Albanese to focus on health, childcare in second term

Prime Minister outlines priorities for coming years
Los Angeles police probe rubber bullet fired at Australian journalist
Italy defeat Moldova in race to 2026 World Cup In this bulletin, Prime Minister says affordable healthcare is among the top priorities in his second term, Los Angeles Police Department investigates how an Australian journalist was shot by a rubber bullet, And in football, Italy beat Moldovo as they fight for a place in the World Cup for the first time in a decade. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says expansion of Medicare urgent-care clinics, cheaper childcare, and affordable housing, are among key priorities for Labor's second term. Speaking at the National Press Club, Mr Albanese says the government is focused on its commitments to stronger healthcare, better education, and help with the cost of living. In the Prime Minister's first major address since his election win in May, he says his government is dedicated to implementing lasting and meaningful change. He says delivering on his election promise to improving access to free, urgent medical care is high on the agenda when Parliament resumes in July. "I want to start opening the 50 new Medicare urgent care clinics we promised this year, and we want them all open by the middle of next year. Combined with the 87 we have already opened; this will mean four out of every five Australians will live within 20 minutes of a clinic." Mr Albanese has also announced a new productivity round table, to help lift Australia's lagging productivity. The Prime Minister told the National Press Club business and non-government organisation leaders will be among those invited to attend the planned summit, alongside industry and union representatives. The event is a response to concern from industry experts about Australia's lagging rate of productivity, which is considered a key economic measure of efficiency and improved standards of living. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young welcomes the summit but supporting more women to participate in the workforce should be a top priority.
"Well one of the first and best things the Prime minister could do to boost productivity is to help more women participate in the workforce, and that would be by making childcare genuinely free, so that mums and dads can participate in the workforce and know that their children will be cared for by good quality educators in an affordable manner."
The Prime Minister has confirmed he has raised the issue of an Australian journalist being shot by a rubber bullet, with the United States. Channel 9 reporter, Lauren Tomasi was covering protests in Los Angeles, when a U-S police officer appeared to aim directly at her, before firing into her leg. Anthony Albanese says he called the journalist and said the incident was unacceptable, but he would not give details whether he would raise the case in talks with U-S President Donald Trump next week. Footage of the shot has made headlines around the world, with an investigation now underway by the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD Chief, Jim McDonnell, says the case is troubling. "I know the situation you're referring to with the member of the media. We saw that we're very concerned about that and we're looking into that."
The White House has now deployed the Marines to escalating protests in L-A, which began as a response to raids by immigration officers and escalated after military troops were called to respond.
The New South Wales Premier says if major changes aren't made to the state's workers' compensation scheme, it will not exist in five to 10 years. The Premier is proposing to limit insurance protections for workers with psychological injuries. In recent years, growing numbers of mental health claims, which have longer recovery times than physical injuries, have placed the New South Wales scheme under pressure. Mr Minns' bill has been delayed and referred to a second parliament inquiry.
"Ultimately, if you're prepared to put enormous amounts of public money into the subsidy, it can continue, but the point the treasurer has made is that it's not sustainable. And that's the point we've made in relation to workers comp, yes we can keep putting in public money, but it will come at the expense of new schools, new hospitals, new public transport routes, ad also, crucially, an increase in pay for public sector workers in New South Wales."
The EU Commission has announced a 1.5 billion-dollar plan to protect oceans and support coastal communities and fisheries. The pact follows the release of figures from nonprofit Marine Conservation Institute that says less than three percent of the ocean is effectively protected from destructive commercial activities. That's far below the target agreed under the COP28 Global Biodiversity Framework pledge to conserve 30 percent of land and sea by 2030. Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen has laid out some of the key elements of the 27 nation bloc's new Ocean Pact at a gathering in the southern French city of Nice. She says the agreement aims to reduce plastic pollution, restore maritime ecosystems, and fight against illegal fishing.
"We will strive to cut plastic and nutrient pollution by half, within five years. This can be reached. We should make this effort, my friends."
And in football, Italy have beaten Moldova 2-0 as the embattled Azzurri attempt to reach the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014. Ahead of Monday night's game in Reggio Emilia, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti received news he would be losing his job after the team's 3-0 loss in Norway last week. After a disappointing start to their campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, goals by Giacomo Raspadiro and Andrea Cambiaso meant Spalletti at least departed with a victory.
But Azzurri remain in a precarious position in Group I, with Norway beating Estonia 1-0 — thanks to Erling Haaland's 62nd-minute goal.

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ABC News

an hour ago

• ABC News

West Australian marine business actively considering bid for Darwin Port

The business behind two major new West Australian marine infrastructure projects is considering a bid for the Darwin Port, as the federal government seeks a buyer to get it "back under Australian control". The Darwin Port was controversially leased by the Northern Territory government to Chinese-owned firm Landbridge for 99 years in 2015, and since then the facility has been a lightning rod for national security debate. Although no security risks have ever been proven regarding the port's lease, both Labor and the Coalition promised to return the port to Australian operation during the recent federal election campaign. The Australian government has said it is negotiating with parties over the port's future, but it has not yet revealed exactly which companies or consortiums could be in the running to bid for the lease. Founder of the Kimberley Marine Support Base in Broome and the Onslow Marine Support Base in the Pilbara, Andrew Natta, said the private Australian business was actively considering a bid for the Darwin Port. While the Onslow and Kimberley projects exist as separate entities, they share a common founder in Mr Natta and overlapping shareholders. "If you look at what our business has done in Western Australia … it makes sense for us to consider the opportunity, for sure," Mr Natta said. "If you look at our history and you look at what we're investing in in Broome, the piece of infrastructure [Kimberley Marine Support Base] that we're building now is almost $250 million. Mr Natta said he had not yet met with representatives from the federal or NT governments over his business' potential ambitions to take on the Darwin Port, but that it was likely on the cards for the near future. "At this point in time we're definitely saying that there is interest, and more than likely, yes, we would go forward and [meet with government]," he said. Both the Kimberley and Onslow port infrastructure projects have been vocally supported by the West Australian government, which has praised their potential to build capacity across multiple industries. Mr Natta said the aim would be to bring a similar ethos to "enhancing" the Darwin Port. "If we were to consider Darwin Port, we would be investing in a way that is very generational, very patient, but at the same time, enhancing," he said. He did not weigh into the controversy surrounding Darwin Port's current leaseholder, Landbridge, but said he believed there was merit in having the facility back in Australian hands. "I don't have a comment on the current ownership other than I think that it works very well when we have an all-Australian partnership, and that we can help facilitate those that need a port," he said. While the federal government has not yet revealed who it has been speaking to regarding the Darwin Port's future, a number of companies have reportedly shown interest. US private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, which has strong links to the Trump administration, has reportedly been working towards a joint bid for the port with Australian-registered firm Toll Group. Neither company has confirmed if that bid is going ahead. The federal government has also said it has been speaking with superannuation firms over the port's future. Landbridge Group has repeatedly said it is not searching for a buyer. Earlier this month, Landbridge's non-executive director for Australia, Terry O'Connor, told 7.30 he believed the company had been subjected to a campaign of "myths and mistruths", including by ministers in the Australian government, over the port's lease. Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said in a statement on Friday that "the Australian government is working closely with the Northern Territory government on next steps". "It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters that may be the subject of commercial negotiations," she said. The ABC understands the federal government has been approached by a number of interested parties. NT Treasurer Bill Yan said the territory government was "working alongside our Commonwealth counterparts in the best interests of Australia and the NT". "We will not pre-empt that work," he said.

SBS Australia

2 hours ago

• SBS Australia

'Berserk' factories, debts and excuses: Suppliers of collapsed Australian fashion giant speak out

Annabell Mihic (left) and Jayson Haydon say Mosaic Brands' inability to pay their invoices on time had mammoth impacts on their businesses. Source: Supplied There will be more to come on the collapse of Mosaic Brands in Dateline's two-part investigation, The Cost of Doing Business, coming soon to SBS and SBS On Demand . Annabell Mihic loved fashion. In 2001, while pregnant with twins, she set out to make her dream a reality, launching her first clothing business, Faith Fashion, with just $600. By 2014, she'd found success working with factories in Bangladesh sourcing designs, fabrics and clothes for retail companies Pretty Girl Fashion Group and Specialty Fashion, owners of some of Australia's major heritage brands such as Noni B, Katies, Rockmans and Millers. "I picked up my children from school, every mother was wearing a pair of jeans from Rockmans in a different colour, and a sweater or knitwear that was just beautifully created by the team," Sydney-based Annabell told Dateline. Jayson Haydon, also in Sydney, was another riding the high of Australia's booming fashion scene with his company On Trend. Focusing on factories in China, he was also supplying Pretty Girl Fashion Group and Specialty Fashion, making clothes for brands such Noni B, Rockmans, Autograph, Millers and W-Lane. "We would have to get all of the patterns made — everything that they needed — in China, all the trims, the buttons, the zippers, the cottons, whatever, for the garment supply," he told Dateline. "We had to make decisions in 10 minutes for $10 million. I just enjoyed all those aspects of it." Annabell and Jayson were among a handful of Australian entrepreneurs pioneering offshore manufacturing at a time when the country's fashion industry was experiencing rapid growth. Known as buying agents, they'd become essential middlemen to a new kind of supply chain, helping to connect big retailers with offshore garment factories to deliver high quantities of good-quality, low-cost clothes to Australian consumers. It was a ticket to success. Jayson said his business "grew and grew and grew". "The first year in 2010 our turnover was $17k ... by 2012 it was about $3 million and about $5.8 million the year after that." "If On Trend was famous for anything, it was always on time, good quality, no drama, good communication and honesty." But Annabell and Jayson say things started to unravel for them after a new retail giant started to emerge from 2014, when Scott Evans, a retail executive and Richard Facioni, a former Macquarie Group banker, joined forces to buy up the fashion companies Annabell and Jayson once supplied. With backing by the financier Alceon Group, Evans and Facioni first bought Noni B, becoming its CEO and chairperson respectively. Then between 2014 and 2019, with Luka Softa as their CFO, they continued a mission to become Australia's largest fashion retailer by snapping up many of the country's mid-tier fashion groups — Pretty Girl Fashion in 2016, then EziBuy in 2017 and Speciality Fashion Group in 2018 — before merging and rebranding them all under one name: Mosaic Brands. It was during this takeover phase that Annabell and Jayson said everything changed. Annabell and Jayson say the day Evans and Facioni took over Pretty Girl Fashion Group their payment terms were immediately extended. "We received a phone call from a buyer in Pretty Girl Fashion Group who said there's been a takeover and our payment terms have completely changed," Annabell said. "It's now 120 days." These new contract negotiations meant Annabell was no longer paid 30 days after her goods were shipped. She now had to wait 120 days. We received a phone call from a buyer who said our payment terms have completely changed. Annabell Mihic But it didn't stop there. Annabell says her terms were later extended to 200 days and, in some circumstances, more than 300 days — meaning it was almost a year before she would receive payment for the goods she supplied. The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia has advocated for 30-day payment terms as an industry standard for small businesses, arguing it's crucial for their financial health. This extension of payment terms placed enormous pressure on Annabell's supply chain. The factories she worked with overseas, their workers and material suppliers were all now waiting longer to get paid too. "It's a vicious cycle," Annabell said. "I can't give the money to the factories. [Which means] the factories can't open letters of credit [with their banks] for the goods that they are going to make. It was a nightmare." Annabel and Jayson say they signed up to Mosaic Brands' terms because the group now owned all the brands they supplied. Jayson said the situation placed incredible pressure on his business and the factories he worked with, which refused to supply him the goods he needed without payment. "You have to dance with your finance company ... so they understand you're under duress. "Factories go berserk ... trying to hold you [to] ransom." Factories go berserk ... trying to hold you [to] ransom. Jayson Haydon These lengthy payment terms benefited the buyers like Pretty Girl Fashion and latterly Mosaic Brands by freeing up cash for their business. But multiple sources from within the fashion industry told Dateline these extended payment terms are untenable in an industry that relies on garment manufacturers taking on huge upfront costs to kickstart the production process, placing too much pressure on businesses throughout the supply chain. One industry insider said Mosaic Brands' extended payment terms: "have given the Australian fashion industry a bad name". Come 2018, Annabell and Jayson told Dateline, they stopped being paid on time. Invoices with already-stretched payment terms would fall due, and they still would not see any money. When Annabell chased her payments, she received various excuses. "They couldn't find the invoice, the invoices weren't matching ... We used our own forwarder, they couldn't find [the invoice]. We used their forwarder, they still couldn't find it," she said. Freight forwarders are a crucial link in the supply chain who help facilitate the movement of goods from origin to destination and, in turn, trigger when a payment should fall due. Annabel and Jayson said they found themselves in a cycle that ultimately ran them into the ground. They had mounting interest and debt with financiers, while factories and suppliers in Bangladesh and China were chasing them for their own payments. In response to their desperate requests to be paid, Annabell and Jayson said they were met with endless excuses from Mosaic Brands. Annabell said she felt financially intimidated, trapped and like she was to blame. "Nothing about how I have been treated has been normal to me. I don't feel that any other retailer, Australian or international, that I've worked with has ever done that." I don't feel that any other retailer ... that I've worked with has ever done that. Annabell Mihic By 2020, Jayson said Mosaic Brands owed him $8 million in unpaid invoices. The following year, in 2021, he was forced to put his company On Trend into voluntary administration and ultimately, liquidation — selling everything he could to cover his debts in Australia. But he could never pay back the companies he owed money to in China. "If I won Lotto, I would just give 'em the money. But I don't have that sort of money. US$6 million is a lot of dollars and ... I'd already sold everything. I sold cars ... anything that I could liquidate. I just kept my home, " Jayson said. He added that some of the factories in China were able to recoup their money through insurance, but others went under. Dateline sought comment from Evans, Facioni and Softa, but they all declined. A year after Jayson, Annabell lost everything too. In 2022, she placed her business Faith Fashion into liquidation. For Annabell, things reached their worst when she was owed around US$8 million in unpaid invoices for goods supplied to Mosaic Brands. "It's not my money, I'm just a glorified bank; I was the agent. It's the factories, it's the people that made the clothes. It wasn't my money, I let them down," Annabell said, crying as she recalled the responsibility she still feels. It's the factories, it's the people that made the clothes ... I let them down Annabell Mihic To this day, she said she's still owed US$200,000 in missing unpaid invoices. Both Annabell and Jayson said Mosaic Brands' inability to pay their invoices on time was one of the main reasons they lost their businesses. Dateline has spoken to multiple suppliers to Mosaic Brands, not just in Australia but in China, Bangladesh and India, who all said they faced similar payment delays and mounting debts. At least one factory owner in Bangladesh, one agent in China, and one factory in India say they have also lost their businesses due to Mosaic Brands' late payments and related issues. It's cost hundreds of jobs — and income for many more family members. Several other large and mid-size factories spoken to in Bangladesh, which employ thousands of local workers, say they are now also on the brink of collapse. Last week, administrators for Mosaic Brands issued a preliminary finding that the company may have been operating while insolvent for four years before the company's collapse. Insolvency is when a company can no longer pay its debts and it's illegal to trade under these circumstances, according to the Corporations Act. There are serious penalties for allowing a company to trade while insolvent. Mosaic Brands' directors are yet to comment on the findings of the report. However, the report acknowledges that the directors sought to rely on safe harbour and COVID-19 provisions at times. If established, these protections could amount to a defence against any potential director liability for trading whilst insolvent. A release issued on behalf of the Mosaic Brands board of directors last year, in response to previous reports the company had been using safe harbour protections, said its directors take their duties seriously, and did seek advice on the applicability and compliance with the safe harbour provisions. For Annabell, the FTI's latest report doesn't go far enough. "This failure did not begin with COVID. It began in 2018, when Mosaic acquired Specialty Fashion Group — a large and aggressive expansion that placed enormous pressure on cash flow and supplier relationships," she said. "What happened to me — and to so many other suppliers — was the result of sustained financial mismanagement ... and decisions that transferred risk down the chain while protecting those at the top." Annabell said she raised her issues with the Australian Competiton and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Small Business Ombudsman and Australia's Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) as early as 2019, which all amounted to nothing. She said the outcome has been a bitter pill to swallow. "We are not collateral damage. We are the people who made this supply chain work. We fulfilled contracts. We trusted in good faith — and we were left unpaid." Dateline contacted the ACCC, which said it currently has a matter before the courts with Mosaic Brands anad does not comment on complaints or potential investigations. The Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman said it can't comment on the detail or outcome of individual cases. It also said the information Annabell Mehic provided them at the time helped "the advocacy work undertaken by ASBFEO on the Payment Times Reporting Scheme and our advocacy for improved payment times to help cashflow issues". An ASIC spokesperson said they are aware "that Mosaic Brands Limited went into external administration in October 2024 and of the Report to Creditors issued by the external administrator, FTI Consulting, on 13 June 2025 and they continue to monitor the matter". Watch now Share this with family and friends

Daily Telegraph

3 hours ago

• Daily Telegraph

Empty Airbnbs fuel Sydney's rental crisis

While Sydney-siders struggle to find affordable rentals, Airbnbs in Sydney sit empty on average 294 days a year. As Sydney's rental crisis continues, with sky-high prices and limited vacancies, thousands of properties that could house locals are sitting idle most of the year. Short term rentals, like Stayz and Airbnb are having a huge impact on Sydney's tenants while property investors charge premium nightly rates, earning far more than traditional rentals. An inquiry by Unions NSW into the rental market's severe supply shortage revealed there were were over 200,000 un-hosted Airbnb dwellings in Australia, while renters, including many essential workers, were struggling with rental stress or risked homelessness. MORE: Investor tricks lock out hopeful homebuyers Last year, 67,900 people sought help from homelessness services with thousands turned away due to a lack of funding, according to Homelessness NSW. Unions NSW and Homelessness NSW are calling for urgent change, asking the state government to match Victoria's recently implemented 7.5 per cent levy on short-term rental stays. MORE: Singles face impossible property reality New builds vanish amid loan slump Homelessness NSW CEO Dominique Rowe said the pressure on the rental market exacerbated by short-term rentals has driven an alarming rise in homelessness. 'We are seeing a severe shortage of affordable rental properties, pricing more and more people out of the private market and into homelessness,' she said. Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said this was a 'commonsense approach.' '(It) would make a positive difference. The Government promised to tackle housing affordability. We now need to see action,' he said. The inquiry found essential workers faced additional challenges securing long-term housing because of the impacts of the short-term rental market. 'This is forcing the workers our communities rely on into excessive commutes, financial stress or even homelessness,' Mr Morey said. The number of short-term rentals outnumbered vacant long-term rentals in some areas across Sydney, with a large portion near hospitals. Search results on Airbnb showed over 1000 listings within proximity to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital located in Camperdown, while there were only 71 properties in the suburb listed for long-term rental on On top of a 7.5 per cent levy, Unions NSW have suggested a 60-day statewide cap on un-hosted short-term rental stays. Revenue from the proposed levy could go towards funding essential worker accomodation or homelessness services. 'A levy on short-term accommodation would encourage long-term rental availability and would raise much-needed funds that should be directed to overwhelmed and under-resourced homelessness services,' Ms Rowe said. MORE: Security guard sells $4m lottery win James Packer's offsider 'buys $80m penthouse'