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Anthony Albanese presented Boris Johnson with a South Sydney Rabbitohs jacket during the pair’s “breakfast meeting” held on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Spain.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gifted his UK counterpart Boris Johnson with a jacket from his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs as the two leaders met face-to-face for the first time since May’s Federal Election.
Mr Albanese presented Mr Johnson with the jacket as the pair held a “breakfast meeting” on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain.
The Australian leader said he discussed the new trilateral defence and security pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom with Mr Johnson.
“I spoke about AUKUS and our support for AUKUS, as well the Australia UK Free Trade Agreement which we hope to come into effect later this year, but also the important relations that we have between our two nations,” Mr Albanese told reporters.
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Mr Johnson had expressed his gratitude for the support Australia has given to Ukraine, which has included $285 million in military equipment and $65 million of humanitarian support.
“What a wonderful thing it is to see you here in NATO. What a progressive development for our alliance,” he said as the pair shook hands and took photos.
“Thank you particularly for the incredible strength that Australia has shown in Ukraine. You’ve really stepped up to the plate.”
The meeting with Mr Johnson was a number of discussions Mr Albanese held with world leaders while in Madrid for the summit, which he has been attending after Australia was invited as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner.
Mr Albanese has also spoken with the prime ministers of Belgium and Spain, the Secretary General of NATO, the presidents of the European Commission and European Council and had a “very constructive discussion” with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Last night was a real opportunity for Australia to engage in a less than formal setting with a range of people from President Macron, President Biden, Olaf Scholz, a range of the leaders who were there,” he said.
“I took the opportunity to talk about Australia’s national interest, to talk about our different plans. One of the things that is clear to me is that the whole world has noticed that Australia has a different position on climate change.
“What that does is give Australia a seat at the global table of opportunity and I intend to seize that opportunity.”
While in Spain for the NATO summit, Mr Albanese lashed out at China for their failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“What we saw is prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we saw a without limits partnership between Russia and China,” he said.
“We’ve seen a failure of China to condemn any of the Russian aggression that has occurred against Ukraine.
“China must look at what is happening and look at the resolve that is there from throughout the world and should be condemning Russia’s actions.”
Meanwhile, NATO for the first time declared China a “challenge” ahead of its expansion after formally inviting two nations to join the alliance – Sweden and Finland.
DURHAM – Duke softball head coach Marissa Young has announced the hiring of four-time national champion Sydney Romero as an assistant coach.
Romero will serve as the team’s hitting and infield coach.
“Who better to help take our program to the next level than someone who has won two national championships as a player and two more as a coach than Sydney Romero,” Young said. “She is one of the brightest young coaches that embodies our core values, is passionate about player development and brings a championship mindset as a proven winner. I know Sydney is going to have an immediate impact on our players and I am thrilled they get to learn from one of the best to play the game. We look forward to welcoming Sydney to Durham.”
Romero joins the program after serving as a graduate assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, for the past two seasons, following her prolific collegiate career.
“I am really excited for this opportunity to working alongside Coach Young,” Romero said. “I am so appreciative to be a part of this prestigious university. I can’t wait to represent this program and get to work. Go Duke!”
As a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, Romero helped the program win back-to-back national titles, with the latest coming last month. Oklahoma’s staff was named the 2022 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, after going 59-3 overall on the season.
In addition to serving as a graduate assistant, Romero has continued to play softball professionally, competing with Athletes Unlimited since 2020. Prior to her time with AU, Romero was the third overall pick in the 2019 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Draft by the USSSA Pride, where she was named to the 2019 All-NPF Team.
A highly accomplished collegiate athlete, Romero made waves in her time as a Sooner, earning two first team All-America selections and winning two national championships in 2016 and 2017. Romero was named the 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year and was a top-three finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award in the same season. She finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in at-bats and doubles.
A native of San Diego, Calif., Romero recently finished her master’s degree in adult and higher education with an emphasis in intercollegiate athletics administration, from Oklahoma. Romero also earned her undergraduate degree from Oklahoma, majoring in criminology. Romero comes from an athletic family, as her sister Sierra was a three-time softball All-American at Michigan, and her brother Michael is set to begin his collegiate baseball career at LSU in the fall.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “https://goduke.com/news/2022/7/1/DukeSOFTBALL”.
#GoDuke
As regular readers of this blog will know, national cabinet is meeting at 9am in Canberra.
State and territory leaders are due to start arriving in the next little while and we’ll be sure to bring you any comments they make before the meeting.
In the meantime, the Grattan Institute’s Professor Stephen Duckett – a member of the government’s strengthening Medicare taskforce – was on Radio National to talk about what kind of reforms are needed.
Professor Stephen Duckett.Credit:Jeremy Piper
He said the $250 million in funding flagged by Labor during the federal election campaign isn’t enough to fix Australia’s healthcare system.
Host Patricia Karvelas wanted to know: How much, then, is actually needed?
Here was Duckett’s response:
Well, the College of GPs and the AMA say they want $2 billion tomorrow. Obviously, that’s not going to happen. But I think we are talking about a billion or more going into the primary healthcare system over time.
I think it will take a couple of years for the foundations to be established. So maybe going into the next election the government ought to be making a commitment to put a lot more money into the system.
“It’s great that the corporations are adopting this but let’s remember where the real credit goes,” Rhodes says. “The heroes are the citizens who make change from the ground up.”
Corporate support for climate change, the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have been embraced, but some companies have been called out for hypocrisy.
Nike advertising featuring Colin Kaepernick.Credit:AP
RMIT University marketing lecturer Dr Amanda Spry says Nike’s slick “Dreams Crazy” advertising campaign featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was contrasted with a lack of black people on the company board. Proctor and Gamble’s razor brand Gillette tackled toxic masculinity, but its campaign was described as virtue signalling because the company charged higher prices for women’s shavers than it did for men’s.
Rhodes points out that women who have accused men in significant positions of power of sexual abuse and violence are the ones who have courageously faced ferocious scrutiny and put their careers at risk. Likewise, the African American protestors have battled for decades, risking their lives on the streets, to campaign for their civil rights. Qantas may have supported same-sex marriage, but its executives didn’t have to face the risk of physical violence in a street march. “Corporations might amplify [a social issue] and cash in, but we have to remember that real political change comes from citizens,” Rhodes says.
Flare tower of Woodside’s Pluto LNG plant in WA with an Indigenous rock engraving of an echidna in the foreground.
Spry defines woke washing as inauthentic brand activism – when a company takes a stand on a social/political issue such as gender equality, racism or climate change, but fails to back it up with their actions and values.
“This is the new frontier of corporate social responsibility,” she says. “Brand activism is more controversial and polarising.
“It comes down to perceptions of authenticity. Are you walking the talk, are you practising what you preach?”
Woodside Energy presents itself as sensitive to Indigenous culture, but has faced criticism over its treatment of sites containing Aboriginal rock art. “That sits in stark contrast to them offering their employees the choice of whether to work on Australia day,” Spry says.
A Woodside spokeswoman says the company works closely with Aboriginal elders and Indigenous communities, showing respect for their culture and values. The company’s approach to the environment, she says, is based on science and complies with environmental laws and regulations.
“Peer-reviewed research has not identified any impacts on Murujuga rock art from industrial emissions associated with liquefied natural gas production,” the spokeswoman said.
Telstra says it engages on topics that matter to people and which are aligned to its purpose and values. “When we do say something, we also take action,” a company spokesman says. “Reconciliation is one example”.
PwC Australia’s head of people and culture Catherine Walsh also says her firm’s policy is in the spirit of reconciliation with First Nations peoples. “Better understanding of each other and our complex national identity and history is essential to creating the inclusive culture we aspire to at our firm,” she says.
Australian Retailers Association chief industry affairs officer Fleur Brown says Australian consumers expect companies to act in a more socially and environmentally responsible way. They were increasingly calling out and boycotting businesses that don’t walk the walk.
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Spry lists outdoor clothing company Patagonia, recycled toilet paper producer Who Gives a Crap and the HoMie, not-for-profit street clothing enterprise which supports young people who are homeless, as examples of organisations that have backed up their claims with action. Dutch chocolate maker Tony’s Chocolonely, which campaigns against slave labour in the industry on its packaging, is another.
Clothing brands including boohoo have campaigned on gender equality while exploiting female textiles workers, Spry says. The company denies the accusation, saying it ensures that the workplace rights of the people who make its clothes are protected. “We talk to our customers about important issues such as gender equality and will continue to do so in future,” a company spokeswoman says.
Claire Braund, executive director of Women on Boards, says companies need to get their own house in order before they jump on the bandwagon. The Australian Shareholders’ Association judges the merits of a company’s stand on a social or political issue on a case-by-case basis. “What is appropriate for one company may not be for another,” chief executive officer Rachel Waterhouse says.
“Companies that take positions that are popular without them being closely aligned with [their] culture, values, and practices will inevitably be found out,” she says. ”Reputational damage would be worse than not taking a position in the first place.“
With trust declining in the ability of governments to solve economic and social problems, Waterhouse says pressure has grown on companies to take a more active part in addressing social issues including climate change, sexism, racism and modern slavery.
In his recently published book Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality Is Sabotaging Morality, Rhodes argues that woke washing is a mere symptom of a deeper problem that could potentially weaken democracy. He says a decrease in state intervention and the growing power of corporations since the 1980s has contributed to their influence on significant political issues. But while companies are interested in climate change, sexism, racism and identity politics, they have shown little or no interest in the housing crisis or massive wealth inequality in an age of billionaires.
“They are not going around saying they are trying to increase the minimum wage,” Rhodes says.
“We have CEOs whose payslips look more like ransom notes. If corporations ever had two main social responsibilities, one is to pay tax and to provide decent and meaningful employment to people. That isn’t happening.
“The kind of politics that gets highlighted are things that either support or don’t interfere with corporate interests. That’s not democracy, it’s closer to feudalism.”
The notion of being politically awake – woke – harks back to the 1960s when civil rights activist Martin Luther King spoke about being aware of social and political change. This notion of being woke went viral during the Black Lives Matter movement and has been misappropriated to disparage progressive political causes. Rhodes warns people need to be woke to woke washing.
As he describes it, the substantial debate is not between the left and the right. Democracy is where the real struggle lies. He fears for the very system that allows us to have political differences. “That is what is potentially at stake here,” he says. “That’s what worries me more than where a CEO makes fairly inane gestures about Australia Day.“
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David Schwartz is the friendly face behind David’s General Store in Port Sydney.
He took the business over in May 2022 and says he is truly amazed at the friendly vibes and welcoming people in the community.
“I didn’t even know where Port Sydney was,” said Schwartz. He said he checked out the area, particularly Mary Lake, and the general store when it was for sale, and liked the possibilities.
He’s added a pizza menu and said he uses top ingredients and is amazed at how good he’s getting at making those. “Who knew?” questioned Schwartz who said he retired from the fast-paced automotive parts industry and wanted to find something else to do, something he could put his name on and make his own.
“This store has a lot of history going as far back as 1911. Now we are the new owners. Since opening the store the town has embraced my store with tremendous support. I have added a lot of new product selections to complement the store and the needs of the town. Our Pizza is the talk of the county all made fresh here. Also we make baked goods like cookies, brownies, and now bagels. Our breakfast sandwiches are also turning heads especially when we put them on our bagels with local farmed eggs, real cheddar cheese and enough bacon to choke a pig lol,” wrote Schwartz in an email introducing himself. He’s also added smoked meat sandwiches.
Schwartz said he wants to focus on buying local ingredients. “We bring in a lot of local meats and local pierogies, we deal lots with locals… This is what my concept is: If I’m dealing with the locals, the locals will respect it and deal with me.”
Schwartz explained that he lives with his wife in Tiny Township. His wife works in Toronto and comes up on weekends and now they have a store in Port Sydney, which should make it interesting but he’s committed to making the business a success. “People need to see my face and feel my heart,” he said adding that he hopes to be the place where everybody knows your name.
David’s General Store is located at 653 Muskoka District Road 10 in beautiful Port Sydney.
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Chris Robshaw believes Eddie Jones will have a “big impact” on Australia after taking charge of the Wallabies for a second time following his sacking by England.
Just weeks after his dismissal following a dire run of results, veteran coach Jones is back at the helm of his native Australia, having been their boss when they lost the 2003 World Cup final to England in Sydney.
The teams could meet in the last eight of this year’s edition in October, leaving open the prospect of England suffering a defeat overseen by the man who took them all way to the 2019 final loss to South Africa in Japan and was contracted to be in charge of the Red Rose brigade at France 2023.
Former captain Robshaw played under Jones early in his seven-year England reign and has no doubt about his ability to raise Australia’s game.
“We’ve seen Eddie’s comments that Australia might see England in the quarter-finals — and give a little smirk!,” Robshaw told reporters on Wednesday.
ADRIAN DENNIS
“You always want to get one over your former team. I’m pretty sure Eddie will have a big impact. When any good coach goes into a different set-up it’s bad news if it’s not your team. Warren Gatland going back to Wales makes them tougher opposition straight away.”
England may won just five of their 12 Tests under Jones in 2022 but the early years of his reign were an undeniable success.
Taking over after England’s woeful group-stage exit on home soil at the 2015 World Cup, he led the team to a Six Nations Grand Slam and a series whitewash of Australia as part of a record-equalling run of 18 successive Test wins by a leading rugby union nation.
Robshaw, 36, said Jones’ ability to lift a team straight from his appointment was unsurpassed in his experience.
“It’s Eddie mentality,” explained the recently-retired flanker.
“He was better than any coach I have worked in terms of his man management. And it wasn’t always the big things, it was the little things like interacting with everyone every single morning in the breakfast room — going around all the tables.
“He would treat all the players differently. With someone like myself he was always very honest, with someone like James Haskell they would always take the mick out of each other. He interacted with the person rather than just the rugby player.”
Robshaw added: “For Australia, he will definitely have that ability to shake them up because they have good players but they are just low in confidence.
“They had a tough autumn series over here. The writing has been on the wall that at some point he would go back to that Australia job.
“He’s a proud Australian, he’s got a lot of history and heritage there. It’s just happened a bit sooner than most had thought.”
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