“Love this. It’s the small gestures in life that sometimes have the biggest impact.”

A mother-of-three was drunk and angry after her boyfriend assaulted her during an argument about their approaches to parenting when she flung him from a car, almost killing him.

Tara McConchie, 37, faced the County Court in Melbourne on Wednesday where she avoided a jail sentence after pleading guilty to negligently causing injury to her then-partner in March 2021.

The couple of 10 years had been drinking all afternoon and into the evening at a Point Cook house party when they began arguing about their differing approaches to parenting and her boyfriend assaulted her.

READ MORE: Man arrested after another man killed, woman seriously injured in Melbourne's north

She went outside to their four-wheel drive, which had her boyfriend's jetski attached on a trailer, and drove off.

McConchie returned and then stopped on a suburban road near the party, where she tried to unhitch the trailer.

Her partner yelled at her and then jumped onto the 4WD, holding on to the roof rack. She revved the motor, but he stayed clinging to the car when she began accelerating.

She got up to 41km/h and then hit the brakes, flinging him off the vehicle and onto the road.

READ MORE: Brawl breaks out at Melbourne intersection

He suffered serious head injuries, including a brain haemorrhage, skull fractures and nerve damage, requiring surgery and rehabilitation.

"Driving at all with a blood alcohol level of 0.186 is highly dangerous and illegal," Judge Gerard Mullaly said.

"Serious injury if not death was inevitable."

He handed McConchie a three-year community corrections order and ordered she undertake 300 hours of unpaid community work.

Judge Mullaly said his sentence took into account "the whole picture" of the offending, including domestic violence and that the victim jumped on the car and remained there after she revved the engine.

"This is a merciful sentence to allow you to remain outside prison, but if you don't do what's required of you, you will go to prison almost inevitably," he said.

McConchie, who was supported in court by her new partner, was also disqualified from driving for two years.

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A brave Queensland bus driver has done what most would never dare to, parking his vehicle mid-route and stopping traffic to rescue a huge, wild snake.

Footage captured on the Gold Coast has shown the driver walk out onto a road, bend down and pick up the huge animal by the tail – which was almost certainly moments away from being flattened.

The driver then carefully carries the snake to a nearby grass patch before placing it down gently on the ground.

READ MORE: Victims fight for stake of Sydney fraudster's multi-million dollar assets

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A pedestrian is then seen almost stumbling across the serpent, before the driver warns him to keep his distance.

The footage comes after an Aussie snake expert issued a new warning to people across the country yesterday.

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"The Snake Hunter" aka Mark Pelley revealed a technique the animals use to flatten their bodies and creep their way under doors.

"Eastern brown snakes – even a large one like this – have the ability to flatten themselves out and gradually squeeze there way underneath an entrance door into the property," he said.

"I frequently find them inside houses in Australia in summer."

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A unique property which would be a fitting buy for a fresh lottery winner has gone on the market in Sydney.

Hundreds of millions of people celebrated across South Asia, as they mark this year's Holi festival. From Karachi to Kathmandu, the festivities bloomed in the vivid celebration of life.

More than 50 investors who lost money through Melissa Caddick's fraudulent scheme have teamed up to fight for their stake in a multimillion-dollar home in Sydney's east.

On Wednesday, a representative investor known only as Investor A was allowed to join a Federal Court lawsuit to provide opposition to Caddick's parents Ted and Barbara Grimley over a property in Edgecliff.

The Grimleys claim they paid their now-deceased daughter almost $1.2 million as partial payment for the apartment's purchase on the condition they would live there rent-free until they died.

READ MORE: Bindi Irwin shares health battle

Vanessa Whittaker SC, a barrister representing receivers appointed over Caddick's property, told the Federal Court that 53 out of 55 investors had voted to equally share any funds from the sale of the Edgecliff property and to appoint a representative to head up their legal claim for the missing money.

This means the out-of-pocket investors will not fight between themselves over who is owed what from the sale of Caddick's property and the liquidation of her company Maliver.

Instead, they will be united against Mr and Mrs Grimley, opposing their bid to have funds from sale of a $10 million mansion in Dover Heights used to pay off the mortgage over the Edgecliff property as well as the couple's claim for priority interest in this apartment.

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Other valuable items such as jewellery, designer clothing, artwork and accessories have already gone under the hammer in a bid to recoup funds for the victims.

On Wednesday, Justice Brigitte Markovic allowed Investor A to join the lawsuit saying it was in the interests of justice to have a party opposing the Grimleys' bid for the Edgecliff property.

Caddick's husband Anthony Koletti has also laid claim over some of his wife's property dealt with by the receivers and liquidators.

A hearing on April 28 will deal with the questions of whether an interim distribution can be made to investors and whether the Grimleys can use the Dover Heights funds for the Edgecliff mortgage.

READ MORE: Bodies of abducted pair found in medical clinic

A further hearing hoped to be held sometime in May will deal with whether Caddick's parents can remain living in Edgecliff or whether the apartment will be sold off and funds sent out to the fraudster's victims.

Caddick told her victims she would invest their cash, but instead created false CommSec trading accounts and faked trading documents showing profits.

She preyed mostly on her friends and family between 2013 and 2020, taking $23 million through the Ponzi scheme.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Federal Police jointly raided Caddick's eastern suburbs home on November 11, 2020.

Mr Koletti reported his 49-year-old wife missing two days later.

Three months after that, her decomposing severed foot washed up in a sports shoe on the far south coast of NSW.

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Plane tickets have eased from their 15-year highs, but are still well above pre-pandemic levels, new data released by consumer watchdog the ACCC reveals.

And while airlines have increased capacity on domestic routes, people are flying less than they did before the pandemic.

Airfares hit a 15-year high in December last year, but discount tickets dropped by a third in January.

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"While it's positive to see airfares fall from record highs in 2022, passengers are still generally paying more to fly today than they were before the pandemic," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.

"Airfares typically come down after the Christmas travel peak due to a seasonal decrease in demand, however some of this reduction is also explained by the airlines increasing their seat capacity."

The ACCC cited the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent jump in oil prices as a major cause of airfare rises.

Qantas flew at 102 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity, Virgin was at 96 per cent and Jetstar at 84 per cent.

Not showing up in the ACCC data is Bonza, which launched at the end of January with a series of unserved domestic routes.

Qantas accounted for 34.8 per cent of domestic passengers, while Virgin had 33.4 per cent.

Jetstar rose four points to 26.9 per cent.

Jetstar typically sees a rise in the January quarter, with more people travelling for pleasure than business. 

Regional airline Rex flew 4.9 per cent of domestic passengers.

The ACCC was tasked with monitoring the prices, costs and profits of the airline industry by then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg in June 2020.

The direction expires in June this year.

READ MORE: The Aussies being warned of a $100,000 financial blow

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An "infamously" blood-thirsty pair of orcas who devoured a total of 17 sharks in a single day have baffled marine biologists with their insatiable appetite. 

The duo – who have been on the radar of scientists since 2015 – slaughtered 17 sharks off the coast of South Africa late last month, gorging themselves on the animals and leaving their carcasses to float ashore at Pearly Beach, a village located along the southernmost tip of the country.

Marine biologist Dr Alison Kock said the orcas had only eaten livers of the broadnose sevengill sharks, a strange practice she'd observed in the pair for eight years.

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"At least 17 sevengill sharks have been killed by infamous killer whale pair Port and Starboard this week in South Africa," Kock said on Twitter.

"Only the livers were eaten with the leftover carcasses washing ashore.

"We first observed this pair hunting sevengill sharks in False Bay, Cape Town in 2015 … the drama didn't stop there.

"In 2017, this pair then started targeting great white sharks, ultimately resulting in the sharks abandoning established aggregation sites."

https://twitter.com/UrbanEdgeSharks/status/1629136252153864192

Kock explained orcas learn from experimenting with prey and can "remember" specific types of foods that they can then continue to hunt.

"They likely initially learn by experience when first predating a new species," she said.

READ MORE: Bodies of abducted pair found in medical clinic

This means that once the orcas are aware of the liver's location on a shark, "they will remember it forever and become more efficient".

Shark livers are highly nutritious and contain large levels of fats and vitamins. 

"Orcas may have learned that consuming shark livers provides high energy and nutrients," Kock told Live Science.

"Sharks' livers are large and buoyant, and they float to the surface of the water when a shark is killed.

"This makes them easy for orcas to spot and access, compared to other organs that may sink to the bottom or be harder to locate."

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Angela Falcon has never met another female welder in 38 years working around Melbourne.

And after nearly four decades people are still surprised every time she's told them what she does for work.

Women make up less than one per cent of welders in Australia, with welding being one of the professions with the lowest gender equality in the country, according to Australian Government data.

Falcon, who has had two children during her welding career, is hopeful the balance will change soon.

READ MORE: The superannuation figure Australia has forgotten

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Groceries were already one of our biggest household bills, averaging around $14,000 a year.

Then they went up by another 10 per cent last year. So we're going to need to use every Bill Busters trick to keep a lid on our shop in 2023.

Fortunately there are a couple of new savings hacks this year to add to our armoury.

Get 10 per cent off once a month at Woolies and Coles (Ends March 31 2023)

Woolworths has long had a deal where mobile customers get 10 per cent off their first shop each month, capped at $50/month. If you do a big shop, that discount could cover the cost of your mobile plan for the month.

Last year they extended it to their 'Everyday Extra' subscription, where non-mobile customers could pay $59 a year to get the same benefit, plus 10% off a monthly Big W shop.

Now, Coles have finally countered, offering a 10 per cent refund on your biggest shop each month for mobile customers. The mobile plans that qualify are at a higher price-point, starting from $35/month versus $20/month for the Woolies deal, the refund comes in the form of a gift card, and the offer is capped at $30/month for six months, but regular Coles shoppers could save $180 on their supermarket costs. The offer ends on 31 March.

Have said all that, if you're only shopping at Coles or Woolies, you're paying more than you have to…

'Be unfaithful' to your supermarket

For years I've been saying that the best way to pay bottom dollar for groceries is to shop at more than one supermarket, and make sure one of them is Aldi.

Aldi comes up cheaper in every price comparison, by anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent depending on which products you compare.

I once looked at my own $15,000 annual grocery bill and calculated I could reduce it by $1600 if I visit two supermarkets each week.

The reason is that you can then pick the eyes out of the best specials and prices at each. Coles, Woolies and Aldi all have weekly specials, announced on Mondays and available from Wednesdays. If you check the catalogues before you hit the shops, you can buy the items on your list wherever they're super-cheap that week.

Even if you don't have time to do that weekly, shopping at one supermarket one week and another the week after could save you money.

For example, if you signed up to the Woolies Everyday Extra program and you're a Coles Mobile customer, you could shop at Woolies one week and Coles the next and get 10 per cent off two weeks in a row, then do an Aldi shop on the third week.

How to check weekly supermarket discounts and specials

Coles

• Download the app
• subscribe to email catalogues
• Check the website
• Join flybuys and receive weekly emails

Woolworths

• Download the app
• Check the website catalogue
• Join Everyday Rewards and receive weekly emails

Aldi

• Download the app
• Check the website for 'Super Savers'
• Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter

Bulk-buy too

If you can, it also pays to visit a bulk-buy warehouse and a farmers market once in a while.

Warehouses such as Costco or Campbells Wholesale or ABCOE usually have an annual membership fee around $60 so you need to visit at least once every six months to come out ahead.

Go with a friend or family member, buy non-perishable stuff you know you'll need and split the big boxes to get the best prices. Fill up your car while you're there because Costco has very, very cheap petrol.

Maybe make a day of it and hit a farmers market too. Farmers markets can also cost around half of what big supermarkets do, and the produce usually lasts longer because supermarket fruit and veg can be stored for months in some cases.

Buy what's cheap and build your meal plan around that

Most of us don't know what's in season on any given day, but the prices in the supermarket will tell you!

Matt Palise from Red Rich fruits says you can sometimes buy a kilo of fresh produce for less than a coffee if it's in-season, so right now you'll want to check out Royal Gala Apples, William Pears, Grapes, Pineapples, Brooks mangoes and melons. (Remember when Iceberg lettuce was as much as $12 after the floods last year? It's now about $3.) Seasonal Food Guide Australia has a good summary of what to buy when.

Take pity on ugly fruit and veg too – several supermarkets now sell imperfect produce and it can be as much as 50 per cent cheaper.

Thousands of Australians are also discovering the value of frozen veggies since prices started to soar last year.

Know the secrets of supermarket layout

The supermarket designer is an evil genius with a multitude of tricks to make you stay longer and put more in your trolley.

CHOICE's Margaret Rafferty says fruit and veg is always at the entrance to make you feel better about "treating yo self" later on in the chocolate aisle. Eggs are often hard to find because essential items are split up throughout the store to make you walk the whole floorplan.

Magazines, lollies and other impulse buys are always at the checkout where kids can't miss them.

Unit pricing is a handy weapon to counter some of these tactics. Every price label has to tell you what the price is 'per 100g' or 'per 100mL', for example. It's mandatory in Australia, so use it to see which tin of tuna offers the best value – especially if the tin sizes are different, which they often are.

What you'll probably notice is that the best deals are on the top and bottom shelves, not at eye level – and that's another trick the supermarket designers use.

Shop online if you're an impulse buyer

Is it cheaper or more expensive to shop online? Well, it's worse because you might have to pay a fee for delivery and you don't get the chance to wander the aisles and use the unit pricing to find the bargains.

But in some ways it could also be better because you might be less likely to make impulse buys and you might find it easier to stick to a set budget (it's easier to remove things from your digital trolley at the checkout if you've over-spent than it is a real trolley!)

You know you best, so do whatever works for you.

Finally, remember ….

• Don't shop with kids if you can avoid it,
• Never shop when hungry
• Never, ever shop with hungry kids!

Good luck!

Joel Gibson is the author of KILL BILLS & EASY MONEY. He's spent the last two decades hunting down money-saving tricks, hacks and loopholes and sharing them with households via his books, regular media appearances, and on TikTok, Instagram & Twitter.

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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