Good afternoon. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has announced it is suing Coles and Woolworths over allegations they misled shoppers by offering “illusory” discounts on hundreds of common supermarket products.
The ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said the regulator would seek “a significant penalty” after alleging the major retailers had raised prices on a number of products for brief periods, before “dropping” them back to prices higher than, or the same as, they had been previously.
Anthony Albanese said that if the allegations were found to be true, it would be “completely unacceptable” behaviour by the supermarkets. “Advertised discounts need to be genuine – each and every time,” he said. At the same time as the ACCC court action against Coles and Woolworths, the government released its exposure draft on a new mandatory Food and Grocery Code that will subject multimillion-dollar fines against supermarkets found to be engaging in price-gouging and anti-competitive practices.
Shares in Coles and Woolworths both fell more than 3.5% early on Monday.
Top news
Australia to increase Gaza humanitarian aid | The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has announced the government will provide an additional $10m in response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, with funding to be directed to two UN organisations to provide nutrition, health and hygiene assistance, with a focus on women and girls.
Peter Dutton says nuclear costings ‘coming’ | Speaking at the Ceda conference in Sydney, the opposition leader argued the Coalition’s energy policy is “the only” plan for cheap and consistent energy, but still hasn’t announced the cost – saying it is coming “in due course”.
Greens tie Reserve Bank reforms to interest rate cut | The Greens have said they won’t help pass Labor’s RBA reform legislation until interest rates are cut, with senator Nick McKim suggesting that Jim Chalmers override the RBA board. Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam writes that as appealing as intervention might sound, such a move would probably be calamitous.
NZ pilot’s flight to freedom | In February 2023, Philip Mehrtens (pictured, left) was taken hostage by independence fighters in West Papua, who threatened to kill him. Now, after 594 days in captivity and delicate international negotiations, Mehrtens has been released and reunited with his family.
Torrential rain causes flood disaster in Japan | At least six people have died and 10 others are missing after heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides in the Ishikawa prefecture, a region still recovering from a deadly earthquake at the start of the year.
Russia isolated at UN summit | The UN general assembly has overwhelmingly rejected an unexpected and diplomatically clumsy move by Russia to derail an ambitious “pact for the future”, designed to revive multilateralism and global cooperation on emerging challenges such as climate change and debt in the global south.
Tony Popovic confirmed as new Socceroos coach | The former international defender said it was a “dream come true” to be handed the reins to the national men’s football team on a two-year deal, with a priority to promptly reverse Australia’s fortunes before two imminent World Cup qualifiers.
Abducted toddler found after 73 years | A man who was abducted as a six-year-old while playing in a California park in 1951 has been found more than seven decades later thanks to the help of an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
Māori language ‘at risk’ | New Zealand’s Māori language commissioner has said government policies limiting bureaucratic use of the language pose a risk to the half-century effort to revive it. Since being sworn in last December, several ministers have ordered their departments to prioritise English.
In video
‘Amazed I’m still alive’: surfer survives massive wipeout in Tasmania
Big-wave specialist Mikey Brennan somehow escaped relatively unscathed from a massive wipeout at Shipstern Bluff, a notoriously dangerous surf spot off the Tasman Peninsula coastline that can only be accessed by a 30km jetski ride or a two-hour hike. It is not the first time Brennan has diced with death in the water – in 2010 he broke his back while surfing another dangerous Tasmanian wave at Governor Island.
What they said …
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“I put my best foot forward and maybe the fairytale ending didn’t happen, but I also have to look back on what it’s been, 13 or so years. I’m proud.” – Daniel Ricciardo
The popular Australian Formula One driver, who is expected to be ditched by his RB team before the next race in Austin, sounded in Singapore like a man who had just driven his last grand prix – but if so, he will have bowed out in some style.
In numbers
Removing poker machines from pubs and clubs was a central issue in the 2018 Tasmanian election campaign – now new data released by the government shows the extent of poker machine losses in the state. The two casinos owned by Federal Group, the Wrest Point casino in Hobart and Country Club Tasmania near Launceston, accounted for more than $448m of the losses, according to data from the Liquor and Gaming Commission.
Before bed read
Should the AFL grand final be moved from the MCG? The case for and against
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the AFL’s premiership decider will not feature a Victorian club. There may be no grander stadium in Australia than the Melbourne Cricket Ground – but does that mean it should have a monopoly on the decider? Nino Bucci and Caitlin Cassidy debate whether to stay put and stick with tradition, or take the grand final around the country.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: DESI. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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