Well, it’s that time of the month. It’s the first Tuesday – also known as the day the Reserve Bank of Australia has its monthly meeting to discuss whether to increase, decrease or maintain the cash rate (currently at 4.1%).

It will be Philip Lowe’s final meeting as RBA Governor.

Philip Lowe’s successor and current deputy, Michele Bullock, begins a seven-year term as a Governor on 18 September.

The quote
“We want the community to know that we hear and understand their disappointment… We know it will take time to repair. And we are absolutely determined to do that.” – Qantas in a statement addressing the ACCC’s claims that it advertised flights it had already cancelled between May and July 2022.

The stat
13%
The percentage of homes that sold for a price that would’ve been affordable for the median Australian household in the last year, according to new research firm PropTrack.

Today in history
1984: Western Australia became the last Australian state to abolish the death penalty for murder.

Some headlines from this morning:

India has launched its first-ever space mission to observe the Sun, days after it became the first country to land near the Moon’s south pole.

Over the next four months, the unmanned Aditya-L1 spacecraft will travel 1.5 million km from Earth to conduct scientific studies on the real-time effects of solar activities on space weather.

At this distance, the gravitational force of the Sun and Earth cancel each other out, allowing the spacecraft to hover between them with minimal effort.

The spacecraft will orbit the Sun at a similar speed to Earth and maintain a constant, uninterrupted view of the star.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Aditya-L1’s successful lift-off on Saturday.

“After the success of Chandrayaan-3 [the unmanned craft that touched down on the moon‘s south pole], India continues its space journey,” Modi posted to X.

“Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop a better understanding of the Universe for the welfare of entire humanity.”

Employers who deliberately underpay their employees could face jail time under a new Federal Government proposal.

The tougher penalties are part of a bill introduced to Parliament yesterday by Employment Minister Tony Burke.

The Coalition and several business groups oppose the bill, but Burke said he believed it would still pass.

Background:
‘Wage theft’ is a term used to describe employers who fail to give employees their legal entitlements (e.g. pay, super, or annual leave).

There is currently no formal legal definition of wage theft, and there are differing views over whether the term should apply to deliberate underpayment or to all underpayment, including careless or accidental overpayment.

It is difficult to know how much underpayment there is in Australia, but most estimates suggest there are billions of dollars in unpaid entitlements every year.

Underpayment is believed to be particularly prominent in hospitality, retail, cleaning, security and higher education.

Criminalisation push:
Wage theft is not currently a crime, although civil penalties (e.g. fines) are available for serious or repeat cases.

In 2022, a Senate inquiry recommended making deliberate or reckless examples of underpayment a crime. This was supported by Labor and Greens Senators on the committee, but not by Senators from the then-Morrison Government.

Earlier this year, the Albanese Government released a paper outlining potential options for criminalisation – it has now introduced the bill to do this.

The bill:
The Government’s bill would see employers who are convicted of deliberate wage theft facing harsher financial penalties and possible sentences of up to 10 years in jail.

Minister Burke said the penalties would apply to a small proportion of total underpayments, as “most underpayments are a mistake”, but that deliberate cases should be treated in the same way as a worker “taking money from the till”.

Will it pass?
The wage theft changes are part of a broader bill that will also give some casual workers the right to seek permanent employment and introduce minimum protections for gig economy workers.

The Coalition opposes the bill, along with several business groups. The Business Council of Australia has called the Government’s plan “radical” and said it would create “confusion” and add to a “sea of red tape” for businesses.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said prior to the release of the bill that it would be “an economy destroying piece of legislation and just another nail in the coffin of small business”.

With the Opposition against it, the bill would need the support of the Greens and at least two other Senators to pass.

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

More endometriosis sufferers will be able to access specialised care, with the expansion of Australia’s first endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.

Two clinics in Adelaide and Sydney will take the number of specialised endo-care clinics in Australia from 20 to 22. Patients will be able to access the clinics by booking an appointment directly.

Spring has officially sprung, which means the moment has arrived to shed your winter cocoon and get out there in nature! Now is the perfect time to plan a hike with your mates or a visit to your local national park.

Why? This Thursday, Kathmandu’s new ‘Out There Rewards’ loyalty program is landing, and we’re being promised bigger rewards, better bonuses and more points, just for getting out there. Stay tuned to learn how you can be rewarded and discover all the benefits that the program offers, there might even be a cheeky TDA x Kathmandu giveaway in the works…

Around 35,000 items once belonging to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury will be sold at auctions in London this week.

The possessions have remained untouched in Mercury’s Garden Lodge home for the last 32 years, under the care of Mary Austin, his former lover and close friend.

Among them is the famous Yamaha baby grand piano that Mercury used to compose some of Queen’s greatest hits, including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, for which bidding is estimated to reach £3 million ($AU5.8 million).

Mercury died at Garden Lodge in 1991, leaving the property to Austin, who has lived in it ever since.

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