Olympic swimmer Scott Miller has been hit with a raft of fresh offenses three months after he was put behind bars when he was arrested at his Sydney home over his role in an alleged drug syndicate.
The 47-year-old was arrested at his Rozelle home in February last year following a police investigation into the supply of more than $2 million – or at least 4kg – worth of ice.
He has remained behind bars since his arrest and has since pleaded guilty, but in May this year he was hit with multiple new charges relating to another drug matter.
Police allege the former Olympian directed a “criminal group” between April 2020 and October 2021 from Haberfield, in Sydney’s inner west.
According to court documents, Miller allegedly “knowingly took part in the manufacture of 1kg of methylamphetamine, which is not less than the large commercial quantity”.
It is also alleged he supplied 3kg of the drug, conspired with two co-accused to manufacture “a large commercial quantity” of meth and did “knowingly direct the activities of a criminal group”.
He was hit with six charges while already behind bars where he is awaiting sentence, including manufacturing or producing a prohibited drug, supply prohibited drug, two counts of conspire to commit an offence, knowingly direct activities of a criminal group and knowingly take part in manufacturing or producing a prohibited drug.
Neither Miller or a defense lawyer appeared when the matter was mentioned in court on Thursday, where Magistrate Daniel Covington was told a DPP prosecutor was making a detention application.
However, the application was not opposed as he was already behind bars due to the prior matter where he drove drugs to Yass.
The court was told Miller pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced on the other matter later this month in the district court.
According to police documents in relation to the matter he pleaded guilty to, Miller drove the consignment of drugs about 280km from Sydney to Yass, where he was met by another man.
The silver medallist allegedly pleaded guilty to hiding the bag, which held eight candles containing meth worth $2.2 million, in a secret compartment and left the car overnight.
Miller picked up another man the next day and the pair drove the Camry to Yass, according to police.
More than a month later, Miller was arrested at his Rozelle home on February 16.
Footage from the arrest shows a shirtless Miller with his face blurred wearing nothing but a pair of blue jeans as he slumps in a white chair around a glass table inside a sparsely furnished room.
He pleaded guilty to four offences, including two counts of supplying prohibited drugs, dealing with property proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity.
Miller won silver and bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was briefly married to Sydney model Charlotte Dawson.
Two brothers accused of being hired “muscle” in the kidnapping of former Test cricketer Stuart MacGill have been granted bail while they await trial.
Richard and Frederick Schaaf are charged with abducting Mr MacGill from outside his home on Sydney’s lower north shore last year.
The pair pleaded not guilty to charges of take/detain in company with intent to obtain advantage, with the matter expected to go to trial mid next year.
On Thursday, they watched remotely from Bathurst Correctional Center as they were granted bail by Justice Richard Button under “strict” conditions.
The Schaaf brothers heard they will be not required to undergo electronic monitoring when they are released from jail sometime in the near future.
They were arrested along with four other men, including Mr MacGill’s de facto brother-in-law Marino Sotiropoulos, over an alleged cocaine deal gone wrong.
The court was told that Mr MacGill introduced Mr Sotiropoulos – who is the brother of his partner Maria O’Meagher – to a cocaine dealer, with the cricketer claiming that it was the extent of his involvement.
Mr Sotiropoulos has since been charged with a supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and will stand trial alongside the Schaaf brothers.
Mr MacGill alleges that a group of men forced him into a car outside his home and confronted him after the drug deal ended in a “rip off”.
The former Test spinner claimed that he was taken to a Bringelly property where he was threatened with a gun, assaulted and demands were made for money.
Earlier this month, Schaafs’ lawyer Avni Djemal argued that the evidence against the brothers supported them being released on bail.
He argued that Mr MacGill had gone willingly with the group of men to an abandoned house in southwestern Sydney and said there was no physical evidence that he had been brutally assaulted.
“The evidence implies Mr MacGill to a high level. I’m surprised he’s not charged with the actual drug transaction that he says, in his evidence, ‘I had nothing more to do with it, I just introduced the brother-in-law, Mr Sotiropoulos, to a person who I knew used to sell drugs’,” Mr Djemal said.
“The gentleman, now a registered source, he says that this gentleman, MacGill, was an avid user of cocaine and said to be on it all the time or drunk or desperate for money.”
Mr Djemal added there was no evidence to support Mr MacGill’s assertions that he had been punched to the front and back of his head, knocked to the ground and suffered a concussion.
Mr Djemal said the only evidence of any injuries was Ms O’Meagher saying she felt a lump on Mr MacGill’s head.
“He doesn’t have one visible injury after those events,” Mr Djemal said.
“If the hits to the front of your face have produced no lumps and you say the onslaught was to the front, the side, knocked you to the ground, how could that be?
“How could his word be that there was a kidnapping? What if he went, saw photos and got brought back?”
NRL rising star Manase Fainu has been found guilty of stabbing a church youth leader during a violent and bloody brawl outside a Mormon church dance.
Fainu, 24, pleaded not guilty to plunging a steak knife into the back of Faamanu Levi at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Wattle Grove in southwestern Sydney on the evening of October 25, 2019.
But it only took the jury a few hours to find him guilty of one count of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and is facing a maximum of 25 years in prison.
The jury accepted the Crown prosecution’s argument that Fainu stabbed Mr Levi in the back near his shoulder blade and cut him above his right eye during a brawl also involving four of his mates and another group of men.
Mr Fainu will remain on bail until at least Monday when it will be decided whether he will be taken into custody.
He is required to remain living with his parents and report to police on a daily basis over the weekend.
Defense barrister Margaret Cunneen SC said Mr Fainu was surrounded by a “God-fearing community who will all be devastated by this verdict”.
She asked for his bail to be extended with “stringent” conditions until he is sentenced, adding there was no danger to the community and noting he had no history of violence or criminal record.
“There is absolutely no danger to the community whatsoever. This is extraordinary in the context of his otherwise blameless life of him, ”she said.
One eyewitness, Tony Quach, told the court that he had seen Mr Fainu, who had his arm in a sling at the time, stab Mr Levi, puncturing his lungs and causing internal bleeding.
It was not an issue during the trial that Fainu had his arm in a sling after undergoing shoulder surgery a month earlier or that he was in the carpark.
But he denied playing any part in the stabbing or the brawl, claiming it was a case of mistaken identity.
Fainu claimed he was about 10m away and began back-pedaling because he feared for his safety when he heard someone yell “knife, knife”.
But Mr Quach told the court he saw Fainu stab his friend Mr Levi and was able to identify him by his distinctive sling.
During his evidence, Mr Quach said Fainu had not started the fight but “he ended it”.
“I saw the knife plunged into Levi’s back,” Mr Quach said.
“Who did you see plunge the knife into Levi’s back?” Crown prosecutor Emma Curran asked.
“The accused,” Mr Quach said, adding he saw Fainu with one arm in a sling and holding a knife in his other hand, with his arm bent at a 90-degree angle.
Mr Quach described Fainu as having an angry look on his face.
The court was told that earlier in the evening, two of Fainu’s friends – including Uona “Big Buck” Faingaa – were involved in an altercation on the church hall dance floor and were escorted out.
Fainu said he went to the church dance with four of his friends because Mr Faingaa was seeking to collect money owed to him by a man for a concreting job.
The Manly Sea Eagles hooker said he left the church grounds as his mates were being escorted out and apologized to a security guard for his friends’ behavior as he exited.
Ms Curran said another man, Kupi Toilalo, said he saw a man approach him and his friends during the incident with his left arm in a sling holding a knife.
“When Kupi saw this, he was at arm’s length away from the person holding the knife, nothing obstructing his view,” Ms Curran said.
CCTV played during the trial showed Fainu jumping the fence from a Coles carpark back into the church grounds shortly before the brawl.
He said he jumped the fence despite admitting that he could have walked back in via the front gate.
“Manase Fainu jumped over a fence into the grounds of the church, he was with four of his friends and the group of them approached Mr Levi and his friends,” Ms Curran said during her closing submissions.
“A brawl broke out and when things looked like they were getting out of hand, Mr Fainu pulled out a knife and plunged it into the back of Mr Levi, causing a wound that punctured his lung and caused internal bleeding.”
South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has implored the NSW government to allow the Rabbitohs to move to the new Sydney Football Stadium next season as the club waits in limbo without a home ground locked in for 2023.
As revealed in The Daily Telegraph, Souths chief executive Blake Solly said the club had “bucket loads of uncertainty” because a potential move to Moore Park hasn’t been approved by the state government.
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Blake Solly is unimpressed with the stadium standoff. Picture: Lyndon MechielsenSource: News Corp Australia
The Rabbitohs have called the Olympic precinct home since 2006 but are keen to return to Allianz Stadium, which is on the same light rail line as their juniors club in Kingsford.
But the government has yet to approve the move, which means the Rabbitohs can’t sell memberships or corporate packages for 2023 because their fans don’t know which ground they’d be committing to.
“We’re a big club that deserves to be playing in big stadiums,” Demetriou said, joking that they’d gladly play at Redfern Oval if they had to.
“They’ve just built an $800m stadium in our backyard, so I think it makes common sense to me that we’re playing there.
“It’s a stadium that’s built in the heartland of South Sydney.
“It’s down the road from our junior leagues club, so there’s a real opportunity for us to spend some time there and venture into the ground from there and for our members to meet the players post-game.
“All that sort of stuff makes everything easier and that’s why we’re really excited and hopeful of getting in there.
“It’s in our area, so it’d be great to have us playing there and I’m sure our fans and our members and our supporters would love to have a venue closer to home. I know the players would be excited as well.”
The Rabbitohs will officially open the stadium in round 25 when they take on the Roosters in a game that could decide eighth spot on the ladder.
The lack of certainty around their future has had no impact on the playing group yet, but Demetriou says it could if things are left to fester.
The new stadium would be much more convenient for Rabbitohs fans. Picture: Sam RuttynSource: News Corp Australia
“We’ve got that much going on in terms of playing footy,” he said.
“It’s a distraction if we’re getting too caught up in it, but we have no control over it. I don’t as a coach, and I know the players don’t as players.
“But they’re excited about playing there in round 25 and there’s a genuine excitement to play there. I think sharing it with the Roosters and having 20 games a year would be outstanding, not just for clubs, but for the NRL as well.”
It’s a distraction the Bunnies could do without as they prepare for a brutal four-week stretch leading into the finals.
The Rabbitohs play western Sydney heavyweights Parramatta and Penrith and then finish the regular season with games against the second-placed Cowboys and the Roosters in a grudge game to open Allianz Stadium.
It’s a tough stretch but at least they go into Friday’s game at CommBank Stadium knowing they have the wood on Parramatta after five-straight wins over the Eels.
“The last time we played them we were coming off an ordinary performance so we were pretty motivated for that game,” the coach said.
“That’s our challenge tomorrow night – to bring that same motivation off the back of some good performances.
“We’re going in the right direction but we’re playing some bigger teams now that can score points. Parramatta is as good as anyone at scoring points and they are dangerous right across the park, so it’ll be a good test for our defence.”
More than 700 aircraft engineers from Qantas, Jetstar and Perth-based FIFO subsidiary Network Aviation will conduct a “one-minute work stoppage” in August.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association (ALAEA) federal secretary Steve Purvinas told members in a meeting on Wednesday that the majority had voted in favor of industrial action.
Airline engineers are asking their employer for a 12 per cent pay rise to make up for stagnant wages the last four years.
The union’s first action will be a one-minute stoppage across all airlines sometime in late August.
“The first action will be a token one,” Mr Purvinas told members.
“A one-minute stoppage of course is not going to harm any airline and also demonstrates our willingness to negotiate in good faith and not try and harm the airline.”
Mr Purvinas said the token stoppage aimed to give the airlines an opportunity to come to the table.
“We do want to give some time for resolution of these matters before we have to do anything that may even be close to disrupting the public,” he said.
The strikes come at a difficult time for Australia’s national flag carrier, as the aviation industry struggles with staff shortages that have led to flight cancellations, delays and missing luggage.
If the stoppage does not motivate negotiations, the union plans to notify the airline of more work stoppages.
During these stoppages, the union has offered to provide “alternative labor provisions” to the airline.
“We want to assure the public that we won’t be harming their services,” Mr Purvinas said.
“Our target is the airlines who are not negotiating in good faith.”
ALAEA members voted against using overtime bans to avoid “exacerbating” already challenging conditions in the industry.
A Qantas spokesman told the NCA NewsWire in July that the 12 per cent pay rise was something the airline “simply can’t afford”.
They said Qantas had a policy of 2 per cent annual increases for all employees across the Group.
The airline has a history of not holding back when it comes to dealing with union industrial action.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce infamously grounded the airline during a dispute with the ALAEA and two other unions back in 2011, leaving 200,000 passengers stranded without notice.
A string of celebrities dazzled at a glamorous runway show hosted by Australian retailer David Jones on Wednesday night.
But while former foreign minister Julie Bishop’s “revenge” dress turned heads at the Sydney event, she wasn’t the only famous face who went all-out in the fashion stakes.
Model Natalie Roser “got dressed up” for the superstore’s Spring Summer fashion show, wearing a skin-tight black dress from Australian designer Effie Kats.
The $299 “Gia Mia Dress” is made from a “wet-look jersey” that clung to Natalie’s body, prompting a wave of comments on social media.
“Unsure if I was made for the dress or the dress was made for me…” the 32-year-old wrote on Instagram.
“Sizzling,” one user wrote in response, while another said: “Spectacular.”
“In both cases dress is yours,” another added.
While one described Natalie as looking like “catwoman”.
Fashion designer Pip Edwards was also at the event, wearing a pair of white wide-leg pants with a backless black top and sparkly Prada heels.
The former girlfriend of cricket star Michael Clarke posed alongside two of her PE Nation employees Claire Tregoning and Luke Morrell.
Pip later stopped for a snap with Julie Bishop, who was wearing a $3,750 metallic jacquard long-sleeved mini dress designed by French luxury fashion house Balmain.
The 66-year-old politician turned fashion icon finished her look with a chic black clutch and matching heels at the runway show, her first public appearance since her break-up with longtime boyfriend David Panton last month.
Former Miss World Australia Erin Holland looked sensational in a “liquid gold” dress from luxury Italian fashion designer Fendi.
She teamed her outfit with a bag from the same brand and a pair of gold Tony Bianco heels.
The catwalk showcased an array of spring and summer fashion from the best of Australian and international designers.
NRL star Bryce Cartwright has fronted a Sydney court after police took out a restraining order to protect his anti-vaxxer wife.
The 27-year-old Parramatta Eels forward split from his former wife Shanelle early last year, after the couple caused controversy over their views on vaccinations.
Cartwright walked away from a $450,000-a-season contract with the Gold Coast Titans and returned to NSW in September 2020 with his then-wife and two children.
Months later, the pair split up following their three-year marriage.
It was revealed this week that police have now sought an apprehended violence order (AVO) against Cartwright on behalf of his ex-wife.
He fronted Waverley Local Court on Thursday but the matter was quickly adjourned.
Cartwright will have to face court again on August 25. He has not been charged with any criminal offence.
An interim order prevents the 27-year-old from assaulting, threatening, stalking, harassing or intimidating Shanelle.
Standard conditions of the interim order state he also must not damage her property or harm any animal she owns.
Neither the Parramatta Eels or NSW Police have commented on the matter.
The former couple received heavy criticism in 2020 after they expressed their beliefs about vaccinations widely on social media.
Cartwright and his ex-wife said they chose not to vaccinate their children, which was condemned by medical experts.
They called themselves “pro-choice” rather than “anti-vax”.
Both Shanelle and Cartwright were sent a number of threats due to the controversial stance.
A string of celebrities dazzled at a glamorous runway show hosted by Australian retailer David Jones on Wednesday night.
But while former foreign minister Julie Bishop’s “revenge” dress turned heads at the Sydney event, she wasn’t the only famous face who went all-out in the fashion stakes.
Model Natalie Roser “got dressed up” for the superstore’s Spring Summer fashion show, wearing a skin-tight black dress from Australian designer Effie Kats.
The $299 “Gia Mia Dress” is made from a “wet-look jersey” that clung to Natalie’s body, prompting a wave of comments on social media.
“Unsure if I was made for the dress or the dress was made for me…” the 32-year-old wrote on Instagram.
“Sizzling,” one user wrote in response, while another said: “Spectacular.”
“In both cases dress is yours,” another added.
While one described Natalie as looking like “catwoman”.
Fashion designer Pip Edwards was also at the event, wearing a pair of white wide-leg pants with a backless black top and sparkly Prada heels.
The former girlfriend of cricket star Michael Clarke posed alongside two of her PE Nation employees Claire Tregoning and Luke Morrell.
Pip later stopped for a snap with Julie Bishop, who was wearing a $3,750 metallic jacquard long-sleeved mini dress designed by French luxury fashion house Balmain.
The 66-year-old politician turned fashion icon finished her look with a chic black clutch and matching heels at the runway show, her first public appearance since her break-up with longtime boyfriend David Panton last month.
Former Miss World Australia Erin Holland looked sensational in a “liquid gold” dress from luxury Italian fashion designer Fendi.
She teamed her outfit with a bag from the same brand and a pair of gold Tony Bianco heels.
The catwalk showcased an array of spring and summer fashion from the best of Australian and international designers.
Cameron Smith’s imminent defection is being viewed as the biggest “coup” to date for LIV in their quest for legitimacy.
Until now, The PGA Tour and its supporters could argue that the rebel league is merely a competition where washed up pros go to fill their bank accounts. No longer.
While tour veterans Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia were the initial names linked to the financially lucrative competition, the domino effect can’t be denied.
Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson – three of the biggest names on the US PGA – have taken the money and left.
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Cameron Smith’s pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
Smith’s signing however is being seen as a game-changer.
At 28, he is only now coming into the peak of his powers, he is the most recent major winner and he overran Rory McIlroy, the biggest name in world golf since Tiger Woods, to claim the Open Championship.
Nonetheless, Smith’s pending defection, which the Australian remained coy about ahead of the FedEx Cup playoff opener, hasn’t been filled with overwhelming excitement and a popping of corks.
Indeed, there’s an overarching sense of disappointment, inevitability and sadness about Smith’s likely defection; financial security has won over legacy and moral compass.
McIlroy reveals tension with LIV golfers | 01:30
Writing for the UK Telegraph – the same publication that broke Smith’s defection on a deal worth more than $AU140 million – chiefs sports writer Oliver Brown emphasized that Smith’s defection “might” capture an audience that eventually garners a TV deal.
“His signing is arguably the Saudis’ most significant coup to date, and could represent a tipping point for the competition – a moment where a gilded freakshow turned into a sporting event which might demand the world’s attention,” Brown wrote.
At the heart of the appeal of LIV Golf, Brown hit the nail on his head when he revealed the ridiculous sums of money today’s stars were forgoing by resisting a move from the PGA Tour.
“Against this backdrop, you can see why the initial contact from Greg Norman, LIV’s ringmaster, became an offer Smith could not refuse,” he wrote.
“(Henrick) Stenson, a 46-year-old who has failed to reach the weekend in seven of his last nine majors, is the type of player he should be beating for breakfast. And yet the Swede, quickly forgetting his defenestration of him as Ryder Cup captain, earned more for a glorified three-day exhibition at Bedminster than Smith did for winning the 150th Open at the Home of Golf.
“From Smith’s perspective, this is an imbalance that urgently needs correcting. If he takes home the maximum loot of £3.93 million on his LIV debut in Boston next month, he would eclipse even the £2.98 million he earned at the Players Championship in May, in what was then the richest prize ever offered by a single golf tournament. Why should the leading man tolerate making less than some forgotten members of the chorus line?”
Cam Smith and others set to join LIV | 01:30
Brown continued by highlighting the ridiculous Saudi-funded money on offer but said the sheer financial sums couldn’t, at least at this point, match the theatre, drama and excitement on show at the PGA and DP World Tours.
“The numbers are so absurd, the golf itself has been rendered a sideshow. When Stenson holed the decisive putt at Bedminster, for the grandest payday of his career, the moment was greeted by the faintest rustle of polite applause. Even the winner himself did not look unduly bothered,” Brown wrote in The Telegraph.
“Here lies the sadness in Smith’s defection. With his talent in the fullest bloom, he deserves to be playing in front of the largest galleries, for the highest stakes. LIV ultimately offers him neither. It is a realm with all the money but none of the prestige. Smith, you sense, understands what true glory in golf means. As he gave his acceptance speech on the 18th green at St Andrews, the Claret Jug in his hand, the quaver in his voice suggested he was genuinely overwhelmed.
“For Smith to be swapping such moments for hollow, show-me-the-money exercises is a cause for lament. At one level, his departure from him in his prime from him demonstrates the scale of the Saudis’ ambitions. But at another, it is the grimmest possible reflection of the schism they have wrought.”
READ MORE
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NEXT TIME: Aussie Matt Jones rejected from $75m event, ‘icy’ standoff avoided as LIV court bid fails
Australia’s Cameron Smith’s decision not to answer whether he is joining LIV has been described as “cowardly” and “lame”. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
At the USATodayAndy Nesbitt, was far more scathing.
In particular, the publication took aim at Smith’s decision to deflect questions around his future and offer no definitive answer on whether he intended to shift allegiances.
“In doing so, (Smith) tarnished a reputation that just a few weeks ago was one of the best in professional golf,” Nesbitt wrote.
“Smith didn’t deny it and he didn’t confirm it, he just said he had “no comment” on that, which is a really lame way of ducking the question while also pretty much confirming the report to be true.”
Nesbitt went as far as saying his responses were “cowardly.”
“But to not come out with a definitive answer when asked about it before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs is a pretty cowardly thing to do.
“Now it’s a little harder to cheer for a guy who just a few weeks ago was the coolest golfer in the world.”
Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43
Thomas Kershaw from The Timestoo, wrote that Smith’s pending defection was the competition’s “biggest coup”.
“It has been very easy up until now to dismiss the gimmicks of LIV’s format — featuring shotgun starts, 54 holes and no cuts — as a watered-down exhibition lacking the essentials of elite competition. Critics could point to the players who shrugged off missed putts knowing their money was guaranteed beforehand and the rebel series was derived as a refuge for those who had cashed in on the twilight of their careers,” Kershaw wrote.
“The signing of Smith is a significant riposte to that narrative. LIV may already have a horde of relatively recent major champions but Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have battled injuries and indifferent form while Phil Mickelson still seems a ghost of his former self. Smith, 28, is the first to defect who is not just at the peak of the game but still entering the prime of his own.
He continued: “Smith remains LIV’s biggest coup to date and also symbolizes another aspect of their revolt that could bring considerable success. Smith had been vocal in urging the PGA Tour to bring a major golf event back to Australia but while those calls fell on deaf ears, LIV — and Norman — have been only too keen to hear them. When LIV expands into a 14-tournament league next year, it is reportedly scheduled to stop in Sydney in April, where Smith is expected to feature in an all-Australian team.”
Australian Cameron Smith is coming under renewed scrutiny ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 10, 2022 in Memphis. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
Closer to home, James Erskine, the former manager of the late Shane Warne, who also managed Greg Norman in the past, told The Sydney Morning Herald the emergence of LIV was “destabilizing”, but didn’t accept the argument that players had blood on their hands given the competition is being backed by Saudi Arabia.
“It’s destabilizing the fabric of professional golf. I’m on the board of the PGA of Australia and we have to look after all professionals and professionals coming up. They all start as amateurs somewhere and are nurtured through the pathway so they could play golf, and then they get cards and qualify professionally,” he said. “So many people do business with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, where they have very different rules and regulations and different respect for women.
“But you can name just about any company and they will probably have a link to Saudi Arabia, Rolex, Range Rover, Rolls Royce, Ferrari. Everyone’s doing business with them, so I think it’s very unfair to turn around and say because you’re a professional golfer, you shouldn’t deal with Saudi Arabia.”
Meanwhile, Erskine said Smith would be welcomed to play in Australia even if he joins LIV Golf.
A group of Melbourne men have been absolutely roasted online after they were snapped all wearing the same, very popular outfit.
It’s no secret that Aussies love a good North Face jacket, with the black puffer jackets coming out any time the temperature drops below 15C.
Australia’s obsession with this jacket is a long-running joke, which is probably why Tahlea Aualiitia couldn’t resist taking a snap when she spotted five men all sporting the clothing item.
“Surely Melbourne has a collective noun for this,” the ABC reporter wrote on Twitter above the image.
The picture shows everyone in the group wearing a black North Face jacket, black or navy pants and RM Williams boots.
The tweet has received more than 10,000 likes and almost 800 retweets.
“Always the boots … Australians cosplaying as farmers,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another person said: “I’ve got one of these coats myself. I thought it was great until I went to Melbourne wearing it and discovered that it seems to be part of a uniform there.”
The post was also also shared to the Reddit group r/Melbourne, with the poster suggesting a “puff of people” could be a good name for the phenomenon.
This prompted a long list of hilarious suggestions from users, including Kathmandudes, a Clusterpuff, Puff Daddies and a MacPack.
“The classic black puffer jacket and RM Williams combo,” one user wrote.
“RM Williams, for all that rugged outdoorsy stuff you do in your day to day life in the inner city. Like climbing in and out of the drivers seat of your Prado before hiking the 10 meters from your driveway to the front door,” another added.
One person said: “Ah yes the common Melbourne male. He can be seen with a latte in one hand as he obnoxiously takes up the whole footpath with his work colleagues. ”
While others were ridiculing the group for their matching fashion, one Reddit user was quick to jump to their defense.
“Look, it gets bloody cold in Melbourne and there isn’t anything warmer, lighter and functional than a down-filled jacket. Puffer jackets are a necessity not a fashion choice – they are a very intelligent addition to a winter wardrobe in Melbourne,” they wrote.
“The problem (it isn’t a problem) is lack of choice. Every store has puffer jackets but the styles and colors available are extremely limited. So you buy a black one that will go with anything. What looks good with a black jacket? Black jean. So you wear it with black jeans.
“Interstate visitors often mention the ‘Melbourne uniform’ (because we wear a lot of black). We don’t choose to wear black, black chooses us. I’m ignoring the black and brown Chelsea boots, because they are an Australia-wide plague.”
The North Face jacket obsession is so widespread, that a British expat dedicated a whole TikTok to mocking Aussies over it.
Daniel Olaniran, known as @olantekkers, is originally from the UK but has lived in Australia for over two years.
The former professional footballer is clearly no stranger to chilly English training sessions, which is probably why he thinks Australia’s obsession with mountain wear brands North Face and Kathmandu as soon as it gets cold is a bit rich.
“Australians in the winter man, you lot are funny man,” he said.
“You guys can’t wait to bring out the North Face jackets… I’m seeing big puffy North Face jackets looking Arsène Wenger, you know what I mean.”
One video captioned “mornings in Bondi” showed dozens of Sydneysiders in huge puffer jackets with the sun out.
He said he’s noticed the amount of Aussies in “North Face drip from head to toe, including the hat and gloves, like what is this man”.
“It’s not even that cold man, all you need is a light jumper and you’re ready to roll bruv.”
“In Sydney I really don’t think it gets too cold… it gets chilly but not on the level of a winter in London,” he said via the Daily Mail.
“I think most Aussies struggle because they’re obviously so used to the sun.”
