Cotton On co-owner puts his Melbourne mansion on the market for $8.8MILLION - and the classic heritage facade hides a marvellous modern makeover inside

Cotton On Group co-owner Ash Hardwick is parting ways with the stunning Melbourne mansion he's called home for the last 14 years as he and his young family swap city life for a sea change. He and his wife Samantha have put their St Kilda West home on the market with a $8-$8.8m price guide, up to four times he snapped up the property for in 2006. The family are relocating to Geelong so Mr Hardwick can be closer to work at the headquarters of the company founded by his cousin Nigel Austin. Located opposite the beach and parkland, the Victorian home's classic heritage facade isn't the only stunning feature that will attract interest.

 

  

Other features include a children's playroom, a large underground cellar, an elevated swimming pool, landscaped gardens, hydronic heating and cooling, underfloor heating in the tiled areas

Retiree couple are shattered when their quiet suburban street lined with trees is suddenly turned into a construction site for a highway just metres from their door

Peter and Sue Coles purchased a two-storey home by property development company Stockland in Leppington, western Sydney, in October 2018.

 

This is what makes me so angry with councils. If you asked if a tree can be trimmed because branches are interfering with overhead lines, you are knocked back saying the trees are protected because they are native to the suburb. Yet they come in to an area and demolish the trees to make way for a highway???

 

LOVE THIS IDEA!! We should be doing this all over Australia:

Farm It Forward is an urban farming social enterprise model connecting landowners and local young people who are passionate about growing food. The project develops skills and creates training and job opportunities, while tackling social isolation and giving meaning to life, issues for young and old, isolated and less mobile people.

How Farm it Forward Works:In exchange for allowing their land to be used for market gardening, landowners :

Receive a weekly box of fresh organically grown veggies, grown on their own property or on other land in the project.

Are visited weekly by working groups of young people to establish and maintain organic food production, and enhance cross-generational connections.

Have the opportunity to be a part of a community or organic food growers through social media, gatherings and visitation to the large garden plots operated by Farm it Forward

The regular help groups allow for new aspiring growers to identify their passion and use the program as a career pathway.

All excess produce is sold to local cafes, restaurants and the local food co-operatives which support the project.

https://www.milkwood.net/2020/11/03/farm-it-forward-connecting-young-farmers-with-donated-land-to-grow-organic-food/

https://www.farmitforward.com.au/

Revealed: The new values statement immigrants have to sign before they are granted any Australian visa - and it sends an important message to non-English speakers

Immigrants applying for permanent, provisional or temporary visas now have to sign an updated Australian Values Statement before being allowed into the country. 

 

 

Urgent recall of popular Woolworths bread after GLASS was found inside rolls, loaves and buns

Shoppers who purchased in-house baked bread from Woolworths Calwell, in ACT, on November 4 are urged not to eat the bread.

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'Woolworths takes product safety seriously and apologises for the inconvenience caused by this recall,' a spokesperson said. 

Shoppers who purchased in-house baked bread from Woolworths Calwell, in ACT, are urged not to eat the bread

 

 

President-elect Biden our great friend:   7 hrs ago President-elect Joe Biden promises to 'unify' country while delivering US… overnight car President-elect Biden our great friend: PM  

Scott Morrison has congratulated Joe Biden for his success in clinching the US presidential election, calling him a great friend of Australia over many years.

The prime minister also extended his congratulations to Kamala Harris on her election as Vice President of the United States.

"The Australia-US Alliance is enduring and built on shared democratic values such as the international rule of law, respect for human rights and equality, freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression and diversity of opinion," the prime minister said in a statement on Sunday.

 

President-elect Biden has been declared the 46th President on US networks, but outgoing President Donald Trump has yet to concede defeat and will mount a series of legal challenges on Monday.

US Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos said Australia is taking the position that the election has been called.

"The President has the right to contest this in the courts, but we, the UK, New Zealand, Canada, India, France, Germany and others have taken a view based on the information that's been provided by the networks and others who have called it that this is the case," he told ABC television's Insiders program.

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said it will be a "relief" to have a return to "normal transmission" with President-elect Biden.

"An administration that is going to be consistent, that isn't going to be making decisions by wild Tweets in the early hours of the morning, that isn't going to be walking out of global treaties and alliances," he told Insiders

"Four years of Trump have been a very, very disruptive period,."

Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd told Insiders that President Trump needs to "put on his big boy pants ... and act like a grown-up in this period of transition".

But Mr Morrison thanked President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for their contribution to the Australia-US relationship.

"Australia has enjoyed a strong working relationship with the current administration, one that has seen the strength of our alliance continue to grow and deepen," Mr Morrison said.

"We will continue to work closely with President Trump and his administration in the transition period between now and 20 January."

Mr Morrison said the world faces many challenges, including managing the COVID-19 pandemic, on both a health and economic front, while ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and peace and stability.

"American leadership is indispensable to meeting these challenges and upholding the rules, norms and standards of our international community," Mr Morrison said.

[And who was our greatfriend 10 days ago?]

 

https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/federal-politics/attorney-general-christian-porter-denies-wrongdoing-after-explosive-four-corners-program-ng-b881717221z?utm_campaign=share-icons&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&tid=1604977737072

 

Attorney General Christian Porter denies wrongdoing after explosive Four Corners programAAPNovember 10, 2020 9:13AMTOPICSFederal Politics

Scott Morrison says two ministers who were the subject of a Four Corners program about a misogynistic culture in Canberra did not breach his code of conduct.

Alan Tudge, who is now acting immigration minister, has publicly apologised for the hurt his 2017 affair caused his family and former staffer Rachelle Miller.

Attorney-General Christian Porter has denied accusations of any wrongdoing, having been told by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull reports of him drinking and being seen “in the company of young women” at a Canberra bar in late 2017 exposed him to the risk of compromise.

 

Mr Turnbull instituted a so-called “bonk ban” — extending the ministerial code of conduct — when media reports exposed former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce as having an affair with a staffer who was pregnant.

Mr Morrison, who as prime minister kept the ban in place, did not believe the ministers had breached any aspect of the code under his watch.

He said all ministers were in no doubt about his expectations in terms of behaviour.

“I think Australians understand human frailty, and I think they understand the people who work in this place are just as human as anyone else and subject to the same vulnerabilities and frailties as anyone,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“(But Australians) want standards. That is why the standards are there, that is why the standards were introduced.”

He said the thing that bothered him most was the damage to families.

Mr Turnbull met with Mr Porter just before making him attorney-general, telling him the reported behaviour was “unacceptable conduct for a cabinet minister” — especially one who was soon to take on a major national security portfolio.

Mr Turnbull’s remarks made on ABC’s Four Corners program on Monday night also aired background on Mr Porter related to his attitude towards women when he was at university.

In a statement, Mr Porter apologised for some material he wrote in a law school magazine 24 years ago, but denied other reflections on his character and said he was considering legal action.

Mr Porter told 6PR radio on Tuesday the incident raised with him by Mr Turnbull involved nothing more than having a drink with a woman in a bar.

“I have never breached that ministerial code of conduct and there’s never been any suggestion I have,” he said.

Mr Turnbull told ABC’s Q&A program after Four Corners aired: “If I’d known at the time what was broadcast ... I would have made further inquiries before I made him attorney-general.”

Mr Porter questioned Mr Turnbull’s motivation in talking to the ABC, saying the former prime minister was never a “great fan of mine”.

Ms Miller told Four Corners that her consensual affair with Mr Tudge cost her “a lot of self-confidence” and she felt powerless in the situation.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews applauded the women who spoke up in the program.

“It is not easy to speak out and call out appalling behaviour.”

However, Mr Joyce argued a politician’s private life should only become public when there were issues around age, agency or consent.

“If it’s a consensual relationship between two adults, then if you’ve got a problem with that, that’s a role for the police or a priest, but not another politician to be the arbiter of how two people feel about each other,” he said.

Labor MP Andrew Leigh said all political parties needed to accept there was “serious work to be done” around behaviour standards.

“Women have the right to feel safe and respected in any workplace, and the federal parliament needs to be no different.”

AAPNovember 10, 2020 10:33AMTOPICSCourts & JusticeWA News

A Perth waste recycling company has been heavily fined for gross negligence after a labour hire worker’s arm was amputated at the shoulder when he was dragged between a conveyor belt and roller.

The Resource Recovery Solutions worker was manually removing unsuitable items from conveyor belts and clearing blockages when he became caught in the crush point while removing a rock in January 2016.

The company was found guilty in July of gross negligence by failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment.

 

In Perth Magistrates Court on Monday, Resource Recovery Solutions was fined $310,000 for the gross negligence offence and an additional $20,000 for failing to comply with an improvement notice issued by WorkSafe.

It was also ordered to pay $234,000 in costs.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Darren Kavanagh said it was the first time an entity had been found guilty of gross negligence under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

“The employer in this case has continued to disregard the safety of workers by allowing them to work with conveyor belts with unguarded crush points even after numerous incidents at that workplace,” Mr Kavanagh said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The magistrate stated in her decision that the disregard for safety was blatant and went well beyond mere neglect.”

The maximum penalty available to the magistrate for the 2016 offence was a $500,000 fine.

WA’s workplace safety laws were increased in 2018 to allow a maximum fine of $2.7 million for gross negligence.

The state parliament also recently passed long-awaited industrial manslaughter laws.

Mr Kavanagh said Resource Recovery Solutions “had a long history of flouting workplace safety laws”.

In September 2013, a worker was fatally crushed when an overloaded roof panel collapsed and WorkSafe inspectors found conveyor belts were not guarded.

“They were reassured that the plant was fully automated and workers were not present when the plant was running,” Mr Kavanagh said.

Another worker suffered a broken arm in February 2015 when he was dragged into a moving conveyor belt, and WorkSafe subsequently ordered guarding be installed but it never happened.

Tasmania's parliament looks likely to pass a bill to legalise voluntary assisted dying next yearTasmania a step closer to euthanasia lawsEthan JamesAAPNovember 10, 2020 9:40AM 

Tasmania has moved closer to legalising voluntary assisted dying, with the landmark legislation passing one chamber of parliament.

The bill was on Tuesday voted through the state's upper house where it was introduced, but must still be passed by the House of Assembly to become law.

"This legislation is simply aimed at helping individuals suffering intolerably find peace," said independent upper house member Mike Gaffney, the bill's architect.

 

It is the fourth attempt to introduce such laws, after similar legislation was defeated in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

Liberal Premier Peter Gutwein told parliament that lower house debate would begin this year, but not finish until March.

He has asked the University of Tasmania to examine the bill and compare it to assisted dying laws in Victoria and Western Australia, as well as other countries.

"It is incumbent on all of us to ensure this is the best law possible and it affords real protections to the most vulnerable in our community," he said.

The bill appears likely to have the numbers needed to pass the lower house.

Labor and the Greens, which have 11 members of Tasmania's 25-seat lower house, have indicated their support, while Liberal members will be given a conscience vote.

Liberal Speaker Sue Hickey, who doesn't vote along party lines, has indicated she backs the bill.

"There are many in this house who would prefer that the legislation be debated and passed this year, but we understand that is not possible," Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said.

"We believe the legislation will pass. People recognise this is a necessary reform and it comes from a place of deep, deep compassion and respect for human dignity and autonomy."

Critics, including Tasmania-based group 'Live & Die Well' have raised concerns the bill doesn't properly protect vulnerable people.

 

 

 

   

This 443.56 carat Australian black opal is up for auction in Sydney in late November. Credit: NOBLE/PR IMAGEHuge black opal named The Pacific for sale at $700,000-plusBen McKayAAPNovember 9, 2020 1:02PM 

The world’s largest polished, solid-form black opal could be yours if you have a spare million dollars.

The Pacific, a gargantuan opal found near Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, is being sold at auction this month by Noble Numismatics.

Unearthed in 1989 by opal miner Gerald O’Brien, it was named after the world’s biggest ocean because of its size and its vivid, iridescent blue colours.

 

The opal weighs 443.56 carats, or around 90 grams.

It was listed as the world’s largest black opal — considered the rarest form of the gemstone — in the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records.

The auction house describes the sale, for the first time since its discovery, as “a once in a lifetime opportunity to own an Australian mineral specimen icon”.

Noble Numismatics has valued the opal at $700,000, which does not include a 22 per cent buyers premium.

But for that price, the seller is throwing in a copy of the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records, which lists The Pacific.

The black opal is one of hundreds of lots up for grabs in the auction, which begins on November 24 at the State Library of NSW.

Also up for sale is some of Australia’s first locally-produced legal tender, dating back to 1813, 19th-century gold sovereigns, and a large collection of Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins dating back to 350 BC.

 

This makes me very angry why are there so Australian men around doing this?

 

Plumber fighting for life after he was allegedly bashed with a cricket bat outside pubEllen RansleyNCA NewsWireNovember 10, 2020 5:19AM 

A Perth plumber is fighting for life in an induced coma after he was allegedly bashed with a cricket bat outside a pub on Tuesday night.

More than $12,000 has been raised for 26-year-old Brandon Orr, who suffered bleeding on the brain and a fractured skull following an altercation outside the Alexander Bar and Bistro in Ballajura last Tuesday.

In the GoFundMe page organised for Mr Orr, his fiancee Chantelle Baxter and his family, a friend wrote “Brandon was an innocent bystander trying to do the right thing and was struck in the head with a cricket bat which has left him in a serious condition.”

 Friends of Mr Orr say he was an 'innocent bystander' in the fight, which resulted in two people being charged. Credit: Supplied, GoFundMeMr Orr with his fiancee Chantelle Baxter. Credit: Supplied, Facebook

Mr Orr is in the trauma unit at Royal Perth Hospital with “serious head injuries”, including multiple skull fractures, bleeding on the brain, and a broken nose.

He underwent surgery on Friday which relieved some pressure off his brain, however he remains in an induced coma in the ICU.

“He has not woken fully since he arrived in hospital via ambulance on Tuesday evening,” the page organiser wrote.

“Brandon will have a long road to recovery. He will need physiotherapy, rehabilitation, ongoing appointments with his neurology team and so much more.

“Brandon did not deserve this! He is not the type to get involved in petty pub fights … He is the most gentle guy.”

Two people, understood to be a 33-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, have been charged over the alleged bashing of Mr Orr, which is reported to have happened as the young man and a group of friends left the bar around 10pm that night.

Originally published as Plumber fighting for life after pub fight

Older Australians living independently at home will be able to send real-time data to their healthcare providers through a seamless, secure and transparent new health monitoring solution developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and now licensed to Australian company HSC Technology Group Ltd.

CSIRO's Smarter Safer Homes technology is Australia's leading evidence-based platforms with demonstrated clinical and health service benefits.

The sensor-based in-home monitoring system with a patent pending algorithm will be integrated into HSC Technology Group’s TALIUS Smart Analytics platform, servicing the aged care and supported living sectors.

With Australia's ageing population predicted to rise to 22 per cent by 2056, and more than 80 per cent of senior Australians over 60 opting to live at home, aged care facilities and the broader healthcare system will face increasing pressure to provide transparent, high quality care.

Ensuring a strong focus on consumer-directed care while addressing aged care quality standards such as access to personal and clinical care, and access to daily living support services, becomes critical.

CSIRO Health Services Group leader Dr Mohan Karunanithi said technology can support greater quality and provide more informed continuity of care for citizens who choose to live independently, keeping their families updated remotely, while also providing 24/7 healthcare information to medical care teams and clinicians.

"Australians are choosing to live longer in their own homes. However, as we age, or as a result of chronic condition, daily tasks can become increasingly difficult, putting our health and safety at risk," Dr Karunanithi said.

"Numerous trials of our Smarter Safer Homes platform across Australia have shown technology-enabled systems and smart sensors can deliver a high quality, in-home care model suitable for independent living and reducing these risks."

The CSIRO Smarter Safer Homes Objective Activities of Daily Living algorithm will be one of the foundational technologies of the HSC TALIUS platform.

The algorithm will turn collated sensor data into measures of an individual’s daily life activities such as meal preparation, mobility, hygiene and grooming.

This information in the HSC platform will offer users a secure way to self-manage at home, while simultaneously sharing medical information with healthcare providers and family members via a smartphone app and web portal.

Healthcare providers will be able to use the data to detect and assess changes to treatments or care support, intervene early if an emergency is predicted, and create accurate reports for transparency and accountability.

HSC Technology Group Managing Director Graham Russell said CSIRO’s advanced technology is essential to providing accurate information for real-time care.

"Our mission is to help the sector shift from reactive to proactive care for those who need it. Our end-to-end technology solutions offer clients privacy but transparency and comfort to loved ones and healthcare providers with 24/7 access to information," Mr Russell said.  

"We're delighted to have CSIRO's innovative technology an integrated part of our platform, enabling us to deliver on our commitment of offering customers simple and meaningful solutions."

Interest in smart monitoring technology has risen in recent months due to COVID-19.

With over 850 coronavirus-related deaths reported in elderly Australians over 60 years to date, demand for contact-free assistance and care has increased to help limit the spread of infection and disease.

Smarter Safer Homes technology was developed by CSIRO's digital health research team at the Australian e-Health Research Centre.

 

To mark the start of NAIDOC week, CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope has been honoured with a traditional name chosen by Wiradjuri Elders and revealed at a local naming ceremony.

The 64-metre telescope is located on Wiradjuri country in central west New South Wales, approximately 380km west of Sydney.

It received the name Murriyang, which represents the 'Skyworld' where a prominent creator spirit of the Wiradjuri Dreaming, Biyaami (Baiame), lives.

Two smaller telescopes at CSIRO's Parkes Observatory also received Wiradjuri names.

Wiradjuri Elder Rhonda Towney conducted the naming ceremony, and Elder Dr Stan Grant AM revealed the telescope's Wiradjuri names.

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is committed to building genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through education, science, innovation and research and demonstrates this commitment by fostering a culture that respects and honours the rich history of the nation.

Over two years, CSIRO's local Parkes staff worked in collaboration with Wiradjuri Elders, the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and the North West Wiradjuri Language & Culture NEST on the telescope naming project.

CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said Australia had a rich heritage of exploring the world and the stars, and it's humbling to link our early steps to connect to the Universe with that ancient wisdom.

"Science is the search for truth, often we think we are the first to discover it, but much of the knowledge we seek was discovered long before us," Dr Marshall said.

"We're honoured that the Wiradjuri Elders have given traditional names to our telescopes at Parkes, to connect them with the oldest scientific tradition in the world."

Dr Grant said the ceremony was a very proud day for the Wiradjuri people.

"This is something that has been coming for a very long time," Dr Grant said.

“The naming of the telescopes is one of the biggest things to happen to our people."

Wiradjuri Elder and representative of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group David Towney said language was “everything about who and what we are".

"We teach language to understand country, culture and sky stories," Mr Towney said.

"Connecting our language to the telescope is connecting the telescope to country, and commemorating this during NAIDOC week is a way for people to come together and celebrate Wiradjuri culture."

Executive Manager of CSIRO's Office of Indigenous Engagement Louisa Warren said giving the telescopes traditional names acknowledges and pays respect to the astronomical knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"Naming the telescopes is an example of our Reconciliation Action Plan in action," Ms Warren said.

"The plan affirms our commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the oldest living culture in the world.

"It recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first people of Australia and respects their enduring connection to lands, skies, waters, plants and animals."

The Wiradjuri names for the three telescopes are:

Murriyang, for the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope

In the Wiradjuri Dreaming, Biyaami (Baiame) is a prominent creator spirit and is represented in the sky by the stars which also portray the Orion constellation. Murriyang represents the 'Skyworld' where Biyaami lives.

Giyalung Miil, for the 12-metre ASKAP testing antenna

Meaning 'Smart Eye' this telescope was commissioned in 2008 as a testbed for a special new type of receiver technology (phased array feed, PAF) used on CSIRO's Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) antennas. The PAF is able see different parts of the sky simultaneously making it a 'smart eye'.

Giyalung Guluman, for the 18-metre decommissioned antenna

Meaning 'Smart Dish' this antenna had the ability to move along a railway track while observing, and when linked to the main 64-metre antenna became pivotal in early work that determined the size and brightness of radio sources in the sky. The antenna was originally assembled at the CSIRO Fleurs Radio Telescope site, Penrith NSW in 1960, was transported to Parkes in 1963 and became operational in 1965.