HOW ARE YOU SLEEPING?                                                     

 Healthy sleep habits are very important for those of us who have passed the full flush of youth…OK! Ok! by a considerable margin. What does the latest research say? Sleep in later life is a major determinant of physical health, brain function, mood, and overall “healthy aging.” Current evidence suggests it is just as important to prioritise as exercise and diet for those in their senior years.                                                    How much sleep should we have and what does “                                                                                       Most people aged 65+ do best with about 7–8 hours of sleep per night. Needing far less sleep with age is a myth. Good sleep in older adults means:- fairly quick sleep onset, few long awakenings at night, feeling reasonably refreshed on waking  and relatively regular bed and wake times across the week.            Recent research highlights sleep regularity (consistent timing night-to-night) linked to lower cardiovascular risk, lower mortality, and possibly lower dementia risk in o                                                    Why does  sleep matters so much f                                                                                                               Current studies show that, in older adults, better sleep is associated with lower illness and disability and with better physical and cognitive performance. These are hallmarks of “healthy aging.” Good, regular sleep is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk and lower mortality in older adults. On the other hand, very short (around 5 hours) and very long (around 9+ hours) sleep is associated with higher odds of frailty.                                                                                                                                                                 What are some evidence‑based strategies to improve and enjoy sleep?                                                 The research shows that regular physical activity (walking, moderate aerobic exercise, resistance training, tai chi, or aquatic exercise) 2–4 times per week over at least 8 weeks improves sleep efficiency, shortens the time to fall asleep, and reduces night awakenings in older adults. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule, that is, similar bed and wake times every day, is increasingly recognised as a key health factor in older adults. It is associated with better cardiovascular and mortality outcomes.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Getting bright natural light in the morning and reducing bright/blue light (screens, overhead LEDs) in the evening helps anchor the body clock and promotes earlier, better-quality sleep. Calming pre‑bed routines (dim lights, reading, music, relaxation) support both regularity and subjective sleep quality. Many sleep problems in seniors are driven or worsened by medical issues (pain, nocturia, heart or lung disease, depression, anxiety) or by medications (e.g., some antidepressants, decongestants, steroids, and diuretics).                                                                                                                                                          Nocturnia? What is it?  I am so glad you asked?                                                                                     Nocturnia is the medical term for waking from sleep one or more times at night specifically to pass urine, with a sleep period before and after each trip to the toilet. They are not called the wee small hours for nothing. It refers to night‑time urination that disrupts sleep, not just going to the toilet late in the evening or first thing in the morning. Many clinicians only call it “problematic” when it happens at least twice a night and is bothersome or causes daytime tiredness, falls risk, or reduced quality of life. It becomes more common with age and can be due to several factors, including:-                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A. Making too much urine at night (for example from heart failure, leg swelling shifting when you lie down, or some hormonal changes).                                                                                                                   B. Bladder problems (overactive bladder, reduced bladder capacity, prostate enlargement in men).             C. Other medical conditions (diabetes, sleep apnoea, urinary tract infection, some medications, high evening fluid intake, especially caffeine or alcohol).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Because Nocturnia fragments sleep, it is strongly linked to fatigue, poorer mood and cognition the next day, and in older adults an increased risk of night‑time falls and fractures.

Drawing on current evidence, a typical, healthy sleep plan for an older adult might include: 7–8 hours in bed on a regular schedule (e.g., 10:30 pm–6:30 am most days). Doing moderate exercise (e.g., 30–40 minutes of walking, tai chi, or similar) 3 times per week, ideally in the daylight.  Getting 20–30 minutes of bright morning light daily and keeping the  evenings dim and calm.

This is general advice. If you have any sleep problems please check with your GP.                                         

References: National Library of Medicine (USA) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute.   PubMedCentral. HealthLive. Supportive Care.

  

Separating Myth from Science on Hydration and Digestion

 Today, more than ever, things that we hear and read on the internet need to be fact checked.                   Facebook on a regular basis shows us AI generated posts with life like graphics and plausible texts showing AI generated videos well known people that are totally fake. So prevalent are these fake posts that some people now refer to Facebook as Fakebook.

However, the substitution of fiction for fact is not confined to the internet. Many of our media sources present lies as truth. This was demonstrated by the Murdoch media which was the first to break the news that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 presidential election.  Sky News and other Murdoch media outlets continued to run stories about Trump's  electoral loss. After a while the Murdoch people noticed that their ratings and circulation figures were falling. This affected advertising revenue. Rupert Murdoch notified all of his editors to change their stories. They were to stop saying Trump lost the election. Instead they were to promote the Trumpian myth that the election was rigged. There was no proof of this but it was what Trump supporters wanted to read, Ratings  went up and advertising money once again came flooding. We all learned  that the Murdoch media was not a news outlet at all, it was a business that would print lies if it increased profits.

However , it is not just the Internet or the mendacious Murdoch media that provides fiction as facts.        It can happen when well intentioned but misinformed people are given a platform or a microphone to spout their myths as facts. Even the trusted ABC is a victim of false information being dressed up as fact.

Recently, when driving my car, I heard a woman on ABC Radio  insisting that we should  not drink water for half an hour before or after meals. She said water dilutes the gastric juices. I thought the idea sounded plausible but wondered if it was supported by scientific research. She sounded very knowledgeable and very adamant. Her main argument was: Water, when consumed close to mealtime, dilutes the stomach’s gastric juices—primarily hydrochloric acid and enzymes. This, she said with the vigour of ignorance, makes it harder for the stomach to break down food, leading to poorer digestion or discomfort. She sounded plausible.  

What Does the Science Say? When I arrived home I decided to check her story. What Does the Science Say? Scientific research does not support the notion that drinking water before, during, or after meals, is harmful or disrupts digestion. In fact, the Science says water plays a helpful role in the digestive process. The stomach is far more sophisticated than the radio lady’s claim. It automatically adjusts the stomach’s acidity, even if you drink water with meals. The stomach’s cells constantly monitor acidity and maintain the ideal ph levels at around 1.5 to 2.5 to promote good digestion. How clever!                                                                                                                                                             Does drinking water slow digestion? No, it does not! Liquids empty from the stomach much faster than solids and research does not show that adding water slows the digestive process. The research shows that drinking water 30 minutes before a meal helps regulate appetite  and supports digestion.                     Water during a meal helps moisten the food and aids digestion. 

The Bottom Line. Be very wary of unverified expert opinions! Drinking water before and after meals is safe and normal, does not dilute the gastric juices and is actually beneficial to digestion. So, drink up. Drinking water is good at any time. And the really good news is that my research revealed that 85% to 95% of wine and beer is…WATER!                                                                                                                A glass of  Gin and Tonic is 90% WATER . As they say… Bottoms Up… and Good Health!                                                                                                                                                                                                

  

      PS. Remember what I said about  AI faking reality. If you think this is a picture of Marilyn enjoying a drink with her meal, think again. It is a fake generated by the AI platform Co-Pilot. Even AI makes mistakes. I asked for a picture of Marilyn drinking wine in a  restaurant. AI gave her TWO drinlks.                                                

Taking a Walk: The Cheapest Health Craze Since Breathing.      Long standing and dedicated Font of Noelage readers will recall my poor opinion of jogging which I blogged about in a very early story that I posted  in  October 2012. (  Confessions of a Jogger ).                        However, I now want to take a much more positive view of walking for fun and pleasure, as a means of acquiring Wellness                                                                                                                                         Just what is Wellness? Well, according to the Global Wellness Institute in Miami, Florida, whose objective is to promote wellness worldwide, it includes regular exercise, good sleep habits, healthy eating, stress management, mental health, emotional stability and acquiring good habits that help avoid illness instead of seeking remedies after illness has struck.                                                                          However, if you believe the profitable wellness industries that flourish in our western society, wellness requires a fridge full of suspicious green liquids, an expensive watch that torments you, very costly exercise machines, a pricy mountain bike, a huge subscription to a local health and gymnasium centre plus an exotic mat made from something described as “naturally karmic healing organic bamboo."                                                                                                                                                                           Despite all of these manufactured necessities there is good old walking. Hiding in plain sight, like a modest genius at a committee meeting, walking is free, portable, and will not ask for your credit card details. Walking has everything: many health benefits, fresh air, mild self-improvement. It welcomes everyone, the fitness enthusiast, the reluctant office worker, the person who owns activewear mainly for emergencies, and the adventurous, who say, “I’m just going for a ten minute walk around the block,” then return forty minutes later with rosy cheeks and a relaxed frame of mind.                                            Walking, mercifully, is kinder than a personal trainer at 5.30am on a wintry morning. Regular brisk walking can help support heart health, improve fitness, manage weight, reduce blood sugar levels, strengthen bones and muscles, lift energy levels and reduce the risk of several long-term harmful health conditions.                                                                                                                                                      Then there is the mental side, which is where walking becomes better than a Valium tablet. A decent stroll eases stress, brightens mood, sharpens thinking, and helps sleep arrive without needing to roll over and over and over through a very long night.                                                                                        For older adults, regular walking may also support balance, mobility and confidence, turning ordinary errands into small acts of independence. The stairs become less arduous. The supermarket car park becomes less like an overland expedition. Even the trip to the letterbox can regain its dignity.                  Best of all, walking has no grand entrance requirements or nomination fees. Start small. Wander further when you can. Take a friend, a dog, a podcast, or simply your own thoughts, provided they promise not  to hold an angsty staff meeting.                                                                                                                    In a world forever selling us complicated ways to feel better, the humble walk remains a lifestyle dream. It is inexpensive, effective, endlessly available, and best taken daily with a side serving of fresh air and boundless curiosity about the wonderful neighbourhood we are living in. You can smell  your neighbour's  roses without having to prune them.                                       A word of warning.                                                                              I started walking many years ago. I would wear headphones and listen to talkback radio as I walked. Talk back radio is often populated  with very deranged, angry and dissatisfied people who  speak aggressively. As I walked, I found many talk back comments totally diabolical and disagreeable. I would return from my walk full of anger, anxiety and rising blood pressure.                                                                                                                                                        Thankfully, I now stream the Spotify music app  straight from my iPhone to my hearing aids. I no longer listen to angry people complaining  about everything. Now, I walk happily along with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms. I arrive home filled with harmony, happiness  and joy to the World.                          Well, that is until I read the West Coast Eagles’ footy results!                      

The egg, once shunned is now in the health food spotlight

 Not so very long ago the humble egg was the very much on the dietary outer.                                      The other day on Facebook a women  explained how she had killed her husband. She had fed him eggs for breakfast for thirty years. That is the trouble with Facebook these days. Too many fake stories and IA generated rubbish. No wonder some people now call it Fakebook. Unfortunately, that woman was sprouting the diabolical warnings of the medical profession of the 1970s and 80s.                                      Medical research now informs us that eggs are almost the perfect food.                                                                                                                                       Eggs contain about 40% of the recommended daily dose of Cholesterol.Severral years ago doctors were busily warning patients to eat eggs very sparingly. Eggs, once the cheerful stars of kitchen pans everywhere, found themselves relegated to cautious, rare appearances.. “Too much cholesterol,” people said, poking at their toast. “Best stick to egg whites,” declared others, banishing the ultra-nutritionally filled yolk as though it was a hazard in shell form.                                                                                      However, as it often does, good old scientific research has presented eggs is a much better light. Somewhere in the labyrinth of laboratories and nutrition journals, clever humans with clipboards and curious minds began to ask a simple question: “What if the egg isn’t the villain after all?”                       The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that eggs do not increase “bad” cholesterol levels in a diet that is low in saturated fats. The British Medical Journal says one egg a day is not associated with cardio vascular disease. The American Heart Association states that for older adults, even two eggs a day is compatible with good vascular health. Their scientific  findings were, in a word                  egg-ceptional.                                                                                                                                                It turns out that the cholesterol inside eggs, the feature that once caused so much medical anxiety, does not behave like a fat filled ogre after all. Researchers found that it turned out to  be “good cholesterol.”  They discovered that the natural cholesterol we eat in our food is quickly utilised by the liver to do very good things for us. The really bad rascals lurking in the pantry were revealed to be saturated fats, those buttery, bacony, greasy companions often loitering with evil intent alongside the eggs on our plate.    The saturated fats that we consume turn into very bad cholesterol which clogs our arteries, causing  severe health problems relating to our hearts, our circulation and our brains.                                            Based on this evidence, doctors quickly changed their tune. There is no evidence, they said, that eating an egg or two with a well-balanced, healthy diet is detrimental to health. It certainly  does not build up our cholesterol levels. The egg yolk was singled out for articular praise. That the good news!                  But wait, there’s more. Eggs are not merely harmless, they are positively therapeutic. They are brimming with goodness. They are nutritional  treasures, containing  protein, vitamins, minerals, and something called choline, which is excellent for your brain. Eggs contain a little bit of nearly everything the body needs, as though they were nature’s own carefully gift wrapped  health capsule.                           Then there is the matter of versatility. A potatro will always be a potato (solid, reliable and filling), but an egg? An egg is a culinary shapeshifter. It poaches, it scrambles, it fries, it boils and it bakes itself into cakes and pavlovas as if auditioning for the starring role. It binds things together in all sorts of recipes. Rissoles, anyone?                                                                                                                                           Of course, being sensible eaters, we must remember the egg’s one polite request: context matters.          Eat eggs with fresh vegetables, whole grains, and a dash of restraint, and it thrives. Surround it with lumps of butter and processed, fatty meats and you will face some  health issues…eventually.                   The eggs’s journey from breakfast pariah to dietary hero reminds us that science evolves and that understandings deepen. Yes, thanks you, Science                                                                                          The egg was always on our side! Even when it was sunnyside up!                                                                  

Cinderella and her GST.

 Economist, Saul, Eslake wants more and more WA’s Goods and Services Tax .  WA already gives 25% of the GST money raised in WA to Tasmania, Northern Territory and other states. It used to give 70% until a deal was struck with the Federal goverrnment for a guaranteed 7% of GST for WA. This guarantee is now 75%. The WA Government says if the guarantee is scrapped and the old system reinstated, WA would now only be  receiving  about 8% of its GST. For every hundred dollars paid in to the GST by Western Australians, $92 would be spent outside of WA. Hardly a Fair Go! Yest, Eslake and various other state treasurers think it is a great idea.

The GST  was introduced by then Prime Minister, John Howard’s  LNP government in July 2000.           The GST was designed to replace a raft of state taxes like sales tax, which in some cases was charged at a rate of 32%. Many believed that as the GST money was raised in each state to replace existing state taxes, the GST taxes would also remain in that state. This was not the case.

Although the GST is raised in each state, it is distributed among the states by the Commonwealth Grants Commission, based on formula that eventually saw WA‘s share of its GST drop considerably. Because WA received a great deal of money from mining royalties The Grants Commission steadily reduced its share of the GST. In 2016, WA's share of its GST was 30%. It needs to be said that WA worked very hard and spent a lot of money, in conjunction with the Federal government and various foreign governments and international resource companies to develop its vast mineral resources. 

Naturally, Western Australians were not happy that, over the years, the CGC allocated more and more of WA's GST to other states and territories based on each states financial position. 70% of the money raised in WA went to Tasmania, The Northern Territory and other eastern states.                                  Western Australia strenuously protested. Which is why the Morrison LNP government established that WA would always receive 70% of its GST. This has now risen to 75%. The WA State Government estimates that if that guarantee was not in place WA would at present only be receiving about 3% to 8% of its GST. Definitely, not a Fair Go!

All of WA’s sister states are salivating at the thought of getting their hands on 92% of WA’s GST.            For many years Western Australia was referred to as The Cinderella State.
We all Know that Cinderella was famous for things …. Her great beauty and the ugliness of her sisters.

Unlike the carping conservative media, economist, Saul Eslake, wrote recently that he sees much merit in Labor's tax reformist budget 0f 2026. He is not worried by the fact that Labor promised before the 2025 election that it would not change existing laws regarding negative gearing and capital gains tax. Eslake believes Labor has made the correct and necessary decisions in trying to bridge the widening gap between housing investment speculators with several houses in their portfolio outbidding young people trying to purchase their first home.

He concludes his article by expressing the wish that Labor will break another promise, the promise that Western Australia will always receive at least 75% of the GST that it raises. Here, I part company with Mr Eslake, who has argued loudly ever since the LNP Morrison government signed the deal that made that GST guarantee. Prime Minister Albanese and Labor treasurer, Jim Chalmers both  strongly endorse former Prime Minister Morrison’s pledge to peg WA’s share of the GST at 75%.

Western Australians realise they live in a commonwealth and are prepared to share the GST but they also believe in a Fair Go.  For most of the 20^th Century, WA was a mendicant state. That is, the money WA raised  fromy state taxes or was given as its share of from federal income tax distribution, was not enough to pay for the state’s schools, hospitals, road, railways and other vital state responsibilities.        The Commonwealth Grants Commission provided the WA government with additional funding to carry out necessary public works.

WA now receives huge royalties’ payments for its mineral resources and no longer needs assistance from the Commonwealth Grants Commission. Some other states do not raise enough GST money to carry out all their necessary works and they are very happy to receive large chunks of WA’s GST. It was the former firebrand Labor Premier of NSW, Jack lang, who once observed, “Never stand between a state treasurer and a bucket of money.”

Western Australians are standing between their bucket of GST money and all other state and territories’ treasurers who want some of it. Having been a mendicant state, Western Australians would like to see a situation where all of the GST money raised by a state stayed in that state. If that money is not sufficient for the  needs of an individual state then they should be given more of Australian taxpayers’ money by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. That means all Australians share the load through their taxes.

 Western Australians also argue that there are anomalies in the formula used by the CGC to carve of the GST. The Grants Commission always counts WA's mineral royalties in its calculations but never includes the considerable gambling revenue that other states collect when determining the GST carve up. Western Australians decided many years ago, in the best interests of social cohesion, not to have widespread gambling in their state. There is a popular State Lottery, associated with Tats Lotto, which provides big cash prizes and also spends millions on Western Australian charitable institutions. There is a Casino in Perth that has poker machines and other forms of gambling, however,  poker machines and other gaming devices are not legal anywhere else in Western Australia.

The rest of Australia embraced widespread poker machines and gambling activities. This brings huge amounts of money  to those governments now clamouring to get their hands on WA’s GST. Surely, they must be made to divulge to the Commonwealth Grants Commission how much money they acquire from gambling and have that income added to the mix before more money is taken out of WA’s GST.

So, Western Australians believe each state should keep all of its GST (as they did with their state taxes) and the Grants Commission should allocate funds  from taxpayers’ money to any  mendicant states that do not raise enough revenue for its Public Works.

If the GST  is going to be carved up among the states, then states who acquire huge sums of money from widespread gambling must be required to declare those funds.

Seems fair!

On breaking a promise.

I have written many blogs about Donald Trump but not so many about Australian politics.                    Yesterday, the Australian Labor government in Canberra brought down a reformist budget.                       It attempted to partly undo the effects of the "Middle Class Welfare"  legislation of the Howard-Costello conservative government which just over twenty five years ago made it possible for investors to turn the housing market into a  speculators dream. A Homeowner was able to buy another house and "negatively gear" it so that all of the costs in renting it out could be claimed as a deduction against income earned when tax time came around each July. So attractive was this tax reduction scheme that some people acquired many rental properties as negatively geared investments. In fact, they felt inclined to purchase more and more negatively geared rentals to further reduce their total income tax.                  Labor governments opposed this system as it meant young home buyers were being out bid  at home auctions by well healed and negatively geared bidders who owned many rental homes.                            This Labor budget of 2026 has courageously tried to undo the damage being  done by the "Middle Class Welfare" legislation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The conservative media, as usual, have nothing good to say about Labor’s budget. They talk about broken promises as if no other political Party has ever changed its mind. It was John Maynard Keynes who once addressed the question of broken promises when he said, " when the facts change I change my mind , Sir. What do you do?

Who can forget Tony Abbott in 2013, three days before a federal election saying he was at one with Labor on Gonski and there would be no cuts health, education or welfare and definitely no cuts to the ABC and SBS. A few months later he presented his budget and made drastic cuts to all of these vital areas and many more. The conservative media were ecstatic about Abbott's budget and its numerous totally broken promises.

This 2026 Labor budget has addressed some of the middle class welfare that Howard and Costello introduced in 1999 that turned the housing market into an investment bonanza for those who already had a house. Since 1999 house prices have risen by about 400% while salaries have risen by about. 200%.

The ratio between house prices and salaries was getting wider and wider each year and making it almost impossible for young people to get into the housing market where they were outbid by house owners who owned several other houses.

Instead of criticising Treasurer Jim Chalmers for breaking a promise given before the 2025 election not to change the negative gearing policies of Howard and Costello, the media should admit that this is the right decision to address a widening gap between the haves and have nots. In fact it highlights the great tragedy that Australia inflicted upon itself when it rejected then labour leader, Bill Shorten , in the 2019 election.

Shorten wanted to get rid of negative gearing and capital gain tax exemptions entirely. He also wanted to get rid of Franking Credits . This was another of Howard and Costello’s middle class welfare policies that enabled shareholders to claim a tax refund when they had not paid any tax in the first place.

Shorten’s removal of negative gearing, capital gains tax exemptions and franking credits would have provided many billions of dollars to fully fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme and resuscitate Medicare which the conservative LNP government was underfunding.

Shorten lost that 2019 election and Australia got the LNP Morrison government which continued to underfund Medicare, the CSIRO, education, social welfare, the ABC and SBS. While the Morrison government short changed the many agencies that Labor had wanted to bolster it inflicted Robodebt onto the poor and unemployed. It also indulged itself in Rorts for Regions where federal money was spent exclusively in Liberal and National Party electorates,

During the Covid pandemic, 2019-2022, the Morrison government rightly sought to provide aid and financial stimulus to industry just as Labor would have done. The problem though, was that the Morrison government, in this period, gave billions of dollars to rich and profitable companies that did not need the money, did not ask for it, did not spend it and, most importantly, did not have to pay it back. They kept it and gave bigger dividends to their shareholders. In this way the LNP, who always boast that they are the best money managers, ran up a debt of 600 billion dollars,

We need to remember that when these profligate LNP members now criticise Labor for having a debt of nearly one trillion dollars without owning up To the $600 billion that they contributed to that debt.

Like many Australians I am pleased to see at last a Labor government with the courage to address fundamental flaws in our taxation system. These changes will get the speculators out of the housing market and once again make it possible for young people to purchase their own homes without having to outbid rich bidders with an extensive government subsidised real estate portfolio.

 

Anyone for tennis?

Anyone For Tennis.      Well, who would not be for tennis?               The winners of this years’ Australian Open, Elena Rybakina and Carlos Alacarz (at right and left ) each took home $4.15 million dollars. In a resounding rebuke to the fellow who said, “There is no prize for second,” the Runners Up, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka each took home $2.15 million. These four brilliant tennis players collectively walked away with $12.6 million after each had played  seven games of tennis spread over two weeks. Actually, Djokovic only played five and a half games as he won on a forfeit in round four and in Round Five,  his opponent retired injured while leading by two sets to love.                           

Kimberley Inglis, (pictured left) the Western Australian who surprise everyone with her court craft, won $450 000 for making it to and losing  the 4^th Round. She also picked up $22 000 as her share of losing the First Round of the Ladies’ Doubles. Her fiancée, Mark Polmans  collected $242 000 as his share for Runner Up after a loss in the Men’s Doubles. Polmans also collected $40 000 for losing the First Qualifying Round in the week prior to the Australian Open. So, this young couple walked away  from the Rod Laver Arena with  a combined bankroll of $824 000. This should ensure the couple can spend the next 12 months playing on the international circuit and at Wimbledon, Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows.

Millions of tennis lovers around the world enjoyed watching the Australian Tennis Open earlier this year. The Australian Open pays about a $1 million  less to the ultimate winners than the English/Wimbledon and US Open. However, it is certainly much more generous and supportive of the lower ranked players. For instance, if you were one of the 64 players who lost the first-round match at  Rod Laver  Arena this year you would have collected $150 000. If you made it into the second round and lost, you would have been one of the 32 players who each collected $225 000. These figures are on a par with the US Open but are about 10% higher than what was paid in 2025 at Wimbledon (England)  or Roland Garros (France) to those who lost in the first and second rounds of the tournament.

The Australian Open has rapidly increased its overall total prize pool in recent years. In 2002 the total pool was $16.5 million. In 2020 it had grown by 23% to $71 million. Since then, it has increased by a whopping 64% and the total prize pool for 2026 was $111.5 million.

The England and US Opens will always be richer than the Australian Open because they attract much larger crowds, collect  huge television revenues and have many more and far richer commercial sponsors. However, The Australia Open, in true blue Aussie style, has made a conscious decision to not pay the major winners as much as the other Grand Slam countries in order  to support the lower ranked players. It does this by  awarding attractive payouts to the losers  in the early rounds.

This is similar to what happened in Australian cricket in the player pay negotiations in the early 2000s. Though the top Australia cricketers still received  very high remuneration, the underlying philosophy of the negotiations between Cricket Australia and the Players’ Association was of supporting the broader playing base rather than maximising the very top. This provided more money for week-end  grade cricketers and for developing junior cricket Australia wide. 

It makes you proud to be an Aussie. And it makes sense. You cannot win a Wimbledon final unless there are competitors for the champion to beast. Champions need a variety of opponents who can afford to travel with their manager, coach, physiotherapist  to  compete for the title. Similarly, you cannot play winning test cricket if the supply of talented youngsters has dried up because their junior associations all withered  on the vine of poverty.

Hmmm. $150 grand for losing  the first round of the Open . I might go and dig out my battered old tennis racquet and hit the practice courts.                                                                                                      I can lose with the best of them!