Today is R U OK? Day – an annual reminder of the power of conversation, and how to start conversations with friends or family members for the purpose of listening and offering support.

I often think about the balance between the importance of days like today to steer the public conversation (this introduction would likely not be about mental health if it wasn’t a dedicated day) and the importance of remembering to model this kind of behaviour every day of the year.

In any case, I hope you’re ok. If you’re feeling a little off, that’s also ok - you can explore a wealth of resources here. If you’re stuck on how to check in with your mates, we liked this guide from the team at R U OK?.

The quote
"We need to see pain in the economy. We need to remind people that they work for the employer, not the other way around.” – Property developer Tim Gurner speaking at the Australian Financial Review Property Summit this week about his view of work post-COVID.

The stat
206
The number of people aboard an Australian cruise ship that has run aground in remote northeastern Greenland. A rescue ship is days away.

Today in history
2015: Malcolm Turnbull defeated Tony Abbott in a leadership ballot. The next day, he was sworn in as Prime Minister.

Some headlines from this morning:

Thousands are believed to have died, and thousands more are feared missing, after a heavy storm collapsed dams in Libya.

‘Storm Daniel’ made landfall in northeastern Libya on Sunday after claiming the lives of 15 in Greece last week.

Two dams collapsed from the heavy rainfall, inundating the city of Derna in the country’s east.

Details:
Local authorities say Derna has become inaccessible after the “catastrophic” collapse of two dams near the city swept entire neighbourhoods into the sea.

They also said roads were blocked, and the situation was “beyond comprehension”.

The city is facing significant infrastructure damage and is without electricity or communications, according to local media.

Casualties:
The current number of casualties from the storm is yet to be verified.

Authorities in eastern Libya report that more than 2,000 people in Derna have died and up to 6,000 are missing.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says around 3,000 are dead across the country and up to 10,000 people are feared missing from the flooding.

Political context:
The absence of a central government in Libya is said to have complicated rescue and aid efforts in the country.

Libya is divided into two rival governments – the East and West. These divisions formed in 2014, following years of civil war in the country. Only the government in Tripoli, which controls western Libya, is internationally recognised.

The conflict has left the country with inadequate infrastructure, which some have blamed for the collapse of the dams.

The High Court has found Qantas acted illegally when it sacked roughly 1,700 baggage handlers in 2020.

The High Court was considering an appeal from Qantas, who had already lost twice before the Federal Court and the Full Federal Court. The High Court unanimously rejected the appeal.

Background:
In late 2020, Qantas sacked about 1,700 airport ground staff and outsourced their work to contractors.

Qantas had a commercial reason for its decision. The airline was "bleeding cash" at the time due to the pandemic and wanted to save money by outsourcing.

However, the Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represented many of the staff, argued Qantas had carried out the sacking in breach of the workers' legal rights.

TWU noted the sacking came at a time when, for administrative reasons, the workers were unable to take 'industrial action' (e.g. a strike).

Workers have a legal right to approved forms of industrial action, and it is illegal for an employer to deny them those rights.

The TWU argued Qantas deliberately and illegally sacked the workers at a time when they could not take action. In 2021, a Federal Court judge agreed. Qantas appealed to the full Federal Court, where three judges also found in the TWU's favour.

High court:
The High Court is Australia's highest legal authority and final place of appeal.

In a judgment published yesterday, the Court unanimously agreed Qantas' appeal should be dismissed.

The Justices agreed Qantas' sacking decision was motivated at least in part by the fact the workers could not exercise their right to industrial action.

What it means:
The Federal Court has already ruled out reinstating the workers, but they will now be entitled to seek compensation on the grounds they were illegally dismissed.

In a statement, Qantas acknowledged the decision and said it would consider arrangements for compensation.

"We deeply regret the personal impact the outsourcing decision had on all those affected," the airline said.

In a post on X, the TWU called the decision "a massive victory for the workers who have not stopped fighting for justice since they were outsourced."

Damien, a sacked worker speaking outside the Court, called the decision "vindication".

"Now everybody knows how Qantas treats its workers," Damien said.

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

A rendition of Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ will be performed at the NRL Grand Final next month.

It comes 30 years after Turner performed the song at the NSW Rugby League grand final, and five months after her death. It will be performed by the cast of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on 1 October.

Are you someone who grabs a plastic bottle of water when you’re thirsty? Choosing bottled water on the regular can be a pricey and unsustainable way to hydrate.

When BRITA surveyed Australian households that mainly drink bottled water at home, they found these households collectively spend $3.9 million* daily on bottled water.

If this sounds like you, consider BRITA filtered water - to achieve that bottled water taste without the environmental and economic impacts. Check it out here.

*Figure based on 10% of Australian households who mainly drink bottled water at home consuming the recommended daily consumption of 2.5L per person purchasing the cheapest bottled water available at $0.60 per litre.

A Dutch detective dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world” has recovered a stolen Vincent van Gogh painting that was delivered to his home in an IKEA bag, carefully wrapped in bubble wrap.

The artwork, ‘The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring’ (1884), was burgled from the Singer Laren Museum near Amsterdam in March 2020 after it closed due to the pandemic.

A suspect was arrested a year later and sentenced to eight years in jail. However, the artwork remained missing.

This week, the piece was returned to art detective Arthur Brand after some sleuthing via a source in the criminal world.

According to Brand, the artwork ended up with a criminal group who wanted to negotiate a return of the painting in exchange for a reduced prison sentence given to one of their members.

This tactic didn’t work, and two weeks ago, Brand’s contact tipped him off that the painting could now be returned to the museum. Brand called the return “one of the greatest moments of [his] life”.

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