Latest news with #JonoSearle
RNZ News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NRL Magic Round live updates: Cowboys v Warriors
Chanel Harris-Tavita of the Warriors passes the ball during the NRL Round 23 match between the Redcliffe Dolphins and New Zealand Warriors at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Sunday, August 11, 2024. (AAP Image/Jono Searle / Photosport) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY Photo: JONO SEARLE It's Magic Round in the NRL, with all teams and fans descending on Brisbane for a festival of rugby league. The Warriors have drawn the in form Cowboys in what promises to be a fascinating match up. Kick-off is at 7.30pm. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog: Cowboys: 1 Scott Drinkwater, 2 Robert Derby, 3 Jaxon Purdue, 4 Viliami Vailea, 5 Murray Taulagi, 6 Tom Dearden, 7 Jake Clifford, 8 Jordan McLean, 9 Reece Robson, 10 Jason Taumalolo, 11 John Bateman, 12 Jeremiah Nanai, 13 Reuben Cotter Interchange: 14 Sam McIntyre, 15 Harrison Edwards, 16 Griffin Neame, 17 Coen Hess Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Taine Tuaupiki, 3 Rocco Berry, 5 Adam Pompey, 23 Ed Kosi, 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7 Luke Metcalf, 8 Marata Niukore, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Mitch Barnett, 11 Kurt Capewell, 12 Leka Halasima, 13 Erin Clark Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Jackson Ford, 16 Demitric Vaimagua, 17 Bunty Afoa
ABC News
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Queensland government set to increases fees, including vehicle registration
All Queensland government fees and charges, including vehicle registration, will be hiked by 3.4 per cent from next financial year. The ABC can reveal the LNP government will also commit to increasing fees and charges by the same 3.4 per cent rate each year during its first term in office. The new LNP government will commit to increasing fees 3.4 per cent each year of its first term. ( AAP: Jono Searle ) The increase is above Brisbane's most recent CPI rate of 2.7 per cent, but less than the 3.7 per cent wages growth recorded for Queensland in the year to December. In its final year in office, the former Labor administration froze all state government fees as well vehicle registration costs for the 2024-25 financial year. There was a previous freeze on vehicle registration charges. ( ABC News: Craig Andrews ) It meant the cost of registering a four-cylinder vehicle for 12 months, excluding traffic improvement fees and compulsory third-party insurance, stayed at $360.60. It then introduced a subsequent pre-election one-year, 20 per cent vehicle rego cut on September 16, which lowered the registration cost of a four-cylinder vehicle to $288.45. 3.4 per cent on top of frozen fee The new 3.4 per cent increase will apply to the previously frozen fee, which means that from July 1, the four cylinder vehicle registration cost will be about $372.85. The cost of registering a five- or six-cylinder vehicle, excluding traffic improvement fees and CTP, will come in at about $590.35 — up from the discounted rate of $456.75 or the frozen rate of $570.95. Any motorists who are yet to receive the 20 per cent discount will still get it until the measure ends on September 16 this year. Motorists yet to receive the 20 per cent discount will get it until the freeze ends in September. ( ABC News: Michael Rennie ) According to the budget update released in December, the government is set to make $2.507 billion from motor vehicle registration next financial year. That is up from the $2.081 billion the state is projected to make in the current financial year while the 20 per cent discount is in place. The 3.4 per cent rise to fees and charges will apply to a range of state government products, such as driver licences. For example, the increase will see the cost of a five-year driver licence climb from $198.35 to roughly $205.10 from July 1. Mr Janetzki sidestepped questions about when he notified the premier of the blast. ( AAP: Darren England ) In a statement, Treasurer David Janetzki said the government wanted to respect taxpayers' money. He also pointed to other cost of living measures the government had adopted, such as scrapping stamp duty on new builds for first home buyers and making 50 cent public transport fares permanent. Mr Janetzki is due to hand down his first budget as treasurer next month.
SBS Australia
26-04-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
'Crumbs off the table': Why some students say they feel left behind this election
A Coalition government would scrap Labor's promise to cut student loans by 20 per cent. Source: AAP / Jono Searle This federal election, millennial and gen Z voters will be the biggest voting bloc, outnumbering their older counterparts. But despite , some think not enough is being done for students in this election. Earlier this week, the Coalition said it would not back a Labor promise to cut university debt by 20 per cent if elected. "I think the major parties have very little to offer students, with the exception of students who happen to run private childcare companies or fossil fuel projects," National Union of Students education officer James McVicar told SBS News. "For the rest of us, it's a few crumbs off the table." So, where do the major parties stand on students? Here's what they've promised. The Coalition says it won't back Labor's promise to write off a portion of student debt if it's re-elected, calling the HELP cut "elitist" and "profoundly unfair". On Wednesday night, the Coalition released a statement saying it would not proceed with Labor's plan to cut 20 per cent from all student loans, which Labor says would save the average graduate about $5,520. "It's not fair that they [university students] should get thousands of dollars from taxpayers, but the young tradies who had to borrow to pay for their ute or their tools, or the uni students who diligently paid off their student debt, get nothing," the statement said. More broadly, the Coalition's policies on education focus primarily on tradespeople. They've promised to build 12 new technical colleges in areas with skill shortages and youth unemployment. This will allow senior high school students to enrol in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships while still earning a Year 12 certificate. They've also promised to return the number of apprentices and trainees in training to over 400,000 and have vowed to provide small and medium businesses with $12,000 to support the wages of new apprentices. International students are also in their sights, with plans to cap international student numbers to 240,000 — 30,000 fewer than what Labor proposed last year. They say the move will help free up housing for young people. Universities Australia, a peak body for the sector, has pushed back against the "scapegoating" of international students, warning the move would harm the economy and damage Australia's reputation as a study destination. Labor's pitch towards students has focused on its promise to wipe 20 per cent of student debt if re-elected, which they say will save about $5,520 for the average graduate. The policy, which would cost about $16 billion, would apply to around three million Australians. The government says it's aimed at relieving cost of living pressures on young people. The Albanese government has also pledged to lift the income threshold for student loan repayments from $54,000 to $67,000. If re-elected, Labor has promised to introduce a $10,000 incentive payment for Australians in construction apprenticeships and to fast-track the qualifications of 6,000 tradies to help build more homes across Australia, as part of its 'Advanced Entry Trades Training program'. Labor will also make free TAFE permanent, and provide a payment to support nursing, midwifery, teaching and social work students to complete their unpaid prac requirements. Education Minister Jason Clare said in November he intended to set up an Australian Tertiary Education Commission to provide non-binding advice on university course fees. But Labor is yet to announce plans to reform the scheme. "The Jobs-Ready Graduate scheme was and is a Liberal Party scheme to make students pay more for their education overall and channel them into degrees that they considered to be priorities," McVicar said. "I don't think the priorities of the party of Peter Dutton should dictate what's on offer to students in the higher education sector. I'm for a fully-funded and free higher education system without 'price signals' and soaring student debt." They estimate this would cost $46.5 billion, which would be paid for by taxing big corporations. They also want all university debt abolished. "I think at a bare minimum, we should have free education again," McVicar said. "It could be easily covered with the money the government instead wants to spend on nuclear-fuelled submarines." Visit the to access articles, podcasts and videos from SBS News, NITV and our teams covering more than 60 languages.
SBS Australia
21-04-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Why these Australians want you to withdraw some cash today
Around 1.5 million Australians use cash to make more than 80 per cent of their in‑person payments, according to the Treasury. Source: AAP / Jono Searle Jason Bryce noticed it during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. His local bank branch closed, as did three ATMs. Then the local supermarket temporarily went cashless. "Card companies were talking about the dirtiness of cash, and people were saying, 'We've got to go cashless'," Bryce told SBS News. "That led to a big decline in the use of cash, and it looked like the cashless society was inevitable." The loss of the ability to pay in cash spurred Bryce to launch an advocacy group Cash Welcome, which encourages the use of cash to ensure it remains an option for consumers. The group is calling for a nationwide campaign on Tuesday to get people to withdraw some cash and "remind the banks and the government that cash is important to Australians". "Have money in your pocket so you can pay with stuff if you need to, but [Tuesday], particularly, it's like a vote against their cashless Australia," Bryce said. Around 1.5 million Australians mostly use coins and paper notes to make purchases every day. But there's been a steady decline in the use of cash — and it took a new turn during COVID-19. From 2019 to 2022, the share of in-person transactions made with cash halved, from 32 per cent to 16 per cent, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). RBA's next report is due this year, but in the meantime, reports from other groups indicate the outlook for the prevalence of cash looks grim. Cash will make up only 7 per cent of in-person transaction value by 2030, a drop from the current 10 per cent. That figure, from a new report from global payments provider Worldpay, also shows Australians' most preferred payment method is prepaid or debit cards. But the group expects digital wallets will soon be the preferred option, capturing just over half of online and 38 per cent of in-person transaction value. "Cash's share of in-person shopping value dropped by more than two-thirds from 2014 to 2024. Yet the story of cash in Australia is one of a staunch defence," the report said. Angel Zhong, associate professor of finance at RMIT University, believes Australia will be a functionally cashless society by 2030. "That means the majority of payments will be in digital method. But it doesn't mean that you can't use cash," she told SBS News. "So I don't think people need to panic when it comes to the movement towards a cashless society, because we're talking about a functionally cashless society, not a fully cashless society." Earlier this year, RBA governor Michele Bullock said cash would "be around probably for another 10 years". In the United Kingdom, 99.3 per cent of people in urban areas are within 1.6km of a free-to-use cash access point offering withdrawals, while this drops slightly to 98.7 per cent in rural areas. Some countries, such as Spain, France, Norway, and Denmark, as well as some states in the United States, have implemented mandates that require businesses to accept cash. Last year, the federal government announced Australia would join the ranks from 1 January 2026. This mandate would require businesses supplying essential goods and services to accept cash, though details about which specific businesses have not yet been outlined. "Because of the government mandate, I think we are on the right balance ... to ensure financial inclusion. That means those who want to use cash will get their cash," Zhong said. The mandate will also phase out cheques — they will stop being issued by 30 June 2028 and will no longer be accepted from 30 September 2029. Exorbitant transaction surcharges and fees, security of your personal information, and reliability during tech outages are just some of the reasons why people prefer to stick to cash. "That incident, along with the others like the Optus incident, they highlighted some of the vulnerability of digital payments," Zhong said. For Bryce, the Optus outage underscored the importance of carrying cash. "I couldn't catch the train, couldn't make a payment because I was caught without cash," Bryce said. "And I think there's been a big realisation in Australia that you don't want to get caught out without a $50 note or a $20 note in your pocket, because you don't know what's going to happen." Interestingly, amid the gradual decline in cash use for transactions, demand for banknotes spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The value of banknotes in circulation increased by 22 per cent, or $19 billion, between March 2020 and its peak in December 2022, according to the RBA. This, the central bank said, suggested banknotes were being hoarded to store wealth or for precautionary savings.
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Aacta awards 2025 red carpet: Guy Pearce, Henry Cavill, Phoebe Tonkin and more
Director Gracie Otto, nominated for the documentary Otto by Otto, shows off her gown on the red carpet. Photograph:for AFI Better Man's Jonno Davies is nominated for best lead actor in a film. Photograph:for AFI Comedian Felicity Ward poses for a photograph on the red carpet. Photograph: Jono Searle/EPA Boy Swallows Universe stars Lee Tiger Halley and Felix Cameron. Photograph:for AFI Henry Cavill, in Australia to shoot Voltron, and Natalie Viscuso, poses for the cameras. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP Guy Pearce on the red carpet before presenting an award at the ceremony. Photograph:for AFI Phoebe Tonkin, nominated for best lead actress in Boy Swallows Universe, waves to the cameras. Photograph:for AFI Paul Kelly and Sian Darling. The singer-songwriter will perform his Christmas classic How to Make Gravy. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP Talk to Me star Sophie Wilde gives a wave. Photograph: Jono Searle/EPA Veteran Australian actor Bryan Brown. Photograph:for AFI Stage and screen actor Virginia Gay is slinky in satin. Photograph:for AFI Writer Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe is up for best miniseries. Photograph:for AFI Actor Lincoln Lewis poses for a selfie with fans. Photograph:for AFI Comedian Aaron Chen and wife, Esther Shim. Photograph:for AFI Twelve star Sharon Johal in a floral mood. Photograph: Brittany Long/Publishd/REX/Shutterstock Kitty Flanagan with Glenn Butcher. The comedian is nominated for best acting in a comedy for her series Fisk. Photograph:for AFI Model and influencer Sarah Ellen sparkles on the red carpet. Photograph:for AFI Australian screen legend Jack Thompson joins the stars on the red carpet. Photograph: Jono Searle/EPA The Fall Guy star Teresa Palmer with Mark Webber. Photograph:for AFI Love Island presenter and actor Sophie Monk. Photograph: Jono Searle/EPA Stuff the British Stole presenter Marc Fennell. Photograph:for AFI
