Latest news with #MissionAustralia
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Sky News AU
'I'm mixing it up': Aussie swimming legend Michael Klim rocks striking new look as he bravely opens up about his rare autoimmune disease
Australian swimming great Michael Klim has debuted a bold new look as he launches a foundation dedicated to raising awareness and funding research into Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), the rare autoimmune condition he was diagnosed with in 2020. The 47-year-old, best known for his stellar performance at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where he took home gold in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, as well as silver in the 100m butterfly and 4x100m medley relay, first began noticing symptoms several years ago. Initially attributing them to the toll of elite sport, further testing revealed Klim had CIDP - a disease that causes progressive muscle weakness, particularly in the lower limbs. Appearing on The Project on Tuesday night from his home in Bali, the father-of-three showcased his new facial hair and opened up about the challenges of living with the condition. "I'm just mixing it up, you know?" he said of the goatee. "I've had one look for 47 years, so I had to come up with something different." Despite his diagnosis, Klim said he's now in a good place physically and mentally. "I'm feeling really well. Life has really stabilised physically and mentally since the diagnosis five years ago," he said, adding that the launch of his new charity, The Klim Foundation, felt like the natural next step. "I feel like I'm up for the challenge- it's going to be a big one- but I think my history has given me a lot of insight and knowledge which I can now pass onto others that are going through this pretty tough journey." The Polish-born Australian also spoke about how CIDP has affected his mobility. "My mobility is compromised," he said, explaining he uses AFOs, ankle-foot orthoses, to help him stay mobile. "With that assistance, I can still do most things. Unfortunately, some of my favourite things like surfing and playing tennis are kind of out of the question. "But I had a ski for the first time in 12 years last year, so there are still a lot of things that you can do." The goal of The Klim Foundation, he said, is to empower others living with CIDP and help them reclaim their lives. "That can be achieved through things like blood donations, AFOs, the right physios, and also having the support of counsellors," he said. "For me, mentally coming out of that hole and realising that life still had a lot to give was probably the biggest win." The foundation was founded by Klim alongside his partner of two years, Michelle Owen. It's board includes some of the biggest names in sport- Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and even Klim's former rival, American swimmer Gary Hall Jr, who once famously said he would "smash him like a guitar". "The boys just wanted to help me raise the awareness of this condition," Klim said. "We do have a board that's got a lot of experience," he added, referencing key members like Paul Bird from Mission Australia, Mark Saubi from Mark Sowerby, and his best friend, former Olympic table tennis player David Zalcberg. "…It's going to take a group of champions to find not only a cure but to overcome this challenge." Reflecting on Hall Jr's involvement, Klim laughed as he recalled their former rivalry. "Gary - he's a diabetic, he's been in the medical field most of this life. He is probably the only Olympic gold medallist with diabetes," Klim said. "He loves Australia, even though some of the Aussies don't like him. "I'm going to make it my mission he'll be a favoured Aussie very soon."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Centrelink blow for millions of Aussies as cash boost denied: 'Really tough'
The 2025 Federal Budget has not included any measures to increase Centrelink payments. Labor has thrown billions of dollars at HECS debts, cheaper medicines, childcare subsidies and energy rebates. However, there won't be any more money allocated to the millions of Australians receiving social support payments from Services Australia. A poll of more than 3,600 Yahoo Finance readers found 40 per cent supported an increase to Centrelink payments (40 per cent). Mission Australia's executive of practice, evidence and impact, Marion Bennett, told Yahoo Finance that JobSeeker was in desperate need of an increase. RELATED Centrelink recipient hits out at 'pointless' $3.10 cash boost amid calls to drastically increase JobSeeker Little-known $5,000 ATO retirement loophole revealed: 'Pretty simple' Australia's cross-generational money crisis exposed as woman living on $50 a week 'can't get work'"We are certainly seeing many more people coming to us for help than ever before," she said. "The cost of living is biting hard, and for people who are reliant on welfare payments, life is really tough. "It's really hard to pay rent, plus pay bills, electricity and whatever, to put food on the table, to pay for medical and dental expenses, expenses and everything. "And we're finding that more and more people are skipping meals so that they can pay the rent."More than 800,000 people are on JobSeeker, the second-biggest number of Centrelink recipients after the Age Pension. Mission Australia backed the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee's latest report that said JobSeeker deserved to jump to 90 per cent of the pension. That would increase the Centrelink payment from $56 per day to $74 per day. The Australian Council of Social Services believed the daily amount should rise to at least $82. The Committee's report found JobSeeker payments "continue to fall short of all benchmarks, creating sometimes severe hardship for our neediest citizens". It found there were benefits to substantially increasing the Centrelink amount including: Increasing overall well-being in Australia Lowering spending on government services Improving recipients' mental health Allowing recipients to afford medical care and purchase medicines, which could raise their capacity to participate in paid work and community activities Improve the education of families on JobSeeker Several Centrelink payments recently went up by a few dollars to keep pace with inflation under twice-yearly indexation. However, many of the people who are on these financial lifelines said it's nowhere near enough. Perth resident Damien, who's been on JobSeeker for more than five years, told Yahoo Finance that the "paltry" extra $3.10 per fortnight won't do anything to help him keep up with the cost of living. "I just scoffed at it. I just feel like not accepting it. It's not going to do us any benefit at all," the 62-year-old said. "$3.10 isn't even a litre of milk. We're supposed to be the lucky country." Linda, who is on the disability support pension, was equally furious. "That $3.50 pay rise we have just received from Centrelink is nothing short of a bloody insult," the NSW resident told Yahoo Finance. Disabled pensioner Trudi, who lives in government housing told Yahoo Finance that every time her Centrelink payments go up, so does her rent. "We get absolutely nothing, it's bulls**t," she said. "The government is slapping itself on the back, beating its chest... it's not enough, it will never be enough." The indexation that hit accounts last week affected JobSeeker, the Age Pension, ABSTUDY, Commonwealth Rent Assistance, Disability Support Pension, and the Carer in to access your portfolio
