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ABC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
ABC celebrates 25 years of the Garma Festival
As the proud official media partner of the Garma Festival, the country's biggest gathering of First Nations politics and culture, the ABC will this weekend bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, stories and culture to all Australians. For 25 years at the Garma Festival, the Yothu Yindi Foundation has brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in north-east Arnhem Land through discussion forums, art, music, film, song, dance and exhibitions. Yothu Yindi Foundation CEO Denise Bowden said the ABC's coverage of the event was comprehensive and vital, ' The ABC shares the culture and conversations of Garma with a large national audience, which is so important in ensuring Yolngu voices continue to be heard, while giving Australians a better insight into the realities of life in remote Indigenous communities ' she said. This year's theme 'Rom ga Waŋa Wataŋu', or 'The Law of the Land, Standing Firm' acknowledges the achievements of the festival, paying tribute to the many Yolngu clan leaders over the years, whose legacy continues to be felt throughout the nation. 2025 marks a key moment in Indigenous Politics. Three months on from the Australian Labor Party's landslide election victory, all Australians will be watching the festival for an update from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the Government's direction on Indigenous Affairs and policy. From Friday 1 August ABC News will deliver news, reporting and analysis from the Festival on all ABC NEWS platforms. The ABC has a long history as the media partner of the Festival. In this celebratory year the national public broadcaster's partnership will be led by Director, First Nations Strategy Kelly Williams. Ms Williams said: ' The 25th anniversary of Garma is an important milestone and one the ABC is celebrating with coverage led by senior Indigenous journalists whose careers have grown through covering this event. It is a wonderful moment to have Bridget Brennan and Isabella Higgins leading the coverage around Indigenous affairs and Dan Bourchier doing live crosses into News Breakfast and other programs. ' ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks: ' I'm really looking forward to attending such an important cultural event in support of both the partnership and the ABC's truly impressive team of Indigenous on-air presenters and management executives in the work they do for the ABC. ' We have an important opportunity before us to strengthen the relationships we have with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and industry organisations in the telling of important First Nations stories across the ABC's diverse range of media platforms, at a scale and with an impact that reaches as many Australians as possible .' The Garma Festival is held at Gulkula, about 40 kilometres from the town of Nhulunbuy in North-East Arnhem Land, a prominent ceremonial place for the Gumatj clan of the Yolŋu people. ABC NEWS coverage will be overseen by Head, International and Indigenous News Suzanne Dredge and led from the Festival by a team of experienced Indigenous ABC journalists, producers, and technical specialists. Photo credit Che Chorley/ ABC News. Media contact Emma Brown, ABC Communications
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Advance used unblurred footage of minors taken from education organisations without consent in new ad
Conservative lobby group Advance is under fire for repurposing footage of identifiable children without obtaining consent in a new ad attacking Welcome to Country ceremonies. When contacted by ABC NEWS Verify, many of the schools, child education centres, and organisations that had videos taken for use in the ad, said permission was not granted to use the footage, and they want the ad taken down. Advance started advertising with the ad, titled "Welcome To Your Own Country", on June 15 on Meta platforms. It uploaded the video on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube — where, combined, it has been viewed more than 230,000 times. The ad shows minors taking part in Acknowledgement of Country activities at education facilities — with some of the children clearly identifiable. A face blur has only been used on some of the children. Some adult educators can also be identified. ABC NEWS Verify has chosen not to name any of the education facilities involved. Below are stills of the ad, but the images have been blurred, so children and adults can't be identified. ABC NEWS Verify has analysed the video and, using basic open-source techniques, was able to identify footage taken from the public social media accounts of four childcare and/or early learning centres, one playgroup organisation, two primary schools, and one prep to year 12 school. Footage featuring children filmed by not-for-profit group Reconciliation Australia was also used — as well as a clip featuring children from ABC programming. ABC NEWS Verify contacted the above organisations to ask if permission had been sought by Advance to use the footage in its ad. All but one replied by deadline confirming permission had not been sought. "The ad has been sourced from material publicly available on the internet," a spokesperson for Advance said. Some of the schools referred the inquiry to their respective education departments. "No permission has been granted by the ACT Education Directorate [or the primary school] for the use of this video. No consent has been granted by the parents of the children in the video for it to be used in this way," one said. "We object to footage of our students being used in this way, even more so without their knowledge and without the consent of their parents," it said. The Queensland Education Department said neither it, nor the school featured in the ad, were approached for permission to use the video. "The department is currently supporting the school to report the unauthorised use of footage to YouTube," it said. Reconciliation Australia also provided a statement. "Advance has not sought our permission to use the images contained in their ad," it said. "Written release forms were signed by all parents and guardians giving permission for Reconciliation Australia to use images of the children featured in the original video. "We are very concerned that Advance appears to have used images of minors with no attempt to de-identify many of the children nor to acquire consent from their parents or guardians, and without permission from Reconciliation Australia," it said. At least seven adult educators feature in the video — some have their faces blurred, but a number do not. A staff member from a playgroup organisation is prominently featured at the start of the ad. That organisation's chief executive told ABC NEWS Verify it had lodged an official complaint with YouTube and was seeking advice from the eSafety Commissioner on what to do if the video isn't removed. "I am deeply concerned to learn that footage originating from our official YouTube channel has been used without our consent in a political advertising campaign," they said. "We unequivocally condemn Advance Australia's unauthorised use of [the] material." It is understood the ABC was also unaware of its footage being used in the ad. ABC NEWS Verify contacted Advance and informed them that several organisations had said they would like their footage removed from the ad. In response, Advance said that it had not received any complaints. "We have not been contacted by any individual or organisations with the concerns you refer to in your questions," it said. "In fact, the response to the ad has been overwhelmingly positive." Technology and privacy legal expert James Patto from Scildan Legal said "it's at least arguable" that Advance has breached the Privacy Act in repurposing the footage. But he said it depends on whether the footage is considered "personal information" or "sensitive information" under the act. "If it's personal information — say the children are identifiable but there's no sensitive characteristics — then Advance Australia wouldn't necessarily need consent to collect it," he told ABC NEWS Verify. "But that doesn't mean they're off the hook. "They'd also need to notify individuals, unless that wasn't reasonably practicable. "It's important to remember that just because something's online doesn't mean it's fair game under privacy law." He said it's a different story if the footage is determined to be "sensitive information". "If the footage includes sensitive information, like racial or ethnic origin or biometric features, then consent is required to collect and use it," Mr Patto said. "That consent has to be specific to Advance and for the political purpose. Consent given to a school or film crew wouldn't likely cut it. "I think it's at least arguable that some of the footage could reveal sensitive information, like race and ethnic origin," he said. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is the country's privacy regulator. It was contacted but failed to respond directly to questions concerning the ad.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- CTV News
German tourist found alive 12 days after she was lost in the Australian Outback
Police prepare to search for German backpacker Carolina Wilga in Beacon, Western Australia on July 11, 2025. (ABC News via AP) MELBOURNE, Australia — German tourist Carolina Wilga was found alive in Australia's remote Outback on Friday, 12 days after she went missing and a day after her abandoned van was discovered, police said. The last known sighting of the 26-year-old backpacker, and the last day family and friends heard from her, was June 29. She was seen a general store in the wheat farming town of Beacon, 320 kilometres (200 miles) northeast of the Western Australia state capital Perth. Beacon had a population of 123 during the 2021 census. A member of the public found Wilga wandering on a forest trail late Friday, Western Australia Police Force Insp. Martin Glynn said. She was in a 'fragile' state but had no serious injuries and was flown to a hospital in Perth for treatment, Glynn told reporters. 'I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story,' Glynn said, adding it was a 'great result' for the backpacker's family and those involved in the search. 'You know, she's obviously coped in some amazing conditions,' he said. 'There's a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna. It's a really, really challenging environment to cope in.' Police assume backpacker became stuck June 29 The reserve where Wilga was lost covers more than 300,000 hectares (740,000 acres). The Thursday-Friday overnight temperature was 2.6 C (36.7 F) in the area with no rain. The crew of a police helicopter spotted her van Thursday in wilderness in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, 36 kilometres (22 miles) north of Beacon, Glynn said. 'Very difficult country. Huge area. So it's a miracle they've actually spotted the car, to be honest,' Glynn told reporters before she was found. Ground searchers on Friday scoured a heavily wooded radius of 300 metres (1,000 feet) beyond the van. Police assume Wilga's van, a 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, became stuck in mud on the day she left Beacon, Glynn said. The van, which has solar panels and reserves of drinking water, had recovery boards under its rear wheels that are used to give vehicles traction when they are stuck. Police believed Wilga became lost and was not the victim of crime. Australian serial killer Ivan Milat, who died in prison in 2019, notoriously kidnapped and murdered seven backpackers from 1989 to 1992 including three Germans, two Britons and two Australians. Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Kindergarten cleaner allegedly found with more than 5,000 child abuse images after he set-up a hidden bathroom camera is granted bail
A 'tech savvy' young man who worked as a kindergarten cleaner has been allowed bail after he allegedly used a hidden bathroom camera to create child abuse material. Chris Rankin, 35, was employed at a childcare centre in Mildura, Victoria, when police arrested him in June and allegedly found 300 images on personal storage devices. He was slapped with multiple counts of possession and production of child abuse material, including altering images of children using Photoshop, the ABC reported. Rankin appeared over an AV link on Thursday at Mildura Magistrates' Court as Magistrate Michael Coghlan granted him bail under strict conditions. This included Rankin staying with his parents and not using the internet unless for banking or to complete a tax return while supervised by a parent. He is forbidden from contacting witnesses apart from the informant. Magistrate Coghlan allowed the bail due to the fact there might be a delay between the decision today and a committal mention or criminal trial. During the hearing on Rankin's bail application, Detective Senior Constable Casey said officers had found 5,000 more images of child abuse material since the arrest. 'I've been able to analyse all devices except for the computer tower, and I have confirmed that there is child abuse material on the computer tower,' he told the court. 'All of the devices that have been triaged I've located approximately 5,000 more images of child abuse material within those devices. 'The tower is three to four times the size of the other devices and will take longer to triage.' Constable Casey said he would need a further five weeks to look into the extent of Rankin's alleged offenses. He also told the court the risk of the alleged paedophile was 'tech-savvy' and the risk of him interfering by deleting images was lowered but not non-existent. In a previous appearance, the court had heard some of the material was allegedly recorded through a hidden bathroom camera. It was not confirmed by Constable Casey whether Rankin's Working with Children Check has been cancelled but his former employer has 'taken strides' to remove access to the company's kindergartens. Rankin's social media lists him as a former teacher aide at Merbein P-10 College but the Herald Sun reports none of the alleged victims are thought to have attended there. A hand-up brief is due on August 13, ahead of a committal mention expected on September 24.
Scottish Sun
20-06-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Girl, 9, recalls moment she ‘picked up hand' & ‘started screaming' in horror shark attack as dad says ‘miracle' happened
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE nine-year-old girl has recalled the moment her hand was almost torn off in a savage shark attack while snorkeling with her mom. Leah Lendel underwent a six-hour surgery to repair her hand that was left "hanging by skin" after she was mauled by an eight-foot shark off Boca Grande beach in Florida on June 11. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Leah Lendel spoke out about the horror shark attack on June 11 Credit: ABC NEWS 9 She had been snorkeling off a Boca Grande beach with her mom Credit: ABC News 9 A 9-year-old girl in Florida is recovering from surgery after a shark nearly bit her hand off while she was snorkeling off a Boca Grande beach last week. Credit: ABC News 9 Leah's mom said her daughter's 'instincts kicked in' and she ran out of the bloody water Credit: ABC NEWS "Something hard bit me and then tried to tug me away," she said at a news conference at Tampa General Hospital. While flanked by her parents and doctors, Leah recalled how she and her mom started screaming when they realized what happened. "I didn't see anything. I was just snorkeling," she said. "I went up to breathe. And then, something hard bit me and tried to take me away. "Then I pick up my hand and is all in blood. I start screaming with my mom". Nadia, Leah's mom, told reporters how she thought her daughter had lost a limb, saying "It was really, really bad" and that she didn't think her daughter "was going to have a hand." "It's some sort of miracle that now she has a hand," she added. "There was so much blood in the water right next to me, in an instant I knew it's a shark attack," Nadia said, adding that her daughter's "instincts kicked in". Leah ran out of the water where she was picked up by her dad and taken to the road where people rushed to help. "We [saw] that little girl come out from the water with no hand, it was... like everybody was in shock," eyewitness Alfonso Tello who was on a lunch break at the beach told NBC-affiliate WBBH. Shark attack reported at popular US beach as victim rushed to hospital just weeks after 1,600lb beast spotted in state One horrified beach goer who ran to Leah told CBS-affiliate WINK that her hand "was hanging but this whole thing was completely hanging out. You can see bones all completely red". A frantic 911 call revealed how those nearby wrapped towels around Leah's hand that was "completely destroyed" and put her arm in a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. Within four minutes, responders from the Boca Grande Fire Department were on scene and she was flown two hours to Tampa General. MIRACLE WORKERS Leah's doctors told reporters how there was a six-hour window for them to save her hand from the moment she was mauled by the shark. Statement from Leah Lendel's family following the shark attack Nine-year-old Leah experienced a terrifying and life-altering event. Her family has issued the following statement following the suspected bull shark attack in Boca Grande, Florida: "We want to say Thank You to everyone that is praying for our sweet Leah. "We are thankful for the quick response of everyone that was on scene, the construction workers, residents that ran out to help and the first responders and to all the Doctors/Nurses that are doing everything to help our girl. "Yesterday Leah had an extensive surgery on her hand (wrist & fingers). "The Doctors, were able to get blood flow to her hand and fingers. "She is showing some movement in two fingers but can't feel the rest. "The doctors will be doing another procedure tomorrow to see if there is anything else that needs to be done. "The fact that Leah has all her fingers attached is already a testimony. "From witnessing her wrist hanging on by just the skin, to have blood flow in all of her hand and fingers is truly a miracle. "Please keep praying for our family, our God is a miracle worker." Less than an hour after she arrived at the hospital, she was in surgery where they had to stabilize the bone and take blood vessels from her leg to help restore blood flow to her hand. "I was trying to hold myself together, Leah's dad Jay said. "I think I was crying more than she was." An x-ray of her hand shows how the skin, muscles, and bones in her hand were severed almost all the way across the middle. Doctors called the fact it was a shark bite a "curse and a blessing". 9 A 9-year-old girl in Florida is recovering from surgery after a shark nearly bit her hand off while she was snorkeling off a Boca Grande beach last week., Leah Lendel's hand following the shark attack Credit: Tampa General Hospital 9 Emergency services attended the 911 call before Leah was flown to Tampa General Credit: Lee County Sheriff's Office 9 Leah underwent an initial six-hour surgery in which blood vessels from her leg were put into her hand to help restore blood flow Credit: Instagram/ Their sharp teeth mean the cut was clean and not jagged, meaning there was "good tissue to work with and put back together in a timely fashion," Dr Alfred Hess said. Leah will still need physical therapy and to have the pins in her hand removed but her parents say they are "just thankful for everybody". "I didn't think it was possible because I was holding her hand in my hand and I didn't think there was any chance at all of saving it," he said. "I'm so thankful to the surgeons for making such a miracle." "I'm just very thankful she's alive," Jay added. Leah said could not wait to start "playing with all my siblings" once her wounds healed. Her family launched a GoFundMe page to help with her recovery which has received over $47,700 at the time of writing. This week, another shark attack was reported at a popular US beach and a 12-year-old girl was mauled by a 12ft alligator while playing in shallow water with her friends. 9 The nine-year-old emerged from the water with what looked like a bloody stump Credit: GoFundMe
