Tag Archives: oceania

Comedian’s heartbreak at shutting down Raygun musical

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn's legal team has shut down a Raygun-inspired musical ahead of its Sydney premiere tonight.

The show was advertised as a musical parody of Raygun's journey to the Paris Games, featuring songs like I'm Breaking Down and I Would Have Won But I Pulled a Muscle.

But in the world of Raygun, it seems there's one rule – laugh with her, not at her.

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Steph Broadbridge

Comedian and creator of Raygun the Musical, Steph Broadbridge, told 9News the show was an homage to the athlete.

"I think it will be good for her brand, I don't think it will be bad for her brand," Broadbridge said.

Hours before tonight's premiere, Broadbridge was forced to cancel the show after Rachael Gun's lawyers threatened to sue.

"Ah shock," Broadbridge said of her reaction to the legal intervention.

"I didn't expect to be on anyone's radar at this stage in the process of being this very small musical project."

Steph Broadbridge as RaygunSteph Broadbridge as Raygun

Since going viral at the Olympics for her unique brake-dancing routine, Rachael Gunn has been on a carefully crafted PR run, jumping in front of the camera for numerous media appearances.

In a statement today, Raygun's management said they were "committed to protecting her intellectual property and ensuring that her brand remains strong and respected."

Under Australian copyright law, satire and comedy are exempt under fair dealings but that didn't stop Raygun's legal team from sending the show's venue on Sydney's Oxford Street a cease and desist notice.

"While we have immense respect for the credible work and effort that has gone into the development of the show, we must take necessary steps to safeguard Rachael's creative rights and the integrity of her work," the statement said.

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Raygun

"This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, but rather to ensure her brand is properly represented and protected in all future endeavours."

Broadbridge announced the cancellation on social media this morning and said refunds would be issued to ticket holders.

"They were very concerned that people would think that Rachael Gunn was affiliated with the musical," she said.

"I want to assure everyone that she will not be part of the show. She's very welcome to come, I would love for her to see it."

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn's legal team has shut down a Raygun-inspired musical to protect "her intellectual property".

Despite the set back, Broadbridge hasn't given up on one day performing the show – with the athlete front and centre in the audience.

"I wrote every song imagining her sitting in the front row watching it," Broadbridge said.

The comedian says the offer's still open despite the legal setback.

"Of course. I want her to come more now."

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Copper wire thefts leave hundreds of homes in South Australia without internet

Stolen copper wires have left hundreds of homes in Adelaide's Foothills without internet for the past 48 hours. 

The wires were stolen from multiple pits on Shepherds Hill Road which caused widescale NBN outages across Eden Hills and Bellevue Heights.

Shepherds Hill Road, Offler Avenue, Sargent Parade, St Georges Terrace, Vaucluse Crescent and Silverdale Crescent have all been impacted.

READ MORE: Woolworths reaches deal with union after long-running strike

Stolen copper wires have left hundreds of homes in Adelaide's Foothills without internet for the past 48 hours. 

"We woke up Friday morning and no internet. That was it," Eden Hills resident Michael White said.

"Everything is offline. Even using your iPad, every time I try to get on YouTube in the morning while you eat breakfast to just watch something – but just nothing, spinning wheels," Bellevue Heights resident Joel Lawrence said.

Another 203 homes in Craigmore were also offline this morning after yet another copper theft there.

Crews are working to repair the significant damage in Eden Hills but estimate it could take three days before customers are back online.

READ MORE: Former client allegedly targets law firm with homemade explosives

Stolen copper wires have left hundreds of homes in Adelaide's Foothills without internet for the past 48 hours. 

Contractors from Perth have been flown in to help, with more arriving tomorrow.

"I had an email from Belong which is my service provider to say that there was an outage in the area and that crews were working to get it reinstated," White said.

"So we're just sitting here thinking when's it going to come back? When's it going to work?" Lawrence said.

NBN has apologised for the inconvenience and said it's working with police to protect its infrastructure.

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Australia’s world-first plan to stop identity theft

The federal government is trialling a new way for Australians to prove their identity without handing over any sensitive information.

It's a world-first plan to stop identity theft. 

"We are moving from cheques to tap and go ID," Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said.

READ MORE: Former client allegedly targets law firm with homemade explosives

The federal government is trialling a new way for Australians to prove their identity without handing over any sensitive information.

A Brisbane medical centre is the first to use the digital ID technology dubbed the 'Trust Exchange' which will put documents and paperwork in the past.

Instead of government-issued identification including Medicare, concession and veterans cards, Australians can scan their myGov wallet and confirm their identity without creating a copy.

"It is the future," trial participant Veronica Scipioni said.

Services Australia chief customer officer Jonathon Thorpe agreed.

"This really puts people in control of what's being shared and how it's being shared and making sure that's safe and secure," he said.

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Government Services Minister Bill Shorten.

The focus is now on medical service providers but the government hopes banks, real estate agents and hotels will sign up for the voluntary program.

It comes as data breaches reached its highest level in three and a half years.

There have been 527 breaches in Australia this year, with one of those affecting more than 10 million people.

Almost 70 per cent of those were committed by criminals with malicious intent. 

"Identity fraud is a massive, multi-billion dollar issue," Shorten said.

"If someone gets their hands on your identity, it can be life-changing – and not in a good way."

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‘I’m going to kill your daughter’: Family left traumatised by allegedly armed intruders

A young family has described the terrifying moment armed intruders confronted them in their Melbourne home and threatened to kill them.

Chetan Patel and his pregnant wife Rohini were in their bedroom in Truganina with their five-year-old daughter sleeping next to them when two allegedly armed men appeared at their door.

"They had a big knife and another person has (an) axe and knife and they try to threaten us by swinging the weapon," Chetan told 9News.

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Chetan Patel and his pregnant wife Rohini were in their bedroom in Truganina with their five-year-old daughter sleeping next to them when two allegedly armed men appeared at their door.

"We were really, really scared. How come this has happened? How come he entered in our home? You know, you can't imagine," Rohini said.

The Patel's said the pair had allegedly jumped the fence and entered the home through the garage door before making their way upstairs.

"He's like 'Give us the car keys otherwise we're gonna kill you all. I'm gonna kill your daughter'," Chetan said.

The alleged thieves then took off in the couple's new car.

The Patel family are now living in fear over what they experienced.

The five-minute encounter left their young daughter terrified. She doesn't want to go anywhere by herself, even within her own home.

READ MORE: Woolworths reaches deal with union after long-running strike

Chetan Patel and his pregnant wife Rohini were in their bedroom in Truganina with their five-year-old daughter sleeping next to them when two allegedly armed men appeared at their door.

"That's gonna live with us for our entire lifetime. The psychological or the mental stress that we have gone through from that incident," Chetan said.

"Apart from the car, what they have stolen is they've stolen our mental peace."

Police managed to track down the car just five kilometres away on Leakes Road in Tarneit.

Two men from Geelong, aged 19 and 26, were arrested. 

"Luckily, they were not minor, not under 18. If they were under 18, they can easily get relieved," Rohini said.

The pair were charged and appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon, where they were remanded in custody.

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Former client allegedly targets law firm with homemade explosives

A former client allegedly targeted a law firm on the New South Wales Central Coast with homemade explosives, leaving staff traumatised.

Gary Steven Middleton, 66, was arrested and charged yesterday for allegedly setting fire to two offices in Gosford using LPG cylinders on Thursday.

Several gas cylinders had been allegedly set alight inside Conditsis and Associates, causing doors to blast off their hinges and thick smoke and flames to engulf the building.

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A former client allegedly targeted a law firm on the New South Wales Central Coast with homemade explosives, leaving staff traumatised.A former client allegedly targeted a law firm on the New South Wales Central Coast with homemade explosives, leaving staff traumatised.

It left the 20 staff inside at the time scrambling for safety.

Police alleged Middleton set off the homemade explosives inside the law firm, which had previously represented him, after they cut ties with him as a client.

Conditsis and Associates said staff had been left traumatised.

"The incident was traumatic for all our staff and we are so grateful that no one was seriously physically injured or worse – it was a miracle," Conditsis and Associates' director Manny Conditsis said in a statement.

The Legal Aid office on Donnison Street was also allegedly set alight just before 2.30pm on Thursday.

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A former client allegedly targeted a law firm on the New South Wales Central Coast with homemade explosives, leaving staff traumatised.

Gosford Courthouse and Director of Public Prosecutions offices were temporarily closed as a precaution until police tracked down Middleton to his Wallarah home and charged him.

Middleton had been on strict bail since April and is facing a raft of serious charges.

He was due to be sentenced yesterday, a day after the alleged arson attack, for those charges.

Now, Middleton is facing two counts of destroying or damaging property with intent to endanger life, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment.

The 66-year-old did not apply for bail when he faced Parramatta Local Court today.

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Woolworths reaches deal with union after long-running strike

Woolworths has reached an agreement with the United Workers Union after staff walked off the job more than two weeks ago.

More than 1500 warehouse workers went on strike to improve their pay and conditions, which resulted in reduced stock on supermarket shelves.

A spokesperson for the supermarket giant said the distribution centre in Dandenong South in Victoria could re-open tonight, after the company's new enterprise agreement offers were endorsed by the United Workers Union (UWU) this afternoon.

READ MORE: Raygun's legal team shuts down musical show inspired by the breakdancer

Sydney, Australia 2021-01-07: Exterior view of Woolworths Miranda supermarket during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

"The Melbourne Liquor Distribution Centre, Wodonga Regional Distribution Centre and Erskine Park Distribution Centre are also expected to re-open soon," the supermarket said in a statement.

"All four sites will be stood back up to full capacity as soon as possible.

"Votes on the new deals will be put to teams at these sites as soon as possible."

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Woolworths has reached an agreement with the United Workers Union after staff walked off the job more than two weeks ago.

Woolworths said the industrial action had impacted the supply of products in its stores across Victoria, ACT and parts of NSW.

"With just over two weeks to go until Christmas, we're now focused on getting products out of the distribution centres and restocking the empty shelves customers have experienced in the past fortnight," CEO Amanda Bardwell said.

"Turning back 'on' such a large part of our supply chain will mean it will take some time for our stores to look their best and we'll be ramping up as much as we can to get products to the stores where they're needed most."

The UWU said the strike was "primarily about addressing workers' concerns with Woolworths Framework", which is a performance management program that monitors pick rates at warehouses.

A spokesperson said a new clause would be added to workplace agreements that "ensures workers will not be disciplined for the speed that they can work at".

The spokesperson said workers had also secured "above-inflation increases" across all sites "to help families in a cost-of-living crisis".

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Woolworths CEO Amanda Bardwell wont cave to the union's demands

"Today, warehouse workers at Woolworths have saved Christmas," the UWU said. 

"But more importantly, they have challenged one of the most significant threats to worker safety and well-being as we enter a new AI-surveillance era of work, and they have won.

"This has been a very hard struggle to get to this point, with workers forgoing pay on strike for 17 days."

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