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Qantas staff to be given $5,000 bonus

Qantas has announced a nice $5,000 bonus to 19,000 of its employees as the carrier continues to recover after Covid. The Australian carrier’s net debt had risen to an eye-watering $6.4 billion due to next to no flights during the two years of closed borders. The net debt now sits well below pre-covid levels at $4 billion as more customers are opting to travel with Qantas. Qantas is now set to give 19,000 of its employees a one-off recovery boost of $5,000. In addition to the bonus, Qantas group will look at increasing permanent wages by two per cent, which were also frozen during lockdown and closed borders. It is expected that the entire ordeal will cost Qantas a whopping $87 million in the 2022 Financial Year. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said recovery of the carrier began in December when the company decided to bring its workers back before borders opened. “It’s been a tough few years for everyone in aviation but we promised to share the benefits of the recovery once it arrived,” he said. “For our people, the recovery really started last December when we made the decision to bring everyone back to work ahead of schedule and well before all borders opened. “In February, we announced a bonus scheme that gives employees at least 1000 shares in the national carrier if key conditions are met, which are on track. “We’re announcing a one-off payment that goes some of the way to acknowledging the sacrifices our people have made, including long periods of no work and no annual wage increases. It also recognises the great work they are doing as we restart the airline, which has been challenging for everyone. “This comes at a time when travel demand is rebounding but our people are facing a unique set of cost of living pressures, which frankly they’d be in a better position to handle if aviation hadn’t been so badly hit over the past two years. That’s now changing. “We can’t afford to permanently increase salaries beyond the two per cent threshold we’ve set, but we can afford to make this one-off payment on top of the Qantas share rights we’ve already given. “Getting our permanent cost base right is how we’re able to reinvest, which ultimately means more opportunity for our people. “The structure of our business means many of our people see their salary increase significantly as their careers progress. That progression often relies on the business growing, so the recent investments we’ve announced in new aircraft and new ventures will see employees share in the benefit as the national carrier enters a new phase.” Image: Qantas

Money & Banking

$3,000 bonus for one group of workers

The NSW government has announced a one-off $3000 payment for health workers to thank them for their ongoing efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the decision on June 6, adding that the state’s health workforce would see a major boost of over 10,000 staff over the next four years, per <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/3000-cash-bonus-to-one-group-of-workers-for-efforts-during-covid19-pandemic/news-story/2f5b90844a5a495e0eae05881e6b8dec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. “I want to pay special tribute to our health workers who over the past two years have done an outstanding job,” Mr Perrottet said. Paramedics and nurses will also be receiving a boost to their annual wage increases, with the wages of all public service workers being lifted from a 2.5 percent to a 3 percent increase this year, followed by a 3.5 percent increase in the next financial year. “That’s up to 6.5 percent pay increases for our public servants over the next two years,” Mr Perrottet said. <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHealthServicesUnionNSW%2Fvideos%2F551732946613372%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="429" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> The increase comes as an addition to natural progression within the public sector and will apply to new industrial agreements made from July 1, 2022. The one-off payment will be available to permanent staff employed by the NSW Health Service, including paramedics, midwives, and cleaners. Between now and 2026, the government will spend $4.5 billion on bringing new doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health staff into the system. The NSW Health Services Union welcomed the influx of staff that has come as a result of ongoing “pressure” placed on the government, which has followed calls from many in the industry for better pay and working conditions. “We’ve been fighting nonstop for two years: fighting an international pandemic; fighting for recognition; fighting for what we’re worth,” the organisation wrote on Facebook. “Significant staffing increases will be welcomed by tired HSU members, but we’re not taking the pressure off. We need real pay rises from this government.” Image: NSW Health Services Union (Facebook)

Money & Banking

LA actor lists luxe home with an unusual bonus

Tyrese Gibson, one of the stars of Transformers, has relisted his LA home that comes with its own unique resident. With a listing price of $AUD 4 million ($USD 2.9 million), movie fans will be intrigued to find out that it comes with a replica Transformer. After it was first listed in April for $AUD 4.8 million, a lack of offers saw the price drop by 17 percent. The home has also been <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/fast-and-furious-and-transformers-star-tyrese-gibson-lists-entertainers-dream-home/" target="_blank">taken over</a> by a new listing agent, Jason Oppenheim, who is featured on the Netflix reality show Selling Sunset. Since he purchased the home in 2011 for $AUD 1.385 million, Gibson has added some personal touches throughout the seven-bedroom house. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWr-d2IuBKA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWr-d2IuBKA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by TYRESE (@tyrese)</a> </div> </blockquote> Top features include a gourmet kitchen with a built-in breakfast bar and custom cabinetry, as well as an upstairs main bedroom equipped with its own fireplace and bathroom with a steam shower and soaking tub. In addition to the four bedroom suites and seven bathrooms, the home includes a movie theatre, a grand foyer, a formal living room, and an office. Outside, the property features a pool, outdoor fireplace, kitchen and bar, and an outdoor cinema. A replica Bumblebee transformer stands guard over the backyard and can be purchased with the home. With its new, discounted price, the home has been described in the <a rel="noopener" href="https://ogroup.com/listing/23123-oxnard-st/" target="_blank">listing</a> as “the best deal in Woodland Hills”. Gibson, who has appeared in the Fast and Furious franchise and topped the Billboard chart with his music, has been a longtime resident of the area. Images: Getty Images, The Oppenheim Group Real Estate

Real Estate

Sneaky twist in Olympic medallists' $20k bonus

Australian athletes who won a medal at the Olympics or Paralympics in Tokyo this year are about to receive a major monetary bonus – but there is one catch. Australian athletes who finished on the podium at the Olympics in Tokyo will not receive the bonus of $20,000 if they retire after the Games. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) gives a $20,000 cash bonus to Olympic gold medallists, while silver medallists and bronze medallists take home $15,000 and $10,000 respectively. The AOC has confirmed it will not give money to any athletes who are retiring after the Games – all for one exception. If the athlete is a Paralympian and they retire after the Games, they will still receive the bonus. Medal Incentive Funding from AOC The Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) is entirely funded by the AOC and is independent of the federal government. Set up as an annual athlete incentive scheme, an AOC statement says: ‘MIF aims to incentivise athletes to continue training, with the goal of representing Australia at the next Olympic Games, summer and winter,’ The AOC statement explains the MIF is not available to athletes who stop competing at an elite level. ‘Athletes must maintain appropriate training regimes with the intention of gaining national selection in the following year in order to receive the payment,’ the statement explains. This rule does not apply to Australia’s Paralympians However, this rule will not apply to Australia’s Paralympians. Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said: “Every Australian Paralympian who received a medal for their performance at the Tokyo Games will receive a bonus payment.” “This includes any athlete who is planning to retire,” he added. Only last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia’s Paralympic medallists will for the first time receive equivalent bonus payments to their Olympic counterparts. Speaking before the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister said the move recognised the “national significance” of the Paralympic team. Prior to Mr Morrison’s announcement, the Paralympic athletes did not receive any monetary bonuses for winning medals. This year’s Paralympics featured more than 4500 athletes representing 163 different countries. Australia finished seventh on the Tokyo Paralympic Games medal tally with 21 gold, 29 silver and 30 gold medals. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Scott Morrison announces cash bonus for Victorians

Scott Morrison has announced a disaster payment of $500 for eligible workers stood down without pay in Victoria, but it comes with strings attached. The funding will apply to Commonwealth-determined hotspots across the country for any lockdowns longer than seven days to "avoid any unnecessary hardship for Australians". The payment will be $500, made on a week-by-week basis, for people who normally work 20 hours a week or more, or $325 for those who work less than 20 hours. Only workers aged 17 or older and employed before lockdown will be eligible, and they must be unable to work due to the restrictions in their home or place of business. Those who are already claiming other special pandemic leave will not be eligible and they must self-declare if they have liquid assets of less than $10,000. “We are talking about somebody getting through the next week,” <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/topics/scott-morrison" target="_blank">the Prime Minister</a> said. “Who would normally be in an economic situation where every dollar counts. “Where those have independent means of supporting themselves for a week then I think they would agree that reaching out for Commonwealth taxpayer-funded assistance is not something they would consider reasonable for such a short period of time.” <a rel="noopener" href="http://news.com.au/" target="_blank">News.com.au</a> reported on Thursday morning that the Morrison Government was considering cash disaster payments to the vulnerable that would include an income loss eligibility test. Despite ruling out a JobKeeper scheme, Morrison acknowledged the extended lockdown had changed the game. “The challenges keep coming,” he said. “And we know that Victoria, more than anywhere, has suffered greater than any other part of the country. “That is a simple fact. And they are going through that even again now.”

News

"Slap in the face" for pensioners: Anger over $800 cash bonus

About one million Australians are set to receive a cash boost of up to $1,053 a year, as the federal government announced changes to the pensioner income test. On Sunday, the government said it will cut deeming rates, used to assess income from retirees’ financial investments, for more than 630,000 pensioners and nearly 350,000 people earning other income-tested payments. Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said the deeming rate on the first $51,800 of a single pensioner’s investments — and the first $86,200 of a couple’s — will be lowered from 1.75 per cent to 1 per cent. The deeming rate for balances above those amounts will drop from 3.25 to 3 per cent. Single pensioners whose income is estimated using deeming could receive an increase of up to $804 a year or $31 per fortnight, whereas affected couples will receive up to $1,053 a year or $40.50 per fortnight. “We’re strengthening the arm of around one million welfare recipients, including 630,000 pensioners,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-14/federal-government-announces-600-million-pension-boost/11307454" target="_blank">ABC's Insiders</a> on Sunday. The payments will commence starting September, with the amounts being backdated to July 1. The changes came following pressure from seniors groups and Labor to cut the official deeming rate to match the decline in interest rates. “The decision shows the Morrison Government has listened to and acted on the concerns expressed by older Australians who receive a part pension,” said Ruston. However, the Opposition’s Social Services spokeswoman Linda Burney said the rate cuts should have gone further to match the Reserve Bank’s current cash rate of 1 per cent. “This lowering of the deeming rates today is far too little and far too late,” said Burney. “It has been four-and-a-half-years that they have been dudding pensioners by charging inflated deeming rate.” Deputy Opposition leader Richard Marles also described the move as a “slap in the face” to pensioners “Pensioners today will feel short-changed. We’ve seen five reductions in the cash rates since the deeming rates last changed,” Marles told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/planned-easing-of-deeming-rates-to-deliver-cash-boost-to-one-million-aussie-pensioners/news-story/d331db29d2e500f605ad575e0c73ad8f?utm_source=The%20Australian&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=TodaySHeadlines" target="_blank" data-tgev="event119" data-tgev-metric="ev" data-tgev-order="d331db29d2e500f605ad575e0c73ad8f" data-tgev-label="nation" data-tgev-container="bodylink">Sky News</a>. “I think pensioners today can feel like this decision is a slap in their face. This is a government which is trying to balance the books on the back of pensioners.” Since 2015, the deeming rates have remained at 3.25 per cent while the cash rate has dipped to 1.25 per cent. The changes to the deeming rates also affect people on the disability support pension, carer payment, the parenting payment and Newstart. Around 75 per cent of aged pensioners will not be affected by the cuts.

Retirement Income

Channel 7 cancels My Kitchen Rules bonus season

My Kitchen Rules was unfortunately up against Channel Nine's Married at First Sight and was crushed in the ratings this year, despite MKR being in its 10th season. As a result, Channel Seven has now ditched plans to air a 10-year anniversary bonus season, which was scheduled for later this year. Instead, the cooking show will return to screens early next year for season 11. Seven’s head of programming Angus Ross confirmed to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.mediaweek.com.au/angus-ross-seven-network-back-at-1-after-battle-with-nine-in-q1/" target="_blank">Mediaweek</a> that Channel Seven is looking to reinvigorate the cooking show. “We won't be bringing in a stunt series at the end of this year. It is coming back in [the first quarter] next year,” Ross said. “We think we've got a few ideas about how to reinvigorate and re-imagine the show.” The decision not to air two MKR seasons in 2019 is one that has surprised fans, as the network has been promoting a “10th Anniversary Special” since October 2018. “How things played out [with the ratings for the 2019 season], the smarter thing to do was to consolidate next year,” Ross added. When Ross was asked whether or not he was pleased with the performance of MKR, he gave a clear answer. “Would I have liked My Kitchen Rules to have done better numbers? Of course I would,” Ross said. However, Ross was quick to point out that Seven is not a one show network. “But we are not a one show network at Seven. We are always on, there is no Easter or summer [breaks]. “We are driven by our three key pillars – news, entertainment and sport. We are the sum of our parts on not reliant on a single show.”

The “secret” bonus for seniors who work

Thanks to government tax offsets, a good portion of seniors’ income is tax-free. However, not enough people are taking advantage of another great incentive: Centrelink’s Work Bonus. Last financial year, Centrelink paid $39.39 billion to 2.41 million Australians in age pension. But only 156,000 Australians took advantage of the Work Bonus that allowed them to keep more of their pension, according to government figures. “It frustrates us that this is a real incentive that’s little known,” says Hank Jongen, general manager of the Department of Human Services. “It’s Centrelink’s best-kept secret. There’s a broader trend to encourage older Australians to keep working, and this bonus is intended to give them the incetive to do that. “It’s the most generous income test of all payments.” But how does it work? It enables pensioners and part-pensioners to earn $250 a fortnight of employment income without it affecting the pension income test. It’s known as the ‘Santa Claus bonus’ – for every fortnight you are not working, the available bonus accumulates up to $6500 a year. This allows pensioners to work in short, higher-income bursts during the year. “If you work as a store Santa or an exam marker you could do four to six weeks’ work and it may never affect your pension,” Jongen says. You don’t need to apply for the Work Bonus. Centrelink will automatically apply the Work Bonus to your pension income test. This usually reduces your age pension when your income from all sources reaches $160 a fortnight. For couples it’s $284 a fortnight. Unfortunately, it only applies to employment income. Self-employed people miss out. It also does not apply to investments or income from superannuation. Related links: <a href="/finance/retirement-income/2015/07/how-to-choose-super-fund/">How to choose the best super fund for you</a> <a href="/finance/retirement-income/2015/07/common-retirement-mistakes/">4 common retirement planning mistakes to avoid</a> <a href="/finance/retirement-income/2015/07/make-money-after-retire/">Great ways to make money after you retire</a>

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Qantas staff to be given $5,000 bonus

$3,000 bonus for one group of workers

LA actor lists luxe home with an unusual bonus

Sneaky twist in Olympic medallists' $20k bonus

Scott Morrison announces cash bonus for Victorians

"Slap in the face" for pensioners: Anger over $800 cash bonus

Channel 7 cancels My Kitchen Rules bonus season

The “secret” bonus for seniors who work

Our Partners

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Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

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Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

Qantas staff to be given $5,000 bonus

$3,000 bonus for one group of workers

LA actor lists luxe home with an unusual bonus

Sneaky twist in Olympic medallists' $20k bonus

Scott Morrison announces cash bonus for Victorians

"Slap in the face" for pensioners: Anger over $800 cash bonus

Channel 7 cancels My Kitchen Rules bonus season

The “secret” bonus for seniors who work

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