Hundreds of seabirds on Lord Howe Island are dying each year with stomachs full of plastic, according to new findings from Adrift Lab, a marine pollution research group that has tracked seabird health for nearly two decades. Researchers found that Flesh-footed Shearwaters, which migrate to nest on the island between October and May, are ingesting record levels of plastic – including balloon clips, bottle caps and pen caps. One chick, just 80 days old, had swallowed 778 fragments. Marine ecologist from Adrift Lab, Alix de Jersey said the research points to serious biological impacts including gut damage and signs of neurotoxicity.…
Author: Ivy Swibel
Global press freedom has entered “difficult” territory for the first time, according to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, with new data revealing that more than half the world’s countries are struggling to sustain independent journalism due to worsening economic conditions. The annual report from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), released this week to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, shows a record drop in the Index’s economic indicator – now the lowest of all five assessed categories – placing the viability of independent media at crisis point. University of Wollongong journalism lecturer, Dr Benjamin Ball said the findings reflect a…
Tens of thousands of Australians were caught in a superannuation data breach, triggering fresh concern over the country’s escalating cybersecurity crisis. The breach, which compromised access to retirement funds through multiple superannuation portals, is the latest in a national trend of rising data breaches. Latest figures from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) show that 527 data breaches were reported in the first half of 2024 – the highest number in more than three years and a nine per cent increase from the previous six-month period. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind told Australian Cyber Security Magazine that the scale…
A sharp rise in measles cases across Australia has reignited concerns among health officials, with young children most affected. Public health experts are urging stronger vaccination efforts to curb the resurgence, which has been linked to post-pandemic travel and declining immunisation rates. According to the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, 46 measles cases have been reported in the country this year, with 11 in NSW linked to returned travellers. Health authorities have warned that these imported cases are triggering local transmission, placing unvaccinated individuals, particularly young children, at increased risk. University of Wollongong paediatrics specialist Associate Professor…
It’s 2013 and the Southern Ocean remains vast and unforgiving—a cold, wild expanse where the horizon blurs into endless grey water. Somewhere among the waves, a lone whale surfaces, exhaling a plume of mist into the frozen air. As mighty as a mountain, as defenceless as a lost child; in the distance, the dull hum of engines draws closer. It’s not the sound of rescue or sanctuary, it’s a harpoon ship, bearing down fast. Before it can take aim, another vessel barrels between predator and prey. The Bob Barker, black-flagged and relentless, cuts across the whaler’s path, its crew shouting…
The 2024 National Food Waste Summit has highlighted both progress and lingering challenges towards Australia’s goal to halve food waste by 2030. Australia generates 7.6 million tonnes of food waste each year, costing the economy billions of dollars. Meanwhile, 3.7 million Australian households experience food insecurity, a troubling paradox in a nation that produces enough food to feed its population three times over, the Food Waste Summit has heard. CEO of End Food Waste Australia (EFWA), Dr Steven Lapidge shared updates on the nation’s progress in a Food and Drink Business report. “Our target is to reduce food waste by…
The UOW markets might provide a fun diversion for students from studying each fortnight, but it also helps build small local businesses. The markets allow artisans to connect and bond with their customers, with the products on offer reflecting their passion and craft of their makers. UOW student Ruby Moore shops at the markets regularly and enjoys not only discovering new products but also conversing with the stall owners. “The stall owners see me every fortnight and know I shop at the markets every second Wednesday,” Ms Moore said. “They always say hi to me and really value their relationship…
The University of Wollongong (UOW) and Telkom University in Indonesia have recently embarked on a groundbreaking project that aims to revolutionise flood mitigation in Central Java. Thanks to substantial funding provided by KONEKSI (Collaboration for Knowledge, Innovation, and Technology Australia and Indonesia), this international collaboration will incorporate cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the internet of things (IoT) to transform the monitoring of seawater levels in the region. Central Java, Indonesia, is no stranger to the daily threat of tidal flooding, which poses significant risks to both residents and the environment. The cities of Pekalongan, Demak, and Semarang,…
In the late 1990s, when Google was merely a search engine, its first privacy policy offered only 600 words to explain its collection and use of personal information. Over the past 20 years, that same privacy policy has been rewritten into an extensive 8,000-word explanation of the company’s data practices. This takes an average consumer over 30 minutes to read. Okay, who are we kidding: no one has time for that. In fact, 94% of Australians don’t. The average time spent by Australian users viewing the Google Privacy Policy was less than two minutes! (DPI 7.5.1) So, when presented with…
More than 20 public schools have been shut down this week in response to unprecedented fire danger warnings along NSW’s south coast. The spring heatwave raises concerns over the severity of the upcoming ‘El Niño’ summer and the preparedness of Fire and Rescue NSW. The closure of schools, including Batemans Bay Public School, Bega Valley Public School, and Bemboka Public School, comes as temperatures in parts of New South Wales, the ACT, and Victoria soared up to 14 degrees Celsius above average earlier in the week. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) declared a catastrophic fire danger rating…