Tom's plan was to get a degree in Sydney. It went horribly wrong
After finishing high school, Chinese international student Tom considered university study in the United States. But, after seeing pictures of Australian beaches and the Opera House on social media, he enrolled in a degree in Sydney.
He did not realise that, within months of arriving, he would find himself homeless for the first time, trying to sleep in a park underneath the Harbour Bridge.
'I was so tired, but I cannot sleep because I was hungry and freezing,' Tom said.
That was in February 2024. After more than a year, he's become accustomed to sleeping in parks.
Tom's story is an increasingly common one, according to the city's homelessness services, who say international students are increasingly finding themselves without a place to live.
Nurse unit manager at St Vincent's Hospital's homeless health service Erin Longbottom said international students were becoming the hidden face of homelessness.
'No one is talking about it,' she said.
They prefer to sleep in well-lit areas, she said, such as train stations or near public libraries.
'We have, at times, a build up of people in car parks where they can charge their electric bikes as that's where they work [doing] food delivery,' she said.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Sins of the father: the link between unloving dads and domestic violence
A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
WA Sports Minister Rita Saffioti says she will not overrule commission to stop bare knuckle boxing event
One Australian state government has been told it will have blood on its hands if someone dies during a bare knuckle fight event set to be held within weeks. Promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is planning to make its debut in Australia in Perth next month, prompting an outcry from some sectors including health advocates. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: WA minister says she won't step in to stop bare knuckle boxing event. On Monday WA 's Sports Minister Rita Saffioti said she could intervene to stop it but will not do so if the state's Combat Sports Commission gives it the tick of approval. 'I understand combat sports is not everyone's cup of tea,' she said. 'There's a lot of people in the community who don't enjoy or want to watch or be involved. 'But the same issues were raised in relation to mixed martial arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.' She added: 'I can't stop things just because I don't like them. That's why we have a Combat Sports Commission, to provide advice.' American bare knuckle brawler Justin Thornton died in hospital more than six weeks after he hit the canvas during a fight in 2021. The 38-year-old was knocked out in the first round of a championship fixture in Mississippi, with the heavy fall leaving him partially paralysed. 'Our government has the ability to stop this from happening and if there is a death during the event then of course that falls at the feet of our government that's made this decision,' Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Page told 7NEWS. The commission says the fights will only go ahead if organisers meet strict conditions. Its chairman Bob Kucera says they have taken the advice of US doctors. But Page argued 'they're taking the advice that they want to take'. 'They're not taking any advice from society, they're not taking advice from us, they're not taking any advice from anyone in our community,' Page said. BKFC organisers are advertising the event for July 19, pending final approval. On its website, BKFC says 'only those fighters who are established professionals in boxing, MMA, kickboxing, or Muay Thai will be allowed to compete'. 'The referees and judges will also be required to have extensive professional combat sports experience,' the promotion says. 'Unlike other fighting organisations and combat sports internationally which claim to be 'bare knuckle', but require wraps, tape, and gauze; BKFC is true to its word as fighters are not allowed to wrap their hands to within one inch of the knuckle. 'This makes BKFC unquestionably the truest form of bare knuckle fighting. 'BKFC is dedicated to not just creating the safest, most exciting, and highest level bare knuckle fighting organisation in the world, it's also leading the way for a new fully recognised professional combat sport.'
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Big flaw with Australia's $800bn food system
A shock new report says Australia's $800bn food system is 'falling short', despite producing enough food to feed nearly 100 million people. The CSIRO has completed the first national stocktake of the nation's food system, which identified 100,000 Australian farmers produced enough food to feed 27 million Australians and another 73 million people globally. While Australia claimed it was a food secure nation, the CSIRO said it was based on the bulk amount of agricultural commodities it exported such as wheat and beef. But it did not account for food affordability issues or a diversity of food that met nutritional requirements. The report, titled Food System Horizons, estimated lifestyle diseases caused by unhealthy eating such as diabetes and cardiovascular cost the economy about $49bn through hospitalisation, healthcare and lost wages. It says those hidden costs are the highest in the world per capita and costs the economy hundreds of billions of dollars. A CSIRO report Food System Horizons found the hidden costs of Australia's food system could be as high as $274bn. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia 'Currently, millions of Australians routinely rely on food charity,' the report said. 'Australia's food system does not produce enough vegetables to meet recommended daily intakes. 'Production-based analysis of food security also overlooks the critical role that food environments play in shaping dietary choices and health outcomes. 'The promotion of convenient, highly processed foods is costing the Australian economy billions in lost productivity from the impact of preventable, diet-related diseases. 'These challenges suggest a significant opportunity for communities, governments and businesses to work together to create future food environments that are healthier, more sustainable and more equitable.' A new report has found Australia's food system does not produce enough vegetables to meet recommended daily intakes. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia CSIRO Sustainability Research Director Larelle McMillan said food policy in Australia was currently fragmented across portfolios as diverse as agriculture, environment, industry, social services, health, transport and urban planning. 'We need to move from analysing specific parts of the food system to establishing coordinated reporting for important food system attributes and interactions, thus enabling connected up action for a national food system that serves all,' Ms McMillan said. She said a reporting system would offer valuable insights into where the food system was falling short – for example, almost a third of Australian households experience moderate or severe food insecurity each year – and where it's failing to meet the needs of all Australians. 'This can be used as a focal point to bring together a greater diversity of voice and vision to identify pathways to sustainable, healthy and affordable food for all Australians,' she said. The report found the hidden costs of Australia's food system were as high as $274bn, with the biggest burden on the economy coming from negative health and environmental impacts. Negative environmental factors from farming such as soil, air and water degradation, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution cost the economy about $225bn. The report stated commercial activity across Australia's food system, particularly in the agricultural sector, generated unintended but significant environmental impacts. 'Together, the net present value of the overall negative health and environmental impacts of Australia's food system is around 13 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product,' the report stated. 'These environmental impacts, including climate change and damage to fragile soils, have contributed to a plateauing of agricultural productivity.' CSIRO's Agriculture and Food director Michael Robertson said lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease were caused by unhealthy eating. Photo: Supplied. Credit: Supplied CSIRO agriculture and food director Michael Robertson told NewsWire the food system encompassed everything from farming, retail, consumption, logistics, food handling, waste and so on. Dr Robertson said we celebrate the massive performance the farming sector delivered every year in Australia in terms of the amount of food it produces, 'not only for us, but also for export,' he said. 'But we don't connect all that up to other parts of the system that are associated with food consumption within Australia, this is where the hidden cost issue comes in. CSIRO's Agriculture and Food director Michael Robertson said it was important to know and understand the state of our food system through regular reporting. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia 'We don't quantify that and add that into the price of food that we pay for, pointing those out shows what areas need attention,' he said. 'By owning it we can start having a conversation nationally about what we might do to reduce those hidden costs,' he said. Dr Robertson said knowing and understanding the state of our food system through regular reporting was the first step in dealing with the complex challenges and opportunities facing Australia's food system. 'Our food system is more than just producing and exporting commodities – it's also about providing equitable access to safe, nutritious and healthy food, produced sustainably for all Australians,' he said. 'We have an intergenerational responsibility to pursue these goals vigorously. 'This national stocktake provides an evidence base to guide our actions as social, cultural, environmental, and economic priorities shift. 'While Australia's wider food system is an economic and production success, generating more than $800bn annually and providing significant employment particularly in regional areas, the intersection of our food system with other critical goals calls for a more comprehensive way to evaluate its performance.'
