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Damage done to precious alpine environments by feral horses 'cannot be overstated', Senate inquiry told A Senate committee is being urged to take a stronger stance on reducing wild horse numbers in the Australian Alps. Key points: The Senate inquiry is examining the impacts and management of feral horses in the Australian Alps The first public hearing is being held in Canberra's Parliament House today Witnesses have been called to give evidence including RSPCA Australia and the Australian Conservation Foundation Fifteen witnesses were called to speak in Canberra's Parliament House today, during the first public hearing of a Senate inquiry. Most spoke about the damage feral horses had caused to native flora and fauna. "The scale of ecological destruction cannot be overstated," Nature Conservation Council representative Clancy Barnard told the inquiry. "We have a choice to make — do we protect native species or allow an introduced feral animal to lead to their destruction?" TheSenate inquiry aimsto findthe best approach to reduce the population of feral horses, and will examine whether laws implemented by state and territory governmentsare adequate. Discussions todayoften centred on how the species were managedin NSW, where aerial culling is not allowed. The Australian Veterinary Association cited itssupport for aerial and ground shooting as a control method, given the large numbers of feral horses in Australia's landscape. "Techniques which involved mustering, transportation and prolonged handling of the animals contributesignificantly to the stress of those animals," Veterinary Conservation and Biology special interest group executive committee memberMichael Banyard said. "The advantages of aerial culling are significant to improve the welfare outcomes of the horses because they shorten the lead-up time for the final event of their death." This was questioned by Senator Ross Cadell, who asked ifshooting a wild horse from a helicopter was humane. "If I take my horse to one of your members, are they going to take it out the back and chase it in a chopper or are they going to euthanasia it with barbiturates?" he said. Support for heritage The impact of feral horses on Indigenous cultural heritage was also explored. Indigenous Ambassador of the Invasive Species Council Richard Swain told the inquiry feral horsesshould notbe protected. "It's 2023 and for cultural reasons we're protecting a feral horse in a national park," he said. "It hurts me, it saddens me and it undoes what we could have been— a nation that had some connection to country." Wiradjuri man and ANU academic James Blackwell agreed. "The damage done here affects not just the landscape, but the identity and spirit of every Indigenous person in the region," he told the hearing. Pro-brumby groups also gave evidence, highlighting the heritage value of the species. "The Australian brumby is the horse of Australia's history," Marilyn Nuske, from the Brumby Action Group, said. "Ground and aerial culling is unable to satisfy standard operating procedures. "Horses gallop, they get frightened, they will bolt. It is an unsuitable method to manage wild living horses." Kosciuszko cull The New South Wales government's aim is to reduce the number of wild horses in Kosciuszko from an estimated 18,000 to 3,000 by 2027 by using rehoming, trapping and ground shooting.

Australian artist Tank accuses online marketplace Temu of stealing design, selling for less than $7 Well-loved Shepparton artist Tank has had his artwork stolen by sellers on marketplace website Temu. Key points: Shepparton artist Tank has had his design stolen and sold on Temu Experts say the practice is not unusual Temu has told Tank the case will be looked into Australian artist Tank accuses online marketplace Temu of stealing design, selling for less than $7 ABC Shepparton / By Georgina Carroll and Nic Healey Posted 15h ago15 hours ago, updated 8h ago8 hours ago Artist Tank, wearing a black hoodie and dark beanie, stands in front of a wall mural. Tank's painting The Complexity of Being can be seen on the side of The Aussie Hotel in Shepparton.(Facebook: ABC Goulburn Murray) Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article Well-loved Shepparton artist Tank has had his artwork stolen by sellers on marketplace website Temu. Key points: Shepparton artist Tank has had his design stolen and sold on Temu Experts say the practice is not unusual Temu has told Tank the case will be looked into The design titled Complexity of Being is sold as a small canvas print on Tank's website for $275. Two different sellers have the design listed on Temu for less than $7, with one seller having sold more than 500 copies of the stolen design. Temu is Boston-based and Chinese-owned online marketplace that describes itself as connecting customers with "millions of sellers, manufacturers and brands around the world". Tank was alerted by a friend on social media and said he had had his designs stolen or copied before, but not on such a large scale. "It has happened before on smaller scales, you'll get people deciding to do this and calling it their own work," Tank said. Disappointed but not surprised Tank said it was disheartening to see his art copied but it was to be expected. "It is not just art, it is everything in the world these days being part of the rip-off market," he said. If you have a product out there and it is good it will be reproduced, possibly branded as the same thing and sold online." Shepparton Art Museum chief executive Melinda Martin said Tank's situation was sadly not unusual and it was one of the greatest challenges the contemporary art world faced. "It is really challenging because copyright law should protect you," Ms Martin said. "It has already been infringed, so it is really challenging to then go back and recoup it. "It means that creativity is not being valued and that is the core, people can't make a living without that creativity. It is a very sad indictment of contemporary culture." Platforms 'difficult to deal with' Arts Law Centre of Australia lawyer Katherine Giles said the centre deals with hundreds of copyright infringement cases driven by online platforms each year. "Generally, they are not taking any responsibility for the content so that means that users can reach massive audiences with very little effort and they are not required to clear copyright," Ms Giles said. She said the first thing an artist should do if they thought their artwork had been stolen was to get legal advice. "It is about looking at what platform you're dealing with, some platforms do have processes in place," Ms Giles said. "Our experience to date is that a lot of them are really difficult to deal with so it is very hard to get your artwork taken down." Tank has been told by Temu that the case will be followed up, but has not been given a timeline for that process. Tank is a much-loved artist both locally and around Australia. His artworks span everything from giant sculptures of native Australian birds to painted little mice scattered around the walls of Shepparton businesses. The ABC has contacted Temu for comment. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

Large parts of Australia put on high alert for significant bushfires in spring A worrying recipe of increased vegetation combined with warm, dry weather has prompted emergency authorities to put large swathes of the country on high alert for bushfires this spring. Key points: A dry, warm spring is forecast for most of Australia High bushfire risk has been highlighted for large parts of most states and territories Years of heavy rain have boosted the amount of vegetation ready to burn The Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) has large parts of a map of eastern and central Australia marked in red in its seasonal outlook released on Wednesday. It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology tips spring to be warm and dry for much of the country, with a double-whammy of drought-linked climate drivers developing in oceans to the west and east of the country. After years of high rainfall, it will be the first dry spring to be predicted by the bureau since 2020. The bureau will release its official outlook for spring next week but its current long-range outlook for September to November shows a dry signal over most of the country, apart from the coast of New South Wales, the tip of the Cape Yorke Peninsula, and central and northern WA. Far south-west WA, far south-east SA and southern Victoria have more than double the chance of rainfall totals for the season falling in the driest 20 per cent of all years since 1981. Maximum temperatures are also expected to be above average across Australia, according to the outlook. If it eventuates, it will come off the back of a dry end to winter for south-eastern Australia, especially Victoria and Tasmania. However, water storage levels remain healthy across the country, according the data from the bureau, with Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin all above 90 per cent capacity. Meanwhile, Brisbane and Adelaide are above 70 per cent, and Perth above 50 per cent. High bushfire risk Recent years of rainfall and a wet start to winter mean several parts of the country are now grappling with high amount of vegetation, especially grass. This, combined with the warm, dry outlook, has put large parts of the country under elevated risk of "significant bushfire" this season, according to AFAC. A significant bushfire means one of such size, complexity, duration or other impact that it would require resources from outside the region where the fire originates. Most of Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and parts of South Australia and Victoria have been highlighted as having this risk, according to the outlook. In Queensland, the area of highest concern is the eastern half of the state, anywhere south of Innisfail, with "locally intense bushfires that may be destructive" flagged by AFAC. This is also the case for New South Wales, with central and north-western areas of the state the highest concern for grass fires. Much of the Northern Territory, which is already in its fire season, also has a high fire risk going into spring, with "minimal fire scar coverage, well-above average fuel loads, above median temperatures and dry, windy conditions predicted". "Drier than average conditions and frost curing in these areas can mean an early start to the bushfire danger period," the outlook reads. "In the event of fires and windy weather, these high grass fuel loads can support intense and fast spreading grass fires." But grass is not the only vegetation risk that has been highlighted by AFAC. AFAC said high forest fuel loads were evident through parts of New South Wales, in areas that did not burn during the Black Summer bushfires. It said that was particularly noticeable around the Sydney Basin, parts of the coast and north of the Hunter. Small pockets of South Australia have also been flagged as having higher than normal fire risk, with weather conditions "rapidly" switching below average rainfall and drying out of soil in many areas of the state. Victoria's north-west, and the Gippsland region, have also been flagged as having a increased risk of serious bushfire this spring. Normal risk elsewhere Heavy rainfall has provided some form of buffer to the fire risk for most other parts of the country, particularly those in the east, with high soil moisture and full catchments keeping the fire risk as "normal". But for Australia, a normal season doesn't mean no fires. AFAC chief executive Rob Webb said Australians needed to get prepared for a season that was likely to be more active than recent years. "Fire is a regular part of the Australian landscape in spring," he said. "Wherever you live, work or travel, now is the time to plan and prepare." The outlook also warned a warmer, drier spring could change the situation quickly, and authorities would be watching the situation closely. AFAC has this year modified its outlook format to no longer highlight areas that have "normal" or "below average" bushfire risk. #unitedkingdom #australia #braitain

My brother will pick it up, what's your PayID': How to avoid this scam when selling stuff online You've done it. You've finally bought that new sofa you wanted so much. The old one is still perfectly good to sit on, so you jump online to try and get a little bit of cash for it. Every day, thousands of Australians list their unwanted things on online trading sites such as Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. It's a fast and convenient option, not to mentionit helps us to divert goods from landfill. Unfortunately, scammers constantly target unsuspecting buyers and sellers. More than$45 millionwas reported lost through fraudulent buying and selling schemes in 2022. The popularity of online marketplaces has made them a fertile ground for fraudsters. There have beenrecent reportsof offenders using these platforms to physically attack those selling goods. However, it is more likely scammers will try to gain money through payment methods. The PayID scam is a popular example of this, with Australianslosing more than $260,000through this specific approach in 2022. What is PayID? PayID is a legitimate form of electronic payment introduced in Australia in 2018 to overcome incorrect payments as well as reduce fraud — by showing the recipient's name to the person making the transaction. It aims to simplify the transfer of money. Importantly, PayID reduces the need to remember bank account and BSB numbers, and overcomes the issue when these are entered incorrectly. To set up a PayID, consumers can use their phone number, email address or ABN as a form of identification. The bank will verify the person owns this information, and then link the person's bank account to this unique identifier. To transfer money using PayID, most online banking systems will ask for the PayID of the recipient. By simply typing in the phone number, email address or ABN, it will show the name of the intended recipient. If it is correct, the customer can authorise payment to be made. If the name shown is incorrect, the customer can easily cancel the transaction. How does the PayID scam work? If you're advertising an item online, a scammer will make contact to purchase the item. They usually will not question the price, and they are unlikely to even want to view the item. In many cases, they will say a family member or friend will collect it from you. The offender will then urge you to accept payment through PayID. Once you've shared your PayID (usually phone number or email address) and the scammer has this information, a few things may happen. The offender will say they have made the payment, but it cannot be processed because you don't have a suitable PayID account. You will be told you either need to "upgrade" the account and/or make an additional payment to release the funds. The offender will then say they have paid the extra amount required and ask you to reimburse the additional funds they have spent. If you do transfer any money, it will go straight to the scammer and be lost. As part of this, offenders will create text messages and emails that appear to be from PayID, confirming payments or advising of problems. Scarily, such messages may even appear in an existing SMS thread with your bank. You may think they are genuine, but they are fake, designed to deceive you into transferring money to the offender. How do I avoid a PayID scam? There are several warning signs to look out for when selling goods online: PayID is a free service. There are no costs associated with using it, and therefore no fees will ever need to be paid PayID is administered through individual banks. PayID will never communicate directly with customers through texts, emails, or phone calls. Any correspondence which says it is "from PayID" is fake a genuine buyer will usually inspect and collect any goods. A buyer who says they will send a family member or friend to collect the item is a red flag, especially if they are unwilling to pay in cash. What to do if you have been scammed? If you think you have been a victim of a PayID scam, you should contact your bank or financial institution immediately. The quicker you can do this, the better. You can report any financial losses to ReportCyber, an online police reporting portal for cyber incidents. You can also report the incident to Scamwatch to assist with education and awareness activities. If you have had any of your personal information compromised, you can access support from IDCARE. In 2023 so far, Australians have reported more than $32 million lost to buying and selling schemes, including the PayID scam. Stay vigilant when buying or selling goods online, and consult the Scamwatch website for details on other types of scams. Cassandra Cross is an associate dean (learning & teaching) in the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, at Queensland University of Technology. This piece first appeared on The Conversation.

Couple relieved to be alive after camper trailer stolen while inside asleep on Victoria's Great Ocean Road A Victorian man says he is relieved to be alive after his four-wheel drive and camper trailer were stolen early Sunday morning while he and his partner were sleeping inside. Key points: A Victorian couple has recalled the terrifying moment their four-wheel drive was stolen while they were sleeping in an attached camper trailer Brock Momcilovic held onto the trailer while the alleged offender drove 8km along the Great Ocean Road towards Lorne Mr Momcilovic advised other campers not to leave their car keys in the ignition while sleeping Wallan couple Brock Momcilovic and Jedha Kinder decided to park at a rest stop near Cumberland River along the Great Ocean Road on Saturday night after a long day of driving. The couple and their two dogs were sleeping in a trailer attached to their four-wheel drive when Ms Kinder heard their car engine start just before midnight. She jumped off the bed into the annex area between the car and the camper trailer, while Mr Momcilovic was thrown backwards. "By the time I'd realised what was happening, the car was already moving," he told Virginia Trioli. The four-wheel drive and the camper trailer travelled about 200 metres before Ms Kinder fell out of the annex and onto the road. Their two dogs jumped from the camper trailer too. But Mr Momcilovic held on while the car screeched along the windy Great Ocean Road towards Lorne. While he could not tell how fast he was going, he knew it was unsafe to escape. "I sort of just laid there because I thought it was a dream," he told Virginia Trioli on ABC Radio Melbourne. But reality quickly set in, and Mr Momcilovic realised his phone was still within reach. "I rang triple-0 while I was holding on," he said. "I was actually on Google Maps while on the phone to the operator telling her where we were heading." At the same time, he had no idea whether Ms Kinder and their dogs were safe. "I was worried if I fell off, I was going to be pretty well done," he said. "But I was more worried about my partner and dogs because I didn't know what happened to them — they could have been run over by the trailer." Finally, the four-wheel drive broke down after the clutch gave way. Mr Momcilovic had held onto the camper trailer for 8km by this point, and the car was travelling slow enough for him to jump. The vehicle and camper trailer were then found abandoned further along the road near the Lorne Police Station. Thankfully no-one was seriously hurt. Ms Kinder suffered gravel rash and bruising from falling on to the road, while their two dogs were later found safe. And while Mr Momcilovic was disappointed his vehicle had to be towed and his camping gear had been destroyed, he was glad everyone was safe. "I've lost all my camping gear, my trailer's completely written off," he said. "But everyone's alive — that's all that matters to me." Police are investigating the incident and the alleged offender has not been caught yet. But in the meantime, Mr Momcilovic has some advice for anyone out on a camping holiday. "Don't leave your keys in the car," he said. "It could have been a lot worse." Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage, or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

Spain captain and Women's World Cup hero Olga Carmona learns of father's death after final victory Just hours after a starring performance in the Women's World Cup final, Spain captain Olga Carmona found out her father had died. Key points: The Spanish FA confirmed the death of Olga Carmona's father hours after the World Cup final Carmona had scored the winning goal and had been named player of the match The RFEF statement said "we love you, Olga, you are Spanish soccer history" Carmona scored the goal that earned Spain a 1-0 win over England in the 29th minute as they secured their first Women's World Cup title. The Spanish FA (RFEF) confirmed the news while the team was travelling home after the final. "The RFEF deeply regrets to announce the death of Olga Carmona's father. The footballer learned the sad news after the World Cup final," the Spanish FA said on social media. "We send our most sincere embrace to Olga and her family in a moment of deep sorrow. We love you, Olga, you are Spanish soccer history." An RFEF spokesperson told Reuters that Carmona's father had been fighting a long illness and passed away on Friday. According to Spanish media outlet Relevo, Carmona's family and friends decided not to tell her so that she could focus on the World Cup final. Carmona's club side Real Madrid released a statement offering condolences to her and her family. The Spanish team had little time to enjoy their final success, as by the time the on-field presentations, celebrations and media commitments had ended it had just two hours to get to the airport for a flight home. Carmona was named player of the match for her star turn in the final. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

Qantas faces class action lawsuit for not refunding tickets for COVID cancelled flights Qantas has been hit with a class action lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in refunds and compensation for customers who had flights cancelled following the COVID outbreak. Key points: The lawsuit alleges Qantas breached consumer laws by failing to immediately issue refunds About $400 million in credits remain with Qantas after $1 billion were claimed Qantas rejectedthe allegations and said refund policies had always been clear Echo Law filed the lawsuit against Australia's national carrier in the Federal Court on Monday, alleging the airline misled customers about their refund options, withheld funds, and engaged in a "pattern of unconscionable conduct". Qantas has completely rejected the allegations and said it had not been served a claim as of midday on Monday. The action comes one month after Qantas launched a campaign to encourage customers to use the remaining $400 million in flight credits held by the airline, and after Australia's consumer watchdog indicated its probe into the issue was almost complete. It is also a few months ahead of CEO Alan Joyce stepping down after 15 years in the job andhanding over to Vanessa Hudsonin November. Backed by litigation funder CASL, the lawsuit alleges Qantas breached Australia Consumer Law by failing to immediately issue refunds when flights were cancelled in 2020 and by retaining customers' funds. Echo Law partner Andrew Paull said Qantas initially only offered customers access to use "travel credits with strict conditions" rather than returning their payments. "We allege Qantas breached the law by failing to be transparent and immediately issue refunds to customers when flights were cancelled," he said. "While COVID posed major disruption to air travel and resulted in cancellations that no airline wished to make, that is no excuse for Qantas to take advantage of its own customers and effectively treat them as providers of over $1 billion in interest-free loans." In a statement Qantas also rejected the allegation it had enjoyed significant financial benefits during COVID saying it had lost "more than $25 billion in revenue and posted statutory losses of $7 billion during the pandemic". In February the airline posted a $1 billion half-year net profit and is expected to announce its profits for the financial year on Thursday. Mr Paull said some Qantas customers had been forced to spend more money with the airline to use their original flight credits, while others may not be able to use the credit before it expired on December 31, 2023. "While Qantas has talked in recent weeks of giving customers the option of requesting a refund, this is both too little and too late," he said. "That money ought to have been automatically returned to customers, in most cases more than three years ago, and we are seeking both refunds of all remaining credits as well as compensation for the time customers have been out of pocket." Qantas said that it had always been clear to customers that "they are entitled to a refund" if a flight was cancelled and that thousands have already made claims. Qantas has extended the expiry date on travel credits issued in 2020 three times, and in July launched a campaign to encourage customers to find and use flight credits from 2020. The airline said it held about $400 million in COVID-era credits and more than $1 billion had been claimed by Qantas and Jetstar customers. Qantas chief customer officer Markus Svensson said many travel credits were for between $100 and $500 and could be located using an online tool. "We'll keep reaching out directly to customers, particularly ahead of these credits expiring at the end of this year," he said. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is also investigating Qantas' handling of credits and refunds after issuing a warning to the airline in 2020 and receiving a complaint from consumer group Choice in April 2022. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

https://englishnewsreadsee.blogspot.com/2023/08/qantas-relaxes-uniform-rules-with-flat.html Qantas relaxes uniform rules, with flat shoes, make-up and long hair an option for everyone Australia's national airline, Qantas, hasannouncedit will scrap its gender-based uniform guidelines. Male staff will be allowed to wear make-up and female staff will have the option ofditching their high heels. Qantas says it hasoverhauled its guidelines to better reflect modern expectationsand to make uniforms more comfortable for staff from "diverse cultural backgrounds". The airline has drawn attention for its fastidious style guidelines in the pastwhich banned handlebar moustaches, policed the length of sideburns, and specified the ideal shades of eyeliner. Unions a big driver of change The changes have come at the insistence of labour unions, whichhave urged Qantas to scrap rules including that female staff must wear make-up. "Fashions change and so have our style guidelines over the years," the airline said in a statement. "Our uniform standards have always been reflective of the times." Qantas saysthe new "style and grooming guidelines" will ditch the previous "male" and "female" uniform categories. So what are the new rules? Now staff can choose whether to wear make-up, opt for flat shoes, and have long hair — as long as it is in a ponytail or bun. Cornrows are also an acceptable hairstyle for all staff except for flight crew members due to safety reasons. Diamond earrings are now allowed, and strict rules governing the size and style of watches that can be worn have been dumped. Employees are still, however, required to conceal tattoos. Overall, there are no changes to the uniform which was introduced in 2016 and is the 10th design since 1938. Stockings remain compulsory to pair with dresses or skirts. However, uniform "capsules", which state which uniform pieces can be worn together, along with grooming and make-up requirements, now replace previously designated "male" and "female" uniform sets. Will other airlines follow suit? Qantas' budget airline, Jetstar, will also take on the new rules. Virgin Australia has responded by saying it will continue to review its uniform guidelines in collaboration with its frontline team. Other airlines around the world have also made changes to their style guides in recent years. Last year, British Airways announced all its cabin crew could wear make-up, face stubble, piercings, jewellery and nail polish with their uniforms. A first in 20 years, the airline also launched new uniforms, featuring a modern jumpsuit, a tunic and a hijab option. In the same year, UK-headquartered Virgin Atlantic introduced gender-neutral uniforms,dropping specific "male" and "female" outfits. The changes came as a bid to "champion individuality" of staff, following the end of compulsory make-up and the need for tattoos to be covered up. In 2019, Air New Zealand also ceased a ban on staff having visible tattoos, to allow "employees to express their individuality and cultural heritage". Some New Zealanders of Māoriheritage havetattoosknown as Tā mokoreflecting their ancestry and personal history. How will the changes impact staff? Gender equality and organisational behaviour expertMiriam Yates is applaudingthepolicy change at Qantas. Qantas is a huge company and has huge market share, so from a reputational perspective, they're leading by example," Dr Yates says. "By changing their guidelines for how employees come to work and how they meet the professionalism standards, Qantas is allowing employees to bring their full selves to work." She says being able to show up to work authentically is a "core element of creating psychologically safe workplaces". Dr Yates believes moving away from gendered uniform guidelines will result in better employee performance and overall organisational performance. Federal secretary of the Flight Attendants Association of Australia Teri O'Toole says the association has fought for many years to drop the requirement for staff to wear heels. "So it's great [women] can wear low shoes [and] … also choose not to wear make-up," she said. Ms O'Toole welcomes the change more for its cost-of-living benefits. "Make-up isn't cheap when you've got to wear it every single time you go to work, so this would be an enormous cost saving," she said. Is the change enough to promote inclusivity? Ms O'Toole says Qantas' use of capsule uniforms rather than gendered uniforms will still have some limitations. "I don't think it's going to be as big a change as everyone is expecting," Ms O'Toole said. "A traditional male uniform, instead of being called a male uniform, may be called Capsule D. "The make-up that you can wear is reflective of that uniform type. "So if you're in a traditionally male uniform you could wear clear nail polish which, of course, no-one would even see. " #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

MORRI: LET'S GIVE THE WORLD NO.1 A HEADSTART ... BRILLIANT! The handicapped Tour Championship is a stupid idea. Actually, it is offensive if you believe professional golf should be a competitive pursuit. Conversely, match play is great, especially when you have the right players. One can’t help but see there might be a very simple solution to two problems here. There’s a bunch of reasons professional golf turned its back on the match play format this year though the ultimate culprit – the round robin format – was the result of trying to make it ‘fair’. Interestingly, that’s the same stupid thinking that delivered us the handicapped Tour Championship. Apparently, banking US$21,014,342 (through this week’s BMW Championship) isn’t enough ‘reward’ for Scottie Scheffler’s 2023 ‘body of work’. No, according to the misguided committee that came up with the ‘staggered start’ concept, the World’s No.1 player actually should get a headstart of between two and 10 strokes over the rest of the field at East Lake because, you know, he needs the help. Similarly, the introduction of the ‘round robin’ format for the WGC Matchplay was an attempt to contrive a final which included big names players to satisfy TV. But when you remove the chance for Nick O’Hern to take out Tiger Woods in the early rounds (twice), you remove something compelling, and the event is lesser for it. With only the best performing 30 players of the year in the field there is less of an issue with ‘no name’ matches (for want of a better term). But trying to cull 30 players down to two via a match play format is still problematic so the easiest solution is to simply have three days of stroke play and the top two finishers face off on the final day. Yes, this might require a play-off to determine the finalists but like the extra holes for the bronze medal at the Olympics that would only add to the drama. This format solves the main problem with the handicapped format which is that there is no incentive for the players who start in the bottom five. You simply cannot spot Scottie Scheffler 10 shots over four days and have a realistic chance of beating him. Not more than once a decade, anyway. Three days of straight stroke play eliminates that problem plus the odds of getting two of the game’s highest profile players in the final are pretty high. The PGA Tour has struggled to find sensible ways to spend FedEx’s money from the very inception of the season long ‘race’ in 2007. But it has always been the final event of the season where the problems have been most obvious. For years the Tour Championship has been a maths lesson rather than a golf tournament and that has only worsened with the staggered start. Instead of focussing on the play, every genuine golf fan is busily calculating the standings without the handicap strokes all week, an exercise which is about as interesting as it sounds. So, let’s eliminate that and instead decide the biggest single cheque of the year ($18 million in 2023) playing proper golf rather than this contrived nonsense. It would not only be more watchable, but it might actually give the tournament back some of the prestige it deserves. A win/win if ever there was one. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

Two men arrested following assault of retiring North Melbourne player Jack Ziebell Two men have been arrested following the alleged assault of retired AFL star Jack Ziebell outside a bar in Melbourne's inner-south on Sunday. Police said they werecalled to Commercial Road about 1am on Sunday following reports a 32-year-old man was allegedly assaulted outside a South Yarra bar. Two men aged 21 and 26 – both from Narre Warren – attended Prahran Police Station on Monday following enquiries from detectives, where they were arrested. A statement from North Melbourne football clubsaid Ziebell was with a group of teammates and staff celebrating his final match, before he was set upon by a group of men in an "unprovoked attack". Police said it is alleged that Ziebell was punched in the face, causing him to fall onto the road, before he was allegedly kicked while on the ground. Two men arrested following assault of retiring North Melbourne player Jack Ziebell Posted 1h ago1 hours ago A white-coloured, two-storey bar in South Yarra, inner Melbourne Jack Ziebell was attacked about 1am outside The Osborne Rooftop & Bar on Sunday morning.(ABC News: Tara Whitchurch) Share this article COPY SHARE Two men have been arrested following the alleged assault of retired AFL star Jack Ziebell outside a bar in Melbourne's inner-south on Sunday. Police said they were called to Commercial Road about 1am on Sunday following reports a 32-year-old man was allegedly assaulted outside a South Yarra bar. Two men aged 21 and 26 – both from Narre Warren – attended Prahran Police Station on Monday following enquiries from detectives, where they were arrested. A statement from North Melbourne football club said Ziebell was with a group of teammates and staff celebrating his final match, before he was set upon by a group of men in an "unprovoked attack". Police said it is alleged that Ziebell was punched in the face, causing him to fall onto the road, before he was allegedly kicked while on the ground. Jack Ziebell yells and points his finger towards the crowd in celebration of a goal. Following the alleged assault, Ziebell was taken to the Epworth Hospital with facial injuries, with the club saying he needed to spend the night at the facility. The 21-year-old was charged with affray, intentionally cause injury, and assault by kicking. He was bailed to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on October 24. The 26-year-old was released pending further enquiries. Anyone with further information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at crimestoppersvic.com.au #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

Australia's only honey sommelier Jessica Locarnini on appreciating local flavours What does honey taste like? That's the question Australia's only honey sommelier likes to ask people as she travels the country. "Most people will say 'sweet', or 'like toffee', or 'caramel'," Jessica Locarnini said. "The answer should be: Which honey? "Because the flavours are so different. They've got anything from warm flavours, fresh flavours, floral flavours, fruit flavours, woody and everything in between." Ms Locarnini, who's based in Melbourne and works in marketing, had been a backyard beekeeper for years beforeshe discovered honey sommeliers "were a thing" about five years ago. She just had to know more, and headed overseas to study with some of the world's top honey sommeliers. "It was a rabbit hole that I just discovered this amazing world of honey flavours," she said. "It was fantastic." What is a honey sommelier? A honey sommelier is similar to a wine sommelier — someone who understands and can detect the different sensory characteristics of honey and can recommend pairings and flavour combinations. "If you've done wine tasting, it's pretty much the same but with honey," Ms Locarnini said. Ms Locarnini did her foundation sommelier training in Connecticut in the United States before completing her advanced qualifications in Italy last year. "I don't know many other people who've actually had a honey hangover," she laughed. "We did blind taste testing and trying to identify flavours from about 8am until 6pm, just sort of tasting honey all day." In between each honey, Ms Locarnini said the taste testers would cleanse their palate by taking bites of apple and clear their sense of smell by sniffing their arm. "So, if anyone was walking past us in our exams and in the training centre they wouldn't know what was happening, seeing us tasting honey, sniffing and eating apples," she said. "No one would guess what we're up to in that room." There are some similarities between a wine and honey sommelier, with honey sommeliers using wine glasses to capture the essence of the honey, and adopting similar language to describe flavours and characteristics. When presented with a wine glass of honey to assess, Ms Locarnini will first hold the glass up to the light to see the liquid's colour and crystals. She then smells the aromas captured within the glass, before using a spoon to smear the honey around the inside of the glass and tasting a small sample. Excuse me, which eucalyptus? One of the varieties Ms Locarnini was tested on during her training overseas was "eucalyptus". "Being the only Australian in the class, I put my hand up and I was like, 'which one?'," she recalled. It turned out to be river red gum, which grows in Italy and the United States. Knowing Australia is home to hundreds of eucalypt species, the experience fuelled Ms Locarnini's passion for teaching Aussies how to appreciate honey and the wide variety of flavours available across the county. Just like wine, she said terroir played a big role in the taste of honey, with distinct flavour profiles between states. "When I go to Tasmania, leatherwood and a lot of those really heady floral aromatics dominate the flavour profile," she said. "Then you go to Perth, and they've got these beautiful big giant jarrah forests, there's really sort of complex, rich and broody honey that you get over there. "And then if you go up to Queensland, you get the subtropical, beautiful honey, some taste a bit like lychee tea. "We're so lucky, we've got so many diverse botanicals that come out throughout the year." Even different types of backyard honeys in towns and cities have distinct flavours worth appreciating, she said. "There are some beautiful urban honeys that have got the flavours of all the different characteristics of the demographic of that area, whether it be market gardens or herbs or small plants on people's balconies in apartments – those flavours come into the city [honeys]," she said. With more people learning the art of honey appreciation, Ms Locarnini hopes to map and document the characteristic of different honeys across the country, similar to profiles available in Italy. Canberra region's first 'honey weekend' Ms Locarnini's desire to expand people's taste buds has also led her to team up with Canberra beekeeper Cormac Farrell, who tends to the hives at Parliament House. The pair presented the capital region's first "honey weekend" of tastings and workshops, celebrating Canberra, Yass, Murrumbateman and Gundaroo's unique flavours. "Canberra's got some really lovely flavours — including some of the best honey in the world — through the city," Mr Farrell said. "The ACT government grows a whole lot of different plants all through the place including the famous yellow box, which is probably our best hone #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa

Why buying pure Australian honey is important in supporting bees' valuable pollination On World Bee Day, honey lovers are being urged to reject the nine million kilograms of cheaper imports shipped into the country last financial year and buy pure Australian honey to support Australian beekeepers. Key points: Honeybeepollination of Australian crops is worth $14.3 billion per year, (ABARES) Beekeepers areurging people to support the local industry and not buy imports A Sunshine Coast beekeeper is proving his honey is local with QR codes Honey labels must include the country of origin, but one bare-handed beekeeper has gone to extra lengths, including filming drone footage, to show customers exactly how far his honey travels. Hinterland Bees' Apiary to Pantry project uses QR codes on each bottle of raw chemical-free honey to pinpoint which one of nine apiary sites on the Sunshine Coast it was harvested from. "The QR Code will allow you to scan the jar, find out where that honey comes from, look at how many hives we have at that location and what the important nectar sources are," apiaristScott Whitaker said. It's about highlighting that some of the honey on your supermarket shelves has really long food miles on it." By using bee colonies that he has cut out from the walls of houses, or rescued as swarms, Mr Whitaker and his wife Allyson Reynolds have built up more than 150 hives to produce Maleny Honey. Some of the larger suppliers, they'll have their own hives, but they will also pack other people's honey, so traceability is really difficult in those situations," Mr Whitaker said. "To trace it back to its exact source for us is exciting and we've had fantastic feedback from the people that have looked at this so far." In the 2021-2022 financial year, honey and wax production in Australia was valued at $132 million (ABARES). But through added value to agriculture, pollination services were worth more than $14.3 billion. Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chairStephen Targett said by that buying Australian instead of imported honey, consumers could support the crucial work beekeepers do. AnAgriFutures Australiasnapshot listed 35 horticultural crops as dependent on honeybee pollination including almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, pears, some sunflowers, broccoli, brusselsprout, cabbage, canola, carrot, cauliflower, celery, clover and lucerne. Incredible impact "For all your cucurbits; your pumpkins, melons and cucumbers, it's a 400 per cent better fruit set by having European honeybees sitting next to the crop," Mr Targett said. "What a lot of people don't realise is that I can get a huge amount of pumpkins off a fairly small area if I have honeybees there for the environment. "That's good because that's a lot of land that I do not have to plough up, that's a lot less fertiliser … a lot less water I have to use because I've got way less plants there." Of Australia's 13,000 registered beekeepers, 1,877 work commercially, caring for more than 675,000 hives. Mr Targett said if varroa mites could not be eradicated in New South Wales, many more managed hives would be needed for pollination as feral colonies died. "There's certainly quite a few orchards that get free pollination from the feral hives. "The experience in the rest of the world and our near neighbours New Zealand was that farmers who had never paid to have bees in their orchard for pollination suddenly had to start paying." Mr Targett said maintaining access to floral resources was a big challenge due to tree clearing and weed killing. He urged people to make their backyards bee-friendly by planting flowers, reducing chemical use and letting dandelions live. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #unitedstates #usa