Former Wiggles CEO information Truthful Work declare in federal court docket
Luke O’Neill, the previous CEO of the Wiggles Group, has filed a Fair Work claim in federal court docket. The complete particulars of the declare should not public, however it lists the applying beneath the Truthful Work Act citing allegations of “dismissal in contravention of a normal safety”.
O’Neill left the corporate not too long ago after being employed as its first CEO final yr.
The declare lists the blue Wiggle, Anthony Subject, as a respondent, in addition to Wiggles normal counsel, Matthew Salgo, and The Wiggles Holding Pty Restricted.
Key occasions
Ima Caldwell
Landmark CSIRO ‘Variety’ facility opens, safeguarding 13 million specimens
The CSIRO has formally opened a brand new “Variety” constructing in Canberra – which features a mixed 13 million specimens from the Australian Nationwide Wildlife Assortment and Australian Nationwide Insect Assortment.
Inside temperature-controlled vaults are 55,000 birds, 17,000 orchids preserved in ethanol and the world’s largest assortment of Australian bugs and associated invertebrates – together with 2.4 million moths and butterflies and greater than million beetles.
The ability makes the collections, procured over 150 years, accessible to researchers, governments and citizen scientists world wide.
Relocating the specimens to their new dwelling took round a yr.
Dr Clare Holleley, the director of CSIRO’s Australian nationwide wildlife assortment, mentioned nature is declining at a fee unprecedented in human historical past and the collections function a library of life on Earth and a useful resource for caring for the atmosphere:
Assortment specimens enable us to better-understand long run traits in environmental response and to assist put together species for the challenges of the long run.
On this new constructing, we’re fixing the issues that nature presents to us in actual time.
Mint honours fiftieth anniversary of The Rainbow Serpent with colored 20 cent piece
The Royal Australian Mint is releasing colored 20-cent uncirculated cash to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Australian youngsters’s ebook The Rainbow Serpent. There might be an coin obtainable in each a card, a particular version ebook, and a deluxe version ebook.
The Rainbow Serpent was written and illustrated by Indigenous Australian artist Dick Roughsey, a Lardil man from Mornington Island. His first work have been on bark utilizing conventional pigments from soil and black from charcoal.
The Rainbow Serpent celebrates rock artwork that first appeared in Arnhem Land at the least 6,000 years in the past. The Royal Australian Mint’s performing chief govt, Emily Martin, mentioned:
On the coronary heart of this program is a 20c coin, a small piece of metallic that ignites curiosity and surprise, particularly amongst youngsters.
The colorful paintings on these cash displays the unique ebook paintings and is gorgeous in each silver and gold.
The coin in card is $17.50, with the coin in ebook promoting for $50 and the gold plated uncirculated coin promoting at $85, obtainable from at present.
Unemployment drops to 4.2%
Patrick Commins
The unemployment fee has dropped to 4.2% in July, partially reversing a shock bounce to 4.3% within the month earlier than.
The variety of employed Australians climbed by 24,500 within the month, together with an enormous 60,500 rise in full-time employment, offset by a 35,900 drop in part-time work.
The most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics verify that the roles market has remained one of many few vivid spots by the post-pandemic financial system.
The jobless fee has shifted decrease from its pre-Covid degree of greater than 5%, and the RBA expects it to remain at about 4.3% for the foreseeable future.
Michele Bullock, the central financial institution’s governor, on Tuesday mentioned labour market circumstances remained “a little bit tight”, however stays hopeful that inflation could be held under 3% with none substantial rise in unemployment.
Wage value figures launched yesterday revealed pay charges climbed by 3.4% within the yr to June – nicely above the two.1% fee of inflation.
Australia-US relationship drifting, Ley says
The opposition chief, Sussan Ley, mentioned the shortage of conferences between the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and US president, Donald Trump, confirmed the connection between Australia and the US is “drifting”.
Many within the room at present are reflecting the essential juncture right now in historical past and the significance of the alliance with respect to that with the strategic rise of China, with the conflicts within the Center East, with the geo-strategic circumstances the best way they’re, this implies the alliance is extra necessary than ever and it isn’t proper for it to be drifting the best way it’s and it’s a name to motion for our prime minister and our authorities to step in and do extra.
Ley met with members of the US congress at present, and mentioned she raised that US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is a “good buddy of Australia” however wouldn’t say whether or not any of the members of congress raised Australia’s place on recognition of Palestine as a trigger for concern.
Hamas ‘cheerleaders’ for PM, Ley says
The opposition chief, Sussan Ley, is holding a press convention in Adelaide
Ley claimed whereas the PM has mentioned he’s not a “cheerleader for Hamas” in recognising a Palestinian state, “Hamas is a cheerleader for him”.
She advised reporters:
When you may have terrorists cheering in your international coverage, that you’ve got it incorrect. Now, we all know that the prime minister mentioned he made this resolution as a result of Hamas didn’t help it.
Hamas didn’t help his resolution, however as a substitute we see Hamas popping out in full-throated reward of the prime minister. He should reverse this resolution as a result of when terrorists are cheerleaders on your international coverage, you’ll want to suppose once more and reverse that place.
For context, the prime minister has repeatedly mentioned Hamas could be excluded from any future Palestinian authorities, and mentioned the phobia group was “manipulating info for their very own propaganda”.
Australian weekly grocery spend jumps 11% from final yr, and is now $240 on common
An Australian family of 4 now spends $240 on groceries every week, on common, an 11% bounce from final yr, in accordance with knowledge from Canstar Blue.
That determine represents the largest annual enhance within the final 5 years, the group mentioned. The determine was $216 every week on common in 2024, $207 in 2023 and $203 in 2022.
Canstar mentioned that complete places the grocery funds for a small household at $12,480 a yr, on common.
The group surveyed 2,800 consumers, who rated totally different supermarkets throughout a sequence of classes, together with value, clients service and worth for cash. Greater than 80% of respondents mentioned they’d modified their buying habits over the past yr to attempt to maintain grocery prices down.
Josh Taylor
Extra on Atlassian billionaire Scott Farquhar’s ideas on AI and Australian artwork
Australia ought to undertake US-style copyright legislation to permit synthetic intelligence to suck up all artistic content material or danger harming funding within the trade in Australia, in accordance with Atlassian co-founder, Scott Farquhar.
Farquhar, the Tech Council of Australia CEO, advised ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday: “all AI utilization of mining or looking out or going throughout knowledge might be unlawful beneath Australian legislation and I feel that hurts a number of funding of those corporations in Australia”.
It’s because, he mentioned, Australia doesn’t have truthful use exemptions coded into copyright legislation just like the US does.
Farquhar’s declare overlooks that this isn’t a settled difficulty within the US, and will have devastating results on artistic industries.
Learn extra right here:
Former Wiggles CEO information Truthful Work declare in federal court docket
Luke O’Neill, the previous CEO of the Wiggles Group, has filed a Fair Work claim in federal court docket. The complete particulars of the declare should not public, however it lists the applying beneath the Truthful Work Act citing allegations of “dismissal in contravention of a normal safety”.
O’Neill left the corporate not too long ago after being employed as its first CEO final yr.
The declare lists the blue Wiggle, Anthony Subject, as a respondent, in addition to Wiggles normal counsel, Matthew Salgo, and The Wiggles Holding Pty Restricted.
Luca Ittimani
Origin Power’s underlying earnings bounce to almost $1.5b
Origin Power’s underlying earnings have jumped by $300m to almost $1.5bn for the yr as a result of it paid much less tax on its gasoline manufacturing arm, offsetting falling earnings from electrical energy and gasoline.
The vitality supplier, which operates the Eraring coal-fired energy station, reported sliding earnings in its annual report this morning.
Electrical energy pre-tax revenue slipped $224m as retail costs fell and coal prices rose, whereas decrease wholesale costs lower pure gasoline earnings. That dragged underlying earnings right down to $3.4bn from $3.5bn throughout the enterprise.
Origin additionally offered much less gasoline for much less money by way of its pure gasoline manufacturing three way partnership, Australia Pacific LNG – the largest gasoline producer on Australia’s east coast. That enterprise phase paid Origin almost $800m in dividends within the yr to June, after paying $1.4bn the yr prior – however this time, the phase had already paid tax.
That lower Origin’s annual tax invoice by almost $360m within the yr to June.
NSW SES warns of flash flooding for elements of Central Coast
NSW State Emergency Providers is warning of flash flooding on the Central Coast after heavy rainfall. The alert applies to residents of Corlette, Nelson Bay and Salamander Bay, with officers warning residents to by no means drive, stroll or play in flood waters.
The Hazard Watch app at present reveals a extreme climate Watch and Act alert for Tomaree and its surrounds, with steering that the scenario might change rapidly.
Heavy rainfall is inflicting flash flooding in Nelson Bay⚠️
A warning is present for residents of Corlette, Nelson Bay & Salamander bay because of flash flooding on roads and water getting into properties.
NEVER drive, stroll or play in floodwaters. pic.twitter.com/u6pjhUm17x
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) August 13, 2025
Albanese says leaked Treasury recommendation doesn’t imply roundtable a ‘waste of everybody’s time’
The prime minister was requested concerning the leaked Treasury doc given to the ABC this morning that features beneficial outcomes for the productiveness roundtable happening subsequent week. Albanese mentioned you’d count on “Treasury to be giving recommendation a few discussion board that’s concerning the financial system” and defended towards a query if the occasion was a “waste of everybody’s time”:
Concepts are popping up on a regular basis. You’re reporting on these concepts. These concepts are getting assessed as they’re being made. Authorities will make selections, to be very clear, governments make selections.
What subsequent week, although, is a chance for folks to advance their concepts, to advance insurance policies and that’s a very constructive factor. My authorities is unashamedly an open authorities.
Albanese insisted he’s open to a “vary of reforms”.
Albanese says media needs to be ‘very cautious’ about repeating ‘Hamas propaganda’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was requested about Hamas’ assertion yesterday praising his resolution to recognise a Palestinian state at subsequent month’s UN normal meeting.
Albanese mentioned the media needs to be “very cautious about the truth that Hamas will interact in propaganda as a result of what is going on is the worldwide group are united about isolating Hamas, about supporting a peaceable approach ahead”.
He went on concerning the media:
They shouldn’t repeat Hamas’ propaganda as a result of it’s Hamas which is able to interact in propaganda as a result of they’re being remoted. As a result of the world was horrified by the occasions of October 7 and the world condemns and says, together with the Arab League, that Hamas should be remoted, it should be disarmed.
The hostages needs to be launched and [we] have condemned what occurred on October 7. So I received’t be a cheer squad for Hamas and for its statements. What I’ll do is say that Hamas needs to be remoted.
Learn extra right here:
Benita Kolovos
Victorian Greens slam ‘backroom’ deal on ethics committee appointments: ‘Like letting the fox guard the henhouse’
The Victorian Greens chief, Ellen Sandell, criticised a “backroom deal” between Labor and the Liberals she says has prevented any crossbenchers from being appointed to the parliament’s new ethics committee.
The creation of the committee was a key part of the parliamentary workplace standards and integrity bill, which was developed in response to an investigation by state’s integrity our bodies into branch-stacking within the Labor social gathering, in addition to a 2021 overview of office requirements.
The committee is supposed to advertise integrity, oversee MPs’ codes of conduct and rebuild public belief however Sandell says that is undermined by its make-up:
This so-called ethics committee would be the solely joint committee in your entire parliament with no crossbench representatives, managed by the 2 events with the longest observe report of rorts.
It’s a calculated transfer so Labor and Liberal MPs can maintain writing their very own guidelines round MP behaviour, and keep away from any scrutiny. It’s like letting the fox guard the henhouse. This Labor-Liberal backroom deal is nothing greater than a safety racket.
Westpac’s quarterly revenue hits $1.9bn, up 14% over first half of the yr
Westpac’s third-quarter web revenue hit $1.9bn for the three months to 30 June, a 14% climb over the primary half of 2025.
The financial institution mentioned it’s piloting new AI expertise to boost “real-time rip-off detection”.
Anthony Miller, Westpac’s CEO, mentioned in an announcement:
The resilience of each households and companies has been aided by the discount in rates of interest and the moderation of inflation …
Our sturdy monetary foundations present us with the soundness and capability to help our folks, clients, shareholders and the broader financial system.
Telstra information $2.3bn web revenue, up 31% over final yr
Luca Ittimani
Telstra’s earnings have bounced again 31% after cell phone plan customers paid out a pair extra {dollars} every than they’d the yr prior.
Telstra raked in an additional $235m from its cellular enterprise within the yr to June, a 4.7% rise in earnings earlier than curiosity, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
The corporate offered an additional 760,000 cellular companies and now operates 24.9m plans. A 3rd of these are postpaid customers, who paid up a mean of $54.15 every a month, a greenback greater than they did in June 2024.
The corporate supplied 56,000 fewer post-paid plans than it had a yr earlier after closing 64,000 inactive accounts. Almost 60,000 clients give up their pay as you go plans and one other 17,000 noticed their companies disconnected when the 3G community closed, although the remaining pay as you go plan customers paid Telstra over 8% extra on common than they’d the earlier yr.
The corporate introduced web revenue of $2.3bn in its annual report this morning, a lot larger than the $1.8bn it reported final yr when it was having hassle with considered one of its consulting subsidiaries, Telstra Enterprise.
Telstra dedicated an extra $800m spend on bettering 5G efficiency and different cellular protection, and mentioned its Sydney-Canberra capital intercity fibre community might be prolonged to Melbourne by December.
It paid out a ultimate dividend of 9.5 cents per share, because it did in its interim end result earlier this yr, and introduced it’ll purchase again up one other $1bn price of shares, having purchased $750m already.
