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Good morning. Spotify wrapped will likely drop this week showing your top songs, musicians and genres for the year. Why are we telling you this now?

1. So you can mentally prepare for the excessive sharing and comments on Instagram.

2. You can quickly binge some other songs so that embarrassing song from a decade ago isn't your number 1 (again).

All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

New treatment system for drinking water after 'forever chemicals' found in Blue Mountains dams

• A new multi-million-dollar filtration system is being installed in the Blue Mountains to remove PFAS contamination from drinking water following unsafe levels detected at the Cascade Water Filtration Plant. LINK

• Cost-of-living increases have raised the annual cost of a comfortable retirement to $73,031 for couples and $51,814 for singles, up significantly since 2021. LINK

• The government will introduce a mandatory SMS Sender ID Register to combat scams and restore trust in legitimate communications. LINK

• The NSW government's cashless gaming trial has concluded, recommending a mandatory statewide account-based gaming system by 2028. LINK

• Women's sport media coverage in Victoria more than doubled to 31% during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. LINK

• ASIC's AI tool Transparently has identified suspicious accounting activity in 32 of Australia's largest ASX-listed companies. LINK

• Record government spending, driven by public servant pay rises and subsidies, boosted GDP growth in the September quarter, with combined spending reaching $195.8B—an 8% increase from the previous year. LINK

• Sydney and Melbourne home sellers are cutting their asking prices by an average of $13,000 and $7,200 respectively, as buyer demand weakens amid a surge in listings. SQM LINK

GLOBAL NEWS

South Korean President declares martial law

• South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law which enacts temporary rule by the military. LINK

• France faces a looming political and economic crisis as populist forces threaten to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier, whilst the country grapples with political gridlock and a worsening budget deficit. LINK

• Airlines are failing to transition quickly enough to sustainable aviation fuel, which represents only 1% of global aviation fuel usage. LINK

COMPANY NEWS

Making money from $8 burgers gets harder for KFC

• KFC owner Collins Foods reported a 52% drop in net profit as rising wages and energy costs impact profits amid consumer spending cutbacks and plans to focus on "everyday value" offerings to retain customers amid inflation. LINK

• CBA will move customers from "Complete Access" to "Smart Access" accounts starting January 2025, introducing a $3 withdrawal fee and waivable $4 monthly account fee. LINK

• Qantas is seeing increased revenue from cashed-up Baby Boomers shifting from designer goods to premium travel. LINK

• Woolworths faces over $50M in lost sales due to a 2-week strike affecting its distribution centres and causing stock shortages and empty shelves at its supermarkets and Endeavour Group-owned Dan Murphy's and BWS bottle shops. LINK

• A Deloitte review has revealed significant governance issues at Cbus. LINK AFR

• Bank of Queensland has reaffirmed its full-year outlook while noting expected increases in loan impairment expenses due to higher interest rates. LINK

• Nine Entertainment is facing legal challenges from 2 employees, including a sexual discrimination case and an unfair dismissal claim following an internal culture review. LINK

• Grant Thornton CEO Greg Keith has expressed disapproval of staff operating on a 9-day fortnight schedule, wasting time waiting for group coffee runs before returning to the office. LINK

• CBA has restructured its business unit, resulting in the elimination of 3 senior positions within the Client Acquisition Team. LINK

• Zip Co co-founder Larry Diamond has sold $100M worth of shares in the company a day after resigning to establish a family office. LINK

• Bank of Queensland criticised the government’s proposed $350M rural bank levy, arguing it will hurt consumers and benefit large banks while disproportionally impacting smaller lenders. LINK

CHART OF THE DAY

The world’s worst countries for binge drinking

ONE MORE SCROLL

Editor’s Pick: Guide to the best pizzerias in the world. And yes, Australia got two entries.

Odd Pick: Why peeing in the shower is bad for your pelvic floor.

TRIVIA

International Cheetah Day

It's International Cheetah Day today so we delve into African animal trivia.

Can you name the big 5 African animals and the reason why they were called the big 5 in the first place?

Answers below

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ANSWERS

1. Lion
2. Elephant
3. Rhinoceros
4. African Buffalo
5. Leopard

They were considered the five most difficult species for a big game hunter to hunt on foot.

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