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Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Why you spend more at Woolies and Coles
Amid a cost-of-living crisis and prices across supermarkets increasing, there could be another reason why shoppers feel the pinch when walking through the aisles at Woolworths and Coles compared with a trip to the low-cost alternative Aldi. Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have made in-aisle music one of the important elements of their branding across the country, even launching their own radio stations to encourage fans to listen to music when they're not completing their weekly shop. But Aldi has failed to even turn its speakers on – and it's saving the company millions every year. Supermarkets could pay up to $6m per year to have music played through their stores. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia In order for a business to play music inside a store or venue, it must obtain a licence that covers the royalties and copyright for musicians across all platforms. Under Australian copyright law, businesses that fail to pay the music licensing fee could face potential copyright infringement if they play music in public, be it to their staff or customers. Businesses can purchase a public performance licence from OneMusic, comprised of the Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society and the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia. Speaking to NewsWire, OneMusic director Catherine Giuliano said about 100,000 businesses and organisations relied on its licensing, which is required if a business plays the radio, CDs or vinyl, streams on digital platforms, or has the TV switched on in the background. Aldi does not play any music in its stores across the country. NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw Credit: News Corp Australia While it doesn't matter where the company or business sources its music, the cost to obtain a licence fee depends on the floor size of the store or venue. 'Licence fees range from $97.72 a year in a small space with a radio playing to $6045.06 a year for a large space where a digital music streaming service is being used to play music,' Ms Giuliano said. For Woolworths and Coles, the maximum they would pay for an annual music licence is upwards of $6m, though Ms Giuliano said not all supermarkets would be subjected to this figure depending on the floor size. 'Essentially larger footprint stores pay more, smaller stores pay less,' she added. 'This is what the sector agreed to during our consultations on fee structure.' Businesses that play music in public spaces are required to pay an annual licence fee. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Giuliano said businesses such as Coles or Woolworths obtaining a music licence was a valuable tool to encourage more shoppers, even if it cost them $6m per year. 'Business owners and managers obviously see a value in music playing on-site,' she said. 'That value is directly from the creative efforts of copyright owners. 'These music creators have a legal right to give permission for their work to be used in exchange for a fee. That's the basis of a music licence. 'Through OneMusic, these fees are returned to the music creators as royalties.' However, Aldi is one supermarket that hasn't included music into its retail strategy, with an Aldi spokesperson telling NewsWire that 'music is not currently available in any of Aldi's Australian stores'. It's a move that Ms Giuliano would 'love to see' added to Aldi aisles in the future. 'Like many Australians, we would love to have music playing throughout the almost 600-strong Aldi network,' she told Yahoo Finance. 'The atmosphere created by music that makes customers return to a business, recommend to their friends and buy more is many multiples of the cost of a OneMusic licence.' As for Aldi, the spokesperson confirmed the low-cost supermarket was not planning to change its music-free ways however did not confirm whether it was a cost-saving measure. 'There are no plans at this time to bring music to Aldi stores,' they told NewsWire. Shoppers are more likely to spend more in a store that plays music. NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Worldwide studies suggest playing music could influence purchase decisions and determine how long someone spends inside a store. According to a Sounds Like Branding study, 14 per cent of people admit they buy more when music is playing in a store, and 62 per cent say they are more likely to stay inside a store that plays 'good music'. A recently released study from Gema Group and Audoo found that music could cause an 8 per cent spending boost for retailers, though research from the University of Bath suggested 'pleasant music' was less likely to encourage shoppers on weekends, as they're 'essentially happier'. 'Pleasant music appears to have a mentally soothing effect which impacts the way people shop,' University of Bath researcher Carl-Philip Ahlbom explained. 'At the weekend people are essentially happier, and so the positive power of music is less noticeable. 'In fact, playing music at the weekend may even mean people buy less, possibly because it's an additional stressor in an already busy environment.'
CTV News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Stampeders rookies get their first taste of new turf at McMahon Stadium
Damien Allford, the Stampeders' first overall draft pick, at the opening of rookie camp Wednesday afternoon at McMahon Stadium. (Glenn Campbell, CTV Calgary)
Perth Now
07-05-2025
- Perth Now
‘Heartless': Alarming note issued in city
Tents in a well established homeless encampment in inner city Brisbane have been slapped with eviction notices by the local council, while landscaping works occur around their dwellings. The Brisbane City Council have plastered stickers on tents in Musgrave Park, located in South Brisbane, warning owners that if they were not collected by May 7, they may be confiscated or disposed of. Tents in a well established homeless encampment in inner city Brisbane have been slapped with eviction notices by the local council, while landscaping works occur around their tents. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia 'If you need help with housing options, please contact the Safe Communities Team on (07) 3403 8888,' the notice said. The park is currently undergoing works in preparation to host the Paniyiri Festival held from Saturday May 17 to Monday May 19. Throughout the festival, the park will be temporarily fenced off to the public, and only those who have purchased a ticket will be allowed access. Brisbane City Council have plastered stickers on tents in Musgrave Park, located in South Brisbane, warning owners that if they were not collected by May 7, they may be confiscated or disposed of. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia A Brisbane City Council spokesperson said the move-on orders aligned with a new approach to homelessness in the city outlined in March, and were unrelated to the festival. 'Brisbane residents have grown increasingly concerned about the violence, drug use and anti-social behaviour occurring in tent encampments in parks,' they said. 'As a result, we're taking a calm, measured and considered approach with the Department of Housing, Police and Queensland Health to get people out of dangerous encampments and into safe accommodation.' The homeless encampment at Musgrave Park has received widespread attention after multiple attempts to remove the tent city by Brisbane City Council failed. In March this year, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner outlined a new policy whereby in instances where people camping in parks refuse accommodation or assistance, they would be asked to move on within 24 hours. A Brisbane City Council spokesperson said the move-on orders aligned with a new approach to homelessness in the city outlined in March, and were unrelated to a festival taking place in the location. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia At the time, Mr Schrinner said he believed most campers were 'homeless by choice'. He said that the people in the homeless encampments refused assistance from the Council and other organisations during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, and that accommodation was available to them. Greens Councillor Tina Massey said the removal of vulnerable people from Musgrave Park ahead of this year's Paniyiri festival marked a 'harsh and regressive shift' from the inclusive planning of previous years. 'Dutton's vision for Australia continues right here in Brisbane under the cruel leadership of Lord Mayor Schrinner,' she said. 'I urge the Lord Mayor and Premier to stop criminalising homelessness and start investing in real solutions. We need more social and affordable housing, not more fines and forced relocations.' Greens Senator Larissa Waters urged the Lord Mayor to reconsider his approach to tackling homelessness in Brisbane. 'It is appalling The Lord Mayor of Brisbane is striking vulnerable people sleeping rough with this heartless policy. 'Criminalising poverty is never a solution to poverty. What people without homes need are homes. 'We have the tools to really fix the crisis in this country and the Greens urge all levels of government to use them.' Homeless tents in Musgrave park under a removal order as Brisbane City Council conducts works. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia A spokesperson from local charity Northwest Community Group said Brisbane City Council and event organisers for the Greek Food Festival have not adequately provided support to those who are being relocated for the events. 'The festival is an annual event, usually they have a special area put aside for people experiencing homelessness but this year they are just kicking everyone out,' they said. The Northwest Community Group has organised a sit-in at the Park on Wednesday May 7, calling for event organisers to consider the needs of the homeless people who will be forced to relocate. 'People were left in the dark about what was going to happen and where they were meant to go,' a post to the group's social media said. 'The festival footprint maps were not finalised until the day the fences went up, and they were never shared.' Homeless encampments along the Brisbane River under the Riverside Expressway. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia In October last year, Brisbane City Council cut the electricity to two homeless tent cities at Musgrave Park and Kurilpa Point Park, leaving them without access to power outlets or barbecues. At the time, Greens Councillor Trina Massey said: 'This callous act denied people sleeping rough the ability to cook food on BBQs or charge their phones – possibly leading to missed calls with offers of housing from the Department of Housing.' 'The removal of power has already made our parks less safe for all community members. Rough sleepers are now resorting to potentially much more dangerous gas based equipment to enable them to cook meals, the most basic of human rights,' she said. 'I've already been told that a gas canister has exploded.'
Perth Now
04-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Invasive fire ants nests found in southeast Queensland
Two nests of highly invasive red imported fire ants have been detected and destroyed outside of official biosecurity zones in Queensland. Red fire ant nests were discovered by a local pest manager at the Harmony Estate, a new residential neighbourhood in the Sunshine Coast locality of Palmview, on Tuesday. The following day, officers from the National Fire Ant Eradication program attended the site and destroyed the nests using insecticide injections. Camera Icon Two nests of highly invasive red imported fire ants have been detected and destroyed outside of official biosecurity zones in Queensland. Photos: Invasive Species Council Credit: News Corp Australia Harmony Estate does not lie within one of the fire ant biosecurity zones, which are designed to restrict the movement of materials that could spread fire ants. Over the past year, nine new fire ant outbreaks found outside official biosecurity containment zones have occurred on residential construction sites. Camera Icon Fire ant biosecurity zones help prevent the human-assisted spread of fire ants through the movement of materials that can carry fire ants. Credit: Supplied The National Fire Ant Eradication Program said they are continuing to work with developers who deal with materials that can carry fire ants, such as soil, pot plants, nursery stock, sand, gravel, grass, turf, hay, wood, or soil-moving equipment, to stop the spread. A spokesperson from the National Fire Ant Eradication program said residents in the area should be on the lookout and report any other sightings of the highly invasive pest. Extreme weather events, including ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, have fuelled the spread as the insects were forced above ground and floated on top of flood waters, which carried them into new areas. Since the beginning of March, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program has received 60 reports of extreme reactions to fire ant stings requiring medical attention in southeast Queensland. Of those reports, 23 people required hospitalisation. This surge has also reportedly led to the death of a pet dog in Logan. Fire ant stings, while generally not life threatening, can cause severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis in some people. Camera Icon Pustules resulting from fire ant stings. Photos: Invasive Species Council Credit: Supplied The most common reaction is a burning sensation, redness and swelling. In addition to health impacts, fire ants feed on fauna that nests or feeds on the ground, and can displace or eliminate native species. Camera Icon Fire Ant detection dogs are one method the National Eradication Program employs to stop the spread of the invasive species. Glenn Campbell/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia While each insect is only 2-6 mm long, the Queensland government estimates that if not eradicated, the impacts of fire ants in Australia will surpass the combined damage done each year by all other pests, including feral cats, wild dogs, foxes, camels, rabbits and cane toads. Native to South America, red imported fire ants were first detected in Brisbane, Queensland in 2001. The National Fire Ant Eradication program has successfully eradicated six separate incursions in Queensland, and one each in New South Wales and Western Australia.
Perth Now
04-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Chalmers eyes biggest threat to Australia
Jim Chalmers says managing the risk to Australia's economic future from the global economic uncertainty is a priority as he gets back to work following Saturday's election. The Treasurer has also revealed boosting productivity will be the focus of the Albanese government's second term, while still reining in inflation. Appearing on ABC's Insiders following Labor's thumping victory, Mr Chalmers said he had been given a rundown by Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy at 6.45am on Sunday. He said his 'immediate focus' would be on how the returned Labor government managed the risks posed by the increasingly volatile US and China relationship. He said the 'spectrum of scenarios' posed by the global outlook was 'much broader' following the impact of Donald Trump's trade war. Jim Chalmers, voting with his family in his Logan seat of Rankin on Saturday, has already received a briefing from Treasury. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia Its impact on the Chinese economy will pose the biggest threat to Australia, with China being our biggest trading partner, accounting for about $212.7bn or 26 per cent of exports. 'We know that the direct impact on us from the tariffs is manageable and relatively modest but there is a huge downside risk in the global economy,' he said. 'I think what's happening, particularly between the US and China, does cast a dark shadow over the global economy and we're not uniquely impacted by that.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers says boosting productivity would be one of his key priorities in the Albanese government's second term. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia Although he said it would be the primary concern for 'every country,' he said he believed Australia was 'well-placed' to combat the issues. 'Global economic uncertainty really is the big influence on my thinking and my work on day one of a second term,' he said. 'We need to have the ability – and we will have the ability – to manage that uncertainty at the same time as we roll out our domestic agenda,' he said, naming Future Made in Australia, housing, energy, human capital and boosting competition. Election result poll Supercharging productivity, how the economy can do more and produce more without further spending, while not increasing inflation was another second-term goal. Prior to the election, business groups had been calling for more government investment into boosting productivity, which covers policy areas like industrial relations, cutting red tape and boosting investment in key sectors. 'I'm looking forward to rolling out the changes we announced on a national regime for occupational licensing, the non-compete clauses change, the competition policy I'm working up with the states, revising national competition policy,' he said. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says boosting productivity will be a priority in the Albanese government's second term. Annette Dew/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia 'The best way to think about the difference between our first term and the second term that we won last night – the first term was primarily inflation without forgetting productivity. 'The second term will be primarily productivity without forgetting inflation.' He also flagged a major Productivity Commission review due to report in the third quarter of this year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who led Labor to second term with a strong majority at Saturday's election, has already said Mr Chalmers would remain as Treasurer.
