Jetstar confirms a number of morning flights were cancelled but says no impact to afternoon flights. Follow live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers was also up on ABC News Breakfast this morning, where he was asked if there’s a reason the government can’t commit to more of the 20 recommendations.He said it was committing to all of the recommendations “in principle” and, like earlier, that the government was working on some of them already.The ACCC has handed down a 441-page report and not on any of those pages does it support the divestiture powers which have been proposed by our political opponents.If you make one of the big chains sell in the community, there’s a risk that it’s just snapped up by the other big player in the supermarket sector and that would be counter-productive. Or if it chases supermarket options out of town in regional communities. It’s got hairs all over it, frankly.We’re making the food and grocery code mandatory. We’re empowering the ACCC. We’re cracking down on mergers and acquisitions. We’re working to make it easier for new entrants to compete with the two big supermarkets in particular. These are all of the things that we’re cracking down on when it comes to the supermarkets.We don’t want the supermarkets to be treating Australians like mugs. Continue reading…Jetstar confirms a number of morning flights were cancelled but says no impact to afternoon flights. Follow live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers was also up on ABC News Breakfast this morning, where he was asked if there’s a reason the government can’t commit to more of the 20 recommendations.He said it was committing to all of the recommendations “in principle” and, like earlier, that the government was working on some of them already.The ACCC has handed down a 441-page report and not on any of those pages does it support the divestiture powers which have been proposed by our political opponents.If you make one of the big chains sell in the community, there’s a risk that it’s just snapped up by the other big player in the supermarket sector and that would be counter-productive. Or if it chases supermarket options out of town in regional communities. It’s got hairs all over it, frankly.We’re making the food and grocery code mandatory. We’re empowering the ACCC. We’re cracking down on mergers and acquisitions. We’re working to make it easier for new entrants to compete with the two big supermarkets in particular. These are all of the things that we’re cracking down on when it comes to the supermarkets.We don’t want the supermarkets to be treating Australians like mugs. Continue reading…
A number of flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled after Mount Lewotobi in eastern Indonesia erupted late yesterday.
Jetstar confirmed six return Bali flights this morning had been cancelled “due to volcanic ash … making it unsafe to fly”. A spokesperson said:
We’re monitoring the situation and, at this stage, based on current forecasts, there is no impact to our afternoon flights.
We’ll provide updates if there are any further changes to our schedule and thank customers for their patience this morning.
Virgin Australia said it expected “some delays to Bali services today” amid the ash cloud movement.
We’ve also contacted Qantas for the latest and will bring you more details shortly.
Read this week’s edition of the Weekly Beast
It’s Friday afternoon, which means it’s time for the latest edition of the Weekly Beast – you can have a read below for the latest from Amanda Meade:
Man arrested after suspicious fires throughout Sydney’s east
A man has been arrested following a series of suspicious fires in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
On Tuesday, police responded to reports of a car on fire at Edgecliff at 3.20am. Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the fire, but it was destroyed. There were no reports of injuries.
At 3.30am, police located a burnt chair at the intersection of Glenmore Road and Cascade Street in Paddington.
Police are also continuing to investigate a fire on Jersey Road at Paddington on 19 September, and believe the three incidents are linked.
A 20-year-old man has been arrested at Waverley police station, and inquiries are ongoing. No charges have been laid.
The department of employment and workplace relations secretary, Natalie James, has paused more cancellations and deductions of people’s jobseeker payments.
In a statement, she said an independent assurance review was examining the IT system operating mutual obligations, and a legal review was “also examining whether decisions are being properly made and whether decision making processes are aligned with the law.”
I have taken decisions to pause some parts of the system. The work underway by my department has identified examples where the system is not operating in alignment with the law and policies, or is not operating with the rigour that I expect.
The statement said that while these reviews are underway, payments “may still be suspended when people fail to comply with their mutual obligations, however, those payments will be reinstated when people re-engage”.
ACOSS is demanding the “urgent removal” of the entire targeted compliance framework amid the latest revelations, claiming “at least 10,000 people may have been subjected to unlawful or invalid financial penalties or payment cancellations”.
The Antipoverty Centre is also demanding the secretary immediately stop all current payment suspensions under the mutual obligations framework, and provide compensation to those impacted by potentially unlawful payment reductions or cancellations.
For more on this ongoing issue, you can read Cait Kelly‘s story from earlier this month:
Showers and thunderstorms forecast for north and central Australia this weekend
The Bureau of Meteorology says widespread showers and thunderstorm are forecast for much of northern and central parts of the country this weekend:
Children’s commissioner says Victoria latest jurisdiction to respond to youth crime in ‘reactive way’
The national children’s commissioner, Anne Hollonds, says Victoria’s new bail laws are likely to lead to a “significant increase in the incarceration of children” – particularly because detention will no longer be a “last resort” for children.
In a statement, she said new data shows the number of children involved in crime has decreased in the state by 3%, with “most of the crime currently involving repeat child offenders who typically become involved with the criminal justice system very young”.
Hollonds said that many of these children have “unmet needs such as disabilities, health and learning problems, and trauma”.
Locking up these children does not rehabilitate them. It costs $1.3m per annum to lock up a child, and this is not making our community safer.
Hollonds said Victoria, after Queensland and the Northern Territory, was the “latest jurisdiction to respond to youth crime in a reactive way”.
The NSW and South Australian governments are also in the process of implementing discredited punitive measures, moving in the opposite direction to that of other developed countries.
Governments across the country are looking for a quick political fix rather than acting on evidence from experts … showing that we need to improve therapeutic treatment and support for children and their families, and take a preventative rather than punitive approach.
Victorian premier backs bail laws dubbed ‘dangerous’ by advocates
Tougher bail laws won’t trap young people in a cycle of reoffending, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says, as retailers in her state grapple with the nation’s highest number of violent attacks.
AAP reports that Allan today defended the laws against claims by advocates who say the reforms aren’t evidence-based and risk entrenching criminal behaviour. She told reporters:
After listening to Victorians, to victims of crime, to the advice of Victoria police, and to other representatives across the justice system, we needed to bring about a jolt to the system. We are seeing too much of a pattern of behaviour.
Allan conceded more people will be remanded but said there is capacity in the system to handle the influx.
You can read more from advocates earlier in the blog, here.
Islamophobia Register ‘concerned and distressed’ by surge in online threats targeting Muslims
The Islamophobia Register says it is “deeply concerned and distressed” by a surge in online threats and hate speech targeting the Muslim community.
The Islamophobia Register said in the past week “extremely disturbing comments have surfaced online, echoing the rhetoric of the Christchurch terrorist attack, where 51 innocent Muslim worshippers were murdered”.
These direct calls for violence, particularly during the sacred month of Ramadan, have left the Muslim community feeling vulnerable and unprotected.
Recent statistics from the Islamophobia Register show a 586% increase in reported Islamophobic incidents since 7 October 2023, with the statement saying this represents “only a fraction of the actual incidents”.
Executive director Dr Nora Amath said:
Hatred and violence have no place in our society and no one should live in fear due to their religious identity. We call on authorities to take swift and decisive action to ensure justice and safeguard all Australians from targeted hate and discrimination. Additionally, we urge serious attention to be given to all incidents of Islamophobia.
No impact to Qantas flights to Bali at this stage, after volcano eruption
Just circling back to earlier news of multiple flight cancellations between Australia and Bali, after a volcano eruption yesterday.
It’s understood there are currently no impacts to Qantas flights, but the situation is being monitored.
NSW police say investigations are underway after online threats were allegedly made to two mosques – one at Lakemba on Wednesday and one at Padstow on Thursday.
Police believe the two alleged incidents may be linked and urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Following the report of the alleged threats, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said:
The NSW police force have launched an urgent investigation … Every single person in our state deserves to be able to practise their faith free from threats and this racism and Islamophobia has absolutely no place in NSW.
Heavy rainfall easing in north-east Queensland but some flood warnings remain
The Bureau of Meteorology says heavy rainfall is easing in northern Queensland but flood warnings or watches remain for parts of the Central Coast, Haughton River, Herbert River, the Ross and Bohle rivers and the Tully River.
Flinders, Point Leo and Shoreham residents advised to boil drinking water
Residents in the southern Victoria areas of Flinders, Point Leo and Shoreham are being advised to boil their water before drinking it, after a dead rodent was found in the Shoreham Reservoir during a routine maintenance inspection yesterday.
South East Water is currently undertaking water testing and investigations, and residents are advised to boil tap water as a precautionary measure to make sure it is safe to drink.
The Victorian health department has warned unboiled water may lead to diarrhoea, cramps, headaches and other gastro-like symptoms.
Infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people are particularly at risk.
Water should also be boiled for food preparation, making ice, and brushing teeth, as well as for drinking water for livestock or pets.
South East Water will provide a further update once investigations have progressed.
Nine Entertainment Company in talks for CoStar to obtain real estate business
Nine Entertainment Company has confirmed in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange it is in discussions with US real estate group CoStar to sell real estate business Domain.
Nine described the approach as an “unsolicited, non-binding, indicative proposal to acquire 100% of the issued capital of Domain Holdings Limited by way of a scheme of arrangement”.
The company said the discussions remain confidential and incomplete, including as to the price CoStar might make a revised proposal.
There is no certainty that the discussions will lead to a revised proposal from CoStar.
Nine continues to assess the proposal, including the strategic value of Domain to Nine, with a focus on the best interests of Nine shareholders.
A number of flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled after Mount Lewotobi in eastern Indonesia erupted late yesterday.
Jetstar confirmed six return Bali flights this morning had been cancelled “due to volcanic ash … making it unsafe to fly”. A spokesperson said:
We’re monitoring the situation and, at this stage, based on current forecasts, there is no impact to our afternoon flights.
We’ll provide updates if there are any further changes to our schedule and thank customers for their patience this morning.
Virgin Australia said it expected “some delays to Bali services today” amid the ash cloud movement.
We’ve also contacted Qantas for the latest and will bring you more details shortly.
Smiggle sales slump weighs on Premier profit
Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments has posted a first-half net profit after tax of $117.1m, as key brand Smiggle sales slumped 14.5% on last year.
AAP reports that total sales were down 1.8% to $455m, excluding Peter Alexander UK, due to “a challenging discretionary retail environment”.
Peter Alexander meanwhile delivered record sales of $297.7m, up 6.6% on the equivalent half last year. Premier’s net profit before tax was down 12.7% to $148.4m.
The half in question was the last that Premier would own its apparel brands, including Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Dotti, Portmans and Jacqui E, which it sold to Myer in January. Premier also no longer holds any interest in Myer shares.
The results made no mention of fresh dividends for shareholders. The Premier Retail interim chief executive, John Bryce, said Smiggle and Peter Alexander sales remained best in class:
Looking ahead, Premier Retail is focused on the future growth opportunities of Peter Alexander and Smiggle with investment in new initiatives for these much-loved brands.
Art Gallery of NSW announces new director, the first woman in 154 years
The Art Gallery of NSW has announced its next director: Maud Page, currently deputy director and director of collections, will be gallery’s 10th director – and the first woman to helm the 154-year-old institution.
Page was appointed after a global search. She will take over from outgoing director Dr Michael Brand, who in his 13-year tenure spearheaded the gallery’s $344m expansion, culminating in the opening of a new building in December 2022.
Page joined the Art Gallery of NSW in 2017, in a role that was responsible for the curatorial direction and public art commissions for the expanded gallery. She was previously deputy director at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, where she played a key role in developing their collection of contemporary Pacific art.
At AGNSW she has overseen key acquisitions such as the world-famous medieval Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, from France, and the recent Magritte blockbuster exhibition. Page said in a gallery statement:
I strongly believe in the transformative power of art and look forward to working with artists and colleagues at my neighbouring cultural institutions and in greater Sydney as well as further afield with regional galleries and museums across the state, to welcome new audiences and families.
She will start in the role on Friday 28 March.
Hanson-Young responds to US tech giants’ push for Trump to hit Australia on social media laws
Earlier, we reported that tech giants are pressuring the US president, Donald Trump, to punish Australia over its social media laws.
The Greens’ spokesperson for communications, Sarah Hanson-Young, issued a statement in response, stating that Trump is “not our president and Australians won’t be bullied by [his] tech oligarchs”.
Streamers like Netflix, Amazon and Disney make mega profits of Australian subscribers without any regulation or requirement to invest in the local industry and Australian storytelling.
As a sovereign and independent country, Australia has the right to make laws that represent our values as a fair society and protect our citizens online. We will not allow tech billionaires to undermine measures that keep our communities safe and cohesive.
Hanson-Young said Australia was “getting almost daily examples to show that in the Trump era our relationship with the US has fundamentally changed and it is time for [us] to chart a course for ourselves independent of the US”.
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