Latest news with #YahooNewsAustralia
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Warning over common games amid hidden Aussie crisis that's 'too uncomfortable to talk about'
In Australia, a staggering 79 per cent of child sexual abuse (CSA) victims know their abuser, and an estimated one in four Australians have experienced abuse themselves. It's a confronting reality — one that affects millions across the country — and yet still too often exists in silence. Experts say breaking that silence is critical to removing the shame and stigma that continues to prevent so many survivors from coming forward. Shelley is both a mother and a survivor of child sexual abuse. She understands firsthand the weight of carrying the burden and how difficult it can be to speak out. In an interview with Yahoo News Australia, she stressed that addressing the abuse means going right to the root of the problem. "I've learned that prevention isn't just about education or the occasional conversation. It's about creating a way of life where children know they are safe, heard, and believed — always," she said. "We can't control what others do, but we can control how we show up for our children. That means raising them in an environment where trust is built every day, where body autonomy is respected from the start, and where no topic is too uncomfortable to speak about." Shelley said that also includes the hard work parents and caregivers must do on themselves —acknowledging personal wounds, challenging harmful beliefs, and letting go of the idea that "it won't happen to us." In many cases, she pointed out, abuse doesn't come from strangers — it happens within families, social circles and communities. In some cases, the harm even comes from other children who have been victims themselves. Leading child protection organisation Bravehearts is calling for greater national awareness around this issue with the launch of its new campaign, "Grooming Hides Behind Harmless". The campaign shines a light on the often-subtle behaviours predators use to groom children and the adults around them, gradually building trust to lower suspicion and gain access. Bravehearts CEO Alison Geale explained that grooming can look like everyday acts of kindness and familiarity. But even something as seemingly innocent as children's games can be a vehicle for boundary-testing. She said games like hide and seek, tag, doctors and nurses, mums and dads or play fighting can, in some instances, be used as a cover to push physical boundaries under the guise of play. While those games are a normal part of childhood, she emphasised the importance of being alert to patterns, like an adult or older child frequently initiating one-on-one play in private settings, encouraging secrets, or dismissing a child's discomfort. When a child is repeatedly isolated from others under the pretext of fun or special attention, it could be a red flag. Unprecedented spike exposes heartbreaking trend among young Aussies Sad trend among Aussie kids each day from 4pm Public service child abuse reports spike after inquiry "It's important to understand that grooming takes time and involves the grooming of not only the child but also those adults around the child," Alison said. "Gaining the trust of parents or even organisations is a critical component of gaining access to the child. "The grooming process can take time, sometimes years, as the offender builds trust. When treating a single behaviour in isolation, protective adults can view that as harmless, joining the dots can be tricky." The campaign urges all adults — parents, carers, teachers, coaches, neighbours — to recognise that awareness is a vital tool in prevention. By learning to spot manipulative behaviour early, people are better equipped to protect their kids. "Learn as much as you can about the signs," Alison said. "Child sex offenders are cunning and manipulative, often gaslighting parents, caregivers and other adults, leading them to believe that any suspicions they have are unfounded." Despite the 2017 Royal Commission recommendations, significant action is still lacking, particularly around unified national measures, Alison warned. She said there's still an ongoing need for stronger collaboration between state and federal governments on key issues like reporting, education, sentencing, and implementing a national Working with Children Check. While the National Strategy is making progress, crucial areas of prevention and treatment still require urgent attention. "A quarter of Australians have experienced child sexual abuse, and this is a conservative statistic," she said. "Parents and caregivers need to recognise this alarming fact, become knowledgeable about the facts and feel confident to be vigilant about the adults their children spend unsupervised time with." If you believe a child is at immediate risk of harm, call triple zero without delay and report to police. For guidance or support, you can contact Bravehearts' toll-free National Information and Support Line on 1800 272 831 (available Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm AEST). For further information, including how to report concerns in your state, visit Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Travelling caravan couple catch glimpse of rarely seen creature in shallows: 'Fascinating'
There's no shortage of fascinating wildlife in Australia. Sometimes, you just need to know where to look. For those travelling the continent like Mariella and Dougal, who are constantly on the lookout for animals, there's plenty to fill your days with. According to figures from the Australian federal Department of Environment, there is an estimated 566,000 living species in Australia, with only about 147,000 having been previously described. "Since hitting the road, we've made it a mission to photograph every species we come across," Mariella told Yahoo News Australia. "We're enthusiastic naturalists and passionate wildlife photographers, so any opportunity to document unique wildlife encounters is a real thrill for us." And it's been a thrill they've been chasing for years now, joining the growing number of people in Australia that live a nomadic lifestyle. "During Covid, we made the decision to buy a caravan and hit the road, and we haven't looked back since," she said. While Mariella is from Italy, she's been living in Australia for the past decade and met Dougal in his hometown of Airlie Beach in Queensland. "We left Airlie Beach about four years ago and have been on the move ever since," she explained to Yahoo. "We live full-time in our off-road caravan, which has been amazing. It gives us the freedom to change our backyard often." Travelling couple reveal 'hardest thing' about life on the road Aussie traveller's plea to every nine-to-five worker in the country Aussie man 'living out of a van' reveals hidden truth behind trend The couple is currently in Katherine, in the Northern Territory, before heading to Darwin to begin some work. Mariella is a qualified teacher aide while Dougal is a carpenter but has just been hired as a nature guide. "We usually take jobs that offer a place to park the van, or we connect with people happy to share their properties in exchange for a contribution. Sometimes we stay with friends, it's a flexible, community-based lifestyle and we absolutely love it." And, of course, it offers plenty of opportunity to have some wild encounters. One of those instances was shared on their social media this week, with the couple coming across the rather "amazing" algae octopus, which given the creature's camouflaging prowess, is easier said than done. "We're both underwater photographers and love chasing critters. We're equally obsessed with the big guys like manta rays, but it's the hidden world of small creatures that really captivates us," Mariella said. The pair managed to notice the nocturnal octopus underneath a piece of driftwood while enjoying a reef walk near a remote spot called Portland Roads, about 15 minutes from Lockhart River in Queensland. "They're such fascinating and intelligent animals, and it was a treat to spot one in the middle of the day since they're typically nocturnal," Mariella said. "The algae octopus (Abdopus aculeatus) is known for its ability to camouflage incredibly well, often mimicking algae or rubble on the seafloor. It's one of the few octopus species known to walk on two arms — almost like tiptoeing across the seabed. "Their behaviour and adaptability never cease to amaze us." Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bold plan to reintroduce wild animals into Australia's major cities
With the world's urban population set to increase by 20 per cent in 25 years, the footprint of our cities is set to densify and expand. That doesn't have to mean a complete loss of habitat for the native birds, insects, lizards, and mammals that live there too, but for them to survive, humans will need to change their behaviour. Researchers at the University of Sydney have reviewed 2,800 scientific papers and discovered rewilding of urban spaces can help native creatures thrive in cities. Examples include platypus populations growing outside of Sydney, leopard frogs being restored to Las Vegas, and beavers swimming in London for the first time in four centuries. Lead author Dr Patrick Finnerty told Yahoo News Australia there's a global push towards both planting more trees, but also repairing corridors between reserves, so populations of animals don't become isolated. 'Improving habitat fragmentation in cities is on people's minds, but it still remains a problem,' Finnerty explained. Well-known examples of fragmentation problems include: Grassland earless dragon populations being isolated in Canberra due to unsympathetic planning decisions. Elephants being fenced into a national park by development in Malawi Koalas having their natural range dissected in southwest NSW by new housing projects. Some environmental planners also have concerns that a push to create more density in Melbourne will lead to less habitat for wildlife. Both it and Sydney are already lagging behind other international cities when it comes to providing tree canopy cover for residents. There are clear leaders in improving the situation for wildlife. Both Adelaide and London have been designated as National Park Cities, a program that works to connect people with nature. And reconnecting the two is important, because 20 years ago, a US Government study found kids could recognise around 1,000 corporate logos but few native animals or plants. Cities are important hubs for native animals because humans like to build in the same temperate coastal areas where they thrive. Repairing lost green space results in immediate improvements for mobile species like birds, bats and insects. But if we want to see larger mammals and reptiles using these spaces then coordinated reintroduction is needed. 🐟 Hunt for rare Aussie fish not seen since 1990s 🌸 Bid to end centuries of 'confusion' around plants at centre of $5 billion industry 🏝️ Farmers lead Aussie research team to 'unreal' discovery on island Finnerty has been impressed by efforts to both rewild and reintroduce animals from depleted populations into Brazil's second biggest city. 'In Rio de Janeiro, there's been a huge push in improving the bordering national parks around the city and the interconnectedness into the city itself. That's probably the strongest example, because it's resulted in the movement of animals through urban spaces,' he said. 'But there are tonnes of examples of greening spaces. The New York Highline is a good example, and there's a conversation to change the Cahill Expressway in Sydney into a green corridor.' Finnerty recently worked with experts in Sydney to build a list of wild animals that could be reintroduced locally. 'Our initial list was huge. Sydney is missing dingoes, quolls, everything all the way through to little, tiny bushrats in some reserves, he said. 'Obviously the reintroduction of a dingo or spotted quoll into urban areas wouldn't work. But we narrowed down our list to a top four — the bush rat, the brush-tailed phascogale, echidna and feathertail glider — all smaller mammals into urban reserves.' Native bush rats are set to be reintroduced into urban reserves around Sydney in August as part of a pilot study. But once wild animals are set free in cities, they face threats they haven't evolved to withstand. They include: Vehicle strikes on busy roads that dissect green spaces Attacks from pets Rat baits sold at hardware stores, with little warning about their toxicity to wildlife. 'Terrestrial animals face huge problems, and it's a hurdle to rewilding itself. For example, when cats are allowed to freely roam in urban reserves, they decimate small mammal populations,' Finnerty said. But by reintroducing wild animals into cities, Finnerty hopes human residents will start to rethink their behaviour. 'It could be the impetus for people to think maybe we shouldn't let our cats roam at night, maybe we should slow down on the road,' he said. The research has been published in the journal BioScience. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Devastating find on beach highlights 'massive catastrophe' happening along Aussie coastline
A distressing discovery on a quiet Australian beach has laid bare a catastrophe unfolding along Australia's coastline, impacting millions of marine animals — and humans. Following days of heavy rain and flooding along the NSW Mid North Coast last week which left hundreds without a home and five people dead, hundreds and thousands of items — including a pontoon made out of styrofoam — have washed up on the region's beaches. The items, which were picked up and carried by floodwaters along the Manning River and washed out to sea, are now making their way back to shore. The river broke a record when it rose above six metres last week, surpassing the previous high of 5.97m set in 1929. A flood of this magnitude is so rare, it has a probability of less than 0.2 per cent in any given year, making it more uncommon than a 1-in-500-year event. Concerningly, these items collected by the flooding river are now breaking up into 'a million pieces' and flooding the ecosystem with microplastics and harmful materials. Amanda Marechal, from charity Take 3 for the Sea, told Yahoo News the daunting clean-up effort ahead will take weeks, if not months. "It's going to take a massive effort to get the beaches back," she said. Along with the styrofoam pontoon, there have been "entire jetties", livestock such as cows, horses, cars as well as oyster farming equipment ripped away by floodwaters. "You name it, it's out there," Amanda said. "This is a catastrophic event." Amanda explained the problem with Styrofoam is "when it does break up, it breaks into tiny little pieces," she explained. "They look a lot like fish eggs, an edible, tasty treat for so many little creatures in our ecosystem." They are eventually ingested by sea birds, and other animals "all the way up the food chain". Amanda believes there is "no place" for Styrofoam in the marine system, and she's not the first person who has spotted the single-use plastic item on one of Australia's pristine beaches. Calls to ban the product were sparked after sightings in Bondi, the Sunshine Coast, as well as on Magnetic Island. Australian Microplastic Assessment Project program director Dr Michelle Blewitt previously described polystyrene balls as a particularly 'horrific' type of plastic. Due to the lightness of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) the balls can travel across the globe via wind and ocean currents. 'Not only that, but when they get out there they break up into smaller pieces,' she told Yahoo News Australia. Ms Johnston explained that in 1960 less than five per cent of all seabirds had plastic in their systems, by 1980 the numbers rose to about 80%, and now the latest estimates suggest that by 2050, the figure will be 99 per cent. Debris will be "washing further down the coast' as well," Amanda warned. Amanda praised the amazing effort by locals who have come out in droves to help clean up the beaches. "The minute the waters receded and tide dropped, there was so many people on the beach doing what they can," she said. However, microplastics washed into the water will "be a problem for a long time", she said. "The biggest pieces are going to stay in the environment and break up," she said. Whatever doesn't wash up will get picked up by currents and moved further out to sea. Amanda has urged anyone who spots debris on the beach to contact the SES, or local council. "We need to get everything we can out of the ocean, it's a massive job," she said. Almost 800 properties have been deemed unfit for living, with the number expected to rise Five people have died: one at Rosewood near Port Macquarie, one in Dorrigo west of Coffs Harbour, one at Nana Glen north of Coffs Harbour, one at Moto north of Taree, and one in Cooplacurripa near Taree Insurers have received some 4,930 claims from the floods, an increase of about 800 since Monday. Flood-affected communities across 19 local government areas can apply for grants, loans or payments through myGov A one-time payment of $1000 per adult and $400 per child was made available on Tuesday for those suffering major damage to their home, or serious injury, or loss of a loved one due to the floods The Australian Tax Office might defer tax lodgements or debt payments to people affected by floods The big four banks are providing disaster assistance for flood-affected individuals. with AAP Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Australia records highest rates of 'aggressive' cancer in the world: 'We don't know why'
Australia is facing a troubling rise in one of the world's most aggressive cancers appearing in younger people — and experts admit they don't yet understand what's driving it. Despite overall declines in bowel cancer rates, cases among Australians under 50 are climbing fast, with researchers warning of a silent surge of the deadly disease in younger adults. Professor Mark Jenkins, Head of the Colorectal Cancer Unit at the University of Melbourne, has been studying the trend. He said over the last 30 years, there have been more than 28,000 people under the age of 50 diagnosed with bowel cancer. In Australia alone, researchers estimate this trend has led to 4,300 additional diagnoses of early-onset bowel cancer over that period. Bowel cancer develops in the lining of the colon or rectum, often without obvious symptoms at first, and can spread rapidly if not detected early. "It's getting worse — in Australia, but also around the world — it's increasing," Jenkins told ABC Radio National on Wednesday. "So there's something going on, but we don't know why." When Queensland woman Laura Corfield experienced "persistent pain" and discomfort in her tummy, she was reassured by doctors her symptoms were expected during pregnancy. But as weeks went on and the bowel trouble continued, she knew something "wasn't right". The Brisbane mum felt nauseous early in her pregnancy, which continued for four more months. But a heartbreaking diagnosis 22 weeks into the pregnancy threw the "healthy" mum's life into a spin when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel cancer. She was just 35 years old. "I was in total disbelief," she told Yahoo News Australia recently. "They said it was aggressive and really advanced. They used all those words you don't want to hear at that moment". Various theories have been proposed, including increasing obesity, declining physical activity, lower use of protective medications like aspirin, and even exposure to microplastics. One of the country's leading specialists when it comes to microplastics, Dr Michelle Blewitt, previously explained to Yahoo how people often ingest the potentially deleterious material. "Every time Aussies wash their clothes, millions of tiny microfibres are shed and released. When these plastics make their way into our oceans, they're often eaten by fish and aquatic life, and subsequently by us," she said. "Anything less than five millilitres in size is a microplastic, and if it gets smaller than one millilitre, it becomes nanoplastics, and then picoplastics, until we're breathing it in. Aussie mum's shock cancer diagnosis during pregnancy Risky activity Gen Z admit they love despite dire warning Aussie family's remarkable bravery after baby girl's tragic diagnosis "Whatever is consuming these plastics, they get a dose of those chemicals as well". Blewitt said while we don't often consume the stomachs of fish, "what we do know is that when you're eating the whole animal, like a prawn or an oyster, you're eating a whole dose". But while microplastics may play a role, it doesn't fully explain the rise, Jenkins pointed out. "The strongest theory at the moment is that it's something to go with the bacteria in our gut, which we call the microbiome," he told ABC radio this morning. "Maybe there's been a change in them, maybe they've become more toxic over time. But it could be something else completely." Given the mystery, researchers are now turning to molecular studies, analysing tumour DNA to try and pinpoint the causes. In the meantime, Jenkins said the best defence is early detection. "The most effective thing that can be done is to try and diagnose bowel cancer before it becomes more serious," he said. People aged 45–49 are now eligible for the national screening program and can request a home test kit online. "It's a great one to do, it's really high quality, one of the best in the world." He also urged younger Australians to stay alert. "Young people, though not in that age group, if they have a strong family history of bowel cancer, they should go and talk to their doctors… because they may be eligible for screening as well," he said. Symptoms to watch for include blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. "Some of those symptoms are pretty vague, but in combination, they might be signs that something is going on.' Although the causes remain unclear, experts agree that living a healthy lifestyle — including regular exercise, a balanced diet, and not smoking — is one of the most effective steps people can take. If bowel cancer is detected early, treatment is often highly effective — but once it spreads, it becomes far more challenging to manage. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
