Month: August 2022

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Business

Warning Australians could miss out on Christmas holiday flights, accommodation

Warning Australians could miss out on Christmas holiday flights, accommodation

If you thought the chaos at airports over the July school holidays was enough to send you mad, experts say a whole lot more pain is coming – and not just when it comes to flying.

With Christmas holidays creeping up and the busiest holiday period just around the corner, Aussies hoping for a breezy summer escape are being warned to book now – or face being left out in the cold.

Accommodation platform Stayz revealed one-in-five Aussies have already booked their end of year holiday, with newly released data predicting a possible sold out summer in top holiday home destinations over the Christmas break.

“Booking for year-end Christmas holidays in July is now the norm” says Simone Scoppa, travel expert at Stayz.

“Prior to the pandemic, we knew that travelers mostly booked Christmas holidays in the month of September. But, the last two years have seen this peak period move to July as travelers get in early to secure their holiday home.”

According to the research, families heading into the silly season are increasingly searching for whole holiday homes with pools, in a waterfront or beachside location, and for the accommodation offering to be pet friendly.

Ms Scoppa said heading into July and August, the most popular destinations that have seen a spike in summer bookings include the Fraser Coast in QLD, the South West region of WA, the Barossa wine region in South Australia and smaller coastal towns along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria.

Airbnb, who recently launched the ‘Categories’ section for unique-style homes, predict this summer will have an increased interest from the international market now that border restrictions are over.

“While traditional holiday destinations continue to be popular, last year we saw guests seeking stays in those lesser-known locations that might be slightly further afield,” Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, told news.com.au.

“This summer, Aussies won’t be the only ones snapping up fun and unique homes on Airbnb, with international travelers also looking to experience Down Under – from our world-famous coastal cities and towns, to breathtaking rural landscapes.”

Ms Wheeldon tips locations like Rye, Apollo Bay and Bright to be popular once again this summer, along with South West Rocks and Nelson Bay in NSW.

With airports and airlines across the country – but particularly along the east coast – battling staff shortages, flight cancellations and delays coupled with the post-Covid travel boom, experts warn travelers could be in for long wait times over the summer holidays for both domestic and international travel.

On Monday alone, 21 flights were canceled in Sydney across the Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Rex networks. Virgin dumped 10 flights, Qantas nixed eight, with two pulled from Jetstar and one from Rex.

Melbourne Airport faced similar struggles, with 20 flights scrapped as of 8.30am.

This included seven flights from Qantas, five from Emirates and Virgin Australia, two from American Airlines and one from British Airways.

The flights canceled at both airports were between 6.30am and 7pm on Monday.

With airlines struggling to keep up with demand amid staff shortages, Qantas announced they would be reducing flights in July and August.

Domestic and International CEO Andrew David apologized to customers as a result of the ongoing chaos being faced at airports across the country.

“We are the national carrier, people have high expectations of us, we have high expectations of ourselves and clearly over the last few months we have not been delivering what we did pre-Covid,” he said.

“We have reduced some of our flying this month and we’re planning to do the same next month, recognizing the operation pressures we have.”

It is understood the airline will be rostering on extra staff for the Christmas period, and any large widebody aircraft will be deployed to assist with domestic flights if need be.

In 2022 alone, Aussies have faced a string of rising cost of living pressures and accommodation reservations have been no exemption.

It hasn’t exactly been cheap to holiday domestically for many years, but staggering figures show that it has gone from bad to worse in the past 13 months.

Data from trivago released in June – recorded hotel price shifts from more than 400 booking sites for over 2 million hotels around the world in its Hotel Price Index. The survey uncovered an astronomical increase in the price of an Aussie getaway.

It shows the average price of a hotel in Sydney has arisen almost 25 per cent over the past year while hotel rooms in Melbourne have seen a 24 per cent spike in the same period.

This means the average cost of a hotel room in Sydney is now above $240 per night, up from $206 a night a year ago. For Melbourne, the average cost is now $239, up from $200 in August last year.

The CEO of Tourism Accommodation Australia, Michael Johnson said the hike in prices came down to staff shortages still plaguing the industry, with many hotels forced to operate at 70 to 80 per cent capacity which was impacting revenue.

“I know hotels that are still looking for 30 to 40 staff, instead of running two restaurants they are only running one,” he said.

“They’re not taking conference bookings, because they just don’t have the staff to manage those bookings.”

But despite the angst and frustration following travelers to airports both domestically and internationally, Australians have not been deterred from traveling and there’s no sign of it waning off in the future, according to Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker.

More than one-in-two (57 per cent) of Aussies are planning a getaway in the next 12 months, including 32 per cent who plan to travel within Australia, 12 per cent who plan to travel internationally, and 13 per cent who plan to travel both domestically and overseas.

This is up from 49 per cent last December.

According to Finder’s Covid Comfort Indicator, Aussies rank their level of comfort with overseas travel at 4.3 out of 10, up from 2.7 in January. They feel slightly more at ease with domestic travel, ranking it 6.1 out of 10.

“The travel industry is finally seeing some normalcy for the first time in over two years. People aren’t as concerned about prices, they just want to travel again,” said Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder.

“The key to making the most of any travel sale is to be flexible with dates and open-minded about destinations. Don’t forget to book your travel insurance as soon as you’ve locked in your trip.”

Ms Scoppa agreed, saying with many Australians missing out on travel plans due to Covid-19 interrupting plans in 2021 – the advice was to be organized and book now.

“The advice is simple, we recommend that you book now for your Christmas holidays, rather than leaving it to the last minute, where there may be limited choice,” Ms Scoppa said.

“The Mackay and Central Coast NSW regions are typically favorite summer destinations, that in years past have been close to a sell out, so it is good news for travelers looking ahead to book for Christmas that availability is still looking good for these destinations.”

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Categories
Sports

Hesson’s last-gasp shot edges England past Australia in 3×3 basketball final | Commonwealth Games 2022

The first edition of the frenetic, hyperactive game of 3×3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games came to an end on Tuesday evening as England defeated Australia 17-16 in the most dramatic circumstances. England triumphed with a game-winning two-pointer in overtime to secure the first men’s gold medal of the Games.

In the women’s gold medal match, Canada narrowly edged out England after another dramatic ending, winning 14-13 with a buzzer beater from Canada’s Sarah Te-Biasu to take the gold medal

Even though no participating country was able to qualify for the Olympics, 3×3 basketball has clearly made a positive impact on the Games, with handsome crowds since the early rounds at the Smithfield building site, a venue adjacent to the beach volleyball stadium.

The men’s and women’s wheelchair finals immediately preceded the non-disabled athletes, with full crowds present as Australia’s men edged past Canada 11-9, then Canada’s women beat Australia 14-5.

By the time the England men’s team entered the court, the atmosphere was searing. The players continually called for the crowd, which responded in turn, cheering for its team, booing Australia during their free throw attempts and making their presence known with an intensity not normally associated with Commonwealth Games sports.

The sport’s defining quality is its speed. Seemingly every aspect of it is cut down in size compared to traditional basketball in order to create an even more rapid spectacle. It is played out on half a basketball court with only one hoop to attack between the two teams of three, there are 12 seconds on the shot clock and matches won by the first team to reach 21 points, with the leading team winning if the game passes the 10‑minute mark.

Greg Hire of Australia and Jaydon Kayne Henry-McCalla of England.
Greg Hire of Australia (top) and Jaydon Kayne Henry-McCalla of England. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

The final that unfolded in Smithfield was physical and tough, with constant fouls and hustle alike. After six minutes the two teams had combined for 18 fouls, with Australia already over the 10‑foul limit, meaning every subsequent foul led to two shots and possession for England.

Between the furious, high-octane defense and the nerves that accompanied the occasion, both teams committed offensive errors and scoring was low. But then the game exploded.

First Jaydon Kayne Henry-McCalla buried a clutch two-pointer to give England a 15-14 lead with 20 seconds to go but Daniel Johnson drew Australia level for 15-15 with 10 seconds remaining, ushering the game into overtime where the winner was required to win two points in a row. Australia took the upper hand and pressed for victory, a layup from Jesse Wagstaff moving them to 16-15.

Johnson’s two-pointer swirled around the inside of the rim, Australia seemed to have done it. But the ball swirled back out, prompting Orlan Jackman to leap into the air for a rebound, swiping it behind him.

The ball found Myles Hesson, from Birmingham, who shuffled outside of the two‑point line, lined up his shot and buried the two-pointer to mark England as the first 3×3 men’s basketball Commonwealth champions.

Categories
Australia

Police seek public’s help killing of Turkish diplomat and his bodyguard in 1980

Police seek public's help killing of Turkish diplomat and his bodyguard in 1980

Police are calling on the public to help solve an assassination cold case from more than 40 years ago involving a Turkish diplomat and his bodyguard by listening to a phone call recording in the hopes of identifying the caller and to decipher its message.

Turkish Consul-General Sarik Ariyak, 50, and his bodyguard Engin Sever, 28, were shot outside a residence in Dover Heights in Sydney’s east on December 17, 1980, by two men who fled on motorcycles after the shooting.

Turkish diplomat Sarik Ariyak was approached by two unknown men and shot in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Turkish diplomat Sarik Ariyak was approached by two unknown men and shot in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.Credit:Barry James Gilmour

Ariyak died at the scene while Sever died a short time after in hospital.

Shortly after the shooting, an Armenian terrorist group – the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide – claimed responsibility for the killings but no one has ever been charged despite an extensive investigation by police.

It was one of the first international politically motivated attacks on Australian soil, described by police as “calculated, deliberate” and “brutal”.

In 2019, the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team – consisting of the NSW Police, Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the NSW Crime Commission – launched a review and re-investigation into the case.

As part of its re-opening, detectives released an audio recording on Wednesday that contains the voice of a person who claims responsibility for the attack. The call was made by a woman to multiple media outlets after the shooting.

Investigators are asking for help to decipher inaudible words spoken in the audio clip after the words “the authors of” to identify their significance to the investigation, and for help to identify the woman.

Categories
US

LA cracks down on homeless encampments near schools

LA cracks down on homeless encampments near schools

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to prohibit homeless people from setting up tents within 500 feet of schools and day-care centers, during a raucous meeting where protesters shouted down council members and, at one point, brought the meeting to a halt.

The new restrictions, approved on an 11-3 vote, dramatically expand the number of locations where sleeping and camping are off-limits. And they come amid a furious debate about how the city should respond to encampments that have taken hold in many parts of the city.

Audience members repeatedly chanted “shut it down” as Councilmember Joe Buscaino, a longtime proponent of increased enforcement, attempted to speak in favor of the restrictions. Council President Nury Martinez then stopped the meeting for more than an hour so police could clear the room.

After audience members had exited, council members reconvened, discussed the measure and voted.

“I think people were trying this morning to shut this place down and keep us from doing the very job that we were all elected to do,” Martinez said before the vote. “And that, I think, is incredibly disturbing.”

Under the new restrictions, people would be prohibited from sitting, sleeping, lying or storing property within 500 feet of every public and private school, not just the few dozen selected by the council over the last year.

Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents South Los Angeles, voted against the restrictions, telling reporters they would move the city toward an “inhumanity that is beneath the citizens of the city.”

Councilmember Mike Bonin, another opponent of the restrictions, said city leaders should devote their energy instead toward improving programs that aid homeless Angelenos, such as those that help people with housing vouchers secure an apartment.

“We need to have a relentless, exclusive focus on getting people indoors,” said Bonin, who represents coastal neighborhoods from Los Angeles International Airport north to Pacific Palisades.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman, whose district includes the Hollywood Hills, also voted against the proposal. A second and final vote will be required next week.

Bonin predicted the changes would result in a roughly tenfold increase in the number of sites subject to enforcement, taking it from more than 200 to about 2,000. The city’s supporting documents on the proposal did not give a clear figure showing how many sites would be covered.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials told The Times that about 750 school sites are within the city limits, a figure that does not include private or parochial schools. Nearly 1,000 commercial day-care businesses are registered with the city’s Office of Finance, although it’s not clear whether all of those locations would be covered by the city’s new law.

Tuesday’s vote came more than two months after Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, made a surprise in-person appearance before council members to ask for the new restrictions. Parents and school staff have also spoken out in favor of the changes, saying they have observed erratic or even violent behavior on or near school campuses.

Martha Alvarez, who oversees government relations for the school district, told the council that LA Unified had found 120 campuses with encampments over the last year.

“These conditions are a public health hazard,” she said. “They are unsafe and traumatic for students, families and staff as they enter school campuses.”

Buscaino also spoke in favor, saying he has already been working to open more beds for homeless people across the city.

“I’ve supported Bridge Home shelters. I’ve supported tiny homes, Project Roomkey, Project Homekey, permanent supportive housing,” Buscaino said. “But what I don’t support are drug dens near our schools, parks or anywhere children congregate.”

A woman walks with two school-age youths past a homeless encampment in Hollywood

A woman and schoolchildren walk past a homeless encampment near Larchmont Charter School in August 2021.

(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

The new school year starts Aug. 15.

Foes of the proposal have repeatedly argued the council’s restrictions would effectively outlaw poverty, leading to the deaths of homeless Angelenos. Prohibiting encampments around schools, they said, would simply push people and their belongings a block or two away.

“There are a lot of people who are struggling right now, and we should be helping them,” said Andrew Graebner, appearing before the council.

The council’s actions also drew opposition from PATH, or People Assisting the Homeless, which builds low-income housing with supportive services. Tyler Renner, a spokesman for the organization, said the restrictions would waste time and city resources.

“Enforcement of anti-camping ordinances… only displaces people and makes it harder for trained outreach staff to establish trust again,” he said in a statement.

The new restrictions come as city officials are gradually closing one of the signature programs set up to help the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic: Project Roomkey, which turned multi-story hotels into makeshift shelters.

Those facilities allowed the city to bring far more people indoors than it had before, at a time when the congregate shelter system, where many people sleep in a single room, had to operate well below capacity under social distancing guidelines.

The Mayfair Hotel, which provided 252 rooms under the program, recently ended its participation. The LA Grand Hotel downtown and the Highland Gardens Hotel in Hollywood, which provided a combined 553 rooms, are scheduled to cease operation as Project Roomkey sites at the end of the month, according to Brian Buchner, the city’s homelessness coordinator.

The Airtel Plaza Hotel, which has provided 237 rooms, is set to end its participation in the program on Sept. 30.

Buchner said there are “active discussions” at City Hall and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority about extending the deadline at one or more of those facilities.

Tuesday’s vote represents a shift in the city’s approach on enforcement of its anti-camping law, reducing the amount of discretion wielded by individual council members and establishing a more sweeping policy. That’s a major contrast from last summer, when backers of the law pitched it as a narrow and targeted measure, with enforcement accompanied by offers of services from outreach workers.

Over the last year, permanent metal signs setting deadlines for homeless people to leave have been posted at more than 200 locations, 33 of them schools or day-care centers. At some locations, tents and makeshift shelters have remained weeks or months past the deadline, as outreach workers struggled to persuade people to move voluntarily.

Although some sites are now clear of tents and encampments, others later had more people living on the sidewalk than they did when outreach workers initially assessed the spots.

City and county officials, along with homeless services providers, previously told The Times that an insufficient number of outreach workers and a lack of interim housing options have hindered the implementation of the law.

Foes of the council’s homelessness strategy have repeatedly called for the restrictions on sidewalk camping to be rescinded. Some of those critics are now leading candidates in the Nov. 8 election.

Accountant Kenneth Mejia, front-runner in the race to replace City Controller Ron Galperin, said the new rules would render about one-fifth of the city’s sidewalks off-limits to homeless people. On social media, he has repeatedly criticized the city’s anti-encampment law, which focuses not just on schools and day-care centers, but also requires that sidewalks offer 36 inches of passage for wheelchair users.

Councilmember Paul Koretz, who trailed Mejia by nearly 20 percentage points last month, voted in favor of the new law.

The new anti-encampment law is also an issue in other contests. Civil rights lawyer Faisal Gill, now running to succeed City Atty. Mike Feuer, has previously promised not to enforce the ordinance, saying it is unconstitutional and will be struck down by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Gill’s opponent, attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, declined to take a position on the measure when contacted by The Times.

“The validity, interpretation and enforceability of the [anti-encampment] ordinance will certainly come before the next LA city attorney,” she said in a statement. “And if I am the city attorney, I would want the opportunity to consult with my clients — LA City Council — before taking a fixed position.”

One citywide contest where there is some agreement on the council’s approach is the race for mayor. US Rep. Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso, both running for mayor, have come out in favor of the restrictions on encampments near schools and day-care centers.

Categories
Business

Perth weather disruption continues as storm fronts lash WA, but power restored to airport

Perth weather disruption continues as storm fronts lash WA, but power restored to airport

Power has been restored to Perth Airport after a major outage sparked by severe weather caused widespread flight cancellations and overnight delays.

The severe weather, brought about by an once-in-a-year triple storm front hitting Western Australia, saw all outbound services scheduled to depart before 8:30pm on Tuesday grounded.

Check-ins, security screening and car park access were also affected.

Passengers were reportedly told to go home for the night and to contact their travel agents.

“Perth Airport is working to activate all systems across its terminals in order to become fully operational,” Perth Airport said in a statement.

A wide shot of passengers sitting inside a terminal at Perth Airport.
The power outage at the airport left passengers delayed and in many cases sent home.(Supplied: Night News)

“We ask passengers for their continued patience as our team and our airline partners work to get flights underway.”

The airport has apologized for the inconvenience, saying the safety of everyone who worked in or was traveling through Perth Airport remained its highest priority.

Thousands still without power

The airport was one of thousands of properties left without power across Perth as the first of three powerful cold fronts battered the state.

Debris from a collapsed ceiling lies across a living room.
The ceiling of a Joondalup home in Perth’s north collapsed overnight as the wild weather continued.(Supplied: Night News)

At the peak of the storm yesterday morning, Western Power said 35,000 customers were without electricity, but it has since been restored to more than 25,000 properties.

The wild weather is set to continue, with damaging winds averaging 65 kilometers per hour and peak gusts in excess of 100 kph likely along the west coast and Perth this morning, before conditions ease during the late afternoon.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are also expected to persist throughout the day.

A wide shot of an emergency services vehicle outside a home damaged by bad weather at night.
Emergency services were called to a Port Kennedy home after it suffered damage to its roof and fence.(Supplied: Night News)

A severe weather warning for damaging surf is also in place, with significant wave heights exceeding 7 meters already occurring in exposed locations.

Swell forecasts of over 9.5 meters are predicted to hit Rottnest Island and Cape Naturaliste today.

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Categories
Sports

2022 AFLW 10 under 10 to watch: Annise Bradfield

2022 AFLW 10 under 10 to watch: Annise Bradfield

IN a unique series for the lead-up to the 2022 AFL Women’s Season 7, Rookie Me Central will look at 10 players to watch this year who have played under 10 games. While it would be easy to pick those who finished high in last year’s Rising Star, or top picks this year, we have opted to look at players who have been around for at least two seasons – or in previous years – but have only managed to play nine games or less. Next up in the series is Gold Coast talent Annise Bradfield.

Bradfield is the first player in this series coming off an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that derailed the start of her career before it got going. In just her second AFL Women’s match, Bradfield went down with the long-term knee injury back in 2021, and now just over 12 months later – and sitting out the 2022 season – Bradfield is back and ready to have an impact in Season 7.

The Gold Coast Suns Academy member played at her bottom-age championships in 2019 before COVID-19 put an end to any national carnivals in 2020. Taken with Pick 7 in the AFL Women’s Draft that year, Bradfield came in with plenty of hope for the season ahead, but went down with her knee injury so early in her career. She is a player who could predominantly play forward, but can role through the midfield which is where she played at junior level, standing at 172cm and providing a target. As a December birth, Bradfield only turns 20 later this year, so she is still a teenager for the upcoming season.

Highly rated by the club as shown by being the first player taken in the 2020 AFLW Draft, Bradfield is expected to slot into the team when fully fit. As a former hockey player prior to focusing on her Australian rules football career, Bradfield has plenty of experience when it comes to sport, and is someone who might not be thought of straight away when it comes to players to watch given she did just have the one touch prior to doing her knee. There is no denying her talent though, and Bradfield is a player who can have a real influence with ball-in-hand for the Suns now she is back and firing after that injury.

Categories
Australia

Lake Tyrrell traditional owners apply for protection of sacred meeting place, Mallee tourism drawcard

People taking photos at a lake which reflects the sky.

Traditional owners of a popular tourist destination in Victoria’s north west are calling on the federal environment department to urgently intervene and protect the area from further desecration.

Lake Tyrrell, an ancient saltwater lake that is dry most of the year, is a tourist drawcard for the small but vibrant town of Sea Lake.

Indigenous elders from Wemba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation made the application to Tanya Plibersek’s office after the local council approved plans to build a tourist park and put its in-principle support behind the resumption of the Mallee Rally, an off-road dune buggy race.

The rally that runs around the lake, also known to traditional owners as Direl, started in 1973 but was discontinued in 2019 after Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) recommended it stop because of heritage concerns.

A group of people wearing skins and holding a black and red checkered banner.
Traditional owners from the Mallee including Gary Murray and Bobby Nicholls say their application is a last resort.(ABC Wimmera: Alexander Darling)

Preventing further damage

The report found hearths, flaked stone material, directly on the race track indicating the presence of culturally significant artefacts.

Direl, meaning ‘sky’ because of its mirror-like reflections of the sky when wet, is also an ancient meeting place for traditional owners and home to burial grounds, artefacts, mounds, and middens.

One of the lead applicants, Gary Murray, a Wemba Wamba and Wergaia elder, said Direl is culturally significant because it is the home to creator spirits like the dark emu that was also central to First Nations astronomy used for foraging.

He said while the report recommended the race stop, there was a chance it could summarize as the report did not offer the same protections from private development that a Cultural Heritage Management Plan did.

Gary Murray sits on a log
Gary Murray would like the lake to be permanently protected from the Mallee Rally, unregulated tourism, and private development.(ABC Lateline)

“The root cause of our concerns is the Mallee Rally, the lack of heritage protection progress, and poor planning and development regimes around Direl by the Shire of Buloke and [the] state,” Mr Murray said in the application.

He also said the DELWP report did not analyze the salt mining activities and tourism park, even though water and electricity infrastructure that had been installed — according to a specialist First Nations archaeologist who visited the site in November 2021 — had already caused damage.

He said traditional owners were worried that tourism, while encouraged, would be unregulated and lead to damage, pollution, and desecration of sacred sites.

Bobby Nicholls smiles as he stands in a park, dressed in a warm checked jacket on a rainy day.
Bobby Nicholls, a multi-clan Aboriginal elder and applicant, says governments have failed Indigenous landowners.(ABC News: Joseph Dunstan)

Mr Murray criticized the DELWP conservation plan for failing to survey large portions of the lake and shoreline.

Organizers of the rally, the Sea Lake Off Road Club, had offered to modify the route but fellow applicant and Wergaia elder Bobby Nicholls said the rally in any way made it incompatible with preserving cultural heritage because it was an uncontrolled environment.

“They tear around open county … and given there are some very sensitive areas where we need protection … [the buggies] can go anywhere off the track,” Mr Nicholls said.

“We have no choice but to engage the Commonwealth as a last resort.”

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Categories
US

Senate passes veterans health bill after Republicans cave to pressure

Senate passes veterans health bill after Republicans cave to pressure

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation expanding lifesaving health care benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

The 86-11 vote came after Republicans agreed to lift their blockade of the popular bill, caving to pressure from more than 60 veterans groups — and comedian Jon Stewart — who had railed against Republicans for days outside the Capitol.

Many of the veterans who had camped on the Senate steps, braving heat, humidity and thunderstorms, watched the vote from the gallery in the Senate chamber. The bill has already cleared the House and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

Image: Comedian and activist Jon Stewart embraces Susan Zeier, mother-in-law of the late Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, before the Senate vote on the PACT Act outside the Capitol on Aug. 2, 2022.
Comedian and activist Jon Stewart embraces Susan Zeier, mother-in-law of the late Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, before the Senate vote on the PACT Act outside the Capitol on Aug. 2, 2022.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

“This critical legislation will start helping our veterans and their families that are currently fighting their own health battles due to toxic exposure from their military service on Day One of it being signed into law,” said Jen Burch, 35, a retired Air Force staff sergeant who suffers from numerous ailments she believes was caused by exposure to burn pits and open sewage ponds in Afghanistan.

With the passage of the PACT Act, “veterans across America can breathe a sigh of relief,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said on the floor before walking outside the Capitol with Veterans Affairs Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont ., to thank the vets for their advocacy. “The treatment that they have deserved and have needed but have been denied because of the VA, because of all sorts of legal barriers and presumptions, will now be gone.

“Veterans who were exposed to the toxic fumes of burn pits will be treated by the VA like they should have been from the very beginning,” Schumer added.

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa, had been one of the Republicans holding up the bill as he demanded a vote on his amendment to put spending guardrails in place to ensure some of the massive $280 billion package over 10 years couldn’t be spent on ” completely unrelated programs.” Democrats disputed Toomey’s characterization, saying the money would only be spent on veterans.

“I’m supposed to trust this and future congresses not to go on a spending spree? Seriously? That’s unbelievable,” Toomey said before the vote. “Why did they design this feature so that they could go on a spending spree?”

Toomey had insisted that his amendment be brought to the floor with a 50-vote, simple-majority threshold. In the end, he and other Republicans gave into Schumer’s demands that three GOP amendments would receive votes with a higher 60-vote threshold, essentially ensuring their defeat. All fell well below that bar.

The Senate had already voted 84-14 to pass the burn pits bill in June, but 25 Republican yea votes reversed course when the legislation came up again last week, with many echoing Toomey’s spending concerns and arguing that Democrats did not give them a chance to amend the package. Democrats and veterans argued, however, that many Republicans were voting against the bill in retaliation for the massive deal on climate change, health care and taxes that Democrats had just crafted.

With some veterans literally sleeping on the steps on the Capitol over the weekend, the Republican blockade became increasingly untenable.

“I think they’re fraying in terms of their ability to withstand this,” Stewart, who has also fought for funding for 9/11 first responders and their, told NBC News before Tuesday’s deal was announced.

“I think this is cruel and unusual punishment that’s going on and they’ve got to end this.”

Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.

Ali Vitaly and Frank ThorpV contributed.

Categories
Business

Sneakerboy collapse: Company owes $17.2 million to creditors, customers

Sneakerboy collapse: Company owes $17.2 million to creditors, customers

Several employees of a collapsed footwear company suspected the retailer was on its last legs for some time as they were accosted by angry creditors and customers on a daily basis, endured pay runs that were weeks late and never received their final entitlements.

Controversial luxury shoe retailer Sneakerboy went into voluntary administration in early July but two former staff members told news.com.au this was not surprising.

Five companies were included in the administration notice, Sneakerboy Pty Ltd and two related companies under the Sneakerboy name, and Luxury Retail Treasury Pty Ltd and Luxury Retail Group Pty Ltd (Sneakerboy’s parent company).

ASIC documents seen by news.com.au show the embattled company and its related companies owe $17.2 million to more than 100 creditors, including $200,000 to Nike.

A whopping $500,000 is also owed to 120 past and current staff members through unpaid wages and entitlements.

Elliot* worked for Sneakerboy since 2017 and is owed $15,000 from 220 hours of annual leave and roughly 12 months of superannuation that he never received after quitting in January this year.

“Since 2018 there were a few warning signs (at Sneakerboy), pay was occasionally a tiny bit late, like a day late,” he recalled to news.com.au.

“Then over the years it started to get out of control, in the last year it would be one to two weeks late. It was insane.”

The Melbourne worker, 34, was struggling to pay rent and groceries from the late payments and now works elsewhere, adding: “You get paid on time (at this new place), it’s crazy, it feels like such a treat.”

Elliot said from the beginning of his stint at the company he had doubts about the way Sneakerboy made money

“I felt like it wasn’t a sustainable business model, it was predicated on taking money from customers and using that as a loan to buy the shoes which is insane,” he said.

Customers would fork out cash for a pair of shoes, which was usually thousands of dollars as Sneakerboy sells sneakers by brands like Balenciaga and Canada Goose for well north of $1000. This money would then be used to actually buy the shoes — but the products would usually arrive weeks or months later as it was a pre-purchase order.

Wait times for sneakers usually blew out to weeks or months, causing angry customers to ring stores multiple times a day requesting for refunds.

Elliot said his store got “a lot of refund calls.”

“You would try to delay it as long as possible,” he added.

Things reached a head when one customer spent between $40,000 to $50,000 on sneakers — with plans to sell it on at a higher price at her home country of China. However, the shoes didn’t arrive for months.

“She put her own lock in front of the store, she put a bike lock on the front door,” Elliot said with a laugh.

“They had to get a locksmith. Some people were mad about it, but she spent tens of thousands of dollars and had n’t received her product from her so it was fair enough”.

It’s understood from creditors there are in excess of 1000 customers who prepaid for products which may now never arrive.

News.com.au has contacted Sneakerboy and its two co-owners for comment.

Do you know more or have a similar story? Continue the conversation | [email protected]

Struggling to pay rent

There were times when Elliot couldn’t afford rent because his pay arrived so late and he had to sell some of his own stuff.

“You’d have weeks where it’s like ‘cool, gotta sell a bunch of my own sneakers to pay rent’, it’s pretty cooked,” he said.

Although it looked like superannuation was being deposited into his account according to his pay slip, he knew this wasn’t the case.

“We’d all known for a couple of years our super wasn’t being paid properly, when you got the pay slips it said you were getting super but obviously they weren’t,” he added.

The Fair Work Ombudsman confirmed to news.com.au that it was investigating Sneakerboy over concerns from workers regarding their wages and entitlements.

A spokesperson told news.com.au the government department “has ongoing investigations in relation to Sneakerboy”.

“As these matters are ongoing, it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

Elliot said he could “tell Sneakerboy was going badly” because it was doing 40 per cent off sales even when they didn’t have stock available.

“It was fully desperate,” he said. “They were struggling for cash flow all the time.”

‘Blocked the exit’

Adam* worked at Sneakerboy’s Sydney store for four years and he claims the run-ins with angry customers and creditors made him develop depression.

“The constant pressure from management to keep selling on my day off and angry creditors have affected me mentally,” he told news.com.au.

“I had to visit a psychologist and psychiatrist to combat my depression.”

The 26-year-old resigned three months before Sneakerboy collapsed and said his mental health has improved since then as he has “moved on to better things”.

He alleges one of the worst interactions he had was with the landlord of his store who had not been paid rent for months.

“They were shouting at me and acting aggressively,” he said. “They blocked the exits, spoke very rudely and kicked me and other staff members out of the shop.”

He also said they got angry calls from contractors, including third party cleaning companies and delivery partners over unpaid bills.

“Customers were the most frequent and the worst,” Adam continued.

“They would abuse the staff members by shouting, swearing, acting aggressively, throwing fits, and threatening the staff member.

“Imagine you are getting this at least seven to nine times a day through phone calls or coming to the store.”

He added: “From my observation, every time Sneakerboy desperately needed money, they always start massive sales by offering high discounts for branded products.

“If you recall, last year, they did four or five massive warehouse sales, which is unusual for a business.”

Stephen Dixon from insolvency firm Hamilton Murphy Advisory was appointed as administrator at the beginning of July.

There are 36 potential buyers circling to try to acquire Sneakerboy, according to Mr Dixon.

“This interest has come from a range of international and Australian parties across a broad industry spectrum,” a statement from the company read.

“We appreciate and understand the concerns that all stakeholders to the Sneakerboy Group have, especially employees and customers,” Mr Dixon said.

“We continue to urgently work towards a sale of the business, as we believe that this will be the best outcome for creditors. Employee obligations are a critical part of the negotiations we are having with potential buyers.”

*Names withheld over privacy concerns

[email protected]

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Categories
Entertainment

Dev Patel reportedly broke up a knife fight in South Australia

Dev Patel reportedly broke up a knife fight in South Australia

Dev Patel

Dev Patel
photo: Lia Toby (Getty Images)

Although he’s navigated onscreen situations as dicey as being lost at sea with a tiger, Dev Patel recently faced a real-life incident straight out of a thriller. The actor and his friends reportedly intervened in a “violent altercation” outside of a convenience store in Adelaide, Australia on Monday night.

Per 7News Australia, the fight occurred just after 8:45 pm, and during the altercation a woman stabbed a man in the chest. Patel, who was last seen in David Lowery’s 2020 fantasy epic The Green Knighttook a page from the film’s chivalrous book and stepped in to prevent any further violence.

“Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight,” Patel’s representatives shared in a statement. “The group was thankfully successful in doing so and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived.”

After emergency services were called, 7News reports that the victim was treated for non-life-threatening industries, while the aggressor was arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing harm. She has been denied bail.

The statement from Patel’s reps continued on to stress that the actor is not a hero for stepping in, and hoped that the altercation is getting attention would bring attention to a larger issue.

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“This specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Patel’s reps concluded. “The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large.”

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