Good afternoon. Qantas has been fined a record $90m in the federal court for illegally firing 1,820 baggage handlers and other ground staff during Covid lockdowns in 2020, taking the cost of its controversial outsourcing decision to more than $200m.
Justice Michael Lee handed down his decision on the penalty on Monday, nine months after Qantas and the Transport Workers’ Union agreed the airline would pay $120m in compensation to the sacked workers.
He described the lengthy legal battle between the TWU and Qantas as “no ordinary case” and said he had “hesitation in reaching a conclusion” as to whether Qantas was “truly contrite or rather engaging in performative remorse”.
The TWU national secretary, Michael Kaine, said the union had won a “David and Goliath” battle against the odds and secured “the most significant industrial outcome in Australia’s history”. Qantas has accepted the landmark fine, with the CEO, Vanessa Hudson, saying it “holds us accountable”.
Top news
Far-right Israeli politician barred from Australia ahead of speaking tour
AFL integrity unit investigate Izak Rankine over alleged homophobic slur
Trump rules out Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining Nato as European leaders gather in Washington
Bolivia presidential election: preliminary results put two rightwing candidates in runoff vote
‘Skibidi’, ‘delulu’ and ‘tradwife’ among words added to Cambridge Dictionary
In pictures
A shark that bit a large chunk out of a surfer’s board on Monday morning has prompted the temporary closure of Cabarita beach on the New South Wales far north coast, prompting surfing legend Kelly Slater to describe the man’s injury-free escape as “incredible”. A Facebook post from the Tweed Shire council noted that “fortunately, the bite missed the rider”.
What they said …
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“I felt amputated – as though one half of me has gone. There’s no more Margaret and David. Just as there is no more David and Susie.” – Margaret Pomeranz
Australia watched Pomeranz and the late David Stratton discuss films for decades. Offscreen, their friendship was one of deep respect, as Pomeranz writes: “I had his back, he had mine.”
Full Story
How doomsday prepping went mainstream in Australia
It used to be a view held by a secretive few on the fringes of society, but preparing for disaster has now grown in popularity, with many believing having a backup plan just makes good sense. Senior reporter Kate Lyons spoke to Reged Ahmad on whether there is value in preparing for an apocalypse that may never come.
Before bed read
AI has created a new breed of cat video: addictive, disturbing and nauseatingly quick soap operas
Mostly soundtracked by cats miaowing a Billie Eilish song, these AI-generated fantastias tell tales of cheating, revenge and violence – and as Madison Griffiths writes, they are being watched by millions.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: CLOT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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