Latest news with #Scamps
Epoch Times
06-05-2025
- Climate
- Epoch Times
Teal MP Apologises After Linking Climate Change to NRL Player's Death
Teal MP Sophie Scamps has been forced to apologise after being accused of linking the death of National Rugby League (NRL) player Keith Titmuss to climate change. Scamps represents Mackellar on Sydney's northern beaches, and will be defending a 3.3 percent margin at the federal election on May 3. In an interview, Scamps apologised for her comments after she copped criticism for implying a link between climate change and Titmuss's death. 'If there's any distress or upset, that was never my intention at all,' when asked what she would say to the family on 2GB. 'Our community was heartbroken for their family, and [my] deep apologies if she is upset.' The controversy stems from remarks made by Scamps at a Doctors for the Environment Australia event, where she suggested that 'lethal humidity' may have been a contributing factor in the death of the rugby player. Related Stories 4/29/2025 4/23/2025 Titmuss died following a training session on a humid day when temperatures reached 33°C. 'The Rugby league player died from heat stress after a training session,' Scamps said at the event. 'That sort of lethal humidity is something that the medical fraternity is getting more and more concerned about.' 'Lethal humidity' refers to conditions when heat and humidity make it too hard for the human body to cool itself via sweating. It has been What Was the Cause of Death? The coronial inquest determined that the death of Keith Titmuss, a Manly Sea Eagles Player, was caused by heat stroke, exacerbated by factors such as body mass and the intensity of training, not by climate change. 'Lethal humidity' was not listed as a contributing factor. Deputy State Coroner Magistrate Derek Lee's report Scamps Defends Her Comments In the interview, Scamps defended her remarks, explaining that she had not mentioned Titmuss by name and that her comments were about broader concerns over rising temperatures and humidity. She noted that medical professionals are increasingly worried about the increase in both heat and humidity. 'There is a concern from doctors all over the world that not only have we had the hottest year on record last year, the second hottest year the year before, and the last 10 hottest years have been in the last 10 years. So we have a warming climate,' she said. Election: Scamps Faces Challenge The teal MP won the seat of Mackellar from Liberal Jason Falinski in the 2022 federal election with the backing of She is now facing a challenge from Liberal candidate James Brown at the federal election. Brown, a former Australian army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, recently launched his campaign with the support of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and former Prime Minister John Howard. Brown has also held senior positions in various organisations, including Chief Executive Officer of the Space Industry Association of Australia and Chairman of Invictus Australia. 'James Brown chose to serve Australia, spending over a decade in the Army with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Solomon Islands. As president of the RSL in NSW, he led the campaign for a Royal Commission into Veteran and Defence Suicide,' Dutton 'Now, James is ready to represent Mackellar. As a father and first-time homeowner, he understands the pressures families face — especially with rising costs.' If elected, Brown is promising to spend $250 million to upgrade Mona Vale Road, $1 million for an upgrade to Avalon Beach, and $4.5 million to renovate Newport Surf Lifesaving Club.
Mercury
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Mercury
Steggall, Scamps, Ryan: Teal trio don't practise what they preach on donations
Three Teal independents who have campaigned for real-time disclosure of donations are not telling voters about who is giving them money and how much. While some Teals are voluntarily publishing details of financial support ahead of the election, the political finances of Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps and Monique Ryan will remain shrouded in secrecy for months. With support from the Coalition, the Albanese government passed reforms in February this year that will deliver real-time disclosure – but not until July 2026. 'Australians are still left in the dark at this election,' Grattan Institute deputy program director Kate Griffith said. During debate on that legislation, Mackellar Teal Dr Scamps described the move to real-time disclosure as 'welcome', but also said the changes 'should have been done much earlier so that they could have been applied to the next election in 2025'. However, unlike some other Teals, Dr Scamps is not disclosing her donations in real-time during this campaign. Her spokeswoman said Dr Scamps had no comment. In 2024, Ms Steggall backed a 'fair and transparent elections' bill put up by fellow Teal Kate Chaney of WA. The bill called for real-time disclosure of donations. Yet Ms Steggall still does not publish donations in real-time; Ms Chaney does, even though her bill did not become law. Ms Steggall told this masthead: 'I strongly support reforms to donation transparency including real-time disclosures. However, until the long-overdue reforms take effect, and all candidates are held to the same standard, I will comply with the current legal requirements. 'In the current political climate, where disclosures can be weaponised without equivalent scrutiny of major parties or candidates, fairness and consistency must underpin reform.' Dr Ryan said in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the 2022 poll that 'when Australians vote in an election, they should be able to know who has funded the candidates they are considering'. 'The fact that this is not currently the case decreases voters' faith in the transparency of the political process. Donations should be notified in real time wherever possible', Dr Ryan added. She does not disclose donations in real time. Her office did not respond to requests for comment. Disclosures by Wentworth independent Allegra Spender reveal former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's son Alex donated $25,000 last month – the same amount as he gave her at the last election. Meanwhile Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel, whose website shows specifics of the cash rolling in daily, has banked $16,000 from Samuel Terry Asset Management founder Fred Woollard. Accepting that money is in contrast to a decision of the NSW Greens, which rejected $7000 from Mr Woollard in 2022 because his fund invests in fossil-fuel businesses. Ms Daniel's website says tech entrepreneur Anna Josephson has donated $9800 since the start of the election campaign; Ms Josephson also gave $16,000 to Ms Chaney in February. The Australia Institute's democracy and accountability program director Bill Browne pointed to the merits of the voluntary actions of the Teals who were disclosing donations details. 'Parties and candidates can model an alternative political finance system in advance of it being adopted more broadly – that could be effective in showing that such a proposal is feasible and workable,' Mr Browne said. The changes that will lead to real-time disclosure from July next year replace a system that permits a disclosure lag of between 15 weeks and 19 months. Originally published as Teal trio Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps and Monique Ryan don't practise what they preach on donation transparency
Sky News AU
30-04-2025
- Health
- Sky News AU
Teal MP Sophie Scamps forced to defend comments linking death of NRL player Keith Titmuss to 'lethal humidity' caused by climate change
Teal MP Dr Sophie Scamps has apologised to the family of Manly Sea Eagles player Keith Titmuss after being filmed suggesting climate change may have played a role in his death. Titmuss died in 2020 after suffering a seizure at Manly's training ground in Narrabeen, with a coronial inquest later finding he had likely suffered a fatal heat stroke. The Daily Telegraph published footage of Dr Scamps at a Doctors for the Environment Australia conference in February, where she mentioned his death in the context of 'lethal humidity' caused by climate change. 'With every rise of one degree in temperature you have seven degrees increased per cent in humidity, so the death of that young man – and I'm not saying – the death of the young man the rugby league player when it was 33 degrees a very humid day, died from heat stress – you know, after a training session,' Dr Scamps said in the video. The remarks angered Titmuss' family, with his mother Lafo accusing Dr Scamps of using her son's death to 'gain political points'. Speaking to 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday, Dr Scamps said she was 'deeply sorry' for the upset she caused. 'If there's any distress or upset... deeply, deeply sorry, that was never my intention at all of course," she said. 'Our community was heartbroken for their family I must say … love and best wishes and deep apologies if there was any... if she is upset. " Mr Fordham said the death of the young footballer was a 'very delicate area' to be delving into, which prompted a further apology from Dr Scamps. 'I didn't actually mention the young man by name, nor did I say it was directly linked to climate change. The question was, what are doctors worried about with increasing temperatures?' she said. 'There is a concern from doctors all around the world that … we had the hottest year on record last year... and the last ten hottest years have been in the last ten years. 'Whatever we have, we have a warming climate. 'It is very unfortunate that I've upset the family but it's about even healthy young people... our bodies are not adapted to dealing with humidity.' When asked why she did not apologise to Titmuss' family immediately after the matter was first brought to her attention, she said she did not have their number. 'It was great to have this opportunity today to say that I am deeply sorry to the family today,' she said. Speaking to The Australian on Tuesday, Lafo hit out at the Teal MP as she declared her son's death had nothing to do with climate change. "I'm disappointed that (Dr Scamps) is using my son's name to try and gain political points when all she needed to do was read (the Deputy State Coroner's) findings, which mention nothing about climate change,' she said. Speaking separately to the Sydney Morning Herald, Ms Lafo said: 'The whole family are annoyed they are using Keithy's death for political gain."
7NEWS
30-04-2025
- Health
- 7NEWS
Teal MP Sophie Scamps blasted over linking NRL player Keith Titmuss' death to climate change
Teal MP Sophie Scamps has responded to backlash over linking the death of NRL player Keith Titmuss to climate change. Manly Sea Eagles player Titmuss, 20, suffered a seizure at an indoor workout session at the club's base on Sydney's Northern Beaches on November 23, 2020. Titmuss was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney but died five hours later from cardiac arrest. An inquest examining the death found the budding NRL player most likely suffered exertion heat stroke, although an autopsy was inconclusive. At the Doctors for the Environment conference earlier this year, Scamps — an emergency doctor and GP who won the Sydney Northern Beaches seat of Mackellar at the last federal election — linked Titmuss' death to 'lethal humidity'. 'One of the things that really struck me, we've got this thing called lethal humidity now,' she said in a video posted to her YouTube account. 'With every rise of one degree in temperature, you have seven degrees increased per cent in humidity. 'So, the death of that young man — and I'm not saying — the death of the young man, the rugby league player, when it was 33C, a very humid day, died from heat stress, you know, after a training session. 'That type of lethal humidity is something that the medical fraternity is getting more and more concerned about. 'Apparently the human body can survive, if it's dry heat, up to 54C — that's pretty hot. But with high humidity that level comes down to kind of 33C, even 31C. So, it's something to consider.' Titmuss' mother accused the MP of trying to use her son's death to score political points. 'I'm disappointed that (Scamps) is using my son's name to try to gain political points when all she needed to do was read (Coroner) Derek Lee's findings, which mention nothing about climate change,' Lafo Titmuss told The Australian. 'The whole family are annoyed they are using Keithy's death for political gain,' she later told the Sydney Morning Herald. Apology now issued Scamps told 2GB Sydney listeners on Wednesday morning she never intended to hurt the Titmuss family. 'Of course, if there's any distress or upset (I'm) deeply, deeply sorry,' she said. 'Our community was heartbroken for their family.' She said her 'love and best wishes' and 'deep apologies' were with the family. Host Ben Fordham asked why she decided to comment on the case of a patient she had never treated. Scamps said she avoided naming Titmuss and was simply responding to a question. 'It was a Doctors for the Environment event and I could say that I didn't actually mention the young man by name, nor did I ever say that it was directly linked to climate change,' Scamps said. 'The question was 'what are doctors worried about with, you know, increasing temperatures' and there is a concern from doctors all around the world that not only have we had — we'll just go back a little bit, we had the hottest year on record last year, the second-hottest year the year before, and the last 10 hottest years have been in the last 10 years. 'Whatever we have, we have a warming climate. One of the concerns that doctors do have is not only the increasing heat but increasing humidity — and our bodies are unfortunately poorly adapted to dealing with increased humidity.' This is impacting athletes worldwide, Scamps — herself a former runner who represented Australia in sprints and middle-distance events — said. University of Sydney Heat and Health Research Centre began conducting a world-first study into predicting lethal humidity and associated excess mortality late last year. Scamps' electorate of Mackellar — covering Northern Beaches suburbs from Dee Why to Palm Beach, including Narrabeen, Mona Vale, Avalon and Newport — is anticipated to be a key seat this federal election. She won the seat at the last election, breaking a long history of Liberal Party representation.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Teal MP Sophie Scamps is blasted in live radio train wreck as she makes grovelling apology to family of footy star Keith Titmuss who died aged just 20
Teal MP Sophie Scamps has made a grovelling apology to the family of Manly NRL player Keith Titmuss after she linked his tragic death to climate change. Dr Scamps, the independent member for Mackellar on Sydney 's northern beaches, suggested 'lethal humidity' could have been why the 20-year-old died following a gruelling Sea Eagles' training session at their Narrabeen base. Titmuss's family blasted Scamps' remarks on Tuesday, and she made the apology during an intense interview with 2GB radio star Ben Fordham on Wednesday morning. 'Of course, if there's any distress or upset, deeply, deeply sorry. That was never my intention at all,' Scamps said. Fordham then chastised Scamps for saying 'if there's any distress or upset', pointing out the fact that the statement from Titmuss's mother proved 'clearly she is really, really upset'. The announcer followed that by criticising Scamps - who is a medical doctor with experience working in a hospital emergency department and as a GP - for 'delving into the specific case of a deceased patient you've never treated'. Sea Eagles forward Keith Titmuss (pictured) was just 20 years old when he died after what a corner branded an 'inappropriate' level of exercise during a training session 'I didn't actually mention the young man by name, nor did I ever say that it [his death] was directly linked to climate change,' Scamps replied. 'It's very unfortunate that I've upset the family but it's all about healthy, young people - our bodies are not adapted to dealing with humidity.' 'I'm already getting messages from people saying, why didn't Sophie Scamps apologise yesterday when it was brought to her attention?' Fordham asked. 'I don't have their [the family's] number, unfortunately,' Scamps said. A coronial inquest last year found Titmuss died of exertional heatstroke after an 'inappropriately difficult' session. Medical experts told the inquest Titmuss's higher body mass and lower aerobic fitness levels compared to his teammates were risk factors that contributed to him overheating from exertion on the 'mild' 24C day that November. One of the paramedics who treated the rising star while he was having a seizure measured his temperature at nearly 42C, which was the highest they had ever seen. Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee found Manly's training session was 'more likely than not inappropriate'. Lee did not reference 'lethal humidity' in his findings. Dr Scamps has come under fire after speaking at a Doctors for the Environment Australia event in February where she predicted 'lethal humidity' would become widespread due to climate change. She referenced Titmuss's death without naming him. Dr Scamps made the remarks in relation to the 'the death of the young man, the rugby league player'. 'One of the things that really struck me – we've got this thing called lethal humidity now,' she said. 'With every rise of one degree in temperature you have seven degrees increased per cent in humidity, so the death of that young man – and I'm not saying – the death of the young man the rugby league player when it was 33 degrees a very humid day, died from heat stress – you know, after a training session. 'That type of lethal humidity is something that the medical fraternity is getting more and more concerned about. 'Apparently, the human body can survive up to 54 degrees Celsius – it's pretty hot. 'But, with high-level humidity, that level comes down to kind of 33, even 31 degrees, so it's something to consider.' Titmuss's mother Lafo was shattered after being informed of Dr Scamps' comments. 'I'm disappointed that [Scamps] is using my son's name to try and gain political points when all she needed to do was read Derek Lee's findings, which mention nothing about climate change,' she told News Corp. A spokeswoman for Dr Scamps again referenced 'lethal humidity' when queried about her controversial comments about the budding rugby league star. 'Sophie and the entire Northern Beaches community are desperately sad for the Titmuss family after the terrible tragedy of Keith's death, which the Coroner's Court found was caused by exertional heat stroke,' the spokeswoman said. 'As a doctor and former elite athlete, Sophie takes the threat of lethal humidity extremely seriously. As parents, we do not want our kids to have to train and compete in conditions that put their health at risk. Sophie will continue to push for action to ensure a safe working environment for all athletes, young and old.'
