Australia news live: Anthony Albanese questions how Greens’ rent freeze plan could work | Anthony Albanese

Woolworths says supply chain disruptions, shortages, absenteeism and flooding led to financial performance that was below the supermarket giant’s aspirations, AAP reports.

The supermarket giant announced a net profit after tax of $1.51 billion for the year to June 26, up 0.7% from the previous year.

Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci said:

The extremely challenging operating environment caused by supply chain disruptions, product shortages, team absenteeism and flooding led to an inconsistent customer experience and financial aspirations that was below our aspirations for the year.

Sales grew 9.2% to $60.85 bn, up 9.2%, while earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were down 2.7% to $2.69 bn.

Sales at Woolworths’ Australian supermarkets were up 4.5% to $45.5bn, with EBIT up 0.3% to $2.4bn.

Team absenteeism at Woolworths supermarkets was 5.3% in June as a percentage of total hours worked.

That’s down from 6.5% in January but up from about 4.5% a year ago and a pre-COVID baseline of about 4.0%.

Catch up: Robodebt royal commission to review ‘untold harm’

If you’re just joining us and need to catch up on the big news of the day, my colleague Luke Henriques-Gomes has the full story about the just-announced Robodebt royal commission here:

Reports Solomon Islands threatens to ban foreign journalists

The Solomon Islands government has reportedly threatened to ban foreign journalists from entering the Pacific nation if they are not “respectful” or if they engage in “racial profiling” in stories about the country’s ties with China.

The office of the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that overseas journalists needed to understand they could not operate in the Pacific the same way they did in other countries, the ABC has reported.

The statement read:

The Pacific is not the same as Australia or United States. When you chose to come to our Pacific Islands, be respectful, be courteous and accord the appropriate protocols.

The statement said journalists who did not appreciate the differences would “not be allowed to enter Solomon Islands and other Pacific Islands nations”.

The statement was particularly critical of the ABC’s reporting of China’s growing presence in Solomon Islands, accusing the Four Corners program of engaging in racial stereotyping and the “intentional use of misinformation” in an episode from 1 August titled Pacific Capture: How Chinese money is buying the Solomons.

The ABC rejected those accusations in an earlier statement, saying it stood by the episode and that its main interview subjects were Solomon Islanders raising concerns about China’s presence.

Read the full story here:

South Australia records one Covid-19 death, with 257 people in hospital

Greens cite Victorian state Labor rent freeze in response to Albanese dismissal of proposal

The Greens have replied to the prime minister’s response to their proposal that the government freeze rents for two years to help manage the cost of living crisis. (Stay with me here!)

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather said in Brisbane this morning:

Anthony Albanese said this morning that he had no idea how a rent freeze would work. Well newsflash for the PM – his own party in Victoria froze rents for six months.

It seems like the PM would rather feign ignorance and use bad faith arguments to dismiss a legitimate policy proposal that actually have the backs of the millions of Australians who rent and freeze their rents and give them a chance to get on and live a good life.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ acknowledgement that ballooning rents were part of the cost of living crisis but that the solution lay in building 4000 social housing dwellings a year was “not good enough”, Chandler-Mather said.

The government needs to wake up and realise that just like governments around the world, just like the Australian government previously, just like the Victorian Labor party, have got to freeze rates and protect the millions of renters. Right now, we’re on the brink of catastrophe.

Stronger laws needed on puppy farms, NSW inquiry recommends

Dog breeders are moving to NSW to evade stronger animal protection laws in other states, a parliamentary report on puppy farming warns.

Limits are needed on the number of dogs a breeder can have, the upper house committee examining the large-scale breeding of dogs and cats found, AAP reports.

It makes 18 recommendations for increasing protections to crackdown on the unethical breeding of dogs and cats.

Committee chair Mick Veitch said on Thursday there were more than 900 submissions to the inquiry and 6000 responses to an online questionnaire.

There is no doubt that puppy and kitten farming at its worst is an abhorrent practice, with offenders largely operating underground.

The more dogs there were, the less likely it was a breeder could guarantee their welfare, the report found.

Ensuring the welfare of animals at industrial-scale breeding facilities would be impossible without imposing staffing ratios and socialisation requirements for the animals.

The report recommends the government introduce an extended liability scheme holding breeders responsible for congenital or genetic health issues arising in the first year of an animal’s life.

Stricter laws introduced in Victoria and Western Australia, expected to be introduced in South Australia, had prompted larger breeders to relocate across the border, the inquiry heard.

Veitch said:

The NSW government needs to act to address this impact, and to keep up with changed community expectations about animal welfare.

Greater guidance on breeding arrangements, limits on the number of animals a breeder can have and the litters they can deliver, and increased funding for animal welfare organisations are among the other recommendations.

The government has three months to respond.

Push for changes to wage bargaining rules ahead of jobs summit

Unions are calling for “multi-employer bargaining” to help grow wages, but employers warn the idea is a dangerous “throwback”.

So, what is it? How could it help reverse wage cuts? And is there any chance the Albanese government could agree to the reform at the September jobs and skills summit?

Paul Karp has all the answers to all your questions:

WA records no deaths from Covid-19, with 225 people in hospital

Thanks Natasha May for your work this morning! I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon.

Crikey warns of fake crowdsourcing appeals following defamation allegation from Lachlan Murdoch

Crikey is alerting readers that someone is impersonating their news outlet and crowdfunding money.

“If anyone contacts you to ‘donate’ to help us fight our case against Lachlan Murdoch, it’s a scam,” the news outlet posted on Twitter.

It comes after the news yesterday that Lachlan Murdoch has launched defamation proceedings against Crikey.

You can read Amanda Meade’s latest article on the case here:

ACT records no Covid deaths and 109 people in hospital.

Oracle customers face wait on homes in Queensland

Queensland’s building watchdog says it is working with hundreds of customers of collapsed builder Oracle Homes to ensure their partially built homes are completed, AAP reports.

The residential builder collapsed on Wednesday, with about 70 staff sacked and building work halted on about 300 homes.

Robson Cotter Insolvency Group has been appointed as liquidator, saying Oracle could be about $14m in debt.

Premier Annastacia Palascczuk said the collapse was a major concern with building companies, urging Queenslanders to be diligent and seek advice before entering into contracts. The premier told reporters today:

I think it’s very important that people familiarise themselves with the contracts they’re entering into, they speak to the owners, the people who they’re sitting down with (who are handling) the contracts and that they get legal advice to reassure themselves.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) says it is contacting all 386 policy-holders who took out insurance with Oracle in the past two years to help them lodge claims. The regulator told AAP in a statement:

The QBCC knows that when any building company collapses, it can have a significant impact on everyone who has had dealings with that company.

That is why the QBCC has set up a dedicated team to handle the non-completion claims from homeowners affected by this event, and we will be doing everything we can to help them continue to get their homes built.

Master Builders Queensland chief executive, Paul Bidwell, said the state’s mandatory home warranty insurance scheme will cover most Oracle customers in Queensland for up to $200,000.

However, he said Oracle customers have faced months of delays on their homes, and getting them completed won’t be fast enough for those caught up in this situation.

Queensland records 12 Covid deaths and 343 people in hospital.

Albanese calls for “sensible” approach to climate amidst granting of offshore petroleum permits

Prime minister Anthony Albanese was also asked about the announcement from the resources minister granting offshore petroleum exploration permits for 47,000 sq km of ocean.

Ten areas stretching from the Ashmore and Cartier Islands in the Indian Ocean to Victoria’s Gippsland basin have been opened for exploration.

The Greens and independent ACT Senator David Pocock have been critical of the effects this will have on the environment, calling into question the government’s commitment on greater climate action and cutting emissions.

Albanese responds that there is a need to be “sensible” about balancing climate commitments and human needs:

Well, people still put petrol in their cars at the moment. I don’t know how you got to the press conference, but chances are it was in a car. Am I right?

But you got there. You know, we need to be sensible about this. And we need to change the way that our economy functions, our energy mix across the board. But these lights that are on in this press conference are powered with – and this building is a pretty good building, there’s solar panels, all of that – but chances are if you’re in NSW at the moment and you flick a switch, then that will be powered not by renewables.

But we have a plan to change that energy mix, to lower our emissions. And that plan includes 82% of renewables being part of the energy mix by 2030. But what that doesn’t mean is that immediately you can stop using fossil fuel sources today. We have a plan to get there. It’s outlined very clearly, that plan. And, you know, we had that endorsed, indeed, by the House of Representatives by a huge majority just a couple of weeks ago.