Latest from Sky News AU
Sky News AU
26 minutes ago
- Sport
- Sky News AU
AFL: West Coast Eagles star Jeremy McGovern forced into medical retirement
West Coast Eagles star and five-time All-Australian Jeremy McGovern says he's 'gutted' but respects the decision of the AFL's concussion panel that ruled he should retire on medical grounds. The decision for McGovern, 33, to step away and end his 197-game career was made after 'extensive consultation' with his family, club leaders and medical staff. But ultimately the recommendation from the AFL's concussion panel was something the superstar defender couldn't ignore. McGovern has only played six games this season and none since round 9 when he suffered concussion after an incident against Melbourne. 'It's been an absolute honour to pull on the West Coast jumper for the past 15 years and it's something that I will forever be grateful for,' McGovern said. 'As much as this isn't the way I would have liked to go out, I respect the decision. 'I'm gutted I don't get to pull the jumper on and run out one more time, but sometimes this is the way the game goes, and I am forever grateful to the West Coast supporters who have also shown me love and respect. 'I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with my career over the journey. 'My family – Mum and Dad, my brother Mitch, my wife Madi and my three kids Hudson, Marlee and Lewie – have been my biggest supporters as well as my friends who have been amazing through my whole time in the AFL. 'To the club, I can't explain how much you have given me over my time here and I can't thank you enough for drafting a fat kid from Albany and giving him a crack. 'I've always loved the game and winning a premiership is every kid's dream, but the lifelong friendships and relationships you build through footy mean more to me than anything. 'I will forever be indebted to West Coast and I will always bleed blue and gold.' The McGovern decision comes as Essendon youngster Nik Cox awaits his own findings from the concussion panel that in recent times has sent Collingwood premiership winner Nathan Murphy and Melbourne star Angus Brayshaw into early retirement. McGovern earnt the first of his five All-Australian blazers in 2015 and famously played in the 2018 grand final win against Collingwood despite having series internal injuries. He helped the Eagles win the game when he intercepted an Adam Treloar kick inside 50 that started the chain of possession that ended in Dom Sheed's matchwinning goal. West Coast football boss Gavin Bell said McGovern was 'exactly the type of player' teammates loved to play with. 'Even to overcome the injury setbacks he has battled in recent years to bounce back and become our club champion for the first time last year showed his commitment to getting the best out of himself,' he said. ''Gov' was exactly the type of player you would love to play with because he was tough and courageous, wanted to win, but also off the field he cared about his mates and looked after others.' Originally published as West Coast champion Jeremy McGovern forced into sudden retirement due to ongoing concussion issues
Sky News AU
26 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
AFP raids multimillion-dollar Double Bay home dressed in hi-vis
Wild footage shows a man being escorted away from a home in one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs by undercover police officers dressed up as tradies. Police swarmed a home on Holt Street in Double Bay on Friday afternoon, with officers dressed in riot gear following two men dressed in orange hi-vis shirts as they led the man to a waiting police car. The officers had kicked in the door of a home as part of an alleged cocaine bust, the Daily Telegraph reported. An unmarked police car blocked off the street with its lights flashing, and armed officers were seen stationed around the area. A spokesman for the Australian Federal Police confirmed officers had executed a search warrant at the premises 'as part of an ongoing criminal investigation'. 'A man has been arrested,' the spokesman said. 'There is no current threat to the community. Further comment will be made at an appropriate time.' More to come Originally published as AFP raids multimillion-dollar Double Bay home
Sky News AU
34 minutes ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Amazon boss announces it may need ‘fewer' employees in coming years as company explores AI
Amazon employees have had their biggest fears confirmed as the CEO announced an increased use of AI may result in 'fewer' workers needed in the company. In a message shared to Amazon employees this week, boss Andy Jassy stated AI is 'rapidly becoming reality,' as the company continues to invest in the technology. 'It's hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the country,' he said in the statement. Amazon is continuing to develop Generative AI to 'change the scope and speed at which we can innovate for customers,' and think 'strategically about how to improve customer experiences and invent new ones.' 'Today, we have over 1,000 Generative AI services and applications in progress or built,' Mr Jassy said. Despite the high number of AI systems, Mr Jassy said Amazon is still at the 'relative beginning' of its journey with AI, and encouraged employees to invest in the service. 'Those who embrace this change, become conversant in AI, help us build and improve our AI capabilities internally and deliver for customers, will be well-positioned to have high impact.' Frustrated employees have shared their thoughts in internal messages, revealed by Business Insider, claiming Mr Jassy has finally 'said the quiet part out loud.' 'There is nothing more motivating on a Tuesday than reading that your job will be replaced by AI in a few years,' one employee said. 'Our CEO doesn't seem to have a vision for the company other than 'do what we do today cheaper, and also AI will happen',' said another. Other staff said Amazon should look for more ways to work alongside AI, rather than using it to replace employees. 'We need to lead the change in reframing AI as partners (even teammates or colleagues) rather than AI as replacements or tools,' an employee said. It comes after popular language learning app Duolingo came under fire for announcing the platform would only hire new employees if they can prove work could not be automated with AI. 'We'll gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle,' CEO Luis von Ahn said in a statement.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
About $125k nest egg bump for 30-year-old Aussie on average salary amid super hikes, Australian Retirement Trust shows
A 30-year-old Australian earning the average salary will be $125,000 better off by the time they retire under recent changes to superannuation launched over the past five years. This is the finding of Australian Retirement Trust (ART) which said the gradual increase of the mandatory superannuation contributions from 9.5 per cent in 2020 to 12 per cent from the start of July will contribute more than six figures into young Australians' super accounts. ART's executive general manager for advocacy and impact Anne Fuchs said a 30-year-old on $100,000 per year – the average salary in Australia – will reap massive benefits of the increases since 2020. "In a fortnightly pay statement, the increase in the superannuation guarantee rate may seem tiny,' Ms Fuchs said. 'But over a working lifetime, the magic of compound returns can turn those small increases into hundreds of thousands of dollars.' It comes as working Aussies will receive a 0.5 per cent super contribution bump from the start of the coming financial year. Mrs Fuchs likened the increase to 'reaching the summit of your own financial Everest' for many working Australians. 'Since the superannuation guarantee was introduced in 1992, it has become the cornerstone of Australia's retirement system – evolving from a modest three per cent contribution to a robust framework that provides you with meaningful savings for your future,' she said. 'An increase in superannuation contributions means you'll be adding that little bit extra to your super and over time, that really adds up.' The gradual super contribution changes from 9.5 per cent to 12 per cent was originally proposed under the Rudd government and enacted under former prime minister Scott Morrison. Other research from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia showed a 30-year-old worker earning $75,000 will be $20,000 better off due to the 0.5 per cent super change. The bump comes as Australia's $4.2 trillion super nest egg will grow from the fourth largest super pool in the world to the second over the coming decade. This is according to a report from the Super Members Council which showed Australia will surpass the United Kingdom's and Canada's pensions amid growth in Australia's superannuation guarantee scheme. Super Members Council CEO Misha Schubert lauded Australia's super system as the 'envy of the world'. 'Australia has the fastest growing super system globally – twice the rate of international peers,' Ms Schubert said. 'We're the only OECD country where spending on government-funded pension payments is falling and will continue to fall.'
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'Going back to my roots': Aussie supermodel Jess Hart says she wants to raise her children, Baby-Rae and Glorious, in Ballarat after decades overseas
Australian supermodel Jess Hart has revealed she plans to return home and raise her children in Australia, after spending more than two decades living abroad. The 39-year-old, who was born in Sydney and raised in Melbourne, has lived overseas since she was a teenager, first moving to Paris at age 15 to pursue her modelling career after winning Dolly magazine's Model Search in 2000. Hart's career took off quickly, with high-profile campaigns for brands including Victoria's Secret, Guess, L'Oréal, Louis Vuitton and Max Mara. She's graced the pages of Vogue and Sports Illustrated, and called cities like London, New York and Los Angeles home. But now, with four-year-old daughter Baby-Rae, three-year-old son Glorious, and 11-year-old stepdaughter Wren in tow, Hart says she's preparing to lay down roots back in Victoria. "I want my children to be half-Australian and half-American- not just Americans with Australian passports," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I want them to be immersed in Australian culture and grow up the way we did." The supermodel, known for her cheeky gap-toothed grin, is reportedly eyeing a permanent base near Ballarat in regional Victoria- the same area where her late mother Rae's family once lived. Rae tragically died in January 2023 after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder formerly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. "It would make my mum so happy," Hart said. "[The region is] where her family had homes. I'm going back to my roots, my heritage." She also revealed she's currently exploring schooling options that would allow the family to split their time between both countries. While it's unclear whether Hart and her longtime partner, American NASCAR driver James Kirkham, are still together, she's made no secret of her desire to reconnect with Australia. In September, Hart starred in a Qantas campaign alongside First Nations model Charlee Fraser, with creative direction from Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. When asked what she misses most about home, Hart quickly responded: "My friends and family." More recently, the supermodel shared a string of sweet snaps from her trip back to Australia on Instagram, including time spent at Sydney's Crown with her children. "Three little monkeys…. Just busy creating winter memories in Australia," she captioned the post. She also made an appearance at Australian Fashion Week in May, opening the Bianca Spender show to the delight of fashion insiders.
