BREAKING NEWS Huge $400 payout for Aussies - what you need to know
The Victorian state government has offered a new $400 discount for Australian-made efficient electric hot water systems.
In a move to help boost local manufacturers, the Allan Government announced the $400 cashback scheme, which will be available from July 1.
The $400 payout would be on top of the pre-existing rebate, worth up to $1,000, for households which upgrade or replace old hot water systems with solar systems.
The government claimed the initiative would help shield Australian manufacturers from cheap imports and help Victorians by lowering their power bills.
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Tim Wilson says Coalition won't revisit ban on working from home as ‘happy workers' are more productive
Shadow industrial relations minister Tim Wilson says work-from-home arrangements should be negotiated between employees and bosses, as 'happy workers tend to be more productive'. Wilson said Dutton's controversial policy to wind back flexible working for public servants – dumped midway through the election campaign in an embarrassing backdown – was a 'heavy solution' that the Coalition wouldn't resurrect in this term. The shadow minister said such working arrangements should be worked out in individual workplaces, based on productivity. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'If employers can find a pathway … and employees can find a pathway, together in partnership for working from home because it works in their best interest, then that would always be the baseline at which I'd approach workplace arrangements,' Wilson told Sky News on Sunday. 'It's not for me to dictate what those terms are.' Dutton's controversial policy to restrict working from home for public servants has been blamed in post-election analysis as a major factor in turning off professional women and young people from voting Liberal. Nationals leader David Littleproud, during the short-lived split between his party and the Liberals, claimed several times 'the work-from-home fiasco hurt us'. Other Liberal members have indicated since the election they were supportive of flexible working arrangements. Andrew Bragg, the shadow minister for productivity, last week said 'we believe in individual choice and back flexibility at work', citing studies showing such arrangements could boost productivity. Wilson, who bucked the nationwide trend and became the only Liberal to win a new seat by reclaiming the seat of Goldstein he lost in 2022 to Zoe Daniel, echoed similar sentiments. He told Sky News that workers should 'have a sense of ownership and responsibility of their workplace arrangements, in partnership with their employers'. 'When it comes to the politics of [Dutton's policy], I think a lot of people looked at it and ... it was probably interpreted, anyway, as a heavy solution to what should be, for the most part, a productivity managed problem between employers and employees.' Wilson said the WFH policy was raised with him 'from time to time' while campaigning for Goldstein, but that equally he had employers who felt they 'no longer had a balanced relationship with their employees and wanted redress'. 'We do know that happy workers tend to be more productive, and there's certainly circumstances where people working from home can be more productive than they might otherwise be,' Wilson said. 'Because of commute times, because of their capacity to balance out their work and family lives, based on what their needs are, but it can vary circumstance to circumstance.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In a report last week, the Productivity Commission backed flexible working. 'Workers do not need to be in the office full-time to experience the benefits of in-person interactions. As a result, hybrid work (working some days remotely and some days in the office) tends to be beneficial to productivity, or at least is not detrimental to productivity,' the report said. 'Remote work also reduces breaks and sick days, and results in less distractions.' Also on Sunday, shadow finance minister James Paterson said he still believed Australia should boost defence spending to 3% of GDP – a policy outlined by Dutton. Dutton had committed to the figure late in the election campaign, but did not specify how it would be spent. Paterson, speaking on the ABC's Insiders, said the Coalition would provide details 'closer to the next election'. 'There's plenty of good advice out there in open source that suggests areas of investment. One is spending to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis facing the ADF. Another is to make sure that we have the munitions stockpile that we would need to survive a conflict, God forbid, if that should break out,' Paterson said. 'Other things [include] hardening the northern bases, the air and missile defence, drone defence, purchasing our own lethal drones.'
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori strikes out on her own with mysterious new venture
Bianca Censori is reportedly stepping out from her famous husband's shadow for a mysterious solo-branded venture. The 30-year-old wife of Kanye West has launched her own company in the US, Bianca Censori Inc., according to the US Sun. She reportedly registered her eponymous company in California in May. Censori has also reportedly registered a firm in Australia — simply named Bianca Censori — which operates out of the Melbourne suburb of Alphington, where her parents happen to reside. has reached out to a representative for Censori and West for comment. The new companies appear to be the first signs of Censori — who left fans calling for her arrest after posting seemingly nude photos on Instagram — taking the lead on a project since beginning a relationship with the 47-year-old disgraced rapper. The Australian beauty previously worked as an architect for his Yeezy brand beginning in 2020, and they married two years later. Despite launching the companies under her own name, with one in her home country, Bianca isn't completely leaving her husband behind. Although she is listed as the CEO and secretary for Bianca Censori Inc., Kanye is reportedly listed on the registration as a director of the company. He's also connected via his attorney, Manoj Shah, who is providing legal services for Bianca's company. So far, there are few details about exactly what Bianca plans to do with the companies. However, the identify of a top executive may hold a clue to what exactly the provocateur plans to make with her new company. The paperwork reportedly indicates that Hussein Lalani is working as the chief financial officer, and Lalani is known for promoting cosmetics. He is the founder of the skincare company Zensa, which offers microblading products, home tattoo kits and accompanying numbing creams. Lalani reportedly advertised that West planned to release the cryptocurrency 'meme coin' $YZY, which was initially described as a way to pay on the rapper's Yeezy website. Despite Lalani's press release, which indicated the crytopcurrency would begin selling on February 27, the release was inexplicably delayed inevitably. Lalani allegedly came into West and Censori's orbit after he met the couple at the West Hollywood condo they lived in last year. He's also reportedly listed on the corporate statement of information at the same address as the condo building. Censori and West have recently stirred up more controversy over the shockingly skimpy outfits. The two have been spending time around Barcelona, Spain, where they reportedly reunited after initially appearing to split in the wake of West deranged, antisemitic and pro-Nazi posts on the Elon Musk–owned social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Fans were shocked to see Bianca post a photo of herself with her breasts seemingly exposed under a fishnet top, while her nether regions were apparently uncovered under her sheer black pantyhose. Some social media users even suggested she should have been arrested over public decency laws, though there are some parts of Spain where it is at least legal to go topless. Despite the uproar, Censori appeared to double down when she posted a second photo of the same outfit that was even clearer than the original, somewhat blurry post.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia news live: community to hold vigil for Pheobe Bishop; embattled Tasmanian premier pulls privatisation study
Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:06:23.000Z Title: James Content: Shadow finance Minister Paterson will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning. Earlier this morning federal trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell spoke to Sky News. He was followed by Coalition MP Tim Wilson. Resources Minister Madeleine King will hold a presser in Western Australia this morning. We will bring you the latest as it develops. Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:04:10.000Z Title: Privatisation shelved as premier fights to stay afloat Content: Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has intervened to end his government's push to sell off state assets after a turbulent week in which he lost a no-confidence motion in parliament. Rockliff has stopped prominent economist Saul Eslake from preparing a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. In a post to social media, he promised legislation ensuring that any sales would require a two-thirds majority support in parliament. Today, I can confirm that there will be no privatisation under a Government I lead. We will also be changing the law so that a government business can only be sold in future if it receives a two-thirds majority in the Parliament. An election could be called on Tuesday. Despite feuding over the state's finances, Tasmania's proposed $715m stadium looms as the biggest issue. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost overruns. Labor and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project. - AAP Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:03:58.000Z Title: Vigil for Pheobe Bishop following grim bush discovery Content: A vigil will be held in memory of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop after the discovery of human remains in rugged national parkland. The vigil follows police confirmation that they found human remains in 'unforgiving' terrain in a national park southwest of Bundaberg. Floral tributes were laid outside the share house where Bishop lived, with a candlelight vigil at Kolan Community Park between 4pm and 6pm on Sunday. Locals have been asked to wear bright colours and butterflies. A second candlelight vigil will be held at Buss Park in nearby Bundaberg on Monday from 5pm. Well-wishers have left tributes on social media sites advertising the events. Bishop was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on 15 May after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend. Police have charged her housemates with her murder. – with AAP Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:03:28.000Z Title: Good morning Content: And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog. A vigil will be held for a Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop on Sunday afternoon after police confirmed they had found human remains in a national park. Bishop's housemates have been charged with her murder after she missed a flight she was expected to board at Bundaberg Airport. Embattled Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has intervened to stop a privatisation to sell off state assets after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament earlier this week. The Premier is expected to call an election on Tuesday after facing pressure over his government's management of state finances. I'm Royce Kurmelovs and I'll be taking the blog through the day. With that, let's get started …
