Investigative Journalism
Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and supporter of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, has been sworn in as Poland’s president, setting the stage for conflict with the centrist government and potentially cooler relations with Ukraine. Nawrocki took the presidential oath in a ceremony in the Polish parliament on Wednesday. The election victory of Nawrocki, who was […]
Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and supporter of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, has been sworn in as Poland’s president, setting the stage for conflict with the centrist government and potentially cooler relations with Ukraine. Nawrocki took the presidential oath in a ceremony in the Polish parliament on Wednesday. The election victory of Nawrocki, who was backed by the nationalist opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), dealt a blow to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s hopes of cementing the pro-European Union course he has set for the bloc’s largest eastern member and left his government floundering in the polls. Poland is now bracing for a continuation of the deadlock seen under nationalist outgoing President Andrzej Duda, with Nawrocki able to use his veto powers to stymie a government agenda that includes rolling back judicial reforms implemented by PiS, which critics said undermined the independence of the courts. Nawrocki also looks set to pose a headache for the government by proposing measures such as tax cuts that are likely to be popular with many voters but hard to implement for an administration with a stretched budget. “As prime minister, I have so far worked with three presidents,” Tusk, who was also prime minister from 2007 to 2014, wrote in a post on X. “What will it be like with the fourth? We’ll manage.” Jako premier współpracowałem dotychczas z trzema prezydentami. Z Lechem Kaczyńskim kohabitacja była trudna, ale nie wroga, z Bronisławem Komorowskim przyjazna, ale wymagająca, z Andrzejem Dudą nieskomplikowana i bardzo przewidywalna. Jak będzie z czwartym? Poradzimy sobie.🇵🇱😊 — Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) August 6, 2025 The incoming president has said he does not currently see a place for Ukraine in NATO or the EU, a marked shift in tone compared to Duda. As president, Nawrocki would be required to sign off on Poland’s ratification of a new member joining NATO. While Tusk has said that the European Union should play a bigger role in defence matters alongside NATO, PiS and Nawrocki have argued this would undermine Poland’s alliance with the United States. “The United States is undoubtedly our priority partner,” said Nawrocki’s spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz. However, the fact he is a political newcomer who was little known to the public before PiS threw its weight behind him means there is much uncertainty about how his presidency will pan out, political observers say. “I don’t know if he will, in short, fully implement the policies of Law and Justice … or if he will try to come up with his own initiatives,” said Andrzej Rychard, a sociologist from the Polish Academy of Science. Polish President Karol Nawrocki is a political new comer and it’s unclear how his term will pan out. (EPA PHOTO) Nawrocki emerged victorious from a tumultuous campaign in which allegations regarding his past, including that he acquired a second property from an elderly man in return for a promise of care that he did not provide, frequently dominated the headlines. Nawrocki denied accusations of wrongdoing, although he admitted to taking part in an organised fight between football hooligans, adding to the tough-guy image the amateur boxer had already sought to cultivate. After the election, supporters of defeated liberal candidate Rafal Trzaskowski filed thousands of protests to the Supreme Court over irregularities at some polling stations. However, the irregularities were not enough to materially alter the result.
Telecommunication companies have been put on notice for consistently failing to support customers facing financial hardship. Although new financial hardship standards came into effect in 2024, customers are still reporting that simple requests for help are being rejected. A Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman report published on Thursday, based on a review of more than 900 customer […]
Telecommunication companies have been put on notice for consistently failing to support customers facing financial hardship. Although new financial hardship standards came into effect in 2024, customers are still reporting that simple requests for help are being rejected. A Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman report published on Thursday, based on a review of more than 900 customer complaints, found some telcos were causing or adding to the financial stress of their customers. Some customers are prioritising their phone and internet bills over essentials like food or rent. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS) Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said the report confirmed that more needed to be done by companies to meet their obligations and support people struggling financially. “We are seeing that telcos aren’t consistently supporting consumers and that has a real impact on people’s lives and their ability to stay afloat,” she told AAP. The report found some telcos even refused to help customers who proactively sought support, including a woman who fell into hardship after experiencing family violence and health complications. She had purchased a device at a store and was talked into additional products but wasn’t informed about any of the extra costs. The woman was unable to pay for the extra services and was not offered any help from her telco. The telco ended up selling her debt to a debt collection agency and listed a default on her credit file, which totalled $7000. The cost was waived after she contacted the communications watchdog. “We want people to feel confident that when they reach out to their telco for the help they are entitled to, they’ll get the support they need that is right for their circumstances,” Ms Gebert said. A woman experiencing domestic violence had her telco debt sold off to a debt collection agency. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS) About three-in-five Australians have experienced some form of financial difficulty, with 41 per cent experiencing high or chronic financial difficulty. Telcos contacted by the communications watchdog indicated increased numbers of customers seeking financial support over the past year, due to ongoing cost-of-living pressures. The report also found that customers prioritising their phone and internet bills over essentials like food or rent, fearing disconnection. Many consumers also reported finding it difficult to initiate a conversation with their telco about financial hardship, with some feeling their telco was unsympathetic. “Phone and internet are so critical to our ability to function in day-to-day society,” Ms Gebert said. “It’s (how) you access government services, banking services … If you are disconnected, the wide ranging impacts on your ability to function are huge and it can compound.” The report’s findings come after the introduction of new industry rules aimed at improving financial hardship support in March 2024. The new rules require telcos to provide a minimum of six different options for assistance to customers, and to only disconnect consumers as a measure of last resort.
The man who helped unearth one of Australia’s biggest recent gold finds says there’s plenty more motherlodes in them thar hills. Former De Grey Mining chairman Simon Lill hit the jackpot when his exploration team discovered the Hemi deposit in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in 2020. Despite the region being better known for […]
The man who helped unearth one of Australia’s biggest recent gold finds says there’s plenty more motherlodes in them thar hills. Former De Grey Mining chairman Simon Lill hit the jackpot when his exploration team discovered the Hemi deposit in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in 2020. Despite the region being better known for its rich iron ore reserves, the discovery gave De Grey one of the most valuable gold assets in development in Australia, estimated at more than 11 million ounces of ore. The Pilbara region is better known for its rich iron ore reserves. (Alan Porritt/AAP PHOTOS) The timing could not have been better, with bullion prices soaring to record highs in the years since, leaving the company sitting on top of more than $55 billion worth of gold at current prices. So De Grey cashed in, with Australia’s largest goldminer Northern Star snapping the company and its Hemi project up for $5 billion. The deal earned De Grey and Mr Lill the coveted Dealer of the Year award at the glitzy closing night ceremony of this year’s Diggers and Dealers mining forum. “De Grey Mining exemplifies all that makes our industry great,” the conference’s organisers said. “Exceptional market validation driven by resource expansion and investor anticipation.” Now chair of Ballard Mining, an ASX newbie spun out of Gina Rinehart-backed Delta Lithium along with its high-grade Mount Ida gold project, Mr Lill said there was plenty more gold to be found in the red WA dirt. “I used to work with a crusty old metallurgist,” he said on Wednesday. “He said, if it’s under-explored, there ain’t nothing there, i.e. the old timers have found it all. I think the gold industry in recent years has proven that that is wrong.” Ballard already claims more than one million ounces of gold in its deposit, but with more exploration underway at the site, Mr Lill is confident that figure is just scratching the surface. “The geologists from De Grey were convinced that there’ll be another Hemi somewhere,” he said. Right next door to Ballard’s Mount Ida project is a processing plant owned by privately-held gold producer Aurenne Group. It was only logical at some stage to hold discussions with Aurenne about potentially acquiring the facility, Mr Lill said. Mergers and acquisitions was a hot topic at the Diggers and Dealers mining forum in Kalgoorlie. (Jacob Shteyman/AAP PHOTOS) Flush with cash from the surge in gold prices to more than $5200 an ounce, mergers and acquisitions was a hot topic among delegates at the three-day mining forum in Kalgoorlie. Another recent M&A participant, Ramelius Resources, scooped the Digger of the Year award. The mid-tier miner, which a week earlier completed its $2.4 billion takeover of gold play Spartan Resources, achieved a record 301,664 ounces of gold production last financial year, demonstrating “outstanding operational and financial performance”. West African explorer Turaco Gold won the emerging company award while the GJ Stokes Memorial Award went to Peter Cook, recognised for more than 40 years in the industry. A plane-load of workers was flown into Kalgoorlie to staff the gala dinner under the giant Diggers marquee on Wednesday night, before being flown back to Perth in the early hours of Thursday morning when the festivities had wrapped up.
Novo Nordisk expects continued competition from copycat versions of its blockbuster Wegovy obesity drug this year and could face layoffs as it battles rising pressure from main US rival Eli Lilly, the Danish drugmaker warns. Novo, which became Europe’s most valuable company worth $US650 billion ($A1.0 trillion) last year on booming sales of Wegovy, is […]
Novo Nordisk expects continued competition from copycat versions of its blockbuster Wegovy obesity drug this year and could face layoffs as it battles rising pressure from main US rival Eli Lilly, the Danish drugmaker warns. Novo, which became Europe’s most valuable company worth $US650 billion ($A1.0 trillion) last year on booming sales of Wegovy, is facing a pivotal moment as the medicine loses market share and sees sales growth slow, especially in the United States. It has warned of far slower growth this year – in part due to compounders who have been allowed to make copycat medicines based on the same ingredients as Wegovy due to shortages. Novo cut its full-year sales and profit forecasts last week, wiping $US95 billion ($A146 billion) off its market value since. The shares were down 3.4 per cent on Wednesday afternoon. The slide is a huge and abrupt turnaround for the firm that has been one of the world’s hottest investment stories, which led to a rapid expansion of manufacturing and sales capacity. Now the firm is eyeing potential cost-cutting measures. “We probably won’t be able to avoid layoffs,” outgoing CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told Danish broadcaster DR. “When you have to adjust a company, there are some areas where you have to have fewer people, some (areas) where you have to be smaller.” He added, though, that any decision on layoffs would be in the hands of the incoming CEO, company veteran Maziar Mike Doustdar, who takes over on Thursday. #PRESS: Maziar Mike Doustdar appointed as president and chief executive officer of Novo Nordisk — Novo Nordisk (@novonordisk) July 29, 2025 On a media call, Jorgensen said the market for copycat versions of Wegovy’s class of drugs – known as GLP-1 receptor agonists – was of “equal size to our business” and compounded versions of Wegovy were sold at a “much lower price point”. In May, the company said it expected many of the roughly one million US patients using compounded GLP-1 drugs to switch to branded treatments after a US Food and Drug Administration ban on compounded copies of Wegovy took effect on May 22, and it expected compounding to wind down in the third quarter. However, finance chief Karsten Munk Knudsen said on Wednesday that more than one million US patients were still using compounded GLP-1s and that Novo’s lowered outlook has “not assumed a reduction in compounding” this year. “The obesity market is volatile,” Knudsen told analysts when asked under what circumstances the company could see negative growth in the last six months of the year. Knudsen reiterated that the company was pursuing multiple strategies, including lawsuits against compounding pharmacies, to halt unlawful mass compounding. Jorgensen said the company was encouraged by the latest US prescription data for Wegovy. While the drug was overtaken earlier this year by rival Lilly’s Zepbound in terms of US prescriptions, that lead has narrowed in the past month. Second-quarter sales of Wegovy rose by 36 per cent in the US and more than quadrupled in markets outside the US compared to a year ago, Novo said. While Wegovy’s US pricing held steady in the quarter, the company expected deeper erosion in the key US market in the second half, due to a greater portion of sales expected from the direct-to-consumer or cash-pay channel, as well as higher rebates and discounts to insurers, Knudsen said.
Tackling financial inequality is being touted as a productivity boost ahead of an economic think-fest designed to plot Australia’s future. Raising revenue via tax reform and rethinking how community services are funded are on the wishlist of the Australian Council of Social Service ahead of the three-day Economic Reform Roundtable later in August. Lifting GST […]
Tackling financial inequality is being touted as a productivity boost ahead of an economic think-fest designed to plot Australia’s future. Raising revenue via tax reform and rethinking how community services are funded are on the wishlist of the Australian Council of Social Service ahead of the three-day Economic Reform Roundtable later in August. Lifting GST levels to reduce reliance on income tax would “undermine fairness” and do nothing to improve economic efficiency, the council’s chief executive Cassandra Goldie said. “The extra revenue we need to fund care and community services, schools, and an income support system that protects people from poverty must come from those with the most capacity to pay – not those doing it toughest,” she said. “The government must not waste this historic chance to put Australia on a fairer, more productive and more sustainable financial footing.” Rethink how community services are funded, ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie says. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) The council’s submission calls for a halving of the capital gains tax discount, a 15 per cent tax on superannuation retirement accounts and a commonwealth royalty payment for offshore gas. It urges the government to strengthen the not-for-profit sector by supporting digital transformation and making service users the centrepiece of governance and program design. All policies developed at the roundtable should be assessed on how they improve the wellbeing of people and the natural environment while taking gender and other factors into account, the council said. “We must better prepare and train people for jobs and finally lift income support to levels that don’t trap people in poverty and destitution,” Dr Goldie said. The Productivity Commission has proposed cutting the income tax rate to 20 per cent for firms earning less than $1 billion while introducing a five per cent tax on cashflow, which it says would reap $14 billion without worsening budget sustainability. But business groups argue productivity will not be fixed by taxing companies and making Australia less competitive. Better job training and income support have been called for by the peak body for social services. (Erik Anderson/AAP PHOTOS) Treasurer Jim Chalmers said finding ways to afford tax reform was crucial. “Some people have embraced that challenge. Others haven’t,” he said. “It’s a good thing (the commission) is testing some of these difficult ideas and trade-offs … I’m not surprised not everybody forms an orderly queue, but it’s an important input.”
Some of Australia’s best-selling electric vehicles fail to meet their advertised range and consume significantly more power than manufacturers promise, on-road tests reveal. One popular SUV performed particularly poorly, stopping short of its advertised range by more than 100km. The Australian Automobile Association released the results on Thursday after testing five electric vehicles as part […]
Some of Australia’s best-selling electric vehicles fail to meet their advertised range and consume significantly more power than manufacturers promise, on-road tests reveal. One popular SUV performed particularly poorly, stopping short of its advertised range by more than 100km. The Australian Automobile Association released the results on Thursday after testing five electric vehicles as part of its $14 million Real-World Testing Program. A BYD model performed the worst in a road test of range and power compared to lab results. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) The findings come one week after the program revealed 25 out of 30 petrol and hybrid vehicles tested had consumed more fuel than their lab results showed and more than three in every four vehicles examined had failed to meet expectations. The motoring body road-tested five electric vehicles in its first trial of the technology, using a 93km circuit around Geelong in Victoria in damp and dry conditions, and measuring the vehicles’ energy consumption. BYD’s Atto 3 SUV produced the worst result of the models tested, falling short of its promised range by 111km or 23 per cent, and using 21 per cent more power than advertised. Tesla’s entry-level electric car, the Model 3, also failed to meet its promised range by 14 per cent, or 72km, and used six per cent more electricity than lab results showed. Tesla vehicles are among those that failed to match their lab results in a road test. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS) The Tesla Model Y and Kia EV6 SUVs also failed to meet their range by eight per cent, or just over 40km, while the Smart #3 electric car came the closest to its lab test results, falling within five per cent or 23km of the advertised range. The results could help families and fleet managers make choices about their next vehicle purchases, association managing director Michael Bradley said, as research showed range anxiety remained a significant concern for buyers. “As more EVs enter our market, our testing will help consumers understand which new market entrants measure up on battery range,” he said. An electric car’s range could be affected by a number of factors, Australian Electric Vehicle Association national president Chris Jones said. These include high or low temperatures, headwinds, steep terrain, and the use of air conditioning and heating features. A number of factors can affect an electric vehicle’s range including weather and air conditioning. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) Car makers should seek to “under-promise and over-deliver” when it comes to vehicle range, he said, to allow buyers to make informed choices about the models that will suit their needs. “It is frustrating that manufacturers are inflating the values when they really ought to be a bit more conservative,” Mr Jones said. “I would have thought a 10 per cent difference was reasonable but 20 per cent is pretty bad.” Electric vehicle range is typically tested in Australia using the older New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) laboratory test, but this will be replaced by the more accurate Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) from December. The Australian Automobile Association’s vehicle-testing program, funded by the federal government, has examined 114 fuel-powered vehicles since it began in 2023 and found 88 models, or 77 per cent, failed to meet their advertised energy consumption.
The United States has sent letters to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a global pact that includes limits on plastic production and plastic chemical additives at the start of UN plastic treaty talks in Geneva. In the communications dated July 25 and circulated to countries at the […]
The United States has sent letters to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a global pact that includes limits on plastic production and plastic chemical additives at the start of UN plastic treaty talks in Geneva. In the communications dated July 25 and circulated to countries at the start of negotiations on Monday, seen by Reuters, the US laid out its red lines for negotiations that put it in direct opposition to over 100 countries that have supported the measures. Hopes for a “last-chance” ambitious global treaty that tackles the full life cycle of plastic pollution from the production of polymers to the disposal of waste have dimmed as delegates gather for what was intended to be the final round of negotiations. Significant divisions remain between oil-producing countries, who oppose caps on virgin plastic production fuelled by petroleum, coal, and gas, and parties such as the European Union and small island states, which advocate for limits, as well as stronger management of plastic products and hazardous chemicals. Green groups say the US delegation’s tactics under Trump marked a “return to old school bullying”. (AP PHOTO) The US delegation, led by career State Department officials who had represented the Biden administration, sent memos to countries laying out its position and saying it will not agree to a treaty that tackles the upstream of plastic pollution. “We will not support impractical global approaches such as plastic production targets or bans and restrictions on plastic additives or plastic products – that will increase the costs of all plastic products that are used throughout our daily lives,” said the memo Reuters understands was sent to countries that could not be named due to sensitivities around the negotiations. At @UNGeneva, nearly 180 countries are discussing #PlasticsTreaty – a legally binding agreement to curb plastic pollution, one of today’s most urgent global environmental threats. More on this “tide of trash” and the UN’s push to #BeatPlasticPollution ⤵️https://t.co/AupnrfjAx7 pic.twitter.com/k9Pqv8m2wR — UN News (@UN_News_Centre) August 6, 2025 The US acknowledged in the memo that after attending a preliminary heads of delegation meeting in Nairobi from June 30 to July 2, “we plainly do not see convergence on provisions related to the supply of plastic, plastic production, plastic additives or global bans and restrictions on products and chemicals, also known as the global list”. A State Department spokesperson told Reuters each party should take measures according to its national context. “Some countries may choose to undertake bans, while others may want to focus on improved collection and recycling,” the spokesperson said. John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director for Greenpeace USA, said the US delegation’s tactics under Trump marked a “return to old school bullying from the US government trying to use its financial prowess to convince governments to change their position in a way that benefits what the US wants”. One of the world’s leading producers of plastics, the US has also proposed revising the draft objective of the treaty to reduce plastic pollution by eliminating a reference to an agreed “approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics”, in a proposed resolution seen by Reuters. A source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters it indicated that the US is seeking to roll back language that had been agreed in 2022 to renegotiate the mandate for the treaty. The US stance broadly aligns with the positions laid out by the global petrochemicals industry, which stated similar positions ahead of the talks, and several powerful oil and petrochemical producer countries that have held this position throughout the negotiations. Over 100 countries have backed a cap on global plastic production. ⚠️ Global plastic production has reached 400 million tons per year, with only 9% being recycled! That is why the EU seeks an ambitious 🌍 #PlasticsTreaty to #BeatPlasticPollution at the 5th session of the #INC5, starting today in 🇨🇭 Geneva 👉 https://t.co/izGewAKNbG pic.twitter.com/L63OP5l5PT — EU Environment (@EU_ENV) August 5, 2025 In the US, the Trump administration has numerous measures to roll back climate and environmental policies that it says place too many burdens on industry. Plastic production is set to triple by 2060 without intervention, choking oceans, harming human health and accelerating climate change, according to the OECD.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for the first time in more than seven years, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the United States rise. Modi will go to China for a summit of the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which begins on August 31, a government […]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for the first time in more than seven years, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the United States rise. Modi will go to China for a summit of the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which begins on August 31, a government source, with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His trip will come at a time when India’s relationship with the US faces its most serious crisis in years after US President Donald Trump imposed the highest tariffs among Asian peers on goods imported from India. Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday, imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil. The penalties for buying Russian oil are part of US efforts to seek a last-minute breakthrough that will bring about a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. Trump’s top diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, is in Moscow, two days before the expiry of a deadline the president set for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. The SCO Summit in Qingdao was marked by extensive and fruitful deliberations. I had excellent meetings with various world leaders as well. I thank the people of China and President Xi Jinping for hosting the Summit. pic.twitter.com/zyxNRI4Upj — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2018 Modi’s visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin for the summit, a Eurasian political and security grouping that includes Russia, will be his first since June 2018. Subsequently, Sino-Indian ties deteriorated sharply after a military clash along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in Russia in October that led to a thaw. The giant Asian neighbours are now slowly defusing tensions that have hampered business relations and travel between the two countries. Trump has threatened to charge an additional 10 per cent tariff on imports from members of the BRICS group of major emerging economies for “aligning themselves with Anti-American policies”. Meanwhile, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is in Russia on a scheduled visit and is expected to discuss India’s purchases of Russian oil in the wake of Trump’s pressure on India to stop buying Russian crude, according to another government source, who also did not want to be named. Doval is likely to address India’s defence cooperation with Russia, including obtaining faster access to pending exports to India of Moscow’s S400 air defence system, and a possible visit by President Vladimir Putin to India. Doval’s trip will be followed by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in the weeks to come. The giant Asian neighbours are slowly defusing tensions that have hampered trade ties. (AP PHOTO) US and Indian officials told Reuters a mix of political misjudgement, missed signals and bitterness scuttled trade deal negotiations between the world’s biggest and fifth-largest economies, whose bilateral trade is worth over $US190 billion ($A293 billion). India expects Trump’s crackdown could cost it a competitive advantage in about $US64 billion ($A99 billion) worth of goods sent to the US that account for 80 per cent of its total exports, four separate sources told Reuters, citing an internal government assessment. However, the relatively low share of exports in India’s $US4 trillion ($ A$6.2 trillion) economy is expected to limit the direct impact on economic growth. On Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of India left its GDP growth forecast for the current April-March financial year unchanged at 6.5 per cent and held rates steady despite the tariff uncertainties.
Thousands of iron ore workers could have their sick leave entitlements slashed, a union claims. Rio Tinto has proposed a slew of changes to its sick leave policy, including reducing workers’ entitlement of 90 days per year to 12 days, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union said. The proposals raised serious concerns for workers and the […]
Thousands of iron ore workers could have their sick leave entitlements slashed, a union claims. Rio Tinto has proposed a slew of changes to its sick leave policy, including reducing workers’ entitlement of 90 days per year to 12 days, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union said. The proposals raised serious concerns for workers and the mining giant needed to provide more information, AMWU state secretary Steve McCartney said. “Rio Tinto is starting with workers’ sick leave entitlements — but who’s to say wages and broader conditions aren’t next on the chopping block?” he said. “The union will be standing firm in defence of our members’ rights.” Rio Tinto says proposed changes are designed to ensure fairness for all employees. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS) The union said workers had told them Rio Tinto had not provided enough detail about the proposed changes. “That’s not good enough,” Mr McCartney said. “We’ll support them every step of the way to ensure they’re protected throughout this process.” According to the union, the revised policy includes 10 days of sick leave and two additional days per year, which do not accrue year-on-year Workers will be eligible for a $1000 annual payment for wellness programs, it said. “This is a warning to all employees and contractors — if a company like Rio Tinto can unilaterally alter leave, it could just as easily move on pay and other conditions,” Mr McCartney said. Rio Tinto said it was consulting with its employees over proposed changes to its sick and carer’s leave policy for its iron ore business. “Safety and wellbeing of our people is our top priority,” a spokeswoman said. “Prompted by feedback from our people survey, we are conducting a review of the sick and carer’s leave policy for Rio Tinto Iron Ore.” The company said the proposed changes were designed to ensure fairness for all employees. “This includes up to 12 months of sick and carer’s leave at full pay, including allowances, in the event of serious illness or injury, which we believe would be industry leading,” the spokeswoman said. Rio Tinto Iron Ore employs about 16,000 people. Under the National Employment Standards, full-time employees are entitled to 10 days of sick leave each year.
Politicians are being implored to balance free speech against racial vilification protections amid moves to curb rising anti-Semitism. A report handed down by anti-Semitism special envoy Jillian Segal has recommended scrapping funding for universities that fail to tackle the issue adequately. Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said there needed to be “appropriate balancing” of the […]
Politicians are being implored to balance free speech against racial vilification protections amid moves to curb rising anti-Semitism. A report handed down by anti-Semitism special envoy Jillian Segal has recommended scrapping funding for universities that fail to tackle the issue adequately. Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said there needed to be “appropriate balancing” of the two priorities and he didn’t think that detail had been explored in Ms Segal’s report. “Of course there needs to be protection against racial vilification and hate speech, but there also has to be protection of the independence of institutions,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. “We are having discussions with (Ms Segal) to try and flesh it out, but it is really important to get that right.” Jillian Segal wants the government to scrap funding to bodies that fail to tackle anti-Semitism. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) Ms Segal’s report urges politicians to cut funding to universities, programs or academics that enable or fail to act against anti-Semitism. The Albanese government is considering its response. Mr Sivaraman called on Labor to commit to the “first of its kind” national anti-racism framework, handed down by the Australian Human Rights Commission in November. The “road map” contained 63 recommendations for proposed reforms across justice, health and media sectors. As the nation’s leaders call for conflicts abroad not to be “brought” to Australia amid the Israel-Gaza war, Mr Sivaraman said to ignore global conflicts dehumanised people affected at home. Ethnic groups are often targeted during points of rupture in society, Giridharan Sivaraman says. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) “Sometimes it’s because their family, friends and relatives that have been killed or hurt, or it’s because they can identify with the people that are being killed or hurt,” he said. “The issue is people say ‘don’t bring that with you … you can come here as long as you fit in’ and that’s how racism operates.” One way racism in Australia manifested was in the workplace, with job hunters with Anglo surnames more likely to get a call back for a gig, the commissioner said. People with qualifications from non-English speaking countries were more likely to be employed in jobs below their levels of experience, or in roles in different fields. Mr Sivaraman said Australia needed to confront the issue with “courage and honesty” and examine why racism keeps happening. The failed voice to parliament referendum led to increased discrimination of Indigenous Australians. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS) The issue needed investment as opposed to the ad hoc and disjointed approaches from past governments. The voice to parliament referendum in October 2023 had led to an increase in discrimination and prejudice against Indigenous people, he said. “There can be no racial justice in this country without justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and that is abundantly clear.” The commissioner said different ethnic groups were targeted in Australia during points of rupture in society. He pointed to the “bile” directed towards people of Asian heritage during the COVID-19 pandemic and, most recently, soaring levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment fuelled by the war in Gaza. The conflict in Gaza has sparked an increase in anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) The Australian Human Rights Commission will next week launch an online national survey asking university students and staff about their experiences of racism. The survey aimed to get a “baseline” of prejudice at the nation’s higher education institutions, Mr Sivaraman said. The questions would be distributed via email by universities and participants would remain anonymous.
Australia’s share market has topped 8800 points for the first time, as inflows into global miners and continued banking sector strength wiped investor worries about global growth. The S&P/ASX200 hit a record intraday peak of 8,848.8 points before settling at its highest-ever close of 8,841, up 71 points, or 0.81 per cent for the day. […]
Australia’s share market has topped 8800 points for the first time, as inflows into global miners and continued banking sector strength wiped investor worries about global growth. The S&P/ASX200 hit a record intraday peak of 8,848.8 points before settling at its highest-ever close of 8,841, up 71 points, or 0.81 per cent for the day. The broader All Ordinaries rose 78.3 points, or 0.87 per cent, also to a record-high close of 9,107.1, after hitting a peak of 9,115.4 during the session. Materials, energy and consumer discretionary stocks led 10 of 11 local sectors higher, while interest rate-sensitive segments such as financials, real estate and IT stocks surged on expectations of cheaper incoming borrowing costs in Australia and the United States. The Australian dollar is higher against most major currencies, buying 64.88 US cents, up from 64.60 US cents on Tuesday at 5pm.
Public pressure is rising to sanction Israel over war crimes in Gaza in the wake of the March for Humanity across Sydney Harbour Bridge. Stephanie Tran reports.
Public pressure is rising to sanction Israel over war crimes in Gaza in the wake of the March for Humanity across Sydney Harbour Bridge. Stephanie Tran reports. In one of the largest protest events in our nation’s history, hundreds of thousands of Australians marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge over the weekend. It was a striking show of public outrage at the government’s failure to take meaningful action to stop the genocide in Gaza. Yet despite the clear public support for decisive action, the Albanese government has done little beyond issuing statements. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has acknowledged that Israel is breaching international law by blocking food deliveries into the territory and joined 28 world leaders in calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza. However, Australia continues to supply key components for F‑35 fighter jets used by Israel and maintains lucrative defence contracts worth billions of dollars with Israeli arms manufacturers, including Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems. “Snuff videos as a sales pitch”. Rafael boasts of human testing in Gaza death camps Russia – a double standard on sanctions Australia has imposed more than 1,400 sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but just a dozen on Israel. The Greens argue that a Russia‑style sanctions regime targeting Israel would affect about $50 million in exports, around a third of Australia’s exports to Israel, but stress that broader measures would also be necessary. “For months now, the Albanese Government has been repeatedly told by international legal experts, human rights groups and millions of Australians that they need to sanction the Israeli Government and end the two‑way arms trade,” Greens Senator David Shoebridge said. “In the case of Russia, Australia has imposed harsh and appropriate sanctions that stop the export of weapons and other goods that support Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. In the case of Israel, you have the Foreign Minister trying to convince people that parts for fighter jets are ‘non‑lethal’ and the Prime Minister dismissing a comprehensive sanctions regime as a ‘slogan.’ The double‑speak is deeply troubling.” “International legal experts have made clear that even with these sanctions, more will likely need to be done to meet Australia’s obligations under international law. The test set down by the ICJ not engaging in any trade that entrenches the occupation” Calls for greater sanctions on Israel Following the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 ruling that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal, Australia imposed limited sanctions on seven Israeli settlers involved in violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. In June 2025, the government expanded sanctions to include Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben‑Gvir, and finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, for their incitement of violence against Palestinians. However, international law experts argue that a more comprehensive approach is needed, including trade sanctions, a full arms embargo, and the use of Australia’s Magnitsky sanctions regime against senior Israeli officials. Australia has the power to impose such measures under the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011, which gives the government authority to implement targeted financial, trade, and travel sanctions independently of the United Nations. In 2021, parliament strengthened these powers by adopting the Magnitsky‑style amendments, enabling Australia to impose sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for serious human rights abuses and corruption. According to international human rights lawyer Benedict Coyne, these laws have already been used against Russian officials following the invasion of Ukraine and should now be applied to senior Israeli leaders. “In 2022, Australia used the Magnitsky laws for the first time, sanctioning 39 Russian individuals accused of serious corruption and human rights abuses. Australia can and should impose Magnitsky sanctions on responsible Israeli government and military leaders, especially those who have espoused genocidal rhetoric.” Australia can and should impose immediate political, diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel. Coyne also suggests that trade restrictions should be imposed to ensure Australia is not complicit in the ongoing assault on Gaza. “Australia should refuse any trade from Israel and immediately halt all aid and export licences, including cancelling export licences for weapons, F‑35 fighter jet parts and any dual‑use components,” he said. Australia once led the way on sanctions During the 1980s campaign against apartheid South Africa, then Prime Minister Bob Hawke was instrumental in leading the Commonwealth in imposing financial sanctions against the regime. Hawke later reflected on the turning point, explaining: “Trade sanctions weren’t working so I had this concept that if we could boycott foreign investment in South Africa we could bring it to an end. The investment boycott was the dagger which finally immobilised apartheid.” Coyne highlighted this event as an example of Australia’s historic leadership on sanctions. “There is precedent for this. In the 1980s, Bob Hawke took a lead with the Commonwealth Heads of Government, even against Margaret Thatcher, who was not comfortable with imposing these sanctions against apartheid South Africa. And he won. Nelson Mandela later attributed those sanctions as a key factor in ending apartheid.” Red-Lines Package In addition to sanctions, there are calls to ensure Australia is not economically tied to acts of genocide or war crimes. Central to this push is the Red Lines Package, a set of three bills poised for reintroduction this year, potentially with broader cross‑bench support. The package will introduce critical legal safeguards to prevent businesses and the government from supporting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The package includes three bills: Bans on defence exports linked to genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity and due diligence requirements on the defence minister. A bill stopping the Future Fund and Australian charities from investing in businesses supporting illegal settlement activity. A bill requiring Australian government agencies, large companies and businesses involved in weapons manufacturing to disclose their supply chains, ensuring they don’t contribute to genocide. MWM understands that the bills are currently being reviewed and strengthened before being reintroduced. Australia’s Voice Senator Fatima Payman said the package was about giving parliament a moral compass, stating, Hopefully, the government builds up the moral courage to do what needs to be done. “We’ve been waiting two years and counting. What more do you need to see? We can’t just keep turning a blind eye to this anymore. The silence is deafening. There’s only so much people can take.” A legal obligation to act In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a “plausible genocide”. The ICJ’s finding is significant because it does not require proof of genocide beyond reasonable doubt but rather recognises that there is a serious risk of genocide occurring, a threshold that activates states’ obligations under international law. Multiple human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and prominent genocide scholars, have reached similar conclusions, warning that Israel’s indiscriminate targeting and deliberate starvation of the Palestinian population meet several indicators of genocidal intent. Australia is a signatory to the Genocide Convention, a treaty born from the atrocities of the Holocaust. Article I of the Convention obliges states not only to punish genocide after it occurs but to actively prevent it. This is known as the due diligence obligation; states must use all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide from happening. According to Rawan Arraf, Executive Director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, the ICJ ruling has practical consequences for Australia. “This ruling demands concrete steps Australia must take. The government must immediately review its economic ties to Israel and impose targeted sanctions. All defence industry partnerships must be suspended, and a two-way arms embargo imposed. This means the government must halt any export of arms and arms components to Israel, including exports being diverted through other countries. Any extant permits must be suspended.” Failing to take such steps risks Australia being complicit in grave breaches of international law. Why the reluctance? So why has the Albanese government resisted calls for a comprehensive sanctions regime? Shoebridge argues that Australia’s alliance with the US under the AUKUS agreement is a key factor. “When it comes to Australia’s international relations, especially Israel and Palestine, there is an elephant in the room, and it is called AUKUS,” he said. “A large part of AUKUS is to integrate Australia’s military and our industrial and research base with the US. Because of that, Albanese is not comfortable stopping the arms trade with Israel, worried about the US response. “Australians are looking for a win‑win solution here that has us cancel AUKUS and use that to take a meaningful step towards independence by ending the arms trade with Israel,” he said. “Unfortunately, Albanese and modern Labor have gone so far to the right on defence and so deep into Trump’s new America that they have lost touch with the public on this.” I hope the show of humanity on the Sydney Harbour Bridge can remind them who they represent. Nationwide protests planned after Harbour Bridge march
Australia will chart a “sensible, middle path” on regulating artificial intelligence, the treasurer says, as concerns grow over its impact on the future of work and the arts. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is hoping to use AI as a weapon in Labor’s second-term battle against languishing productivity after the Productivity Commission’s interim report determined it could […]
Australia will chart a “sensible, middle path” on regulating artificial intelligence, the treasurer says, as concerns grow over its impact on the future of work and the arts. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is hoping to use AI as a weapon in Labor’s second-term battle against languishing productivity after the Productivity Commission’s interim report determined it could transform the global economy and add more than $116 billion to Australia’s economic activity over the next decade. Aspirations for AI have long been dogged by concerns it could replace human jobs and draws data from dubious or potentially stolen sources. Jim Chalmers wants to ensure workers have the skills to adapt and take advantage of AI. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) But Dr Chalmers insists Australia can both wrangle the risks and reap the benefits of AI. “Our approach is a sensible, middle path,” he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. “I’m very conscious and attentive to the genuine concerns that workers can have about big changes in technology and it’s hard to imagine a bigger change in technology than this one. “Technological change typically creates more opportunities than it discards, but the nature of work is always evolving and always changing “We don’t want to see people necessarily put out of work – our job is to make sure that people have the skills they need to adapt and adopt this kind of technology.” The Productivity Commission urged Australia to hold off from imposing guardrails on high-risk AI and only introduce technology-specific regulations after amending the rules and frameworks already in place. “Poorly designed” regulation could stifle the adoption and development of AI, “limiting a potentially enormous growth opportunity”, Commissioner Stephen King said. The ACTU is concerned “tech bros” will reap all the benefits of AI, leaving workers out in the cold. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS) But the ACTU has accused the commission of taking a “knee-jerk” stance and selling out workers and industries. “The Productivity Commission’s only ambition for Australia’s digital future seems to be that we turn ourselves into a mini version of the United States where tech bros get all the benefits of the new technology, and productivity benefits are not fairly shared,” ACTU assistant secretary Joseph Mitchell said. A united front of Australian screen industry bodies including the Australian Writers’ Guild and the Australian Directors’ Guild has pushed back on the report, specifically its considerations on copyright. “A remuneration scheme is essential to maintaining the livelihoods of creators and authors to ensure they are fairly compensated for the exploitation of their work on AI platforms,” Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collection Society executive director Deb Jackson said. “Without this there is a significant threat to Australian creative innovation and economic growth in the creative sectors.” Greens senator David Shoebridge warned a hands-off approach to AI would “continue to rip off creators and spy on individuals” and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley echoed those concerns, calling on the government to protect Australian content. “We need a government that backs in our artists, our writers, our musicians and our unique and special Australian content,” Ms Ley told reporters. “We should embrace the technology with respect to AI, but we have to get the balance right.” Government is being urged to look at gaps in regulations before imposing AI-specific guardrails. (Rounak Amini/AAP PHOTOS) The federal government’s report published in September found AI can amplify biases, contribute to misinformation and disinformation, spread extremist content and create other new risks. Some business groups have supported the cautious recommendations on regulation, with the professional accounting body, CPA Australia, urging the government to help businesses adopt AI through incentives and educational programs. Dr Chalmers promised to listen to workers before an August economic roundtable on improving productivity to lift living standards.
More than 50,000 teachers across Queensland have gone on strike the largest action of its kind in 16 years. Mainstream media has framed it as a fight over pay. But the teachers we spoke to say it’s about something much deeper: violence in classrooms, crippling workloads, and a system that no longer values the people […]
More than 50,000 teachers across Queensland have gone on strike the largest action of its kind in 16 years. Mainstream media has framed it as a fight over pay. But the teachers we spoke to say it’s about something much deeper: violence in classrooms, crippling workloads, and a system that no longer values the people inside it. In this episode of The West Report, we cut through the spin. We spoke with “John,” a current Queensland public school teacher and former Head of Positive Behaviour for Learning, who shares what’s really happening inside schools. Story: https://michaelwest.com.au/not-just-about-pay-queensland-teachers-strike-a-plea-for-help/ Support Us here: https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au
Advocates call for the scrapping of an “unlawful, harsh and unfair” welfare scheme that wrongly cancelled income support payments to almost 1000 jobseekers. Payments were automatically terminated for 964 people under the federal government’s Targeted Compliance Framework between April 2022 and July 2024, despite laws introduced in the aftermath of the Robodebt Royal Commission. Decision-makers […]
Advocates call for the scrapping of an “unlawful, harsh and unfair” welfare scheme that wrongly cancelled income support payments to almost 1000 jobseekers. Payments were automatically terminated for 964 people under the federal government’s Targeted Compliance Framework between April 2022 and July 2024, despite laws introduced in the aftermath of the Robodebt Royal Commission. Decision-makers were previously forced to cancel or reduce payments when jobseekers persistently failed to meet obligations such as completing job applications and attending interviews. The legislation passed in 2022 required a human decision-maker to consider a welfare recipient’s circumstances before deciding if their income support payments should be altered. But the Commonwealth Ombudsman found the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Services Australia failed to take adequate steps to ensure the Targeted Compliance Framework worked in accordance with the amendments. It came as nothing of a shock to the Australian Council of Social Service, whose CEO Cassandra Goldie said had been calling for its scrapping due to such fears since 2018. “(We said) if it was implemented it would be harsh, it would be brutal, and it would crush people who were subjected to it,” she said. “The ombudsman report finds exactly that is what has happened.” The Robodebt Scheme led to many welfare recipients being wrongly accused of owing money. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) The federal government watchdog said failure to exercise a discretion about cancelling an income support posed “significant, if not catastrophic” consequences for vulnerable jobseekers. It also found government agencies had failed to take every step required to safeguard jobseekers and were aware of the risks involved in automating income support decision-making. The Employment and Workplace Relations department was also deemed to have taken “too long to act”. It took Employment and Workplace Relations ten months to pause after being alerted to problems. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS) It was made aware of the issue in September 2023, but the department secretary did not pause decisions to cancel income support until ten months later in July 2024. Even after the decision to halt payment cancellations, a further 45 jobseekers received automatic terminations when they should not have. The ombudsman made seven recommendations, including processes to ensure lawful decisions and addressing the inappropriate use of automated decision-making. Procedures will be strengthened to ensure any payment cancellations are lawful, the department says. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations accepted the ombudsman’s recommendation not to resume cancellations until the errors have been rectified and fix decision-making issues. “We are actively working to improve our governance processes, ensuring legal, policy and operational considerations are integrated into our system,” department secretary Natalie James said in a letter to the ombudsman. Services Australia has also accepted many of the recommendations and has committed to staff training and strengthening procedures to ensure cancellations are lawful. The Antipoverty Centre has called on the government to immediately stop all Centrelink payment penalties and permanently remove the Targeted Compliance Framework, while welcoming the report as a “step towards justice”.
Asian shares slipped along with Wall Street on Wednesday, after weak US data highlighted the damage tariffs were having on economic activity and earnings, while the dollar struggled with the drag from lower bond yields. US services sector activity unexpectedly flatlined in July, data showed on Tuesday. Employment further weakened and input costs climbed by […]
Asian shares slipped along with Wall Street on Wednesday, after weak US data highlighted the damage tariffs were having on economic activity and earnings, while the dollar struggled with the drag from lower bond yields. US services sector activity unexpectedly flatlined in July, data showed on Tuesday. Employment further weakened and input costs climbed by the most in nearly three years, underscoring the impact from President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. Second-quarter earnings results also revealed pressure from Trump’s tariff wars. Taco Bell parent Yum Brands missed expectations as steep trade duties dent consumer spending, while Caterpillar warned that US tariffs would cost it up to $US1.5 billion ($A2.3 billion) this year. “It paints a picture of a stagflationary dynamic, which although still far from truly coming to fruition, raises the risk of a toxic mix of rising joblessness and prices as tariffs filter through the US economy,” said Kyle Rodda, senior analyst at Capital.com. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.2 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei eked out a small 0.2 per cent gain. Both Chinese blue chips and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were flat. Nasdaq futures fell 0.3 per cent and S&P 500 futures eased 0.1 per cent. Trump on Tuesday said it would announce tariffs on semiconductors and chips in the next week or so, while the US would initially impose a “small tariff” on pharmaceutical imports before increasing it substantially in a year or two. He also said the US was close to a trade deal with China and that he would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before the end of the year if an agreement was struck. However, he threatened to further raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases. In currency markets, the dollar consolidated after sliding from two-month highs last Friday on a weak jobs report that had markets price in a near-certain chance of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September. The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six counterparts, was flat at 98.821 and was up 0.1 per cent this week after Friday’s 1.4 per cent fall. Fed funds futures imply a 94 per cent chance of a rate cut next month, with at least two cuts priced in for this year, according to the CME’s FedWatch. Investors are waiting for Trump’s pick to fill a coming vacancy on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. Trump said the decision will be made soon, while ruling out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as a contender to replace current chief Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May 2026. Treasury yields edged up overnight after a $US58 billion ($A90 billion) auction of three-year notes went poorly, but still hovered near multi-month lows. More supply will hit the market this week with $US42 billion ($A65 billion) in 10-year notes on Wednesday and $US25 billion ($A39 billion) in 30-year bonds on Thursday. Two-year Treasury yields rose 1 basis point to 3.7284 per cent, having risen 3.5 bps overnight, while benchmark 10-year yields ticked up 2 bps to 4.2198 per cent, after holding steady overnight. In commodity markets, oil prices edged up after four straight sessions of declines. US crude rose 0.2 per cent to $US65.3 ($A100.8) per barrel, while Brent was at a one-month low of $US67.78 ($A104.63) per barrel, up 0.1 per cent. Trump said on Tuesday he will decide on whether to sanction countries who purchase Russian oil after a meeting with Russian officials scheduled for Wednesday. Spot gold prices were flat at $US3,381 ($A5,219) an ounce.
Lithium heavy hitters Liontown and PLS have talked up the potential of working together to solve the price volatility that has smashed miners in recent years. Liontown managing director Tony Ottaviano and PLS chief Dale Henderson both expressed support for a joint effort to come up with a more mature price mechanism that would shield […]
Lithium heavy hitters Liontown and PLS have talked up the potential of working together to solve the price volatility that has smashed miners in recent years. Liontown managing director Tony Ottaviano and PLS chief Dale Henderson both expressed support for a joint effort to come up with a more mature price mechanism that would shield them from Chinese market manipulation of the price of the battery metal. Speaking at the annual Diggers and Dealers mining forum in Kalgoorlie on Tuesday, Mr Henderson said the lithium industry was still nascent and lacked the market trading structures in more mature sectors like iron in coal. Australian lithium producers have been contending with oversupply from China in recent years. (AP PHOTO) “So where that ultimately goes, I think, is probably the major participants of the industry pulling together to help resolve that,” he said. The lithium market lacks a well-developed futures trading market, meaning prices are mainly determined via opaque private contracts. Developing a spot trading platform would increase liquidity and price transparency, helping iron out the wild price swings the market has suffered in recent years, Mr Henderson hoped. Fellow lithium giant Mineral Resources has previously called for a spot trading market to boost transparency. Mr Ottaviano said he was in favour of whatever it took to see a transparent and stable lithium price. “I’m very much encouraged by what Dale says,” he said. “You cannot have a price like lithium on Friday go up $60 a ton, on Monday drop $60 a ton, or in the last three months drop 30 per cent. “How do you respond? It’s very difficult to turn a ship in such a rapid time.” The rapid market turnaround had driven Liontown down 70 per cent in two years, while PLS was two-thirds lower over the same period. Dale Henderson says it’s hard to tell if the lithium price has bottomed out. (Marion Rae/AAP PHOTOS) But after oversupply caused the price of lithium-rich spodumene to plummet about 90 per cent from its 2023 peak, the commodity has recently stabilised. China was beginning to crack down on its supply glut to protect the sustainability of its own industry, Mr Ottaviano posited. “We’re starting to see government policy to move private enterprise and state-owned enterprises away from this maniacal push for capacity at the detriment of economics,” he said. Mr Henderson said it was hard to determine whether the lithium price had bottomed out. “It’s hard to call given what we’ve seen in the market historically, with a disconnect to the fundamentals,” he said. The pair saw further upside for demand, through a pick-up in the use of robots and home batteries, with Mr Ottaviano predicting demand could catch up with supply in as little as one year.
Two identical Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, one month apart. Two radically different disclosure outcomes. What’s the Scam? The scam lies in how a process intended to support government transparency is fundamentally flawed, with outcomes dependent on who is asking and when. In May, someone (let’s call her ‘Jane Doe’) made an FOI request to […]
Two identical Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, one month apart. Two radically different disclosure outcomes. What’s the Scam? The scam lies in how a process intended to support government transparency is fundamentally flawed, with outcomes dependent on who is asking and when. In May, someone (let’s call her ‘Jane Doe’) made an FOI request to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) for the decision brief provided to Environment Minister Murray Watt in relation to the North West Shelf gas project extension. In June, your correspondent made an FOI request to Minister Watt’s office for the decision brief received from DCCEEW in relation to the North West Shelf gas project extension. Same query, same document, different outcomes. Why the difference? Perhaps one month makes all the difference. Perhaps the departmental official who decided Jane Doe’s request was more ‘disclosure timid’ than the Minister’s chief of staff, who decided Rex Patrick’s request. Or, perhaps the Minister’s office knows that Rex Patrick won’t tolerate ‘secrecy for the sake of secrecy’ and will appeal dodgy decisions. And they are correct, I’m not satisfied with the release and will be appealing the Minister’s office decision to the Information Commissioner. Should my appeal be upheld, both Jane and the public will benefit, too. Delay, deny, defend. The FOI process is broken
Coral cover on parts of the Great Barrier Reef has crashed by as much as a third from record high levels following a global mass bleaching event. The heat-vulnerable tropical ecosystem off the coast of Queensland has experienced its sharpest decline in hard coral prevalence in four decades, with a 2024 spike in ocean temperatures […]
Coral cover on parts of the Great Barrier Reef has crashed by as much as a third from record high levels following a global mass bleaching event. The heat-vulnerable tropical ecosystem off the coast of Queensland has experienced its sharpest decline in hard coral prevalence in four decades, with a 2024 spike in ocean temperatures largely to blame. The Australian Institute of Marine Science’s latest survey does not capture the most recent bleaching event confirmed earlier in 2025 that struck the Great Barrier Reef as well as ecosystems off the Western Australian coastline. Researchers monitoring coral coverage are concerned about successive heat events. (HANDOUT/AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE) Report co-author Daniela Ceccarelli was concerned about the growing prevalence of bleaching events. “These back-to-back events were previously completely unheard of,” Dr Ceccarelli told AAP. Heat stress events in quick succession were worrying given the emerging dominance of “fast to grow and first to go” Acropora coral species. Capable of bouncing back quickly after a destructive event when given more space to expand, the fast-growing varieties were largely responsible for the previous survey’s record-high coral coverage rates. The colourful coverage of coral when viewed from above belie problems with species which dominate. (HANDOUT/AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE) Dr Ceccarelli likened the fast-growing corals to grasses and bushes that shoot up first after a bushfire. “And if you were to fly over, you’d go ‘it’s nice and green, it’s great’,” she explained. “But the trees are not there yet.” With heat stress events coming too often for hardier, slow-growing corals to get a foothold, Dr Ceccarelli warned such cycles of crash and rapid recovery were becoming more common. “The question is, how long can this go on before we reach a low from which recovery is not possible? “We don’t know that, but it’s worrying we aren’t getting a lot of time between heatwaves anymore.” Coral can recover from bleaching but it can be fatal if severe enough. (HANDOUT/AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE) Particularly sensitive to heat stress, corals expel the algae living in their tissues when water is too warm, causing the coral to turn completely white. Coral can recover from bleaching but it is a sign of stress and can kill the organisms if severe enough. Cyclones and crown-of-thorn starfish outbreaks also contribute to reef damage, but AIMS said climate change-fuelled ocean warming drove much of the 2024 coral coverage decline. The entire tropical ecosystem recorded falls in coral coverage – an internationally-recognised indicator of reef health – but declines were sharpest in the south. Coverage fell by nearly a third in the southern region, from 38.9 per cent to 26.9 per cent. Marine experts fear corals may not adapt to and recover from the impacts of climate change. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS) North of Cooktown, coverage fell by roughly a quarter. In the central region, hard corals shrunk nearly 14 per cent. Even with those sharp declines, when coming from such a high base, overall coverage is now hovering around long-run averages. AIMS chief executive officer Selina Stead said ocean warming caused by climate change was clearly impacting coral reefs. “The future of the world’s coral reefs relies on strong greenhouse gas emissions reduction, management of local and regional pressures, and development of approaches to help reefs adapt to and recover from the impacts of climate,” Professor Stead said.
Adding new housing projects to Australia’s already swollen pipeline has been likened to turning the “tap on a bath that is already full”, as analysis shows faster approvals are no silver bullet in fixing the nation’s crisis. Data from property research firm Cotality shows approvals could move higher in the coming months due to rezoning […]
Adding new housing projects to Australia’s already swollen pipeline has been likened to turning the “tap on a bath that is already full”, as analysis shows faster approvals are no silver bullet in fixing the nation’s crisis. Data from property research firm Cotality shows approvals could move higher in the coming months due to rezoning reforms and incentives for new builds coinciding with falling interest rates. But rather than fix the shortage of homes, it could cause a problem for the construction industry by adding new projects to an already long list. “It’s like turning up the tap on a bath that is already full,” said the analysis from head of research Eliza Owen. Limits on residential construction are the major bottleneck, according to fresh research analysis. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) It found delivery to be the problem, not approvals, with 219,000 homes under construction and completion times ballooning. “The real bottleneck lies in the build phase, not planning reform,” the analysis said. The federal government’s goal to build 1.2 million new homes in five years, adopted in August 2023, is thought of as unachievable by the industry. “With completion times already above average, and construction costs elevated, it seems an odd time to be incentivising more dwelling approvals and commencements to the backlog of work to be done,” the report stated. Ahead of the Albanese government’s national productivity summit later this month, the report calls for a move away from demand stimulation to sustainable delivery. “Making homes faster and cheaper to build, while still maintaining quality, resilient homes is the key challenge for policymakers to focus on right now,” the report reads. A report calls on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to move away from stimulating demand. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) Labor’s massive election win has prompted union bosses to call for the government to revisit potential changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions. But proposals to scale back the tax deduction is tricky for the government, after Labor took reforms for negative gearing to the 2019 federal election and lost. Negative gearing allows investors to claim deductions on losses and the capital gains tax discount halves the tax paid by Australians who sell assets owned for 12 months or more. The analysis says if governments are serious about delivering on the housing target, they “must focus on building capacity, lifting productivity, and ensuring every approved home actually gets built”.
The United States’ suspension of live cattle imports from Mexico hit at the worst possible time for rancher Martín Ibarra Vargas, who after two years of severe drought had hoped to put his family on better footing selling his calves across the northern border. Like his father and grandfather before him, Ibarra Vargas has raised […]
The United States’ suspension of live cattle imports from Mexico hit at the worst possible time for rancher Martín Ibarra Vargas, who after two years of severe drought had hoped to put his family on better footing selling his calves across the northern border. Like his father and grandfather before him, Ibarra Vargas has raised cattle on the parched soil of Sonora, the state in northwestern Mexico that shares a long border with the US. His family has faced punishing droughts before,, but is now facing a new scourge: the New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite. US agriculture officials halted live cattle crossing the border in July – the third suspension of the past eight months — due to concerns about the flesh-eating maggot which has been found in southern Mexico and is creeping north. The US plans to breed billions of sterile flies and release them in Mexico and southern Texas. (AP PHOTO) The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters animals’ skin, causing severe damage and lesions that can be fatal. Infected animals are a serious threat to herds. The US Department of Agriculture calls it a “devastating pest” and said in June that it poses a threat to “our livestock industry, our economy, and our food supply chain”. It has embarked on other steps to keep it out of the United States, which eradicated it decades ago. As part of its strategy, the US is preparing to breed billions of sterile flies and release them in Mexico and southern Texas. The aim is for the sterile males to mate with females in the wild who then produce no offspring. The US ban on live cattle also applies to horses and bison imports. It hit a ranching sector already weakened by drought and specifically a cattle export business that generated $US1.2 billion ($A1.9 billion) for Mexico last year. This year, Mexican ranchers have exported fewer than 200,000 head of cattle, which is less than half what they historically send in the same period. For Ibarra Vargas, considered a comparatively small rancher by Sonora’s beef-centric standards, the inability to send his calves across the border has made him rethink everything. The repeated bans on Mexican cows by US authorities have pushed his family to branch into beekeeping, raising sheep and selling cow milk. What he earns is just a fraction of what he earned by exporting live cattle, but he is trying to hold on through the lean times. “Tiempos de vacas flacas” — times of the lean cows — as he calls them. At least it lets us continue ranching, the 57-year-old said with a white cowboy hat perched on his head. Even as ranchers in Sonora intensify their efforts to make sure the parasitic fly never makes it into their state, they’ve had to seek new markets. In the past two months, they’ve sold more than 35,000 mature cows within Mexico at a significant loss. “We couldn’t wait any longer,” said Juan Carlos Ochoa, president of the Sonora Regional Cattle Union. Those sales, he said, came at a “35 per cent lower price difference compared with the export value of a cow”. That’s hard to stomach when beef prices in the US are rising. Earlier this week, the Agriculture and Livestock Committee held a hearing on the New World Screwworm, which is migrating north through Mexico. They will inflict tens of millions of dollars in damage to Texas livestock and wildlife if they aren’t dealt with immediately.… pic.twitter.com/UVqJeID7tC — Rep. Brent Money (@BrentMoneyTX) July 24, 2025 The US first suspended cattle imports last November. Since then, more than 2258 cases of screwworm have been identified in Mexico. Treatment requires a mix of manually removing the maggots, healing the lesions on the cows and using anti-parasite medicine. Some ranchers have also started retail beef sales through luxury butcher shops referred to as “meat boutiques”. There are other foreign markets, for example, Japan, but selling vacuum-sealed steaks across the Pacific is a dramatically different business than driving calves to US feedlots. The switch is not easy. With his calves mooing as they ran from one end of a small corral to the other, waiting to be fed, Ibarra Vargas said he still hasn’t figured out how he will survive an extended period of not being able to send them to the US. The recent two-year drought reduced his cattle stocks and forced him to take on debt to save the small family ranch that has survived for three generations. Juan Carlos Anaya, director of Agricultural Markets Consulting Group, attributed a two per cent drop in Mexico’s cattle inventory last year to the drought. Anaya said Mexican ranchers who export are trying to get the US to separate what happens in southern Mexico from the cattle exporting states in the north, where stricter health and sanitation measures are taken, “but the damage is already done”. “We’re running out of time,” said Ibarra Vargas, who laments that his children are not interested in carrying on the family business. For a rancher who “doesn’t have a market or money to continue feeding his calves, it’s a question of time before he says: “you know what, this is as far as I go”.
Australia’s race discrimination commissioner rejects the notion of “casual racism”, warning prejudice is having a significant cost on the economy. “It’s much more than skin deep, it can really scar you in on your soul,” Giridharan Sivaraman told AAP. “It’s in every aspect of our society.” The commissioner said one way this manifested was in […]
Australia’s race discrimination commissioner rejects the notion of “casual racism”, warning prejudice is having a significant cost on the economy. “It’s much more than skin deep, it can really scar you in on your soul,” Giridharan Sivaraman told AAP. “It’s in every aspect of our society.” The commissioner said one way this manifested was in the workplace, with job hunters with Anglo-friendly names more likely to get a call back for a gig. Giridharan Sivaraman says racism is in “every aspect of our society”. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) People with qualifications from non-English speaking countries were more likely to be employed in jobs below their levels of experience, or in roles in entirely different fields. In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr Sivaraman will say Australia is at a “critical time” where a whole-of-government approach is needed to tackle racism. He will call on Labor to commit to the national anti-racism framework, handed down by the Australian Human Rights Commission last November. “It’s the racism that’s in our systems and institutions, it’s stopping people from being able to thrive or simply be safe,” he said ahead of his address. “Taking action against racism doesn’t take anything from any person. It actually improves society for everyone.” The failed voice to parliament referendum led to increased discrimination of Indigenous Australians. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS) The commissioner said Australia needed to face the issue with “courage and honesty” as to why this keeps happening. “There needs to be fundamental change … that’s the real conversation that we should all be having,” he said. Mr Sivaraman said the issue needed investment as opposed to the ad hoc and disjointed approaches from past governments. The voice to parliament referendum, held in October 2023, had led to an increase in discrimination and prejudice against Indigenous people, he added. “There can be no racial justice in this country without justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and that is abundantly clear,” Mr Sivaraman said. The commissioner said different ethnic groups could also be targeted in Australia during points of rupture in society. The conflict in Gaza has sparked soaring levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Palastinian sentiment. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) He pointed to the “bile” that was directed towards people of Asian heritage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently, soaring levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment fuelled by the war in Gaza. The Australian Human Rights Commission will next week launch an online survey to ask university students and staff across the nation about experiences of racism. Mr Sivaraman said this would be done to get a “baseline” of prejudice at the nation’s higher education institutions. The survey will be distributed via email by universities and participants will remain anonymous.
Australia is urged to hold off imposing guardrails on high-risk artificial intelligence as the technology could offer a solution to the nation’s withered productivity. AI has been touted as a tool that could transform the global economy and is expected to add more than $116 billion to Australia’s economic activity over the next decade, according […]
Australia is urged to hold off imposing guardrails on high-risk artificial intelligence as the technology could offer a solution to the nation’s withered productivity. AI has been touted as a tool that could transform the global economy and is expected to add more than $116 billion to Australia’s economic activity over the next decade, according to the Productivity Commission’s interim report. While the independent advisory body to the federal government acknowledged the risks that accompany AI, it also warns “poorly designed” regulation could stifle its adoption and development as well as limit its benefits, fuelling calls for the government to only introduce technology-specific regulations as a last resort. Guardrails are proposed with Australia’s regulatory system deemed unfit for the risks posed by AI. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) “Adding economy-wide regulations that specifically target AI could see Australia fall behind the curve, limiting a potentially enormous growth opportunity,” Commissioner Stephen King said. “Like any new technology, AI comes with risks, but we can address many of these risks by refining and amending the rules and frameworks we already have in place.” The federal government’s consultations on AI found Australia’s regulatory system was not fit to respond to the risks it posed, prompting the Commonwealth to seek responses on 10 proposed, mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI, which are aimed at reducing the likelihood of harms from its development and deployment. AI can amplify biases, contribute to misinformation and disinformation, spread extremist content and create other new risks, the government’s report found. Others have also raised concerns about the significant amount of water and energy needed to run generative AI. Government is urged to look at gaps in existing regulation before imposing AI-specific guardrails. (Rounak Amini/AAP PHOTOS) But the Productivity Commission believes the suggested guardrails should only be applied when harms cannot be mitigated by existing regulatory frameworks or in cases where “technology-neutral” regulation is not possible. Until the government has completed reviews into the gaps posed by AI to existing regulatory structures, “steps to mandate the guardrails should be paused”. AI is expected to be a key concern at Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ economic roundtable on productivity, which convenes later in August. “The impact of AI on our economy is uncertain, but there are good reasons to be optimistic,” he said. “We can deploy artificial intelligence in a way consistent with our values if we treat it as an enabler not an enemy, by listening to and empowering workers to adapt and augment their work.”
The US trade deficit narrowed in June on a sharp drop in consumer goods imports, the latest evidence of the imprint on global commerce that President Donald Trump is making with sweeping tariffs on imported goods. The overall trade gap narrowed 16.0 per cent in June to $US60.2 billion ($A93.1 billion), the Commerce Department’s Bureau […]
The US trade deficit narrowed in June on a sharp drop in consumer goods imports, the latest evidence of the imprint on global commerce that President Donald Trump is making with sweeping tariffs on imported goods. The overall trade gap narrowed 16.0 per cent in June to $US60.2 billion ($A93.1 billion), the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Tuesday. Days after reporting that the goods trade deficit tumbled 10.8 per cent to its lowest since September 2023, the government said the full deficit including services also was its narrowest since September 2023. Exports of goods and services totalled $US277.3 billion ($A429.0 billion), down from more than $US278 billion ($A430 billion) in May, while total imports were $US337.5 billion ($A522.1 billion), down from $US350.3 billion ($A541.9 billion). Trump issued a bevy of notices informing trading partners of higher import taxes on their goods. (AP PHOTO) The diminished trade deficit contributed heavily to the rebound in US gross domestic product during the second quarter, reported last week, reversing a drag in the first quarter when imports had surged as consumers and businesses front-loaded purchases to beat the imposition of Trump’s tariffs. The economy in the second quarter expanded at a 3.0 per cent annualised rate after contracting at a 0.5 per cent rate in the first three months of the year, but the headline figure masked underlying indications that activity was weakening. Last week, Trump, ahead of a self-imposed deadline of August 1, issued a barrage of notices informing scores of trading partners of higher import taxes set to be imposed on their goods exports to the US. With tariff rates ranging from 10 per cent to 41 per cent on imports to the US set to kick in on August 7, the Budget Lab at Yale now estimates the average overall US tariff rate has shot up to 18.3 per cent, the highest since 1934, from between two per cent and three per cent before Trump returned to the White House in January.
Queensland Teachers Union's members go on strike today. Crushing workloads, school violence, and the teacher exodus are high on their list of grievances.
Queensland Teachers Union’s members go on strike today. Crushing workloads, school violence, and the teacher exodus are high on their list of grievances. Joshua Barnett with the story. When more than 36,000 Queensland teachers voted to strike for the first time in 16 years, they weren’t just focused thinking about how their salary compared to supermarket workers. Nevertheless, Murdoch media framed it as a dispute over “greedy teachers’ pay,” with the Courier-Mail and News.com.au reducing the strike to a numbers game. “How do their salaries compare?” asked one headline, stacking teachers next to nurses, traffic controllers, and hairdressers, as if the issue were jealousy, not job viability. The media use averages from Glassdoor, an unreliable resource for salary averages, and the insinuation that ‘teachers already have it good. ‘ This tactic inflates wages and omits working conditions, misshaping public perception. Courier-Mail headline For the teachers, however, it is also about violence in schools, crushing workloads, and teachers walking away from a profession they love, not because of pay, but because of burnout and a broken system. Pay is just one single factor among a litany of poor working conditions, including school violence, staff shortages, teachers being hospitalised after assaults, or inadequate mental health support. Youth crime crisis There is a notable disconnect between the political and media focus on Queensland’s so-called “youth crime wave” and the lack of attention paid to school-based violence. The Courier-Mail has dedicated an entire homepage to youth crime coverage, and the issue was central to the LNP’s state election campaign. Yet the same young people, when in classrooms, are part of an escalating pattern of aggression towards teachers, a concern raised repeatedly by the QTU. Despite this, school violence remains largely absent from mainstream reporting, creating a gap between political messaging and the lived reality inside Queensland’s public schools. Even legal experts have questioned the evidence for the alleged crime wave, calling the crackdown “draconian” and lacking statistical foundation. MWM spoke to a former Head of Positive Behaviour for Learning Teacher in Queensland, who said: “I was often physically and verbally assaulted by students, often multiple times a day or week. In high school, the students will often swear or make disrespectful comments about your appearance and the way you act. They also actively seek out your social media and try to add your accounts to get dirt on your life and then share it around. And then the is the fear of contacting home regarding issues at home. The amount of times i have been abused over the phone for calling home for support or to inform the parent of their childs behaviour. Often told ‘what are you going to do about your teacher to help my child’.” Spotlight on youth as sun sets on Garma Festival start Union demands According to the Queensland Teachers’ Union, the upcoming strike is not solely about pay, but about addressing a broader set of workforce and systemic challenges facing state schools. Key priorities include: Addressing the teacher shortage, which the union describes as critical and ongoing; Improving retention of experienced staff, citing concerns over burnout and high attrition; Establishing safer workplaces, in response to an increase in occupational violence and aggression; Reducing excessive workloads, including unpaid overtime regularly undertaken by teachers; Achieving competitive salaries, with the union arguing that current offers will see Queensland fall behind other states; Ensuring resourcing commitments are formalised, rather than left to discretionary or operational decisions. The QTU argues that the government’s proposed agreement, which includes an 8% increase over three years, does not adequately address these issues. Union officials maintain that without substantive changes, challenges in recruitment, retention, and school safety will likely continue. Union President Cresta Richardson stated that the goal is to “deliver the resources and education standards Queensland students deserve,” while General Secretary Kate Ruttiman noted that the current approach, does little to address the teacher shortage crisis or ensure safe workplaces. Since February, the Queensland Teachers’ Union and the Department of Education have held 17 negotiation meetings. Two formal offers have been presented by the department, both of which were rejected the second by more than 250 elected union delegates. Following the impasse, the department referred the matter to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation. The department has indicated that some issues raised by the union fall outside the scope of enterprise bargaining and should be addressed operationally, rather than through the certified agreement. Conciliation is ongoing, and further outcomes will depend on the Commission’s assessment and the willingness of both parties to reach an agreement. The QLD Minister for Education, John-Paul Langbroek, told ABC Radio, “I know remuneration is important, but conditions as well, and that’s why we are working on conciliation with the teachers’ union and will continue to do so. Even the government acknowledges the challenges facing educators. And while teachers want to know why they are managing overcrowded classrooms with no support, the Courier-Mail wants you to know how teacher salaries stack up against tradies. The King’s School headmaster controversy deepens as boy is ‘clipped over the ear’