Nearly a third of all young people in NSW have used AI for mental health support in the last 12 months. But what dangers lie in this type of AI use for those seeking help? Warning: This story contains distressing details. “Why is it that I have no happiness, I feel loneliness, perpetual boredom, anxiety and loss, yet I don’t feel depression, I feel no emotion regarding sadness.” These are all real questions asked by a 16-year-old teenager in the USA to an AI chatbot. Instead of speaking to a psychologist, a friend or a family member, Adam Raine turned to ChatGPT. Adam’s case is not unique, nor is…
Author: Aaron Corby
Budget changes to the negative gearing tax benefit will impact Australia’s highest income earners, and those in their 40s and 50s, according to data from the Australian Treasury. The Federal budget has removed tax deductions afforded to property investors who lose money on their investments. The changes will only apply to existing properties, with investors still able to claim deductions on new builds. University of Wollongong senior accounting lecturer, Dr Abdullah Al-Mamun said that higher-income earners have historically gained the greatest benefit from negative gearing. “High income earners… have the opportunity to exploit the system or utilize the opportunity to exploit the system or utilize the tax…
There have been renewed calls for the Meningococcal B vaccine to be included on the National Immunisation Program, following the death of an Australian university exchange student in Vienna. Perth student, Alexander Philogenes, 21, died two weeks ago after contracting the deadly disease. In 2024, the Meningococcal B strain made up 80 per cent of all Meningococcal cases in Australia, according to the Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control. Meningitis Centre Australia CEO Karen Quick said that meningococcal testing is not always certain, and meningococcal B cases could be higher than official data shows. “There is also a large amount of unknown, in that the testing wasn’t able to identify the strains,” she…
Soaring petrol prices and travel interruptions due to the US-Iran war have led to an increase in Australians researching electric vehicles. Retiree, John Giordano recently purchased a brand-new Ford Ranger with the hopes of towing a caravan across the country. He has since had to change his plans and fly to Perth instead; due to the cost of petrol. “You can get business class tickets to Perth and a really nice hire car for less money,” he said. “It defeats the purpose of driving at this stage.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mill &…
A University of Wollongong lecturer has pitted students studying criminal law against ten AI-generated responses in their 2023 final exam, as part of his study into the capabilities of AI. A criminal law lecturer at the University of Wollongong, Dr Armin Alimardani, secretly mixed the AI responses with student responses and examined the difference in exam results, to find that only two AI-generated responses scored higher than the student average. Dr Alimardani said that the results of the AI responses in this study failed to meet a claim by OpenAI, that AI could outperform 90 per cent of students in…
University educators and students are calling on the Australian Government to abolish the current student contribution system which has more than doubled the debts incurred for some degrees. The job-ready graduates package, introduced by the Morrison Government in 2021, has significantly increased students’ debts in courses such as Arts, Communications and Law, whilst decreasing debts incurred for STEM courses. The independent Universities Accord, ordered by the Albanese Government has recommended the scheme be abolished, a call which has been echoed by leading tertiary education experts and university students. Australian National Unversity professor of Higher Education Policy, Andrew Norton said that…
The three independent candidates vying to be Wollongong’s next Lord Mayor are pushing on with their campaigns, despite facing logistical difficulties. Independent candidate for Lord Mayor and Ward 1, Ryan Morris said that despite the difficulties in running a campaign, having independent candidates is important to ensure voters have greater choice in who to vote for in Saturday’s election. “It is extremely difficult as an independent campaigning,” Mr Morris said. “But with the Liberal party not nominating a person to go forward, it has allowed me to be that fairer choice on the ballot paper. “They don’t just have to…
Lord Mayor candidates for Wollongong, from both Labor and the Greens, are focusing on affordable housing as the major driver in their campaigns for election on September 14. This is the first time a new Lord Mayor will be elected in 13 years as the outgoing Lord Mayor, Gordon Bradberry, retires. Tania Brown, candidate for Labor, said that housing is at the forefront of her campaign. “My top priority is housing affordability,” Ms Brown said. “I’ve committed to driving housing to the top of the council’s agenda. “I’ve been speaking to the general manager about what levers council has that…
Changes to development laws in Corrimal have come under fire with a former Wollongong chief town planner slamming the move as a “disaster”. The New South Wales Government’s Transport Orientated Development program, which commenced in May, applies to land within 400 metres of Corrimal railway station and allows for developments of up to 24 metres high, in a move that will hopefully provide more affordable, well-designed homes. However, former Wollongong chief town planner and life fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia, David Winterbottom said the plan is unlikely to considerably increase housing supply and could backfire. “It looks to…
A man racing a noisy, unregistered motorbike around the streets of East Corrimal has residents concerned for their safety. The man has been driving at high speeds through the area at all hours of the night keeping residents awake for months. East Corrimal resident of 18 years, John Giordano said his main concern was that the motorbike rider might cause an accident. “It worries me that he might clean someone up,” he said. “Because he goes on the cycleway as well and I have seen him at night with no lights and he is just absolutely tearing through.” Resident of…