As a little girl, Tanya Plibersek had only two “special” dresses: one was a hand-me-down from her cousin, whom she idolized, and the other was made by her aunt.

Now she is one of the most fashionable women in Canberra, hard to miss in the corridors of Parliament House in her colorful two-piece trouser suits.

Speaking at eBay's Circular Fashion Fund showcase on Wednesday morning, the Environment Minister admitted she is far from perfect when it comes to her fashion choices, but said all consumers, along with businesses and governments, have a role to play in promoting sustainable fashion.

“The scenario, you've all seen it – and done it on occasion – you're scrolling through social media, you see an outfit worn by an influencer. You buy it with the click of a button,” she said.

'It will be one of the 56 items of clothing the average Australian buys in a year. You might wear it once or twice before it loses its shape, or you decide it doesn't look good on you.'

Ms Plibersek told the crowd that most Aussies try to do the right thing from this point on. They put it in a bag with all the other unwanted clothes and take it to a charity bin.

'But like most Australian charities at the moment, the country is overwhelmed by the amount of low-quality fast fashion they end up receiving. There is no market for it and it ends up in the landfill.'

Ms. Plibersek shared her own personal relationship with fashion growing up.

In stark contrast to many of today's children, she had two beautiful dresses that “made her feel like a princess.” One was a hand-me-down and the other was handmade.

“Those very special things that you love and cherish,” she said.

'Clothes were of high quality at the time and were expected to last for years or decades.'

Ms. Plibersek said that even today, in 2024, she still owns, wears and maintains the clothes she bought in the 1980s, forty years ago.

She noted that cycling shorts and slip dresses are back in fashion, and that the biggest difference between today's fashion and that of the '80s is “the extraordinary acceleration of production and consumption.”

'Improved affordability of clothing is a good thing'

Ms Plibersek has no problem with the downward pressure on clothing prices – which is partly a response to the wide range of options now available on the market.

“Parents should not have to choose between paying the electricity bill and buying a new pair of school shoes,” she said.

The problem, she argued, lies in the promotion of the 'throwaway culture'.

It is the marketing strategies that tell us that we have to buy a new outfit for every event, that we have to have the latest trend to be fashionable, which is the root cause of the problems that the industry is facing.

“We're not talking about someone buying a cheap T-shirt that their kids wear to school over and over again. That's fine,” she said. 'There is certainly and unequivocally room for that.

'I'm talking about a system where people buy something, wear it once and it ends up in the landfill. There's too much of that.'

Poisoning the world with good intentions

Australian charities spend millions of dollars every year, sifting through and handling the donations they receive that are not fit for purpose.

Ms. Plibersek said consumers often have the best intentions when they bring their used clothing to donation stores, but the reality is that many cannot keep up with the sheer volume of clothing they receive.

“This is money these charities should be spending on helping Australians in need,” she said.

'Not dealing with our guilt about giving away our one-off garment.'

To put it into perspective, Ms. Plibersek told the crowd that products made from synthetic fibers take 500 years to decompose.

“Those yoga pants made from carbon fuels will outlast you by many centuries.

“Our beautiful, natural world has become a dumping ground for clothes that we can't even call second-hand anymore, because the relationship with that item was so short, you can hardly call it love.”

eBay's solution and the way forward

On Wednesday, eBay awarded $200,000 in prize money to three companies committed to promoting and improving circularity in the fashion industry.

First prize recipient Dempstah recycles Australian textile waste into new spun yarn, giving it new life.

This yarn can then be made into knitwear, household items and furniture.

Founder Guy said he hopes to establish a factory in Tasmania to boost local manufacturing and create more local textile and eco-friendly jobs.

Ms Plibersek said: 'If we can extend the life cycle of clothing, if we can repair it, resell it or reuse it, that's great.

'Can we exchange clothes? Can we rent them? Can we embrace frugality like my children have?”

The Environment Minister said that increasing the lifespan of a shirt by a factor of three – from an average of 20 wears to 60 – reduces the water and carbon footprint of that garment by 66 percent.

“As someone who still wears things I bought in the 1980s, that makes me very happy,” she said.

'The fashion industry that makes the profits must be responsible to do something better for the environment… We shouldn't have to rely solely on consumer preferences to change the way we consume fashion.'

Lulu has announced her retirement from touring after a stellar 60-year career. She said she felt “unsupported” as she dealt with the tough demands of touring last year.

The Scottish star, real name Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, said she found traveling 'grueling', while adding that over the past 12 months she has realized she has changed.

Following speculation that she is considering quitting touring, Lulu told the Rosebud podcast: “I'm announcing it for the first time now – this is my farewell tour.”

But she has promised to make the concerts – starting on April 9 in Glasgow and ending at the London Palladium – memorably different, with family and famous friends set to appear at the shows and some likely to join her on stage.

Following the announcement, Lulu also spoke to The Guardian about her dazzling all-star experiences in the spotlight – including personal experiences with icons such as David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop and The Who.

The tour is also expected to include a conversation about her career.

Although she wouldn't reveal exact details, she guaranteed fans they would hear her 1969 Eurovision Song Contest winning hit 'Boom Bang-a-Bang'.

Lulu, honored with an OBE and CBE, said: 'I'm not going to tell you exactly what I'm going to do, but of course I'm going to have to do 'Boom Bang-a-Bang'. The public still wants to do it themselves. You can't give people what they want – and more.

“If you've ever seen me on tour, let me say you've never seen me like this.

'This is actually – I'm announcing it for the first time now – this is my farewell tour, with family and friends.

“Because I did a tour last year that was quite grueling – it was successful, it went well – but you need an army to be successful in your career these days.”

Suggesting she might focus on her acting, she added: “And I didn't feel supported. But then I turned 75 and I thought: you know what, I want to keep working, but I want to do it in a different way. I have learned…

'And I have also become a slightly different person. I'm not afraid to be vulnerable.'

Possible tour guests include Lulu's former musical collaborators Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney. Sting, Take That and Westlife.

It was at the age of 15 when her version of the Isley Brothers' 'Shout' peaked at number seven on the UK charts and she had a hit with the title song of the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden. Pistol.

The name of her latest tour, 'The Champagne for Lulu' tour, was inspired by a line from her Ab Fab performance, which had people around the world shouting the words to her.

The closing date of Palladium is exactly on the 60th anniversary of her hit 'Shout'.

Lulu later spoke about her experiences with celebrities, including meeting David Bowie, who in 1974 produced her cover of his 1970 song The Man Who Sold the World, which reached No. 3 in the British charts and was a Top 10 hit in all of Europe; of course the song

She told The Guardian: 'I first met him in a studio in the US with Iggy Pop…

'Later he walked up to me in the foyer of a hotel in Sheffield, invited me to his show that night and said, “I want to make a hit with you.” And that's exactly what happened…

“The record company wanted me to become a little pop diva, but he said, 'They don't understand your voice.' I loved Hunky Dory and he looked like he hadn't wiped off his makeup from the day before. His hair was orange, his skin was alabaster…

“After we had a few drinks, we were nose-to-nose for the rest of the evening.”

Speaking about her experiences with The Rolling Stones, she astonishingly said, “The Stones would pat me on the head like a little sister, which always annoyed me because I wanted to be their equal.”

Lulu was then asked: 'Is it true that you took Pete Townshend to your parents' house in Glasgow for tea and biscuits?'

She then said: 'It wasn't just Pete, it was certainly Pete and Roger [Daltrey]. It might even have been the whole band, and my parents' apartment was very small…

'The Who supported me in Glasgow when they were the High Numbers, but it wasn't tea and biscuits. My father was a big drinker, so he sent for half a bottle of whiskey and six cans of lager. I still meet Roger…

“Nothing can reproduce the history you have with people from when you were young.

Crown Princess Mary appeared to shed a tear at Queenstown airport as she and her husband said goodbye to friends on the tarmac.

The royal couple headed to Brisbane on Thursday to continue their family holiday after just four days in New Zealand’s adventure capital with their three youngest children.

Crown Prince Frederik, 55, grinned and hugged airport staff, while Mary, 51, said an emotional farewell to a male friend after posting a cryptic Christmas post about loneliness on her foundation’s website.

Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 12, and Princess Isabella, 16, waited patiently for their parents to finish saying goodbye and checking in for the next part of their trip.

The holidays started early for Mary and the twins who arrived in Australia on December 6 to see family and even climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

They then crossed the ditch on a private plane, where they were reunited with the Crown Prince and Princess Isabella for a much-needed escape from the spotlight.

The prince and his Australian princess have been rocked by rumors of infidelity since November, putting their ‘fairytale romance’ under scrutiny.

The rumors started when Prince Frederik was photographed enjoying a night out in Spain with his friend Genoveva Casanova without his wife.

And every move they’ve made since has been the focus of speculation.

Before the family’s flight from New Zealand, Princess Mary shared a cryptic post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection ahead of Christmas.

In the letter posted on the Maria Foundation website, the future queen reflected on the past year – and said she thought it was shorter than previous years.

“And at the same time, so much has happened that it’s impossible to put it all into words,” she continued.

A clip shared on the Danish Royal House’s official Instagram speculated that the princess was using her foundation to point out the rumors about the affair.

‘We need each other if we want to succeed.’ And that applies not only to the working world and to those of us working to combat social isolation,” it said.

‘This applies to all of us. People need people.’

The post and powerful words were pictured alongside a beautiful photo of the royal family in the snow.

She wore a purple jacket under a warm woolen shawl and smiled softly at the camera.

‘The Danish royal family is lucky to have you. I hope your husband realizes that he has embarrassed you and his children beyond measure. You will make a good queen,” one fan commented.

Another wrote: ‘I think this is a sad year for Mary, her husband’s (alleged) betrayal and it’s public. What a courageous woman, she can handle anything. I adore her.’

Some came to the defense of the royal family and called on people to stop talking about the alleged affair.

But these people were often put down by others.

‘Have you seen the film from that morning, in which he walks through the city with his suitcase and without a PET, while he is waiting at a public bus shed to be picked up. He has made a fool of himself, Mary and many others! It is naive to continue to believe he is completely innocent,” one woman wrote.

She said it didn’t matter if there was an affair; the fact that he was in Spain with another woman was enough.

Others simply thanked her for her seasonal greeting.

“You are so amazing, our beautiful Crown Princess,” one fan wrote – echoing the sentiment of dozens of others.

Princess Mary landed in New Zealand on December 18, where she was met by Prince Frederik and their eldest daughter Isabella.

The Crown Princess had arrived in Australia twelve days earlier with her twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

The party of three were pictured atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but the photo taken of each climber was quickly deleted from the tour company’s Instagram account.