Crowds gather for New Year’s Eve fireworks

Across the country, crowds have started to gather to ring in the new year.

Revellers are being urged to have fun but stay safe as they farewell 2022 on New Year’s Eve.

From Sydney to Sorrento, Australians will usher in 2023 with fireworks and festivities planned across the nation.

This year marks the first New Year’s Eve in three years without Covid restrictions, with many cities planning bigger celebrations than ever before.

An estimated one million people are expected to ring in the new year in the centre of Sydney.

The NSW police Superintendent Anthony Bell said the night was about community safety and enjoying the occasion together as they looked to a “more positive 2023”.

“If you’re going to have fun tonight and party, party responsibly,” he said. “You know, don’t do something tonight that you’re going to regret or end up with a charge against your name or in hospital.”

– with AAP

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After days likely involving drinking creek water and eating mud, rescued man Ronald Weaver had two words for his wife.

“I’m hungry.”

The 79-year-old, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was found on Friday in dense bushland in Sydney’s north 73 hours after he strode out of his Wahroonga home.

He spent three days wandering the bush before becoming wedged between trees sometime on Thursday.

The area had been searched on Wednesday before half a dozen SES workers decided to canvass the area again.

“It was just by chance the SES worker … saw Ron’s legs coming out from the tree,” Assistant Superintendent Carlene Mahoney told reporters on Saturday.

As rescuers worked to free Mr Weaver, he called out for his wife of 18 years, Hannah.

She said she was elated when she learnt he had been found.

“I’m 60-plus, but I just jumped up like a little girl,” Ms Weaver said.

“Thank you everyone … it’s a miracle.”

Given his dementia, Mr Weaver hasn’t been able to say how he spent the 73 hours lost.

Police presume he sustained himself on creek water while Ms Weaver spent Friday evening trying to clean mud from his teeth, likely from him attempting to eat it.

– AAP

Crowds gather for New Year’s Eve fireworks

Across the country, crowds have started to gather to ring in the new year.

Revellers are being urged to have fun but stay safe as they farewell 2022 on New Year’s Eve.

From Sydney to Sorrento, Australians will usher in 2023 with fireworks and festivities planned across the nation.

This year marks the first New Year’s Eve in three years without Covid restrictions, with many cities planning bigger celebrations than ever before.

An estimated one million people are expected to ring in the new year in the centre of Sydney.

The NSW police Superintendent Anthony Bell said the night was about community safety and enjoying the occasion together as they looked to a “more positive 2023”.

“If you’re going to have fun tonight and party, party responsibly,” he said. “You know, don’t do something tonight that you’re going to regret or end up with a charge against your name or in hospital.”

– with AAP

Life savers urge people to stay safe around the water after 22 drowning deaths

Life savers are pleading with Australians to stay safe around the water this New Year’s Day after 22 drowning deaths across the country since the start of summer.

They are hoping to avoid a repeat of the last New Year’s long weekend when 16 people drowned.

Royal Life Saving Australia said the key risk factor was men drinking alcohol around the water, followed by swimming, boating and fishing.

Beachgoers at Port Melbourne beach
Life savers are hoping to avoid a repeat of the last New Year’s long weekend when 16 people drowned. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

“This New Year’s long weekend make the right call, look after your mates, and don’t swim, fish or boat if you’ve had a few drinks,” chief executive Justin Scarr said.

Parents should always keep watch of children around water and designate a supervisor to keep them safe.

The national life saving group’s warning is mainly targeted at people heading towards inland waterways, where more than half of this summer’s drowning deaths have occurred.

– AAP

Victorian government to meet with unions and employers over WorkSafe concerns

The Victorian government will meet with unions and employers about the financial stability of the state’s WorkSafe compensation scheme after a review two years ago said it was at a “tipping point”.

The report, completed in 2020, was only made public in the 24 hours to Saturday as a result of a freedom of information request.

It warns that at the time the report was completed, the state authority was on an “unsustainable financial trajectory”.

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“Until recently WorkSafe had been remarkably stable over almost 20 years, despite comparatively little supporting legislative change over that time,” the 2020 report said.

“This stability is in contrast to many of the other schemes around Australia which have undergone significant changes over that period, generally in response to material deteriorations in their financial performance.

“However, WorkSafe is now at a tipping point in its history and is facing both internal and external threats to its financial sustainability.”

– AAP

The NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, has pledged to scrap ticket fees to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney if elected.

Tonight’s NYE fireworks shouldn’t just be for those who can afford to buy tickets to see them – so we’ll get rid of these fees altogether! 🎆

— Chris Minns (@ChrisMinnsMP) December 30, 2022

Police investigate potential double murder after body of second woman found in Melbourne’s CBD

Homicide squad detectives are investigating after the body of a woman was located in an apartment in Docklands.

Police attended the Waterside Place address at about 1.30pm yesterday as part of their inquiries into the death of a woman in the Melbourne CBD earlier this week.

After entering the apartment, they discovered the body of a 51-year-old Docklands woman.

Her death is being treated as suspicious.

While the exact circumstances of the death of the woman in Docklands are still being established, police believe it is linked to the Melbourne CBD death.

Emergency services were called to a Latrobe Street apartment at about 8.40pm on 27 December after the 31-year-old Chinese national was located deceased.

A 22-year-old Huntingdale man was arrested in Preston on 29 December following a public appeal and extensive search by police.

He was subsequently charged with murder, robbery and theft, and is currently remanded in custody.

It is also believed the 22-year-old man was known to both women and at this stage police are not looking for anyone further in relation to the incidents.

– AAP

Flood waters are not for fun!

It’s dangerous to play in floodwater.

Never allow children to play in or near floodwater.
🚫🚸🌊

☎️ For @SA_SES flood assistance, call 132 500
☎️ For life-threatening emergencies, call 000
☎️ For River Murray flood information, call 1800 362 361 pic.twitter.com/YmI0tn5XBB

— SASES (@SA_SES) December 31, 2022

Just a reminder to everyone going to watch the Sydney fireworks in person – there are road closures all around the CBD. The best way to get to the harbour tonight is by public transport:

SYDNEY CBD #SydNYE🎆 RD CLOSURES:
⛔️ Rds in the Royal Botanic Garden & Domain
⛔️ Macquarie St nth of Bridge St
⛔️ Cahill Expwy over Circular Quay both directions
🕞Plan ahead and allow extra travel time pic.twitter.com/AZ9zhXOWa2

— Live Traffic Sydney (@LiveTrafficSyd) December 30, 2022

Plan on kissing a stranger tonight? Make sure you do it with a mask on. That’s the advice from our guy Prof Adrian Esterman.

Hello FNQ – you’ve got a severe thunderstorm waring in some areas. You can check it here:

⛈️#QLD Storm Forecast for Sat 31/12. Severe thunderstorms are possible over Cape York Peninsula and the northwest today. Heavy rainfall and gusty winds are the primary hazards as the monsoon ramps up across the Far North. Check forecasts: https://t.co/gPzXpbUSEo pic.twitter.com/VGsHtLrfkw

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 31, 2022

Transgender woman sues female-only app Giggle for Girls for alleged discrimination

A woman barred from using the female-only platform Giggle for Girls because she is transgender has accused the social media site of discrimination.

In a federal court lawsuit filed on 22 December, Roxanne Tickle claims she was unlawfully barred from using Giggle in September 2021 after the firm and its CEO, Sally ‘Sall’ Grover, said she was a man.

The NSW activist is seeking damages, a written apology and complete access to the platform.

Attempts to contact Giggle or Grover in the months after she was barred were unsuccessful, she said in documents filed with the court.

In a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission filed in December 2021, Tickle said:

I believe that I am being discriminated against by being provided with extremely limited functionality of a smart phone app by the app provider compared to that of other users because I am a transgender woman.

The app provider appears not to recognise transgender women as female. I am legally permitted to identify as female.

On 3 March 2022, Giggle’s lawyers at the Feminist Legal Clinic responded to the complaint, saying Tickle was “considered male” based on her appearance in the selfie and that this was why she had been removed.

[Ms Tickle’s] gender identity was not known to [Ms Grover] or other Giggle personnel at the time of removal and did not inform the decision to preclude [Ms Tickle] from the app.

– AAP

Victorian lifesavers urge beachgoers to take care after 21 people rescued on Friday

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More than 230 people have been rescued off Victoria’s beaches since the start of the summer lifeguard patrol season, with more than half of those brought to shore since Christmas Day, AAP has reported.

The high number of rescues has prompted urgent warnings from Life Saving Victoria, after lifeguards and lifesavers rescued 21 beachgoers on Friday.

A father and his young son were pulled from waters at Venus Bay at South Gippsland, with the boy later flown to the Royal Children’s hospital for treatment.

The beach was shut down while lifeguards responded to incidents.

Within an hour, another three people at an unpatrolled beach a couple of kilometres away had to be rescued by paramedics along with lifeguards.

That incident was particularly concerning given the three were close to where lifeguards were patrolling, Life Saving Victoria’s state agency commander, Kane Treloar, said.

“Statistics show that you’re almost 68% more times more likely to drown on a public holiday,” he told reporters on Saturday.

“With the behaviour that we’ve seen from some people over the last couple of days, that leaves us concerned, so we’re urging everyone to make good decisions around the water.”

Since July this year, 22 people have drowned in Victoria. Four people have drowned since Christmas Day.

The fight to save Sydney’s struggling bowling clubs

When Sebastian Compton walked in the door of the Leichhardt Bowlo to discuss taking a job as secretary and manager of the struggling club, a team of bowlers in the middle of an event eyed him up and down.

“I had no idea who they were, but they knew who I was,” says Compton, who is affectionally known as Baz. “I remember one old bloke walked up and shook my hand, saying ‘I hope you’re up for a challenge’.”

Leichhardt Bowlo manager Sebastian Compton
Sebastian Compton is trying to revitalise the Leichhardt Bowlo and fend off property developers. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

The 33-year-old former publican was walking into a club in crisis. The bowlo’s two greens and sprawling clubhouse had seen better days. Worse, the club, in Sydney’s inner west, had squandered opportunities.

One of those was embracing diversity. Compton points to the neighbourhood’s working class Italian community whose game of choice, bocce, was a variant on bowls. “We never welcomed them and they never came,” Compton says.

“How much have we missed out on? Why are we now almost extinct when the answers were right there in front of us the whole time?”

For more on how bowling clubs are reinventing themselves, read the full report here:

Fireworks display in Darwin cancelled over weather safety risk

Those planning to head out to the fireworks in Darwin this evening will be disappointed after the show was cancelled due to safety risks form severe winds and rain.

The Darwin Waterfront Corporation, which was hosting the event featuring performances by Bananas in Pyjamas and Birds of Tokyo between two fireworks displays, was forced to cancel due to the monsoonal conditions.

In a statement released this morning, organisers said they were “disappointed”, but the risk was not worth going ahead.

Australian expedition to search for million-year-old ice in climate change investigation

Australian researchers have set off on their most ambitious polar expedition in two decades, aiming to drill down into million-year-old ice to learn about climate change.

A convoy of five specially designed tractor trains intends to traverse 1,200km to Little Dome C in Antarctica, where – if successful – they will set up a camp for scientists to start drilling as early as next summer.

The team of 10, which includes a field leader, glaciologist, doctor, engineers and mechanics, began their journey from Casey research station in East Antarctica on 23 December.

They are travelling at about 10km/h and are set to face temperatures potentially as low as minus 50C, changing ice conditions and challenging terrain.

The tractors are pulling sleds containing living quarters and equipment.

An aerial view of Casey research station in Antarctica
A Million Year Ice Core Project convoy has set off from Casey research station in Antarctica. Photograph: Australian Antarctic Division/Reuters

Scientists hope to ultimately drill down about 2.8km to retrieve core from ice that is more than one million years old.

Little Dome C, the site of the ice core, is 3,230 metres above sea level.

Researchers will analyse air bubbles trapped in the core to help inform what scientists understand about the climate system’s stability over the past one million years.

The mission should also help scientists make predictions about the future, and shed light on why the ice age cycle changed from a 41,000-year cycle to a 100,000-year cycle about one million years ago.

The environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, hailed the mission as “one of the most significant Antarctic science endeavours ever undertaken by Australia”, or indeed, any country:

The departure of the traverse team is a major milestone in the Million Year Ice Core Project.

The effort of this team and their summer expedition will provide the logistical support for Australia to drill and return the ice core for climate research.

If successful, it will be the oldest ice core ever obtained.

– AAP

Beers on the beach and a tour of the island: passengers on UA839 safe and well

Relatives of passengers on board the United Airlines flight 839 that has been diverted to Pago Pago in American Samoa have taken to social media.

One woman, who said her son and granddaughters were on the flight, was initially concerned for their safety and frustrated at the lack of clear information from United early on.

However, she said that after speaking to her son that they had been welcomed by locals who were taking care of them.

my son and granddaughters were on that flight
Just spoke with him and he said the Samoan ppl have been incredibly generous(as they always are ) and everyone is being looked after before their flight early tomorrow morning@united United Airlines …why the silence ?

— Leoniebc (@leoniebc) December 30, 2022

Another man said his daughter had been travelling with friends to spend New Year’s Eve in Sydney when the flight had been diverted.

He said that upon landing they were given the chance to shower in the hangar, had a tour of the island, had found some beers and were passing the time drinking on the beach.

My daughter is now stranded, United decided to fly another plane in from LAX…should depart 3am 12/31 Pago Pago time. They showered at hanger, got tour of Island and drinking beers on deserted beach.

— Rick Lechtman (@rlechtman) December 31, 2022

Daughter on flight, glad Boeing 787 can fly w one engine and the Pago Pago runway was 10,000 feet as the airplane needs 9,000 feet to land/takeoff. No real accommodations just a hanger w some rooms to shower. They got a tour of island.

— Rick Lechtman (@rlechtman) December 31, 2022

My daughter and her friends are on the flight, United decided to fly another plane 12 hours from LAX, instead of from Sydney 6 hours, so they depart 3am 12/30 from Pago Pago and arrive Sydney 7:15 on Jan 1st. Celebrating NYE on the plane.

— Rick Lechtman (@rlechtman) December 31, 2022

However, the Twitter user reported that Pago Pago international airport was not equipped to handle a surprise visit from 325 people and there was no food.

Another user posted a photo of the runway at Pago Pago airport which has no lights.




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