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Major driver's licence change for Victorian drivers

A major drivers licence change has been implemented in Victoria. Up to 800,000 learner and provisional drivers in the state will soon have electronic access to their licence in a bid to make "it easier for them to go about their lives". They join the 1.2 million motorists in the state who already have the capability to access their licence digitally, a feature that was only introduced in Victoria in May this year. While the digital licences are optional, the state government said that feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive. Like other digital licences, it features a highly secure, timed QR code" that can be scanned by businesses and other authorities to verify authenticity and prevent fraudulent use. Victoria Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said the initiative aims to simplify life for young drivers in the state. "We’ve seen more than 1.2 million Victorians access their licence on their phones since we launched this technology in May, and I’m sure we’ll continue to see a strong take up from our younger drivers," she said. The licences can also be updated in real-time if there are changes to conditions, personal information or if a licence has been cancelled or suspended. The state government is also working with venues to ensure licences are compatible with major scanning technology making it easier for both customers and venues across Victoria. Image: Shutterstock

Legal

Victorian plane crash victims identified

Three young men have been killed after a light plane crash in eastern Victoria at around 5.45pm on Saturday. Pilot Luke Smith, 20, his younger brother Ben Smith, 16, and their cousin Dustin Daly, 15, were on board the plane when it crashed into a paddock and burst into flames at Tinamba West in east Gippsland. They were only 15 minutes into the flight, which took off from West Sale airport, when the tragic incident occurred. The plane was reportedly seen circling several times, with witnesses saying they heard a strange sound coming from the aircraft in the moments before the crash. “From accounts that I’ve seen, there may have been circling or manoeuvring to resolve that issue or to try to find somewhere to land and unfortunately, that has happened,” Aviation Projects managing director Keith Tonkin said. Luke Smith has held a pilot licence since 2022 and was also an instructor. His aviation consultant and flying instructor Lorraine MacGillivray has paid tribute to the three young men. “They were all absolutely delightful human beings, and so this is a terrible loss,” MacGillivray said. “The conversations I had with him, he was diligent and he was committed and he was passionate about his flying,” MacGillivray said. “He was also a flight instructor.” The brothers were also heavily involved in the Tongala football and cricket clubs, who have since offered counselling to the grieving regional community. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the crash, with a team of investigators specialising aircraft operations and maintenance looking into what happened. The ATSB described the plane as "amateur-built light aircraft" and will examine the wreckage, interview witnesses and comb through flight tracking data to try and determine what went wrong. “We’ll start looking at the records of the plane itself, and maintenance records and pilot qualifications and the actual tasking or the nature of the flight itself,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said. Witnesses who saw the incident or anyone who has photos or videos of the plane have been asked to come forward. Images: 7News

Caring

"Disgraceful": Government red tape causes funeral to be cancelled

A local council has cancelled a funeral just 24 hours before it was set to take place due to government red tape. Ever since Shellharbour local Judy passed away, her brother Ron had been working hard to give her a decent send off. However, less than one day before her planned funeral, the Shellharbour Council cancelled the service over an unpaid burial fee. Ron had been liaising with two government agencies to get payment to council for the burial, which <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/sydney-council-cancels-funeral-after-government-fails-to-pay-burial-fee-on-time/60cfa883-6a45-4ff7-badd-1a2e4c52b6aa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a> said was a matter of one government organisation waiting for a simple sign off from another government agency. Confirmation of the payment came through just one day after the funeral should have gone ahead. Ron was left heartbroken over the cancellation and said the council was "very disrespectful" in their dealings, and said he is owed an apology. "Disgraceful in fact. Low-life mongrels to do that to any family in this sort of situation," Ron told ACA. He says the most devastating part was calling family one by one, including Judy's intellectually disabled son, to deliver the news, as he recalled, "He was in tears. I had to get his support worker over just to calm him down." Shellharbour City Council told A Current Affair via email it was "unable to grant interment rights which are legally required before a burial because the fee hadn't been paid". They went on to say in a statement, "Shellharbour City Council acknowledges the complexity of the burial process and apologises for the hurt the family has experienced." Image credits: A Current Affair

Legal

"People are losing faith": Nat Barr takes aim at Albanese government

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his record on economic management as the Labor party's primary vote continues to slip in the polls against Peter Dutton ahead of next year's election. This week's Newspoll shows that Labor's primary vote has slumped to 31 per cent, the lowest it has been since the 2022 election, while the Coalition remains steady at 38 per cent. On Thursday, Sunrise host Nat Barr told the Prime Minister that while on her way to the studio she had spoken to a Labor-voting taxi driver who said he was "losing faith" in Albanese's leadership, as things were "too expensive". “This is your biggest problem, people like this cabby are losing faith. How do you respond to that?” Barr asked Albanese. Albanese defended his choices by pointing out that ABS figures released on Wednesday showed annual inflation rates at 2.7 per cent in August, down from 3.5 per cent in July, and the lowest it has been since August 2021. “Cost-of-living pressures are real, but that’s why we have engaged with responsible economic management in order to bring inflation down whilst we have been delivering cost-of-living relief,” he said. “Yesterday’s figures show the headline inflation is down from 3.5 to 2.7 (per cent), it is a good outcome. “There’s more work to be done, but we’ve done that whilst we have delivered a tax cut for that cabby who would have got nothing under the previous scheme.” Albanese added that energy bill relief, cheaper childcare, and fee-free TAFE places were also making a difference to cost-of-living pressures. However, Barr hit back and said that the cost-of-living measures such as the energy rebate were “artificial” as the rebate would end. “The RBA has said, this does not mean that inflation is under control. The power rebate is going to end and that’s keeping it at one level at the moment, that’s why they look at underlying inflation — they take out volatile stuff,” Barr said. “So, what do you say about inflation still being at this level?” she asked. “What I say is if you exclude volatile, the figures released yesterday, which are known as month-by-month, but they’re year-to-year … that figure is down from 3.7 down to 3 (per cent). That’s a remarkable drop,” Albanese responded. “The Reserve Bank Australia’s target band is 2 to 3 (per cent). Every single one of the figures yesterday that were released, whether it was headline, excluding volatile, mean, all of them saw significant drops in inflation. “Inflation is half what we inherited and one-third of where it peaked …That is in part because of the back-to-back budget surpluses that we have delivered that in part is, yes, energy bill relief, but also what we’ve done in cheaper childcare, fee-free TAFE, the deliberate policy design to help people whilst putting that downward pressure on inflation,” he said. Image: Sunrise

What the government’s home care changes mean for ageing Australians

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tracy-comans-696663">Tracy Comans</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frances-batchelor-2209350">Frances Batchelor</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> The Albanese government has this week announced it will introduce one of the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-anika-wells-mp/media/once-in-a-generation-aged-care-reforms">largest reforms</a> to Australia’s aged-care sector to date. The package includes a A$4.3 billion investment in home care, now called “<a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home">Support at Home</a>”, to come into effect from July 2025. This reflects both the desire of many people to remain living at home as they age, and the government’s desire to reduce the costs of residential aged care. So what changes is the government making to home care packages? And what will these changes mean for ageing Australians? <h2>Reducing waiting times</h2> One of the major complaints about the current home care system is the long waiting times. Estimates suggest there’s a <a href="https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/getmedia/447b425c-63d6-4b96-a1fc-4dac805066ba/Home-Care-Packages-Program-data-report-1-January-%E2%80%93-31-March-2024">6–to-12-month wait</a> for the higher level 3 and 4 home care packages. For people with the highest needs, this is far too long. As of March this year, around <a href="https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/getmedia/447b425c-63d6-4b96-a1fc-4dac805066ba/Home-Care-Packages-Program-data-report-1-January-%E2%80%93-31-March-2024">45,000 people</a> were waiting for any level of home care. An additional 14,000 were already receiving a package, but on a lower level of home care than they were entitled to. With additional funding, the new system will <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-anika-wells-mp/media/once-in-a-generation-aged-care-reforms">support more participants</a>. It aims to shorten wait times to <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/support-at-home-fact-sheet.pdf">an average of three months</a> from July 2027. <h2>Changes to services</h2> The new system will replace the current four levels of home care packages with <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-anika-wells-mp/media/once-in-a-generation-aged-care-reforms">eight classifications</a> of funding for services. When participants are assessed, they will be assigned the most suitable category. There’s currently very limited information on what these classifications are, but the idea is they will provide more targeted services. A number of short-term supports will also be available. These include assistive technology (such as mobility aids) and home modifications. Some people will be able to access 12 weeks of restorative care – a more intensive program designed to build function after injury or illness – as well as palliative care support. The way different types of services are subsidised is also changing. Previously, the same means-tested co-contribution applied regardless of the type of service. Under the new system, services are categorised into clinical care (for example, physiotherapy or wound care), independence (such as help with bathing or cooking) and everyday living (for example, gardening or home maintenance). The new reforms fully subsidise clinical services regardless of income, whereas independence and everyday living services will attract co-contributions based on means testing. For example, <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/case-studies-support-at-home.pdf">a self-funded retiree</a> would pay nothing out of pocket for physiotherapy, but would pay 50% for help with showering and 80% towards gardening costs. A full pensioner would also pay nothing for physiotherapy, but pay 5% for help with showering and 17.5% of the cost of gardening. This is a positive change. Our research has previously highlighted a tendency for people with home care packages to choose everyday living services <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2023/4157055">such as gardening</a> and cleaning and refuse clinical care such as allied health and nursing as these types of services were more expensive. These changes should make older people more likely to choose allied health and clinical care services, which will help them maintain their function and stay fitter for longer. <h2>Some challenges</h2> For the government’s reforms to deliver faster and better support at home, a number of issues need to be addressed. As people stay at home for longer, we also see that these <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/52/5/afad058/7147101">people are frailer</a> and have more health conditions than in the past. This requires a different and more highly skilled home care workforce. The current <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/10/2020-aged-care-workforce-census.pdf">home care workforce</a> consists largely of personal care and domestic support workers alongside a much smaller skilled workforce of registered nurses and allied health professionals. But with the changing profile of people receiving care at home, there will need to be a greater focus on maintaining functional capacity. This might mean more allied health input will be required, such as from physiotherapists and occupational therapists. It’s difficult to source an appropriately skilled workforce across the sector, and almost impossible in <a href="https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/publications/fact-sheet-allied-health.pdf">rural and remote areas</a>. Alternative models, such as training personal care workers to act as allied health assistants, and effectively using technology such as telehealth, will be necessary to meet demand without compromising on quality of care. One example of the need for upskilling in specific areas relates to caring for people with dementia. The majority of people who are living with dementia at home receive care from family carers, supported by home care workers. It’s vital that these care workers have adequate knowledge and skills specific to dementia. However, research has shown the home care workforce may <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31646701/">lack the knowledge and skills</a> to provide best-practice care for people living with dementia. Specialised <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gps.6140">dementia training</a> for home care workers is effective in improving knowledge, attitudes and sense of competence in providing care. It should be rolled out across the sector. <h2>What about unpaid care at home?</h2> Unpaid carers, such as family members, provide <a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/resources/draft-national-strategy-care-and-support-economy/goal-1-quality-care-and-support/support-for-informal-carers">significant amounts of care</a> for older people. The value of this unpaid care is estimated to be in the billions. As older people stay at home for longer, this is set to increase even further. However, carers with high care burdens are particularly vulnerable to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827316300283#s0025">poor physical and mental health</a>. Without adequate support, we may find extra caring pressures lead to a breakdown in caring relationships and an increase in other health-care costs for both the carer and care recipient. So we need to ensure carers have adequate financial, psychological and practical support. But the currently available detail on the reforms doesn’t indicate this has been adequately addressed. With careful implementation and ongoing evaluation, these reforms have the potential to significantly enhance the home care system. However, their success will depend on addressing workforce challenges, ensuring adequate support for unpaid carers, and maintaining a focus on the holistic needs of older Australians. More information about Support at Home is <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/about">available online</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238890/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tracy-comans-696663">Tracy Comans</a>, Executive Director, National Ageing Research Institute; Professor, Centre for Health Services Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frances-batchelor-2209350">Frances Batchelor</a>, Director Clinical Gerontology & Senior Principal Research Fellow, National Ageing Research Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-governments-home-care-changes-mean-for-ageing-australians-238890">original article</a>. </div>

Legal

Even after the government’s aviation crackdown, Australia will lag behind on flyers’ rights

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-douglas-2932">Ian Douglas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> When it comes to consumer protections for airline passengers, Australia has long been dragging its feet. The limited protections we do have rely heavily on the general <a href="https://consumer.gov.au/index.php/australian-consumer-law">Australian Consumer Law</a>. The “consumer guarantees” provided in this law only require services to be delivered in the arguably vague framework of a “reasonable time”. That might be okay if we’re just getting a sofa delivered from a furniture retailer. The cost of a late delivery is low. But these guarantees were not tailored to the unique impacts delayed or cancelled flights can have on travellers. Australia’s lack of aviation-specific protections has long been a severe <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Airlines%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20Report.pdf">pain point</a> for flyers, only heightened by pandemic disruption. The government’s much-awaited <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/aviation-white-paper">Aviation White Paper</a>, released in full on Monday, promised to address this issue. At the heart of the reforms, Australia will get a new aviation ombud scheme, and a new charter of customer rights for passengers. The recognition that new protections are needed is a step in the right direction. But this once-in-a-generation white paper missed the chance to achieve far more, by moving Australia to the style of consumer protection that have now been offered for 20 years in <a href="https://www.airhelp.com/en-int/ec-regulation-261-2004/">Europe</a>. <h2>Why is air travel unique?</h2> Airline customers have a reasonable expectation of arriving at their destination, at (or close to) the time published by the airline in its schedule at the time the reservation was paid and ticketed. If this can’t be achieved, they should at least arrive at some amended time that was advised far enough in advance to allow related reservations and bookings to be adjusted. Air travel has to be punctual because it doesn’t have any substitutes. On even a modest deadline, driving from Perth or even Sydney to Melbourne, for example, is not a comparable option. And a passenger’s options to adapt their travel plans diminish as the departure date approaches. In the final days before travel, hotel cancellation deadlines pass and alternative connecting flight options sell out or spike in price. In some cases, travelling to a specific event can become pointless for a passenger if a delay is lengthy enough. <h2>Australia is playing catch-up</h2> In contrast with Australia, aviation-specific protections have long existed in many other developed economies. In the European Union (EU), for example, <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM%3Al24173">regulations</a> make clear that airlines have specific obligations and responsibilities in the event of delays, cancellations and denied boardings. This includes the <a href="https://www.airhelp.com/en-int/ec-regulation-261-2004/">right to compensation</a> of up to €600 (A$988). These protections and the levels of compensation payable for failure to meet specified requirements for different kinds of flights are comprehensively legislated. Canada has a <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-150/index.html">slightly different approach</a> – smaller regional carriers have different obligations to mainline operators. But as with the European regulation, it imposes an obligation to get the passenger to the ticketed destination, or to refund the ticket if the journey has become pointless. The absence of such legislated protections in Australia means we typically have to rely on the goodwill of the airline when things go wrong. <h2>Real action has been delayed</h2> The centrepiece proposal of the <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/aviation-white-paper">white paper</a> is to create a new ombud scheme with “the power to direct airlines and airports to provide remedies to consumers and investigate customer complaints about airlines’ and airports’ conduct”. This will replace the existing <a href="https://www.airlinecustomeradvocate.com.au/General/Default.aspx">Airline Customer Advocate</a>. A new charter of customer rights, to be produced by the scheme, will aim to give flyers “greater certainty about what they can expect when flights are cancelled and delayed” and require airlines to be more transparent about their performance. The white paper noted the poor on-time performance of Australian carriers. It also pointed out that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Airlines%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20Report.pdf">identified</a> problems with consumer protections for air travel in Australia as far back as 2017. But its proposals offer no real quantifiable or enforceable improvements to consumer rights. Despite the well-established models in comparable countries – many of which have <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-australia-had-an-aviation-ombudsman-passengers-could-get-compensation-for-cancelled-flights-235679">followed the EU’s lead</a> – Australians will need to wait for yet another discussion process to be complete before they see what protections may eventually be introduced. The government’s white paper has largely just kicked the can down the road. At a minimum, passengers on Australian carriers deserve the assurances given to those travelling in and from Europe: in the event of a cancellation or long delay, that they will be transported to their destination on an alternative flight as quickly as possible. They should also be given appropriate meals and accommodation until they can make this onward journey, receive compensation for lengthy delays, and have the option to return home with a full refund if their travel has become pointless.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237469/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-douglas-2932">Ian Douglas</a>, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-after-the-governments-aviation-crackdown-australia-will-lag-behind-on-flyers-rights-237469">original article</a>. </div>

Domestic Travel

Victorian mother jailed for forced marriage that ended in daughter's murder

In a landmark case, a Victorian mother, Sakina Muhammad Jan, has become the first person in Australia to be jailed under forced marriage laws. Jan was sentenced to three years in prison, with a minimum of 12 months to be served, for coercing her daughter, Ruqia Haidari, into marrying a man who later murdered her. The case unfolded in Melbourne's County Court, where Jan was surrounded by emotional family and community members. Jan, an Afghan Hazara refugee, had arranged for her daughter to marry Mohammad Ali Halimi, a match brokered by a local Islamic community member in Shepparton. Despite Haidari's reluctance, Jan pressured her into a full marriage after initial dowry arrangements of $14,000 had been made. Haidari then relocated to Perth with her new husband, Halimi. Six weeks later, she was brutally murdered, her throat slashed with a kitchen knife. Halimi was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment by a Western Australian court. Judge Fran Dalziel, who presided over Jan's case, noted that Haidari had expressed her desire not to marry, preferring instead to pursue education and work. However, Jan had insisted, telling her daughter (according to Judge Dalziel): “Are you my mother or am I your mother? I can make decisions for you ... Do you think it is up to you? No matter what, you need to listen to me; your mother.” Jan's lawyers argued that she believed she was acting in her daughter's best interests, reflecting her own experiences of being married at a young age without formal education. Nonetheless, Judge Dalziel condemned Jan's actions, stating that she had "abused" her maternal power and made it clear that forced marriage is illegal and carries significant consequences for perpetrators. “It must be made clear to everyone in our country that forced marriage is against the law,” she said. “You abused your power as her mother to override her desire to not marry Mr Halimi.” After the sentencing, Jan had an emotional outburst, refusing to accept the judge's decision or sign a recognisance release order, which would have allowed her to serve two years of her sentence in the community under certain good-behaviour conditions. The courtroom scene escalated, requiring additional security and paramedics when another woman collapsed during the proceedings. This case marks the first known conviction under Australia's forced marriage laws, which were introduced in 2013. Authorities have noted an increase in such cases, particularly involving young women and girls. Images: Australian Federal Police \ 9News \ ABC News

Legal

Government launches new campaign to tackle elder abuse

The federal government has launched a new campaign to tackle elder abuse. According to the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study, one in six older Australians experienced abuse last year, with 61 per cent of victims not seeking for help or advice. The Albanese government will spend $4.8 million on the campaign which includes a series of commercials. Council on the Ageing Australia chief executive Patricia Sparrow said the organisation believed cases were under reported. "That's why we think it's incredibly important to raise this awareness," Sparrow said. "It mostly comes from someone they know, which makes it very difficult for older people to report it or know what to do." Labor senator Jenny McAllister told Sky News: "This is something that the community needs to start thinking about. It's a scourge. "We need to eliminate it and the right place to start is with conversations with people we know and care about." "If you're feeling a little uncertain, if you think something is wrong and you're an older Australian you should speak up about it," she added. With an ageing population, it's important to raise awareness that elder abuse is not just physical violence, but emotional, financial and psychological abuse too. The commercials will run on TV, online and at medical clinics from July 28 and they aim to encourage older people to open up about the poor treatment they receive, including from their children and grandchildren. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will formally announce the campaign at the National Elder Abuse Conference in Adelaide on Monday. He said that elder abuse was a shameful and often hidden form of cruelty and mistreatment. "It is ugly, it is unacceptable and it must be eliminated," he said. "It is critical that we continue to work together as a community to promote the rights and safety of older people, and ensure that everyone is able to age with dignity and respect." Images: Nine

Legal

Australians lose $5,200 a minute to scammers. There’s a simple thing the government could do to reduce this. Why won’t they?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-martin-682709">Peter Martin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work? That’s how it looks when it comes to <a href="https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams">scams</a>, which are attempts to trick us out of our funds, usually by getting us to hand over our identities or bank details or transfer funds. Last year we lost an astonishing <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/scam-losses-decline-but-more-work-to-do-as-australians-lose-27-billion">A$2.74 billion</a> to scammers. That’s more than $5,200 per minute – and that’s only the scams we know about from the 601,000 Australians who made reports. Many more would have kept quiet. If the theft of $5,200 per minute seems over the odds for a country Australia’s size, a comparison with the United Kingdom suggests you are right. In 2022, people in the UK lost <a href="https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/system/files/2023-05/Annual%20Fraud%20Report%202023_0.pdf">£2,300</a> per minute, which is about A$4,400. The UK has two and a half times Australia’s population. It’s as if international scammers, using SMS, phone calls, fake invoices and fake web addresses are targeting Australia, because in other places it’s harder. If we want to cut Australians’ losses, it’s time to look at rules about to come into force in the UK. <h2>Scams up 320% since 2020</h2> The current federal government is doing a lot – almost everything it could. Within a year of taking office, it set up the <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/national-anti-scam-centre">National Anti-Scam Centre</a>, which coordinates intelligence. Just this week, the centre reported that figure of $2.74 billion, which is down 13% on 2022, but up 50% on 2021 and 320% on 2020. It’s planning “<a href="https://treasury.gov.au/consultation/c2023-464732">mandatory industry codes</a>” for banks, telecommunication providers and digital platforms. But the code it is proposing for banks, set out in a <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/c2023-464732-cp.pdf">consultation paper</a> late last year, is weak when compared to overseas. <h2>Banks are the gatekeepers</h2> Banks matter, because they are nearly always the means by which the money is transferred. Cryptocurrency is now much less used after the banks agreed to limit payments to high risk exchanges. Here’s an example of the role played by banks. A woman the Consumer Action Law Centre is calling <a href="https://consumeraction.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Joint-submission-CALC-CHOICE-ACCAN-31012024-Scams-Mandatory-code-treasury-consultA.pdf">Amelia</a> tried to sell a breast pump on Gumtree. The buyer asked for her bank card number and a one-time PIN and used the code to whisk out $9,100, which was sent overseas. The bank wouldn’t help because she had provided the one-time PIN. Here’s another. A woman the Competition and Consumer Commission is calling <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Targeting%20scams%202022.pdf">Niamh</a> was contacted by someone using the National Australia Bank’s SMS ID. Niamh was told her account was compromised and talked through how to transfer $300,000 to a “secure” account. After she had done it, the scammer told her it was a scam, laughed and said “we are in Brisbane, come find me”. <h2>How bank rules protect scammers</h2> And one more example. Former University of Melbourne academic <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377766055_Scams_Blaming_the_Victims">Kim Sawyer</a> (that’s his real name, he is prepared to go public) clicked on an ad for “St George Capital” displaying the dragon logo of St. George Bank. He was called back by a man using the name of a real St. George employee, who persuaded him to transfer funds from accounts at the AMP, Citibank and Macquarie to accounts he was told would be in his and his wife’s name at Westpac, ANZ, the Commonwealth and Bendigo Banks. They lost <a href="https://www.afr.com/wealth/personal-finance/i-lost-2-5m-of-my-super-to-scammers-20240423-p5flzp">$2.5 million</a>. Sawyer says none of the banks – those that sent the funds or those that received them – would help him. Some cited “<a href="https://www.choice.com.au/money/financial-planning-and-investing/stock-market-investing/articles/st-george-capital-investment-scam">privacy</a>” reasons. The Consumer Action Law Centre says the banks that transfer the scammed funds routinely tell their customers “it’s nothing to do with us, you transferred the money, we can’t help you”. The banks receiving the funds routinely say “you’re not our customer, we can’t help you”. That’s here. Not in the UK. <h2>UK bank customers get a better deal</h2> In Australia in 2022, only <a href="https://download.asic.gov.au/media/mbhoz0pc/rep761-published-20-april-2023.pdf">13%</a> of attempted scam payments were stopped by banks before they took place. Once scammed, only 2% to 5% of losses (depending on the bank) were reimbursed or compensated. In <a href="https://www.psr.org.uk/information-for-consumers/app-fraud-performance-data/">the UK</a>, the top four banks pay out 49% to 73%. And they are about to pay out much more. From October 2024, reimbursement will be compulsory. Where authorised fast payments are made “because of deception by fraudsters”, the banks will have to reimburse <a href="https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/investigation-fraud-and-risk/app-fraud-uk">the lot</a>. Normally the bills will be split <a href="https://www.psr.org.uk/news-and-updates/latest-news/news/psr-confirms-new-requirements-for-app-fraud-reimbursement/">50:50</a> between the bank transferring the funds and the bank receiving them. Unless there’s a need for further investigations, the payments must be made within five days. The <a href="https://www.psr.org.uk/media/as3a0xan/sr1-consumer-standard-of-caution-guidance-dec-2023.pdf">only exceptions</a> are where the consumer seeking reimbursement has acted fraudulently or with gross negligence. The idea behind the change – pushed through by the Conservative government now led by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – is that if scams are the banks’ problem, if they are costing them millions at a time, they’ll stop them. <a href="https://www.thepost.co.nz/business/350197309/banks-given-fraud-ultimatum">New Zealand</a> is looking at doing the same thing, <a href="https://www.biocatch.com/blog/mas-shared-responsibility-fraud-losses">as is Singapore</a>. But here, the treasury’s discussion paper on its mandatory codes mentions reimbursement <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/c2023-464732-cp.pdf">only once</a>. That’s when it talks about what’s happening in the UK. Neither treasury nor the relevant federal minister is proposing it here. <h2>Australia’s approach is softer</h2> Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones is in charge of Australia’s rules. Asked why he wasn’t pushing for compulsory reimbursement here, Jones said on Monday <a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/stephen-jones-2022/transcripts/interview-mark-gibson-abc-perth">prevention was better</a>. <blockquote> I think a simplistic approach of just saying, ‘Oh, well, if any loss, if anyone incurs a loss, then the bank always pay’, won’t work. It’ll just make Australia a honeypot for these international crime gangs, because they’ll say, well, ‘Let’s, you know, focus all of our activity on Australia because it’s a victimless crime if banks always pay’. </blockquote> Telling banks to pay would certainly focus the minds of the banks, in the way they are about to be focused in the UK. The <a href="https://www.ausbanking.org.au/submissions/">Australian Banking Association</a> hasn’t published its submission to the treasury review, but the <a href="https://consumeraction.org.au/scams-mandatory-industry-codes-consultation-paper/">Consumer Action Law Centre</a> has. It says if banks had to reimburse money lost, they’d have more of a reason to keep it safe. In the UK, they are about to find out. If Jones is right, it might be about to become a honeypot for scammers. If he is wrong, his government will leave Australia even further behind when it comes to scams – leaving us thousands more dollars behind per day.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/228867/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-martin-682709">Peter Martin</a>, Visiting Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-lose-5-200-a-minute-to-scammers-theres-a-simple-thing-the-government-could-do-to-reduce-this-why-wont-they-228867">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Victorian man rides lawn mower for 800km to speak to the PM

You know the saying: mow big or mow home. And one man risked it all in hopes of scoring a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. In an incredible 11-day journey Warren "Woz" Acott made the 800km journey from Central Victoria to Canberra to try and speak with the Prime Minister about motor neurone disease (MND). He left his home in Toolleen in Central Victoria on March 11, with no guarantee that anyone was going to meet him at the end of his journey. But his efforts have been fruitful, because by the time he arrived in Canberra this morning, he had a booking with the PM. "I've shuffled my schedule around to fit him in. I'd better go see him," Woz joked when he was told he had a meeting with the PM Albanese met met Woz in the Prime Minister's courtyard, and a crowd of families affected by MND were also waiting outside parliament to welcome Woz. "I'm overwhelmed. But it's not about me. It's about MND and the families and the carers and everybody else," Woz told A Current Affair. Woz, who lives with MND, wants the condition to be added to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS). This is because NNDSS conditions "a threat to public health in Australia" and are given additional funding for research." "We'll give consideration to all these things. You're a champion, mate," Albanese said. "It's all over my head. I mean, I'm a truck driver at the end of the day. But I know that if (MND is added to the NNDSS), it's more trackable, more funding, and everything else," Woz said. Robyn Sneddon, who lost her husband Ian to MND, praised Woz for his effort. "The effort he has made has been incredible. He is just a champion," she told A Current Affair. "I'm very proud of him," Snedden added. Images: A Current Affair

Caring

Iconic Victorian Sphinx Hotel up for sale

The iconic Sphinx hotel is in Geelong, Victoria is up for sale for the first time in over 50 years. The Ramia family, who built a 14m-high replica sphinx on the roof of their pub, are looking to sell their property after 53 years of ownership. “We’ve got to the stage where we all want to do our own thing and it’s quite a large family,” George Ramia, the owner of the hotel said. “We’re up to nearly 53 years here and I think we’re getting a bit tired. “I started work here when I was about 14. I recall those days I wasn’t allowed in the pub but I used to do all the beer lines. “Johnny O’Keeffe used to play a lot and he always asked me to play pool, and I was a pretty good player because it’s all I was allowed to do.” Ramia who started working at the former Golf View Hotel when he was 14, saw the venue change throughout the decades from a home for live music to a bistro and recently renovated sports bar. He also saw the venue grow in popularity, after a period of financial difficulties, when the pub was remodelled with the 14m-high Sphinx on the roof, completed with Egyptian-style motifs including hieroglyphics and even a mock gold pharaoh’s tomb in the 1990s. The pub continues to host live bands and events, including the Geelong Elvis Festival. The Sphinx Hotel is positioned on a 15,000sq m freehold land parcel, with 16-rooms of various configurations, with approvals in place to develop a further 24 rooms. It also features 67 electronic gambling machines, multiple bar areas and function rooms, an outdoor beer garden, a TAB and a recently renovated sports bar. The sale of the property also include the drive-through bottle shop and a licence capacity for 1010 patrons. The hotel is available as either a new long-term lease or a freehold going concern, which is currently being managed by CBRE Hotels’ senior director Scott Callow. “Geelong’s Sphinx Hotel presents a compelling investment opportunity in the thriving gaming and entertainment industry,” the CBRE Hotels’ senior director said. “We anticipate strong interest from a range of investment segments seeking to gain a significant foothold in Victoria’s tightly held gaming market.” Images: Sphinx Hotel / Facebook

Real Estate

South Australian Government's sprinkles ban sparks outrage

New guidelines for school canteens in South Australia have sparked outrage for "taking all the enjoyment away from children". Sprinkles of any kind, including 100s and 1000s - which are an essential ingredient for the iconic fairy bread - have been categorised as “red 2", meaning that they “should not be promoted or encouraged in schools on any occasion”. The ban comes after processed meats including ham would be limited at canteens in Western Australia, with similar restrictions now in place for South Australian canteens. Processed meats fall into the “red 1” or “amber” categories in South Australia, which means that products featuring them would be limited depending on nutritional criteria. These restrictions mean that children will no longer be able to regularly enjoy Australian staples like ham and cheese toasties and fairy bread at school. “Why are they taking all the enjoyment away from children?” one person told 7News. Dieticians have also questioned the decision, saying that it might only cause further problems in the future. “All your brain wants to do is eat that food, and eventually, you can restrict it for a little bit, until you get to that point where you just give in, you want to eat it, and then you binge,” dietitian Mattea Palombo said. Another expert suggested changing the foods we associate with good times. “Celebration foods aren’t so much about the foods that we have at the time of the celebration, but the friends and family we have around at the time of celebrating,” dietitian Dr Evangeline Mantzioris said. “So I think we probably need to balance it out a bit, so healthy foods are available at those celebrations.” Although the changes impact canteens, parents are still free to pack whatever they want in their kids' lunchboxes. Images: Getty

Food & Wine

Stage 3 stacks up: the rejigged tax cuts help fight bracket creep and boost middle and upper-middle households

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-phillips-98866">Ben Phillips</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> The winners and losers from the Albanese government’s <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/tax-cuts-government-fact-sheet.pdf">rejig</a> of this year’s Stage 3 tax cuts have already been well documented. From July 1 every taxpayer will get a tax cut. Most, the 11 million taxpayers earning up to A$146,486, will also pay less tax than they would have under the earlier version of Stage 3, some getting a tax cut <a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-tax-plan-will-give-average-earner-1500-tax-cut-more-than-double-morrisons-stage-3-221875">twice as big</a>. A much smaller number, 1.8 million, will get a smaller tax cut than they would have under the original scheme, although their cuts will still be big. The highest earners will get cuts of $4,529 instead of $9,075. But many of us live in households where income is shared and many households don’t pay tax because the people in them don’t earn enough or are on benefits. The Australian National University’s <a href="https://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/policymod">PolicyMod</a> model is able to work out the impacts at the household level, including the impact on households in which members are on benefits or don’t earn enough to pay tax. <h2>More winners than losers in every broad income group</h2> We’ve divided Australian households into five equal-size groups ranked by income, from lowest to lower-middle to middle to upper-middle to high. Our modelling finds that, just as is the case for individuals, many more households will be better off with the changes to Stage 3 than would have been better off with Stage 3 as it was, although the difference isn’t as extreme. Overall, 58% of households will be better off with the reworked Stage 3 than they would have under the original and 11% will be worse off. Importantly, there remain 31% who will be neither better off nor worse off, because they don’t pay personal income tax. <hr /> <iframe id="0CWXE" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0CWXE/4/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> But it is different for different types of households. In the lowest-earning fifth of households, far more are better off (13.5%) than worse off (0.2%) with the overwhelming bulk neither better nor worse off (86.3%). <hr /> <iframe id="KC5zy" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/KC5zy/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> In the highest-earning fifth of households, while more than half are better off (54.4%), a very substantial proportion are worse off (42.3%). Very few (only 3.1%) are neither better nor worse off. <hr /> <iframe id="WSkSL" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WSkSL/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>But high-earning households go backwards on average</h2> In dollar terms, the top-earning fifth of households loses money while every group gains. That’s because although there are more winners than losers among the highest-earning fifth of households, the losers lose more money. The biggest dollar gains go to middle and upper-middle income households with middle-income households ahead, on average, by $988 per year and upper-middle income households by $1,102. The highest-income households are worse off by an average of $837 per year. As a percentage of income, middle-income households gain the most with a 1% increase in disposable income. Lowest income households gain very little, while the highest-income households go backwards by 0.3%. <hr /> <iframe id="kAPmC" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kAPmC/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>The rejig does a better job of fighting bracket creep</h2> And we’ve found something else. The original version of the Stage 3 tax cuts was advertised as a measure to overcome <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2-main-arguments-against-redesigning-the-stage-3-tax-cuts-are-wrong-heres-why-221975">bracket creep</a>, which is what happens when a greater proportion of taxpayers’ income gets pushed into higher tax brackets as incomes climb. We have found it wouldn’t have done it for most of the income groups, leaving all but the highest-earning group paying more tax after the change in mid-2024 than it used to in 2018. The rejigged version of Stage 3 should compensate for bracket creep better, leaving the top two groups paying less than they did in 2018 and compensating the bottom three better than the original Stage 3. <hr /> <iframe id="YG0cT" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/YG0cT/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> Not too much should be made of the increase in tax rates in the lowest income group between 2018 ad 2024 because some of it reflects stronger income growth. We find that overall, the redesigned Stage 3 does a better job of offsetting bracket creep than the original. It is also better targeted to middle and upper-middle income households. Having said that, the average benefit in dollar terms isn’t big. At about $1,000 per year for middle and upper-middle income households and costing the budget about what the original Stage 3 tax cuts would have cost, its inflationary impact compared to the original looks modest.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221851/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-phillips-98866">Ben Phillips</a>, Associate Professor, Centre for Social Research and Methods, Director, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stage-3-stacks-up-the-rejigged-tax-cuts-help-fight-bracket-creep-and-boost-middle-and-upper-middle-households-221851">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

"What gives?" Victorian MP slams "photoshopped" image

A Victorian MP has slammed Channel Nine for airing a "photoshopped" image of her, in which her outfit was made more "revealing" and her breasts were "enlarged". Georgie Purcell, an MP for the Animal Justice Party, was featured on Nine News on Monday night during a segment about duck hunting, with the network using a promotional image of the MP for the TV package. However, Ms Purcell claims the major news work altered the photo, and took to social media to share a side by side comparison of the original image and the one Nine aired. “I endured a lot yesterday. But having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card,” she wrote alongside the images. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I endured a lot yesterday. But having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card. Note the enlarged boobs and outfit to be made more revealing. Can’t imagine this happening to a male MP. What gives? <a href="https://t.co/NhnkDRMidc">pic.twitter.com/NhnkDRMidc</a> — Georgie Purcell (@georgievpurcell) <a href="https://twitter.com/georgievpurcell/status/1752088649527853107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2024</a></blockquote> “Note the enlarged boobs and outfit to be made more revealing," she added, pointing out that her white top had been altered to look like a crop top, showing off her midriff. “Can’t imagine this happening to a male MP. What gives?” In a second tweet, Purcell pointed out her stomach has been tattooed since 2020 and the photoshopped image did not show any tattoos, despite her outfit being changed to show her stomach. On Tuesday, a statement was issued from Nine News Melbourne news director Hugh Nailon apologising for the “graphic error”. “Our graphics department sourced an online image of Georgie to use in our story on duck hunting,” he said. “As is common practice, the image was resized to fit our specs. During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original. “This did not meet the high editorial standards we have and for that we apologise to Ms Purcell unreservedly.” Purcell told 7News that she only realised her image had been photoshopped when she watched Nine’s bulletin. “I noticed because my stomach didn’t have a tattoo on it. So I found the original photo and noticed not only had they given me abs and the crop top, but they’ve enlarged my breasts as well,” she said. “Seeing your own body altered on TV on the big screen is very confronting and I hope lessons are learnt from it." “This has affected me in some way and it could affect other women even more and it should never happen again.” Image credits: X (Twitter) <p class="css-1n6q21n-StyledParagraph e4e0a020" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; line-height: 25px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-family: HeyWow, Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; caret-color: #292a33; color: #292a33;">

Body

How a secret plan 50 years ago changed Australia’s economy forever, in just one night

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-millmow-4462">Alex Millmow</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/federation-university-australia-780">Federation University Australia</a> At a time when governments are timid, keener to announce <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/productivity/report">reviews</a> than decisions, it’s refreshing to remember what happened 50 years ago today – on July 18 1973. Inflation had surged to <a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/vu9by/">14%</a>. Australia’s biggest customer, the United Kingdom, had joined the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/1/newsid_2459000/2459167.stm">European Economic Community</a>, agreeing to buy products from it rather than Australia. And the newly formed Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries had <a href="https://advisor.visualcapitalist.com/historical-oil-prices/">doubled</a> the price of oil. The tariffs imposed on imported goods to protect Australian manufacturers from competition were extraordinarily high. For clothing, they reached <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/textile-clothing-footwear-1997/59tcf2.pdf">55%</a>; for motor vehicles, <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&context=commwkpapers">45%</a>. Then, with absolutely <a href="http://andrewleigh.org/pdf/Trade%20liberalisation%20and%20the%20ALP.pdf">no</a> public indication he had been considering anything as drastic, at 7pm on Wednesday July 18, the recently elected prime minister Gough Whitlam made an <a href="https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/original/00002971_0.pdf">announcement</a>. <h2>Every tariff cut by one quarter overnight</h2> From midnight, all tariffs would be cut by 25%. As Whitlam put it: “each tariff will be reduced by one quarter of what it is now”. <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> If Australian businesses (and the Australian public) were caught by surprise, it was because Whitlam had planned the whole thing in secret. He had given a six-person committee just three weeks to work out the details. Although the committee was chaired by the head of the Tariff Board, Alf Rattigan, and included an official from Whitlam’s own department, the department of industry and the department of trade, it met in an obscure location in Canberra’s civic centre rather than in public service offices, where the project might be discovered. Not included in the committee was a representative of the treasury, which its then deputy head John Stone said “<a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2744/Stone__The_Inside_Story_of_Gough%E2%80%99s_Tariff_Cut__in_The_Australian__18_July_2003..pdf">knew nothing</a>” about what was unfolding. But driving the work of the committee were two academic outsiders – Fred Gruen, an economics professor at the Australian National University and adviser to Whitlam, and Brian Brogan, an economics lecturer at Monash University who was advising the trade minister, Jim Cairns. <h2>Outsiders, not treasury insiders</h2> As economists rather than bureaucrats, Gruen and Brogan were able to see benefits where others saw entrenched interests. Going to the tariff board and asking for extra tariffs, whenever it looked as if your prices might be undercut by imports, had become a reflex action for Australian businesses. In the words of <a href="https://esavic.org.au/385/images/2013_GaryBanks.pdf">Gary Banks</a> – later to become head of the successor to the tariff board, the Productivity Commission: “it was not a shameful thing for a conga line of industrialists to be seen wending its way to Canberra”. Tariffs were good for business owners, although bad for their customers, who had to pay much higher prices and often got <a href="https://www.afr.com/opinion/bill-scales-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-australian-car-manufacturing-industry-20171018-gz3ky4">worse goods</a>. They were also good for government – bringing in tax revenue. Whitlam was more interested in bringing down inflation. His announcement said increased competition would "have a salutary effect upon those who have taken advantage of shortages by unjustified price increases which have exploited the public". Any firm seriously hurt by the extra imports could apply to a newly established tribunal for assistance, but the tribunal "should not provide relief as a matter of course – that is, simply because the question of relief had been referred to it". So Whitlam offered “rationalisation assistance” to encourage firms to refocus their operations, and “compensation for closure” where that couldn’t be done and production had to cease. For displaced workers, the 7pm announcement offered anyone who lost their job retraining, as well as "a weekly amount equal to his [sic] average wage in the previous six months until he obtains or is found suitable alternative employment." Over the next seven years, manufacturing employment fell by <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/report_136_CHAPTER_6_WEB_FA.pdf">80,000</a>, but few of those job losses were immediate. Fifteen months after the 25% tariff cut, fewer than <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20634782?seq=10">6,000</a> people had claimed the wage replacement offered on the night of the announcement. When Whitlam went to the polls a year after the cut in the double dissolution election of May 1974, 122 university economists signed an <a href="https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-3267">open letter</a> of support. The letter said the general thrust of the government’s policy responses had been in the best interests of the nation as a whole, and added, "more importantly, we seriously doubt that the previous government would have had the wisdom or the courage to undertake it. It had certainly given no indication of moving in that direction while it was in power, even though the need for such policies had become obvious". In its later days in office, the Whitlam government was roundly criticised for its irresponsible public spending. Ironically, in its approach to tariffs in the 1970s, it had taken the first steps in a neoliberal direction that characterised western governments of the 1980s. By acting boldly after decades of inaction, Whitlam showed what a government could do. It was a lesson his Labor successor Bob Hawke took to heart a decade later, when he floated the dollar, revamped Australia’s tax system and put in place a series of further cuts that reduced tariffs to near zero. It’s something we see less of today.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209378/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-millmow-4462">Alex Millmow</a>, Senior Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/federation-university-australia-780">Federation University Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-secret-plan-50-years-ago-changed-australias-economy-forever-in-just-one-night-209378">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Queensland proposes ban on certain dog breeds

Queensland is proposing stricter laws in a bid to bring down the number of dog attacks in the state. The laws would include increased jail time for owners after dog attacks, the potential banning of select breeds and for all dogs to be “effectively controlled” in public. The Palaszczuk government released a discussion paper on June 23 outlining the options as well as a survey asking Queenslanders to speak out about the issue before the legislation is put together. A significant number of dog attacks occurred in the state in April, with three children suffering severe injuries in separate incidents that involved several dogs. The major factor to consider for the paper is whether Queensland should ban animals from the Commonwealth’s restricted breed list, which would make owning them in any capacity illegal. The restricted dog breeds include the pit bull terrier, dogo argentino, fila brasilerio, japanese tosa and the presa canario. Currently, those who seek to own these breeds are required to apply for a permit, but that would be withdrawn if the proposed laws are put into place. The discussion paper says that any changes would include a “grandfather clause” that would allow individuals with a current permit to keep their pet. The government has also proposed to include imprisonment as a maximum penalty for more serious attacks. If an attack causes death or grievous bodily harm to a patron, according to present laws, the owner could be fined up to $43,125 but would not face jail time. “It is proposed to introduce a new criminal offence in the Act that captures conduct of an owner, or responsible person for a dog, who fails to take reasonable steps to effectively control their dog if the dog causes bodily harm, grievous bodily harm or death to a person,” the report states. “Including a proposed new offence for the most serious dog attacks would send a clear message to owners and people responsible for dogs that fail to take reasonable steps to protect people in the community from harm from serious dog attacks will not be tolerated.” The move would bring the state into line with the laws in the ACT, NSW, Victoria, NSW and Western Australia. In NSW, an owner who encourages a dangerous dog to attack another person faces up to five years in prison. Another proposal is to set up a new requirement for dogs to be “effectively controlled” in public, which would ban off-leash dog walking. “Effective control could be defined to include a person who is physically able to control the animal, it is on an appropriate leash and supervised or in a temporary enclosure adequate to contain the animal,” the paper reads. Instant fines would be issued to owners who failed to control their dogs in public and exceptions would be made for designated off-leash areas. Councils are urging for certain breeds to be banned and for tougher restrictions, according to Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Alison Smith. “Ratepayers would be alarmed to know that Queensland councils are being forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees because irresponsible owners are using the courts to drag out the fate of these dangerous animals after their dog has been impounded and a destruction order made,” she said. “For too long, irresponsible dog owners have been able to hold the community and councils to ransom. That needs to change.” Agricultural Industry Development Minister Mark Furner is calling on all Queenslanders to participate in the survey to “have their say” on the proposed reforms. “Community feedback on this discussion paper will be vital in drafting new legislation,” he said. “It is so important that we get this right to make sure any new laws meet community expectations. Image credit: Getty / Shutterstock

Family & Pets

Cost of living relief on the way for struggling Aussies

As the ongoing cost of living crisis continues to affect hard-working Aussies, a series of changes set to be introduced by the government will ease the financial burden for a few select groups. As the new financial year begins on July 1st, a 15 per cent pay rise for aged care workers, cheaper childcare and changes to paid parental leave will come into effect. The policies promised in the last federal budget will come into effect, including electricity bill relief for some households and a small business incentive to help eligible companies become more energy efficient. Five million households will be eligible for up to $500 in power price relief while one million small businesses will be able to access up to $650. As well as this, eligibility for the first home guarantee and regional first home guarantee will now include any two borrowers beyond married and de facto couples. It will also apply to non-first home buyers who have not owned a property in Australia in the previous 10 years. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the new measures are designed the help Aussies who are doing it tough. "The suite of policies which will start to roll out from Saturday, will make a real difference in the lives of millions of hardworking Australians while delivering an economic dividend and laying the foundations for future growth," he said. "Key policies like energy price relief will directly reduce inflation, while others like cheaper childcare and enhanced paid parental leave will boost the capacity of our economy." Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

All-electric homes are better for your hip pocket and the planet. Here’s how governments can help us get off gas

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/esther-suckling-1220357">Esther Suckling</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> If every Australian household that uses gas went all-electric today, we would “save” more than 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the next ten years. That’s because there are more than <a href="https://www.energynetworks.com.au/resources/fact-sheets/reliable-and-clean-gas-for-australian-homes-2/">5 million households</a> on the gas network, and the <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/getting-off-gas">avoided emissions per home</a> ranges from 5-25 tonnes over the coming decade, depending on the location. Most people would spend less money on energy too. Electric appliances use less energy than gas appliances to do the same job, making them cheaper to run. Our <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/getting-off-gas">new report</a> shows how much most households can save by switching from gas to electricity for heating, hot water and cooking. The extra cash couldn’t come at a better time: about <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2023/may/hidden-energy-poverty">a quarter of Australian households</a> say they found it difficult to pay their energy bills this year. But many households face hurdles that stop them, or make it hard for them, to go all-electric. Governments could make it easier for people and bring emissions-reduction targets closer to reality. <h2>Most households save by upgrading to electric</h2> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532139/original/file-20230615-29-h20bv5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A chart showing estimated savings for each household switching from gas to electricity, over 10 years, in each capital city" /></a><figcaption>Over 10 years, the estimated savings for each household switching from gas to electricity range up to $13,900 in Melbourne. It’s a flat $3,890 figure for Brisbane, rather than a range, because there’s no gas heating. Grattan Institute, Author provided</figcaption></figure> Households in Melbourne tend to use more gas than those in other mainland capitals, mainly because the winter is so cold. Our report found Melburnians who replace broken gas appliances with electric ones, or move into an all-electric home, could save up to A$13,900 over ten years. Households with rooftop solar will save even more. It’s a similar story in most parts of Australia except the west, where gas is relatively cheap. This mainly reflects differences in the historical development of the gas markets between the west and east coasts. Getting off gas could also be <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2022/december/health-risks-from-indoor-gas-appliances">good for your health</a>. Several studies link cooking with gas to <a href="https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/living-with-asthma/resources/patients-carers/factsheets/gas-stoves-and-asthma-in-children">childhood asthma</a>. <h2>Households face a series of hurdles</h2> Renters make up nearly a third of all households, and they have little or no control over the appliances that are installed. As most electric appliances cost more to buy than gas ones – and the subsequent bill savings flow to tenants – landlords have little incentive to upgrade their properties from gas to all-electric. Apartment living can increase the level of complexity. Multi-unit dwellings often bundle gas bills into body-corporate fees, limiting the occupants’ incentive to go all-electric. There can also be space constraints in these buildings. Centralised electric heat pumps, for example, take up more space than centralised gas water heaters. Then there are households that simply can’t afford the upgrade. Induction stoves and heat pumps are more expensive than their gas equivalents, by up to a combined $2,000. This initial outlay will soon be recovered by cheaper energy bills, but that doesn’t help households that don’t have the cash up front. The <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/taking-the-pulse-of-the-nation-2022/2023/energy-poverty">12% of households that skipped meals</a> to pay their energy bills in the past year are the most likely to remain locked into high gas bills. Some people also simply prefer cooking with gas. Some think induction cooktops will be no better than the poor-performing electric cooktops they may have used in the distant past. Others haven’t ever heard of a heat pump for hot water. <h2>Here’s how governments can help</h2> Governments, both state and federal, should lower the hurdles on the path to all-electric homes -– to reduce people’s cost of living and to cut carbon emissions. As a first step, state governments should ban new gas connections to homes. In 2021, more than 70,000 households joined the gas network. Trying to shift households off gas while allowing new connections is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole. Then, governments should provide landlords with tax write-offs on new induction stoves and heat pumps for hot water, for a limited time. After that, they should require every rental property to be all-electric. Governments should pay to upgrade public housing to all-electric, where they are the landlords. And they should pay not-for-profits managing community housing to do the same. The federal government should help all households to spread the cost of electric appliances over time. It should subsidise banks to offer low-interest loans for home electrification, via the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. And governments should set out to change people’s preferences, from gas to electric. They should embark on a multi-decade communication campaign, not unlike the campaign to upgrade from analogue to digital television in the early 2000s. A key challenge will be shifting people’s ideas about the best way to cook. There are precedents. In Gininderry, a new all-electric suburb of Canberra, one developer recruited chefs to run demonstrations on induction cooktops at the display village. The proportion of potential homebuyers <a href="https://ginninderry.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ginninderry-2017-Householder-Attitudes-to-Residential-Renewable-Energy-Futures.pdf">willing to consider buying an all-electric home</a> rose from 67% to 88%. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9ytSh5TM9M?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Induction cooking with Chef David Wei at Ginninderry.</figcaption></figure> <h2>‘Green gas’ is no panacea: electricity is cheaper</h2> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=719&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=719&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532117/original/file-20230615-23-n0wdqe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=719&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Chart comparing the cost of hydrogen to electricity over time, showing hydrogen is more expensive and will remain so for decades" /></a><figcaption>Hydrogen is more expensive than electricity and will remain so for decades. Grattan Institute, Author provided</figcaption></figure> The gas industry has another solution in mind: instead of switching from gas to electricity, it suggests using “green gas” -– biomethane or “green” hydrogen. Biomethane is chemically identical to natural gas, but is derived from biological materials such as food waste, sewage or agricultural waste. Green hydrogen is made by using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. But both options are <a href="https://theconversation.com/hydrogen-where-is-low-carbon-fuel-most-useful-for-decarbonisation-147696">too expensive and too far away</a>. Under the most generous of assumptions, green hydrogen will only become cost-competitive with electricity after 2045. And there is not enough biomethane commercially available to replace gas in households. Meanwhile, more than three million Australian homes already run on electricity alone. Getting the five million homes that use gas to the same point won’t be easy. But with good policy, it is doable. For households, and the climate, there is much to be gained.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207409/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/esther-suckling-1220357">Esther Suckling</a>, Research Associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/all-electric-homes-are-better-for-your-hip-pocket-and-the-planet-heres-how-governments-can-help-us-get-off-gas-207409">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Real Estate

MP proposes schools remain open until night-time

A NSW Liberal MP has proposed that Australian schools should remain open until 6pm to better accommodate “modern employment”. During his maiden speech to parliament, Member for Ryde Jordan Lane said that "local schools should become hubs for after-school activity”, where the government guarantees that a child can remain on school campuses after 3pm. "It affords parents flexibility, while at the same time making school a place for extracurricular excellence," he said. "By engaging providers and community organisations, we avoid overworking our tirelessly hardworking teachers but expose more children to rounded experiences, such as coding classes, culture and language, art, dance, music and sport. "I care deeply about the academic results that our students are able to achieve, and about ensuring they can compete on a global stage, but I care even more that our education system helps us to create a new generation of Australians with the content of character we need to be successful as a country.” The move could lead to an extra year of education as a result of the extended hours of teaching, Lane added. "Greater flexibility for parents, a productivity and employment boost to the state, financial relief from the high cost of child care and an injection of hope for potential but reluctant parents who, like me, struggle to rationalise how to afford, in terms of both time and money, children, a home and equal employability between partners," he said. Image credit: Getty / Instagram

Legal

Energy bill relief to benefit just one Aussie demographic

Nearly half a million older Australians will receive hundreds of dollars in energy bill relief as the federal government looks to battle rising power prices. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth revealed that all Commonwealth seniors health card holders will be given up to $500 per household. The 490,000-plus recipients will include an extra 16,320 people granted access to the card after the federal government introduced higher income thresholds for eligibility in November 2022. The new income limits are $90,000 for singles and $144,000 (combined) for couples. The government claimed this would benefit 52,000 older people by 2026-27. Rishworth explained the energy relief would be available from July 2023. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released its final determination on May 25, with a revised price increase higher than the March draft that saw a 20 to 22 per cent rise. AER chair Clare Savage said it had been a “difficult decision” but high wholesale energy costs continued to hike up retail prices. “No one wants to see rising prices, and we recognise this is a difficult time, that’s why it’s important for consumers to shop around for a better deal,” she said. Following the AER’s announcement, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton appeared on Today and said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had “lied” to Australians about energy prices. “Let’s be very clear about it, he promised on 97 occasions your bill would go down by $275,” he told Today host Karl Stefanovic. “I think the government’s completely underestimating how much families and small businesses are hurting at the moment.” The bill comes shortly after the Australian Energy Regulator revealed electric prices were set to increase by 25 per cent for about 600,000 customers across three states from July 1. The federal government’s latest budget committed to $3 billion in financial support for those struggling to pay their power bill. Image credit: Shutterstock

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