What we learned today, Friday 24 April
Thanks for staying with us today. We’ll leave our live coverage of the day’s news there for this evening. Here were Friday’s top stories:
Labor is poised to reject a growing push for a new 25% tax on gas exports in next month’s budget.
The United States has approved the first major submarine contract under the Aukus security deal.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has spoken on the phone with Vietnam’s president as he continues a diplomatic campaign to shore up Australia’s fuel supplies across Asia.
The NSW government has moved to expand hate speech laws to include Nazi slogans.
A Sydney man was set to face court over allegedly fraudulently claiming $1.5m for providing non-existent services through the national disability insurance scheme.
NSW Fair Trading inspectors have now visited more than 2,300 petrol stations since the beginning of the fuel crisis linked to the war in the Middle East.
NSW police have said they foiled an alleged plot to kill a prominent figure in organised crime.
Major bedding retailer fined over fake online discounts
A major online bedding supplier has been hit with a $15 million fine for advertising fake discounts and creating a fake sense of urgency by using a countdown timer that reset itself.
Emma Sleep made false or misleading representations about the sale price of mattresses, bed frames, pillows, and accessories, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission revealed on Friday.
The company admitted to making false claims on 74 of its products, with most being advertised as on sale when no saving existed.
It also admitted lying that the “discount” prices were for a limited time only and using phrases such as “Ending Soon” when the products continued to be advertised at the same or similar price.
The Federal Court found the conduct was a deliberate marketing strategy and senior management turned a blind eye to whether it contravened Australian Consumer Law.
The conduct occurred between June 2020 and March 2023, during which Emma Sleep made more than $134 million in revenue on the sale of over 243,000 individual products.
Emma Sleep Pty Ltd has been ordered to pay a penalty of $7.5 million, and Emma Sleep Southeast Asia Inc will pay $7.5 million.
- AAP
