Vegetable supplier Perfection Fresh has admitted to 11 breaches of competition law between 2019 and 2020. The breaches involved fixing prices of broccoli, cauliflower and iceberg lettuce supplied to Aldi in NSW. The company has agreed to pay a $12 million penalty and set up a compliance program, the competition watchdog said. The Federal Court will have the final say on the amount. Cases against three other Aldi suppliers and three individuals remain before the court.
A 74-year-old man has been fined $10,000 after authorities found hundreds of dead native animals at his home in Kynetown, north-west of Melbourne. Glenn Richard Rollo kept 78 emus, 26 echidnas and 42 brushtail possums, along with frozen and stuffed threatened species, stored across 14 freezers. Investigators also found 15 live reptiles in poor conditions, including prohibited pests. Rollo pleaded guilty at Kynetown Magistrates Court to all 13 charges, which included illegally possessing and selling wildlife. Magistrate Patrick Southey reduced the fine from $15,000 because of his guilty pleas.
A United States federal judge has ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion. A jury found the company guilty of nearly 44 million violations of state consumer protection laws. The penalty followed New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez declining to join an $18 billion multistate settlement Meta reached with other states earlier this year. Judge Francis J. Mathew said Meta repeatedly and wilfully misled users about data control, misuse and misinformation since 2010. Meta plans to appeal, arguing the penalty is unconstitutional.
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A 74-year-old Victorian antiques store owner, Glenn Richard Rollo, has been fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to 13 charges. The charges include selling and possessing protected and threatened wildlife and failing to treat a sick animal. Officers searched his store and home last year and found more than 700 native animals, many frozen or taxidermied, across 14 freezers. The conservation regulator said he held no licence to obtain or possess them. A Victorian MP said the fine was barely a deterrent and called for wildlife laws to be modernised.
A judge has ordered Meta to pay the US state of New Mexico $US25 billion after a jury found the company deceived users about privacy on Facebook. The judge said Facebook promised users they controlled their data, and that this was false. The jury found Meta liable for more than 43 million violations of state consumer protection laws. The case followed the harvesting of Facebook data by Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 election season. Meta says it will appeal, arguing the ruling would make it all but impossible to do business in the state.
A Victorian man has been fined $10,000 after more than 700 dead animals were found at his home and antiques business. Glenn Richard Rollo, 74, pleaded guilty to 13 wildlife and animal welfare charges in the Kyneton Magistrates' Court. The Conservation Regulator found taxidermied and frozen animals, including emus, echidnas and threatened species such as the barking owl. Investigators also found live prohibited pest reptiles. Magistrate Patrick Southey said he would have imposed a $15,000 fine without the guilty plea. A Victorian MP said the penalty was too low.
An olive harvesting contractor has been fined $157,500 after a farmer was crushed to death by a mechanical harvester near Cowra. The NSW Industrial Court heard that Andrew John Bucknell was adjusting the machine on a property at Bumbaldry in May 2023 when a worker, seated in the cab, accidentally activated its clamping jaws. Christopher Duncan was caught between the jaws and died. Mr Bucknell pleaded guilty to a workplace safety offence. Judge David Chin said the appropriate fine was $210,000, reduced by 25 per cent for the guilty plea.
A Victorian crane company has been fined $2,700 without a conviction after its crane hit a powerline in Norlane, near Geelong. The company, Quinlan Cranes, pleaded guilty to one charge of putting people in danger by damaging or interfering with protected electrical infrastructure. CCTV footage from September 2025 shows the chain striking an overhead line while part of a modular home was being lifted. One worker was critically burned and three others received electric shocks. Energy Safe said workers must stay well clear of powerlines, as electricity can arc across a gap.
An insurance company has been fined $2 million after a family was left living in conditions described as a hellhole. The source material available does not give further details of the case, the fine's basis or the company's response.
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) declined following a downturn on Wall Street, with major banking shares experiencing a drop. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) discussed its artificial intelligence (AI) implementation during its annual shareholder meeting. Business journalists provided real-time updates and analysis throughout the day. The live markets blog, hosted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News, offered insights into the day's financial events. The disclaimer noted that the content was not intended as financial guidance.
A 36-year-old woman has been fined $6,993 and charged with driving without a licence after police intercepted her speeding with five unrestrained children, including a baby held by a five-year-old, in Redbank, southwest of Brisbane. The woman, who was travelling at 77km/hr in a 60km zone, is due to appear in Ipswich Magistrates Court on October 29. Police released body cam footage showing an officer discovering the unrestrained children in the rear of a Hyundai iMax.
