Investigative Journalism
Home buyers are still willing to pay top dollar for waterfront views and bush frontage but a landmark report suggests it won’t always be the case. Riverine flooding, coastal inundation, bushfires, wind storms and droughts that can crack walls will eventually catch up with property markets, according to Australia’s first-ever national assessment of climate risks. […]
Home buyers are still willing to pay top dollar for waterfront views and bush frontage but a landmark report suggests it won’t always be the case. Riverine flooding, coastal inundation, bushfires, wind storms and droughts that can crack walls will eventually catch up with property markets, according to Australia’s first-ever national assessment of climate risks. Under a worst-case scenario, extreme weather events are estimated to hit values by $570 billion by the end of the decade. Losses could climb to more than $610 billion by 2050 under 3C of warming – a temperature rise the Australian Climate Service views as “prudent” to prepare for – as buyers opt to pay less for risky dwellings, banks value them accordingly and insurance costs trend higher. Australia’s first-ever climate threat assessment confirms global warming is already wreaking havoc. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS) The numbers assume little is done to adapt to changing conditions, with estimates far from set in stone. Senior researcher at Western Sydney University’s Urban Transformations Research Centre, Ehsan Noroozinejad, says known and recent events, such as flood risk, were already priced into property markets “to some extent”. “But future risks, like sea-level rise or low-salience hazards are only partially or not at all capitalised into prices,” he tells AAP. A compelling explanation for the resilience of many climate-vulnerable homes is that they often come with attractive lifestyle perks. Waterfront views, for example, always command a price premium. “Memory fade” after disastrous events, poor knowledge of climate risks and few houses to choose from can also keep upwards pressure on home prices in areas vulnerable to weather extremes. Waterfront views always command a price premium even in areas of known risk. (JASON O’BRIEN/AAP PHOTOS) Even in Lismore, the NSW town at the centre of the costliest disaster in Australian history, property prices have proven resilient. They dipped immediately after the devastating 2022 floods, and while still 6.7 per cent off record highs have since been trending higher based on figures provided by Cotality. Sales activity is now back to long-run averages after a spike following the disastrous weather event. While government buybacks have likely helped keep heat in the local market, Cotality views Lismore as a place where people will continue to buy after a natural disaster. This, the researchers say, is likely in part because of the affordability challenges posed by relocating. Committee for Economic Development of Australia senior economist Liam Dillon says chronic housing shortages are a major driver of home values, including in many climate-exposed locations in the regions and on the coast. Property prices have proven resilient even in flood-prone Lismore. (Jason O’BRIEN/AAP PHOTOS) In line with Monday’s sobering risk assessment, Mr Dillon expects climate risk to become a bigger price-driver going forward, particularly when sea level rise begins leaving vastly more homes exposed. “There’s two forces acting there – one is the intensity of what’s playing out in terms of those disasters and then the other one is the number of houses or properties exposed,” the economist explains. Insurance costs are the biggest pain point. Rising premiums are already influencing home values in a few highly vulnerable locations and insurance affordability and accessibility problems are only expected to worsen. The climate report estimates 8.2 per cent homes, or 751,000, are in high-risk areas, while 8.7 per cent are in very high-risk areas. By 2090, more than 1.2 million homes could be deemed at very high risk. Almost 17 per cent of residential buildings are already located in areas of high or very high risk. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS) Rising insurance premiums could erode property values by as much as 10 per cent in some instances, Dr Noroozinejad says. Affordable suburbs will likely feel the squeeze of rising insurance costs first, says Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee. The premium end of markets are typically better able to absorb the costs of surging insurance, she explains. Adelaide Hills is a good example, with higher-income buyers still flocking to the region for its natural beauty and proximity to the city despite its high exposure to bushfire risk. After a disaster, wealthier households are also more likely to be able to afford a resilient rebuild, such as an elevated dwelling that avoids flood waters. A gap between perceived and actual risk is another problem. Some 1.5 million coastal and river dwellers could be impacted by erosion, storms and other hazards. (Lindsay Moller/AAP PHOTOS) Mr Dillon says the economic think tank’s research suggests Australians may be underestimating the risks they face from natural disasters. Less than one per cent of homeowners believe they are at high risk of flood, for example, compared to about 4.4 per cent of homes with at least a one-to-five per cent annual probability of inundation. The think tank believes a lack of easily accessible, digestible information is a big part of the problem that could be easily addressed by governments. There is also an argument for strengthening mandatory or natural hazard disclosures at the point of sale, Mr Dillon says It’s a view shared by the Productivity Commission, which has called for a resilience rating to stop buyers overpaying for climate-vulnerable homes and to incentivise sellers to invest in resilient home upgrades.
US President Donald Trump says he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have made progress on a TikTok agreement and pledged to meet face-to-face in just over a month in South Korea. The two sides appeared to lower tensions during the first call in three months between the leaders of the two superpowers but it was […]
US President Donald Trump says he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have made progress on a TikTok agreement and pledged to meet face-to-face in just over a month in South Korea. The two sides appeared to lower tensions during the first call in three months between the leaders of the two superpowers but it was not immediately clear if the call had yielded the expected firm agreement over the fate of the popular short-video app. Trump did say the leaders agreed to talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that starts on October 31 in Gyeongju, South Korea, and for a potential later visit to China by Trump. President Xi Jinping spoke with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on the phone. The two presidents had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the current state of China-U.S. relations and other issues of mutual interest, and provided strategic guidance for the steady development… pic.twitter.com/NKeaUzAoSS — Mao Ning 毛宁 (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) September 19, 2025 “We made progress on many very important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal,” Trump wrote on social media. “The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!” Trump wrote. But China’s statement made no reference to a final agreement. “On TikTok, Xi said China’s position is clear: the Chinese government respects the will of firms and welcomes companies to conduct business negotiations on the basis of market rules to reach a solution consistent with Chinese laws and regulations while balancing interests,” according to the meeting summary in Xinhua.
Optus could face multi-million dollar fines and legal penalties after a botched network upgrade prevented people from making triple-zero calls and resulted in three deaths, including of an eight-week-old boy. The telco has admitted up to 600 households in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were impacted by the triple-zero outage on Thursday. […]
Optus could face multi-million dollar fines and legal penalties after a botched network upgrade prevented people from making triple-zero calls and resulted in three deaths, including of an eight-week-old boy. The telco has admitted up to 600 households in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were impacted by the triple-zero outage on Thursday. SA police said an eight-week-old boy from the town of Gawler and a 68-year-old woman from the Queenstown suburb of Adelaide died. At least three customers, two in South Australia and one in Western Australia, died after they were unable to call emergency services, Optus chief executive Stephen Rue confirmed. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the incident was “incredibly serious and completely unacceptable”. “The impact of this failure has had tragic consequences and my personal thoughts are with those who have lost a loved one,” she said in a statement. All telecommunications providers are obligated to ensure they carry emergency service calls and this outage will be thoroughly investigated, she added. Optus is continuing its “welfare checks” to ascertain any further customer impact, Mr Rue said. The network technical problem has since been resolved and an internal investigation has been launched. “I offer my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the people who passed away,” Mr Rue said at a press conference on Friday night. Optus chief executive Stephen Rue admitted the telco had let customers down. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) “I am so sorry for your loss.” He said the duration of the outage was not yet known and further details would be made public when the investigation was completed. “What has happened is completely unacceptable. We have let you down,” Mr Rue said. WA Police said it was conducting welfare checks. Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh expressed deep concern the triple-zero camp-on arrangements that diverted calls to other carriers had also failed. Optus experienced a nationwide network outage in November 2023 which caused significant disruption. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS) The incident comes almost two years after more than 10 million customers and businesses on Australia’s second largest telecommunications network were left disconnected for more than 16 hours in November 2023. People weren’t able to call triple-zero on landline devices, although it was still possible to do so on a mobile phone. The telco was fined more than $12 million in penalties for breaching emergency call rules during the nationwide outage. Optus failed to provide emergency call access to 2145 people and subsequently did not conduct welfare checks on 369 people who tried to call triple-zero, the communications watchdog found. Mr Rue took over as the company’s chief executive in 2024 from Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, who resigned over the 2023 outage.
A series of coal mine closures and job lay-offs and claims of an “un-Australian” royalty scheme might not be the last, a mining expert says. Anglo American, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and QCoal have shuttered mines and axed more than 1000 workers in Queensland in recent days. And there could be more, mining analyst Gavin Wendt […]
A series of coal mine closures and job lay-offs and claims of an “un-Australian” royalty scheme might not be the last, a mining expert says. Anglo American, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and QCoal have shuttered mines and axed more than 1000 workers in Queensland in recent days. And there could be more, mining analyst Gavin Wendt told AAP. The former Labor government introduced a tiered mining royalties system in 2022. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS) “We’ve had three miners in consecutive days come out and make the same decision, and all of these companies were complaining about the hike in royalties,” he said. “There’s a consistency there, so the government needs to take a good, hard look at itself.” BHP Mitsubishi Alliance this week blamed its 750 job cuts on the government’s “unsustainable” royalties regime and market conditions, claiming the state coal industry was reaching “crisis point”. The alliance was branded “un-Australian” by the Queensland government after announcing the lay-offs, with a union accusing the mining giant of spreading fear. Mr Wendt said it was an unfair remark by the government and the company was not at fault. “It’s really un-Australian to double the royalty on a mining company so that their operations are effectively unsustainable,” he said. “The finger of blame really should be pointed at the Queensland government, because their actions are un-Australian.” BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Adam Lancey said his company paid about eight times more in royalties than it made in profit this week under the regime. The former Labor government introduced a tiered royalties system in 2022. Queensland’s LNP government has ruled out changing the state’s mining royalties scheme. (Kelly Barnes/AAP PHOTOS) Under its progressive structure, higher revenues are generated during boom periods of high coal prices but less is taken when market conditions deteriorate. Queensland’s LNP government has ruled out changing the royalties scheme, keeping a 2024 state election promise. It insists it is “not at war” with mining companies, saying it is delivering new investment, cutting red tape and creating long-term job opportunities across regional Queensland. Lobby group Queensland Resources Council offered to work with the government to reform a “defective coal royalty regime” after the latest lay-offs announced by QCoal. QCoal confirmed its lay-offs on Friday, announcing one of Cook Colliery mine’s two underground sites in central Queensland would shut down in the coming weeks. “Job losses are a difficult decision for any business and it’s regrettable that companies are being forced into this position,” the council’s chief executive Janette Hewson said. “This once again demonstrates that the world’s highest royalty rates, coupled with low prices and soaring production costs, have impacted the viability of Queensland operations.” Ms Hewson said some companies were paying billions of dollars in royalties to the Queensland government despite making no profit or barely breaking even. Premier David Crisafulli is set to hold a meeting with the resources sector next week. But it is believed to have been organised weeks ago and not in response to royalties scheme criticism or lay-offs.
Targets to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions will require difficult trade-offs on the location of large renewable projects, experts warn. Unveiling the long-awaited climate targets this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged emissions would be cut by at least 62 per cent and up to 70 per cent by 2035. He described the commitment as […]
Targets to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions will require difficult trade-offs on the location of large renewable projects, experts warn. Unveiling the long-awaited climate targets this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged emissions would be cut by at least 62 per cent and up to 70 per cent by 2035. He described the commitment as responsible and “backed by a practical plan to get there”. Environmental law expert Justine Bell-James said the transition to clean energy outlined by the government will require difficult decisions. Battery storage facilities are a key part of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s energy plans. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Solar, wind and hydro developments will always have an impact on local ecosystems, she warns, but unchecked global warming would have a much worse effect. “It’s a really complex puzzle,” Professor Bell-James told AAP. “You need to kind of zoom out and look at the big picture to make these sort of decisions.” Prof Bell-James said the government’s plan to curb emissions was not enough to avoid catastrophic effects on Australia’s Pacific neighbours because it doesn’t slash carbon pollution rates fast enough, and doesn’t account for fossil fuel exports. “We’re continuing to approve massive fossil fuel projects for exporting emissions overseas,” she said. “It can be difficult to square these really high statements of ambition domestically with this continued export of fossil fuels.” The climate targets roadmap also included a $5 billion carve-out from an existing fund for decarbonising heavy industry. While pressure is being placed on large-emitting industries to step up efforts to reduce their carbon output, some sectors’ efforts to reach net zero would be difficult. The National Farmers’ Federation says agriculture cannot be net zero, arguing for food security. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) National Farmers’ Federation interim chief executive Su McCluskey said agriculture, a sizeable emitter of methane gas particularly, would not hit net zero in isolation. “It’s encouraging to see our nation collectively striving for solutions with this 62-70 per cent range target,” she said. “While the NFF supports an economy-wide aspiration of net zero by 2050, it cannot be net zero for agriculture. “If we don’t get climate policy right, farming will only get harder.” Agriculture contributes up to 20 per cent of Australian greenhouse gases, though Ms McCluskey said food and fibre security was also important to consider. “Productive farmland should not be sacrificed to offset emissions from other industries,” she said. Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean told the ABC on Friday that “the key thing out of the Paris Agreement is to make our best ambition in light of our national circumstances”. “That’s why we did a bottom-up approach to show what is possible, asking every sector of the economy to do its bit based on the technologies available to us today,” he said. “This is a conservative approach which means Australia should be able to deliver on what we promised.” The 2035 targets were based on the independent authority’s final advice.
Seven teenagers are sitting in prison awaiting their next court appearance after being charged with murdering two boys walking home from basketball. As 12-year-old Chol Achiek and his 15-year-old friend Dau Akueng were walking home at Cobblebank, they were allegedly ambushed by a group of masked males armed with machetes and other bladed weapons. One […]
Seven teenagers are sitting in prison awaiting their next court appearance after being charged with murdering two boys walking home from basketball. As 12-year-old Chol Achiek and his 15-year-old friend Dau Akueng were walking home at Cobblebank, they were allegedly ambushed by a group of masked males armed with machetes and other bladed weapons. One boy was seen on CCTV being chased and attacked on the ground by three accused as he screamed for a woman to help in the September 6 incident in Melbourne’s outer northwest. A 19-year-old Caroline Springs man, an 18-year-old Wollert man and a 16-year-old Sydenham boy have been charged with the murder of 12-year-old Chol Achiek. For more details continue reading here: https://t.co/LziLTN6jDu — Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) September 19, 2025 After a series of early morning raids across seven suburbs in Melbourne’s north and west on Friday, police arrested and charged seven teenagers with the slayings. A Thornhill man, 19, a Sunbury boy, 16, a Hillside boy, 15, and a Sydenham boy, 16, were charged with Dau’s murder. A Caroline Springs man, 19, a Wollert man, 18, and a 16-year-old Sydenham boy were accused of being responsible for Chol’s killing. Prince Conteh, 19, Peter Addo, 18, and Abel Sorzor, 19 all faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday where they were remanded in custody until their next appearance on December 12. The four underage accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at a children’s court where they also remanded in custody to appear before the court on February 16. For some of the accused, it was their first time in custody, the court was told, while several held safety concerns regarding a unit within youth detention. The magistrate described the murder investigation as complex, noting police had a lot of information to gather, including statements and videos. Victims Chol Achiek, 12, and Dau Akeng, 15, were keen basketballers. (PR IMAGE PHOTO) Dau grew up in the flats around Fitzroy and Collingwood, playing and refereeing for the Collingwood Basketball Association before joining the Wolfpack Basketball Club when his family moved to the city’s outer west. Chol’s father, Chuti Ngong, told mourners at a vigil that his son, a member of the Nile Warriors Basketball Club, was a peaceful boy who was loved by everybody. The impact of the boys’ deaths has been felt across the Victorian community, as police increased patrols in the area. Police have labelled Chol and Dau’s killings as “senseless” in that two children, who should have had decades of their lives ahead of them, are now gone. “Instead, their devastated families are grieving their loss and all the things they will never get to see two children grow up to achieve and experience,” Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said. The Victorian government has reconvened a South Sudanese Australian youth justice expert working group in response to the deaths.
BHP is likely to appoint Geraldine Slattery, the miner’s current head of Australia, as its first female chief executive to replace current CEO Mike Henry, the Financial Times reported. The appointment to the world’s largest mining company would be the first female leader in the company’s 140-year history. Henry is expected to step down by […]
BHP is likely to appoint Geraldine Slattery, the miner’s current head of Australia, as its first female chief executive to replace current CEO Mike Henry, the Financial Times reported. The appointment to the world’s largest mining company would be the first female leader in the company’s 140-year history. Henry is expected to step down by the middle of 2026 after five years as CEO, the report said, citing unnamed people “familiar with the board’s thinking”, FT said. However, BHP said the board was “not in a rush” to make a change, the report added. The company did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Slattery has been at BHP for three decades and previously led the company’s US petroleum business. Peer Rio Tinto had also appointed insider Simon Trott as its new CEO in mid-July. Trott earlier headed the company’s most profitable iron ore unit.
A technical glitch caused hundreds of triple-zero calls through Optus to fail in three Australian states, including in households where people died. Up to 600 households in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were impacted by the triple-zero outage during a network upgrade on Thursday, Optus chief executive Stephen Rue said. “I have […]
A technical glitch caused hundreds of triple-zero calls through Optus to fail in three Australian states, including in households where people died. Up to 600 households in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were impacted by the triple-zero outage during a network upgrade on Thursday, Optus chief executive Stephen Rue said. “I have been advised that in the process of conducting welfare checks, three of the triple-zero calls involved households where a person tragically passed away,” Mr Rue told reporters in Sydney on Friday. “Please know that these welfare checks are ongoing.” Optus chief Stephen Rue has apologised for the outage which occurred during a network upgrade. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) He said the technical problem on the network had been resolved. The boss of Australia’s second-largest telco provider offered “a sincere apology to all customers who could not connect to emergency services when they needed them most”. “I offer my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the people who passed away – I am so sorry,” he said. “What has happened is completely unacceptable.” The chief executive said the duration of the outage was not yet known and further details would be made public when an internal investigation was completed. Communications Minister Anika Wells said Optus’s conduct was “incredibly serious and completely unacceptable” and would be investigated by federal authorities. “The impact of this failure has had tragic consequences and my personal thoughts are with those who have lost a loved one,” she said in a statement. Communications Minister Anika Wells says Optus is obliged to ensure it carries emergency calls. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) “While details are still emerging, no triple-zero outage is acceptable. Optus and all telecommunication providers have obligations to ensure they carry emergency services calls.” The glitch comes after Optus paid more than $12 million in penalties in 2024 for breaching emergency call rules during a nationwide network outage a year earlier that caused significant disruption. In the 2023 incident, Optus failed to provide emergency call access to 2145 people and subsequently did not conduct welfare checks on 369 people who tried to call triple zero, the communications watchdog found. Mr Rue took over as the company’s chief executive in 2024 from Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, who resigned after the nationwide outage. Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, a consumer advocacy organisation for communications, said Optus’s latest failure came despite a thorough federal review following the previous high-profile outage. The network’s chief executive Carol Bennett told ABC News telcos were “aware that this has a really big impact” on communities and their trust in telcos. She hoped Optus’s probe would urgently look at the technical issues that sparked the outage and the timeliness of its response.
A technical glitch caused hundreds of triple zero calls through Optus to fail in three Australian states, including in households where people died. Up to 600 households in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were impacted by the triple zero outage during a network upgrade on Thursday, Optus chief executive Stephen Rue said. […]
A technical glitch caused hundreds of triple zero calls through Optus to fail in three Australian states, including in households where people died. Up to 600 households in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were impacted by the triple zero outage during a network upgrade on Thursday, Optus chief executive Stephen Rue said. “I have been advised that in the process of conducting welfare checks three of the triple zero calls involved households where a person tragically passed away,” Mr Rue told reporters in Sydney on Friday. “Please know that these welfare checks are ongoing.” He said the technical problem on the network had been resolved. The boss of Australia’s second largest telco provider offered “a sincere apology to all customers who could not connect to emergency services when they needed them most”. “I offer my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the people who passed away – I am so sorry,” he said. “What has happened is completely unacceptable.” The chief executive said the duration of the outage was not yet known and further details would be made public when an internal investigation was completed. The apology comes after Optus in 2024 paid more than $12 million in penalties for breaching emergency call rules over a nationwide network outage a year earlier that caused significant disruption.
A resources company claims one of its mines paid millions of dollars in coal royalties despite not making a profit under a controversial scheme, sparking more job cuts. Queensland company QCoal is the third major miner in as many days to confirm layoffs, with one of its underground sites to be shut down in coming […]
A resources company claims one of its mines paid millions of dollars in coal royalties despite not making a profit under a controversial scheme, sparking more job cuts. Queensland company QCoal is the third major miner in as many days to confirm layoffs, with one of its underground sites to be shut down in coming weeks. The company took aim at the state government’s coal royalties scheme after announcing the closure of one of Cook Colliery mine’s two underground sites in central Queensland. About 170 people are employed at the mine’s two sites near Blackwater operated by Core Crew, with about half of the workers to be affected by the shutdown in early October. The closure of an underground site marks the third announcement of coal job cuts in as many days. (David Mariuz/AAP PHOTOS) It comes after Anglo American and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance announced job cuts and mine mothballing, with a total of about 1000 workers axed. QCoal said rising costs and market conditions had played a role in their decision but also highlighted coal royalties. “Unfortunately Cook Colliery has been affected by high production costs, high taxes and royalties and low coal prices, and its ongoing operation at its current levels is unsustainable,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “Cook Colliery has contributed $25 million in royalties to the Queensland government since its March 2022 re-opening despite never making a profit.” Calls to change Queensland’s coal royalties scheme have been joined by the federal Nationals leader. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS) BHP Mitsubishi Alliance this week blamed its 750 job cuts on the government’s “unsustainable” royalties regime and market conditions, claiming the state coal industry was reaching “crisis point”. It has prompted calls for reforms, with Nationals leader David Littleproud the latest to ask the Queensland government to step in and ditch the coal excise. “There is a need for a review of the royalty tax if we want to have a sustainable mining industry,” he told reporters on Thursday. Queensland’s Liberal National government has refused to make any changes to the state’s progressive royalty regime, fulfilling a 2024 election promise. Premier David Crisafulli is set to hold a meeting with the resources sector next week. Premier David Crisafulli’s meeting with mining companies comes after multiple job cut announcements. (AAP PHOTOS) But it is believed to have been organised weeks ago and not in response to royalties scheme criticism or layoffs. Opposition Leader Steven Miles still suspected the LNP government may concede to the mining companies and trigger royalty reforms. He accused mining companies of helping “lay the groundwork” for Mr Crisafulli to break his election promise and tweak royalties following the string of layoffs. “This is using workers and their livelihoods as bargaining chips to let David Crisafulli off the hook,” he told reporters on Friday. “Now we understand that he has a meeting with … the coal companies next week. “Expectations from the coal companies are very high that he will indicate an intention to walk back, break his promise, reduce coal royalties, and that would be a great shame for Queensland.” Opposition Leader Steven Miles says miners have helped “lay the groundwork” for changing royalties. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) BHP flagged one of its alliance-operated mines may be mothballed last month after posting an underlying net profit that fell by more than a quarter to $US10.6 billion ($A16.05 billion) for the 2025 fiscal year. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Adam Lancey said this week under the current regime his company paid about eight times more in royalties than it made in profit. The former Labor government introduced a tiered royalties system in 2022. Under its progressive structure, higher revenues are generated during boom periods of high coal prices but less was taken when market conditions deteriorated. Exceptionally high coal prices ensured Queensland’s royalties revenue nearly doubled from $7.7 billion for 2021-22 to $14.8 billion in 2022-23. However changing market conditions has ensured a decline since, falling to $6.1 billion in the latest Queensland budget compared to $10 billion in 2023-24.
Anthony Albanese has refused to promise power bills will be cheaper for households under Australia’s freshly announced climate action for the coming decade. Labor unveiled its 2035 climate target on Thursday, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 62 and 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels. While emissions may be falling, Mr Albanese […]
Anthony Albanese has refused to promise power bills will be cheaper for households under Australia’s freshly announced climate action for the coming decade. Labor unveiled its 2035 climate target on Thursday, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 62 and 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels. While emissions may be falling, Mr Albanese isn’t repeating a pledge made prior to the 2022 election that power prices would also go down. Asked whether energy would become cheaper with the rise of renewables, the prime minister declined to guarantee a drop in prices. “The modelling is out there, and you can see the modelling,” he responded on Friday. “I can guarantee that the cheapest form of new energy is renewables.” The Climate Change Authority cited Australian Energy Market Commission projections that average household energy costs would be around $1000 cheaper in 2035 than now. But Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen also tempered expectations of a hip pocket win. “That’s not a political promise. It’s a statement of modelling by expert agencies,” he told reporters in Sydney. In December 2021, Mr Albanese relied on independent modelling to promise a $275 power bill cut – benefits that have not materialised. The clean energy transition offers Australia great economic opportunities, Chris Bowen says. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Grattan Institute energy and climate change senior fellow Tony Wood said the new policy was unlikely to produce significant change in power prices. “I am not one of those people who would argue that we’re going to see electricity prices come down significantly from where they are now,” he told AAP. “The most likely situation outlook would be that they broadly stay around a bit where they are now. “But if we could do that and reduce our emissions … we’d be making dramatic improvement on the environmental side with a very, very small if any cost on the power side.” The emissions target has been attacked as “built on fantasy” by the opposition, but Liberal leader Sussan Ley also found herself on the back foot on Friday. Ms Ley had to correct herself shortly after fronting the media, when she initially said the coalition “don’t believe in setting targets at all, from opposition or from government”. She later clarified that the coalition did not support setting targets in opposition but it was not against targets as a whole. “We do, of course, recognise the importance of targets in government when we have the full information in front of us, which we don’t have,” Ms Ley said. Australia first committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 under the coalition government led by Scott Morrison in 2021. Both the Liberal and National parties are engaged in heated debate on the merits of continuing to support the net zero goal. Mr Albanese launched into the opposition leader’s “bizarre statements”, adding the coalition changed its policies “from hour to hour”. “It says it all. If the opposition aren’t clear from minute to minute, let alone in any considered way,” he said. As part of the measures, $5 billion will be set aside from an existing industry fund to cut emissions in hard-to-abate heavy industry. The 2035 target provoked a range of reactions, with environmental groups hoping for more ambition and the business sector warning even the lower end of the range would be challenging. The contribution to global emission cuts landed days after a diabolical report on Australia’s expected climate impacts, including a warning that 1.5 million people could be exposed to coastal hazards from rising seas by 2050.
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Cardiologist Peter McDonald is on forced leave from his job of saving lives. He asked questions about Israel in a public forum and has been censored and condemned by St Vincent's Hospital.
Cardiologist Peter McDonald is on forced leave from his job of saving lives. He asked questions about Israel in a public forum and has been censored and condemned by St Vincent’s Hospital. Wendy Bacon with the story. Dr Peter MacDonald helped pioneer transplant surgery in Australia and is a senior specialist in the Transplant Unit at St Vincent’s Hospital and co-head of the Transplantation Research Laboratory at its partner organisation, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. He developed the ‘Heart in the Box’ that enables transplants using the hearts of brain-dead patients. He is a partner in a research program to develop treatments using the venom of funnel web spiders that could save the lives of many who have heart attacks. For 19 years, Professor Macdonald has visited the Condobolin Aboriginal Medical Centre every month. But for two weeks now, his work to save lives has halted. He is on what is called ‘unspecified leave’. Macdonald declined to be interviewed for this article. This week, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties expressed its concern that a person “in their private capacity, asked a question about an intelligence agency and has subsequently,” and been targeted, censored and publicly condemned by their employer. Macdonald would still be hard at work if not for the actions of a small group of pro-Israeli health workers called the Alliance Against Antisemitism in Healthcare (AAAHC) who have demanded Macdonald be “disciplined or terminated” following a 30 second long contribution to a Palestine Justice Movement Sydney (PJMS) forum where he identified himself as a cardiologist but did not mention his employing institutions. Academic Alliance against Antisemitism AAAHC is a branch of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (5A) that lobbied for the imposition of the Code of Conduct, which derailed the Bendigo Writers’ Festival last month by triggering authors to resign in protest. It promotes the IHRA definition of antisemitism and has asserted that it is antisemitic even to accuse Israel of being an ‘apartheid state’, a description widely adopted by human rights organisations and international lawyers. The PJMS forum was organised to discuss the Australian Combat Antisemitism Mayors’ Summit that was held in early September on the Gold Coast. The panellists included Greens activist and lawyer Hannah Thomas, who is suing the State of NSW after police punched her in the eye at a pro-Palestinian protest; criminal barrister and podcaster Nick Hanna, and MWM’s reporters Yaakov Aharon and this author, who published stories on the Summit together. Point of Order. Antisemitism Summit raises ethics eyebrows Macdonald’s question referred to the PM Anthony Albanese’s announcement that ASIO had informed him that it had received intelligence suggesting that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) organised antisemitic attacks in Australia. ASIO specifically referred to the two attacks on the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne, Lewis’s Continental Kitchen in Sydney, and potentially further attacks. While Albanese said ASIO had intelligence suggesting IRGC’s involvement in these attacks, he did not provide details of what evidence had been gathered, nor did he state what intelligence had been gathered directly by ASIO. An investigation by Sky News stated that at least some of the intelligence gathered by ASIO had been provided by Israeli agencies. Macdonald commented that up until Albanese’s announcement, he had considered it to be a ‘no-brainer’ that Mossad (Israel’s external intelligence agency) was responsible. His question invited comments from the panel. Attack of the Zionists extremists Two days later, the right-wing media and Zionist Lobby quickly swung into action. Blogsite Israellycool.com was first off the blocks with an attack on Macdonald for being ‘offensive’ and ‘heartless’. The Daily Mail Australia then reported on Macdonald’s question, labelling it ‘wild’ and ‘bizarre’. In fact, Mossad has often been discussed in mainstream media as being involved in deceptive and covert operations, including the use of false Australian passports in a Dubai operation that killed a Hamas operative. Intelligence agencies have a long record of putting out false information, including supposed ‘credible intelligence’ of Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction that led to the 2003 war in Iraq. The Australian Jewish Association posted the Daily Mail story online, triggering a torrent of abuse of Macdonald from its followers. Spectator Australia and The Australian followed up with attacks on Macdonald. The latter republished a personal letter by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin in which he concludes Macdonald should be “disciplined” for causing “great harm” as a result of “taking leave of his senses” and promoting “wild fantasies” and conspiracies. Three days after the forum, on September 2, three Melbourne members of the AAAHC, Drs Jeremy Goldin, who is a consultant at a St Vincent’s private hospital in Melbourne, psychiatrist Dr Jacqueline Rakov and radiologist Dr Karen Fink sent a complaint to St Vincent’s hospital and the NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park, which was reported by the Australian Jewish News. They accused Macdonald of promoting “textbook antisemitic conspiracy tropes” and “spreading poisonous myths” that must be “repudiated without hesitation.” “St Vincent’s hospitals have many Jewish patients, staff and community members who would be rightly appalled by Macdonald’s conduct,” the complaint stated. The doctors argued Macdonald’s comments “breached St Vincent’s Health Australia’s Group Code of Conduct, which is grounded in values of compassion, justice, integrity and excellence.” “Publicly promoting false, divisive, racist conspiracy narratives is incompatible with integrity and justice,” they wrote, adding that his conduct fostered “hostility toward a religious minority.” Macdonald had not mentioned Jewish or Israeli people. The complainants demanded Macdonald’s “immediate suspension from all clinical, teaching and research roles, an independent investigation, and if facts are confirmed, termination of his association with St Vincent’s.” St Vincent’s Hospital reacts Like all major institutions, St Vincent’s Health Australia has a code of conduct which provides for procedural fairness and the appointment of a person that can determine if there is a sound basis for allegations. As expected, the code focuses on incidents that occur in the workplace. The AAAHC demanded, “We are fed up with performative responses to racial vilification,” the doctors wrote. “This is not a moment for equivocation or PR euphemisms.” Instead of complying with its own code, St Vincent’s took the extraordinary step of immediately issuing a statement which prejudged the issue. “Unequivocally, St Vincent’s does not associate itself with the remarks of the employee” (not named). “St Vincent’s rejects antisemitism, racism, bigotry and hate. It has no place in an organisation that was founded to share love and compassion to the most vulnerable through healthcare and other supports. “Upon his [the employee’s return], St Vincent’s will take appropriate next steps in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. “More frequent instances of antisemitism in Australia – including in healthcare settings – is a disturbing and upsetting development … St Vincent’s is very conscious – particularly from talking to staff and community members from Jewish backgrounds – that many people are experiencing feelings of unease, fear, and dismay at this phenomenon. “We want to assure every member of our community – whatever their background and beliefs – that St Vincent’s is a safe harbour from antisemitic or bigoted views.” St Vincent’s did not explain how it reached the conclusion that anything Macdonald had done amounted to ‘antisemitism, racism, bigotry or hate’, nor did it state who was responsible for the statement. MWM sent questions to St Vincent’s asking who was responsible for issuing the statement; how it had reached its conclusions; what evidence it had; whether it had considered requirements for natural justice, and whether its statement itself would cause harm. St Vincent’s declined to answer any questions. A spokesperson for the NSW Minister for Health, Ryan Park, said he had responded to the AAAHC but provided no details of the nature of his response. Victor Chang Institute pipes in As recently as July this year, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute proudly reposted an ABC interview with Macdonald as an example of its worth and high standards. But this didn’t stop its CEO, Professor Jason Kovacic, from issuing an equally damning statement. Without naming Macdonald, he alleged that his colleague had, “caused significant distress amongst our community. We categorically disagree with the remarks in question, which were made by the individual in a personal capacity at a political forum. We consider they are antisemitic and conspiratorial. They are antithetical to our aim of fostering community wellbeing. The Institute condemns antisemitism, racism, and all forms of discrimination. “Given the ‘gravity’ of the situation, Victor Chang is conducting “a thorough review to understand all aspects of that matter” to “ensure our values and policies are upheld by everyone who works with us.” The Victor Chang Institute also refused to answer any questions. Support for McDonald Peter Macdonald has plenty of support, including from people who believe that St Vincent’s and Victor Chang Institute’s intemperate responses have caused harm. Personal letters have been written to the CEO of St Vincent’s, including from those whose lives were saved by Macdonald and from donors to St Vincent’s Hospital. 3800 people have signed PJMS’s open letter. The Medical Association for the Prevention of War have issued a public letter calling on St Vincent’s and Kovacic to retract their attacks on Macdonald. “Vexatious or unfounded accusations distort our understanding of what anti-Semitism truly is. They have a chilling effect – by threats and intimidation – on the rights to freedom of speech and political opinion, and can leave health advocacy wide open to political influences.” At the heart of this matter is the issue of freedom of political speech, which the NSW Council for Civil Liberties President, Timothy Roberts, said yesterday must be protected, “It is in the public’s interest for questions to be asked regarding the trustworthiness of information from the government, including from intelligence agencies. This year alone it has been exposed that the Dural Caravan incident was known to be a criminal hoax from early on, while the NSW Premier used this to inflame fear in the public and push through anti-protest laws. “In a democratic country, we are entitled to question and scrutinise the decisions of all states. Even more so, we are entitled to question and scrutinise the decisions of intelligence agencies.” Rather than doing further harm to one of Australia’s most eminent medical practitioners for exercising his right to political speech, St Vincent’s might do well to consider whether it might not itself be in breach of the very principles of fairness and integrity which it claims to practice. Too little, too late. Iran guard first declared terrorists in 2023
The opposition leader has been forced to backtrack on Australia’s emissions targets after saying the coalition did not believe in setting concrete climate goals. The Albanese government unveiled its 2035 climate target on Thursday, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 62 and 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels. The target was accompanied […]
The opposition leader has been forced to backtrack on Australia’s emissions targets after saying the coalition did not believe in setting concrete climate goals. The Albanese government unveiled its 2035 climate target on Thursday, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 62 and 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels. The target was accompanied by billions of dollars in policy announcements as officials outlined plans for the energy, industry and transport sectors to do the heavy lifting. Ms Ley corrected herself shortly after fronting the media on Friday, when she initially said the coalition “don’t believe in setting targets at all, from opposition or from government”. She later clarified that the coalition did not support setting targets in opposition but it was not against targets as a whole. “We do, of course, recognise the importance of targets in government when we have the full information in front of us, which we don’t have,” Ms Ley said. Australia first committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 under the coalition government led by Scott Morrison in 2021. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched into the opposition leader’s “bizarre statements”, adding the coalition changed its policies “from hour to hour”. “It says it all – if the opposition aren’t clear from minute to minute, let alone in any considered way,” he said. The clean energy transition offers Australia great economic opportunities, Chris Bowen says. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) The Liberals, who have been riven by internal division over maintaining the net-zero commitment, have criticised the 2035 emissions target as “built on fantasy” with no detail about the cost or impact of the plan. Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said Australia was punching above its weight in its bid to reduce the impact of climate change, but further efforts were required beyond the 2035 target. “There’s no doubt there’s more to do,” he said. “We are right up there with the most ambitious countries in the world, as we should be, as we need to be, but also, (the target) has to be achievable.” As part of the measures, $5 billion will be set aside from an existing industry fund to cut emissions in hard-to-abate heavy industry. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has also been granted a $2 billion top-up to grease the wheels of the renewables transition. As much as $40 million has been set aside to install more kerbside chargers to power electric vehicles, with funding also earmarked to help households and businesses cut energy use. The 2035 target provoked a range of reactions, with environmental groups hoping for more ambition and the business sector warning even the lower end of the range would be challenging. The Superpower Institute, which has long framed decarbonisation and clean export industries as a major economic opportunity for Australia, warned the nation would struggle to hit the top of its 2035 range under existing policy settings. The contribution to global emissions cuts landed days after a diabolical report on Australia’s expected climate impacts, including a warning that 1.5 million people could be exposed to coastal hazards from rising seas by 2050.
The head of Australia’s corporate watchdog is set to step down and won’t seek a reappointment in the role. Australian Securities and Investment Commission chair Joe Longo said he will not seek a second term in the position once his tenure ends in May 2026. Mr Longo was appointed to head up ASIC in 2021 […]
The head of Australia’s corporate watchdog is set to step down and won’t seek a reappointment in the role. Australian Securities and Investment Commission chair Joe Longo said he will not seek a second term in the position once his tenure ends in May 2026. Mr Longo was appointed to head up ASIC in 2021 by the former coalition government. “It has been an immense privilege top serve as chair of ASIC and to have been given the opportunity to rebuild and renew the agency,” the outgoing chair said. “When I accepted the position, I was clear ASIC needed to become a modern, confident and ambitious regulator. “I see that transformation is delivering dividends.” “It has been an immense privilege top serve as chair of ASIC,” Joe Longo says. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Mr Longo had made a large contribution to the regulator during his time in the role. “Since his appointment in 2021, ASIC has carried out significant enforcement actions to uphold the integrity of our corporate, market and financial services sector,” he said. “Mr Longo has overseen ASIC during a period of heightened economic, geopolitical and technological change, and I thank him for his leadership.” The announcement of Mr Longo stepping back from the role after ASIC slapped ANZ with a $240 million fine, the largest penalty given out to a single company. The watchdog fined the bank for four separate acts of wrongdoing, including failing to respond to hundreds of notices about customer hardship, making false and misleading statements about its savings interest rates and failing to pay those amounts to customers. Dr Chalmers said the Treasury Department will now begin work to appoint a successor to head ASIC. The department will also look to find a replacement for a deputy chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, with Margaret Cole also announcing she would not seek an extension to her term after it finishes in June 2026.
Uber Eats will soon be making some meal deliveries with drones. Uber Technologies is partnering with drone company Flytrex, the company says, and deliveries are expected to begin in test markets by the end of 2025. Uber did not say where those markets will be, but Flytrex is already operating in Texas and North Carolina. […]
Uber Eats will soon be making some meal deliveries with drones. Uber Technologies is partnering with drone company Flytrex, the company says, and deliveries are expected to begin in test markets by the end of 2025. Uber did not say where those markets will be, but Flytrex is already operating in Texas and North Carolina. It’s the latest partnership in the fast-growing drone-delivery space. Flytrex, which is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, also makes deliveries for Uber Eats’ rival DoorDash. Uber Eats is “entering the next chapter” with its drone partnership, an executive says. (AP PHOTO) Wing, a drone company owned by Google parent Alphabet, works with DoorDash and Walmart. Zipline, a drone company based in South San Francisco, works with Walmart and Panera Bread and also makes deliveries for hospitals. Amazon also making deliveries with its own Prime Air drones. “Autonomous technology is transforming mobility and delivery faster than ever before,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s president of autonomous mobility and delivery, in a company statement. “With Flytrex, we’re entering the next chapter – bringing the speed and sustainability of drone delivery to the Uber Eats platform, at scale, for the first time.” “The promise of autonomous vehicles is here, redefining logistics on the ground and in the air,” said Noam Bardin, executive chairman of Flytrex. San Francisco-based Uber is making an investment in Flytrex as part of the deal. Financial details of the partnership were not shared on Thursday. Flytrex, which was founded in 2013, said it has made more than 200,000 deliveries across the US Flytrex executive chairman Noam Bardin said the partnership combined Uber’s logistics expertise with Flytrex’s aerial innovation. “Autonomous drones are the future of food delivery – fast, affordable and hands-free,” Bardin said in a statement.
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The National Response to Islamophobia report is out, confirming what Muslim Australians have long known: anti-Muslim prejudice is systemic.
The National Response to Islamophobia report confirms what Muslim Australians have long known: anti-Muslim prejudice is systemic. Professor Fethi Mansouri calls for rethink. The report was released this week by the Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, with its main conclusion being that prejudice is not confined to a handful of abusive individuals. It is systemic — embedded in schools, workplaces, laws, media narratives, and in the everyday harassment of visibly Muslim people, especially women. These findings are also not new. Our own research at Deakin University and much public opinion data have, in recent years, shown a worrying trend of accelerating anti-Muslim attitudes. There are also a number of areas where the report could and should have done much better. Most strikingly, for a Report on Islamophobia, its silences on major recent and current Islamophobic events are as revealing as its well-meaning recommendations. Religious protections push to combat Islamophobia rise Ignoring the main narrative First, the Christchurch massacre – the worst act of anti-Muslim violence in modern history – barely gets a mention. Fifty-one worshippers were gunned down in their mosques, many with ties to Australia. Christchurch has devastatingly revealed that Islamophobia is not simply about Muslims feeling offended, being sensitive to criticisms of Islam as a religion, or Muslim migrants being incapable or unwilling to integrate socially and assimilate culturally. Second, the Report avoids confronting hyper-securitisation. Since 9/11, Muslim Australians have lived under some of the harshest counter-terrorism laws in the democratic world, alongside a sprawling CVE (Countering Violent Extremism) regime that has almost exclusively targeted Muslims. Surveillance, raids, and “community engagement” framed through suspicion have entrenched stigma. Any serious attempt to tackle Islamophobia must grapple with this machinery of control. Sensible proposals The report ranges in scope and ambition. It calls, among other things, for curriculum reform, data collection, community safety programs, and legal change. It points to the weight of evidence, collected by groups such as the Islamophobia Register Australia, showing years of racist abuse and negative media framing. The Report’s call for a coordinated federal response was overdue and would, in theory, be a step in the right direction. Some of the Report’s proposals are important and achievable. Data collection is the clearest starting point: police hate-crime figures are inconsistent, and national surveys rarely capture religious discrimination. Embedding Islamophobia in ABS surveys and police registers would make the problem harder to deny. Education and awareness programs should also be rolled out; research shows sustained anti-racism initiatives can shift attitudes across generations. But without acknowledging Christchurch, securitisation, and anti-Palestinian racism, the strategy risks reducing Islamophobia to matters of civility and sensitivity. Recognition days, awareness campaigns, and grants may improve atmospherics, but they will not dismantle the structures that cast Muslim and Arab Australians as perpetual outsiders, suspects, or enemies within. Australia has produced many reports on racism. The question is whether this one will drive structural reform, or whether Islamophobia will remain endlessly studied, politely condemned, and institutionally entrenched. The test is clear: will governments act, or will Muslim Australians be told — once again — to wait and to be more resilient in the face of bigotry and hate? The special envoy conundrum We have seen in recent years a proliferation of special envoys, from the Special Envoy for Social Cohesion, now defunct, to the two special envoys on Antisemitism and Islamophobia, respectively. Special Envoys are ‘diplomatic’ appointments that have neither ministerial statutory powers nor, necessarily, broad community or political support. Such appointments appear at best to be a reaction to specific events. At worst, they can compound the very issues they were meant to address. Tackling various forms of racism, including those specifically directed against Jewish and Muslim Australians, should be pursued through existing statutory bodies such as the Australian Human Rights Commission. These bodies are best equipped and resourced to deal with all forms of discrimination if properly resourced and supported. Critics of Antisemitism Summit ‘antisemitic’ says Israeli antisemitism chief
Slashing emissions from heavy industry, speeding up the renewables rollout and a kerbside charger blitz feature in Australia’s updated climate action pledge. The commitment to a 62-70 per cent emissions reduction by 2035 was unveiled by the federal government on Thursday after more than year in the pipeline. The mid-2030s target was accompanied by a […]
Slashing emissions from heavy industry, speeding up the renewables rollout and a kerbside charger blitz feature in Australia’s updated climate action pledge. The commitment to a 62-70 per cent emissions reduction by 2035 was unveiled by the federal government on Thursday after more than year in the pipeline. The mid-2030s target was accompanied by a suite of policy announcements to get there. Energy, industry and transport are expected to do the heavy lifting. A total of $5 billion will be ring-fenced from an existing industry fund for cutting emissions in hard-to-abate heavy industry. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has also been granted a $2 billion top-up to grease the wheels of the renewables transition. As much as $40 million has also been set aside to install more kerbside chargers to power electric vehicles, with funding also earmarked to help households and businesses cut energy use. The six sector plans showed industry and investors the most feasible decarbonisation pathways beyond 2030, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said. “The global shift to clean energy is the biggest economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution and it presents Australia with our best-ever economic opportunity,” he said. The clean energy transition offers Australia great economic opportunities, Chris Bowen says. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) The minister also stopped short of guaranteeing power prices go down as more renewable energy enters the grid. “I can guarantee that renewables are the cheapest form of energy,” he told the ABC’s 7.30. The Superpower Institute, which has long framed decarbonisation and clean export industries as a major economic opportunity for Australia, warned the nation would struggle to hit the top of its 2035 range under existing policy settings. “If Australia is to achieve a credible and ambitious emissions reduction target of a minimum of 70 per cent, we need to energise the private sector,” said chair of the think tank Rod Sims. “The way to do this is to put a price on carbon so that fossil fuel producers pay for the damage their products do to the environment.” Carbon pricing remains a politically-fraught issue, though Professor Sims warned companies would not cut emissions unless they had a clear incentive to do so. Australia does have the Safeguard Mechanism, aimed at big polluters, and it could be toughened up following a legislative review in 2026. Thursday’s 2035 targets provoked a range of responses, with environmental groups hoping for more ambition while business warned even the lower end of the range would be challenging. On the backdrop of Liberal infighting over climate policy, the federal opposition came out hard, with leader Sussan Ley labelling the targets and plan a “train wreck”. The opposition believes the target is “unachievable without a massive intervention”, while the Greens are no less withering, but from a different perspective. “Labor has given up on the science and listened to their coal and gas donors,” Senator Larissa Waters said, arguing for a target of at least 75 per cent. Given that, Mr Bowen is unlikely to seek to legislate the target. “If the Greens indicate a willingness to vote for it, we’ll take it to the parliament,” Mr Bowen told ABC’s 7.30. “If not, we won’t.” The contribution to global emissions cuts landed days after a diabolical report on Australia’s expected climate impacts, including a warning that 1.5 million people could be exposed to coastal hazards from rising seas by 2050.
Australia’s productivity performance improved in the June quarter, but weak capital investment is still holding back growth in living standards, the Productivity Commission says. Growth in labour productivity – or doing more with less – accelerated to 0.3 per cent in the three months to June 30, the commission reported in its quarterly bulletin. It’s […]
Australia’s productivity performance improved in the June quarter, but weak capital investment is still holding back growth in living standards, the Productivity Commission says. Growth in labour productivity – or doing more with less – accelerated to 0.3 per cent in the three months to June 30, the commission reported in its quarterly bulletin. It’s a welcome improvement after the measure, considered a key ingredient to rising living standards, failed to grow in the first three months of the year. The commission’s deputy chair Alex Robson said it would be “premature to say Australia’s productivity malaise has passed”. Productivity improved in the June quarter after failing to grow in the previous three months. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) “While this is good news, Australia’s workforce is barely more productive now than it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. The commission puts the economy’s productivity stagnation down to a lack of capital deepening since the mid-2010s. Capital deepening – when workers have access to more capital, such as tools, tech or better buildings – was a key reason Australians had become wealthier and more productive over the year, graduate research economist Daniel Arzhintar said. In a research paper released alongside the latest productivity estimates, Mr Arzhintar said the decline in capital deepening was driven by businesses becoming more risk-averse and Australia’s tax and regulatory settings making investment less attractive. He reiterated the commission’s recommendation for the government to implement a novel corporate cash flow tax that would boost incentives for companies to invest but raise the nominal tax rate for Australia’s largest firms. While the government did not rule out the idea at its economic reform roundtable in August, the business community has rejected it. Even the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, which represents companies that would stand to pay a lower tax rate as a result of the proposal, joined a chorus of employer groups in shooting it down earlier in September. “The proposed cashflow tax is not acceptable. It’s more red tape,” the council’s chair Matthew Addison said. “Small businesses need simplicity, not more complexity.” Signs are productivity outcomes will improve in the September quarter, economist Ryan Felsman says. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS) The recent surge in jobs growth in the health and social assistance sectors, which show lower recorded productivity growth, was another driver behind Australia’s productivity slowdown. In recent months, growth in non-market jobs has slowed while the market sector has picked up, “suggesting potentially better productivity outcomes in the September quarter”, CommSec chief economist Ryan Felsman said. The Reserve Bank would be keeping a close eye on the labour market as the transition from public sector-led growth to private sector continued, HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said. Jobs figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday were weaker than expected, with employment falling by 5400 and the participation rate retreating. But there were signs a significant gap in the public-private handover was unlikely, Mr Bloxham said. “For the RBA, we expect the main focus will be on the unemployment and underemployment rates which are both continuing to signal a fully employed jobs market,” he said. Thursday’s labour force release should not have changed the Reserve Bank’s view about its path forward for interest rates, Mr Bloxham said. “With a jobs market that is fully employed, our view is that the RBA has little to worry about at present,” he said.
The UK and US have an “unbreakable bond”, President Donald Trump has told at a meeting with business leaders at Chequers. The US leader described his second state visit to Britain as an “exquisite honour”, adding: “The ties between our countries are priceless.” Thursday’s talks at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s country residence are designed […]
The UK and US have an “unbreakable bond”, President Donald Trump has told at a meeting with business leaders at Chequers. The US leader described his second state visit to Britain as an “exquisite honour”, adding: “The ties between our countries are priceless.” Thursday’s talks at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s country residence are designed to focus firmly on global affairs rather than domestic political problems. After a day of pomp and ceremony in which Trump rode in a carriage with King Charles and feasted at a state banquet, Trump and Starmer will celebrate the unveiling of a $US205 billion ($A309 billion) package of US investment into Britain. The deals, covering areas such as technology, energy and life sciences, will offer a renewal of the so-called ‘special relationship’ between the two nations, something Starmer has worked hard to cultivate since Trump became leader in January. Starmer thanked Trump describing the talks as a great day for the nations’ special relationship. (AP PHOTO) Starmer said it was a “great day for the special relationship” as he praised “my friend, our friend, President Trump.” “This is a great day for the special relationship: a celebration of what has gone before, of course, but more than that, a moment to deliver investments, jobs and deals which will improve people’s lives now and light up the special relationship for years to come,” he said. On Wednesday, Trump and his wife Melania were treated to the full array of British pageantry. King Charles and Queen Camilla treated the US president and first lady to a day of royal pageantry. (AP PHOTO) Britain rolled out the royal red carpet, giving Trump the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit in living memory. The president made little secret of his delight at being not just the first US leader, but the first elected politician to be invited for two state visits. “This is truly one of the highest honours of my life,” he said. King Charles heralded a ‘new era’ for the nations’ partnership during his speech at the banquet. (AP PHOTO) Starmer hopes the trip will aid his government as it seeks to deepen economic ties, secure billions of dollars of investment, ease tariffs and allow him to press the president on Ukraine and Israel. Companies including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI have already pledged STG31 billion pounds ($A64 billion) in British investments over the next few years, in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy. Starmer also wants further progress on trade, after Britain secured the first deal with Trump to lower some tariffs, a win that King Charles pointed to in his speech. “The United Kingdom was your partner in the first trade deal of your administration, Mr President, bringing jobs and growth to both our countries,” the King said. “And no doubt we can go even further as we build this new era of our partnership.” Prince William and Kate also attended the lavish dinner at Windsor Castle. (AP PHOTO) While there were many Trump supporters in crowds at Windsor in London, several thousand people marched to protest against the state visit. Amongst the guests at Wednesday’s banquet was Rupert Murdoch, whose Wall Street Journal publication the president is currently suing in a $US10 billion ($A15 billion) defamation case over an article linking the president with Epstein. On the guests was Rupert Murdoch, whose Wall Street Journal is being sued by Trump. (AP PHOTO) Trump and Melania joined Charles, his wife Queen Camilla and other royals and dignitaries for a carriage procession, with the route lined by 1300 British service personnel. Later, the Trumps viewed historical items from the Royal Collection relating to the US, and then visited St George’s Chapel, the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth, who hosted Trump for his first state visit in 2019, to lay a wreath on her tomb. She died in September 2022. There was a further military parade and a flypast by Britain’s Red Arrows aerobatics team, but poor weather meant British and US F-35 military jets – a symbol of bilateral defence collaboration – could not join. The Trumps also found time for a private meeting with the King’s elder son Prince William and the heir’s wife Kate, which was described by the prince’s spokesperson as “warm and friendly”. With AP and PA
Australia’s pledge to cut emissions by more than 62 per cent but up to 70 per cent hits the “sweet spot” between credibility and ambition, the prime minister has declared. Unveiling the long-awaited 2035 climate targets, Anthony Albanese described the commitment as responsible and “backed by a practical plan to get there”. The biggest cuts […]
Australia’s pledge to cut emissions by more than 62 per cent but up to 70 per cent hits the “sweet spot” between credibility and ambition, the prime minister has declared. Unveiling the long-awaited 2035 climate targets, Anthony Albanese described the commitment as responsible and “backed by a practical plan to get there”. The biggest cuts to greenhouse gas emissions would occur in transport, energy and industry, he said on Thursday. The roadmap included a $5 billion carve out from an existing fund for decarbonising heavy industry. The Safeguard Mechanism, aimed at big polluters, and the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which targets car emissions, could both be tightened and are subject to review. Thursday’s commitment builds on Australia’s existing 2030 target to cut emissions by 43 per cent on 2005 levels. Interim targets are a requirement under the main international climate pact and serve as a stepping stone on the way to net zero by 2050. The fate of the Great Barrier Reef is linked to the health of the coral in rapidly warming oceans. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) Mr Albanese pre-empted critiques of the 62-70 per cent range. “There will be criticism from some who say it’s too high, there’s some who will say that it’s too low,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney. “We’ve got the sweet spot.” The federal opposition, which has been struggling to maintain internal unity as key members lobby to quit net zero entirely, was unimpressed by the announcement. Opposition leader Sussan Ley said it failed on cost and credibility. Environmental groups were gunning for at least a 75 per cent emissions reduction and were broadly disappointed by the range delivered, with the Australian Conservation Foundation describing the pledge as “timid”. Greens leader Larissa Waters slammed the target as a “betrayal of the community” and urged the Labor government to reconsider. The Business Council of Australia, representing big corporates, welcomed the target but stressed even the bottom of the range would require a sizeable injection of capital. Under the Paris Agreement signed a decade ago, members must increase their emissions reduction targets every five years and cannot water them down. Anthony Albanese believes the government has placed the emissions target in the perfect position. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Nations that signed up must submit their new targets by the end of September. Treasury modelling released alongside the 2035 target found Australia’s economy would be $2.2 trillion bigger were the nation to pursue an orderly transition to net zero, with the opportunities even bigger if it leaned in to green export industries. “An orderly transition to net zero is a golden economic opportunity for Australia,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said. The announcement of the climate target follows the release of the first National Climate Risk Assessment, which laid out a catastrophic vision of Australia’s future if global warming goes unchecked. Australia’s target is higher in ambition than most advanced economies, Matt Kean says. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean said he hoped Australia would be able to “over-achieve” on the target. “Our range positions Australia as a global leader on climate ambition. In fact, we are presenting a higher ambition than most other advanced economies,” he said. “It’s ambitious, but it’s absolutely feasible.” The 2035 targets were based on the independent authority’s final advice.
Retail giant Kmart has been called out for “playing fast and loose” with customers’ privacy by scanning the faces of unwitting shoppers at dozens of stores. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found the company in breach after it collected people’s personal and sensitive information through a facial-recognition technology (FRT) system designed to tackle refund fraud. Between […]
Retail giant Kmart has been called out for “playing fast and loose” with customers’ privacy by scanning the faces of unwitting shoppers at dozens of stores. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found the company in breach after it collected people’s personal and sensitive information through a facial-recognition technology (FRT) system designed to tackle refund fraud. Between June 2020 and July 2022, Kmart used the technology at 28 stores to capture every person who entered and again when they lined up at a returns counter. The pilot program included stores within all Australian states and territories, except the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind has found that Kmart breached Australians’ privacy by collecting their personal and sensitive information through a facial recognition technology system. Media release: https://t.co/HDk3PwOYLi pic.twitter.com/Y4tPU9oPdP — Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (@OAICgov) September 18, 2025 “Relevant to a technology like facial recognition is also the public interest in protecting privacy,” the commissioner said on Thursday. “I do not consider that (Kmart) could have reasonably believed that the benefits of the FRT system in addressing refund fraud proportionately outweighed the impact on individuals’ privacy.” Kmart, which has millions of Australian shoppers every month, argued it was not required to obtain customer consent because of an exemption in the Privacy Act that allowed for information to be collected to tackle unlawful activity or serious misconduct. But after a three-year investigation, the commissioner found the facial-recognition system “indiscriminately collected” sensitive biometric information of every individual who entered a store. Kmart used facial-recognition technology to capture every person who entered 28 stores. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) Ms Kind said other, less-intrusive methods were available to Kmart to address refund fraud. The volumes of biometric data collected on thousands of individuals without their knowledge showed “a disproportionate interference with privacy”, the commissioner said. Roy Morgan in 2019 found one-in-five Australians shopping for home products went to Kmart, underlining its huge customer base across more than 300 stores. Digital Rights Watch commended the landmark determination for putting businesses on notice. It called facial surveillance a “shady practice”. People should be able to shop without having biometric information collected, privacy advocates say. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) “This isn’t the first time a large retailer has been caught playing fast and loose with Australians’ privacy,” head of policy Tom Sulston said. “We need to be able to go to the shops without having our biometric information collected by big corporations.” Kmart has been ordered not to use the facial-recognition technology again and will have to publish an apology to customers in stores and on its website within 30 days. The Wesfarmers-owned company said it was disappointed with the decision about its “limited trial” of the technology and was reviewing appeal options. Controls to protect customers’ privacy had been put in place during the scheme, which aimed to tackle a growing problem of refund fraud, it said in a statement. The information of every individual who entered a store was “indiscriminately collected”. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) “Images were only retained if they matched an image of a person of interest reasonably suspected or known to have engaged in refund fraud,” Kmart said. The company said it paused the trial when the privacy commissioner began the investigation. The determination is the second issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on the use of facial recognition in retail settings. In October, Wesfarmers-owned hardware chain Bunnings was found to have contravened the privacy of shoppers across 62 stores. It is also appealing the finding.
Australia’s labour market shows signs of cooling with a surprise fall in employment, raising the case for more Reserve Bank interest rate cuts. Although the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 per cent in August, 5400 jobs were lost from the economy, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday. Forecasters had pencilled in a […]
Australia’s labour market shows signs of cooling with a surprise fall in employment, raising the case for more Reserve Bank interest rate cuts. Although the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 per cent in August, 5400 jobs were lost from the economy, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday. Forecasters had pencilled in a rise in employment of more than 20,000. Despite the fall, Australia’s relatively low unemployment rate was unchanged because the number of unemployed people fell by 900, head of labour statistics Sean Crick said. “This meant that the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2 per cent whilst the participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 66.8 per cent,” he said. ‘Hours worked fell 0.4% in August, supported by less people working full-time hours this month,’ Mr Crick said. Visit https://t.co/XNYxTB8ovP pic.twitter.com/AqH7trWiQJ — Australian Bureau of Statistics (@ABSStats) September 18, 2025 IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said the fall in employment and participation indicates Australia’s jobs market was cooling faster than expected. A lower participation rate was a sign more working-age people were giving up on looking for work, which might reflect “growing pessimism” among jobseekers after high-profile layoffs in multiple sectors. “Despite resilient labour market data until now supporting the RBA’s cautious easing of monetary policy, today’s jobs report suggests downside risks are mounting,” Mr Sycamore said. “The RBA’s forecast of a 4.3 per cent unemployment rate by December 2026 may now face upward pressure.” Australia’s central bank is expected to leave interest rates on hold at its meeting at the end of September, but the surprise employment result raises the chance of a cut at the RBA board’s following meeting on Melbourne Cup day. One analyst says the data indicates Australia’s jobs market is cooling faster than expected. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS) The amount of full-time jobs in the economy dropped by 41,000, but that was partly offset by a rise in part-time employment of 36,000. Women accounted for most of the loss in full-time jobs. Employment as a proportion of Australia’s total population fell by 0.1 percentage points to 64 per cent. Strong population growth means the employment-to-population ratio remains around the same level as two years ago, despite a rise in job creation. The ABS reported on Thursday that net overseas migration added 316,000 people to the population in the 12 months to March. While lower than the 335,000 increase in 2024, the figure is still significantly higher than the pre-COVID average of less than 220,000. The treasurer says the fresh figures show Australia has continued to keep unemployment low. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Housing Industry Association chief economist Tim Reardon said the influx of migrants had contributed to the demand for homes outpacing supply. “Volatile migration flows lead to undesirable economic, social and business outcomes,” he said. “The goal of stable and reliable migration pathways has not been balanced with the removal of restrictions on new home building necessary to meet demand.” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the labour market had been a source of genuine strength, with more than 1.1 million jobs created under the Albanese government. “All Australians should be proud that while the global economy has been uncertain and volatile and unpredictable, we have been able to keep unemployment low and we see that again in the figures today,” he said. Thursday’s labour force readout came after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates rates for the first time in 2025 overnight following weakness in the US jobs market.
Shares in a major Australian gas producer have dropped by double digits following the collapse of what would have been the biggest all-cash transaction in Australia’s corporate history. Santos shares were down 11 per cent to a three-month low of $6.81 on Thursday morning, after a consortium led by the United Arab Emirate’s state-owned oil […]
Shares in a major Australian gas producer have dropped by double digits following the collapse of what would have been the biggest all-cash transaction in Australia’s corporate history. Santos shares were down 11 per cent to a three-month low of $6.81 on Thursday morning, after a consortium led by the United Arab Emirate’s state-owned oil company walked away from months of takeover talks. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s foreign investment arm XRG, alongside Abu Dhabi sovereign fund ADQ and private equity firm Carlyle, had in June floated a figure of $US5.262 ($7.92) per share, or $30 billion. But the acquisition talks dragged on for months and finally broke down this week, the third time in the past seven years a transaction involving Santos has fallen through. Takeover talks collapsed as political commentary grew over government approval of the foreign bid. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) “While the consortium maintains a positive view of the Santos business, a combination of factors, when considered collectively, have impacted the consortium’s assessment of its indicative offer,” the group said on Wednesday evening. “While disappointed not to move forward, XRG, and its consortium partners, are responsible, disciplined investors with a clear focus on creating value for our shareholders and driving long-term growth.” E&P analyst Adam Martin said the coalition may have realised that Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board was unlikely to approve the transaction given the political commentary that appeared to be growing around the deal, which would have put Santos’ critical gas assets in WA and on the east coast in foreign hands. “There will be speculation that XRG has ‘found things’ during due diligence,” Mr Martin added. That was likely, he said, but he doubted they were material. “Either way, another failed transaction creates doubt in the market,” he said. One analyst thinks Santos unlikely to keep its current form with some investors calling for a split. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) A year and a half ago, $80 billion merger talks with Perth-based Woodside Energy broke down, reportedly after the two sides could not agree on a valuation level. Six years before that, in May 2018, Santos rejected a $14.4 billion final offer to be taken private by US private equity group Harbour Energy and terminated discussions. Mr Martin said it was unlikely Santos would remain in its current form with investors and management looking for ways to create value. Some institutional investors advocate Santos split itself, breaking its liquefied natural gas assets into a separate company. Santos chair Keith Spence emphasised the group’s strong free cashflow and low-cost operating model. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS) Santos on Thursday highlighted that the XRG consortium had confirmed it maintained a positive view of its business and “respect for its management team”. The XRG consortium wouldn’t agree to an appropriate allocation of risk between itself and Santos shareholders to finalise a scheme of implementation agreement, it added. “This included the obligation of the XRG consortium to secure regulatory approvals and the provision of a reasonable commitment to the development and supply of domestic gas.” Santos chair Keith Spence emphasised the group’s “low-cost operating model” and strong free cashflow. “Our strategy is clear: generate cash, reward shareholders, reinvest to backfill and sustain our infrastructure, and build and grow our production, while continuing to operate safely and reliably,” he said. with Reuters
New Zealand’s economy has contracted more than expected in the second quarter as construction remains in decline and global uncertainty weighs, increasing expectations of a steeper rate cut in October. Official data out on Thursday shows gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.9 per cent in the second quarter from the prior quarter, worse than analysts’ […]
New Zealand’s economy has contracted more than expected in the second quarter as construction remains in decline and global uncertainty weighs, increasing expectations of a steeper rate cut in October. Official data out on Thursday shows gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.9 per cent in the second quarter from the prior quarter, worse than analysts’ and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s forecasts of a 0.3 per cent fall. New Zealand’s economy has contracted in three of the last five quarters. Annual GDP decreased 0.6 per cent, Statistics New Zealand data showed. The market had expected it to remain unchanged. Following the weaker-than-expected data, two-year swap rates slid 10 basis points to 2.7290 per cent, their lowest since early 2022. The kiwi dollar fell 0.5 per cent to $0.5932, well off an overnight peak of $0.6007. The market is now pricing in a further 58 basis points of cuts to the official cash rate (OCR), up from 48 basis points before the GDP data was released and a 20 per cent chance the central bank will cut by 50 basis points in October. NZ Finance Minister Nicola Willis said global turmoil and tariff uncertainty were having an impact. (Ben McKay/AAP PHOTOS) In August, the central bank flagged two more rate cuts in 2025 as it noted spending by households and businesses has been constrained by uncertainty, falling employment, higher prices for some essentials and declining house prices. “The weaker-than-expected GDP outcome will no doubt encourage the RBNZ in its intentions to cut the OCR further this year,” Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon said in a note. Westpac is now expecting the central bank to cut by 50 basis points in October and by a further 25 basis points in November. Weakness in the economy was across the board with the construction sector remaining in decline, manufacturing hurt by slowing goods exports and the service sector remaining weak as tourism stagnates. The economy has been further hurt by a decision by the United States in April to levy import tariffs on products from a range of nations including New Zealand. The tariff has since been set at 15 per cent, above the 10 per cent rate for goods from neighbouring Australia. New Zealand’s Finance Minister Nicola Willis said international turmoil and uncertainty relating to tariffs clearly had an impact on firms’ and households’ willingness to make investment decisions. But there are indications the economy has begun to turn the corner in the third quarter, with manufacturing and services indexes along with monthly employment and card spending data improving slightly. ANZ senior economist Matthew Galt said in a note that signs growth has returned in the third quarter, albeit in a muted manner, suggest the nation will avoid another technical recession. Galt added that while the bar was higher at the end of a monetary policy cycle for outsized moves if data remained lacklustre over coming weeks, a 50 basis point cut was absolutely a possibility.
Retail giant Kmart has been pinged for breaching shoppers’ privacy by scanning the faces of unwitting customers returning products at dozens of its stores. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found the company in breach after it collected people’s personal and sensitive information through a facial-recognition technology (FRT) system designed to tackle refund fraud. Between June 2020 […]
Retail giant Kmart has been pinged for breaching shoppers’ privacy by scanning the faces of unwitting customers returning products at dozens of its stores. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found the company in breach after it collected people’s personal and sensitive information through a facial-recognition technology (FRT) system designed to tackle refund fraud. Between June 2020 and July 2022, Kmart used the technology at 28 of its stores to capture every person who lined up at a returns counter. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind has found that Kmart breached Australians’ privacy by collecting their personal and sensitive information through a facial recognition technology system. Media release: https://t.co/HDk3PwOYLi pic.twitter.com/Y4tPU9oPdP — Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (@OAICgov) September 18, 2025 “Relevant to a technology like facial recognition, is also the public interest in protecting privacy,” the commissioner said on Thursday. “I do not consider that (Kmart) could have reasonably believed that the benefits of the FRT system in addressing refund fraud proportionately outweighed the impact on individuals’ privacy.” Kmart argued that it was not required to obtain customer consent because of an exemption in the Privacy Act that allowed for information to be collected to tackle unlawful activity or serious misconduct. But after a three-year investigation, the commissioner found sensitive biometric information of every individual who entered a store was “indiscriminately collected” by the facial-recognition system. She said other, less-intrusive methods were available to Kmart to address refund fraud. The volumes of biometric data collected on thousands of individuals without their knowledge showed “a disproportionate interference with privacy”, the commissioner said. Kmart has been ordered not to use the facial-recognition technology again and will have to publish an apology to customers in stores and on its website within 30 days. The Wesfarmers-owned company said it was disappointed with the decision about its “limited trial” of facial-recognition technology and it was reviewing appeal options. The information of every individual who entered a store was “indiscriminately collected”. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) Controls to protect customers’ privacy had been put in place during the scheme, it said in a statement. “Images were only retained if they matched an image of a person of interest reasonably suspected or known to have engaged in refund fraud,” Kmart said. The determination is the second issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on the use of facial recognition in retail settings. In October, Wesfarmers-owned hardware chain Bunnings was found to have contravened the privacy of its shoppers across 62 of its stores. It is also appealing the finding.
