DIVE INTO LUXURY WITH FIJI’S CORAL GARDENER EXPERIENCE
Guests can now blend barefoot indulgence with hands-on reef restoration on Malolo Island.
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Six Senses Fiji is adding a new dimension to its luxury escape on Malolo Island, inviting guests to swap poolside cocktails for coral planting with the launch of its ‘Become a Coral Gardener’ program.
Created in partnership with the global NGO Coral Gardeners, the initiative lets travellers take part in reef restoration alongside marine biologists, without compromising the resort’s signature barefoot elegance.
Since joining forces with Coral Gardeners in late 2023, the resort has planted over 20,000 coral fragments in its surrounding waters. Now, visitors can take part in every stage of the process, from collecting fragments on nearby reefs during the cooler season to tending nurseries in the summer months.
This immersive approach balances science with island charm. Guests might spend the morning snorkelling thriving reefs before gently cleaning ropes in the underwater nursery, or watch hand-woven coconut leaf canopies shading fragile corals as they sip sunset cocktails later in the day.
A custom-built monitoring app tracks coral health in real time, ensuring that only the strongest specimens are returned to the reef – where they attract turtles and a rainbow of marine life.
“Our partnership with Coral Gardeners reflects a shared commitment to regeneration,” said Mark Kitchen, General Manager of Six Senses Fiji. “Through Become a Coral Gardener, guests aren’t just learning about reef resilience – they’re becoming an essential part of it”.
As the first international base for Coral Gardeners, Six Senses Fiji offers something rare: the chance to pair world-class villas, private pools and fine dining with the unforgettable experience of helping the South Pacific’s reefs bounce back.
A Sydney couple has paid $15.5 million for the Grand Penthouse at Marquee’s $285 million La Belle Residences beachfront development which is nearing completion at Palm Beach, eclipsing the record for an off-the-plan apartment sale on the southern Gold Coast. The sprawling single level 640 sqm beachfront residence, with sweeping views of the Gold Coast …
Continue reading “$15.5m La Belle Penthouse eclipses southern Gold Coast record”
On the owner’s deck, a 20-metre swimming pool incorporates Feadship’s patented ContraWave technology and extends indoors as a suspended, glass-bottomed infinity pool.
A new study models a potential $80.6 billion lift in Australian GDP after a decade, as national testing shows a decline in Year 10 digital literacy.
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Australia trails Singapore and Malta in a new Commonwealth index, while national testing shows fewer than four in 10 Year 10 students meet the standard for digital literacy.
Australia has ranked third among 56 Commonwealth countries for youth AI readiness, with researchers estimating that artificial intelligence could lift the level of Australian GDP by $80.6 billion after a decade under their middle scenario.
The Ayre Think Tank released the index at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Australia scored 71 out of 100, behind Singapore on 77.6 and Malta on 75. The United Kingdom followed closely on 70.8, with Canada fifth on 70.2. Only 15 countries reached the study’s benchmark of 53.
What the $80.6 billion figure measures
The researchers applied International Monetary Fund estimates for broad groups of economies to Australia’s 2025 GDP. The resulting scenarios put the potential lift in Australian GDP after 10 years at between $40.9 billion and $120.3 billion, with $80.6 billion representing the midpoint.
The figures describe how much larger the economy could be at the end of the period under each scenario. They represent a change in the level of GDP in year 10.
Digital literacy falls as schools roll out AI tools
Australia scored 8.7 out of 10 for access to technology and 7.5 for digital, data, media and AI capability. Separate national testing found that 37 per cent of Year 10 students met the proficient standard for information and communications technology literacy in 2025, down from 46 per cent in 2022. About one in 10 students reported receiving substantial teaching on AI-related tasks. National assessment results
The report points to two state initiatives aimed at building those skills. Queensland began rolling out an AI education platform in state schools in 2026, while Victoria introduced free specialist training for workers looking to develop AI skills or move into related roles.
The index draws on 1,128 sources and examines the conditions facing people aged 15 to 29, including access to technology, education and pathways into work. Australia had usable data for 76 of the 102 indicators used in the rankings. The researchers found too little comparable evidence to score an eighth area covering critical judgement and people’s ability to exercise control over AI systems.
Professor C. Justin Robinson, campus principal of the University of the West Indies’ Five Islands Campus, said young people should be equipped to question and improve AI tools and supported in building alternatives suited to their needs.
The report calls for affordable access to technology, more practical education and stronger links between training, employment and entrepreneurship. It also urges governments and educators to support AI tools suited to local languages and give young people ways to challenge automated decisions.
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