Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Dollman, Head, Music Education and Pedagogy, Adelaide University

Music is a wonderful addition to your baby’s life from the earliest days.

Hearing is one of the first senses to develop in the womb, and by birth a baby’s hearing is fully functioning. This means hearing our voices is key to strengthening connection with newborn babies.

A key area of music research is how our brains process speech and music at this early age, and we have discovered the brain actually treats speech like music, with newborns focusing on features of pitch, rhythm and speed.

There is a huge variety of musical material you can engage with together so there will definitely be songs to suit everyone. Yes – even if the last time you listened to kids’ music was several decades ago. And even if you listen to it now and think “I don’t think I can sit through this for the next couple of years!”.

Here’s what to think about when creating a playlist for baby – and for you.

Lullabies

There’s a universal human instinct to soothe our babies through the safety of the repetitive rhythms, calming melodies and steady pulse of lullabies. Singing lullabies to my babies certainly saved my sanity at many 3am witching hours!

Lullabies are musically very beautiful and are also very singable thanks to their simple melodies, so as well as listening to the music this is the perfect opportunity to croon a quiet song to our babies ourselves.

With such a wealth of lullabies to choose from, you could sing a new song each evening, although there is something very special about having a “signature” lullaby rooted in family tradition.

Play songs and nursery rhymes

The main features to look for in play songs are a faster tempo, physical actions to match with the music and often an element of fun or jokes, which will prompt many cute giggle fits from your little one.

As well as providing amusement for your babies during play time, these higher energy songs are also helping to spark cognitive development, language development and gross and fine motor control.

Attending a parent and baby music class is great for both the musical input and the social connections, and will be much more fun if you join in as well. It’s very cute to watch the toddlers getting better each week at the actions for Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes while their sleep-deprived carers struggle locating their eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

An early start in listening to music and singing is at the core of each music education methodology – you might have heard the saying music education should ideally start nine months before the birth of the mother.

Enjoying music together from birth is setting your little one up well for all future musical activities. This is important for parents who are aware of the research showing music tuition through childhood has a range of transferable benefits, in addition to the development of musical talent.

Thinking outside the box

Parents often ask where to find music to listen to with their baby. ABC Kids Listen is a great place to start, or the superstar groups of the kids’ music world like the Wiggles or Hi-5. However, if you really don’t like the mainstream hits for kids, you can definitely think outside the box.

For calming music, you could explore recordings from Australia’s Hush Foundation, stream playlists of lullabies from around the world, or even try Max Richter’s eight-hour lullaby, Sleep.

To replicate the qualities of play songs, look for songs with catchy lyrics and a strong beat you can clap to, or make up actions for – yes, permission to “shake it off” with your toddler instead of waking up Jeff.

Listen to what you enjoy

Introducing your kids early to a wide variety of music you love shows music is there to be enjoyed for life.

With our little ones, kid classics like Big Red Car, Let it Go and Twinkle Twinkle were frequent replays. But they also loved listening to Kurt Elling’s Uncertainty of the Poet, scatting with Ella Fitzgerald, twirling to Swan Lake and marching to Grieg’s Hall of the Mountain King.

The main thing is to find the music that works for you and your little ones through both the active and quieter times of your day, that you will both enjoy listening to and moving to together.

From dancing in the lounge room to singing Hush Little Baby at 3am, the memories and the benefits will both be long lasting. I promise, one day, you will actually miss the days of listening to the Frozen soundtrack in the car.

– ref. My baby loves children’s music, but I don’t – what can we listen to together? – https://theconversation.com/my-baby-loves-childrens-music-but-i-dont-what-can-we-listen-to-together-274525

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Bond University

For more than 200 days, police killer Dezi Freeman was on the run in the harsh bush terrain of north-east Victoria after shooting and killing two police officers in August 2025.

Freeman was reportedly shot dead by police on Monday morning.

In a press conference on Monday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush didn’t confirm the identity of the person killed, nor the exact location of the incident.

But a spokesperson earlier said: “A man has been fatally shot by police at a property in north-east Victoria this morning as part of the operation to locate Desmond Freeman”.

Bush said police would seek to formally identify the body as soon as possible.

So how was he caught, what happens now in terms of the criminal investigations and what implications may there be for policing after this incident?

How was Freeman caught?

Freeman’s disappearance sparked one of the most extraordinary manhunts in Australian history.

At its peak the hunt for Freeman involved hundreds of police and other experts, drones, helicopters and specialist police dogs.

Read more: Treacherous terrain: the search for alleged police killer Dezi Freeman

In February police declared they “strongly believed” Freeman was dead.

Despite this, police continued to search for Freeman or his remains.

The fact police actively continued to search for Freeman despite stating he was likely dead suggests the statement may well have been a tactic to lure him out.

Using a ploy such as this can entice a fugitive into thinking police may be reducing the intensity of the search.

Bush said there was “a lot to suggest Freeman had taken his own life” with police following every possible lead.

On Monday, it was reported police received a tip-off last week, with Freeman hiding in a caravan or shipping container-style structure on a property.

Bush said police appealed for the person to come out of where he was hiding, which resulted in a three-hour standoff. He was given an opportunity to surrender peacefully but he was shot and killed following the standoff with police.

No officers were hurt.

Freeman would have been regarded as a high level threat risk – police would have approached him with the utmost caution and preparedness.

The homicide investigation

While police searched for Freeman, a parallel criminal investigation has been in full swing. The murder investigation of the two police officers has involved units from the homicide, armed crime and fugitive squads as well as local detectives.

For major crimes such as this, criminal investigations move through a number of stages.

In this case, the investigation would have focused primarily on the crime scene where the officers were shot.

Any additional crime scenes would need to be identified such as clothing or weapons discarded by Freeman. This will now include the site of the shooting of Freeman.

All crime scenes need to be protected until they can be processed: restricting public access and protecting it from the elements.

During the investigation, detectives would have identified possible witnesses and evaluated the physical evidence available.

During the search for Freeman more than 100 properties were searched.

Investigators also focused on other people who may have aided Freeman prior to or after the shootings. Given the amount of time Freeman was on the run, it is highly likely he had assistance. Bush intimated police had several suspects.

As part of the investigation, police offered a A$1 million dollar reward for information to locate him.

Ultimately the final stage of any investigation is the arrest stage. It was at this stage that police shot dead a man likely to be Freeman.

Police actions to be investigated

Victoria Police’s Professional Standards Command will conduct and oversee an investigation into the shootings – both the initial fatal shooting of the police officers and the fatal shooting of Freeman.

This is standard procedure where there is a critical incident that results in a death or serious injury resulting from contact between police and the public.

Investigations look to assess if the incident was preventable or whether changes need to made to police policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

The death of the two officers and Freeman are reportable deaths under the Victorian Coroners Act and will be investigated by the coroner.

In this case the coroner will hold an inquest, as an inquest is mandatory in matters involving homicide where no one is charged, and for deaths in custody. An inquest goes beyond an investigation by holding public hearings and looking at the circumstances around the deaths.

This happened when four Victorian police officers were killed during a traffic stop in 2020.

Victoria Police would have been preparing a report for the coroner since the initial shootings – this report will now also contain information in relation to the shooting of Freeman.

– ref. After more than 200 days on the run, how was Dezi Freeman caught and what happens now? – https://theconversation.com/after-more-than-200-days-on-the-run-how-was-dezi-freeman-caught-and-what-happens-now-264196

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security, Adelaide University

Last year, Australia was reminded of China’s willingness to exercise its growing naval power in the region. In February, a Chinese flotilla circumnavigated the country and conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea.

And in November, a powerful Chinese task group came within a few kilometres of Australia’s maritime territory.

These events also highlighted the continued importance of Australia’s relationship with its Pacific neighbours and their maritime security. In fact, several Pacific Island countries worked with Australia to monitor the Chinese task group as it passed their territories.

Australia has been accused of “neglect” and “stupor” when it comes to the Pacific. Some even claim Australia has “lost” the Pacific to China.

But these observations overlook the sophisticated ways the Pacific countries decide who they will partner with.

While there is always room for improvement, Australia does a lot more than China in the Pacific. This is demonstrated by five maps from a project we are conducting to examine Pacific maritime security cooperation.

Australian assistance in fisheries and security

As our mapping illustrates, both Australia and New Zealand are members of all major Pacific institutions. This includes the region’s preeminent political and security institution, the Pacific Islands Forum. China is not.

However, as the largest financial contributor to these institutions, as well as a major aid donor, Australia has been criticised for seeking to exert undue influence on them. And, though Australia has supported important initiatives such as the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, it has been accused of stymieing collective commitments to address climate change.

Australia should be mindful to use its seat at the table carefully.

For most Pacific Island countries, fisheries are an important source of revenue. And our mapping illustrates the significant role Australia plays in this industry. For example, many Australians work within the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, the peak regional body that manages Pacific fisheries. China does not have personnel working there.

In addition, the Pacific Maritime Security Program is providing 24 new patrol boats, three landing craft, and a small loan fleet of other boats to 15 Pacific countries. This helps them counter illegal fishing, transnational crime and other threats.

Australia is also helping to upgrade wharf infrastructure in 13 countries.

This support is bolstered by Australia’s longstanding Defence Cooperation Program, which has been providing assistance to bolster Pacific defence capabilities since the 1960s.

And, as our mapping shows, Australia has helped to redevelop the Blackrock Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Camp in Fiji, the Lombrum Naval Base in PNG, and the Cook Barracks and Tiroas Barracks in Vanuatu, among other projects.

Transnational crime is a growing concern in the Pacific, particularly the drugs trade and online scam operations. Both Chinese and Australian criminal networks are guilty of fuelling it.

However, as our mapping demonstrates, Australia is a member of several major regional response agencies. Again, China is not.

Chinese infrastructure projects and security deals

China has funded some port infrastructure in the Pacific, including the Luganville wharf in Vanuatu. That development generated anxiety in Australia. Some claimed it could be converted into a Chinese naval base.

But these claims are seldom tested.

Any Chinese military base in the region would be extremely vulnerable. If a conflict were to break out, this would be the first thing that Australia – and its American allies – would target.

A military base would also likely be unpopular with locals and difficult and expensive to maintain from a supply and logistics perspective.

The strategic value of a Chinese military base would be questionable, too. China could make Australia feel vulnerable in other ways, such as periodically sending its warships into Australian waters.

In 2022, China signed a security agreement with Solomon Islands, generating much anxiety in Australia. But as our mapping illustrates, Australia has a number of similar treaties and arrangements with Pacific countries.

Although we have argued it would be preferable for Australia to prioritise regional security approaches over bilateral agreements, there is no denying Canberra has achieved remarkable success in this area.

The US and France also have territories and bases across the Pacific. So, there aren’t many places for China to establish a military foothold – if it even wanted one.

Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief

In addition, Australia has long been the main provider of humanitarian and disaster relief in the region, and is a member of several disaster response initiatives.

It is also the largest donor to the Pacific Resilience Facility, which will fund climate change and disaster resilience projects across the region.

In 2024, Pacific defence ministers endorsed Australia’s proposal for a Pacific Response Group, which will facilitate joint military deployments to respond to disasters. While there were questions about whether the group has adequate regional buy-in and would meet the needs of Pacific countries, this kind of assistance is often welcomed.

China has no similar seat at important regional tables. It has founded alternative Pacific disaster response and risk reduction groups, but they are based in China.

All is not lost

Given China’s recent demonstrations of its naval muscle, it’s understandable why the Albanese government is cautious about its rising influence. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called it a “permanent state of contest” with China over the Pacific.

But our mapping is a reminder of the dangers of viewing China’s inroads in absolute terms, not relative to what Australia and other partners can offer.

Beyond New Zealand, no other country is as embedded as Australia in the national and regional institutions of Pacific Islands countries. And the shifting global order only reinforces the importance of Australia maintaining these strong relationships with its neighbours.

– ref. Yes, China has made inroads in the Pacific, but Australia still does far more – https://theconversation.com/yes-china-has-made-inroads-in-the-pacific-but-australia-still-does-far-more-276877

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Christian, Professor of Zoology, Charles Darwin University

Earth is teeming with life: creatures big and small have spread and adapted to vastly different environments. Many animals can also change their physiology – how their bodies function – in response to local fluctuations. Just think of hibernating bears in winter, for example.

But some places experience less fluctuation. When you imagine the tropics, you’re likely picturing something akin to a travel brochure – lush and always warm.

Indeed, temperatures in the tropics are relatively stable, so some biologists have suggested tropical animals can’t adjust their physiology in response to a changing environment.

For animals in tropical rainforests that’s somewhat true. However, a bigger portion of the tropics consists of savannas with strongly seasonal rainfall. For the animals that live here, water is as important as temperature when it comes to shaping their physiology.

My colleagues and I studied geckos from Australia’s seasonal tropics to see if they can adjust to the seasons. Our new study, published in The Journal of Experimental Biology, challenges conventional views on what we know about reptiles and their ability to adjust to the seasons.

How geckos avoid drying out

With their scaly skin and ability to survive in deserts, reptiles are often viewed as being impervious to seasonal rainfall fluctuations.

Geckos, a type of nocturnal lizard, are particularly abundant in the tropics around the world. We measured water loss during the wet and dry seasons in closely related species of geckos in the genus Gehyra. They are impressive climbers that typically live in trees or on rocks.

In lizards, about 70% of the water loss happens across the skin, with some water also lost from the eyes and the air they exhale. Depending on habitat and how closely related they were, we expected to find differences among gecko species in the rate of water lost.

Instead, the striking result was their ability to change water loss seasonally. Compared to the wet season, the dry season water loss was reduced by up to 76%.

It’s clear geckos need to conserve water in the dry season, but why not have low rates of water loss throughout the year?

We suspect there could be a cost to holding in the water in the dry season – possibly related to an increase in molecules that prevent the indiscriminate leaking of water across the skin of all land-based animals. When water is abundant in the wet season, they relax their hold, and water loss increases.

The geckos likely preserve water in direct response to how humid the air is. However, seasonal rainfall brings other important changes to tropical savannas.

Insect prey are less abundant in the dry season, and having less food available means animals in the seasonal tropics must adapt in other ways too. Previous studies of amphibians and reptiles in this region show the animals conserve energy by reducing activity, lowering body temperatures, and slowing their metabolisms in what’s known as “metabolic depression”.

Now we can add changes to the permeability of their skin to the list of seasonal adaptations that allow geckos to survive the harsh conditions of a long dry season.

Getting ready ahead of time

Interestingly, animals start deploying these adaptations very early in the dry season, which lasts from May to October in the region where they live. In the geckos, the shift to lower water loss happened in May, despite there being rain early in the month.

This tells us the geckos adjust in anticipation of physiological stress, rather than in response to it.

There’s also evidence the animals aren’t just responding to general cues for that time of year, such as sun angle or day length.

For example, monitor lizards living in the savanna change their behaviour early in the dry season, but individuals of the same species living near the floodplain of the South Alligator River delay the seasonal adjustments until the plain dries late in the season. And other monitors that live near permanent water, forgo the seasonal changes altogether.

Although we don’t know how proximity to water affects water loss in geckos, what we know about other animals suggests the cues they respond to are early changes in humidity, or possibly something to do with food availability.

Adapting in a harsh world

Far from being inflexible, many animals in the seasonal tropics have evolved a range of adaptations in response to the harsh conditions they experience every dry season.

Some of these adaptations are unique, such as underwater nesting by the northern long-necked turtle. Some, such as metabolic depression, are variations of strategies animals use elsewhere.

And some, such as the geckos’ changes to water loss, may just be more obvious because the animals are above ground and observable, unlike ones hibernating in the winter somewhere inaccessible.

Global climate change involves more than increased temperatures. Other consequences may include changes in rainfall patterns and insect population declines.

Decreased food availability would have devastating consequences to future animals in the seasonal tropics.

However, over evolutionary time, the fact they live in variable seasonal conditions means they’ve adapted to survive at least some, less devastating environmental changes.

– ref. Tropical geckos in Australia are more adaptable than we thought – https://theconversation.com/tropical-geckos-in-australia-are-more-adaptable-than-we-thought-266777

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Kidson, Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Australian Catholic University

Almost half of surveyed Australia’s school principals face physical violence in their jobs. Almost 90% say they encounter offensive behaviour from students, parents and even colleagues, according to new survey results.

The latest instalment in an annual survey of Australian principals shows how their exposure to aggression risks becoming normalised in schools.

Principals also report they work an average of 54 hours a week. They say the sheer quantity of work is their biggest source of stress. As one principal from a Catholic high school told us, “this job is getting harder every year”.

What can governments and education systems do to help?

Our research

Since 2011, our study has collected the experiences of 2,000–2,500 Australian school principals per year.

This is now the 15th year of the study and over that time, 8,100 individual school leaders have completed at least one survey. This includes principals as well as other senior teachers, such as deputy principals.

Respondents come from primary and high schools around the country, and across the public, private and Catholic sectors.

Given there are less than 10,000 schools across the nation, this is a strong sample of the people who lead our schools.

When this many leaders speak, we should listen.

Reports of violence are growing

In 2025, nearly half of school leaders reported being subjected to physical violence. Almost 54% experienced threats of violence. Students were the most common source of physical violence, while parents were the main source of threats.

As the chart below shows, these reports have increased significantly since the survey started in 2011.

Rates of violence at this magnitude would be considered unacceptable in many other professions.

Meanwhile, almost 90% of respondents say they are subject to some form of unacceptable/offensive behaviour in their jobs. This includes physical threats, sexual harassment, unpleasant teasing, cyberbullying and gossip.

As one primary school teacher told us:

When I became a principal I didn’t expect to be mired in managing adult behaviour. I thought it would be about instructional leadership and inspiring educators. I didn’t realise how I would be subject to manipulation and need to respond like a lawyer – with extreme care and explicit language which leaves no room for interpretation.

What else did we find?

School leaders continue to work long hours, averaging 53.9 hours per week during term and 19.6 hours during holidays. This is well above an average working week in Australia (about 38 hours). There has been some reduction in reported hours worked. In 2011, 27% of participants reported working 60 hours or more, which has reduced to 22% in 2025.

Unsurprisingly, principals report mental health issues and plans to leave their jobs:

• 25% scored at least a “moderate” rating for anxiety and 23% scored at least a “moderate” rating for depression

• 54% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I often seriously consider leaving my current job”. This is up slightly from last year.

As one respondent from a private high school told us:

The challenges of reduced funding combined with growing expectations from all stakeholders make it more and more difficult to meet the demands of the role […] I am not sure how this will be sustainable for the next generation of principals.

New rules for schools

Across the life of the project, we have seen important changes to try and improve conditions for principals.

The Victorian, Queensland, and NSW governments have introduced programs to reduce administrative loads, and public campaigns have tried to build community respect for the teaching profession.

Some states have developed programs to support aspiring principals.

Just last week, the NSW government introduced legislation to address aggressive parental behaviour, similar to Victorian laws. This will mean those who have engaged in threatening or abusive behaviour can be banned from coming within 25 metres of a school.

What else do we need?

But clearly more needs to be done to improve the conditions for school leaders.

In 2011 we also saw the release of the Australian Standard for Principals which sets out what principals are expected to “know, understand and do to achieve in their work”.

It is time to review this.

Our last three reports show student and teacher mental health have become acute sources of stress for principals – this should be reflected in a revised standard. There is not one mention of teachers’ mental health throughout the document, despite it now consistently ranking as a top source of stress for principals.

And much has changed in our wider society. Since the standard was published, we’ve had a royal commission on child abuse in school settings, COVID and growing understanding of the need to manage young people’s healthy use of screens.

It’s time to honestly and openly acknowledge the life of the school principal has radically changed – and update our expectations and support.

We know principals have a huge influence on the culture and expectations of a school. So their welfare matters not just to principals and those who aspire to these jobs. It is also vital to families who value their children’s education and governments who rely on education for our national good.

– ref. We surveyed more than 8,000 principals – they face violence, threats and stress in their schools – https://theconversation.com/we-surveyed-more-than-8-000-principals-they-face-violence-threats-and-stress-in-their-schools-279444

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Behr, Reader in Music, Politics and Society, Newcastle University

“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” John Lydon’s closing words before stalking off stage at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in January 1978, concluding the Sex Pistols’ US tour, have echoed ever since. They’re a bitter bookend to a fractious spell in the limelight. Barely three years had passed since the band’s first gig and less than two since they exploded into the national consciousness.

Lydon’s words marked an ending, but the start was almost as combustible. Fifty years ago, on March 30 1976, the Sex Pistols played a pivotal gig at London’s 100 Club. Photographer P.T. Madden recalled the small, but select, crowd and the sense of momentum:

My main memory is thinking, this is extremely important. It is not like any other gig I have ever been to. It has an atmosphere of expectation which is totally exciting. This means something and there is no one here.

A venue and a moment

The 100 Club, a basement venue on Oxford Street with a history stretching back to the 1940s, had already hosted generations of musical growth in jazz and rhythm and blues. In 1976 it became a focal point for a new, abrasive sensibility. Alongside key gigs at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall and Kensington’s Nashville Rooms, it helped crystallise what punk looked, sounded and felt like.

In September, the two-day 100 Club Punk Special brought together emerging acts like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash and The Damned, consolidating a scene that was coalescing around an aesthetic of nihilistic confrontation and musical minimalism. The Pistols were not alone in this but became its most visible face.

Their rise was swift. The band was signed to EMI by October 1976, only to be dropped within months amid controversy stoked by the band and their manager Malcom McLaren. A key flash-point was the furore surrounding an expletive-laden chat show interview with Bill Grundy.

Their debut single, Anarchy in the UK, released the following month, was a blunt declaration of intent. A rapid sequence of label changes followed, culminating in the 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, anchored by the incendiary single God Save the Queen. It was banned by the BBC and independent radio stations during the Silver Jubilee.

The Pistols’ opening salvo flared brightly and briefly, its intensity bound up with the conditions that produced it.

A soundtrack for disaffection

The optimism of the 1960s had curdled. Economic decline, an oil price shock, rising inflation and industrial unrest led to the three-day week of 1974 (in which commercial electricity use was restricted to three consecutive days per week), presaging 1978-79’s “winter of discontent”.

The 1976 sterling crisis saw chancellor Denis Healey turn cap-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund for a loan to stabilise the UK economy. This underscored a sense of the post-war economic consensus running aground. Rising youth unemployment deepened a pervasive feeling of stagnation and exclusion.

The Sex Pistols became the most recognisable expression of this broader cultural mood: caustic, disillusioned and sceptical of authority. Their salience was amplified by media outrage, oscillating between fascination and moral panic. Contemporary reports of local authority venues banning punk acts reinforced the perception of a movement defined by exclusion and resistance.

The roots of this approach were not exclusively British. Across the Atlantic, bands like the Ramones had begun stripping rock music back to its raw essentials in the early 1970s. Clubs like New York’s CBGB saw a defiant, unpolished aesthetic take shape. The Pistols and their peers translated and intensified this within a distinctly British landscape.

Cultural theorist Dick Hebdige framed punk as “homology”: the different elements of a sub-culture – clothing, art, and music – resonating with one another. Torn clothing, safety pins and aggressive performance articulated a confrontational, knowingly chaotic stance. The Pistols did not just express disaffection, they gave it visible and audible form.

From rupture to routine

Revolutions often reproduce what they set out to overthrow. Pete Townshend – once a critic of the old order, later a “rock dinosaur” target of punk – described apparent change leaving underlying power structures intact: “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”. The Pistols’ implosion seemed to confirm this pattern of established practices reasserting themselves. But what followed was less disappearance than transformation into a different kind of cultural object – not a unified movement, but a musical style absorbed into mainstream culture.

After Winterland, the band’s remnants were repurposed through a mixture of opportunism and myth-making. Sid Vicious’s notoriety was a factor. The Virgin-produced, McLaren-narrated film The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle also offered a fictionalised, satirical account of their rise and fall, blurring the line between history and performance.

Thereafter, the Sex Pistols’ trajectory resembled that of many rock acts they had ostensibly sought to disrupt. Lawsuits, reunions and reissues followed. Lydon’s legal battles with McLaren, and later with bandmates underscored the tensions between artistic expression and commercial control. Reunion tours, documentaries such as The Filth and the Fury, and ongoing commemorations (like this) have all contributed to their canonisation.

What began as a rupture in popular music culture became incorporated into its institutional frameworks. The Pistols’ career has been endlessly revisited and repackaged.

Even institutions that once recoiled from punk have, over time, folded it into their own symbolic repertoire. In 2016, the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme Newsnight closed with the God Save the Queen in deadpan response to a Conservative MP’s call for the national anthem to mark Britain’s departure from the EU. What was once treated as cultural contagion became pressed into service as establishment punctuation.

But this should not obscure the force of the original moment. In 1976, the Sex Pistols did more than generate headlines. They captured a particular moment of social disaffection and cultural experimentation that remains emblematic of how music, style and social context aligned to produce something both fleeting and enduring.

If their later career followed familiar patterns, that raw, disruptive and unresolved moment continues to resonate – long after Lydon’s final, sardonic question at Winterland.

– ref. Sex Pistols at 50: how punk’s most notorious band became part of the mainstream – https://theconversation.com/sex-pistols-at-50-how-punks-most-notorious-band-became-part-of-the-mainstream-279421

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris McMillan, Professional Teaching Fellow in Sociology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

New Zealand Cricket’s decision to support “in principle” the development of a T20 franchise competition represents a major shift in governance and funding for the summer game. But it’s not clear whether the tensions behind that decision have been resolved.

At the heart of the debate is a model that would see a new NZ20 competition replace the existing Super Smash, currently run by New Zealand Cricket. While crucial details are yet to be settled, this would likely see the league sold to a private owner.

In addition, a stake in existing teams could be sold, or new franchises established and owned or partly owned by private equity.

While the NZ20 competition ended up the preferred option for players and domestic governing bodies, the immediate resignation of board member and former international Dion Nash (following chief executive Scott Weenik’s departure in December) shows how hotly contested this has been.

But it also reflects pressure across New Zealand sport in general, which is increasingly at the mercy of global commercial forces while also trying to improve domestic participation and performance.

As such, New Zealand Cricket opting for a franchise league funded by private equity raises questions about the future of the local game – and the ability of national sporting bodies to keep acting in the public interest.

To understand why, we need to appreciate how the cricketing landscape has shifted in recent years.

The changing face of cricket

The New Zealand summer was once defined by international cricket, especially during the school holidays. This summer, however, no men’s or women’s international cricket was scheduled from December 22 to February 25.

This is no anomaly. The southern hemisphere summer is now dominated by domestic franchise tournaments: Australia’s Big Bash League, the Bangladesh Premier League, South Africa’s SA20 and the United Arab Emirates International League T20.

On top of this, the Indian Premier League (IPL), just warming up now, is the second most valuable sports tournament per match in the world. Combined, these franchise leagues have become the dominant commercial force in the game.

Notably, New Zealand is the only major cricket country without a franchise competition. Instead, the provincial “major associations” – most based on 19th-century colonial boundaries – play in the Super Smash.

It’s hardly a level playing field. The global franchise leagues – based in much larger media markets and backed by private capital (except in Australia) – offer salaries, status and glamour far beyond a provincial match in front of a smattering of fans.

As a result, many of New Zealand’s best players are rejecting contracts from New Zealand Cricket and playing in competing franchise leagues rather than the Super Smash.

Kane Williamson, for example, played in the SA20 this summer, and Finn Allen turned out for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. There have been reports of a widespread exodus of players next summer.

There was a feeling that something had to change, and the NZ20 initiative has been the result. Privatising the Super Smash and selling teams to private interests is likely to bring in cash and increase the status of a New Zealand competition.

And it’s hoped the NZ20 will retain the best players and revitalise fan interest, as well as generate income for New Zealand Cricket. But what might be lost?

The privatisation of the game means decisions once based on participation, player development and national representation will increasingly be subordinated to commercial imperatives.

National bodies are at least nominally responsible to members and the public; private investors are not.

Hypothetically, would a hedge fund owner prioritise broadening the game’s appeal in New Zealand over scheduling games to maximise the Indian market’s far larger broadcast audience? Would they be interested in increasing participation numbers or developing players for the national team?

The price of progress

It is no wonder New Zealand Cricket has been equivocal in its public statements, noting the decision was “not a final commitment” and “part of the process, not the end of it”.

In particular, concerns have been expressed about support for the women’s game and regional representation. Whether private equity would share those concerns is yet to be seen.

Indeed, it seems these big questions of ownership, control and purpose are still to be worked through.

The game is changing, and New Zealand Cricket is being forced to make a decision in circumstances not of its choosing. But this is not a problem unique to cricket in an environment where broadcast deals are the primary source of income.

Given New Zealand’s small media market, any local competition will struggle to attract and retain the best players. That’s why teams such as the New Zealand Warriors in rugby league have attached themselves to Australian competitions, reducing local league to secondary importance.

NZ20 may provide financial stability and help retain talent. But it also embeds New Zealand more deeply in a system where commercial interests hold increasing power. Private equity comes at a cost, and it’s yet to be seen what cricket in New Zealand will have to pay.

– ref. Can NZ’s new T20 cricket franchise attract the dollars, players and fans it will need? – https://theconversation.com/can-nzs-new-t20-cricket-franchise-attract-the-dollars-players-and-fans-it-will-need-279221

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Quilty, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Excellence for The Elimination of Violence Against Women, Monash University

Gender-based violence is a global issue, but studies consistently show the Pacific has among the highest rates in the world. Up to 79% of women in the region experience some form of abuse over the course of their lives.

An emerging concern is violence through technology. This is where digital technologies are used to abuse, harass, coerce and exploit another person.

Most often, these harms are disproportionately experienced by women and girls.

Yet there is limited research on gender-based violence in the Pacific. And even fewer academic studies looking at the role of technology.

Our recent study aims to fill that gap. We surveyed victim-survivor support practitioners from nine Pacific Island nations. We found smartphones, Facebook and AI-generated sexualised deepfakes are being used to control and harm women and girls.

Coercive controlling behaviours

In our study, recently published in the journal Violence Against Women, we surveyed 19 and interviewed five practitioners across Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands who work with victim-survivors.

We asked about the ways technologies are being used to abuse. We also asked about any challenges in supporting victim-survivors who experience tech-based violence.

We found common types of abuse included:

• controlling access to devices

• sharing or threatening to share intimate images without permission (often with the person’s family and religious or faith-based networks)

• monitoring another person’s location using trackers or publicly available online information

• and creating or threatening to create AI-generated sexualised deepfake videos or images to extort money.

Practitioners reported they were supporting increasing numbers of victim-survivors with experiences of technology-facilitated violence.

The abuse was also happening in the context of other forms of intimate partner violence. This included financial, physical and psychological harm, further compounding the abuse.

One device per household

One finding particular to the Pacific is the shared-device problem.

Practitioners reported that many families share a single phone. This meant the somewhat standard digital safety advice, “change your password” or “use a different device”, does not apply.

Practitioner Mere said partners sharing access to one digital device can facilitate controlling and abusive behaviours. She explained:

married couples having the same Facebook account, then the other partner sees messages coming in directly to the wife […] and monitoring where the other partner is going.

Sexualised image-based abuse

Another common form of abuse reported was coerced sexual acts and image-based sexual abuse. Victim-survivors are commonly forced into sexual activities via digital means, according to 36% of participants.

Other forms of image-based sexual abuse practitioners reported as very common included:

• the taking of sexual images or videos without permission

• the sharing of sexual images without permission

• the threat to share sexual images without permission.

Practitioner Kiana said victim-survivors report image-based sexual abuse happening in both relationship breakdowns and as a way to force them to stay in an abusive relationship:

the partner would threaten or even send nude photos of their partners […] to group chats [or] threaten to send the photos to his partner’s family members.

An emerging issue in the Pacific, and one that is being experienced globally, is sexualised deepfake abuse. This is where sexualised imagery is created with Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other digital technologies, such as Photoshop. Of the participants in our study, 26% reported this as occurring “often”.

With the rapid development of AI technologies that easily create sexualised deepfake abuse content, these trends are likely to increase.

Read more: What to do if you, or someone you know, is targeted with deepfake porn or AI nudes

Challenges in supporting victim-survivors

The study found a range of challenges and barriers for practitioners in supporting victim-survivors in the Pacific.

One of the prominent barriers was cultural practices and norms. Practitioners said these norms are shaped by traditional communal values, family honour, kinship systems, faith, ideals of modesty and respect for hierarchy.

Sexual and cultural taboos, strongly ingrained within traditional Pacific value systems, were also seen to discourage women from seeking help.

Participants said the controlling of phones by perpetrators and the shared device problem was also restricting women’s opportunities to connect with support networks, to identify their situation as abusive and to seek help.

Another major barrier identified by 37% of practitioners was the poor handling of cases by police. Cases are simply not taken seriously by authorities, according to 32% of participants. In this context, practitioners observed perpetrators were rarely held accountable, leaving victim-survivors without justice or protection.

Where to next?

While the findings in our study are similar to those in other countries, they highlight the importance of social and cultural contexts in addressing these issues. These contexts should inform how technology-facilitated violence in the Pacific is prevented, and how victim-survivors are supported.

There are a range of things governments, technology providers, police and the legal sector can do to address the problem. One would be to fund and prioritise practitioner and police training to better understand and respond to technology-facilitated violence.

Another is to develop culturally-sensitive community education initiatives that stop victim-survivors from being silenced.

And finally, religious and faith-based organisations should be brought on board to help prevent and respond to technology-facilitated violence.

The authors would like to thank Siân Human from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women for her insights and support during the process of writing this piece.

– ref. Women in the Pacific are increasingly subject to digital abuse: new research – https://theconversation.com/women-in-the-pacific-are-increasingly-subject-to-digital-abuse-new-research-278990