A dozen West Aussie draft hopefuls have earned invitations to the national combine in Melbourne in October.
All up 67 players selected for the three-day testing from October 7-9 with Vic Country leading the way with 19.
It’s not expected to be as big of a WA draft crop compared to recent years after just one win from four matches in the national under-18s carnival.
Claremont are the best represented of the WAFL clubs with four players, followed by Swan Districts and East Perth with two apiece.
The Royals could have two players inside the first round with defender-turned-midfielder Reuben Ginbey storming up the charts after winning WA’s carnival MVP award and key back Jedd Busslinger also a strong chance to go early.
Powerful Swan Districts midfielder Elijah Hewett is another tipped to get picked up in the opening round.
From a Next Generation Academy point of view, classy forward Tyrell Dewar (Subiaco), part of West Coast’s NGA, made the cut after an eye-catching carnival.
The Eagles have priority access to Dewar, provided he falls outside of the top-40 picks which is likely.
Son of a gun Ed Allan, a rangy 194cm utility whose father Ben captained and coached Fremantle as well as playing in a premiership at Hawthorn, is among the famous names on the list.
The Claremont and Scotch College product’s dad was two games away from him qualifying as a Hawks father-son prospect.
Claremont midfielder and Hale School captain Harry Cole and his colts teammate and Christ Church defender Hugh Davies, both late additions to WA’s under-18s squad who made the most of their opportunities, were also included.
Peel Thunder key defender Jed Adams is another who has emerged this season, impressing in the final two games of the national carnival down back after coming in for Busslinger, with his booming left foot and ability to read the play and intercept standing out.
A whopping nine players were invited from NAB League powerhouse Oakleigh Chargers including top-10 fancies George Wardlaw, Elijah Tsatas, Matthew Jefferson and father-son gun Alwyn Davey Jnr.
Players can still be added with late-season form and enough interest from AFL clubs.
There will also be various state combines around the country, with WA’s to be held on October 16.
Around 50-60 players will be invited to those, likely to be revealed by next week.
A Federal Court injunction that halted the construction of a contentious $1.25 billion highway in Western Australia’s south has been extended, as an environmental legal challenge gets underway.
Key points:
At $1.2 billion, the road is WA’s most expensive
A last minute environmental challenge has been mounted in court
A halt on construction has been extended as proceedings enter a second day
Bulldozers began clearing bushland for the final leg of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road last week but work suddenly stopped on Friday afternoon when a local environmental group mounted a legal challenge, and an injunction was enforced.
Opponents say the road’s environmental and social impact is too great, but both the state and federal governments say the risks can be managed.
In the first day of proceedings, Justice Craig Colvin heard arguments for and against Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s approval of the project in late June.
Justice Colvin ordered a pause on construction must remain until midday tomorrow as the case enters its second day.
Possum species ‘might vanish’
Lawyer Angel Aleksov, representing the Friends of the Gelorup Corridor group, put forward a series of legal arguments he said proved the ministerial approval of the project had been unlawful.
That included a claim that much of the environmental mitigation plan the project’s approval rested on would not occur until much later.
He said by that stage, it would be too late for animals such as the critically endangered western ringtail possum, which “might vanish from this earth.”
Western ringtail possums are only found in pockets of WA’s south west.(Supplied: GeoCatch )
Mr Aleksov claimed Main Roads WA was working on an assumption that 9,000 western ringtail possums remained in the region but that “Wikipedia” showed there could be as few as 3,000 possums left.
I have conceded delaying the project was costly but said the cost “does not outweigh risk to species that might leave this earth”.
It was revealed in court the project had already been delayed from April to August, at a cost of up to $10 million.
“There are large financial ramifications, but there are very, very large environmental consequences,” Mr Aleksov said.
Lawyers argue all procedures followed
Both the Solicitor General of WA, Joshua Thomson, and Commonwealth lawyer Emrys Nekvapil argued all procedures had been followed and every measure taken to mitigate environmental damage.
Mr Thomson argued the Friends of Gelorup Corridor’s legal argument was not strong enough to grant an injunction.
“If so…why was it overlooked until this time?” he said.
The northern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road largely passes through cleared farmland.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
Mr Thomson said if the project was stalled now, it would have to be delayed another seven months, due to the western ringtail possums’ breeding patterns.
He said there were major benefits to the completion of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road, including separation of freight and local traffic and economic benefits to the entire region.
“This must be weighed against bringing [the project] to a shuddering halt for seven months,” he said.
He said three western ringtail possums had been found dead due to predation during the past weeks’ clearing.
A tree taped off within the Gelorup road reserve that is marked for clearing to make way for the highway.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
Mr Thomson said there were very strong steps in place to project animals including fauna spotters on site and GPS collars tracking the locations of possums at all times.
Mr Emrys Nekvapil, acting for the Ms Plibersek’s office, said there was “not a serious question to be tried”.
He said the plan to ameliorate or mitigate the impact on the environment was completely orthodox.
Justice Craig Colvin ordered court resume at 9.30am WST on Tuesday.
Bunbury bypass ‘not Roe 8’
Opponents of the road had likened its construction through the Gelorup corridor to the aborted Roe 8 highway project in Perth.
Land clearing for the six-lane freeway through the Beeliar wetlands had well progressed in the lead-up to the 2017 WA election.
The McGowan government had campaigned on canceling the $1.9 billion project, which they did almost immediately after winning the election.
Amid a large amount of community opposition, the McGowan government campaigned on canceling the Roe Highway extension which traversed the Beeliar Wetlands.(Supplied: Main Roads WA)
But speaking ahead of today’s hearing, Premier Mark McGowan said it was an incorrect comparison to make.
“They’re very different projects. Roe 8 and Roe 9 weren’t really necessary because the port was going to fill,” Mr McGowan said.
“Whereas a road around Bunbury will just save many lives and ensure that people’s commute between the south west and the city is much more efficient and quick.”
Mark McGowan said his government was committed to building the road.(ABC News: James Carmody)
Mr McGowan defended the project’s environmental merits.
“Look, it’s been through two rounds of environmental approvals,” he said.
“We’ve done everything we can to ameliorate the environmental impacts by offsets and other plantings and fauna initiatives costing many millions of dollars.
“I understand people’s concerns. We just want to get on and complete this project.”
Concerns for community, environment
The southern section of the road, which involves the clearing of 71 hectares of native vegetation, has received full state and federal environmental approvals.
Clearing on the southern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road was stopped after five days due to the court injunction.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
In May, Environment Minister Reece Whitby said it was clear the proposal would have a long-term impact on the local environment, and noted the “uncertainty” as to whether the Gelorup population of western ringtail possums could recover in 10 or 15 years.
“It is accepted that 72 [western ringtail possums] will be lost from the area due to the permanent loss of habitat,” he said.
He said that environmental offsets to counterbalance the loss of habitat would include acquisition of land and revegetating other areas, including in nearby state forest.
The road has garnered bitter debate in the south west, with locals expressing concern it will split the suburb of Gelorup in two.
Main Roads has long said that the chosen route has the least environmental impact, compared to other options.
A repeat of those exact same circumstances would, of course, depend on the results of other races around the country. But the battle for control of the Senate is finely balanced between both parties right now — and the mere thought of the chamber hanging in the balance well after the November election is filling some Georgia organizers with dread.
“Nobody wants a runoff. Nobody wants a runoff,” Sukari Johnson, chair of the Clayton County Democratic Party, repeated with emphasis. “Because it’s very difficult for people to come back out, and at that point you’re spending time and money to get people to come back out. And nobody wants to do that after November.”
the polling average of the Warnock-Walker race from FiveThirtyEight shows Warnock with a 3-point edge — the same margin the Democratic senator enjoyed in the most recent survey from the home-state duo of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the University of Georgia. Oliver garnered 3 percent support in that survey published at the end of July.
Warnock’s consistent polling advantage has come even as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has enjoyed small leads over Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in most surveys. It’s a slice of ticket-splitting that reveals some discomfort with Walker among voters who are prepared to cast GOP ballots in the state’s other big contest.
If the Senate campaign “is a small race, and it’s just down to two personalities, then I think Warnock might win,” former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Georgia native who appeared with Walker at a campaign event last week in Alpharetta, told POLITICAL. “But if this is a big race, and it comes down to Warnock’s being part of 9 percent inflation and highest price gas in history, and you can go down the list, then I think Warnock loses.”
Those competing cross-currents are what is keeping the race so close — and with a close race comes the chance of a runoff. And at that point, Democrats concede, fatigue could become a factor as there have been near-nonstop political battles in Georgia over the last few years.
“Fatigue, people feeling overworked, and then people not recognizing that their vote is a powerful tool that they can use to change their circumstances and to change the world around them,” said Nsé Ufot, CEO of the Abrams-foundedNew Georgia Project, listing off challenges she and her voting rights organization are facing this year.
Jacquelyn Bettadapur, chair of the Democratic Party of Cobb County, agreed that the party faced an enthusiasm and energy deficit heading into the midterm’s homestretch. “This race is about who’s better at mobilizing the grassroots and getting people to turnout and vote. And I think the Republicans have a slight advantage with that … we’re seeing a lot of Republican enthusiasm similar to what the Democrats had in 2017 [after Donald Trump was first elected].”
Bettadapur said she believes people will still go and vote in November, but when it comes to getting volunteers to door-knock, text and phone bank and do other direct voter contact, there’s less enthusiasm than there was four years ago. Gwinnett County Democratic chair Brenda Lopez Romero, for example, is leading an effort to knock on doors and prepare media outreach in five different languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese.
Republicans have obstacles of their own to navigate. In Muscogee County, home to the city of Columbus, the party is working to flip the 2nd Congressional District and increase their vote share in a strongly Democratic area. Muscogee County GOP Chair Alton Russell is battling fears among base Republicans that their votes don’t matter. Stoked by former President Donald Trump’s insistent falsehoods about voter fraud and the results of the 2020 election, they’re the same fears that may have cost the GOP critical voter turnout in the last Senate runoffs.
“That’s a concern that I have — about people not voting because they have the opinion that everything is crooked, and Trump really won, and that their vote don’t count, and they’re just not going to vote at all. And I see that every day,” Russell said.
He added that there are several ways to engage GOP voters despite these concerns — including priming Republicans to get ready to vote out Joe Biden in 2024. But some Republicans get mad when they are encouraged to move on and look forward to the next election, Russell continued.
While Warnock is ahead in the polls, no one on his campaign believes the lead with last on his own.
“There are going to be polls in all directions over the course of this campaign. Here’s what we know: this race will be close, which is why we can’t take anything for granted and are working hard every day to reelect Reverend Warnock,” said Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s campaign manager, in a statement to POLITICO.
Walker’s campaign did not respond for comment. But Russell, the Muscogee County GOP chair, noted again how important voter outreach will be for the next three months.
“In Georgia, and in every county in Georgia, what’s gonna make the difference is turnout,” he said. “If we turn out, we will win. If we stay home, we won’t.”
Senior executives at Qantas are being asked to trade their high-profile positions to work as ground handlers as part of a plan to combat labor shortages.
The embattled airline’s chief operating officer, Colin Hughes, told staff in an internal memo that Qantas is seeking expressions of interest for a contingency program over a three-month period.
“People who respond to the EOI will be trained and rostered into the ramp environment at Sydney and Melbourne airports,” Hughes wrote. “These people will support our ground handling partners, who are managing the Qantas operation, over a three-month period from mid-August.”
At least 100 managers will be recruited to sort and scan bags and transport luggage. Hughes added: “There is no expectation that you will opt into this role on top of your full-time position.”
At least 1,600 baggage handlers were sacked during lockdown, with the service outsourced to contractors, a decision that the federal court has ruled unlawful. Qantas has vowed to appeal the decision.
The once-highly regarded airline has apologized after a litany of complaints from frustrated passengers who have endured delayed and canceled flights, long queues at airports and lost baggage.
Qantas is hoping to address the problems by scheduling fewer flights in the next month and hiring more staff.
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The airline’s domestic and international chief executive, Andrew David, acknowledged that Qantas had been plagued by problems as it recovered from the Covid-19 lockdown period.
A spokesperson said the airline was committed to improving its services: “We’ve been clear that our operational performance has not been meeting our customers’ expectations or the standards that we expect of ourselves – and that we’ve been pulling out all stops to improve our performance.
“As we have done in the past during busy periods, around 200 head office staff have helped at airports during peak travel periods since Easter.
“While we manage the impacts of a record flu season and ongoing COVID cases coupled with the tightest labor market in decades, we’re continuing that contingency planning across our airport operations for the next three months.”
With the long school summer holiday well under way, you may need a bit of help keeping the kids entertained. From walkie-talkies and cameras to tablets, robot toys and fitness trackers, here are some of the best kid-aimed tech to keep the little (and not-so-little) ones occupied.
robot toys
SpheroMini – about £50
Sphero Mini robotic ball. Photograph: Bryan Rowe/Sphero
Lots of tech toys are fads but my longtime favorite has stood the test of time as a modern update to remote control fun. Sphero is a ball you control using a smartphone or tablet, and has hidden depths, with games and educational elements also available.
The mini Sphero ball is a lot of fun to drive around and small enough that overexuberant indoor excursions won’t result in broken furniture and scuffed-up paintwork. The Sphero Play app has games, while the Sphero Edu app is great at fostering creative learning.
Kids or big kids can learn to program, follow examples, get the robot to do all sorts of things, or go deeper and write some code for it in JavaScript. Higher-end versions such as the £190 BOLT take the educational elements to the next level, too.
tablets
Amazon Fire 7 Kids – about £110
Amazon Fire 7 Kids edition tablet. Photo: Amazon
If you would rather not lend your precious breakable phone or iPad to your little ones, Amazon’s practically indestructible Kids edition tablets could be just the ticket.
The cheapest and smallest Fire 7 has just been updated and is available in a range of bright-coloured cases with a pop-out stand. If your offspring do manage to break it, Amazon will replace it for free under its two-year “worry-free” guarantee.
It does all the standard tablet things such as movies, apps, games, a web browser if you want it, and parental controls to lock it, set time limits and age filters. There’s even an option restricting access to curated child-safe sites and videos but it doesn’t have access to the Google Play store, only Amazon’s app store.
The Kids edition comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ (£3 to £7a month afterwards), which is a curated collection of child-friendly text and audio books, movies, TV shows and educational apps.
The larger £140 Fire HD 8 and £200 Fire HD 10 are available in Kids versions, too, if you want something bigger, or Amazon’s new Kids Pro tablets start at £100 with additional features aimed at school-age children.
Alternatives include LeapFrog’s various educational tablets, which are fine for younger children, or hand-me-down or refurbished iPads (from £150) in robust cases, which can be locked down with some parental controls.
cameras
VTech Kidizoom Duo 5.0 – about £39
VTech Kidizoom Duo 5.0 kids’ camera in pink. Photograph: VTech
Before the advent of smartphones, standalone cameras were the way we visually documented our lives, and they still can be a bit of creative fun and inspiration for kids.
The VTech Kidizoom Duo 5.0 is a “my first digital camera” of sorts made of rugged plastic and simple in operation, which VTech reckons is suitable for three- to nine-year-olds. It captures 5MP photos of reasonable quality and can shoot from the back for selfies, too, all viewable on a 2.4in screen.
The optical viewfinder helps them line up the shot, which they can transform with fun filters and effects. It even shoots video, too. The kid-centric nature of it might turn off older children but every award-winning photographer has to start somewhere before the smartphone takes over.
It needs an SD card for storage and takes four AA batteries at a time, and chews through them fast, so buy some rechargeables to help save money and the planet.
For older children, rugged and waterproof action cams could be the way to go, shooting video and photos. Budget no-brand cams cost from about £80 but secondhand or refurbished models from the big boys such as GoPro and DJI go for about £100 and on eBay and elsewhere.
fitness trackers
Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 – from about £55
Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 Star Wars edition. Photograph: Garmin
Your child may not need any encouragement to tear about the place but if you are after a gadget to “gamify” and reward their activity – as well as giving them a smartwatch-esque gadget to play with – the Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 could be a winner for ages four and up.
Its watch-like form comes in various themes and designs, including with various Star Wars, Marvel and Disney characters, with custom watchfaces to choose from. The user-replaceable coin-cell battery lasts a year, so you don’t have to worry about charging it. Water-resistance to 50 meters means swimming should be no problem either.
It tracks steps, activity and sleep with motivational messaging. It has mini games to play once your child has hit their goals, and can all be managed from a parent’s phone or tablet, so you can keep an eye on their data. Parents can even set goals, competitions with their own activity levels, chore reminders and tasks that can earn virtual coins for them to trade for rewards with you.
It is button-operated rather than touchscreen, and the backlight doesn’t stay on long to preserve the battery.
If you are a user of Google’s Fitbit trackers yourself, then the firm’s Ace 3 (£50) means you can compete on activity, but it needs charging every seven or so days. Other cheaper adult-focused fitness trackers such as the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 (about £29) may be better for older children.
Walkie-talkies are a great replacement for phones, allowing kids and big kids to keep in touch without fear of fees or smashed screens.
There are plenty of child-centric options available with various character themes but basic units usually work better. Motorola’s T42 Talkabout comes in various colors and multipacks.
They are simple to set up, with a pairing button and multiple channel selection to find a clear one. Once going, just push to talk, even over long distances. Their quoted 4km range might be a bit ambitious but they should be good for at least 500 meters in urban environments, or much further in the open air.
They take three AAA batteries each, which last about 18 hours of talking or roughly three to four days in active use, so you might need a small army of rechargeable batteries.
They have a belt clip and loop for hooking to a carabiner (metal loop) or similar, and are fairly rugged, too, so should survive being launched across a room or two.
Nestling’s camouflage walkie-talkies (about £26) are also a popular choice but there are lots of choices under £30 available on the high street.
Singer Johnny Ruffo has provided fans with an update to his cancer battle.
The X Factor finalist, 34, took to Instagram to reveal he’s still undergoing treatment, sharing a series of photos of himself in hospital.
Several of the photos showed his scalp stapled back together following his surgery, while others also showed his girlfriend, Tahnee Sims, by his side.
Johnny Ruffo has provided fans with an update on his lengthy cancer battle
‘Exactly 5 years to the day since my diagnosis. Still fighting this son of ab***h, ‘he captioned his post from him before adding the hashtag ‘#f*ckcancer’.
‘Thanks for all the support!’ I have continued.
Johnny’s post was flooded with supportive comments from family, friends and dedicated fans.
‘Sending big love,’ Rhonda Burchmore wrote.
Comedian Dave Hughes commented: ‘Your smile inspires the world legend.’
Tahnee commented in support of her partner, writing, ‘Superstar xx.’
Several of the photos showed the singer’s scalp stapled back together following his surgery
In November 2020, the former Home and Away star revealed that his brain cancer had returned following a ‘week of seizures.’
He was first diagnosed in 2017, and underwent life-saving surgery to successfully remove a seven centimeter tumor at the time.
‘It is with a heavy heart that i have to let you know I now have another huge battle ahead of me as my brain cancer has returned, though I will dig deep and beat this shit disease again #f*ckcancer,’ Ruffo wrote at the time.
The On Top singer is set to release a tell-all memoir, titled No Finish Line: The Johnny Ruffo Story, which will detail how ‘cancer actually saved his life’.
In November 2020, the former Home and Away star revealed his brain cancer had returned following a ‘week of seizures’
He was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017, and underwent life-saving surgery to successfully remove a seven centimeter tumor at the time
‘The sudden rise to fame took its toll,’ Echo Publishing, the publishers behind the new book, revealed in April.
‘Johnny found it hard to resist the weekend-long parties, drugs, alcohol, and fair-weather friends that came with the territory.’
They added that after receiving his devastating diagnosis, Johnny shifted his focus from partying to fighting cancer.
‘In a strange way Johnny thinks the cancer actually saved his life…’ they added.
He is set to release a tell-all memoir, titled No Finish Line: The Johnny Ruffo Story, which will detail how ‘cancer actually saved his life’
After receiving his devastating diagnosis, Johnny shifted his focus from partying to fighting cancer
Johnny’s 2017 operation took around 11 hours, and there was a 20 per cent chance he would die.
That was followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, during which Johnny admitted reality set in and ‘everything came crashing down’.
In 2019, Johnny was told that he was in remission, describing the news as the ‘greatest day of his life’.
But his world was turned upside down again a year later, when he started forgetting the lyrics to songs and suffered 11 seizures in just four days, later learning the cancer had returned.
In April this year, he made a surprise return to Dancing with the Stars, receiving a standing ovation after a performance during the grand finale.
The singer won Dancing with the Stars in season 12, back in 2012, alongside his professional dance partner Luda Kroitor.
‘I forgot how hard it was but I also remember how much fun it was,’ Johnny said after his dance.
‘It was hard to get through it but we ended up getting through there. Thanks for having me back,’ he added.
Johnny’s 2017 operation took around 11 hours, and there was a 20 per cent chance he would die. That was followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, during which Johnny admitted reality set in and ‘everything came crashing down’
Fremantle’s best forward line is unlikely to meet this week with a potential Sam Switkowski return dampened by Matt Taberner’s fresh injury concern.
Neither took part in the Dockers’ light recovery session on Monday but Switkowski is expected to come under selection consideration for Saturday’s western derby after recovering from back stress fractures.
Lachie Schultz said it would be a relief to welcome his fellow pressure forward back into the line-up.
But Fremantle are feeling for Taberner after his return to form in the win over the Western Bulldogs was cut short by a calf injury.
“He was a bit emotional but it’s all part of it and we back him to get back to 100 per cent really quickly,” Schultz said.
“He plays a massive part in our forward line and structure up there. To lose him hurt but we think we’ve got good depth and whoever comes in will fill that role.”
Switkowski hasn’t featured since Fremantle’s round 13 clash against Hawthorn, the Dockers manic pressure, points for and scores per inside 50 declining in his absence.
And while Schultz believes the Dockers were able to recapture that side of their game against the Bulldogs, Switkowski’s return is set to ease his workload.
Lachie Shultz and Michael Walters had fun at a wet Dockers training. Credit: Andrew Richie/The West Australian
“I feel relieved. I like to base my game on pressure as well so when there’s someone else of Switta’s caliber doing it, it makes it a lot easier for me,” Schultz said.
“We love what Switta brings to the team and forward line especially. It’s hard to compare anyone to his pressure on him so he’s a massive inclusion. Everyone else plays stronger and better.”
Fremantle also benefited from a mindset shift against the Bulldogs, choosing to play with more freedom instead of worrying about any final implications.
The club is now locked into the top eight with two rounds to come but, importantly, Schultz believes the Dockers have rediscovered their best football at the right time.
Lachie Shultz runs through the rain. Credit: Andrew Richie/The West Australian
“It was like we were protecting ourselves a little bit and what we’ve built this year,” he said.
“We had a big mindset to play more freely, really attack the game and play a more exciting brand of footy and put a score on the board. The past few weeks we haven’t been able to put up a big score which was probably due to our ball movement.
“Our confidence will grow from the weekend. A few boys were a bit down on confidence and a little bit of belief in their own abilities after the past month. To turn it around on the weekend will reverse that thinking.”
Schultz added it was a “big relief” retired Eagle Josh Kennedy won’t make one last derby appearance after kicking eight goals against Adelaide.
Rory Lobb looks on at Dockers training. Credit: Andrew Richie/The West Australian
“Knowing that he’s not going to be out there next week, I was sitting there thinking ‘thank god for that,’” he said.
“We’re going through all of those emotions this week with Dave (Mundy).
“I’m sure they’ll like to put a sour taste on our season and try and disrupt it. It’s a big game. We’ll treat it like any other week on the track.”
The Fair Work Ombudsman has announced that a record $532 million in unpaid wages and entitlements was recovered for more than 384,000 workers in 2021-22.
Key points:
Deputy Fair Work Ombudsman Kristen Hannah says the recovered wages are good news for workers and compliant businesses
More than half of the recoveries – almost $279 million – came from large corporate employers
The Fair Work Ombudsman currently has about 50 investigations underway into corporates that have self-reported underpayments
The amount is more than three times that of last year’s figure.
“It’s clearly a problem,” AMP senior economist Diana Mousina said.
Deputy Fair Work Ombudsman Kristen Hannah announced the figures in a speech to the Policy-Influence-Reform (PIR) conference in Canberra this afternoon and said they were good news for workers and compliant businesses.
“The Fair Work Ombudsman’s strengthened compliance and enforcement approach has seen another record amount of back-paid wages for Australian workers in the last financial year,” Ms Hannah said.
On the other hand, it’s also an indication of how large the problem of worker underpayment has become.
More than half of the recoveries – almost $279 million – came from large corporate employers.
In June, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) took Woolworths to court in relation to “major underpayments” of its salaried managers.
But Woolworths is just one of a long list of major employers that have underpaid their workers, including Wesfarmers, Qantas, the Commonwealth Bank, Super Retail Group, Michael Hill Jewelers and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Diana Mousina says wage underpayments are “clearly a problem.”(ABC News: Billy Cooper)
The Fair Work Ombudsman currently has about 50 investigations underway into large corporations that have self-reported underpayments, including some of Australia’s largest companies.
“I don’t know how much longer it will take to resolve,” Ms Mousina said.
“[But] I don’t think it’s part of the normal part of working in Australia.”
In 2021-22, the federal workplace regulator filed a record 137 litigations.
This was close to a doubling of the number of new matters put into court the year before.
Workers’ pay has become a crucial economic issue.
Today Labor made a submission to Fair Work asking for a “significant” increase to the pay of aged care workers, who make up roughly 2.6 per cent of the workforce.
Earlier this year, Fair Work raised the minimum wage by 5.2 per cent and raised award wages by 4.6 per cent.
Larger wage increases have become vital for economic growth as inflation threatens to push over 7 per cent.
Treasury figures show real wages are going backwards and will continue to do so for the remainder of 2022, until they start to turn up again in 2023.
“This is a great result for the workers who have been reunited with their withheld wages, and also for the businesses that pay correctly and are no longer at a disadvantage as a result,” Ms Hannah said.
It’s clear though that millions of workers who may be struggling to make ends meet are keen to find out how they might be able to receive wages back that they believe they’re entitled to.
The Fair Work web page had 22.6 million hits in 2021-22 which was another yearly record.
The site contains information, tools and resources about workplace relations rights and obligations for employees and employers.
Deputy Andrew Peery was killed in the shooting south of Colorado Springs. The sheriff’s office is searching for a suspect.
SECURITY-WIDEFIELD, Colo. — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect after a deputy was killed in a shooting in Security Sunday.
The shooting happened on Ponderosa Drive in Security, which is south of Colorado Springs. The sheriff’s office said SWAT operator Andrew Peery, 39, was killed. He leaves behind a wife and two children, El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder said.
It is with a heavy heart that we share Deputy Andrew Peery has been killed in the line of duty. More information will be forthcoming. https://t.co/Em6LtvHJ3E pic.twitter.com/HqsOImUqdw
Elder said just after 5 pm, Peery, another deputy and a Fountain police officer responded to a shot fired call. They were immediately met with gunfire, and Peery was hit by at least one round, Elder said. Deputies returned fire.
The sheriff’s office said they are looking for 33-year-old John Paz in connection with the shooting. Anyone with information on his whereabouts of him is asked to call 911.
We are actively looking for a Hispanic Male John Paz related to this shooting. https://t.co/Em6LtvHJ3E pic.twitter.com/6OYGEUTQR3
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Meta has just released the third version of its AI-powered Chatbots and it’s calling out users to speak to it directly from now.
This was definitely a fresh update that we’re not complaining about for obvious reasons. Remember, we’re sure we along with the rest of the world are tired of hearing of the metaverse, AR, and VR technology, and how the firm plans on altering Instagram’s algorithm further.
The new launch is dubbed BlenderBot3 and it’s a continuation of the previous version of the product.
So, if you happen to be curious about how exactly you can communicate, well, head on over to the blenderbot.ai website and ask any question that your heart desires.
You can best see this as your customized search engine that is available round the clock to help you out by answering any queries that you may be seeking answers to.
If you simply wish to chat with it, well, that’s great. But those willing to ask questions will not only be blessed with answers but also the sources through which those answers were obtained so it’s definitely a win-win situation in that regard.
Hence, if you’re happy with the outcome great but if not, well you can search further with the references provided.
But with all the good comes one negative aspect that we’d like to discuss. And that’s related to who is allowed to talk with Meta’s new chatting bot. For now, the product is restricted to audiences in the US.
Some people have tried to disguise their locations in the United Kingdom with VPNs but have made unsuccessful attempts at using the chatbot. But in case you do find a VPN that manages to bypass the location barrier, then that’s great.
When we look at past records related to AI-driven chatbots, we don’t necessarily see a seamless track history related to its use. Many members of the public who have interacted with them have called it a risky business while others weren’t satisfied with their experiences.
In 2016, Microsoft first made heads turn with the release of its chatbot affiliated with Twitter which was dubbed Tay. Unfortunately, it was hijacked but the whole concept revolves around Tay learning more about users through simple chats.
A lot of the responses that users received were bombarded with negativity, hate, and spam so that wasn’t a great ending. And just 16 hours after the launch, it was turned off. Moreover, the tweets that were generated were all so negative and racist, not to mention homophobic and controversial.
One thing good about Meta’s new release is that there are much fewer chances of it getting hijacked as the product doesn’t repeat comments made by users to it. Instead, the whole focus of its functioning has to do with information fed into its systems by researchers beforehand.
Could this be the next digital assistant to users in today’s fast-paced modern world? Well, we’re not quite sure about that yet as Meta is working on addressing flaws that come its way. But we feel the attempt is a great one.
This is where users are going to come in handy. Meta revealed how the product is designed to help gain feedback for its next release so that any concerns users have can be addressed the right way, providing the best information from the most relatable sources.
If you happen to be a developer, well, you can feel free to glance over its mechanics and underlying codes that the firm has shared through ParlAI.
Read next: Meta’s New Threat Report Highlights Its Great Efforts To Combat Scam Networks, Trolls, And Brigades Around The World
