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🗞️ Four-day work week
Some hopeful news for anyone who has opened a laptop on Friday and achieved very little because the four-day work week discussion is back.
Pick & Scroll News
March 19, 2026
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Good morning. Some hopeful news for anyone who has opened a laptop on Friday and achieved very little because the four-day work week discussion is back.
The ACTU is pushing Labor for a 35-hour week and a formal right to request a four-day week, edging Australia a little closer to making Fridays less performative.
The 5-day week is starting to feel less like economic necessity and more like a group project nobody wants to leave first.
All the headlines and more below...
AUSTRALIAN NEWS
All four major lenders have announced they will pass on the RBA's latest interest rate hike in full
All four major banks have announced they will pass the RBA's 0.25% interest rate hike to variable home loan customers by March 31, adding $91 per month to a typical $600,000 mortgage. LINK
Australia has failed to meet its International Energy Agency obligation of holding 90 days' net oil imports since 2012, with current reserves covering 37 days of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 29 days of jet fuel. LINK
Major pharmaceutical companies have diverted critical medicines away from the Strait of Hormuz as Iran's blockade disrupted shipments, ensuring Australian supply via costly alternative routes. LINK
Australia’s coal-fired power stations on the main grid had 18 scheduled and 90 unplanned breakdowns over summer 2025-26, with 25% capacity unavailable on average. LINK
The Urban Development Institute of Australia has reported 115,100 new homes will be built in Australian capital cities this year as the national housing shortfall is expected to reach 287,000 over 5 years. LINK
COMPANY NEWS
Qantas has restricted lounge access for select club members on international Jetstar flights
Qantas has restricted lounge access from July 1 for gold, platinum and Qantas Club members on international Jetstar flights, while exemptions apply to platinum one members and certain fare types. LINK
The Australian Border Force has detected a 700% surge in counterfeit cash seizures this year, intercepting $2.5M in fake currency from over 330 packages since 2025. LINK
Mastercard has agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK for up to US$1.8B as it expands digital asset capabilities and interoperability in payments. LINK
Barbeques Galore has entered administration after collapsing with $49M in debt, as 510 staff and 95 stores face uncertainty amid $3.9M owed to employees. LINK
DiDi has increased prices by 5c per kilometre across Australia to offset a 50c per litre surge in petrol costs amid Middle East conflict. LINK
ARN Media has terminated its $100M contract with Kyle Sandilands as the company seeks to exit a commercially troubled show, prompting Sandilands to dispute the decision. LINK
As ASIC investigates a widening mortgage fraud scandal, major banks such as CBA and Westpac have wrongly blamed brokers while internal bank channels hold greater vulnerabilities, as brokers now originate over 75% of Australian home loans. LINK
AirTrunk is developing a multi-billion dollar data centre in western Sydney with over 320MW capacity, as it adopts a grid‑scale battery system to manage surging power demand. LINK
Bosscap, an Australian electric vehicle company has entered receivership and placed 13 subsidiaries into liquidation as ongoing supply chain issues impact its electric vehicle operations, including AMQ and AusEV. LINK
ONE MORE SCROLL
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