Vape stores clustered around schools and in the most disadvantaged suburbs, Australian study finds.

Extract from The Guardian

 

Researchers from the University of Notre Dame Australia found vape store density was nearly seven times higher in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas compared with wealthier suburbs.

Health

Nation-first audit of shops in Western Australia found almost nine out of 10 vape stores were within walking distance of schools.

Natasha May

@natasha__may

Wed 31 Jan 2024 01.00 AEDT

Last modified on Wed 31 Jan 2024 01.03 AEDT

Vape stores are concentrated around schools and in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, Australian researchers have shown for the first time in an audit of dedicated shops in Western Australia.

The study led by researchers from the University of Notre Dame Australia and published on Wednesday in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found almost nine out of 10 vape stores were within walking distance of schools.

The researchers also found vape store density was nearly seven times higher in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas compared with wealthier suburbs.

Australian Border Force seizes 13 tonnes of disposable vapes in Adelaide

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The researchers identified 194 dedicated e-cigarette retailers in Western Australia after manually searching the internet and social media, and measured their proximity to 1,144 government, independent and Catholic schools.

They found approximately one in three vape stores were located within 500 metres of a school and 88% were located within one kilometre of a school.

The study focused on brick-and-mortar vape stores because of their overt advertising of vaping products and because evidence shows that first-time exposure to vape products often occurs in a physical retailer setting.

The researchers said because the audit findings focused only on dedicated vape stores, they underestimate the total number of e-cigarette retailers in the state, which can also include convenience stores and independent supermarkets.

Prof Lisa Wood, a senior author of the paper from the Institute for Health Research at Notre Dame University, said the study is the first of its kind to look comprehensively at the relationship between vape store location and area of disadvantage, as well as the first state-wide study in Australia to look at proximity of bricks-and-mortar vape stores to schools.

Because there is no public registry of vape stores in WA, unlike for tobacco retailers which have a licensing scheme, Wood said “we have to be vigilant in keeping an eye on the landscape of vape stores”.

The study’s finding of 159 dedicated vape stores in Perth represents an increase of 120% since a previous audit of vape stores in the city in 2019 identified 72 retailers across vape shops, tobacconists or smoke shops.

Exclusive data obtained by the Guardian in November showed that more than 600 vape stores had opened in NSW in the first half of 2023 despite the federal government announcing tough reforms that will ban sales from convenience stores.

Young people think vapes aren’t harmful because they are so easy to buy, study finds

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A ban on the importation of disposable single-use vapes came into effect on 1 January but Wood said the rest of the federal reforms that will ban all vaping products “can’t come soon enough”.

“Until the new round of reforms are passed, [vape stores] are continuing promoting and selling their product,” she said.

“Legislation is not being solely driven by government or public health community, it’s also parents saying enough is enough.”

While the study was focused on Western Australia, Wood said she would expect similar findings if the research was replicated in other states or territories.

The University of Sydney tobacco control expert Prof Becky Freeman said “this is a high quality study that adds to our understanding of how and where vaping products are sold in WA”.

“Across Australia, we have limited data on the actual number of outlets that sell vapes, this is due to two key reasons. Firstly, most vaping products sold are illicit products and secondly, vape retailers are not licensed in most Australian states and territories,” Freeman said.

“That said, with the planned Federal reforms coming in 2024 that will ban the retail sell of all vaping products, across all Australian jurisdictions, vape shops are set to become a thing of the past.”

Freeman said global and Australian research had shown tobacco retailers were concentrated in low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods and that this study suggested a similar trend in terms of vape shop concentration.

Deadliest six months on Australian roads since 2010 leaves industry demanding answers.

Extract from The Guardian

Transport

Motoring association criticises data quality and say Australia has ‘no credible plan’ to reduce incidents as nation records 677 deaths since July 2023.

Elias Visontay Transport and urban affairs reporter

Sun 28 Jan 2024 17.00 AEDT

Last modified on Sun 28 Jan 2024 17.05 AEDT

The second half of 2023 was the deadliest six months on Australian roads since 2010, but there is “no credible plan” to make roads safer, the industry claims, as it pleads for better data to understand what is causing the surge in fatal crashes.

In the three months to September 2023, there were 341 road deaths nationally. The following quarter’s figures decreased only slightly from that, with a further 336 deaths recorded to the end of December. The total 677 road deaths in the final six months of 2023 was the largest half-yearly road toll since the first half of 2010, when 688 people died on roads across Australia.

For the 2023 calendar year, 1,266 people died on Australian roads, an increase of 7.3% on 2022. That made last year the deadliest on Australian roads since January 2017, when 1,288 deaths were recorded.

The figures show the continuing trend of Australian roads becoming deadlier despite an ongoing national effort to reduce fatalities.

The National Road Safety Strategy, endorsed by all states and territories and the federal government, set a target of reducing road deaths by 50% between 2021 and 2030 and achieving zero road deaths in CBD areas, national highways and among all children aged seven and under. However, annual road deaths are now 15.4% higher than when the strategy began.

The ‘road toll’ is a benign term that sanitises the senseless waste of human life in Australia

Paul Daley

Read more

No state or territory is now on track to reach its targets under the strategy, but data suggests roads in some jurisdictions are more dangerous than others.

The 7.3% increase in the national road death toll in 2023 was driven by a 24.9% rise in New South Wales to 281 deaths, a 22.5% in Victoria to 240 deaths and a 64.9% increase in South Australia to 117 deaths. Meanwhile, other states recorded decreases in deaths – Queensland’s toll reduced by 6.7% to 277, and Western Australia’s reduced by 9.7% to 158.

While the increase in road deaths is made clear in the data, there is no clear understanding as to what is behind the trend, according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).

The AAA is critical of the lack of data relating to the quality of Australian roads, the causes of crashes and the effectiveness of crash prevention measures, which it says is collected by police and authorities in each state and territory but not released publicly or coordinated for road safety efforts. It says voluntary data-sharing arrangements are failing.

The group has been calling on the federal government to require states and territories to provide their existing road safety data as a condition of receiving commonwealth road grants – something which it says is a promise taken to the 2022 election that remains unfulfilled.

Michael Bradley, the AAA’s managing director, said “without good data, Australia has no credible plan to understand its current road trauma problems or prevent their continuation”.

“While so much data relating to roads quality and crash causation remains secret, Australia can neither identify the cause of its rising road toll, nor develop the most effective measures to reduce it,” Bradley said.

The AAA wants the requirement for states and territories to provide their data to form part of the new funding agreement which will take effect from July and serve as guidelines for how $50bn in road funding is spent over the next five years.

Road safety academics have considered a range of possible factors behind the increasing road toll, including deteriorating road quality and speed limits which are too high for smaller and rural roads, as well as impatience and poor driving habits which developed on emptier streets during lockdowns.

Prof Stuart Newstead, the director of Monash University’s accident research centre, also flagged the significant rise in SUV ownership over the past decade which he noted could lead to a sense of security which made drivers less concerned about other road users’ safety, as well as the larger vehicles being more dangerous in collisions.

The transport minister, Catherine King, has been contacted for comment.

West Indies bring light to Test cricket on a day of impossible joy as Australia is beaten at the Gabba.

Extract from ABC News 

Analysis

By Dean Bilton

Posted 11 hours ago

Shamar Joseph became a West Indies hero and a superstar of the future in victory at the Gabba.(Getty Images: Albert Perez)

Link copied

None of this was supposed to happen. None of it seemed even remotely possible.

They weren't even meant to be playing for one, such was the biblical downpour that smashed Brisbane for almost the entire morning. The crowd stayed away as a result — and won't thousands be kicking themselves for that.

• Five quick hits: Tears of joy for Windies, unwanted records for Aussies
• As it happened: Look back at how the action unfolded on day four in our live blog
• Full scorecard: Get all the scores and stats

Shamar Joseph wasn't meant to be bowling, that's for sure. His right big toe had been obliterated by a Mitchell Starc yorker the night before, to the point where he could not walk himself off the field without support.

The West Indies weren't meant to get close, certainly not after Steve Smith and Cameron Green calmly picked off the first 45 minutes of the day and half of the runs Australia required.

And then even if Joseph could somehow stand and run and bowl, he surely could not dream of doing it for 10 straight overs, sending them down regularly over 145kph, while blowing Australia's middle order away on what would become the West Indies' greatest day for a generation.

Implausible doesn't even come close to doing it justice. It had to be seen to be believed.

The secret to Test cricket's enduring appeal is that days like this are rare, but always possible. And they can sneak up on you, the greatest joys coming when your guard is down and you are not anticipating them.

That certainly sums up this day and this match, but could be extended to the West Indies team as a whole.

Most reasonable judges predicted a walkover of a series, the West Indies not nearly well enough equipped for a task of this magnitude. At times that has been true, and a 10-wicket defeat in Adelaide doesn't make much of a counterargument.

But the Australian public has been taken by this travelling team and the way they play the game. Calypso Summer 2.0 it may not be, but there has been an admiration and fondness for these Windies that is not extended for every visiting side.

Topping the list of new crowd favourites is Shamar Joseph, even before his star turn on day four in Brisbane. He was a revelation in Adelaide, and was lapping up the crowd's attention through the early days of this Test.

But his performance at the Gabba was something else, quality reserved for the best of the best in this game.

Belief grew with every Shamar Joseph wicket.(Getty Images: Cricket Australia/Chris Hyde)

It was heart, athleticism and skill; blood, sweat and tears. It was lightning fast, absolutely captivating. Fast bowling in its purest form, the best thing Test cricket has to offer.

After the game he admitted he wasn't even planning on turning up to the Gabba for the day that has changed his life. As time goes on, we will learn the extent of his toe injury — give it a few years and we will embellish it well beyond the point of believability.

One by one, the wickets fell and the West Indies' belief grew. Cameron Green and Travis Head bowled in consecutive balls to wake everyone up. Mitch Marsh caught in the slips and Alex Carey castled to make it feel real.

Then it was up to Australia's bowlers to try to help Steve Smith do it himself. Mitchell Starc batted recklessly, picking off some quick runs but throwing a vital wicket away in the process. Pat Cummins couldn't handle Joseph's pace.

Alzarri Joseph chipped in to get rid of Nathan Lyon, before clearing the stage for Shamar's crowning moment. The top of Josh Hazlewood's off stump knocked back, and a celebration for the ages launched.

There were grown men crying in the Gabba, current and former West Indian players alike. It's the first time they've celebrated a Test win in this country for 27 years, and they've got a 24-year old dynamo to thank.

On the other side, Australia's curious decisions and poor batting made for a loss that was unthinkable only a few days ago.

Travis Head was bowled for a duck, completing his golden pair.(Getty Images: Cricket Australia/Albert Perez)

Declaring while behind is a brave move, but one that looks foolish when the team goes on lose by eight runs. There's probably a reason only two teams have ever won a Test after declaring behind.

Smith carried his bat, a feather in any opener's cap, but he and his teammates were unable to negotiate the finer details of the run chase.

Too many wickets were lost in clumps, the tactics of the tailenders seemed too haphazard, and it wasn't until Hazlewood came to the crease after stumps that Smith began manipulating the strike.

In the end it all happened so quickly for the Australians. Cruising with Smith and Cameron Green at the crease, the game turned completely in less than an hour.

It was the sort of collapse that defined previous versions of this team but seemed to have been consigned to history. Perhaps this one can be put down to fatigue, or simply running into the wrong man at the wrong time.

Or it might just be the case that this Test didn't mean half as much to Australia as it did for the West Indies. And why should it? The Australians aren't fighting for their future in this format with every ball they bowl, desperate to earn respect and retain relevance in a sport it once dominated.

The West Indies celebrate a win 27 years in the making.(Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)

Australia is already thinking of New Zealand, and then India next summer. Its calendar is unrelenting — hell, these guys have barely finished celebrating World Cup wins, Test World Championships, Ashes retention, everything else in between.

The world of cricket for Australia is massive, and densely populated. For the West Indies there are only slivers to look through, so every glimpse of the light means the world.

The light shone as bright as it has in decades on this day and, thankfully, they shared it all with us. We will never forget this match and series that has once again reminded us of Test cricket's true value and the special place the West Indies hold within it.

Bernie Sanders says US is facing an inequality crisis and Donald Trump is not the answer.

 Extract from ABC News

7.30

Exclusive by Sarah Ferguson and Marina Freri

Posted 39 minutes ago

After a long career in politics Bernie Sanders is still fighting against wealth inequality.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Link copied

Bernie Sanders doesn't blame ordinary Americans for succumbing to the appeal of Donald Trump.

"I want the people of Australia to understand it's not because everybody who votes for Trump is a racist, or a sexist or a homophobe," US Senator Sanders told 7.30.

According to Senator Sanders, the leader of the US progressive movement who campaigned twice for nomination for president, much of the response to Mr Trump is driven by economic conditions.

"Millions of people are hurting, they're suffering," Senator Sanders said.

"They're working for inadequate wages. In America, our health care system is a disaster. [People] can't afford to send their kids to college, housing costs are off the chart … and they're looking at the government, they're looking at what Democrats have done for years and not much has happened to improve their lives."

A large number of new migrants wait in line for clothes and food during the New York winter.(Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

The American middle class has been shrinking for decades.

"The average American worker today, his or her wages are lower than they were 50 years ago, parents are worried about their kids who might have a lower standard of living than they do," Senator Sanders said.

"People are feeling that government does not listen, does not understand their pain. And they are turning to somebody who says: 'Forget all of that. I've got the answer. Don't worry about democracy. I'll take care of it for you."

While Senator Sanders doesn't blame ordinary Americans for putting their faith in former president Trump, he says the consequences of a Trump victory would be dire for the entire world.

Senator Sanders is concerned what another term as US president for Donald Trump would mean for the world. (Reuters: Carlos Barria)

"Everything is at stake … If the United States moves in an authoritarian way, it will certainly send a signal to every country on Earth that, that's the future of politics." Senator Sanders said of Donald Trump.

"He's a phoney, he's a pathological liar. But I'm afraid his appeal is working."

'Extreme level' of inequality

Fighting inequality in the United States has been central to Senator Sanders's political career, in his home state of Vermont and as a federal politician since 2007.

But he says the crisis has now reached an "extreme level."

A recent study by Deloitte's Global Economist Network found that in just two years between 2019 and 2021, the net worth of America's top 1 per cent of earners went up by a staggering 23 per cent.

According to analysis of pay scales by the Economic Policy institute, in 1965 the ratio of pay between a typical CEO and a worker was 20-1. By 2018, the ratio was 278-1.

The gap has continued to rise.

"It is absolutely true that we've always had inequality in America," Senator Sanders told 7.30. "But you have not had a situation where three people own more wealth than the bottom half of American society.

Tents and trailers line this Los Angeles street, showing many Americans are doing it tough.(Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

"You've not had a situation where three Wall Street firms are the major shareholders in 95 per cent of the major corporations in America happen. So, you're seeing concentration of wealth and power."

In 2023, Senator Sanders wrote a book called It's OK to be angry at capitalism, condemning what he calls the excesses of "unfettered capitalism" while offering a road map for the Democratic party to win back its traditional voters among America's working class.

"Too many Democratic leaders have kind of given up on the working class of this country," he said.

"And, certainly, one of my missions now is to create an agenda and a platform for Democrats to take on powerful special interests, and to improve lives for ordinary Americans."

In the race for the 2020 presidential nomination, Democratic party leaders urgently closed ranks against Senator Sanders's campaign, ensuring victory for a struggling Joe Biden, but Senator Sanders's success in the early primaries (following a similar pattern against Hilary Clinton in 2016) meant the Democrats were forced to adopt more of his progressive platform, including increasing the minimum wage, lowering prescription drug costs and expanding access to medicare.

Bernie Sanders wants Mr Biden to make use of progressive policies in his election bid.(Reuters: Carlo Allegri)

Senator Sanders told 7.30 progressive ideas are crucial to Mr Biden's chances in the 2024 US election.

"Biden is not going to win if young people do not vote in large numbers, if working class people do not support him," he said.

"And I think it makes sense to him, I know it does make sense to him. The truth is the progressive agenda is an enormously popular agenda. This is not a fringe agenda."

Senator Sanders provoked a furore during his last campaign by declaring, "I don't think billionaires should exist".

According to him, the existence of a billionaire class isn't just about wealth inequality but also its impact on the political system.

"The result is that in every election, the people on top are spending more and more money to elect the candidates they want to see … so what you're seeing is a political system which is increasingly controlled by billionaires. And that is true in both political parties."

Biden and the American gerontocracy

The 82-year-old politician is yet to announce whether he will recontest the Senate seat he has held since 2007 (prior to that he had held a Congressional seat since 1991) but he acknowledges the challenge of US politics being dominated at the highest levels by older people.

Bernie Sanders was first elected to Congress more than 30 years ago.(US Government Printing Office)

"We have made progress in recent years in terms of more Blacks in positions of power, more women, certainly in positions of power … I think we still have a long way to go to bring young people into the political process."

But asked about whether Joe Biden should stand aside for a younger candidate, Senator Sanders refused to comment.

"I don't want to speculate about the what-ifs, what should have happened, Biden is the candidate and our job is … to make it very clear that Biden has done some good things … I think he's not getting the credit for what he has done."

"What we have got to make clear to ordinary Americans is 'you may not like everything that Biden has done, maybe you think he's too old … but you know what? The alternative is a hell of a lot worse'."

Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV

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Financial Armageddon a risk as climate disasters leave insurers on the ropes.

Extract from ABC News 

Environment

Greg Hallam
Jan 27, 2024

Bushfire, flooding and storm damage are pushing major insurers and banks towards a major financial crisis. Photo: Getty

Tens of thousands of Australian properties are currently uninsured against flood, fire or cyclone damage. Most have bank mortgages.

At the time of the last federal election it was estimated that 14,000 properties north of the the Tropic of Capricorn were uninsured , prompting the development by the Morrison government of a $10 billion federal parametric reinsurance instrument to prop up the failing overseas re-insurance market – critical to the issuance of onshore insurance cover.

That is said to have failed its first test following Cyclone Jasper in far north Queensland, as a consequence of a 48-hour damage clause.

Numbers of uninsured properties have skyrocketed in the past two financial years. According to the Institute of Actuaries, there have been premium rises of 25 per cent across the board and 50 per cent in disaster-prone areas.

At some point the banks will have to act on loans to domestic properties and businesses that are uninsured – it’s a bank loan requirement to insure your business and or property. Or they themselves will face having contingent liabilities on their books.

The crunch is coming

To date, the size of the risk hasn’t been significantly material to qualify the banks’ financial statements. But rest assured, actuaries and lawyers will have their say and, at a minimum, notes to annual financial accounts will start to appear. Crunch time is just around the corner.

In October last year, the Reserve Bank of Australia noted in its Emerging Threats to Financial Stability Report that “a particular domestic focus in the period ahead will be the insurance sector. Insurers can quickly reset premiums or withdraw coverage from high-risk regions”.

As a consequence of this emerging risk, the RBA and the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority are undertaking a climate risk study with insurers. That’s a big red flashing light in my book.

The Climate Council reported in 2023 that since the 2019- 20 Black Summer bushfires there had been 788,000 climate-related insurance claims in Australia and that trend was unsustainable.

At the same time, McKinsey & Co claimed the effects of climate change are here. Furthermore, that stronger and more frequent natural disasters are putting the insurance system at risk.

Finally, former RBA official and now chief economist with Challenger Jonathan Kearns recently said: “The potential withdrawal of insurance and financial services to households and businesses at most risk from flooding and bushfires will create a big headache for governments. Banks and insurers need to advocate to restrict building in disaster prone areas and for the expansion of federally funded reinsurance pools.”

It’s not just probable, but most likely, that property insurance will be either prohibitively priced or non-existent in northern Australia by the end of the decade, if not earlier.

Moreover, large swathes of southeast Queensland will also be under the pump. As I have previously reported, the London reinsurance market has lost $100 billion globally in the past two financial years.

The system is at breaking point. The banks calling in mortgages will be the last card to fall. To date, the banks remain publicly mum on the subject. But for how long will that be the case?

Lismore on steroids

Queensland Premier Steven Miles has called the federal scheme a failure. I characterise it as a good idea that failed.

Meanwhile, Assistant Federal Finance Minister Stephen Jones has said the RBA-APRA probe will hold additional meetings in the far north. Most importantly he stated: “As a country we have to face up to it. We’ve got a rude shock coming if we don’t.”

Thousands of homeless disaster refugees will be unacceptable to our society. Imagine Lismore on steroids. The problem will get larger after every disaster, uninsured then homeless is a dastardly quinella of catastrophe.

The banks, insurers, global re-insurers and the federal government need to sort this looming catastrophe, and soon. They must act immediately after the the RBA-APRA probe is complete. Partnership and innovation are required, and soon.

This was originally published by InQueensland.

Greg Hallam is a former chief executive of the Local Government Association of Queensland. He writes regularly for InQueensland.