Tom McIlroy
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has confirmed the junior Coalition partner plans to contest the upcoming byelection in Farrer, where former Liberal leader Sussan Ley is preparing to retire.
Before Ley won the rural NSW seat in 2001, Farrer was held by former Nationals leader Tim Fischer, who first won it in 1984.
Littleproud told Sky News that both the Nationals and the Liberals would run. A One Nation candidate and a teal independent, Michelle Milthorpe, are also set to run.
“The NSW National party made a decision at an executive meeting on Saturday to run a candidate,” Littleproud said.
They’ve opened nominations, but we’ll be working as a team. We want to see a Coalition candidate get up.
Littleproud said the Liberals and Nationals would send preferences to each other.
That gives us protection and allows choice within the Coalition. We only do this in transition seats. There’s usually a transition when there’s incumbency, and we respect that.
Updated at 20.51 EST
Key events
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Nick Visser
That’s all from me! Luca Ittimani will take things from here. Take care, and enjoy the rest of your Monday.
Updated at 22.43 EST
NSW police detect 604 people allegedly driving with drugs in their systems during statewide traffic operation
NSW police conducted a mass, statewide police traffic operation last week, saying they detected 604 people who allegedly had drugs in their systems while driving.
Officials said they stopped thousands of drivers across the state, issuing 9,126 drug tests, with 604 of those returning the allegedly positive results. A further 121,000 breath tests were issued, with 167 drink-driving offences allegedly detected. The operation took place from 12am Thursday to 4am on Sunday.
Police also issued more than 6,500 traffic infringement notices, including 1,695 for speed-related offences, 267 for mobile phone use and 77 for restraint-related offences.
Yasmin Catley, the state’s minister for police, said officers will continue to have high visibility on roadways across NSW:
Too much of what happens on our roads is preventable. Police are out there every day, but they can’t be everywhere – we need drivers to make better, safer choices – for themselves, their passengers and everyone else.
Yasmin Catley. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPShare
Updated at 22.31 EST
NSW premier urges kidnappers to return 85-year-old abducted by mistake
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, urged those responsible for the abduction to return 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian, who investigators say was taken by mistake in a botched underworld kidnapping.
Minns told reporters earlier today:
It’s not too late to end this situation … please return him to his family.
Let police know where he is currently located or, alternatively, drop Mr Baghsarian off at a shopping centre, an emergency department, or even a nursing home.
Read more here:
Melissa Davey
Research institute withdraws $20m budget submission for youth gambling education
The University of Sydney-based OurFutures research institute has withdrawn a $20m federal budget submission for youth gambling education after concerns were raised about multiple errors and potential use of AI.
The OurFutures institute confirmed in a letter to independent senator David Pocock that it had “made the decision to retract our proposal and documents” after “we became aware that the submission and background paper contained errors”.
“These errors do not reflect our standards. We apologise unreservedly and are conducting a full internal review,” an email sent by the OurFutures CEO, Ken Wallace, said.
The withdrawal follows a report by Guardian Australia which found multiple problems with the institute’s “Youth Gambling in Australia” evidence review and the accompanying budget request, including broken links, references to papers that could not be found, and claims not supported by the cited research.
David Pocock. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Pocock, who was among at least 10 politicians sent the review, said at the time he was “deeply concerned” and described the document as appearing to be “slop written by AI”.
He said he was particularly concerned by the review’s claim that school-based gambling harm prevention programs have a return on investment. But Pocock said “in reality, the [Productivity Commission] found that these programs are typically pushed by the gambling industry and can make things worse”.
The institute had initially attributed the issues to a reference editing tool used for references and said it would correct the material and resubmit it, then blamed it on a “clerical error,” but it has now withdrawn the submission and review entirely.
Read more:
Updated at 22.02 EST
$5.4 trillion will soon be inherited in Australia. What does this mean for equality?
Over the next 20 years, it’s expected $5.4tn will be passed down from baby boomers to their beneficiaries. Guardian Australia’s Celina Ribeiro spoke to economists about this massive wealth transfer.
$5.4 trillion will soon be inherited in Australia. What does this mean for equality? – video
Catie McLeod
Coles will argue changes in price were ‘not illusory’
Coles will defend the ACCC’s allegations by arguing the changes in pricing was a response to suppliers’ requests for “cost price alterations” or changes to promotional funding arrangements.
In the supermarket’s concise statement, filed with the court, Coles said the third prices referred to by the ACCC (eg the $4.50 price for the dog food) were real discounts.
The non-promotional, higher prices were the “genuine, undiscounted shelf price” and the discounts were “not illusory” the supermarket said, adding that:
Coles denies the allegation that it has made false or misleading representations in breach of ss 18 and 29(1) of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
ShareACCC cites price of dog food to argue Coles misled shoppers as court case begins
Catie McLeod
The landmark federal court case between the competition regulator and supermarket giant Coles has begun in Melbourne this morning, on the first day of a 10-day block of hearings.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges Coles misled shoppers with “illusory” discounts on hundreds of products between February 2022 and March 2023.
Justice Michael O’Bryan has heard the ACCC’s opening submissions this morning. Barrister Garry Rich SC, acting for the regulator, gave the court the example of Coles’ pricing of 1.2kg cans of Nature’s Gift wet dog food.
Coles had sold the dog food for $4 for 296 days between April 2022 and February 2023, Rich told the court. The supermarket then increased the price of that product by a “whopping 50%” to $6 and sold it at the higher retail price for just 7 days.
After a week, Coles changed the price of the dog food to $4.50 and told customers it was on sale as part of the “Down Down” promotion, claiming that price “was” $6.
Rich said while Coles’ claim $4.50 was a discounted price for the dog food was “literally true”, it was also “utterly misleading”.
He told the court:
A consumer who knew the real facts would not think the price of the dog food had gone down. Nor would they think the price of $4.50 was a genuine reduction or discount.
The Coles logo on shopping trolleys. Photograph: Daniel Munoz/ReutersShare
Updated at 21.17 EST
Greens welcome ACCC court battle over Coles’ grocery prices
The Greens said this afternoon they welcome a court challenge by the ACCC against Coles over allegations of misleading “specials”, with the competition regulator seeking large penalties and community service orders against the grocery giant.
The Greens’ leader, senator Larissa Waters, said the court action reflected a need for the Labor party to “stand up” to big corporations, saying in a statement:
Labor must stand up to their big corporate donors who are making massive profits while everyone else struggles to get by.
The Greens are proud to have led the charge on supermarket price gouging with our inquiry and divestiture Bill in the last parliament and we will continue to fight for a system that doesn’t put profits before people and farmers.
Larissa Waters. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
The Greens’ economic justice spokesperson, senator Nick McKim, went on to say the action confirmed what “people across Australia already know – when corporations have too much power, they use it to squeeze everyday people”.
We need laws that make price gouging illegal across the economy, not just in supermarkets, so corporations can’t exploit times of financial pressure to hike prices with impunity.
Coles is defending the claims, and has argued its pricing was a response to increased costs from suppliers.
Updated at 21.01 EST
Both Liberals and Nationals to run in Farrer byelection, Littleproud confirms
Tom McIlroy
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has confirmed the junior Coalition partner plans to contest the upcoming byelection in Farrer, where former Liberal leader Sussan Ley is preparing to retire.
Before Ley won the rural NSW seat in 2001, Farrer was held by former Nationals leader Tim Fischer, who first won it in 1984.
Littleproud told Sky News that both the Nationals and the Liberals would run. A One Nation candidate and a teal independent, Michelle Milthorpe, are also set to run.
“The NSW National party made a decision at an executive meeting on Saturday to run a candidate,” Littleproud said.
They’ve opened nominations, but we’ll be working as a team. We want to see a Coalition candidate get up.
Littleproud said the Liberals and Nationals would send preferences to each other.
That gives us protection and allows choice within the Coalition. We only do this in transition seats. There’s usually a transition when there’s incumbency, and we respect that.
Updated at 20.51 EST
Luca Ittimani
No ransom note or underworld ties for kidnapped 85-year-old
The elderly Sydney man believed to be mistakenly kidnapped had no connection to the underworld, police said.
Up to three offenders were believed to have taken Baghsarian from his home at 5am on Friday, with police suspecting a wider network was involved, according to NSW police’s Andrew Marks.
Baghsarian and his family, though, were not connected to that world and had not even received a ransom note, as would be usual during a kidnapping case, Marks said. Their lack of connection to “any criminal world” had led police to believe his abduction was a case of mistaken identity. He said:
It’s not an instance where they were randomly taking people for the sake of it. They were intending to take somebody, but they have taken the wrong person.
Police had not determined who the intended victim of the kidnapping was and were investigating the persons involved, Mark said, adding:
We are throwing every resource that we have at this kidnapping case so we can get the safe return of Mr Baghsarian.
85-year-old Chris Baghsarian. Photograph: Nsw Police/AAPShare
Updated at 20.32 EST
Luca Ittimani
Police appeal for information on Chris Baghsarian’s location
Police urged alleged kidnappers to share where they have taken an 85-year-old Sydney man, who investigators say was abducted by mistake.
Investigators do not know where Chris Baghsarian is being held or even if he remains in Sydney, Detective Acting Supt Andrew Marks said. He said:
This is a very strange appeal but we appeal to those who are responsible to release Mr Baghsarian somewhere safe … [and] inform somebody [so] that we can get to him and get him the medical treatment he needs.
The elderly widower and grandfather requires daily medication, Marks said.
Every hour is very important. We need him returned now.
Updated at 20.17 EST