Western Australia is seeking to capitalise on Coldplay's "Music of the Spheres" tour, announcing it as the biggest event in Perth's recent history. The government is looking to lure rock band fans to the state to spend on services such as transportation, accommodation, food and drink, holidays and tourism. The first concert sold out so quickly, a second was added, and over 10% of the tickets were purchased from fans outside of Western Australia. While smaller events have failed to deliver on expectations, the government is investing millions to pull in people from other states and locals alike, to deliver a unique concert experience. Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall said the government's "focus is now on bigger events, which can happen because we now have the Perth Arena and Optus Stadium. And this is absolutely the correct strategy. The government, through Tourism WA, also invests in smaller events, but they just don’t have the punch." Tourism is already a A$14bn ($10bn) a year business, and the government wants to double that in the next 10 years.
Australian Rugby Union team The Waratahs need to decide where they will place Joseph Suaalii should he join the team. The team already has a $5m fullback, which speaks to its reluctance to move Max Jorgensen from fullback. Meanwhile, Brumbies have put themselves in a difficult situation after losing to the Force and may end up in fourth place, which impacts their chances to win the title. The Perth result also impacts the playoff picture, with the Waratahs waiting to face the Brumbies in Canberra. And Big Suliasi Vunivalu has been sent to defend, but is struggling to deliver desirable output.
Kiwi comedian Guy Montgomery has won Best of the Fest at the Sydney Comedy Festival Awards for his show My Brain Is Blowing Me Crazy. Montgomery was also recognised for his appearances on Have You Been Paying Attention? and for hosting New Zealand panel show Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee and the podcast The Worst Idea of All Time. Other awardees from the festival include Chinese-born Sydney comedian He Huang, who won Best Newcomer, and sketch duo Hot Department, who were awarded Director's Choice for their show Wet Heat. All three awardees received AUD $1,500.
Ralph Babet, the Australian senator for Victoria, has relinquished his directorship of the family estate agency Babet Brothers. He said that although he continues to work for the firm, he was too busy with his parliamentary duties to remain a director. He has transferred full control of the business to his brother Bertrand. Babet is one of the Australian Conservatives' elected representatives and was elected after receiving significant electoral funding from mining magnate Clive Palmer. Although nominally a member of the party, Babet has vocally criticised his colleagues and complained that his Senator's income, which is over AUD $200,000 ($145,193), was a pay cut from his previous earnings in real estate.
Grassroots footy club, the University of Melbourne Women’s Football Club (also known as the “Mugars”), has welcomed transgender and gender-diverse people with open arms. The club held an open training night for trans and gender-diverse persons in April this year and since then has recruited just one participant, a woman named Olivia who now plays in the club’s third team. The value of the club’s inclusion practices has been reflected in the club’s success both on and off the field. The club has received better welfare opportunities for players, better revenue opportunities for the club through sponsorship and through grants, better social events, and more chances for on-field success. The Mugars’ open training night was held to create a space for trans people who feel unwelcome in sporting environments. At the elite level of AFL in Australia, players must meet certain standards: the AFL requires female trans players’ testosterone levels to be at or less than five nanomoles per litre continuously for at least two years, and to provide physical and athletic performance data.
The Father Bob Maguire Foundation’s free pantry in Melbourne is still offering food and friendship almost a month after the death of the charity’s beloved founder. Started with handouts of goods from Maguire’s then-parish presbytery in South Melbourne in the 1970s, the pantry remains open four days a week and has small, cosy rooms filled with donated food and clothes as well as serving coffee. Food relief is also offered to people experiencing homelessness. “Its necessary for social interaction as well … you get that unconditional love, and that’s what everybody wants", said pantry customer Teisha, 62.
Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman has announced that he will be stepping down within a year, but will remain as executive chairman with a yet-to-be-revealed successor to take his place as CEO. Under Gorman's leadership since 2010, the firm made a series of major acquisitions, including Eaton Vance, E*Trade and Solium Capital, transforming it into a wealth management firm that manages up to $15tn. Gorman has so far made no announcement regarding the length of his tenure as executive chairman. Morgan Stanley's co-presidents Ted Pick and Andy Saperstein, along with head of investment management Dan Simkowitz, are viewed as potential successors to Gorman.
Australia's recent budget decision to boost the Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) for international flights has caused outrage in the tourism industry. The move raises the PMC from the current AUD60 to AUD70 per passenger, with the extra AUD10 to be imposed on every passenger boarding an international flight from 1 July 2024. Critics say that that the Australian government is using travellers as "politically expedient targets" and that the extra charge will only add between 0.32% to 1.43% to the cost of air flights, therefore far less than taxes such as the UK's air passenger tax of $172.
Additional housing construction did not reduce rental prices in Melbourne during the Covid-19 pandemic, with any reductions being absorbed by residents seeking bigger accommodation. A report from Prosper Australia suggests that rental costs should have been "much lower" and remained so for longer during the lockdown but a reduction in demand and additional housing construction did "little" to improve affordability. The study suggested increases in housing supply do not necessarily drive down prices, with income supplements providing greater relief for those in financial distress. A population/construction shock in Melbourne led to rising rents from mid-2021 to 2022.
Tidal pools, a unique combination of natural formations and man-made elements, offer safe swimming in enclosed spaces for those nervous about the open sea. Despite facing disuse and closure, many tidal pools are still operational and popular in countries such as Australia and Malta. The Victorian development of these pools highlights their importance in the history of leisure and luxury. Tidal pools serve as a place of solace for many, with the author of the article partaking in the challenge to swim in every tidal pool in mainland Britain after struggling with grief. Most tidal pools are semi-natural, unticketed, open year-round, and require visitors to travel with a friend since they have no facilities or lifeguards. One must always check the tide, as the pool will be covered otherwise. The writer presents three day trips to tidal pools from London and five more further away that are ideal for weekend trips. Each tidal pool has its unique features, with some located on the Jurassic Coast accessible only through a cliff-top path, providing a genuinely authentic natural experience, while others, such as Clevedon Marine Lake, offer a great spot for family adventuring or water activities.
The Indian rupee is set to open lower against the US dollar after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced it would withdraw the highest denomination 2,000-rupee note. The RBI's move is expected to impact the cost of carry, or forward premiums of the USD/INR, which are already low, with reports expecting further declines. The excess liquidity that the withdrawal of the 2,000-rupee note is expected to lead to, will likely result in a significant drop of the rupee money market rates and hence pressure on the Indian currency.
An Essendon supporter group has called on the club to abandon its pokie machines, which reportedly lost gamblers more than AUD10m ($7.5m) last year. The "Predators Off the Park" group has urged the Australian Football League's (AFL) Essendon club to consider alternative funding streams, as polemics continue over gambling adverts and the wider societal impact of pokies. But the club said it would have to carefully weigh any decision over closing the machines to ensure its financial stability. Essendon is one of four clubs in the AFL with gaming revenue, alongside Carlton, Richmond and St Kilda.
Jo Mercer, founder of the eponymous Australian footwear label, has launched a new brand, Matilda Life, which champions conscious consumption and showcases local materials and designers. The venture, which offers a line of "relaxed essentials", aims to appeal to buyers seeking quality clothing, rather than fast, cheap fashion made offshore. Mercer said she sensed a "backlash against that kind of consumerism", and added that Matilda Life's bricks and mortar boutique that opened last year in Melbourne was attracting "genuinely interested" customers. Expenditure data indicates that higher-end fashion remains in demand despite financial pressures.
In a recent article for The Guardian, travel editor Lee Tulloch describes how she lost her passport on a trip to New Zealand but returned to Australia without it by ensuring her identity was confirmed by phone by the Border Force, as well as using credit identity fraud prevention tools. Although she had to fly back to New Zealand to retrieve her passport, she stated the ease of her travel back to Australia without documentation and noted the help received from police and government officials keen to see the return of the passport also.
The National Tertiary Education Union and the National Union of Students have slammed a planned University of Melbourne ceremony to inaugurate Jane Hansen, the philanthropist and businesswoman who became the university's chancellor early this year. The unions argued that the event was "lavish" at a time when many of the university's academic staff were experiencing financial hardship and threatened to strike. The university postponed the inauguration in response, but it proved impossible to reschedule, after which the unions dropped their objections. Alternative arrangements are being considered, according to a university spokesperson.
Passengers left without passports and finding themselves in foreign countries can apply for an "undocumented uplift", which allows them to travel without the correct documentation by producing other identification, such as a driver's licence or medicare card. An Australian journalist who lost his travelling document in Auckland discovered this option. However, he opted to gamble that his passport would turn up, waited for a week and then headed to the airport early, armed with the email the Auckland Airport Police sent him saying his passport had been found, so he could explain his situation.
Jo Mercer, founder of Australian footwear brand Jo Mercer, has launched the sustainable fashion brand Matilda Life with business partner Lauren Mastromanno. The "relaxed essentials" are made by local manufacturers and, in addition to being Australian-made, sustainable materials are used. The move is a response to a growing number of consumers disillusioned with fast fashion and looking to make ethical purchase decisions. Mercer sees the growing demand for sustainable, locally made products as an opportunity for Australian fashion businesses to better compete with offshore rivals.
Australian airline Qantas is forecasting a record underlying profit before tax of AUD2.43bn ($1.8bn) to AUD2.48bn this financial year, partly due to lower fuel prices. This year's profit estimate is about $1bn more than last year's. Qantas's domestic capacity will exceed pre-pandemic levels by the end of June, while international capacity is set to reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels in the same period. Its existing AUD500m buyback has already reached 80% completion.
Media company Nine Entertainment Co has become the rights holder for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. In June, Nine secured broadcast rights for Paris 2024, the 2028 Los Angeles Games and Brisbane 2032, as well as two Winter Olympics. The company is now set to air live coverage of the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8 on its radio platforms, which include 2GB Sydney and 3AW Melbourne. Channel Seven, which had broadcast the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics, had also been in discussions to show the 2024 Games.
Construction cost increases have led the Andrews government to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars more to school building projects. The budget for new schools announced last year has risen by over $200m. A $29.83m contingency fund for 13 previously announced projects has also been added to the cost of Victoria’s school-building program, in addition to several other projects that are set to be increased due to “market escalation in the construction sector.” Four schools primed for significant growth are to be expanded at a cost of $89.75m, while $204.8m is to be spent recruiting more teachers to address a teacher shortage in the state.
