Latest news with #KateRobinson
ABC News
5 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Community campaigns to protect reef by extending boundaries of Victoria's smallest marine park
A dip in what's known as The Crystals, on the eastern side of one of Melbourne's most popular bay beaches, is a daily ritual for sisters Fiona Lloyd and Kate Robinson. From seagrass beds, seahorses, stingrays and juvenile marine creatures, the pair, who call themselves the "Snorkel Sisters", document their discoveries online in the hope of increasing people's awareness. The sisters are also part of a community push to protect The Crystals at Williamstown beach by campaigning to expand the boundary of the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary — just a few hundred metres away. More than 3,600 people have so far signed a petition calling for the expansion. The group is hoping for what they call a modest increase of the Jawbone's footprint to better protect The Crystals, which they believe is under-appreciated and under threat from rubbish dumping, overfishing and fishing waste including abandoned lines and hooks. "We are petitioning to extend [the sanctuary] because it's such a small area," Ms Lloyd said. "Sometimes you will see things like stingrays or banjo sharks that are stuck [in the Crystals] and sometimes they are still alive and they are just stuck on the bottom — that's pretty heartbreaking. "A lot of the animals that are found here aren't found anywhere else." Victoria has 11 marine sanctuaries, which are smaller than marine parks but have similar restrictions around fishing and rubbish dumping. Covering just 30 hectares, The Jawbone is the state's smallest. It packs in rocky basalt reef, seagrass beds, saltmarsh and the largest area of mangroves in Port Phillip Bay. Deakin University Professor of Marine Biology and Aquaculture Tim Dempster described the marine sanctuary as small but mighty, punching well above its weight. "It does a great job." Mr Dempster agrees The Crystals would have similar biodiversity values to that of Jawbone, but acknowledged while the group may have an argument in expanding its boundaries, there was tension around its shared use. "There is probably a little bit of conflict there over the use of that area; there are others who like to use [the Crystals] for spear fishing and abalone collecting," he said. "They may have a case just on the fact that it's a very heavy use area … and based on community values that it is a special area." "It's not as complicated as creating a whole new marine park, so it's in the bounds of possibility, but there would be quite a bit of community consultation that would have to happen." He also said the larger a marine park, the better it is at protecting what's inside. Local swimmers who regularly use The Crystals are worried about safety and interactions with some fishers. Jason Bryce has been swimming in the area for 15 years, and instigated the petition. "We're concerned about spearfishing in particular and some of the less responsible line fishing," he said. A state government spokesperson and the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) did not respond to questions about whether the expansion would be considered. But VFA said it encouraged all fishers to do the right thing and dispose of line and gear responsibly, no matter where people were. While Mr Dempster believes there are hurdles in getting the concept over the line, he would like to see government consider a review of how all Victoria's marine parks and sanctuaries are faring. With Australia now a signatory to a global target to reach 30 per cent protection of marine areas by 2030, he said it was particularly important with Victoria lagging behind. "We are roughly at about 12 per cent in terms protecting coastal space and that's a lot lower than many other places in Australia and globally," he said. "[And] It was almost a quarter of a century ago since we last looked at the marine park situation in Victoria.
RNZ News
18-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Laptop left charging on bed causes house fire in Bendigo
By Rebecca Norman and Emile Pavlich , ABC News Kate Robinson left her laptop on charge in her bedroom while running errangs. An hour later, she returned to find her house and yoga studio engulfed in flames. Kate Robinson is warning people about the risks associated with leaving devices on charge. (ABC News: Emile Pavlich) Photo: ABC News: Emile Pavlich When Kate Robinson thinks back to the sight of thick black smoke billowing from her roof last month, she becomes deeply distressed. "There was nothing salvageable," she said. Ms Robinson's Bendigo home and yoga studio were destroyed by fire on May 30, when she popped out for about an hour to run errands. She returned to find her home on fire. "I went into my bedroom and there were flames on my bed almost up the ceiling," she said. Ms Robinson ran out of the burning building to find her dog, which had made its way outside, and ring triple-0. She wants to warn others about the risks associated with leaving devices on charge. The remnants of Ms Robinson's yoga studio after a laptop caught alight while charging on her bed. (Supplied: Kate Robinson) Photo: Supplied: Kate Robinson Fire Rescue Victoria said the fire at Ms Robinson's home on Bakewell Street in North Bendigo was caused by a laptop charging on a bed. A building insurer and a forensic fire expert showed Ms Robinson the burnt laptop and told her they believed the lithium battery inside the computer overheated on a blanket on her bed, causing it to catch alight. "Once they started asking me questions about why there was so much intensity around my bed, and what was on my bed … I remembered that the laptop had been charging there," she said. Ms Robinson said the laptop was an 18-month old AppleMac Pro and it had started to lose charge more often in the lead up to the fire. "It seemed to be going flat a lot, which can identify a faulty battery," Ms Robinson. Fire Rescue Victoria commander Craig Houlahan attended the blaze. "It was clear the fire had actually started from the bed," he said. "It was quite obvious with the development of the fire that it was the laptop, because of the battery." Apple Australia has been contacted for comment. The remains of the laptop after a fire ripped through Ms Robinson's property. (Supplied: FRV) Photo: Supplied: FRV Commander Houlahan said the fire had prompted new warnings about the risks involved with leaving devices on charge unattended. "The main thing is that if you're charging any electrical device, you have it on a hard surface and that allows it to cool," he said. Mr Houlahan said across Victoria, there was at least one call to fire authorities every day related to charging devices. "Over the years that's changed because a lot of our devices now are battery-operated," Mr Houlahan said. His advice was to think about four key things before charging a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. These included overheating of batteries through excessive charging, checking devices for damage, not charging in your bedroom and avoiding charging laptops overnight. He also said working smoke alarms were crucial as a house fire could spread throughout a home within 3 minutes. "Every bedroom should have a working smoke alarm in it," Mr Houlahan. Ms Robinson is now living in a rental property offered through her insurer. She said she was grateful to have been able to save her dog from the fire, and for her community's support, but the experience has stayed with her. "There's still a lot of grief and sadness about losing my space," she said. - ABC
ABC News
18-06-2025
- ABC News
Laptop left charging on bed causes house fire in Bendigo
When Kate Robinson thinks back to the sight of thick black smoke billowing from her roof last month, she becomes deeply distressed. "There was nothing salvageable," she said. Ms Robinson's Bendigo home and yoga studio were destroyed by fire on May 30, when she popped out for about an hour to run errands. She returned to find her home on fire. "I went into my bedroom and there were flames on my bed almost up the ceiling," she said. Ms Robinson ran out of the burning building to find her dog, which had made its way outside, and ring triple-0. She wants to warn others about the risks associated with leaving devices on charge. Fire Rescue Victoria said the fire at Ms Robinson's home on Bakewell Street in North Bendigo was caused by a laptop charging on a bed. A building insurer and a forensic fire expert showed Ms Robinson the burnt laptop and told her they believed the lithium battery inside the computer overheated on a blanket on her bed, causing it to catch alight. "Once they started asking me questions about why there was so much intensity around my bed, and what was on my bed … I remembered that the laptop had been charging there," she said. Ms Robinson said the laptop was an 18-month old AppleMac Pro and it had started to lose charge more often in the lead up to the fire. "It seemed to be going flat a lot, which can identify a faulty battery," Ms Robinson. Fire Rescue Victoria commander Craig Houlahan attended the blaze. "It was clear the fire had actually started from the bed," he said. "It was quite obvious with the development of the fire that it was the laptop, because of the battery." Apple Australia has been contacted for comment. Commander Houlahan said the fire had prompted new warnings about the risks involved with leaving devices on charge unattended. "The main thing is that if you're charging any electrical device, you have it on a hard surface and that allows it to cool," he said. Mr Houlahan said across Victoria, there was at least one call to fire authorities every day related to charging devices. "Over the years that's changed because a lot of our devices now are battery-operated," Mr Houlahan said. His advice was to think about four key things before charging a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. These included overheating of batteries through excessive charging, checking devices for damage, not charging in your bedroom and avoiding charging laptops overnight. He also said working smoke alarms were crucial as a house fire could spread throughout a home within 3 minutes. "Every bedroom should have a working smoke alarm in it," Mr Houlahan. Ms Robinson is now living in a rental property offered through her insurer. She said she was grateful to have been able to save her dog from the fire, and for her community's support, but the experience has stayed with her. "There's still a lot of grief and sadness about losing my space," she said.
