Wishing North Coast Voices Readers a very happy festive season, December 2025
Thursday, 25 December 2025
*********Merry Christmas to All*********
Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Two-man terrorist attack in Bondi on Sunday 14 December 2025 during an annual Hanukkah event
So well said I’ll leave this here. pic.twitter.com/VBjxlM72wO
— Tara ❤️ (@THstraya2017) December 15, 2025
Monday, 15 December 2025 06:37:21 AM
16 dead, 40 injured following public place shooting - Bondi
Police are continuing to investigate a mass shooting that resulted in 16 people dying and 40 people being injured in Sydney’s east yesterday evening.
About 6.40pm (Sunday 14 December 2025), emergency services were called to Bondi Beach, following reports of a public place shooting.
Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command, surrounding commands and specialist police immediately responded and located two men using long arms to fire into crowds of people.
Multiple officers exchanged fire with the two men with two officers – a constable and probationary constable – suffering gunshot wounds.
During the incident one shooter – a 50-year-old man – was shot by police and died at the scene.
The other shooter – a 24-year-old man – suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital under police guard.
As a result of the incident 14 people died at the scene and 42 people – including four children – were taken to hospitals across Sydney.
Police have since been told two other people – a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man – have since died in hospital.
Those who died are yet to be formally identified; however, police believe their ages range between 10 and 87-years-old.
Five people remain in critical conditions with the others remaining in serious and stable conditions.
Both officers remain in serious but stable conditions.
A significant crime scene has been established closing Bondi Beach and surrounding roads, and detectives from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team have commenced an investigation into the incident.
Following initial inquiries, detectives have located and seized three firearms from the scene. They will all undergo forensic examination.
Investigations are continuing.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au Information is managed on a confidential basis. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
Ahmed, you are an Australian hero.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 16, 2025
You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist.
In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that's exactly what we saw on Sunday night.
On behalf of every Australian, I… pic.twitter.com/mAoObU3TZD
Friday, 28 November 2025
Heatwaves are more than a nuisance - they are a health hazard in our warming world
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Well this last week of November 2025 certainly brought a reminder that heatwaves are not just a feature of an Australian summer, they are also a definite health hazard for many in our communities.
Particularly those with pre-existing health conditions, as well as the very young and those in older age brackets. People who work outdoors are also at increased risk.
[Australian Climate Service, 2025, "Australia’s National Climate Risk Assessment"]
Between 1990 and 2023, the average annual number of heat wave days was 15.6 days.
[Monash University, News, 21 July 2025, "30+ years of heat wave data to reduce impacts of extreme heat"]
In the four years between 2016 and 2019, the deaths of 1,006 people were attributable to heatwave conditions.
[Zhihu Xu, et al, Sept 2025,Mapping heatwave-related mortality across 2288 local communities in Australia: a nationwide time-series analysis"]
During those same four years the annual heatwave-related attributable mortality rate (per 100,000 residents per year) was 1.08 nationally. While New South Wales had an annual heatwave-related attributable mortality rate (per 100,000 residents per year) of 1.38.
By way of examples closer to home, when it came to the annual heatwave-related attributable mortality rate in North East NSW during 2016-2019:
Casino Region mortality rate was 5;
Kyogle mortality rate was 4.6;
Maclean-Yamba-Iluka area mortality rate 3.7;
Murwillumbah mortality rate 2.9;
Lismore Region mortality rate 2.6;
Grafton Region mortality rate was 1.9; and
Lennox Head-Skennars Head mortality rate 0.9.
[The Guardian, 17 Sept 2025, "Heatwaves caused more than 1,000 deaths in Australia over four-year period, study finds"]
From 2019 to 2022, there were 2,143 hospital admissions related to extreme heat, including 717 patients from Queensland, 410 from Victoria, 348 from NSW, 266 from South Australia, 267 from Western Australia, 73 from the Northern Territory, 23 from the ACT and 19 from Tasmania.
[AIHW, media release, 2 Nov 2023, "Extreme weather is leading to more injury hospitalisations, with heat being the main cause"]
Wednesday, 19 November 2025
In 2025 it is not only Gaza being starved to death by malice aforethought
In 2025 it is not only Gaza and its people being starved to death and its infrastructure destroyed by malice aforethought.
Just 16 days days into his term as 47th US president Donald J Trump issued a presidential action document titled WITHDRAWING THE UNITED STATES FROM AND ENDING FUNDING TO CERTAIN UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATIONS AND REVIEWING UNITED STATES SUPPORT TO ALL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
which can be found at
Historically the United States of America had been the largest member state contributor to the UN annual budget.
In 2025 its financial support was intended to contribute est. 31 percent, with its funding meeting est. 22 percent of the UN regular budget and approximately 26 percent of the UN peacekeeping budget, with the other 193 UN member states contributing an est. 69% of the total annual financial support required.
The intent of this presidential action document appears to be the systematic starvation of the peak United Nations organisation and its agencies, by way of not meeting its obligations as set out in the UN2025 Budget assessment of 8 January 2025 and refusing to pay existing U.S. membership arrears in order to bend this international peak body to his will.
At Day 65 of this second Trump presidency the UN carried state member nation contribution arrears totalling US$2.4 billion of which the United States owed US$1.5 billion.
By Day 180 of this second presidency Trump had not revoked the 4 February 2025 decision, but he had not broken the resolve of the UN to protect its independence. Nor had he managed to shutdown all UN debates & resolutions on the Question of Gaza.
As of 3 October 2025, only 139 Member States (72%) had paid their dues in full. Members that have NOT paid their dues in full included:
9 members of the Human Rights Council: Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Chile, China, Cuba, Ghana, Malawi, Mexico.
4 members of the Security Council: China (permanent), Russia (permanent), the US (permanent), Pakistan.
Come October-September the 2025 mainstream media and others began to comment on the acute liquidity stress the UN was experiencing due to this prolonged reduction in funding.
On Day 247, Tuesday 23 September 2025, Trump delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. Like other member states he was allotted 15 minutes but he spoke for 57 minutes. During which time his audience politely laughed at his barbed humour as he attempted to blame UN staff for the problems caused by his own security and communications teams on his way into the assembly hall and up to the lectern and I suspect many, battered by Trump's global trade war, worried by incessant belligerent/ threatening tweets against their governments or hoping to pour oil on Trump's resentment of the United Nations, sat stoically though the better part of an hour of barefaced falsehoods, boasting and arrogant insults, then clapped him enthusiastically.
On or about 30 September 2025 Trump held a press conference with the alleged war criminal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at which he announced that he would head the Board of Peace. This announcement comes at 2:22 mins into the video below
On Day 302, Monday 17 November 2025 the UN Security Council announced the following in a press release which began:
The Security Council today endorsed the United States-backed “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”, welcomed its establishment of the Board of Peace and authorised the Board and Member States working with it to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza.
Adopting resolution 2803 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2803(2025)) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation), the Council also authorized the Board and Member States participating therein to enter arrangements necessary to achieve the Comprehensive Plan’s objectives and to establish operational entities to this end. Such entities will operate under the Board’s transitional authority and oversight.
The Council also underscored the importance of the full resumption of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the Board, in a manner consistent with relevant international legal principles, through cooperating organizations — including the United Nations — and ensuring such aid is not diverted by armed groups.
Further, the text states that, as the Force establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from the Gaza Strip based on standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed between specified parties — “save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat”.
Additionally, the Council decided that the Board, along with international civil and security presences authorized by today’s resolution, shall remain authorized until 31 December 2027, subject to further Council action. The organ also requested the Board to provide it with a written progress report every six months......
Those member states on the Security Council who voted in favour of this resolution, which both what remains of the Palestinian government in Gaza and the State of Israel are believed to object to for different reasons, were Algeria, Demark, France, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia.
It would seem the United Nations Security Council remains dominated by the United States of America and, by a U.S. president who could be suspected of being predominately focussed on seeking both the Nobel Peace Prize and his family's enrichment through land/property development deals on the ground in Gaza.
As of 3:30am AEDST a UN direct link to Resolution 2803 (2025) so an alternate source for this resolution was sought.
Full transcript of Resolution 2803 (2025) can be found at end of an article with title & lede; "Full text of the US resolution for Gaza approved by the UN Security Council: UN Resolution 2803 places Donald Trump in control of Gaza and, using vague language, says if certain targets are met there could be a pathway to the creation of a Palestinian state"
at
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/full-text-us-resolution-gaza-approved-un-security-council
"Adopted by the Security Council at its 10046th meeting, on 17 November 2025
The Security Council,
Welcoming the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict of 29 September 2025 (“Comprehensive Plan”), and applauding the states that have signed, accepted, or endorsed it, and further welcoming the historic Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity of 13 October 2025 and the constructive role played by the United States of America, the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Türkiye, in having facilitated the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,
Determining that the situation in the Gaza Strip threatens the regional peace and the security of neighboring states and noting prior relevant Security Council resolutions relating to the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,
1. Endorses the Comprehensive Plan, acknowledges the parties have accepted it, and calls on all parties to implement it in its entirety, including maintenance of the ceasefire, in good faith and without delay;
2. Welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace (BoP) as a transitional administration with international legal personality that will set the framework, and coordinate funding, for the redevelopment of Gaza pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan, and in a manner consistent with relevant international legal principles, until such time as the Palestinian Authority (PA) has satisfactorily completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French Proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. After the PA reform program is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence;
3. Underscores the importance of the full resumption of humanitarian aid in cooperation with the BoP into the Gaza Strip in a manner consistent with relevant international legal principles and through cooperating organizations, including the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent, and ensuring such aid is used solely for peaceful uses and not diverted by armed groups;
4. Authorizes Member States participating in the BoP and the BoP to: (A) enter into such arrangements as may be necessary to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan, including those addressing privileges and immunities of personnel of the force established in paragraph 7 below; and (B) establish operational entities with, as necessary, international legal personality and transactional authorities for the performance of its functions, including: (1) the implementation of a transitional governance administration, including the supervising and supporting of a Palestinian technocratic, apolitical committee of competent Palestinians from the Strip, as championed by the Arab League, which shall be responsible for day-to-day operations of Gaza’s civil service and administration; (2) the reconstruction of Gaza and of economic recovery programs; (3) the coordination and supporting of and delivery of public services and humanitarian assistance in Gaza; (4) any measures to facilitate the movement of persons in and out of Gaza, in a manner consistent with the Comprehensive Plan; and (5) any such additional tasks as may be necessary to support and implement the Comprehensive Plan;
5. Understands that the operational entities referred to in paragraph 4 above will operate under the transitional authority and oversight of the BoP and are to be funded through voluntary contributions from donors and BoP funding vehicles and governments;
6. Calls upon the World Bank and other financial institutions to facilitate and provide financial resources to support the reconstruction and development of Gaza , including through the establishment of a dedicated trust fund for this purpose and governed by donors;
7. Authorizes Member States working with the BoP and the BoP to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza to deploy under unified command acceptable to the BoP, with forces contributed by participating States, in close consultation and cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel, and to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate consistent with international law, including international humanitarian law. The ISF shall work with Israel and Egypt, without prejudice to their existing agreements, along with the newly trained and vetted Palestinian police force, to help secure border areas; stabilize the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups; protect civilians, including humanitarian operations; train and provide support to the vetted Palestinian police forces; coordinate with relevant States to secure humanitarian corridors; and undertake such additional tasks as may be necessary in support of the Comprehensive Plan. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw from the Gaza Strip based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the United States, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat. The ISF shall, (A) assist the BoP in monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, and enter into such arrangements as may be necessary to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan; and (B) operate under the strategic guidance of the BoP and will be funded through voluntary contributions from donors and BoP funding vehicles and governments;
8. Decides the BoP and international civil and security presences authorized by this resolution shall remain authorized until Dec. 31, 2027, subject to further action by the Council, and any further reauthorization of the ISF be in full cooperation and coordination with Egypt and Israel and other Member States continuing to work with the ISF;
9. Calls upon Member States and international organizations to work with the BoP to identify opportunities to contribute personnel, equipment, and financial resources to its operating entities and the ISF, to provide technical assistance to its operating entities and the ISF, and to give full recognition to its acts and documents;
10. Requests the BoP provide a written report on progress related to the above to the UN Security Council every six months;
11. Decides to remain seized of the matter."
Tuesday, 23 September 2025
STATE OF PLAY SEPTEMBER 2025: Trump hides behind 25 Republican members of the 119th US Congress in order to threaten Australia ahead of a United Nations vote on the question of Palestine.
Unravelling the time line.....
On Friday, 12 September 2025 the United Nations issued a media release which stated in part:
Applause rang out in the UN General Assembly Hall on Friday as countries endorsed a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel.
The New York Declaration is the outcome of an international conference held in July at UN Headquarters, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, which resumes later this month.
The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution backing the document.
Israel voted against it, alongside nine other countries – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States – while 12 nations abstained..... [See: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165835]
The full vote as displayed in the UN General Assembly on Friday, 12 September 2025. Australia clearly voted in favour of the resolution Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution [See: https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/ltd/n25/239/44/pdf/n2523944.pdf]
On Thursday 18 September 2025 the United Nations issued another media release which began:
The United States once again vetoed a UN resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, following a vote in the Security Council on Thursday.
The negative vote was cast as the 15-member Council held its 10,000th meeting against the backdrop of famine spreading in the besieged enclave and an ongoing Israeli offensive to take full control of Gaza City.
The draft also demanded the release of all hostages held by Hamas and for Israel to lift all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and ensure that it is safely distributed to the population – in particular by UN agencies and partners.....
The US is one of five permanent Council members who possess the right to veto..... [See: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165881]
On 19 September 2025 twelve Republican members of the US House of Representatives and thirteen Republican senators in the US Senate, came together in issuing a joint letter containing a clear threat to take punitive measures against the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, the French Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in that order of precedence.
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| Click on image to enlarge |
The letter was copied to the 47th US President and his current Secretary of State. [See: https://files.constantcontact.com/81b76c35801/9888fb71-232f-4c60-863d-292731f12546.pdf].
The Albanese Government quite rightly did not take that letter into consideration in continuing to fulfil its pledge to the Australian people based on a long-held bi-partisan policy with regard to the question of Palestine.
Australia recognises the State of Palestine
Joint media release:
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister Of Australia
21 September 2025
Effective today, Sunday the 21st of September 2025, the Commonwealth of Australia formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine.
In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.
Australia's recognition of Palestine today, alongside Canada and the United Kingdom, is part of a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023.
Today's act of recognition reflects Australia's longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples.
The international community has set out clear requirements for the Palestinian Authority.
The President of the Palestinian Authority has restated its recognition of Israel's right to exist, and given direct undertakings to Australia, including commitments to hold democratic elections and enact significant reform to finance, governance and education.
The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.
Further steps, including the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies, will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes progress on its commitments to reform.
Already, crucial work is underway across the international community to develop a credible peace plan that enables the reconstruction of Gaza, builds the capacity of the state of Palestine and guarantees the security of Israel.
The leadership of the countries of the Arab League and the United States is vital to this task.
Australia will continue to work with our international partners to help build on today's act of recognition and to bring the Middle East closer to the lasting peace and security that is the hope, and the right, of all humanity.
It should be noted that Australia was a founding member of the United Nations having signed the United Nations Charter and Statute of the International Court of Justice on 26 June 1945 (on the same day as the United States) and, in 1947 gave its formal support for the partitioning of Palestine into two independent states.
[See:https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/1947/11/ARES181.pdf]
So it is somewhat of a puzzle as to why anyone in the Trump Administration could believe that the Australian Government should or would blindly do their bidding in the face of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by the State of Israel and the Likud Government
[See: https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203454 and https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-crp-3.pdf]
As Australian mainstream media reported that letter.....
Australian Financial Review, 22 September 2025:
New York | Australia has brushed aside last-minute threats of retaliation from United States Republicans, and protests by the federal opposition and the global Jewish community, to join like-minded allies in formally recognising the State of Palestine, effective immediately at 11pm on Sunday night (AEST).
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially implemented the policy change at the same time as the United Kingdom and Canada, one day before a special summit on Palestine convened by France and Saudi Arabia to be held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who is also in New York, announced that, subject to the Palestinian Authority adhering to the terms of recognition, Australia would establish diplomatic ties and open an embassy.
Conditions include recognising Israel’s right to exist, a commitment to hold democratic elections and “enact significant reform to finance, governance and education”.
As well, “terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine”.
The government argues recognition was the best hope to bring to a head a two-state solution rather than waiting for a peace deal – which has remained elusive for almost 80 years – before beginning negotiations.
“We are seeing the Israeli government continue to provide support for illegal settlements and expansion in the West Bank, we’re seeing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfold in Gaza. The idea that Israel is just sitting back waiting to negotiate is not what is happening here. This is about the world saying enough is enough,” said Albanese.
But as Albanese arrived in New York early Sunday morning AEST, a letter co-signed by 25 Republican members of Congress accused Australia and the others of “legitimising a Palestinian terror state” and threatened repercussions.
“Proceeding with recognition will put your country at odds with longstanding US policy and interests and may invite punitive measures in response,” it says.
The letter was addressed to Albanese as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Copies were sent to US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump tried to derail the recognition process by denying US visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and about 80 officials. Australia voted in the UN on Saturday AEST to allow Abbas to address the special summit by video link. The vote passed by 145 votes to five, with six abstentions.
“The State of Palestine may submit a prerecorded statement of its president, which will be played in the General Assembly Hall,” the resolution says.....
Read the full article at: https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/pm-recognises-palestine-despite-us-threats-of-punitive-reprisals-20250921-p5mwok
Saturday, 20 September 2025
The 20th statistical analysis, "The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey: Selected Findings from Waves 1 to 23", September 2025, shines a light on Australian society
The Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales had an estimated resident population in 2024 of 318,848 men, women and children, spread across 20,758 square kilometres with a population density of 15.36 persons per square kilometre. [https://profile.id.com.au/northern-rivers/]
The region's residents live in est. 252,350 households of which 29,314 — or est.11.6 per cent of all resident households — contain lone parents with their child/ren.
This percentage is higher than the total percentage for the state's entire regional zone and, represents an increase in Northern Rivers lone parent households of 15,535 over the five years between the 2016 & 2021 national censuses.
In March 2025 the University of Melbourne issued a media release covering aspects of the 20th Annual Statistical Report of the HILDA Survey.
An annual report funded by the Australian Government through the Dept. of Social Services, based on data collected in a longitudinal study over more than two decades, with the same 17,000 people interviewed year-on-year.
That media release stated three uncomfortable facts:
inequality is at a 20 year high in Australia, with higher incomes having grown faster relative to middle incomes. While at the same time, the relative growth of lower incomes has declined;
more than half (51.2%) of survey respondents reported that their real income decreased between 2021 and 2022; and
single parents remain the hardest hit by negative outcomes:
Across the broad spectrum of the survey and the report’s analysis, single parents are often the demographic that is the most negatively impacted by economic factors.
Single parents have seen a 76% increase in child care costs per child since 2006, compared to a 48% increase for couple parents.
Over the 2001-2022 period, single parents were not only the most likely family type to have poor mental health but also took the longest to recover from poor mental health.
With a poverty rate of 25%, single-parent families were significantly more likely to experience poverty, more than four times the rate for couple-parent families (6.2%). They also had the lowest average wealth levels.
The media release also confirmed that floods across Australia are causing spikes in household damage:
In 2022, the percentage of Australians that reported weather-related damage to their house reached a level not seen before in the HILDA survey.
Since 2009, the annual survey has asked participants whether “a weather-related disaster (e.g., flood, bushfire, cyclone)” had damaged or destroyed their home in the last 12 months. The 2022 results therefore included respondents impacted by the various floods across Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria during late 2021 and 2022.
As such, this latest wave saw much larger rates of home damage from weather-related disasters, jumping from 1.3% in 2021, to 4.5% the following year. This eclipses any rate seen before, almost 2 percentage points higher than the previous nationwide peak of 2.7% in 2011. This recent rise in weather damage hit those in the northeast of the country the most, with roughly 9% of respondents in New South Wales and 6% of Queenslanders affected.
This month the 20th statistical analysis, The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey: Selected Findings from Waves 1 to 23, September 2025 was released. It can be found at:
This report presents select findings from Waves 1 to 23 of the HILDA Survey and explores 10 topics:
- Households and family life
- Household economic wellbeing
- The labour market
- Retirement
- Housing insurance
- Bodily pain
- Psychological distress
- Blood donation
- Friendships
- Time stress
Following release of the 20th annual report Barnardos Australia issued the following media release.
Media Release, 19 September 2025:
HILDA report reveals children trapped in poverty as inequality reaches crisis point
Australian children are being robbed of their childhood, Barnardos Australia says, as new research reveals that more than one in three children in single-parent families live in poverty.
Today’s landmark Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey shows more than one in three (36.2%) children in single-parent families are living below the poverty line, the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2001.
Research found 30 per cent of children in single-parent families have lived in poverty for more than two decades, but in 2022 the figure reached its peak at 36.2 per cent.
Single-parent households are almost three times more likely to be in poverty than households with two parents.
“This research reflects what Barnardos is seeing in the community. Housing costs are pushing children deeper into poverty, with many single-parent families living below the poverty line,” Barnardos Family Connect and Support team leader Michaela Bestwick said.
“When more than one in three children in single-parent families can’t afford basic necessities after paying rent, it is clear we’re facing a national housing and child poverty emergency that demands immediate action.”
Single-parent families have experienced a 76 per cent spike in childcare costs since 2006, the research shows, leaving many children without access to early learning opportunities.
“How can we break the cycles of poverty and disadvantage when families can’t afford to send their children to daycare?” Ms Bestwick said.
“Children experiencing poverty and instability are removed from their families not because of abuse or neglect, but because their parents simply can’t afford to provide basic necessities.
“The government must do more to ensure families are supported and children are given the opportunity to thrive and enjoy their childhood.
“When children can’t access early childhood education because a single mother can’t afford childcare, or when they’re forced to move schools repeatedly due to housing instability, or when they can’t concentrate in class because they’re hungry - we’re failing them at the most crucial time in their lives.
“Every day of disadvantage in a child’s life will have consequences for years to come.”
ENDS
Saturday, 13 September 2025
Rising ocean temperatures in whale breeding grounds to Australia's north may be a factor in Humpback whales leaving calving nursery regions too early in historic migration cycle
Research Gate
Southern Ocean humpback whales are shifting to an earlier return migration, 25 July 2025:
Authors:
Rebecca A. Dunlop
Emma Gumley
Ella Holding McGrath
Michael Noad
ABSTRACT
The Southern Ocean ecosystem is undergoing unprecedented environmental changes, which have led to shifts in the primary food source of baleen whales, Antarctic krill. Additionally, many humpback whale populations have rebounded from near extirpation due to historical whaling, increasing pressure on now vulnerable krill populations. Since humpback whales rely on energy reserves built up during their feeding season to sustain them during migration, changes in their food supply are likely to influence their migration strategies. In this study, the timing of the ‘return to feeding grounds,’ or southern migration, of the eastern Australian humpback whale population was tracked over a 21-year period. Both land-based and acoustic surveys were used to estimate the timing of the migratory peak in southern Queensland, i.e., the week with the highest number of whales sighted or recorded. Land-based surveys recorded all whales, including females with newborn calves, while acoustic surveys recorded singing adult males. Both datasets revealed that the peak of the southern migration has shifted earlier by approximately three weeks from 2003 to 2024. Although this study does not establish causation, it highlights a strong correlation between changes in migratory timing and sea ice coverage in the whales’ Antarctic feeding grounds. The observed decline in sea ice area, combined with the large increase in the humpback whale population, are discussed as potential factors contributing to the shift in migratory timing.
The Australian east coast is one of three principal migration paths for whales travelling between Summer and Winter feeding and breeding grounds.
The Northern Rivers premier masthead expands on the subject.....
ECHO, 12 September 2025:
Decades of surveys show whale migration shift
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As we near the end of the 2025 humpback whale migration, both north and south, a University of Queensland survey has revealed the peak of the southern migration of humpback whales down the east Australian coast is now weeks earlier than it was 21 years ago, and a warming Southern Ocean may be the reason.
Associate Professor Rebecca Dunlop from UQ’s School of the Environment found the return migration from northern breeding grounds has shifted earlier by approximately three weeks.
‘Acoustic and visual surveys show the peak of the southern migration in 2003 was in early October but by 2024, we observed it was in the middle of September,’ said Dr Dunlop.
‘While migratory timing naturally fluctuates from year to year by about two weeks, since 2021 there has been a clear and sustained change.’
The cues for migration are not well understood but are likely to be influenced by ecological and environmental factors impacting summer feeding while in the Southern Ocean.
Sea ice and krill populations
‘A big factor is the connection between sea ice and krill populations.’
Apart from the odd temporary stopover, humpback whales do not eat during the winter months when they migrate to tropical and subtropical breeding grounds.
‘Whales likely time their migration to ensure their stay in Antarctic waters is long enough with adequate feed to build the fat and protein reserves needed to fuel their journey to and from the breeding grounds, as well as for reproductive activities,’ said Dr Dunlop.
‘The later years of this study coincide with a pronounced decline in sea ice coverage beyond usual annual fluctuations.’
‘Less sea ice, or a shorter ice season, means less algae which is crucial food for krill.’
‘Less available krill prior to the migration could be forcing the whales back to the feeding grounds earlier.’
Population grown from 300 to 40,000
The eastern Australian population of humpback whales has grown from only 300 in the 1960s after sustained hunting, to around 40,000.
‘We did consider if an earlier departure from the northern breeding grounds could be driven by crowding or even human activity in the Great Barrier Reef,’ said Dr Dunlop. ‘But while the whale population increased steadily over the 21 years of this study, a clear shift in migration timing did not occur until after 2021 when rising water temperatures driven by climate change affected sea ice coverage in the Antarctic oceans.’
This earlier return south is also being seen in other humpback populations – along Australia’s west coast and South America.
‘I am concerned at some point we may see a decline in birth rates because females won’t have the energy to support migrating north, giving birth and getting their calf back to the feeding grounds.’
A research project is underway to determine whether the timing of the migration north away from the feeding grounds has also shifted.
NOTE: My yellow highlighting in this post
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