Latest news with #PerCapita
The Advertiser
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Bless your cotton jocks: town's cheeky bid to retailers
Cotton grows as far as the eye can see across the plains of Narrabri during the height of summer. But despite producing more than half of all the cotton in NSW at a value of $100 million in the last decade, locals in the north-west region say the closure of a department store has left them without a decent supply of socks and jocks. The shire council has launched a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign called Bring Back Socks and Jocks to attract new major retailers to the town of 12,000. Locals are seen making and wearing raw cotton garments, despairing at their empty sock drawers and even framing their last pair of sagging Y-fronts. "We grow the cotton that fills our nation's department stores, but we don't have a place to buy jocks and socks in Narrabri," a forlorn farmer says, backed by sombre music. Behind the dry rural humour is a serious message about regional economies and business. The bustling rural hub lost its last major retailer in 2021, one of about 50 Target Country branches to close across NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narrabri's closure has forced families to travel two hours to try on and buy essentials, or shop online. The absurdity of Australia's leading cotton producers having to travel to buy their cottontails demonstrates the broader disconnect between cities and the country, mayor Darrell Tiemens said. "Years ago people were a lot more connected to their country cousins, they had aunties and uncles or grandparents living on farms, but a lot of those connections have been lost," Mr Tiemens told AAP. "When it comes to equity and fairness, whether it's your local health services, hospitals, retailers or the banks ... they need to start thinking about the opportunities that some of these large shires provide. "We're producing billions of dollars worth of value in these areas and yet we're being ignored by some of these retailers probably because they think it's all too hard." Retail is also a major employer in country areas, with research by independent think tank Per Capita showing retail wages contribute more than $300 million per week to regional economies, or nearly $16 billion a year. Local shopping is also central to the social fabric and vibrancy of country towns, an issue that was explored in-depth during a Senate inquiry into the closure of rural banks. "It's a social thing, it's an outing, it's people catching up on the news, it's people supporting each other," Mr Tiemens said. "That's what we love about country living - the fact that you can walk down the street, you can walk into a store and you actually feel like you're part of something." Cotton grows as far as the eye can see across the plains of Narrabri during the height of summer. But despite producing more than half of all the cotton in NSW at a value of $100 million in the last decade, locals in the north-west region say the closure of a department store has left them without a decent supply of socks and jocks. The shire council has launched a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign called Bring Back Socks and Jocks to attract new major retailers to the town of 12,000. Locals are seen making and wearing raw cotton garments, despairing at their empty sock drawers and even framing their last pair of sagging Y-fronts. "We grow the cotton that fills our nation's department stores, but we don't have a place to buy jocks and socks in Narrabri," a forlorn farmer says, backed by sombre music. Behind the dry rural humour is a serious message about regional economies and business. The bustling rural hub lost its last major retailer in 2021, one of about 50 Target Country branches to close across NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narrabri's closure has forced families to travel two hours to try on and buy essentials, or shop online. The absurdity of Australia's leading cotton producers having to travel to buy their cottontails demonstrates the broader disconnect between cities and the country, mayor Darrell Tiemens said. "Years ago people were a lot more connected to their country cousins, they had aunties and uncles or grandparents living on farms, but a lot of those connections have been lost," Mr Tiemens told AAP. "When it comes to equity and fairness, whether it's your local health services, hospitals, retailers or the banks ... they need to start thinking about the opportunities that some of these large shires provide. "We're producing billions of dollars worth of value in these areas and yet we're being ignored by some of these retailers probably because they think it's all too hard." Retail is also a major employer in country areas, with research by independent think tank Per Capita showing retail wages contribute more than $300 million per week to regional economies, or nearly $16 billion a year. Local shopping is also central to the social fabric and vibrancy of country towns, an issue that was explored in-depth during a Senate inquiry into the closure of rural banks. "It's a social thing, it's an outing, it's people catching up on the news, it's people supporting each other," Mr Tiemens said. "That's what we love about country living - the fact that you can walk down the street, you can walk into a store and you actually feel like you're part of something." Cotton grows as far as the eye can see across the plains of Narrabri during the height of summer. But despite producing more than half of all the cotton in NSW at a value of $100 million in the last decade, locals in the north-west region say the closure of a department store has left them without a decent supply of socks and jocks. The shire council has launched a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign called Bring Back Socks and Jocks to attract new major retailers to the town of 12,000. Locals are seen making and wearing raw cotton garments, despairing at their empty sock drawers and even framing their last pair of sagging Y-fronts. "We grow the cotton that fills our nation's department stores, but we don't have a place to buy jocks and socks in Narrabri," a forlorn farmer says, backed by sombre music. Behind the dry rural humour is a serious message about regional economies and business. The bustling rural hub lost its last major retailer in 2021, one of about 50 Target Country branches to close across NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narrabri's closure has forced families to travel two hours to try on and buy essentials, or shop online. The absurdity of Australia's leading cotton producers having to travel to buy their cottontails demonstrates the broader disconnect between cities and the country, mayor Darrell Tiemens said. "Years ago people were a lot more connected to their country cousins, they had aunties and uncles or grandparents living on farms, but a lot of those connections have been lost," Mr Tiemens told AAP. "When it comes to equity and fairness, whether it's your local health services, hospitals, retailers or the banks ... they need to start thinking about the opportunities that some of these large shires provide. "We're producing billions of dollars worth of value in these areas and yet we're being ignored by some of these retailers probably because they think it's all too hard." Retail is also a major employer in country areas, with research by independent think tank Per Capita showing retail wages contribute more than $300 million per week to regional economies, or nearly $16 billion a year. Local shopping is also central to the social fabric and vibrancy of country towns, an issue that was explored in-depth during a Senate inquiry into the closure of rural banks. "It's a social thing, it's an outing, it's people catching up on the news, it's people supporting each other," Mr Tiemens said. "That's what we love about country living - the fact that you can walk down the street, you can walk into a store and you actually feel like you're part of something." Cotton grows as far as the eye can see across the plains of Narrabri during the height of summer. But despite producing more than half of all the cotton in NSW at a value of $100 million in the last decade, locals in the north-west region say the closure of a department store has left them without a decent supply of socks and jocks. The shire council has launched a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign called Bring Back Socks and Jocks to attract new major retailers to the town of 12,000. Locals are seen making and wearing raw cotton garments, despairing at their empty sock drawers and even framing their last pair of sagging Y-fronts. "We grow the cotton that fills our nation's department stores, but we don't have a place to buy jocks and socks in Narrabri," a forlorn farmer says, backed by sombre music. Behind the dry rural humour is a serious message about regional economies and business. The bustling rural hub lost its last major retailer in 2021, one of about 50 Target Country branches to close across NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narrabri's closure has forced families to travel two hours to try on and buy essentials, or shop online. The absurdity of Australia's leading cotton producers having to travel to buy their cottontails demonstrates the broader disconnect between cities and the country, mayor Darrell Tiemens said. "Years ago people were a lot more connected to their country cousins, they had aunties and uncles or grandparents living on farms, but a lot of those connections have been lost," Mr Tiemens told AAP. "When it comes to equity and fairness, whether it's your local health services, hospitals, retailers or the banks ... they need to start thinking about the opportunities that some of these large shires provide. "We're producing billions of dollars worth of value in these areas and yet we're being ignored by some of these retailers probably because they think it's all too hard." Retail is also a major employer in country areas, with research by independent think tank Per Capita showing retail wages contribute more than $300 million per week to regional economies, or nearly $16 billion a year. Local shopping is also central to the social fabric and vibrancy of country towns, an issue that was explored in-depth during a Senate inquiry into the closure of rural banks. "It's a social thing, it's an outing, it's people catching up on the news, it's people supporting each other," Mr Tiemens said. "That's what we love about country living - the fact that you can walk down the street, you can walk into a store and you actually feel like you're part of something."
West Australian
28-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Bless your cotton jocks: town's cheeky bid to retailers
Cotton grows as far as the eye can see across the plains of Narrabri during the height of summer. But despite producing more than half of all the cotton in NSW at a value of $100 million in the last decade, locals in the north-west region say the closure of a department store has left them without a decent supply of socks and jocks. The shire council has launched a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign called Bring Back Socks and Jocks to attract new major retailers to the town of 12,000. Locals are seen making and wearing raw cotton garments, despairing at their empty sock drawers and even framing their last pair of sagging Y-fronts. "We grow the cotton that fills our nation's department stores, but we don't have a place to buy jocks and socks in Narrabri," a forlorn farmer says, backed by sombre music. Behind the dry rural humour is a serious message about regional economies and business. The bustling rural hub lost its last major retailer in 2021, one of about 50 Target Country branches to close across NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narrabri's closure has forced families to travel two hours to try on and buy essentials, or shop online. The absurdity of Australia's leading cotton producers having to travel to buy their cottontails demonstrates the broader disconnect between cities and the country, mayor Darrell Tiemens said. "Years ago people were a lot more connected to their country cousins, they had aunties and uncles or grandparents living on farms, but a lot of those connections have been lost," Mr Tiemens told AAP. "When it comes to equity and fairness, whether it's your local health services, hospitals, retailers or the banks ... they need to start thinking about the opportunities that some of these large shires provide. "We're producing billions of dollars worth of value in these areas and yet we're being ignored by some of these retailers probably because they think it's all too hard." Retail is also a major employer in country areas, with research by independent think tank Per Capita showing retail wages contribute more than $300 million per week to regional economies, or nearly $16 billion a year. Local shopping is also central to the social fabric and vibrancy of country towns, an issue that was explored in-depth during a Senate inquiry into the closure of rural banks. "It's a social thing, it's an outing, it's people catching up on the news, it's people supporting each other," Mr Tiemens said. "That's what we love about country living - the fact that you can walk down the street, you can walk into a store and you actually feel like you're part of something."
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Bless your cotton jocks: town's cheeky bid to retailers
Cotton grows as far as the eye can see across the plains of Narrabri during the height of summer. But despite producing more than half of all the cotton in NSW at a value of $100 million in the last decade, locals in the north-west region say the closure of a department store has left them without a decent supply of socks and jocks. The shire council has launched a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign called Bring Back Socks and Jocks to attract new major retailers to the town of 12,000. Locals are seen making and wearing raw cotton garments, despairing at their empty sock drawers and even framing their last pair of sagging Y-fronts. "We grow the cotton that fills our nation's department stores, but we don't have a place to buy jocks and socks in Narrabri," a forlorn farmer says, backed by sombre music. Behind the dry rural humour is a serious message about regional economies and business. The bustling rural hub lost its last major retailer in 2021, one of about 50 Target Country branches to close across NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narrabri's closure has forced families to travel two hours to try on and buy essentials, or shop online. The absurdity of Australia's leading cotton producers having to travel to buy their cottontails demonstrates the broader disconnect between cities and the country, mayor Darrell Tiemens said. "Years ago people were a lot more connected to their country cousins, they had aunties and uncles or grandparents living on farms, but a lot of those connections have been lost," Mr Tiemens told AAP. "When it comes to equity and fairness, whether it's your local health services, hospitals, retailers or the banks ... they need to start thinking about the opportunities that some of these large shires provide. "We're producing billions of dollars worth of value in these areas and yet we're being ignored by some of these retailers probably because they think it's all too hard." Retail is also a major employer in country areas, with research by independent think tank Per Capita showing retail wages contribute more than $300 million per week to regional economies, or nearly $16 billion a year. Local shopping is also central to the social fabric and vibrancy of country towns, an issue that was explored in-depth during a Senate inquiry into the closure of rural banks. "It's a social thing, it's an outing, it's people catching up on the news, it's people supporting each other," Mr Tiemens said. "That's what we love about country living - the fact that you can walk down the street, you can walk into a store and you actually feel like you're part of something."
News.com.au
22-04-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher pledges financial abuse crackdown on superannuation, tax and social security systems
Labor will push to end financial abuse perpetrated by domestic and family violence abusers by reforming loopholes in the tax, social security and superannuation systems. If re-elected, Labor promised to introduce new laws which would stop perpetrators from accessing a victim's superannuation, plus reforms to the tax and corporate systems to ensure victim survivors are not held responsible for debts which were created in their name. Abusers would also be held liable for any social security debts which were incurred through coercion or financial abuse. Minister for Women Katy Gallagher announced the policy commitments at a Melbourne event held at the QV Women's Centre highlighting 'Labor's commitment to women'. 'We will take action to legislate practical changes in the superannuation, tax and social security systems so they cannot be weaponised by perpetrators,' she told the event which was hosted by progressive think tank Per Capita and the Chifley Research Centre on Tuesday. 'We will look at how we can stop abusers receiving their victim's superannuation – because there is no world where we believe that perpetrators of violence should benefit from the death of someone they themselves have abused.' Labor will also commit an extra $8.6m funding for the Innovative Perpetrator Responses Fund to boost electronic monitoring and intensive behaviour change programs which are delivered by state and territory governments. 'This announcement stems directly from the national cabinet discussion to establish new, world first policing approaches to stop deaths from domestic violence,' she said. 'It also complements the work we have already started such as pilots using focused deterrence, as well as domestic violence threat assessment centres as two new ways of identifying and dealing with perpetrators that pose the highest risk,' she said. 'We recognise that there is still much to do, and Labor remains fiercely determined to meet the commitment and promise of the National Plan to end violence against women and children in a generation.' The announcement comes as Peter Dutton on Monday committed to announcing further domestic violence initiatives. 'The whole area of protecting women and children is incredibly important to me,' the Opposition Leader said. 'What we know out of the research is that an estimated 37 per cent of women, aged 16 and over experience, sexual assault when they were a child.' 'That is a horrific statistic.' The pledge follows latest Newspoll results which showed the Coalition failing to appeal to female voters. The polling, conducted exclusively for The Australian, found the Opposition trailing Labor 33 to 35 per cent on the female vote, with support for the Coalition dropping five points since March 26 – just two days before Anthony Albanese called the May 3 election. Senator Gallagher's speech also highlighted what she said was the 'contrast' between Labor and the Coalition on issues related to 'women and gender equality,' saying it 'really couldn't be more stark'. In her attack, she highlighted the Coalition's opposition to Labor's cost-of-living and pledge to give most households access to three days of subsidised childcare, and said the Opposition Leader had yet to announce policies to reduce domestic violence. 'He talks a big game about protecting women and children, but has never explained how he'd actually do this, or demonstrated any understanding of the complex factors that drive violence against women,' she said.
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Pledge to end ‘weaponised' act against women
Labor will push to end financial abuse perpetrated by domestic and family violence abusers by reforming loopholes in the tax, social security and superannuation systems. If re-elected, Labor promised to introduce new laws which would stop perpetrators from accessing a victim's superannuation, plus reforms to the tax and corporate systems to ensure victim survivors are not held responsible for debts which were created in their name. Abusers would also be held liable for any social security debts which were incurred through coercion or financial abuse. Minister for Women Katy Gallagher announced the policy commitments at a Melbourne event held at the QV Women's Centre highlighting 'Labor's commitment to women'. 'We will take action to legislate practical changes in the superannuation, tax and social security systems so they cannot be weaponised by perpetrators,' she told the event which was hosted by progressive think tank Per Capita and the Chifley Research Centre on Tuesday. 'We will look at how we can stop abusers receiving their victim's superannuation – because there is no world where we believe that perpetrators of violence should benefit from the death of someone they themselves have abused.' Minister for Women Katy Gallagher pledged a re-elected Labor government would implement new laws to stop perpetrators from carrying out financial abuse through tax, superannuation and social security systems. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Labor will also commit an extra $8.6m funding for the Innovative Perpetrator Responses Fund to boost electronic monitoring and intensive behaviour change programs which are delivered by state and territory governments. 'This announcement stems directly from the national cabinet discussion to establish new, world first policing approaches to stop deaths from domestic violence,' she said. 'It also complements the work we have already started such as pilots using focused deterrence, as well as domestic violence threat assessment centres as two new ways of identifying and dealing with perpetrators that pose the highest risk,' she said. 'We recognise that there is still much to do, and Labor remains fiercely determined to meet the commitment and promise of the National Plan to end violence against women and children in a generation.' The announcement comes as Peter Dutton on Monday committed to announcing further domestic violence initiatives. 'The whole area of protecting women and children is incredibly important to me,' the Opposition Leader said. 'What we know out of the research is that an estimated 37 per cent of women, aged 16 and over experience, sexual assault when they were a child.' 'That is a horrific statistic.' Peter Dutton has also flagged further policy announcements to combat domestic and family violence. iStock Credit: Supplied The pledge follows latest Newspoll results which showed the Coalition failing to appeal to female voters. The polling, conducted exclusively for The Australian, found the Opposition trailing Labor 33 to 35 per cent on the female vote, with support for the Coalition dropping five points since March 26 – just two days before Anthony Albanese called the May 3 election. Senator Gallagher's speech also highlighted what she said was the 'contrast' between Labor and the Coalition on issues related to 'women and gender equality,' saying it 'really couldn't be more stark'. In her attack, she highlighted the Coalition's opposition to Labor's cost-of-living and pledge to give most households access to three days of subsidised childcare, and said the Opposition Leader had yet to announce policies to reduce domestic violence. 'He talks a big game about protecting women and children, but has never explained how he'd actually do this, or demonstrated any understanding of the complex factors that drive violence against women,' she said.
