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Entertainment

Annette Kellerman, subject of Marrickville Mermaid, was a champion swimmer and global superstar

Annette Kellerman, subject of Marrickville Mermaid, was a champion swimmer and global superstar

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Raised in Marrickville, Kellerman’s 10 Hollywood movies, in which she did all her own stunts, broke box office records, prompting Esther Williams’s portrayal of her in 1952 Hollywood biopic Million Dollar Mermaid. In 1912, Harvard professor Dudley Sargent declared her the “most perfect woman of modern times”.

Kellerman’s lifelong message was promoting the benefits of fitness for modern women.

“Swimming for women is more than physical,” she said in 1915. “It can engender self-confidence and, in the art and science of swimming, a kind of equality, even superiority, to that of men.”

She did not, however, call herself a feminist.

Christa Hughes with writer Hilary Bell.

Christa Hughes with writer Hilary Bell.Credit:edwina pickles

“She advocated that women exercise and look fantastic so they could keep their husbands,” Bell says. “Her independence from her, career from her, the choices she made, they were unheard of at the time. She was the proto-feminist but she refused to call herself one.

Hughes, who sings Bell and Styles’ songs in and around the aquatic center’s main pool, is proud to play Kellerman.

“She’s a true, fearless role model,” she says. Her drive and ambition was frowned upon for women. But she swam marathons and jumped off cliffs and lighthouses rather than just pouting.

After decades as an international superstar, diving from 18-metre cliffs with bound hands and legs for film roles, tap-dancing, wire-walking, playing the accordion and inventing a monocled drag act for her vaudeville shows, Kellerman returned to Australia to live in Queensland. She died in 1975 aged 89 in modest circumstances.

“She did a lot to marry the Australian identity with being sporty and plucky and giving the finger to the class system,” Bell says. “I don’t think she knew fear.”

Marrickville Mermaid August 12-14, Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre. Free.

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Sports

Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer claims F1 conspiracy over Oscar Piastri McLaren move

Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer claims F1 conspiracy over Oscar Piastri McLaren move

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has said he “would not be surprised” if major F1 figures are sharing information behind closed doors as the Oscar Piastri fiasco continues to bubble away.

While the news of Piastri’s mooted move to McLaren to replace countryman Daniel Ricciardo has not been officially announced by the team, Szafnauer has spoken on the issue.

Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

The issue came to a head when two-time world champion Fernando Alonso sensationally revealed he was leaving Alpine for Aston Martin, leaving a free seat to which the French outfit announced Piastri would be taking.

It was also revealed Alonso did not tell Alpine bosses of his decision to defect before it was made public.

But Piastri threw a spanner in the works, revealed he would “not be driving for Alpine next year” via a social media statement.

It quickly snowballed into reports Piastri was signed with McLaren who were willing to pay out Ricciardo’s seat, which will cost the team a reported $21 million.

The one snag appears to be whether Piastri had a valid contract at Alpine.

French publication Auto Hebdo reported this week the F1’s Contract Recognition Board found both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid.

It has left Alpine threatening to file a civil lawsuit to recover the millions of dollars in training it has spent on Piastri this season.

“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” Szafnauer told Reuters.

“If the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) says ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says ‘That’s great, but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year’, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”

But the Alpine boss has also hinted at potential collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager Flavio Briatore.

Webber and Alonso are close friends after their time in F1, while Briatore, who was a former team boss at Bennetton and Renault, has been Alonso’s long-term manager.

“Look, I have no record of it, but this is Formula 1 and maybe in a couple of years someone says that they have evidence of shared information, I would not be surprised,” Szafnauer said.

“I always tell everyone that in Formula 1 you have to act as if everyone knows everything. That there are no secrets in these things. When you ask someone not to say anything, they act like everyone knows.

“That’s how I’ve run my business in Formula 1 for 25 years. And if this (information sharing) has happened, you should not be surprised.”

The Piastri drama has been getting fairly heated as Alpine still want the Aussie in their car, but Szafnauer has questioned the youngster’s integrity.

Szafnauer may not be the only one who smells something fishy either.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Christian Danner said Piastri’s tactics “clearly has the handwriting” of Briatore.

Briatore was forced out of the sport in disgrace after the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, when Nelson Piquet Jr. alleged he had been ordered to deliberately crash to help Alonso, who was his teammate at the time. Alonso went on to win the race.

Briatore was banned from the sport indefinitely for a short time but it was overturned.

The 72-year-old continues to manage Alonso.

“It’s classic Flavio. There was certainly a contract for Piastri that Flavio has skimmed over … there was definitely a clause,” Danner told German publication Motorsport Magazine.

“When he believes in someone, he has the foresight to plan in a positive sense – and not just ruthlessly, which is logically the case in this business.

“I could imagine Piastri being able to free himself from Alpine’s grip, so that he can hopefully drive for McLaren for the next two years and then be free for a big deal. That definitely has Briatore’s signature.

“It can all go wrong, of course, but if it works out, then he (Briatore) has done everything right.”

It seems all the twists and turns are a long way from over in this drama.

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Categories
Australia

Number of vacant social homes in WA rises by 25 per cent as housing crisis continues

A boarded-up two story house in a suburban area.

As thousands of West Australians linger on the social housing waitlist, almost 2,000 social houses across the state are empty and in need of repairs, maintenance or demolition — more than 25 per cent than last year.

State government data shows there were 1,927 social houses empty in June 2022, compared to 1,514 properties at the same time last year.

It is the highest number of vacant social houses since 2019.

Karen Anderson, who lives in the southern Perth suburb of Beaconsfield, told the ABC Perth’s Nadia Mitsopoulos that the property next door had been vacant for three years and many more were awaiting repairs.

“Fences down, windows smashed, the gardens are overgrown,” she said.

A boarded-up house in a suburban area.
A Beaconsfield resident says there are many houses vacant or awaiting repairs.(Supplied)

Ms Anderson acknowledged that the state was battling labor shortages and a heated construction market, but said it was time to think of more inventive solutions.

“[The government] is trying but there are no workers,” she said.

“If there’s no labour, what is wrong with saying ‘Right, we have got a house for you, it’s not smashed to pieces, it needs a bit of a paint and clean. We do it together, this is your home and we will give you a month free rent’?”

“Why not get people to help do their own home so they appreciate it more? Because the labor is not there.”

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Categories
US

A mistrial is declared in engineers’ Flint water trial : NPR

A mistrial is declared in engineers' Flint water trial : NPR

The Flint water plant tower is seen on Jan. 6, 2022, in Flint, Mich. A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors said they couldn’t reach a verdict in a dispute over whether two engineering firms should bear some responsibility for Flint’s lead-contaminated water.

Carlos Osorio/AP


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Carlos Osorio/AP

The Flint water plant tower is seen on Jan. 6, 2022, in Flint, Mich. A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors said they couldn’t reach a verdict in a dispute over whether two engineering firms should bear some responsibility for Flint’s lead-contaminated water.

Carlos Osorio/AP

DETROIT — A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors said they couldn’t reach a verdict in a dispute over whether two engineering firms should bear some responsibility for Flint’s lead-contaminated water.

Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, known as LAN, were accused of not doing enough to get Flint to treat the highly corrosive water or to urge a return to a regional water supplier.

Michigan Agrees To Pay $600 Million To Flint Residents Over Water Debacle

A mistrial was declared in federal court in Ann Arbor, Michigan, court spokesman David Ashenfelter said.

After hearing months of evidence, the jury began full deliberations on July 25 but also took a planned 11-day break before returning Tuesday.

The trial centered on the engineering firms and the effects of lead on four children, not all Flint residents. But the result was being closely watched because it would likely influence possible settlements or trials in other cases.

Veolia and LAN were not part of a landmark $626 million deal involving thousands of residents of the majority-Black city, the state of Michigan and other parties.

Citing cost, Flint managers appointed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder stopped using water from a Detroit agency and switched to the Flint River while awaiting a new pipeline to Lake Huron.

'Time bomb' lead pipes will be removed. But first water utilities have to find them

The water became contaminated in 2014-15 because water pulled from the river wasn’t treated to reduce the corrosive effect on lead pipes. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission said the contaminated water was the result of systemic racism in the city, doubting that the water switch and the brush-off of complaints would have occurred in a white, prosperous community.

During closing arguments, attorneys for the children argued that Veolia should be held 50% responsible for lead contamination and that LAN should be held 25% responsible, with public officials making up the balance.

But Veolia’s lawyers noted the firm was briefly hired in the middle of the crisis, not before the spigot was turned on. LAN said an engineer repeatedly recommended that Flint test the river water for weeks to determine what treatments would be necessary.

Official was wrongly fired over the Flint, Mich., water scandal

LAN attorney Wayne Mason said outside engineers were getting lumped in with a “platoon of bad actors,” namely state and local officials who controlled all major decisions and seemed more concerned about the cost of water than its quality.

Snyder was summoned as a witness but declined to answer questions, citing his right against self-incrimination. He was indicted on misdemeanor charges in a separate Flint water investigation, but the Michigan Supreme Court said the indictment was invalid. State prosecutors are trying to reinstate the charges.

The jury instead watched a video of Snyder’s 2020 interview with lawyers.

“I wish this would never have happened,” he said of the water mess, acknowledging mistakes by government.

Categories
Business

Top ASX dividend shares to buy in August 2022

Top ASX dividend shares to buy in August 2022

The hot debate igniting financial circles right now is whether ASX shares — and stock markets across the world — have reached the bottom. Could the bear finally be ready to hibernate for the rest of winter, or does it plan to skulk about into spring?

Regardless of which direction the bear takes, one thing’s for sure… inflation and interest rates are never far from the headlines. And, many are feeling the pinch of higher prices and mortgage payments.

With the cost of living biting into our bank balances, we asked our Foolish contributors which ASX dividend shares they reckon could make great buying right now for some potential passive income in the future.

7 best ASX dividend shares for August 2022 (smallest to largest)

Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK), $814.86 million

Codan Limited (ASX: CDA), $1.60 billion

Century Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP), $1.94 billion

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL), $9.36 billion

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX:VAS), $11.20 billion

Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), $46.15 billion

Westpac Banking Corp. (ASX: WBC), $78.71 billion

(Market capitalizations as of 11 August 2022)

Why our Foolish writers love these ASX dividend shares

Nick Scali Limited

What it does: Established more than 60 years ago, Nick Scali counts itself among Australia’s largest importers of quality furniture. The company imports more than 5,000 containers of furniture annually. In 2017 it expanded internationally to New Zealand.

By Bernd Struben: Nick Scali has a long track record as a reliable dividend payer. The furniture importer has made biannual dividend payments every year, dating back to 2014. It even paid out two dividends in the pandemic-addled year of 2020.

Up 42% since 17 June, the Nick Scali share price remains down 35% year to date. At the current price, the company pays a trailing dividend yield of 6.0%, fully franked.

This month, Jack Collopy, portfolio manager at Perpetual singled out the stock as one in which Perpetual recently increased its holdings. “Nick Scali is extremely well run, he has an excellent balance sheet, and we think the recent Plush acquisition will prove to be a great use of capital,” he said.

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben does not own shares of Nick Scali Limited.

Codan Limited

What it does: Codan manufacturers and supplies a broad range of products that leverage the company’s radio-frequency-focused intellectual property. These products can be divided into two main segments: communications equipment and metal detection equipment.

By Mitchell Lawler: The company behind the wildly popular Minelab metal detectors has an enviable record for revenue and earnings growth in recent years.

Since 2016, Codan has grown its 12-month trailing revenue from $140.6 million to nearly $500 million at the end of last year. Even more impressively, profits have rapidly expanded from a touch under $13 million to around $99 million over the same timeframe.

Despite a history of success, the Codan share price has been sold down 48% over the past year. At present, the communications company is producing a dividend yield of 3.3%. I believe now could represent a rare opportunity to buy Codan shares at a relative discount.

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler does not own shares of Codan Limited.

Century Industrial REIT

What it does: Centuria Industrial REIT owns $4 billion worth of industrial property, such as warehouses, across Australia. It has a particular focus on properties that are in short supply. For example, 38% of the company’s portfolio is based in Sydney, where the vacancy rate is just 0.3%.

By Tristan Harrison: At the end of FY22, the Centuria Industrial REIT portfolio had a weighted average lease expirary (WALE) of 8.3 years and an occupancy rate of 99%. I believe this gives investors good income visibility as well as security.

Management expects strong demand will lead to net operating income growth in FY23. It is also looking at value-add projects and is developing the company’s pipeline.

The Centuria Industrial REIT is expected to pay a distribution of 16 cents in FY23, which translates into a forward distribution yield of 5.4% after a 25% fall in the share price since 29 April 2022. I think the stock looks undervalued at around $3.

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison does not own shares of Centuria Industrial REIT.

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd

What it does: Commonly referred to as Soul Patts, the Australian-based investment house holds a diverse portfolio of assets across a range of industries. The company has been listed on the ASX since 1903 and has consistently paid dividends to shareholders.

By Aaron Teboneras: I believe the Soul Patts share price offers an attractive opportunity for investors to buy in at the current price.

After slumping to a 20-month low of $22.52 in late June, shares in the investment company have climbed by almost 8% over the past month to close on Thursday at $25.93. But having reached as high as $40 back in October last year, I believe the Sol Patts share price has the potential to continue its March higher.

In addition, Soul Patts has made a habit of increasing its final dividend by 1 cent each year since 2012. In FY21, the board declared a dividend of 36 cents per share.

With this in mind, history would suggest that the upcoming final dividend could be bumped up to 37 cents.

Keep a lookout next month as Soul Patts is scheduled to report its FY22 earnings results on 22 September.

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras does not own shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson & Co. Ltd.

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF

What it does: VAS is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX:XKO). It is the most popular index fund and ETF on the ASX.

By Sebastian Bowen: This ETF from Vanguard is not a flashy investment. VAS is a simple index fund that holds the largest 300 shares on the ASX by market capitalisation. Like most index funds, the largest companies on the ASX make up the lion’s share of the VAS portfolio. And since most of the largest shares on the ASX pay out regular dividends, so does this ETF.

Investors enjoy quarterly distributions from VAS. Its last four payments amounted to approximately $6.26 per unit. That gives investors a trailing yield of approximately 7.12% on recent pricing. For its diversification, ‘bottom drawer’ appeal and hefty yield, I think VAS is well worth considering for dividend investors this August.

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen does not own shares of the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF.

Woolworths Group Ltd

What it does: Woolworths is the conglomerate behind the eponymous supermarket chain. In addition, it owns Big W, Countdown, and the Everyday Rewards loyalty program.

By James Mickleboro: I think Woolworths shares could be a top option for income investors this month. This is because the retail giant is a rare example of a company that can actually benefit from inflation. Especially if it can pass through its higher costs effectively.

The team at Goldman Sachs expects this to be the case and is forecasting a sales compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% and underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) of 14.1% over FY22 to FY24.

Goldman expects this to lead to fully-franked dividends per share of 96 cents in FY22 and $1.18 in FY23. Based on the current Woolworths share price of $38.02, this will mean yields of 2.5% and 3.1%, respectively.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro does not own shares of Woolworths Group Ltd.

Westpac Banking Corp.

What it does: As Australia’s oldest bank, and one of its largest, Westpac provides consumer, business, and institutional banking services.

By Brooke Cooper: The Westpac share price has underperformed the market over 2022 so far, gaining around 5% year to date, but brokers are still bullish on its future.

Goldman Sachs believes the stock “offers the most upside of the banks”. Meanwhile, both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs expect the bank to up its dividends over the coming years.

They’ve respectively tipped Westpac’s dividends to rise to $1.30 and $1.35 in FY23. For context, the bank gave shareholders $1.18 in dividends in FY21.

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper does not own shares of Westpac Banking Corp.

Categories
Technology

Here’s All The Aussie Times For The Gamescom 2022 Showcases

Here's All The Aussie Times For The Gamescom 2022 Showcases

Gamescom 2022 is fast approaching with its return to an in-person event in Cologne, Germany. Australia has been named the official partner country this year and we’ll be heading to the show in Germany to bring you coverage of the exciting games and news directly from the show, but for those playing along at home there are a handful of livestream events for you to get around that’ll showcase new looks at announced games as well as some surprise reveals.

As is usually the case, time zones mean that most of these showcases are happening at incredibly odd hours for us Aussies but at the very least we can present you with a list of what’s on and where to catch it in local times, so here it es:

Opening Night Live

Gamescom kicks off in earnest with one of the 500+ Geoff Keighley-produced live showcases we get every year, Opening Night Live. Keighley claims this year’s show is around two hours long with over 30 games featuring including some “cool surprises” so it’s definitely one to at least catch up on, if you’re not keen to get up at ridiculous hours of the morning to watch live .

Wednesday August 24th

  • AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Canberra) – 04:00am
  • ACST (Adelaide/Darwin) – 03:30am
  • AWST (Perth) – 02:00am

Catch it on Keighley’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

GamesRadar Future Games Show

The Future Games Show is still fairly young, but it’s quickly become a pretty big showcase with plenty of world premieres, stealth drops, developer interviews and exclusive announcements. The Gamescom 2022 edition will star Doug Cockle and Denise Gough from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as hosts and feature roughly 50 games from a number of publishing partners.

Thursday August 25th

  • AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Canberra) – 04:00am
  • ACST (Adelaide/Darwin) – 03:30am
  • AWST (Perth) – 02:00am

Catch it on GamesRadar’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

xbox booth live

Xbox is headed to Gamescom 2022 in a big way with a huge booth presence and a ton of games to showcase from Xbox Game Studio titles like Pentiment, Grounded and Sea of ​​Thieves as well as third-party partner games like A Plague Tale Requiem, Planet of Lana and High on Life. Xbox won’t have a traditional live showcase but will be doing a massive stream at their booth where you can expect to see developer interviews and gameplay.

Thursday August 25th

  • AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Canberra) – 10:00pm
  • ACST (Adelaide/Darwin) – 09:30pm
  • AWST (Perth) – 08:00pm

Catch it on Xbox’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Metal: Hellsinger Live at Gamescom

Not exactly a games showcase, but something cool to watch live if you hate sleep – the folks behind the upcoming rhythm-based shooter, Metal: Hellsinger, are putting on a massive metal concert featuring artists from the game’s soundtrack (that you might also recognize from bands like Trivium, Arch Enemy and Refused).

Friday August 26th

  • AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Canberra) – 03:00am
  • ACST (Adelaide/Darwin) – 02:30am
  • AWST (Perth) – 01:00am

Watch it live here.

Gamescom Awesome Indies

IGN is back with another Awesome Indies show this year. If it’s anything like last year’s it’ll be hugely entertaining in itself on top of showing off an assortment of fantastic upcoming indie titles.

Saturday August 27th

  • AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Canberra) – 01:30am
  • ACST (Adelaide/Darwin) – 01:00am
  • AWST (Perth) – 11:30pm Friday

Catch it on IGN’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Categories
Entertainment

Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell reveal the cute nickname they give Terri

Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell have given Irwin matriarch Terri a very cute nickname. The pair called the late wife of Crocodile Hunter Steve, 'Bunny'

Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell reveal the cute nickname they have given matriarch Terri: ‘We spent a long time searching for grandma names’

By Kinta Walsh-cotton For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell have given Irwin matriarch Terri a very cute nickname.

The pair called the late wife of Crocodile Hunter Steve, ‘Bunny’.

Former wakeboarder Chandler made the revelation as he recovered from having his tonsil out in hospital this week.

Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell have given Irwin matriarch Terri a very cute nickname. The pair called the late wife of Crocodile Hunter Steve, 'Bunny'

Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell have given Irwin matriarch Terri a very cute nickname. The pair called the late wife of Crocodile Hunter Steve, ‘Bunny’

He posted a selfie of himself and Bindi sitting in the hospital bed and wrote in the caption: ‘Just wanted to write a note to my amazing wife. I had to get my tonsils out and she has been taking the best care of me.

I’m so lucky to be loved by you, [Bindi]. Also, thank you Bunny (my awesome mum-in-law) for taking care of Grace while we’ve been in the hospital and I’ve been recovering.’

The beloved Aussie duo hinted at the nickname early last year during an interview with The Bump.

They revealed ‘Bunny’ was inspired by a childhood neighbor of Terri’s, 58, back in Oregon who went by the same cute name.

Former wakeboarder Chandler made the revelation as he recovered from having his tonsil out in hospital this week

Former wakeboarder Chandler made the revelation as he recovered from having his tonsil out in hospital this week

‘We spent a long time searching for grandma names that also had an animal link,’ Bindi told the pregnancy website.

Meanwhile, Bindi’s brother Robert Irwin, who turned 18 in December, has dubbed himself the ‘fun uncle’ or ‘funcle’.

It comes during a few weeks for the Irwin family.

He said: 'I'm so lucky to be loved by you, [Bindi]. Also, thank you Bunny (my awesome mum-in-law) for taking care of Grace while we've been in the hospital and I've been recovering.'

He said: ‘I’m so lucky to be loved by you, [Bindi]. Also, thank you Bunny (my awesome mum-in-law) for taking care of Grace while we’ve been in the hospital and I’ve been recovering.’

Last week, Bindi revealed the family’s 38-year-old echidna had died.

‘Saying goodbye to our beautiful family member of 38 years,’ Bindi wrote alongside a gallery of pictures of the pet.

‘The sweetest, kindest, most wonderful echidna you ever did meet.’

She added alongside a love heart emoji: ‘Rest In Peace, angel.’

Bindi and Chandler tied the knot in 2020 with their daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell being born the following year.

It comes during a few weeks for the Irwin family. Last week, Bindi revealed the family's 38-year-old echidna (right) had died. (Pictured: Terri and Bindi with Robert Irwin, right)

It comes during a few weeks for the Irwin family. Last week, Bindi revealed the family’s 38-year-old echidna (right) had died. (Pictured: Terri and Bindi with Robert Irwin, right)

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Categories
Sports

James O’Connor among several forced Wallabies changes for Argentina Test | Australia rugby union team

There was a time when it seemed like Australia could whistle up a fresh world class playmaker at will but those days are long gone and Wallabies flyhalf stocks are looking threadbare with little more than a year to go until the World Cup.

James O’Connor will be the third starter in five Tests this season against Argentina on Saturday (Sunday AEST), coming in for Quade Cooper after his fellow 30-something was injured again in last week’s win over the Pumas in their Rugby Championship opener.

The 32-year-old O’Connor has much to prove after returning from one of a string of injuries to put in a poor display against England in July as a second-half replacement for Australia’s designated flyhalf of the future, Noah Lolesio.

“We talked about him needing to sharpen up and he’s been doing that,” coach Dave Rennie said. “It’s really around acceleration and sharpening up his skill set from him. Attitude wise he’s been brilliant, he couldn’t have been more supportive. It’s great that he gets the opportunity on Saturday.

“Our thinking is he’s going to go through the World Cup but only time will tell. I think he’s keen to get out there and show he’s got plenty of footy left in him.”

The versatile Reece Hodge will back up from the bench with no place even among the replacements for 22-year-old Lolesio, who started all three Tests against England last month.

“He’s disappointed,” said Rennie. “We’ve communicated areas where we want him to be better. But he’s a good kid, I reckon he’s going to be an excellent international 10 and he’s working hard on growing his game from him.

It is a far cry from nine years ago when Rennie’s fellow New Zealander Robbie Deans had five credible candidates to play flyhalf against the British and Irish Lions and plumped for O’Connor.

O’Connor was banished from Australian rugby at the end of the 2013 season for off-field indiscretions just as Bernard Foley, who had not been in contention for the Lions series, emerged to make the position his own for five years.

Foley fell out of favor before the 2019 World Cup campaign and Michael Cheika chopped and changed his starting flyhalf before the humiliating quarter-final exit at the hands of England.

Rennie accepted that flyhalf was the position of most concern with the World Cup on the horizon, not to mention the more immediate challenges of Tests against world champions South Africa and New Zealand when the Wallabies head home.

“Ten is the skinniest [position],” he said. “We’ve got some good young kids coming through but not ready for this level yet. It’s certainly an area of ​​focus, we need to develop our young 10s.”

Reports this week suggested that 32-year-old Foley, who now plays in Japan, would be recalled to the squad for the first time in three years.

“We haven’t made a decision around that,” said Rennie. “We’ll get home and we’ll pick a new squad for South Africa.”

wallabies: Tom Wright, Jordan Petaia, Len Ikitau, Lalakai Foketi, Marika Koroibete, James O’Connor, Nic White, Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Jed Holloway, Darcy Swain, Rory Arnold, Taniela Tupou, Folau Fainga’a, James Slipper ( captain). Reserve: Lachlan Lonergan, Matt Gibbon, Pone Fa’amausili, Nick Frost, Pete Samu, Tate McDermott, Irae Simone, Reece Hodge.

Categories
Australia

Mother and step father to stand trial for alleged murder of toddler Kaydence Mills, whose body was found near Chinchilla Weir

Mother and step father to stand trial for alleged murder of toddler Kaydence Mills, whose body was found near Chinchilla Weir

A woman accused of murdering her daughter allegedly threw the little girl’s belongings out and told people the toddler was living with an aunt in the two years before authorities discovered she was missing, a court has heard.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that the following article contains an image of the deceased.

The remains of Kaydence Hazel Mills were found near the Chinchilla Weir in March 2020.

She would have been approximately two-and-a-half to three years of age when police alleged she was murdered by her mother, Sinitta Tammy Dawita, and Dawita’s partner, Tane Saul Desatge, some time between March and October 2017.

An investigation into her whereabouts was only launched in late 2019.

On Friday, the pair appeared in Dalby Magistrates Court via video link and were committed to stand trial on charges of murder, torture and interfering with a corpse.

During the hearing, Magistrate Kerrie O’Callaghan outlined details of the prosecution’s evidence of the alleged physical and psychological abuse inflicted on Kaydence before her death.

WARNING: The following evidence contains graphic detail of alleged abuse

The court heard a witness statement claimed the little girl was “abused every day,” “had to sleep on the toilet floor as she had nowhere else to sleep,” and “lived like an animal” at the family home in Chinchilla.

A little girl staring at the camera.
The remains of toddler Kaydence Hazel Mills were found near the Chinchilla Weir.(Supplied)

“[The witness said] Tane would flog her with a bamboo cane if she didn’t go to the toilet … and she had to be covered up when [the family] would go out because of the bruises,” Ms O’Callaghan said.

The court also heard the witness said the last time she saw the little girl she was lying on the couch covered in bruises – but she was gone the next day

“[The witness said Ms Dawita and Mr Desatge] said she had gone… [Ms Dawita] told her not to say anything and threw all of Kaydence’s belongings out.”

Police tape marking off a section of land near a water weir
Police marked off an area at Chinchilla Weir as a crime scene in 2019.(ABC News: Nathan Morris)

The court heard police launched an investigation into Kaydence’s whereabouts in September 2019.

“There’s evidence [Ms Dawita] told people during the period 2017 to early 2020 that she was concerned about Kaydence’s [biological] dad coming so she had her taken away to an aunt,” Ms O’Callaghan said.

“She told others she was with a family friend, that Kaydence lived in Brisbane, that she was with friends.”

A support worker also said that in October 2019 Ms Dawita did not acknowledge Kaydence’s existence and, when asked, said she lived with an aunt in Brisbane, the hearing was told.

Abdominal or head injury possible causes of death

The court heard that medical evidence indicates the cause of death “cannot be accurately determined,” but one expert suggested death could have been caused by abdominal trauma or a head injury.

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US

The IRS is set to get billions for audit enforcement. Here’s what it means for taxpayers

The IRS is set to get billions for audit enforcement. Here's what it means for taxpayers

The Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act calls for delivering nearly $80 billion to the IRS over 10 years. After months of negotiations over the sweeping spending package, the Senate passed the bill earlier this month, sending the legislation to the House for a vote before it reaches President Joe Biden’s desk.
IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, along with his predecessor, have asked Congress for additional funding. The agency’s budget has shrunk by more than 15% over the last decade. As a result, staffing levels and audit rates have been declining for years.
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But some Republicans are attacking the proposed increase in IRS funding, arguing that it would leave more middle-class Americans and small businesses with the headache of facing a tax audit.

Democrats, and Rettig — who was appointed by former President Donald Trump — have said repeatedly that the intent is not to target the middle class but instead focus on making sure wealthy tax cheats comply with the law. It’s ultimately up to the IRS how the money is used.

“The IRS has for too long been unable to pursue meaningful, impactful examinations of large corporate and high-net-worth taxpayers to ensure they are paying their fair share,” Rettig wrote in a letter sent to lawmakers last week.

“The goal should not only be to increase audits, but improve the productivity of audits. You want the IRS to select the businesses and people for audits who really have not been compliant,” said Janet Holtzblatt, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

Here’s what it could mean to taxpayers if the IRS gets an increase in funding:

How much funding will the IRS receive?

The Inflation Reduction Act would provide nearly $80 billion to the IRS over 10 years, in addition to the money the agency normally receives from Congress on an annual basis. The IRS received nearly $12.6 billion for fiscal year 2022.

The new funding would result in a more than 50% increase in IRS funding adjusted for inflation, Holtzblatt said.

The $80 billion would be spread across four different areas of the IRS over the next decade.

More than half, about $45.6 billion, would go toward strengthening enforcement activities — including collecting taxes owed, providing legal support, conducting criminal investigations and providing digital asset monitoring, according to the bill text.

More than $25 billion would be allocated to support IRS operations, including expenses like rent payments, printing, postage and telecommunications.

Nearly $4.8 billion would be used for modernizing the agency’s customer service technology, like developing a callback service.

Roughly $3 billion would be allocated for taxpayer assistance, filing and account services.

How many new auditors could be hired?

The Republican National Committee and several Republican lawmakers have criticized the new IRS funding, claiming that it will provide the agency with an “army of 87,000 new IRS agents.”
But that number is misleading. The Treasury Department did estimate in 2021 that a nearly $80 billion investment in the IRS could allow the agency to hire 86,852 full-time employees over the course of a decade. But that figure accounts for all workers, not solely enforcement agents.
Still, hiring more than 86,000 workers over 10 years could be a huge increase for the IRS, which currently has nearly 80,000 employees. But the number of IRS staff has declined over the past decade, currently standing at 1970s levels, and the agency is expected to keep losing people.
Earlier this year, Rettig told lawmakers that the IRS would need to hire 52,000 people over the next six years just to maintain current staffing levels to replace those who retire or otherwise leave.

The Inflation Reduction Act does not instruct the IRS to hire a certain number of enforcement agents, and the agency would need to decide on staffing plans.

“The resources to modernize the IRS will be used for sorely needed improvements to taxpayer services — from answering the phones to improving 1960s-era IT systems — and to crack down on wealthy and corporate tax evaders who cost the American people hundreds of billions of dollars each year,” Natasha Sarin, Treasury Department counselor for tax policy and implementation, said in a statement sent to CNN.

“The majority of new employees will replace the standard level of staff departures over the next few years,” she added.

How much more would the IRS be able to collect in federal taxes?

With an increase in funding for enforcement activities, the IRS will be able to conduct more audits and, as a result, collect more federal tax revenue.

The Congressional Budget Office expects increased collection to amount to roughly $203 billion over 10 years, raising net federal revenue by more than $124 billion during that time period when accounting for the nearly $80 billion that would be spent.

Tougher enforcement is intended to close what’s known as the “tax gap,” or the difference between the amount of tax revenue the government is collecting and what taxpayers actually owe. There are some bad actors who try to evade paying what they owe to Uncle Sam, but some inadvertent errors made by taxpayers drive the tax gap, too.

An older IRS estimate, based on tax years 2011, 2012 and 2013, found that nearly 84% of federal taxes are paid voluntarily and on time, leaving about $381 billion ultimately uncollected. Rettig has told lawmakers in the past that he believes the tax gap could be as much as $1 trillion a year now.
Audit rates of individual income tax returns decreased for all income levels between tax years 2010 to 2019 as staff levels and funding also declined, according to the Government Accountability Office. On average, individual tax returns were audited over three times more often during tax year 2010 than in tax year 2019.

Who may be more likely to face an IRS audit?

Selection for an audit doesn’t always suggest there’s a problem, according to the IRS. Sometimes returns are selected at random.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said that it wants the IRS to focus increased enforcement activity on high-wealth taxpayers and large corporations and not target households that earn less than $400,000 a year.

In his letter to lawmakers last week, Rettig wrote “that audit rates will not rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000.”

He also said that better technology and customer service would make it less likely that compliant taxpayers would be audited.

Yellen directs IRS not to use new funding to increase chances of audits of Americans making less than $400,000

This week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen publicly reiterated Rettig’s statement, noting that the new enforcement resources will instead “focus on high-end noncompliance.”

Lawmakers also included language in the bill that aims to clarify who is the focus of a ramp-up in audits.

The bill says that the new investment in the IRS is not “intended to increase taxes on any taxpayer or small business with a taxable income below $400,000.”

Still, there is some uncertainty about how exactly the IRS will decide how to ramp up audits.

“Clearly this is going to be something that Congress and other interested parties are going to try and monitor — but good luck,” Holtzblatt said.

“I think it’s going to be a difficult commitment to observe whether it’s being followed,” she added.

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