Global Pulse

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  • Brexit red tape costs hit food firms

    Brexit red tape costs hit food firms

    Nearly seven years after the United Kingdom completed its full exit from the European Union, post-Brexit trade barriers continue to squeeze British food exporters doing business with the continent, prompting top industry voices to share their mounting frustrations as UK officials weigh policy changes to cut bureaucratic red tape.

    Two key sectors in the South West of England — Devon’s sausage manufacturing and Brixham’s fishing trade — have been hit particularly hard by the additional administrative checks, costly paperwork and persistent border delays that came into force after Brexit. For Charles Baughan, managing director of family-owned Westaway Sausages based in Newton Abbot, these extra trade burdens have already accumulated into a quarter of a million pounds in losses for his business.
    Baughan detailed the steep administrative and financial toll of the current rules, explaining that every shipment of sausages bound for the EU requires a 14-page health certificate signed 46 separate times, which must be validated and stamped by an official veterinarian before departure. Beyond the £600 in direct costs per shipment for this process, he warned that even a minor error on the paperwork can lead to an entire consignment being seized and destroyed by French customs at the Port of Calais, creating constant, costly uncertainty for his firm.

    The pain is shared across the region’s fishing trade, according to Ian Perkes, a fish merchant based in the Brixham fishing port. Perkes noted that time-consuming paperwork bogs down operations on both sides of the English Channel, creating avoidable delays at the UK departure point and the Channel Tunnel entry point that throw off tight market timelines. Exporters even face financial penalties from UK health authorities if they fail to finalize and print all required health certification by the 1pm daily deadline, adding another unnecessary cost to already thin profit margins.

    To address these long-running frictions, UK government ministers are currently evaluating a proposal for closer alignment with EU food safety and trade regulations, a policy shift that could significantly cut bureaucratic barriers for exporters. The plan under discussion calls for “dynamic alignment”, a framework that would see the UK automatically adopt updated EU food rules into domestic law as they are introduced. If approved, a formal agreement on the new alignment framework could be finalized within the next two to three years.

    Jayne Kirkham, Labour Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth and a sitting member of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, confirmed that incremental progress is being made on advancing the alignment proposal. She emphasized that the current post-Brexit trade barriers have caused measurable damage to the UK’s national economy and to agricultural and fishing producers across the country, and that unimpeded cross-border trade is a non-negotiable necessity for these sectors. Kirkham added that negotiations on the framework could move at a surprisingly fast pace, with a finalized deal possible as early as 2027.

  • Qantas flagship Project Sunrise hit by fresh Airbus supply chain delays

    Qantas flagship Project Sunrise hit by fresh Airbus supply chain delays

    One of the aviation industry’s most highly anticipated ultra long-haul flight projects has hit another unexpected hurdle, with Australian flag carrier Qantas confirming its game-changing non-stop Sydney-to-London and Sydney-to-New York initiative will not launch until 2027 following a four-month extension to delivery delays from aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

    Dubbed Project Sunrise – a tribute to Qantas’ iconic World War II Double Sunrise flights that saw crews cross multiple time zones and witness two sunrises on a single journey – the decades-in-the-making initiative aims to redefine long-distance air travel by connecting Australia’s densely populated east coast directly to major western hubs without any layovers. The project relies on custom-built Airbus A350-1000URL aircraft, modified with an extra rear-center fuel tank that holds an additional 20,000 liters of jet fuel to power the 18+ hour ultra-long journeys.

    Airbus, the European aerospace giant, attributed the latest delay to ongoing global supply chain disruptions that have rippled across its entire A350 production line, impacting all scheduled deliveries of the popular wide-body aircraft model. Prior to this setback, the first commercial launch of Project Sunrise flights was targeted for 2026, following a multi-year delay triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed the original 2023 launch date back three years.

    In an official statement provided to NewsWire, Qantas confirmed the revised timeline, noting that while the first custom A350 will now arrive in April 2027, the four subsequent aircraft will be delivered in rapid succession. By November of the same year, the airline expects to be back aligned with its original overall deployment schedule for the project.

    “We continue to work closely with Airbus on the delivery and certification process that will enable us to begin operating these history-making ultra long-haul flights,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

    Despite the delivery delay, progress on pre-launch preparations remains on track. Qantas revealed that the first modified aircraft is currently being painted at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, France, and is set to begin critical test flights in the coming weeks. Pilot training for the new ultra long-haul routes is also already well underway, with crew completing simulation training at Qantas’ Sydney training center.

    Once operational, Project Sunrise flights are projected to cut total travel time between Sydney and London or New York by up to four hours compared to existing one-stop connecting routes. Qantas already operates the world’s second-longest non-stop commercial route, between Perth and London, with a flight time of roughly 18 hours. The new Project Sunrise services will extend that range by more than three hours for flights departing Sydney, pushing the boundaries of modern civilian aviation to new limits.

  • ‘Uninformed or dishonest’: Negative gearing question the government can’t answer

    ‘Uninformed or dishonest’: Negative gearing question the government can’t answer

    A fierce political clash has erupted at a Senate estimates hearing in Australia, centering on conflicting government statements around pre-election policy modelling for upcoming negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms. Liberal Senator Jane Hume has launched a scathing rebuke of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, arguing his public denial of commissioning the policy modelling ahead of last year’s election leaves the Prime Minister with only two unflattering explanations for his comment.

    The controversy traces back to Albanese’s remarks during a 2024 ABC leaders’ election debate, when he asserted that internal modelling of potential changes to negative gearing rules – reforms that were only formally unveiled as part of the federal government’s budget earlier this month – “certainly wasn’t commissioned by us”. Just days after the budget was released, however, Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed that the federal Treasury had been working on modelling for both negative gearing adjustments and cuts to the capital gains tax discount as far back as September 2024, contradicting the Prime Minister’s earlier public statement.

    During the tense, hour-long grilling on Monday, Hume pressed Industry Minister Tim Ayres and attending departmental officials repeatedly to clarify whether Albanese was aware of the ongoing modelling work before he made his debate claim. She said bluntly, “When the Prime Minister said this modelling certainly wasn’t commissioned by us, he was either uninformed or dishonest. And, I’d like to know which one he was.”

    Ayres responded by citing longstanding conventions around protecting the confidentiality of cabinet deliberations, noting he was limited in what details he could share about internal government discussions. He told the hearing that there would be future opportunities to question Treasury officials directly about the matter, adding “In terms of which meeting were particular changes canvased I’m not in a position to offer anything more than I already have.”

    When pressed further on the lack of clarity around the timeline and decision-making process for the reform shift, Ayres pushed back, emphasizing that the government had publicly owned the policy change, with full explanations delivered by both the Prime Minister and Treasurer following the budget announcement. “We announced in the budget the Tuesday before last, in the most public way that you can imagine, the approach that we’re taking on this set of questions,” he said. “We have been very clear with the Australian people and with the parliament.”

    Hume rejected this defense, however, arguing that Ayres failed to answer basic questions about when the government decided to reverse its previous position on negative gearing reform and what internal discussions led to the change. After an official told the hearing they would take a question about whether any official had followed up with Albanese about his debate comments on notice, Hume accused the government of deliberate stonewalling. The heated exchange saw Hume interrupted multiple times by the committee chair as she pressed her line of questioning. The controversy is set to continue when Treasury officials appear before future estimates hearings, where opposition senators have pledged to press for full transparency around the government’s pre-election policy work.

  • Australian James Magnussen misfires in Enhanced Games 100m freestyle debut

    Australian James Magnussen misfires in Enhanced Games 100m freestyle debut

    The controversial inaugural Enhanced Games, a competition that unapologetically permits the use of performance-enhancing drugs for all participating athletes, got off to a surprising start in its opening swimming event on Monday in Las Vegas, where one of the sport’s most recognizable former champions failed to deliver on the high expectations he helped build. Australian swimmer James Magnussen, nicknamed “The Missile” and the first athlete to sign on to the privately backed competition, crossed the finish line in last place in the men’s 100m freestyle, finishing more than two seconds slower than his decade-old personal best.

    The 35-year-old, who made headlines ahead of the event with a bold claim that he would “juice to the gills” and break a world record within six months of joining the Games, clocked a final time of 49.44 seconds. That result put him well behind the three other competitors in the field, with Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev taking first place with a time of 46.6 seconds. Gkolomeev’s finish came just 0.2 seconds off the current world record of 46.4 seconds set by Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle at the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this year. Completing the field were American swimmer Hunter Armstrong and Irish swimmer Shane Ryan, both of whom finished comfortably ahead of Magnussen.

    Magnussen’s slow final time was 2.34 seconds off his personal best of 47.10 seconds, which he set at the Australian Olympic selection trials back in 2012, when he was at the peak of his competitive career. Competing in an eye-catching gold swimsuit that marked his status as the face of the new event, Magnussen never mounted a serious challenge to the rest of the field throughout the race.

    Despite his underwhelming last-place finish, the former world champion still walked away with a $70,000 payout for just competing in the event, a sum that is nearly double what Australian Olympic gold medalists receive for winning a top prize at the traditional Games. The Enhanced Games offers outsized financial incentives to draw competitors: total prize money across all events sits at millions of dollars, with a $1.4 million reward on offer specifically for any athlete who breaks the 50m freestyle world record. Total prize money for all winners across the inaugural event is set at roughly $350,000, a payout structure that far outpaces traditional elite swimming competition for many lower-ranked finishers.

    Backed by deep-pocketed supporters including private equity firms, tech billionaires, and entrepreneurial investment funds, the Enhanced Games has drawn widespread global scrutiny for its rule that allows unlimited use of performance-enhancing substances, a direct rejection of decades of anti-doping policies that govern the Olympic Games and all other mainstream international sports. For Magnussen, the competition is not over yet: he is still scheduled to compete in the 50m freestyle later in the event, where he retains a chance to claim the massive $1.4 million world record breaking prize.

  • Truck overturns in central Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people

    Truck overturns in central Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people

    A devastating early-morning road accident in central Bangladesh has claimed the lives of at least 15 people and left 10 more injured, local law enforcement confirmed, striking as families across the country prepared for the major Islamic festival Eid al-Adha. The crash unfolded around 5 a.m. Monday in the Soratoil area of Tangail district, a region located roughly 52 miles northwest of Bangladesh’s capital city Dhaka, according to Fuad Hossain, chief of local police. The truck, which was transporting iron rods along the country’s major highway, was traveling from Dhaka to the nation’s northern region when its driver lost control, causing the vehicle to flip. Tragically, the truck was carrying far more people than it was legally permitted to hold, with dozens of extra hitchhiking passengers seeking travel to their hometowns for the holiday. Hossain confirmed that 15 passengers died instantly at the scene of the crash. Most of those killed were day laborers, who were making the journey to reunite with their family members for the four-day festival, a time marked by feasting, prayer and community gatherings in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Immediately after the crash, local residents who heard the sound of the accident rushed to the site to begin rescue efforts, pulling trapped survivors out of the wreckage before emergency services arrived. Injured victims were quickly transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment. This latest fatal crash highlights a long-running and deadly public safety crisis in Bangladesh, a densely populated nation of more than 170 million people. Thousands of people die in road accidents across the country each year, a crisis fueled by systemic issues including lax enforcement of traffic safety regulations, poorly maintained highway infrastructure, and large numbers of unqualified or under-trained drivers operating heavy commercial vehicles. As the country enters one of its busiest travel seasons of the year, safety advocates have repeatedly called for urgent government action to address these gaps and prevent preventable deaths on Bangladesh’s roads.

  • Thai beer heir sexual abuse allegations ignite rare public reckoning

    Thai beer heir sexual abuse allegations ignite rare public reckoning

    In a conservative Southeast Asian nation where discussions of sexual violence have long been locked behind closed doors, explosive allegations of familial sexual abuse from a Thai beer billionaire heir have unlocked a tidal wave of survivor testimonials, marking an unprecedented cultural reckoning for Thailand.

    Siranudh Scott, a 29-year-old fourth-generation member of the Bhirombhakdi family — founders of the globally recognized Singha beer brand, ranked Thailand’s 15th wealthiest clan by Forbes with an estimated $1.75 billion net worth — took to social media this month to share a harrowing emotional account accusing his older brother Sunit of repeated childhood sexual abuse. Siranudh, known locally as Psi, told Agence France-Presse the abuse occurred every summer between the ages of 9 and 13, when Sunit returned home from boarding school.

    For nearly two decades, Siranudh stayed silent. He first disclosed the abuse to other family members three years ago, and accepted a financial settlement to keep the allegations private. But a 2024 property dispute, in which his mother sued him under Thailand’s controversial “ungrateful child” law that allows parents to reclaim gifted assets from children deemed unappreciative, became his breaking point. “I felt I needed to speak out, otherwise I would have been dead inside,” Siranudh told AFP. “I’ve been in a family, in a system, in an institution that’s kept my voice silent.” He is now preparing to pursue formal legal action against his brother.

    Sunit, in his 30s, has publicly denied the allegations via an online video, acknowledging only rough childhood horseplay between brothers. Despite his denial, Singha’s parent company Boonrawd Brewery removed Sunit from his executive position on Tuesday of this week. The brewery has issued a statement confirming the termination and saying it will cooperate fully with any official investigations, though it declined further comment to AFP.

    Singha is one of Thailand’s most iconic beer brands, recognizable worldwide for its golden lion logo and high-profile sponsorships with global sports entities including Premier League club Chelsea FC and the Haas Formula One Team. But it is not the brand’s partnerships that have made headlines around the world — it is the ripple effect of Siranudh’s allegations that has shaken Thai society.

    In the weeks since Siranudh went public, the #PsiScott hashtag has gone viral in Thailand, with celebrities, influencers, and ordinary citizens coming forward to share their own previously untold stories of sexual abuse and misconduct, topics long classified as taboo in the country’s conservative culture. Patinya Kuantrakul, heir to one of Thailand’s most famous golf course dynasties, shared that she was raped by her family driver at age 11, resulting in a pregnancy and forced abortion. Prominent Thai podcaster and influencer Taylor Srirat revealed he was sexually assaulted by his 50-year-old employer when he was just 19 years old. Many survivors have said Siranudh’s testimony gave them the courage to speak publicly for the first time, sharing messages of gratitude and solidarity with the beer heir.

    Siranudh said the outpouring of support from Thai and international social media users has left him overwhelmed by love, noting that this push for accountability from a powerful, well-connected conglomerate family is unprecedented in Thailand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kind of push for accountability before from a huge conglomerate family,” he said.

    Analysts and rights activists agree that the public reckoning is a rare and significant shift for Thailand, a country that has never before had a national #MeToo movement. Cultural norms around hierarchy, family reputation, and aversion to public shame have long forced sexual abuse survivors into silence, particularly when abuse occurs within families or involves powerful, respected community figures. “Thai society places strong emphasis on hierarchy, family reputation and avoiding public shame or conflict,” explained Busayapa Srisompong, a human rights lawyer and founder of Shero, an organization that provides free legal aid to sexual violence survivors in Thailand. “This can make disclosure especially difficult when abuse happens within families or involves respected figures.”

    Survivor-blaming culture further discourages survivors from coming forward, according to influencer Taylor. But he and other experts note that attitudes are already beginning to shift, in large part because social media has created safe, supportive spaces where survivors no longer have to feel isolated. Younger generations of Thais, explained social psychology lecturer Apitchaya Chaiwutikornwanich, have grown up learning about human rights and bodily autonomy, creating new demand for transparency and accountability.

    Siranudh’s high social status, paired with the voice recordings he publicly released confronting his brother about the abuse, have also helped his allegations gain widespread public trust in a way that claims from less privileged survivors often do not.

    An environmental activist who has long distanced himself from his family’s business empire, Siranudh said the ocean became his refuge when no one in his family supported him after the alleged abuse. Even with widespread online solidarity, he said he still feels failed by Thailand’s outdated legal framework, pointing to the “ungrateful child” law used against him in the family property dispute as evidence of systemic inequity.

    Siranudh said going public has already accelerated his own healing process, and he hopes his actions will set a lasting precedent for other survivors across Thailand to come forward. Busayapa, the human rights lawyer, added that meaningful change will require broader societal shift: creating a safe culture means acknowledging there is no “perfect victim” and committing to genuine zero tolerance for sexual violence in all forms.
    “I hope this will set a precedent for other people in Thailand to follow suit,” Siranudh said.

  • MP, staffers hacked in WhatsApp attack by ‘foreign state actor’, inquiry told

    MP, staffers hacked in WhatsApp attack by ‘foreign state actor’, inquiry told

    A coordinated cyberattack that successfully compromised WhatsApp accounts linked to one unnamed Australian parliamentarian and three parliamentary staff members was orchestrated by a foreign state actor, top parliamentary technology officials have confirmed during a recent Senate estimates hearing.

    Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) Chief Information Officer Mike Webb told the committee on Monday that the breach, which unfolded on March 6, was part of a deliberate, targeted phishing operation focused specifically on Australian parliamentary personnel. All four compromised accounts — connected to both personal devices and devices managed by the DPS — were hijacked using identical tactics, according to Webb’s testimony.

    In response to the confirmed breach, DPS implemented a temporary block on WhatsApp Web starting March 9, a measure made necessary because most of the compromised accounts were personal profiles that the department does not administer or monitor. The temporary restriction was lifted the following Sunday once initial security assessments were completed, Webb added.

    When questioned about the attribution of the attack, Webb confirmed that available intelligence points to a foreign state actor as the perpetrator. He noted that state-sponsored phishing campaigns targeting government officials via WhatsApp have been widely documented in public reporting, with multiple governments across the globe — including Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States — having already issued formal warnings about this exact style of cyber threat. “This is targeting our parliamentarians, but this is a genuine, global issue,” Webb told the hearing.

    At the time the temporary block was put in place, cybersecurity officials had not yet mapped the full scope of sensitive communications that may have been exposed via the compromised personal accounts. Webb outlined the common tactic used in the phishing scheme: attackers masquerade as a trusted contact — such as a fellow senator — to trick targets into granting access to their accounts.

    The hearing also shed light on the broader scope of persistent cyber threats facing the Australian parliament. DPS Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Nicola Hinder told the committee that between late March and the time of the hearing, security systems had detected 46 instances of malware, blocked more than 20,000 separate phishing attempts, and responded to 1,458 distinct cyber alerts — most of which were attempts to disrupt or breach parliamentary websites.

    Hinder noted that the volume of cyber threats against the Australian parliament fluctuates over time, with periods of heightened activity followed by lulls when global attention shifts to other priorities. Webb added that parliamentarians will always remain high-value targets for cyberattacks regardless of the communication platform they use. The hearing also confirmed that while intelligence attributes this recent hack to a foreign state actor, pinpointing the exact group or responsible nation remains extremely challenging, described by officials as near impossible.

  • Drug-fueled Enhanced Games falling short of world marks

    Drug-fueled Enhanced Games falling short of world marks

    The inaugural edition of the controversial Enhanced Games, an event that openly permits athletes to use performance-enhancing substances banned from traditional elite competitions like the Olympics, kicked off Sunday in Las Vegas. Despite the allowances for banned drugs and technologically advanced swimsuits, participating athletes narrowly missed out on breaking existing official world records in early competition, leaving organizers and competitors just short of their high-stakes goal.

    A total of 42 athletes across sprinting, swimming and weightlifting took part in the event, with the vast majority using stacks of testosterone, peptides, anabolic steroids and other substances blacklisted by global athletics governing bodies. These governing bodies have already roundly condemned the competition as dangerously reckless, and have confirmed they will never recognize any records set at the Enhanced Games.

    Lured by lucrative prize purses — $1 million for any athlete who breaks an existing world record, and $250,000 for individual event gold — the field includes several former Olympic medalists, such as retired elite swimmers James Magnussen, Cody Miller and Ben Proud. In the most closely watched early swimming contest, the men’s 100-meter freestyle, Greek competitor Kristian Gkolomeev posted a time of 46.60 seconds, just 0.2 seconds behind Pan Zhanle’s current official world record of 46.40 seconds.

    “It was very close to the world record. I really wanted to do it, but it’s OK,” Gkolomeev told reporters after the race. “I felt at the end I died a little bit, but I didn’t really train for the 100 this year, definitely I will take that.”

    On the women’s side of the same event, Britain’s Emily Barclays took gold with a time of 24.09 seconds, approximately half a second off the standing world mark.

    Enhanced Games co-founder Max Martin had predicted ahead of the competition that “quite a few” world records would fall unofficially, but the first half of the event did not live up to that projection. In the opening weightlifting contest, Beatriz Piron — who had reportedly surpassed the women’s snatch world record in training — attempted 100kg but came up short of the mark. For the men, Canada’s Boady Santavy and American Wesley Kitts attempted 183kg and 197kg respectively, and both failed, even after organizers broke standard rules to grant each an extra fourth attempt to hit the record.

    “I hit a lot of PRs in training. Not 197 yet… Man, if I had about four more weeks (in training) I’d say I’d have had a good shot at it,” Kitts said after his attempt.

    In a surprising upset, the men’s 50-meter backstroke was won by Hunter Armstrong, one of the small minority of competitors who chose not to use any performance-enhancing drugs, who beat two rivals who did use PEDs with a time of 24.21 seconds. American former Olympian Cody Miller, who won the men’s 50-meter breaststroke, said he was thrilled to cut seven-tenths of a second off his own personal best at age 34, though his 26.55 second time remained well off Adam Peaty’s 25.95 second world record.

    Unlike traditional elite swimming competitions, the Enhanced Games permits competitors to wear the same full-body “supersuits” that caused a wave of record-breaking at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before being banned by global swimming governing bodies over concerns about unfair technological advantage.

    Former 100-meter sprint world champion Fred Kerley, another clean competitor at the event, topped the men’s sprint heats with a 9.93 second run, just two-hundredths of a second ahead of “enhanced” athlete Emmanuel Matadi, who clocked 9.95 seconds.

    The 2024 Enhanced Games is being held in a custom-built $50 million temporary arena constructed on the parking lot of a Las Vegas casino, which will be dismantled just hours after the final event wraps up. Blending elite sports, biohacking advocacy, political positioning and entertainment, the event counts high-profile backers including billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr., with iconic Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers scheduled to play the closing set after competition ends.

    The competition has sparked widespread criticism from global health experts, who warn that the unregulated use of the performance-enhancing substances permitted at the Games carries major risks of “life-shortening and fatal consequences,” including permanent damage to the heart, liver and kidneys, since little definitive research exists on the long-term impacts of many of these drug combinations.

    Enhanced Games officials have pushed back against these concerns, noting that all substances used by athletes are formally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and that the event spared no expense to hire top-tier medical staff to monitor competitors. Chief medical officer Guido Pieles acknowledged that the health risks of the substances “clearly there” but argued they are “really manageable” with proper oversight.

    Organizers have emphasized a commitment to transparency, publishing the overall percentage of athletes taking each category of performance-enhancing drug, with Martin saying “transparency is core to our DNA.” However, athletes confirmed that they are not required to publicly disclose the exact specific drug combinations each competitor is taking. Beyond the event itself, the parent company Enhanced sells many of the same substances used by its athletes directly to the general public.

  • Telcos warn of higher mobile bills for millions of Aussies over new ‘tax’

    Telcos warn of higher mobile bills for millions of Aussies over new ‘tax’

    Australia’s major telecommunications providers are sounding the alarm for Australian households, warning consumers to prepare for steeper monthly mobile plan costs and delayed 5G network expansion after the country’s communications regulator rejected industry calls for a far lower spectrum licence fee. The standoff comes as the first renewal window for core spectrum bands – 850MHz and 1800MHz, which underpin roughly 80% of Australia’s 30 million active mobile services – opens June 18 for the nation’s four largest mobile operators: Telstra, Optus, TPG Telecom and NBN Co.

    Spectrum, the finite public radio frequency resource that forms the invisible backbone of all wireless digital services from mobile calls to 5G broadband, is periodically re-licensed to operators by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). For this renewal cycle, ACMA has set the total fee for the core spectrum bands at $7.32 billion. While that marks an decrease from the $8.2 billion paid by the industry 10 years ago, it is more than double the $3.3 billion fair value estimate the telecom sector submitted to regulators. The final figure also exceeds ACMA’s own preliminary 2023 proposal of $5 billion to $6.2 billion, a range that already drew pushback from consumer advocacy groups who argued the regulator was prioritizing telecom industry interests over taxpayer returns.

    Telecom leaders have labeled the finalized fee as a hidden “new mobile tax” that will ultimately be passed on to everyday consumers. A spokesperson for TPG Telecom argued that ACMA’s refusal to adopt a industry-aligned fair price has locked in extra costs that will weaken market competition and stifle infrastructure investment. “That means less investment in better coverage and services and increasing pressure on prices,” the spokesperson said. Telstra, which disputes its individual $2.8 billion share of the total fee (arguing its fair share should be closer to $1.2 billion), published internal analysis of 230 global telecom operators that links a 10% increase in spectrum licence costs to an 8% drop in average wireless download speeds and a 6% reduction in projected 5G network coverage.

    ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin pushed back against the industry’s warnings, noting that the aggregate total cost for the spectrum is still lower than what operators currently pay. “Our advice is that spectrum pricing alone should not lead operators to increase prices for consumers, as their aggregate costs for this spectrum will be lower than what they currently incur,” she said, adding that the regulator has structured the fee to support continued network investment. O’Loughlin emphasized that spectrum is a limited, high-value national public resource, and the $7.32 billion valuation reflects current market rates, delivering appropriate returns to Australian taxpayers. The final fee marked a minor downward adjustment from ACMA’s earlier draft valuation of $7.34 billion.

  • ‘It’s genuinely my position’: Cody Ramsey puts his hand up to replace James Tedesco if Blues fullback doesn’t back-up from Origin

    ‘It’s genuinely my position’: Cody Ramsey puts his hand up to replace James Tedesco if Blues fullback doesn’t back-up from Origin

    The Sydney Roosters have already mapped out their contingency plan at the fullback position, with versatile utility back Cody Ramsey ready to step into the starting role if captain James Tedesco is rested for this weekend’s NRL clash against the Melbourne Storm. Tedesco is set to make his emotional return to the State of Origin arena on Wednesday night, suiting up for the New South Wales Blues in his first Origin appearance since the 2024 tournament opener. It remains uncertain whether the veteran fullback will travel straight to Melbourne after the representative fixture to compete in Saturday’s high-stakes round match, leaving coach Trent Robinson with a difficult selection call to make.

    Robinson already faces a series of selection headaches ahead of the game. Key spine players Sam Walker and Reece Robson will also feature in Wednesday’s State of Origin clash, adding to questions around their availability for the club fixture. To compound the coach’s challenges, the Roosters are currently dealing with a backline injury crisis, with starting wingers Daniel Tupou and Mark Nawaqanitawase both sidelined with injuries.

    For Ramsey, a potential call-up to fullback would cap one of the most inspiring comeback stories of the 2024 NRL season. The outside back made his long-awaited return to the top flight earlier this month after a gruelling, life-disrupting battle with ulcerative colitis that kept him sidelined for months. Since his comeback, Ramsey has featured in three first-grade games on the wing, but he has extensive experience in the fullback position: he has already played 14 NRL fullback games for his former club St George Illawarra Dragons, and spent the entire 2023 NSW Cup season wearing the number 1 jersey for the Dragons’ feeder side.

    “I played the whole of last year’s Cup at fullback, and I trained full-time in the position all pre-season,” Ramsey told NewsWire in a recent interview. “It’s genuinely my natural position. I’ve spent a lot of time on the wing in the NRL too, so I’m happy to cover any spot the team needs. I’m more than comfortable sliding into fullback if that’s what the coach requires for the weekend.”

    Ramsey noted he has not yet discussed a potential positional switch with Robinson, after the Roosters enjoyed a bye in round 12 and opened match week with a light training session on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Monday. Even if he does not connect with Tedesco directly after Wednesday’s Origin fixture, Ramsey says he has already learned plenty from the Roosters captain during the pair’s off-season training together over summer.

    “I love how Tedesco reads defensive movements as a fullback, and how he approaches different areas of the field,” Ramsey said. “I’ve learned so much about the role from him – especially how to better read developing play, because he’s probably the best in the competition at that skill. All the little tips he’s given me have been incredibly helpful. My biggest strength as a fullback is my ability to run off the back of attacking shapes, and that’s something I’ve always felt confident in. I’ve also improved my passing game drastically since I last held a fullback spot in the NRL. I wasn’t known for my passing before my time out, but over the past year in the Cup I’ve worked really hard to refine that part of my game, especially as a fullback.”

    Roosters veteran forward Nat Butcher has thrown his full support behind Ramsey, saying the entire squad is confident he can capably fill Tedesco’s shoes if called upon. “He’s definitely ready for the opportunity,” Butcher said. “All of the boys know how good he is in training. He did the entire pre-season with us, and spent a lot of that time playing against our starting 17 in our training drills. He was a constant headache for our defence every session – we always had to be at our absolute best to contain him, because he’s such a quality player that you can never take him lightly. If he does get the chance to wear the number 1 this weekend, we all have full confidence in him. He’ll do a great job filling Ted’s spot.”

    If Ramsey does shift to fullback, the Roosters could recall Billy Smith to fill the vacant wing spot, though both Smith and Tommy Talau are currently listed in the NRL’s official casualty ward, leaving their own availability in question.