What we learned, Wednesday 11 March
Thanks for joining us today. We’ll be back tomorrow. Until then, here were today’s top stories.
One of the two women from the Iranian football squad granted a humanitarian visa overnight has changed their mind and decided to go back to Iran, home affairs minister Tony Burke confirmed.
Queensland senator Matt Canavan was elected as the new Nationals leader the day after David Littleproud stood down as leader.
Two Queensland protesters have been arrested for allegedly violating the state’s ban on the phrase “from the river to the sea”.
Foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, confirmed Australian embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv and the consulate in Dubai all physically closed in the last week.
The authority that runs Naplan apologised “unreservedly” for a disruption to a “significant number” of schools on its first day, as some students had the standardised test postponed while others did not.
Two former public servants referred to the anti-corruption watchdog by the royal commission into robodebt have been found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct while the former prime minister Scott Morrison has been cleared.
The Sydney fashion designer behind the Katie Perry label has won her epic trademark dispute with US pop star Katy Perry, after a legal battle lasting almost 17 years.
Updated
Consumer group calls for fruit and veggie pricing reforms after discovering weight variations of up to 94%
The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) has again called for supermarkets to be forced to display per-kilogram pricing on fruits and vegetables after uncovering significant discrepancies between different pieces of produce.
Guardian Australia recently reported several examples of price discrepancies by supermarkets charging fruit and vegetables per item, or “per each”, rather than by weight, leaving shoppers short-changed.
The QCA conducted its own investigation at one of the major supermarkets where it found, for example, that cauliflowers priced at $5.50 each in one supermarket ranged in weight from 400g to 775g – a 94% difference.
This meant the effective price per kilogram ranged from $13.75 for the lightest
cauliflower to $7.10 for the heaviest, the consumer group says.
The QCA found a similar example in continental cucumbers, which were priced at $1.70 each but varied in weight between 235g to 395g – a 68% difference – resulting in effective prices from $7.23 to $4.30 a kilo.
The QCA spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, said:
These variations mean consumers who need to, or if the heaviest pieces have been sold are forced to, select lighter items can end up paying much more per kg than those choosing heavier ones.
Retailers should make it easier for customers to quickly compare prices and value, and ensure consumers are treated fairly.
QCA has urged the government to amend the trade measurement legislation and unit pricing code – which regulate how grocery prices are set – to reduce, or remove, the ability of retailers to price fruit and vegetables only per piece.
The supermarkets have argued that per-item pricing can make it easier for customers to quickly budget for, and choose, the number of items they need.
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