Saving Samoa's bees; a mission in motion
This Week on Radio Australia — we're turning up the volume on Pacific voices!
On Nesia Daily, hosts Jacob McQuire and Michael Chow buzz into the world of beekeeping in Samoa, catching up with a local beekeeper in the wake of World Bee Day.
Over on Politok, Scott Waide dives deep into the Pacific's health crisis unpacking the political pulse behind the region's struggling systems.
And on Nesian Footy, Sam Wykes and Tinirau Arona go one-on-one with a former rugby star, tracing his wild ride across continents — the highs, the heartbreaks, and everything in between.
From culture to current affairs, sport to storytelling — it's all happening this week on Radio Australia.
Relax into your Sunday morning with two hours of the best stories from across the Pacific. Host Kuntamari crofts, will take you on a Pacific Sundays journey, bringing you stories that will inspire, entertain and inform you.
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News.com.au
26 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Death of the middle class': Tradie's drastic action to get ahead financially
Sam Harper was earning $90,000 a year when he decided he needed to do something drastic to secure his financial future, believing the 'death of the middle class' was looming. Mr Harper, 27, was working as an electrician in Perth when he became sick of earning just enough to be able to pay his mortgage and weekly expenses. 'My partner and I both had a mortgage of like $480,000 and, once you paid for that, and your groceries and living expenses, yeah, you can live comfortably, but there are no overseas trips,' he told Mr Harper had always worked hard. He'd learned a trade and slogged it out as an electrician, but he didn't feel like he was getting ahead. 'We are going down that path (where there is going to be) the death of the middle class because the gap is getting bigger between the rich and poor,' he said. 'The way I look at it is, that is out of my control, so you have to start looking at different ways to get ahead. 'At some point last year I had this realisation that no one is coming to save me.' The only time he'd really made a big amount of money was from the sale of a duplex he bought when he was 22 years old and during the pandemic. 'I got lucky buying a duplex in Victoria, and it felt like a lot of money back then, but I paid like $270,000, which is absolutely nothing,' he said. 'I sold it 18 months later and I definitely got market growth for that one. It sold for $400,000.' The young Aussie was stoked with the sale and the profit he made from it, but he wasn't real estate savvy and viewed it as a one-off than a way to continually make money. 'I was pretty stupid back then,' he said. 'I thought it was great but it wasn't until later down the line that I started looking at real estate a bit more.' Alongside his partner, and with the profits from the sale of his Victoria property, Mr Harper purchased a home in Perth in late 2024 for $520,000. The plan back then was to get some equity into the property, use that equity to buy an investment property, and eventually amass a real estate portfolio. It wasn't a bad plan, but the electrician realised that he would have to cover multiple mortgages, even if he rented them out. 'I realised I'd be stuck in my job and in more and more debt and I didn't really like the job' he explained. Around this time, he had his primary property revalued after spending around $30,000 in renovations. To his delight, the property was reappraised at $700,000. 'I was surprised by the $700,000. I thought mid $600,000. It was definitely life-changing,' he said. The tradie had been able to save money because he was able to do a lot of the renovations himself, using his skills as sparky and watching YouTube tutorials for the parts he wasn't as sure about. That staggering evaluation made Mr Harper realise house flipping was a really simple and clear way to make money. Ultimately, he decided not to sell that property, with the couple instead refinancing and then flipping another home shortly afterwards. He struck a deal with a homeowner where he renovated the property and then they agreed to share some of the profits. 'If it sold above $530,000, we'd split the profits, and it sold for $610,000,' he said. The young tradie pocketed $98,000 from that sale, which gave him the confidence to start buying properties to flip. In the past 12 months, the 27-year-old has purchased two separate properties in Perth. From the first, he made $85,000 in pure profit, and from the second, he made $125,000. 'It is a lot more than I was getting paid as a sparky,' he pointed out. Mr Harper is pragmatic about his success. Yes, a lot of money is coming in, but he also needs to use that money to keep house flipping. 'It is the type of business where, once you get the money, you reinvest it back in,' he said. That doesn't mean he has quite gotten used to seeing over six-figures pour into his savings account. 'Once the money hits the account, it is still pretty crazy,' he said. 'We definitely have a long way to go, but looking back to where we were 12 months ago is pretty surreal.' Financial planner Alex Jamieson told that Australia's wealth gap is widening. 'The middle class used to buy from a purchasing power perspective in today's standards is no longer anywhere close to the purchasing power,' he said. Mr Jamieson argued that 'if you don't own a house', you're unfortunately missing out on amassing wealth. The problem being that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Aussies to break into the market. The financial planner argued that the middle class is having a tougher time these days due to the cost of living. 'Historically, one income was able to achieve a lot more in purchasing power than what the combined income of today can achieve for a couple,' he said.
News.com.au
38 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘What about the Kingsford Smith Cup horses?': Trainer Joe Pride disappointed Group 1 not rescheduled to Wednesday
Trainer Joe Pride admitted he was 'disappointed' the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup wasn't rescheduled for midweek before ruling his elite sprinter out of the $1 million Eagle Farm race on Saturday. The Kingsford Smith Cup and Queensland Derby were added to the Oaks Day program at Eagle Farm after heavy rain last Saturday resulted in the final five races being washed out. But Pride questioned why only the Group 3 Fred Best Classic was moved to the Doomben meeting on Wednesday and not the Kingsford Smith Cup, too. Pride said Private Eye 's preparation would be compromised if the gelding ran first-up in Saturday's Kingsford Smith Cup and then the Group 1 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 14. 'I'm not going to run Private Eye in the Kingsford Smith Cup and then back up a week later in the Stradbroke Handicap,'' Pride said. 'I don't want to give him a compromised preparation and have a half-hearted go at two Group 1 races. 'I'm disappointed he has to miss the Kingsford Smith Cup but this way we can give him his best chance in the Stradbroke.'' Pride revealed Private Eye returned to Sydney over the weekend as the gelding preferred his training and stable routine at Warwick Farm. 'We will trial Private Eye on Friday at Rosehill and that will give him four barrier trials before his first-up run so I'm not worried about his fitness,'' Pride said. Private Eye will bypass the Kingsford Smith @EagleFarmRacing this Saturday to concentrate on the Stradbroke with @nashhot on board @ProvenTbreds star is in great shape and will trial this Friday — Pride Racing (@PrideRacing) June 1, 2025 'But I feel they could have run the Kingsford Smith Cup on Wednesday. They have added the Fred Best Classic to the Doomben meeting to give the three-year-olds their best chance of getting to the Stradbroke. 'But that is only for one horse (Fred Best Classic winner) so what about all the Kingsford Smith Cup horses?' Joliestar 's owner Brendan Lindsay has already suggested his brilliant mare was likely to go for a spell after the Kingsford Smith Cup and not stay in training for the Stradbroke. This is more to do with giving Joliestar a long enough break before the spring carnival comes around rather than having to race her twice in seven days. 'I think she's 50-50 for the 'Straddie', I don't think she'll carry on,'' Lindsay said
News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Two famous Aussie beaches on disappointing list
When tourists think of Aussie beaches often the two that spring to mind are Bondi and Manly – and while they are both known for their scenic and vibrant atmosphere, they've also found themselves on a not so popular list. Australia is renowned for having some of the best beaches in the world given its vast coastline, natural beauty and cultural significance. But according to recent research conducted by Cloudwards, Bondi Beach and Manly Beach formed part of the top 20 most complained about beaches worldwide. It 'meticulously' examined TripAdvisor reviews for 200 of the world's most popular beaches to determine 'which sandy shores are leaving visitors feeling salty'. It then ranked the beaches from 1 – being the most complained about, to 100, the least complained about. The study focused on four main areas of criticism – cleanliness, overcrowding, long queues and noise disruption. Coming in first was Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, followed by Venice Beach in LA and Playa Manueel Antonio in Costa Rica. They had a complaint score of 100, 89.7 and 73.5, respectively. Bondi Beach ranked ninth while Manly Beach secured the 20th spot. According to the study, Bondi has a complaint score of 57.1, a 'dirty' rating of 13 per cent, 'overcrowded' percentage of 75.9 and 'noise disruption' of 3.4 per cent. Manly's complaint score is 47.4, has a 'dirty' score of 10.2 per cent, is 76.5 per cent 'overcrowded' and a 'noise disruption' of 4.1 per cent. According to the study, the more negative reviews, the higher the overall complaint score. Bondi and Manly were the only two Aussie beaches to feature on the list, while four American beaches featured in the top 10 and 39 were in the top 100. Meanwhile, earlier this year Tourism Australia released its best Aussie beaches list for 2025, The Bay of Fires beaches beat over 12,000 entrants including Bondi and Manly beaches. 'This year's list showcases to the world what Aussies already know – that Bondi and Brighton are great, but it's worth the journey to see some truly unique beaches in regional Australia,' Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell said. 'There will be many families, just like mine, that love looking through the 'Best Australian Beaches' list every year to pick which ones they want to visit next. 'At times, the selections create plenty of debate, which I welcome, and I look forward to the feedback on this year's top 10,' he added.
