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  • Tributes flow for pioneering doctor, former NSW Young Australian of the Year Dr Nikhil Autar following death at age 32

    Tributes flow for pioneering doctor, former NSW Young Australian of the Year Dr Nikhil Autar following death at age 32

    The Australian community is mourning the loss of one of its most inspiring young leaders, Dr. Nikhil Autar, a former New South Wales Young Australian of the Year who passed away at the age of 32 after a lifetime defined by overcoming adversity and lifting up vulnerable populations.

    Dr. Autar’s first battle against hardship came when he was just 17 years old, when a life-altering leukemia diagnosis upended his teenage years. Rather than letting the diagnosis derail his dream of practicing medicine and serving others, he pushed forward with his medical training, ultimately earning his degree from Western Sydney University and building a career dedicated to equitable care.

    In recognition of his extraordinary courage and relentless service, Dr. Autar was named NSW Young Australian of the Year in 2024, an honor that reflected his far-reaching impact across multiple social causes beyond clinical medicine. A passionate advocate against gender-based violence, he was a co-founder of Doctors Against Violence Towards Women (DAVTW), the organization that confirmed his passing in a devastating public statement shared to social media.

    “It is with profound grief that we share the news of the passing of our beloved co-founder, Dr Nikhil Autar,” the group wrote. “There are people who move through the world quietly making it better. Dr Nikhil Autar was one of them and DAVTW would not exist without him.”

    DAVTW co-founder Dr. Anita Hutchison shared personal reflections on Dr. Autar’s unique character, highlighting the selflessness that drove all his work. “There was something about his approach, the selflessness, that made me trust him. He did not want anything from us. He just wanted to help,” Hutchison wrote.

    Dr. Autar’s advocacy extended to accessibility for people living with disabilities, a cause he turned into tangible change through technological innovation. He developed Knia (Know In Advance) Maps, a custom mobile application that helps people with disabilities navigate hospitals, university campuses, and other public venues with greater ease and independence. He also launched Breen Health, a social enterprise that delivers low-cost medical devices to low-income and vulnerable patients, while helping raise AU$500,000 to fund research into pressure sore prevention and medical device innovation.

    Tributes have poured in from across the country from public figures, colleagues, and community members whose lives Dr. Autar touched. Former Australian of the Year Richard Scoyler and his wife, Dr. Katie Nicoll, shared their condolences in a public post, remembering Dr. Autar as a model of compassionate living. “We are deeply saddened following the passing of Nikhil Autar, a remarkable Australian who showed us all the importance of living with compassion, kindness and a never-ending commitment to helping others,” they wrote. “Nikhil’s determination and courage, coupled with his humility and wonderful sense of humour shone brightly.”

  • Teenager makes Aussie history after becoming nation’s youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest

    Teenager makes Aussie history after becoming nation’s youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest

    An 18-year-old Melbourne native has etched her name into Australian mountaineering history after successfully reaching the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, to claim the title of the nation’s youngest person to complete the formidable ascent.

    Bianca Adler, a Year 12 student, touched the 8,848-meter (previously commonly cited as 8,200 meters in early reporting) summit in Nepal in the early hours of Wednesday local time, arriving at approximately 2:30 a.m. — which translated to 6:30 a.m. back in her Australian hometown. Immediately after securing her place in the history books, Adler placed a triumphant radio call to her father Paul, a seasoned mountaineer who accompanied her on the early stages of the expedition.

    In the call, Adler shared that despite feeling generally well, she was contending with severe alpine conditions. “I feel really good, but the weather is really bad,” she told her father. Accompanied by her local Nepalese guides Pemba and Ngdu, Adler began her descent from the dangerous peak shortly after capturing quick photos at the summit, as the team prioritized a prompt exit from the high-altitude danger zone.

    Speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation after the call, Paul Adler opened up about the risks that come with high-altitude Everest expeditions. “It’s extremely dangerous up there and you feel very nervous for your life,” he said, adding that his daughter reported extreme cold and strong wind when they spoke. Paul Adler himself climbed Everest in 2007, and Bianca’s mother Fiona Adler — who became the third Australian woman to summit Everest in a previous climb — also joined the pair for the early segments of the expedition.

    Fiona Adler spoke of the family’s overwhelming pride in her daughter’s years-long effort to reach her goal. “She was very determined and motivated to do this. We are extremely proud of what she has done — just having a goal and a dream and working many years towards it. It is a very proud moment for us,” she said.

    Before launching their final ascent attempt, the whole family spent a full month acclimatizing on lower Nepalese peaks and visiting Everest’s Camp 2, before a one-week rest period at Everest Base Camp to prepare their bodies for the extreme altitude. The final push began with a 1 a.m. departure through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall, after which the team rested at Camp 1. They proceeded onward to Camp 2, where Paul Adler ended his participation in the climb. Two nights later, Bianca Adler continued her push toward the summit alongside her guides.

    Even as she made her way back down the mountain, Adler acknowledged the extreme physical toll of the expedition. In an audio recording shared after the summit, she said: “I feel pretty awful, but I still have to go to Camp 2. I’m just resting, I’m just trying to take it one step at a time. It’s really tough.”

    Adler’s achievement breaks the previous record for the youngest Australian Everest summiter, which was held by Gabby Kanizay, who reached the peak at age 19 in 2022.

  • Humpback whales make record swims between Australia and Brazil

    Humpback whales make record swims between Australia and Brazil

    Two individual humpback whales have completed the longest documented transoceanic journeys ever recorded for their species, traveling thousands of kilometers between breeding grounds off Australia and Brazil, according to new research published Wednesday by an international team of marine scientists.

    The research team relied on a massive dataset of more than 30,000 photographs of distinct humpback whale tail flukes, a unique identifying marker for every individual, to confirm the two massive mammals had been sighted on opposite sides of the South Atlantic Ocean. The first whale was first photographed off the coast of Queensland, Australia in 2007, and was spotted again near São Paulo, Brazil in 2019 — covering a straight-line distance of 14,200 kilometers, or roughly 8,823 miles. The second individual was observed off Brazil’s Bahia coast, before being re-sighted 22 years later in Australia’s Hervey Bay, a journey of 15,100 kilometers. Researchers confirmed these crossings set a new record for the longest distance between verified sightings of a single humpback whale.

    Growing up to 17 meters long and weighing as much as 40 tons, humpback whales are already famous for long annual migrations between Antarctic feeding grounds and tropical breeding areas, but these transoceanic crossings between separate breeding regions are extraordinarily rare, the study authors noted.

    Despite their infrequency, these cross-regional journeys play a critical role in supporting the long-term resilience and health of global humpback whale populations, explained Stephanie Stack, a PhD researcher at Australia’s Griffith University and co-author of the study. When individual whales move between geographically distant breeding populations, they introduce new genetic material that maintains overall genetic diversity, a key factor in helping populations adapt to long-term environmental change. Stack added that traveling whales may also carry new humpback whale song patterns between regions — a striking parallel to how music trends spread through human cultures, since humpback songs are a socially learned cultural trait that spreads across entire ocean basins.

    The new findings also add further empirical support for a longstanding ecological hypothesis called the Southern Ocean Exchange. This theory proposes that after humpback whales gather to feed in the shared feeding grounds of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, some individuals do not return to their original breeding grounds, instead settling into an entirely new breeding region on a different continent.

    Researchers from Griffith University noted that climate change is altering the Southern Ocean ecosystem in ways that may make these long-distance crossings more common in coming decades. Shifts in sea ice coverage and changes to the distribution of Antarctic krill — the tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that are the primary food source for humpback whales during their feeding season — may push more whales to seek out new breeding routes and areas after feeding, leading to more frequent cross-ocean exchanges.

  • Car rolls and crashes near Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic, trio escape uninjured

    Car rolls and crashes near Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic, trio escape uninjured

    A sudden and dramatic multi-vehicle collision disrupted Wednesday evening commuter traffic near one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in a chaotic incident that ended with a surprisingly positive outcome. Emergency services were first alerted to the crash just after 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, with multiple response teams dispatched to the site, located south of the Sydney Harbour Bridge near Millers Point, along the Western Distributor Freeway – a major artery carrying thousands of peak-hour commuters daily.

    Initial response confirmed that three passenger vehicles, each carrying only a single driver, were involved in the collision that resulted in one vehicle rolling over completely in full view of surrounding traffic. The incident immediately created traffic snarls that rippled through the wider Sydney CBD road network, as visual footage from the scene captured the flipped vehicle blocking key lanes near the bridge approach.

    By the time NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived at the scene roughly 15 minutes after the initial call, all three drivers had already managed to exit their vehicles on their own. Responding medical teams conducted full on-site injury assessments for every driver involved, and to the relief of emergency personnel, not a single person required transport to hospital for further treatment. As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, ambulance crews were preparing to clear the scene, with no major harm reported to any of those involved.

    NSW Police have confirmed their presence at the site to coordinate response efforts and manage traffic flow. Authorities have issued a public advisory urging motorists to plan alternative routes and avoid the affected area entirely, as official traffic diversions remain in place to accommodate vehicle recovery and road clearance work. This is a developing story, with updates expected as more details about clearing operations and full traffic resumption become available.

  • NSW beauty therapist banned for five years after patient left in ICU from horror injection mishap

    NSW beauty therapist banned for five years after patient left in ICU from horror injection mishap

    A New South Wales beauty practitioner has been stripped of her right to work in the health and beauty industry for half a decade, after an unapproved cosmetic procedure left a 62-year-old client fighting botulism in intensive care.

    Huirong Zhou, who also goes by the professional name Katrina Zhou, has operated Rui Mei Beauty Salon in Burwood since 2014. Holding qualifications only in remedial massage, beauty therapy, and laser hair reduction, Zhou advertised services ranging from semi-permanent makeup and manicures to specialized advanced facial treatments. What she did not hold, however, was council approval to conduct any skin penetration procedures—work that includes the cosmetic injectable treatments she was secretly offering at the unlicensed site.

    The case came to official attention in mid-October 2025, when the client filed a formal complaint against the salon just days after developing worrying symptoms. For two weeks, the 62-year-old woman struggled with dysarthria (slurred speech) and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), two hallmark signs of iatrogenic botulism—botulism caused by medical or cosmetic procedures. She was first admitted to Canterbury Hospital before being transferred to Concord Hospital’s intensive care unit, where clinicians administered life-saving botulinum antitoxin. Even after treatment, the patient continues to experience persistent impairment to her swallowing and speech function.

    Five days after the initial complaint, an interagency regulatory team launched an on-site inspection of Zhou’s salon. What officers uncovered painted a clear picture of widespread regulatory non-compliance: a large stockpile of unapproved, overseas-sourced therapeutic goods, including unregistered Botox, dermal fillers of unknown origin, and other cosmetic injectables not cleared for clinical use in Australia. Also seized were unapproved needles, syringes, saline solution, antiseptics, and local anaesthetic creams potent enough to qualify as restricted Schedule 4 prescription medication.

    Beyond the illegal stock of medical products, inspectors also flagged serious gaps in basic infection control protocols and a complete failure to maintain required patient treatment records. In its formal decision published this week, the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission ruled that Zhou poses an unacceptably severe and continuous threat to public health and safety.

    The permanent-style ban took effect immediately from the order’s issuance, barring Zhou from providing any form of health service to the public—whether paid or on a voluntary basis—for a full five years. The case has renewed calls for tighter surveillance of unlicensed cosmetic procedures in suburban Australian beauty salons, where unregulated injectable treatments have emerged as a growing public health risk across the country.

  • Ebola, hantavirus show world’s risk preparedness lagging: pandemic expert

    Ebola, hantavirus show world’s risk preparedness lagging: pandemic expert

    Six years after the World Health Organization officially ended the Covid-19 public health emergency of international concern, a leading global pandemic preparedness expert has issued a stark warning that the world still has not closed critical gaps in early risk detection and pre-outbreak preparedness, as highlighted by two recent high-profile pathogen events.

    Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, shared her assessment in an exclusive interview with AFP in Geneva on Tuesday. She acknowledged that incremental progress has been made since the devastating Covid-19 pandemic in overhauling global public health response systems. New updated International Health Regulations, the binding global framework for cross-border disease surveillance and response, are already delivering improvements when active outbreaks are declared, she noted.

    Clark pointed to two recent cases that demonstrate this partial progress: the Ebola outbreak declared last Friday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the rare hantavirus outbreak that emerged several weeks ago on the Atlantic cruise ship MV Hondius. In both instances, once official alerts were issued, the coordinated international response unfolded smoothly, she said.

    But the core problem, Clark emphasized, lies far upstream of declared outbreaks. Critical gaps remain in the foundational systems of pathogen surveillance and early detection that are designed to stop small outbreaks from becoming large public health crises. “Those basic issues of surveillance, early detection… We’re not there yet,” she stated. Clark argued that the global public health community needs to dramatically expand investment in risk-informed preparedness, with a greater focus on proactively identifying emerging threats before they spiral out of control.

    She detailed how the recent hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship, which killed three people and triggered global concern, exposed these gaps. The specific hantavirus strain involved is known to be endemic in the region of Argentina where the cruise ship departed, but Clark questioned whether shipping operators and global health authorities had sufficient advance awareness of this local risk to put preventive measures in place.

    The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s remote eastern province reveals even more troubling gaps. The outbreak is caused by the dangerous Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which has already claimed more than 130 lives. Clark revealed that the outbreak spread undetected for four to six weeks, because initial testing targeted a more common Ebola strain and returned false negative results. “How could this have gone for four to six weeks, spreading while not getting the testing results that we needed to show that it was a particular variant?” Clark asked. She called for a full independent investigation into the chain of events to identify critical lessons for strengthening local and global response capacity.

    Beyond surveillance gaps, Clark highlighted that sweeping cuts to global health aid have created a “perfect storm” that undermines outbreak prevention in the world’s most vulnerable nations. After major international donors drastically reduced funding, low-income fragile states are suddenly expected to cover the full cost of strengthening their domestic health systems, a burden they simply cannot afford, she explained. “With the best will in the world, the poorest and most fragile countries just haven’t got money sitting in the bank to do that, so things will get neglected across a range of areas,” Clark said.

    In closing, Clark reaffirmed that global solidarity remains an irreplaceable pillar of effective pandemic preparedness. Pathogens do not respect national borders, she noted: a confirmed Ebola case in a U.S. citizen linked to the DRC outbreak and cross-border spread of hantavirus from the cruise ship prove that all nations share a common interest in strong prevention systems everywhere. “We’re in this together, and so we have to look to ways of financing preparedness or response which reflect our shared interests,” Clark stressed.

  • LIV cash crunch hits Asian Tour as Korea Open prize money cut

    LIV cash crunch hits Asian Tour as Korea Open prize money cut

    Just weeks after celebrating a planned $500,000 prize money injection from LIV Golf, the Asian Tour has reversed course, slashing the total purse for this week’s Kolon Korea Open back to its original 2024 level of 1.4 billion South Korean won (approximately $1 million).

    The sudden change traces back to a bombshell announcement from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV Golf’s primary backer since the breakaway tour launched in 2021. Just one week after the Asian Tour trumpeted the Korea Open purse boost in late April, PIF confirmed it would end all financial support for LIV following the 2026 season, after sinking an estimated $5 billion into the rival circuit. The news has left LIV scrambling to secure new backing and thrown its long-term future into uncertainty, with ripple effects now spreading to its partner tours.

    First launched in 1958, the Korea Open is one of Asian golf’s most historic tournaments. The LIV-funded increase would have pushed the total purse to a record 2 billion won ($1.5 million), marking the largest prize pool in the event’s 66-year history. Organizers had even previously confirmed the champion would take home a 700 million won winner’s share. While the overall purse has been rolled back, the Asian Tour confirmed Wednesday that the defending champion will still receive a previously announced 200 million won bonus, per an update from title sponsor Kolon.

    Despite the funding shakeup, several high-profile LIV Golf players are still set to compete when the tournament tees off Thursday in Chuncheon. The field includes two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Mexican standout Abraham Ancer, and Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee.

    The funding crunch also casts doubt over another key collaboration between LIV and the Asian Tour: the Asian Tour’s International Series, a slate of elevated mini-tour events that LIV has fully bankrolled to date. Each International Series stop currently offers a $2 million purse and serves as a direct qualification pathway for LIV Tour spots. The next event on the International Series calendar is scheduled to tee off in Morocco from June 11 to 14, leaving the golf world waiting to see if that tournament will proceed with its planned purse structure.

  • ‘I saw my leg still there’: Deine Mariner set for stunning Broncos return after fears he could lose his leg

    ‘I saw my leg still there’: Deine Mariner set for stunning Broncos return after fears he could lose his leg

    Brisbane Broncos rugby league winger Deine Mariner is on track for one of the most remarkable comebacks in the sport’s recent history, just weeks after medical experts held genuine fears that a rare, sudden medical condition could force the amputation of his leg. The 2023 grand final hero is now eyeing a return to the field before the end of the 2024 season’s finals series, in a story defined by grit, fast-acting medical care and extraordinary good fortune.

    Mariner first sustained what medical staff initially believed to be a severe bruising injury, or cork, during the Broncos’ round nine clash against the Sydney Roosters. The Samoan international was forced off the field early in the match, but returned to the pitch to cover for a teammate who suffered an injury later in the game. By the time the match concluded, Mariner was already showing clear signs of distress, but the full severity of his condition did not emerge until that night, when he was staying at the team’s Sydney hotel.

    As his condition rapidly deteriorated overnight, Mariner made the critical decision to contact the Broncos’ medical staff, who immediately arranged an urgent dash to Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. By the time he arrived, he had developed acute compartment syndrome, a dangerous condition that causes dangerous pressure buildup in muscle tissue that can cut off blood flow and lead to tissue death if not treated immediately. When medics checked for a pulse in Mariner’s foot, the risk of amputation became a real possibility.

    Mariner recalled the harrowing experience in an interview following his recovery: “I got rushed into surgery, so I didn’t really get to understand what was happening. All I knew was that there was a lot of pressure on my leg at the time. And I think a lot of the blood flow was starting to stop going into my leg. It would definitely be up there with the worst pain I’ve experienced. I was trying to go to sleep and I was thinking, ‘Should I call them or not?’ Then when I really started to feel a lot of pain and I couldn’t move, that’s when I was like, ‘I better call them.’”

    “I didn’t even think of losing my leg as an option until I got to the hospital and they were checking for the pulse in my foot, and that’s when that stuff started coming up,” he added. “But I was like, ‘Just do the surgery so I can get it over and done with.’ When I woke up, I saw my leg still there, so I was like, ‘It’d be pretty bad if I woke up and my leg wasn’t there.’ I’m just pretty lucky to be in this position. I’m still breathing and I’m still alive. Being in ICU, I saw a lot of other people that don’t get a second chance.”

    In total, Mariner underwent seven separate surgeries to save his leg. The first two procedures focused on cutting into the affected muscle tissue to release the dangerous pressure buildup. Over the following days, surgeons closed the wound gradually across five additional procedures, a process that required repeated rounds of general anesthesia.

    Mariner paid tribute to the medical teams that saved his leg and his future playing career: “I wasn’t used to going back under anaesthetics for that long. It was pretty full on, but I was in such good hands. Shout out to Dr Gupta and his team at St Vincent’s Private Hospital. They were the best. I wouldn’t be able to be here today if it wasn’t for them. Even the doctors were saying they haven’t seen this happen in a player in this context before.”

    Even more incredibly, Mariner’s recovery has progressed far faster than many medical observers expected. Currently recovering at home after his time in hospital, Mariner says he is targeting an eight-week timeline for his return to full training and match play, putting him on track to rejoin the Broncos squad ahead of the 2024 NRL finals.

    “At the moment my leg is stuck a bit, so once that opens up, I’ll be able to start moving again. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself to get back out there again for the Broncos,” he said. “I think we’re looking around the eight-week mark for returning to play. Obviously we’ve still got plenty more games to go, so I’ll just have to take it day by day and let the body heal itself. It gives me a bit more hunger to get back out there. At the same time, I just want to make sure that I’m doing the best for myself and putting myself in a good position for my body to heal.”

    Mariner added that the overwhelming support from his club, teammates and family has helped him maintain a positive outlook through the harrowing experience: “It has been a pretty hectic couple of weeks. My leg is doing a lot better and I am back home now which helps. I’m good. It was pretty full on with everything but I had a really good support group and the club were so good to me and my family. I am in a pretty good headspace. When the time comes, I’ll be ready.”

  • ‘Cherished and loved’: Anthony Albanese meets with family of Kumanjayi Little Baby

    ‘Cherished and loved’: Anthony Albanese meets with family of Kumanjayi Little Baby

    A national tragedy that has sparked urgent calls for systemic reform in remote Indigenous community services moved forward this week, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met privately with the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby, the five-year-old Warlpiri girl allegedly murdered last month at an Alice Springs town camp.

    WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article references a deceased Indigenous child, whose name and story are shared with the permission of her family.

    Kumanjayi went missing from the Northern Territory town camp on April 25, with 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis taken into custody in connection with her death. Lewis’ arrest ignited violent clashes between community members and police outside Alice Springs Hospital, where the suspect was detained, and amplified long-simmering demands for urgent action to address intergenerational poverty and overhaul flawed child protection systems across the Northern Territory.

    On Wednesday, Albanese traveled to Alice Springs to sit down with Kumanjayi’s mother, grandfather and grandmother, marking his first face-to-face meeting with the grieving family since the child’s killing. After the meeting, the prime minister spoke publicly to honor the young girl’s life and acknowledge the family’s immeasurable pain.

    “Kumanjayi was cherished and loved,” Albanese told reporters. “They are going through the worst of devastation, and at this time, they have asked that they be allowed to go through their sorry business with the privacy, dignity and solemnity that it deserves.”

    Albanese added that the family had taken some small comfort in the outpouring of community support that has emerged in Alice Springs since the tragedy. “It was an opportunity as well, too, where we laid flowers at the memorial, at the camp that has sprung up spontaneously,” he said. “This is a young person lost far too early under circumstances unbearable. They are trying to bear their way through this with dignity, with respect, and it will remain something that is with them forever.”

    He noted that the family remains proud of their beloved daughter and granddaughter, but carry the devastating regret that Kumanjayi will never get to grow into the adult she was meant to become. “It was important to be able to say to the family that the nation stands with them in their grief … we’ll give them every support that they need,” the prime minister said.

    Turning to the broader policy failures that the tragedy has laid bare, Albanese committed that the federal government would work collaboratively with the Northern Territory government and local Indigenous leaders to deliver tangible improvements. “Every child has the right to be safe and to enjoy a quality of life free from danger,” he said. “This is a time where what I want to see is the different levels of government coming together with the community in the same way that the community has.”

    Addressing longstanding inadequate conditions in remote town camps specifically, Albanese acknowledged that all levels of government have fallen short, and must “do much better” to improve living outcomes. “My government has acknowledged that is the case,” he said. “When it comes to housing, we are building more remote housing. When it comes to the issues that were raised with me about Yuendumu and other communities, as well as the town camps – clearly, the Northern Territory government have had responsibility since 2012 for the town camps. Clearly, there’s a need to do better, to make sure that the living conditions are improved.”

    Albanese pointed to on-country dialysis programs that keep Indigenous community members connected to their traditional lands while accessing critical care as a practical model for how targeted government investment can deliver tangible change to remote communities.

    The tragedy has already prompted a high-profile call for national reckoning from Kumanjayi’s aunt, Coalition frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who broke down in tears earlier this month while delivering an emotional tribute to her niece on the floor of the Senate.

    Price used the address to demand an honest, unflinching conversation about the ongoing failures of child protection systems for Indigenous children across remote Australia. “I don’t want to be here right now, to have to stand in this chamber, to deliver a condolence speech for a little girl in my family,” she said. “She was loved. She should still be here.”

    “The hardest truth is that for many in my hometown, none of this came as a surprise,” Price continued. “For too long in this country, there has been silence around what is happening in too many town camps and remote communities – a silence driven by fear, a fear of causing offence, a fear of being labelled racist, fear of speaking honestly about dysfunction, violence, alcohol abuse, neglect and conditions. Vulnerable children are growing up in that silence and it is killing our babies. And when I say our babies, our people, I mean all Australians.”

  • ‘I’m here’: Jaydn Su’A shuts down early release rumours as he prepares to return from lengthy ban

    ‘I’m here’: Jaydn Su’A shuts down early release rumours as he prepares to return from lengthy ban

    One of the National Rugby League’s most experienced forwards has put to bed widespread speculation of an early mid-season departure, confirming he will see out the remainder of his contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons before his scheduled move to the Parramatta Eels in 2027.

    Veteran back-rower Jaydn Su’A, who is set to make his return to the Dragons’ starting 17 this weekend after serving a three-match suspension, has already put pen to paper on a three-year deal that will see him join the Sydney-based Eels once his current tenure at the Red V wraps up at the end of the current season. The 28-year-old, who previously plied his trade with the Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs before a five-season stint with the Dragons, addressed rumours of an early switch that gained traction this week, amid St George Illawarra’s poor run of form that has already ruled them out of 2024 finals contention.

    Speaking to media on Wednesday, Su’a made his position clear, shutting down any talk of an immediate departure. “There have been conversations in-house, but I’m here for the rest of the year,” he said. “I just want to play my best and do whatever I can to help this club get some wins.”

    Su’a has been one of the Dragons’ standout performers throughout the 2024 campaign, but was sidelined after a controversial high tackle on former Rabbitohs teammate Cam Murray in Round 7, which resulted in an immediate send-off. The suspension came just one day after Su’a formally announced his three-year deal with Parramatta, leading to unsubstantiated claims that his decision to leave the club stemmed from dissatisfaction with the development of the Dragons’ young cohort of incoming forwards. The veteran NRL representative pushed back firmly on those claims.

    “I didn’t really ever think like that,” Su’a said. “I was in talks with the club early this year and obviously that stuff broke down, but at the end of the day when your time is done, it’s done. For me, it was time to look elsewhere and look for another opportunity. I’m thankful I got that, but at the end of the day, I’m here for the rest of the year and just want to go out there and put my best foot forward. I’ve been here for five years now, so I just want to go out and play.”

    The former Queensland State of Origin representative also noted that he was open to extending his tenure at the Dragons, but ultimately saw the 2027 move as a critical career step. “I was open (to staying). I’m coming to that age now where the next move I make is probably vital, but I know I’ve still got some good footy left in me. Things happen for a reason and that’s been done now, so as I said, I’m still here for another six months. I’ll do what I do and I’ll give my all like I always do.”

    Reflecting on his half-decade with the club, Su’a acknowledged the many struggles the Dragons have endured during his time in Wollongong, noting that the organisation is finally starting to turn a corner – even if he will not be part of that next chapter. “It’s been hard. I’ve been through a lot of dark days with this club, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m not going to be here. I’m grateful for my time here, thankful to all the people that have helped me along the way, and it is what it is.”

    Much has shifted at the club since Su’a last took the field in Round 7. Former head coach Shane Flanagan has departed the club, with interim boss Dean Young taking the reins – and the side has yet to register a win under his leadership. For this weekend’s clash against the New Zealand Warriors, Young has named Su’a to start at right centre, covering for the injured Moses Suli, who is sidelined with a back issue. Su’a has spent recent weeks training with the Dragons’ NSW Cup feeder side, and has previous experience filling in at the centre position, making him the ideal emergency replacement.

    After a frustrating three weeks on the sidelines, Su’a said he is eager to get back out on the field and contribute to the club for the remainder of the season. “It’s tough, but all I can do is rock up to training with a good attitude and prep the boys as well as I can. I couldn’t really do anything, so I just had to bide my time, train hard, and be ready for when I get called back in.”