Do I need to say more ? 😏

On a pristine Australian island, the seabirds have become so full of plastic they crackle and crunch.

For about 18 years, Dr Jen Lavers has been travelling to Lord Howe Island to study the mutton birds, and every time finds more and more plastic inside them.

She says what is happening to the mutton birds is happening everywhere. Plastics and microplastics are being found in everything, including humans, but the migratory shearwater is a ‘sentinel species’ for a bigger problem.

“These birds have a very important story to tell, and what they are telling us is that their populations are in decline, that the amount of plastic they’re consuming is going up and up,” she said.

“The birds are telling us we need to do more.”

Dr Lavers has been seeking to raise the plight of the mutton bird, saying it is a canary in the coal mine for the world’s larger plastic problem.

And so, as Australian politicians campaigned in a federal election, she enlisted the help of long-time friend and Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, asking him to join her and see for himself the state of the mutton birds on Lord Howe Island.

Arriving to the island for the first time, Whish-Wilson said the mountainous landscape rising out of the fog was like something from Gilligan’s Island.

“It’s not really the kind of place you come to be shocked, and walk away feeling a little bit traumatised.”

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Congress has passed the Take It Down Act, a bipartisan bill targeting the spread of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes. ⁠
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The legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar and backed by First Lady Melania Trump, makes it illegal to knowingly publish such content without consent and requires platforms to remove it within 48 hours of notification. ⁠
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President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law.⁠
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Supporters say the law is needed to address online abuse, particularly the rise of AI-generated sexual content. The bill requires platforms to also remove duplicates of flagged content and extends liability protections to victims. ⁠
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Tech companies like Meta have endorsed the measure. Civil liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have raised concerns about the bill’s language and scope. ⁠
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They argue the takedown rules are overly broad and could be misused to remove lawful content, including news, protest imagery, and consensual material falsely flagged as non-consensual. ⁠
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The group also warned that automated takedown systems could suppress protected speech due to the law’s tight removal timeline and vague definitions.⁠
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​​​🔗Head to our bio to download the Ground News app and read the full story as reported by 187 sources.

Advocates say gender-based violence is being ignored during the election campaign.

Angela Lynch, executive officer of the Queensland Sexual Assault Network, told Radio National Breakfast that there has been silence.

"It sends a message to our community, because it hasn't been a priority, that it's really not a national priority as [previously] stated," she said.

Australia's two major political parties may be "resting on their commitment to the national plan", the domestic violence prevention advocate added.

While she said a national plan is important in providing "a blueprint for action", she underlined that it is "simply not enough".

"We know that the violence is increasing. We know that the reports of rape and sexual violence are increasing every year.

"Four women were killed last week in relation to gender-based violence.

"We really need to double down on our efforts … we need to find new solutions if we're going to end this in a generation, which both parties and all governments around Australia have promised."

Family and domestic violence support services:
If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0
Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578
1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732
DV Connect Women's Line: 1800 811 811
13 YARN 13 92 76
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
Headspace: 1800 650 890
Lifeline (24-hour Crisis Line): 13 11 14

🎧 Hear @abcradionational Breakfast from 5.30am to 9am on the @abclisten app via the link in our bio.

#RadioNationalBreakfast #Crime #Violence #GenderBasedViolence #Women #AustraliaVotes #AusVotes