Western Australia cracks down on puppy farming
The era of buying a dog from a pet shop could well be over in Western Australia.
From today, new anti-puppy farming laws come into effect that mean pet shops can sell dogs if they get them from a rescue centre.
Guest: Karen Rhodes, President of Dogs Refuge Home
Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor
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ABC News
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Queensland government to begin social housing rent reviews to free up spaces for those in 'most need'
Social housing recipients in Queensland earning more than they should will soon be evicted from their homes to make way for new tenants. The state government claims there are some recipients earning well above the income limit that determines who is eligible for social housing. This includes a couple in Brisbane taking home more than $200,000 a year while paying less than $200 a week to live in their social housing unit. The government says another family in Townsville is paying less than $190 per week in rent despite earning an annual income of more than $160,000. From July 1, the government will launch annual rent reviews to determine if social housing recipients are still within the income limit. In Queensland, the income limit for a single person with no children is $609 per week, while for a couple it is set at $755. Tenants pay 25 per cent of their income. Those who are found to earn more than the limit will be charged at market rental rates, before they are evicted and transitioned to other housing options. Tenants who are within the housing limit but not paying 25 per cent of their income will have their rent increased, but the increase will be capped at $15 per week. Housing Minister Sam O'Connor said the government wants to make social housing available for vulnerable people and families. "We're empowering our housing officers to do what they do best — support the Queenslanders who most need a roof over their heads," he said. "These are long overdue changes to fix the system so it's better targeted to help the people who need housing most." In a bid to free up properties that are underoccupied, the government will also introduce a scheme to incentivise tenants to downsize to smaller social homes. The government hopes this will allow more families to move into social housing. The incentives will include rent free periods, as well covering the costs of removalists. The government estimates thousands of bedrooms in the state's social housing stock are vacant. About 50,000 people were on Queensland's social housing register as of December last year.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Australian coffee tipped to reach $12 amid international pressures
Coffee may need to reach $12 a cup for Australia to compete with other countries for the sacred beans. Benchmark prices hit an all-time high in April, and industry insiders say Chinese demand for beans is squeezing prices in Australia. '(The) Chinese have very much converted from tea to coffee,' Essential Coffee chief executive Todd Hiscock told the ABC. 'They're buying up unprecedented levels of coffee supplies, often they're taking a whole Brazilian stock load in ways that's never been seen before.' Median prices per cup needed to increase to between $8 to $12, he said. 'We've got to come to the party and pay in a competitive global market,' Hiscock said. Brazil produces more than one-third of the world's coffee beans. The country battled through a drought in 2024 that was capped off with a cold snap. Combined, this slashed the overall harvests. As investors turn away from the volatile US, the Brazilian real has also climbed, disincentivising exports out of Brazil. Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer. The El Nino weather pattern plunged Vietnam's coffee-growing regions into drought for the past two years, damaging the plants so badly that many will not fully recover for another two years. These international pressures, plus general inflation, are slicing margins at Australian cafes. A large player in the Australian coffee industry, Essential Coffee's wage bill has risen 9 per cent in two years, combined with a 29 per cent increase in rent and a 6 per cent rise in insurance. Mr Hiscock told the ABC the price of wholesale coffee had risen 119 per cent since November 2023. 'It's hard because people are very sensitive to their beloved coffee and when you move the price up, you find not just a lot of negative reaction, you find some very terse expletives,' he said.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
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$1.5m worth of parliamentary furnishings sitting in off-site storage
A $60,000 lounge is among $1.5m worth of Parliament House furnishings wasting away in off-site storage, officials have revealed. The Department of Parliamentary Services' spending came under a spotlight in February when it was grilled on a $3.8m furniture bill. It sparked concern at the time by disclosing a $20,000 desk sitting in storage. 'My concern, of course, is that there is this pervasive culture of waste and now there is numerous evidence that this has been an ongoing problem,' former opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume said during senate estimates. 'I understand that we don't necessarily want some of the beautiful rooms in Parliament House filled with furniture that looks like it came off a hard rubbish collection – that's fine. 'But this is, I think, of great concern. The $20,000 desk that is in off-site storage – clearly there are other things that are in off-site storage too – if I can, can I, on notice, have a full inventory of this collection and the estimated cost of construction for each piece of furniture that is in off-site storage, if you have the paperwork, and its current market value.' She suggested the 'taxpayer can recoup some of the waste of that department's decisions by maybe selling some of the stuff that is off-site that we are clearly never going to use'. Responding to Senator Hume's query now, the DPS confirmed the desk was now in use but revealed items worth far more were sitting idle at two off-site facilities. 'The Department of Parliamentary Services uses off-site storage facilities both for the storage of, and as staging areas for, furniture that is either excess to current use requirements, earmarked for disposal or requires maintenance and refurbishment,' the department said. 'There are currently two off-site storage facilities in use for Parliament House furniture. 'Furniture retained in the off-site storage areas are high value items from the original Parliament House furniture collection intended to be used in designated areas of Parliament House. 'Where possible, lower value office furniture is not retained in off-site storage. 'As these items do not have heritage value, they are more easily disposed and/or can be repurposed throughout other APH office spaces.' It said that as of April 30, 891 tagged items were in storage, including 189 'furniture components' – seat pads or frames, for example. The indicative cost of these was about $800,000. 'The Department of Parliamentary Services does not maintain current market value of each individual item due to the bespoke nature of each piece,' it said. 'However collective value of furniture in storage at the main facility is currently valued at $1.5m.'
