Brooking Poi, 19, trains in plumbing at Linton Army Base, plans to return to Tairāwhiti.

Jim Chalmers has unveiled the make-up of the RBA's two new specialist boards under the biggest shake-up to the central bank in decades.

The government passed legislation on the last sitting day of the year to split the Reserve Bank's current board into two – one to focus specifically on setting interest rates, the other tasked with the bank's other governance duties.

Chalmers today announced Renée Fry-McKibbin and Marnie Baker have been appointed to join the monetary policy board.

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They will join Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy and four existing board members who chose to join the interest rates panel: Carolyn Hewson, Ian Harper, Iain Ross and Alison Watkins.

Two other board members, Carol Schwartz and Elana Rubin, opted instead to sit on the governance committee, where they'll be joined by new appointees Jennifer Westacott, David Thodey, Danny Gilbert, and Swati Dave, and RBA chief operating officer Susan Woods.

EXPLAINED: What the RBA is really looking at when it sets interest rates

Governor Michele Bullock, and her deputy, Andrew Hauser, will sit on both boards.

"These are high-quality, high-calibre people, and together they represent the best mix of relevant skills and abilities and experience," Chalmers said.

He said the government had consulted with the opposition on the appointments midway through the year.

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"We tried to make this as bipartisan as it could be and that extended to the way that we consulted in a genuine way," Chalmers said.

The dual-board structure was one of 14 recommendations made following a review of the central bank by a three-person panel, which included new appointee Fry-McKibbin.

"This is about modernising the Reserve Bank, picking up international best practice and making sure we equip the Reserve Bank to make the best, most considered decisions into the future," Chalmers said.

"And that's what the whole Reserve Bank review has been about."

The two boards will come into effect on March 1, between the RBA's first and second interest rate decisions of 2025.

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OPINION: Conspiracy theories are another major tool in the propaganda kit.

A NSW man who won $4.8 million on a "Set for Life" says he's not doing anything major to celebrate after discovering his win.

The Bathurst man won the prize in the December 12 draw, but only checked his ticket after missing multiple calls from The Lott.

"Honestly, I'm pretty calm! I don't think I'll do anything to celebrate right away," he told Lottery Officials after checking his ticket.

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The prize will be delivered in instalments of $20,000 every month, for the next 20 years.

Despite the cash coming his way, he says it won't change who he is as a person.

"I'm not sure what I'll do with the prize yet. I'll have a good think about it," the winner said.

"One thing I do know is I'll keep working.

"It's funny when I went past the newsagency, I saw they had sold a winning Set for Life ticket, and I thought that could be me!"

He said he realised he had missed several calls from an unknown number.

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"I thought that was odd," he said.

"I finally checked my ticket and it's great news.

"I had a nice syndicate win earlier this year so I'm pretty happy. I'm feeling lucky.

"It's certainly wonderful, but it won't change me as a person!"

His winning ticket was purchased at News N More Bathurst.

The newsagent's owner Mark McManus said he and the shop's team were thrilled to sell such a lucrative winning ticket.

"What fantastic news and what great timing, right on Christmas!" he said.

"We've sold a few nice prizes here in the past, but this win, $20,000 a month for 20 years, equating to $4.8 million, surpasses anything we have sold before."

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A vehicle has overturned on a private property.

It’s the final sitting week of Parliament.

‘Our season is currently tracking seven to 10 days ahead of [the] average,’

Though parts of Australia are currently under a brutal summer heatwave, they're still far from some of the world records for heat.

When the bladder is begging for relief, ignoring one's bodily cues for the sake of productivity or lounging around is common.

How many times have you decided that you just need to get through a meeting or the last few hours of a road trip first, or that you really don't want to miss a second of the movie you just paid $25 to see?

Holding your pee in every so often generally can be harmless, but there are some cases in which the behaviour can pose threats to your health, especially if it's a regular, learned behaviour, said Dr Jason Kim, clinical associate professor of urology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York.

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These risks stem from the reasons and the way we urinate in the first place.

"There's a complex neurological system that controls urination," added Kim, who is also director of the university's Women's Pelvic Health and Continence Center.

"Your kidneys make urine, and then (it's) funnelled down two tubes called ureters to the bladder. I'd say normal bladder capacity is about 400 to 600 (cubic centimetres)."

Once the bladder is about half full, nerve receptors tell the brain it's time to pee, and the brain tells your bladder to hold it until a socially acceptable time to urinate, Kim said.

That's when the brain will send signals that relax the urethral sphincter muscle and make the bladder muscles contract to squeeze urine out, Kim said.

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"We were built this way because if we just peed as we were walking along, let's say, the road, our predators would smell us," said Dr David Shusterman, board-certified urologist at NY Urology in New York City.

"Urine has concentrated toxins in it, which is why your body is trying to get rid of it — and so what ends up happening is you want to hold the toxins in because they have a smell to them, and you want to be able to excrete the toxins in a time where you're more protected."

Based on this science, here's what else you need to know about the risks of holding your pee.

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The possible cons of postponing the piddle

Holding pee in can increase your risk of getting a urinary tract infection, or UTI, which results from bacteria entering the urinary tract.

While peeing ideally would flush out any new invaders, retaining urine can "create a breeding ground for bacteria," Dr Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist at Orlando Health and a CNN contributor, said via email.

This is why people, especially those with female anatomy, are told to pee after sex since the friction of sexual activity can push bacteria into the urethra.

If left untreated, a UTI can ascend into the kidneys and result in kidney infection pyelonephritis, Kim said. If that infection, too, goes unchecked, there can be a bloodstream infection or urosepsis — sepsis from a urinary source.

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Over time, holding pee in too often can strain, and thus weaken, your bladder muscles, which then cannot generate enough force to empty the urine, experts said.

This makes "it harder to empty completely when you finally go," Brahmbhatt said.

"When that happens, you can enter a vicious cycle — more leftover urine means more risk for infections."

Consistently overriding bodily signals can make them start to be less evident or not work, experts said.

"We see a lot of this happening in nurses and teachers," Kim said.

"They don't go to the bathroom at all throughout the day when they're on shift or in the classroom."

If you can't pee, don't wait to see if something changes — seek evaluation from a doctor. Available treatments include self-administered intermittent catheterisation, long-term catheterisation or sacral neuromodulation — a bladder pacemaker that can sometimes "restore the ability for the bladder muscle to squeeze normally," Kim said.

In more extreme cases, experts said, holding pee can cause urine to back up into the kidneys, which can lead to infections, kidney damage or hydronephrosis. The latter is a condition in which the kidneys swell and stretch from the buildup. Not emptying your bladder enough can also cause abdominal pain, cramping or bladder stones.

How risky is holding your pee?

Heeding your body's cues as quickly as you can is always best, experts said, especially since you never know when your urethra has encountered bacteria that could lead to a UTI.

For the average healthy person, however, holding your pee for up to a few hours a few times a week isn't likely to cause harm, experts said. But if regularly ignoring your urge to pee goes on for weeks or longer, you're putting your bladder and kidneys under unnecessary strain.

There are some people for whom delaying urinating can be more dangerous than usual, necessitating more diligence.

That applies to those who may not be able to fight infections as well, including older people who may also experience a reduced capacity to urinate normally since ageing can be accompanied by growing prostates (for men) and tightening urethras (for women), Shusterman said.

Those with neurogenic bladder or kidney disorders are also at greater risk of harm from holding their pee.

People who are pregnant should also take extra care to honor the urge to pee, as they're already at greater risk for UTIs due to the increased weight and pressure of the uterus on the bladder, which can block urine from emptying, Shusterman said.

If you smoke or work around toxins such as gasoline, you're at higher risk of developing bladder cancer, Shusterman added, so peeing frequently is important for you, too.

If you're holding your pee because you've noticed you're running to the toilet unusually often, that could be a sign of overactive bladder syndrome, diabetes or a UTI, experts said. In this case, see a urologist who can help you get to the bottom of things and start you on some bladder training exercises.

If you're uncomfortable with public bathrooms, "I get it," Brahmbhatt said via email. "But it's better to go when your body needs to than to hold it in. Carry some disinfecting wipes or a portable seat cover if it makes you more comfortable. Your bladder and future self will thank you!"

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Fire authorities are on high alert across Victoria as the state endures one of its hottest days in four years.

Melbourne is forecast to reach a high of 41 degrees, while Mildura could see temperatures soar to 46 degrees.

The conditions have been described as "beyond extreme," with the Country Fire Authority chief declaring that Victoria's bush is "ready to burn."

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Fire danger

A large air tanker and 54 other planes and helicopters are in position and prepared for one of the worst fire danger days Victoria has seen in years.

The CFA has declared a total fire ban for much of the state, meaning no fires can be lit in the open air.

An extreme fire danger rating has been issued for Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central, and Central regions, including Melbourne and Geelong.

Meanwhile, North East, West, and South Gippsland areas have a high fire danger rating, while East Gippsland sits at a moderate rating.

"It will be a nasty day, we need to make sure we are ready," CFA chief executive Jason Heffernan said.

"The bush is ready to burn … I am concerned, leading into (today), it will be a hot, nasty day. If fires do start in the landscape, they will be hard to suppress, they will spread very quickly."

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https://x.com/CFA_Updates/status/1868406161944277027

The areas of concern include Lake Bolax, Westmere, Cressy and Winchelsea. 

Bureau of Meteorology's Michael Efron also warned of storm activity, with dry lighting a possibility.

"Also isolated thunderstorm activity developing over western and central parts could result in dry lightning and trigger some fire starts," he said.

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