Dozens of major bank branches are set to be closed over the next few months which will see 182 Australians lose their jobs, according to the Finance Sector Union.
In total, 37 branches will be shuttered across the nation, with the union describing the closures as reaching “crisis point”.
Westpac Group is making the most dramatic cuts with 24 branches being shut down across the country.
In NSW, Westpac branches in the suburbs of Lakemba, Engadine, Corrimal and Kingscliff will be shuttered in coming months, while Queensland’s branches in Ashmore, Nerang and Rockhampton will also be shut.
The closures will also hit Westpac’s Western Australian branches based on Mandurah and South Perthwhile the berrimah branch in the Northern Territory has also been cut.
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The Finance Sector Union said it had campaigned against branch closures for many years but is now seeking government intervention to protect local economies and save what’s left of Australia’s bank branch network.
“This latest list of closures means the big four have closed more than 550 bank branches across Australia since January 2020,” said Finance Sector Union (FSU) national secretary Julia Angrisano.
“We must act to stop the banks walking away from communities in our suburbs and towns. It’s time to examine the impact of these closures which have hit hundreds of communities across the country.”
Others set to close down as part of the Westpac Group include St George’s NSW branch in Five Dockthe Bank SA’s branches in Munno Parra and St Peterswhile the Bank of Melbourne will also lose seven branches.
The Bank of Melbourne branches include Croydon, Coburg, Fitzroy, Sunbury, Footscray, 114 William St Melb and Mornington.
Meanwhile, the NAB is closing nine branches across three states, including sites located in Lavington, Narrandera, Corrimal, Figtree, Cronulla and Maroubra in NSW, Wynnum in QLD and North Melbourne in Victoria.
Two states will be impacted by branch closures by the CBA, including the NSW suburbs of Annandale, Toongabbie and Lindfieldas well as Drysdale and Woodend in Victoria.
Ms Angrisano said communities depend on the banks to deliver financial services and feared the current trend would mean no branches in the future.
“The banks notify the FSU about upcoming closures. In this case, two banking brands are being withdrawn from the same location in Corrimal, NSW. Imagine the impact of losing two more banks in the same suburb?,” she said.
She said the banks had failed to support local communities and cost savings from branch closures were designed to increase the banks’ already huge profits.
“We need an inquiry into bank branch closures to assess the impact on local communities when the banks pull out of suburbs and towns,” she said.
“The UK has a formal ‘community impact assessment test’ and we need a similar test to ring-fence our branches and make sure banking services the public which they derive their profits from.”
A Westpac Group spokesperson said with more than five million digitally active customers, it was investing in services to complement how our customers choose to bank.
“Declining customer use of branches means that in some instances, we may take a difficult decision to leave a branch location. In these instances, we continue to support our customers with access to banking services via Bank@Post, telephone, mobile and virtual banking,” they said.
“We take steps to ensure customers are notified in advance about the changes and are directly connected with the services they need to continue to do their banking. For those who are new to digital banking, or may require more assistance with the changes, we provide dedicated support and education to make the transition easier.
They added that the “majority” of affected employees would secure a new role within the group.
Krissie Jones, from NAB executive retail, said as more and more customers are choosing to bank online, we’ve made the difficult decision to close some branches that receive less customer visits.
“Increasingly Australians are banking digitally, with more than 94 per cent of customer interactions now taking place over the phone, by video or online,” she said.
“While these branches will no longer be there, we will still be there for our customers – just in different ways,” she said. “Over the past few years, fewer customers are coming into branches to do their banking and foot traffic has lessened, which has been accelerated by Covid.”
She added there will be no job losses at NAB and the branch team will also be working with customers over the coming weeks to talk with them about the various banking alternatives available.
CBA did not respond to news.com.au’s request for comment before publication.
Ready to begin the five hour flight from Sydney to Perth, Clare Vertannes had her Apple Airpods and noise-cancelling headphones on when she was approached by a Jetstar flight attendant.
At first, the actress and events co-ordinator thought she was being upgraded to first class.
Unfortunately, reality was less desirable.
“I was sitting there minding my own business, and then she was like: ‘Can you please come with me?’” Ms Vertannes told news.com.au, speaking of the flight she took in April 2022.
“I was getting really excited because it genuinely didn’t cross my mind [that I was about to get kicked off the plane]. It’s wasn’t until we walked off the plane, that I started asking questions.”
‘A very dangerous item’
Once her and the flight attendant were on the tarmac, the Perth woman was informed that staff had found a “very dangerous item” – a battery pack – in her checked luggage.
While portable chargers containing a lithium ion battery are banned from check-in baggage, Ms Vertannes was certain she had not packed hers in her suitcase.
“I held up my battery pack and told them I didn’t have a second one,” she said.
“The flight attendants that kicked me off the plane were really rude. I understand they have jobs to do but they didn’t even give me the time of day to explain.
“I asked them to call someone to confirm because there was nothing in my suitcase but I was told to go to baggage claim.”
At the same time she was told she would miss her existing flight and she’d have to pay for her next one.
She claims the flight attendant told her she wouldn’t be reimbursed “because you’ve held up everyone on the current flight”.
On her way to baggage claim, Ms Vertannes began crying.
“It was like I was going to the principal’s office. It was so terrible,” she said.
However, she remembers the surreal moment when she realized the airport had made a terrible mistake. As she was walking to the baggage claim, she claims to have overheard a staff member on the phone.
“She was like: ‘Why would she do that? What’s wrong with you people? I told you to wait for confirmation,’” said Ms Vertannes.
“She then saw us walking towards her she just stops and says into the phone: ‘I think the lady you’ve kicked off is in front of me and she is not impressed.’”
A missed flight and a miscommunication
That’s when she was told that there had been “a miscommunication”. While airport staff had initially found something dangerous in her bag, it turned out to be a false alarm.
“There was nothing in my suitcase. I was actually hoping that there had been something wrong with my luggage, especially after all this drama,” joked Ms Vertannes.
“I said look: ‘Thank you for your apology but I need to get home. Can I get back on my flight now?’”
However, in the time Ms Vertannes had reported to baggage claim, her original flight had taken off. She was then told the next flight wouldn’t be until tomorrow.
While Ms Vertannes said the airline initially refused to pay for another flight that day, she was determined to return to Perth.
“I literally just sat there and stared at her. I know the airport staff was doing their best but I knew that nothing was going to get done unless I just sat there,” she said.
After “an hour or two”, she was approached by a Qantas staff member, who are the parent company for Jetstar. In another twist of events, she had been offered a flight for that day free of charge, however it was scheduled for 8pm, which at that point was around eight hours away.
Looking back at her airport debacle, Ms Vertannes said she was surprised by the lack of services given to her by the airlines.
In a statement to news.com.au, Jetsar says they “sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding and are looking into what took place”.
Much to be desired
Despite the “miscommunication,” she claims she was told she was unable to check in her luggage early. While she decided to meet up with her boyfriend from her back in the Sydney CBD, she was told that she would have had to pay $50 to store her luggage from her at the airport.
Another blow came as she was sitting in her Qantas seat.
“I’m sitting on the Qantas flight and I get an email from Jetstar. It says: ‘thank you so much for your purchase of a pie. That’s $10,’” she said.
“Someone on my flight had charged on foot to my seat and I got that invoice. I was done.
“I remember getting that on the flight and not even being surprised.”
The experience left much to be desired.
Now, in the four months from the ill-fated flight, Ms Vertannes says she’s finally ready to talk about her it.
“When I got back I genuinely needed to recover from the trauma,” she said.
Sharing her experience on TikTok, Ms Vertannes amassed more than 67,100 views, 5100 likes and 285 comments.
Despite this, she hasn’t been thrilled with the airline’s response.
“The flight really upset me. It had an effect on my mental health and it was really stressful. [I asked for] two return flights to a destination around Australia,” she said
“I wanted some form of compensation and I thought I was being quite reasonable.”
To date, in documents seen by news.com.au, Ms Vertannes has been given a $116.22 cash refund and a $350.76 voucher which Jetstar says aligns with the purchase methods used to buy her flight from Jetstar to Qantas.
Later, when she tried to get reimbursed for the $50 taxi fare into the city, she was told they were “unable to provide you with any compensation nor cover your out of pocket expenses”.
“I kept on being in all these phone calls but everything just got too annoying so I took the voucher,” she said.
“But all I wanted was just some compensation and to not be left on the phone for two hours. It’s not that hard.”
Severe weather warnings are in place in five states and territories as gale-force winds and thunderstorm conditions near a NSW ski resort.
Winds of up to 100km/h have hit NSW, Victoria and Tasmania early on Thursday.
Canberra could see two months’ worth of rain fall in just 24 hours after 40mm of rain hit the ACT since midnight.
The cold front that whipped up damaging winds in Western Australia earlier this week has moved east across the Great Australian Bight overnight.
A complex low pressure system moving across the Great Australian Bight and an associated through and cold front are causing vigorous north-westerly winds across southeast NSW.
NSW and Victorian snowfields are set to suffer under a downpour of rain and gale-force winds, prompting Thredbo resort to close all lifts for the day.
Damaging north-westerly winds and dangerous surf are forecast throughout the day in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and the ACT, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Heavy rainfall is expected in some regions, and the bureau is monitoring the situation for isolated major flooding possible in catchments in southern NSW, northern Tasmania and Victoria’s northeast.
Sheep graziers across the south of NSW, ACT and parts of South Australia are warned that cold temperatures, showers and gusty winds are expected through Friday. There is a risk to lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.
NSW/ ACT
Damaging wind gusts of more than 125km/h are likely for alpine areas above 1900m on Thursday.
Khancoban, behind Perisher Valley recorded a wind gust of 100 km/h at 2am while nearby Cabramurra recorded a gust of 98 km/h just after midnight.
The Snowy Mountains and South West Slopes could receive between 45mm and 60mm of rainfall.
Lightning and gale-force winds are expected throughout the day and have prompted Thredbo resort to shut down all lifts for the day to the disappointment of holiday-makers.
Just 22 of Perisher resort’s 53 lifts are open on Thursday and will continue to be monitored throughout the day for safety.
Inland water catchments are on flood watch as heavy rainfall across the central and southwest of the state could bring minor to isolated major flooding.
Saturated soils in the Central Tablelands and Illawarra will bring an increased risk of fallen trees and powerlines in powerful winds.
The west ranges of the ACT, east to Bombala, south to Crookwell and north to Oberon can expect damaging winds of up to 90km/h on Thursday morning.
South Australia
Strong to damaging winds smashed the western and southern coasts of the state on Wednesday afternoon.
They will return again on Thursday, bringing showers and thunderstorms to widespread areas of the south.
Up to 60mm of heavy rainfall is possible for parts of the Lofty Ranges into Thursday evening and Friday morning.
The area is on watch for a localized riverine or flash flood threat.
Victory
High-speed winds of up to 100km/h lashed the alpine regions on Wednesday and may return on Thursday.
Mt Hotham recorded 56.4mm in the 6 hours to midnight this morning.
Some parts of the state will receive up to 60mm of heavy rainfall throughout the morning, though most will average under 40mm.
A severe thunderstorm warning was canceled on Wednesday but conditions may return.
Rainfall of between 5mm and 10mm brought minor flood warnings for Seven and Castle creeks near Shepparton.
Tasmanian
Winds of up to 100km/h reached the state’s higher ground overnight and strong winds are expected to stick around through Thursday in coastal areas.
A minor flood warning is current for the Mersey, Meander, North Esk and Macquarie rivers.
Thunderstorms in the north and west of the state may drive more strong wind likes and higher rainfall totals.
A Kimberley man whose family have disappeared while on a trip to Alice Springs says it’s completely out of character for them not to answer phone calls and texts.
Key points:
The trio hasn’t been seen since Sunday, when they attended a function in Alice Springs
Police believe they might be on their way to Western Australia
They’re traveling in a red Toyota Hilux and anyone with information is urged to contact police
Bonnie Edwards, 70, and her son and daughter Eldride Edwards, 41, and Virginia O’Neil, 49, were expected to arrive back in their hometown of Halls Creek on either late Sunday or Monday, but have so far not returned and were reported overdue yesterday.
According to a statement issued by Northern Territory Police this afternoon, they were last seen on Sunday.
Malcolm Edwards, who is Bonnie’s husband and Eldride and Virginia’s father, told the ABC on Wednesday afternoon that the trio had traveled to Alice Springs to attend a meeting involving Indigenous people in an outlying community.
The Halls Creek Shire president said the last time he had spoken to his wife had been on Saturday morning after the meeting had wrapped up, but she had not said where they planned to stay that night.
“My wife said they’re back in Alice Springs and they’ll tell me all about it [the trip] when we come home,” he said.
Malcolm Edwards hasn’t heard from the trio since the weekend, despite numerous calls and texts. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
He said Virginia had spoken to her son briefly on Sunday morning, and that was the last known contact with the three missing people.
“My daughter said they’d met this really nice guy and they were going to stay at his place. We don’t know who that is. No idea who that person was,” he said.
Police say the trio have not made contact with anyone and there have been no signs of financial activity from them since Sunday.
Cr Edwards said he had raised the alarm on Tuesday after repeated calls and texts to his wife, son and daughter went unanswered.
“They normally ring and tell us. This is out of character,” he said.
“They’d normally ring up and say, ‘we’re leaving Alice Springs now we’ve decided to go via Katherine’, they would tell us.”
The group were expected to return to Halls Creek several days ago.(ABC Kimberley: Ted O’Connor)
Now he is worried someone else is using his daughter’s phone.
“The police picked up a ping that the phone was turned on at 2am on Monday morning and the ping was located somewhere near a caravan park in Alice Springs,” he said.
“We’re starting to think it was not Virginia who turned the phone on because if it was her she would have seen all those messages.
“As far as we know none of the bank accounts have been used, but there have been a few bank accounts that we haven’t got access to, but the police will check all those out.”
The missing trio were supposed to be traveling from Alice Springs to Halls Creek on the Tanami Road, but Cr Edwards said police had checked CCTV at roadhouses along the way and found no evidence they had embarked on their journey home.
As the Halls Creek community awaits news from police, Cr Edwards said his wife’s relatives in Alice Springs were helping to raise awareness in the community.
The group is traveling in this red Toyota Hilux.(Supplied: Northern Territory Police)
“We feel like we can’t do much,” he said.
“Some people who are related to us in Alice Springs are driving around town, [asking] ‘have you seen this car, have you seen these people?'”
Along with Cr Edwards, Bonnie and Virginia are also councilors with the Shire of Halls Creek.
The group is traveling in a red Toyota Hilux with the WA registration plate, PH27156.
Police are calling for anyone who knows where the trio may be or have seen their vehicle to contact police.
Mummy blogger and fashion designer Constance Hall has debuted a new look that has left her feeling more “feminine” than ever.
Hall, who is based in Western Australia, has sported her iconic long black locks for many years but recently decided on the spur of the moment it was time for them to go.
Taking to Facebook, she announced her decision before she debuted her new look, revealing her husband and children were against the decision.
“However I am superstitious and I believe that a woman who changes her hair changes her life,” she wrote.
“I’m also the divine feminine and long hair is about as essential to the divine feminine as perky t*ts.
“I have come to accept that I will always regret cutting my hair off but always feel compelled to do it as the years pass and my desire to let go of old energy increases, the hair gets lopped off, the relief comes and sooner or later the regret kicks in with the long road of hair growth ahead and around and around we go.”
Fans nervously waited before Hall showed a photo of her new jawline-length haircut, revealing she felt sexy and fresh again.
Hall’s followers were quick to compliment her on the new look.
One person said: “I have to say when you announced your hair cut yesterday I was a bit invested in how I thought you should look. But wow! The most amazing part of your new style is your smile. Fricken awesome.”
Another said: “Hair weighs you down mentally and emotionally sometimes – it’s good to feel light again.”
A third added: “WOW, your hair looks great on you, you must feel so free, I wish I had the spirit to do this.”
The day after debuting her new look, Hall shared she hadn’t had numbers on her photos like the reveal in a long time.
She added the comments were a far cry from people telling her she “was her hair” and she felt extremely “feminine”.
She also took advantage of the high traffic on her post to encourage people to have a conversation about organ donation.
“Unless someone you love has waited for that life saving call or you have heard someone talk about what they would do with the miracle of life if it happened or you have seen the look on a mother’s face whose last chance for her son has just ran out of time, you probably haven’t ever really considered what lives your organs could go on to save long once you are no longer here,” she said.
“I’m not trying to convince anyone to donate their organs if it goes against their wishes, I’m trying to minimize the amount of wasted organs, buried with a body who could have and would have saved another life if only someone knew their wishes.”
Northern Territory Police is seeking help to locate three people returning from a trip to Central Australia, who haven’t been seen for several days.
Key points:
The trio hasn’t been seen since Sunday, when they attended a function in Alice Springs
Police believe they might be on their way to Western Australia
They’re traveling in a red Toyota Hilux and anyone with information is urged to contact police
Bonnie Edwards, 70, Eldride Edwards, 41, and Virginia O’Neill, 49, were last seen on Sunday, when they attended a weekend function in Alice Springs, according to a statement issued by Northern Territory Police this afternoon.
Family members in Western Australia reported the trio overdue for their return on Tuesday.
The group is traveling in a red Toyota Hilux with the WA registration plate, PH27156.
Police believe the group may be traveling to Western Australia.
However, NT Police would not say specifically where the trio was traveling to or when they were expected to arrive.
The group is traveling in this red Toyota Hilux.(Supplied: Northern Territory Police)
According to the statement, the trio have not made contact with anyone and there have been no signs of financial activity since Sunday.
Anyone with information on where the trio may be or have seen their vehicle is being asked to contact police.
It’s one of the most famous and unique trades in footy history.
Famous because it involved two players, Chris Judd and Josh Kennedy, that end their careers with stacked CVs, with surely the latter to join the former in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
And unique because both Carlton and West Coast could claim they ‘won’ the trade.
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Debate over the famous 2007 deal between the Blues and Eagles has, inevitably, emerged this week after Kennedy announced West Coast’s upcoming match against Adelaide would be his 293rd and final AFL game.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old will depart as the Eagles’ greatest goalkicker, as well as several accolades including a dual Coleman Medallist, seven-time Eagles leading goalkicker and triple All-Australian. He was also a pivotal member of West Coast’s thrilling 2018 premiership triumph over Collingwood.
‘Josh is the greatest Eagle ever!’ | 03:56
Kennedy’s achievements came almost exclusively at the Eagles after Carton’s No. 4 pick from the 2005 draft was central to one of footy’s most famous trades.
In late 2007, Judd – West Coast’s 2005 premiership captain and arguably the best player in the AFL at the time – wanted to return to Victoria, with the Blues keen to secure his services.
After 11 goals from 22 games at Carlton, Kennedy moved back to Western Australia – although he was happy and settled in Melbourne at the time.
As part of the deal, Carlton acquired Judd and Pick 46, which it used to select Dennis Armfield, who played 145 games for the Blues). The Eagles got Kennedy, as well as Picks 3 (Chris Masten – a premiership Eagle that played 215 games for West Coast) and 20 (Tony Notte, who played two games in three seasons).
NEW FOX FOOTY PODCAST — Six polarizing finals contenders, latest trade whispers
Listen below or subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify
The struggling Blues not only needed a star player, they sought a leader and standard-setter, hence he was made captain in his first year. In his first four seasons at the Blues, Judd made the All-Australian team in each year, won the Blues’ best and fairest in the first three, claimed the 2010 Brownlow Medal and won the AFL Players’ Association’s MVP award.
Judd was four years older than Kennedy when the 2007 trade went down. He was also already a Brownlow Medallist, Norm Smith Medallist and premiership captain.
But as Judd was coming to the end of his career, Kennedy reached his prime. He kicked 59 goals as a 23-year-old before a golden run where he booted 60, 61, 80 (Coleman Medal), 82 (Coleman Medal) and 69 majors across five seasons. Most crucially, the next year he kicked 3.2 from 18 disposals and 11 marks in a winning Grand Final.
Ex-Carlton coach Brett Ratten with Chris Judd on the day he officially became a Blue. Picture: Simon MossmanSource: AAP
Injury forced Judd to retire at 31 following a couple of seasons where it was clear he was part of his incredible prime. Kennedy will retire after a mighty, warrior-like finish to his career that’s seen him kick 43, 49, 34, 41 and 29 goals from the past five seasons. Considering the Eagles’ plight, the poor delivery inside 50 and his own injury niggles, the fact Kennedy has booted 29 goals this year is remarkable.
Ultimately, the Blues got seven seasons out of Judd and the Eagles got 15 out of Kennedy.
So all things considered, who won the 2007 Judd-Kennedy trade?
Fremantle legend Matthew Pavlich perhaps put it most diplomatically.
“Probably West Coast in the long run, but it’s one of those ones where you could probably argue the case either way on who had the better result,” Pavlich told foxfooty.com.au.
“Judd was captain and All-Australian and took the Blues to a finals win in 2013. So maybe the short-term winner was Carlton, but definitely the long-term winner has been West Coast in terms of Josh Kennedy being an incredible forward for a long, long period of time, All-Australian, Coleman Medalist and eventually a premiership player in 2018. He’s been a star for a long time.
Eagle calls time on phenomenal career | 04:15
“So short-term Carlton, long-term West Coast – it’s not usually you get a trade like that where both teams could argue that they got a better result.”
Ultimately, the business of footy is winning, which is what swayed two Fox Footy pundits to the Eagles.
“Without judging the individual players but judging from the time of the trade, I would feel West Coast won the trade,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told foxfooty.com.au. “That’s not reducing or belittling Judd’s contribution because he is one of the all-time greats of the game, but post-trade, West Coast got a flag out of it and I suppose Carlton didn’t, so I’d have them just in front.”
Bulldogs games record-holder Brad Johnson told foxfooty.com.au: “Well West Coast won a flag, so I think with what West Coast got out of Kennedy was absolutely spot on for what they needed as a team.”
Triple premiership forward Cameron Mooney also leant towards West Coast – but not by much.
Josh Kennedy with the 2018 Premiership Cup. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
“I think it worked out pretty well for both. But if I had to pick, being a forward and knowing how hard it is to kick 700 goals and to win a premiership, which is the main game of the game, you have to think probably West Coast,” Mooney told foxfooty.com.au. “But I would’ve been very, very happy if Chris Judd walked through my doors.
“The thing for Carlton was at the time, the club just wasn’t a good club – and it’s probably the perfect example of one person cannot change a football club. He’s in the top handful of players this century and as great as he is, he couldn’t change a club that, probably until recently, had been seen as a poor club.”
AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson declared it a win-win for the Eagles and Blues.
“They both won. Judd was a champion and Kennedy played 15 years,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“His second headline in football was ‘Carlton are giving away Josh Kennedy’ – and his last headline will be ‘Josh Kennedy retires a champion of the game’. It’s a great story.”
AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley added: “It’s quite clear Carlton didn’t know what they were trading, because nobody trades THAT player. He was two years in and the forecasting wasn’t he was going to become one of the top 25 goalkickers of all-time. He might’ve been reluctant at the start, but he found his home from him and West Coast and he won his reputation from him at West Coast.
Carlton’s loss to Adelaide has been compounded by a string of injuries.
Plus the latest on a star Richmond duo.
Get the latest AFL injury news in our Round 20 Casualty Ward!
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NEW FOX FOOTY PODCAST — Six polarizing finals contenders, latest trade whispers
Listen below or subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify
CARLTON has suffered some significant injury blows after the loss to Adelaide.
corey durdin is set to miss a week with a shoulder injury he suffered during the game, while George Hewett’s back issue will see him miss a second straight game, which this one being a crunch clash against Brisbane at the Gabba.
Nick Newman is set to miss the rest of the regular season after sustaining a shocking cut to his knee.
Newman was injured by his opponent’s footy boots which dragged across his leg as he attempted to lay a tackle.
late in the contest matt kennedy was assisted from the field after a head knock, with scans revealing he suffered a fractured jaw, which will see him sidelined for at least a fortnight.
Crows surprise Blues at Adelaide Oval | 01:31
RICHMOND admits it is “doubtful” star defender Dylan Grimes will play again in the home-and-away season after his latest hamstring injury.
Grimes suffered the injury in the second half of Sunday’s thrilling win over Brisbane, adding to a streak of soft tissue injuries for the 31-year-old.
Tigers fitness boss Peter Burge said on Tuesday that Grimes’ injury required “further investigation”.
“At this stage it’s probably looking doubtful that he’s going to play in the last three home and away games of the season.
“So, we’re going to need to have a look at what lies beyond that. We’ll gather some information over the next couple of days and we’ll give everyone an update.“
Meanwhile, Dustin Martin remains in a “holding pattern” with his hamstring injury.
The club says it’s “hopeful” a round 23 return is still on the cards, but admits, “if we’re not able to progress significantly in the next week or so, that starts to become a little less clear.”
The Lions Also Lost Zack Bailey in the first half of Sunday’s contest, with the mid-forward taken to hospital with a chest issue after a collision with Richmond’s Marlion Pickett.
Remarkably, despite Bailey spending Sunday night in hospital as his teammates returned home without him, the Lions are yet to rule him out of Round 21.
Scans cleared the 22-year-old of any serious injury and he was able to be discharged.
“Bailey spent the night in hospital in Melbourne after receiving a knock to his sternum in Sunday’s match with Richmond at the MCG,” the Lions said in a statement.
“Bailey was released from hospital on Monday and cleared to fly home to Brisbane.
“He will be further assessed to determine his availability for Sunday’s match against Carlton at the Gabba.”
COLLINGWOOD will be without star taylor adams for the remainder of the home and away season after he limped off in the win over Port Adelaide.
Coach Craig McRae confirmed Adams’ suffered a groin injury.
After scans, the club released a statement confirming the extent of the injury layoff.
“Collingwood vice-captain Taylor Adams will miss the remainder of the AFL home and away season after scans revealed a strain to his groin,” the statement read.
“The 28-year-old will be assessed further in the coming weeks.”
But there is good news for defending Jeremy Howeafter he suffered a heavy knock.
“Howey just got a knee in the backside and unfortunately just couldn’t function,” McRae said.
“He’ll be fine but he just couldn’t get back on the ground.”
Howe was able to complete a pool recovery session with teammates on Monday.
“He is expected to complete limited training on Tuesday before being assessed on Thursday,” the club said.
Brodie Grundy is no certainty to receive an AFL call up for Round 21, while Brody Mihocek is in a race to provide his fitness after missing Round 20 with a hip injury.
Grundy made his return in the VFL last weekend after 13 weeks on the sidelines with a PCL injury.
“Grundy played into the fourth term and collected the typical bumps and bruises sustained during a first game back,” the club said.
“He will also be assessed on Thursday.”
GEELONG are set to be without Gary Rohan for the clash with St Kilda after he was subbed out with a head knock.
Coach Chris Scott was unsure if Rohan was officially concussed, but said he was told Rohan “couldn’t go back on”.
“He said to me he’s perfectly fine, so that’s a good sign,” Scott said post-match.
“You never know how these guys are going to pull up.
“You know when it’s bad… but this isn’t one of those if appearances are anything to go by.”
Feet pip Port to the points at the MCG | 02:20
HAWTHORN coach Sam Mitchell is counting the cost of the loss to St Kilda.
The Hawks gallantly fought back in the final term, despite being down to three on the bench.
mitch lewis injured his knee early in the contest but tried to run it out, Josh Morris suffered a shoulder injury while Jacob Koschitzke suffered a cork.
“We lost three today,” Mitchell said.
“Tank Morris, he was going really well. I was sad for him – he finally got his chance. He’s put together a really good month of footy.
“He popped his shoulder, it came back in but obviously wasn’t going to come back on the field.”
Mitchell said the club wasn’t going to risk Lewis even though he tried to play on with his knee injury.
“Mitch Lewis has had a little bit of a sore knee for a while and just landed on it awkwardly,” he explained.
“It wasn’t OK to keep going.
“It’s one of those injuries where there’s a small amount of risk to it… the game was put away so we weren’t going to risk an important player like him.”
Mitchell praised Koschitzke’s ability to play on despite being clearly hampered by injury.
Saints survive fast-finishing Hawks | 01:00
“Kossie really worked hard. He has got a really nasty corky – he could hardly walk even to half time but we were already three on the bench so we needed him to soldier on,” he said.
“I have committed to that and gave us what I could. He couldn’t run or lead very much but he gave us a reply.
“Sometimes as a young player having to fight through when your body is nowhere near its best is an important lesson to learn.”
MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin says young ruckman Luke Jackson will be right to go against Collingwood after passing his concussion test in Perth.
Jackson came from the ground in the win over Fremantle appearing to be dazed but was given the all clear.
“He just had a little knock late in the game. He was checked by the docs and got the all clear,” Goodwin said.
“There’s nothing wrong with him, he’ll be fine. He’ll be ready to go next week.
“He got checked and passed his test.”
Goodwin also said Christian Salem would be able to back up after a blow to his face left him bleeding from the nose.
“Salem had a bit of a cut to his face, but we’ve come through unscathed,” Goodwin said.
james hames (concussion) and ben brown (knee soreness) will both need to provide their fitness to face the Pies on Friday night.
“Brown, following two weeks on the sidelines due to knee soreness, has ramped up his training program this past week and will also look to be available for selection,” the club said.
Joel Smith played his first VFL minutes since suffering a serious ankle injury back in Round 7.
the WESTERN BULLDOGS are sweating on star Adam Treloar‘s fitness ahead of this weekend’s must-win game against Fremantle.
Treloar has been battling a calf complaint and finished his past two matches early.
“Adam suffered some calf tightness in the game against Melbourne,” Dogs head of sports medicine Chris Bell said.
“He still wasn’t 100% during his fitness test last Thursday, so was unavailable for selection.
“We will again assess Adam as this week progresses and make a call on his availability towards the back end of the week.”
Anthony Scott (concussion) and hayden crozier (ankle) remain in the hunt for selection.
Scott was now “symptom-free” after being convicted in the clash with Sydney in Round 17, while Crozier has made steady progress since his ankle injury suffered in the VFL a month ago.
“We couldn’t be happier with how he has progressed over the last two weeks since coming out of the CAM boot,” Bell said.
“He will start to integrate back into training this week and we will determine if he returns to playing this weekend or next.”
Jarrod Brander‘s first season with GWS is over after the utility injured his hamstring playing the VFL.
Jacob Wehr is also unavailable for selection this weekend through injury.
Wehr suffered a calf strain against the Swans, ending his run of 10 straight game since debuting in Round 10.
Matt Flynn (ankle) and Conor Stone (hamstring) will have to provide themselves fit to face Essendon on Saturday.
In some good news for the club, Bobby Hill has been medically cleared to return after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer.
Hill hasn’t played since his shock diagnosis back in May.
PORT ADELAIDE are confident Travis Boak may back up against Richmond, despite fracturing his hand in the loss to Collingwood.
The 34-year-old was able to play out the match, after suffering the injury in the second term.
“He will be monitored throughout the week with an expectation that he will be able to take on the Tigers,” the club said in a statement.
Darcy Byrne-Jones will need to pass a fitness test after spraining his ankle early in the clash with the Pies.
The club expects Riley Bonner to be available for selection after he clears the AFL’s Health and Safety protocols, while dan houston could come into the mix after serving his 12-day concussion break.
FREMANTLE will be without skipper Nat Fyfe until at least Round 23 as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Fyfe hasn’t played since the Round 19 draw with the Tigers and remains no guarantee to play before finals.
“We’ve got a target of round 23 for Nat, obviously there’s a bit of work to do before we get there but that’s our target,” Dockers footy boss Peter Bell said.
Sam Switkowski is another Docker pushing to return before finals, as he recovers from a serious back injury.
“Sam’s a really important player for us, so if he is to come back it will be really positive,” Bell said.
The club it was still to put a line through Jye Amiss despite the rookie’s kidney injury landing him in hospital.
“Jye is going pretty well, we’ll be in constant dialogue with the specialist,” Bell said.
“Every day he’s getting better, it’s great to have him back out there. We haven’t put a line through him for the season, that’s for sure, so he’s training well.”
All flights out of Perth Airport have been canceled after a power outage sparked chaos.
All flights scheduled to depart after 7.30pm were initially delayed, but passengers have now been told to go home for the night.
Plans that were already on the way to Perth were able to land.
Footage taken at the airport showed the terminal plunged into darkness as the lights failed.
Some passengers reported being stuck on planes that had landed, because air bridges could not work without electricity.
Others who had landed were having trouble collecting the luggage, with disgruntled travelers complaining of “massive crowds”.
Some people appeared to be locked out of the airport altogether.
The outage was caused by wild weather which lashed Perth on Tuesday. Winds with speeds of up to 70km/h battered the west coast on Tuesday, and the Bureau of Meteorology expects the turbulent weather to continue until Thursday.
It is not known how long the damage will take to fix.
“Perth Airport will be delaying all outbound services scheduled to depart before 7.30pm,” the airport tweeted.
“All inbound flights currently in the air will be able to arrive safely. All scheduled flights into Perth which have not yet departed will be delayed until further notice.
“Passengers should expect delays/cancellations. The safety of everyone who works in or is traveling through our airport remains our highest priority. We apologize to passengers and customers for any inconvenience.”
Losing her leg to cancer was a traumatic enough experience for Anthea Corbett — but having no home to recover in made things much worse from a psychological and emotional perspective.
Key points:
The StayWitch’s program offers beds for homeless people leaving hospital
It aims to ensure they don’t end up back in hospital soon after being discharged
StayWitch is based on a program having some success in Boston
“It was hard because, you know, the same time, when you’re homeless, you just want to stay alive,” she said.
“Basically, you’ve got to protect yourself and you got to be careful, because some people are rough, especially guys, when it comes to a woman being homeless.”
A new Perth program is offering respite for homeless people who have just come out of hospital, addressing the “revolving door” issue that sees them struggle to recover on the streets.
The respite center caters for homeless people leaving hospital.(ABC News: David Weber )
Inspired by how the US city of Boston, Massachusetts tackles health care for the homeless, an old backpacker accommodation in Northbridge has been transformed into a short-stay facility for homeless people who have been discharged from hospital.
The Medical Respite Center is funded by the Department of Health with philanthropic support and offers 20 medical and 10 non-medical beds, providing a safe place to sleep and recover and helping connect people with health care services and support to get housing and accommodation.
homeless people die younger
Homeless Healthcare chief executive Andrew Davies, who initiated the set up of the StayWitch’s service, said the interaction between health and homelessness was “huge.”
“We’re finding that the average age of death is about 48 years old, which is incredibly poor when you compare it to the mainstream community,” he said.
“Being homeless is the biggest factor.
“It’s very hard when you’re living a chaotic life on the streets to manage your chronic illnesses and so they get neglected and people gradually deteriorate and don’t do so well.”
Dr Davies said the pilot program’s success had exceeded expectations.
“Basically, it really seemed to fill that need that I saw amongst my patients, where people were being discharged from hospital too early for them to be managing on the streets, which, of course, then ended up with them going back to hospital even sicker than they were the first time,” he said.
Homeless Healthcare’s Zoe Thebaud and Dr Andrew Davies at the Northbridge home that is a respite center for people just released from hospital.(ABC News: David Weber)
Respite center director of residential services Zoe Thebaud said the program had already made inroads.
“The point of this place is to kind of slow down the care, let people come, rest, recover from the hospital admission first,” she said.
Zoe Thebaud says people often end up back in hospital soon after being discharged. (ABC News: Kate Leaver)
“We’ve had people return to work. We’ve supported people into NDIS packages, supported people into accommodation with things set up so that they can actually stay out of hospitals.”
Boston originator welcomes Perth initiative
Dr Davies was inspired by Boston’s Dr Jim O’Connell, who is the keynote speaker at a Housing and Health Symposium in Perth during ShelterWA’s Homelessness Week.
Dr O’Connell — who is president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program — said the concept rose out of a desire to integrate the care of homeless people within the mainstream health system.
Dr O’Connell established the USA’s first medical respite program in 1985.(Facebook: Chronicle on WCVB Channel 5)
He said patients had wanted better respite care, instead of being left to return to the streets. Once that was provided, hospital readmission rates went down.
“We have a real problem in Boston with a lack of affordable housing,” he said.
“Rents are very high, vacancies are almost non-existent, and then we’ve also been struggling with both COVID and an opioid and other drug epidemic.”
Connecting with art
It was a chance conversation with someone from a Christian group in Northbridge that led to Ms Corbett getting and keeping her own unit.
Anthea Corbett’s cancer led to the amputation of part of her leg.(ABC News: Dave Weber)
Her life was now about staying off the streets and keeping connected with her support network, her family — and her art.
“This is my chance to do what was instilled in me as a child and I’m still alive and I can make something of myself,” she said.
Anthea Corbett says homeless people need to build a network of positive influences. (ABC News: David Weber)
She has started voluntary work to assist and advise others who find themselves on the streets.
