What the PM thinks about a four day work week
That's the pitch from the Australian Council of Trade Unions, who want it firmly on the table at next week's National Economic Reform Roundtable.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister and the Treasurer are at pains to stress they're perfectly aligned on the summit's goals - but are they really seeing eye to eye?
Patricia Karvelas and Raf Epstein break it all down on Politics Now.
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News.com.au
38 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Hidden fortune: What Aussie cleaners find in home clean-outs
Stressed Aussies are unknowingly tossing tens of thousands of dollars in the bin – with cleaners finding as much as $15,000 in cash hidden in a handbag in a shock new trend. A silent disaster is unfolding across Australia's suburbs as stressed descendants and downsizers rush to move on, with commercial cleaners clearing out properties find thousands of dollars worth of inheritance destined for skip bins. Bob Morton, co-founder of The Property Clearance Company, is among hundreds of businesses now rushed off their feet keeping up with demand as the $19.8 billion commercial cleaning sector expands into residential properties. 'We've seen people unknowingly throw away tens of thousands of dollars' worth of items and we've seen families break down over preventable misunderstandings,' he said. 'We've seen people toss out antique clocks, first-edition books and signed artworks thinking they were worthless.' 'One family threw out a set of vintage tools that later sold for more than $4,000.' 'We've found cash relatively often — sometimes thousands of dollars — and valuable jewellery like gold, diamonds, and even a Banksy artwork, which the family didn't know they had.' Govt pays $3.3m for unliveable derelict house 'We found a signed painting under a bed that was worth over $8,000. People don't always know what they're holding onto, but once it's gone, it's gone for good.' Among the salvaged items was a 1970s Steve Austin six million dollar man toy in its original packaging – worth a shattering $1,000 in the collectors' market. 'Some toys you buy today are worth nothing tomorrow, this one is unique.' Mr Morton said the team in the multistate family business he runs with wife Jude love finding things of both financial and sentimental value to clients. 'The ones that really come to mind are often the items of sentimental importance that had either been long since forgotten or people didn't even know were there. That happens a lot when families have lived in a home for decades, sometimes multi-generation.' 'Just a few weeks ago, we found a letter a client had written to her dad for Father's Day when she was seven. She's now in her 50s and had recently lost him. It was emotional for her and for our team.' 'There's jewellery and things like that people have long forgotten. One client said to me, I couldn't remember if this was real or not, because I've got a childhood memory of it but I hadn't seen it for decades. We were moving a cabinet out of a bedroom and a brooch was under it. We said, does this mean anything to you? It was very emotional.' He said a professional decluttering and clear out required five to seven days for a typical three bedroom home, and they are seeing a rise in downsizers overwhelmed by the need to declutter their life's possessions. 'This is one of life's biggest transitions and getting it wrong can cost far more than money,' he said. 'We do this for a living and are licensed second-hand dealers with an eye for both financial and sentimental value. Even then, we consult specialists for certain items.' Mr Morton has five red flags to watch for when decluttering or downsizing a home. The first, he said, was never throw things out before checking their value – what seems like junk to one generation can be a goldmine. 'Retro items from the '60s and '70s are especially valuable if in good condition — vinyl records, biscuit tins, designer furniture.' 'We've seen people throw out vintage tools worth $4,000 and priceless family treasures — all because they were in a hurry to 'just get it done'.' Don't let emotion cloud your judgment and rush you either, he warns. And he adds that most people's go-to strategy of blitzing through a house in one weekend is one of the worst things they could do. 'We hear it all the time. 'I wish I hadn't rushed it'. The problem is, once it's gone, you can't get it back. Taking time to thoughtfully sort through a home is the only way to ensure nothing important is lost.' Do not sell off the entire contents or dump it all in one go without having a look through. 'We've seen mid-century designer furniture, valuable art and antique tools snapped up for next to nothing,' he said. 'If someone offers to take a houseful of goods off your hands in one day, chances are you're being taken for a ride.' The other red flag, he said, was not documenting everything and creating an inventory – especially when multiple family members are involved in clearing out the family home to help elderly parents move into care or retirement living. 'We've had siblings argue over furniture, jewellery and even family photo albums,' Mr Morton said. 'An inventory protects everyone. It creates transparency, avoids suspicion, and gives families peace of mind.' The fifth red flag, he said, was thinking it was all 'just stuff'. He said every object has a story and some have significant emotional or monetary value. 'People often overlook sentimental items that hold family history and real monetary value. We help them see the difference.' 'That battered old typewriter in the garage might be a rare collector's item. Mum's handbag could be a vintage designer piece. Even handwritten recipes, love letters and holiday souvenirs can be deeply meaningful to future generations.' 'This is more than just a clean-up, it's the closing of a life chapter,' he said. 'Done right, it can be a respectful and even healing process. Done wrong, it's a source of lifelong regret.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
New warning for Aussies travelling to New Caledonia
The Australian government has updated its advice for travel to New Caledonia. It has warned Aussies to 'exercise a high degree of caution' following continued civil unrest. 'There's still a high police and security presence in country,' the government's travel advisory service, Smartraveller said on Wednesday. 'Isolated security incidents may occur across the territory. Monitor local media and follow the advice of local authorities.' It also explained authorities may impose restrictions, including curfews, at short notice. 'Security incidents, including arson, continue across the country. Political demonstrations and protests may turn violent at short notice.' The warning comes more than a year after a wave of violent unrest swept across the French overseas territory. In May 2024, rioting and looting erupted in New Caledonia over an electoral reform plan that Indigenous Kanak people feared would leave them in a permanent minority, putting independence hopes definitively out of reach. The unrest left nine dead and damage estimated at more than 1.5 billion euros (AU$2.46 billion). More recently, the separatists of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) announced on Wednesday they have rejected a recent agreement they signed with French officials on a new status for the territory. Signed on July 12 under the guidance of the French Overseas Minister, Manuel Valls, the Bougival text outlines the transfer of limited sovereign powers including currency, justice and policing to a New Caledonian state. While it provides for a separate state for New Caledonia (within the French state), nationality, and local officials given more powers, things like security, defence and justice would continue to be controlled by officials in Paris. The absence of a new independence referendum – a core demand for many Kanaky activists – has proven to be a deal-breaker, according to local reports. Mr Valls announced that he will travel to New Caledonia next week for consultations.
Canberra Times
an hour ago
- Canberra Times
Big Battery Boom: should regional Australia be worried about fires?
Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Be the first to know when news breaks. As it happens Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. Get the very best journalism from The Canberra Times by signing up to our special reports. As it happens Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. Get the latest property and development news here. We've selected the best reading for your weekend. Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers. Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon. Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service. As it happens Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. More from National More than 60 batteries are being built across the country, with a further 83 passing the approval process and 57 awaiting approval. The Hazelwood expansion will be mirrored Australia-wide, with more than 20GW of big battery projects in the planning pipeline. Just a decade ago big batteries were seven times more expensive than they are in 2025, with the latest forecasts predicting a further 14 per cent drop in the next year. The next phase is likely to be much quicker and much cheaper to build. The existing power lines coming into Hazelwood have the capacity to carry 1.6GW, more than 10 times the existing battery output. While the Hazelwood battery is only 150MW, there are already plans to expand it. What's on the horizon? "I think whenever a developer does a decent job, it really has to bring the community along with it and make sure they're involved in the process." "Once they saw the safety mechanisms and the reality of the battery, they were really comfortable with it. "The local Fire Rescue Victoria and CFA crews have come to the site to review it and understand it," he says. The Hazelwood site is 150MW, but has transmission capacity for 1600MW, so it will expand substantially in coming years. Picture by Ben Silvester Mr Quinnell says a key part of the approval and construction process at the Hazelwood battery was engaging local firefighters in the planning process. All of the previous high-profile big battery fires were using older, different technology than the Hazelwood battery. "When they did manage to start a fire, it was totally contained within the cube, so it never jumped from cube to cube." "The US manufacturer, Fluence, has done extensive testing, trying really hard to set them on fire. It was actually a huge effort. Mr Vila says each cube can isolate from the rest of the big battery system instantaneously, and there's a temperature trigger that fills the cube with chemical firefighting foam if it gets too hot. "Each battery cube is fan and liquid cooled and has a system that sends an alert if there's any problem. The Hazelwood big battery consists of three blocks of 50MW, made up of dozens of battery cubes, which each house 14 batteries. Picture by Ben Silvester "The batteries here are made from lithium iron phosphate, which is less volatile than previous battery technologies," Mr Vila says. The coordinator of Hazelwood's big battery, Jonathan Vila, says he can understand the concerns, but the Hazelwood site was extremely safe. Should regional communities be worried? "As a brigade, we're equipped and trained to fight grass and scrub fires," Mr Connors said. CFA member Doug Connors said volunteers weren't equipped to fight battery fires. An ABC report in May 2025 revealed CFA volunteers in Dederang in northern Victoria were opposed to a proposed big battery near the town. It has spurred concerns in some regional communities about the bushfire risk big batteries could pose. Another Tesla battery near Rockhampton in Queensland also caught fire in September 2023, and one of the world's largest batteries caught fire in California in January 2025. The battery had been offline at the time of the fire, meaning its monitoring and prevention measures were off. The Victorian government's Tesla battery outside Geelong caught fire during testing in July 2021. An inverter at the Hazelwood big battery to convert the DC battery power to AC so it can be pumped into the Victorian grid. Picture by Ben Silvester But big batteries have caught on fire in the past. "EVs have much better fail-safes and protections, but then with a BESS it's much higher again." "At the bottom, in terms of regulation, you'd have things like electric scooters," Mr Quinell says. Engie media manager Dylan Quinell says there is a wide spectrum of fire safety protection depending on the type of battery use. Batteries have an unfortunate association with fire in the public imagination, driven largely by regular videos of electric scooters, e-bikes and electric cars catching on fire. The whole site emits a low roar - the sound of hundreds of industrial fans cooling the battery units. At 150 megawatts (MW), it is equivalent to 30,000 rooftop solar systems generating for an hour. The battery is just 18 months old, coming online in December 2023 at a cost of somewhere near $150 million. Each cube contains 14 batteries about the same size as you would find in a small electric vehicle. The former Hazelwood coal mine, now partially flooded, with the Yallourn coal fired power station in the background. Picture by Ben Silvester It resembles a large gravel car park, but instead of cars, it is dotted with dozens of white metal cubes arranged in rows of six. Compared to the towering chimneys of the coal plant, Hazelwood's big battery is pretty modest. Its owners - the French energy company Engie - decided to replace the power station with a battery, to make use of the huge power lines that once plugged into the plant. Hazelwood was Australia's dirtiest power plant when it was decommissioned in 2017. ACM travelled to Gippsland in south-east Victoria to visit a big battery built on the site of the former Hazelwood coal-fired power station. From coal to batteries Ballarat, Warrnambool, Albury-Wodonga and Newcastle will all have a handful of batteries around them in the next five years, but nearly every regional town will have at least one nearby. That's a lot more batteries, and most of them will be built in regional areas. But forecasts by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) show Australia will need at least 22GW by 2030 and 49GW by 2050. These 30 batteries can store 3 gigawatts (GW) of power. There are 30 big batteries operating across the country - seven in Victoria, six each in NSW, Queensland and SA, and eight in WA. Wind and solar farms have been the most obvious part of that change, but batteries are the next crucial piece: a power source when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine. Australia is in the grips of an energy revolution that is transforming many regional areas. The big batteries are coming Hazelwood big battery coordinator Jonathan Vila explains how the battery cubes link into the Victorian grid. Picture by Ben Silvester To find out more, ACM went inside an operational big battery to learn how it worked and how risky it really was. But the boom has brought concerns from country residents, farmers, and even volunteer firefighters about the potential fire risks it could bring with it. All other regional websites in your area The digital version of Today's Paper All articles from our website & app Login or signup to continue reading Subscribe now for unlimited access. Australia is in the midst of a big battery boom, with hundreds of mega-batteries soon to be dotted across regional areas. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. 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