It was more than a century ago that the then all-male NSW parliament first became known as the Bear Pit. So aggressive and unruly was the behavior of MPs on the floor of parliament in the early 1900s that the lower house could have been a blood-sport arena hosting bear-baiting.
Disturbingly, little has changed in Macquarie Street. The Bear Pit nickname remains and so does a toxic culture.
NSW Parliament House is the country’s oldest parliament.Credit:louise kennerley
The first woman was elected to Australia’s oldest parliament in 1925, but still it has not shaken its moniker. Perhaps it is little wonder, then, that the bad behavior that has long been tolerated in the chamber has spilled outside into the halls of power.
Former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick’s long-awaited report into the workplace culture in NSW parliament is a shocking indictment on the people who seek to represent us and the institution where laws are made.
NSW parliament is still a male-dominated workplace, where sexual harassment is rife and people are fearful to speak up in case they lose their job, Broderick says. Three men and two women disclosed to her de ella review their experiences of attempted or actual assault and almost half of sexual harassment incidents in the past five years were carried out by elected members of parliament.
A series of anonymous first-person accounts makes for uncomfortable reading. One described the parliamentary precinct as feeling “like the 1970s”, with “old rich white men employing these beautiful young women in their 20s. People would come to the office and joke ‘[this member] always employs the lookers’ ”.
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Another said: “MPs make lewd comments, especially at drinks. It’s a bit of a boys’ club, there’s sexting in the Parliament.” And this: “It’s a completely predatory environment. People use their position to influence and manipulate young adults to get what they want. It’s the nature of the relationship in those offices, I saw it happen in my office.”
Broderick’s report, which was based on the response of almost 500 people, found that most people who took part identified the “unequal distribution of power”. Women are still grossly underrepresented.
Cricket faces a real challenge dealing with the rapidly evolving T20 landscape, according to former Australian skipper Ian Chappell.
The last month alone has seen Ben Stokes retire from 50-over cricket due to the demands three formats of the game place on his body, suggestions Chris Lynn wants to ditch the BBL to play in the UAE, and Trent Boult being released from his New Zealand central contract to allow him to play in more domestic leagues around the world.
The boss of IPL giants Kolkota Knight Riders recently revealed that in an “ideal world” players would be contracted to their franchises for 12 months a year, potentially leading cricket down the ‘club vs country’ path that rules football. IPL franchises recently purchased all six teams in South Africa’s new T20 competition, which will also run in competition to the BBL.
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Lynn seemingly wants to play the first half of the BBL before taking up a big money offer in the new UAE T20 league in January, with former national coach Darren Lehmann one of those who supports the 32-year-old being allowed to do so.
Lynn is the BBL’s all-time leading run-scorer and a fan favorite, particularly with younger demographics that the competition targets.
Cricket Australia would need to provide Lynn with a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to allow him to take up the UAE deal, to date no such application has been made.
According to Chappell, Lynn could be the first of many Australian players faced with this dilemma, given the riches on offer overseas.
Chris Lynn in action for Brisbane. (Getty)
“I think a lot of the older players will get offers from that area, and that will be a real challenge for nations like Australia who have a lot of good players, and also for nations that can’t afford to pay their players the best rates,” Chappell told Wide World of Sports.
“Then you’ve got the problem of the IPL franchises owning teams in different leagues around the world.
“If you’ve got a decent IPL contract and the choice is between Australia and your IPL franchise’s UAE team, well are you going to put your IPL contract at risk?”
Privatizing the BBL teams has been floated, with Chappell indicating the IPL franchises would be “off their rocker” not to buy the Australian outfits if given the chance.
That then raises the question of development of younger players, a role that has traditionally fallen to the state associations.
“Who’s going to do it?” Chappell pondered.
Senior players, such as David Warner, could be tempted to finish their careers in overseas T20 leagues. (Getty)
“To me, the administrators had to make a decision years ago on how many forms of the game they wanted. Once you’ve decided that, how do you run those forms of the game so they’re not cannibalizing each other.
“This is one reason why it should have been sorted out. But the administrators have no foresight.
“That’s now coming back to haunt them.”
While Lynn is yet to formally apply for a NOC to play in the UAE, all eyes will be on Cricket Australia’s response. There’s no precedent to allow an Australian player to compete in a league in direct competition to the BBL, although the fact Lynn does not currently hold a CA or Cricket Queensland contract muddies the waters.
“To me, you then go back to the World Series Cricket days, where they took the board to court over restraint of trade,” Chappell said.
“Is it a restraint of trade? In Chris Lynn’s case, if he hasn’t got a contract with Cricket Australia or Cricket Queensland, what’s to stop him?
“If I was Chris Lynn and I wanted to play in the UAE I’d take them to court. I don’t think Cricket Australia would have a hope in hell. It’s got to be a restraint of trade. You’re not contracting him, but you’re not letting him play either.”
The riches on offer in the IPL dwarf the money available elsewhere. (Getty)
Chappell noted that the explosion of T20 leagues is likely to damage Test cricket, pointing out that if BBL sides are privatized the owners will expect the best Australian players to be available, placing iconic matches such as the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and New Year’s Test in Sydney in danger.
“Cricket Australia has got a big decision to make, they’re going to have to do a lot of thinking” he said.
“Who’s going to be deciding who can play and when and where they play?
“If they open it up to private ownership, and there’s a clash between Test cricket and T20, well, guess who’ll miss out?”
The 75-Test veteran said the whole scenario spells trouble for the longer form of the game.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” I explained.
“For starters, if you’re being realistic you can only play Test cricket between about eight teams.
“West Indies have got a problem because they can’t afford to pay their players. Sri Lanka have a reasonable infrastructure but big political problems, and South Africa is similar.
“Whoever thought of giving Afghanistan and Ireland Test status is off their rocker. But you know why it’s been done, it’s so those countries get a vote.
“To me this whole issue has been coming for quite a while, and I have no sympathy for the administrators.”
“[Test cricket] won’t die in my lifetime,” he added.
“But who’ll be playing it? That’s the big question.
“If you haven’t got your best players, is Test cricket worth watching? The answer is probably no. Test cricket is a good game, but it’s got to be well played.”
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Australian cricket’s highest earners – Pat Cummins tops contract list for third straight year
It’s pretty hard to find anyone who seems to be loving their job at the moment.
A pandemic in its third year, a community desperate to move on and a virus that has no regard for the state of the world that existed before it started killing people.
Add to that the perilous state of the economy with prices up, interest rates up, workloads up, pretty much everything up — except for wages.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that the teaching workforce would be no different — tired, burnt out and feeling underpaid and undervalued.
It wasn’t all that long ago that parents across the country were getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to educate their children for seven hours a day.
Now everyone’s back in the classroom, teacher shortages are biting and something’s got to give.
Ministers in unison
The issues engulfing the sector aren’t new but have undoubtedly been exacerbated as the specter of coronavirus continues to loom.
An issues paper released ahead of yesterday’s meeting of education ministers pointed to perceptions of low pay, unfavorable working conditions and increasing workloads as responsible for an “unprecedented” staffing challenge that was the “single biggest issue” facing all school sectors.
On that, all state ministers were in unison on Friday.
Sarah Mitchell wants the federal government to consider fast-tracking the path to citizenship for teachers coming to Australia.(ABC News: Timothy Swanston)
“No matter which state minister would be speaking to you now, we’re all dealing with the same issues and challenges,” NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said after the meeting.
“We all know we’ve got fantastic teachers working in all of our schools day in, day out. We need to be working on ways to keep them there.”
But if the teachers at their wits’ end were looking to a meeting of the nation’s education ministers for a sign that all their issues would soon be resolved, they’d have been left wanting.
Their pain has been heard, smiling ministers reassured as they pledged to act. But what exactly they will do remains unclear.
three priorities
Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek spent six years in opposition honoring her party’s education policies.
Now in government, the job has been handed to Jason Clare, who agreed yesterday’s meeting in Canberra.
He’s faced the unenviable task of taking on a portfolio in the middle of a storm having had little experience in the policy area.
Tanya Plibersek was expected to retain the education portfolio in government.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
That’s maybe why he’s often referred to his mother’s experiences working in schools and the power they have to transform lives.
But as for the policies that he’s keen to implement to make that happen — more time is needed.
Clare left yesterday’s meeting declaring three priorities: to encourage more people into teaching, to better prepare students for the workforce and to keep the teachers the sector already has.
Education department secretaries from across the country will now prepare a national action plan that will be presented to the ministers when they next meet in December.
Is it more than talk?
Clare was quick to dismiss any suggestion that the meeting had just been a talkfest.
“It’s not just talking,” he said.
“By listening to teachers, we got ideas we didn’t have before today.
“So today was about listening to teachers, harvesting those good ideas and now working on a plan that we can now implement to make a real difference.”
Teachers are reportedly often working in excess of 50 hours a week.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)
It would be baffling if yesterday was the first chance any of these ministers had to hear from teachers.
But after hearing from each of them, just having everyone at the table and working together sounded like progress.
“Today was a breath of fresh air,” WA’s Education Minister Sue Ellery said.
“These meetings have been really difficult over the last few years and I’ve been coming to them for the last five years.”
There’s little love lost in the Labor states over the removal of a federal Coalition education minister.
The NSW minister, herself a Coalition minister, didn’t seem particularly saddened either.
So, if they’re all now at the table and working together, it might well mean there’s a chance to save an education sector on the brink.
Frankly, they have no other option.
That’s the biggest bargaining chip teachers have — we need schools and they need to be staffed, preferably by teachers who want to be there and feel appreciated.
If COVID taught us anything, it’s that we can’t take that for granted.
Square Enix has shared details about the latest patch for Final Fantasy 14with 6.2 set to introduce new dungeons, quests and the Island Sanctuary mode – check out the trailer below.
The Buried Memory patch is set for release later in August and will feature the new dungeon The Fell Court Of Troia.
“Having uncovered the voidgate in the undersea treasure vault, you now seek to use it to travel to the Thirteenth. Beyond the emptiness of the rift awaits a shadowed castle swarming with voidsent, and you steel yourselves for a hostile reception,” reads the description in the patch notes.
The 6.2 patch will also bring with it a new high-end raid Pandæmonium: Abyssos, and a new main scenario quest, Buried Memory.
According to the patch notes, “five millennia ago, the great wyrm Azdaja vanished into the void, and for long years Vrtra had despaired of being reunited with his dear sister. With the encouragement of his people from her, however, he has found the resolve to search for her, and sets forth with the Warrior of Light for a world engulfed in Darkness.”
The new patch will also introduce the long-awaited Island Sanctuary mode. Similar to Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, Island Sanctuary is “an island paradise abundant with wildlife, where crops may be sown and minions let to roam. What will you learn in nature’s embrace─and what will you create from this newfound inspiration? Make ready to set sail, for your hideaway awaits!”
Earlier this year, it was confirmed players will be able to invite each other to their respective islands.
You can check out the complete patch notes, which detail new crafting recipes, main scenario revisions and new trials here.
In other news, Geoff Keighley has revealed a little more about what people can expect from Gamescom Opening Night Live, promising a “big spectacle.”
The Padres will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. for the rest of the season.
Tatis Jr. tested positive for Clostebol, and will be suspended for 80 games. The news of the suspension was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“I’ve been informed by Major League Baseball that a test sample I submitted returned a positive result for Clostebol, a banned substance,” Tatis Jr. said in a statement, through the MLBPA.
“It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol. I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so.
“I want to apologize to Peter, AJ, the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere for my mistake. I have no excuse for my mistake, and I would never do anything to cheat or disrespect the game I love.”
The 23-year-old phenom had missed the entire season due to a fractured wrist but had been expected to return soon.
This is a blow to the Padres, who went all in trading a haul of highly-ranked prospects to the Nationals for superstar outfielder Juan Soto and formidable first baseman Josh Bell.
“I have taken countless drug tests throughout my professional career, including on March 29, 2022, all of which have returned negative results until this test,” Tatis Jr.’s statement continued.
“I am completely devastated. There is nowhere in the world I would rather be than on the field competing with my teammates. After initially appealing the suspension, I have realized that my mistake was the cause of this result, and for that reason I have decided to start serving my suspension immediately. I look forward to rejoining my teammates on the field in 2023.”
The Padres are 63-51. While they trail the Dodgers for 16 games in the NL West, they would qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card team if the playoffs started today.
Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, AU$477 million contract with the Padres last February.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
A senior doctor at Adelaide’s biggest hospital says the health system is under “siege” and pinpoints Mondays as the busiest day.
Key points:
South Australia’s hospitals are usually busiest on Mondays
Discharging patients on weekends is harder due to fewer available services
Patients coming in for elective surgery on Monday also add to demand
SA’s struggling health system was again in focus this week due to the death of a 47-year-old man while he waited for an ambulance in suburban Adelaide on Monday.
Problems around ramped ambulances, overcrowded emergency departments and full inpatient hospital beds, trouble doctors and nurses on any day of the week.
But each Monday a perfect storm of complications aligns, cranking up pressure on health staff and patients.
So, what makes Monday the busiest day in SA’s hospitals, and what can be done about it?
Dr Peter Subramaniam says having fewer doctors working and community services unavailable on weekends leads to lower discharge rates.(ABC News: Ethan Rix)
A weekend hangover
As medical lead of the surgery program at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and chair of the Australian Medical Association Council, Peter Subramaniam knows South Australia’s health system well.
He says it is under “siege”.
“The system is under pressure and there is a significant demand and our capacity to meet that demand is not working,” Dr Subramaniam said.
The qualified vascular surgeon pinpointed Mondays as the busiest days for hospitals.
“You can see from the data we have that ours are lower on the weekend compared to weekdays,” he discharge said.
“So that contributes to the log jam that occurs on a Monday.”
Experts say more resources are needed every day of the week, including weekends.(Rawpixel: Chanikarn Thongsupa)
Dr Subramaniam said fewer doctors working to patients over the weekend had an impact discharge.
“Most acute care hospitals operate on reduced staffing,” he said.
But that’s not the only thing bringing down discharge numbers.
“We rely heavily on community services to be available and accessible over weekends and often that’s difficult to organize,” Dr Subramaniam said.
“You might need a rehab bed or a step-down bed or a community nursing service to be able to manage the patient once they’re discharged.
“Once we’ve discharged the patients, they need to go somewhere.”
Elizabeth Dabars says a criteria-led discharge policy was never fully implemented.(ABC News: Michael Clements)
monday blues
Chief executive of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Association’s SA branch Elizabeth Dabars said the “absence of senior clinicians” on the weekend was driving up ramping times.
Professor Dabars wants to see nurses, allied health professionals and junior doctors able to discharge more acute patients under something called criteria-led discharge (CLD).
“It’s a win for the people wanting to go home and it’s a win for the broader community who would have better access to hospital beds,” the qualified nurse said.
CLD has been hotly debated for decades and was a policy directive issued by SA Health in 2019.
The state’s emergency departments have been under extreme pressure.(ABCNews)
Professor Dabars said it was never fully implemented.
“That has not really seriously been put in place and that is a blocker to people being discharged,” she said.
“It doesn’t actually make sense for it not to be enabled.”
But the former president of the South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association, Dr David Pope, said the number of patients that would fit the CLD criteria was small.
“Item [CLD] works quite well in some areas but I defy anyone to go around and find patients sitting around in the hospital for want of a doctor to come in on a Monday morning,” Dr Pope said.
“That just doesn’t happen.”
David Pope says elective surgery admissions make Mondays busier than other days.(ABC News: Ethan Rix)
He said a crowded start to the week was a side effect of elective surgery.
“That worse effect on a Monday is purely a function of when elective surgery patients arrive,” he said.
The doctor said the idea that senior clinicians were unwilling to provide care on weekends was damaging to an already stretched workforce.
“Doctors are in the hospitals 24/7, so if there’s a need for a doctor to be in the hospital they will be there if they exist,” he said.
What will change?
The state government said it was looking to make criteria-led discharge “a regular part of hospital operations.”
“Expanding its use will reduce bed-block by ensuring patients ready for discharge can leave hospital, freeing up beds for those in the emergency department and easing pressure on frontline workers,” a government spokesperson said.
Dr Subramaniam said he supported the “safe” implementation of the policy.
“Criteria-led discharging is part and parcel of a modern healthcare facility and it’s strongly supported,” he said.
But he said it needed support to work effectively.
“We need the right level of resources,” he said.
“We need more efficient ways of using those resources and we need to strengthen our community care.”
He said addressing other issues, such as transitioning long-stay NDIS patients out of hospitals, was complex and would take time.
“If we don’t achieve a system response to dealing with acute care and the challenges that are going to come, we’re going to find patients are going to be left by the wayside,” he said.
Splatoon 3 players will receive a bonus if there is save data from splatoon 2 on their Nintendo Switch console.
Players who transfer their data will receive, “three Gold Sheldon Licenses that you can exchange for main weapons, regardless of player level”, the ability to join “Anarchy Battles from the beginning of the game, regardless of player level”, start the game with a higher rank depending on the player’s rank in two, and get “matched against players with similar skill levels from splatoon 2”.
This wasn’t mentioned during the recent Direct presentation for the game that gave an extensive look at the various additions and adjustments, but was announced on the Splatoon 3 website.
‘Splatoon 3’. CREDIT: Nintendo
It’s clarified that players can “transfer save data once per Nintendo Account by launching Splatoon 3 or entering the lobby while connected to the internet”.
the Splatoon 3 Direct highlighted the content that would be in the game from launch, along with a digital card game that’s included within the title, and post-launch content plans. The post-launch support includes free updates, including brand new maps and weapons, and “large-scale paid DLC”.
Additionally, the game is available to trial for free later this month on August 27, from 9AM to 9PM local time. This free trial run will only include multiplayer matches consisting of Turf War and a special tricolor variant on the classic game mode.
Splatoon 3. Credit: Nintendo
Splatoon 3 is releasing exclusively for Nintendo Switch on September 9. Additionally, a Switch OLED model themed after the game is releasing August 26, with the model not including a copy of the game.
In other news, the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map Farm 18 has been announced, and is a new variant on Shoothouse from the previous Modern Warfare.
Olivia Newton-John revealed her last dying wish in a moving, never-before-seen interview to be aired on 7NEWS Spotlight this Sunday.
Giving a rare glimpse inside her private world, along with husband John Easterling, the music icon shared the sentimental details of the final resting place in Australia she chose for herself before her tragic death.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: A sneak peek at Olivia – A Magical Life
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On Sunday, 7NEWS Spotlight will pay tribute to legendary performer with Olivia – A Magical Life, a special event episode at 8.30pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Newton-John had been on what she called a “journey” with cancer on and off for three decades, before succumbing to the disease on Monday, aged 73.
Olivia Newton-John with her husband John Easterling. Credit: 7NEWS Spotlight
The sole surviving Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb, UK music veteran Cliff Richard and Delta Goodrem will also share intimate and heartfelt memories of Newton-John.
Joining the roll call is actress Didi Conn, who played Frenchie in the smash-hit movie Grease and who remained friends with Newton-John throughout their lives.
Newton-John’s passing will also be marked by a magical musical tribute from some of the female singers she inspired.
Her classic hit, I Honestly Love You, will be performed by Wendy Matthews, Dami Im, Katie Noonan and Samantha Jade.
Olivia Newton-John and Delta Goodrem. Credit: 7NEWS Spotlight
Olivia – A Magical Life is set to be an emotional and uplifting tribute to an artist who touched hearts and lives around the world.
7NEWS Spotlight’s Olivia – A Magical Life is on Sunday at 8.30pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Olivia Newton-John’s husband pays tribute in heartfelt statement.
Olivia Newton-John’s husband pays tribute in heartfelt statement.
Amid golfer Cameron Smith’s rumored decision to take the money and run to LIV, Lalakai Foketi – the relatively unknown Test center – showed that there are still some things in professional sport that money can’t buy. In his case of him, a Wallabies jersey.
The question, however, is for how long, particularly with chatter that Rugby Australia’s eligibility laws will be blown up for next year’s World Cup.
It’s understood in March that Foketi, 27, turned down hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to continue his career for the Wallabies.
With his career progression at the Waratahs slowed by injuries, he was offered a large contract worth more than $500,000 to join French Top 14 club Clermont.
He turned it down, but not long after fellow Australian Irae Simone took the money and, therefore, will unlikely ever play for the Wallabies again based on Rugby Australia’s new Overseas Player Selection Policy.
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Lalakai Foketi opted to stay in Australia for the chance to play for the Wallabies instead of taking up an offer overseas. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Foketi, who made his debut against Wales last November, will start for the first time in the No.12 jersey in the absence of Samu Kerevi and Hunter Paisami.
Simone is in-line to play his third Test, after curiously being named on the bench ahead of Noah Lolesio.
You wonder what Lolesio, who played all three Tests against England, and Suliasi Vunivalu, the two-time NRL premiership winner, must be thinking after being left out?
After all, it was only recently the duo re-signed with Rugby Australia.
Now both are seemingly sliding down the pecking order, while in the case of Vunivalu, the high-profile recruit has only been afforded a couple of minutes off the bench at the SCG.
Yet the decision by Foketi to turn down the money is curious.
He is not the only Australian player to turn down overseas offers, or indeed return home, for the lure of the gold jersey.
Nic White and Matt To’omua craved the chance to play for the Wallabies and returned home ahead of the 2019 World Cup to pursue their international debuts.
Others. like James O’Connor, followed suit.
Rising star Nick Frost managed to recently get out of a deal to join Robbie Deans at Panasonic. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Nick Frost, the 22-year-old rising star, also reneged on a deal to join Robbie Deans’ Panasonic Wild Knights in the Japanese League One competition.
After a cracking game for the Brumbies, Frost’s coach Dan McKellar raised the possibility of him opting out. RA, along with his management of him and the blessing on the Japanese club, skilfully managed to get the second-rower out of the deal.
It’s a different story for Foketi because as talented as the center is, he still did not make Rennie’s initial squad for the England series. Only injury, as well as Kerevi’s desire to represent Australia in the Commonwealth Games, saw the Waratah called up.
Players like Foketi, as well as Hamish Stewart who too craves a Wallabies cap, are the bread and butter of domestic rugby. Without them, the game Down Under would have invested too much in too few leaving too little for the raw talent underneath.
“I went away after I finished school. I debuted for the Rebels and then went to France when I was young and quickly realized that this is the dream and this is what I wanted to do my rugby career,” Foketi said on Friday.
“I’m grateful that I’m here and I’ve just been working hard to get to this point.
“With other options and stuff, (they) haven’t really been at the forefront of my mind. My family’s happy in Sydney, and that’s another big reason, but this is always the pinnacle of rugby, for me.”
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Lalakai Foketi celebrates a try at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the Waratahs. Photo; Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
It is why RA, privately and publicly, will not entertain opening the floodgates and pick widely from overseas because the fear is it will decimate Super Rugby and cripple their stakeholders, namely the Super Rugby franchises, especially in non-World Cup years.
Next year will be the litmus test. Even after Rennie floated the idea of raising the possibility of adding an additional fourth “overseas” pick for the Rugby Championship before their tour of Argentina, RA was privately shutting down any hope of the third-year international coach being able to pick Rory Arnold, Kerevi, Marika Koroibete and Quade Cooper in the same squad.
Season-ending injuries to Cooper and Kerevi have saved Rennie from an intriguing decision.
Yet for months talk has bubbled under the surface that the eligibility criteria will be scrapped for the World Cup year, with as many as five or six players in the mix.
Whether that occurs remains to be seen and injuries could yet have a telling impact.
Japan-bound Rory Arnold will play for the Wallabies against Argentina. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
But as world No.2 golfer Smith sits on a reported $140 million deal to join the LIV Golf Series, sports stars across the world are increasingly choosing money over legacy.
Who can blame them? Private equity, and new found success, seems like the only way to put a lid on Wallabies heading overseas.
How sustainable it is remains questionable, but given Australia is hosting a World Cup in 2027 (men’s) and 2029 (women’s) the governing body will do everything it can to keep players at home.
The site of a fatal car accident in Victoria’s east, where a 4WD carrying four teenagers plunged over a cliff, is set to be widened and have safety barriers installed.
Key points:
Two cars within a fortnight went off the road outside Walhalla, resulting in the death one person
It came five years after a similar non-fatal accident which prompted unsuccessful calls for a barrier to be installed
Work is now underway to widen the road, install safety barriers and undertake other works at the site
The crash in June this year on Walhalla Road just outside the historic town of Walhalla, claimed the life of a 19-year-old passenger.
There have been at least two similar accidents at the corner — one a fortnight later, while the other in 2017 prompted community calls for safety barriers at the time — to no avail.
Local Mayor Michael Leaney, who runs a hotel in the town, said the upgrade was something the local community and visitors to the historic town would “welcome wholeheartedly.”
“This has been a long process to get to where we are but we are pleased that we’ve been able to get the solution of having barriers installed at what is a dangerous corner on the Walhalla Road,” he said.
A 19-year-old man died when the car he was traveling in left the road and plunged over a cliff in June.(ABC Gippsland: Kerrin Thomas)
“We hope with the installation of these barriers, and the other safety measures that have been installed at this location, that we won’t see any further incidents at this place, and there won’t be any further fatalities or serious injuries.”
Barriers to be installed in coming months
The planned upgrades come after Regional Roads Victoria and Victoria Police visited the site last month to investigate how safety could be improved.
Locals lobbied for safety barriers to be installed after an accident in 2017, to no avail.(Supplied: Michael Leaney)
“New signage has been installed following a recent safety audit and we plan to widen the road and install safety barriers to further improve safety,” Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said.
The new signage includes advice to drivers to reduce their speed to 25 km/h. Road-side foliage has also been trimmed.
Specialized safety barriers will be needed to suit the narrow section of road, with work to install them expected to start in coming months, following completion of detailed planning and site assessments.
Line marking and road resurfacing is also on the list of jobs.
The remote hamlet of Walhalla is a popular spot for tourists.(ABC Gippsland: Kerrin Thomas)
Mr Leaney hoped it would be completed quickly.
“We hope that this will happen before the busy summer season, although there have already been a number of improvements at this corner,” he said.
“There’s been big warning signs installed, there is some road treatments that are going in as well at the same location.
“Certainly, people are more aware of the dangers of this corner and adding a barrier will just finalize the matter and hopefully, will make it safe for locals and visitors alike.”
