$600k worth of Bluey dollarbucks stolen in warehouse heist
Bluey heist sees Strike Force Bandit fetch stolen loot, the great Aussie tradition under threat from cost of living crunch, and 2.2 million NSW residents spared an unfair expense. Here are five things you may have missed this week.
Bluey dollarbucks stolen in warehouse heist
Australia's best-known Blue Heeler experienced a real-life drama recently when $600,000 worth of official Bluey dollarbucks were stolen.
More than 60,000 unreleased limited edition Bluey coins with a face value of $1 were allegedly taken from a warehouse in Sydney's west in mid-July.
The heist saw NSW Police leap into action quicker than Bingo wolfing down a bowl of kibble.
The aptly named Strike Force Bandit tracked down a 47-year-old man who police allege was an employee at a warehouse where the coins were being stored in Australian Mint packages.
Police allege the man sold the coins online hours after he stole them. They say the coins are now being sold online for 10 times their face value.
Why Aussies aren't shouting their mates
The days of the Aussie shout could be numbered.
Research by NAB shows Australians are increasingly splitting bills rather than taking turns to shout mates when eating out.
One in two (54%) of us are giving up on shouts, a figure that rises to 72% of 18-29-year-olds.
While NAB suggests shouts have become the latest victim of cost of living pressures, it may be that technology is making it easier to split bills.
Two in five people use bank transfers or PayID to pay their share.
A number of apps including KttiPay and Splitwise are also streamlining bill sharing.
Shouts may be a time-honoured tradition but they're not without problems.
NAB personal everyday banking executive Kylie Young, says, "There are inevitably winners and losers when it comes to shouting rounds or picking up the bill after a meal as it doesn't always come back around."
NSW to ban charging renters for their own background checks
There are 2.2 million renters in NSW, and they're increasingly being asked to pay around $30 for their own background checks just to apply for a tenancy.
But not for much longer.
The NSW state government has announced it will change the law to make it clear that renters cannot be charged for their own background checks.
Under the changes, the only payments renters can be charged when applying will be those specifically listed:
- The deposit
- The rental bond
- Rent for the property
- Any fee for registration of a lease longer than 3 years.
It's part of a package of reforms in NSW that include an end to the dreaded 'no-grounds evictions'.
The new system will also allow tenants to digitally transfer their existing bond to their new rental home. This will mean they will no longer need to pay a new bond before their old one is returned.
The proposed reforms are expected to begin early next year.
Major super fund slapped with $11 million fine for greenwashing
Australians looking for investments that don't harm the planet or people would do well to look under the hood of any investment claiming to be sustainable.
Mercer Superannuation has been handed a $11.3 million penalty after it admitted it made misleading statements about the sustainable nature and characteristics of some of its super investment options.
The Federal Court found Mercer members who took up the 'Sustainable Plus' options had their money invested in industries that the fund's website said were excluded.
They included:
- 15 companies involved in the extraction/sale of carbon intensive fossil fuels
- 15 companies involved in the production of alcohol, and
- 19 companies in the gambling industry.
Mercer Super has acknowledged "the need for accurate information concerning the sustainable nature and characteristics of super investment options."
It noted that members' funds will not be used to pay the penalty.
Corporate watchdog ASIC has two further greenwashing cases before the Federal Court, with action against Vanguard Investments Australia and Active Super.
Leading bank shuts down home loan lender
Home loan lender RAMS will no longer be accepting new customers.
Part of the mortgage scene since 1991, RAMS was taken over by Westpac in 2008.
The winding down of RAMS reflects Westpac's drive to streamline its operations.
Damien MacRae, Westpac's managing director of mortgages, says the bank has "decided that offering home loans through RAMS franchisees is not right for Westpac".
Existing RAMS customers' loans will remain in place.
Borrowers who have lodged a loan application with RAMS will be contacted by Westpac or call 132 032, to discuss taking out a home loan with Westpac. RAMS's borrowers can call 13 7267 for more information.
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