Vegemite goes global

Popular spread Vegemite will soon be available to customers outside Australia and New Zealand for the first time. 

The spread will be sold to people in the US, UK, and Canada due to an increase in global demand.

“We often hear from our Vege-mates who are looking to source Vegemite products overseas,” said Vegemite Senior Marketing Manager Matt Gray.

“We have dialed up our Vegemite ‘Mitey Merchandise’ online store offering to make Vegemite more accessible to our Vege-mates located across the world.”

 

Treasurer wants older Australians to work longer

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he wants older Australians to work longer to improve the national economy, which is burdened with debt.

“As a nation, we need to effectively leverage the three P’s - population, participation, and productivity - to meet this challenge,” said Mr. Frydenberg.

He said 80 percent of education happens before Australians turn 21, which will have to change for Australians to stay engaged in work for longer.

 

Campdrafting becomes school sport

Some country schools in Queensland and New South Wales have introduced campdrafting as an official school sport thanks to one student who is passionate about the sport.

16-year-old Emily Curr says “I thought by doing it, it would allow everyone at boarding school and state high schools to come in and have a bit of a run and be able to do their sport as part of their school.”

Disney+ fans without answers after thousands hacked

Thousands of Disney customers said they were hacked after signing up for their online streaming service.

According to a report, since Disney+ went online, hackers have stolen thousands of customer accounts and sold them in the dark.

People waited a few hours on the phone and online chat lines, and many still said that Disney had not solved their problems.

The company has not yet responded to the request for comment.

Hong Kong university protesters escape on rope ladders

Several protesters have escaped from a Hong Kong university campus surrounded by police by abseiling from a bridge and fleeing on the back of motorbikes.

Around 100 protesters who tried to leave the Polytechnic University were met with tear gas and rubber bullets. Some of the protesters were arrested. Authorities say that around 116 people were injured in violence on Monday.

Animal activist group has charity status revoked

Animal activist group Aussie farms has had its charity status revoked, after publishing farm details for vegan protesters and consumers. 

The organisation ran a website with an interactive map that listed the locations of farms, abattoirs and dairies and has been accused of encouraging vigilantism and trespassing.

In January, the then agriculture minister David Littleproud described the organisation as “despicable”.

“These people don’t deserve charity status,” said Littleproud of Aussie Farms.

Workplaces the cause of many Aussie mental illness cases

A new study shows that half of employed Australians have experienced a mental illness, and 43 per cent of those say conditions at their workplace caused it. 

People working in public administration and safety, manufacturing and construction, reported their workplaces to be the cause of their mental health condition more than workers in any other industry. 

The study found that stress and lack of job security were two key contributors to mental health issues.

Dropping South-East Queensland dam levels

The capacity of combined South-East Queensland dam levels has dropped below 60 per cent for the first time in 11 years.

Seqwater has consequently increased production to 100 per cent at the Tugun desalination plant on the Gold Coast, able to make up around 15 per cent of the region’s drinking water supply.

Queensland Urban Utilities manager Michelle Cullen said during the spring, water usage had reached 200 litres per day per person.

New $14.5 million flight test facility in Cloncurry

In an Australian first, the state government will build a $14.5 million commercial drone flight testing facility at Cloncurry Airport, bringing high-technology industry and more jobs to the North West.

Premier and Minister for Trade Annastacia Palaszczuk said the announcement was a key part of Government’s strategy to support a diverse economy in the North West and create more jobs for locals.

She says, “This facility will create 65 jobs during construction and bring ongoing benefits to the region.”