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Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

<p>A petition is calling for Australia’s Miss Universe Moraya Wilson to step down, following reports that her parents owe $45 million to creditors. </p> <p>According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) her parents, Anton and Melinda Wilson, owe $45 million to creditors following multiple company liquidations. </p> <p>They also owe $21 million to the tax office, with Anton Wilson due in court next month for knowingly signing a false declaration and defrauding creditors of a bankrupt, according to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/calls-for-miss-universe-australia-to-step-down-amid-reports-her-family-owes-up-to-45m-to-creditors/news-story/092c8e7e789b2749d5853f7b6dccf535" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>news.com.au</em></a>.</p> <p>So where does Moraya come into all of this? </p> <p>It is reported that she is the director of 10 companies that ASIC is looking to have struck off the business register, although she has denied any knowledge of, or involvement in the businesses. </p> <p>Moraya said that she had “tendered my resignation from all of the companies”.</p> <p>However, Anton Wilson's bankrupt trustee Nicholas Crouch, claims that Moraya was listed as the sole director of these 10 companies so that the family business can continue to run despite her parent's bankruptcies. </p> <p>In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into ASIC lodged last year, Crouch wrote: “21-year-old daughter is now nominated as the director of the family construction group.</p> <p>“It would appear the family business has not been disrupted by strategic bankruptcies and liquidations.”</p> <p>It is also alleged that one of the companies Moraya is a director of owes $13,204 to the Australian Taxation Office, which means that it was operating and trading as a business. </p> <p>Her father claims that when Moraya was 19, and already successful in her modelling career, she wanted “to carve a career in property development”, so he offered her “general father-daughter advice”. </p> <p>“I just politely, as a father does to his daughter, said ‘I’ll help you get into business’. Pretty simple,” Anton said. </p> <p>Now, a Change.org petition has been launched by a member of the public, calling for her to step down as Australia’s top model.</p> <p>The petition reads: “Miss Universe is an international competition that empowers women and promotes diverse representations of beauty across the globe. This beauty goes beyond appearance and includes character and personality …”</p> <p>However,  Moraya said that she still intends to compete in the international pageant later this month. </p> <p>“I have become aware of a petition,” she said.</p> <p>“I intend to fulfil my duties as Miss Universe Australia to the best of my ability with the full support of The Miss Universe Australia management.”</p> <p>The organiser of the Miss Australia pageant, Troy Barbagallo also said that the controversy was “none of my business," and remains certain of his choice of Moraya as Australia’s top model.</p> <p>“There is (a) wide range of criteria and a large selection committee who found Moraya to be the best person for the job among 24 exceptional women and we stand by that decision,” he said. </p> <p>The model is set to travel El Salvador later this month for the international pageant. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Neighbours fans launch desperate bid to save the show

<p>Dedicated <em>Neighbours</em> fans have launched a desperate plea to stop the show from facing cancellation. </p><p>Thousands of British viewers of the Aussie soap have signed a petition to "find a way to keep <em>Neighbours</em> on air" after news that UK network Channel 5 was withdrawing its partnership with Australian production company Fremantle Media. </p><p>The cancellation of the broadcast partnership has put the future of the series in jeopardy, with Channel 5 footing the majority of the production bill.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.change.org/p/channel-5-channel-5-don-t-axe-neighbours?recruiter=false&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_message&amp;utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&amp;recruited_by_id=bf8fa2f0-8739-11ec-968a-f93edd77906a&amp;share_bandit_exp=message-32279051-en-GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">change.org petition</a> states that <em>Neighbours</em> has “been a staple on UK screens for over 35 years – and has been watched by generations”.</p><p>“<em>Neighbours</em> is more than just a TV show – it is a source of comfort and entertainment for generations of fans who have watched it for decades.”</p><p>The petition, which has racked up more than 16,000 so far, cited the series as “one of the most-loved TV shows in the UK”, adding that “even Adele is a fan”.</p><p><em>Neighbours</em> draws around 1.5 million UK viewers daily, and up to 170,000 metro viewers in Australia.</p><p>Production on the show has been paused for Monday, with <a href="https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/02/neighbours-future-in-limbo-as-uk-confirms-it-will-cease-broadcasting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TV Tonight</a> reporting that the cast and crew will be attending a meeting to discuss the situation and future of the show. </p><p>Network Ten says it stays "committed" to the series and is feeling "hopeful" a deal can be reached, but an email sent from <em>Neighbours</em>' executive producer Jason Herbison to staff on the set, paints a more bleak picture of the future of the show. </p><p>“As you know the future of the show has been uncertain for some time. Our audience remains steady and Channel 10 would love the show to continue if we could find another broadcast partner to replace C5,” Herbison wrote in the email that was published by <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a>.</p><p>“These discussions are ongoing however there is no new broadcaster at the moment and production must end, effectively resting the show."</p><p>“We are so proud of the show, you all and everything that you’ve achieved. But for now, this chapter is closing and we want to work together to give <em>Neighbours</em> the amazing send-off it deserves.”</p><p><em>Image credits: Radio Times</em></p>

TV

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Petition calls for Prince Harry to give up royal titles

<p>A little over 25,000 people so far have signed a petition calling for Prince Harry to give up all of his royal titles so he may indulge his personal beliefs without consequences from or for the royal family.</p> <p>Started by royal expert, Lady Colin Campbell, she stated that the purpose of the Change.org appeal is to invite Prince Harry to “voluntarily” ask the Queen to put his “royal style, titles and rank into abeyance.”</p> <p>“As a purely private citizen, with no royal rank, style or title, he (Harry) will be able to indulge his personal beliefs, as is the right of all private citizens, without the consequential possibility of damaging the institution of the Monarchy or relations between Friendly Powers, and will be free to articulate beliefs, no matter how objectionable, without the fallout that is otherwise inevitable as long as he possesses royal status,” she wrote in the description.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPc-_7JnhXX/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPc-_7JnhXX/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Princess of world (@ourroyal_family)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Ms Campbell, who is the author of the book,<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/meghan" target="_blank"><em>Meghan</em></a><em><span> </span>and Harry: The Real Story<span> </span></em>informed<em><span> </span>The Daily Star</em>: "I started it (the petition) because I think it’s the right thing to do.”</p> <p>“I have spoken to people, many people, who think it’s the right thing to do and it is the solution,” she said.</p> <p>"It is the best solution because it frees Harry to be able to indulge himself without consequence and without doing damage to the institution of the monarchy of the British nation, the British people and himself,” the 71-year-old biographer says.</p> <p>Ms Campbell went on to claim Harry “doesn’t need” the royal titles as “he is too big for them now” and he “still gets publicity and attention.”</p> <p>"They (Harry and Meghan) will still be able to sell their brand, capitalise upon their identity, but at least it will be in a way there can be no confusion about the fact that he is doing it as an individual and not as a member of the royal family that has duties to the nation and to the people of this nation,” the writer said.</p> <p>Senior aides at Buckingham Palace also publicly asked Meghan and Harry to give up their titles earlier this month, in light of the Duke of Sussex’s latest tell-all interview.</p> <p>Despite making it clear he had no ill will against his family, senior royals were allegedly left baffled by his “disgraceful” and “woeful lack of compassion” when Harry guest starred on an episode of Dax Shepard’s<span> </span><em>Armchair Expert</em><span> </span>podcast.</p> <p>The 36-year-old royal admitted to Mr Shepard that he and Meghan moved to the United States to break the cycle of “genetic pain.”</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841555/prince-harry-meghan-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a97b869fa2e44c58afd65644f332e3b" /></p> <p>When speaking about his dad, Prince Charles, Harry said: “He’s treated me the way that he was treated.</p> <p>“There’s a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway.</p> <p>“Isn’t life about breaking the cycle? There’s no blame.”</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

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Kmart accused of enforcing gender stereotypes on kids

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A customer has complained about Kmart’s range of children’s clothing, accusing the retail giant of “gender stereotyping”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a Facebook post, shopper Swagata said she was frustrated by the differences in Kmart’s range of kids t-shirts for boys versus girls.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She claimed that the designs of girls tops included words such as “love”, “more love”, and “smile” while boys tops featured phrases like “adventure”, “wild woodlands”, and “alpine trails”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Could you possibly be more gender stereotyping with your kids clothes?” the shopper wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She went on to suggest kids clothes should be gender neutral to give shoppers and kids a wider choice.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Thumbs down from this parent,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The complaint comes after a recent petition called on Kmart to stop separating children’s clothing into “boys” and “girls” sections and instead offer one range for all children, claiming the retailer was sending the “wrong” message to kids.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many parents of young boys will tell you their son loves pink, rainbows and flowers but simply cannot wear clothes in these styles like girls do without taking them from the girls section, which sends a strong message that the things they like are ‘wrong’,” the petition read.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Similarly, many parents of girls lament the lack of dinosaurs, trucks and non-frilly styles in the girls’ section.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, the petition has received some backlash from parents.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t mind if they want to remove the ‘Boys’ and ‘Girls’ signage and just make a ‘Children’s’ section,” one commentor wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But please don’t mix the actual clothing items up so that we have to trawl through racks of ‘boys’ clothes to get to the ‘girls’ clothes we actually want, or vice versa.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Kmart spokesperson previously told 7NEWS.com.au that the store embraces inclusion and diversity.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“At Kmart, we are proud to offer customers a wide range of children’s clothing in lots of different styles and it’s certainly not our intention to stereotype children based on gender,” the spokesperson said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The store layout reflects a majority of the way our Kmart customers shop and the difference between our boys and girls apparel range (in terms of fit) is marginal, so all customers have the opportunity to shop both areas for children.”</span></p>

Beauty & Style

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Barbie now comes in petite, tall and curvy body shapes

<p>Barbie, once a doll with one sole purpose, now an icon trying to fit in to society’s expectations.</p> <p>The Barbie doll has been a controversial object, too skinny, too white, too unrealistic with her long legs and big breasts and ridiculous portrayal of “perfection”.</p> <p>Mattel has finally announced that Barbie’s new collection will see three various body types, that being petite, tall and curvy. With this new addition, they’ve also decided to include seven new skin tone colours to recognize various nationalities representing ethnicity and race.</p> <p>On their website, Mattel described the change as a reflection of today’s lifestyle for young girls.</p> <p>“By introducing more variety into the line, Barbie is offering girls choices that are better reflective of the world they see today. 2016 Barbie collection includes 4 body types, 7 skin tones, 18 eye colours, 18 hairstyles and various trend fashions and accessories.”</p> <p>Despite the doll being just a toy, it has come under scrutiny in playing an important part for the portrayal of a ‘normal’ woman with ‘bimbo’ expectations. The doll has evolved from being just Kens girlfriend in a bikini to President Barbie and even Barbie scientist. Let’s just hope Barbie tries to keep up with our continually expanding and developing society.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/01/evolution-of-tv/">The Evolution of the TV: Then and now</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/01/best-of-the-90s-tv-hits/">Best of the 90s TV hits</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2015/12/tv-shows-you-forgot-about/">11 of the best TV shows we’d forgot about</a></strong></em></span></p>

News

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Petition to put Fred Hollows on Australian $5 note gains support from high profile Aussies

<p>A petition has been launched this week to honour ground-breaking eye surgeon Fred Hollows, by having his face featured on the Australian $5 note.</p> <p>During his life Dr Hollows helped treat eye disease in impoverished communities around the world, and his foundation has helped restore eyesight to more than 2 million people.</p> <p>The petition to “Put Fred on a Fiver” was launched this week amid plans for the Reserve Bank to update the $5 note next year and has already found some high profile support in former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freemen and media personality Ray Martin.</p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/14537/fred-hollows-in-text_500x334.jpg" alt="Fred Hollows In Text" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Brian Doolan, chief executive of the Fred Hollows Foundation, says this would be a great way to pay homage to one of our greatest Australians, “The images on notes at the moment are all of great Australians most of whom did wonderful things in Australia, some of whom had an international career But Fred Hollows has actually touched the lives of millions of people around the world.”</p> <p>The petition intends to replace the image of parliament house with an image of Dr Hollows.</p> <p>To view the petition <a href="http://action.hollows.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16719&amp;track=fiverorg" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>click here</strong></span></a>. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/01/maggie-beer-popular-aged-care-food-course/"><strong>Maggie Beer to take popular aged care food course Australia wide</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/01/overpriced-abosch-potato-photograph/"><strong>Ridiculous amount someone willing to pay for photo of potato</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/01/crocodile-takes-morning-dip-swimming-pool/">This crocodile takes morning dip in swimming pool</a></strong></em></span></p>

News