Recreating Muslim sailors' first voyages to Australia - BBC News

Indigenous Australians had contact with Indonesian sailors long before the first European settlers arrived in Australia in the 18th Century.

The Muslim Makassans traded with the local Yolngu people as early as the 1500s, some experts believe.

Now the sea voyage has been recreated, aiming to help young Muslim Australians feel a better sense of belonging.

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2020-03-07 08:55:24Z
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Recreating Muslim sailors' first voyages to Australia - BBC News

Indigenous Australians had contact with Indonesian sailors long before the first European settlers arrived in Australia in the 18th Century.

The Muslim Makassans traded with the local Yolngu people as early as the 1500s, some experts believe.

Now the sea voyage has been recreated, aiming to help young Muslim Australians feel a better sense of belonging.

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2020-03-07 08:29:39Z
CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hdi93b3JsZC1hdXN0cmFsaWEtNTE3NjM2NjkvcmVjcmVhdGluZy1tdXNsaW0tc2FpbG9ycy1maXJzdC12b3lhZ2VzLXRvLWF1c3RyYWxpYdIBAA

‘Like Licking an Ashtray’: Fires’ Invisible Threat to Australia’s Wines - The New York Times

HUNTER VALLEY, Australia — The hills are lush and green, the grapes plump and ripe. But one bite of this famed valley’s most prized product reveals a winemaker’s worst nightmare.

“It’s like licking an ashtray,” said Iain Riggs, a vintner here. “It’s really rank and bitter.”

The bush fires that raged for eight months in southeastern Australia inflicted widespread damage on the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, not directly from flames, but through the invisible taint of smoke.

Winemakers like Mr. Riggs have abandoned hopes for some 2020 vintages. Grapes that were closest to the fires are being left on the vine. Those farther away are being tested for smoke contamination, though it is an inexact science, and in some cases producers won’t know whether a wine can be sold until it has fermented in tanks.

Millions of dollars, and the good names of venerable wineries, are on the line.

“You can’t put out a bad product,” said Chris Tyrell, a fifth-generation winemaker in the valley. “Your reputation, that’s all you’ve got, and we’re not willing to risk it.”

The Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, is synonymous with wine, which has been produced there for nearly 200 years, beginning in the early decades after the British established a penal colony in New South Wales. Today, the region, which is best known for its sémillon and shiraz varietals, is home to more than 150 wineries.

The valley is a crucial part of an Australian wine industry that has become the fourth largest exporter of wine by value in the world, after exploding onto the international scene in the 1990s.

It contributes hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the country’s economy, not only through domestic and international sales, but also through tourism — another part of the wine business that was hurt by the fires, as vacationers evacuated areas near wine country or abandoned plans to take to the road for tastings.

Even before the blazes, the wineries of the Hunter Valley had contended with years of drought. Now, after a record-dry 2019 helped produce bush fires larger than any the country had ever seen, winemakers are suffering an even greater blow to production.

Nationwide, the industry is expecting losses in sales of about $110 million, or 170 million Australian dollars.

On the surface, many wineries appear unharmed. At the Tyrell winery, rich green orchards surround the simple shed that Mr. Tyrell’s ancestor Edward Tyrell constructed after arriving from England in the mid-1800s. But 80 percent of the grapes cannot be used, and the financial loss amounts to about $5 million, or 7 million Australian dollars, Mr. Tyrell said.

The winery must err on the side of discarding any fruit that might be tainted, he said. “To have 60 families that work for us and a very old name, we’ve been here too long and done too much hard work” to take any chances, he added.

Down the road at Brokenwood Wines, where Mr. Riggs is the chief winemaker, the smell of crushed grapes and fermented alcohol seeps from empty crates and tanks that are normally bursting with fruit that produces the vineyard’s shiraz, chardonnay and sémillon blends.

The winemakers there have become chemists as they try to determine which grapes can be salvaged. Labeled glass beakers cover desks and shelves in the main office, and sheets with lists of numbers and ingredients are entered into computers.

Testing grape sugars for compounds confirming smoke taint is a tricky business. Mr. Riggs calls it the “dark arts”; even with all the numbers in front of him, it’s a guessing game.

The grapes themselves “look terrific,” he said, and “that’s why it’s so insidious.”

Stuart Hordern, the senior winemaker at Brokenwood, said the winery would be able to procure some fruit from vineyards farther away, or sell some of its reserve wines. But it has had to turn away some normal suppliers because of the risk of smoke contamination.

“They’re tough conversations to have, but it’s important to be honest at the end of the day,” he said. “Where we can we’ll take in their fruit, because we want them to be there next year.”

As economically damaging as the fires may be, the winemakers of the Hunter Valley are acutely aware that the losses could have been far greater than one year’s vintages. Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia and along the southeastern hinterlands of the state of Victoria went up in flames.

Charles Rosback, the owner of a winery in the Adelaide Hills, lost almost 40 acres to a blaze that tore through his property on Dec. 20, taking most of his orchards with it.

“Luckily, my house didn’t burn down,” he said. “The fire got so close to the house that the paint on the walls blistered. The water tanks burned down; I’m quite surprised it survived.”

Winemakers have limited ways to insulate themselves financially from a calamity like a fire. The price of insuring orchards is prohibitive, they say.

“The cost of the premium is about a third of the value of the crop each year,” said Rob Hawkings of Beechworth Wineries in Victoria, whose vineyards were spared by the fires. “So if you took insurance, we’d be bankrupt by now.”

The irony, winemakers note, is that had the grapes been harvested and stored in a warehouse that burned down in the fires, they would have been insured for that and compensated.

The wine producers are keenly watching legal battles across the Pacific that in some ways echo their own plight. California winegrowers have gone to court with their insurers, seeking damages for smoke taint after the wildfires of 2017. They, too, did not have coverage for grapes still on the vine, but they say the taint was revealed during the production process.

“If they have success, there will be some excitement,” Mr. Riggs said.

Some state governments in Australia are giving grants to help winemakers determine smoke levels in their grapes, but are stopping short of compensating them for their losses. Private organizations have launched public appeals for donations to help winegrowers recover.

The industry has also started campaigns urging Australians to visit their local wineries, buy Australian wine or plan to return to wine regions for their next vacation.

For people like Mr. Hawkings, the coming Easter holiday break will be the next major test. Even with the upheaval from the fires, he remains grateful that nothing worse happened to his operation.

“I’m standing here, looking at green grass, I’m looking at vines that are healthy,” Mr. Hawkings said. “We will have a crop next year. If the fires had come through, we’d have lost the crop and the ability to move forward.”

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2020-03-06 18:18:02Z
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‘Like Licking an Ashtray’: Fires’ Invisible Threat to Australia’s Wines - The New York Times

HUNTER VALLEY, Australia — The hills are lush and green, the grapes plump and ripe. But one bite of this famed valley’s most prized product reveals a winemaker’s worst nightmare.

“It’s like licking an ashtray,” said Iain Riggs, a vintner here. “It’s really rank and bitter.”

The bush fires that raged for eight months in southeastern Australia inflicted widespread damage on the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, not directly from flames, but through the invisible taint of smoke.

Winemakers like Mr. Riggs have abandoned hopes for some 2020 vintages. Grapes that were closest to the fires are being left on the vine. Those farther away are being tested for smoke contamination, though it is an inexact science, and in some cases producers won’t know whether a wine can be sold until it has fermented in tanks.

Millions of dollars, and the good names of venerable wineries, are on the line.

“You can’t put out a bad product,” said Chris Tyrell, a fifth-generation winemaker in the valley. “Your reputation, that’s all you’ve got, and we’re not willing to risk it.”

The Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, is synonymous with wine, which has been produced there for nearly 200 years, beginning in the early decades after the British established a penal colony in New South Wales. Today, the region, which is best known for its sémillon and shiraz varietals, is home to more than 150 wineries.

The valley is a crucial part of an Australian wine industry that has become the fourth largest exporter of wine by value in the world, after exploding onto the international scene in the 1990s.

It contributes hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the country’s economy, not only through domestic and international sales, but also through tourism — another part of the wine business that was hurt by the fires, as vacationers evacuated areas near wine country or abandoned plans to take to the road for tastings.

Even before the blazes, the wineries of the Hunter Valley had contended with years of drought. Now, after a record-dry 2019 helped produce bush fires larger than any the country had ever seen, winemakers are suffering an even greater blow to production.

Nationwide, the industry is expecting losses in sales of about $110 million, or 170 million Australian dollars.

On the surface, many wineries appear unharmed. At the Tyrell winery, rich green orchards surround the simple shed that Mr. Tyrell’s ancestor Edward Tyrell constructed after arriving from England in the mid-1800s. But 80 percent of the grapes cannot be used, and the financial loss amounts to about $5 million, or 7 million Australian dollars, Mr. Tyrell said.

The winery must err on the side of discarding any fruit that might be tainted, he said. “To have 60 families that work for us and a very old name, we’ve been here too long and done too much hard work” to take any chances, he added.

Down the road at Brokenwood Wines, where Mr. Riggs is the chief winemaker, the smell of crushed grapes and fermented alcohol seeps from empty crates and tanks that are normally bursting with fruit that produces the vineyard’s shiraz, chardonnay and sémillon blends.

The winemakers there have become chemists as they try to determine which grapes can be salvaged. Labeled glass beakers cover desks and shelves in the main office, and sheets with lists of numbers and ingredients are entered into computers.

Testing grape sugars for compounds confirming smoke taint is a tricky business. Mr. Riggs calls it the “dark arts”; even with all the numbers in front of him, it’s a guessing game.

The grapes themselves “look terrific,” he said, and “that’s why it’s so insidious.”

Stuart Hordern, the senior winemaker at Brokenwood, said the winery would be able to procure some fruit from vineyards farther away, or sell some of its reserve wines. But it has had to turn away some normal suppliers because of the risk of smoke contamination.

“They’re tough conversations to have, but it’s important to be honest at the end of the day,” he said. “Where we can we’ll take in their fruit, because we want them to be there next year.”

As economically damaging as the fires may be, the winemakers of the Hunter Valley are acutely aware that the losses could have been far greater than one year’s vintages. Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia and along the southeastern hinterlands of the state of Victoria went up in flames.

Charles Rosback, the owner of a winery in the Adelaide Hills, lost almost 40 acres to a blaze that tore through his property on Dec. 20, taking most of his orchards with it.

“Luckily, my house didn’t burn down,” he said. “The fire got so close to the house that the paint on the walls blistered. The water tanks burned down; I’m quite surprised it survived.”

Winemakers have limited ways to insulate themselves financially from a calamity like a fire. The price of insuring orchards is prohibitive, they say.

“The cost of the premium is about a third of the value of the crop each year,” said Rob Hawkings of Beechworth Wineries in Victoria, whose vineyards were spared by the fires. “So if you took insurance, we’d be bankrupt by now.”

The irony, winemakers note, is that had the grapes been harvested and stored in a warehouse that burned down in the fires, they would have been insured for that and compensated.

The wine producers are keenly watching legal battles across the Pacific that in some ways echo their own plight. California winegrowers have gone to court with their insurers, seeking damages for smoke taint after the wildfires of 2017. They, too, did not have coverage for grapes still on the vine, but they say the taint was revealed during the production process.

“If they have success, there will be some excitement,” Mr. Riggs said.

Some state governments in Australia are giving grants to help winemakers determine smoke levels in their grapes, but are stopping short of compensating them for their losses. Private organizations have launched public appeals for donations to help winegrowers recover.

The industry has also started campaigns urging Australians to visit their local wineries, buy Australian wine or plan to return to wine regions for their next vacation.

For people like Mr. Hawkings, the coming Easter holiday break will be the next major test. Even with the upheaval from the fires, he remains grateful that nothing worse happened to his operation.

“I’m standing here, looking at green grass, I’m looking at vines that are healthy,” Mr. Hawkings said. “We will have a crop next year. If the fires had come through, we’d have lost the crop and the ability to move forward.”

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2020-03-06 09:18:44Z
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The koala population faces an immediate threat of extinction after the Australia bushfires, new report finds - CNN

A minimum of 5,000 koalas are estimated to have died, according to the report released Wednesday by the global conservation group International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
That's nearly 12 percent of the animal's population in New South Wales (NSW).

These estimates are an intentionally conservative calculations, IFAW Wildlife Campaigner Josey Sharrad told CNN in an email. The actual number is likely to be much higher.

"Koalas are particularly vulnerable to bushfires as they are slow moving and live in eucalyptus trees that burn quickly and intensely," Sharrad said.

"When fires sweep through their homes, they often don't have time to escape, particularly in intense crown fires that rage through the treetops where they live," she added.

More than 12 million acres of land burned across NSW during the bushfires, and nearly 45 million acres burned across Australia, leaving the koala habitat unsuitable for living.

Finding "an immediate, ongoing and significant threat of extinction," the report states that koalas are eligible for a provisional listing as Endangered on an emergency basis under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act of 2016.

The endangered listing would last for two years to allow the species the breathing space to being to recover while experts further evaluate the situation.

Additionally, a higher listing means higher penalties for offenses that harm the endangered species.

"Our koalas only stand a chance if we help," Sharrad said. "They are literally fighting for their survival."

Over the last three generations, nearly two-thirds of the population has been lost to drought, bushfires and man-made causes.

Koalas were already living on the brink before these fires and are most vulnerable to climate change, deforestation, and land-clearing.

"This rapid destruction of koala habitat, combined with climate change, is inflicting substantial stress and pushing the species towards extinction," Sharrad said.

"Reduction and fragmentation of koala habitat exposes koalas to the added threats of vehicle strikes, dog attacks, stress and disease," she added.

With climate change and high-frequency fire only likely to increase, there are significant challenges for the longer-term survival, and for many populations the chances of recovery are unlikely, the study said.

Sharrad told CNN she hopes NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean will call for the provisional uplisting of the koala species to Endangered and declare its habitat as an "area of outstanding biodiversity value."

Nearly every animal coming into their care right now is already dehydrated or malnourished from prolonged drought and excessive land-clearing, Sharrad said.

"Koalas were already living on a knife edge before the fires, and this could be the last straw," she said.

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2020-03-05 16:13:01Z
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Australian paper prints blank pages to help tackle toilet paper shortage - CNN

In a bid to tackle the shortage, The NT News provided a practical -- if unconventional -- solution.

Australians living in the Northern Territories would have noticed on Thursday that eight pages in the paper had been left bare, except for watermarks and a cut-out guide edition.

"Run out of loo paper? The NT News cares," the newspaper read.

"That's why we've printed an eight-page special liftout inside, complete with handy cut lines, for you to use in an emergency."

The editor of NT News, Matt Williams, said in an interview with the Guardian Australia that it was "certainly not a crappy edition."

Australians are buying so much toilet paper that some supermarkets have been left with empty shelves and Kleenex has told customers not to panic. CNN saw empty shelves when visiting a supermarket in the city of Brisbane on Wednesday.

Australia's largest supermarket announced on Wednesday that it would be limiting customers to four packs of toilet roll per transaction -- both in-store and online -- "to ensure more customers can access stock."

Woolworths said the move was in response to "higher than usual demand."

Australia's chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, has also urged people not to panic buy supplies.

Meanwhile, Americans across the country have been stocking up on hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, toilet paper and other products to prepare for the spread of coronavirus.

Long lines have accumulated at stores and retailers have become stretched in a bid to to keep up with the demand for cleaning products.

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2020-03-05 14:10:00Z
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Australia universities let Chinese students get around a travel ban. Critics warn it could spread the coronavirus - CNBC

A general view of Sydney University campus on April 6, 2016 in Sydney, Australia.

Brendon Thorne | Getty Images

Australian universities have allowed some students from mainland China to circumvent travel restrictions and return to study. But critics say that practice may inevitably import the infectious coronavirus to local campuses.

The country last month banned the entry of most non-resident foreigners, who left or transited mainland China within 14 days prior to their arrival. The decision came as fears over the new flu-like coronavirus spread beyond China — where most of the cases and deaths have occurred — to more than 60 countries worldwide. At least 93,000 people have been infected globally, and more than 3,000 people have died so far.

Due to the government ban, many Chinese students were left stranded outside Australia, just as the new academic year started in February.

Australia is, in effect, outsourcing its quarantines to other countries that have not been consulted over this and in some cases are not prepared for it.

Salvatore Babones

associate professor at the University of Sydney

To circumvent the ban, some students traveled to a third country where they spent 14 days in self-quarantine before entering Australia. In some cases, universities have provided financial assistance for students to make those trips, while others provided online study resources for students unable or unwilling to return because of the restrictions. 

An 'unconscionable' practice

That practice raised concerns this week after a 20-year-old student at the University of Queensland tested positive for the disease. The student from China had traveled to Dubai for at least two weeks before entering Australia on Feb. 23. He became unwell two days later, according to the Queensland health ministry. 

Authorities were said to be looking into where he may have contracted the infection. Media reports said that many students who were supposed to "self-quarantine" themselves in a third country had been out and about in public.

"It is unsustainable but — more importantly — unconscionable for Australia to be encouraging students to take an end run around travel restrictions by traveling to a 'third country,'" Salvatore Babones, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, told CNBC. 

The Government has never encouraged students from mainland China to see out a 14-day period in a third country, as they could be impacted by future travel restrictions put in place by those countries.

Dan Tehan

Minister for Education, Australia

Babones, who is also an adjunct scholar at the Centre for Independent Studies think-tank, said students are mostly coming in through Thailand, and also through Dubai, Malaysia, and Japan. Both Thailand and Australia have reported more than 40 confirmed cases of the new virus.

Babones said the practice of having students self-quarantine in a third country, may inevitably import the virus to Australian universities and leave students who get infected in transit stranded in another country. 

"Australia is, in effect, outsourcing its quarantines to other countries that have not been consulted over this and in some cases are not prepared for it," Babones said. 

Australian Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, told CNBC that the safety of Australians is the government's number one priority and that it has always acted on the advice of the medical experts.

"The Government has never encouraged students from mainland China to see out a 14-day period in a third country, as they could be impacted by future travel restrictions put in place by those countries," Tehan said in a statement. "However, there is nothing within Australia's current travel restrictions to stop them (from) doing so." 

Australian universities told CNBC that they are following government guidelines and travel directives to decide which students they allow back onto campus. 

Billion-dollar loss and more

Education is one of the main sectors in Australia that experts, as well as the central bank, say would be most affected by the coronavirus outbreak. 

Chinese students make up the largest portion of international students in Australia, accounting for about 0.6% of the country's GDP. Data from the education department showed that in 2019, there were more than 261,000 Chinese nationals enrolled in local educational institutions at various levels. In the higher education sector, 37.3% of foreign enrolments were from mainland China. 

Babones said that Australian universities are more exposed to the China market than institutions in other countries — nine of the country's leading universities rely on Chinese students for a combined 2.8 billion Australian dollars ($1.85 billion) per year in tuition revenue. If the virus epidemic peters out by mid-year and accounting for numbers of students still caught offshore, those institutions would likely suffer a combined A$1 billion revenue loss, and half of that would be concentrated at Sydney's three urban universities, he added. 

The International Education Association of Australia warned of a hit between A$6 billion and A$8 billion if Chinese students are unable to attend the first term, the Financial Times reported. IEAA did not respond to CNBC's request for comments. 

Moody's said last month the impact on Australian universities would remain manageable if the virus was contained within the next few months. A longer outbreak has the potential to "materially dent revenue and cash reserves,"  it said.

What the universities are doing

From helping affected students to transit via a third country to providing a plethora of online learning resources, some universities told CNBC how they were addressing the travel restrictions. 

Western Sydney University said it offered affected students a one-off $1,500 Australian dollars ($993) contribution to offset expenses if they chose to transit in another country.

Australian National University said all affected Chinese students — about 4,000 of them — would be able to seek up to A$5,000 in reimbursement for costs incurred due to the travel ban if they remain enrolled after Jun. 3. The university is also providing financial assistance for students who undertake remote participation in the first semester. 

The University of Sydney said it has made available online supported learning for 800 courses and deferred the start of the semester for a small number of courses at the business school. Around 14,000 of its students from China remain overseas. 

The University of Melbourne said it is offering support grants of up to A$7,500 to help affected students with unanticipated expenses incurred due to the travel ban. 

A customer walks past empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.

Brendon Thorne | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Macquarie University said for its roughly 1,800 affected students, it is providing various options that include late enrolment, online classes and additional courses made available in later semesters. 

Media reports said the University of Adelaide has also offered financial assistance to students. The university did not respond to CNBC's request for comments. 

Universities Australia, a body for the higher education sector, told CNBC the temporary travel ban does not affect the universities' international reputation. "Students come here for the world class education and research, and because Australia is a great place to visit and study in," chief executive Catriona Jackson said. 

— CNBC's Will Koulouris contributed to this report. 

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2020-03-05 06:41:00Z
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