The army captain now helping corporates fight the mental health crisis
The health, safety and wellbeing platform has cracked more than 1.1 million members – a remarkable 16 per cent of the Australian workforce – and provides support to employees at companies as diverse as McDonald's, Woolworths, Volvo, David Jones, Mirvac, Hoyts, IAG, Guzman y Gomez and Nine Entertainment (publisher of The Australian Financial Review).
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Perth Now
24 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Rare earths miners see opportunity in US trade war
Trade tensions between the US and China are playing into the hands of Australian rare earths miners. The weapons and electronics ingredients with hard-to-pronounce names such as praseodymium and neodymium have become the centre of a geopolitical tussle between the two largest world powers. For aspiring vertically-integrated rare earths producer Australian Strategic Minerals, that presents an attractive opportunity. The ASX-listed firm is busy working on getting its construction-ready Dubbo mine online, but has already been inundated with orders for its South Korea processing plant. It all kicked off when China retaliated to US tariffs by cutting off its near-total supply of rare earth minerals. That sent a wake-up call to American policymakers who realised they needed to take control of their supply chains, ASM chief executive Rowena Smith said on Monday. "The Korean metals plant, particularly in recent months since those restrictions that we saw imposed by China, has had a huge influx of inquiry. So we're busy ramping up our facility there," she told the Diggers and Dealers mining forum in Kalgoorlie. The plant, located 115kms south of Seoul, is one of a few facilities outside of China capable of refining rare earths into the high-tech metals and alloys that are then turned into magnets essential for making electronic devices. In July, the US Department of Defence invested $US400 million in rare earths miner MP Materials, including a generous guaranteed price floor of $US110 per kilogram for neodymium and praseodymium. The decision put a rocket under rare earth prices and put the market on notice that the US government was looking to do business. "At the moment, we've been talking to the DoD about funding support" for a US-based facility, Ms Smith said. "What we're seeing in the US is that the policy is extremely supportive of putting this facility into that jurisdiction. "And we are seeing that, not just at the Trump administration - the federal - but actually at the state level, very strong competition to having this facility put into their own jurisdiction." Another Australian company that has benefited from the Americans' determination to achieve supply chain independence is Lynas, the biggest producer of rare earths outside of China. The Perth-based company has been awarded funds by the DoD to construct a processing facility in Texas, which will add to its current facilities in Malaysia and Kalgoorlie. More details about the project are likely to be revealed on Tuesday morning, when Lynas general manager development Alex Logan takes to the Diggers and Dealers stage.
West Australian
24 minutes ago
- West Australian
Rare earths miners see opportunity in US trade war
Trade tensions between the US and China are playing into the hands of Australian rare earths miners. The weapons and electronics ingredients with hard-to-pronounce names such as praseodymium and neodymium have become the centre of a geopolitical tussle between the two largest world powers. For aspiring vertically-integrated rare earths producer Australian Strategic Minerals, that presents an attractive opportunity. The ASX-listed firm is busy working on getting its construction-ready Dubbo mine online, but has already been inundated with orders for its South Korea processing plant. It all kicked off when China retaliated to US tariffs by cutting off its near-total supply of rare earth minerals. That sent a wake-up call to American policymakers who realised they needed to take control of their supply chains, ASM chief executive Rowena Smith said on Monday. "The Korean metals plant, particularly in recent months since those restrictions that we saw imposed by China, has had a huge influx of inquiry. So we're busy ramping up our facility there," she told the Diggers and Dealers mining forum in Kalgoorlie. The plant, located 115kms south of Seoul, is one of a few facilities outside of China capable of refining rare earths into the high-tech metals and alloys that are then turned into magnets essential for making electronic devices. In July, the US Department of Defence invested $US400 million in rare earths miner MP Materials, including a generous guaranteed price floor of $US110 per kilogram for neodymium and praseodymium. The decision put a rocket under rare earth prices and put the market on notice that the US government was looking to do business. "At the moment, we've been talking to the DoD about funding support" for a US-based facility, Ms Smith said. "What we're seeing in the US is that the policy is extremely supportive of putting this facility into that jurisdiction. "And we are seeing that, not just at the Trump administration - the federal - but actually at the state level, very strong competition to having this facility put into their own jurisdiction." Another Australian company that has benefited from the Americans' determination to achieve supply chain independence is Lynas, the biggest producer of rare earths outside of China. The Perth-based company has been awarded funds by the DoD to construct a processing facility in Texas, which will add to its current facilities in Malaysia and Kalgoorlie. More details about the project are likely to be revealed on Tuesday morning, when Lynas general manager development Alex Logan takes to the Diggers and Dealers stage.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Devastating': What these Aussies can't afford
Four million Australians cannot afford basic personal hygiene and cleaning products, new research suggests. Up to one-in-five people are going without soap, toothpaste, pads and tampons or deodorant, results of a new survey from Good360 suggests. The researchers deem being unable to afford these essentials as 'hygiene poverty'. 'The impacts of hygiene poverty are wide ranging, with our research showing it takes a devastating toll on people's mental and physical wellbeing,' Good360 managing director Alison Covington said. 'Hygiene poverty can cause feelings of low self-esteem, embarrassment and shame, and make it difficult for people to maintain their health.' Women are more likely to be deciding which health essentials they can and cannot afford, the survey shows. Credit: Supplied Good360 donates new and unsold clothes, homewares, toiletries and toys from hundreds of retailers to thousands of Australian charities and schools. The charity has surveyed 1000 Australians to see how many people cannot afford hygiene and cleaning products, and the results were released on Tuesday. One-in-seven survey respondents are unable to afford cleaning products, the survey finds. Women and young people are more likely to experience hygiene poverty. About 30 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 are concerned about affording hygiene and cleaning products, as are 21 per cent of women. 'Our research also highlights the significant consequences on daily life, such as people avoiding social events or other critical commitments such as work and school,' Ms Covington said. As well as personal items, the survey finds large numbers of Australians cannot afford cleaning products. Credit: Supplied 'Eliminating hygiene poverty isn't just about ensuring people have access to toothpaste and deodorant, it's about helping people to live a dignified and healthy life. 'There should not be millions of Australians, including children, going without the basics they need to thrive,' she said. Australian-founded company QV Skincare works with Good360 to help people get basic necessities. QV head of global marketing Simone Thomassen said the findings of hygiene poverty across Australia were alarming. 'We were shocked at Good360 Australia's recent report on hygiene poverty,' she said. 'Nobody should have to experience hygiene poverty in a country like Australia. That's why we are proud to be partnering with leading charity Good360 to donate essential hygiene products to people in need.' Nearly a third of 18-24 year olds and 1-in-5 Australian women are concerned about affording essential hygiene and cleaning products. Credit: Supplied Separate from the Good360 research, the Victorian government announced on Monday an expansion of its free pads and tampons scheme, which has put vending machines in major public markets, libraries, sporting venues and recreation centres. The $23m scheme has dispensed 90,000 hygiene packs since November 2024. 'Whether you're at a footy final or on a school excursion, you shouldn't have to worry about access to pads and tampons,' Victorian Women's Minister Natalie Hutchins said. 'We're delivering free pads and tampons in public places right across Victoria, and now we're making it a reality at some of our most iconic venues – saving Victorian families thousands of dollars every year.' The latest consumer price index data shows health costs having risen 4.1 per cent in the past year, while furnishings, household equipment and services costs have risen 1.1 per cent in the capital cities during the past three months. Food inflation is running at 3 per cent for the past 12 months. Overall, the household inflation rate has ticked up 2.1 per cent during the past year. Wages are outpacing inflation again, with the latest quarterly wage price index data showing a 3.4 per cent rise in annual terms.
