August 1 - 31, 2025: Issue 645

Our Youth page is for young people aged 13+ - if you are younger than this we have news for you in the Children's pageNews items and articles run at the top of this page. Information, local resources, events and local organisations, sports groups etc. are at the base of this page. All Previous pages for you are listed in Past Features

Manly Warringah Sapphires Opens Team Set for Grand Final at Ken Rosewall Arena

The Manly Warringah Sapphires are charging into the 2025 Netball NSW Premier League Grand Final with momentum, belief, and the backing of a proud netball community behind them.

After a thrilling season filled with elite performances and down-to-the-wire finishes, the Sapphires will take on North Shore United in the Opens Grand Final, held at Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, on Sunday, 3 August at 5:00 PM.

The game marks the fourth clash between the two rivals this season, following a tightly contested race for top spot where North Shore United finished as minor premiers, just one point ahead of our Sapphires.

The Sapphires' journey to the Grand Final began with a dominant pre-season HeartKids Cup win in March 2025, setting the tone for a campaign defined by consistency, composure, and collective strength. Despite a mid-season stumble, including a Round 11 loss to Sutherland Stingrays, our Sapphires regrouped and powered through an extra-time Preliminary Final thriller to eliminate the Stingrays and earn their shot at the 2025 title.

Manly Warringah Sapphires Opens HeartKids Cup 2025 Champions.  L-R Sue Gill, Charlotte Craig, Eloise Egan, Mardi Aplin, Audrey Little, Eugenie Little, Kiara Bloor, Mel Clarke, Erin, Chelsea Mann, Latika Tombs (C), Allegra McDonald, Jemma Donoghue. Photo: Clusterpix.

“I think that the belief has certainly been present within the team from the beginning,” said Sapphires Head Coach, Mel Clarke.

“The challenges we have overcome together throughout the season have contributed to the resilience and positive mindset that has driven our momentum leading into the finals series, giving us the confidence to play our best netball on Sunday.”

Head-to-head with North Shore United in 2025:

  • Round 2: NSU 55 def. MW Sapphires 39
  • Round 11: MW Sapphires 48 def. NSU 46
  • Finals Week 1: NSU 51 def. MW Sapphires 50

As the numbers suggest, the Opens Grand Final promises a blockbuster finale between two evenly matched and experienced sides.

“Leading into the Grand Final, we’ve focused on the importance of trusting the work we’ve done throughout the season and the things we can control,” Clarke added.

“It’s about confidence in our preparation and in each other, so we can enjoy the occasion and perform at our best.”

Milestone Year for Sapphire Stalwarts

The 2025 season carries special meaning for three of the Sapphires’ longest-serving contributors:

Latika Tombs (Captain)

Teigan O’Shannassy (NSW Swifts and Sapphires player)

Lisa Eady (Team Manager)

All three are celebrating 10 years with the franchise, with Tombs, Eady, and Clarke having been part of both championship-winning teams in 2017 and 2023. Now, the trio is chasing a third title together - a rare feat in Premier League history.

“This Grand Final is a reflection of the dedication and unity that runs through our entire Manly Warringah netball community,” said Tombs. “Our supporters, especially our MWNA juniors, give us incredible energy and pride every week.”

From Sapphire to Star: Jemma Donoghue Secures 2025 Signing with London Mavericks

In April the Manly Warringah Sapphires were bursting with pride as they announced the permanent replacement signing of homegrown talent, Jemma Donoghue, with the London Mavericks for the 2025 Netball Super League season.

The 2025 Netball Super League season was the twentieth season of the Netball Super League, the elite domestic netball competition in the United Kingdom. Running from 14 March 2025 – 6 July 2025, it is an elite netball league in the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball but features teams based in England, Wales and previously Scotland. 

Jemma Donoghue joined the Mavericks squad as a permanent replacement for Chelsea Blackman following her unfortunate Achilles rupture. In 2023 Jemma signed with Leeds Rhino Netball for the remainder of the English Netball Super League season.

Jemma was born in the UK and moved to Sydney as a youngster, where she played all her netball. Jemma had an alternative path to the top, she wasn’t picked in her local rep teams until the U15 age group. Jemma Donoghue won an Under 20s Premier League title with North Shore United in 2018 before making the move to the Manly Warringah Sapphires. From there she shone and progressed quickly. 

Jemma has been an integral part of the Sapphires family since her junior years, rising through the ranks with grace, determination, and a fierce competitive spirit. Her transition from local hero to international athlete is not only a reflection of her extraordinary talent, but also her relentless work ethic and humble heart — qualities that have made her a much-loved figure in the Sapphires community and beyond.

After an incredible stint as a Training Partner with the NSW Swifts, where she consistently impressed with her athleticism, leadership, and positive influence on and off the court, Jemma has now earned her place on the global stage. Her move to the London Mavericks as a permanent replacement player is a well-deserved opportunity that we know she will embrace wholeheartedly.

“Jemma has always been a shining example of what it means to be a Sapphire — resilient, grounded, and always striving for excellence,” MW Sapphires Opens Head Coach, Mel Clarke. “We’ve watched her grow into a phenomenal athlete and leader, and while we’ll miss her dearly, we are so excited to see her thrive in this next chapter of her journey.”

Jemma Donoghue’s exceptional one-on-one defensive pressure earned her selection as a Giants Netball Training Partner in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She made her debut in the Suncorp Super Netball league as a temporary replacement player, taking the court for the Giants in 2022 and the NSW Swifts in 2024.

As GIANT #25 and Swift #108, Jemma’s advancement to the top tier of netball reflects her dedication, skill, and influence in both teams’ defensive line-ups. It was no surprise to see the Mavericks move swiftly to secure her talents, full-time.

The move also represented an exciting new challenge for Jemma, who competed in one of Europe’s most competitive leagues. Despite the distance, her Sapphires family was cheering her on every step of the way.

''We couldn’t be prouder of Jemma and are confident she will continue to inspire young athletes both here in Australia, and overseas. She remains a beacon for aspiring netballers who dream big and work hard.''

"This opportunity for Jemma is incredibly exciting and such a well-deserved reward for all the hard work and dedication she’s given to the sport over the years. As both her teammate and best friend, I couldn’t be prouder." Latika Tombs, MW Sapphires Captain "Even though her decision to leave brought me to tears, my happiness for her far outweighs the sadness. I miss her both on and off the court… but thank goodness for FaceTime!" 

Sapphires Besties; Jemma Donoghue & Latika Tombs, Vice Captain and Captain

Manly Warringah Sapphires Opens Team 2025

Players
Allegra McDonald; WD | GD | GK
Audrey Little; C | WA
Chelsea Mann; WD | C
Eloise Egan; GK | GD
Eugenie Little; WD | C
Jemma Donoghue - Vice Captain; GD | WD
Kiara Bloor; GA | WA
Latika Tombs - Captain; C | WA | WD
Matisse Letherbarrow; GS | GA
Millie Tonkin; GS | GA
Teigan O'Shannassy; GK | GD

Support Staff
Mel Clarke; Head Coach
Sue Gill; Assistant Coach
Lisa Eady; Manager

Manly Warringah Sapphires Legacy

The Sapphires were launched in 2016 and quickly established themselves as one of the most competitive teams in the league winning the championships in 2017 and more recently in 2023. Several past and present MW Sapphires athletes are now signed with teams in Australia’s top level elite netball competition; the Suncorp Super Netball League.

2016 Sapphires Opens Team at the launch. Photo: A J Guesdon/PON

Under 16's Skye and Izzy with Annie Sargeant OAM at the 2016 MW Sapphires launch. Photo: AJG/PON

The Open and U23 MW Sapphires squad is made up of around 30 local athletes who have decided to pursue netball at an elite level. These athletes dedicate an enormous amount of time as part of these teams, proudly representing Manly Warringah as part of the League.

In 2020, the Sapphires added an Academy to its Program, giving local 15 and 16 year old representative level players, as well as emerging local coaches, the chance to learn from this outstanding program. These young athletes and coaches are mentored by the MW Sapphires, providing further motivation, guidance, and a clear pathway into elite netball.

The MW Sapphires teams enjoy strong support from their dedicated fan base, including junior teams from the Manly Warringah Netball Association. 

The Netball NSW Premier League program plays a crucial role in developing players, umpires, coaches, and technical officials, providing them with valuable experience at an elite level.

This program is also a vital pathway for the Manly Warringah Netball Association, one of the largest associations in NSW.

Grand Final Day Details:

📍 Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park

📅 Sunday, 3 August 2025

🕑 2:00 PM – 23U Grand Final: GWS Fury v Panthers

🕔 5:00 PM – Opens Grand Final: North Shore United v Manly Warringah Sapphires

🎟️ Tickets: $15 – Available now

Join the Blue Wave

Rep your colours, bring the noise and be part of the electric atmosphere as the Sapphires chase Grand Final glory. With belief, experience and heart on their side, Manly Warringah Sapphires are ready to shine on the Premier League’s biggest stage.

 

Malta to host 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games

Malta is calling for Australia’s next generation of sporting stars after the Mediterranean isle was announced as host of the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) on Thursday 31 July 2025.  

The eighth edition of the Youth Games will take place from 27 October to 4 November 2027, bringing together athletes aged 14–18 from across the Commonwealth for an inspiring celebration of sport and culture.  

With a compelling dual-island concept that features existing world-class facilities, venues will be spread across two main clusters on the islands of Malta and Gozo. 

Approximately 1,150 young athletes will come together for Malta 2027, where the sports program will feature athletics and para-athletics, swimming and para-swimming, water polo, netball, triathlon, sailing, squash and weightlifting.   

The Games will include the largest Para sport program in Youth Games history, with para-swimming added for the first time, building on the landmark inclusion of para-athletics at Trinidad and Tobago 2023.  

Sailing and water polo will also make their debut, in a distinctive eight-sport schedule designed to maximise youth appeal and showcase Malta’s world-class facilities.  

Australia dominated the most recent edition in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023, topping the medal tally with 64 medals, including 26 gold and 62 individual medallists.  

See previous PON reports: 

Commonwealth Youth Games 2023: Local Athletes set to shine in Trinbago - Trinidad

A stunning 64 medals sees Australia atop the medal tally at Trinbago 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) President Ben Houston welcomed the announcement of Malta as host and reaffirmed the value of the Youth Games in developing the country’s future sporting champions.  

“The Commonwealth Youth Games play a vital role in developing the next generation of athletes by giving them a unique opportunity to experience international competition in a multi-sport environment,” Houston said. 

“For many, it’s their first taste of representing Australia on the global stage, an experience that can shape their future in sport and beyond.  

“The Commonwealth Youth Games are an important part of our athlete development pathway, and we look forward to seeing Malta 2027 inspire and elevate our emerging talent.” 

Commonwealth Sport President Dr. Donald Rukare hailed Malta’s athlete-first approach, world-class facilities and proven hosting experience as the ideal foundation for a transformative edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games.  

“We are thrilled to bring the Commonwealth Youth Games to Malta in 2027 and thank Commonwealth Sport Malta and the Government of Malta for their commitment and vision,” Rukare said.  

“The Commonwealth Youth Games are more than a captivating celebration of sport; they are a transformative experience for young athletes. Those that compete are the stars of tomorrow and the voices of today, changemakers who will shape the future of our Movement. We look forward to being on the beautiful island of Malta in 2027.”  

The Malta 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games will mark the eighth edition of the event, following previous Games in Edinburgh (2000), Bendigo (2004), Pune (2008), Isle of Man (2011), Samoa (2015), the Bahamas (2017) and Trinidad and Tobago (2023). 

Glasgow 2026 session schedule unveiled

August 1, 2025

In related news, Glasgow 2026 has revealed the session schedule for next year’s Commonwealth Games, with more than 200 champions to be crowned across 50 medal sessions of unforgettable sport spanning 10 days.  

In a history marking celebration of Para sport, Powerlifting gold will be the first medal awarded on day one to showcase the unprecedented commitment of Commonwealth Sport to inclusion. The day then continues with a medal rush across Artistic Gymnastics, Swimming and Para-Swimming.  

An expanded program across several sports creates more sessions and greater opportunities for fans to experience world-class competition.   

Bowls and Para-Bowls will feature throughout all 10 days of the Games, while Basketball 3x3 and Wheelchair Basketball 3x3 will include three additional sessions compared to Birmingham 2022, reflecting the growing popularity of this fast-paced, engaging format.

The pool will debut the biggest swimming program ever featured at a Commonwealth Games, with several historic firsts including the men's 800m freestyle and women's 1500m freestyle making their Commonwealth Games debut.  

The opening weekend of 25-26 July promises show-stopping action as six sports light up Glasgow, including the maiden matches for the Australian Diamonds.  

From Monday 27 July, Athletics and Para-Athletics launch six days of thrilling competition at Scotstoun Stadium. The program features the highly anticipated return of the iconic Commonwealth Mile, back on the schedule for the first time since 1966.  

Swimming and Para-Swimming will conclude their campaigns on Wednesday 29 July, with evening finals promising high-stakes races and unforgettable podium moments.  

Track Cycling and Para-Track Cycling take over the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome from 30 July, with the elimination race making its Commonwealth Games debut.   

Saturday 1 August then delivers non-stop excitement, with medals contested across Athletics and Para-Athletics (morning and evening sessions), Boxing, Judo, and Track Cycling and Para-Track Cycling.  

The Games conclude on Sunday 2 August with a final day of competition across Netball, Judo and Track Cycling and Para-Track Cycling, bringing 10 days of world-class Commonwealth sport to a thrilling close.  

Craig Phillips AM, CGA CEO, praised the comprehensive schedule and its breadth of competition opportunities.  

"This schedule delivers exactly what we want to see - more sessions, more medals, and more opportunities for our athletes to compete at the highest level and showcase their talents on the global stage," Phillips said. 

"The expanded programs across sports like 3x3 Basketball and the biggest swimming line up in Commonwealth Games history shows Glasgow's commitment to providing a world-class competition experience.  

"The return of iconic events like the Commonwealth Mile, combined with exciting debuts such as the elimination race in track cycling, creates a perfect blend of tradition and innovation and from the opening medal on day one through to the final competition, this schedule promises non-stop action that will captivate audiences and inspire the next generation of Commonwealth athletes.  

"Glasgow 2026 is shaping up to deliver the kind of comprehensive, high-quality competition program that brings out the best in our athletes and creates lasting memories for fans around the world."  

Alongside the session schedule announcement, Glasgow 2026 has launched its first advertising campaign, placing sport and athletes at the heart of the Games and capturing the unique power of Commonwealth competition.  

Rolling out across digital platforms and out of home advertising boards, the campaign channels Glasgow's signature energy, warmth and humour, building excitement for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of sport across 10 days of world-class competition.  

The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from 23 July to 2 August 2026. 

A legacy takes root – Commonwealth Games Alumni Recognition Program launched

On Monday July 21 2025 Legacy Leaves, the first-ever alumni recognition program of Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA), was launched as the countdown to the one-year-to-go milestone for Glasgow 2026 fast approached. 

Set to honour the 3605 Australian athletes who have proudly worn the green and gold on the Commonwealth Games stage, the initiative includes athletes who have competed from the inaugural 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada to today, and is  planting a native tree for every Games an athlete has participated, to create a living legacy that honours the past while at the same time growing the future. 

The planted trees will form part of an establishing ecological corridor at Wilyun Pools, nestled near the Stirling Ranges in Western Australia that was chosen for its powerful environmental impact and cultural significance. 

It is being delivered in partnership with climate solutions organisation Carbon Neutral, alongside Gondwana Link and Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories, creating a living legacy that grows over time, rejuvenating land, restoring biodiversity and reconnecting communities. 

“Legacy Leaves recognises greatness in a way that gives back, not only to athletes, but to Country, community and future generations,” Ben Houston, CGA President, said.  

“Instead of giving something, we’re growing something.” 

“Recognition goes beyond simple thanks, it acknowledges the dedication, resilience and achievements of our Commonwealth Games alumni,” Houston added.  

A little under 5,000 trees will be planted in this first phase, symbolising every Games appearance made by an Australian athlete at the Commonwealth Games, with the initiative supporting large-scale landscape restoration, carbon sequestration and critical wildlife habitat growth, CGA states. 

As part of the launch, Birmingham 2022 diving bronze medallist Sam Fricker and four-time gymnastics medallist Emily Whitehead visited the reforested area to see the undertaking at work.  

“As athletes, we’re used to thinking about long-term, growth, progress and legacy,” Fricker said. 

“Seeing the project confirmed that our participation isn’t just about highlighting our past; it’s about the world we leave behind.” 

“A medal celebrates a moment, but this grows with time,” Whitehead said. 

“It connects us to the past, honours our contribution, and plants something real for the future.”   

“Legacy Leaves is an exciting way to celebrate the Games athletes,” two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, Milly Tapper, added. 

“It’s more than just recognition; it’s a powerful reminder that every time we compete, we leave a mark.”  

The planting area, Wilyun Pools, is located 100 kilometres from Albany, Western Australia. Carbon Neutral's webpage for the project states:

Situated on Menang Noongar boodjar near Kinjarling (Albany) on Western Australia’s southern coast, the land has been cherished and nurtured for over 40,000 years. Wilyun Pools, surrounded by Mettler Lake, Basil Road Nature Reserves, and Hassell National Park, serves as a crucial wildlife corridor. The area boasts a rich diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, though they face numerous threats.

The project aims to expand and connect habitats by linking patches of remnant vegetation with biodiverse native plantings while carefully managing the threat of feral pests.

It protects habitats for the endangered:

  • Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo (Ngolak)
  • Forest Red-tailed Cockatoo (Karak)
  • Australasian Bittern (Boordenitj)
  • Painted Buttonquail (Boorolom)
  • Jewelled Sandplain Ctenotus

The region’s complex and ancient geology, featuring plains and wetlands, is home to a myriad of biodiverse species. Over 150 native plant varieties, highly adapted to the nutrient-poor soils and climate, have been recorded in the old-growth vegetation. Land clearing in the 1950s and 1960s, destroyed 88% of the area’s native vegetation, leaving fragmented patches of habitat. The Kwongan shrubland plant community here is nationally recognised as a Threatened Ecological Community, and the Flat-Topped Swamp Yate wetlands in low-lying claypans are classified as a Priority Ecological Community in Western Australia.

Once degraded farmland, it is now being transformed into a thriving ecosystem that supports providing a home for endangered wildlife, restoring fragile bushland, and telling stories that stretch back thousands of years. 

“Wilyun Pools is more than just a planting site, it’s a place where culture, sustainability, and now sporting spirit come together,” Dr. Phil Ireland, CEO of Carbon Neutral, said. 

“It’s a living landscape of connection and renewal, where each tree planted represents not only environmental restoration but also the enduring legacy of athletes and community working hand in hand.” 

About Legacy Leaves: 

This program marks the first step in the development of a comprehensive Commonwealth Games alumni recognition program, designed to honour the past, celebrate the present and build stronger connections for the future. 

The Legacy Leaves Alumni Recognition Program recognises Australian athletes who have proudly represented the nation at the Commonwealth Games and its historical iterations, including and limited to the British Empire Games, British Empire and Commonwealth Games and British Commonwealth Games from 1930 to present day. 

Recognition is based on the best available data and historical records, which CGA commits to refining continuously to ensure inclusivity, accuracy and comprehensive acknowledgment of all eligible athletes. 

Recognition is granted per Games attended, reflecting participation in each eligible edition.   

Alumni will receive a personalised communication acknowledging their contribution and recognition within the program.  

About Carbon Neutral: 

Carbon Neutral has grown to be a market leader with a global reputation, and is now one of the longest standing carbon offset providers in Australia.

Carbon Neutral is one of Australia’s longest-standing environmental organisations, specialising in nature-based solutions to mitigate carbon emissions and protect native ecosystems.   

Through its Plant-a-Tree program, Carbon Neutral restores native biodiversity, rejuvenates degraded landscapes through large-scale planting initiatives across Australia.   

With over two decades of experience, Carbon Neutral states it partners with businesses and communities to drive measurable and lasting environmental impact. 

Diamonds squad named for 2025-2026

With just one year to go until the Diamonds launch their gold medal defence at the Commonwealth Games, Netball Australia unveiled the 2025–26 Origin Australian Diamonds squad on July 17, an exciting mix of proven champions and rising stars.

The squad announcement follows an impressive 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season, with selectors rewarding both consistency and impact across the league.

With just one year to go until the Diamonds begin their gold medal defence at Glasgow 2026, the squad blends world-class experience with emerging talent eager to make their mark.

Nine athletes named were part of Australia’s triumphant Birmingham 2022 campaign that saw the Diamond’s atop the podium, including current captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Paige Hadley.

They’re joined by stalwarts Kiera Austin, Courtney Bruce, Sunday Aryang, Sarah Klau, Cara Koenen, Kate Moloney and Jo Weston, bringing invaluable leadership and composure to the group.

The squad also includes three new Diamonds elevated from invitee status following recent impressive domestic performances, all of whom have the potential to debut, while four invitee athletes have also been included.

Their inclusion reflects the healthy depth within Australian netball and the Diamonds’ commitment to building a team with versatility and long-term strength, providing targeted players with opportunities to showcase their capabilities within the Diamonds environment.

Led by head coach Stacey Marinkovich and national selectors Anne Sargeant OAM and Michelle Wilkins, the Diamonds squad will come together in the lead-up to the Constellation Cup and other international fixtures.

While selection in the squad does not guarantee match play, it provides athletes with critical opportunities to push for final selection for Glasgow 2026.

The 2025 South Africa Series will take place from 4 October to 12 October, with matches played in Bendigo, Wollongong and Adelaide.

The team will then take on traditional rivals, the New Zealand Silver Ferns, in the 15th edition of the Constellation Cup, with the first two of four matches on Friday 17 and Wednesday 22 October, in Melbourne and Sydney respectively.

The final two matches of the series will then be played across the Tasman in New Zealand on 26 and 29 October.

2025 - 2026 ORIGIN AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS SQUAD

Sunday Aryang (West Coast Fever/ Western Australia)

Kiera Austin (Melbourne Vixens/ New South Wales)

Courtney Bruce (Sunshine Coast Lightning/ Western Australia)

Sophie Dwyer (Giants Netball/ New South Wales)

Ashleigh Ervin (Sunshine Coast Lightning/ Queensland)

Sophie Garbin (Melbourne Vixens/ Western Australia)

Matilda Garrett (Adelaide Thunderbirds/ Victoria)

Paige Hadley (NSW Swifts/ New South Wales)

Georgie Horjus (Adelaide Thunderbirds/ South Australia)

Sarah Klau (NSW Swifts/ South Australia)

Cara Koenen (Sunshine Coast Lightning/ Queensland)

Kate Moloney (Melbourne Vixens/ Victoria)

Hannah Mundy (Melbourne Vixens/ Victoria)

Amy Parmenter (Melbourne Mavericks/ New South Wales)

Jamie-Lee Price (Giants Netball/ New South Wales)

Alice Teague-Neeld (West Coast Fever/ Victoria)

Liz Watson (Sunshine Coast Lightning/ Victoria)

Joanna Weston (Melbourne Vixens/ Victoria)

2025 - 2026 INVITEES

Lucy Austin (Adelaide Thunderbirds/ South Australia)

Teigan O’Shannassy (NSW Swifts /New South Wales)

Amy Sligar (Giants Netball/ New South Wales)

Donnell Wallam (Northern Mystics/Western Australia)

Broken Section: the story of Pittwater's anti-submarine boom net

by Pittwater Pathways

Opportunities:

Young Filmmakers Comp turns 21

The highly anticipated Beaches Young Filmmakers Comp 2025 is back, now in its 21st year, offering a golden opportunity for budding filmmakers to showcase their talents and creativity.

This exciting competition invites individuals or teams to produce a short film of up to 7 minutes, integrating secret inclusions—a mystery item, keyword, and phrase—that will be revealed on the council's website at 5 pm on Wednesday, 27 August.

Participants will have four days to bring their vision to life and submit their entries by 10 pm on Sunday, 31 August 2025.

With a total prize pool of $3000 and various industry prizes, aspiring filmmakers will also have the chance to see their films screened at the prestigious Finals and Awards Night on Thursday, 18 September at HOYTS Warringah Mall. Family, friends, and the public are invited to attend and celebrate the creative achievements of these emerging filmmakers.

Mayor Sue Heins expressed her enthusiasm for the competition and encouraged young filmmakers to take part.

"Beaches Young Filmmakers Comp is a wonderful way to learn the craft of filmmaking while having fun, picking up new skills and meeting like-minded people.

"If you’ve ever thought about making a short film, even if you have never done it before, why not enter? You never know where it may lead," said Mayor Heins.

Teams can consist of 1 to 12 members, aged between 12 and 24 years, with at least one member living, working, or studying on the Manly to Palm Beach peninsula.

The council stated it extends its heartfelt thanks to premium sponsor and long-time supporter, now for the thirteenth year, Miller Tripods, for their unwavering support, along with huge thanks to Screenwise and Canon for also being premium sponsors. Further thanks go to Australian Cinematography Society for their generous sponsorship of this year's competition.

Finalists’ films will be showcased on the council’s website following the Finals and Awards Night, providing further exposure for the talented young filmmakers.

Prize money is funded through entry fees, final night ticket sales and sponsorship.

Underwater Photography Contest returns

Council is holding its annual Underwater Photography competition from Thursday 24 July to Sunday 18 August 2025.

The 2025 theme Wonder, sustaining what sustains us aligns with the Worlds Ocean Day theme and gives photographers the opportunity to showcase the Northern Beaches 5 aquatic reserves and be in the running for part of the $4,000 prize pool.

With 80 km of iconic coastline featuring 24 ocean and harbour beaches, five aquatic reserves, and 5 intertidal protected areas—including nationally and globally recognised surfing reserves—photographers are truly spoilt for choice when deciding where to capture the perfect shot.

Mayor Sue Heins said, “Our coastline is home to an extraordinary array of marine life, from delicate seagrass meadows to majestic sea creatures. Each photograph taken helps tell the story of this precious underwater world and the urgent need to protect it for future generations.”

The competition celebrates all skill levels and is open to amateur and professional photographers and videographers.

“I encourage everyone, whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just starting out, to grab your camera, dive in, and capture the wonder that lies beneath our waves. Every image you share inspires greater understanding and appreciation for the ocean that sustains us all.” Mayor Heins said.

With 8 categories including a major award - The Valerie Taylor Underwater Photography Award for Excellence, entrants can enter up to 3 images. Videographers can submit one reel.

Categories:

  • Behaviour: Capturing natural behaviour of marine life.
  • Macro: Getting up close to the subject matter.
  • Threatened Species: Portraying the vulnerability of a threatened species found, for example: black rod cod, grey nurse shark, green turtle.
  •  Human Connection: Capturing the positive or negative connection between a person(s) and marine life (flora / fauna / megafauna). This could include monitoring citizen science projects or research undertaken in one of the Northern Beaches aquatic reserves.
  • Seascapes (wide angle): Capturing the raw beauty of the underwater vista in one of the Northern Beaches aquatic reserves.
  • Youth: For the budding young photographers aged 12 to 17 years old. The winner will be recognised as the Underwater Youth Photographer of the Year 2025.
  • Reels: Capturing the wonder of the biodiversity in our underwater world. Reel length is 15 to 30 seconds duration.
  • People’s Choice Award: Everyone can vote online for their favourite finalist image.

The People’s Choice voting opens Thursday 28 August and runs through to Sunday 21 September with winners announced in November.

For more information about the competition and the full terms and conditions, visit council's website.

Take the Polar Plunge 2025

We're freezin’ for a reason! Take the Polar Plunge and support Special Olympics Australia. Your help empowers athletes with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, giving them the chance to play, shine, and thrive—on and off the field.

Entry Donation: $25 per person - Participants must be aged 12 or over on the day of the Polar Plunge.

Event Details
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Dee Why Rock Pool
Registration/Check-in: 8.15am, Torch Run: 8:45am, Polar Plunge: 9am

Sign up at: include.specialolympics.com.au/event/pp-dee-why-25

Open Mic at Palm Beach

Come on down this Sunday from 2–5pm for our Open Mic Afternoon — happening every last Sunday of the month!

Show off your talent, enjoy great vibes, and be part of a supportive local music scene. Don’t miss it!

Club Palm Beach

More places available in innovative jobs program for women

Applications are now open for the 2025 Future Women (FW) Jobs Academy – an innovative pre-employment initiative designed to help women overcome career challenges and connect them with employers.

The NSW Government invested $5.8 million as part of an election promise to support 1,000 women to be part of FW Jobs Academy.

The program is already showing results with nearly 75 per cent of the 2024 participants now actively looking for work or applying for further study, and 85 per cent reporting they now feel well-equipped to search for work.

Flexible, free and online, FW Jobs Academy is a year-long program that equips women with the skills, networks and confidence they need to re-enter the workforce following a career break. The program offers a curated mix of learning, mentoring and community to assist participants navigate evolving job search tools, employer expectations and workplace environments.

The NSW Government is focused on supporting women who face intersecting barriers to securing employment and career progression through FW Jobs Academy. This includes women from the following communities:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, who are prioritised and accepted on an ‘if not why not’ basis
  • women from culturally diverse backgrounds
  • women living with disability
  • women living in regional, rural or remote areas.

Jobs Academy is delivered by FW (formerly Future Women), an Australian-based organisation that was founded in NSW. FW’s programs help women succeed in finding work, building their careers and securing their economic futures. Since launching in 2021, the Jobs Academy program has helped thousands of women to return to work and thrive.

The 2025 program will commence in early August 2025. For more information and to apply, visit the Future Women Jobs Academy web page.

Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said:

“FW Jobs Academy is solving two challenges simultaneously. Helping NSW women overcome the barriers they face in finding meaningful work and achieving financial security and, at the same time, helping employers access an untapped talent pool.

“By supporting more New South Wales women to return to work, the Minns Government is not only empowering women to succeed but addressing critical skills gaps in industries that will drive the future prosperity of our state.

“FW Jobs Academy is helping to unlock the full potential of NSW’s skilled workforce, boosting women’s workforce participation and securing their economic futures.”

FW Managing Director and co-founder of FW Jobs Academy Helen McCabe said:   

“Hundreds of thousands of Australian women would like to return to work but can face multiple and intersecting barriers to paid employment.

“Jobs Academy works because we recognise women as experts in their own lives and, with their input, we’re providing the right balance of education, empowerment and connection to achieve real results.”

FW Deputy Managing and co-founder of FW Jobs Academy Jamila Rizvi said:  

“As Australia faces skills shortages in a variety of occupations, FW Jobs Academy offers a practical pathway for women to be part of the solution.

“Having already supported thousands of women to re-enter the workforce or undertake further study, FW Jobs Academy is boosting workforce participation and productivity, as well as addressing skills shortages and helping families make ends meet.”

Financial help for young people

Concessions and financial support for young people.

Includes:

  • You could receive payments and services from Centrelink: Use the payment and services finder to check what support you could receive.
  • Apply for a concession Opal card for students: Receive a reduced fare when travelling on public transport.
  • Financial support for students: Get financial help whilst studying or training.
  • Youth Development Scholarships: Successful applicants will receive $1000 to help with school expenses and support services.
  • Tertiary Access Payment for students: The Tertiary Access Payment can help you with the costs of moving to undertake tertiary study.
  • Relocation scholarship: A once a year payment if you get ABSTUDY or Youth Allowance if you move to or from a regional or remote area for higher education study.
  • Get help finding a place to live and paying your rent: Rent Choice Youth helps young people aged 16 to 24 years to rent a home.

Visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/living-nsw/young-people/young-people-financial-help

School Leavers Support

Explore the School Leavers Information Kit (SLIK) as your guide to education, training and work options in 2022;
As you prepare to finish your final year of school, the next phase of your journey will be full of interesting and exciting opportunities. You will discover new passions and develop new skills and knowledge.

We know that this transition can sometimes be challenging. With changes to the education and workforce landscape, you might be wondering if your planned decisions are still a good option or what new alternatives are available and how to pursue them.

There are lots of options for education, training and work in 2022 to help you further your career. This information kit has been designed to help you understand what those options might be and assist you to choose the right one for you. Including:
  • Download or explore the SLIK here to help guide Your Career.
  • School Leavers Information Kit (PDF 5.2MB).
  • School Leavers Information Kit (DOCX 0.9MB).
  • The SLIK has also been translated into additional languages.
  • Download our information booklets if you are rural, regional and remote, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or living with disability.
  • Support for Regional, Rural and Remote School Leavers (PDF 2MB).
  • Support for Regional, Rural and Remote School Leavers (DOCX 0.9MB).
  • Support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander School Leavers (PDF 2MB).
  • Support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander School Leavers (DOCX 1.1MB).
  • Support for School Leavers with Disability (PDF 2MB).
  • Support for School Leavers with Disability (DOCX 0.9MB).
  • Download the Parents and Guardian’s Guide for School Leavers, which summarises the resources and information available to help you explore all the education, training, and work options available to your young person.

School Leavers Information Service

Are you aged between 15 and 24 and looking for career guidance?

Call 1800 CAREER (1800 227 337).

SMS 'SLIS2022' to 0429 009 435.

Our information officers will help you:
  • navigate the School Leavers Information Kit (SLIK),
  • access and use the Your Career website and tools; and
  • find relevant support services if needed.
You may also be referred to a qualified career practitioner for a 45-minute personalised career guidance session. Our career practitioners will provide information, advice and assistance relating to a wide range of matters, such as career planning and management, training and studying, and looking for work.

You can call to book your session on 1800 CAREER (1800 227 337) Monday to Friday, from 9am to 7pm (AEST). Sessions with a career practitioner can be booked from Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm.

This is a free service, however minimal call/text costs may apply.

Call 1800 CAREER (1800 227 337) or SMS SLIS2022 to 0429 009 435 to start a conversation about how the tools in Your Career can help you or to book a free session with a career practitioner.

All downloads and more available at: www.yourcareer.gov.au/school-leavers-support

Word Of The Week: Warble

Word of the Week remains a keynote in 2025, simply to throw some disruption in amongst the 'yeah-nah' mix. 

Noun

1. a warbling sound or utterance.

Verb

1. (of a bird) sing softly and with a succession of constantly changing notes.

From: late 14c., in reference to a trumpet, from Old North French werbler "to sing with trills and quavers" (Old French guerbler, guerbloiier), from Frankish werbilon (cognate with Old High German wirbil "whirlwind," German Wirbel "whirl, whirlpool, tuning peg, vertebra," Middle Dutch wervelen "to turn, whirl"); see whirl (v.). Transitive sense is from 1570s. Related: Warbled; warbling. The noun, "a stream of clear, rapid, gliding, melodious tones" is recorded from late 14c.

Compare Gabble

Verb: talk rapidly and unintelligibly.

Noun: rapid unintelligible talk.

The word "gabble" is connected to geese through the collective noun "gaggle". A gaggle refers to a group of geese, especially when they are on land and being noisy. The term "gaggle" is also related to the Middle English word for "cackle", reflecting the loud, often disorderly, sounds geese make.

From: late 16th century: from Dutch gabbelen, of imitative origin.

The word "goose" is a direct descendant of Proto-Indo-European ǵhéns. In Germanic languages, the word-root gave us Old English gōs with the plural gēs and gandra (becoming Modern English goose, geese, gander, respectively), West Frisian goes, gies and guoske, Dutch: gans, ganzen, ganzerik, New High German Gans, Gänse, and Ganter, and Old Norse gás and gæslingr, whence English gosling came from

This term also gave Lithuanian: žąsìs, Irish: (goose, from Old Irish: géiss), Hindi: hans, Latin: anser, Spanish and Portuguese: ganso, Ancient Greek: khēn, Albanian: gatë (swans), Finnish: hanhi, Avestan: zāō, Polish: gęś, Romanian: gâscă / gânsac, Ukrainian: гуска / гусак (huska / husak), Russian: гусыня / гусь (gusyna / gus), Czech: husa, and Persian: ghāz.

Goose fossils have been found ranging from 10 to 12 million years ago (Middle Miocene). Garganornis ballmanni from Late Miocene (~ 6–9 Ma) of Gargano region of central Italy, stood one and a half meters tall and weighed about 22 kilograms. The evidence suggests the bird was flightless, unlike modern geese. Most goose species are migratory, though populations of Canada geese living near human developments may remain in a locality year-round.

Photo: Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) in Naantali, Finland. Photo by Diana Ringo

Compare gab(verb) "talk much," 1786, probably via Scottish and northern England dialect from earlier sense "speak foolishly; talk indiscreetly" (late 14c.), from gabben "to scoff, jeer; mock (someone), ridicule; reproach (oneself)," also "to lie to" (late 13c.), from a Scandinavian source, such as Old Norse gabba "to mock, make fun of," and probably in part from Old French gaber "to mock, jest; brag, boast," which, too, is from Scandinavian. Ultimately perhaps imitative (compare gabble, which might have shaded the sense of this word). Gabber was Middle English for "liar, deceiver; mocker."

In northern English folklore, the cries of migrating geese are associated with "Gabriel Ratchets," which are believed to be a spectral pack of hounds or a harbinger of hard times. This belief stems from the sound of geese flying overhead, which was likened to the baying of dogs. The term "Gabriel" is related to the sound of the geese's calls, while "Ratchets" refers to a hunting dog. Others state the name "Gabriel" may be connected to the "gabble" sound of the geese, or the medieval word for corpse, "gabbe". "Ratchets" is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ræcc," which means a hunting dog.

Rache also spelled racch, rach, and ratch, from Old English ræcc, linked to Old Norse rakkí, is an obsolete name for a type of hunting dog used in Great Britain in the Middle Ages. It was a scenthound used in a pack to run down and kill 'game'.

In Great Britain, they may have included the now-extinct North Country Beagle and Southern Hound, and some paintings of them show them to be Greyhounds alongside Bloodhounds. As styles of hunting changed, and the Bloodhound fell out of use, packs were normally employed on their own to hunt all quarry. Though their name became obsolete, raches must have continued in this use. We may assume that it was from them, rather than the Bloodhound, that the various breeds of pack hounds such as the English Foxhound, English Staghound, Harrier and Beagle were developed. It is apparent that in the 16th and 17th centuries there was a good deal of regional variation in sizes and types of scenthound, from which the prospective Master of Hounds could mix and match to form his pack. - Markham, Gervaise (1615). Country Contentments or The Husbandman's Recreations.

Drawing 1st published in Gessner's Historiae Animalium in the 16th C. This is from 17th C copy. Edward Topsell's History of Four Footed

How poetry can help to fight polarisation and misinformation

Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock
Alex Hubbard, Aberystwyth University

People are becoming more divided and ill informed. In January 2024, a report by the World Economic Forum identified misinformation and disinformation as “the most severe global risk anticipated over the next two years”.

As a result, it predicted “perceptions of reality are likely to also become polarised” – and that unrest resulting from unreliable information may cause “violent protests … hate crimes … civil confrontation and terrorism”. Many people would agree that something is needed to bridge the ever-widening gaps between ourselves.

In my view, this is not just a problem of alternative sets of facts, but a failure to perceive and empathise with that which is outside of our own experiences.

While the smartphone, with its capacity to provide users with sources from across the world, can provide endless opportunity to learn about other perspectives and experiences, research suggests social media increasingly cocoons users within their own interests.

This algorithmically encouraged self-importance means we are stuck in a feedback loop – the echo chamber – where our own experiences, values and desires are seen as the norm.

In contrast, by encouraging people to imagine beyond their own experience, reading poetry can serve as an exercise in seeing things from a different perspective.

Poetry has always been political. The writer and civil-rights activist Audre Lorde argued it produces “a revelatory distillation of experience”. In other words, by distilling aspects of an experience, poetry can reveal powerful truths about reality.

Lorde’s poem Afterimages (1981) records her memory of turning 21 in the same year that 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi. The poem’s revelation is a simple one. For black Americans, coming of age means coming to terms with the constant threat of extreme racial violence.

Poetry’s success often relies upon showing people aspects of the world which they might otherwise have ignored, repressed or simply missed.

Some poetry experiments with form itself to produce this revelatory effect. Estate Fragments (2014) is a long poem written by Gavin Goodwin, exploring the Bettws council estate in Newport. It juxtaposes quotations from academic writing alongside interviews with residents – a practice referred to as “found poetry”.

Goodwin attempts to consider the effect that seemingly abstract political decision-making and discussions have on a particular place and community. Take this stanza:

Increased inequality

ups the stakes

‘People that were younger than you

were more dangerous.’

The first two lines quote Common Culture by Paul Willis (1990), a sociological study in the cultures of young people. The latter are from an interview with a resident of the Bettws estate. Together, they tell a story: national economic inequality causes people in a working-class community to fear each other.

Looking closer and looking deeper

More conventional lyric poetry can still reveal sociopolitical realities. Canadian Métis Nation writer katherena vermette’s collection North End Love Songs (2012) explores the North End in Winnipeg, Canada. In a CBC interview, vermette discussed how the local community are:

The people that get picked on [and] blamed … but what I’m trying to do in my work is to go into looking closer and looking deeper … and seeing that they’re not what they seem.

Misinformation and polarisation cause social tension, as particular groups are generalised and blamed. Vermette’s poem indians explicitly explores the devastation caused by preconceptions of peoples and places.

Red River at sunset
Red River in Winnipeg. Teng Guan/Shutterstock

The poem recalls vermette’s brother going missing, before being found in the Red River, a powerful body of water that moves through Winnipeg. It focuses on the apathy of Winnipeg’s police service, who tell the family that there is “no sense looking”, as the man will return when “he gets bored/or broke”. The authorities come to this conclusion not through investigation, but by reducing the speaker’s brother to racist stereotypes.

This is then contrasted with what the family “finds out”. Not only has the brother drowned, but the “land floods/with dead indians”. The speaker discovers the fate of her brother is also the fate of many other Métis people in Winnipeg. This personal experience of loss comes to speak for many other loses:

indians get drunk

don’t we know it?

do stupid things

like being young

like going home alone

like walking across a frozen river

not quite frozen

Vermette links grief to struggles against systematic apathy and oppression. The poem’s sense of politics, people and place are a central part of its poetics.

Audre Lorde looking pensive
Audre Lorde in 1980. Wiki Commons, CC BY

Such explicitness means the poem meaningfully connects to important political issues – drawing attention to the startlingly high number of missing people found and suspected to be in the Red River. As such, it can also link to important grassroots initiatives like Drag the Red, which aims to “find answers about missing loved ones” which might lie in the river.

While North End Love Songs was published two years before Drag the Red’s formation, the poem and initiative are clearly formed by the same kind of traumatic, sociopolitical events.

Newsfeeds increasingly silo us into comfortable ways of thinking and perceiving. Forty years on, Lorde’s declaration that poetry “is not a luxury” takes on a whole new meaning. Now, it might be a political necessity.


Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.The Conversation

Alex Hubbard, Associate lecturer in English Literature and Creative Writing, Aberystwyth University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

‘Fibremaxxing’ is trending – here’s why that could be a problem

Soluble fibre. Towfiqu ahamed barbhuiya/Shutterstock.com
Lewis Mattin, University of Westminster

You need fibre. That much is true. But in the world of online health trends, what started out as sound dietary advice has spiralled into “fibremaxxing” – a push to consume eye-watering amounts in the name of wellness.

In the UK, NHS guidelines suggest that an adult should consume at least 30g of fibre a day. Children and teens typically need much less.

Yet despite clear guidelines, most Britons fall short of their daily fibre target. One major culprit? The rise of ultra-processed foods, or UPFs. UK adults now get over 54% of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods. For teenagers, it’s nearer 66%.

This matters because UPFs are typically low in fibre and micronutrients, while being high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. When these foods dominate our plate, naturally fibre-rich whole foods get pushed out.

Studies show that as ultra-processed food intake increases, fibre consumption decreases, along with other essential nutrients. The result is a population falling well short of its daily fibre target.

Dietary fibre is essential for good health as part of a balanced diet. And it is best found in natural plant-based foods.

Adding high fibre foods to your meals and snacks throughout a typical day, such as switching to wholegrain bread for breakfast, keeping the skin on fruits like an apple, adding lentils and onions to a chilli evening meal and eating a handful of pumpkin seeds or Brazil nuts between meals, would help an average person hit their 30g-a-day dietary requirements.

Displacement

With fibremaxxing, what might make this trend somewhat dangerous is the removal of other food groups such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats and replacing them with fibre-dense foods, supplements or powder. This is where the potential risk could mitigate the benefits of increasing fibre, as no robust studies in humans – as far as I’m aware – have been conducted on long-term fibre intakes over 40g a day. (Some advocates of fibremaxxing suggest consuming between 50 and 100g a day.)

Eating too much fibre too quickly – especially without enough water – can lead to bloating, cramping and constipation. It can also cause a buildup of gas that can escape at the most inconvenient moments, like during a daily commute.

Commuters looking suspiciously at someone off-camera.
Someone’s been fibremaxxing. William Perugini/Shutterstock.com

Rapidly increasing fibre intake or consuming too much can interfere with the absorption of essential micronutrients like iron, which supports normal body function, as well as macronutrients, which provide the energy needed for movement, repair and adaptation.

However, it’s important to remember that increasing fibre in your diet offers a wide range of health benefits. It supports a healthy digestive system by promoting regular bowel movements and reducing the occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease.

Soluble fibre helps to regulate blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of glucose, making it especially helpful for people at risk of type 2 diabetes. It also lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. Fibre keeps you feeling full for longer, which supports healthy weight management and appetite regulation. These findings are all well documented.

Additionally, a high-fibre diet has been linked to a lower risk of certain cancers, particularly colon cancer, by helping to remove toxins efficiently from the body. Gradually increasing fibre intake to recommended levels – through a balanced, varied diet – can offer real health benefits.

Given the evidence, it’s clear that many of us could benefit from eating more fibre – but within reason.

Until we know more, it’s safest to stick to fibre intake within current guidelines, and get it from natural sources rather than powders or supplements. Fibre is vital, but more isn’t always better. Skip the social media fads and aim for balance: whole grains, veg, nuts and seeds. Your gut – and your fellow commuters – will thank you.The Conversation

Lewis Mattin, Senior Lecturer, Life Sciences, University of Westminster

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash

Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock
Dimitrios Salampasis, Swinburne University of Technology

Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial advice.

Consumers should not believe everything they see on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube from the growing numbers of “finfluencers” – content creators who build their audience by giving out financial advice.

The regulator responsible for financial products and advice, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has issued warning notices to 18 social media finfluencers. ASIC said it suspects they have broken the law by promoting high-risk financial products or providing unlicensed financial advice. ASIC did not name them.

So, why is regulated financial advice important and what are some of the common practices finfluencers use to attract followers and customers?

Financial advice rules explained

Australian Financial Services laws are designed to protect consumers and investors, while promoting the integrity of financial markets. It is both unethical and illegal to promote financial products without proper authorisation.

In Australia, it is an offence under the Corporations Act to provide financial advice without an Australian Financial Services licence. Penalties include up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of A$1 million or more.

ASIC issued a similar warning to online finfluencers in 2022. Since then, the number of social media posts by unauthorised finfluencers have substantially reduced.

Many finfluencers became licensed or authorised representatives of a licensee, along with being more diligent about what they were posting online. Natasha Etschmann, with 300,000 Instagram and TikTok followers at @TashInvests, became licensed immediately after the 2022 warning.

Some other finfluencers were arrested, issued fines or ordered to take down their websites.

High-risk products

However, some finfluencers who style themselves as “trading experts” continue to provide unauthorised financial advice, usually for a fee or commission. They promote high-risk, complex investment products that can cause consumers substantial harm.

These products include contracts-for-difference and over-the-counter derivative products that do not trade on an exchange. ASIC says its current concerns lie with these content creators:

Their social media content is often accompanied by misleading or deceptive representations about the prospects of success from the products or trading strategies they promote, sharing images of lavish lifestyles, sports cars and other luxury goods.

What to watch on socials

About 41% of young Australians aged 18 to 30 look online for financial information or advice.

While budgeting tips can be helpful, it’s important to be extra careful with online financial advice. Consumers should not believe everything they see on social media.

Conducting due diligence and checking finfluencers’ credentials on ASIC’s Professional Registers search tool is crucial. Choose expert and licensed finfluencers rather than accounts with large followings and exaggerated or misleading claims. Popularity does not always mean credibility.

There are certain red flags to watch out for. Some finfluencers use pseudonyms. They promote “exclusive” financial advice content and access to “invitation-only” online communities for a fee. In many cases, they lack credible experience or certified financial planning training to provide financial advice.

Your finfluencer vetting toolkit

When choosing to follow or acquire the services of a finfluencer, ask:

  1. is this finfluencer licensed or authorised?

  2. how realistic are the promised financial outcomes? Are they too good to be true?

  3. does the finfluencer disclose their personal financial position or investments when discussing financial products or strategies?

  4. are they transparent about their track record of accuracy or accountability?

  5. do they address publicly a case when their audience lost money from a strategy they recommended?

  6. does the finfluencer tailor content to different investment risk profiles or financial maturity levels in their audiences?

Are you being sold a dream?

Social media finfluencer content can often come with misleading or deceptive representations (such as the sports cars and luxury goods that ASIC has warned about). Content may overstate the prospects of success and potential profits.

Some – usually unlicensed – finfluencers use social media content as “proof” of their financial expertise. One common practice is to try to lure consumers by creating a hyped world around their own personal lifestyle. Many finfluencers often extend invitations to consumers to join closed forums to “learn” their hidden secrets to success or copy their “famous” trading practices.

These finfluencers usually try to convince consumers they can achieve a similar lifestyle by following their advice.

Finfluencers are global

ASIC issued the warnings as part of a recent global week of action. ASIC and eight regulators from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Hong Kong and Canada took coordinated action to disrupt unlawful finfluencer activity.
The global campaign aims to raise awareness about unlawful finfluencer activity, protect consumers, and prevent them from investing after encountering misleading content.

Consumers need to distinguish between credible financial advice and self-serving or misleading content before trusting their money to anyone.

Spotted unlicensed influencer activity? Report this misconduct to ASIC.The Conversation

Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor, Emerging Technologies and FinTech | FinTech Capability Lead, Swinburne University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

‘Provocative in a good way’: John Hirst was a rigorous historian, independent thinker and passionate believer in Australia

Convict gang, Sydney – Augustus Earle (1830) Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Anna Clark, University of Technology Sydney

I first read John Hirst (1942-2016) as an undergraduate in the late 1990s as part of a subject on 19th-century Australian history. We discussed convict history and explored contrasting views about its role and function in the early colonies. What was life as a convict like? Was transportation a cruel punishment or a ticket to a better future? Could we compare the convict system to slavery?

Hirst’s Convict Society and Its Enemies was one of our required readings and I studied it with interest.


Review: John Hirst: Selected Writings – edited by Chris Feik (Black Inc.)


I had devoured Robert Hughes’s The Fatal Shore the previous summer and had been powerfully swayed by his descriptions of visceral cruelty in the penal colony. There were convicts who rubbed lime in their own eyes because blindness was preferable to working in the kilns. Others were whipped until flesh hung in strips from their backs and collapsed on treadmills from exhaustion.

Hirst demurred. Yes, there was violence, he agreed, but England was a violent place in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Rather than judge, historians must understand the broader context of that world. Comparing convicts to slaves overlooked historical evidence that pointed to the relative freedom convicts enjoyed in colonial society.

Due to the dire shortage of labour, for example, convicts were able to control aspects of their own lives, working on their daily tasks for the state in the morning and then having their “own time” after the day’s work was done. This not only facilitated considerable freedom for convicts, but also their power in the fledgling society.

Following their sentences, convicts were free to own property and, from 1842, even to vote and stand for the New South Wales Legislative Council. Critically, the children of convicts were all born free, not into servitude.

Impact and legacy

The central arguments of Convict Society and Its Enemies are reproduced in an essay included in this posthumous collection of Hirst’s writings, edited by Chris Feik. The book catalogues some of Hirst’s major contributions to Australian historiography, spanning 50 years of scholarship from the mid 1970s.

How Did a Penal Colony Change Peacefully into a Democracy? is classic Hirst. The prose is crisp and succinct, avoiding jargon and calmly outlining the logic of its contention, drawn from a deep reading of the sources. Hirst critiques what he sees as convict research motivated by ideology rather than the evidence of this period in Australia’s past. In doing so, he sets himself apart from historians who viewed the convicts as victims of a brutal, dehumanising system.

Selected Writings also includes short personal reflections from a fellow historian, a former student, and a colleague, which help frame the impact and legacy of Hirst’s work. His intellectual independence is noted by each of the three contributors.

“Hirst prided himself on his resistance to the current of fashionable opinion,” notes Frank Bongiorno, “and he was above all else a fiercely independent individual.” This wasn’t about being contrary, adds Alex McDermott, but a process of applying the same critical analysis to the field as he did to his primary sources. Hirst “viewed his project as more than mere provocation”. He was both a passionate believer in Australia, as well as a fiercely independent voice, writes Robert Manne.

Bongiorno, McDermott and Manne all emphasise Hirst’s personal generosity and commitment to teaching and the profession – he was clearly loved by generations of students. Upon the book’s release, I was struck by comments on social media and at conferences from colleagues and former students who remembered acts of kindness that accompanied Hirst’s rigorous commitment to debate.

This collection feels like a faithful reflection of that contribution to Australian history.

John Hirst had an ‘ongoing interest in the emergence of Australian democracy’. The opening of the Parliament of Australia on May 9 1901, Melbourne – Tom Roberts (1903) Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A historian’s conscience

Selected Writings covers several major themes Hirst pursued in his research. We see a persuasive defence of democracy and an ongoing interest in the emergence of Australian democracy, in particular. Hirst’s account of national sentiment as a driver towards federation is compelling, as it understands the important imaginative leap required to hold a nation together beyond the establishment of political institutions. And his belief in republicanism is a thread he returned to across his career.

Another substantial theme is Hirst’s belief in, and support for, the history discipline. At the heart of his approach and practice is a contention that evidence and source criticism fundamentally broaden our knowledge of the past. Ideas are tested, and debates between historians are equally intrinsic to evaluating hypotheses and arguments.

Reading this diverse collection, I find Hirst’s writing provocative in a good way. I often had to pause and ask myself, do I agree or disagree here? What is my argument? Where is the evidence for my opinion?

Hirst’s body of work represents an implicit but powerful defence of evidence-based history at a time when the truth is under attack from venal Trumpism and students are submitting dispiriting essays written by GenAI. He was a powerful advocate for the discipline, advancing what history educators would call a form of historical literacy or historical thinking.

In response to the Howard Government’s proposal to develop a national history curriculum in 2006, for example, Hirst agreed with the need for a more rigorous and coordinated approach to the subject. Yet he also insisted that history’s purpose must be to teach the skills of empirical research and criticism, rather than jingoism.

John Hirst in 2015. Matthew Duchesne, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

Given the spread of these essays and the genealogy of Hirst’s career, it was a curious decision to organise the collection thematically, rather than chronologically. I am aware this criticism is likely framed by my own interests, and a thematic approach allows for a different organisation of ideas, but I did wonder what context was perhaps missed by not seeing the evolution of Hirst’s writing over time.

For example, the essay Changing My Mind appears first, but reflects back on Hirst’s career in Australian history. I was also surprised that one of his most well-known (and controversial) essays was not included in the collection or cited in the select bibliography. It’s another piece I first read as an undergraduate – a pointed critique of Creating a Nation by Patricia Grimshaw, Marilyn Lake, Ann McGrath and Marian Quartly, published in Quadrant in 1995, in which Hirst questioned whether a gendered history of Australia could and should be written. “A history of gender relations,” he argued, “is something less than the history of the nation.”

Obviously, all edited collections require curatorial decisions based on all sorts of reasons, but the exclusion of this essay was notable, given its prominence.

Other pieces in Selected Writings include Hirst’s critiques of what he termed the “black school” of Australian history writing. He was referring to the movement of historical revision advanced by labour, feminist, migrant and First Nations histories, which have challenged Australia’s understanding of its historical “progress”.

Hirst resisted this movement for being ideologically driven. But that is not to say he wasn’t interested in the “historian’s conscience”. He was, deeply. The essay that opens the collection was published in a volume on that very topic.

Yet his commitment to the history discipline also ran up against a growing acknowledgement within the field that empirical history has been complicit in and essential to exploitative systems of imperialism and colonisation. Hirst wanted historians to understand the past in context. “History writing will always reflect our current preoccupations,” he argued, “but as a disciplined enquiry it is also committed to understanding past people in their own terms.”

It’s a view that has been challenged in recent decades, as historians have sought to understand the ways history itself has legitimised and storied the settler-colonial project by curating its own archives and rules of historical evidence. As well as uncovering the past, history also has its own “blind eyes”, as Catherine Hall famously acknowledged.

Given Hirst’s commitment to debate, and his belief in collegiality and the sharing of ideas, that is a spirited discussion I reckon he would have been up for.The Conversation

Anna Clark, Professor in Public History, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Water recycling is paramount for space stations and long-duration missions − an environmental engineer explains how the ISS does it

The water recovery system on the ISS is state of the art. Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File
Berrin Tansel, Florida International University

When you’re on a camping trip, you might have to pack your own food and maybe something to filter or treat water that you find. But imagine your campsite is in space, where there’s no water, and packing jugs of water would take up room when every inch of cargo space counts. That’s a key challenge engineers faced when designing the International Space Station.

Before NASA developed an advanced water recycling system, water made up nearly half the payload of shuttles traveling to the ISS. I am an environmental engineer and have conducted research at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Laboratory. As part of this work, I helped to develop a closed-loop water recovery system.

Today, NASA recovers over 90% of the water used in space. Clean water keeps an astronaut crew hydrated, hygienic and fed, as it can use it to rehydrate food. Recovering used water is a cornerstone of closed-loop life support, which is essential for future lunar bases, Mars missions and even potential space settlements.

A rack of machinery.
A close-up view of the water recovery system’s racks – these contain the hardware that provides a constant supply of clean water for four to six crew members aboard the ISS. NASA

NASA’s environmental control and life support system is a set of equipment and processes that perform several functions to manage air and water quality, waste, atmospheric pressure and emergency response systems such as fire detection and suppression. The water recovery system − one component of environmental control and life support − supports the astronauts aboard the ISS and plays a central role in water recycling.

Water systems built for microgravity

In microgravity environments like the ISS, every form of water available is valuable. The water recovery systems on the ISS collect water from several sources, including urine, moisture in cabin air, and hygiene – meaning from activities such as brushing teeth.

On Earth, wastewater includes various types of water: residential wastewater from sinks, showers and toilets; industrial wastewater from factories and manufacturing processes; and agricultural runoff, which contains fertilizers and pesticides.

In space, astronaut wastewater is much more concentrated than Earth-based wastewater. It contains significantly higher levels of urea – a compound from urine – salts, and surfactants from soaps and materials used for hygiene. To make the water safe to drink, the system needs to remove all of these quickly and effectively.

The water recovery systems used in space employ some of the same principles as Earth-based water treatment. However, they are specifically engineered to function in microgravity with minimal maintenance. These systems also must operate for months or even years without the need for replacement parts or hands-on intervention.

NASA’s water recovery system captures and recycles nearly all forms of water used or generated aboard the space station. It routes the collected wastewater to a system called the water processor assembly, where it is purified into safe, potable water that exceeds many Earth-based drinking water standards.

The water recovery and treatment system on the ISS consists of several subsystems.

Recovering water from urine and sweat

The urine processor assembly recovers about 75% of the water from urine by heating and vacuum compression. The recovered water is sent to the water processor assembly for further treatment. The remaining liquid, called brine, still contains a significant amount of water. So, NASA developed a brine processor assembly system to extract the final fraction of water from this urine brine.

In the brine processor assembly, warm, dry air evaporates water from the leftover brine. A filter separates the contaminants from the water vapor, and the water vapor is collected to become drinking water. This innovation pushed the water recovery system’s overall water recovery rate to an impressive 98%. The remaining 2% is combined with the other waste generated.

An astronaut in a red shirt holds a small metal cylinder.
The filter used in brine processing has helped achieve 98% recovery. NASA

The air revitalization system condenses moisture from the cabin air – primarily water vapor from sweat and exhalation – into liquid water. It directs the recovered water to the water processor assembly, which treats all the collected water.

Treating recovered water

The water processor assembly’s treatment process includes several steps.

First, all the recovered water goes through filters to remove suspended particles such as dust. Then, a series of filters removes salts and some of the organic contaminants, followed by a chemical process called catalytic oxidation that uses heat and oxygen to break down the remaining organic compounds. The final step is adding iodine to the water to prevent microbial growth while it is stored.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata next to the International Space Station’s water recovery system, which recycles urine and wastewater into drinking water. As Wakata humorously puts it, ‘Here on board the ISS, we turn yesterday’s coffee into tomorrow’s coffee.’

The output is potable water — often cleaner than municipal tap water on Earth.

Getting to Mars and beyond

To make human missions to Mars possible, NASA has estimated that spacecraft must reclaim at least 98% of the water used on board. While self-sustaining travel to Mars is still a few years away, the new brine processor on the ISS has increased the water recovery rate enough that this 98% goal is now in reach. However, more work is needed to develop a compact system that can be used in a space ship.

The journey to Mars is complex, not just because of the distance involved, but because Mars and Earth are constantly moving in their respective orbits around the Sun.

The distance between the two planets varies depending on their positions. On average, they’re about 140 million miles (225 million km) apart, with the shortest theoretical approach, when the two planets’ orbits bring them close together, taking 33.9 million miles (54.6 million km).

A typical crewed mission is expected to take about nine months one way. A round-trip mission to Mars, including surface operations and return trajectory planning, could take around three years. In addition, launch windows occur only every 26 months, when Earth and Mars align favorably.

As NASA prepares to send humans on multiyear expeditions to the red planet, space agencies around the world continue to focus on improving propulsion and perfecting life support systems. Advances in closed-loop systems, robotic support and autonomous operations are all inching the dream of putting humans on Mars closer to reality.The Conversation

Berrin Tansel, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

As Spotify moves to video, the environmental footprint of music streaming hits the high notes

CarlosBarquero/Shutterstock
Hussein Boon, University of Westminster

Spotify currently has 675 million active users. Now, as it expands into video for music streaming and as more people use Spotify, the app’s environmental footprint is set to increase.

In-video advertisements that aim to increase ad revenue involve AI to tap into a users’ preferences. This means lots of individual videos with minor differences requiring additional processing scaled to the user’s streaming resolution.

But while Spotify used to publish data on its environmental costs, its reports have been incomplete since 2021. As American author and scholar, Shoshanna Zuboff points out in her book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, many tech companies lack environmental accountability.

The Carbon Trust, a consultancy that helps businesses reduce their carbon footprints, works to globally promote a sustainable future and has calculated the European average carbon footprint for video streaming as producing 55g of CO₂e per hour. This CO₂e or carbon dioxide equivalent is a comparable measure of the potential effect of different greenhouse gases on the climate: 55g of CO₂e is 50 times more than audio streaming and the equivalent of microwaving four bags of popcorn.

woman at cafe table with laptop open watching music video
Online music videos are becoming the default - but at what environmental cost? Song_about_summer/Shutterstock

As a music technology and AI researcher, I’m aware of the shift in responsibility that comes with Spotify’s video innovations. While companies’ significant role in generating emissions should not be diminished, the shift of responsibility fromt he platform to users and content creators means that better informed choices about their streaming devices and streaming quality settings larger screens need to be made. Streaming at higher resolutions becomes significant factors in increasing video’s carbon footprint.

This increased responsibility means that end users needs to make better informed choices about their streaming devices and streaming quality settings.

While companies’ significant role in generating emissions should not be diminished, this shift of responsibility to the end user means that larger screens and streaming at higher resolutions become significant factors in increasing video’s carbon footprint.

Location also affects how carbon emissions are managed. Germany has the largest carbon footprint for video streaming at 76g CO₂e per hour of streaming, reflecting its continued reliance on coal and fossil fuels. In the UK, this figure is 48g CO₂e per hour, because its energy mix includes renewables and natural gas, increasingly with nuclear as central to the UK’s low-carbon future. France, with a reliance on nuclear is the lowest, at 10g CO₂e per hour.

There is an absolute burden of responsibility on tech and media companies to reduce their carbon emissions and to be transparent about their efforts to do so. In fact, net zero cannot be achieved without commitments from the major technology companies, many of which are based in the US whose government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol and withdrew from the Paris agreement in 2020 which are both significant global efforts to combat climate change.

Eco-conscious music streaming

A French thinktank called the Shift Project advocates for people and companies to adopt “digital sobriety” (the mindful use of digital tech) to ensure efficiency and sustainability. For example, research shows that the UK could reduce its carbon output by more 16,433 tonnes if each adult sent one less thank you email a day.

Certainly aimless streaming should be avoided because video decoding can account for 35-50% of playback energy on user devices. However, music video is more than mere music. As I have argued in my own work, video “provides a layer of meaning making not present in lyrics or audio alone”.

Video can bring marginalised music makers, cultures and ideas to the foreground by tackling difficult subjects. Like the work of Syrian-American rapper, poet, activist and chaplain Mona Haydar’s Wrap My Hijab or UK grime rapper Drillminister and his critique of neo-liberalism and trickle-down economics Nouveau Riche.

To minimise the environmental footprint of your own music streaming, use Wi-Fi rather than 4G or 5G. If you listen to a song repeatedly, purchase a download to play. Use localised storage rather than cloud-based systems for all of your music and video files. Reduce auto-play, aimless background streaming or using streaming as a sleep aid by changing the default settings on your device including reducing streaming resolution. And turn your camera off for video calls, as carbon emissions are 25 times more than for audio only.


Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.The Conversation


Hussein Boon, Principal Lecturer - Music, University of Westminster

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Man from Hong Kong at 50: how the first ever Australian–Hong Kong co-production became a cult classic

LMPC via Getty Images
Gregory Ferris, University of Technology Sydney

A cinematic firecracker of a film exploded onto international screens 50 years ago this week, blending martial arts mayhem, Bond-esque set pieces, casual racism – and a distinctly Australian swagger.

From its audacious visual style; to its complex, life-threatening stunts; to its pioneering status as an international co-production, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s The Man from Hong Kong has solidified its place as a cult classic.

The plot is deceptively simple. A Sydney-based crime lord’s activities come under the scrutiny of a determined Hong Kong detective, Inspector Fang Sing Leng. A fiery East-meets-West martial arts showdown explodes across the Australian landscape, pushing both sides to their limits.

Jimmy Wang Yu (known at the time as Asia’s Steve McQueen) plays Inspector Fang Sing Leng. Fang delivers justice with his fists and uses his wits navigating greater Sydney, with help from the local constabulary and its adoring female population.

The movie is a playful pastiche that confidently combines martial arts action, police procedurals, spy thrillers, and Westerns, all filtered through a distinctly Australian “crash-zoom” lens.

An Australia–Hong Kong co-production

The Man from Hong Kong was the first official Australia–Hong Kong co-production, uniting Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studio with Australian producer John Fraser.

This model would pave the way for numerous future collaborations – the film demonstrating that Australia was open for international (film) business, albeit with some constraints, such as shooting locales.

In The Man from Hong Kong’s case, the financial arrangement was 50/50. As a result, half of the film had to be shot in Hong Kong, despite 85% of the storyline being set in Australia. Many of the interiors were filmed in Hong Kong studios to meet this production requirement.

An example of this is the interrogation scene, which alternates between its Sydney exteriors and a fight scene taking place in the interior film set shot thousands of miles away at the Golden Harvest studios.

In a genius bit of montage, the scene jumps from a shot of a kick in the crotch to a close-up of pool balls breaking on a table.

A film of cunning stunts

The Man from Hong Kong served as a reunion of sorts for many of the cast and crew, either starring in Stone (1974) or featuring in Trenchard-Smith’s documentary about martial arts films, Kung Fu Killers (1974).

The film was an influence to Quentin Tarantino and paved the way for films such as Mad Max (1979), particularly in what Trenchard-Smith and his partner in film, stunt legend Grant Page, might call its “cunning stunts”.

The elaborate car chases and explosive stunt setups in The Man from Hong Kong served as prototypes for iconic sequences that would inspire the Mad Max films, among others, a testament to a bygone era of practical effects and thrill seeking audacity.

Car crashes and other explosive stunts were executed without permits or road closures. This sense of chaos is heightened by the stunts being performed by the actors themselves, adding a sense of immediacy and peril.

An example of this is set on the cliffs at Stanwell Park. Wang Yu drives at speed towards the waiting Caroline, executing a precision gravel slide that misses Caroline’s car by under a metre, the shot continuing as he exits the car to greet her.

Part character, and part tourism advert

Trenchard-Smith’s script wasn’t shy in its depiction of culture clash, especially when it came to the racist attitudes of the Australian characters.

But as Trenchard-Smith recalls:

Our lead character, a Chinese Dirty Harry/James Bond upends these racial stereotypes by being smarter, sexier, and tougher than his opponents.

Cinematographer Russell Boyd brings a sharp, dynamic (did I mention the crash-zooms?) visual style to the film that deftly matches the on-screen action.

The film’s Australian setting is part character and part tourism advert – from the “Ayers Rock” (Uluru) cold opener, to the cafe scene on the Opera House forecourt.

Pure cinema

Stunt legend Grant Page appears in multiple villainous roles throughout the film, with the martial arts choreography handled by the legendary director Sammo Hung, who also played the role of Win Chan.

The cast was a fascinating mix of talent and personality. Wang Yu, a martial arts icon, was also an established film director, leading to creative clashes on set with Trenchard-Smith.

Playing the film’s villain is George Lazenby, whose casting added another layer of meta-textual intrigue, positioning him as an antagonist to a character who was explicitly a Bond villain archetype.

The Man from Hong Kong remains an exhilarating piece of pure cinema, despite its relatively small budget. It’s an exemplar (and occasional cautionary tale) for filmmakers in terms of international co-production, its cunning stunts, and genre blending.

The film is a testament to a moment when Australian cinema was confidently looking outwards, ready to take on the world, one explosive car crash at a time.The Conversation

Gregory Ferris, Senior Lecturer, Media Arts & Production, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Top Australian writers urge Albanese to abolish Job-Ready Graduates, calling their humanities degrees life changing

Caitlin Macdonald, University of Sydney

“Earning a humanities degree was not only life changing, in terms of opening up a world of knowledge otherwise beyond my reach, it also turns out to have been enormously productive – for me and many, many people around me,” said Tim Winton this week. “My little arts degree has created jobs and cultural value for over 40 years.”

Winton is one of more than 100 high-profile Australians with Bachelor of Arts degrees who have signed an open letter by the Australian Historical Association (AHA). It urges Anthony Albanese to abolish the Morrison government’s widely condemned Job-Ready Graduates package and establish an equitable university fee system that “does not punish students who choose to study the humanities and social sciences”.

Writers who have signed include Nam Le, Helen Garner, Tim Flannery and Kate Grenville, who said her humanities and history studies were “absolutely essential” to the writing of her books. The signatories range widely across Australian intellectual life, from Megan Davis, co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue and chair of Australian Studies at Harvard, to musician and former Labor minister Peter Garrett.

In the lead-up to the 2022 election, Labor promised a review of the scheme. Two years and two federal elections later, it remains in place. “The idea that a Labor government would do nothing at all to right this wrong is utterly mystifying,” said Winton.

A sustained political attack

Job-Ready Graduates claimed to guide students toward areas of national need by reducing fees for degrees in STEM, education and nursing – while raising fees for other degrees, including the humanities. Philosophy, history and literature bore some of the steepest increases.

The cost of an arts degree now exceeds A$50,000. History fees alone jumped 117% when the policy took effect. The result? Humanities enrolments have dropped to a ten-year low.

Historian Michelle Arrow, AHA president, is the convener of the letter. “There has been a sustained political attack on the humanities,” she recently told Good Weekend. That attack now spans two governments and three education ministers.

The Job-Ready Graduates policy did not increase places in those cheaper degrees. Instead, it penalised students who chose disciplines with more ambiguous career outcomes. These shifts reinforced a message: that such choices are self-indulgent and economically irrational.

Universities, meanwhile, face escalating costs and volatile revenue from international students. In that context, humanities departments are an easy target.

At the University of Wollongong, up to 124 full-time jobs are being cut as part of a $30 million cost-saving restructure, with significant losses across the humanities. At Macquarie, entire majors in sociology and politics are being eliminated. The University of Tasmania is shedding up to 13 arts and humanities roles.

These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a broader pattern of disinvestment. This is not drift; it is deliberate dismantling.

Humanities faculties are being restructured not because they cost too much to run, but because they are perceived to return too little. Yet the skills they foster – interpretive reasoning, ethical judgement, historical understanding – remain essential to democratic life.

Teaching us to sit with contradiction

Teaching literature at university, I have seen how the study of complex texts fosters not just critical thinking, but a slower, more deliberative mode of engagement.

Carpentaria author Alexis Wright. Abigail Varney/Giramondo

Wrestling with Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria, Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future or George Eliot’s Middlemarch is not about extracting quick answers.

Wright’s novel grapples with sovereignty, environmental stewardship and intergenerational trauma. It invites us into a kind of intellectual disorientation – which is the beginning of serious thinking. Robinson imagines a near-future world on the brink of climate collapse, and how we might respond to its challenges. Middlemarch is a slow education in moral attention.

These works cultivate patience, tolerance for ambiguity and the ability to sit with contradiction. These are not only academic skills; they are habits of mind essential to civic life.

At St Andrew’s College within the University of Sydney, I recently observed students engaging with the poetry of John Keats and Emily Dickinson, Pascal’s Wager and the Ship of Theseus, an ancient paradox regarding identity and change over time. Not as academic curiosities, but as frameworks for judgement and moral reasoning.

Students practised a kind of learning that is increasingly rare: slow, rigorous and open-ended. It required nuance, comparison and a tolerance for uncertainty. These were not exercises in arriving at answers, but in developing the capacity to think clearly when no obvious answer exists.

Take Keats’s idea of “negative capability”: the capacity to remain “in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason”. In a world of polarisation and misinformation, this disposition is more relevant than ever. Reading Keats doesn’t just inform us about Romantic poetry – it models how to remain intellectually and ethically open.

John Keats – Joseph Severn (c.1822) Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pascal’s Wager, a philosophical argument that frames belief in God as a rational bet under uncertainty, reframes the question of belief. Rather than ask if God exists, it does not ask is it true?, but what happens if you bet wrongly? It opens a door beyond theology – to ethics, probability and decision-making under uncertainty.

This is something the broader university system is increasingly struggling to preserve: learning as a form of ethical formation, rather than mere information transfer.

This kind of learning is slow. It resists metrics of productivity. It can’t be sped up or automated. But it is precisely what builds ethical capacity in future lawyers, teachers, doctors, journalists and citizens.

We risk leaving students ‘soul starved’

There is irony in this moment. As Nick Bryant writes in his Good Weekend article, history podcasts are booming. Philosophy books routinely shape national conversations. Humanities graduates remain employable across sectors precisely because they can read closely, write clearly and think critically. The appetite for big, messy human questions is real – and yet the institutions that trained people to ask them are shrinking.

Reports from employers continue to cite communication, judgement and adaptability among the most desirable graduate traits. These so-called “soft skills” are essential in law, health, diplomacy and policy – all fields where decisions carry real moral weight. When pandemic responses required weighing privacy against public safety, or vaccine equity against speed, the skills in play weren’t just technical. They were interpretive. Ethical. Human.

This is not abstract. During myriad global crises, humanities-trained advocates and writers play key roles in reshaping public messaging. Indigenous-led campaigns for Voice, Treaty and Truth from the Uluru Statement of the Heart have drawn not only on legal frameworks, but on storytelling traditions, cultural knowledge and historical understanding – all core to the humanities. These moments remind us: change isn’t only engineered. It’s narrated, debated, imagined into being.

The Universities Accord Final Report has now acknowledged that the Job-Ready Graduates scheme “failed to meet its objectives” and recommended urgent reform. Not all learning is “job-ready.” Some forms of knowledge are valuable because they deepen our understanding, sharpen our empathy, or expand our imagination.

The erosion of the humanities is not just a policy failure. It is a failure of imagination. We make students ready for the job market. But without the tools to think deeply, imagine ethically and reason clearly, we risk leaving them soul-starved.The Conversation

Caitlin Macdonald, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The world at your finger tips: Online

With current advice to stay at home and self-isolate, when you come in out of the garden, have had your fill of watching movies and want to explore something new, there's a whole world of books you can download, films you can watch and art galleries you can stroll through - all from at home and via the internet. This week a few suggestions of some of the resources available for you to explore and enjoy. For those who have a passion for Art - this month's Artist of the Month is the Online Australian Art Galleries and State Libraries where you can see great works of art from all over the world  and here - both older works and contemporary works.

Also remember the Project Gutenberg Australia - link here- has heaps of great books, not just focused on Australian subjects but fiction works by popular authors as well. Well worth a look at.

Short Stories for Teenagers you can read for free online

StoryStar is an online resource where you can access and read short stories for teenagers

About

Storystar is a totally FREE short stories site featuring some of the best short stories online, written by/for kids, teens, and adults of all ages around the world, where short story writers are the stars, and everyone is free to shine! Storystar is dedicated to providing a free place where everyone can share their stories. Stories can entertain us, enlighten us, and change us. Our lives are full of stories; stories of joy and sorrow, triumph and tragedy, success and failure. The stories of our lives matter. Share them. Sharing stories with each other can bring us closer together and help us get to know one another better. Please invite your friends and family to visit Storystar to read, rate and share all the short stories that have been published here, and to tell their stories too.

StoryStar headquarters are located on the central Oregon coast.

NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

The doors may be temporarily closed but when it comes to the NFSA, we are always open online. We have content for Kids, Animal Lovers, Music fans, Film buffs & lots more.

You can explore what’s available online at the NFSA, see more in the link below.

https://bit.ly/2U8ORjH


NLA Ebooks - Free To Download

The National Library of Australia provides access to thousands of ebooks through its website, catalogue and eResources service. These include our own publications and digitised historical books from our collections as well as subscriptions to collections such as Chinese eResources, Early English Books Online and Ebsco ebooks.

What are ebooks?
Ebooks are books published in an electronic format. They can be read by using a personal computer or an ebook reader.

This guide will help you find and view different types of ebooks in the National Library collections.

Peruse the NLA's online ebooks, ready to download - HERE

The Internet Archive and Digital Library

The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge." It provides free public access to collections of digitised materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, movies, videos, moving images, and millions of public-domain books. There's lots of Australian materials amongst the millions of works on offer.

Visit:  https://archive.org/


Avalon Youth Hub: More Meditation Spots

Due to popular demand our meditation evenings have EXPANDED. Two sessions will now be run every Wednesday evening at the Hub. Both sessions will be facilitated by Merryn at Soul Safaris.

6-7pm - 12 - 15 year olds welcome
7-8pm - 16 - 25 year olds welcome

No experience needed. Learn and develop your mindfulness and practice meditation in a group setting.

For all enquires, message us via facebook or email help@avalonyouthhub.org.au

BIG THANKS The Burdekin Association for funding these sessions!

Green Team Beach Cleans 

Hosted by The Green Team
It has been estimated that we will have more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050...These beach cleans are aimed at reducing the vast amounts of plastic from entering our oceans before they harm marine life. 

Anyone and everyone is welcome! If you would like to come along, please bring a bucket, gloves and hat. Kids of all ages are also welcome! 

We will meet in front of the surf club. 
Hope to see you there!

The Green Team is a Youth-run, volunteer-based environment initiative from Avalon, Sydney. Keeping our area green and clean.

 The Project Gutenberg Library of Australiana

Australian writers, works about Australia and works which may be of interest to Australians.This Australiana page boasts many ebooks by Australian writers, or books about Australia. There is a diverse range; from the journals of the land and sea explorers; to the early accounts of white settlement in Australia; to the fiction of 'Banjo' Paterson, Henry Lawson and many other Australian writers.

The list of titles form part of the huge collection of ebooks freely downloadable from Project Gutenberg Australia. Follow the links to read more about the authors and titles and to read and/or download the ebooks. 

Profile: Ingleside Riders Group

Ingleside Riders Group Inc. (IRG) is a not for profit incorporated association and is run solely by volunteers. It was formed in 2003 and provides a facility known as “Ingleside Equestrian Park” which is approximately 9 acres of land between Wattle St and McLean St, Ingleside. IRG has a licence agreement with the Minister of Education to use this land. This facility is very valuable as it is the only designated area solely for equestrian use in the Pittwater District.  IRG promotes equal rights and the respect of one another and our list of rules that all members must sign reflect this.

Cyberbullying

Research shows that one in five Australian children aged 8 to 17 has been the target of cyberbullying in the past year. The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner can help you make a complaint, find someone to talk to and provide advice and strategies for dealing with these issues.

Make a Complaint 

The Enhancing Online Safety for Children Act 2015 gives the power to provide assistance in relation to serious cyberbullying material. That is, material that is directed at a particular child with the intention to seriously embarrass, harass, threaten or humiliate.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

Before you make a complaint you need to have:

  • copies of the cyberbullying material to upload (eg screenshots or photos)
  • reported the material to the social media service (if possible) at least 48 hours ago
  • at hand as much information as possible about where the material is located
  • 15-20 minutes to complete the form

Visit: esafety.gov.au/complaints-and-reporting/cyberbullying

Our mission

The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner is Australia's leader in online safety. The Office is committed to helping young people have safe, positive experiences online and encouraging behavioural change, where a generation of Australian children act responsibly online—just as they would offline.

We provide online safety education for Australian children and young people, a complaints service for young Australians who experience serious cyberbullying, and address illegal online content through the Online Content Scheme.

Our goal is to empower all Australians to explore the online world—safely.

Visit: esafety.gov.au/about-the-office 

The Green Team

Profile
This Youth-run, volunteer-based environment initiative has been attracting high praise from the founders of Living Ocean as much as other local environment groups recently. 
Creating Beach Cleans events, starting their own, sustainability days - ‘action speaks louder than words’ ethos is at the core of this group. 

National Training Complaints Hotline – 13 38 73

The National Training Complaints Hotline is accessible on 13 38 73 (Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm nationally) or via email at skilling@education.gov.au.

Sync Your Breathing with this - to help you Relax

Send In Your Stuff

Pittwater Online News is not only For and About you, it is also BY you.  
We will not publish swearing or the gossip about others. BUT: If you have a poem, story or something you want to see addressed, let us know or send to: pittwateronlinenews@live.com.au

All Are Welcome, All Belong!

Youth Source: Northern Sydney Region

A directory of services and resources relevant to young people and those who work, play and live alongside them.

The YouthSource directory has listings from the following types of service providers: Aboriginal, Accommodation, Alcohol & Other Drugs, Community Service, Counselling, Disability, Education & Training, Emergency Information, Employment, Financial, Gambling,  General Health & Wellbeing, Government Agency, Hospital & GP, Legal & Justice, Library, Mental Health, Multicultural, Nutrition & Eating Disorders, Parenting, Relationships, Sexual Health, University, Youth Centre

Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) Practice run Online

Did you know you can do a practice run of the DKT online on the RMS site? - check out the base of this page, and the rest on the webpage, it's loaded with information for you!

The DKT Practice test is designed to help you become familiar with the test, and decide if you’re ready to attempt the test for real.  Experienced drivers can also take the practice test to check their knowledge of the road rules. Unlike the real test, the practice DKT allows you to finish all 45 questions, regardless of how many you get wrong. At the end of the practice test, you’ll be advised whether you passed or failed.

Fined Out: Practical guide for people having problems with fines

Legal Aid NSW has just published an updated version of its 'Fined Out' booklet, produced in collaboration with Inner City Legal Centre and Redfern Legal Centre.

Fined Out is a practical guide to the NSW fines system. It provides information about how to deal with fines and contact information for services that can help people with their fines.

A fine is a financial penalty for breaking the law. The Fines Act 1996 (NSW) and Regulations sets out the rules about fines.

The 5th edition of 'Fined Out' includes information on the different types of fines and chapters on the various options to deal with fines at different stages of the fine lifecycle, including court options and pathways to seek a review, a 50% reduction, a write-off, plan, or a Work and Development Order (WDO).

The resource features links to self-help legal tools for people with NSW fines, traffic offence fines and court attendance notices (CANs) and also explains the role of Revenue NSW in administering and enforcing fines.

Other sections of the booklet include information specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, young people and driving offences, as well as a series of template letters to assist people to self-advocate.

Hard copies will soon be available to be ordered online through the Publications tab on the Legal Aid NSW website.

Hard copies will also be made available in all public and prison libraries throughout NSW.

Read the resource online, or download the PDF.

Apprenticeships and traineeships info

Are you going to leave school this year?
Looking for an apprenticeship or traineeship to get you started?
This website, Training Services NSW, has stacks of info for you;

It lists the group training organisations (GTOs) that are currently registered in NSW under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001. These GTOs have been audited by independent auditors and are compliant with the National Standards for Group Training Organisations.

If you are interested in using the services of a registered GTO, please contact any of the organisations listed here: https://www.training.nsw.gov.au/gto/contacts.html

There are also some great websites, like 1300apprentice, which list what kind of apprenticeships and traineeships they can guide you to securing as well as listing work available right now.

Profile Bayview Yacht Racing Association (BYRA)
1842 Pittwater Rd, Bayview
Website: www.byra.org.au

BYRA has a passion for sharing the great waters of Pittwater and a love of sailing with everyone aged 8 to 80 or over!

 headspace Brookvale

headspace Brookvale provides services to young people aged 12-25. If you are a young person looking for health advice, support and/or information,headspace Brookvale can help you with:

• Mental health • Physical/sexual health • Alcohol and other drug services • Education and employment services

If you ever feel that you are:

• Alone and confused • Down, depressed or anxious • Worried about your use of alcohol and/or other drugs • Not coping at home, school or work • Being bullied, hurt or harassed • Wanting to hurt yourself • Concerned about your sexual health • Struggling with housing or accommodation • Having relationship problems • Finding it hard to get a job

Or if you just need someone to talk to… headspace Brookvale can help! The best part is our service is free, confidential and youth friendly.

headspace Brookvale is open from Monday to Friday 9:00am-5:30pm so if you want to talk or make an appointment give us a call on (02) 9937 6500. If you're not feeling up to contacting us yourself, feel free to ask your family, friend, teacher, doctor or someone close to you to make a referral on your behalf.

When you first come to headspace Brookvale you will be greeted by one of our friendly staff. You will then talk with a member of our headspace Brookvale Youth Access Team. The headspace Brookvale Youth Access Team consists of three workers, who will work with you around whatever problems you are facing. Depending on what's happening for you, you may meet with your Youth Access Worker a number of times or you may be referred on to a more appropriate service provider.

A number of service providers are operating out of headspace Brookvale including Psychologists, Drug & Alcohol Workers, Sexual Health Workers, Employment Services and more! If we can't find a service operating withinheadspace Brookvale that best suits you, the Youth Access Team can also refer you to other services in the Sydney area.

eheadspace provides online and telephone support for young people aged 12-25. It is a confidential, free, secure space where you can chat, email or talk on the phone to qualified youth mental health professionals.

Click here to go to eheadspace

For urgent mental health assistance or if you are in a crisis please call the Northern Sydney 24 hour Mental Health Access Line on 1800 011 511

Need Help Right NOW??

kids help line: 1800 55 1800 - www.kidshelpline.com.au

lifeline australia - 13 11 14 - www.lifeline.org.au

headspace Brookvale is located at Level 2 Brookvale House, 1A Cross Street Brookvale NSW 2100 (Old Medical Centre at Warringah Mall). We are nearby Brookvale Westfield's bus stop on Pittwater road, and have plenty of parking under the building opposite Bunnings. More at: www.headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/headspace-brookvale

Profile: Avalon Soccer Club
Avalon Soccer Club is an amateur club situated at the northern end of Sydney’s Northern Beaches. As a club we pride ourselves on our friendly, family club environment. The club is comprised of over a thousand players aged from 5 to 70 who enjoy playing the beautiful game at a variety of levels and is entirely run by a group of dedicated volunteers. 
Profile: Pittwater Baseball Club

Their Mission: Share a community spirit through the joy of our children engaging in baseball.

Year 13

Year13 is an online resource for post school options that specialises in providing information and services on Apprenticeships, Gap Year Programs, Job Vacancies, Studying, Money Advice, Internships and the fun of life after school. Partnering with leading companies across Australia Year13 helps facilitate positive choices for young Australians when finishing school.

NCYLC is a community legal centre dedicated to providing advice to children and young people. NCYLC has developed a Cyber Project called Lawmail, which allows young people to easily access free legal advice from anywhere in Australia, at any time.

NCYLC was set up to ensure children’s rights are not marginalised or ignored. NCYLC helps children across Australia with their problems, including abuse and neglect. The AGD, UNSW, KWM, Telstra and ASIC collaborate by providing financial, in-kind and/or pro bono volunteer resources to NCYLC to operate Lawmail and/or Lawstuff.

Kids Helpline

If you’re aged 5-25 the Kids Helpline provides free and confidential online and phone counselling 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 55 1800. You can chat with us about anything… What’s going on at home, stuff with friends. Something at school or feeling sad, angry or worried. You don’t have to tell us your name if you don’t want to.

You can Webchat, email or phone. Always remember - Everyone deserves to be safe and happy. You’re important and we are here to help you. Visit: https://kidshelpline.com.au/kids/