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The Zionist movement is unable to handle criticism, naming anyone who criticises their efforts at narrative control antisemitic.
The Zionist movement is unable to handle criticism, naming anyone who criticises their efforts at narrative control antisemitic. Wendy Bacon with an update. Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) CEO Sasha Roytman has hit back at critics of the upcoming Australian Mayors conference on the Gold Coast with an opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post titled “When Fighting Antisemitism Becomes Controversial, It’s Already Antisemitism”. The article appeared shortly after more than 300,000 people attended protests across Australia last Sunday, calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and sanctions on Israel. Roytman claims that CAM’s success in attracting hundreds of Mayors and councillors with its all-expenses-paid invitation has led to “the summit itself [becoming] the target of attacks, with critics scurrilously delegitimising what is essentially an anti-hate event.” Point of Order. Antisemitism Summit raises ethics eyebrows Thousands of Australians have signed letters to Councils urging them not to attend the Summit due its far right agenda, and links to companies and individuals that promote, fund or trade with Israel. “It has now become abundantly clear that the campaign urging a boycott of the upcoming summit is not simply political activism – it is, in truth, antisemitism,” Roytman wrote. He clearly states that for CAM, “Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” Jewish criticism of CAM Amongst CAM’s critics are the Jewish Council of Australia, which this week stated, In reality, it is a pro-Israel political junket designed to push a one-sided political agenda, silencing legitimate criticism of Israel by conflating it with antisemitism. It urged anyone who had accepted an invitation without understanding this to pull out now. Yesterday, the Deputy Leader of the Greens, Senator Mehreen Farqui, called for a boycott of the Summit. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ASU4P Vic (@asu4palestine_vic) On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the Iranian ambassador would be expelled after ASIO, working with foreign partners and international agencies, said it had “credible evidence” that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was the hidden organiser behind fires at a Melbourne synagogue and Sydney restaurant last December. CAM seized the opportunity to link the Mayors’ summit agenda to ASIO’s findings. In an article on its website, CAM again complained about the “smear campaigns … delegitimising its core purpose,” which was to allow municipalities “the support they vitally need” to learn how to “counter Jew Hatred”. “When arson attacks target Jewish synagogues and businesses, it is not a moment for hesitation — it is a time for action. The upcoming summit underscores an urgent truth: confronting antisemitism is not political—it is a public safety imperative.” Shortly after publishing this article, CAM’s CEO and ex-IDF commander Roytman issued a media release connecting Australia’s allegations against the IRGC with a broader “pattern of malign activity”, He called for “global intelligence services, and law enforcement agencies to urgently investigate the role of foreign subversive actors, especially the Iranian regime, in orchestrating and financing antisemitic violence and anti-Israel demonstrations across the globe.” Too little, too late. Iran guard first declared terrorists in 2023 Palestinian Action Group Palestine Action Group convenor, Josh Lees said in response to the allegation about IRGC funding anti-Israel protests, “It’s a ludicrous suggestion without foundation and an insult to hundreds of organisers of small and big protests taking place around the world every day.” CAM states that the alleged actions of the IRGC are not just attacks on Jews but on the “safety, sovereignty, and democratic integrity of nations worldwide”. “Every responsible leader and agency must immediately investigate, expose, and counter this threat,” says Roytman. “CAM stands ready to work with governments, security agencies, and civil society partners to confront this emerging threat head-on”. Despite widespread scepticism in Australian social media about the Albanese government’s dramatic announcements this week, CAM neatly slotted them into its broader narrative of ‘Western Civilisation against the Forces of Evil’. This is the broad and ominous right-wing political agenda that CAM and many of its speakers, including those with a record of Islamophobia, will promote at next week’s conference. Whether a protest or arson attack, it’s all antisemitism. At a local level, the take-home tools will include a Municipalities Index to monitor activity using CAM’s so-called ‘gold standard’ IHRA definition of anti-semitism. “The Hebrew Hammer”: inside the Gold Coast’s antisemitism junket Providing some cover for this agenda is the Chair of the Summit organising Committee, respected businessman David Gonski. MWM sent questions to Gonski last week, but has received no response or acknowledgement from him as yet. Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab
Australia’s leaders are hitting out at planned anti-immigration rallies across the country as non-white ethnic groups fear being targeted. March for Australia, a group linked to white-nationalist ideology, plans to hold gatherings in every capital city on Sunday. This ideology claims people of European ancestry are being “replaced” en masse by migrants from other ethnic […]
Australia’s leaders are hitting out at planned anti-immigration rallies across the country as non-white ethnic groups fear being targeted. March for Australia, a group linked to white-nationalist ideology, plans to hold gatherings in every capital city on Sunday. This ideology claims people of European ancestry are being “replaced” en masse by migrants from other ethnic groups. The federal government declared there is no place for “any type of hate in Australia” ahead of the protests. A group linked to white-nationalist ideology plans to hold gatherings in capital cities. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) The nation has experienced an alarming spate of anti-Semitic and anti-Islamophobic attacks since the conflict in the Middle East, prompting fears social cohesion is being eroded. People who sought to divide and undermine Australian society were not welcome, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said. “We stand with modern Australia against these rallies. Nothing could be less Australian,” he said. Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly said Australia’s diversity was an integral and valued part of its national identity. “We will not be intimidated,” she said. “This brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in modern Australia.” “We stand with modern Australia against these rallies,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) Opposition multicultural affairs spokesman Paul Scarr said the material circulated for the planned rallies had caused great hurt. “Debates in relation to immigration policy need to be conducted with the utmost of respect,” he said. “No part of the Australian community should be singled out. To do so is divisive and wrong.” Queensland MP Bob Katter on Thursday threatened to punch a journalist at a press conference where he had spruiked his attendance at the Brisbane rally. Mr Katter unleashed on the Nine reporter after he was questioned about his Lebanese heritage. “Oh mate, don’t say that because that irritates me, and I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that,” he said while pointing at the journalist. The ACT Human Rights Commission urged people to report incidents if they witnessed others being vilified for their race, religion or colour. The commission warned vilification remained illegal. “We have been made aware of multicultural community members expressing their concern about working or going about their activities on the day of the rally for fear of what response the rally might provoke,” Commissioner Dr Pene Mathew said. “Events such as this proposed rally in Canberra are inconsistent with those values and it is disappointing to see this occurring in the ACT.”
Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook has filed a lawsuit claiming US President Donald Trump has no power to remove her from office, setting up a legal battle that could reset long-established norms for the country’s central bank. Cook’s lawsuit said Trump, a Republican, violated a federal law allowing the president to remove a Fed governor […]
Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook has filed a lawsuit claiming US President Donald Trump has no power to remove her from office, setting up a legal battle that could reset long-established norms for the country’s central bank. Cook’s lawsuit said Trump, a Republican, violated a federal law allowing the president to remove a Fed governor only for cause when he took the unprecedented step on August 25 of announcing he would fire her. The president has accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud in 2021, a year before she joined the Fed’s governing body. But Cook’s lawsuit said an unsubstantiated allegation about conduct that took place before she was confirmed to her position at the central bank does not amount to cause. “President Trump’s conception of ’cause’ has no limiting principle; it would allow him to remove any Federal Reserve Board member with whom he disagrees about policy based on chalked-up allegations,” her lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. The lawsuit also accused Trump of violating her right to due process under the constitution by firing her without notice or a hearing. The case is likely headed to the Supreme Court, where a conservative majority has at least tentatively allowed Trump to fire officials from other agencies although it recently signalled the Fed may qualify for a rare exception from direct control by the president. Concerns about the Fed’s independence from the White House in setting monetary policy could have a ripple effect throughout the global economy. The US dollar stumbled against other major currencies after Trump first said he would remove Cook. A Fed spokesperson said on Tuesday, before the lawsuit was filed, that the Fed would abide by any court decision. Cook was appointed to the Fed in 2022 by former president Joe Biden. The law that created the Fed does not define “cause” or lay out any standard or procedures for removal. No president has ever removed a Fed board member, and the law has never been tested in court. Several federal laws requiring the president to have cause before removing members of other agencies say that cause can include neglect of duty, malfeasance and inefficiency. Those laws could be a guide for courts to determine if Trump had cause to fire Cook. Questions about Cook’s mortgages were first raised in August by William Pulte, a Trump appointee who is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Pulte referred the matter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi for investigation. Cook took out the mortgages in Michigan and Georgia in 2021 when she was an academic. An official financial disclosure form for 2024 lists three mortgages held by Cook, with two listed as personal residences. Loans for primary residences can carry lower rates than mortgages on investment properties, which are considered riskier by banks. Some experts have questioned whether transactions that preceded Cook’s appointment to the Fed and were in the public record when she was vetted and confirmed by the US Senate could amount to adequate cause to remove her. The administration could also argue that giving Fed governors any protections from removal violates the president’s broad constitutional powers to control the executive branch, as it has in lawsuits filed by other ex-officials. Trump in an August 25 letter to Cook accused her of having engaged in “deceitful and criminal conduct in a financial matter” and said he did not have confidence in her integrity. Cook in a statement at the time said that “no causes exist under the law, and (Trump) has no authority” to remove her from the job. Her lawyers said that Trump’s “demands lack any proper process, basis or legal authority.” Cook’s departure would allow Trump to name his fourth pick to the Fed’s seven-member board.
Dangerous terrain and bad weather is impeding the search for a fugitive accused of killing two police officers as tributes are paid to the men. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were shot dead while attempting to serve a search warrant at a Porepunkah property. The accused […]
Dangerous terrain and bad weather is impeding the search for a fugitive accused of killing two police officers as tributes are paid to the men. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were shot dead while attempting to serve a search warrant at a Porepunkah property. The accused gunman Dezi Freeman – also known as Desmond Filby – fled into bushland, plunging the town of about 1000 residents in Victoria’s high country into lockdown on Tuesday. A community is in mourning for slain police officers Vadim De Waart and Neal Thompson. (HANDOUT/VICTORIA POLICE) Two armoured BearCat vehicles left the now-vacant property, which lies at the foot of Mount Buffalo, on Thursday afternoon alongside several police cars, after hours of searching. There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman since he fled into surrounding bushland while heavily armed. Thunderstorms are beginning to sweep through the region, bringing heavier rain and thick cloud cover to the search area. “It’s really difficult terrain, it’s complex terrain and it’s not something that we, even with our specialist resources, can move through quickly,” Superintendent Brett Kahan said. Heavily armed Special Operations Group officers have been called in to help with the operation. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Russell Barrett described the search as protracted and revealed police were searching “a number of properties” as part of their inquiries. “What I would say to the community and say to anyone who may be considering harbouring or supporting him, they need to reconsider,” he told reporters in Wangaratta. “They’re committing a criminal offence, and we will prosecute them.” Police urged Freeman to give himself up. “Ring triple zero, and we will support a surrender plan, that option is absolutely open to him,” Supt Kahan said. Police are scouring bushland near the now-vacant property where two officers were shot dead. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) Freeman, who has bush survival experience, was last seen wearing dark green tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses, police said. He is believed to be a sovereign citizen, an ideology that questions government authority and whose followers believe the rule of law doesn’t apply to them, and who disassociate from society. The 56-year-old was known to police and a risk assessment was completed before 10 officers, including members of the sexual offences and child investigation team, attempted to serve a search warrant at the property. His associates have warned he is capable of surviving for long periods in bushland. The hunt continues for accused gunman Dezi Freeman who has bush survival experience. (PR IMAGE PHOTO) Det Snr Const Thompson was only weeks away from retirement when he was killed, while Snr Const De Waart had a “great career in front of him” with his professionalism the talk of his colleagues, Mr Barrett said. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush met with Det Snr Const Thompson’s partner Lisa, who is also a serving officer, on Thursday along with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Police Minister Anthony Carbines. Porepunkah residents were living “under the long and heavy shadow of unthinkable tragedy”, the premier said. “Every part of their daily life is touched by fear, it is touched by uncertainty, and for so many it’s touched by grief,” she told parliament on Thursday. Det Snr Const Thompson’s local cafe paid tribute to him on social media, describing him as a larger-than-life presence with a heart of gold. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ineeta Cafe (@ineetacafe) Porepunkah Primary School reopened to students on Thursday after it went into lockdown following the shooting, although attendance was not mandatory. Police and support staff were on site throughout the day. Jean-Francois Rupp expressed mixed emotions when he dropped his six-year-old child at school. “It’s all a bit weird and up in the air, but I suppose life’s got to continue,” he said. “He just knows there’s a bad man out in the woods, so we’re going to keep the story to that for now.” Police have issued advice recommending motorists heading for Bright, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham avoid travelling through Porepunkah. They should instead travel through Running Creek and Mount Beauty, police advised. “If you have an option not to go to the snow this weekend, take that option,” Supt Kahan said. The bodies of the fallen officers were given a guard of honour by flashing-light police cars as they were taken to Melbourne’s Coroners Court on Wednesday night. Federal parliamentarians stood to honour the fallen police officers. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a moment of silence for the pair in federal parliament on Thursday. “Every time they put on their uniform, police officers put themselves on the line,” he said. “And they do it for us.” The officers were heroes and their deaths were heartbreaking for all Australians, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said.
Iran’s ambassador insists he loves Australia, despite his imminent expulsion from the country, as the prime minister defends his security advice. Iranian ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi was seen out the front of the embassy on Thursday, waving to journalists before his looming exit. Mr Sadeghi was the first ambassador to be expelled from Australia […]
Iran’s ambassador insists he loves Australia, despite his imminent expulsion from the country, as the prime minister defends his security advice. Iranian ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi was seen out the front of the embassy on Thursday, waving to journalists before his looming exit. Mr Sadeghi was the first ambassador to be expelled from Australia since World War II, after national spy agency ASIO said it had credible evidence the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp had orchestrated at least two attacks on Jewish institutions in Sydney and Melbourne through criminals. Iran’s Ahmad Sadeghi is the first top diplomat to be expelled from Australia since World War II. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) “I love Australian people, bye bye,” he told reporters on Thursday in his first public comments since the expulsion was announced. But when asked if he thought the decision by the Australian government was wrong, he replied “no comment”. His words coincided with Anthony Albanese defending the decision for him to go. Laws are also being drafted to list the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the decisions in relation to Iran. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) But Mr Albanese came under fire from the opposition in parliament for not listing the organisation as a terror group two years ago after advice from the Department of Home Affairs. “There were calls to list the IRGC back when I was the chair of the intelligence Committee (while in opposition), which was from 2017 through to late 2020,” he told parliament. “The government makes the decision to amend the criminal code and then list a terrorist organisation. “For whatever reason, the coalition government did not want to (list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation). In fact, we had briefs as to the reason why, which I can’t discuss here.” Following the expulsion of the ambassador, community leaders have said Australians of Iranian heritage face verbal abuse and intimidation. Australians with Iranian heritage are being wrongly conflated with the actions of the Tehran regime. (Rob Prezioso/AAP PHOTOS) The local diaspora had been asking for the ambassador’s expulsion since 2022, following the regime’s crackdown on the women’s rights movement, Australian Iranian Society of Victoria vice president Kambiz Razmara said. He said there had been reports Australia’s Iranian community was being conflated with the actions of Iranian authorities. “It is important for people to recognise that we, the Iranian diaspora, are opposed to what happens in Iran,” Mr Razmara said. “The Iranian diaspora, by and large, are here because they’re seeking freedom and social cohesion and freedom of expression and democracy, so anything that tarnishes that we are resolutely against.” The government had taken the right step after Iran’s “insidious, underhanded” work in destabilising Australian society, said David Andrews from the National Security College at the Australian National University. Academics back Australia’s move to expel Iranian diplomats over the anti-Semitic attacks. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) On Australia’s relationship with Iran, Mr Andrews said Canberra had in the past been able to conduct diplomacy on behalf of its friends and allies who did not have a mission in Tehran. “(The expulsion) potentially puts that role at some risk,” he said. Australia should expect some retaliation. “The risk of people being used as political pawns, or people who have either dual citizenship or Australians passing through Iran, could be used as a point of leverage or sort of in response to this action,” Mr Andrews said. “There’s no one who will be rushing to try and repair those ties too actively.”
The woman tasked with fixing Australia’s most expensive housing market admits her government failed in its handling of a record-breaking investment in social homes. More than $6.6 billion for social housing and homelessness services headlined the NSW budget in 2024, the state’s largest post-war investment in the sector. But Housing Minister Rose Jackson told industry […]
The woman tasked with fixing Australia’s most expensive housing market admits her government failed in its handling of a record-breaking investment in social homes. More than $6.6 billion for social housing and homelessness services headlined the NSW budget in 2024, the state’s largest post-war investment in the sector. But Housing Minister Rose Jackson told industry players on Thursday she failed by selling the investment as a “nice thing to do”, rather than “profoundly necessary” for the state’s economy. “My failure was to frame this policy in the public narrative as a do-gooder, a helping-hand for people struggling with homelessness or housing stress, a nice thing nice governments do to help those who are less fortunate,” she told the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia. “It was a failure I made not talking about how ensuring people in this state have access to safe and affordable housing is the greatest economic stimulus package that we could possibly design for NSW.” Homes NSW is tasked with building 8400 new public houses as part of the $6.6 billion investment. CEO Rebecca Pinkstone said it might not sound like many, but its flow-on effect could be big. NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson has lamented how the government handled a social housing plan. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS) “While it might be 8400 social homes, that’s unlocking actually 30,000 private market and affordable homes in NSW,” she said. “The multiplier effect of the state stepping in to say ‘there’s a role for us to play in public housing’ actually has broader impact on the housing market and the delivery of housing.” Cities able to balance growth and livability can bring massive advantages, including saving $5.3 billion on rent annually, Monash University researchers said on Thursday. Their study of 655 Australian cities found sustainability peaks when population figures are within four per cent of ‘ideal capacity’, which is when housing, jobs, transport and services operate in balance. Living in the “Goldilocks zone” saved tenants an average of $1560 in rent every year, cut car usage in 275,000 households and allowed more walking to work. Canberra, Adelaide and Perth were considered in the zone while Gold Coast, Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney were all above the four per cent threshold.
Police have warned anyone caught harbouring a fugitive accused of shooting dead two officers will face serious consequences as the “protracted search” continues. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were shot dead while attempting to serve a search warrant at a Porepunkah property on Tuesday. Another wounded […]
Police have warned anyone caught harbouring a fugitive accused of shooting dead two officers will face serious consequences as the “protracted search” continues. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were shot dead while attempting to serve a search warrant at a Porepunkah property on Tuesday. Another wounded officer is expected to recover after undergoing surgery. A community is in mourning for slain police officers Vadim De Waart and Neal Thompson. (HANDOUT/VICTORIA POLICE) The accused gunman Dezi Freeman – also known as Desmond Filby – fled into bushland, plunging the town of about 1000 residents in Victoria’s high country into lockdown. The search for the 56-year-old suspect has entered its third day. Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Russell Barrett described it as protracted and revealed police were searching “a number of properties” as part of their inquiries. “What I would say to the community and say to anyone who may be considering harbouring or supporting him, they need to reconsider,” he told reporters in Wangaratta on Thursday afternoon. “They’re committing a criminal offence, and we will prosecute them.” Police are scouring bushland near the now-vacant property where two officers were shot dead. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) The property he was living on is now vacant. There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman since he fled into bushland, Mr Barrett said. Superintendent Brett Kahan said police had no evidence Freeman had access to communications but had a message if he was watching. “Ring triple zero, and we will support a surrender plan, that option is absolutely open to him,” he said. The hunt continues for accused gunman Dezi Freeman who has bush survival experience. (PR IMAGE PHOTO) Freeman, who has bush survival experience, was last seen wearing dark green tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses, police said. He is believed to be a sovereign citizen, an ideology that questions government authority and whose followers believe the rule of law doesn’t apply to them, and who disassociate from society. Feathertop Winery continues to be the staging area for police, with nearly a dozen police cars gathering along the road outside the property on Thursday afternoon. Overhead, a police helicopter has returned, circling the area. An air search is underway for a “heavily armed” fugitive. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) A roadblock has been set up and has since been pushed back by one kilometre. Low-lying fog had lifted in the area by the early afternoon before the inclement weather returned. Supt Kahan said the terrain was dangerous, with police treading carefully. “It’s not something that we, even with our specialist resources, can move through quickly,” he said. Porepunkah Primary School reopened to students on Thursday after it went into lockdown following the shooting. The decision was made on the advice of Victoria Police, the education department said. The school’s principal Jill Gillies said attendance on Thursday was voluntary. “It’s a parent choice,” she said. Some students were kept home, with their classmates expected to be kept inside for recess and lunch due to the bad weather. Police and support staff were present on site throughout the day. Jean-Francois Rupp expressed mixed emotions when dropped his six-year-old child at school. “It’s all a bit weird and up in the air, but I suppose life’s got to continue,” he said. “He just knows there’s a bad man out in the woods, so we’re going to keep the story to that for now.” Road closures remain in place throughout the region. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) Police have issued advice recommending motorists heading for Bright, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham avoid travelling through Porepunkah. They should instead travel through Running Creek and Mount Beauty, police advised. “If you have an option not to go to the snow this weekend, take that option,” Supt Kahan said. The bodies of the fallen officers were given a guard of honour by flashing-light police cars as they were taken to Melbourne’s Coroners Court on Wednesday night. Federal parliamentarians stood to honour the fallen police officers. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a moment of silence for the pair in federal parliament on Thursday. “Every time they put on their uniform, police officers put themselves on the line,” he said. “And they do it for us.” The officers were heroes and their deaths were heartbreaking for all Australians, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said. Melbourne’s iconic landmarks were lit up in blue overnight to honour the dead officers. Flags remained at half-mast at Victorian government buildings on Thursday.
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Tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle avoided jail and had no conviction recorded against him after a seven-year ordeal, punished for doing what was right.
Tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle avoided jail and had no conviction recorded against him after a seven-year ordeal, punished for doing what was right. Kim Wingerei with AAP reporting. MPs and advocates want better protections for whistleblowers after a judge decided not to impose convictions against Richard Boyle for crimes linked to his exposure of unethical debt-collection practices at the Australian Taxation Office. Judge Liesl Kudelka sentenced Boyle, 49, in the South Australian District Court on Thursday, seven years after the former debt collection officer went public with allegations that led to reforms within the ATO. Family and supporters sobbed in court after Boyle received no conviction and no penalty and was instead required to enter into a $500, 12-month good behaviour bond. In a plea deal with prosecutors, the Adelaide man admitted four criminal charges, reduced from the original 66 laid after he appeared on the ABC’s Four Corners program. One Last Swipe: Australian Taxation Office still punishing whistleblower Richard Boyle Boyle admitted disclosing protected information to another entity, making a record of protected information, using a listening device to record a private conversation and recording other people’s tax file numbers. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail. Outside court, protesters cheered Boyle when he emerged with his wife Louise Beaston. Forensic psychologist Loraine Lim’s opinions on Boyle’s state of mind were important, Judge Kudelka said. “She says your actions appear to have been driven by a rigid internal moral code, heightened sensitivity to perceived injustice and a deep-seated compulsion to protect individuals you view as vulnerable or at risk. “She describes your offending behaviour as more consistent with moral-driven whistleblower conduct shaped by trauma-related distortions and judgment rather than a desire for heroism or public recognition.” Judge Kuldeka said she “wanted to make it clear” she was not making any comment on the content of the public interest disclosure Boyle made in October 2017. “You’ve been praised by many for what you did disclose in that document,” she said. “I think it should also be recognised that making such a disclosure is not an easy, simple or straightforward thing for an individual to do. To put it colloquially, blowing the whistle can be a tough gig. The judge had listened to taped conversations with his colleagues and his father, “and I can hear how compromised your mental health was at the time”. “Indeed, when you gave evidence about these events during civil proceedings, your compromised health and mental health was palpable,” she said. Independent MP Andrew Wilkie welcomed the outcome but said Boyle should never have been charged. “He was found to be right but then bizarrely the government goes after him doggedly … it really goes to the heart of the problem here, we have such weak whistleblower protections in this country,” he said. Mr Wilkie and independent colleague Helen Haines used the sentencing to renew their push for a whistleblower protection authority to help those who want to expose wrongdoing. The Human Rights Law Centre’s Kieran Pender said it was a “sorry saga that has been devastating for Richard Boyle and undermined Australian democracy”. “The Albanese government must not stand idly by as whistleblowers are punished; they must act with urgent law reform and the establishment of a whistleblower protection authority, adding, to ensure prosecutions like this never happen again. Executive Director of the Alliance for Journalists Freedom Peter Greste said Boyle’s case showed “the vital role that brave whistleblowers play in our democracy and the need to protect them”. Former senator and Whistleblower Justice Fund founder Rex Patrick called Boyle a hero, He called out egregious, harmful practices by the tax office and in doing so ended them. As he signed the good behaviour bond, Boyle offered an apology to the victims and for taking up the court’s time. “You don’t need to apologise for that, Mr Boyle. It’s called the wheels of justice,” Judge Kudelka told him. Whistleblower to whipping boy. Richard Boyle punished for playing by the rules
As the sun sets on the Eraring Power Station’s operating life, Brett Harvey is one of several employees keen on staying in the energy industry. Nearly all workers at Origin’s power station in NSW, due to shutter in two years as the nation weens itself off fossil fuels, have been eligible for retraining in whatever […]
As the sun sets on the Eraring Power Station’s operating life, Brett Harvey is one of several employees keen on staying in the energy industry. Nearly all workers at Origin’s power station in NSW, due to shutter in two years as the nation weens itself off fossil fuels, have been eligible for retraining in whatever they choose. Some have pursued careers outside the energy industry but more than 80 per cent have decided to stay, taking up the opportunity to train up as electricians or other occupations better suited to a low emissions economy. It’s a welcome trend at a time when Australia faces a 42,000 shortfall of energy, gas and renewables workers by 2030 that the Powering Skills Organisation warns could blow out further without concerted effort to keep people moving through the training system. An extra 22,000 apprentices should have been on the tools last year to meet the workforce needs of the transition, according to the government-backed independent jobs and skills council. A failure to keep a healthy pipeline of electricians and other essential occupations progressing through training risks further slowing a clean energy transition already feeling the weight of cumbersome planning processes, community opposition and other roadblocks. Mr Harvey, currently an instrumentation technician, is looking at a number of upskilling opportunities in the energy space, including a training and assessing certification. A shortage of educators and training infrastructure has proven a stubborn problem and a top priority for Powering Skills Organisation chief executive officer Anthea Middleton. Anthea Middleton says getting companies to take on apprentices is always an issue. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) Getting employers to take on apprentices was a perennial issue, she explained, exacerbated by an eight-fold increase in the value of major energy projects over the past 10 years. “What is often misunderstood in the system is that everyone wants to hire a trained electrician, but no one wants to train the electrician,” she told AAP. Training is a costly exercise dominated by small businesses that often do not reap the rewards of an extra pair of hands because their apprentices are snapped up by bigger outfits in their third or fourth years. Enforcing early-stage apprentice quotas on major projects, namely large businesses, was flagged by the organisation as a way to incentivise the big end of town to bring on fresh trainees. Ms Middleton was “urgently optimistic” Australia’s workforce hurdles could be overcome to clear the way for a fast, efficient energy transition but it was important to be ambitious. “We really do need a collective view from the states and territories and the federal government on things like energy policy, on things like system reform,” she said. Andrew Giles says powering Australia will require a larger and highly skilled workforce. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) Federal Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles said meeting the energy workforce needs of the nation represented both a “huge challenge” and “equally huge opportunity”. “Achieving our net zero targets, powering Australia with cheaper, cleaner, more reliable energy will, of course, require a large, indeed, a larger and a highly skilled workforce.” Mr Giles outlined a number of existing federally-funded programs aimed at solving problems in the trainee pipeline, including a $30 million commitment towards turbo-charging the teacher, trainer and assessor workforce. “We need to continue to work together – governments, industry, unions and other stakeholders – to get more apprentices into Australia’s energy sector.”
Qantas shares have taken flight after Australia’s largest airline delivered one of its biggest profits, raised its dividend and splashed out on another 20 mid-range aircraft. Qantas on Thursday posted a $1.6 billion full-year statutory net profit after tax, up 28.3 per cent from a year ago, while its underlying pre-tax profit rose 15 […]
Qantas shares have taken flight after Australia’s largest airline delivered one of its biggest profits, raised its dividend and splashed out on another 20 mid-range aircraft. Qantas on Thursday posted a $1.6 billion full-year statutory net profit after tax, up 28.3 per cent from a year ago, while its underlying pre-tax profit rose 15 per cent to $2.4 billion. Citing customer loyalty surveys, Qantas said its reputation and brand was “rebuilding at a strong and steady pace,” an allusion to the battering the airline took at the end of Alan Joyce’s tenure as CEO in 2023. A new fleet of jets will allow Qantas to launch more routes across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Replacement chief executive Vanessa Hudson deserved credit for turning things around, EToro analyst Josh Gilbert said. “(Ms) Hudson inherited a mammoth challenge in balancing shareholder returns, rebuilding trust with consumers, and satisfying regulators,” he said. “Just under two years in the job, and the results speak for themselves. “The airline has stabilised, costs are being managed effectively, and customer sentiment is slowly being rebuilt.” The latest blow to the airline’s reputation was a record $90 million fine earlier in August for illegally sacking 1820 staff. It added to a $100 million fine it received for selling tickets to flights that were already cancelled between 2021 and 2023, against the backdrop of executives pocketing seven-figure bonuses. CEO Vanessa Hudson successfully navigated turbulent times after taking over from Alan Joyce. (Aap/AAP PHOTOS) Revenue for the year ended June 30 grew 8.6 per cent to $23.8 billion, thanks to growth in its international operations and strong demand for domestic business and leisure travel. In early afternoon trading, Qantas shares were on track for their best performance in over two years, rising 9.1 per cent to an all-time high of $12.12. The airline said it had ordered 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft that will begin arriving in 2028, taking its total order for the next-generation planes to 48. The jets have a range of 8700km, about 3000km more than the Boeing 737s they will replace. The aircraft will allow Qantas to launch flights to destinations across Southeast Asia and Pacific islands that are not currently viable. Qantas is investing profits in more comfortable planes for passengers on longer flights. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) Qantas flagged Perth-India and Adelaide-Singapore as two possibilities for new routes and said more updates would follow. Sixteen of the jets will have lie-flat business seats and seat-back entertainment screens for longer routes, such as flights between Perth and the east coast as well as short- and medium-haul international routes. Qantas’ first two A321XLRs, configured for domestic and short-haul international trips, are expected to begin flying mid-September on the busy Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Perth routes. “Investing in new aircraft is one of the most significant ways that we can provide our customers with a better flying experience,” Ms Hudson said. “These billion dollar investments are possible because of our continued strong financial performance.” Direct flights to London and New York are a step closer with the rollout of new aircraft. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Ms Hudson said direct flights to London and New York from Australia’s east coast were a step closer to reality, with the first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR set to move to Airbus’ final assembly line in France in October. Qantas expects to take delivery in October 2026 and to make its first Project Sunrise flights in the June quarter of 2027. Qantas will pay investors a final dividend of 16.5 cent per share as well as a special dividend of 9.9 cents per share. The airline also announced it would pay about 25,000 of its non-executive employees $1000 in Qantas shares each year.
Hundreds of “nuisance” tariffs on imports including tyres, televisions and wine glasses will be slashed in a move that will save businesses millions of dollars. Abolishing an extra 500 imposts, which increase prices consumers pay for goods and cost more in compliance than they raise in revenue, was a recommendation of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ economic […]
Hundreds of “nuisance” tariffs on imports including tyres, televisions and wine glasses will be slashed in a move that will save businesses millions of dollars. Abolishing an extra 500 imposts, which increase prices consumers pay for goods and cost more in compliance than they raise in revenue, was a recommendation of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ economic roundtable earlier in August. “It’s a bit mad, frankly, that in some of these areas where we’re importing a lot of goods, we spend a lot of time and money – we being business and governments – complying with a regime that nets us almost no income and just adds a bigger compliance burden,” Dr Chalmers told reporters on Thursday. In its first term, the Albanese government slashed 457 tariffs on goods ranging from toothbrushes to washing machines. The federal government is set to cut nuisance tariffs on a range of products, including tyres. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS) The latest tranche of cuts will spare businesses more than $32 million each year complying with tariffs on tyre imports, which raise less than $80,000. Another $13 million in compliance costs will be saved for tariffs on televisions, which raise less than $43,000. Wine glass importers will be saved $375,000 while cutting air conditioner tariffs will save more than $504,000 each year. “We are doing this for a very simple reason. These nuisance tariffs often do more harm than good,” Dr Chalmers said. The Business Council of Australia called the move a “smart and sensible decision”, clearing away outdated barriers and making the economy more efficient. “Removing low-value, high-cost tariffs is a great start and now we need to look at further reform to address productivity so we can increase real wages and lift living standards,” said BCA chief executive Bran Black. Business Council of Australia boss Bran Black says the move on nuisance tariffs is sensible. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) While there was broad support during the roundtable to abolish more nuisance tariffs, Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary Liam O’Brien was more cautious, urging the government to consult unions and workers in affected industries beforehand. Treasury will consult on the 500 tariffs before a final list is agreed on and published in next year’s budget. The government emphasised it was also strengthening protections for Australian businesses from unfair trade practices, modernising the nation’s anti-dumping regime by bringing responsibility for safeguard measures under the one roof.
Cricket great Usman Khawaja has urged the prime minister to act with courage and sanction Israel. Mr Khawaja spoke with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Parliament House about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and gambling reform. Although their meeting was initially cancelled due to scheduling conflicts, they found a new time on Thursday, according to […]
Cricket great Usman Khawaja has urged the prime minister to act with courage and sanction Israel. Mr Khawaja spoke with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Parliament House about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and gambling reform. Although their meeting was initially cancelled due to scheduling conflicts, they found a new time on Thursday, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Prior to the face-to-face, the Australian batsman revealed he had voted for Labor at the May federal election and had faith in Mr Albanese. “I actually have a lot of love and a lot of respect for the prime minister …. at times he’s 100 per cent shown courage,” Mr Khawaja told reporters in Canberra. “It takes a little bit more courage to go for the next step and have sanctions, and I genuinely believe Prime Minister Albanese is the man to have the courage and do that. “He’s shown that he’s got, (for lack of) better words, the cojones to go out there and do it.” Although the federal government has introduced broad sanctions on countries like Russia and Myanmar, it is yet to do so for Israel. Dr Chalmers, who joined the discussions between Mr Khawaja and the prime minister, said they had a great deal of respect for the cricketer. “He’s a leader of real substance,” he told reporters. “So I take his contribution very seriously.” Making his views known, Usman Khawaja had a peace symbol on his cricket boots last year. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) Standing alongside independents, outspoken Labor MP Ed Husic and human rights activists, the sportsman laid bare the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has officially declared widespread famine in area. More than 470,000 people now face catastrophic levels of food insecurity as Israel continues throttling aid into the territory. More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the latest conflict, including more than 18,000 children, according to local health authorities. “It’s been 22 months of absolute horror in Gaza,” Médecins Sans Frontières humanitarian affairs lead Arunn Jegan told reporters. “Food and medicine sit at Gaza’s borders blocked by Israel and when Palestinians try to reach what little is allowed through, they are killed. “This is a genocide, this is not just a crime against Palestinians, this is a crime against humanity.” Usman Khawaja also sported a peace symbol on his bat while playing in the BBL. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) In direct contradiction to this and reports from more than 100 humanitarian groups, Israel has denied starvation in Gaza and allegations of genocide. A genocide case against Israel has been brought to the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his alleged responsibility for war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after the designated terror group Hamas killed 1200 Israelis and took about 250 more hostage on October 7, 2023. The International Criminal Court has also issued an arrest warrant for former Hamas commander Mohammad Deif over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, though he was assassinated by an Israeli air strike in 2024. As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, Australia has issued stronger condemnations of Israel and announced its intention to recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Usman Khawaja says sanctions against Israel are part of “fighting for humanity”. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) Mr Khawaja praised that move but urged the PM to go further. “The prime minister has an opportunity right now to cement his legacy, to say ‘I fight for the people, I’m fighting for humanity’,” he said. During Australia’s Test series in December 2023, the International Cricket Council barred the opener from wearing boots sporting the words “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” and using a bat with an image of a dove.
The owner of some of Australia’s best-known chain stores has reported a double-digit profit jump after successfully navigating a cost of living crisis and rising costs. Wesfarmers on Thursday posted a bottom-line net profit of $2.9 billion for the 12 months to June 30, up 14.4 per cent on the prior year. Revenue rose 3.4 […]
The owner of some of Australia’s best-known chain stores has reported a double-digit profit jump after successfully navigating a cost of living crisis and rising costs. Wesfarmers on Thursday posted a bottom-line net profit of $2.9 billion for the 12 months to June 30, up 14.4 per cent on the prior year. Revenue rose 3.4 per cent to $45.7 billion, while earnings before interest and tax grew 11.9 per cent to $4.47 billion. Wesfarmers owns Kmart, Target, Bunnings and Officeworks and has interests in chemical, fertiliser and safety products. “Wesfarmers’ earnings growth in challenging trading conditions is a credit to our team members, who continued to find ways to support customers and create shareholder value,” managing director Rob Scott said. Earnings for the hardware business, Bunnings Warehouse, also grew. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) Earnings for Kmart Group, which includes Target, grew 9.2 per cent to $1 billion, while Bunnings’ earnings rose 3.8 per cent to $2.3 billion. Officeworks’ earnings climbed 1.9 per cent to $212 million. EToro market analyst Farhan Badami said Wesfarmers had delivered a strong set of numbers and that the results showed off its pricing power and supply chain strength. “It has a unique competitive advantage of offering low prices that allow it to expand margins even as consumers hunt for value,” Mr Badami said. “At nearly 40x forward earnings, Wesfarmers is priced for perfection following a 28 per cent rally this year, but these results show it has earned that premium.” Wesfarmers plans to upgrade more of its Kmart stores to a new “Plan C+” format, with improved design and layout and a full store refresh, after seeing improved trading in the five that have already been transformed. Wesfarmers will pay a final dividend of $1.11 per share, for a total dividend for 2024/25 of $2.06 per share, an increase of four per cent. In early Thursday trading, Wesfarmers shares were 0.1 per cent higher at $91.78.
Australia’s biggest airline has posted a strong full-year result and ordered another 20 mid-range aircraft. Qantas posted a bottom line net profit of $1.6 billion in for the year ended June 30, up 28.3 per cent from a year ago. Its underlying pre-tax profit rose 15 per cent to $2.4 billion. Revenue grew 8.6 per […]
Australia’s biggest airline has posted a strong full-year result and ordered another 20 mid-range aircraft. Qantas posted a bottom line net profit of $1.6 billion in for the year ended June 30, up 28.3 per cent from a year ago. Its underlying pre-tax profit rose 15 per cent to $2.4 billion. Revenue grew 8.6 per cent to $23.8 billion, thanks to growth in its international operations and strong demand for domestic business and leisure travel. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson says aircraft upgrades will give customers a better flying experience. (Rob Blakers/AAP PHOTOS) The airline will order another 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft which will begin arriving in 2028, taking its total order for the next-generation planes to 48 aircraft. The jets have a range of 8700km, around 3000km more than the Boeing 737 it replaces, and will allow Qantas to launch flights to destinations across Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands that aren’t currently viable. Qantas’ first two A321XLRs, configured for domestic and short-haul international trips, are expected to begin flying in mid-September on the Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Perth routes. “Investing in new aircraft is one of the most significant ways that we can provide our customers with a better flying experience and these billion-dollar investments are possible because of our continued strong financial performance,” said CEO Vanessa Hudson. Qantas will pay investors a final dividend of 16.5 cent per share as well as a special dividend of 9.9 cents per share.
Rising fears among most Australians of spiralling crime rates do not match reality and politicians are often to blame for stoking alarm, experts say. A Roy Morgan survey of about 500,000 people found 66 per cent said crime was a growing problem in their community. Queensland recorded the highest level of concern about crime at […]
Rising fears among most Australians of spiralling crime rates do not match reality and politicians are often to blame for stoking alarm, experts say. A Roy Morgan survey of about 500,000 people found 66 per cent said crime was a growing problem in their community. Queensland recorded the highest level of concern about crime at 77 per cent, spiking from 60 per cent five years ago, followed by Victoria at 72 per cent. Crime rates become topical during election cycles and can increase community fears, Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says. “Although the trend of rising concern about crime is seen nationally, there are clearly some states in which the issue is set to play an outsized role over the next 12-18 months,” she said. Premier David Crisafulli’s Queensland government has toughened laws after campaigning on crime. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) Queensland Premier David Crisafulli swept into power in 2024 on the back of pledges to crack down on youth crime. His government passed the much-criticised Making Queensland Safer Act in December and expanded the “adult crime, adult time” legislation in May, with sentences of young offenders increased drastically. But the level of concern about crime varied greatly and was triggered by disruptive events, said Griffith University Institute of Criminology director Rebecca Wickes, who has studied people’s perceptions of crime for two decades. “When a really serious, violent incident occurs, like homicide, people get very concerned,” she told AAP. “They see that as a signal or a symbol that something’s gone wrong. “But when you actually look at homicide in in the Australian context, one, we have phenomenally low rates, compared to other advanced Western economies.” Professor Wickes said the focus on scapegoating young people by politicians and sections of the media was nothing new because “law and order has always been a politicised platform”. She said decades of research showed that locking up people did not reduce crime and Australia is a less violent country. “One of the things we know for certain is that the more involvement a young person has with the criminal justice system, the more likely are they are to re-offend in the future,” Dr Wickes said. The NSW and Victorian governments have also been criticised for toughening crime and justice laws. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) The Human Rights Law Centre slammed the Victorian government for passing harsh bail laws on Wednesday it argues will put more First Nations people behind bars. “These laws are a disaster waiting to happen, and are part of a disturbing trend across the country towards regressive policies … driving up the number of untried and unsentenced people in prison,” the centre’s First Nations justice director Maggie Munn said. Earlier in August, the Justice Reform Initiative criticised NSW Premier Chris Minns for introducing tough bail laws that do not necessarily prevent crime and it says were passed for short-term political gain. The latest Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data released in August shows the number of youth detained in the state had grown by almost 35 per cent in two years, with 60 per cent of them Aboriginal.
An extra 22,000 apprentices should have been on the tools last year to meet the workforce needs of the renewables transition and green manufacturing boom. Australia has made inroads on its net zero labour shortages, a government-backed independent industry body says, but warns trainee numbers are still off-track. A failure to keep a healthy pipeline […]
An extra 22,000 apprentices should have been on the tools last year to meet the workforce needs of the renewables transition and green manufacturing boom. Australia has made inroads on its net zero labour shortages, a government-backed independent industry body says, but warns trainee numbers are still off-track. A failure to keep a healthy pipeline of electricians and other essential occupations progressing through training risks further slowing a clean energy transition already feeling the weight of cumbersome planning processes, community opposition and other roadblocks. A shortage of trainers is among the issues hampering apprentice numbers. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) Powering Skills Organisation said 42,000 extra workers would be needed for energy, gas and renewables industries by 2030 in its latest update on workforce dynamics in the industry. It’s a figure previously at the upper end of estimates but now looking increasingly likely as Australia leans into its green metals and broader clean manufacturing opportunity. To have enough energy workers by the end of the decade, the Powering Skills Organisation would have liked to have seen 40 per cent more apprentices in training in 2024, representing an increase to 77,000 from 55,000. Chief executive officer of the organisation, Anthea Middleton, said getting employers to take on apprentices was a perennial issue exacerbated by an eight-fold increase in the value of major energy projects over the past 10 years. “What is often misunderstood in the system is that everyone wants to hire a trained electrician, but no one wants to train the electrician,” she told AAP. Training is a costly exercise dominated by small businesses that often do not reap the rewards of an extra pair of hands because their apprentices are snapped up by bigger outfits in their third or fourth years. Long waits for the in-classroom component of learning and a shortage of trainers are other issues gumming up the pipeline. A failure to keep a healthy pipeline of essential workers risks slowing the clean energy transition. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) The PSO has outlined a number of solutions to training bottlenecks, including a national register for hopefuls seeking apprentice spots and boosting training infrastructure and trainer numbers. Enforcing early-stage apprentice quotas on major projects, namely large businesses, was billed as a way to incentivise the big end of town to bring on fresh trainees. Ms Middleton was “urgently optimistic” Australia’s workforce hurdles could be overcome to clear the way for a fast, efficient energy transition but it was important to be ambitious. “We really do need a collective view from the states and territories and the federal government on things like energy policy, on things like system reform,” she said. The workforce report will be released at a Parliament House event with federal Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles on Thursday. The minister said up to $10,000 in financial support for apprentices and other federal schemes in skills and training were helping. “We need to continue to work together – governments, industry, unions and other stakeholders – to get more apprentices into Australia’s energy sector,” he said.
Australians of Iranian heritage face verbal abuse and intimidation over Tehran’s “insidious” direction of two anti-Semitic attacks in the nation’s largest cities. The Albanese government has taken the extraordinary step of booting Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi from Australia, making him the first high-ranking diplomat to be expelled since World War II. The nation’s spy agency […]
Australians of Iranian heritage face verbal abuse and intimidation over Tehran’s “insidious” direction of two anti-Semitic attacks in the nation’s largest cities. The Albanese government has taken the extraordinary step of booting Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi from Australia, making him the first high-ranking diplomat to be expelled since World War II. The nation’s spy agency said it had credible evidence the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had orchestrated at least two attacks on Jewish institutions in Sydney and Melbourne through criminals. Mr Sadeghi was spotted leaving the Iranian embassy in Canberra on Wednesday morning. Iran’s Ahmad Sadeghi is the first top diplomat to be expelled from Australia since World War II. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Australian Iranian Society of Victoria vice president Kambiz Razmara said the local diaspora had been asking for the ambassador’s expulsion since 2022, following the regime’s crackdown on the women’s rights movement. He said there had already been reports Australia’s Iranian community was being conflated with the actions of Iranian authorities. “It is important for people to recognise that we, the Iranian diaspora, are opposed to what happens in Iran,” Mr Razmara said. “The Iranian diaspora, by and large, are here because they’re seeking freedom and social cohesion and freedom of expression and democracy, so anything that tarnishes that we are resolutely against.” Iran’s foreign ministry rejects the accusations made by Australia, instead linking them to the dispute Canberra faced with Israel after Labor announced it planned to recognise Palestine as a state. Academics back Australia’s move to expel Iranian diplomats over the anti-Semitic attacks. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) The government had taken the right step after Iran’s “insidious, underhanded” work in destabilising Australian society, said David Andrews from the National Security College at the Australian National University. On Australia’s relationship with Iran, Mr Andrews said Canberra had in the past been able to conduct diplomacy on behalf of its friends and allies who do not have a mission in Tehran. “(The expulsion) potentially puts that role at some risk,” he said. He said Australia should expect some retaliation. “The risk of people being used as political pawns, or people who have either dual citizenship or Australians passing through Iran, could be used as a point of leverage or sort of in response to this action,” Mr Andrews said. “There’s no one who will be rushing to try and repair those ties too actively.”
Whistleblower Richard Boyle is set to learn his fate after exposing unethical debt-collection practices at the Australian Taxation Office. Judge Liesl Kudelka will sentence Boyle, 49, in the South Australian District Court, seven years after the former debt collection officer went public with allegations that led to reforms within the ATO. In a plea deal […]
Whistleblower Richard Boyle is set to learn his fate after exposing unethical debt-collection practices at the Australian Taxation Office. Judge Liesl Kudelka will sentence Boyle, 49, in the South Australian District Court, seven years after the former debt collection officer went public with allegations that led to reforms within the ATO. In a plea deal with prosecutors, the Adelaide man has admitted four criminal charges, reduced from the original 66 laid after he appeared on the ABC’s Four Corners program. Boyle has admitted disclosing protected information to another entity, making a record of protected information, using a listening device to record a private conversation and recording other people’s tax file numbers. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of two years’ jail. Whistleblower Justice Fund founder Rex Patrick said a custodial sentence was unlikely because there had been a plea deal and the government’s lawyers didn’t seek a jail term “but ultimately that’s a decision for the judge”. Another potential outcome was a conviction with a non-custodial sentence such as a good behaviour bond. “The third option – which is what a number of people, including myself, wrote to the court urging – was no conviction, basically saying he didn’t operate with malice,” Mr Patrick said. “He actually thought he was protected. It’s taken four judges, and silks and lawyers to work out whether or not he was protected. Richard Boyle was “broken, physically, mentally and financially” after exposing unethical practices. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS) “He went in thinking he was but it turns out that he wasn’t. All he did was press a record button, he took a photograph, he sent an encrypted email to his lawyer.” In a speech in 2024, Boyle said the experience had left him “broken, physically, mentally and financially”. The Human Rights Law Centre’s Kieran Pender said prosecuting whistleblowers had “a chilling effect on people speaking up”. “The sentencing of Richard Boyle concludes a long and sorry saga that significantly undermined whistleblower protections in Australia,” he said. “It is critical that the Albanese government and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland now act to better protect whistleblowers and ensure cases like this never happen again.” Mr Patrick said Boyle’s treatment was “disgraceful” and there was no public interest in prosecuting him. Senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock have tabled the Whistleblower Protection Authority bill. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) “The federal government knew whistleblower laws were broken and had made a commitment to change them,” he said. “The attorney-general (Mark Dreyfus) could have, in the public interest, stopped the prosecution, and he didn’t do that.” Independent senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie have tabled the Whistleblower Protection Authority bill in parliament “but that’s only a start”, Mr Patrick said. “We also need to change the laws so that people are protected when they do reasonable things in the context of preparing a public interest disclosure … the government knows that bit’s broken, and yet they did nothing.”
A search for a fugitive who murdered two police officers in cold blood has entered a third day, as Victoria grieves for the fallen. Monuments across the state lit up in blue in tribute to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, who were shot dead while attempting […]
A search for a fugitive who murdered two police officers in cold blood has entered a third day, as Victoria grieves for the fallen. Monuments across the state lit up in blue in tribute to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, who were shot dead while attempting to serve a search warrant at a Porepunkah property on Tuesday. Another wounded officer is expected to recover after undergoing surgery. Parliament House lit in blue in honour of the two @VictoriaPolice officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, whose lives were tragically taken in the line of duty on Tuesday 26 August 2025. #springst pic.twitter.com/DxsDCqC54o — Parliament of Victoria (@VicParliament) August 27, 2025 The accused gunman Dezi Freeman – also known as Desmond Filby – fled into bushland, plunging the town of about 1000 residents in Victoria’s high country into lockdown as police pursue the gunman. Despite that, grieving community members have come out to decorate the foyer of nearby Wangaratta police station with colourful bouquets of flowers in memory of the fallen policemen. The local primary school will re-open its doors on Thursday after it went into lockdown following the shooting. The weather in the alpine region continued to deteriorate, as hundreds of police continued to scour the area by land and air. Police are scouring the bushland near the Porepunkah property where two officers were shot dead. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) Officers on Wednesday returned to the rural property, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, where two of their own were allegedly executed in cold blood, where onlookers described hearing loud bangs similar to gunshots. Premier Jacinta Allan expressed her deepest sympathies to the the family, friends and colleagues of the two officers and announced prominent Melbourne buildings would be lit up in blue. “It’s a very physical way that we can say to the men and women of Victoria Police, we stand with you, we support you, we care for you, we love you, particularly in this time of grief,” she said. Floral tributes have been left for the two slain police officers at Wangaratta Police Station. (Allanah Sciberras/AAP PHOTOS) “We continue to provide every support necessary to the work of Victoria Police as they deal with this individual who perpetrated this most evil and awful of criminal act.” Freeman was last seen wearing dark green tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses, police said. He is believed to be a sovereign citizen, an ideology that questions government authority and whose followers believe the rule of law doesn’t apply to them and who disassociate from society.
A surprise jump in inflation has dimmed the prospects of a back-to-back Reserve Bank rate cut, but it’s too early to write it off completely. Traders lowered the odds of a rate cut at the central bank’s next meeting in late September after the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday reported the headline consumer price […]
A surprise jump in inflation has dimmed the prospects of a back-to-back Reserve Bank rate cut, but it’s too early to write it off completely. Traders lowered the odds of a rate cut at the central bank’s next meeting in late September after the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday reported the headline consumer price index surged from 1.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent in July. While the news wouldn’t have been positively received at the central bank, CBA economist Harry Ottley warned against reading too much into the volatile data. The inflation jump exceeded forecasts largely because payments for Commonwealth energy rebates that were expected to kick in in July will only start in August. The surprise inflation rise is being blamed on school holiday travel and energy rebates. (Nikki Short/AAP PHOTOS) School holidays, which fell in July, also drove up travel costs. “Much of the outsized surge in inflation can be explained by quirks regarding the timing of electricity rebates and holiday travel,” Mr Ottley said. “These monthly movements will likely unwind in coming months.” The less goods-heavy August monthly inflation print, which will be released in September ahead of the next RBA meeting, will provide important information about how transitory the price spikes were and whether services inflation is still tracking lower. “(The RBA) has also been at pains to point out the volatility in the monthly figures. For this reason, the board is unlikely to be overly concerned about the surprisingly strong print,” Mr Ottley said. Money markets had been pricing in the chance of a September rate cut at more than a third, but lowered the odds to less than a quarter following the data release. But traders are still optimistic the Reserve Bank and governor Michele Bullock will deliver its fourth rate cut this year in November, with another one to follow by early 2026. Australia’s economic recovery is moving forward, but at a slow rate, analysts say. (Nikki Short/AAP PHOTOS) Sluggish economic growth could also boost the case for a rate cut. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute leading index, which draws on a range of domestic and international data points to paint a picture of future economic growth, ticked up slightly in July but still points to sluggish growth in coming months. “The recovery that started to take shape in last year continues to proceed slowly,” said Matt Hassan, Westpac Economics head of Australian macro-forecasting. ANZ senior economist Adelaide Timbrell expects fresh data out on Thursday to show business spending on new private capital grew at just 0.2 per cent in the June quarter. “We expect to see sluggish growth in capex, as the uncertain global backdrop has led to weak investment appetite,” she said.
US President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on goods from India to as much as 50 per cent has taken effect as scheduled, escalating tensions between the world’s two largest democracies and strategic partners. A punitive 25 per cent tariff imposed due to India’s purchases of Russian oil adds to Trump’s prior 25 per cent […]
US President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on goods from India to as much as 50 per cent has taken effect as scheduled, escalating tensions between the world’s two largest democracies and strategic partners. A punitive 25 per cent tariff imposed due to India’s purchases of Russian oil adds to Trump’s prior 25 per cent tariff on many products from India. It takes total duties to as high as 50 per cent for goods such as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals – among the highest imposed by the US and on par with Brazil and China. The new tariffs threaten thousands of small exporters and jobs, including in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. India’s Commerce Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, a Commerce Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said exporters hit by tariffs would receive financial assistance and be encouraged to diversify to markets such as China, Latin America and the Middle East. A US Customs and Border Protection notice to shippers provides a three-week exemption for Indian goods that were loaded onto a vessel and in transit to the US before the midnight deadline. These goods can still enter the US at prior lower tariff rates before September 17. Also exempted are steel, aluminium and derivative products, passenger vehicles, copper and other goods subject to separate tariffs of up to 50 per cent under the Section 232 national security trade law. India trade ministry officials say the average tariff on US imports is around 7.5 per cent, while the US Trade Representative’s office has highlighted rates of up to 100 per cent on autos and an average applied tariff rate of 39 per cent on US farm goods. Wednesday’s tariff move follows five rounds of failed talks, during which Indian officials had signalled optimism that US tariffs could be capped at 15 per cent, the rate granted to goods from some other major US trade partners including Japan, South Korea and the European Union. Officials on both sides blamed political misjudgement and missed signals for the breakdown in talks between the world’s biggest and fifth-largest economies. Exporter groups estimate hikes could affect nearly 55 per cent of India’s $US87 billion ($A134 billion) in merchandise exports to the US, while benefiting competitors such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and China.
A shock jump in inflation has wrong-footed economists while diminishing hopes of more Reserve Bank interest rate cuts. The monthly consumer price index rose from 1.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent as electricity prices surged 13 per cent in one month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday. Analysts had only predicted the […]
A shock jump in inflation has wrong-footed economists while diminishing hopes of more Reserve Bank interest rate cuts. The monthly consumer price index rose from 1.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent as electricity prices surged 13 per cent in one month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday. Analysts had only predicted the annualised rate to climb to 2.3 per cent. “This is the highest annual inflation rate since July 2024, following several months of easing inflation,” the bureau’s head of prices statistics Michelle Marquardt said. The jump in electricity prices, due to government energy rebates for NSW and the ACT not kicking in until August and annual price reviews coming into effect, contributed 0.3 percentage points to the headline figure. The timing of energy rebates has made the headline inflation figure especially volatile of late and will drag electricity prices lower in September. Electricity costs rose 13 per cent in July, making for a volatile monthly inflation readout. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS) Also rising above expectations were other price figures that exclude items like electricity that tend to jump around, which could prove a worry for the RBA. The annual trimmed mean rose from 2.1 per cent to 2.7 per cent, while the CPI excluding volatile items and holiday travel measure rose to 3.2 per cent, above the central bank’s two to three per cent target band. While the jump in the monthly data will be unwelcome news to the central bank ahead of its upcoming meeting in late September, the RBA board places greater emphasis on quarterly trimmed mean figures, which are not due until October. In its latest meeting minutes released on Tuesday, the board expected the unwinding of energy rebates would boost the headline inflation rate over 2025 and 2026. But it was unclear what could make core inflation fall further, said HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham. Unemployment was low and steady, capacity utilisation was above its historical average and the economy was still being hamstrung by weak productivity. The inflation data will be unwelcome news for the Reserve Bank ahead of its September meeting. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Meanwhile, economic growth is in an upswing and construction work figures also released on Wednesday were higher than expected, causing Mr Bloxham to raise his prediction for next week’s GDP growth print to 0.5 per cent in the June quarter. “Our central case is that the RBA will only be able to cut by a further 50 basis points in this easing phase (in November 2025 and February 2026), but we see the risks as clearly weighted to less easing than this, rather than more,” he said. “Today’s figures increase the risk that the RBA is close to the end of its easing phase. An upside surprise in next week’s GDP figures could further increase that risk.” Holiday travel and accommodation prices also rose strongly, given school holidays fell during July. NAB senior markets economist Taylor Nugent said the release would tell the RBA little about the underlying pulse of inflation. “The surprise was strength in travel and timing of electricity subsidy payments and so is not as material as it looks at face value.” Even so, it raises the risk that the all-important trimmed mean for the September quarter comes in above the central bank’s forecast, he said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers noted that key inflation readings were at their lowest in almost four years. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Money markets repriced the chance of a September rate cut following Wednesday’s data release, from slightly above one-third to less than three-in-ten. Treasurer Jim Chalmers emphasised the volatile nature of the monthly figures, reiterating that quarterly headline and trimmed mean inflation were at their lowest rates in almost four years. “Today’s figures show the Albanese government’s responsible cost-of-living relief measures are making a meaningful difference in easing pressure on Australians,” he said. “Rents rose 3.9 per cent through the year but would have risen 5.1 per cent without the recent increases to commonwealth rent assistance.”
A fight to divide the spoils of a $90 million fine could make former Qantas staffers $22,000 richer if the airline is not ordered to further fill union coffers. Qantas outsourced 1820 baggage handling, cleaning and ground staff roles during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a move the Federal Court ruled was designed to curb […]
A fight to divide the spoils of a $90 million fine could make former Qantas staffers $22,000 richer if the airline is not ordered to further fill union coffers. Qantas outsourced 1820 baggage handling, cleaning and ground staff roles during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a move the Federal Court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations. Justice Michael Lee has ordered Australia’s flagship airline to pay the largest employer fine in Australia’s industrial history, citing the “sheer scale of the contraventions, being the largest of their type”. He directed $50 million be paid to the Transport Workers’ Union for highlighting and prosecuting the illegal conduct but remains unsure where the remaining $40 million should end up. The union on Wednesday argued for an even larger cut of the penalty pie, suggesting its share should be $60 million. Affected workers could then split “an adequate sum” of $30 million, the court was told. “Obviously, the vast bulk of (the remaining $40 million) should go to the employees,” the union’s barrister, Noel Hutley SC, told Justice Lee. “But if Your Honour takes the position it should all go (to affected workers), the union is perfectly content with that course.” Any interest generated by the $40 million while it awaits distribution should go to workers, the union said. Mr Hutley said the union’s main concern was ensuring the debate did not delay payments to workers or incur further legal costs. Qantas did not address the court on the $40 million issue. The judge said all of the $90 million penalty should go to the affected workers or union. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS) Justice Lee, who was scathing of the federal government for not investigating Qantas despite the “array of powers” at its disposal, confirmed no outside party would receive a dollar. “I don’t want any part of the penalty going to anyone except the affected workers … or the union,” Justice Lee said. He will deliver his decision at a later date. The workers are in line to receive about $65,900 each for economic loss, pain and suffering after Qantas agreed to establish a $120 million compensation fund. Legal costs associated with the administration of the fund will be deducted from interest accrued on it. General damages of $9000 have been paid out to 1759 former employees, which amounts to more than $15.8 million, the court was told on Wednesday. The economic and non-economic loss suffered by the sacked workers is now under assessment for an award of further compensation. “This was an egregious wrong that had to be righted,” TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said after the decision. In his judgment, Justice Lee said some Qantas executives appeared to be more concerned about the damage done to the company than the affected workers or the illegal conduct. “I accept Qantas is sorry, but I am unconvinced that this measure of regret is not … ‘the wrong kind of sorry’,” he said. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson accepted the decision and apologised for the airline causing “genuine hardship for many of our former team”. Qantas saved about $125 million in the year after the outsourcing and stood to save that amount annually, the court was told in 2021.
Australia was left with “no choice” but to take action over revelations the Iranian regime had directed two anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. The federal government has expelled Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi, making him the first high-ranking diplomat to be booted from Australia since World War II. Australia’s spy agency said it had “credible […]
Australia was left with “no choice” but to take action over revelations the Iranian regime had directed two anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. The federal government has expelled Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi, making him the first high-ranking diplomat to be booted from Australia since World War II. Australia’s spy agency said it had “credible evidence” the Iranian Revolutionary Guard directed at least two attacks on Jewish premises through connections with domestic criminal elements. Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi was booted after revelations Iran’s Revolutionary Guard directed attacks. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Iran’s ambassador to Australia was spotted leaving the embassy in Canberra on Wednesday morning as the government begins drafting laws to list the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. While the government has been hesitant to divulge details as other investigations continue, Australian National University Arab and Islamic Studies scholar Ian Parmeter believes the move must be grounded in “utterly compelling” evidence. “If you’ve got evidence of that happening at the behest of a foreign country, you have to take action,” the former ambassador to Lebanon told AAP. “I don’t think we really had any choice.” Iran has denied the allegations, but Mr Parmeter believes such moves were “part of their playbook”. In recent months, Iran has lost power in the Middle East. The US bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June as part of Israel’s 12-day war with Tehran, and the fall of Syria’s Assad regime in December has taken down one of Iran’s closest allies. “Iran feels very isolated,” Mr Parmeter said. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were, in a sense, thrashing about and trying to make themselves relevant again.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the anti-Semitic incidents were “an attack on our social fabric and who we are”. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied the allegations and linked them to challenges Australia faced with Israel after the government announced it was preparing to recognise a Palestinian state. A government spokesperson was quoted by state media as saying Iran would take an “appropriate decision” in response to Australia’s action. Australians in Iran have been urged to leave immediately as the government no longer has an embassy there. “The Iranian regime is an unpredictable regime, a regime which we have seen is capable of aggression and violence,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC Radio. The government’s travel advice has also been updated to warn of a “high risk” of arbitrary detention or arrest. The Iran-Australia relationship has never been particularly close but is now “as low as it’s been”, Mr Parmeter said. The ambassador’s departure follows a lot of vehicle movement at the Iranian embassy overnight. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Australia has previously expelled lower-level diplomats, booting Russian spies in 2018 over a nerve-agent attack and ousting an Israeli representative in 2010 after forged Australian passports were used in the assassination of a Hamas operative. But these expulsions were carried out “fairly quietly” compared to Tuesday’s Iranian announcement. Coalition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie welcomed the move, saying “any foreign power who conducts violent operations through proxies on our shores is not welcome here”. The Adass Israel Synagogue was one of the sites firebombed by criminal proxies in December 2024, badly damaging the building and injuring a worshipper. Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein said he received a call from a senior official in Mr Albanese’s office telling him the government would announce “dangerous acts of aggression” were directed by Iran. “It is quite shocking and traumatic to think that a peaceful, loving shule (synagogue) in Melbourne is targeted and attacked by terrorists from overseas,” Mr Klein told AAP. Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Bondi was firebombed in an Iran-linked attack in October 2024. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) The other site targeted was the Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney, a kosher deli and a mainstay of Bondi in the city’s eastern suburbs, which was firebombed in October. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the owner of the popular shop, Judith Lewis, was still processing revelations that the Revolutionary Guard had been linked to the attack. “The fact that a business is targeted makes every Jewish Australian fearful that they could be next,” he said.
Australians are swapping their shopping allegiances, with Woolworths losing ground to smaller supermarket rival Coles after years of market dominance. And investors are losing patience. Woolworth’s shares on Wednesday afternoon were on track for their biggest decline in many years, falling 13 per cent after posting a financial performance CEO Amanda Bardwell said was well […]
Australians are swapping their shopping allegiances, with Woolworths losing ground to smaller supermarket rival Coles after years of market dominance. And investors are losing patience. Woolworth’s shares on Wednesday afternoon were on track for their biggest decline in many years, falling 13 per cent after posting a financial performance CEO Amanda Bardwell said was well below its expectations. It’s a stark contrast with Coles, whose shares have climbed more than 11 per cent since Tuesday morning, when the supermarket and liquor group beat earnings expectations almost across the board. Sales figures show Woolworths appears to be losing market share to Coles, an analyst says. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS) Woolworths said that for the first eight weeks of 2025/26, Australian supermarket sales excluding tobacco were up four per cent compared with the same time last year. RBC Capital Markets analyst Michael Toner pointed out Coles on Tuesday reported supermarket sales excluding tobacco products were up 7.0 per cent over the same period. That was a big difference, he said, adding Woolworths “appears to be losing market share to Coles”. The results show Woolworths falling behind Coles, Jefferies deputy head of equity research Michael Simotas said. “You’re clearly lagging your major competitor by a fairly large margin, probably the largest margin we’ve seen in quite some time,” he commented on an analyst call. Sales were up 3.6 per cent to $69.1 billion, but earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell 3.5 per cent to $5.7 billion on a normalised basis. Woolworths blamed its profit drop on issues including higher finance cost and wage rises. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS) Coles shares were set to close at their highest level on Wednesday, while Woolworths’ WOW shares were on pace to finish at a five-month low. Adding insult to injury for its shareholders, Woolworths announced it would cut its dividend by 21.1 per cent after its net profit fell 17.1 per cent to $1.39 billion. Woolworths said the drop in profit reflected higher finance costs and lower earnings, which were hit by a number of issues. Industrial action in the first half cost the group $95 million, and it spent $73 million in dual-running costs as new high-tech warehouses get up and running. Woolworths’ cost of doing business also rose, mostly because of a 4.25 per cent wage increase for Australian retail team members. Industrial action in the first half of the financial year set Woolworths back $95 million. (Melissa Meehan/AAP PHOTOS) In addition, it posted $569 million in impairments, including writing off $346 million from the value of Big W after a financial performance below expectations. A Disney Discs collectibles campaign had also underperformed, Ms Bardwell said, blaming collectibles fatigue among consumers. Coles CEO Leah Weckert in contrast a day previously had credited its Harry Potter Magical Discs campaign with helping lift sales. Coles said theft declined in 2024/25, while Woolworths said it had increased during the second half, along with acts of aggression against staff. Woolworths will pay a 45c final dividend, down from last year’s 57c payout, while Coles kept its final dividend steady. Etoro analyst Josh Gilbert said Woolworths’ dividend cut would be “a kick in the teeth for loyal shareholders who’ve endured zero growth from shares in the last five years, and that won’t do much for confidence”.