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Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Democracy sausage taken to new frontier
From school playgrounds to an Antarctic research station, Aussies are preparing to sink their teeth into a national treasure. The humble democracy sausage will be back on the menu at more than 1700 polling booths on Saturday, helping voters pump an estimated $4 million into community groups. Former opposition leader Bill Shorten became a divisive figure in the democracy sausage world. During the 2016 election, outrage erupted when he turned his sausage roll on its side, and bit into it like a sandwich. "It was a crusty roll," he told AAP this week. "To eat it at the front, you needed the teeth of Jaws, so I made a relatively pragmatic decision to eat it from the side. "Apparently, that caused a scandal around the country." Antarctic researcher Andy Warton and fellow expeditioners are planning one of Saturday's first democracy sausage sizzles on Casey Station. After voting by telephone, the crew of 29 will indulge in a post-voting brunch, away from the outdoor sub-zero temperatures. "Voting from Antarctica is a reminder that our voice matters, even if we're at the end of the earth," the station leader told AAP. "The sausage sizzle is about raising morale because it brings us together for something different, and reminds us there's a bigger picture out there." In Bass Strait, councillor Rowan Cooke will fire up the barbecue for King Island's first democracy sausage sizzle. Profits will go to the local social club. He's hoping the sausage sizzle brings the community together after primary employer King Island Dairy cut the number of workers on the island. "People don't particularly like talking about politics because it does bring up strong emotions," the councillor said. "But having a democracy sausage helps break down those barriers and allows people to loosen up around these topics. "All those donations will go to the club to help with the maintenance of their facilities, but I also just want to bring awareness that it is also a place where people can socialise and hang out." About 7000 polling booths will open on Saturday with about a quarter linked to a sausage sizzle or bake sale on the official Democracy Sausage website. The website began in 2013 after a group of West Australians realised there was no place to look up where polling place food stalls were located. Twelve years on, it helps direct thousands of voters to snags, sweets and espressos. The website's operators estimate stalls raised between $1200 and $1600 on average at the last federal election, rising above $3000 in some instances. Across the 2200 polling places in 2022, an estimated $4.1 million was raised after costs. But, despite its benefits, the traditional snack can trip up hungry voters. Mr Shorten has stared down the backlash he received and says he still eats sausages the same way. "On Saturday, I'm going to eat the sausage the way I did in 2016 just to commemorate," the former PM candidate told AAP. Early voters are also not expected to dampen the mood. Despite more than 5.5 million people voting before Saturday, organisers expect there won't be a downturn in sales.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saputo books loss on UK impairment
Saputo, the Canada-based dairy major, has posted a sharp rise in third-quarter losses on the back of an impairment on its UK business. The company, which also has operations across North America and in Australia, booked a loss of C$518m (US$362.6m) for the three months to the end of December. A year earlier, Saputo had run up a loss of C$124m. A 'non-cash goodwill impairment charge' of C$674m linked to the group's UK arm was central to the widening losses. Third-quarter revenues increased 17% to $4.99bn. Saputo's UK operations sit within its wider European division. The company said its adjusted EBITDA in the region rose but the impairment came from 'ongoing challenging market conditions' in the UK. The trading environment in the country meant 'a slower-than-expected cadence of margin recovery' for its UK unit. Last month, Saputo set out plans to shut a dairy facility in northern England. The company said it had started discussions with staff at its plant in Kirkby Malzeard in North Yorkshire, where the Wensleydale cheese brand is made. If the facility is closed, production will move to another Saputo plant in the country. Production at a Saputo site in south-west England ended last May. The group reported higher third-quarter revenues across all its geographic divisions on the back of improved volumes and domestic selling prices. However, Saputo said: 'Depressed dairy commodity markets, inflationary pressure and a challenging consumer spending environment has significantly impacted the company's ability to deliver against its previous expectations. Given this, we have decided to withdraw our previously disclosed long-term adjusted EBITDA aspirations.' Just Food has approached the company to ask what those aspirations were. The Canadian dairy major has been restructuring its global operations, with the closure of factories in Australia and the US. In September last year, the company confirmed its plans to close its King Island Dairy operation in Australia by mid-2025, impacting 58 employees. In June, Saputo gave further details on its plans to shut down six of its US facilities, two of which had already ceased operations, located in Belmont, Wisconsin, and Big Stone, South Dakota. The other four were earmarked for closure sometime in the early part of 2025 – two in Wisconsin at Lancaster and Greenbay, and a pair of facilities in California located in Tulare and South Gate. "Saputo books loss on UK impairment" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
