The Latest Breaking News from Opal

Australian unions have leapt to the defence of workers facing the axe over the closure of Australia's last white paper manufacturing plant.

Dwindling timber supplies have been blamed for Australia's last white paper manufacturer shutting its eastern Victorian plant.

Melburnians know Myki, Sydneysiders know Opal. These two electronic ticketing systems for public transport may be streets ahead of what they replaced, but are now decidedly old-fashioned compared with systems elsewhere in the world.

Australia's sole office paper manufacturing could cease operations if its foreign owners decide to permanently shut its Latrobe Valley white paper mill line. Tomorrow's decision could affect up to 200 workers and comes after a halt in operations in native timber logging in Victoria.

Opal Australian Paper's Maryvale mill, in Victoria, has halted white paper production indefinitely, as the office supplies industry predicts paper prices will soar across the country.

Paper companies are scrambling to source foreign white paper after a lack of domestic timber supply dented production at Australia's only white paper mill.

Perhaps Transport NSW needs to install infrared counters on the doors of trains and buses.

Yes, we all do silly things when we are young, but in this case I think it is important to consider the context.

A judge won't be "a mere adviser" in an industrial spat between the rail union and Sydney Trains given that Opal card readers won't be turned off this week.

The event was run for local old folk by the Cyrenians and Xcite

Rail union secretary Alex Claassens says the NSW government's court action to stop a planned switch-off of card readers amounts to a "vicious" attack on workers.