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Australia

McDonald’s in $250 million wage theft claim with SDA over alleged denial of paid rest breaks

McDonald's in $250 million wage theft claim with SDA over alleged denial of paid rest breaks

The fast food workers’ union has hit McDonald’s with a $250 million-plus wage theft claim in the Federal Court over the alleged denial of paid rest breaks.

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association is seeking compensation for more than 250,000 current and former workers across the country.

The union this month launched a new “mega” legal action involving 323 McDonald’s operators and the fast good giant itself, and spanning almost 1000 current and former McDonald’s sites.

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Categories
Australia

Indigenous producers needed for NSW bush food industry to meet rising demand

A spread of native food products supplied by Dreamtime Tuka in Wellington, NSW.

Bush food retailers in New South Wales say they are having to turn to other states to source local native ingredients as supply cannot keep up with increasing demand.

Retailers in the central and far north-west estimate they are sourcing anywhere from 30 to 80 per cent of their ingredients from other states due to a lack of local supply.

Wiradjuri man Herb Smith runs his native food business Dreamtime Tuka out of Wellington in the state’s west, supplying products to companies such as Qantas and BP, as well as to the NSW government.

He has seen demand for his products jump by 80 per cent over the seven years he has been in business.

While he sources the large majority of his ingredients from within the state, he has been compelled to look to Queensland and South Australia for the rest.

“If we’re supplying a multinational company, the demand is quite large for the ingredients that we need to put in our products. So if we need a large quantity of it, we may not be able to get that in NSW.”

A basket of finger lime, macadamias, native raspberries and sandalwood nuts.
A basket of finger lime, macadamias, native raspberries and sandalwood nuts.(Supplied: Trish Frail)

Although there are a growing number of suppliers of native ingredients even within NSW, part of the problem for Indigenous retailers is that few of them are Indigenous-owned.

“I’m really unhappy to say that there are not many Indigenous companies out here actually involved in that side of the industry. It’s majority non-Indigenous people supplying these products,” Mr Smith said.

Sharon Winsor is the founder and chief executive of the 100 per cent Indigenous-owned business Indigiearth in Mudgee, and has been in the industry for more than 25 years.

She said demand for her products had spiked in the past few years.

Sharon Winsor, founder of Indigiearth, smiling and holding a basket of native ingredients.
Sharon Winsor has been in the native food industry for over 25 years.(Supplied: Indigiearth)

“The interest has grown quite dramatically, in particular post-COVID,” she said.

“I think there’s been a general interest in what we have in our own backyard, the health benefits of native ingredients, and how people can support small business, regional business, Indigenous business.”

She said the problem of misrepresentation was still a huge concern.

“There are producers and retail brands misguiding consumers, by using Aboriginal art or graphics to confuse them into thinking that they’re buying an authentic Aboriginal product,” Ms Winsor said.

lack of support

Trish Frail, who owns a native cafe in Brewarrina, started her business about a year-and-a-half ago.

She said demand for her products had been quite high since then.

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Business

Urgent recall of Westinghouse glass cooktop over serious injury risk

Urgent recall of Westinghouse glass cooktop over serious injury risk

An urgent national recall has been announced for a popular Electrolux home product after parts of the item have been found to shatter, posing serious injury.

Product Safety Australia on Thursday recalled the Westinghouse black tempered glass gas cooktop.

The product, which does not comply with the Domestic Gas Cooking Appliances Standard, comes in a 60cm three-burner cooktop and a 90cm five-burner cooktop.

Warning: Urgent recall on household appliance. Picture: Supplied.
Camera IconThe Westinghouse black tempered glass gas cooktop has been recalled. Supplied Credit: NCA NewsWire

The cooktop, which is sold both nationally and internationally in stores such as Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Reece Plumbing and Winning Appliances, has been on sale since February 2020.

Consumers have been urged to check the model number of their cooktop to see if it is affected.

The model numbers are WG638BC and WHG958BC or serial digits 5301134 – 22503805.

Authorities said other identifying numbers on the device include AGA 8145G.

Affected consumers should contact Electrolux to arrange a refund or for a service technician to attend free of charge to replace the product.

For more information, consumers can contact Electrolux Home Products on 1800 001 218 or via email at [email protected].

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Categories
Australia

Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall celebrates 40 years of attracting visitors in their droves to the CBD

Brisbane's Queen Street Mall celebrates 40 years of attracting visitors in their droves to the CBD

Brisbane’s “transformational” Queen Street Mall celebrates a milestone this month, 40 years after it forever changed the city’s retail heart.

What started as a dirt strip hosting horse and carriage traffic in the 1800s had long housed iconic and fashionable brands, but it was not until August 8, 1982 that the two blocks between Edward and George streets were closed to traffic and officially opened by its namesake , Queen Elizabeth II herself.

Black and white city street photo with horse and carriage
Queen Street in about 1868 was a far cry from what it is today.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

Brisbane City Council’s chair of its 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee Krista Adams said the mall’s opening, coinciding with the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, was an “absolutely historic moment”.

“I have to say, 1982 was nothing short of transformational for our city,” Ms Adams said.

“From Matilda winking at us right through to the closing ceremony… it was the first time that Brisbane considered, ‘Hey, we can do this, and we are on the world stage’.

Whether Brisbanites came for lunch at Jimmy’s on the Mall, met friends after school at Hungry Jack’s or dared to take the dragon ride at the top of the Myer Centre, Queen Street Mall embedded itself in the urban life of Queensland’s capital.

Old photo of Queen St in Brisbane in early 1900s
A Christmas postcard featuring a colored view of Queen Street in about 1908.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

Ms Adams remembered coffee dates at Jimmy’s on the Mall and watching people from JoJo’s, as well as the terrifying sounds from the rollercoaster at Tops, an amusement venue in the Myer Center.

“There was absolutely nowhere else to meet other than Hungry Jack’s because no-one had mobile phones,” she said.

“It has been reinvented many times over — there has been the Wintergarden, the Myer Centre, Burnett Lane and the extension of the mall down Albert Street.

“It has remained the most popular mall in the southern hemisphere, and the most successful in Australia, and has stood the test of time.”

Ms Adams says while the council has “struggled to get pedestrians back into Queen Street Mall after COVID, it is still home to more than 500 retailers including six major shopping centres.

Designed by late Robin Gibson, the architect also behind the Queensland Art Gallery and later the Queensland Cultural Centre, the Queen Street Mall has hosted parades for athletes returning from the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, live music performances and plenty of fashion parades.

More than two decades ago, Hollindale Mainwaring Architecture took on the redevelopment of the mall, and described Queen Street as “a proven exception continuing its history of vibrant commerciality and increasing pedestrian usage”.

In 2022, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Queen Street Mall attracted “more than one million pedestrian movements a week”.

“As it returns to its post-pandemic prime, with pedestrian movements at 72 per cent of pre-COVID levels, it is set to be bolstered by massive investment into new CBD attractions and transport options,” he said

Man walks through empty mall.
During COVID lockdowns in 2021, the Queen Street Mall was eerily empty.(ABC News: Chris Gillette)
Black and white photo of Queen St Brisbane
Queen Street with decorations for the royal visit in 1954, between George and Albert streets.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

“With major transformations underway like Queen’s Wharf and Waterfront Place, Queen Street Mall is at the center of an exciting evolution that will drive visitation and renew popularity in the iconic precinct.”

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Brisbane fashion stylist, educator and commentator Dianne Cant was involved in the first fashion parades in 1982 in the mall.

“The brief back then was to promote the retailers and impress the shoppers with what was on offer; they weren’t just entertainment but of course, the crowds stopped for 15 to 20 minutes and enjoyed,” she said.

Floodwaters Brisbane 1893
Queen Street flooded in 1893.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

“Another personal highlight was being invited to drive Brownlow Medalist Simon Black in a convertible car down the mall when the Brisbane Lions won the AFL Premiership in 2002.”

There will be two weeks of celebrations for Queen Street Mall’s 40th birthday with pop up champagne bars and fashion shows.

Find more information here.

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Categories
Business

Sydney Pork Rolls bakery lashed on Reddit over extra charge for cutting rolls in half

Sydney Pork Rolls bakery lashed on Reddit over extra charge for cutting rolls in half

A Sydney bakery has been lashed online for charging customers a 20c surcharge just to cut their lunch in half.

A photo posted to Reddit revealed the Vietnamese bakery, Sydney Pork Rolls, has a list of surcharges for the addition of extra ingredients such as salad, chilli, meat, ham, egg, pate and mayo.

When purchasing a banh mi from the store in the inner Sydney suburb of Haymarket, the sign informs customers extra salad will set you back an extra 50c, while extra meat and egg is an extra $1.50.

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An extra bag will also cost customers another 10c.

The bakery copped criticism online for charging customers a 20c surcharge to cut their sandwiches in half. Credit: Reddit

However, the one surcharge that had customers smoking online is the extra charge for cutting the banh mi in half.

At the bottom of the surcharge list, the sign states a “request to cut your roll in half” will cost an extra 20 cents.

Users on Reddit were quick to express their disbelief at the extra charge.

“This is a joke!” one user commented. “This pricing is getting outrageous, all in the name of inflation,” another said.

“They should ask ‘would you like to cut it in half?’ like a fast food worker upselling (by) asking if ‘you want fries with that?’,” another declared.

However, some Reddit users defended the shop, saying the outlet was well within its rights to charge extra for the service.

“Getting it cut in half means the two halves are wrapped and packaged separately. It’s completely reasonable to charge extra,” one user commented.

7NEWS.com.au has reached out to Sydney Pork Rolls for further comment.

Woman attacked by koala on highway.

Woman attacked by koala on highway.

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Categories
Business

Cost of Living crisis: WA wholesaler New West Foods warns of ‘perfect storm’ with food, pub prices set to rise

Cost of Living crisis: WA wholesaler New West Foods warns of 'perfect storm' with food, pub prices set to rise

WA’s biggest independent food distributor has warned consumers to expect further hikes at their favorite pubs and restaurants – and eventually supermarkets – as supply chain pressures and skyrocketing input costs continue to drive up prices.

The price of vegetable oil supplied by New West Foods to hundreds of eateries across WA has almost doubled since August 2020, with eggs up 75 per cent over the same two-year period.

Salmon has jumped 50 per cent while cheese and bacon are both up around 35 per cent.

Even the humble frozen chip – a staple of takeaway menus everywhere – has climbed 25 per cent.

The scale of price rises over the past two years.
Camera IconThe scale of price rises over the past two years. Credit: The West Australian

The majority of those price rises have come in the last 12 months as myriad factors combined to create what New West Foods managing director Damon Venoutsos said was the “perfect storm” for food costs.

Mr Venoutsos described distribution businesses like his own as the “canary in the coal mine” for price increases because – unlike supermarkets and fast-food chains – they did not enter into long-term agreements with suppliers.

“Most of the time we get 30 days’ notice from our suppliers that prices are going up whereas your big retailers (such as Coles and Woolworths) and quick service restaurants (such as KFC) can lock in their prices for anything up to six months ,” he said.

“Often we’re using the exact same supplier so while I don’t know when (the supermarkets) are going to catch up, it’s inevitable they will have to.”

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Categories
Business

Cost of Living crisis: WA wholesaler New West Foods warns of ‘perfect storm’ with food, pub prices set to rise

Cost of Living crisis: WA wholesaler New West Foods warns of 'perfect storm' with food, pub prices set to rise

WA’s biggest independent food distributor has warned consumers to expect further hikes at their favorite pubs and restaurants – and eventually supermarkets – as supply chain pressures and skyrocketing input costs continue to drive up prices.

The price of vegetable oil supplied by New West Foods to hundreds of eateries across WA has almost doubled since August 2020, with eggs up 75 per cent over the same two-year period.

Salmon has jumped 50 per cent while cheese and bacon are both up around 35 per cent.

Even the humble frozen chip – a staple of takeaway menus everywhere – has climbed 25 per cent.

The scale of price rises over the past two years.
Camera IconThe scale of price rises over the past two years. Credit: The West Australian

The majority of those price rises have come in the last 12 months as myriad factors combined to create what New West Foods managing director Damon Venoutsos said was the “perfect storm” for food costs.

Mr Venoutsos described distribution businesses like his own as the “canary in the coal mine” for price increases because – unlike supermarkets and fast-food chains – they did not enter into long-term agreements with suppliers.

“Most of the time we get 30 days’ notice from our suppliers that prices are going up whereas your big retailers (such as Coles and Woolworths) and quick service restaurants (such as KFC) can lock in their prices for anything up to six months ,” he said.

“Often we’re using the exact same supplier so while I don’t know when (the supermarkets) are going to catch up, it’s inevitable they will have to.”

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