Energy retailers warned as home auction sales hit pandemic lows
Today’s briefing covers government pressure on energy companies to lower bills and new healthcare subsidies in Queensland. We also look at a significant drop in home auction success rates and local safety alerts involving a school bus incident and a missing person.
A state premier and treasurer are threatening to publicly "name and shame" energy retailers that do not pass electricity savings on to customers. This move comes as government leaders focus on cost-of-living relief measures ahead of the upcoming state budget.
In Queensland, the state government has announced an increase to the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme, which helps regional residents pay for travel to access healthcare. While the government is promoting the change as a cost-of-living measure, health advocates have criticized the increase as insufficient to meet the actual costs faced by patients.
The real estate market is showing signs of a slowdown as auction clearance rates—the percentage of homes successfully sold at auction—fell below 50% this past week. This is the lowest level recorded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which analysts suggest reflects a lack of confidence among buyers.
In safety news, New South Wales police have charged a man with affray—a term for fighting in a public place—following a violent altercation between two adults on a school bus in front of students. In Victoria, police are appealing for public assistance to find 47-year-old Neville Nicholson, who has been missing from Horsham since last Wednesday.
Farmers in Victoria are monitoring the detection of the deadly H5 bird flu variant in Western Australia, though industry leaders currently consider it a "distant concern" for Victorian poultry. Additionally, Victoria's Bells Beach has been temporarily closed to the public after a whale carcass washed ashore.
For more details on these stories and others, visit the News section in the app. Read about a Liberal Party member’s resignation following a controversial fundraiser, local protests against a proposed speedway in Moreton Bay, and the latest on international nuclear negotiations.