Source:
Residential aged care providers can express interest in receiving a free, onsite menu and mealtime review from an accredited practising dietitian. The review will help you get ready for the new Aged Care Quality Standard 6: Food and nutrition, starting 1 July. Express interest by 9 June.
Source: Australian Department of Communications
AUSTRAC has ordered the appointment of an external auditor to Mercedes Benz Financial Services Australia after raising concerns about the financier’s compliance with the AML/CTF Act.
Among the concerns were serious issues such as assuming most customers were low risk, a lack of systems to identify and escalate suspicious matters, and inadequate transaction monitoring.
Source: New South Wales Ministerial News
An artist’s beautiful oil painting capturing her eldest grandchild’s curiosity has won the Living Arts Space Small Portrait Prize.
Lou Tehan won the $2,000 prize for her portrait, Sylvie Confounded by Life, using oil on board.
Darren Crothers was highly recommended for his vibrant artwork, Cheryl, using oil paint on linen and he received the $500 award.
As a City of Greater Bendigo initiative, the Small Portrait Prize was launched to complement the exclusive international exhibition Frida Kahlo: In her own image at Bendigo Art Gallery. The Mexican artist was famous for her extraordinary portraits.
The Small Portrait Prize attracted a wide range of portraits from local artists inspired by people in the Greater Bendigo community.
Arts Officer, First Nations Michellie Charvat shortlisted the submissions and 29 finalists were chosen to have their work displayed in the Living Arts Space, located in the Bendigo Visitor Centre on Pall Mall.
The winner and highly commended artist were selected by Bendigo Art Gallery Curatorial Manager Lauren Ellis.
Ms Ellis said judging the Small Portrait Prize was not easy.
“It revealed a very impressive display of the artistic talent here in Greater Bendigo,” Ms Ellis said.
“The winning painting immediately caught my eye as I began looking through the 29 works.
“The dramatic and moody light, sophisticated use of colour, and the very enigmatic subject. It has timeless and very modern qualities. As I deliberated, this was the work I kept coming back to, and that is a quality of a great painting – one that keeps drawing you back.
“In the highly commended category, this is clearly an accomplished painter who has deftly combined confident, expressive brushwork and delicately rendered lifelike details. The beautiful cool colours in the palette offer a sense of this subject’s calm and insightful nature. A wonderful portrait.”
Lou Tehan created the winning portrait from a photograph of her first grandchild Sylvie.
“Sylvie is a very wise curious and intuitive 12-year-old. The painting was from a photographed portrait. Initially in this painting I hoped to just capture an accurate image but as the painting evolved, I realised I had captured Sylvie’s quirky sense of curiosity,” Lou said.
“Being somewhat reticent initially Sylvie seems to now be enjoying her brush with fame.
“I am very grateful to the Living Art Space for the opportunity to exhibit and no one was more surprised than I to be the winner. The calibre of the exhibition is beautiful in its diversity and skill. I am therefore humbled by the acknowledgement of my work.”
The Small Portrait Prize exhibition is free and open daily from 9am to 4:30pm at the Bendigo Visitor Centre on Pall Mall until Sunday July 20.
Source: New South Wales – News
Police are at the scene of a shark attack at Port Noarlunga.
About 9.45am today (Thursday 15 May), emergency services were called to the Port Noarlunga jetty after reports that a man swimming in the water had been bitten by a shark.
He was helped from the water and treated at the scene by paramedics before he was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Swimmers have been evacuated from the water.
Please avoid the area.
Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development
The ACCC will not oppose Cleanaway Waste Management Limited’s (ASX:CWY) proposed acquisition of the waste and recycling business of Citywide Service Solutions Pty Ltd (Citywide Waste).
Cleanaway is one of the largest waste management companies in Australia. It is vertically integrated through the waste supply chain, from disposals to collections, with operations in all states and territories in Australia.
In Melbourne, Cleanaway provides collection and disposal services for commercial and industrial customers, and municipal councils. Cleanaway operates one of the largest landfills in Melbourne, the Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall, and a network of transfer stations.
Citywide Waste, currently owned by the City of Melbourne Council, offers collections services for municipal councils and commercial and industrial customers. Citywide Waste also operates the Dynon Road transfer station which accepts large volumes of putrescible waste and is close to the Melbourne CBD, making it a key disposal facility.
The ACCC’s investigation focused on the acquisition’s impact on competition in the supply of putrescible waste disposal services in Melbourne for commercial and industrial waste.
“Our investigation looked at the central and west regions of Melbourne in particular because we were concerned about the loss of competition between Melbourne Regional Landfill and the nearby Dynon Road transfer station located in these regions,” ACCC Commissioner Dr Philip Williams said.
“We reached two key conclusions from our investigation. First, those customers with larger waste collection trucks are able to optimise their waste collection routes to divert volumes to landfills and transfer stations other than the Melbourne Regional Landfill and Dynon Road transfer station.”
“This means that should Cleanaway own both facilities, larger collections customers would still be able to take waste volumes to other competitors if needed,” Dr Williams said. “Second, we found that while some customers preferred the Dynon Road transfer station due to its closeness to the Melbourne CBD and ease of access for smaller waste collection trucks, these customers don’t see Melbourne Regional Landfill as a viable alternative now.”
“We therefore found that the acquisition is unlikely to have an impact on those customers,” Dr Williams said.
Ultimately, the ACCC found the proposed acquisition would be unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the supply of putrescible waste collection and disposal services for both commercial and industrial waste, and municipal waste in Melbourne.
The ACCC expects rival landfills and transfer stations in Melbourne to continue to compete for waste volumes with Cleanaway after the acquisition.
More information including the Statement of Issues can be found on the ACCC’s website at Cleanaway Waste Management Limited – Citywide Waste.
Putrescible waste is solid waste that contains organic material capable of being decomposed by microorganisms.
Transfer stations act as consolidation points where waste is dropped off by collection companies and bundled for bulk transport by trucks to final disposal sites. These sites can be landfills where waste may ultimately be buried.
Cleanaway is a public company listed on the ASX. It is one of the largest waste management companies in Australia. Cleanaway provides recycling, waste management and industrial services in Australia.
Cleanaway is vertically integrated across waste collections, processing and disposal services. In Melbourne, Cleanaway owns and/or operates a network of putrescible transfer stations at Brooklyn, Lysterfield and the South East Melbourne Transfer Station, in addition to the Melbourne Regional Landfill.
Citywide Waste is 100 per cent owned by Melbourne City Council and provides waste management services to municipal councils and commercial and industrial customers in Melbourne. It has operated the Dynon Road transfer station since 1995.
Source:
15 May 2025
Author supplied. The Barbie Team (from L to R): Barbie Fashionista (#197) wears an amazing yellow platform heel with ankle straps, Barbie Fashionista (#208) has Down Syndrome and uses sneakers to accommodate her ankle foot orthoses, Barbie Fashionista (#171) wears a high heel white ankle boot and lives with Vitiligo, Barbie Paramedic has her workboots ready to go, Barbie Fashionista (#210) models comfy yellow slides and Barbie Interior Designer wears ballet flats on both her foot and prosthetic limb.
Foot health enthusiasts have researched Barbie’s footwear choices since her debut in the 1950s –and it turns out the iconic doll’s career really took off when she stepped into flatter shoes.
But the study – conducted by Monash University, the University of South Australia and Queen Mary University of London – also found Barbie still loves her high heels, and real women who wear them should not be ‘heel shamed’.
Inspired by the 2023 Barbie movie and published in PLOS One, the project explored correlations and relationships between Barbie’s foot posture, equity/diversity, employment, and time.
The researchers, who included a Barbie collector, audited 2750 Barbie dolls and Barbie Land friends from between 1959 and June 2024.
They used their unique FEET system: Foot posture (flat or equinus [tiptoe]); Equity (diversity and inclusion); Employment (fashion vs employed); and Time period (decade of manufacture).
Over time, the study showed a decreased prevalence in tiptoe foot posture, from 100% in the first period, to 40% in the last.
Researchers found that Barbie’s flat foot posture had a very strong positive correlation with employment, and time point, while tiptoe foot posture had a very strong positive correlation with fashion. Similarly, equity (diversity) had a very strong positive correlation with fashion, and strong positive correlation with employment.
Given Barbie is known to reflect societal norms, the researchers contended that this was most likely true for most ‘real life’ high-heel wearers.
“While Barbie has moved with the times, it appears footwear health messaging about high heel wearing needs to catch up,” says senior author, UniSA’s Dr Helen Banwell.
“Health professionals castigating high heels through public messaging should remember that emphasising health benefits consistently drives positive behaviour change, over highlighting negative consequences.
“Barbie clearly makes sensible determinations regarding her body autonomy; high heel wearers should have that same ability.”
First author and Monash University Professor Cylie Williams, a podiatrist and School of Primary and Allied Health Care Deputy Head, says Barbie’s movie meltdown over her feet being flat when she entered the real world inspired the project
“We talked about it, posted on social media and talked to our patients about it,” Prof Williams says
“Then we thought: hang on, has Barbie always been rocking high heels that much? What do her foot postures say about her jobs, how inclusive is she, and has that changed over time?
“While Barbie was working, we observed she was more likely to embrace flat shoes, sneakers and slides. Barbie also had more job roles since the 1990s and increasingly represented people with disabilities and used assistive technology. We saw Barbie in her wheelchair wearing her high heels, while Barbie with an above knee amputation wearing flats to accommodate her prosthesis.
“Barbie wears flats when she’s busy breaking glass ceilings, working in health care or being an athlete. But she still loves her high heels when she’s not. Maybe it’s time health messaging caught up. Let’s stop heel-shaming and start empowering people to choose what works for them.”
Dr Helen Banwell, who heads the University of South Australia’s podiatry program, says shoes were a hot topic for podiatrists and some health professionals were toey about high heels.
“Most foot problems happen to people not in heels, yet high heels get blamed for everything from bunions to bad moods,” Dr Banwell says.
“This study let us unpack the myths, celebrate informed choices, and see how a global icon like Barbie reflects (or challenges) social norms. Also, research can be fun, and it was way more fun when Barbie was involved.
“Barbie clearly has body autonomy – so should everyone else. And if so, if high heel wearers want to rock a stiletto, we propose they are already aware of how they feel and how they can move in them. Let’s leave health messing to things that have a higher impact on health behaviours.
“It is time we recognised that high-heel wearers, including Barbie as a socially constructed representative woman, make sensible choices based on what works for them.”
Dr Kristin Graham, who is a senior lecturer at UniSA’s podiatry program, says research on wearing high heels was scant, but we know wearing high heels makes you walk slower, and the higher the heel height, the more instability, pain and possible injury risks.
As a result, she says many health professionals discouraged high heeled footwear, often linking it to bunions, knee osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis and low back pain. Yet many of these health conditions were prevalent in the general population regardless of preferred heel height
“We don’t know that there is a direct impact on long term foot and leg health,” Dr Graham says.
“This is because it’s never been studied in detail or over time, and because people who wear high heels often wear them for a different length of time each day, or interchangeably with flat shoes.
“We do know many of the things that people attribute to high heel wear, including tight calf muscles, bunions and heel pain, can happen in people who don’t wear high heels. So, while there might be a risk, we only know what the risk is while they are being worn, and it’s a variable risk because of how variable high heels actually are both in shape and height.”
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Media contacts:
UniSA: Annabel Mansfield E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au M: +61 479 182 489
Monash University: Cheryl Critchley E: cheryl.critchley@monash.edu M: +61 477 571 442
Source: South Australia Police
The speed limit along two busy streets in Jindalee and Butler has been reduced from 50km to 40km, in a push to increase safety.
The City of Wanneroo applied to Main Roads WA for the speed reduction earlier this year, after concerns were raised by the local community about speeding and pedestrian safety along Jindalee Boulevard in Jindalee and Kingsbridge Boulevard in Butler.
Wanneroo Deputy Mayor James Rowe said he was pleased that Main Roads had approved the City’s application, which was informed by a comprehensive study of traffic in the Butler/Jindalee area.
“Reducing the speed limit was identified as the most effective intervention for the streets in question, as vehicle speed was a significant contributing factor to road safety in the area,” he said.
“Studies show that reducing the speed limit from 50km to 40km significantly increases the chance of pedestrian survival if a crash were to occur.
“The speed reduction will also provide pedestrians, cyclists and other active transport users with an improved sense of safety as they navigate the City’s local road network.”
The new limits are the latest in a series of successful applications for speed reductions, with similar initiatives recently being implemented in Gnangara, Jandabup, Yanchep and the Wanneroo Town Centre.
These speed reductions are supported by the City’s Road Safety Management Plan 2024-2030, which demonstrates the City’s ongoing commitment to reducing the risks of accidents and improving road safety for all.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Southern Domestic Violence Unit have charged a 50-year-old male in relation to an assault on his ex-partner in Alice Springs on Saturday.
About 1:20am, police CCTV Operators observed a male repeatedly assaulting a female by punching, kicking and stomping on her at a taxi rank bench on Gregory Terrace. Others who witnessed the assault intervened and the alleged offender fled the scene before police arrival.
The Southern Domestic Violence Unit took carriage of the investigation and arrested the alleged offender yesterday without incident. He has since been charged with Recklessly endanger serious harm and aggravated assault and was remanded to appear in Alice Springs Local Court today.
Further investigations revealed the male had also allegedly assaulted a family member on 3 April and he will also be charged with an extra count of Aggravated assault.
Police continue urge anyone who witnessed the incident or has dash cam footage from the area at the time of the incident to make contact on 131 444. You can anonymously report crime on Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Detectives from Major Crash are continuing to investigate the circumstances around the fatal crash in Palmerston yesterday morning.
Police will allege that the Nissan X-trail was carrying 2 females, aged 40 and 45, and a male aged 37, when it collided with a Toyota Coupe driven by a 19-year-old male.
The 45-year-old female was located deceased in the back of the vehicle immediately following the crash. The circumstances of her death are believed to be non-suspicious, and a direct result of the crash.
Detectives have now confirmed that the Nissan X-trail was a Northern Territory registered hire car that had not been returned after it was hired in November last year. It had since had its number plates switched to a South Australian registration.
Investigations into the crash remain ongoing and police are currently awaiting toxicology results to determine if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.
Source: New South Wales – News
During its decade-long efforts to detect and stamp out hideous online child sexual exploitation committed by South Australian offenders, a small and dedicated taskforce of AFP and South Australia Police investigators have protected more than 370 children around the world from further abuse.
The South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (SA JACET) was formed in 2015 to provide a more coordinated investigative response and achieve the best possible outcomes for vulnerable young people in Australia and overseas.
In the decade since SA JACET was established, more than 370 child victims, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, from countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, United States and Southeast Asia, have been identified and removed from further harm.
During this time, SA JACET received 677 referrals from national and international law enforcement agencies relating to alleged South Australian-based offenders, resulting in the arrest of 654 people locally.
So far this financial year (2024-25)*, SA JACET investigations have resulted in the removal of 14 children from harm in Australia and overseas, and the charging of 49 men and women in South Australia for their alleged involvement in the online sexual exploitation or abuse of children.
AFP Detective Acting Sergeant Stephen Hegarty, from SA JACET, said there was no greater reward than being part of a resilient and dedicated team focused on protecting the youngest, and often most vulnerable, members of the community.
“As an original member of the SA JACET, I can say that repeatedly viewing videos and images of children being exploited, abused or tortured is tough – but it does not compare to the trauma that child victims endure,” a/Sgt Hegarty said.
“The team’s common goal is to make a difference in children’s lives – ensure victims are identified and removed from further harm and protect other children from having their innocence stolen.
“Our team can spend weeks, months, or even years investigating just one of these evil and horrendous crimes and sadly, are often investigating several matters at once.
“Identifying suspects can require extensive intelligence gathering and investigative techniques, including using the execution of search warrants to gather evidence, and forensic examination of equipment and images.
“It’s also important to remember an investigation does not end with an arrest.
“Police will continue to review seized images and videos to try to identify child victims, prepare evidence for the judicial process, investigate possible other offending, and provide referrals to other local and international agencies if required.
“JACET investigators are relentless, and we never give up trying to combat this crime type.”
Acting Sergeant Hegarty said the co-location of the AFP and South Australian investigators provided significant opportunity to quickly and efficiently share jurisdiction-specific intelligence.
“JACET teams are in most Australian states and territories, and complement the efforts of the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE),” a/Sgt Hegarty said.
“With the AFP’s involvement, JACET can also reach into our broad international network.”
South Australia Police Acting Assistant Commissioner, Crime Service, Catherine Hilliard commended the hard work of SAPOL and AFP investigators over the past 10 years.
“Child protection will always be a key priority for South Australia Police, and we will continue working with partner agencies to keep children safe and remove them from harm,” she said.
“We also work with other agencies across the world to identify and bring those involved in child exploitation to justice.
“Our hardworking investigators often spend their days examining confronting material, but seeing the results over the past 10 years of JACET provides further motivation to overcome obstacles and persist in our quest to detect and apprehend child sex offenders.
“SA JACET will continue to pursue child sex offenders wherever they may hide.”
Acting Assistant Commissioner Hilliard urged parents to discuss online safety with their children.
“As a community it’s important to be aware of the risks and warning signs in children to prevent their exploitation online,” she added.
“This may include changes in behaviour, secrecy around devices, changing passcodes and isolating themselves in their rooms.
“Be approachable, have open conversations with your children, and know educational resources are available to assist in these vital conversations.”
*Figures from the period 1 July, 2024 to 1 May, 2025.
Significant SA JACET sentencings from the past 12 months
June 2024
A South Australian man was sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment for soliciting sexually explicit material from 10 foreign children (Philippines) via social media platforms.
The sentencing is the first conviction in South Australia under mandatory minimum sentencing provisions for Commonwealth child sexual abuse offences.
November 2024
A South Australian man was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment – with a non-parole period of nine years – for child abuse offences, including the live streaming of young children overseas (Philippines).
Case studies
Criminal Asset Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) seizures and forfeiture of homes in South Australia of convicted online child abuse offenders
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Other states (assets restrained/forfeited online child abuse offenders)
Top tips for parents and carers
What are the warning signs a child may be groomed online?
Common online grooming behaviour to look out for includes:
How can a report be made to the ACCCE or law enforcement?
The AFP-led ACCCE is committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and is at the centre of a collaborative national approach to combatting organised child abuse.
The Centre brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into child sexual abuse and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.
You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.
Note to media:
Use of term ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’
The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.
Use of the phrase “child pornography” is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:
Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.