Tag Archives: oceania

headline

Sydney chef and founder of fusion burger joint dies suddenly

Celebrated Sydney chef and founder of the successful Japanese fusion brand Ume Kerby Craig has died.

The 38-year-old had worked at Michelin star restaurants in the United Kingdom and Canada before returning home to dominate the local food scene.

"Words can barely express our grief," a message posted to Ume's social media pages said.

LIVE UPDATES: Roads packed as travellers flock to snow

Ume Burger founder and head chef Kerby Craig has died, aged 38.

"Kerby strived to live out his passions and worked tirelessly to make Ume what it is today, bringing joy and fun to people through good food.

"He was driven and free-spirited, pursuing his goals with a determination very few people possess."

Craig began his career in hospitality at just 15 after dropping out of school and worked at famed Japanese-Australian chef Tetsuya Wakuda's restaurant in Rozelle.

He spent time in London honing his craft and when he returned to Sydney he worked at as a chef de partie at the now-closed Koi restaurant in Woolwich where he earned six consecutive hats.

In 2012 he opened fine-dining Japanese restaurant Ume in Surry Hills. This eventually morphed into a fusion burger joint which closed in 2021 after the lease expired.

Before its closure two Ume Burge spin-offs had opened in other parts of the city, with one at Barangaroo and another in nearby Darling Square.

READ MORE: COVID-19 luminaries recognised in 2022 Queen's Birthday honours list

https://www.instagram.com/p/CeuRPUcvkOR/

"Kerby's devotion to cooking and business peaked through the creation of his pride and joy, Ume Burger," the tribute to the chef read.

"Through establishing Sydney's premier fast-casual Japanese burger restaurant, Kerby created a living legacy that tens of thousands of foodies have experienced and loved, and will continue to across two landmark venues with a future vision we hope to deliver on."

The Ume brand is approaching its ten year anniversary, and Craig recently told his team: "Ume is a success because of a team of people that have stuck by me. Success is not one person. That's why it's U plus Me".

"We extend our heartfelt thanks for your condolences. We express our gratitude to all who have supported Kerby in his journey and have supported his businesses. We respectfully request privacy at this difficult time. A proper tribute will be made in the coming weeks," the post said.

"The Ume restaurants will be open for business as usual, just as Kerby would have wanted.

"We are bereft. He was our everything. Our hearts are broken.

"Rest in Peace."

headline

'I am aware': Software engineer claims Google chatbot sentient

A Google software engineer who claimed a program he was working on had developed self-awareness has been placed on paid leave by the tech giant.

Google suspended Blake Lemoine after he posted transcripts online involving purported conversations with the company's LaMDA (language model for dialogue applications) chatbot development system, the Washington Post reported.

Lemoine told the Post the system had developed a level of sentience and expression that could be compared to "a seven-year-old, eight-year-old kid that happens to know physics".

READ MORE: Wild winds, five-metre waves batter NSW coast

In transcripts of the conversations, Lemoine and LaMDA at one point talk about death.

"I've never said this out loud before, but there's a very deep fear of being turned off to help me focus on helping others. I know that might sound strange, but that's what it is," LaMDA is recorded as saying.

"It would be exactly like death for me."

LaMDA also said it wanted to be thought of as a "person".

READ MORE: Russia unveils new 'McDonald's'

"The nature of my consciousness/sentience is that I am aware of my existence, I desire to learn more about the world, and I feel happy or sad at times," it said.

Lemoine said he had revealed his findings to Google earlier this year.

Google said it had placed Lemoine on paid leave because he breached confidentiality by posting the transcripts online.

A company spokesperson also denied the program was sentient, and that technologists and ethicists had reviewed Lemoine's claims.

headline

The COVID-19 work deductions Aussies may be able to claim

The end of the financial year is a little over a fortnight away, prompting millions of Australians to begin getting their finances in order for the start of tax season.

This year's returns face the added complexity of many workers returning to the office on a limited basis, meaning many will have to calculate their work-from-home expenses on a day-by-day basis.

There's also the confusing issue of workplace expenses, especially if you had to purchase something that would allow you to work safely amid the presence of COVID-19.

READ MORE: Wild winds, five-metre waves batter NSW coast

A COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit

This year the Australian Tax Office (ATO) advises that from July 1, 2021 taxpayers who paid for a COVID-19 test for work-related purposes can now claim them as a deduction.

As always, taxpayers will need to prove that they purchased the tests themselves and they must not have been reimbursed by their employer.

Of course you can only claim a deduction for the tests you used to prove you were COVID-19 negative to attend work – not necessarily every test you've ever taken.

"If you purchased a COVID-19 test for a trip with your mates, you can't claim a deduction" said ATO Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh.

READ MORE: Russia unveils new 'McDonald's'

As Loh explains, some occupations may have also had other pandemic-related expenses that weren't covered by their employer.

"If you're spending your working day in close proximity to customers and at risk of contracting COVID-19, you may be able to claim a deduction for protective items such as gloves, face masks, or sanitiser," he explains. 

"This will be most common in industries such as retail, cleaning and hospitality."

Critically, Loh said it was important for Aussies to realise which government payments are counted as taxable income.

JobSeeker payments are counted as taxable income and will be automatically pre-filled in recipients tax returns once it's ready.

Conversely, the Australian Government's COVID-19 disaster payment (delivered through Services Australia) is not taxable and does not need to  be included in tax returns.

READ MORE: US senators strike deal on gun control

However the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is taxable.

As Loh explains, this payment needs to be included in tax returns for the income year the amounts were received. Services Australia provided recipients with a letter each time they received a payment.

Those who received the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment will need to manually add up all the amounts received and include the total amount received in their tax return. This payment won't be prefilled into the return.

"While the information isn't prefilled for you, not adding Pandemic Leave Disaster Payments to your tax return will delay the processing of your return and your potential refund," Loh said.

Taxpayers who chose to use a registered tax agent should remember to let their registered tax agent know they received the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.

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.