Workers in Victoria’s community services, contract cleaning and security industries should check if they’re eligible for the Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme. More than 450,000 Victorian workers are already registered for the Scheme. It covers contractors and employers providing services like guarding, monitoring, or patrolling under contract, including full-time, part-time, casual, seasonal, and fixed-term workers. Employers must register eligible workers and pay the same 1.80% levy on ordinary pay (as for contract cleaning), reported quarterly to the Portable Long Service ...

A corruption watchdog’s explosive findings have thrown Victoria’s signature infrastructure program, the Big Build, into crisis, with claims up to 15 billion dollars in taxpayers’ money has been lost through rorting, criminal infiltration by CFMEU personnel and the state government’s inaction. A report by esteemed integrity expert Geoffrey Watson SC has found: There is no doubt the government knew… but it is equally clear that the government did nothing about it. Watson’s report, Rotting from the Top – The CFMEU ...

February 17, Tuesday is the International Pancake Day. It is the perfect occasion to indulge in this much-loved comfort food, but with a nourishing twist. Loved across cultures and cuisines, pancakes offer endless room for creativity, making them an ideal canvas for wholesome, flavour-forward ingredients like California walnuts. Whether folded into the batter, sprinkled on top, or blended into a rich walnut spread, this versatile superfood adds texture, depth, and heart-healthy goodness to every bite. California Walnut Banana and Carrot ...

Journalist Ruchi Tiwari has alleged that she was assaulted by a mob of roughly 500 individuals during a protest at Delhi University’s North Campus on Friday 13 February. Tiwari claimed that she was singled out after members of the crowd questioned her caste and identity while she was covering the demonstration. “Crowd turned violent after asking my caste” Speaking to ANI, Tiwari asserted that video footage of the incident clearly shows the sequence of events. “I was at the protest ...

The Allan Labor Government is easing the cost of living with the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund. With 19 new schools opening today, families have more choices in Victoria’s, particularly Metro growing areas. The government has also announced help for families for their children to attend camps, sports and excursions while in school. Real cost of living help for families Kororoit MP Luba Grigorovitch announced that the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund is available from this term – and payments ...

Employers, particularly those in the multicultural communities, beware that since 1 January 2025, intentional underpayment of wages or entitlements has been a criminal offence. This doesn’t include honest mistakes. There have been many cases where, among the multicultural community’s small business owners were requested / approached to employ untrained multicultural community members, who willingly accepted less than formal wage and to learn on the job and be able to pay for their basic necessity’s bills. That is wrong. Whether you ...

Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, India, died in a plane crash on 28 January 2026. Ajit Pawar, whose full name was Ajit Anjanrao Pawar, was traveling on a chartered private jet from Mumbai to Baramati in Maharashtra when the aircraft crash‑landed while attempting to land at Baramati Airport. The plane veered off the runway, burst into flames, and was destroyed on impact, killing Pawar and four other people on board. The exact technical cause of the crash ...

Is it another lollypop to migrant political aspirant? The Liberal party has chosen Baldev Singh Sunny – popularly known as Sunny Singh as its candidate for the seat of Giles in South Australia, where the state election is to be held in on Saturday 21 March. The seat of Giles covers Whyalla, Port Augusta and the Flinders Ranges, a Labor heartland, for almost 80 years. Based on the last election, Sunny’s chances of winning Giles are 29% to Labor’s 71% ...

A Delhi court has rejected the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering complaint against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case. Special Judge Dr Vishal Gogne of the Central Distrcit’s Rouse Avenue Court No. 9 dismissed the prosecution complaint, equivalent to a chargesheet, citing key legal shortcomings. In a 117-pages judgement, the court observed that despite lengthy arguments and pleadings, vigrous pursuit by the agency was on a very errorenous footing and thus could not be tajken ...