Millennials, and younger generations in general, blame older generations for practically everything that is wrong with the world today. OK, so, yes, us oldies must accept responsibility for the housing affordability crisis, ham and bananas hollandaise, and Billy Joel. However, on the flipside, the younger generations are completely liable for the soaring popularity of astrology.  According to Allied Market Research, spending on astrology-related products and services is projected to grow to US$22.8bn by 2031, up from US$12.8bn in 2021. I was recently debating the merits of astrology with a friend, but she stopped talking to me because of my zodiac puns… it nearly taurus apart.

One constellation that is not among the 12 zodiacs that 2nd century scholar Claudius Ptolemy included in his pivotal book on astrology, Tetrabiblos, is the David Bowie constellation. Following Bowie’s untimely death in January 2016, Belgian astronomers paid tribute to the late music legend, naming a seven-star constellation in the shape of the iconic lightning bolt seen across his face on the cover of his 1973 Aladdin Sane album.

Very few artists have covered as many musical genres as Bowie did over his five-decade career. From soundtracking the moon landing with the folk rock classic Space Oddity in 1969, the punk rock of Hang on To Yourself in 1972, the glam rock of Cracked Actor in 1973, the strange funk art rock of Station to Station in 1976, the epic balladry of Heroes in 1977 and all the way through to his emotional swansong, Lazarus, released on 17 December 2015 – Bowie’s contribution to music and art is unparallelled.

The Australian grape and wine sector’s contribution to Australia is also considerable. According to Economic Contribution of the Australian Wine Sector 2025 report recently released by Wine Australia, the sector contributes $51.3 billion to the Australian economy and supports more than 200,000 jobs. The independent report produced by AgEcon Plus and Gillespie Economics highlights the sector’s multiplying effect, where the flow-on from production, experiences and employment contribute significantly higher to the Australian economy than the initial farm gate value. This demonstrates the importance of the sector, particularly for Australia’s regional communities where wine is grown, made and provides a tourism drawcard.