Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin J. Richardson, Professor of Environmental Law, University of Tasmania

As the federal government attempts a major overhaul of national environment law, all options must be on the table to prevent the fast deterioration in Australia’s natural places. And more than ever before, the efforts of private landholders should be front and centre.

About 60% of the continent is owned or managed privately – and 70% to 90% of inadequately protected wildlife is found mostly on such land, which includes farms, pastoral leases and mines.

But through what legal mechanism can private landholders be engaged in biodiversity conservation? A key tool, we believe, is a legally binding agreement known as a “conservation covenant”. Under such deals, a private landholder agrees to manage their land for conservation – mostly for altruistic reasons but sometimes in exchange for money or other incentives.

Conservation covenants have been used in Australia for many decades, to a limited extent. But with a few policy changes, they could play a bigger role in helping Australia meet ambitious global goals for conserving and restoring nature.

A once-in-a-generation chance

Many of Australia’s ecosystems are severely degraded. In 2020, the independent Samuel review found national laws were failing to protect our natural assets and the regime needed an overhaul. In response, the federal government released a “nature positive” plan. It’s currently consulting with key stakeholders on a major new law to enact the plan.

This once-in-a-generation law change provides an opportunity for the Commonwealth to stimulate action by private landholders. Not only would this improve the state of Australia’s environment, it would also help ensure we meet our international obligations. In 2022, Australia pledged to place 30% of the continent under conservation protection and start restoring 30% of degraded areas by 2030. But just a few years out from the deadline, we have a lot of work to do.

For example, only 22% of Australia’s landmass is currently protected. By 2030, about 61 million hectares must be added to the conservation estate if Australia is to meet its target.

Strong laws and policies are needed and conservation covenants offer a way forward for private land. A conservation covenant is a legally binding commitment landholders make to restrict how their property is used. Crucially, it binds not only current but future landholders, and operates in perpetuity.

Read more:
5 things we need to see in Australia’s new nature laws

The story so far

Covenants have been used occasionally to conserve bushland in Australia since the 1930s. Their use grew from the 1970s as states such as Victoria adapted covenants for conservation use. Some states created independent organisations, such as Victoria’s Trust for Nature, to negotiate covenants with landholders and help them manage their properties.

In Queensland, conservation covenants known as “nature refuges” exist on pastoral leasehold properties. Elsewhere, landowners have also used covenants to achieve wins for both nature and their business, such as Western Australia’s Balijup farm and Tasmania’s Huon Bush Retreats. In these cases, the covenants have helped protect natural values that boost agriculture or eco-tourism.

Despite their potential, covenants are currently reported as safeguarding only about 1% of the continent – and not necessarily those parts in greatest need of help. Change is needed.

Read more:
Can the government’s new market mechanism help save nature? Yes – if we get the devil out of the detail

How to improve covenant schemes

Much can be done to ensure conservation covenants do more of the heavy-lifting when it comes to environmental protection. In many cases, this should involve the Commonwealth collaborating with the states, which primarily regulate covenants.

The federal government is establishing a nature repair scheme which aims to encourage private spending on biodiversity projects. But the law underpinning the scheme is silent on the potential role of covenants. The law should promote covenants as a way to ensure nature repair efforts meet high legal standards. This would provide confidence to private investors that conservation gains will be made over the long term.

Many existing covenant agreements lack sufficient financial support for landholders, such as council rate rebates and assistance for pest control and fencing. Such support is needed to attract a wider range of landholders and to fund ongoing conservation and restoration work.

Existing covenants are generally used to protect high-value conservation land where ecosystems are healthy. Rarely are they used on degraded land needing restoration, such as overgrazed paddocks or former mining sites. Further refinement of covenants may be needed so they can accommodate restoration.

Many landowners initially opt for a non-binding conservation commitment, such as the “Land for Wildlife” program running in several states. While such state-level programs have merit, in many cases, it’s important to support landowners to transition to a more robust tool, such as a covenant, to ensure the nature improvements have lasting impact.

One solution is for the states to offer a variety of covenants so landholders can choose the one that best fits them and their property. This includes offering covenants to sites undergoing active restoration. Victoria’s BushBank program, which combines payment for biodiversity and carbon values, is a promising step in the right direction. The question of how covenants might apply to Indigenous-owned land also must be considered.

In addition, climate change must be recognised as a key consideration when designing covenants. There’s no guarantee of protection for nature, even with a covenant, if climate change is ignored.

This means responsible bodies and landowners should be required to review and, if necessary, update management plans after bushfires, droughts and other significant climate-related events. And covenants should support lands already restored to become more climate-resilient, such as through planting more suitable vegetation.

The future of nature conservation in Australia must involve a much bigger role for private landholders. This includes the protection and management of high-quality native habitats as well as restoring degraded ecosystems.

Benjamin J. Richardson is a recipient of funding from the Australian Research Council. He is a member of the Tasmanian Independent Science Council and the Tasmanian Greens.

Afshin Akhtar-Khavari receives funding from the Australian Research Council through its Discovery Program.

James Fitzsimons is Senior Advisor, Global Protection Strategies with The Nature Conservancy, is a Councillor of the Biodiversity Council and a member of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance’s policy and government relations committee.

Phillipa McCormack is Vice President of the National Environmental Law Association. She has received funding from the Australian Research Council, and from the National Environmental Science Program for a project on legal arrangements for marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature based solutions.

Sarah Brugler is a recipient of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and funding from the Australian Research Council. She works part-time for the Biodiversity Council and is affiliated with the National Environmental Law Association. She previously worked as the in-house lawyer for Trust for Nature (Victoria).

– ref. Private landholders control 60% of the Australian continent – so let’s get them involved in nature protection – https://theconversation.com/private-landholders-control-60-of-the-australian-continent-so-lets-get-them-involved-in-nature-protection-217450

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristina Sincock, Researcher and Project Manager, University of Newcastle

Australian school students feel immense pressure to go to university, often at the exclusion of all other pathways, which can lead to devastating mental health effects.

That’s among the headline findings of our decade-long program of research on the aspirations and post-school trajectories of young Australians.

Our research, published today in the journal Educational Review, reveals the unintended consequences of government higher education policies, inadequate school career advice, and a wider public devaluing of the vocational education and training sector.

Read more:
‘Why would you go to uni?’ A new study looks at what young Australians do after school

Our research

Since 2012, we’ve conducted one of the largest studies to date on the aspirations of Australian youth, involving more than 10,000 students in Years 3-12.

Recently, we followed up with 50 of these young people post-school to see where they ended up in terms of their career and educational pathways.

Our findings reveal some significant and, at times, devastating insights into how young Australians – particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds – have experienced the “push” towards higher education.

Pressure to attend university and the devaluing of TAFE

The young people in our research consistently said university was explicitly pushed as the only post-school pathway worth pursuing during their schooling. Other pathways were often deemed to be “not good enough”. One university graduate told us:

I think there’s quite a lot actually of […] pressure given, not from all teachers, but some teachers, to really go towards higher education […] I’d say I felt pressured as a group, or as like, as a generation […] I just think that was just an overarching expectation.

This pressure frustrated some students. Angus* fulfilled his dream of becoming a chef by training at TAFE and eventually working in a top restaurant in London. In his first interview in 2014 he described restaurants as a place he “fits in”.

However, he also told us he had been repeatedly told by his teachers that “cheffing’s a horrible job”:

Almost every teacher at my school wanted to push me into their career path, [and I was told], ‘You’re very smart […] you should go to uni’ [otherwise I] might not become successful […] They always pushed me towards university. Regardless of what my feelings were, to be honest, I never felt truly supported by my career adviser.

Limited career education in school

Young people also overwhelmingly said the career education provided at school was unhelpful, impersonal, and pushed them towards university.

Career guidance was mainly focused on achieving a high ATAR (university entrance rank), with one student describing how her career adviser spent “more time trying to calculate my ATAR than imparting actual advice”.

Alternative entry pathways into university often weren’t openly discussed or fully understood. Such pathways were often devalued in favour of achieving the best ATAR possible. One young person told us:

I think with the pressure in schools on ATARs and that sort of thing – and they have to put that pressure on because they want you to do well. But it sort of develops a stigma around, well, if I don’t do Year 11 and 12 […], then I can’t get into university, without [young people understanding] there’s actually [alternative] pathways.

Stress and poor mental health

Many young people therefore felt high levels of stress and poor mental health during the final years of high school and the beginning of university, with some “losing the plot” or feeling “burnt out”.

The most extreme mental ill health reported in our interviews was experienced by Dahlia, a young Indigenous woman.

When we first spoke to her in 2016, she was a high achieving Year 11 student with aspirations to become a criminal psychologist.

When we next spoke to her in 2021, she described how the pressure of Year 12 caused her to drop out of school. During this year, Dahlia had severe mental ill health and made an attempt to end her life.

She later completed a traineeship in early childhood and care, before entering university to study a combined degree in primary and early childhood teaching. Dahlia was eager for her experience to be a warning about the pressure and stress of Year 12 exams:

It was just a burn out, like, I was just so overwhelmed. I felt like I was so pressured to do the best and I felt like I wasn’t the best […] then I’d get anxiety about not being as good as everyone thinks I am […] that’s why I really wanted to do this interview, because I wanted to put it out there that high school is not the be all, end all […] getting that high [Year 12] mark isn’t the be all, end all.

Where to from here?

The pressure to attend university compounds stress and poor mental health for some young people. This isn’t surprising given the transition to adulthood is the peak period for the onset of mental disorders.

We must urgently address the limited career education available to students and the narrow version of success linked to Year 12 exams and the ATAR in schools and society.

This would involve:

• providing adequate training and resources to schools and career advisers

• raising the status of vocational education and careers; and

• valuing alternative pathways to university, such as enabling programs.

The Universities Accord (a major federal government-led review that seeks to “reimagine” higher education for the next 30 years) provides an opportunity to change the lives and trajectories of Australian students. Ensuring the higher education sector is fair and equitable is at the heart of this process.

Its interim report claims that “too few Australians are going to university.” This is based on estimates that more than 50% of new jobs in the next five years will require a university degree.

However, the skills gap is even greater in technician and trade careers than professional occupations.

This means the spotlight can’t only be on universities; a focus on vocational education and training pathways (such as TAFE) is crucial too.

To confront the challenges of the coming century, we need a broader public conversation about the place of tertiary education – not just university – and the diverse educational and career pathways available.

Read more:
‘They don’t expect a lot of me, they just want me to go to uni’: first-in-family students show how we need a broader definition of ‘success’ in year 12

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

The Aspirations Longitudinal Study and related studies (2010-2021) were funded by the Australian Research Council, the NSW Department of Education, and the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.

Sally Patfield currently receives funding from the NSW Department of Education, the Commonwealth Department of Education, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

– ref. University isn’t right for everyone. Pushing young people to go can have devastating effects – https://theconversation.com/university-isnt-right-for-everyone-pushing-young-people-to-go-can-have-devastating-effects-205652

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Hartigan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney

The rapid increase in interest rates over the past year and a half is causing many consumers to feel less than joyous this festive season.

Spending in the lead up to Christmas is likely to remain subdued, with consumers more budget conscious than in previous years. The muted outlook for consumption has got some economists and media outlets predicting a possible recession in 2024.

So, what is a recession and how likely is it Australia will actually see one next year?

Read more:
We’re in a per capita recession as Chalmers says GDP ‘steady in the face of pressure’

What is a recession, anyway?

The National Bureau of Economic Research (a private research organisation widely seen as the authority for determining recessions in the US) defines recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months.”

But it is not all just about weak consumption expenditure (people spending a bit less money than usual). In an open economy like Australia, a decline in consumption could just mean a decline in imports. In other words, weak consumption doesn’t necessarily mean we are producing less goods and services locally.

The Reserve Bank of Australia says a recession is often defined as “a sustained period of weak or negative growth.”

But what do we mean by “sustained”? The media usually takes this to mean at least two consecutive quarters of negative growth in economic activity, typically measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

However, the National Bureau of Economic Research does not use a two-quarter rule. And it looks at more than just domestic production. It examines a variety of different measures of economic activity – such as conditions in the labour market and industrial production – when making its decision about whether a recession has occurred or not.

Currently, there seems to an obsession with finding some measure that will indicate a recession. The latest candidate, popular among some observers and media outlets, is a “per capita GDP recession”.

This means a fall in GDP per person. That’s an easier set of criteria to meet, so if you go by this definition, a recession is more likely.

Other economists and observers shy away from focusing on economic growth, saying the change in the unemployment rate is a better measure. These people believe a higher unemployment rate provides a better sign a recession has occurred.

The problem is, however, there can be other factors that weaken the link between the labour market and economic activity. Institutional changes to the labour market is one example. The decline in activity in 2008–2009, for instance, showed up as a decline in hours worked rather than an increase in unemployment, something that would not have occurred previously.

Even just using the “technical” definition (the two quarter rule) of a recession has its problems too. This is because of the issue of data revisions to measures of economic activity such as GDP.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics frequently revises historical values of GDP as new data become available. As a result, a negative quarterly growth outcome in one period can be revised away by the bureau in a subsequent period.

Take any recession warnings with a grain of salt

In the past, from about the 1960s to the 1980s, recessions were more frequent in Australia. But they are less likely now. This is partly because the frequency and volatility of shocks has declined since the mid-1980s.

A series of economic reforms that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, such as floating the dollar and opening the economy up to greater competition, has also helped reduce the risk of recession. These changes have made Australia more robust to shocks.

We should be sceptical of anyone claiming a recession is just around the corner. Economists have a terrible track record when it comes to predicting recessions.

To forecast a recession, we need to be able predict “turning points” – periods when economic activity goes from positive growth to negative growth or vice versa. This requires us to predict future shocks, like the outbreak of COVID, which is hard to do consistently.

There will always be some probability of a recession in Australia when a very large shock hits us. But our ability to successfully predict when one will occur is poor.

Any prediction Australia is on the cusp of recession should be taken with a grain of salt.

Read more:
I’m an expert in diplomatic gift giving. Here are my 5 top tips for the best Christmas present exchange

Luke Hartigan receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He previously worked as an economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia.

– ref. An austere Christmas is on the cards – but don’t say recession – https://theconversation.com/an-austere-christmas-is-on-the-cards-but-dont-say-recession-218718

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan McHugh, Honorary Associate Professor, Journalism, Consulting Producer, The Greatest Menace, Walkley-winning podcast, University of Wollongong

Despite downturns at the corporate end of town, podcasts again this year proved to be a powerful medium for new voices and previously overlooked stories.

As a judge of the Walkleys and New York Festivals, I listened to a lot of content. I was struck by how open this medium is still to newcomers, and how a passion project can outgun the big names (some of whom were victims this year of their own hubris).

Lovers of imaginative audio will be disappointed by the recent cancellation of the “documentary adventures” show Lights Out, produced by small but stellar UK company Falling Tree. Falling Tree has been an exceptional mentor of new talent such as this luminous reflection on family and loss by Talia Augustidis. Happily, nascent outlets such as Audio Flux and Sound Fields promise fresh artistic delights.

Here, then, are my podcast picks of 2023 for your summer listening pleasure.

Read more:
Michelle Obama, podcast host: how podcasting became a multi-billion dollar industry

1. First Eat with Nakkiah Lui

Even for a versatile playwright/actor/director such as Nakkiah Lui, this podcast has a challenging remit: to investigate how Lui’s food habits and body image as an Indigenous Australian might link to identity and impacts of colonialism.

She and producer Nicola Harvey stitch together a sprawling narrative that digs into Lui’s family history and draws on global academic research to traverse Australia, creating vivid aural landscapes.

The podcast’s excavation of exploitation and cultural erasure evokes shades of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ remarkable opus, The Case for Reparations.

2. Dying Rose

Dying Rose investigates in forensic detail how poorly the justice system treated the deaths of six young First Nations women. Host Douglas Smith from the Adelaide Advertiser puts his Indigeneity explicitly in the frame, telling listeners:

our normals are not the same […] I’ve been to more funerals of relatives than I can count. Sometimes it feels like these deaths in our community get written off.

Smith gains deep and empathetic access to the bereaved families. Being an Indigenous journalist starkly informs his frustrated interactions with police.

3. Nobody Dies Here

Nobody Dies Here takes us inside Melbourne’s medically supervised injecting room, perhaps not the most appealing premise.

What makes this podcast so good is its total absence of judgment or earnestness. The genuine curiosity and empathy of host/producer Michelle Ransom-Hughes humanises both addicts and healthcare workers, making us lean into their stories, rendered even more engaging by assured production.

4. The Lawyer, the Sniper and the NSW Police

Authenticity is a buzzword in podcasting and this indie offering has it in spades.

The hosts are real people, not media professionals, telling gripping stories of the injustice they suffered as police workers: former police lawyer Lina Nguyen was raped by a cop she trusted; Mark Davidson was a sniper at the Sydney Lindt Cafe siege in 2014.

Their powerful testimony is beautifully shaped and sound designed by former ABC operatives Gretchen Miller and Judy Rapley.

5. Rupert, The Last Mogul

Our very own podcast version of Succession, Rupert, The Last Mogul, may not have the snarling Brian Cox and his codependent kids, but host Paddy Manning of Schwartz Media convincingly traces the evolution of Rupert Murdoch from rebel to ruthless autocrat via insightful interviews and chilling archival evidence of his geopolitical manoeuvrings.

6. The Kids of Rutherford County

The Kids of Rutherford County by Serial Productions and the New York Times investigates the shocking incarceration of mostly black children in Tennessee, some kept in solitary confinement for trivial misdemeanours due to the crusading arrogance of a white judge.

The judge is taken on by a likeable, shambolic lawyer, Wes, in a classic underdog battle narrated by Meribah Knight of Nashville Public Radio in what has become Serial Productions’ trademark host-heavy style.

7. The Retrievals

That style is also evident in The Retrievals, a jarring exploration of malpractice at a fertility clinic at Yale, linked to opiate addiction. Host Susan Burton eschews the chatty trope established by Sarah Koenig in the original Serial, opting for a more clinically detached tone that foregrounds patients.

The exposition can be dense, such as an 18-minute monologue in episode four when Burton recounts observations by staffers and others who won’t go on tape. Despite such obstacles, the series builds a shattering picture of how women’s suffering is downplayed, even by educated, privileged women such as those undergoing egg retrievals at this elite institution.

8. The Girlfriends

The Girlfriends begins frivolously with a bunch of women reminiscing about their ill-fated romance with the same rich, charming and seemingly eligible bachelor, Bob.

It shifts gears to unpack a psychopath and his coercive control of first his wife and, after her suspicious death, these women: the eponymous girlfriends. One of them, a psychologist called Carole, narrates with real heft.

The storytelling is elevated by well-crafted production by UK network Novel, which includes a moving choral tribute to victims of domestic violence.

9. You Didn’t See Nothin

From the opening 20 seconds, where we hear Obama embracing victory in 2008 while host Yohance Lacour listens from jail, You Didn’t See Nothin is special. A Chicago playwright who did ten years for selling weed, Lacour revisits the bashing of a black boy in the city’s South Side in 1997 and interrogates racism, power and his own life story with a particular poetry and presence.

10. The best quick listens

For seasonal fun, Ghost Story is narrated with panache by British journalist Tristan Redman, whose wife’s great-grandmother may have been murdered in the house next door to where he grew up.

For an unsettling twist, try Ghost Industrial Complex, a mini-episode of This American Life by Chenjerai Kumanyika, hip-hop artist, academic and host of award-winning podcast Uncivil, a Black rewriting of the US civil war. It sees Georgia ghosts through historically questioning eyes.

Staying with departed souls, in a year where we have lost, far too soon, two sublime poet-musicians, Shane MacGowan and Sinéad O’Connor, marvel at one who is left. McCartney: a Life in Lyrics is an accidental podcast made by the Beatle with Irish poet Paul Muldoon that captures the sheer wonder that still drives this musical genius, now into his 80s.

Read more:
With The Pogues, Shane MacGowan perhaps proved himself the most important Irish writer since James Joyce

Siobhan McHugh was a judge with the Walkley Foundation, which awarded the Walkley award for Audio Long Form Journalism to Dying Rose in 2023. She has had academic exchanges with podcast host Chenjerai Kumanyika and worked at the ABC with sound engineer Judy Rapley.

– ref. Ghosts, grit and genius: the most gripping podcasts of 2023 – https://theconversation.com/ghosts-grit-and-genius-the-most-gripping-podcasts-of-2023-218826

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

It’s been a difficult year for the economy, and the year ahead also is looking challenging. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, overseer of the government’s economic policy, joins us on the podcast to talk about the latest budget numbers, interest rates, changes to the Reserve Bank board, Australia’s debt, cost of living measures and more.

On 2024, Chalmers expects Australians to be better off this time next year:

That’s certainly the expectation.[…] If you look at the forecasts in the mid-year budget update, the Treasury expects inflation to moderate further, they expect wages to grow, and we expect annual real wages growth as well.

The budget update, released this week, projects a tiny $1.1 billion deficit for this financial year. This is likely in the May budget to turn into the government’s second surplus in a row. Chalmers explains why he won’t make that call just yet:

I’m careful. I’m cautious. The Treasury takes a deliberately conservative view of revenue, and that’s a good thing. There are good reasons to do that. We are very, very close to a second surplus, but we’re not there yet.

With many families struggling with their grocery bills, the Senate recently set up a committee to investigate potential price gouging by supermarket chains. Chalmers strongly supports the inquiry:

I support it completely because more transparency when it comes to the sorts of prices which have such a deep impact on family budgets, the more transparency the better as far as I’m concerned. And so I think this is a really important inquiry and that’s why we voted for it. The supermarkets obviously shouldn’t be above having their pricing strategies held up to the light.

On stage 3 tax cuts Chalmers, while reiterating no change in policy, says he enjoys the engagement the debate brings:

I don’t shy away from a public conversation about the priorities that people want to see in the budget. I know that those tax cuts are contested. I know that there’s a range of views about them […] My position is that when people are engaged and they’ve got a view about economic policies and budget priorities, that’s generally a good thing.

That’s all from our Politics podcast for 2023. Thank you for listening. We’ll be back with more interviews in 2024. In the meantime, best wishes from Michelle Grattan and producer Ben Roper.

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: Jim Chalmers says Australians will be better off next year – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-jim-chalmers-says-australians-will-be-better-off-next-year-219905

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gemma Sharp, Associate Professor, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow & Senior Clinical Psychologist, Monash University

People considering cosmetic surgery – such as a breast augmentation, liposuction or face lift – should have extra protection following the release this week of new safety and quality standards for providers, from small day-clinics through to larger medical organisations.

The new standards cover issues including how these surgeries are advertised, psychological assessments before surgery, the need for people to be informed of risks associated with the procedure, and the type of care people can expect during and afterwards. The idea is for uniform standards across Australia.

The move is part of sweeping reforms of the cosmetic surgery industry and the regulation of medical practitioners, including who is allowed to call themselves a surgeon.

It is heartening to see these reforms, but some may say they should have come much sooner for what’s considered a highly unregulated area of medicine.

Read more:
Thinking about cosmetic surgery? At last, some clarity on who can call themselves a surgeon

Why do people want cosmetic surgery?

Australians spent an estimated A$473 million on cosmetic surgery procedures in 2023.

The major reason people want cosmetic surgery relates to concerns about their body image. Comments from their partners, friends or family about their appearance is another reason.

The way cosmetic surgery is portrayed on social media is also a factor. It’s often portrayed as an “easy” and “accessible” fix for concerns about someone’s appearance. So such aesthetic procedures have become far more normalised.

The use of “before” and “after” images online is also a powerful influence. Some people may think their appearance is worse than the “before” photo and so they think cosmetic intervention is even more necessary.

Read more:
What do normal labia look like? Sometimes doctors are the wrong people to ask

People don’t always get the results they expect

Most people are satisfied with their surgical outcomes and feel better about the body part that was previously concerning them.

However, people have often paid a sizeable sum of money for these surgeries and sometimes experienced considerable pain as they recover. So a positive evaluation may be needed to justify these experiences.

People who are likely to be unhappy with their results are those with unrealistic expectations for the outcomes, including the recovery period. This can occur if people are not provided with sufficient information throughout the surgical process, but particularly before making their final decision to proceed.

Read more:
Thinking of getting a minor cosmetic procedure like botox or fillers? Here’s what to consider first

What’s changing?

According to the new standards, services need to ensure their own advertising is not misleading, does not create unreasonable expectations of benefits, does not use patient testimonials, and doesn’t offer any gifts or inducements.

For some clinics, this will mean very little change as they were not using these approaches anyway, but for others this may mean quite a shift in their advertising strategy.

It will likely be a major challenge for clinics to monitor all of their patient communication to ensure they adhere to the standards.

It is also not quite clear how the advertising standards will be monitored, given the expanse of the internet.

Read more:
Googling for a new dentist or therapist? Here’s how to look past the glowing testimonials

What about the mental health assessment?

The new standards say clinics must have processes to ensure the assessment of a patient’s general health, including psychological health, and that information from a patient’s referring doctor be used “where available”.

According to the guidelines from the Medical Board of Australia, which the standards are said to complement, all patients must have a referral, “preferably from their usual general practitioner or if that is not possible, from another general practitioner or other specialist medical practitioner”.

While this is a step in the right direction, we may be relying on medical professionals who may not specialise in assessing body image concerns and related mental health conditions. They may also have had very little prior contact with the patient to make their clinical impressions.

So these doctors need further training to ensure they can perform assessments efficiently and effectively. People considering surgery may also not be forthcoming with these practitioners, and may view them as “gatekeepers” to surgery they really want to have.

Ideally, mental health assessments should be performed by health professionals who are extensively trained in the area. They also know what other areas should be explored with the patient, such as the potential impact of trauma on body image concerns.

Of course, there are not enough mental health professionals, particularly psychologists, to conduct these assessments so there is no easy solution.

Ultimately, this area of health would likely benefit from a standard multidisciplinary approach where all health professionals involved (such as the cosmetic surgeon, general practitioner, dermatologist, psychologist) work together with the patient to come up with a plan to best address their bodily concerns.

In this way, patients would likely not view any of the health professionals as “gatekeepers” but rather members of their treating team.

Read more:
What’s the connection between cosmetic procedures and mental health?

If you’re considering cosmetic surgery

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, which developed the new standards, recommended taking these four steps if you’re considering cosmetic surgery:

1. have an independent physical and mental health assessment before you commit to cosmetic surgery

2. make an informed decision knowing the risks

3. choose your practitioner, knowing their training and qualifications

4. discuss your care after your operation and where you can go for support.

My ultimate hope is people safely receive the care to help them best overcome their bodily concerns whether it be medical, psychological or a combination.

Gemma Sharp receives funding from NHMRC Investigator Grant (Emerging Leadership 2).

– ref. Thinking about cosmetic surgery? New standards will force providers to tell you the risks and consider if you’re actually suitable – https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-cosmetic-surgery-new-standards-will-force-providers-to-tell-you-the-risks-and-consider-if-youre-actually-suitable-219901

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai this week, nations agreed to “transition away” from coal, oil and gas . After 30 years of COP meetings, the world has finally committed to weaning itself from these carbon-based drivers of climate change.

As Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen told the media, the deal “sends a signal to the world’s markets, investors and businesses that this is the direction of travel for countries right around the world.”

This COP statement is the first to name and shame all carbon-based fuels driving the climate crisis – not just coal, which has been mentioned in previous COP agreements, but also oil and gas.

The deal is a collective global aspiration rather than a legally binding agreement. Even so, it should put an end to the idea that burning carbon – both in Australia and elsewhere – can continue on a significant scale beyond 2050.

Renewables on the rise

The statement on carbon-based fuels is significant, but largely symbolic. In Australia, coal as a fuel has long been on the way out. Improved domestic energy efficiency has reduced energy consumption, even as the economy has grown. Most of this has come at the expense of coal – a trend likely to continue as electricity generation moves further towards renewables.

As the below table shows, starting from a base of almost zero, solar and wind energy generation has risen at startling annual rates over the last decade: 30% for solar and 15% for wind. Although shares of total energy consumption are still fairly small, these growth rates imply solar and wind will generate more energy than coal by the end of the decade.

Australia’s consumption of oil, mostly in the form of imported petrol and diesel fuel, has remained largely steady over the past decade. Successive federal governments have dithered on the transition to electric vehicles. But if Australia is to get anywhere near the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, it must now tackle the transport sector which in 2022 produced 19% of Australia’s emissions – more than half from passenger and light commercial vehicles.

Given the absence of a domestic motor vehicle industry in Australia, the current government’s inaction on electric vehicles is surprising. It appears driven in part by a fear of populist campaigns by the Coalition and others about the effects on motorists. Who could forget claims in 2019 by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison that electric vehicles would “end the weekend […] It’s not going to tow your trailer. It’s not going to tow your boat. It’s not going to get you out to your favourite camping spot” – claims since proven to be incorrect.

Also in play is the political lobbying power of the retail motor industry, backed by foreign car manufacturers keen to maintain a market for their remaining supply of petrol-driven vehicles.

The myth of carbon capture and storage

The final text also called for the acceleration of “zero and low emission technologies”. Controversially, this includes removal technologies such as carbon capture and storage, which involves trapping, transporting and storing greenhouse gas emissions from facilities such as coal-fired power stations and gas plants.

The inclusion of this technology was criticised by many observers as a loophole which would allow polluting, inefficient industries to continue. But it is better understood as a symbolic sop to the coal, oil and gas industries, which have long pinned their hopes of staying in business on the idea of burying the carbon they emit.

In reality, carbon capture and storage is a proven failure. The Gorgon gas project on the Barrow Island nature reserve, off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, has stored barely a third of the targeted amount of carbon, forcing the proponents to buy carbon offsets instead (themselves a dubious option). Similarly, the only operating project capturing emissions from a coal-fired power plant, at Boundary Dam in Canada, has under-performed on carbon capture capacity by a huge margin.

So while carbon-capture is theoretically available as an option for new projects, in most cases it will prove either technically impossible or economically infeasible.

Read more:
Electric utes can now power the weekend – and the work week

Australia faces a choice on energy exports

The COP28 statement’s call for an “urgent and equitable transition to renewable energy” presents opportunities for Australia. As Bowen acknowledged:

Australia wants to be a renewable energy powerhouse, we want to create the energy for ourselves, and for our region and for the world […] The COP decision today gives us a very good ecosystem in which to develop that plan.

But of course, “that plan” is totally inconsistent with the plans of the coal and gas industries, which are announcing new projects intended to operate well into the second half of this century. By backing these projects, the federal government is essentially betting that the aspirations of the COP28 statement will turn out to be just wishful thinking, and that Australia can profit from a world of catastrophic global heating.

Australia must now decide what kind of energy superpower it wants to be: the home of a sustainable future, or the last refuge of coal and gas extraction.

John Quiggin is a former Member of the Climate Change Authority

– ref. COP28 deal confirms what Australia already knows: coal is out of vogue and out of time – https://theconversation.com/cop28-deal-confirms-what-australia-already-knows-coal-is-out-of-vogue-and-out-of-time-219906

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Moss, Senior lecturer, UNSW Sydney

If someone were to ask you how space technologies impact your daily life, or how much Australia should invest in space, would you have an immediate answer or would you wonder why these questions were even being asked?

Understanding what the average Australian thinks about space is essential – voters and taxpayers will only encourage governments to fund space activities if they feel it is important.

Yet until now there was no comprehensive survey of Australian opinions about space in the 66 years since humans launched their first satellite in 1957.

Our new report shows what the Australian public thinks about Australia’s investment and activities in space and the results are eye opening.

Space tech is everywhere

You’ve probably used space technologies many times today without thinking about it. This includes navigation apps on your phone, paying for your coffee, checking the weather, high-speed internet and maybe even remote health services.

Data and services from satellites underpin activities vital to our national economy. Space helps farmers predict when to harvest their crops and GPS ensures ships, planes and trucks reach their destinations.

Information from space also lets us investigate climate change, assists in predicting bushfires and helps emergency services respond to floods. Pictures from space contribute to Indigenous land and water management and protecting cultural heritage.

Read more:
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What do Australians think about space?

To understand what the public thinks about space today, the Australian Centre for Space Governance commissioned a study, co-funded by UNSW Canberra, which polled a nationally representative sample of more than 1,500 members of the Australian public. Our report is the first of its kind.

Our results showed the Australian community is interested in space but is unsure about what Australia does there. One third of Australians agreed space affected their everyday life and 44% were neutral. Around half of those surveyed are interested in Australian space activities but only a quarter said they were knowledgeable of global space events.

Similarly, the number of Australians who follow the activities of the Australian Space Agency, established in 2018, was only around one fifth and an equal number had never heard of it.

Australia has a long history of space activities, usually in cooperation with international partners. Australia has tested rockets at Woomera in South Australia and supported US Moon landings. This included providing broadcast images to the world of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1967.

But when asked to choose from a list including tracking stations and Australian-born astronauts, more Australians remembered the 2001 comedy The Dish than any of Australia’s historic space activities.

In addition, only 16% of Australians were aware of the country’s first (and only) locally launched satellite, WRESAT, lofted into orbit on an American rocket from Woomera in 1967.

How much should Australia spend on space?

Space has also been a vital part of the country’s defence forces and a range of government functions that support Australia’s security and resilience. Around 50% of Australians felt the Australian Defence Force should prioritise space alongside other areas of defence interest.

Many people are aware of important applications of Earth observation satellites, like weather forecasting, mapping, disaster response and climate data. However, less than a quarter disagreed with the cancellation of the A$1.2 billion National Space Mission for Earth Observation, a proposed ongoing Earth observation satellite program. Of those surveyed, 45% were neutral and less than a quarter felt the mission should not have been cancelled.

Space missions also allow us to understand the universe. If you’ve ever looked at a picture sent back from a NASA probe, it’s highly likely the image was received at the tracking station just outside of Canberra, managed by CSIRO. Nearly 55% of Australians think it is important to invest in space science, even if there is no immediate social or economic benefit.

Overall, Australians are split about whether the country is spending the right amount on space. While 20% felt too little was spent on space technologies, 31% believed the amount was about right.

But the highest proportion, 36%, did not know. This is important, suggesting there isn’t sufficient information provided to the public.

What do these results mean for Australia’s space future?

Australians appear to be uncertain about the country’s space trajectory. But there were some clues about what direction the public feels Australia should take. Communication satellite technology and Earth observation were identified as the most important of the Australian Space Agency’s seven priorities.

Australians also saw building satellite capability as an important focus. But developing local launch capabilities was rated as the lowest priority, despite this often being the focus of media reporting.

Importantly, respondents saw space as a useful way to encourage study and work in the sciences. They also believed space activities should include a diverse representation of the community.

The clearest insight from this report is Australians are interested in space but are not very aware of what we do in space and why. This reflects longstanding national debates about government spending on space technologies.

There is an opportunity to address this. Clear messaging of how space services contribute to individual lives, national needs and government priorities, will help inform decision making.

It will also ensure those decisions align with what the public wants and values.

Tristan Moss receives funding from the Australian Research Council as part of a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award and from UNSW Canberra. He has previously been funded by the Department of Defence and as a Fulbright Scholar.

Aleksandar Deejay receives funding from Geoscience Australia. He is the Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Space Governance and a research fellow at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet).

Cassandra Steer receives funding from Geoscience Australia, Home Affairs, Department of Defence, and has previously received funding from DFAT, the Australian Space Agency, and the Canadian and US Departments of Defence. She is Chair of the Australian Centre for Space Governance and is affiliated with the International Institute of Space Law.

Kathryn Robison Hasani is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Space Governance. She is affiliated with Flinders University.

– ref. The first-ever survey on Australian attitudes towards space is out. So, what do we think? – https://theconversation.com/the-first-ever-survey-on-australian-attitudes-towards-space-is-out-so-what-do-we-think-219813

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Sprajcer, Lecturer in Psychology, CQUniversity Australia

You’ve come home after a long day at work, you have dinner, put the kids to bed, and then you have your usual nightcap before drifting off to sleep. Or, perhaps you’re at the pub for the work Christmas party, and you think you’ll just have one more drink before heading home.

That last drink might help you fall asleep easily. But your nightcap can also wreck a good night’s sleep. How could it do both?

Here’s what’s going on in your body when you drink alcohol just before bedtime. And if you want to drink at the Christmas party, we have some tips on how to protect your sleep.

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What happens to my body when I drink?

Soon after you drink, alcohol enters your bloodstream and travels to your brain.

There, it affects chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters and slows down communication between nerve cells.

Certain regions of the brain are particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. When alcohol interacts with cells in these regions, the overall effect leads to those characteristic feelings of relaxation, lowered inhibitions, slurred speech, and may induce feelings of drowsiness and lethargy.

Alcohol can also have immediate effects on the heart and circulatory system. Blood vessels widen, resulting in a drop in blood pressure, which can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

Read more:
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What happens soon after a nightcap?

Drinking alcohol before sleeping is like flipping a switch. At first, alcohol has a sedative effect and you will probably feel more relaxed and drift off easily.

At this point, you still have a high level of alcohol in your blood. But don’t be fooled. As your body processes the alcohol, and the night goes on, alcohol actually disrupts your sleep.

Read more:
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And later that night?

As your body processes the alcohol and your blood alcohol level drops, your brain rebounds from the drowsiness you would have felt earlier in the night.

This disturbs your sleep, and can wake you up multiple times, particularly in the second half of the night. You may also have
vivid and stressful dreams.

This sleep disruption is mainly to the deep, “rapid eye movement” or REM sleep.

This type of sleep plays an important role in regulating your emotions and for your cognitive function. So not getting enough explains why you wake up feeling pretty lousy and groggy.

Drinking alcohol before bedtime also tends to mean you sleep less overall, meaning important rest and recharge time is cut short.

There are also long-term impacts of alcohol on sleep. Moderate and heavy drinkers consistently have poor sleep quality and more sleep disturbances over time.

Read more:
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How about the Christmas party then?

If you plan to drink this holiday season, here are some tips to minimise the effect of alcohol on your sleep:

• swap every other drink. Try swapping every second drink for a non-alcoholic drink. The more alcohol you drink, the more sleep disruption you can expect. Reducing how much you drink in any one sitting can minimise the effect on your sleep

• avoid drinking alcohol close to bedtime. If you give your body a chance to process the alcohol before you go to sleep, your sleep will be less disrupted

• eat while you drink. Drinking on an empty stomach is going to worsen the effects of alcohol as the alcohol will be absorbed faster. So try to eat something while you’re drinking

• ditch the espresso martinis and other caffeinated drinks. Caffeine can make it hard to get to sleep, and hard to stay asleep

• be careful if you have sleep apnoea. People who have sleep apnoea (when their upper airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep) can be even more impacted by drinking alcohol. That’s because alcohol can act as a muscle relaxant, leading to more snoring, and lower oxygen levels in the blood. If you have sleep apnoea, limiting how much alcohol you drink is the best way to avoid these effects

• drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated will help you sleep better and will hopefully stave off the worst of tomorrow’s hangover.

Read more:
What causes hangovers, blackouts and ‘hangxiety’? Everything you need to know about alcohol these holidays

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. Christmas drinks anyone? Why alcohol before bedtime leaves you awake at 3am, desperate for sleep – https://theconversation.com/christmas-drinks-anyone-why-alcohol-before-bedtime-leaves-you-awake-at-3am-desperate-for-sleep-216834

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Zimmerman, Lecturer in Strategic Studies, Deakin University

Nestled not far from Fiji’s Nadi airport is the Blackrock Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Camp. Before reopening in March 2022, this military complex was renovated and expanded in a A$100 million joint collaboration between Australia and Fiji.

The complex is envisioned as a future training and regional response hub for both natural and man-made disasters in the Pacific. It’s also emblematic of Australia and Fiji’s commitment to an international rules-based order. This is made more notable by the fact Australia narrowly outbid China as the funder for the camp’s renovation.

The need for a regional humanitarian logistics hub is clear. Oceania and South-East Asia experience roughly 40% of the world’s natural disasters – often in the form of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and increasingly destructive cyclones.

The new complex is based on a Pacific-centric and co-operative approach to addressing disasters, guaranteeing a speedy deployment of humanitarian relief workers and supplies when emergencies occur. As such, other Pacific Island countries have endorsed it.

Nearly two years after opening, however, Blackrock’s value as a Pacific peacekeeping hub is not as clear.

A history of Pacific peacekeeping

Fiji has long been a consistent contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. The country sends more than 300 peacekeepers to global hot spots every year. Per capita, Fiji provides more peacekeepers than any other country.

Other countries in the Pacific have been far less engaged. Besides Fiji, only Papua New Guinea and Tonga have traditional militaries from which they can draw soldiers to become peacekeepers.

PNG first fielded personnel on peace operations as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands in 2000. While national pride and a belief in the importance of “nation building” have motivated PNG deployments, the country only has the capacity to contribute a few peacekeepers at a time.

Tonga has participated in US-led coalition operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past, as well as Australia and New Zealand-led operations in Bougainville and Solomon Islands. However, it has never contributed to a UN peace operation.

The remaining Pacific Islands have contributed to peacekeeping in other ways. Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu have all provided police, military advisers or other personnel in small numbers.

Despite historically limited engagement, many Pacific countries want to increase their participation in peacekeeping operations. They are motivated by:

• a desire to support countries wracked by conflict
• political and cultural links in the region
• national pride
• the opportunity to gain operational experience
• financial incentives.

So far, Blackrock has been able to train roughly 400 Fijian peacekeepers every year. It has also begun to host training and joint exercises with troops and military experts from key partner nations, such as the US, Australia, Britain, New Zealand and France. Most recently, Blackrock hosted 14 Fijian and 10 Australian defence personnel for their first joint peacekeeping pre-deployment training.

Despite these notable achievements, the camp has not attracted peacekeeping candidates from elsewhere in the Pacific.

What Australia can do to help

Pacific countries already have a high level of co-ordination on peace and security initiatives through the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional programs. Therefore, a co-operative approach to peacekeeping seems reasonable.

As Inia Seruiratu, Fiji’s minister for defence, national security and foreign affairs, put it:

For small developing countries like Fiji, partnerships are the way forward. It is the new model of peacekeeping for us.

However, there are formidable challenges to making Blackrock a truly successful training base for a future Pacific peacekeeping force.

First, many Pacific countries cannot afford to lose high-performing police and military personnel to peace operations.

Then there is the cost of operating a peacekeeping training centre year in, year out. This includes the massive cost of moving potential recruits around the region, as well as trainers and other personnel.

Read more:
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This is where the support of partner countries like Australia is vital.

Australia will likely continue to support the day-to-day operating costs of Blackrock as part of its enhanced engagement in the Pacific.

Beyond that, Australia can help meet the challenge of finding recruits by leveraging its old and new defence initiatives in the region.

For example, in recent days, Australia and PNG signed a A$200 million deal to help boost PNG’s security capacities, in part by establishing a new police recruit and investigations training centre. Earlier this year, Australia also signed a memorandum of understanding with Kiribati to help expand its police training, including training for UN peacekeeping operations.

These agreements should include Australian financial and transportation support for police and military personnel who are being upskilled to travel to Blackrock.

Why a regional peacekeeping force matters

Supporting Pacific peacekeeping partnerships is a complex challenge that will require sustained support from Australia, but the benefits are substantial.

For one, Pacific countries’ security forces will continue to develop and professionalise by training in a multinational environment. These links will also improve the interoperability between the Australian Defence Force and its counterparts in the Pacific.

From a geo-strategic standpoint, cultivating regional security networks helps position Australia as the “security provider of choice” for Pacific Island states.

Lastly, the entire region will benefit from the creation of a well-trained force capable of deploying in support of conflicts and disasters. It will take the pressure off outside powers (including Australia, the US and even China) to do so.

Shannon Zimmerman is affiliated with Deakin’s Centre for Future Defence and National Security

– ref. Australia has invested heavily in a Pacific peacekeeping hub. So, where are the recruits? – https://theconversation.com/australia-has-invested-heavily-in-a-pacific-peacekeeping-hub-so-where-are-the-recruits-215533

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Degnan, PhD Candidate in Molecular Biology and Plant Pathology, The University of Queensland

Around a decade ago, an invasive fungal disease called myrtle rust reached Australia and began to spread like a plague through certain plants. The disease affects plants of the Myrtaceae family, which includes eucalypts, paperbarks and lilly pillies, and makes up 10% of Australian plant biodiversity/

In only a few years, myrtle rust has changed ecosystems by destroying trees and their canopies, wiped out whole species in certain areas, and taken an economic toll on industries that grow trees such as lemon-scented myrtle and tea tree.

The disease is a slow-moving ecological wrecking ball: surveys suggest it may drive at least 16 species of rainforest tree to extinction in the wild within a generation, with another 20 species at risk.

We have used RNA technology similar to that in COVID vaccines to create a highly targeted treatment for myrtle rust: a spray that can restore even severely infected trees to health in around six weeks.

At-risk species in remote places

The current approaches to dealing with tree diseases are limited. We can apply fungicides with a scorched-earth policy to kill all fungi, or we can breed plants for resistance to the pathogen.

Neither of these strategies is effective against myrtle rust. There are too many species to defend, located in some of the most remote places imaginable.

For example, one tree species on the brink of extinction from myrtle rust is called Lenwebbia sp. Main Range. It grows only on cliff faces in the Nightcap Range in northern New South Wales.

What’s more, many culturally significant and iconic trees in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) are long-lived and cannot be swapped seasonally for resistant genotypes.

In the absence of a treatment for myrtle rust, the safeguard is to stockpile seeds to preserve genetics for future generations.

RNA interference

Our treatment for myrtle rust makes use of a molecular mechanism possessed by almost all plants, animals and fungi called “RNA interference”.

RNA is an essential molecule of life, similar to DNA, which usually occurs in single strands. When a cell detects double-stranded RNA (which in nature generally represents a virus or other threat), it triggers RNA interference to destroy the interloper.

The RNA interference system learns to recognise the threat, and will then also destroy any single-stranded messenger RNA that happens to match. This naturally occurring mechanism can be used to defend both plants and humans against pathogens, including fungi.

We designed double-stranded RNA that matched essential genes in the fungus that causes myrtle rust, and sprayed it on the leaves of infected plants. This triggered the fungus’s RNA interference mechanism, sabotaging the action of genes it needs to survive.

Treating severe infections

Rust fungi produce microscopic battering-ram structures called appressoria that are used to forcefully penetrate host leaves. Most fungal spores treated with double-stranded RNA could not germinate to produce their battering rams, and those that did were withered and powerless.

Double-stranded RNA can also be sprayed onto plants ahead of time to inhibit spore germination and prevent disease completely.

Next we trialled whether our RNA spray would stop and cure disease in severely infected plants. We saw that it inhibited the progress of the disease, and after six weeks even severely infected plants had recovered to a healthy state.

A targeted treatment

We wanted to make sure our treatment wouldn’t accidentally affect anything except the myrtle rust fungus, so we designed it using “barcoding genes” which uniquely identify the species.

Barcoding genes are excellent targets for RNA interference. They are generally identical among all members of a species, differ between closely related species, and usually control an essential cellular function.

The most closely related rust fungus to the pathogen that causes myrtle rust is found on a naturalised street tree in Australia called Albizzia lebbeck, but it is different enough to be unaffected by our treatment. It is extremely unlikely any unrelated organism would have an identical barcoding gene sequence to the myrtle rust pathogen, so we do not expect any off-target effects.

Another advantage of targeting a barcoding gene is our treatment has lasting impact. Unlike some other genes, barcoding genes cannot change by mutation without risking the organism’s survival.

This means the pathogen is less likely to evolve resistance. And if resistance against double-stranded RNA does evolve, the target sequence can be modified to match the rust again in a matter of days.

An integrated approach

There is no silver bullet to manage pathogens in native ecosystems and agriculture. The Australian government’s myrtle rust action plan recommends an integrated approach to control this destructive disease.

In coming years, double-stranded RNA can be incorporated to manage the epidemic of myrtle rust in Australia. We hope it will be especially useful in conservation, industry, and the treatment of individual trees – particularly culturally significant ones.

Rebecca Degnan receives funding from a University of Queensland Graduate School Scholarship, the Australian Plant Biosecurity Science Foundation, multiple philanthropic scholarships (associated with The University of Queensland), including the Joan Allsop Scholarship and the Gibbins Scholarship, and through the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative as a current Ritman Scholar.

Alistair McTaggart received support from the University of Queensland and funding from the Department of the Environment and Energy under the Australian Biological Resources Study.

– ref. Myrtle rust is devastating Australian forests. A new high-tech spray holds out hope for native trees – https://theconversation.com/myrtle-rust-is-devastating-australian-forests-a-new-high-tech-spray-holds-out-hope-for-native-trees-219411

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

If you were, just for example, a slightly portly, older gent in a red and white suit who soon plans to travel around the globe delivering presents, assisted only by reindeer and a touch of magic, what legal issues might you encounter?

While Santa may not need to lawyer up ahead of his big night, his journey does raise several interesting legal issues that have implications beyond the Christmas season – and there’s some lessons for the rest of us, too.

Can Santa fly freely around the world in his sleigh?

The Convention on International Civil Aviation sets out the standards required for global air travel. Santa is not bound by these rules because he’s not a sovereign state, but he faces problems anyway.

For starters, he travels at an estimated 10,703,437 km/h – significantly faster than the average 860 km/h of commercial flights.

This speed is contrary to the convention, which directs “safe and orderly” civil aviation. It also requires Santa to seek permission to fly over the territory of another state, unless it’s an emergency. It is unlikely Santa falls within the emergency exception, however, as his flight is always scheduled for December 24.

Finally, Santa must submit his sleigh and cargo for inspection when landing if requested by the authorities. Alas! Santa does not allow peremptory peeking into his sack of gifts.

Read more:
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Santa has a camera on his sleigh to assist with landings. Does this raise legal problems?

The law says that you own your land and sky only to a depth and height for your reasonable enjoyment.

If Santa, hovering above your house with a camera, is disturbing your right to enjoy your property, the law may give you a remedy in what is known as the tort of nuisance or the tort of breach of confidence.

However, the intrusion has to be persistent and annoying, and if it’s only occurring on Christmas Eve, and if Santa is welcomed, it’s unlikely a magistrate would order him to stop.

If Santa is filming, you cannot, generally speaking, complain about any breach of privacy. True, there are some legislative remedies against such filming found in the NSW Crimes Act, the Qld Criminal Code, and the SA Summary Offences Act, but usually only if he’s filming for what might be considered voyeuristic purposes, and not for simply guiding the sleigh onto your roof.

A Christmas dinner guest has a few drinks and starts to espouse views you find offensive. Can you eject them from your home?

Laws protecting people from offensive, humiliating or vilifying speech generally only apply to public spaces, such as workplaces.

But if you are hosting a party in your own home, you have the right to ask a guest to leave at any time, including if you don’t like their jokes. If they stay without your consent, then they are trespassing, and you can call the police to help you remove them.

Unwanted guests who use offensive language or refuse to obey directions from police can then face criminal penalties. And while calling the police definitely sounds like a party stopper, you should remember that, as a host, you owe a duty of care to the other guests to take reasonable steps to ensure they are not exposed to foreseeable risks of harm.

As Santa leaves your property, he is injured by a tripwire designed to deter trespassers that you installed. Can he sue?

Occupiers of land owe a duty of care to any person entering their land to ensure they will not be injured by virtue of the state of the premises.

At common law, Santa can sue you and seek compensation. The court hearing the case would consider factors such as the circumstances in which Santa became exposed to the danger, his ability to appreciate the danger, the extent to which you ought to have been aware that Santa was arriving, and whether it was appropriate to eliminate or warn Santa against the danger.

But in some jurisdictions, for example in South Australia, an occupier does not owe a duty of care to a trespasser. There is an exception: a duty is owed if the presence of that trespasser was reasonably foreseeable. Santa is trespassing, yes, but you are expecting him, so his arrival is reasonably foreseeable. That being the case, you are likely to be liable for his injuries.

Wealthy Uncle Harry is choking on his Christmas pudding, and near death. Knowing he has left you a large inheritance, can you refrain from assisting him?

The answer depends on the relationship between you and Uncle Harry. Under the criminal law of Australia, there is no general duty to assist a choking person, unlike in some other countries.

But a duty may arise if you are Harry’s carer, or if you are a medical practitioner. You may also attract a duty of care if you ushered the other guests out of the room, saying you would look after Harry.

If Harry chokes to death and you did have a duty to intervene, you may be found guilty of manslaughter. On conviction, you can wave goodbye to the inheritance. The forfeiture rule states that you cannot inherit from a person whom you have unlawfully killed.

Read more:
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Your beloved dumps you after Christmas. Can you get those expensive gifts back?

No. In law, effective transfer of goods occurs when the giver delivers possession of an item with the intention to give away that item. So handing over a wrapped gift with the words, “this is for you” would be sufficient to transfer ownership.

In a marriage or de facto relationship, the news might be slightly better for the giver. The Family Law Act allows a court to divide all property of the parties when a relationship breaks down, and little regard is paid to who actually owns what. Instead, the court will consider the contributions each has made to the relationship, and each party’s future needs. It is possible that, in a “just and equitable” settlement, you’d end up with the gifted items back in your hands. But don’t hold your breath.

Rick Sarre has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council.

Sarah Moulds is currently the Director of the Rights Resource Network SA.

Ben Livings, Juliette McIntyre, Lisa Cooper, and Michelle Fernando do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree … what are my rights this season, legally? – https://theconversation.com/o-christmas-tree-o-christmas-tree-what-are-my-rights-this-season-legally-217440

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Koplin, Lecturer in Bioethics, Monash University & Honorary fellow, Melbourne Law School, Monash University

It may soon be possible to coax human skin cells into becoming functional eggs and sperm using a technique known as “in vitro gametogenesis”. This involves the creation (genesis) of eggs and sperm (gametes) outside the human body (in vitro).

In theory, a skin cell from a man could be turned into an egg and a skin cell from a woman can become a sperm. Then there’s the possibility of a child having multiple genetically-related parents, or only one.

Some scientists believe human applications of in vitro gametogenesis are a long way off.

However, scientists who work on human stem cells are actively working on overcoming the barriers. New biotechnology start-ups are also seeking to commercialise this technology.

Here’s what we know about the prospect of human in vitro gametogenesis and why we need to start talking about this now.

Read more:
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Is the technology available?

In vitro gametogenesis begins with “pluripotent stem cells”, a kind of cell that can develop into many different cell types. The aim is to persuade these stem cells to become eggs or sperm.

These techniques could use stem cells taken from early embryos. But scientists have also worked out how to revert adult cells to a pluripotent state. This opens up the possibility of creating eggs or sperm that “belong to” an existing human adult.

Animal studies have been promising. In 2012, scientists created live-born baby mice using eggs that began their life as skin cells on a mouse tail.

More recently, the technique has been used to facilitate same-sex reproduction. Earlier this year, scientists created mouse pups with two genetic fathers after transforming skin cells from male mice into eggs. Mouse pups with two genetic mothers have also been created.

Scientists have not yet managed to adapt these techniques to create human gametes. Perhaps because the technology is still in its infancy, Australia’s legal and regulatory systems do not address whether and how the technology should be used.

For example, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s assisted reproduction guidelines, which were updated in 2023, do not include specific guidance for in vitro-derived gametes. These guidelines will need to be updated if in vitro gametogenesis becomes viable in humans.

Read more:
The future of stem cells: tackling hype versus hope

The potential

There are three distinct clinical applications of this technology.

First, in vitro gametogenesis could streamline IVF. Egg retrieval currently involves repeated hormone injections, a minor surgical procedure, and the risk of overstimulating the ovaries. In vitro gametogenesis could eliminate these problems.

Second, the technology could circumvent some forms of medical infertility. For example, it could be used to generate eggs for women born without functioning ovaries or following early menopause.

Third, the technology could allow same-sex couples to have children who are genetically related to both parents.

Read more:
Promising assisted reproductive technologies come with ethical, legal and social challenges – a developmental biologist and a bioethicist discuss IVF, abortion and the mice with two dads

Legal, regulatory and ethical issues

If the technology becomes viable, in vitro gametogenesis will alter the dynamics of how we create families in unprecedented ways. How we should respond requires careful consideration.

1. Is it safe?

Careful trials, rigorous monitoring, and follow-up of any children born will be essential – as it has been for other reproductive technologies, including IVF.

2. Is it equitable?

Other issues relate to access. It might seem unjust if the technology is only available to the wealthy. Public funding could help – but whether this is appropriate depends on whether the state ought to support people’s reproductive projects.

3. Should we restrict access?

For instance, pregnancy is rare in older women, largely because egg count and quality decline with age. In vitro gametogenesis would theoretically provide “fresh” eggs for women of any age. But helping older women become parents is controversial, due to physical, psychological and other factors associated with having babies later in life.

4. We’d still need surrogates

If we took skin cells from each male partner and created an embryo, that embryo would still need a surrogate to carry the pregnancy. Unfortunately, Australia has a shortfall of surrogates. International surrogacy provides an alternative, but carries legal, ethical and practical difficulties. Unless access to surrogacy is improved domestically, benefits to male couples will be limited.

5. Who are the legal parents?

In vitro gametogenesis also raises questions about who are the future child’s legal parents. We already see related legal debates surrounding non-traditional families formed through surrogacy, egg donation and sperm donation.

In vitro gametogenesis could theoretically also be used to create children with more than two genetic parents, or with only one. These possibilities likewise require us to update our current understandings of parenthood.

Read more:
We may one day grow babies outside the womb, but there are many things to consider first

How far is too far?

Of the potential uses already mentioned, same-sex reproduction is the most controversial. The reproductive limitations imposed by being in a same-sex relationship are sometimes seen as a “social” form of infertility the medical profession is not obligated to fix.

The moral stakes, however, are virtually identical regardless of whether in vitro gametogenesis is used by same-sex or opposite-sex couples. Both uses of the technology fulfil exactly the same goal: helping couples fulfil their desire to have a child genetically related to both parents. It would be unjust to deny access to only one of these groups.

But same-sex reproduction is only the tip of the iceberg. In vitro gametogenesis could theoretically facilitate “solo reproduction” by deriving both eggs and sperm from the same individual. Interestingly, a child created this way would not be a clone of its parent, since the process of gamete formation would shuffle the parent’s genetic material and create a genetically distinct individual.

Or people could engage in “multiplex parenting” combining genetic material from more than two individuals. Imagine, for example, that two couples create embryos via IVF. In vitro gametogenesis could then be used to derive eggs and sperm from each of these two separate embryos, which could subsequently be used to conceive a single child that is genetically related to all four adults.

Finally, in vitro gametogenesis could revolutionise prenatal genetic selection. We’d have many more embryos than available during regular IVF to screen for genetic diseases and traits.

So it would be urgent to discuss “designer babies”, eugenics, and whether we have a moral obligation to conceive children with the best chance of a good life.

Read more:
World’s first ‘synthetic embryo’: why this research is more important than you think

We need to start talking about this now

Both law and ethics can lag behind new technologies, particularly when their implications are as profound and far-reaching as the implications of in vitro gametogenesis.

We need to discuss how this technology should be regulated before it is rolled out. Given how rapidly the science is developing, we should begin this discussion now.

Laura Smith, a masters student from Monash University, contributed to this article.

Julian Koplin receives research funding from Ferring Pharmaceuticals for an unrelated project.

Neera Bhatia receives funding from UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council for an unrelated project.

– ref. Eggs from men, sperm from women: how stem cell science may change how we reproduce – https://theconversation.com/eggs-from-men-sperm-from-women-how-stem-cell-science-may-change-how-we-reproduce-219005

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dylan McConnell, Senior Research Associate, Renewable Energy & Energy Systems Analyst, UNSW Sydney

Australia’s coal power stations will all close in 2038 – five years earlier than previously expected – and variable renewable energy capacity will need to triple by 2030 and increase sevenfold by 2050.

These are two key findings in the latest roadmap for Australia’s largest grid and electricity market, the National Electricity Market. The draft of a document known as 2024 Integrated System Plan, was released today by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). It lays out a comprehensive path for the next 20 years as we wean ourselves off coal and embrace renewables firmed by storage.

What is this plan and why does it matter?

AEMO ensures our energy market runs smoothly, including planning for the transmission needs of the future – and that’s where this blueprint comes in.

Australia’s main grid has historically been based on connecting cheap but polluting coal plants to large cities. As coal plants retire, we need a different grid, drawing renewable power from many different locations, while utilising storage.

Every two years, AEMO releases an updated plan, drawing on detailed modelling and consultation across the energy sector.

Read more:
The end of coal is coming 3 times faster than expected. Governments must accept it and urgently support a ‘just transition’

Through this process, it arrives at an “optimal development path”. That’s energy-speak for the cheapest and most effective mix of electricity generation, storage and transmission able to meet our reliability and security needs while also supporting government emissions reduction policies in the long-term interests of consumers.

Changes to our national electricity laws to include emissions reductions in it’s objectives came in effect in November. In response, AEMO is now only using scenarios in line with Australian Governments’ emission reduction targets.

The path laid out in this latest plan is intended to ensure the energy transition already underway will be lower cost, resilient and pragmatic. Importantly, the plan points to where we will need to build important new infrastructure – especially transmission lines – to deliver the new electricity system.

What does the update say?

The 2024 plan explores three possible scenarios:

1. Step Change, which meets Australia’s emission cut commitments in a growing economy
2. Progressive Change, reflecting slower economic growth and energy investment
3. Green Energy Exports, framed around very strong industrial decarbonisation and surging low-emission energy exports.

The report suggests the step change scenario is the most likely of these three, closely followed by progressive change.

So what would we see under the step change scenario?

Change – and plenty of it. This scenario forecasts the retirement of 90% of Australia’s remaining 21 gigawatts of coal generation by 2034-35, with the entire fleet retired by 2038. This timeframe is five years earlier than envisaged in the 2022 integrated system plan.

AEMO notes the departure of coal from the grid could be faster still, pointing to higher operating costs, reduced fuel security and high maintenance costs as well as more competition from renewable energy in the wholesale market.

To manage the farewell to coal alongside increased electricity demand from population growth and electrification of transport, we will need to add about 6 GW of grid-scale renewable capacity every year in the coming decade. That sounds like a lot, but we’re currently rolling out almost 4 GW a year. The plan also predicts a major increase in rooftop solar – 18 GW more than in the previous plan.

AEMO’s 2024 plan suggests close to 10,000km of new transmission lines will be needed to deliver this least-cost system by 2050. There is slightly less transmission here compared to the previous plan, due to higher transmission costs, and more power from sources requiring less transmission. Since the last plan, some minor transmission projects have been built, but the timelines for most larger projects have been pushed back.

These delays are partly due to community opposition to new transmission lines. AEMO has now explicitly flagged social license as a key challenge to delivering the new energy system.

Firming and gas

The 2024 plan calls for a quadrupling of the grid’s firming capacity, which smooths out peaks and dips in renewable generation and reduces the chance of energy shortages for consumers.

This will come from grid-scale batteries, pumped hydro, coordinated consumer batteries used as virtual power plants – and, perhaps controversially, gas-powered generation.

Under the plan, there will be 50 GW (and 654GWh) of dispatchable storage, as well as 16 GW of flexible gas.

That’s a significant boost to gas capacity, which was projected to be just over 9GW of gas capacity under the last plan.

Why do we need this capacity? AEMO pictures these gas plants not as day-in, day-out generators, but as a infrequently used backup to ensure the grid stays reliable and secure.

So this increase in gas power capacity doesn’t actually mean a increase in gas generation, or the amount of gas burnt. In fact, AEMO projects a significant decline in gas power over the short to medium term.

But from 2033, as the last coal is burned in our coal plants, AEMO does expect an increase in gas generation. This may be fossil gas, but some may be hydrogen or biomass-derived gas.

Shifting from regular use to infrequent use as a backup will pose challenges for the existing fossil gas network, AEMO points out.

Does this threaten the clean energy transition? No. If we can banish almost all fossil fuel generation from our main grid by 2034, we will be doing well. Even if this were all fossil gas – which it won’t be – the emissions intensity of Australia’s main grid would be miniscule – around 0.01 tonnes per MWh, or 60 times lower than today.

Read more:
Unsexy but vital: why warnings over grid reliability are really about building more transmission lines

Dylan McConnell’s current position is supported by the ‘Race for 2030’ Cooperative Research Centre.

– ref. Coal will be all but gone by 2034 under Australia’s latest energy roadmap – https://theconversation.com/coal-will-be-all-but-gone-by-2034-under-australias-latest-energy-roadmap-219714

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Lewis, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Catholic University

You may be familiar with the popular TikTok trend, #ATARreaction. You see the face of a Year 12 student logging on to their computer, then they wait a few moments before they collapse in tears, relief and celebration.

You have just witnessed them receive their final results.

It is Year 12 results season around Australia. Earlier this week, Victorian and New South Wales students got their marks. Results in Queensland are out today, with Western Australia and South Australia due on Monday.

Accompanying these scores will be countless celebrations and commiserations, as thoughts turn to life after school. There is also a huge community focus – via the media – on students who achieve perfect or near-perfect scores.

The same kinds of stories focus on the very high achievers each year. While this may seem like a joyous ritual, we should pause to consider how we frame the end of Year 12 and “success”, and how we can help students navigate these turbulent times.

Read more:
‘They don’t expect a lot of me, they just want me to go to uni’: first-in-family students show how we need a broader definition of ‘success’ in year 12

An annual media event

There is a distinct pattern to the stories about results each year.

For decades, we have been conditioned to expect the reporting of ecstatic scenarios, with students celebrating high or perfect scores and talking about their feelings and plans.

A selection of headlines this week include, “Practically perfect in every way,” “The top student in every HSC subject revealed”, “Joy at HSC band 5s and 6s” and “Meet the duxes of 2023”.

There are also retrospectives on past students who have excelled and showcases of schools with the most top students.

Social media has only exacerbated these public displays, with ATAR “reaction videos” garnering millions of views on platforms like TikTok.

This reinforces a set narrative to receiving your results: you get them and are immediately overjoyed. While these students should – and have every right to – celebrate their achievements, not all students will feel this way.

A narrow definition of success

Alongside these scores for individual subjects, many students will also receive an ATAR ranking, which tertiary institutions use to help select applicants.

Disproportionately focusing on perfect scores and rankings narrowly defines what success can be. Indeed, because the ATAR is a percentile rank, these perfect scores are only ever possible for a handful of students.

It is also worth remembering that all such scores and rankings are to simplify a very complicated and complex phenomenon – student learning.

Any “one size fits all” approach overlooks how success will be different for different people.

For some, it might be completing Year 12 despite considerable personal hardship or disadvantage. For others, it could be securing entrance to their preferred course and university.

Failing to embrace diverse definitions of success fails to acknowledge the circumstances and contexts of students and communities. It affects not only this year’s cohort but also younger students who are exposed to this media coverage and are conditioned to think this is what success is.

How can we approach it this time?

There are many ways we can overcome this one-dimensional view of schooling success. But it requires an intentional shift to the way schools, politicians, the media and the broader community understand and discuss ATAR rankings.

First, we should openly acknowledge there is more to life than ATAR and being on an honour roll.

We should publicly celebrate not only the “practically perfect” but also the many different kinds of success our students achieve.

Not every student will even receive an ATAR (some opt not to), as this ranking is only used to determine entrance to some courses at some tertiary institutions. Many universities offer places to students without using ATAR rankings, including pathway options (such as upgrading to bachelor courses through diplomas and associate degrees), vocational study and alternative entry schemes.

Put differently, the ATAR only helps determine a student’s entry into a university or course right now. It does not determine which university course they will ultimately enter and complete via these additional possibilities.

Read more:
‘So many things to consider’: how to help school leavers decide what to do next

Second, we should emphasise learning is a lifelong process.

This year’s Year 12s will encounter many different educational needs and opportunities over their lifetime. This might entail formal education via universities and TAFEs, but also on-the-job professional or vocational training and micro-credentialing.

These offerings will likely have nothing to do with a student’s ATAR.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, we should encourage students to share any anxieties they have with their parents and peers.

By publicly discussing the multiple pathways into university and what the ATAR actually means, schools, universities and families can help students minimise their mental health concerns.

Check in with each other, both in the lead-up to results and in the days and weeks after. Above all else, remind students they are always more than a score.

Steven Lewis receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. ‘Practically perfect’: why the media’s focus on ‘top’ Year 12 students needs to change – https://theconversation.com/practically-perfect-why-the-medias-focus-on-top-year-12-students-needs-to-change-219710

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula Lorgelly, Professor of Health Economics, University of Auckland

I’m writing this with a dull ache in my left arm, sore from my third COVID booster. My second was in April when I also got a flu vaccination, which was funded by my employer. The arrival of the fifth wave of COVID in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the new variant, prompted me to get my booster sorted.

I should also admit I saw news over the weekend that universal access to COVID vaccinations may come to an end next year. Always keen to get something for nothing, I booked my booster.

It seems I was ahead of the curve.

New Zealanders, especially those at high risk of becoming severely ill, are now being encouraged to get their booster before Christmas. Anyone over 30 years old who hasn’t had a vaccination or an infection in the last six months can get this booster. And it may be the last free COVID vaccination they receive.

Nothing for free

I jest about getting something for nothing. As a health economist, I’m aware there is no such thing as a free lunch – there is an opportunity cost to everything.

Funding COVID vaccinations, tests and treatments means we are not able to fund other types of health care. During the peak of the pandemic it made economic sense to have publicly funded vaccinations and tests.

As we learn to live with the virus – treating it as an endemic disease like the flu – there is a need to re-evaluate the public provision of tests, vaccines and treatment.

Manatū Hauora – Ministry of Health had previously funded COVID vaccines. In July that was transferred to Pharmac and Pharmac’s budget was adjusted to accommodate the extra cost.

Read more:
Myocarditis: COVID-19 is a much bigger risk to the heart than vaccination

Pharmac also funds antivirals and most recently widened access to these. Te Whatu Ora funds RAT and PCR tests.

This week new health minister Shane Reti said the funding of vaccines and antivirals beyond June 2024 is under consideration. This comes after news that lower-than-expected booster uptake has resulted in a large number of expired doses. It has also recently been announced that RATs may no longer be free after the February 2024.

All this points to New Zealanders learning to live with the virus, by paying out-of-pocket for preventative measures – assuming you can afford it.

Targeting

Moving away from a universal programme to a targeted approach for those at risk is very different to the targeted rollout of the initial vaccine programme. Prioritisation was required due to the scarcity of the vaccine and the logistics of managing the rollout of a mass vaccination programme. It seems scarcity is now due to financial constraints not delivery constraints.

My colleague, vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris, has argued such targeted approaches, where only those at risk are offered free vaccinations, places a substantial obstacle in the way of getting vaccinated. Add cost to the misinformation/disinformation around vaccines and uptake will be further impacted.

What’s available elsewhere?

How are other countries managing COVID nearly four years on? Vaccination is still universally free in Australia, Singapore and Canada.

Since September 2023, vaccination in the United States is covered by private insurance plans and Medicare/Medicaid, but also available locally for free for the uninsured.

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands have a targeted seasonal vaccination programme – thus treat COVID much like the flu.

In terms of accessibility to COVID tests there is also variability. The Netherlands has not had subsidised testing since October 2021, although those on low income, at high risk and who provide care can get free tests until the end of this year.

Singapore stopped providing subsidised tests in February 2023. The US and Canada still have free tests available, and Australia has made tests free for concession card holders, and states may have additional allowances.

In the UK you can get a free COVID test only if you have a health condition or are a health-care worker.

Who should pay?

Universally free influenza vaccination programmes are rare. Most countries – including Aotearoa New Zealand – target those at greatest risk of hospitalisation and death.

This is because protecting these vulnerable populations is considered to be the most cost-effective from a health sector perspective. Employers, including my own, fund flu vaccines for employees as the virus is a costly productivity killer.

A challenge Pharmac and its advisors will face when deciding the scope of a future COVID vaccination programme is that there remains considerable uncertainty surrounding the long-term consequences of COVID infection.

Read more:
Vaccines for COVID are much more effective than for flu – and reminding people could drive down hesitancy

Long COVID appears to be indiscriminate. The 5-10% of individuals who are infected are often healthy and don’t fit the usual vulnerable population classification. While vaccination can lower the risk of long COVID, repeat infections appear to increase the chances of developing it. Antivirals – which Pharmac also needs to make funding decisions on – seem to lower the risk.

Future vaccination strategies should take account of the chronic health conditions and symptoms that encompass long COVID, as the health burden is considerable.

To fund or not to fund COVID vaccinations, tests and treatments – these are difficult questions as we learn to live with COVID.

Paula Lorgelly received funding from the Ministry of Health to establish Mātauranga Raranga, the Long COVID Registry Aotearoa.

– ref. New Zealanders are learning to live with COVID – but does that mean having to pay for protection ourselves? – https://theconversation.com/new-zealanders-are-learning-to-live-with-covid-but-does-that-mean-having-to-pay-for-protection-ourselves-219698

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University

A recent New York Times article released a list of people “behind the dawn of the modern artificial intelligence movement” – and not a single woman was named. It came less than a week after news of a fake auto-generated woman being listed as a speaker on the agenda for a software conference.

Unfortunately, the omission of women from the history of STEM isn’t a new phenomenon. Women have been missing from these narratives for centuries.

In the wake of recent AI developments, we now have a choice: are we going to leave women out of these conversations as well – even as they continue to make massive contributions to the AI industry?

Doing so risks leading us into the same fallacy that established computing itself as a “man’s world”. The reality, of course, is quite different.

A more accurate history

Prior to computers as we know them, “computer” was the title given to people who performed complex mathematical calculations. These people were commonly women.

English mathematician Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) is often referred to as the first computer programmer. She was the first person to realise computers could do much more than just math calculations. Her work on the analytical engine – a proposed automatic and fully programmable mechanical computer – dates back to the mid-1800s.

By the 1870s, a group of about 80 women worked as computers at the Harvard Observatory. They catalogued and analysed copious amounts of astronomic data for astronomer Edward Charles Pickering (who exploited the fact they’d work for less money than men, or even as volunteers).

By the late 19th century, increased access to education meant there was an entire generation of women trained in maths. These woman computers were cheaper labour than men at the time, and so employing them significantly reduced the costs of computation.

During the first world war, women were hired to calculate artillery trajectories. This work continued into the second world war, when they were actively encouraged to take on wartime jobs as computers in the absence of men.

Women continued to work as computers into the early days of the American space program in the 1960s, playing a pivotal role in advancing NASA’s space projects. One of these computers was Katherine Johnson, who was responsible for quality-checking the outputs of early IBM computers for an orbital mission in 1962.

Many women made significant contributions to computing, yet few were recognised for these contributions – let alone financially compensated. According to Virginia Tech professor Janet Abbate, by 1969 a female computer specialist’s median salary was US$7,763, compared to US$11,193 for a male computer specialist.

Woman computers worked behind the scenes, while their male counterparts received recognition, awards and publicity.

Read more:
How your money is helping subsidise sexism in academia – and what you can do about it

Women in AI

Computing and programming are the foundation of AI as we know it today. At a basic level, today’s generative and predictive AI systems work by analysing large amounts of data and finding patterns in it.

The women who pioneered computing from as early as the 1800s laid the foundations for this work. The work they were doing by hand for more than a century has now been replaced by machines capable of analysing much larger quantities of data in much a shorter time.

This transition does not diminish women’s contributions to the field of computing and, more recently, AI. Myriad women are doing pioneering work in the AI industry today, including the 12 women named is this recent Medium article.

From Google’s ex-chief decision scientist Cassie Kozyrkov, to Canadian computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, to OpenAI’s CTO Mira Murati (pictured in this article’s banner image) – these women are helping make AI safer, more accurate, more accessible, more inclusive and more reliable.

And they’re taking these strides despite working in a heavily male-dominated industry. One 2018 study of 4,000 researchers who had been published in leading AI conferences found women made up just 12% of this group.

The impact of omission

The omission of women isn’t limited to the AI industry, or even to STEM. As historian Bettany Hughes notes, women occupy a meagre 0.5% of recorded history. Clearly, a lack of gender diversity in the workforce is part of a much larger, systemic problem – one that affects many more people than the individuals being excluded.

In 1983, NASA engineers suggested packing 100 tampons on the Challenger space shuttle for astronaut Sally Ride – for a trip that was one week long. Such an incident is seemingly harmless on the surface. But what happens when gender bias and stereotypes bleed into the design and development of AI?

Research published in 2018 by international non-profit Global Witness found Facebook’s job ad platform, which uses algorithms to target users with ads, based its targeting on sexist stereotypes. For example, ads for mechanics were targeted mostly at men, while ads for preschool teachers were targeted mostly at women.

Another 2018 study found computer vision systems reported higher error rates for recognising women, and in particular women with darker skin tones.

A lack of gender diversity in AI has a demonstrated ability to harm and disadvantage women and, by extension, all of us. While many argue that improving AI training datasets could address the gender gap, others rightly point out that women should also be included in data-collection processes

Breaking the glass ceiling

Speaking at the UN Women’s HeForShe summit earlier this year, Hugging Face research scientist Sasha Luccioni made a salient point:

AI bias doesn’t come from thin air – it comes from the patterns we perpetuate in our societies.

The recent New York Times article is an example of how both media and industry play a role in reinforcing a status quo that disproportionately favours men. This form of bias does nothing to help close a persistent and problematic gender gap.

Despite millions of dollars being spent to encourage women to take up careers in STEM, these fields are struggling to retain woman workers.

Women’s contributions to AI are not insignificant. Failing to acknowledge this can make the glass ceiling seem impossible to break through.

Read more:
Chief Scientist: women in STEM are still far short of workplace equity. COVID-19 risks undoing even these modest gains

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

– ref. The AI industry is on the verge of becoming another boys’ club. We’re all going to lose out if it does – https://theconversation.com/the-ai-industry-is-on-the-verge-of-becoming-another-boys-club-were-all-going-to-lose-out-if-it-does-219802

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bernardo Figueiredo, Associate Professor of Marketing, RMIT University

At least 65 million people around the world are estimated to have long COVID, which describes the continuation or development of symptoms at least three months after an initial COVID infection.

Long COVID is a complex, multi-system disease that can be disabling and may even be fatal in some cases. We still don’t understand the exact causes of long COVID, and there’s no clear treatment for it.

Over three months, we followed 14 people suffering from long COVID – or “long haulers” – to better understand their experiences. In particular, we wanted to see how their ability to manage their health (called agency) and the help they get from others (social support) influence how they fare.

Read more:
When does COVID become long COVID? And what’s happening in the body when symptoms persist? Here’s what we’ve learnt so far

A few key themes

Participants recorded short videos about their daily lives, focusing on their symptoms, how they were coping, and any lifestyle changes they were making.

They experienced a range of symptoms, including fatigue, breathing difficulties and brain fog. Research has shown these are common symptoms among people with long COVID.

Participants faced psychological and social challenges, with some feeling lonely and hopeless, often made worse by social stigma around expressing mental distress. One participant said:

Most of my family haven’t contacted me that much over the last five months. So I’ve really just been on my own 24/7, which does wear anyone down.

Another said she had not

reached out to my friends too much about it because I just feel like such a hypochondriac.

Some participants felt health-care professionals didn’t take their experiences and symptoms seriously or didn’t understand. One described “an overall very, very poor understanding of the pathophysiology of the condition which is harming patients like me”.

Agency and social support

Although each person had a unique experience with long COVID, we were able to group these experiences into clusters based on the social support they received and the agency they had in managing their condition.

Agency is a result of multiple factors that accumulate over time including socioeconomic background, education and health literacy. Agency can improve when people feel in control of their situation.

In general, those with high agency and high social support reported a better experience managing long COVID than those in the other clusters.

People with agency sought out information about their condition and potential treatments, followed through with prescribed treatment plans when available, monitored symptoms, sought support, and were involved in advocacy and research.

Social support was similarly important, manifesting in different ways – for example a spouse who helped their partner get dressed, or a manager who supported reducing work days. In some cases friends provided regular support, while family played a crucial role, often becoming long-term informal carers.

Having a wide group of supporters helped long haulers feel like less of a burden to others and avoided the fear of over-relying on an individual carer. One participant’s church group provided a helpful social network, and reinforced her self-belief. Online communities also offered support.

Read more:
From diagnosis to services and support: how Australia’s long COVID response is falling short

Those who had low agency and low social support generally reported the worst experiences. One participant who we grouped in this category said:

Long COVID has destroyed so many aspects of my life […] it’s impossible to overstate the negative impact that it’s had.

Our findings align with existing evidence

Our study was confined to a small group, and participants were only from Australia, which limits how much the findings can be generalised.

That said, our findings align with broader evidence highlighting the complexity of long COVID as a condition with both physical and psychosocial dimensions.

Our study’s emphasis on patient agency and social support also corresponds with emerging literature emphasising the important role these factors play in chronic disease management.

Supporting people with long COVID

We suggest health-care professionals consider which “cluster” a person with long COVID falls into (low or high agency and low or high social support) and tailor the support they offer accordingly.

For example, long haulers who are more proactive (high agency) could benefit most from educational materials suggesting, for example, different ways to cope, safe exercise routines, diet tips, and strategies to manage mental health concerns.

Meanwhile, people with long COVID who find it hard to manage their health (low agency) but have good support from others (high social support), might benefit from educational materials that show their family and friends how to help them.

Being part of online communities could also help these patients. Although online groups can provide social support and improve a person’s sense of agency, not all information shared in these communities is accurate or reliable.

Read more:
How physios and occupational therapists are helping long COVID sufferers

And what about people with low agency and low social support?

Providing clear, straightforward information about long COVID can enhance their participation in helping manage their health.

Connecting them with support groups, communities or counselling can improve social support. Evidence shows emotional connections help reduce feelings of distress and boost wellbeing among people with long COVID.

Finally, case management services can help long-haulers access and utilise community resources, and simplify their health-care journey.

The project “EAT, MOVE, HEAL for Long-COVID” (Project ID: PRJ00000010) was funded by a 2022 Strategic Capability Deployment Fund, RMIT University, Victoria, Australia.

Catherine Itsiopoulos has received funding from NHMRC for other research. She is a member of professional bodies including Dietitians Australia and The Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Catherine is a member of RMIT University ‘Eat, Move Heal Network’ researching to develop tools to support patients with long COVID19 at home.

Jacob Sheahan receives funding from the Wellcome Trust, and the ACRC is funded by Legal and General.

Zhen Zheng co-leads the Eat, Move, Heal for Long-COVID Program that aims to provide educational materials to people with long COVID and to health-care professionals.

Magdalena Plebanski 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. We followed 14 ‘long haulers’ for 3 months. Here’s what they told us about living with long COVID – https://theconversation.com/we-followed-14-long-haulers-for-3-months-heres-what-they-told-us-about-living-with-long-covid-219504

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann, Professor in Law and Co-Convener National Security Hub (University of Canberra) and Research Fellow (adjunct) – The Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University- NATO Fellow Asia-Pacific, University of Canberra

Israel’s military is accused of using white phosphorous in an October attack on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which allegedly injured at least nine civilians.

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said this week the Biden administration was “concerned” about the possible use of white phosphorus munitions and that it would be “asking questions to try to learn a bit more.”

Israel has rejected any allegations of the unlawful use of white phosphorus in Lebanon.

But what are the legal uses of this chemical under international humanitarian law? And can its use be considered a war crime?

How white phosphorous has been used before

White phosphorous is a chemical component that ignites on contact with air and burns at around 1,500 degree Fahrenheit (815 Celsius). It can lead to serious injury and or even death if it comes into contact with humans.

Human Rights Watch regards incendiary weapons, such as white phosphorous and napalm, as “among the cruellest weapons used in contemporary armed conflict” due their impact on the human body. Says one Human Rights Watch researcher:

Incendiary weapons are weapons that set fire or burn people.

White phosphorus can be used defensively, though, as a smokescreen to mask troop movements on the ground, to illuminate the battlefield, or as a signalling device. It can also interfere with an enemy’s infrared optics and weapons tracking systems.

But these incendiary weapons can also be used offensively in mortar bombs, rockets and artillery ammunition.

Read more:
Why is accountability for alleged war crimes so hard to achieve in the Israel-Palestinian conflict?

White phosphorous was used by many adversaries in both the first and second world wars, targeting enemy soldiers and civilians alike.

The US also used white phosphorus, alongside napalm, in the Vietnam War and more recently in Iraq during the battle of Fallujah in 2004 and against Islamic state in both Syria and Iraq.

Russia is also accused of using white phosphorus indiscriminately against civilians and combatants in both Ukraine and Syria.

Human Rights Watch criticised Israel’s use of white phosphorous against Hamas targets in Gaza in 2008–09 and said it was evidence of a potential war crime.

Aware of the negative publicity from these reports, the Israeli Defence Forces pledged in 2013 to stop using white phosphorus on the battlefield, saying it would transition to gas-based smoke shells instead.

What international law says about it

Incendiary weapons fall under the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. This treaty aims to protect civilians by limiting the use of certain weapons deemed particularly dangerous. A protocol specifically focused on incendiary weapons defines them as:

any weapon or munition which is primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, produced by a chemical reaction of a substance delivered on the target.

White phosphorus is not illegal under international law and the law of armed conflict, as long as long it is being used defensively as a smokescreen or as battlefield illumination.

The targeted use of incendiary weapons directly against civilians, however, is illegal and could be considered a war crime. The use of “air-delivered” incendiary weapons (such as white phosphorus dropped from a plane) against a military target that is in a civilian area is also prohibited.

There is an exception, though, if the military target is “clearly separated” from civilians and all “feasible precautions” are taken to limit incidental loss of civilian life or injuries to civilians.

So, this means the targeting of either Hamas or Hezbollah is permissible as long as the white phosphorus is not air delivered and steps are taken to minimise the harm to civilians.

What Israel is accused of doing

Amnesty International has compiled evidence that indicates white phosphorus was likely used in a civilian setting (the Lebanese town of Dheira) in October. Residents also told The Washington Post that Israeli forces had shelled the town with “white phosphorus munitions for hours”.

These reports need thorough investigation to examine what exactly happened and if there was an illegal use of white phosphorous by Israeli forces or whether it was permitted under the guidelines above.

Investigators will need to determine, for instance, if white phosphorous was indeed used and, if it was, whether it was delivered via an airburst or a groundburst.

Investigators would also need to determine if the forces took steps to minimise civilian harm. This a very difficult proposition in the current conflict, as both Hamas and Hezbollah are known to embed their fighters within the civilian population.

Any direct targeting of civilians or indiscriminate use of air-delivered incendiary weapons would potentially qualify as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

In the fog of war, it is more important than ever to have independent verification of the actions of combatants on both sides and a thorough investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

However, prosecution of any alleged war crimes in the current conflict remains extremely difficult. This is due, in part, to the fact Israel is not a member of the ICC and rejects the court’s jurisdiction over its territory and both Hamas and Hezbollah are non-state entities.

Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Israel is accused of using white phosphorous. Would this be against international law? – https://theconversation.com/israel-is-accused-of-using-white-phosphorous-would-this-be-against-international-law-219809

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ilan Wiesel, Associate Professor in Urban Geography, The University of Melbourne

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) review and the disability royal commission’s final report both highlighted the crucial role of accessible buildings and homes in ensuring the inclusion of people with disabilities.

But the experiences of people with disability show Australia is a very long way from achieving this. There are the stories from people with disability who can’t enjoy events or venues. And researchers say even accessible bathrooms are not usable for half the people with disability.

What can be called an accessible building or home? And should standards be improved?

Read more:
Here’s why we need a disability rights act – not just a disability discrimination one

What is accessibility?

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability includes the right to accessibility. Australia’s 1992 Disability Discrimination Act includes premises standards to ensure people with disability have “dignified, equitable, cost-effective and reasonably achievable access to buildings, facilities and services”.

However, a building is exempt if the owners can demonstrate modifying a building would cause them “unjustifiable hardship”. The burden of making a complaint about an inaccessible building falls on people with disability and the act also does not apply to private homes.

Although experts follow different definitions of accessibility, they generally include some key principles:

• easy entry and exit into a building

• easy navigation and functionality in and around the building

• potential for easy adaptation in response to changing needs of occupants.

An accessible building is one where people of all abilities are able move and carry out activities independently, safely, in comfort and with dignity.

For people with disabilities many buildings are inaccessible. In these buildings, basic everyday activities such as taking a shower or preparing breakfast becomes difficult, tiring, uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous.

Some people have been injured repeatedly in inaccessible homes, for example falling down a staircase. Such injuries may compound their disability. Many people with disabilities worry that if they’re injured at home, they will be forced to move permanently into a nursing home.

Studies have found living in inaccessible homes severely harms the dignity, independence, social inclusion, employment, health and wellbeing of people with disabilities.

People become more reliant on family members for support, putting strain on their relationships. Difficulty getting in and out of the house for social activities worsens social isolation. A sense of fatigue also reduces the motivation and capacity to work.

Read more:
Taken together, the NDIS review and the royal commission recommendations could transform disability housing

Access through the front door

Dignity is a crucial aspect of accessibility but it is often forgotten. For example, many buildings’ front entry has stairs that make it inaccessible for wheelchair users. There may be an accessible ramp entry in the back of the building. The building is then considered accessible, since wheelchair users can enter and exit. But such a “backdoor treatment” can be experienced as an indignity and discrimination.

Accessible toilets are sometimes used for storage, locked or out of order. Again, although the design meets accessibility standards, in practice the building is inaccessible because of poor management.

And accessibility is not exclusively about physical disabilities and physical barriers.

People with cognitive disabilities, for example, might struggle to find their way in a building if way-finding signs are difficult to understand. Communication accessibility in building is achieved when the information needed to navigate and use the building is understood by everyone, no matter how they communicate.

Silver, gold and platinum standards

There are different levels of accessibility. In Australia, housing accessibility is most often assessed according to Livable Housing Australia’s (LHA) three standards of silver, gold and platinum. Silver-level homes have minimal accessibility features, but are designed in a way that enables easy home modifications over time.

The silver standard of accessibility requires seven features:

• a step-free path of travel from the street or parking area

• at least one step-free entrance

• internal doors and corridors that allow comfortable movement, including for people using wheelchairs

• a toilet on the entry level with easy access

• a bathroom with a hobless shower recess, so there isn’t a step-over barrier to entry

• reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath. These allow installation of grabrails later if needed

• stairways designed to reduce the risk of injury and also enable future adaptation.

Gold-level homes have additional accessibility features. Platinum homes are designed for people with higher mobility needs and to allow ageing at home.

A patchwork of standards and what the NDIS review says

In 2021 Australian housing ministers agreed for the first time to introduce minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code. It followed decades of campaigning by activist groups such as the Australian Network for Universal Housing Design, Rights and Inclusion Australia and the Summer Foundation.

The code requires all new homes be built to silver standards. It does not apply to existing homes and exemptions will apply for some newly built homes because of site restrictions.

When the code was introduced, New South Wales and Western Australia announced they would not adopt the new code. Both the NDIS review and the disability royal commission recommended all states and territories immediately adopt the code’s new accessibility standards.

A consistent application of the code’s new standards across Australia is a good start. But the code provides only the minimum standard of accessibility. To make buildings and homes truly accessible, we need to improve education on accessibility for designers, operators and consumers.

An urgent national priority

With Australia’s ageing population, most people will experience disability – or have a household member with disability – at some point.

Accessible homes and buildings can reduce pressure on the health system and improve quality of life. A consistent national construction code is just the first step urgently needed to to improve building accessibility and inclusion so people with disability have autonomy and flourish.

Ilan Wiesel receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Rebecca Bentley receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

– ref. What does a building need to call itself ‘accessible’ – and is that enough? – https://theconversation.com/what-does-a-building-need-to-call-itself-accessible-and-is-that-enough-217278

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicky Morrison, Professor of Planning and Director of Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University

People love to hang out around water, especially on hot summer days. And, for those who aren’t near the ocean, Australia is blessed with beautiful inland waterways. In New South Wales, the government wants to increase access to these “blue” natural environments, especially for people living far from the coast.

One of these swimming sites is Penrith Beach, which has just opened to the public for the summer. This new site in the heart of Western Sydney is part of the state government’s Places to Swim program. It’s likely to be an important refuge for locals to seek relief from intense summer heat.

Our recently published research informed the government’s new Places to Swim guide. Now out for public consultation, the draft guide aims to help anyone involved in establishing or managing a swim site.

Read more:
Olympic swimming in the Seine highlights efforts to clean up city rivers worldwide

People want natural swimming spots, but are they safe?

The Places to Swim program responds to two government surveys, covering Greater Sydney and regional NSW. These showed:

• people see access to water as very important – about half enjoy outdoor water recreation activities at least once a week

• swimming in natural areas is growing in popularity

• demand for access points and storage facilities for activities such as kayaking and paddle-boarding is increasing.

But are natural waterways safe to use? Recreation involving waterways inherently entails risks like exposure to waterborne contaminants and potential for injury and drowning. As new swim sites are opened, the risks need to be identified, monitored and managed.

Read more:
It’s hot, and your local river looks enticing. But is too germy for swimming?

Time spent in ‘blue’ nature has many benefits

Our report, prepared by the Urban Transformations Research Centre, outlined the benefits of opening swim sites across the state.

Spending time in “blue” nature has many physical and mental benefits. Other social, cultural, economic and ecological spin-offs are equally valuable.

These natural sites are freely available to all (and pleasingly chemical-free). People come together at these places, which strengthens sense of community and belonging.

Economic multipliers arise from the increase in visitors to an area.

An increased public focus on ensuring the water is clean also benefits the wider ecosystems that depend on it.

We also provided a checklist of things to consider when setting up or managing a swim site. These include:

• the need to assess upfront, and then continually monitor, water quality

• equitable physical access and transport points

• risks and hazards in what can be physically tricky sites

• environmental considerations, including any critical habitats, in what might otherwise be an undisturbed natural environment

• any required planning processes and formal approvals

• ongoing governance arrangements, which might involve more than one body.

Read more:
Why do we love the great outdoors? New research shows part of the answer is in our genes

Learning from the best

Our report also offered six case studies of projects in Australia and New Zealand, Canada and Europe. These provide good examples of how to proceed.

The case study from New Zealand’s Can I swim here? program has an interactive map to help people find the best places to swim across the country. This public advice, provided by the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa partnership, includes weekly water quality test results.

In Canada, Toronto on Lake Ontario showcases innovative water-quality monitoring that directly involves the community. It’s done by volunteer “citizen scientists” co-ordinated by a government-funded charity, Swim Drink Fish.

As confirmed by research on biophilia – our innate affinity with nature – bringing people closer to nature is not just about direct benefits to individuals. It also encourages us to look after the natural ecosystems on which we ultimately depend.

Read more:
Many urban waterways were once waste dumps. Restoration efforts have made great strides – but there’s more to do to bring nature back

Recognition of the benefits of spending time in “blue” nature will continue to grow. We therefore need to put more effort into designing water-based activities as part of life in our cities and towns. It’s especially important for those without ready access to coastal beaches.

It’s time to get more active in promoting and improving these great water resources. These facilities will also need to be closely monitored and managed. The investment is worth it.

Nicky Morrison received funding from the NSW government.

Ian A. Wright received funding from the NSW government.

– ref. When the heat hits, inland waters look inviting. Here’s how we can help people swim safely at natural swimming spots – https://theconversation.com/when-the-heat-hits-inland-waters-look-inviting-heres-how-we-can-help-people-swim-safely-at-natural-swimming-spots-219333

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwen Dalton, Professor, Head of Department of Management, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney

Kang* was 20 years old when she left her official job as a potato researcher in North Korea. She wanted to join the women who had taken up illicit market activities, first to survive the “Arduous March” (as the famine years of the mid-1990s were known), then to build better lives for themselves and their families outside the tight controls of the government.

Kang began trading goods like rice, metals and petroleum to generate an income well beyond what she could have expected from state-sanctioned employment. Eventually, before reaching South Korea in 2013, her most lucrative business was a brokerage service for young women who wished to work in factories in China.

Kang was one of the women who took part in the research for our new book, North Korea’s Women-led Grassroots Capitalism. As she told us,

What was most rewarding about the work was the money. I could pay for my younger sister’s university tuition, as well as my stepchildren’s. I could even buy [Workers’] Party membership for my husband, eventually making him a party secretary. I felt myself maturing through businesses.

It was as if we were like party officials providing for their children. I could make all that possible with the money I earned.

The emergence of grassroots capitalism in North Korea, through women like Kang, provides a cautionary tale for patriarchal societies everywhere: underestimate women at your peril.

Ironically, we found in our research that by seeking to exclude women from the public sphere and formal economy, North Korea’s government has actually spurred them to become entrepreneurs, with cascading effects on society.

How did this happen? North Korean authorities continue to oppress the public with a terror and surveillance culture aimed at containing the spread of capitalism. But it is men who have been their main focus – not women.

North Korea’s women, underestimated and operating in the shadows, have become increasingly adept at circumventing official monitoring and controls to create the space to drive significant economic and social change.

Our book explores the complex ways in which North Korean women have exercised their agency through everyday life. Our research was based on 52 interviews with North Korean female defectors, NGOs and several field trips to North Korea and northeast China. Far from stereotypical brainwashed automatons or helpless victims needing protection, we found that North Korea’s women are strong, resilient and creative.

Through acts of covert resistance, they have been driving change in family relationships, women’s sexuality and reproductive issues, and women’s cultural identities.

5 ways women are changing North Korea

1) Women are driving grassroots capitalism

Women have become active players in the emerging informal economy centred on local markets, which pre-COVID accounted for roughly 80% of household income and more than 60% of people’s food and basic needs.

In short, North Koreans depend on women’s labour, both in the household and the marketplace, to survive.

In most North Korean families, women have become the main breadwinners. This has created more opportunities for women – and challenges for those who seek to control them, including the state.

2) Gender roles are shifting

Women have been driving changes that are destabilising two fundamental pillars of North Korea: socialism and deep-rooted patriarchy.

Women’s involvement in market activities has given them access to scarce resources, including money, and a level of public visibility and social interaction previously reserved for men.

Economic independence and a greater say in domestic decision-making have strained long-established family dynamics and challenged broader social norms. As Seol* explains:

As the rations waned, women took more initiative and went out and worked outside the home. It was the men who stayed home. We began to expect that men should cook
and do domestic work. I think women and men reversed roles.

3) A sexual revolution is underway

The way women experience and approach sexuality, relationships and marriage has become far more complex. This includes delaying marriage and more divorces. Non-traditional relationships are also flourishing, such as premarital and extramarital couplings (which have led to growing numbers of single mothers) and older women married to younger men. A young woman named Bae* told us:

As I make a lot of money, I have high standards for a husband. While busy with money-making, I don’t have time to think about marriage or get married.

Meanwhile, younger party-affiliated, city dwellers are adopting more liberal attitudes to dating and sex and more romantic views of relationships. As Joo* said:

Many young people are dating in public right now. After watching South Korean dramas, young ladies call their boyfriend ‘oppa’ (or ‘brother’) like South Koreans. The young couples are going around with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

Some women have also been strategically engineering relationships with Chinese men as a means of settlement in China, to ensure their safety.

4) It’s all about the heels

While appearing to conform to patriarchal versions of femininity, women are actually constructing a new version of the ideal, hyper-feminine, North Korean woman. This is typically a means to access material goods and social rewards.

Through fashion choices and conspicuous consumption, these women are playing a key role in how status is now determined in North Korea. For example, high heels are de rigeur. Bae said:

Women are obsessed with high heels. Probably because we girls are short. Whether women live in the countryside or in the mountains, we prefer these shoes, even on unpaved roads.

Like their South Korean counterparts, the younger generation has become more interested in slender bodies and long straight hair. More women have undertaken not only double eyelid surgery, but also dimple surgery or nose surgery. Another woman, Gho, told us:

We young people are just like South Koreans. We watch South Korean TV dramas in secret and wear pants like South Koreans do [laughter], and we dye our hair yellow like South Koreans do.

Through these actions, women are challenging narrowly conceived, domestic ideals of wives and mothers and creating new sets of social expectations and constructions of femininity.

The way Paik* describes her decision to dye her hair and wear earrings is an example of how women are also emulating the country’s fashionable first lady Ri Sol-ju:

Officials used to inspect everybody wearing earrings. But then Ri Sol-ju appeared wearing earrings and now the authorities can’t do much about it. People started becoming rebellious. In North Korea, dyeing hair is not allowed. […] These days, a lot of people dye their hair.

5) New propaganda versions of the ideal woman

The state has responded to this social change by shifting the way it presents the “ideal” woman in its propaganda.

For example, it is now promoting women who embody an attractive and dynamic blend of old and new, of loyalty and modernity – including the leader’s sister, wife and now daughter. For example, Ri regularly appears in Prada, Christian Dior and Chanel, or in looks inspired by these designers.

By doing this, the regime is seeking to co-opt social trends to maintain its legitimacy.

(*For security reasons, we use pseudonyms for the North Korean women who took part in this research.)

Bronwen Dalton receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Kyungja Jung receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Academy of Korean Studies.

Lesley Parker 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. From sexual liberation to fashionable heels, new research shows how women are changing North Korea – https://theconversation.com/from-sexual-liberation-to-fashionable-heels-new-research-shows-how-women-are-changing-north-korea-218711

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Hellewell, Research Fellow, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, and The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Curtin University

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionise the way we diagnose and treat illness. It could be particularly helpful for depression because it could make more accurate diagnoses and determine which treatments are more likely to work.

Some 20% of us will have depression at least once in our lifetimes. Around the world,
300 million people are currently experiencing depression, with 1.5 million Australians likely to be depressed at any one time. Because of this, depression has been described by the World Health Organization as the single biggest contributor to ill health around the world.

So how exactly could AI help?

Read more:
Depression isn’t just sadness – it’s often a loss of pleasure

Depression can be hard to spot

Despite its frequency, depression is difficult to diagnose. So hard, in fact, that general practitioners accurately detect depression in less than half of cases.

This is because there is no one test for depression: doctors use self-reported symptoms, questionnaires and clinical observations to make a diagnosis. But symptoms of depression are not the same for everyone. Some people may sleep more, others sleep less; some people lack energy and interest in activities, while others may feel sad or irritable.

For those who are accurately diagnosed with depression, there are a range of treatment options including talk therapy, medications and lifestyle change. However, response to treatment is different for each person, and we have no way to know ahead of time which treatments will work and which won’t.

AI trains computers to think like humans, with a particular focus on three human-like behaviours: learning, reasoning and self-correction (to fine-tune and improve performance over time). One branch of AI is machine learning, the goal of which is to train computers to learn, find patterns in data and make data-informed predictions without guidance from humans.

In recent years there has been a surge in research applying AI to illnesses like depression, which can be difficult to diagnose and treat.

What they’ve found so far

Scientists have compared ChatGPT diagnoses and medical recommendations to those of real-life doctors with surprising results. When given information on fictional patients of varied depression severity, sex and socioeconomic status, ChatGPT mostly recommended talk therapy. In contrast, doctors recommended antidepressants.

US, British and Australian guidelines recommend talk therapy as the first treatment option ahead of medication.

This suggests ChatGPT may be more likely to follow clinical guidelines, whereas GPs may have a tendency to overprescribe antidepressants.

ChatGPT is also less influenced by sex and socioeconomic biases, while doctors are statistically more likely to prescribe antidepressants to men, especially those in blue-collar jobs.

How depression affects the brain

Depression affects specific parts of the brain. My research has shown that the areas of the brain affected by depression are extremely similar in different people. So much so, we can predict whether someone has depression or not with more than 80% accuracy just by looking at these brain structures on MRI scans.

Other research using advanced AI models has supported this finding, suggesting brain structure may be a helpful direction for AI-based diagnosis.

Studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data on brain function at rest can also predict depression correctly more than 80% of the time.

However, combining functional and structural information from MRI gives the best accuracy, correctly predicting depression in over 93% of cases. This suggests using multiple brain imaging techniques for AI to detect depression may be the most viable way forward.

MRI-based AI tools are currently only used for research purposes. But as MRI scans become cheaper, faster and more portable, it’s likely this kind of technology will soon be part of your doctor’s toolkit, helping them to improve diagnosis and enhance patient care.

Read more:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation can treat depression. Developing research suggests it could also help autism, ADHD and OCD

The diagnostic tools you might have already

While MRI-based AI applications are promising, a simpler and easier method of detecting depression may be at hand, quite literally.

Wearable devices like smart watches are being investigated for their ability to detect and predict depression. Smart watches are especially helpful because they can collect a wide variety of data including heart rate, step counts, metabolic rate, sleep data and social interaction.

A recent review of all studies done so far on using wearables to assess depression found depression was correctly predicted 70–89% of the time. Since they are commonly used and worn around the clock, this research suggests wearable devices could provide unique data that might otherwise be hard to collect.

There are some drawbacks, however, including the substantial cost of smart devices which may be inaccessible to many. Others include the questioned ability of smart devices to detect biological data in people of colour and the lack of diversity in study populations.

Studies have also turned to social media to detect depression. Using AI, scientists have predicted the presence and severity of depression from the language of our posts and community memberships on social media platforms. The specific words that were used predicted depression with up to 90% success rates in both English and Arabic. Depression has also been successfully detected in its early stages from the emojis we use.

Predicting responses to treatment

Several studies have found antidepressant treatment response could be predicted with more than 70% accuracy from electronic health records alone. This could provide doctors with more accurate evidence when prescribing medication-based treatments.

Combining data from people in trials for antidepressants, scientists have predicted whether taking medications will help specific patients go into remission from depression.

AI shows substantial promise in the diagnosis and management of depression, however recent findings require validation before they can be relied upon as diagnostic tools. Until then, MRI scans, wearables and social media may be helpful to assist doctors diagnose and treat depression.

Read more:
Netflix psychiatrist Phil Stutz says 85% of early therapy gains are down to lifestyle changes. Is he right?

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

– ref. AI can already diagnose depression better than a doctor and tell you which treatment is best – https://theconversation.com/ai-can-already-diagnose-depression-better-than-a-doctor-and-tell-you-which-treatment-is-best-211420

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raoul Mulder, Professor of Higher Education, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne

Across Australia, students are receiving and digesting important exam results. University students began receiving their semester 2 results at the end of November. This week and early next week, Year 12 students are also receiving their final marks.

Love them or loathe them, exams have featured prominently in education for centuries.

For almost as long, debate has raged about whether they are useful for assessing learning. And while there has been a shift towards course work or other forms of assessments in some contexts, exams are still a major part of the way we assess student learning.

To understand why exams remain so heavily favoured, we reviewed the arguments for and against their use in higher education. We found surprisingly little hard evidence to justify their widespread use in university assessment.

Read more:
Universities should learn from assessment methods used during the pandemic – and cut down on exams for good

Our study

We focussed on “high-stakes” final exams (heavily-weighted, end-of-semester exams that “make-or-break” passing a subject), because they are so widely used.

Traditionally undertaken in large exam halls under strict supervision, they can have immense influence on students’ lives and careers.

We searched the higher education literature for research showing benefits or drawbacks of high-stakes final examinations. We found 122 relevant papers, written in English and published before July 2023.

Across these papers, seven key themes emerged.

1. Knowledge retention

It has long been claimed tests help students consolidate knowledge.

But because exams tend to encourage “cramming” of large amounts of information in a short period, the retention of that “knowledge” is famously short-lived.

Testing can enhance learning when students need to remember a lot of facts. But research shows regular short-answer tests undertaken shortly after learning are far more effective for this than one big exam at the end of the learning process.

2. Motivation and learning

High-stakes exams can certainly motivate students to study and prepare. But evidence suggests exams tend not to help students’ learning because they activate “extrinsic motivation” (the desire to achieve a high grade) rather than “intrinsic motivation” (the desire for deep understanding).

This has a doubly perverse effect on learning: it encourages students to adopt superficial, “surface” learning strategies such as memorisation, while teachers often narrow the content they teach to what can be assessed in the exam.

3. Real-world relevance

Some argue the information-restricted, time-pressured nature of exams mirrors real-life (nobody wants their doctor or pilot to be leafing through the manual in a crisis situation).

But for the vast majority of modern roles and workplaces, closed-book individual examinations are a far cry from the collaborative, information-rich context in which students will work.

They’re particularly ill-suited to assessing skills like listening and communication, which are highly valued by employers. And because there is typically no opportunity to receive or respond to feedback on an exam, it’s hard for students to learn from their mistakes and do better.

4. Validity and reliability

One might assume because high-stakes exams are so important for final grades, they are carefully validated and reliably measure a student’s ability.

Regrettably, neither is true. Validation of the design of high-stakes examinations (a complex process that ensures we can trust the inferences we make from them) is neither required nor routinely undertaken in university courses.

Exam performance is also notoriously unreliable, susceptible to bias and inconsistency from examiners, the psychological or physical health of the student, the design of the exam and even the conditions under which the exam is taken.

5. Contract cheating and assessment security

There’s a widespread belief that because exams occur in tightly controlled environments and require ID, they’re impervious to cheating. This belief is spurring calls for even greater use of traditional exams in the wake of anxiety about generative AI.

But surveys of tens of thousands of university students in Australia and overseas reveal students cheat more often in examinations than they do in any other form of assessment, using strategies such as impersonation.

As the authors of a 2018 Australian report conclude: “examinations provide universities and accrediting bodies with a false sense of security” and

an over reliance on examinations, without a thorough and comprehensive approach to integrity, is likely to lead to more cheating, not less.

6. Anxiety and wellbeing

Research shows students find exams stressful and this can harm their health and wellbeing. But whether stress affects exam performance is less clear.

Some studies have found negative effects of stress on performance, while others found no effect or even suggest stress is helpful for improving performance.

Although the jury is still out, the adverse effects of examinations on student mental and physical health is concerning, as is the negative impact of examination anxiety on student motivation.

7. Fairness and equity

It’s well known exams favour students who perform well under time pressure and are good at memorising. But there is also growing evidence the exams may promote gender inequality (with women performing worse than men in exams but better in non-exam assessments).

Another way in which exams can contribute to inequity is through their content (which often promotes Western values and knowledge) and their (often hand-) written format. This disadvantages minority students, including Indigenous students, those from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds, or those who have a disability.

Common “Band-Aid” accommodations, such as allowing extra time, do little to address this problem and contribute to feelings of inadequacy. We need to draw on what is known about inclusive assessment design to ensure diverse students are given equal opportunity to succeed.

Where to from here?

In the absence of compelling educational reasons for using high-stakes final exams, it seems they are used because they are cheap and efficient to deliver and grade, as well as easily scalable to large numbers of students.

These justifications seem inadequate when we know there are alternative and more authentic forms of assessment that are also cost-effective, with the aid of educational technology. These include inquiry (using investigation and problem-solving), group or peer-based assessments.

Without compelling academic reasons for retaining them, we need to consider new and potentially more meaningful forms of assessment by replacing, re-weighting or redesigning high-stakes exams.

Read more:
We need to change the way universities assess students, starting with these 3 things

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. We reviewed the arguments for and against ‘high-stakes’ exams. The evidence for using them doesn’t stack up – https://theconversation.com/we-reviewed-the-arguments-for-and-against-high-stakes-exams-the-evidence-for-using-them-doesnt-stack-up-219595

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew J Martin, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW Sydney

All this week and into next, Australian Year 12 students are receiving their final results.

As an educational psychologist, I know this is a momentous time for many students, as their schooling and future prospects seem to come down to “one number”. But it is also vital students and their families have perspective on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (or ATAR) and their goals going forward in their post-school lives.

Read more:
Disappointed by your year 12 result? A university expert and a clinical psychologist share advice on what to do next

What’s really important about the ATAR?

Let’s talk about the ATAR first. Yes, the ATAR matters. But not necessarily in the way students think it does.

Most of the focus and stress about ATARs revolve around what university course it can get students into. (Though some students have unconditional offers, that do not depend on their ATAR).

So, stepping back, the reason the ATAR matters is because it shapes the starting point of the post-school journey. It determines whether students get in the front door of what they want to study now. Or if they need to take a side route or two before they get into what they really want to study.

Read more:
What actually is an ATAR? First of all it’s a rank, not a score

A detour can be a positive thing

We tend to focus on the “ATAR and then straight to uni” option, but there are many positive post-school educational and vocational pathways available to students.

A 2020 study reviewed 25 years of research using the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth data.

This research has mapped students’ movements post-school. Including to and through further study and training, to work and also taking a gap year. Across the various studies it reviewed, it was clear students pursue diverse pathways after school, including pathways into university, following time in the vocational education and training sector.

Our research has also found university students who have had a gap year are more motivated and engaged than students who did not. This is perhaps because students appreciate the value of education, develop self-regulation and self-direction while on their gap year, and gain further clarity about what they want to do with their lives.

So the ATAR does not determine where students end up as much as it shapes where they start and the way they get there. It is more journey-defining than destination-defining.

Read more:
Thinking about a gap year? Here are some questions to ask yourself (and a note for anxious parents)

Now, think about your goals

As students look ahead to post-school life, they have a terrific opportunity to think about their goals and what is really important for them.

I say this because the emphasis on ATARs can lead students to set and strive for goals that are not always best for them.

In a few ways, the toughest part of the ATAR for Year 12 students is the R or rank. It is this R that makes Year 12 something of a zero-sum game: for one student to rank higher, another student must rank lower.

Assessments that rank students can fuel comparisons with others and competitive goals. Research shows competitive goals are okay while students are “winning” but they can be de-motivating if students don’t win.

With the ATAR done and dusted (especially the R part!), students might find it helpful to shift their goals a bit.

Read more:
‘So many things to consider’: how to help school leavers decide what to do next

The importance of PB goals

Personal best or PB goals are about competing with ourselves, rather than competing with others.

PB goals are linked to positive academic and social-emotional outcomes.

This is because the focus on self-competition and self-improvement is energising, even when we don’t succeed at first.

Try learning a new ‘alphabet’

As students set and strive for PB goals now and in the years ahead, the “ABCD” of goal-setting can also be helpful to remember. This means they:

• (A) set goals that are achievable. Long-term goals are great, but setting a short-term goal that is achievable in the next week or so is the best way to get to these longer-term goals. It also gives you a feeling of accomplishing something along the way

• (B) set goes that are believable. Sometimes students set unrealistic goals they don’t really believe they can reach (for example, “I’m going to study for three hours every day and get perfect scores”). When students set realistic goals, they are more likely to believe they can reach them, and are more motivated to work towards them

• (C) set goals that are clear. Being as specific as possible with post-school goals means the action taken to reach the goal is more focused and on-target

• (D) set goals that are desirable. Striving for goals that students set and want for themselves is motivating.

Whether students are about to take a gap year, reassess their plans or head straight to university, vocational training or work, this is an important time. And there is lots of scope for young people to think positively about their futures without being defined by the R of that ATAR.

Andrew J Martin has received funding from the Australian Research Council and state departments of education. He is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia.

– ref. An educational psychologist explains how to think about your ATAR and set post-school goals – https://theconversation.com/an-educational-psychologist-explains-how-to-think-about-your-atar-and-set-post-school-goals-219711

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide

Schindler’s List, released 30 years ago, remains Steven Spielberg’s most highly acclaimed and emotionally sapping film. Winning seven Academy Awards, including best picture and best director, it was widely praised for its portrayal of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Schindler’s List marked a turning point in Spielberg’s career. The director later said making the film changed his life.

Up to this point, he was known as a thrilling blockbuster director. With Schindler’s List, Spielberg turned his attention to darker, conflicted characters and shifted his focus to bigger themes of good and evil, heroism in adversity and the human cost of war.

His later work is still exciting and still jolts the senses in ways that very few contemporary filmmakers can, as in the musical showmanship of West Side Story (2021) or the fantastical realism of War Horse (2011). But Schindler’s List outshines them all with its detached focus on the sheer brutality and its steadfast refusal to look away.

Retelling the Holocaust

Schindler’s List tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved 1,100 Jews from the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunition factories.

Prior to Schindler’s List, accounts of the Holocaust on film had been reserved for documentary, such as Alain Resnais’s Night and Fog (1956) and Claude Lanzmann’s monumental Shoah (1985), which lasts nine hours and was composed of interviews with survivors and perpetrators of the Nazi death camps.

Hollywood had always shied away from dramatising the Holocaust, feeling such a devastating subject could not be depicted dramatically in the name of entertainment.

Recounting historical events in film is fraught with tension. Creative liberties are taken, timelines are condensed, characters combined and fictional elements added to enhance the dramatic quality of the narrative.

Spielberg acquired the rights to Thomas Keneally’s Booker Prize-winning novel in 1983, but was initially reluctant to take on the film. Instead, he offered it to the likes of Billy Wilder and Martin Scorsese.

By the early 1990s, dismayed by what he perceived as a rising tide of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, Spielberg understood it was finally time to make the film.

Despite containing a few historical inaccuracies, Schindler’s List was instrumental in creating what historian Peter Novick called a “Holocaust consciousness”.

An anti-Spielberg film

Spielberg wanted to avoid casting stars. He picked the then largely unknown Liam Neeson as the charismatic Schindler and Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göth, the vicious SS commandant.

Much of the film details the personal interactions between the two men as Schindler observes the cruelties visited upon Polish Jews and sacrifices his fortune to save as many of them as he can.

At over three hours long, Schindler’s List remains Spielberg’s longest film.

The director’s trademark flourishes are absent. There are no zooms or dolly shots, no smooth Steadicam tracking shots or soaring soundtrack. Apart from a brief opening and coda, the film remains the only black and white film Spielberg has ever shot.

He and his trusted cinematographer, Janusz Kamiński, wanted the film to resemble archival footage. But the choice of black and white did not just suggest “the past”. It also suited the sober approach to the unfolding of devastating historical events.

Famously, the film’s centrepiece – a shattering 15-minute scene in which the Nazis ferociously liquidate the Kraków ghetto – contains the film’s only use of colour. As Schindler looks on in horror, he spots a young girl in a red raincoat. It marks a radical turning point in Schindler’s moral development.

Spielberg’s use of cross-cutting is meticulous. A mass killing scene is interspersed with footage of an SS officer playing Bach on a piano. In another, Schindler celebrates his birthday while Göth beats his maid and a wedding takes place inside a labour camp.

Spielberg shot on location just outside Auschwitz in the winter of 1992 during the day, and at night worked on the post-production for Jurassic Park, which he had shot in Hawaii six months earlier. Spielberg was working on two epoch-defining films simultaneously, yet they were completely different in tone, visual style and cultural impact.

Read more:
Jurassic Park at 30: how its CGI revolutionised the film industry

Critical acclaim … and reproach

The film was widely praised on its release. Roger Ebert called it the best Spielberg had ever made. Bill Clinton implored audiences to see it.

But it was also condemned for being didactic, emotionally manipulative and a crass oversimplification of history. Jean-Luc Godard was particularly caustic, while Stanley Kubrick argued the film’s chief failing was its humanising of Oskar Schindler and Spielberg’s relentless need to create a flawed, but human, hero.

In 1994, with the proceeds from the film, Spielberg established the USC Shoah Foundation, an institute dedicated to collecting interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust.

He also became a vocal champion for the teaching of history in American schools, with the film used to illustrate the importance of bearing witness to historical atrocities and hatred.

Spielberg after Schindler

Schindler’s List paved the way for Spielberg to engage with other important historical events in Saving Private Ryan (1998), Amistad (1997) and Bridge of Spies (2015).

Spielberg has not entirely turned entirely turned his back on his blockbuster entertainment roots. War of the Worlds (2005), The Adventure of Tintin (2011) and Ready Player One (2018) all remind us of “early Spielberg”, but Schindler’s List was the film that finally convinced Hollywood to take Spielberg seriously.

Its message of courage in the face of tyranny seems just as relevant today as it was 30 years ago.

And it would have another role to play for Spielberg. When he returned to college in 2002 to completed a bachelor of arts he had started – but never finished – in 1969, he submitted Schindler’s List for course credit.

Read more:
1973: a golden year for film that rewrote the rules of cinema

Ben McCann 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. Schindler’s List at 30: a look back at Steven Spielberg’s shattering masterpiece – https://theconversation.com/schindlers-list-at-30-a-look-back-at-steven-spielbergs-shattering-masterpiece-203234

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland

As negotiators stagger towards their beds in Dubai and another year’s climate talks come to a close, it’s time to take stock. Did COP28 achieve the big breakthrough the world needs on climate change?

Probably not. But the final agreement – met with an ovation – includes a first call for nations to transition away from fossil fuels. It’s a step short of a commitment to phasing the fuels out, as some delegates had pushed for. But the development suggests the days of fossil fuels are numbered.

The overriding question the world now faces is whether the broad commitments nations agreed to are enough as climate change gathers pace. The answer, alarmingly, is no.

UAE: controversial hosts

This year’s talks were controversial from the start.

The role of oil man Sultan Al Jaber as COP28 president fuelled concerns about the hosting role of the United Arab Emirates – a country with significant interests in sustaining a fossil fuel economy. Then came reports Al Jaber had questioned the scientific rationale for phasing out fossil fuels to tackle climate change, amid reports of fossil fuel trade negotiations on the sidelines of negotiations).

On top of this, unprecedented numbers of fossil fuel lobbyists and geoengineering advocates attended the talks. This did not create the ideal conditions for action on climate change.

‘Loss and damage’ breakthrough

To their credit, the organisers had an early win with an agreement to establish a “loss and damage” fund whereby richer nations compensate poorer nations for the effects of climate change. The creation of this fund is one of the big outcomes of the talks. It’s taken a long time to get here, after initially being suggested by Vanuatu in 1991 and supported in principle in last year’s talks in Egypt.

Why is it needed? Because developing states are particularly vulnerable to the damage done by climate change, and have limited ability to meet the cost of repair and rebuilding. The fund also points to the particular obligations of developed states and significant emitters who have largely caused the problem.

But there are still big questions about the measure – most importantly, how well it will be funded. Despite the fanfare, just US$700 million has been committed so far to the fund aimed at compensating states for damage that, according to recent estimates, already runs into the hundreds of billions per year.

There are also concerns over having the fund administrated by the World Bank, which has questionable environmental credentials and a patchy record on transparency.

Of course, the fund itself is an admission of failure. It’s needed only because the international community has failed to stop climate change from happening, and is unlikely to prevent it reaching dangerous levels.

Read more:
COP28 climate summit just approved a ‘loss and damage’ fund. What does this mean?

Deckchairs on the Titanic?

As the talks went on, they got harder. The tricky topic: fossil fuels. It may amaze outsiders, but this, the 28th annual climate talks, is the first time nations have directly addressed phasing out fossil fuels. Last year, nations agreed to accelerate the exit from coal – the dirtiest fuel – but said nothing of gas or oil.

For days, debate raged over whether to apply phrases such as “phasing out” or “phasing down” or the term “unabated” to fossil fuels. Even the word “could” became controversial, when tied to the suggestion countries might consider limiting fossil fuel production and consumption. To victims of climate change, the arguments might look like rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic.

Some nations were prepared to acknowledge the need to eliminate fossil fuels. Others noted the need for a future transition without compromising their need to develop or earn export income. Still others suggested the effects of fossil fuels might be minimised through technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

All 198 participating countries needed to approve any final declaration. So you can see the difficulty in reaching consensus.

More than 100 countries have pushed for a global commitment to a total phase-out of fossil fuels. But nations that profit immensely from fossil fuels – such as Russia, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia – opposed any mention of fossil fuels in the final document.

The first draft of the declaration did not go down well.

Host negotiators attempted to broker a deal between the competing interests by omitting any reference to phasing “out” or “down”. Instead, they suggested countries “could” consider reducing production and consumption of fossil fuels. The compromise text produced by COP28 president Al Jaber and his team seemed to err on the side of fossil fuel interests. Despite this, the fossil fuel backers were still opposed.

Outcry was swift from advocates for strong climate action. The draft was labelled a “death certificate” by vulnerable small island states, while a withering attack) came from concerned states, NGOs and even states with patchier climate records such as Australia, the United States, Canada and Japan.

An agreement – but is it enough?

As talks extended well beyond the original deadline, it came as some surprise that the final document was endorsed relatively swiftly.

The final version was more strident on the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change, and some advocates saw this as a significant signal. It asserted that the transition from fossil fuels needed to take place quickly, though “in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”.

It says something about the glacial pace of climate talks since they began in 1992 that this is the first time the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change has ever been acknowledged in a final COP document. And here, critics lamented the lack of detail over how goals would be implemented or commitments realised.

The conference also delivered important commitments to tripling renewable energy, expanding nuclear power, and a new pledge to cut emissions from cooling technologies such as air conditioning, which will become increasingly important as the world heats up. The talks also saw recognition of the increasingly significant role of the agricultural sector in contributing to climate change.

But more must be done. In 2023, temperatures are already spiking past the crucial threshold of 1.5°C. The global stocktake of emissions cuts released in advance of the talks shows our current efforts are not enough to stop further warming. Countries such as Australia advocated stronger language on ending fossil fuels while maintaining a steady pipeline of new fossil fuel projects at home. It’s little wonder, then, that the lead negotiator of the the Alliance of Small Island States said “the process has failed us”.

In short, and despite the diplomatic achievement of an agreement that looked unlikely only hours earlier, it’s still hard to say the international community is taking this enormous challenge as seriously as it should.

Read more:
UN’s ‘global stocktake’ on climate offers a sobering emissions reckoning − but there are also signs of progress

Matt McDonald has received funding from the Australian Research Council and the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council.

– ref. Hard-fought COP28 agreement suggests the days of fossil fuels are numbered – but climate catastrophe is not yet averted – https://theconversation.com/hard-fought-cop28-agreement-suggests-the-days-of-fossil-fuels-are-numbered-but-climate-catastrophe-is-not-yet-averted-219597

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

The federal government knows people are doing it tough. Inflation and interest rate pressures have put the cost-of-living at the forefront of voters’ minds.

As the national accounts data shows, disposable income has fallen. Households have been forced to run down their savings. The household savings ratio has hit its lowest level in 16 years.

The mid-year budget update released on Wednesday confirms this. The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) estimates the economy is expected to expand by a low 1.75% in 2023–24. It also notes inflation – although moderating – is still too high. The outlook attributes that mainly to global oil prices.

There is a small glimmer of hope. The update predicts the economy will grow more strongly in 2024-25 due to rising real incomes and charts a decline in real income growth turning around in future years.

Hopefully that will happen. It is the only way Australian households will be able to cope with the cost of living.

A key challenge for the government

The challenge facing the government is that it can’t splash cash on easing cost-of-living pain without adding to inflation. Higher inflation would cause the Reserve Bank to raise its interest rate targets even further, making things worse.

There are ways to address the problem. Initiatives in the May budget, including measures to reduce energy and childcare costs, aimed to help households without putting pressure on inflation. The outlook notes these are still being rolled out.

But there are only a limited number of initiatives like this available to governments. Some are tempted to spend budget money instead. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has avoided that temptation. There’s no extra cost-of-living assistance package in this update. Instead, there is determination to rein in debt and deficit.

The fine line between surplus and deficit

The MYEFO 2023-24 budget balance is A$1.1 billion. That’s line ball between surplus and deficit. The balance is the difference between two much larger numbers: $685 billion in receipts and $686 billion in payments.

What’s more, these are estimates, not actuals. We won’t know how they turn out until the final budget outcome is released in October next year. In the meantime, we can expect another round of estimates updates in the May 2024 budget.

No self-respecting economist would claim it matters whether Australia has a surplus or deficit. What makes a difference to our national financial sustainability is how a government responds to the economic pressures it faces.

There are challenges but overall, the outlook is ok

On that measure, this is a responsible document. The revenue estimates have improved since the May budget, mainly due to global commodity prices. The government has spent little of this windfall.

Chalmers’ MYEFO media release says the government has returned 92% of upward revisions to revenue since the May budget. He says this means the government “will avoid $145 billion over 12 years to 2033-34 in interest costs on the debt we inherited”.

As a result, the forward estimates for the Australian government’s debt and deficit are lower at this point than at budget. Gross debt as a share of GDP is expected to peak at 35.4% of GDP in 2027-28, before declining.

There is an estimated $9.8 billion in savings, including already announced reductions in infrastructure spending. That was a good measure, because in addition to improving the budget bottom line it will have a direct impact on lowering building costs.

Offsetting those savings are a raft of new spending measures arising from decisions taken since the budget. They include defence support for Ukraine, aged care reform, additional money for ongoing COVID responses, new pharmaceutical benefit scheme listings, national water grid, housing and several hundred more. Many have already been announced.

The report gathers them together and adds them up. They add $1.1 billion to spending in 2023-23, $2.7 billion in 2024-25.

There are big announcements ahead …

Sadly, in a blow for budget transparency, there is still a line for decisions taken but not yet announced. We don’t know what decisions these are, but they are significant – the estimates start at $270 million in 2023-24 and rise to $1.8 billion in 2026-27.

It is impossible to tell what this spending is for. If the government were to reverse those decisions between now and the next budget update, we will never know.

On the plus side, this mid-year report has been released at roughly the mid-point of the financial year. Some previous reports have come out at different times – ranging from mid-October to late January (the latest it can be released under the Charter of Budget Honesty Act).

Chalmers has in the past expressed his desire to move back to a more regular and predictable budget processes. A MYEFO in December is normal and regular.

Read more:
Budget update forecasts deficit of $1.1 billion this financial year

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

– ref. There’s a glimmer of hope in the mid-year budget update – but inflation is still a big challenge – https://theconversation.com/theres-a-glimmer-of-hope-in-the-mid-year-budget-update-but-inflation-is-still-a-big-challenge-219611

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Benkendorff, Professor, Southern Cross University

For years, oysters have been lauded as one of the most sustainable and healthy seafood options. But our food is only as healthy as the environment it is grown in.

In new research published in Environmental Pollution, we found something unfortunate. These filter-feeding shellfish eat by straining particles from water. This, alas, makes them very good at soaking up pesticide residue.

When we analysed oysters growing naturally in the Richmond River estuary in New South Wales, we found 21 different pesticides – more than in the water. Each oyster had detectable amounts of nine different pesticides, on average.

We don’t know the full health risks of eating oysters from this river. But we do know five pesticides we found are potentially dangerous – they are not allowed to be present in meat due to the risks.

To be clear: the risk is largely in taking oysters from the wild. Commercially farmed oysters are likely to be safer, as they are regulated by Australia’s shellfish quality assurance program and can only be harvested when water quality is good.

How do pesticides get into oysters?

Oysters pump water through their bodies and eat the bacteria, plankton and other particles they filter out. A single oyster can filter up to five litres of water an hour and over 250,000 litres in their lifetime.

Before colonisation, oyster reefs were everywhere. Most of these reefs were pulled out to use the shells for lime and the meat to eat. In the Richmond River, poor water quality and a disease killed off most oysters until a new, disease-resistant strain emerged.

Filter-feeding works well if you’re just filtering out what’s found naturally. But if the water is contaminated, oysters can end up storing pathogens and pollutants in their bodies.

Oysters prefer brackish water – where fresh meets salt. That’s why they’re intensively farmed in many estuaries. But because many of our coastal catchments now contain farms, towns or cities, the pesticides, herbicides and insecticides we use wash into rivers after rain.

What did we find in these oysters?

Most of the herbicides, insecticides and fungicides we found are used routinely by farmers, land managers and council workers.

But we did find an unwelcome surprise – the fungicide benomyl, which has been illegal in Australia since 2006 due to the high risk to human health and the environment. Detecting this chemical means someone is using it illegally.

Four pesticides – atrazine, diuron, hexazinone and metolachlor – were found in concentrations above safe environmental limits for fresh and marine water.

Atrazine and diuron are among the most commonly used herbicides in Australian farming, but they are not safe chemicals. They’re known to contaminate groundwater and surface water, and have been detected in unsafe levels in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Atrazine is banned in the European Union over concerns about the damage it can do to the environment and the risk of it getting into drinking water.

Diuron has been severely restricted in the EU, but is commonly used by the sugarcane industry in Australia. Like atrazine, diuron can pollute groundwater and kill aquatic species, and is carcinogenic to humans.

Australia’s pesticide authority suspended the use of 63 diuron products in 2011. The ban only lasted a year, following lobbying from sugarcane growers, and diuron is back in use.

What does this mean for oyster eaters?

The sheer number of different pesticides we found in oysters was perhaps the biggest concern for lovers of oysters. Five of these – pebulate, vernolate, fosetyl Al, benomyl and prothiofos – have residue limits set at zero for meat. That is, if you want to sell meat, it cannot have any detectable level of these pesticides. (At present, our food safety guidelines have no specific limits for most pesticides in seafood.)

What about the 16 other pesticides we found? Most were below the allowable residue limits in meat on their own, but we have very little understanding of the combined effects of exposure from multiple pesticides.

Read more:
The real cost of pesticides in Australia’s food boom

What should be done?

The problem for oyster farmers and marine managers is they’re effectively powerless to prevent water pollution entering the river from farms or towns upstream.

The first step is to find out how bad the problem is. We need dedicated pesticide monitoring programs for seafood producers in estuaries to gauge the size of the problem and look for hotspots.

If hotspots are found, the next step is to work with farmers and land managers to collaboratively design solutions.

These could include incentives to cut pesticide use through integrated pest management and precision agriculture as well as the use of tools to decide which pesticide to use and when.

Strategically located wetlands and bacterial bioreactors able to break down pesticides can also stop these chemicals arriving in the river.

Mangrove and shellfish reef restoration could help protect commercial oyster farms and other seafood harvesting areas. Like oysters, mangroves have the ability to remove chemical contaminants from the water and store them internally.

You might be wondering why some of these chemicals are legal to use in the first place. It’s very time consuming to seek review of currently available pesticides in Australia. Scientists or community members have to demonstrate these products cause harm, even if they have been reviewed and banned in many other nations.

Can I still eat oysters?

Yes. To cut your personal risk, buy only from reputable commercial oyster farms. These farms are only allowed to harvest oysters when the water quality is good, which helps remove water soluble pesticides. Given most of us don’t eat oysters daily, the risk is likely to be low.

What you should avoid is harvesting your own oysters in estuaries where there are farms or towns upstream. These may have accumulated pesticides. Leave them where they are – they’re doing a very important job: cleaning the water.

Read more:
Once the fish factories and ‘kidneys’ of colder seas, Australia’s decimated shellfish reefs are coming back

Kirsten Benkendorff receives funding from the NSW Government for other current projects on seafood and water quality.

amanda.reichelt-brushett@scu.edu.au receives funding from the NSW State Government. She is affiliated with the Richmond RiverKeeper Association.

e.jamal.10@student.scu.edu.au receives funding from the Australia Awards Scholarship and postgraduate funding from the Faculty of Science, Southern Cross University.

– ref. Pesticide residue from farms and towns is ending up in fresh oysters – https://theconversation.com/pesticide-residue-from-farms-and-towns-is-ending-up-in-fresh-oysters-219395

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Pomeroy, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education, University of Canterbury

New Zealand primary and intermediate schools could soon be required to test children’s reading, writing and maths at least twice a year, using a standard template to report results to parents.

The proposal makes up a central part of the National Party’s education policy, but is it the best way to assess student progress? That could depend on how the policy is shaped – and what is done with the test results once they are collected.

But before education minister Erica Sanford completely revamps how students are assessed, she would be wise to learn from Aotearoa New Zealand’s recent history with primary assessment as well as overseas experience.

National standards past and present

Introduced by National in 2010, the National Standards set out levels all children should reach in reading, writing and maths in each of their first eight years of school.

The promise behind the policy was that it would raise achievement across primary and intermediate schools, a goal it failed to achieve.

Read more:
NZ’s key teacher unions now reject classroom streaming. So what’s wrong with grouping kids by perceived ability?

Primary teachers were quick to push back against National Standards, worried that students would be labelled based on performance rather than progress.

Some researchers warned the damage National Standards were doing to school cultures outweighed any gains, while others noted the standards failed to recognise neurodiverse learners and those with socioeconomic barriers.

Labour scrapped National Standards when it came to power in 2017.

Overseas experience of standardised testing

New Zealand will not be the first country to introduce mandatory standardised testing.

In 2007, Australia implemented the National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), promising to increase transparency and accountability and improve teaching and learning by measuring school performance. The government of the day also said using national data would help disadvantaged school communities lift their performance.

A public website, MySchool, was created in 2008 to collate NAPLAN data. The website meant NAPLAN was evaluating not only students but also schools and teachers.

This approach drew critical commentary, especially given NAPLAN results were seen to indicate school quality.

The publication of results transformed NAPLAN into a high-stakes test, creating pressure and competition between schools.

Read more:
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This pressure led to an intensification of rote learning and “teaching to the test”. English and maths squeezed out other subjects as the curriculum narrowed. And it reduced teacher morale, affected their wellbeing and eroded trust in their professional judgement.

In England, standardised assessment tests (SATs) have long been embedded in primary schools, with similar outcomes. A government website for the public sharing of results enables parents to “compare school and college performance”.

Using test data, successive governments have turned schooling into a marketplace for parents to choose “the best” school. Much like in Australia, this has effectively narrowed the curriculum to just English and maths.

This approach makes sense if you believe comparing schools will raise standards. But the data-driven approach to education is a highly questionable way of understanding child development. And given England’s teacher retention crisis, it does not seem to appeal to teachers.

Government should listen before changing the policy

Notably absent from National’s proposed education policy is an examination of the effects these changes might have on students.

One potential benefit of the policy is a possible improvement in students’ long-term retention of information cultivated by regular testing.

Additionally, student performance is influenced by how they feel, so earlier exposure to standardised testing provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in the process and to become more confident.

Without careful implementation, however, this could have the opposite effect. Negative experiences may result in test anxiety and students disengaging earlier in their education.

Read more:
Curriculum changes must tackle the lifelong consequences of NZ’s alarming literacy and numeracy declines

To combat this, the performance stakes need to be minimised and clearly communicated. The results should not limit future learning opportunities.

Maximising student control over success will support positive test-taking experiences. This requires resources to be available for all students.

National’s election policy reads: “Students deserve equal opportunities to benefit from assessment, regardless of their location, school or teacher”. But there are known gender equity issues in testing. For example, research has shown girls have much lower self-confidence during maths testing than boys, impacting their overall performance in the subject.

A tool, not a stick

Most of the harmful consequences of standardisation are not caused by children sitting tests, but by what the tests come to mean about students, teachers, and schools.

The more they become an indicator of worth or value – because they change a school’s ranking, or label a child as “above” or “below” average – the more likely they are to cause fear, anxiety, risk avoidance, and box-ticking – from children and adults alike.

National has proposed using an existing assessment tool called e-asTTle that many teachers are familiar with. This is good news in terms of teacher workload and a big contrast to National Standards.

Unlike Australia or England, it seems the exact timing of tests will be up to schools, avoiding some of the frenzied collective panic of national test days.

It will be important that tests don’t become a stick to beat schools with. Test results must never be linked to school funding, ERO visit frequency, or official statements about school quality.

The ACT Party’s education policy is to publish schools’ test results online to create choice, a move that has had disastrous consequences overseas. This is not in the party’s coalition agreement with National – it is crucial it stays that way.

David Pomeroy receives funding from the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI).

Nick Pratt is affiliated with the UK Green Party

Jessica Shuker, Kaitlin Riegel, and Rafaan Daliri-Ngametua 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. Standardised testing could be compulsory in NZ primary schools – what can we learn from the past? – https://theconversation.com/standardised-testing-could-be-compulsory-in-nz-primary-schools-what-can-we-learn-from-the-past-217887

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

The United States general election will be held on November 5 2024. In early 2024, there are Democratic and Republican presidential nominating contests that will elect delegates to the parties’ nominating conventions. These conventions, in July (for Republicans) and August (Democrats) officially select their parties’ presidential candidates.

The first contest is the Iowa Republican caucus on January 15, followed by the New Hampshire primary for both parties on January 23. There are several other contests in February before many states vote on “Super Tuesday”, March 5. The early contests account for a low percentage of total delegates, with under 10% of delegates determined by the Michigan primary on February 27.

A “caucus” is managed by the state party, and often requires voters to gather at a particular time. A “primary” is managed by the state’s electoral authority, and is administered in the same way as a general election. Turnout at primaries is much higher than at caucuses. In 2024, the large majority of contests use primaries.

Democratic delegates are allocated proportionally with a 15% threshold. Republican delegate allocation depends on the state: some states allocate delegates proportionally, but many others allocate delegates winner takes all or winner takes most.

In FiveThirtyEight polling aggregates, former president Donald Trump is way ahead in national Republican primary polls with 61.7%, followed by Ron DeSantis at 12.2% and Nikki Haley at 11.3%. Trump is also dominant in Iowa with 46.7%, followed by DeSantis at 19.6% and Haley at 15.0%.

If the election results reflect these national polls, Trump will win a huge majority of delegates.

On the Democratic side, no prominent Democrat has challenged President Joe Biden. Biden has 65.8% nationally with Marianne Williamson on 7.6% and Dean Phillips on 5.4%.

Trump leads in general election polls

In the presidential general election, there are 538 electoral votes and it takes 270 to win. Electoral votes are assigned to states as the sum of their House seats (population based) and senators (always two), so the lowest-population states have three EVs. With two minor exceptions, states award their EVs as winner-takes-all.

Trump won the 2016 election despite losing the national popular vote by 2.1%. In 2020, Biden won the popular vote by 4.5% but only won the state that gave him over 270 EVs by 0.6%. It’s likely Trump will benefit again from the skew in the electoral votes.

Read more:
US 2016 election final results: how Trump won

Biden’s FiveThirtyEight national ratings are 55.6% disapprove, 38.3% approve (net -17.3). His ratings have been sliding since March, when he was at net -7.3. Trump’s ratings are 52.3% unfavourable, 42.3% favourable (net -9.9). His ratings have improved since August when he was at -18.1.

Biden trails Trump by low- to mid-single digits in most national polls, and this doesn’t factor in the likely electoral vote skew. Trump’s margin over Biden increases slightly when third party candidates are included.

By the general election, Biden will be almost 82 and Trump 78. Early November Siena polls for The New York Times gave Trump four-to-ten-point leads in five of the six closest 2020 Biden-won states.

While Trump led overall by five points in the Siena polls, an unnamed generic Democrat led Trump by eight. In a similar exercise a year before the 2020 election, Biden led Trump by two and a generic Democrat led by three. This implies replacing Biden with a far younger Democrat would enhance their hopes of beating Trump.

Economic pessimism is helping Trump

In an early December national Wall Street Journal poll, two-thirds rated the economy poor or not good, and two-thirds said it had become worse in the past two years, during Biden’s tenure. Trump led Biden by 52–35 on best to handle the economy. By 53–23, voters thought Biden’s policies had hurt rather than helped them personally, while they thought Trump’s policies had helped by 49–37.

US headline and core inflation were about 2% annually before COVID, but the headline inflation peaked at 8.9% in June 2022. While inflation has dropped to 3.1% in November, voters still remember that goods and services used to be much cheaper.

Real (inflation-adjusted) wages were up 0.2% in hourly terms or 0.5% in weekly terms in November, and are up 0.8% and 0.5% respectively for the 12 months to November.

The personal savings rate was 3.8% in October. Prior to COVID, savings were over 5%, and they surged to record levels during the pandemic owing to stimulus payments and lack of spending opportunities. But the effects of inflation have eroded those gains.

The US jobs numbers have continued to be solid, with 199,000 jobs added in November and an unemployment rate of 3.7%. The employment population ratio – the percentage of eligible Americans employed – was 60.5% in November. It has nearly returned to where it was before the COVID pandemic began (61.1%).

Can Biden recover?

There are nearly 11 months left before the general election. Economic pessimism may be lifted if there are more months where real wages increase substantially, and this should help Biden if it occurs.

Trump faces four separate court trials over alleged election interference after the 2020 election federally and in Georgia, wrongful retention of classified documents after leaving office and hush money payments to a porn star.

Even if he is convicted, Trump can still run for president. But a conviction may hurt Trump’s standing in the polls. If Trump won, he could pardon himself of federal charges, but not of the Georgia election interference charges or the hush money charges (this is a New York state case).

So the biggest hopes of a Biden recovery are an improvement in economic sentiment before the election and a conviction for Trump. But Biden’s age isn’t going to improve.

Democratic chances of holding the presidency could improve if Biden withdrew and allowed Democrats to select a replacement. For this to happen, Biden would need to withdraw before the Democratic convention on August 19–22 2024.

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

– ref. US elections 2024: a Biden vs Trump rematch is very likely, with Trump leading Biden – https://theconversation.com/us-elections-2024-a-biden-vs-trump-rematch-is-very-likely-with-trump-leading-biden-219093

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland and General Dentist., The University of Queensland

A healthy smile helps us live long, well and happy lives. But just like our bodies, our teeth succumb to age-related changes.

So what happens to teeth as you age? And what can you do to ensure your smile lasts the distance?

First, what are teeth made of?

The tooth crown is covered by a hard enamel coat that surrounds softer, brown dentine, which protects a centrally located pulp.

Enamel is a complex weave of brittle, honeycomb-clustered strands that interact with light to make teeth appear opalescent (a pearly, milky iridescence).

Dentine under enamel forms most of the tooth crown and root, and is made of collagen, mineral, water and proteins. Collagen strands are woven to stretch and spring back, to prevent teeth from cracking and breaking when we grind and chew.

Read more:
Curious Kids: what is inside teeth?

The pulp has blood vessels and nerves that communicate with the rest of your body.

Enmeshed in the dentine mineral and collagen are small, interconnected tubules formed by specialised cells called odontoblasts that settle around the pulp, once our teeth completely form.

Each tooth contains a finite number of odontoblasts, unlike the constantly replenished special bone cells that renew.

How do our teeth change as we age?

Unable to renew, our teeth become brittle, and prone to fracture as dentine loses its spring.

This is more common in teeth with existing crack lines, large fillings or root canal treatments.

With time, the outer surface of enamel thins to reveal the relatively opaque dentine that darkens as we age.

The dentine darkens because the collagen weave stiffens and shrinks, and the fluid in the tubules fills with mineral.

The odontoblasts continue to form dentine inside the tooth to reduce the translucent pulp space. The increase in dentine makes our teeth appear opaque and insulates from hot and cold sensations. This is why X-rays are useful to detect cavities we may not feel.

Food and drink particles fill micro-gaps and age-related fine crack lines that run up and down enamel to discolour and stain. These stains are easily managed by tooth whitening.

How else can you extend the life of your teeth and brighten your smile? Here are seven tips to avoid dental decline:

1. Avoid unnecessary forces

Avoid using your teeth to hold things such as working tools or to open packaging.

Take measures to avoid forces such as grinding or clenching by wearing a night guard.

If you have large fillings or root canal-treated teeth, speak to your dentist about specific filling materials or crowns that can protect your teeth from cracking or breaking.

2. Share the load

If you are missing molars or premolars, distribute chewing forces evenly to prevent overloading your remaining teeth.

Replace missing teeth with bridges, implants or well-fitted dentures to support your bite. Get your dentures checked regularly to ensure they fit and support adequately, and replace them at least every ten years.

3. Preserve your enamel

Reduce further enamel and dentine loss by selecting soft-bristled tooth brushes and non-abrasive toothpastes.

Certain whitening toothpastes can be abrasive, which can roughen and wear the tooth surfaces. If you are unsure, stick with toothpastes that are labelled “sensitive”.

Read more:
How to brush your teeth properly, according to a dentist

Reduce your exposure to acid in food (think lemons or apple cider vinegar) or illness (reflux or vomiting) where possible to maintain enamel and prevent erosion.

4. Enhance your saliva

Saliva protects against acid attacks, flushes our teeth, and has antibacterial properties to reduce erosion and decay (holes forming).

Saliva is also important to help us chew, swallow and speak.

But our saliva quality and quantity reduces because of age-related changes to our salivary glands as well as certain medications prescribed to manage chronic illnesses such as depression and high blood pressure.

Speak to your doctor about other medication options to improve your saliva or manage reflux disease to prevent erosion.

5. Treat gum disease

Aesthetically, treating gum disease (periodontitis) reduces gum shrinkage (recession) that typically exposes the relatively darker tooth roots that are more prone to developing holes.

6. Manage and prevent senescence

Cellular senescence is the process that changes DNA in our cells to reduce our ability to withstand physical, chemical or biological damage.

Cellular senescence enhances new cancer formation, the spread of existing cancers and the onset of chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease.

You can prevent cell damage by managing lifestyle factors such as smoking, uncontrolled diabetes and chronic infections such as gum disease.

7. Adapt and ask for help

Ageing can affect our cognition, hand dexterity and eyesight to prevent us from cleaning our teeth and gums as effectively as we once could.

If this describes you, talk to your dental care team. They can help clean your teeth, and recommend products and tools to fit your situation and abilities.

Read more:
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Arosha Weerakoon’s PhD research was funded by the UQ School of Dentistry Research Fund and Colgate Palmolive Australia.

– ref. What happens to teeth as you age? And how can you extend the life of your smile? – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-teeth-as-you-age-and-how-can-you-extend-the-life-of-your-smile-215786

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Woodcock, Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

Christmas, we’re told, is the most wonderful time of the year. For many of us, however, it is preceded by one of the least wonderful times: the awkward social spectacle of the office Secret Santa or Kris Kringle, where employees agree to purchase a gift for a randomly allocated colleague.

As you watch your co-workers unwrap their often wildly inappropriate gifts, each chosen by a office mate they barely know, cast your mind to the sheer statistical improbability of what you’re seeing. The odds of such a combination of these cheaply re-gifted photograph frames, inexplicably scented candles or unwanted Lynx Africa gift sets being passed around your office is, in its own way, truly a Christmas miracle.

The 12! ways of Christmas?

To work out how many possible pairings of buyers and recipients there are, you need to calculate the number of permutations of the people involved.

Consider a workplace with four employees. If there is no rule to prevent people selecting their own names, there are four people who could be selected to buy the first person’s gift.

Once this is decided, there are three remaining choices for the second person, then two choices for the third person. Finally, there is one choice for the last person’s workplace Santa.

This means there are 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 24 possible permutations. Mathematicians write this as 4!, which is pronounced “four factorial”.

However, factorials soon get out of hand. Spare a thought for poor Santa himself. With nine reindeer, there are 9! = 362,880 ways these could be arranged, although perhaps on one foggy Christmas Eve, this number is reduced by the requirement to have a red nose leading his sleigh.

Once the office workforce swells to 20, there are more than 2.4 quintillion permutations. To put this mind-boggling 20! figure into context, that’s more than three times current estimates of the number of grains of sand on Earth.

Yule buy for someone else

Of course, nobody wants to draw themselves in a Secret Santa.

What a Secret Santa really wants is not a permutation of all employees, but instead what mathematicians call a derangement. This is simply a permutation where no element remains in its original position, which means no employee has to buy their own gift.

The calculation is far from simple, but the number of ways n employees can be assigned another unique co-worker is called the n th de Montmort number.

Read more:
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Amazingly, this is equal to n!/e , rounded to the nearest whole number. The e here is one of the most famous numbers in mathematics, Euler’s number, approximately equal to 2.71828, and the bane of anyone whose schooldays involved logarithm tables.

In the 24 permutations of four employees illustrated, there are 9 derangements, which is equal to 24/e rounded to the nearest whole number. For large numbers, approximately 63.2% of possible permutations are not derangements and so would be excluded.

For a 20-employee situation, this cuts the over 2.4 quintillion permutations to a mere 895 quadrillion or so. (This is still more than 100 million times the current global population.)

Uniquely self-Santa-ed?

Another surprising feature of a Secret Santa arises from the number of people who will, on average, be assigned their own name in a random draw.
It doesn’t matter if you have one person (although that is a terribly un-secret and desperately sad Secret Santa) or a billion people, the expected number of people to be allocated to buy their own gift is the same – just one person.

A full proof is a little more complicated than this, but think what happens if you double the number of employees. With twice as many gifts to buy, everybody’s chance of selecting themselves is halved. Twice as many people, each with half the chance of matching, then gives an unchanged average.

Read more:
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For example, of the 24 permutations of four people illustrated, one involves four self-matches, none involve three self-matches, six involve two self matches and eight involve a single self-match. In total, this gives 24 possible self-matches in the 24 permutations, so an average of one each.

Ho Ho Hope for the best

If you do find yourself trapped in the dystopian office whodunit of guessing which of your co-workers gifted a hunky shirtless firefighter calendar to an elderly colleague from human resources, at least hope that the one-in-a-billion or one-in-trillion permutation that was drawn in your office lands you something useful.

Mariah Carey may have assured us of more specific requests, but all I want for Christmas is avoid getting dragged into a workplace Secret Santa in the first place.

Bah humbug indeed.

Stephen Woodcock does not receive funding from Santa Claus or any other relevant external party. He has remained off Santa’s Naughty List for over 40 years.

– ref. 20 people, 2.4 quintillion possibilities: the baffling statistics of Secret Santa – https://theconversation.com/20-people-2-4-quintillion-possibilities-the-baffling-statistics-of-secret-santa-218802

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor emerita, University of Sydney

The release of detainees as a consequence of the High Court’s decision in NZYQ v Minister for Immigration resulted in a frenzy of law-making, which is likely to rebound to the High Court in further constitutional challenges.

What are the issues and the risks?

The constitutional issues

In both the NZYQ case and previous cases, the High Court has held that, apart from some identified exceptions (such as mental health and infectious disease), the involuntary detention of a person amounts to punishment. According to the doctrine of separation of powers, it is exclusively the job of the courts to judge and punish criminal guilt.

However, the executive government, under statutory authority, can validly detain non-citizens for the purpose of processing their claims for entry into Australia and for the purpose of deporting them.

In NZYQ the court decided that if deportation was not “practicable in the reasonably foreseeable future”, then the detention was no longer for this “legitimate non-punitive purpose”. Therefore, it would be treated by default as “punishment”, which only a court can impose.

The High Court made its order to release a detainee, NZYQ, on November 8. In doing so, it declared that certain sections of the Migration Act could not validly support his detention.

This meant these same provisions could no longer support the detention of other detainees in the same position as NZYQ – that is, non-citizens for whom there was no real prospect of being deported in the reasonably foreseeable future.

As governments have to obey the law and cannot unlawfully detain people, the detainees were released.

Read more:
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The first response – strict visa conditions

The parliament initially responded by enacting a law to impose very strict visa conditions on this released group of non-citizens. It introduced a new bridging visa, which imposed restrictions on the holder’s movements, work and contact with others. It was rushed through both Houses of Parliament in just one day – November 16.

When it was introduced, the bill permitted the minister, at his or her discretion, to impose curfews on the visa holders and electronic monitoring of them through ankle bracelets.

The minister said a rigorous assessment process would be undertaken to identify those individuals who posed a particular risk to the community. The individual circumstances and risk profile of the visa-holder as well as community safety would be considered.

By the end of the day, this provision was amended so the minister must impose curfews and electronic monitoring “unless the Minister is satisfied that the holder does not pose a risk to the community”. Other changes included imposing mandatory minimum sentences of a year’s imprisonment for breaches of visa conditions, and making separate offences for each day an offence continues.

Criticism of the law

As the bill was introduced and passed so quickly, it was not the subject of serious parliamentary scrutiny. However, a Senate standing committee later published its analysis of the law. This Liberal-chaired committee criticised the speed with which the bill was passed, noting that it impeded the proper scrutiny of the serious impacts of the bill on personal rights and liberties.

The committee also raised concerns about the lack of procedural fairness, proportionality and clarity of the provisions. It pointed out that the automatic imposition of these visa conditions “may prove to be disproportionate responses to community risk in their application to individual circumstances and cases”.

Legal challenges to the new law

At least three challenges to the validity of these visa conditions, including curfews and electronic monitoring, have been initiated in the High Court.

They raise the questions of:

• whether the executive government, rather than a court, can impose these restrictions on a person’s liberty

• whether such restrictions are really for legitimate protective purposes if applied “across the board” with little or no consideration of the risk an individual may pose to the community

• whether the imposition of mandatory restrictions on a person’s liberty, without considering their appropriateness to each individual, amounts to punishment.

The concern that these visa conditions are being applied with little consideration of public risk or the appropriateness of their application is supported by the fact that, as at November 27 2023, 132 of the 138 people released from immigration detention were subject to electronic monitoring.

The minister also said in a press conference that “the curfew and electronic monitoring conditions generally would apply across the board”.

The second response – preventive detention

In its NZYQ judgment, the High Court stated that its order for the release of NZYQ would not prevent his detention “on some other applicable statutory basis, such as under a law providing for preventive detention of a child sex offender who presents an unacceptable risk of reoffending if released from custody”. Such laws already exist in the states.

It is important to note that the court did not say the Commonwealth Parliament has the power to enact such a law. Rather, that will depend on whether the law falls within a constitutional power conferred on the Commonwealth and whether it is consistent with the constitutional separation of powers.

The Commonwealth parliament nonetheless passed a preventive detention regime for non-citizens who have been convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence, and for whom there is no real prospect of deportation in the reasonably foreseeable future.

A state or territory Supreme Court may issue a detention order if it is “satisfied to a high degree of probability, on the basis of admissible evidence, that the offender poses an unacceptable risk of seriously harming the community by committing a serious violent or sexual offence”.

This regime is based on one that already exists in relation to terrorism offenders, and has withstood challenge. It is therefore more likely to survive a challenge based on the separation of powers.

But there are differences between the two regimes.

The terrorism one is supported by the federal parliament’s power to make laws about defence.

The one for non-citizens will have to rely instead on the power to make laws about aliens. This power covers matters such as deporting non-citizens or putting conditions on their entry to Australia. But is is not clear whether it can be used to make laws about criminal matters unrelated to the status of being an “alien”.

Another significant difference is that this preventive detention scheme applies to people who have completed their sentences and been released into the community, possibly for many years. Whether a court would regard this as undermining the “legitimate non-punitive purpose” of the law, or just a factor for consideration in deciding on the level of risk, remains to be seen.

Back to the courts

The great risk of passing legislation in haste in response to a court decision is that one may end up back in court with unconstitutional legislation. This may create a spiral of litigation and legislation.

The fact that the Senate committee could carefully and moderately analyse the problems with such legislation shows there is capacity, outside of the sound and fury of politics, for parliament to operate in a considered and effective manner.

If parliament listened to its committees and focused on the effectiveness, fairness and validity of its laws, rather than point-scoring, the nation would be better served.

Anne Twomey has received funding from the ARC and sometimes does consultancy work for governments, parliaments and inter-governmental bodies. She is also a part-time consultant at Gilbert Tobin lawyers, which does some pro bono work for refugees.

– ref. New laws to deal with immigration detainees were rushed, leading to legal risks – https://theconversation.com/new-laws-to-deal-with-immigration-detainees-were-rushed-leading-to-legal-risks-219384

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Buddhi Wijesiri, Research Associate in Water and Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology

When it rains, stormwater runs down surfaces like streets and parking lots and into drains. Most of the time, we see it as a problem because it can cause floods. Recent storms across eastern Australia created huge amounts of stormwater and flooding.

At such times, stormwater is seen as a problem. But it’s also the last untapped source of water available for cities.

We all know how important it is to have enough water for our needs. But did you know our growing cities might struggle to get enough clean water in future?

Stormwater is a hidden treasure, and we’re not making the most of it.

Read more:
The dams are full for now – but Sydney will need new water supplies as rainfall becomes less reliable

Why do we need to tap stormwater?

More people are moving to cities in Australia and worldwide. They all need clean water. By 2050, 30 million of Australia’s population and 6.6 billion globally will live in urban areas.

But climate change and population growth are making it harder for cities to meet the demand for clean water.

In coming years, Australia’s weather will be a bit strange. We’ll have longer dry periods with brief periods of intense rainfall. It’s like the weather is playing a game of “now you see it, now you don’t” – and it will test our capacity to supply enough clean water for everyone.

To make matters worse, current solutions such as desalination and treating wastewater are very expensive, energy-intensive and are not the greenest options.

Researchers have found a way to collect and clean stormwater without damaging our natural environment or our wallets. They call it “nature-based solutions”. It’s like giving stormwater a makeover.

This approach can not only give us more clean water but also helps stop pollution and flooding. It’s a win for everyone.

Read more:
Desalinating seawater sounds easy, but there are cheaper and more sustainable ways to meet people’s water needs

A lot of water and money at stake

Back in 2015, an Australian Senate report said we should do more research to manage stormwater better.

One reason is that water clean-up is expensive. Australia spends around A$9 billion a year on water and wastewater treatment.

Another reason is the waste of water. We let 3,000 billion litres – that’s a lot of water – of urban stormwater go into rivers and seas without cleaning it. This not only damages our water ecosystems but is throwing away a potentially precious resource.

Read more:
When water is scarce, we can’t afford to neglect the alternatives to desalination

Learning from nature

Nature-based solutions are nature-inspired, engineered systems for tackling water issues in cities.

Natural wetlands, for instance, can hold huge amounts of water, release it slowly, prevent flooding and even make the water cleaner as it works its way through soil and plants. Now cities like Melbourne in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand and so-called “sponge cities” in China have adopted this idea by constructing wetlands in urban areas.

Diving further into how these nature-based solutions can solve stormwater problems, we’re also talking about green walls, bioswales (fancy ditches with plants), green roofs and permeable pavements.

And there’s a star among them – biofiltration systems. Biofilters clean polluted waters by passing it through soil, with plants and microorganisms helping to remove pollutants.

These systems are like water-treatment wizards. They can handle polluted waters in different situations, from regular stormwater to intermittent stormwater and wastewater, even when big storms produce a challenging mix of sewage and stormwater.

Nature-based systems can be designed to clean stormwater and meet various water quality standards. This means we can treat stormwater to meet the strictest standards, like those needed for drinking water (though more work is needed to reach that ambitious goal). Or we can treat it to meet lower standards suitable for other uses such as watering lawns and sports grounds.

In any case, treated stormwater can be safely released into receiving waters without significant risks to aquatic environments.

Read more:
Creating ‘sponge cities’ to cope with more rainfall needn’t cost billions – but NZ has to start now

What challenges remain?

There are still some challenges to overcome.

One big challenge involves figuring out how polluted stormwater is. We’re getting better with sensors that can check water depth and electrical conductivity in stormwater. These help us understand the amount of stormwater we have and get a rough idea of the pollution level.

However, we need to make these sensors even better to detect and measure toxic pollutants such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons, which are commonly found in stormwater. This will help us design treatment systems that really work.

Cleaning stormwater using nature-based methods is good, but some specific pollutants aren’t removed fully. We can make these methods better by changing how we design them. For example, we can improve how we filter pollutants and find better plants and microbes that can absorb and remove more toxic substances from the water.

Besides the usual pollutant removal methods, there are some promising ideas like the Anammox process – short for anaerobic ammonium oxidation – which relies on bacteria to help get rid of nitrogen. We need to figure out how to use these bacteria in nature-based stormwater treatment systems.

Read more:
Stormwater innovations mean cities don’t just flush rainwater down the drain

We also need to know more about how pollution works. The existing tools (mathematical models) aren’t perfect. Modelling tools must be developed so they can consider all the different sources of pollution, estimate how bad it is, and deal with its unpredictability. This will help us use stormwater better, especially with cities growing fast and weird weather happening.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, governments and people need to understand that providing clean water for everyone is essential. But progress is slow, and one reason is we’re not putting enough effort into using stormwater as a solution. Governments need to invest in research and convince the public it’s a smart move.

Buddhi Wijesiri has received funding from Queensland Urban Utilities.

– ref. Our cities will need to harvest stormwater in an affordable and green way – here’s how – https://theconversation.com/our-cities-will-need-to-harvest-stormwater-in-an-affordable-and-green-way-heres-how-216363

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi McAlister, Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture, Deakin University

“I’ve actually never had a girlfriend,” 32-year-old Bachelor Wesley Senna Cortes told contestant Brea Marshall in the second episode of the most recent season of The Bachelors Australia.

Obviously, I grew up with Christian values and trying to do the right thing and not be another reason for girls not to trust men […] I never saw myself as being a one-night-stand guy and, matter of fact, I’ve actually never had sex.

These twin disclosures – of Cortes’ lack of relationships and sexual experience – have formed the foundation of his narrative as one of the three leads in this season of Australia’s longest-running reality romance format.

He is an unusual figure not just in comparison to his fellow leads, Ben Waddell and Luke Bateman, but in reality television more broadly, where adult male virgins – particularly adult male virgins cast as romantic leads – are not commonly seen.

Male virgins in reality romance shows

This is not to say Cortes is a unicorn. There have been other male virgins on Australian reality romance shows and in The Bachelor franchise.

In 2019, then 29-year-old Matthew Bennett was one of the grooms on the sixth season of Married At First Sight. He disclosed to his TV wife, Lauren Huntriss, he was still a virgin, and later lost his virginity to her on their honeymoon.

The poster for the 23rd season of The Bachelor US (also 2019) closely mirrored that of the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and included the tagline, “What does he have to lose?”

Later, in his pointedly titled book The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV, star Colton Underwood disclosed he lost his virginity, like Bennett, under the auspices of the show, sleeping with his eventual partner, Cassie Randolph.

It seems unlikely Cortes’ narrative in The Bachelors Australia will follow the same path.

For one, unlike Married at First Sight and the US iteration of The Bachelor, the Australian Bachelor franchise does not include sex as a narrative milestone (in the US, this is referred to as the “fantasy suite”). Secondly, he appears to embody “virgin” as an identity in a different way.

Read more:
From Bachelor to The Bachelors – why Australia’s longest running dating show has updated the old formula

Ways of being a virgin

Broadly speaking, sociological literature on virginity has identified two key virgin identity types: adamant virgins and potential non-virgins.

Adamant virgins have made an active decision not to have sex (often until marriage). Potential non-virgins, by contrast, have not made this decision, but have not found themselves in an appropriate situation.

Virgins in the first category often make their choice for religious or moral reasons. Those in the second category are often waiting for the right partner.

While their narratives of virginity are not as clear-cut as these two tidy identity categories, arguably both Bennett and Underwood were potential non-virgins.

“It was never a conscious choice to still be a virgin at 29,” Bennett said in his Married at First Sight audition tape.

It was just an unfortunate side effect of walling myself off from any sort of vulnerability, being social and dating.

Underwood, unlike Bennett, is openly Christian, and this was often assumed to be the reason for his maintained virginity. However, he offered a different one after breaking up with Randolph and coming out as gay in 2021:

I could never give anybody a good answer of why I was a virgin. The truth is I was a virgin Bachelor because I was gay, and I didn’t know how to handle it.

Cortes, however, seems to occupy the first category. He is a devout Christian and these religious convictions seem to have underpinned an active choice.

This makes him an adamant virgin – something of a problem for many of the women paired with him on the show.

Virginity loss narratives

Sociologist Laura Carpenter outlines three key ways in which people tend to think about virginity loss: as a gift (something to be valued), as a stigma (something to be disposed of as soon as possible), and as part of a process (a rite of passage in a broader process of sexual maturation).

Many more men than women, she notes, tend to view their virginity in terms of stigma – as something “abnormal and in need of explanation”. This, paired with a widespread toxic assumption that virginity loss can make a boy a man, means male virginity in particular can be pathologised.

Unlike Underwood’s season of The Bachelor US, The Bachelors Australia has not sought to fetishise nor especially belabour Cortes’ virgin identity (unlike the way it approached the narrative of polyamorous contestant Jessica Navin in the previous season). Instead, his lack of relationship and sexual experience has been treated as a problem of compatibility with many of the female contestants.

Both Marshall, to whom he initially disclosed his virginity, and fellow contestant Jade Wilden have asked Cortes how comfortable he would be sexually progressing with a partner.

“I was nervous […] that he might progress too quickly, and […] now I’m nervous he won’t progress at all,” Marshall said. Wilden appeared to share that fear, especially when Cortes stated he would not want to move in with a partner before marriage.

If we think of virginity loss as a step in a process, this compatibility concern arises from a worry from these potential partners that they and Cortes might be at very different – possibly irreconcilable – steps in that process.

In the season premiere, the show teased the strong possibility one of the three Bachelors might end the show heartbroken. It will be interesting to see, given these narratives of potential mismatch developing around Cortes, whether that man will be him.

Read more:
Is The Bachelor anti-feminist, or is conventional heterosexual romance the real problem?

Jodi is the author of Here For The Right Reasons, Can I Steal You For A Second? and Not Here To Make Friends, three novels set on a reality romance show.

– ref. He’s the romantic lead but has never had sex: what The Bachelors has to say about virginity – https://theconversation.com/hes-the-romantic-lead-but-has-never-had-sex-what-the-bachelors-has-to-say-about-virginity-219494

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Veal, Adjunct Professor, Business School, University of Technology Sydney

The federal minister for sport, Anika Wells, recently launched a discussion paper for a new National Plan for Sport, which will be the fourth such plan produced since 2001.

These plans typically have two main goals: to promote success in elite sport, particularly internationally, and to increase grassroots participation in sport by Australian children and adults.

They’re important policy documents because, ideally, they should play a major role in deciding federal sports funding across the country.

But historically, the plans have failed to get more adults into community sport. So how does this one stack up? And will it be any different?

Read more:
Which sports are best for health and long life?

A history of plans with mixed results

Since 2001, governments of the day have released four national plans. All of them have tried to get more people aged 15 and over into sport, but they’ve expressed that aim differently:

In the 2001 plan under the Coalition government, the second goal was to “significantly increase the number of people participating in sport right across Australia”.

A decade later, the Labor government adopted a new plan. Its first objective was to “increase participation in sport and active recreation”.

The Coalition government released the Sport 2030 plan in 2018, wanting “more Australians, more active, more often”. This time there was a target: increase participation by 15% by 2030.

Which brings us to the most recent discussion paper from the current government. It aims to “maximise access and rates of participation and other involvement in sport and physical activity”.

The Australian Sports Commission, the government’s main sports promotion agency, has also published Australia’s Sports Participation Strategy, which speaks of fostering “greater engagement and participation in sport across the nation”.

Read more:
What makes kids want to drop out of sport, and how should parents respond?

Stagnant sporting numbers

While all sound noble in their goals, the plans so far have failed to increase participation.

This is demonstrated in the diagram, which uses data from the Australian Sports Commission’s annual surveys of up to 20,000 adults.

It indicates the proportion of the adult population engaging in sport and physical activity with varying frequency (from three or more times a week to none at all) over the periods 2003–10 and 2016–23 (there were no comparable surveys in 2011-15).

The results for the two periods cannot be directly compared due to differing survey methodologies. However, the trends within each period were similar: no increase in participation.

The question arises: will the outcomes of the new plan be any different? The answer: probably not.

Policy documents lacking in data

There are many reasons why it’s likely this plan won’t fare much better than previous attempts.

First, planning documents produced by ministers and the sports commission typically fail to admit to the central problem: 20 years (and more) of policy effort have failed to move the dial on grassroots sport participation in Australia.

The data showing this does not appear anywhere in the current published planning documents. In fact, despite the commitment to increasing sport participation, neither of the two documents presents any data on current or past adult sport participation rates.

Second, it is not clear what exactly the plan will set out to do. For example, in the diagram, there is a persistent 10–15% of the population who engage in no sport or physical recreation activity at all. Is the aim to reduce the size of this group? The documents don’t say.

Read more:
Many Australian kids abused in sport won’t ever speak up. It’s time we break the silence

On the other hand, the group that participates less than once a week could be targeted to increase the frequency of participation, thus gaining more health benefits.

The emphasis in the documents, however, is on inclusivity, which implies the problem lies with groups being excluded on grounds of such characteristics as ethnicity, disability or gender.

This focus is of course commendable on grounds of equity. However, this policy stance has been in place in sport plans since 2001 but, according to the sports commission’s own survey evidence, overall participation hasn’t budged.

In the case of disability and ethnicity, the various groups’ participation rates have barely changed.

Gender is an exception, with five of the seven surveys since 2016 seeing higher female participation rates than men. However, neither the continuing problems with disability and ethnicity nor the apparent success story in regard to gender is discussed in the current planning documents.

Finally, it is possible governments don’t take sport policy seriously, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the sector by the federal government each year. After all, it’s millions, not billions.

With policies expressed only in general terms and no attempt to measure specific policy outcomes, there is no obligation to assess the collective effects of grants programs on sport participation.

The more cynical among us may think, then, that grants can be allocated to maximise political, rather than sporting benefits. Such allegations have been levelled before, particularly during the sports rorts saga.

As long as the policies remain imprecise and unmeasurable, only the government and the sports commission get to decide whether they’re working. They might well have a different definition of success to the rest of us.

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

– ref. The new national plan for sport has no measurable targets – exactly how politicians like it – https://theconversation.com/the-new-national-plan-for-sport-has-no-measurable-targets-exactly-how-politicians-like-it-219219