Finder has found that 16.1 million Australians have noticed products getting smaller while the price stays put, but it still seems to slide through... And packages keep getting smaller. An Australian supermarket experiment found that shoppers react more strongly to price increases than to a smaller pack, which goes to explain why the primary duopoly of Australian supermarkets and suppliers lean on it.

This effect is cumulative. A few grams missing in one shop is invisible, but those grams are gone from every trip after that, and a second reduction later stacks on top of the first. Sooner or later, your Toblerone and Tim Tam packets are half the size.

We are seeing this more and more in Aussie supermarkets. What is the first product you noticed getting smaller?

Entire teams of National Australia Bank workers are having to reapply for their jobs and compete among themselves as part of a major restructure.

Staff say the writing was on the wall as they witnessed the bank pushing to offshore workers and take up AI.

The major bank revealed plans to slash 2,500 roles by June next year, with 1,500 expected to be out the door before Christmas. 

After being shared yesterday afternoon by Helen's family, Helen's campaign has crossed the $300k mark in less than a day, which I think is fairly incredible way of showing support.

The site is also still lagging quite a bit and the total might be much higher still (After I donated yesterday it took 3hrs to actually process and send me the confirmation email!)

Some light in this dark story

Some more info here:

A message of kindness. A gift of support.

Following the devastating events in Wangaratta, Helen Haines has been deeply moved by the outpouring of kindness and support from across Australia.

While Helen remains in hospital, she would love for those wishing to show their support to consider making a donation to Save the Children in lieu of flowers or gifts.

Throughout her life, Helen has demonstrated a deep commitment to helping others and making a positive difference in her community.

By donating to Save the Children, you can honour that spirit of compassion and help create a brighter future for children in Australia and around the world.

Thank you for your kindness, generosity and support for Helen.

I've been paying for my mum's phone with Optus, at $35/month - it's just a simple flip phone, she only needs it for calls. Mainly defaulted to Optus since I'm using them.

That's going up to $40 now, as the new pre-paid minimum spend for 28 days. So now I'm wondering who is cheaper per month but still reasonably reliable? It's only Perth metro and only for calls and texts (minimal data, being a flip phone).

Edit: thinking about these:

• Amaysim $30 for 15GB (https://www.amaysim.com.au/mobile/cart/unlimited-15gb) "on the Premium 5G/4G Network" whatever that means.
• Aldi mobile $28 for 12GB (https://www.aldimobile.com.au/products/28-5g-mobile-plan) not sure what network
• Boost $28 for 8GB (https://boost.com.au/prepaid-plans/28-prepaid-plan) "On the full Telstra Prepaid Mobile Network"

Australian children whose parents did not finish high school are an average of five years behind in reading and writing, compared with children whose parents did complete their schooling.

A new literacy program in Mt Druitt in western Sydney is working to bridge that literacy gap.

I suspect if there is anything AI about it. Could clearly see a robot making noodles.

Interestingly, the prices are not cheap compared to some famous Chinese places nearby.

(Had to use google translate because many of the signs were not in English )

This NextDC story is next level.

For anyone who doesn’t know, some smart civil disobedience occured when residents in Melbourne's inner west blocked Jemena (energy/energy services company) crews from installing 15-22m power poles through their streets by leaving their cars and bins out. Jemena suspended the works, and NextDC's M3 data centre couldn't get the extra power it needs.

The company has cut FY27 EBITDA guidance from A$385-410m to A$245-265m, and shares fell \~40% on Wednesday.

Put simply on Monday NextDC was worth $7B now it’s worth $4B.

Locals say they were never properly consulted. Council hasn't consented. Works won't restart before Feb 2027. Billion-dollar AI data centre vs. a street full of parked cars.

God I love this story. “It's the vibe." Tell him he's dreamin'. 🏡