Strawberry shields forever: bioplastic cuts fruit waste

Strawberries come packaged with a hidden environmental toll in Australia: a lot of clear plastic that does not get recycled. But researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a different way to keep the fruit safe while ensuring biodegradable punnets can return to the farms from which they came.

The Centre for Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing co-director partnered with PhD candidate Vincent Mathel to produce the bioplastic material in an effort that has taken three years.

Their environmentally friendly packaging uses biodegradable plastic produced by bacteria and blends it with pine sawdust to give it added durability.

Among the world’s largest plastic consumers, Australians used 3.9 tonnes of plastic in a year and recovered 14.5%, the most recent government statistics show.

When University of Queensland researchers considered developing biodegradable plastic to address the issue, strawberries were a natural focus due to the amount of plastic used to transport them.

“There’s about 125 grams of strawberries in a punnet and the punnet itself is maybe 12 to 14 grams, which is quite a lot,” Dr Luigi Vandi told AAP.

– Australian Associated Press

Queensland rocket launch delayed until Friday

The first Australian-made rocket was set to be test launched into orbit from north Queensland today, but has been delayed due to a system issue.

Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies got the green light from the Australian Space Agency to launch the Eris TestFlight1 from 7:30am this morning. This would be the first orbital launch from Australia in more than 50 years and the first Australian made rocket to attempt orbit, the company said.

But they have had to halt plans:

No launch today. Our team identified an issue in the ground support system during overnight checks; and we are now in an extended hold while we work through it.

The next target for launch is Friday morning.

Jobs data poised to help pencil in draw down on rates

The Reserve Bank is watching closely as the last data domino falls before a pivotal rates meeting.

The RBA’s preferred measure of inflation – the trimmed mean – fell back into target at 2.9% in April, but tightness in the labour market remains a concern for the central bank.

Joblessness is expected to remain at 4.1% when the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases labour force data for the month of April today. It is the last major data news before the RBA board reveals its interest rate decision on Tuesday and could give it a final green light to cut rates.

The rates market has fully priced in a 25 basis point cut, while a majority of economists expect the board to drop rates for a second time this cycle, after its move lower in February.

The central bank has predicted the jobless rate to come in at 4.2% for the June quarter but unemployment has held below that level since July 2024.

– Australian Associated Press

Luca Ittimani

Colourful price tags at Australian chemists may trick shoppers into buying full-price items, Choice says

Promotional price tags used by major chemists may be enticing shoppers towards products that are not discounted at all, with new research finding bright labels are confusing one in three customers.

Consumer advocacy organisation Choice found that some pharmacies said they were offering discounts from the recommended retail price (RRP) despite having never charged the higher rate, which is a suggestion from the manufacturer.

Other products had colourful supersized tags that obscured smaller shelf labels offering the same prices, meaning some customers thought they were getting discounts that did not exist, Choice’s senior campaigns and policy adviser, Bea Sherwood, said.

Read the full story here:

Sarah Basford Canales

The Greens are about to choose a new leader. Here’s how it works – and who could be Adam Bandt’s successor

The Greens will choose a new leader after Adam Bandt unexpectedly lost the seat of Melbourne at the federal election.

The party’s 11 senators and their sole remaining lower house MP – Elizabeth Watson-Brown, who held the Brisbane seat of Ryan – will decide on Thursday who should become the minor party’s fifth federal leader, with whoever claims the top job expected to address the media in the afternoon.

Senators Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters and Mehreen Faruqi are seen as possible successors. But unlike their major party counterparts, those involved in choosing the new Greens leader are unusually tight-lipped – ignoring or politely declining calls and texts from the media.

Read the full story here:

Haka protest to land Māori party MPs severe bans

The New Zealand MPs who protested constitutional reforms with haka on the floor of parliament will receive suspensions believed to be the most severe ever issued in the institution’s 170-year history.

Last November, 22-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke became a global viral sensation with her dismissal of the treaty principles bill, ripping it up and performing the haka with her Maori party co-leaders.

The treaty principles bill was championed by the right-wing ACT party to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi in law – stripping rights given to Māori at New Zealand’s foundation.

The Māori party’s protest inside parliament was sent to the privileges committee, which resolved to suspend Maipi-Clarke, for one week, and Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, for three weeks each.

Judith Collins, the attorney general and committee chair, said it was the toughest punishment it had ever handed out and “the worst incident that we have ever seen”:

Make no mistake. This was a very serious incident, the likes of which I have never seen before in my 23 years in the debating chamber.

The haka, which has gained worldwide admiration as the preceding act to All Blacks rugby Tests, is not banned in parliament but requires permission from the speaker to perform and must not disrupt proceedings. Collins said the MPs deliberately intimidated the ACT MPs who championed the reforms, as they prepared to vote.

The Māori party have condemned the bans as “grossly unjust, unfair, and unwarranted” and, in a dissenting position within the report, as “reinforcing institutional racism”. It wrote:

The finding that our actions constituted ‘intimidation’ sets a dangerous precedent for Aotearoa. It frames Maori protest, haka, and the assertion of (Māori sovereignty) rangatiratanga as inherently threatening.

The punishments are likely to be rubber-stamped by the parliament next Tuesday and voted through by the three government parties – National, ACT and NZ First.

– Australian Associated Press

Rafqa Touma

Thank you to Martin Farrer for rolling the live blog this morning. I’ll be updating you with the day’s news from here – let’s go.

Surge in complaints over telcos

Cash-strapped Australians fear being cut off from their phone and internet services as telcos refuse to support struggling customers, resulting in a spike in complaints, AAP reports.

Reports to the telecommunications watchdog about financial hardship or repayment issues were 71.9% higher between January and March, compared with the same period in 2024.

Despite complaints falling 8.2% since the previous quarter, the telecommunications industry ombudsman remains concerned.

Telcos need to do more to make sure people get the support they need if they’re struggling to keep on top of bills, ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said.

“It’s a stark reminder that the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact communities across Australia,” she said.

Recurring themes included companies refusing payment plans or extensions, offering unsuitable payment arrangements and service disconnection, suspension or restriction.

Zoe Daniel still yet to concede Goldstein after vote margin reduced

Although we have just mentioned that there are two seats in doubt – Calwell and Bradfield – Zoe Daniel is still yet to concede she has lost Goldstein in Melbourne.

The ABC called the seat for the Liberal Tim Wilson last week, seemingly ending the brief parliamentary career of Daniel, a journalist turned teal.

But she has declined to concede until all the votes have been counted.

She posted on social media on last night that she had “every finger crossed” that she could actually win the seat having seen Wilson’s apparently winning margin of 1,500 last Friday reduced to 401 votes last night .

“Friends. We have clawed our way back from an almost 1500 vote margin on Friday to 401 tonight,” she wrote.

“I have every finger crossed that a batch of international postal votes lands in the next two days and a few other things that need to, go our way.

“No matter what, as always, I’m so buoyed by the love, support, and ferocious determination that has been sent my way over the last week.

“To my scrutineers who have been hanging over every, single, vote, no matter what happens, you will always be my people. Thank you.”

More postal votes were expected to arrive before tomorrow although they have traditionally favoured the Liberals.

ABC calls Longman and Flinders for the Liberals

Caitlin Cassidy

The ABC has called two electorates, Longman and Flinders, for the Coalition, leaving just two seats in the new federal lower house in doubt.

Longman incumbent Terry Young led Labor’s Rhiannyn Douglas by 355 votes on Wednesday evening, with only 750 votes left to count, leading the ABC to call the seat for the Coalition despite a 2.9% swing to the ALP. Young has held the Caboolture and Southern Sunshine Coast seat since 2019.

In Flinders, the Liberals’ Zoe McKenzie leads by 6,424 votes to independent Ben Smith. With 92.8% of the vote counted on Wednesday evening and actual preferences now being provided, the ABC projected McKenzie would secure her second term in the south-east Melbourne seat.

With the latest results, Labor has secured 93 lower house seats and the Coalition 43, with one seat to the Greens and 11 to independents and minor parties.

Labor is currently ahead in the Victorian seat of Calwell, but a formal redistribution of preferences is expected to take about a fortnight until a result is called.

The Sydney seat of Bradfield was previously called for the Coalition but was back in doubt on Wednesday evening after an apparent late surge in support for the independent Nicolette Boele.

Sarah Basford Canales

PM to meet with Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta

Anthony Albanese will meet with the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, in Jakarta later today as part of his first international visit since being elected for a second term.

The prime minister will be joined by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, in Jakarta in a meeting aimed at strengthening ties with the fast-growing neighbour.

Albanese said in a statement:

I am honoured to be a guest of President Prabowo Subianto. There is no country more important to Australia than Indonesia. We have a long history of cooperation and friendship, celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.

During the federal election campaign, a media report published by the defence news website Janes claimed Russia had filed an official request with Indonesia for permission for its military aircraft to be based out of an airbase on the island of Biak, in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province.

The Australian government’s position has been that there is “no prospect” of a Russian military base being established on Indonesian soil, a position reaffirmed by the Indonesian government.

An Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson said the government had not granted permission to any country to establish a military base on its territory.

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Rafqa Touma with the main action.

Anthony Albanese will look to deepen defence and investment ties with Indonesia in talks with the nation’s president, Prabowo Subianto. The prime minister will meet face-to-face with Prabowo in Jakarta later today in his first overseas trip since Labor’s election victory. We have more details coming up.

The ABC has called two electorates, Longman and Flinders, for the Coalition, leaving just two seats in the new federal lower house in doubt. However, Zoe Daniel, the teal independent who saw her seat of Goldstein called for the Liberal Tim Wilson last week, has still not conceded and narrowed her deficit from 1,500 votes on Friday to 401 this morning. More coming up.