Hi there. It's Wednesday, June 15 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
One thing to know: Wages are set to rise for millions of Aussies
Today the Fair Work Commission ruled that the minimum wage should be increased by 5.2 per cent, lifting it by $1.05 an hour to $21.38 an hour.
The Commission said its decision would affect more than 2.7 million workers, as well as other employees on enterprise agreements and other pay settings.
Here are a few things to know:
- The change will come into place on July 1
- Workers on award rates will go up 4.6 per cent — still a cut in real wages given inflation is at 5.1 per cent — with a minimum $40 weekly increase for workers on award rates below $869.60 per week
Here are some of the reactions we heard today:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he "absolutely" welcomed the Commission's ruling
- The Australian Chamber of Commerce warned the decision will put businesses under more stress
- Sally McManus, head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, said the decision was a victory for workers. Here's some of what she had to say:
We heard more about Australia's electricity supply issues
Today the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) took the extraordinary step of suspending the spot market for wholesale electricity, which sits at the centre of our electricity system.
AEMO says it is trying to simplify things and secure reliable supplies of electricity amid potential outages in some states.
It comes after some electricity generators pulled their supplies when a price cap was introduced.
Here's how AEMO chief executive Daniel Westerman described the situation:
"We are seeing very challenging times. Right now, we see the market is not able to deal with all the factors thrown at it. Frankly, those factors are quite extreme, ranging from generators that are both planned and unplanned outages, very high demand — [There are] a confluence of factors at hand."
He also said supplies will "remain tight in the coming days, in particular in New South Wales", and urged people in that state to conserve energy if they can.
This is the first time the market has been suspended nationally and it will be reviewed daily in each state.
News you may have missed
- Consumer group CHOICE is referring Kmart, Bunnings and The Good Guys to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to investigate potential breaches of the Privacy Act over their use of facial recognition technology. Here's what CHOICE said about it today …
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The Federal Court has approved US private equity giant Blackstone's $8.9 billion takeover of troubled casino operator Crown Resorts, which is set to deliver billionaire James Packer a $3.36 billion payday in exchange for his 37 per cent stake in the company
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A judge has refused to allow evidence from five new witnesses to be heard in the murder trial of former Sydney school teacher Chris Dawson. Mr Dawson is accused of murdering his first wife Lynette in 1982, so he could have a relationship with the family's 16-year-old babysitter
Here's what Australia has been searching for online
- England v Hungary. The Hungarian soccer team produced a "miracle" by defeating England 4-0 in the Nations League, handing the English their worst home defeat in 94 years. It wasn't a great day for Italy either …
- TISM. The infamous Australian band have reformed and announced their first performance in almost 20 years. The anonymous outfit formed in 1982 and were legendary in the Melbourne underground before finding mainstream attention in the 90s. Let's relive some of those glorious years …
One more thing: RIP Internet Explorer
It's a sad (but also happy?) day in the world of technology, with Microsoft's much-loved (and much-maligned) web browser Internet Explorer officially "retired" as of today.
It has been superseded by Microsoft Edge, which first arrived in 2015.
Launched in 1995, Internet Explorer was the dominant browser for over a decade, helping us access everything from MSN Messenger to Yahoo!, Myspace, Miniclip, Ask Jeeves and Club Penguin.
Farewell forever, Internet Explorer.
You're up to date!
Catch you tomorrow for more news and web surfing.
ABC/wires
