‘Real worries' raised around Albanese government's home batteries scheme
Industrias Services Group co-founder Daniel Lazarus discusses the material amount of home battery systems in Australia which have been deemed 'substandard' – with a small percentage of them determined to be 'unsafe'.
Labor's $2.3 billion bid to cut the price of solar battery installation has sparked fears of another disastrous situation like the Rudd government's Pink Batts scheme, where four men died doing installation work.
The Albanese government claims it will cut the price of battery installation by 30 per cent through its major rebate geared at bolstering the nation's renewables shift.
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News.com.au
32 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Brisbane households slugged with $50 green waste bin fee – even if they don't want one
Households in a major city are set to be slugged with an extra $50 waste levy as the council announces a major rollout as part of its annual budget to help skirt the state government's 'bin tax'. From August, Brisbane City Council will introduce the Universal Waste Charge, an opt-out green waste program for about 170,000 stand-alone households that will replace the Waste Utility Charge and scrap existing surcharges. Instead, residents will be charged a flat annual universal waste fee of $512.96 – whether they use the new green waste bin or not. This is an increase of about $50 per year, with the rollout expected to take place between August and December. Residents who already paid for a green waste bin will not have to cop the fee. However, those who do not want the bin will still have to pay the extra fee. 'Other households will pay an extra $49.52 a year, with $33 of this increase related to the waste levy introduced by the former Labor state government,' a council statement read. Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the change was part of a 'large-scale tax-avoidance scheme' that would help the council dodge the state government's 'bin tax'. He said the introduction of the green bins would help reduce strain on growing landfills. 'One of the things this does is it helps us avoid the state government's bin tax,' he said per The Brisbane Times. 'Every year there's a tax that increases on waste going to landfill. 'At the moment, for example, our green waste recycling program saves about $1.6m a year in state government taxes. 'We're running a large-scale tax avoidance scheme because I don't want anyone to have to pay the state government's bin tax.' The state government levy was introduced in 2019 and charges the council about $115 per tonne of waste in the landfill. It is expected to increase by $10 every year until 2028. Mr Schrinner argued the recently announced annual fee would help save between $2m and $3m within the first year of the scheme. In the span of five years, Brisbane City Council estimates it will save approximately $32m. 'Every house will get a green bin, and that will be part of the business-as-usual service,' he said per The Brisbane Times. 'The reason we're doing that is because of the state government's bin tax … that effectively forces ever-increasing costs onto councils.'
News.com.au
36 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Minns NSW Government to introduce suite of DV reforms to close loopholes
The NSW government is set to introduce groundbreaking reforms aimed at bolstering support for victims of sexual violence across the state and closing a loophole that left a shocking crime unpunished in some cases. The Minns Labor Government is set to introduce a suite of reforms to parliament next week, bringing NSW into line with relevant Commonwealth offences and increasing protections from sexual exploitation. A new provision to the Crimes Act 1900 will ensure sexual offenders who either sexually assault someone or indecently interfere with their body after death are unable to escape prosecution when the time of death is unknown, making which specific crime occurred unclear. The new provision means when it is clear 'beyond a reasonable doubt 'that one of these two crimes occurred, but it is uncertain due to the timing of death which one, the accused will be sentenced with whichever offence has the lesser maximum penalty. Previously they would have been unpunished. The government says the reform is in 'direct response' to issues that arose in the inquest of Mona Lisa and Jacinta Rose 'Cindy' Smith in 2024, and the tireless advocacy of their families for reform. The penalty for indecently assaulting a deceased person will also be increased and criminalising female genital mutilation will also be strengthened. Other amendments to the act will redefine the age threshold for child abuse material offences, raising it from 16 to 18 years, aligning with Commonwealth standards. These reforms are designed to close existing legislative gaps and ensure the safety and wellbeing of children. The Crimes Act will also be amended to 'make it easier to prosecute people who commit sexual acts in the presence of children', the Minns government said in a statement. Changes to the act will also be made to ensure female genital mutilation is considered a crime regardless of the reason or motivation or age of the victim, while ensuring medically necessary practices are protected. The legislation, to be introduced in Parliament the day after the Minns Labor Government hands down the 2025-2026 NSW budget, comes after changes around domestic violence offences. These changes included making it harder for alleged domestic violence offenders to get bail, and introducing electronic monitoring for alleged serious domestic violence offenders. It also strengthened laws to protect against repeated breaches of ADVOs, and made changes to bail courts across NSW to ensure bail decisions are made by magistrates and judges – not registrars. Attorney-General Michael Daley said the Minns Labor Government stands with victim-survivors. 'We are ensuring that women and children are better protected from sexual abuse and exploitation,' he said. 'Our Government is closing loopholes and strengthening the law to make it easier to prosecute those who commit acts of sexual violence. 'I thank the families of Mona Lisa and Jacinta Rose 'Cindy' Smith for their bravery and advocacy in the face of tragedy to strengthen New South Wales laws to better protect victims.' Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison said the government is 'working to build a safer New South Wales for women and children'. 'Sexual and abuse and exploitation is unacceptable, at the same time as we are investing in support services for victim survivors, we are ensuring that perpetrators are held to account,' she said. 'We will continue to work with experts, advocates and victim survivors to address the impact of domestic and sexual violence across our state.'
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
NRL's Pacific plan to pummel AFL in broadcast bonanza
ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys says rugby league's next TV rights deal could span up to 10 years, revealing a Pacific goldmine that will deliver broadcast billions to the NRL. V'landys plans to kick off broadcast negotiations in July after the State of Origin decider and the ARLC chairman says the inclusion of Papua New Guinea will help the code clinch the richest TV rights deal in rugby league history. V'landys will arrive in PNG this Tuesday to ramp-up the NRL's reconnaissance for the 19th team in 2028 and the next step is thrashing out a Pacific-infused broadcast deal that can blow their AFL rivals out of the water. A third network has contacted the ARL Commission to formally express interest. Up to five or six bidders are tipped to enter negotiations as current rights holders Fox and Channel 9 face billion-dollar competition for the most watched code in Australian sport. The NRL's last five-year TV rights deal was worth around $2 billion, including media rights in New Zealand, but V'landys has revealed the sport's next broadcast arrangement may be brokered for a longer term. The NRL's current TV rights deal ends in 2027. The next cycle was tipped to run from 2028-32, but V'landys says he wants to formalise rugby league's new broadcast deal by season's end in a package that could deliver a decade of certainty. That scenario would see the NRL smash their current broadcast haul with a potential fiscal TV rights bonanza of between $3 to $4 billion. 'It could be longer than five years, absolutely,' V'landys said. Asked if the next TV rights deal could be seven to 10 years in duration, he said: 'Yes, it could be. 'We're having some off-the-record talks at the moment, but we plan to start very soon and it will certainly heat up in the next couple of months. 'I definitely want it finalised this year. 'Hopefully that's the case and it's certainly our ambition to do it. 'We want certainty and we know our clubs want certainty. 'Players also want certainty, because if you do a three-or-four year deal or even longer, you know what your revenues are. 'We haven't got to that level of detail yet, but this will be a record deal. 'We have a much more valuable product now, much more valuable.' There are several variables that give V'landys confidence of broking the most lucrative broadcast deal in the code's 117-year history. One factor is the emergence of new media streaming giants, with global tentacles, such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount. DAZN completed a $3.4 billion purchase of Foxtel in April and V'landys confirmed the world's leading sports entertainment platform will be a major player in upcoming TV rights negotiations. 'Of course they'll be keen,' he said. 'We're the number one sport in Australia. Why wouldn't they be keen? 'I can confirm we've had genuine interest. We are confident there are several parties in the marketplace and I'm confident there will be more to come when we begin talks. 'We will get a lot more dollars now than we have ever gotten because of the hard work done by the players, the clubs and the NRL.' Another significant factor is the expansion drive that will trigger the admission of the Perth Bears to the NRL in 2027 before Papua New Guinea's entry in 2028. V'landys says PNG will not only represent a fresh spectator market, but open a broadcasting gateway that could see the Pacific eventually usurp Australia as the NRL's most lucrative TV rights powerhouse. The NRL is exploring a cut-price Pacific subscription service to monetise the NRL's 19th team and the 10 million-plus Papua New Guinea fans who will back the franchise with unmatched tribalism. 'Papua New Guinea could end up, in 10 or 15 years, to be worth more in broadcast revenue than Australia,' he said. 'With PNG coming in, that is a massive arm that we have never tapped into, not to mention Perth. 'We're the most-watched sport in Australia, so we now should attract substantial offers. 'Our data shows 1.8 million people streamed the Papua New Guinea game against Australia's Prime Ministers XIII, which was an extraordinary number. 'By having a cheap subscription to watch (PNG and NRL games), we could attract millions of new subscribers in the Pacific. 'We're very mindful of pricepoint. We don't want to make it too expensive for rugby league fans to watch and support the game. 'We definitely want to get the most revenue, but at the same time, we don't want to make it unaffordable for our wonderful fans. 'The game has never been in a better place. 'This has been a planned strategy - and it will pay off big time.' Peter Badel Chief Rugby League Writer Peter Badel is a six-time award winning journalist who began as a sports reporter in 1998. A best-selling author, 'Bomber' has covered five Australian cricket tours and has specialised in rugby league for more than two decades. NRL Selwyn Cobbo flew to Sydney for preliminary talks earlier this month in the strongest sign yet that the powerhouse back is on the verge of quitting the Broncos. See which clubs are interested. NRL The might of New Zealand Rugby wants what the NRL has, with Warriors boss Cameron George approached to jump codes to become their next CEO, reveals David Riccio.
