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Popping into your inbox this morning to ask for a bit of help with making TDA’s partnerships as meaningful as possible. In the interest of transparency, every so often we ask our audience to fill out surveys like these (they’re called ‘brand lift surveys’) so that we can track whether or not our sponsorships are effective.
If you have a spare two minutes this morning to fill in this quarter’s survey, we’d be so appreciative. Thank you!
I've got 10 seconds
The quote
“No government has received a worse inheritance than what we are receiving” — Argentina’s new President, economist Javier Milei, speaking at his swearing-in.
The stat
83%
The percentage of Australians who lost at least 24 hours of their holiday dealing with an issue while travelling (like cancelled or delayed flights) this year, according to a survey of 1,000 Australian travellers by insurer PassportCard.
Today in history
2015: The Paris Agreement - an international treaty on climate change - was adopted by 196 parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21).
I've got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
A new COVID vaccine is now available in Australia, offering protection for the current Omicron subvariant that has been linked to a rise in cases. Pfizer and Moderna are both offering the vaccine for people aged 12 and older, with another Pfizer vaccine approved for children aged 5 to 12. It’s been recommended for anyone who hasn’t had a booster in six months or longer.
Authorities in Iran have banned the family of Mahsa Amini – whose death in Iran sparked global protests – from travelling to France to accept a human rights award. The 22-year-old was arrested by morality police in September 2022 for not wearing a hijab and died after being released from custody. Earlier this year, the European Union announced Amini as this year’s recipient of its humanitarian award, the Sakharov Prize.
I've got 1 minute
Electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi is being sued over claims it unlawfully sold extended warranties to customers.
Warranties give customers a certain window of time to have faulty goods repaired, replaced, or refunded.
However, JB Hi-Fi has been accused of selling warranties of "little to no value" by charging customers for protections they were already entitled to under Australian Consumer Law.
Details
A class action is a type of lawsuit where many people are represented by one entity. The action against JB Hi-Fi has been brought by legal firm Maurice Blackburn in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
It's seeking compensation for customers who may have purchased extended warranties on JB Hi-Fi products such as electronic devices, home entertainment and home appliances between 1 January 2011 and 8 December 2023.
The class action claims the warranties were unlawful because the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) already gives them "the same (and often better) rights" without paying.
Under the ACL, consumers are guaranteed a repair, replacement or refund when there's a fault with the product purchased.
Maurice Blackburn said JB Hi-Fi "also failed to give customers important information about their rights... to make a properly informed decision about whether to buy an extended warranty."
Other retailers
The lawsuit comes after consumer group Choice announced it was investigating several Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, and JB Hi-Fi stores across Australia.
Choice said it was looking into extended warranty deals being offered across the three retailers in November last year.
While extended warranties can add further benefits to what's already in law, Choice found customers were paying for rights they already had.
Response
In its response to the class action, JB Hi-Fi said it intends to "vigorously defend the proceedings".
A company announcement released today said, "JB Hi-Fi takes compliance with its legal obligations very seriously and considers that it has complied with relevant laws at all times."
Maurice Blackburn has not specified how much compensation it is seeking.
I've got 2 minutes
The Federal Government has announced a strategy to "fix Australia's broken migration system".
It will make it harder for international students to enter Australia and crack down on visa worker exploitation.
The Government says this will "bring migration back to sustainable levels". It comes as overseas migration to Australia increased by 103% to 681,000 in the 12 months to 31 March this year.
Why the change?
The Federal Government vowed to reform Australia's migration processes after a review found parts of the system were "broken".
The plan is designed to curb a surge in post-pandemic overseas migration. Around 900,000 international students are enrolled to study in Australia, 2.5% higher than before COVID.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the plan "will bring migration numbers back to normal".
Student migration
International students make up the largest share of "permanently temporary" migrants, a term describing those who've lived in Australia for years without permanent residency.
More than 100,000 students and graduates have lived in Australia for more than five years. The Government said students in this category are vulnerable to exploitation and often working below their skill levels.
Student visas
Under the new measures, international students will be required to meet higher minimum results on a standardised English language test to study in Australia.
The Government is also rolling out a "Genuine Student test" to determine whether a visa applicant's "primary intention is to work rather than study".
Education providers
The reforms also target "ghost schools", where some students are allegedly enrolled in study to get a visa, without actually attending classes.
The Home Affairs Minister will have the power to deem education providers as "high risk".
Visa applications from these providers will be subject to more scrutiny before being granted and take longer to process.
Graduate visas
The amount of time recently-graduated students can live in Australia has also been reduced. For example, the temporary graduate visa for a Masters grad will go from three to two years.
A new "Skills in Demand" visa will be set up instead to give some workers a path to permanent residence. It will overhaul a sponsorship system that limits some workers from changing employers. This is because some migrant workers visa status depends on an employer vouching for (or 'sponsoring') them.
The Government said the sponsorship system has led to instances of worker exploitation because migrants can become reliant on an employer to stay in Australia.
The Government will set up a public register of approved employers to sponsor temporary migrant workers.
All listed sponsors will need to provide details including how many migrant workers they employ.
Response
Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan criticised the measures over a lack of support for regional areas, which he said have been treated "as an afterthought". Tehan said changes to the sponsorship system would see fewer temporary migrants working in hospitals and schools in regional communities.
Unions and business groups have broadly welcomed the reforms, which Universities Australia said will help to meet national "skills and economic needs in the coming decades".
A message from our sponsor
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Give me some good news
A new attendance record has been set for English Soccer’s Women’s Super League.
Over 59,000 people attended Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Chelsea in London over the weekend, up from the previous spectator record of 54,000 set in October. Four Matildas took the pitch for the record-breaking match - Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord for Arsenal, against Chelsea’s Sam Kerr.
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A TDA tidbit
A luxury hotel in Paris has made an unlikely discovery inside a vacuum cleaner – a missing ring worth $AU1.2 million.
A guest at the famous Ritz Paris reported the jewellery as stolen to local police on Friday, according to local news Actu17. The guest claimed the ring vanished from a table in her room, and accused hotel staff of taking it.
However, the hotel was able to clear its name when security discovered the ring had been sucked up by a vacuum. Needle in a haystack? More like a diamond in a dust bag.
In a statement to local news Le Parisien, the Ritz said: "Thanks to the meticulous work of security guards, the ring was found this morning.
"We would like to thank the staff at the Ritz Paris who mobilised for this search and who work each day with integrity and professionalism."
Ritz Paris – where the cheapest room will set you back more than $AU3,000 a night – said it has offered the guest a complimentary three-night stay as an apology for the inconvenience.
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