10 things you need to know this morning in Australia
Good morning, folks.
1. In news which will surprise no one, teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has been named Time's Person of the Year. Time wrote that Thunberg “has succeeded in creating a global attitudinal shift, transforming millions of vague, middle-of-the-night anxieties into a worldwide movement calling for urgent change.” Meanwhile, Thunberg herself seems less than enthused about the pageantry of it all. In a video from Time, she said she tries to say no to meetings with politicians, since they consist of little more than “small talk” and “taking selfies.”
2. Eight Australians are now confirmed dead in the eruption of Whakaari / White Island. Teenage brothers Berend and Matthew Hollander are the latest to be confirmed dead, while their parents are still missing. Several Australian survivors have been repatriated home for treatment. Eight bodies are believed to remain on the island, which is currently not considered safe for a rescue and retrieval effort. Whakaari / White Island erupted on Monday afternoon sending plumes of ash, volcanic rock, and scalding steam more than 12,000 feet into the air.
3. For the first time ever, APRA has identified underperforming super funds – giving some consumers the nudge if their retirement cash is languishing somewhere it shouldn't be. Analysing total fees, investment fees and the financial sustainability of the funds, the 'heat map' is part of a renewed push to improve the sector. In fact, APRA readily admits it hopes the list will act as a wakeup call for some funds. As you might expect, the sector isn't too pleased about it – as soon as the news dropped, several super industry peak bodies fired off releases urging people to exercise caution in using the tool.
4. Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted has won over big investors including AustralianSuper, Cbus and Hostplus, likely securing their support for the company's remuneration report. That means the embattled company could dodge a board spill motion at Thursday's AGM, as it tries to navigate the fallout of the AUSTRAC money laundering scandal which continues to engulf the bank.
5. Following the exposé of Grill'd published in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age over the weekend, we spoke to a several current and former employees about the chain's controversial 'traineeship' program. They described a subpar system which paid poorly and could take two years to complete. One staff member said they weren't told about the traineeship during their interview – it only came up when they turned up on their first day.
6. You've no doubt noticed a slew of Aussie craft breweries have been scooped up by big corporate beer-slingers recently. It's actually part of a much longer trend as mainstream beer sales plateau. Here's our list of six craft labels which were scooped up by local and international beer titans.
7. Here's a grim harbinger of the current state of things for you: The top-searched item on Google in Australia for 2019 was 'fires near me'. Coming hot on its heels were the standard big sports and politics events. But still: yikes.
8. Harvey Weinstein and the board of his film studio have reportedly reached a tentative $US25 million deal with the dozens of women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Apparently, the deal won't require him to admit wrongdoing or pay his own money, with Weinstein Company insurers footing the bill.
9. The UK could potentially be heading for another hung parliament, as Boris Johnson's poll lead is slashed in half. YouGov’s highly-anticipated MRP poll published on Wednesday says the Conservatives’ lead over Labour has more than halved in two weeks, though the findings are within the margin of error. The poll shows Labour is shoring up support in the seats it has traditionally been strongest. The country heads to the polls on Thursday.
10. Amazon's massive investment in Deliveroo has run into a snag, as the UK regulator decides the deal could harm competition. Amazon led a $US575 million investment into the British food delivery company in May, triggering an initial competition probe and a demand from the regulator that the companies remain entirely separate until a review could be completed. Now, they'll proceed with a more in-depth probe.
BONUS ITEM
For reasons unknown, one of Trump's official Twitter accounts shared a video of him as Thanos from the Marvel movies. Why not, at this point.
https://twitter.com/WenzlerPowers/status/1204506148591865856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1204506148591865856&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Ftrump-video-shows-him-as-avengers-villain-thanos-2019-12