Information

100 years of air mail in Australia

This year will mark 100 years since French aviator Maurice Guillaux (1883-1917) made the first air mail flight in Australia. Guillaux left Melbourne on 16 July and arrived in Sydney on 18 July 1914. The flying time was just 9¼ hours, with seven stops en route. On his arrival, Guillaux was welcomed by Governor-General Sir…

SMH Australia’s most read newspaper

According to recent research released by Roy Morgan in an average four weeks across print, online and app in the 12 months to March 2014, Fairfax’s Sydney Morning Herald is the country’s most-read newspaper brand with an audience of 5,653,000. The research also revealed that Two News Corp brands score audiences just shy of five…

Remember to keep your distance when watching whales

With Humpback whales starting to migrate from the icy cold waters of the Antarctic to the balmy waters of the Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s species conservation manager, Mark Read, urged whale-watching enthusiasts and visitors to keep a safe distance for the safety of these majestic creatures, as well as onlookers.…

Australia signs the Marrakesh Treaty

The Australian Government recently became a signatory to the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled. The treaty will give an estimated 285 million people with vision impairments around the world access to more books published in accessible formats including large print, braille…

Bankruptcy filing fees over turned

An effort to abolish the$120 bankruptcy filing fee that was introduced by the Abbott Government has recently passed the senate. Australian Greens spokesperson for legal affairs Senator Penny Wright said it was a win for common-sense, with those in dire financial situations no longer to be charged extra fees to file for bankruptcy. “Charging people…

ACCC planning to reratify ATM sub-network fee free agreement

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has proposed to reauthorise an agreement between members of the FeeSmart ATM sub-network to not charge each other’s cardholders a fee for transactions at ATMs owned by members. “The proposed arrangements assist in addressing the competitive disadvantage that FeeSmart members might otherwise face in providing ATM services to cardholders…

Button Battery Safety Week

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is continuing to work with industry to reduce the risk of serious injuries and deaths of children swallowing coin-sized lithium button batteries. The effort comes as the ACCC joins consumer product regulators in Europe, Asia, North and South America and New Zealand in an international effort to alert the…

Remember the risks of undercooked chicken

According to recent Data from Public Health England it shows that since the year 2000 there have been 1,595 people affected in outbreaks of food poisoning caused by the bacteria campylobacter. These were all associated with the consumption of poultry products and of these 1,282 (80%) had reported eating chicken liver dishes. This information is…