☕️ NSW holds loneliness inquiry

Here is today’s riddle: How can you physically stand behind your friend when they are also standing behind you?

The answer is in the tidbit!

“The Australian Government is gravely concerned by the sentence handed down in Hong Kong for Australian citizen Mr Gordon Ng… This is a deeply difficult time for Mr Ng, his family and supporters. Our thoughts are with them following the sentencing.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong’s statement on the sentencing of dozens of democracy activists, including Australian Gordon Ng, to up to 10 years in prison in Hong Kong. The activists were charged under a national security law instituted in 2020.

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How many days train services could be disrupted in Sydney, after the NSW Government failed to reach an agreement with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.

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New data from the Commonwealth Bank has found that 18 to 29-year-olds are spending less on essentials, “in response to cost of living pressures”.

CommBank compared the spending habits of around 7 million Australians for its latest cost of living report.

It found people in regional parts of the country are spending more than their city-based counterparts. The report said property and rent price increases had likely impacted slower spending growth in metro areas.

Here’s the latest.

CommBank compared two types of expenses — essentials (e.g. groceries, petrol, medical expenses and insurance) and discretionary items (e.g. travel, streaming subscriptions and food delivery services.)

Essentials spending by young Australians (18 to 29) fell 2.3% in the year to 30 September. This is compared to an overall decrease of 1.7% for essentials.

Young Australians’ discretionary spending fell by 1.9% compared to an overall increase in discretionary items of 1.3%

CommBank described a “generational spending gap” between younger and older Australians.

Between 2023 and 2024, overall spending declined among 18 to 39-year-olds. Head of Innovation and Analytics Wade Tubman attributed this decrease to “cost of living pressures” which he said were being felt across a “large swathe of the population”.

“By contrast, those aged 60-69 increased spending by 3.9% and over 70s by 7.7%,” the report said.

People aged 18 to 29 spent 5% less on travel for the 12 months to September 30.

In the same period, Australians aged 70 and over spent 12% more on travel.

Tubman said: “The fact that spending has increased on food delivery and streaming services suggests consumers are foregoing meals out to treat themselves at home.”

“Consumers are also opting for discount purchases online, reflecting an environment of belt-tightening,” he added.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Mental health experts and advocates have fronted a NSW inquiry into the “prevalence, causes and impacts of loneliness”.

The inquiry has received over 130 submissions from organisations and individuals since it was announced by the NSW Government earlier this year.

Ending Loneliness Together – the peak national body on social health – told the inquest an estimated 29% of people in NSW “report loneliness at any given time”.

Several stakeholders are calling on the State Government to establish a Minister for Loneliness to address the issue.

More than 42% of Australians aged 15 to 24 reported psychological distress in 2021, according to national data. The figure is the highest rate of loneliness across all age groups.

The findings, released in February, were included in the latest Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report.

HILDA acknowledged loneliness rates increased during the pandemic, but noted concerns about a “longer-term trend” of loneliness.

In August, NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson announced a Parliamentary Inquiry on the impacts of loneliness.

Jackson called loneliness “a significant public issue” and said the inquiry would “pave the way for practical solutions,” including support measures for at-risk groups.

The State Government is working with mental health experts, advocates, “and those with a lived experience of loneliness” for its inquiry.

A day of public hearings last week examined “the extent, causes and impacts of loneliness.”

Several advisors, researchers, and mental health professionals were called to appear as witnesses, including Ending Loneliness Together CEO Professor Michelle Lim.

Lim called for a long-term “evidence-based strategy” to “promote social connection and address loneliness” in NSW.

Beyond Blue CEO Greg Jennings echoed Lim’s calls for a Government strategy.

Ending Loneliness Together suggested a NSW ‘Minister for Social Connection’ be established to coordinate the strategy’s delivery.

Global firm KPMG and the Groundswell Foundation also called for a similar Ministerial appointment. It cited the UK, which launched the world’s first Minister for Loneliness in 2018.

Representatives from Relationships Australia appeared at the hearing, where they called for government-funded awareness campaigns and boosted research efforts into addressing loneliness.

Dr. Abbey Love from Autism Spectrum Australia said Autistic people “are among the populations most at risk for loneliness and social isolation.”

This also translated to higher rates of depression and social anxiety.

Love’s submission flagged “a critical void in the data needed” to address “the prevalence of loneliness and social isolation among Autistic adults in NSW.”

Autism Spectrum Australia is calling for more research “to address this issue effectively.”

In its submission to the inquiry, the Business Council of Australia (BCA) noted the economic impacts of loneliness. It estimated healthcare costs associated with loneliness have reached $2.7 billion per year.

BCA urged the NSW Government to consider the broad ramifications of loneliness on “individuals, communities and the economy.”

It called on the Government to consider “at-risk groups” in its future policy initiatives and to acknowledge “that a one-size-fits-all approach will not be the solution.”

NSW Shadow Mental Health Minister Robyn Preston welcomed the inquiry.

“The COVID-19 pandemic particularly brought to the surface festering issues of loneliness and the huge impacts it has on one’s metal health and wellbeing,” Preston told TDA.

Preston hopes the inquiry will shed light on a range of issues, “from the impact [loneliness] has on our youth to the ramifications felt by our seniors.”

A second day of public hearings for the inquiry is scheduled for 12 December.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Hommey’s getting cosy with 25% off storewide

From now until December 2nd, Hommey will be treating their customers to a very tempting 25% off storewide. 

If you’ve been eyeing off new bedding and towels for a summer home refresh, you’ve come to the right place. And for the stylish people in your life, this is the one stop shop to keep them happy this Christmas. 

From bed to the beach, Hommey’s got things covered. 

The award was presented at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame gala. The ‘Don Award’, named after cricket legend Don Bradman, is an annual award for the Australian athletes or team whose sporting achievements have ‘most inspired the nation’.

Jess, the elder Fox sister, brought her Olympic medal tally to six in Paris after winning gold in the K1 and C1 canoe slalom events. Days later, Noémie followed suit and won gold in the kayak cross, a canoe slalom event that made its debut at the Paris Games.

Jess told AAP that they’re often “up against each other for these sorts of awards… so to actually win it together is really special.”

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Achol Arok.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for word nerds, when the Macquarie Dictionary hands over the keys to the kingdom and lets the public choose the word of the year.

To refresh your memory, 2023’s words of the year were ‘cozzie livs’ (cost of living) and ‘generative AI’ (get ChatGPT to explain that one to you).

The shortlist of words or phrases that best defined 2024 include nonsensical Gen Alpha internet catchphrases ‘brainrot’, ‘sigma’, and ‘skibidi’.

Other words on Macquarie Dictionary’s shortlist include terms for social phenomena like ‘rent bidding’, the ‘right to disconnect’, and ‘overtourism’.

Voting is now open, with the winner to be announced next week.

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Riddle answer: You stand back-to-back.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

A controversial Government bill has sparked protest inside and outside New Zealand’s Parliament. The bill, which would change the legal interpretation of the country’s founding treaty, isn’t just unpopular with Parliament and Kiwis, it’s not supported by the Prime Minister.

In today’s deep dive, we explain the bill that’s made world headlines, and why it’s led to such a firm public response.