Supermarket Inquiry looms as agriculture minister warns against price gouging; Peaceful protest for Gaza ceasefire held outside UN Climate Summit in Dubai; And in cricket, Wade fumes as India steals dramatic victory in T20 Finale.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Supermarket Inquiry looms as agriculture minister warns against price gouging;
- Peaceful protest for Gaza ceasefire held outside UN Climate Summit in Dubai;
- And in cricket, Wade fumes as India steals dramatic victory in T20 Finale.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has issued a stern warning to supermarkets to not profit off hardworking Aussies in the lead-up to Christmas.
His call comes as Coles and Woolworths look set to face a parliamentary committee inquiring into whether they are price gouging amid cost of living pressures.
The Greens-led inquiry set to be established this week, will investigate grocery prices, market power, and large profit margins, with the bosses of both major supermarkets set to be called into hearings.
Greens senator Nick McKim told Seven's Sunrise the inquiry will set out to find out how much the supermarket giants pay for things.
"We're really looking forward to this. It's it's impossible to arrive at the supermarket checkout these days and not be just aghast at how many dollars worth of food and groceries you've got in your shopping shopping trolley. And at the same time, Coles and Woollies are raking in billions of dollars in profits. So we want to have a look at a whole range of things, but in particular, we want to have a look at how much Coles and Woollies are paying for the things they sell in their supermarkets and actually how much they are marking them up because a very, very strong argument that they are engaged in price gouging in the middle of a cost of living crisis."
—
The nation's leaders are preparing to discuss reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme at national cabinet this week, with the government keen to curb spending growth.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten is understood to be looking at limiting growth in the scheme to 8 percent, down from the current rate of 14.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has told the Sydney Morning Herald there is some resistance from the states to Shorten's NDIS proposals which will ask them to do more, because they "handed over our public servants and our money to the Commonwealth a decade ago for them to run it".
There is also concern from neurodiverse Australians that people with autism - the most common disability in the NDIS - will be increasingly excluded or cut from the scheme.
Equal Access For Autism chairman Peter Marshall has told SBS he hopes a solution can be found.
"Without pre-empting the discussions, we say there should be automatic inclusion. The NDIS is there to support families with disabilities. And indeed there are so many families affected with children on the spectrum. We would love to have that discussion about what could be achieved. We would love to be able to translate that into seeing how we can match our aspirations with that of the NDIS."
—
A peaceful protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza has been held at the UN climate summit in Dubai.
It was a rare sight for United Arab Emirates residents, as it was the first protest in support of Palestinians since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.
The UAE has stringent rules against demonstrations, but at COP28 participants were allowed to protest, as long as they followed strict guidelines.
A chant of “free free Palestine” was quickly hushed by the organisers of the protest, in accordance with UN rules.
The word 'Palestine' was visibly absent from all signs, banners, posters, and t-shirts.
Activists and indigenous people spoke to the applause and cheers of participants.
Among them is Rikki Dank, an Australian activist from the Gudanji Wakaya Nation.
"I mean, I think the message is clear. Like, for example, Indigenous peoples in Australia, we have to remember our history. Apartheid actually came from Australia, from the white Australian policy. And so when we are seeing peoples being killed, dispossessed of land, it hurts to see that same thing happening to other people."
—
The Gold Coast has scrapped its $700 million bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, after it failed to secure support from the state or federal governments.
The Queensland local council had proposed a streamlined version of the Games after the Victorian government pulled out in July citing cost blowouts.
In a statement, Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said the council had tried its best, but Australia's reputation as a place that reneges on a global sports contract remains in tatters.
—
And in cricket,
Australia captain Matthew Wade has been left fuming at a late umpiring blunder as India secured a dramatic six-run victory in the fifth and final T20 clash in Bengaluru.
Australia needed 10 runs off the final over - bowled by paceman Arshdeep Singh whose first delivery was a bouncer that clearly sailed over Wade's head.
Wade was left incredulous when no wide was called by the square leg umpire.
Their victory hopes were ended when the central umpire couldn't get out of the way in time when Nathan Ellis hit the fifth delivery straight back down the ground.
It meant instead of a registering a boundary, Australia could only score a single run, their hopes over as they went on to finish at 8-154.
