Key events
Australians concerned about availability of vapes – survey
Australians are concerned about the widespread availability of illegal vapes and many support a ban, according to interviews with more than 130 people aged 14-39 split into 16 focus groups.
Most of those questioned – predominantly those who had never vaped – supported a ban on all all e-cigarettes, while all of the groups suggested plain packaging, health warnings, flavour restrictions and increased vape-free areas as a way to restrict use.
The researchers found less than half of all groups were aware of the prescription model for obtaining nicotine vaping products.
From 1 January 2024, the importation of all disposable vapes was banned, with very limited exceptions. Further importation reforms will be implemented from March. GPs and nurse practitioners are the only legal vape prescribers, and pharmacists will become the only authorised importers and providers of vape products.
A senior author on the study, Assoc Prof Michelle Jongenelis from the University of Melbourne, said:
But I think until the stores actually get shut down, people will still think that there is no regulation because they can still get vapes from anywhere.
Read our full story here:
Swift boost to the economy
If there was any doubt about the economic impact of the Taylor Swift Eras tour in Australia then figures from NAB this morning put them to bed, Australian Associated Press reports.
“We know many Australians have pulled back on discretionary spending, but this is the perfect example of Aussies saving their hard-earned cash for the things that matter to them,” NAB executive Julie Rynski said.
Some estimates of Swift’s impact on the local economy have ranged north of $1bn, while others have reckoned less than one-tenth of that number.
But NAB’s merchant data shows the Eras Tour has left behind a tangible economic boost, Rynski said.
For businesses near the Melbourne Cricket Ground where Swift performed, accommodation spending more than tripled, up 238%, while restaurants doubled their take.
Bars and pubs could also brag about raking in dollars, with their take up 146%.
Overall, an estimated $86m was spent on accommodation, hospitality and tourism, according to NAB.
The Eras tour is moving to Sydney, where Swift will play four shows at Accor Stadium starting on Friday.
And you can alkso read today how our writer Bridget Robertson tried desperately to get tickets for the show but failed – and yet has no regrets.
Labor blames Coalition for naval shipbuilding shortfall
Elias Visontay
The Albanese government is blaming the former administration for a $20bn black hole in Australia’s naval shipbuilding program, as a review finds Coalition announcements to fund new frigates were unfunded.
Labor, pointing to the findings of an independent analysis of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, claims the former Coalition government’s $45bn commitment to build nine new Hunter-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy will actually cost $65bn.
It notes the $20bn funding gap is on top of$42bn in announcements without funding allocated that were identified in the defence strategic review released last year.
On Tuesday, the government will release the review into the surface combatant fleet, as well as its response to the findings, which will include a commitment to increase the overall size of the fleet and hasten the delivery timeframes.
Defence minister Richard Marles, in a foreword outlining the government’s response to the review, noted the new review found “the current and planned surface combatant fleet is not appropriate for the levels of risk we now face and that cost pressures already existed in the program”.
“They also noted that the current surface fleet is the oldest Navy has operated in its history,” Marles wrote.
Of the government’s commitment to grow the overall size of the fleet, Marles said:
This will see Navy equipped with a major surface combatant fleet twice as large as planned when we came to government – and with more of these new surface combatants in the water and operational sooner.
Guardian Australia hasn’t seen the review in full – this post is based off a taste of the findings the government prepared for the media in advance. We’ll bring you more on this throughout the day as the story develops.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news blog. My name is Martin Farrer and I’ll be sharing our top stories with you before my colleague Emily Wind takes over.
The Australian Tax Office has been widely panned for pursuing historic debts in a scheme nicknamed “robotax”. But in an exclusive report this morning, we reveal how, far from provoking a rethink, officials are expanding the scope of the plan. The scheme resurrects decades-old debts worth more than $15bn, despite rising numbers of complaints, transparency concerns and at least one systems error resulting in miscalculations.
The Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of warships will be boosted to more than 20 under a major defence shake-up to be unveiled today. The defence minister, Richard Marles, will announce the government’s plan to expand the current fleet of 11 combat ships to project its firepower deeper into the Pacific. But the exact number of vessels has not been confirmed and he is expected to blame the Coalition for a $20bn black hole in the program. More coming up.
Workers can expect their wages to rise faster than inflation this year as demand for labour is expected to remain strong, according to a survey of human resources professionals. Workers could see wages excluding bonuses increase 3.7% in the 12 months to January 2025, the Australian Human Resources Institute’s March outlook report finds today.
Last week we heard from a business expert that if Taylor Swift were an economy “she’d be bigger than 50 countries”. Some justification for that claim comes this morning with a report from NAB claiming that the superstar’s concerts in Melbourne accounted for a $174m boost in spending in the city. More follows.
