3.9%). There is a 99.7% chance the winner will be one of these top four teams.

In each pool, one team (from the top four) is almost assured of making the quarterfinals, one team is “likely”, and one team has a fighting chance. For example, in Pool B, Canada has a 99.4% chance of being quarter-finalists, Scotland a 69.8% probability, and Wales a 27.5% chance.

Given the tournament schedule, Canada will likely play New Zealand in one semifinal, while England will face France in another. This is a key reason why France has a 75.5% chance of reaching the semifinals, but only a 12.1% chance of playing in the final.

Behind the algorithm

The simulations are based on an algorithm used to rank teams. The algorithm used here differs from that used for the official World Rugby Rankings.

Rugby Vision rankings and rating points for the participants are shown in the table below. England (with 136.8 rating points) is ranked number one, with a large lead over New Zealand (125.4), Canada (117.5) and France (114.6). Brazil (49.5), which will make its World Cup debut, rounds out the rankings.

The Rugby Vision rankings are comparable to the official World Rugby rankings, but a key difference is that Canada is ranked ahead of New Zealand in the official standings.

The rating points can be used to predict game results. For the first round of games at the tournament, the table below shows the expected winning margin of the favourite and the probability of each team winning.

For example, in the game between Scotland and Wales, Scotland is expected to win by nine points, but there is a 29.5% chance Wales will win.

While England enters the tournament as clear favourite, rugby has never been short of surprises. Past Rugby World Cups have seen giants fall and underdogs rise. The simulations give us a guide, but they are not a crystal ball.

What is certain is that the women’s game is in excellent shape – growing fast, drawing crowds and showcasing world-class talent. This tournament is bound to be a spectacle.

The author acknowledges the assistance of Soren Winchester, whose data collection contributed to the forecasts included in this article.

Niven Winchester 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. Who will win the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup? We ran 10,000 simulations to rank the contenders – https://theconversation.com/who-will-win-the-2025-womens-rugby-world-cup-we-ran-10-000-simulations-to-rank-the-contenders-262795

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out at prime minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of betraying Israel and abandoning Australia’s Jews.

The extraordinary outburst follows Israel revoking the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for the Albanese government announcing it will recognise a Palestinian state and also banning a visit by a right-wing Israeli parliamentarian.

In a post on X Netanyahu said, “History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”

One interpretation of the Netanyahu attack is that he is seeking to warn other countries from moving to recognise a Palestinian state.

The latest words and actions from Israel take the bilateral relationship to a new low.

The deteriorating relations is dismaying many in the Australian Jewish community.

Co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, “Allies with extensive economic, scientific and cultural ties should not be engaging in a diplomatic tit-for-tat that erodes the goodwill and cooperation built up over decades.”

“Calm heads need to take control of the situation otherwise there will be a risk to some $2 billion in bilateral trade, extensive investment in Australian start-ups, vital security cooperation and the Israeli-made medicine and medical technology that we all rely on.

“There are real-life consequences here and we want to see the countries work through any issues before things get out of hand.”

The revoking of the Australian diplomats’ visas will make it much more difficult for the Australian government to have ready contact with the Palestinian authority.

The diplomats have been visiting the West-Bank daily and Australia has an office there.

Albanese spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas before the recognition announcement and lined up a meeting when the two attend the United Nations in September. Australian recognition of a Palestinian state will take effect during Albanese’s UN trip.

Simcha Rotman had his visa blocked by the Home Affairs department on the grounds that his presence in Australia would risk provoking a reaction from the Muslim community.

It has been reported he had planned a speaking tour but is now intending to speak remotely to an Australian audience.

Michelle Grattan 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. Israeli PM Netanyahu denounces ‘weak’ Albanese in social media outburst. – https://theconversation.com/israeli-pm-netanyahu-denounces-weak-albanese-in-social-media-outburst-263473

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sonia Mycak, Research Fellow in Ukrainian Studies, Australian National University

The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House earlier this year, he was berated by Donald Trump.

On Monday, he returned with European leaders by his side. He emerged with some signs of progress on a peace deal to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The presence of the European leaders no doubt had a great impact on the meeting. After Trump’s recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, they were concerned he was aligning the United States with the Russian position by supporting Putin’s maximalist demands.

We see from Trump’s statements over the last couple of months, the only pullback from his erratic pronouncements, largely based on Russian disinformation, seems to come when a body politic around him brings him back to a more realistic and informed position. So, this show of European unity was very important.

Security guarantees remain vital

There was considerable progress on one critical part of the negotiations: security guarantees for Ukraine.

It is significant that the US is to be involved in future security guarantees. It was not that long ago Trump was placing all the responsibility on Europe. So, this signals a positive development.

I listened to the briefing Zelensky gave outside the White House in Ukrainian for Ukrainian journalists. He explained it will take time to sort out the details of any future arrangement, as many countries would be involved in Ukraine’s future security guarantees, each with different capabilities to assist. Some would help Ukraine finance their security needs, others could provide military assistance.

Zelensky also emphasised that funding and assistance for the Ukrainian military will be a part of any future security arrangement. This would involve strategic partnerships in development and production, as well as procurement.

Zelensky made a point of this at a news conference in Brussels prior to Monday’s meeting. It is a priority for Ukraine to have a military strong enough to defend itself from future Russian attacks.

Reports also indicate the security guarantees would involve Ukraine buying around US$90 billion (A$138 billion) of US military equipment through its European allies. Zelensky also suggested the possibility of the US buying Ukrainian-made drones in the future.

According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, there was also discussion about an Article 5-type security guarantee for Ukraine, referring to the part of the NATO treaty that enshrines the principle of collective defence for all members.

However, contrary to popular belief, NATO’s Article 5 does not actually commit members of the alliance to full military intervention if any one member is attacked. It allows NATO states to decide what type of support, if any, to provide. This would not be enough for Ukraine.

Ukraine has already seen the result of a failed security arrangement. In the
Budapest Memorandum of 1994, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia guaranteed to respect Ukraine’s borders and territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine giving up the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world.

However, look what happened. Russia invaded in 2014 without any serious consequences, and then launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Given this, any future security guarantee for Ukraine will need to be rigorous. Ukrainians are very cognisant of this.

Loss of Ukrainian territory

Prior to his Alaska summit with Trump, I would have said Putin is not interested in any kind of deal. We saw how in previous meetings in Istanbul, Russia sent low-level delegations, not authorised to make any decisions at all.

However, I think the scenario has changed because, unfortunately, in Alaska, Trump aligned himself with Putin in supporting Russia’s maximalist demands. It’s highly likely Putin now believes he has an advocate for those demands in the White House.

This could mean Putin now perceives there is a realistic chance Russia could secure Donbas, the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

I don’t believe Ukraine would ever agree to any formal or legal recognition of a Russian annexation of Crimea or any of the other four regions that Russia now partly occupies – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Zelensky has been adamant Ukraine would not cede territory to Russia in any peace deal. And he alone cannot make such a decision. Changing any borders would need a referendum and a change to the constitution. This would not be easy to do. For one thing, it’s a very unpopular move. And Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory would not be given a free and fair vote.

Putin’s war against Ukraine is an attempt at illegally appropriating very valuable land. In Alaska, he demanded Russia essentially be gifted the entire regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, including land not currently occupied by the Russian military.

This land has extensive Ukrainian military fortifications. Giving up this territory would leave Ukraine completely exposed to future Russian invasions – the country would effectively have no military protection along its eastern border regions. This would put Russia in a very advantageous position in future plans to regroup and attack again.

Even if Zelensky felt compelled to agree to some kind of temporary occupation and a frozen conflict along the current front lines, I don’t believe Ukraine could give up any land still under Ukrainian control.

In a recent Gallup poll, 69% of Ukrainians favoured a negotiated settlement to the war as soon as possible. In my view, this reflects the fact the United States, under the Trump administration, is proving to be an unreliable partner.

A settlement that rewards Russia for its genocidal war against Ukraine would set a very dangerous precedent, not only for the future of Ukraine but for Europe and the rest of the world.

At recent negotiations between the two sides in Istanbul, the head of the Russian delegation reportedly said “Russia is prepared to fight forever”.

That has not changed, no matter what niceties have occurred between Trump and Putin. They are prepared to continue to fight.

Sonia Mycak 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. Zelensky leaves Washington with Trump’s security guarantees, but are they enough? – https://theconversation.com/zelensky-leaves-washington-with-trumps-security-guarantees-but-are-they-enough-263423

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

The Israeli government has revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority, in the latest deterioration of relations between the two countries.

In a statement on social media Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he had also told the Israeli ambassador in Canberra “to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel”.

He said the decision followed Australia’s announcement that it will recognise a Palestine state.

It was “also against the backdrop of Australia’s unjustified refusal to grant visas to a number of Israeli figures”, he said.

These included former minister Ayelet Shaked and the Chairman of the Knesset’s constitution, law and justice committee, Simcha Rothman.

Rothman’s scheduled visit to Australia was stopped by the Home Affairs Department this week. The right-wing parliamentarian has made inflammatory comments including describing Gazan children as “enemies”. It was decided his presence in Australia would risk a reaction from the Islamic community.

Three Australian diplomats based in Israel have visas for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. They go to the West Bank every day, where they have an office and speak with the Palestinian Authority.

They also provide consular assistance to Australians when needed, and were involved in the exit of Australians and family members who received visas to come to Australia in the early stages of the conflict.

These diplomats are likely now to leave Israel, given they cannot do the work assigned to them.

Before announcing Australia’s planned recognition, which will happen at the United Nations next month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbes, and obtained various assurances ahead of the announcement.

The Israeli government’s decision will make the Australian government’s dialogue with the Palestinian Authority more difficult and complicated.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Israel’s decision was “an unjustified reaction” following the recognition decision.

“At a time when dialogue and diplomacy are needed more than ever, the Netanyahu government is isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace.

“We will continue to work with partners as we contribute international momentum to a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and release of the hostages.”

Sa’ar said antisemitism was “raging in Australia”. “The Australian government is choosing to fuel it by false accusations, as if the visit of Israeli figures will disrupt public order and harm Australia’s Muslim population. It is shameful and unacceptable.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley said she regretted how the relationship between the governments of Australia and Israel was deteriorating. On the visa rejection, she said Rothman was “an elected member of the Israeli parliament and it’s a very unusual thing to refuse a visa”.

This coming Sunday pro-Palestine marches will be held in more than 30 cities and towns across the country. There will also be a demonstration at Pine Gap, the joint Australian-US facility near Alice Springs.

Michelle Grattan 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. Israel bans Australian diplomats from occupied territories, as bilateral relations dive further – https://theconversation.com/israel-bans-australian-diplomats-from-occupied-territories-as-bilateral-relations-dive-further-262604

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Turnbull, Senior Research Data Specialist, The University of Melbourne

In 1770, after Captain Cook’s Endeavour struck the Great Barrier Reef and was held up for repairs, botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander collected hundreds of plants.

One of those pressed plants is among 170,000 specimens in the herbarium at the University of Melbourne.

Worldwide, more than 395 million specimens are housed in herbaria. Together they comprise an unparalleled record of Earth’s plant and fungal life over time.

We wanted to find a better, faster way to tap into this wealth of information. Our new research describes the development and testing of a new AI-driven tool Hespi (short for “herbarium specimen sheet pipeline”). It has the potential to revolutionise access to biodiversity data and open up new avenues for research.

The digitisation challenge

To unlock the full potential of herbaria, institutions worldwide are striving to digitise them. This means photographing each specimen at high resolution and converting the information on its label into searchable digital data.

Once digitised, specimen records can be made available to the public through online databases such as the University of Melbourne Herbarium Collection Online. They are also fed into large biodiversity portals such as the Australasian Virtual Herbarium, the Atlas of Living Australia, or the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. These platforms make centuries of botanical knowledge accessible to researchers everywhere.

But digitisation is a monumental task. Large herbaria, such as the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the Australian National Herbarium have used high-capacity conveyor belt systems to rapidly image millions of specimens. Even with this level of automation, digitising the 1.15 million specimens at the National Herbarium of NSW took more than three years.

For smaller institutions without industrial-scale setups, the process is far slower. Staff, volunteers and citizen scientists photograph specimens and painstakingly transcribe their labels by hand.

At the current pace, many collections won’t be fully digitised for decades. This delay keeps vast amounts of biodiversity data locked away. Researchers in ecology, evolution, climate science and conservation urgently need access to large-scale, accurate biodiversity datasets. A faster approach is essential.

How AI is speeding things up

To address this challenge, we created Hespi – open-source software for automatically extracting information from herbarium specimens.

Hespi combines advanced computer vision techniques with AI tools such as object detection, image classification and large language models.

First, it takes an image of the specimen sheet which comprises the pressed plant and identifying text. Then it recognises and extracts text, using a combination of optical character recognition and handwritten text recognition.

Deciphering handwriting is challenging for people and computers alike. So Hespi passes the extracted text through OpenAI’s GPT-4o Large Language Model to correct any errors. This substantially improves the results.

So in seconds, Hespi locates the main specimen label on a herbarium sheet and reads the information it contains. This includes taxonomic names, collector details, location, latitude and longitude, and collection dates. It captures the data and converts it into a digital format, ready for use in research.

For example, Hespi correctly detected and extracted all relevant components from the herbarium sheet below. This large brown algae specimen was collected in 1883 at St Kilda.

We tested Hespi on thousands of specimen images from the University of Melbourne Herbarium and other collections worldwide. We created test datasets for different stages in the pipeline and assessed the various components.

It achieved a high degree of accuracy. So it has the potential to save a lot of time, compared to manual data extraction.

We are developing a graphical user interface for the software so herbarium curators will be able to manually check and correct the results.

Just the beginning

Herbaria already contribute to society in many ways: from species identification and taxonomy to ecological monitoring, conservation, education, and even forensic investigations.

By mobilising large volumes of specimen-associated data, AI systems such as Hespi are enabling new and innovative applications at a scale never before possible.

AI has been used to automatically extract detailed leaf measurements and other traits from digitised specimens, unlocking centuries of historical collections for rapid research into plant evolution and ecology.

And this is just the beginning — computer vision and AI could soon be applied in many other ways, further accelerating and expanding botanical research in the years ahead.

Beyond herbaria

AI pipelines such as Hespi have the potential to extract text from labels in any museum or archival collection where high-quality digital images exist.

Our next step is a collaboration with Museums Victoria to adapt Hespi to create an AI digitisation pipeline suitable for museum collections. The AI pipeline will mobilise biodiversity data for about 12,500 specimens in the museum’s globally-significant fossil graptolite collection.

We are also starting a new project with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) to make the software more flexible. This will allow curators in museums and other institutions to customise Hespi to extract data from all kinds of collections — not just plant specimens.

Tranformational technology

Just as AI is reshaping many aspects of daily life, these technologies can transform access to biodiversity data. Human-AI collaborations could help overcome one of the biggest bottlenecks in collection digitisation — the slow, manual transcription of label data.

Mobilising the information already locked in herbaria, museums, and archives worldwide is essential to make it available for the cross-disciplinary research needed to understand and address the biodiversity crisis.

We wish to acknowledge our colleagues at the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform, including Karen Thompson and Emily Fitzgerald, who contributed to this research.

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. Botanical time machines: AI is unlocking a treasure trove of data held in herbarium collections – https://theconversation.com/botanical-time-machines-ai-is-unlocking-a-treasure-trove-of-data-held-in-herbarium-collections-253236

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia

You may have heard high-impact activity – exercise such as running, jumping, football and basketball – is good at building bone density and strength. But what about when you’re standing still, lifting weights at the gym?

The good news is weight training is great for bone health. But some exercises are more effective than others. Here’s what the science says.

What is bone density?

Bone density, also known as bone mineral density, is essentially a measure of how many minerals (such as calcium and phosphorus) are packed into your bones.

It gives you an indication of how solid your bones are, which is important because denser bones are generally less likely to break.

However, bone density is not quite the same as bone strength.

Bones also rely on a range of other compounds (such as collagen) to provide support and structure. So, even dense bones can become brittle if they are lacking these key structural components.

However, bone mineral density (measured with a bone scan) is still considered one of the best indicators of bone health because it is strongly linked to fracture risk.

While there is likely a genetic component to bone health, your daily choices can have a big impact.

What affects your bone health?

Research shows a few factors can influence how strong and dense your bones are:

Getting older: As we age, our bone mineral density tends to decrease. This decline is generally greater in women after menopause, but it occurs in everyone.

Nutrition: Eating calcium-rich foods – dairy in particular, but also many vegetables, nuts, legumes, eggs and meat – has been shown to have a small impact on bone density (although the extent to which this reduces fracture risk is unclear).

Exposure to sun: Sunlight helps your body make vitamin D, which helps you absorb calcium, and has been linked to better bone density.

Exercise: It is well established that people who do high-impact and high-load exercise (such as sprinting and weight training) tend to have denser and stronger bones than those who don’t.

Smoking: Older people who smoke tend to have lower bone density than those who don’t smoke.

Why does movement improve bone density?

In the same way that your muscles get stronger when you expose them to stress, your bones get stronger when they’re asked to handle more load. This is why exercise is so important for bone health – because it tells your bones to adapt and become stronger.

Many of us know that people at risk for bone loss – post-menopausal women and older adults – should be focused on exercising for bone health.

However, everyone can benefit from targeted exercise, and it’s arguably just as important to prevent declines in bone health.

In fact, whether you are male or female, the younger you start, the more likely you are to have denser bones into your older life. This is crucial for long-term bone health.

Do weights improve bone density?

Yes. One of the most effective exercises for bone health is lifting weights.

When you lift weights, your muscles pull on your bones, sending signals that encourage new bone formation. There is a large body of evidence showing weight training can improve bone density in adults, including in post-menopausal women.

But not all exercises are created equal. For example, some evidence suggests large compound exercises that place more load on the skeleton – such as squats and deadlifts – are particularly effective at increasing density in the spine and hips, two areas prone to fractures.

What type of weight training is best?

Lifting heavier weights is thought to produce better results than lifting lighter ones. This means doing sets of three to eight repetitions using heavy weights is likely to have a greater impact on your bones than doing many repetitions with lighter ones.

Similarly, it takes a long time for your bones to adapt and become denser – usually six months or more. This means for healthy bones, it’s better to integrate weight training into your weekly routine rather than do it in bursts for a few weeks at a time.

Exercises that use body weight, such as yoga and pilates, have many health benefits. However they are unlikely to have a significant impact on bone density, as they tend to put only light stress on your bones.

If you are new to weight training, you might need to start a bit lighter and get used to the movements before adding weight. And if you need help, finding an exercise professional in your local area might be a great first step.

Exercising for bone health is not complex. Just a couple of (heavy) weight training sessions per week can make a big difference.

If you’re concerned you have low bone density, speak to your doctor. They can assess whether you need to go for a scan.

Hunter Bennett 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. Does weightlifting improve bone density? – https://theconversation.com/does-weightlifting-improve-bone-density-263045

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate in Public Health & Community Medicine, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

If you’ve spent time on social media recently you have probably been exposed to questionable “wellness” content. You may have been instructed to dip your toes in icy water or let the sun shine where it usually doesn’t.

Wellness trends such as drinking “loaded” water or taking ice baths may be benign for most people, while others such as drinking raw milk, eating raw organ meats, or taping your mouth while you sleep carry real risks.

The online spaces where they circulate can also be harmful, serving as breeding grounds for conspiracy theories, anti-vaccination sentiment, and misuse of appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs.

It’s easy to dismiss followers of extreme wellness trends as gullible or misinformed. But research suggests personality traits may help explain why some educated, well-intentioned people sometimes reject conventional medicine in favour of fringe practices.

The big five personality traits

Psychologists have shown that many aspects of human personality can be described via five fundamental dimensions, of which we all have varying levels.

Two of these “big five” traits – openness and agreeableness – are particularly relevant to people’s interest in alternative health practices. (The remaining three traits are conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism.)

People high in openness are curious, imaginative and adventurous. They question tradition and are attracted to novelty and unconventional ideas. As a result, they are more likely to try new and unorthodox diets or treatments.

Highly agreeable people are trusting, cooperative and empathetic. They are very receptive to emotional messages, especially when they appeal to ideas of caring for others and benefiting the community.

Read more:
Personality traits may drive our ideas about fairness and sharing

These personality traits also influence how people search for and evaluate online information. People higher in openness tend to adopt an exploratory search strategy, preferring to seek novel or unconventional sources rather than relying on established information channels.

Because they value harmony, trust and maintaining relationships, highly agreeable people tend to give greater weight to information that comes from familiar or socially endorsed sources. They do so even when this information has not been critically evaluated.

Personality and persuasive influence

In the online wellness ecosystem, high levels of openness and agreeableness can make people susceptible to persuasion.

Influencers have a powerful advantage. They can position themselves as both novel and trustworthy. Open people can be seduced by original, eye-catching content, and agreeable people by community-focused narratives.

Influencers cultivate one-sided “parasocial” relationships in which followers feel an intimate connection with someone they have never met. These close bonds, coupled with the open personality’s attraction to unconventional ideas, can draw people into extreme, untested and unsafe health practices.

Openness to new experiences and being interpersonally agreeable are usually seen as strengths. However, in the buzzing, emotionally charged environment of online wellness culture they can become vulnerabilities.

From ice baths to anti-vax

Not all wellness practices peddled by online influencers are harmful. But some relatively innocuous trends can be a gateway to more extreme practices.

Someone might start taking ice baths for a mood boost, move on to restrictive raw diets for “clean eating”, and eventually arrive at anti-vaccine beliefs grounded in deep mistrust of health authorities.

Gateway effects can occur if a trusted influencer makes increasingly extreme recommendations. If the influencer pivots to more dangerous ideas, many followers will follow.

Over time, exposure to fringe wellness narratives can erode trust in mainstream institutions. What began as curiosity and warmth may, through repeated exposure to extreme content, shift towards cynicism and institutional mistrust.

How can public health messages adapt?

Public health campaigns sometimes assume people reject mainstream health advice because they lack knowledge or have low “health literacy”.

But if personality traits influence receptiveness to alternative wellness claims, simply giving people more information may not produce positive change.

Public health campaigns should consider personality traits for more effective preventive interventions. They can target people high in openness, for example, by presenting health science as dynamic and evolving, not just a set of rules and prescriptions. They can reach highly agreeable people with health messages that emphasise empathy and community.

To be effective for all of us, public health communication needs to be as engaging as the messages emanating from influencers. It must use eye-catching visuals, personal stories, and moral hooks while remaining truthful.

People who engage in extreme or unusual wellness practices aren’t merely misinformed. Often, they’re driven by the same urge to explore, connect, and live well as everyone else. The challenge we face is to steer that drive toward health, not harm.

Samuel Cornell receives funding from an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

Nick Haslam receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. Why do smart people get hooked on wellness trends? Personality traits may play a role – https://theconversation.com/why-do-smart-people-get-hooked-on-wellness-trends-personality-traits-may-play-a-role-263041

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mojtaba Rajabi, Senior Lecturer in Geoscience, The University of Queensland

Last Saturday at 9:49am local time, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred about 50km west of Gympie in Queensland. The earthquake was experienced as strong shaking locally, but did not produce any significant damage, likely because of the remote location of the epicentre.

However, the quake was felt far and wide and small aftershocks continue. More than 24,000 people across eastern Australia reported it, not only in the nearest big city (Brisbane) but as far away as Cairns and Sydney. This was the largest earthquake in onshore southeast Queensland since 1935, when an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 occurred near Gayndah.

Most of the world’s earthquake hotspots are near the boundaries between tectonic plates – places such as New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia. Here, earthquakes are frequent because of the immense forces where two plates collide or slide past one another.

But Australia sits in the middle of the Australian tectonic plate, far from any plate edges. So why do earthquakes still happen here?

Tectonically ‘quiet’ – but not silent

Australia is often seen as tectonically “quiet” and stable.

But this picture is only partly true. As Saturday’s seismic event shows, earthquakes do happen here, and Australia has a rich record of recent faults and seismic activity.

On average, Australia has an earthquake larger than magnitude 6.0 about once every seven years, and one greater than magnitude 5.0 roughly once a year. Geological studies of recent faults tell us that Australia could host an earthquake up to around magnitude 7.5.

What drives earthquakes in Australia?

Even though Australia is far from the edges of tectonic plates, the continent is still being squeezed and stressed by the large forces at those distant plate boundaries. These stresses travel deep into the plate and build up.

When the stress becomes too great, it is suddenly released along zones of weakness in the crust (known as fault zones). That release is what we feel as an earthquake.

The map below shows just how widespread earthquakes and active faults are across the continent.

The Australian stress field

Over the past four decades, scientists have built up a detailed picture of the stresses acting in the Australian crust. This comes from many sources including earthquake information, borehole data, mining sites, and large-scale engineering projects.

The results have been compiled in two projects: the Australian Stress Map and the World Stress Map. These show Australia’s stress patterns are highly variable and different from those of other continents.

Unlike some continents, where the direction of maximum horizontal stress tends to line up neatly with the movement of plates, Australia’s stresses twist and turn, changing direction across the country. Large-scale computer modeling shows this can be explained by the combined effect of tectonic forces at the edges of the Indo-Australian Plate.

Stress and earthquakes in Queensland

The recent earthquake occurred near Kilkivan, west of Gympie, in an area where many faults are aligned in a northwest–southeast direction. One of the most important of these is the North Pine Fault System, a wide zone made of many separate fault segments.

This network of fractures tells a long geological story of movement, stretching back millions of years, that has shaped the landscape of eastern Australia. Geoscientists believe the fault system is quite ancient – between around 50 million and 250 million years old.

However, there have been numerous modern earthquakes in the surrounding region, which suggests the fault system may still be active. The area has experienced several significant earthquakes in the past, including events in 1883, 1918, 1935 and more recently, 2015.

The maximum stress in this region is directed from northeast to southwest. The driving forces come from far beyond Australia.

The Australian tectonic plate is compressed from the north and east by the Pacific plate, particularly along boundaries near the New Hebrides, the Solomon Islands, and the Tonga–Kermadec zone which stretches from New Zealand to Tonga. This compression reaches deep into Queensland.

It is these forces from distant plate boundaries that are behind Australian earthquakes like the recent one in Kilkivan, even though we are far from the world’s active plate edges.

Since Saturday morning’s earthquake, more than 15 aftershocks have been recorded. Most have been quite small, with magnitudes less than 2.0. A main shock of the moderate magnitude experienced near Gympie will typically produce an aftershock as large as magnitude 4.5, in addition to the many more smaller events.

So, as the crust adjusts to the changes in local stress produced by this earthquake, seismic activity is expected to continue for days or weeks, but with overall smaller and less frequent earthquakes as time goes on.

Mojtaba Rajabi leads the Australian Stress Map project and serves as deputy head of the World Stress Map project. His research on Australia’s stress field is supported by the Australian Research Council through a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE200101361).

Dee Ninis works at the Seismology Research Centre, is Vice-President of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, and a Committee Member for the Geological Society of Australia – Victoria Division.

Abbas Babaahmadi 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 Australia have earthquakes? The whole continent is under stress from distant forces – https://theconversation.com/why-does-australia-have-earthquakes-the-whole-continent-is-under-stress-from-distant-forces-263334

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University

On Sunday, one of rugby league’s best forwards, Payne Haas, confirmed his switch in national allegiance from Australia to Samoa.

Haas, who played four Tests for Australia, was born in New South Wales. His mother is Samoan and his father is Filipino-Swiss.

With several other top NRL players considering similar moves, the sport looks set for a period of international rejuvenation just as Australia prepares to host the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

What’s behind the moves?

Haas’ switch to Samoa continues a trend that began in 2017 when Jason Taumalolo stunned the rugby league world by switching his allegiance from New Zealand to Tonga.

At the time, he was arguably the game’s best forward and explained his move as a way to inspire Tonga’s young athletes:

I just feel it’s time to give back and hopefully I can assist and inspire young Tongan players to chase their NRL goals.

In the words of Haas:

There was a moment playing for Australia against Samoa where the anthems were playing and my mind started racing back to lots of memories with my mum making us sing the Samoan national anthem in the car. And from that moment onwards I wanted to play for Samoa.

As research into Pasifika identity in rugby league shows, this is more than just a sporting decision. For many players, it’s a cultural and spiritual responsibility.

Faith, family and service to community are central to Pasifika life. Wearing the jersey of a heritage nation becomes a public act of honouring ancestors, strengthening village ties and giving back to the people who shaped them.

Haas’ self-described journey of identity can be contrasted to widespread and somewhat simplistic media framing of such players as “defectors”.

But for many Pasifika athletes, irrespective of their birthplace, rugby league is merely what they do to better serve their Pasifika community, which is a key reason some choose to pledge allegiance to their island nations.

How can these athletes switch allegiances?

Haas’ switch to Samoa is possible because of changes to rugby league’s eligibility rules in 2016, which facilitate fluid athlete mobility between Tier 1 (Australia, New Zealand, England) and Tier 2 (everyone else) nations.

This structure is highly flexible compared to most international sports.

In soccer, for example, athletes are generally tied for life to the country for whom they played their first competitive senior international match (with limited exceptions).

In rugby union, rules were relaxed in 2022 but remain highly restrictive: World Rugby allows a one-time switch but only after a three-year stand-down period from international rugby.

What about State of Origin?

The most critical and contentious aspect of all this is whether players can simultaneously play State of Origin (if eligible) and represent a Tier 2 nation.

In a conventional sport development pyramid, State of Origin would be a pathway for Australian team selection. Yet, of the 34 participants in State of Origin 3 this year, upwards of 12 players are likely to represent Samoa or Tonga in the end-of-season Pacific Championships.

State of Origin is estimated to be responsible for 20% of rugby league’s total commercial revenue, so its administrators are highly sensitive to ensuring it remains one of the most-watched sport events on television.

Notably, the NRL has committed to reviewing Origin eligibility.

An opportunity or threat?

Pacific Island nations are reinvigorating an international game marked by limited competitive balance: Australia has won nine of the ten World Cups held since 1975. This has begun to change, first with Tonga’s emergence in 2017, followed by Samoa’s historic 2021 World Cup final appearance.

This is translating to commercial outcomes. The 2024 Pacific Championships featuring Australia, New Zealand and Tonga generated a total audience of 6.2 million viewers in Australia, marking a significant 40% increase on the 2023 edition.

This growth has also been driven by an emerging international women’s rugby league scene, with the NRLW comprised of 48% Pasifika/Māori athletes.

Rugby league’s cultural movement is not just a commercial opportunity in Australia, but a way to win hearts and minds across the broader Pacific.

In rugby union, Pasifika players are often lured via economic incentives to play for developed nations, such as Australia, New Zealand and even France. However, in rugby league, the rules have instead encouraged them to proudly play for their island nations.

This has not gone unnoticed by Pacific Island nations and expatriate communities, as best seen in the viral street parades celebrating Tonga and Samoa’s recent successes.

NRL’s chance to embrace its multiculturalism

In 2024, 31.5% of Australia’s population and 28.8% of New Zealand’s population was born overseas, among the highest rates in the world.

In rugby league, this diversity is even more pronounced. In 2025, 52% of NRL players were Pasifika, 11% Māori and 14% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

These figures explain why flexible eligibility rules resonate – they reflect lived identity rather than forcing a single passport choice.

Eligibility rules, originally designed to preserve competitive integrity and the prestige of competitions like State of Origin, assumed a single, fixed national or state identity. But in a multicultural, highly mobile player pool, that assumption no longer holds.

This selective flexibility creates contradictions: a player can represent both Samoa and NSW but a New South Welshman of New Zealand or English ancestry cannot do the same. A child who relocated to Queensland at age 12 is a “Queenslander”, while one who did so at 14 is not, according to State of Origin rules.

For players whose identities span multiple cultures and places, the choice often forces them to sideline part of who they are in order to fit a competition’s administrative framework.

Rugby league clearly has far more to gain than lose from embracing eligibility rules that reflect lived multicultural realities.

At a time when the number of Indigenous players reaching the AFL has plummeted and private schools increasingly dominate their national draft, rugby league’s cultural diversity may just be its greatest strength.

Dr David Lakisa, founder of Talanoa consultancy, contributed to this article.

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. Payne Haas’s allegiance switch to Samoa: a threat or an opportunity for rugby league? – https://theconversation.com/payne-haass-allegiance-switch-to-samoa-a-threat-or-an-opportunity-for-rugby-league-262025

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Business, union, community representatives and experts have gathered in Canberra to grapple with some of Australia’s most intractable problems: how to make us a more productive, sustainable and resilient country.

A vast amount of work has been done before the roundtable, with most groups coming in with ideas on what should be done – some, of course driven by self-interest.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has also invited his opposition counterpart, Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien.

On this podcast we are joined by O’Brien, followed by one of the business representatives, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar.

This follows our interviews with Australian Council of Trade Union secretary Sally McManus and Chalmers last week.

Asked about which of the Productivity Commission’s pre-roundtable ideas he supports, O’Brien says he:

loved the Productivity Commission’s message about having a growth mindset. I think that is spot on and it is exactly what Australia needs. We need to be ambitious for our country and that requires a growth mindset. I also think they have defined what productivity is very well, which is, it’s all about living standards.

[…] I think their AI report has triggered some healthy debate, I think that’s been very helpful. I don’t like a lot of their tax comments, again because we have some markers when we look at this roundtable. One of those markers is that you don’t raise living standards by raising taxes.

On what he and Chalmers might agree on during this summit, the answer is not much.

[…] I think we can agree on his initial definition of the problem to solve – and that’s a good start – which is the government’s budget is not sustainable. I agree with Jim Chalmers on that, 100%. It is not a sustainable, his own budget.

The second thing I think we can agree on is the importance of productivity. And the numbers do the talking, the biggest drop in living standards that we’ve seen. And the biggest drop in the developed world. So I am with Jim Chalmers on that.

When asked if they at least agreed on the same destination, if not the same roads, O’Brien stresses the difference he sees between himself and the government:

I would say very much different roads [… and] I would say completely different destinations. I believe that if we continue under the path of the Labor government, Australia will be a poor, weak and dependent nation. Under a Coalition, I believe Australia’s future is one where we will be prosperous, not poor. We’ll be strong, not weak. And we’ll be fiercely independent, not dependent on others.

Meanwhile, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s CEO Andrew McKellar says he’s optimistic going into the roundtable and highlights where we might see consensus emerge this week.

I think there are some areas of common ground emerging. People are pointing to housing. So there’s been a lot of talk about how we address the challenges of housing affordability fundamentally. That can only be done if we get supply moving in the housing and construction sector regulation. The National Construction Code is a big part of what’s holding that back.

[… There are] currently, 2,000 pages of regulation. You attach to that, about 165 different Australian standards. It stacks up to a huge pile of paper and regulation that’s got to be complied with […] You add on top of that all the processes at a state level, in terms of land release and planning approvals, environmental approvals, then the building approvals process – it can take many years to [… get] to the point where you can get keys in doors.

McKellar says looking beyond this week’s talks, he hopes the government will have the courage to take on comprehensive, long-term tax reform. But he says the challenge for the government is:

to determine how it’s going to spend some of that enormous political capital that it’s accrued, if it’s going to make fundamental changes which do benefit the Australian economy. And I mean, obviously, selling that is a difficult proposition. Convincing the electorate that it is in their best interests to contemplate how we have a fit-for-purpose tax system for the future.

[…] They have a very significant majority now, but I think they can make the case. If they want to be ambitious, we urge the government to be in this regard […] There’s always, I think a challenge to get consensus around reform. But as we look down the track, then they really have the opportunity to create a legacy.

Michelle Grattan 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. Politics with Michelle Grattan: Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien and industry chief Andrew McKellar’s tax and red tape wishlists – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-shadow-treasurer-ted-obrien-and-industry-chief-andrew-mckellars-tax-and-red-tape-wishlists-263331

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Declan Humphreys, Lecturer Cybersecurity and Ethics, University of the Sunshine Coast

In July, the United States government made it clear that artificial intelligence (AI) companies wanting to do business with the White House will need to ensure their AI systems are “objective and free from top-down ideological bias”.

In an executive order on “preventing woke AI in the federal government”, President Donald Trump refers to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as an example of a biased ideology.

The apparent contradiction of calling for unbiased AI while also dictating how AI models should discuss DEI shows the notion of ideologically free AI is a fantasy.

Multiple studies have shown most language models skew their responses to left-of-centre viewpoints, such as imposing taxes on flights, restricting rent increases, and legalising abortion.

Chinese chatbots such as DeepSeek, Qwen and others censor information on the events of Tiananmen Square, the political status of Taiwan, and the persecution of Uyghurs, aligning with the official position of the Chinese government.

AI models are not politically neutral nor free from bias. More importantly, it may not even be possible for them to be unbiased. Throughout history, attempts to organise information have shown that one person’s objective truth is another’s ideological bias.

Lying with maps

Humans struggle to organise information about the world without distorting reality.

Take cartography, for example. We might expect maps to be objective – after all, they reflect the natural world. But flattening a globe onto a two-dimensional map means having to distort it somehow. American geographer Mark Monmonier has famously argued maps necessarily lie, distort reality, and can be tools for political propaganda.

Think of the classic world map that uses the Mercator projection, hung in every primary school classroom. It converts the globe into a cylinder and then lays it flat. I grew up thinking Greenland must be massive compared to the rest of the world.

In fact, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland, despite appearing to be roughly the same size on this type of map.

In the 1970s, German historian Arno Peters argued Mercator’s distortions contributed to a skewed perception of the inferiority of the global south.

Such distortions could be an analogy for the current state of AI. As Monmonier wrote in his book How To Lie With Maps:

a single map is but one of an indefinitely large number of maps that might be produced for the same situation or from the same data.

Similarly, a single large language model’s response is one of an indefinitely large number of responses which might be produced for the same situation or from the same data.

Think of the many ways a chatbot could formulate a response when prompted about something like diversity, equity and inclusion.

A built-in classification bias

Other historic attempts at organising information have shown the bias of their designers and users too.

The widely used Dewey decimal classification (DDC) system for libraries, published in 1876, has been known to be racist and homophobic.

Over the course of the 20th century, LGBTQIA+ books have been categorised under Mental Derangements, Neurological Disorders, or Social Problems in the DDC, with more recent efforts being made to eliminate outdated and derogatory terms from the classification.

Under Religion, roughly 65 sections out of 100 are dedicated to Christianity because the library where the classification was originally developed had a strong focus on Christianity. While Islam has an estimated 2 billion followers to Christianity’s 2.3 billion today, in the DDC Islam only has a single section dedicated to it.

AI learns from humans, after all

The large language models that power AI chatbots are trained on countless pieces of text, from historical works of literature to online discussion forums. Biases from these texts can unknowingly creep into the model, such as negative stereotypes of African Americans from the 1930s.

Just having raw information is not enough. Language models must be trained how to retrieve and present this information in their answers.

One way to do this is to have them learn to copy how humans respond to questions. This process does make them more useful, but studies have found it also makes them align with the beliefs of those who are training them.

AI chatbots also use system prompts: instructions that tell them how to act. These system prompts are, of course, defined by human developers.

For example, the system prompts for Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, reportedly instruct it to “assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased” and to not “shy away from making claims that are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated”.

Musk launched Grok to counter his perceived “liberal bias” of other products such as ChatGPT. However, the recent fallout when Grok started spouting anti-semitic rhetoric clearly illustrates that attempts to correct for bias necessarily replace it with a different kind of bias.

All this goes to show that for all their innovation and wizardry, AI language models suffer from a centuries-old problem. Organising and presenting information is not only an attempt to reflect reality, it is a projection of a worldview.

For users, understanding whose worldview these models represent is just as important as knowing who draws the lines on a map.

Declan Humphreys serves on the Executive Committee of the Australian Chapter of the IEEE’s Society for the Social Implications of Technology.

– ref. AI free from bias and ideology is a fantasy – humans can’t organise data without distorting reality – https://theconversation.com/ai-free-from-bias-and-ideology-is-a-fantasy-humans-cant-organise-data-without-distorting-reality-262523

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Tieman, Matthew Flinders Professor and Director of the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying, Flinders University

As our population ages, we’re living longer and dying older. End-of-life care is therefore an increasingly important part of aged care. In Australia, around 50% of people aged over 85 die in an aged care home.

But what does this mean for those who work in aged care? Research suggests aged-care staff experience a unique type of grief when residents die. However, their grief often goes unrecognised, and they may be left with insufficient support.

Forming relationships over time

Aged-care staff don’t just do tasks such as helping with showering or delivering meals, but engage actively and connect with residents.

In our own research we’ve spoken with aged-care staff who care for older people both in aged-care facilities and in their own homes.

Aged-care staff are aware many of those they look after will die, and that they have a role in supporting older people as they come to the end of their life. In their caring role, they will often form meaningful and rewarding relationships with the older people in their care.

As a result, when the older person dies, this can be a source of profound loss for aged-care workers. As one told us:

I know I cry over some of them that die […] You spend time with them and you love them.

Some aged-care workers we interviewed talked about being present with the older person, talking to them or holding their hands as they died. Others spoke of how they shed tears for the person who had died, but that the tears were also for their loss, because they have known the older person and been involved in their life.

I think what made it worse was when her breathing got very shallow, and I knew she was coming to the end. I did go out. I told her I was going out for a minute. I went out and I had a cry because I wish that I could have saved her, but I
knew that I couldn’t.

Sometimes aged-care staff indicated there wasn’t an opportunity for them to say goodbye or be acknowledged as someone who had suffered a loss, even if they had been providing care to the person for a number of months or years. One aged-care worker noted:

If people die in hospital, that’s another grief. Because they don’t get to say
goodbye. Often the hospital won’t tell you.

Aged-care staff often must also support families and loved ones as they come to terms with the death of a parent, relative or friend. This can add to the to the emotional toll for staff who may be experiencing their own feelings of grief.

Cumulative grief

Repeated experiences of death can lead to cumulative grief and emotional strain. While staff saw meaning and value in their work, they also found regular exposure to death challenging.

One staff member told us that with time and seeing multiple deaths, you can “feel a little robotic. Because you’ve had to become that way to manage”.

Organisational issues such as staff shortages or high workloads can also exacerbate these feelings of burnout and dissatisfaction. Staff highlighted the need for support in coping.

Sometimes all you want to do is talk. You don’t need someone to solve anything for you. You just want to be heard.

Supporting aged-care staff to manage their grief

Aged-care organisations must take steps to support the wellbeing of their workforce, including acknowledging the grief many feel when older people die.

Following the death of an older person, offering support to staff who have worked closely with that person and acknowledging the emotional bonds that existed are powerful ways of recognising and validating staff grief. Simply asking the staff member how they are going or giving them the chance to take some time to process that the person has died is a good place to start.

Workplaces should also encourage self-care more broadly, promoting activities such as taking scheduled breaks, connecting with colleagues, and prioritising time for relaxation and physical activities. Staff value workplaces that encourage, normalise, and support their self-care practices.

We also need to look at how we can normalise the ability to talk about death and dying within our families and communities. A reluctance to recognise death as part of life can add to the emotional load staff carry, especially if families see dying as a failure of care.

Conversely, aged-care staff have consistently told us how meaningful it is to receive positive feedback and acknowledgement from families. As one worker recalled:

We had a death over the weekend. A really long-term resident here. And the daughter drove in especially this morning to tell me what fantastic care she had. That makes me feel better, that what we’re doing is right.

As members of families and communities, we need to recognise aged-care workers are uniquely vulnerable to feelings of grief and loss, often having built relationships with those in their care over months or years. Supporting the wellbeing of this important workforce supports them to continue to care for us and our loved ones as we age and come to the end of our lives.

Jennifer Tieman receives funding from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; Department for Health and Wellbeing (SA); and Medical Research Future Fund. Specific research grants as well as national project grants such as ELDAC, CareSearch and palliAGED have enabled the research and project findings and resources reported in this article.
Jennifer is a member of various committees and project advisory groups including Advance Care Planning Australia Steering Committee, IHACPA Aged Care Network, and Palliative Care Australia’s National Expert Advisory Panel.

Dr Priyanka Vandersman receives funding from Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. She is affiliated with Flinders University, End of Life Directions for Aged Care project. She is a Digital Health adviser for the Australian Digital Health Agency, and serves as committee member for the Nursing and Midwifery in Digital Health group within the Australian Institute of Digital Health, as well as Standards Australia’s MB-027 Ageing Societies committee.

– ref. ‘I went out and I had a cry’: what aged-care staff say about their grief when residents die – https://theconversation.com/i-went-out-and-i-had-a-cry-what-aged-care-staff-say-about-their-grief-when-residents-die-262937

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide

South Australia’s catastrophic harmful algal bloom now affects almost 30% of the state’s coastline, stretching from the Coorong in the state’s southeast to the seafood-rich Spencer Gulf to the west.

With no end in sight, many South Australians are searching for solutions.

Trials of physical, chemical and biological solutions have been run around the world at much smaller scale, usually in aquaculture fish pens and leases.

Unfortunately, the enormous Karenia mikimotoi bloom in SA is far too big for any of these technologies. But they could provide temporary relief at high-risk sites, such as vital breeding grounds for vulnerable species such as the giant Australian cuttlefish.

How can algae be managed at smaller scales?

This disaster arose from a triple threat: marine heatwaves linked to climate change, floodwaters and cold upwellings carrying nutrients algae need, and marine habitat loss leaving coasts extra vulnerable. Prevention is the best cure – so we need to tackle each of these threats.

In the meantime, the bloom’s persistence presents an opportunity to experiment with potential solutions.

Chemical

Anyone who has managed a pool knows how effective chemicals are in removing unwanted algae. But in the sea, chemicals can have unintended impacts. There’s more than one type of algae out there and we don’t want to kill the good guys.

In response to algal blooms at sea, researchers have even tried chemical crop-dusting by planes.

Clay has been used against marine algal blooms for more than 50 years in China and Japan. The clay particles bind to algal cells in surface waters, causing them to settle to the bottom where they stop growing or die. But to date, it has required a huge amount of clay to be effective.

Modified clay technology is a promising environmentally friendly solution. Released as a slurry, the clay binds and removes phosphorus, essentially removing the bloom’s fuel source.

Physical

Physical solutions often involve mixing the water column to break up the warm surface layers suitable for algal growth.

Other solutions physically block and disturb algae. Pumping air through tubes to create “bubble curtains” can stop algae from passing through.

This technology is useful in aquaculture pens. But bubble curtains can do little against intense algal blooms, forcing fish farmers to simply drag their pens out of harms’ way. So they’re never going to work at scale.

Biological

Natural systems have their own checks and balances. The oceans are full of microorganisms that naturally prey on algae – such as single-celled organisms (ciliates and flagellates) – or suppress it, including bacteria and viruses.

Such natural microbial warfare may help solve the SA bloom, with promising signs of bioluminescent “sea sparkle” algae dining on Karenia.

Scientists in the United States are working to extract natural algicides produced by algae-killing marine bacteria to combat Red Tide blooms in Florida.

Some bacterial algicides only kill specific harmful algae species, offering promise for low-risk application. To date, these solutions have largely been used at small, experimental scale.

By contrast, algicidal bacteria are found in abundance on common seagrasses around the world, providing healthy seagrass meadows with natural immunity. Conserving and restoring seagrass offers one way to tackle the problem longer term.

Helping nature to help itself

SA was once home to 1,500km of shellfish reefs, formed by billions of native oysters. These ecosystems served as the natural kidneys of our coastline. A single oyster is capable of filtering a bathtub of water a day, removing excess nutrients and algae.

Within a century of European settlement, these natural reefs were all but destroyed by overharvesting. The good news: they can be restored. For example, restoring two hectares of shellfish reef at Adelaide’s Glenelg Beach saw oysters filtering over 12 million litres of water a day within 1.5 years of reef construction.

These figures suggest SA’s lost shellfish reefs would have been filtering over half a trillion litres of seawater daily. This natural wastewater treatment system could have removed nutrients washed into our coastal seas before they could feed a bloom.

Diving on the restored shellfish reef during the algal bloom has given us some hope. Despite the soupy green water, the native oysters appear to be doing well. Similarly, oysters on leases in the affected areas are thriving as they feed on the highly nutritious Karenia algae.

By contrast, many filter-feeding bivalves have been devastated by the bloom, notably the habitat-forming razorfish (pen shells) and cockles.

Earlier this month, Premier Peter Malinauskas announced plans to restore a total of 15 hectares of shellfish reef alongside community groups across 15 locations. This provides an opportunity to learn whether larger-scale oyster restoration can help future-proof SA seas against harmful algae.

Rebuildling resilient ecosystems

This devastating algal bloom will eventually dissipate. Once the harmful algae have fallen back to normal levels, nature can rebuild.

But future blooms are likely as the climate warms and strengthens heavy downpours that flush nutrients out to sea. To prepare, we should explore ways of restoring ecosystems able to hasten recovery and rebuild natural resilience.

Investing in scaling up conservation and restoration of filter-feeding shellfish reefs and bacteria-harbouring seagrass meadows – the sea’s kidneys and immune system – will be necessary alongside long-term underwater monitoring.

If we continue with a reactive, fragmented approach to climate, nutrient pollution, and biodiversity loss, we’re guaranteed to face more costly catastrophes. We need to act to build long-term ecological and socio-economic resilience.

Dominic McAfee receives funding from the South Australian Government. He is affiliated with conservation non-profit EyreLab (Educating Youth in Restoration Ecology Lab).

Sean Connell 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 could we clean up the algal bloom? – https://theconversation.com/how-could-we-clean-up-the-algal-bloom-262749

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maryanne Macdonald, Lecturer, Indigenous Education, Edith Cowan University

Statistics showing Indigenous school students in a negative light are regularly reported in the Australian media and policy debates. We often hear how Indigenous students “trail” their non-Indigenous peers in NAPLAN results and how there are persistent “gaps” when it comes to finishing high school.

These messages unfortunately reflect a common bias against Indigenous Australians in the community. These stereotypes – such as “Indigenous people aren’t interested in education” – often seep into schools, creating obstacles for Indigenous students.

Until now we have not had a lot of quantitative evidence on Indigenous students’ actual attitudes towards education.

Our new research, based on a survey of more than 500 WA secondary students, shows Indigenous students care about their school education and want to complete Year 12.

But they continue to face obstacles to completing education, including equal access to computers, varied support for their Indigenous culture, and needing to complete high school away from home.

Why teachers’ expectations matter

We know there are many systemic barriers which can affect Indigenous students’ school completion. Indigenous students are more likely to go to a rural school, where education is less accessible and schools are less well resourced.

Racism also remains widespread in Australian schools.

Research shows it is common for Australian teachers to believe Indigenous students are not interested in education or are unlikely to achieve academically. When students face these attitudes from their teachers, it can lower their motivation.

This harms students’ wellbeing, engagement with school and academic outcomes.

Read more:
‘Once students knew their identity, they excelled’: how to talk about excellence in Indigenous education

Our research

Our study surveyed 536 students from 14 secondary schools in Western Australia. Most participants came from remote or regional WA, although many attended boarding schools in Perth or regional towns.

Students were in years 8 to 12 and went to Catholic or independent schools. We weren’t granted access to the public school system for these interviews. This means the results were skewed towards families who had opted out of the public school system. Some families had done this for religious reasons or to access boarding opportunities.

Although the schools were private, they were not all “leafy-green” or privileged. Some were in remote communities, and others served working-class families.

Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students in our study attended schools of equal socioeconomic status. Indigenous students across Australia typically attend schools that are less well resourced, which means that the problems faced by Indigenous students may be larger than what our study found.

The study compared students’ experiences at school with their beliefs about education. It aimed to understand how Indigenous and non-Indigenous students’ experiences shape their education aspirations. We used statistics software to analyse the data.

Indigenous students think school is important

Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students reported similar, positive responses when asked whether it was important to complete Year 12.

They also reported similar, positive responses to questions about their family’s support for school, future aspirations to study and belief about their ability to make something of their life.

Our results showed Indigenous students have strong self-belief and motivation.

Indigenous students were more likely to value school attendance and completion than non-Indigenous students. This is an important finding, as it shows “disinterest” is not the cause of differences in school completion.

Less access to resources

Despite attending equivalent types of schools, Indigenous students in our study still faced more barriers than non-Indigenous students when it came to their education.

They reported less frequent access to computers and internet to do their homework. On average, Indigenous students said they could access these tools only “some of the time”, while non-Indigenous students said they could access them “most of the time”.

Indigenous students were also less likely to have family members who had completed secondary or tertiary education. Our school system often assumes students can access academic support at home, but this is not equally the case for all students.

Indigenous students were more likely to have had to leave home to complete high school, including going to boarding school. This means Indigenous students were more likely to be away from family support networks when they were studying. This can affect students’ ability to focus at school, especially during challenging times such as Sorry Business.

What was students’ experience of school?

We asked students about the support schools provided around homework and career planning, their sense of belonging at school, and whether their school had a positive culture in general and promoted Indigenous culture specifically. We also asked about staff-student relationships.

On these measures, we found there were actually greater differences between schools than between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. This suggests school quality is an important factor in outcomes for Indigenous students.

When students feel respected and supported by their teachers, they’re more likely to stay engaged – and that’s especially true for Indigenous students.

Indigenous students in our study were three times more likely than other students to say the quality of relationships with teachers influenced their school attendance.

Indigenous students also reported that when teachers were culturally responsive (connecting students’ culture with what and how they were learning), it had a positive impact on their motivation and school resilience.

Beyond our study, Indigenous students are more likely to attend public schools and rural schools, which typically have less funds. Rural schools often have high turnover of staff, which makes it harder to build good staff-student relationships.

Yet we found some schools in our study, despite funding issues or remote location, had strong school cultures. They had developed culturally responsive approaches which improved Indigenous students’ sense of belonging.

The gap is access, not aspiration

Our research supports other studies that argue Indigenous students do not need assistance to develop aspirations around their education.

Instead, they need adequate schooling resources such as internet and computers, and responsive educators who enable their current aspirations to be achieved successfully. The education “gap” is in access, not aspiration.

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. Indigenous students want to finish Year 12. They need equal support and resources from schools to do this – https://theconversation.com/indigenous-students-want-to-finish-year-12-they-need-equal-support-and-resources-from-schools-to-do-this-257895

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wenjia Tang, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Digital Communication, University of Sydney

What can you do in 60 seconds? In short dramas, or “micro dramas”, that’s enough time for a billionaire CEO to fall in love with his contracted wife, or for a werewolf mafia boss to break a curse.

These vertically framed, minute-long serials are reshaping the way we consume screen entertainment.

ReelShort, NetShort and DramaBox are currently the leading short drama platforms. DramaBox has been downloaded more than 100 million times on Google Play, while ReelShort was ranked second on Apple’s top free entertainment apps at the time of writing, ahead of Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video and Disney+.

Short dramas originated in China in the early 2020s through short video platforms such as Douyin (TikTok’s sister app) and Kuaishou (also known as Kwai).

The format has since expanded globally through both Chinese platforms and social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram. It reflects a growing trend in smartphone entertainment towards shorter, scrollable content.

Our new research, which involved interviewing 12 people in the short drama industry, shows it is creating much-needed job opportunities. At the same time, this industry is expanding faster than regulation can catch up – and that spells trouble.

Cliffhangers and outrageous storytelling

Short dramas are optimised for fragmented viewing via smartphones. The format blends TikTok’s fast-paced plotting style with recognisable screen genres. Think: a cheesy lifetime flick delivered in one-minute bursts. Most series have between 50 and 100 episodes.

Their appeal lies in dramatic storylines and cliffhangers. Each episode ends with a twist, designed to keep you hooked. This might be the revelation of a mysterious identity, or a tangled misunderstanding that is bound to lead to conflict. As ReelShort puts it: “every second is a drama”.

Let’s look at the hit series Playing by the Billionaire’s Rules as an example. Over 89 episodes, the series features a contract lover, million-dollar debts, an accidental pregnancy and a secret love triangle.

While it falls short of Hollywood standards of plot, dialogue and acting, it captures viewers’ attention through a conflict-ridden plot and provocative (sometimes amateurish) performances.

Playing by the Billionaire’s Rules is one of thousands of such series available online. In most cases, the first five to ten episodes are free, after which viewers must pay (usually right when the story is at its most thrilling).

A low-cost format, ripe for expansion

Despite illogical storytelling, crude production and exaggerated, stereotypical characters, short dramas are proving to be highly lucrative. In one 2023 article, The Economist described this “latest Chinese export to conquer America” as a hybrid of TikTok and Netflix.

Their popularity can also be linked to the COVID pandemic and the Hollywood writers’ strike, both of which slowed down the global screen industry.

Our research shows short drama production teams, which are mostly led by Chinese producers, have now expanded globally to the United States, Australia, eastern Europe and other parts of Asia, in search of new collaborative opportunities.

Los Angeles is emerging as the fastest-growing production hub. According to one LA Times article, short drama apps outside of China made US$1.2 billion (about A$1.8 billion) last year. Some 60% of this revenue came from the US.

Companies the world over are cashing in on the opportunity. Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision has started investing in the format, as has Ukrainian startup Holywater, which is using AI to generate almost fully synthetic short dramas.

Even the Hollywood giant Lionsgate has taken notice of short dramas, and is exploring their commercial potential.

It’s also possible short dramas will open the door for new players in the streaming wars. Although Netflix isn’t currently producing short dramas, it has started experimenting with the vertical short format (in the form of series and movie clips) on its mobile app.

Short dramas are also easily replicated across countries and various market conditions, and allow for localised content strategies. For example, the short drama Breaking the Ice reboots the Chinese campus romance template into a story centred on hockey players, making it more relatable for North American audiences.

Fantasy templates, such as those featuring werewolves, vampires, and witches, have also proven universally successful – and are often used by Chinese producers as low-risk, easily localised genres to test new markets.

Concerns behind the scenes

Our research finds the short drama industry is seen as a promising avenue for creating job opportunities, and for allowing actors and creators to get significant exposure on a modest budget.

But we’ve also found the industry to be far less regulated than more established screen industries.

There are growing concerns in the industry around labour exploitation and copyright infringement, as well as uncertainty over how sustainable the model will be in the long run.

One of our interviewees, a producer based in Los Angeles, revealed several concerning practices including problems with overtime work, stealing and recycling of drama scripts, underpayment of film school graduates, and a prevalence of unfair contracts for screenwriters.

The screenwriters we interviewed told us they hadn’t received proper credit for their work, and were bound by “buyout contracts” that excluded them from receiving additional compensation – even if their scripts garnered millions of views.

Earlier this year, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance and Casting Guild of Australia issued a joint statement urging local actors to verify the credentials of any “vertical series” production teams before signing contracts with them.

Still, the short drama format continues to draw significant attention from across the screen industry. More than just a passing content trend, this may be the beginning of a structural shift in what “television” means: low-cost, easily replicated and recklessly fast-paced.

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. Werewolf exes and billionaire CEOs: why cheesy short dramas are taking over our social media feeds – https://theconversation.com/werewolf-exes-and-billionaire-ceos-why-cheesy-short-dramas-are-taking-over-our-social-media-feeds-259385

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shae McCrystal, Professor of Labour Law, University of Sydney

On Monday, the Federal Court of Australia handed Qantas a record fine of A$90 million for breaching the Fair Work Act by unlawfully terminating the employment of 1,820 ground workers during the pandemic.

The decision to impose this penalty – the largest ever issued under the Fair Work Act – marks the final instalment in a five-year litigation saga initiated by the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU).

Delivering the ruling, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee ordered $50 million of the fine be paid to the union, partly to act as a deterrent that “should encourage others to pursue compliance with industrial relations laws”.

The fate of the remaining $40 million will depend on a later hearing to determine if some or all of it should be paid to the sacked workers. That would be on top of $120 million in compensation already agreed.

A quick recap

This saga began in 2020, after the TWU launched an action alleging that Qantas had unlawfully terminated the employment of 1,820 ground handling workers when it made the decision to outsource the staff at the height of the pandemic.

The union argued Qantas made this decision because of the workers’ future right to engage in collective bargaining and take protected industrial action when their enterprise agreement expired.

At trial, Qantas failed to show that this reason had not been a substantial and operative factor in making the outsourcing decision.

This meant that in making the workers redundant, Qantas had breached the Fair Work Act 1,820 times – once for each affected worker. Qantas appealed this outcome all the way to the High Court, but ultimately failed.

Once Qantas had exhausted all rights of appeal, the matter was returned to Justice Lee to determine compensation for the affected workers. After much toing and froing between the parties, in December 2024, a compensation package totalling $120 million was agreed between Qantas and the TWU.

A meaningful deterrent

That left a final outstanding matter for the court – the “appropriate” penalty to be imposed against Qantas for breaching the law. The maximum penalty available for this breach under the Fair Work Act was just over $120 million.

To determine an appropriate penalty under the Fair Work Act, a judge must exercise a level of discretion and weigh up various factors. These include the nature, circumstances and consequences of the breach, the size of the business and the extent to which the contravenor has shown remorse.

So why the record fine? The size of this penalty is partly because there were so many workers affected by Qantas’ breach of the Fair Work Act.

But it also reflects Justice Lee’s view that there was a need for “real deterrence” to ensure big employers are not tempted to “get away” with unlawful conduct because the potential rewards outweigh the risks of getting caught.

‘The wrong kind of sorry’

On whether Qantas had shown genuine remorse, Justice Lee acknowledged Qantas had belatedly apologised for its conduct.

But the company’s formal expression of regret was described as “the wrong kind of sorry”. That is, the company seemed to be sorry they got caught and suffered financial and reputational loss, but not truly sorry for the effect of the unlawful conduct and its impact on the workers.

Justice Lee expressed scepticism that Qantas’ corporate culture had genuinely changed. In deciding to outsource its ground handling operations, Qantas was found to have been “lawyered from the start and up to the hilt”.

The judge noted that, throughout the litigation, Qantas pursued a vigorous defence, alongside an aggressive public relations strategy, continuing to deny any wrongdoing.

Justice Lee also observed that, at the 11th hour, even after the High Court decision had found in favour of the union, Qantas tried to deploy a strategy to ensure the affected workers received nothing.

It was only when facing the prospect of a massive fine, that Qantas expressed regret, putting forward evidence their corporate culture had changed. However, it continued to use the same legal team that came up with the outsourcing strategy.

In Justice Lee’s view, it was telling that no senior leaders who had been involved in the decision and remained with Qantas took the stand to explain what they had learned and why it would not happen again.

Ultimately, this outsourcing decision cost Qantas a combined amount of around $210 million in compensation and penalties. This figure does not include the millions of dollars of legal fees Qantas incurred in fighting the litigation.

But it was estimated outsourcing the ground handling operations saved Qantas about $100 million per year. In essence, despite being handed the biggest fine on record, Qantas still appears to be financially better off as a result of the unlawful outsourcing decision.

Portion paid to the union

Under the Fair Work Act, it is difficult to recover legal costs. This makes it challenging for unions, and others, to pursue litigation through the courts and hold companies to account.

The decision to pay $50 million – more than half of the penalty – to the TWU was made partly because the union took on the perils of protracted litigation. And, as Justice Lee pointed out, adverse action cases can be dicey. The outcomes are by no means certain.

Here, the union bore the risk and has reaped the reward. This means more money in the TWU coffers to pursue other employers who may breach the Fair Work Act. It is also an important signal to other unions, and worker representatives, that the benefits of enforcing the law may now outweigh the risks of doing so.

Shae McCrystal has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council.

Tess Hardy has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council and the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman.

– ref. The ‘wrong kind of sorry’: will a record fine for Qantas deter other companies from breaking the law? – https://theconversation.com/the-wrong-kind-of-sorry-will-a-record-fine-for-qantas-deter-other-companies-from-breaking-the-law-263324

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Associate Professor, Chair of Linguistics and Director of Language Lab, The University of Western Australia

Last year I attended a panel on generative AI in education. In a memorable moment, one presenter asked: “What’s the big deal? Generative AI is like a calculator. It’s just a tool.”

The analogy is an increasingly common one. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman himself has referred to ChatGPT as “a calculator for words” and compared comments on the new technology to reactions to the arrival of the calculator.

People said, ‘We’ve got to ban these because people will just cheat on their homework. If people don’t need to calculate a sine function by hand again […] then mathematical education is over.’

However, generative AI systems are not calculators. Treating them like calculators obscures what they are, what they do, and whom they serve. This easy analogy simplifies a controversial technology and ignores five crucial differences from technologies of the past.

1. Calculators do not hallucinate or persuade

Calculators compute functions from clearly defined inputs. You punch in 888 ÷ 8 and get one correct answer: 111.

This output is bounded and unchangeable. Calculators do not infer, guess, hallucinate or persuade.

They do not add add fake or unwanted elements to the answer. They do not fabricate legal cases or tell people to “please die”.

2. Calculators do not pose fundamental ethical dilemmas

Calculators don’t raise fundamental ethical dilemmas.

Making ChatGPT involved workers in Kenya sifting through irreversibly traumatising content for a dollar or two an hour, for example. Calculators didn’t need that.

After the financial crisis in Venezuela, an AI data-labelling company saw an opportunity to snap up cheap labour with exploitative employment models. Calculators didn’t need that, either.

Calculators didn’t require vast new power plants to be built, or compete with humans for water as AI data centres are doing in some of the driest parts of the world.

Calculators didn’t need new infrastructure to be built. The calculator industry didn’t see a huge mining push such as the one currently driving rapacious copper and lithium extraction as in the lands of the Atacameños in Chile.

3. Calculators do not undermine autonomy

Calculators did not have the potential to become an “autocomplete for life”. They never offered to make every decision for you, from what to eat and where to travel to when to kiss your date.

Calculators did not challenge our ability to think critically. Generative AI, however, has been shown to erode independent reasoning and increase “cognitive offloading”. Over time, reliance on these systems risks placing the power to make everyday decisions in the hands of opaque corporate systems.

4. Calculators do not have social and linguistic bias

Calculators do not reproduce the hierarchies of human language and culture. Generative AI, however, is trained on data that reflects centuries of unequal power relations, and its outputs mirror those inequities.

Language models inherit and reinforce the prestige of dominant linguistic forms, while sidelining or erasing less privileged ones.

Tools such as ChatGPT handle mainstream English, but routinely reword, mislabel, or erase other world Englishes.

While projects exist that attempt to tackle the exclusion of minoritised voices from technological development, generative AI’s bias for mainstream English is worryingly pronounced.

5. Calculators are not ‘everything machines’

Unlike calculators, language models don’t operate within a narrow domain such as mathematics. Instead they have the potential to entangle themselves in everything: perception, cognition, affect and interaction.

Language models can be “agents”, “companions”, “influencers”, “therapists”, and “boyfriends”. This is a key difference between generative AI and calculators.

While calculators help with arithmetic, generative AI may engage in both transactional and interactional functions. In one sitting, a chatbot can help you edit your novel, write up code for a new app, and provide a detailed psychological profile of someone you think you like.

Staying critical

The calculator analogy makes language models and so-called “copilots”, “tutors”, and “agents” sound harmless. It gives permission for uncritical adoption and suggests technology can fix all the challenges we face as a society.

It also perfectly suits the platforms that make and distribute generative AI systems. A neutral tool needs no accountability, no audits, no shared governance.

But as we have seen, generative AI is not like a calculator. It does not simply crunch numbers or produce bounded outputs.

Understanding what generative AI is really like requires rigorous critical thinking. The kind that equips us to confront the consequences of “moving fast and breaking things”. The kind that can help us decide whether the breakage is worth the cost.

Celeste Rodriguez Louro receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Google.

– ref. Generative AI is not a ‘calculator for words’. 5 reasons why this idea is misleading – https://theconversation.com/generative-ai-is-not-a-calculator-for-words-5-reasons-why-this-idea-is-misleading-263323

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard J. Buning, Research Lead, Micromobility Research Cluster, The University of Queensland

Since the invention of gears, nothing has encouraged more people to get on a bicycle than the introduction of electric motors and batteries.

When people have an e-bike, they drive less and cycle more. A study of frequent car drivers in Sweden found the distance people drove fell close to 40% once they were provided with an e-bike.

Conventional bikes don’t have anywhere near the same ability to get people out of their cars, due to their reliance on muscle power.

E-bikes aren’t bikes as we’ve known them – they perform more like a car, motorbike or e-scooter. We need to start thinking of e-bikes as a distinct form of transport.

But as authorities grapple with a tide of overpowered e-bikes used illegally on roads, making the best use of these vehicles will also have to include clearer, tighter regulations.

What do e-bikes have over regular bikes?

E-bikes overcome five challenges limiting use of conventional bikes:

Distance

E-bikes allow riders to go further than conventional bikes. E-bikes designed for city use offer a range of about 30 to 80 km per charge. They’re particularly attractive in regional Australian towns characterised by sprawl and little to no public transport. High-end e-bikes can offer 100 km in range or more, but come with big price tags. Riding 100 km every week for a year would cost about A$20 in electricity to charge.

Hills

Hilliness is a major challenge for many cyclists, especially those who aren’t fit or who ride bikes to get from place to place rather than for exercise. By contrast, the electric motors of e-bikes make uphill climbs much more manageable. In hilly Australian cities such as Brisbane and Sydney, e-bikes open up new routes.

Weather

People don’t like to ride conventional bikes as much if it’s very hot or cold. E-bikes require less physical effort, meaning riders sweat less in hot weather. In the cold, e-bikes can increase wind chill compared to a conventional bike, but they also help riders reach their destinations faster and reduce overall exposure to cold. Owners do have to take weather into account, because cold can reduce battery life, while heat can reduce how long a battery lasts. Long exposure to heavy rain may damage e-bikes too. Good undercover storage is necessary.

Cargo

Riding a pushbike with two kids or groceries on board is challenging. Extra weight requires extra effort. Cargo e-bikes make it much easier to transport loads between 100 and 200 kg. These models are heavier and bulkier than regular e-bikes, making storage and manoeuvring in tight spaces more difficult.

Physical limitations

E-bikes can be a useful option for groups who can’t easily use conventional bikes. These include older adults, pregnant people and individuals with medical conditions limiting their movement. Caution does have to be taken, though. The sudden acceleration of an e-bike can startle riders and increase risk of falls, while travelling at higher speeds can be challenging for those with slower reflexes. Proper training is essential.

Risks stem from regulatory failure

Like any form of transport, e-bikes come with risks. Reports of e-bikes catching fire and hitting pedestrians have triggered public anxiety and even proposals to restrict or ban them.

Many residential and commercial buildings have banned e-bike charging or parking indoors to avoid any battery fires, while public transport bans have been floated.

The reality is, battery fires and lethal crashes are overwhelmingly due to non-compliant e-bikes with low quality batteries or with power levels well beyond the limit legally allowed on Australian roads.

Many of these vehicles shouldn’t be thought of as e-bikes. They’re more like unregistered illegal electric motorcycles.

What defines a true e-bike?

Most countries have adopted the European EN15194 e-bike standard, which defines an e-bike as a vehicle with:

• continuous rated power of no more than 250 watts
• maximum pedal-assisted speed of 25 kmh
• maximum speed of 6 kmh when using only a throttle.

It must also meet the safe battery standards (known as EN50604).

Unfortunately, in 2021 the Australian government removed e-bikes from its definition of a “road vehicle”. Bar Western Australia, all Australian states followed suit.

At a stroke, non-compliant vehicles became exempt from import standards. Overpowered vehicles with questionable batteries could be freely imported – as long as they were only used on private land.

This loophole has been widely used to import thousands of dangerous vehicles. Once in Australia, many end up on the roads. Some souped-up or illegally modified bikes can reach speeds as high as 90 kmh – and have caused deaths. These models have also become popular among younger Australians.

If nothing is done, the flood of illegal and unsafe models could undermine the real benefits of e-bikes.

In recent months, cycling researchers and advocacy groups have called for authorities to step in and close loopholes permitting the import of illegal devices, ban their sale and encourage uptake of European-standard e-bikes.

A new form of transport

E-bikes are quietly revolutionary. Once the e-bike sector is properly regulated, authorities should focus on making the most of their potential.

Separated lanes are vital and are especially important for e-bike riders, who can travel faster and may be more at risk of injury if they crash compared to traditional bikes.

Temporary subsidies are another option to drive uptake. Researchers overseas have shown the benefits from e-bike subsidies outweigh the cost.

If we do this right, millions of Australians could eventually rely on an e-bike rather than a car.

Richard J. Buning has received funding from the the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN), the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), and iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre. He is the deputy chair of Bicycle Queensland.

Dorina Pojani has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN), the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), and iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre.

– ref. E-bikes could slash our reliance on cars – but overpowered illegal models on the roads make us all less safe – https://theconversation.com/e-bikes-could-slash-our-reliance-on-cars-but-overpowered-illegal-models-on-the-roads-make-us-all-less-safe-262871

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Taylor, Adjunct academic, mycology, Flinders University

How long has it been since you last cleaned your bathroom? If it’s been longer than you planned, you might see a build up of scum, slime or mould around your taps, between the tiles and on the edges of the bath or shower floor.

But why is this sometimes pink or orange? And can this pink slime make us sick?

Sometimes it’s mould

In some instances, the pink slime may be a microfungi (also called a mould) named Rhodotorula.

Rhodotorula is a yeasty little fungus that makes sticky red stains appear on plastics and other wet items left in storage too long, including your toothbrush.

The first part of it’s name, “Rhodo”, refers to its red appearance in nature and comes from the Greek work for rose. It can be found pretty well everywhere, including on and in the wet bits of your skin, as it thrives in humid nooks and crannies.

Most microbes need large amounts of nitrogen to survive. But Rhodotorula is excellent at scavenging nitrogen from its environment. It can survive with a fraction of the typical amount of nitrogen in its cells compared with other microbes.

This nitrogen scavenging allows it to persist in hostile and nutrient-poor environments, such as between your tiles where other microbes would starve. It also means it can pack itself full of lipids and nutrients when times are good, like gloopy little protein pills to survive the lean times.

Rhodotorula doesn’t pose a big risk for healthy people, but it can cause infection for those with weakened immune systems, such as patients hospitalised with catheters.

More commonly, it’s bacteria

The second and more likely candidate for pink scum in your bathroom is a bacteria called Serratia marcescens, another microbe that prefers to multiply in the damp and humid conditions found in bathrooms and laundries.

It’s also a scavenger of nutrients but in this case it scavenges phosphorous, a key component of DNA.

We’ve tried to reduce the amount of phosphates in detergents and soaps as they degrade waterways, but Serratia is excellent at wringing what little remains out of soap scum, or just happily living directly in liquid soap itself, while turning everything pink in the process.

Serratia was once a laboratory research tool. Scientists would puff clouds of the bacteria into the air or splatter it around to predict how a more dangerous bacteria might disperse. Serratia’s scarlet colouring made it easy to spot in lab tests.

But since then, Serratia has been recognised as an emerging pathogen. This means it’s an infectious agent we’ve only recently realised can cause illness, or we’ve only just worked out is actually the cause of a disease.

Serratia now ranks in the top ten most common causes of becteremia: bacteria in the blood. This starts with an infection, leading to sepsis, hospitalisation and sometimes death.

Serratia infections can start in a range of different ways: as a pneumonia, in the urinary tract, or from cuts and wounds. It can cause fever, chills and fatigue, and can be tough to treat due to antibiotic resistance.

Most people exposed to Serratia either won’t get sick or will develop only a mild infection. This may look like a cut that takes a long time to heal, or a phleghmy cough that hangs around but eventually goes away.

The US Army conducted studies where soldiers were exposed to concentrated clouds containing millions of Serratia and after a mild fever and chills, all subjects had recovered after four days.

A study over ten years in Canberra estimated the incidence of Serratia infections as 1.03 per 100,000 people, with similar rates of about 0.9 per 100,000 in Canada. So, in a given year about one person per 100,000 will get an infection from Serratia, which is roughly 2,800 people per year in Australia.

Most serious infections from Serratia occur in hospitals among people at a higher risk of infection because they’re immunocompromised, elderly or have other health conditions.

In a particularly chilling illustration of this, there have been hundreds of case reports of babies contracting Serratia infections in hospitals. In a 2005 outbreak of 159 babies in Gaza, almost half died.

What can you do about pink slime in your bathroom?

Although it’s impossible to live in a sterile environment, there are some simple things you can do to reduce the presence of these microorganisms in your home.

Drying wet areas can go a long way to slowing these critters down, as bacteria and mould need moisture to grow well.

Cleaning with detergents or disinfectants is very effective and is most successful after first removing soil and other debris. Don’t just spray bleach onto the muck and hope for the best; you’re better to scrub, wipe and then disinfect.

Or better yet, clean every two to three weeks (depending on how many kids, pets and roommates you have) to stop gunk building up and to starve these microbes of food.

Wearing dish-washing or disposable gloves during cleaning is a good way to reduce exposure, followed by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and drying them.

Michael Taylor consults for WSP in the area of Occupational Hygiene.

– ref. Why is the soap scum in my bathroom pink? Is it mould? And can it make me sick? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-soap-scum-in-my-bathroom-pink-is-it-mould-and-can-it-make-me-sick-258292