What we learnt today, Monday 24 July
Thanks for following along with us today on the blog – that’s where we’ll leave our live coverage. Here were the main developments today:
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said officials expect the federal surplus for 2022-23 to be about $20bn. In announcing this Chalmers said the government is “not currently working” on new cost-of-living relief measures, and are instead rolling out measures that have already been announced.
Meanwhile, seasoned economist Chris Barrett has been appointed to head the Productivity Commission for the next five years.
No campaign leader and former Labor minister Gary Johns is facing calls to resign after comments he made proposing blood tests to prove Aboriginality for welfare payments emerged.
Labor senator Jana Stewart said these were “outdated views, from over 100 years ago”. Meanwhile, NSW Liberals MP Matt Kean labelled Johns’ comments “out of touch and extreme”, saying he should be sacked if he doesn’t resign.
Meanwhile, no campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the yes vote is popular in Victoria because it’s one of those “difficult states” where everything is “about ideology and not common sense”.
The government will spend nearly $10bn to buy 20 new Hercules transport planes from the US – eight additional ones, and 12 to replace existing Hercules planes. Deputy prime minister Richard Marles said they are a “crucial asset” in peacekeeping operations and bushfire and flood emergencies.
Former senior public servant Kathryn Campbell resigned from the Department of Defence in the wake of the robodebt royal commission report.
The government will make it easier for casuals to convert to full-time work if they choose, under Labor’s next stage of industrial relations reforms.
A child was located after a car was stolen in Dandenong, Melbourne with the two-year-old on board, Victorian Police confirmed.
A male surfer is in hospital after being bitten by a “suspected white shark” near Gnarabup beach in Western Australia this morning.
As always, we’ll be back here bright and early tomorrow morning. Have a lovely evening!
Target to merge operations with retail bedfellow Kmart
Retail department chain Target will merge its administrative operations with stablemate Kmart, as part of a plan by their owner to boost returns in the competitive sector.
Perth-based conglomerate Wesfarmers said in a statement the two store networks had operated closely for some time.
Kmart managing director Ian Bailey said:
The announcements today are an internal reorganisation of our support offices and there are no impacts to the Kmart or Target stores.
The change was first reported by the Australian Financial Review.
The competitive price-focussed Kmart drives significantly more revenue for Wesfarmers than Target, which sells affordable apparel and home furnishings.
Wesfarmers has long cited an unsustainable cost base at Target for a decision to close or convert its stores, a strategy that has been in place for several years.
At the end of last year, there were just under 250 Kmart stores in Australia, almost double the number of Target stores. There are also more than 50 smaller-format K-hub stores.
Updated
