Latest news with #LauraNuttall
ABC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
ACT government backs down on proposed $11 fee for volunteer Working with Vulnerable People card
The ACT government has scrapped a plan to begin charging volunteers to register for a Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) card following community backlash. The proposed $11 fee was set to be introduced in September, intended to offset increasing costs associated with administering the WWVP scheme. The ACT Greens, the Canberra Liberals and some community groups argued the fee could be a financial disincentive to volunteering given registering for the scheme has been free since it was first rolled out in 2011. Community consultation with groups including VolunteeringACT and the ACT Council of Social Services (ACTCOSS) convinced the government to scrap the fee, with plans to review the scheme with stakeholders. It's the second instrument the territory government has backed down on from in its 2025-26 budget since it was announced late last month. The first was a proposed $250 health levy, which was slashed to $100 for residential ratepayers after the government struck a deal with the Greens. This time the Greens put pressure on the government in the form of a community petition, sponsored by MLA Laura Nuttall two days after the budget was announced, pushing for volunteer WWVP cards to remain free. It's another example of the reality the territory government faces now it's not in a coalition with the Greens — it must negotiate with the crossbench. The Canberra Liberals also pushed for the fee to be scrapped, announcing last week that they would move a disallowance motion when the Legislative Assembly next sits in September. ACT Disability, Carers and Community Services Minister Suzanne Orr told ABC Radio Canberra the fee was proposed to address financial pressure on the WWVP scheme. "[That pressure comes] from a lot of people enrolling who don't necessarily, under the legislation, need to be getting a WWVP card," Ms Orr said. But she said what came through "loud and clear" were concerns from the community who wanted to volunteer that the fee may not be the best way to make the scheme sustainable. City and Government Services Minister Tara Cheyne said the government had invested more than $5 million in the budget to support the continued delivery of the WWVP scheme. "[On top of the people enrolled who don't need to be], we are also anticipating that there will be additional requirements under the scheme as part of national responses to concerns in both the early childhood education and care sector and the aged care sector," Ms Cheyne said. "We will continue to explore further policy improvements to ensure the scheme remains fair, effective and sustainable, while continuing to protect our community's most vulnerable members." Greens MLA Laura Nuttall said she was "stoked" the government had dropped the proposed fee, calling it a "huge win for the community". "We're really pleased as Greens, in the balance of power on the crossbench, to have negotiated another budget measure," Ms Nuttall said. Ms Nuttall said rather than passing the cost on, providing organisations better clarity around who needs a WWVP check would go a long way to reducing the financial demand on the scheme. "[What] came through to us loud and clear from so many people in the community was actually that it felt a little bit insulting, that after all of the hard work that they put in, that they would be expected to pay even more," she said. "We know that volunteers provide really valuable contributions to the Canberra community, we know that for every $1 you invest in volunteers the community gets back $5.40 in return. "And at the same time, right now cost is one of the biggest barriers to volunteering, and volunteers are already paying on average $12.76 an hour for volunteering anyway, so we were concerned [the fee] would serve as a disincentive." VolunteeringACT CEO Jean Giese called the decision "a win for the 279,000 volunteers" in Canberra. "Our joint advocacy with volunteers, community organisations and government has demonstrated the power of collective action and the value that community places on volunteering," Ms Giese said. "VolunteeringACT now renews its focus on delivering the ACT Volunteering Strategy — a roadmap to deliver safe, ethical and sustainable volunteering for all Canberrans." She said a key part of the strategy was to ensure the appropriate safeguards were in place for volunteering. "We are committed to productive conversations with government, ACTCOSS and other partners to find solutions to the systemic issues within the scheme," Ms Giese said. "The ACT has a strong volunteering legacy, and this is a clear signal that volunteering will continue to thrive now, and into the future."
Glasgow Times
02-07-2025
- Science
- Glasgow Times
Citizen astronomers see moment star explodes by playing ‘spot the difference'
The volunteers had joined the Kilonova Seekers project to identify cosmic explosions of neutron stars and black holes colliding in distant galaxies. They managed to identify a cataclysmic variable star, named GOTO0650, which had undergone 'extreme brightening' compared to an image taken just two days before. The results have been published in a paper in the scientific journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Siding Springs Observatory was involved in the citizen science effort (Alamy/PA) A cataclysmic variable star is a binary star system made up of a white dwarf primary and a secondary star which are so close to each other that the gravity of the white dwarf distorts the second one. For the Kilonova Seekers project, members of the public are asked to compare data from two gravitational-wave optical transient observer (GOTO) telescopes – one in La Palma in the Canary Islands and the other at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory. More than 3,500 people take part in the project from countries around the world. Professor Laura Nuttall, from the University of Portsmouth, said: 'I'm really proud of everything Kilonova Seekers is achieving. 'We're engaging with people in just about every time zone, and thanks to their enthusiasm for the project, they are making discoveries and contributing to furthering our understanding of astrophysics.' Dr Lisa Kelsey, from the University of Cambridge, said: 'Citizen science is a powerful way to make novel serendipitous discoveries in vast datasets that would normally need to be analysed in depth by scientists. 'With over 2.8 million classifications so far, the discovery of GOTO0650 is really the pinnacle of two years of consistent hard work from our volunteers. 'Without the Kilonova Seekers volunteers flagging this object, rapid follow-up would not have been possible, and this object may have been missed entirely.' The team played 'spot the difference' to pinpoint the celestial event (Alamy/PA) Co-lead of Kilonova Seekers, Dr Tom Killestein, at the University of Warwick, said: 'Kilonova Seekers is a unique opportunity for members of the public to take part in true real-time astrophysics. 'Remarkably, public volunteers identified this star as an object of interest within three and a half hours of the image being taken by the GOTO telescopes – this discovery could have been missed among many other objects without their efforts.' Volunteer Cledison Marcos da Silva said: 'This discovery was very important to me, as I was going through a serious health problem and the citizen science we do at Kilonova Seekers was distracting me from my situation. 'I never imagined that we would discover such a bright transient, so it was a huge surprise, and we were very happy when we found out. 'This discovery shows the importance of citizen science, both scientifically and personally. Even from your bed, or on the street with your cell phone, there is the possibility of making a very important discovery.' Another participant Mayahuel Torres-Guerrero said: 'It was very exciting when GOTO0650 produced an echo outburst on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It was a great journey for someone who has studied social sciences like me.'
South Wales Guardian
02-07-2025
- Science
- South Wales Guardian
Citizen astronomers see moment star explodes by playing ‘spot the difference'
The volunteers had joined the Kilonova Seekers project to identify cosmic explosions of neutron stars and black holes colliding in distant galaxies. They managed to identify a cataclysmic variable star, named GOTO0650, which had undergone 'extreme brightening' compared to an image taken just two days before. The results have been published in a paper in the scientific journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. A cataclysmic variable star is a binary star system made up of a white dwarf primary and a secondary star which are so close to each other that the gravity of the white dwarf distorts the second one. For the Kilonova Seekers project, members of the public are asked to compare data from two gravitational-wave optical transient observer (GOTO) telescopes – one in La Palma in the Canary Islands and the other at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory. More than 3,500 people take part in the project from countries around the world. Professor Laura Nuttall, from the University of Portsmouth, said: 'I'm really proud of everything Kilonova Seekers is achieving. 'We're engaging with people in just about every time zone, and thanks to their enthusiasm for the project, they are making discoveries and contributing to furthering our understanding of astrophysics.' Dr Lisa Kelsey, from the University of Cambridge, said: 'Citizen science is a powerful way to make novel serendipitous discoveries in vast datasets that would normally need to be analysed in depth by scientists. 'With over 2.8 million classifications so far, the discovery of GOTO0650 is really the pinnacle of two years of consistent hard work from our volunteers. 'Without the Kilonova Seekers volunteers flagging this object, rapid follow-up would not have been possible, and this object may have been missed entirely.' Co-lead of Kilonova Seekers, Dr Tom Killestein, at the University of Warwick, said: 'Kilonova Seekers is a unique opportunity for members of the public to take part in true real-time astrophysics. 'Remarkably, public volunteers identified this star as an object of interest within three and a half hours of the image being taken by the GOTO telescopes – this discovery could have been missed among many other objects without their efforts.' Volunteer Cledison Marcos da Silva said: 'This discovery was very important to me, as I was going through a serious health problem and the citizen science we do at Kilonova Seekers was distracting me from my situation. 'I never imagined that we would discover such a bright transient, so it was a huge surprise, and we were very happy when we found out. 'This discovery shows the importance of citizen science, both scientifically and personally. Even from your bed, or on the street with your cell phone, there is the possibility of making a very important discovery.' Another participant Mayahuel Torres-Guerrero said: 'It was very exciting when GOTO0650 produced an echo outburst on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It was a great journey for someone who has studied social sciences like me.'
Powys County Times
02-07-2025
- Science
- Powys County Times
Citizen astronomers see moment star explodes by playing ‘spot the difference'
Citizen scientists have spotted the moment a binary star system exploded after playing 'spot the difference' with images from two telescopes on opposite sides of the planet. The volunteers had joined the Kilonova Seekers project to identify cosmic explosions of neutron stars and black holes colliding in distant galaxies. They managed to identify a cataclysmic variable star, named GOTO0650, which had undergone 'extreme brightening' compared to an image taken just two days before. The results have been published in a paper in the scientific journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. A cataclysmic variable star is a binary star system made up of a white dwarf primary and a secondary star which are so close to each other that the gravity of the white dwarf distorts the second one. For the Kilonova Seekers project, members of the public are asked to compare data from two gravitational-wave optical transient observer (GOTO) telescopes – one in La Palma in the Canary Islands and the other at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory. More than 3,500 people take part in the project from countries around the world. Professor Laura Nuttall, from the University of Portsmouth, said: 'I'm really proud of everything Kilonova Seekers is achieving. 'We're engaging with people in just about every time zone, and thanks to their enthusiasm for the project, they are making discoveries and contributing to furthering our understanding of astrophysics.' Dr Lisa Kelsey, from the University of Cambridge, said: 'Citizen science is a powerful way to make novel serendipitous discoveries in vast datasets that would normally need to be analysed in depth by scientists. 'With over 2.8 million classifications so far, the discovery of GOTO0650 is really the pinnacle of two years of consistent hard work from our volunteers. 'Without the Kilonova Seekers volunteers flagging this object, rapid follow-up would not have been possible, and this object may have been missed entirely.' Co-lead of Kilonova Seekers, Dr Tom Killestein, at the University of Warwick, said: 'Kilonova Seekers is a unique opportunity for members of the public to take part in true real-time astrophysics. 'Remarkably, public volunteers identified this star as an object of interest within three and a half hours of the image being taken by the GOTO telescopes – this discovery could have been missed among many other objects without their efforts.' Volunteer Cledison Marcos da Silva said: 'This discovery was very important to me, as I was going through a serious health problem and the citizen science we do at Kilonova Seekers was distracting me from my situation. 'I never imagined that we would discover such a bright transient, so it was a huge surprise, and we were very happy when we found out. 'This discovery shows the importance of citizen science, both scientifically and personally. Even from your bed, or on the street with your cell phone, there is the possibility of making a very important discovery.'
Leader Live
02-07-2025
- Science
- Leader Live
Citizen astronomers see moment star explodes by playing ‘spot the difference'
The volunteers had joined the Kilonova Seekers project to identify cosmic explosions of neutron stars and black holes colliding in distant galaxies. They managed to identify a cataclysmic variable star, named GOTO0650, which had undergone 'extreme brightening' compared to an image taken just two days before. The results have been published in a paper in the scientific journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. A cataclysmic variable star is a binary star system made up of a white dwarf primary and a secondary star which are so close to each other that the gravity of the white dwarf distorts the second one. For the Kilonova Seekers project, members of the public are asked to compare data from two gravitational-wave optical transient observer (GOTO) telescopes – one in La Palma in the Canary Islands and the other at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory. More than 3,500 people take part in the project from countries around the world. Professor Laura Nuttall, from the University of Portsmouth, said: 'I'm really proud of everything Kilonova Seekers is achieving. 'We're engaging with people in just about every time zone, and thanks to their enthusiasm for the project, they are making discoveries and contributing to furthering our understanding of astrophysics.' Dr Lisa Kelsey, from the University of Cambridge, said: 'Citizen science is a powerful way to make novel serendipitous discoveries in vast datasets that would normally need to be analysed in depth by scientists. 'With over 2.8 million classifications so far, the discovery of GOTO0650 is really the pinnacle of two years of consistent hard work from our volunteers. 'Without the Kilonova Seekers volunteers flagging this object, rapid follow-up would not have been possible, and this object may have been missed entirely.' Co-lead of Kilonova Seekers, Dr Tom Killestein, at the University of Warwick, said: 'Kilonova Seekers is a unique opportunity for members of the public to take part in true real-time astrophysics. 'Remarkably, public volunteers identified this star as an object of interest within three and a half hours of the image being taken by the GOTO telescopes – this discovery could have been missed among many other objects without their efforts.' Volunteer Cledison Marcos da Silva said: 'This discovery was very important to me, as I was going through a serious health problem and the citizen science we do at Kilonova Seekers was distracting me from my situation. 'I never imagined that we would discover such a bright transient, so it was a huge surprise, and we were very happy when we found out. 'This discovery shows the importance of citizen science, both scientifically and personally. Even from your bed, or on the street with your cell phone, there is the possibility of making a very important discovery.' Another participant Mayahuel Torres-Guerrero said: 'It was very exciting when GOTO0650 produced an echo outburst on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It was a great journey for someone who has studied social sciences like me.'
