Space to Gympie and beyond: satellite texts go live
Farmers will be among Telstra customers able to use Australia's first satellite-to-mobile text messaging service from Tuesday morning as the telco begins rolling out its collaboration with SpaceX.
Samsung Galaxy S25 series users will be able to connect to Starlink direct-to-cell satellites, allowing them to send texts from outdoor locations beyond the Telstra mobile network.
Other devices, including Apple iPhones, will be enabled in coming weeks or months, while satellite voice and low-speed data may come online sometime after 2027.
The technology will particularly benefit regional Australians, Telstra executive Channa Seneviratne said.
"I was up in the Gympie shire (in Queensland) talking to a farmer who said he had some really remote paddocks and didn't have mobile coverage there," Mr Seneviratne told AAP.
"He said he works late and he'd like to let the family know that he's OK ... so this product is perfect for those sorts of uses.
"It's a really exciting advancement in our technology for this massive land area that we call home."
Engineers have been testing the technology for much of 2025, going to far-flung places across Australia to check whether they can send texts, GPS coordinates and emojis via satellite.
Telstra has faced backlash from regional Australians in recent months after the closure of the 3G network in October left some in rural areas with patchy coverage.
The Regional Telecommunications Review also heard of unreliable mobile coverage in country areas, including in emergencies and after natural disasters.
Major telcos have long maintained improved satellite technology could bridge some of those gaps, with Starlink broadband connecting rural Australians for years.
Satellites are among several advances, along with repurposing the 3G spectrum for the 5G network, Mr Seneviratne said.
"Of course, we accept Aussies want more and we want to do more," he said.
The new service would not connect users directly to triple zero, but may help people get in touch with family or friends during an emergency.
"It's a move towards providing an additional safety net for all of those customers who live, work and play outside of terrestrial coverage."
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The Advertiser
42 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Global Aussie company defends 150 job cuts as Australia urged to embrace AI
The former chief executive of software giant Atlassian has defended the company's decision to fire 150 workers, urging Australia to embrace AI technology. Staff at the Australian-American tech company reportedly learnt that their jobs were axed via a prerecorded video from chief executive and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. Scott Farquhar, who stepped down as joint chief executive of Atlassian in September 2024, defended the move while speaking at the National Press Club on July 30. "We just can't dig our heels in and say the jobs of today will be the jobs in 20 years," Mr Farquhar said. "Some parts of our economy will grow significantly as AI makes them more productive, and some parts of our economy will shrink as we do that," he said. The Australian billionaire said he felt "privileged and blessed" to live in a country with a strong social safety net. He said Australians had "very strong skilling opportunities" that allowed job seekers to retrain in new areas. "I also think that if we say the burden of retraining sits on the companies that are making those changes, that can put us at a comparative disadvantage to other places in the world," he said. "We're always changing the number of people we have at Atlassian on a regular basis, and so there'll always be jobs we're adding." It comes less than a fortnight after contributing writer Kelli Mara Korducki published an article on Atlassian's Work Life, warning companies against replacing staff with AI. "Leaders should approach AI as a tool to support teams, not a mechanism to replace team members," the article said. "Think about it: You wouldn't expect a hammer to do the job of a carpenter. The same logic applies to transformative tech." Atlassian was contacted for comment. The former chief executive of software giant Atlassian has defended the company's decision to fire 150 workers, urging Australia to embrace AI technology. Staff at the Australian-American tech company reportedly learnt that their jobs were axed via a prerecorded video from chief executive and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. Scott Farquhar, who stepped down as joint chief executive of Atlassian in September 2024, defended the move while speaking at the National Press Club on July 30. "We just can't dig our heels in and say the jobs of today will be the jobs in 20 years," Mr Farquhar said. "Some parts of our economy will grow significantly as AI makes them more productive, and some parts of our economy will shrink as we do that," he said. The Australian billionaire said he felt "privileged and blessed" to live in a country with a strong social safety net. He said Australians had "very strong skilling opportunities" that allowed job seekers to retrain in new areas. "I also think that if we say the burden of retraining sits on the companies that are making those changes, that can put us at a comparative disadvantage to other places in the world," he said. "We're always changing the number of people we have at Atlassian on a regular basis, and so there'll always be jobs we're adding." It comes less than a fortnight after contributing writer Kelli Mara Korducki published an article on Atlassian's Work Life, warning companies against replacing staff with AI. "Leaders should approach AI as a tool to support teams, not a mechanism to replace team members," the article said. "Think about it: You wouldn't expect a hammer to do the job of a carpenter. The same logic applies to transformative tech." Atlassian was contacted for comment. The former chief executive of software giant Atlassian has defended the company's decision to fire 150 workers, urging Australia to embrace AI technology. Staff at the Australian-American tech company reportedly learnt that their jobs were axed via a prerecorded video from chief executive and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. Scott Farquhar, who stepped down as joint chief executive of Atlassian in September 2024, defended the move while speaking at the National Press Club on July 30. "We just can't dig our heels in and say the jobs of today will be the jobs in 20 years," Mr Farquhar said. "Some parts of our economy will grow significantly as AI makes them more productive, and some parts of our economy will shrink as we do that," he said. The Australian billionaire said he felt "privileged and blessed" to live in a country with a strong social safety net. He said Australians had "very strong skilling opportunities" that allowed job seekers to retrain in new areas. "I also think that if we say the burden of retraining sits on the companies that are making those changes, that can put us at a comparative disadvantage to other places in the world," he said. "We're always changing the number of people we have at Atlassian on a regular basis, and so there'll always be jobs we're adding." It comes less than a fortnight after contributing writer Kelli Mara Korducki published an article on Atlassian's Work Life, warning companies against replacing staff with AI. "Leaders should approach AI as a tool to support teams, not a mechanism to replace team members," the article said. "Think about it: You wouldn't expect a hammer to do the job of a carpenter. The same logic applies to transformative tech." Atlassian was contacted for comment. The former chief executive of software giant Atlassian has defended the company's decision to fire 150 workers, urging Australia to embrace AI technology. 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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Can pensioners really be 'wealthy'? One economist reckons they are
The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ... The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ... The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ... The attacks on Baby Boomers, labelling them as "wealthy" to the detriment of "families and young people" just because their home has increased in value, needs to stop. Brendan Coates, an economist with the Grattan Institute, was given a soap box on July 24 to air concerns "wealthy pensioners" should be penalised to benefit the rest of Australian society. Perhaps Brendan forgets people over the age of 65 are also valued members of society, and if they're eligible for the age pension (the current base payment being $27,333 a year for singles and $41,210 for couples, before tax is taken out) it's because they are just scraping by. Compulsory super only began in 1992 at 3 per cent, whereas Brendan enjoys 12 per cent as of July 1. The age pension is below minimum wage, and far below the wage of an economist (in excess of $100,000 according to "[Retirees] can be in Potts Point or Toorak with a $5m house and receive the same pension that a person in a $500,000 unit in Bendigo or Bathurst is receiving," he is quoted as saying in the Australian Financial Review. "People with substantial wealth are receiving the pension who arguably don't need it." Read more from The Senior: Mr Coates believes a retiree's family home (regardless if they bought it 40 years ago for next to nothing, then for the pandemic to jack up the land value) should be included in the pension assets test to better help "those who need it". But Brendan isn't a fan of retirees with superannuation either. A Grattan Institute report by Brendan Coates, released a day after his quotes around "wealthy pensioners", ironically called for more tax on superannuation funds. Not sure about you Brendan, but my grandparents on the Gold Coast have lived far longer than they expected and are now living day to day, as their meagre super dwindled to nothing. Pensioners and self-funded retirees are being slammed every which way as the "cash cows" of society, that should be pushed out of their homes - "and downsize" - to make way for a seemingly more important demographic: anyone under the age of 50. In 2025, around 58 per cent of Australians aged over 65 (around 2.4 million people) receive either the full or part age pension. But why would someone not have enough super to retire on comfortably? Compulsory super only came into play 30 years ago (around 10 years after Brendan Coates was born). "While Australians have reason to feel proud of the success of Australia's superannuation system ... the need for review, refinement and reform continues. An example is the retirement savings of Australian women," the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority states on their website. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in Australia. The 2021 Census reported a 6.6 per cent increase to women over 55 experiencing homelessness. Divorce and lack of super (due to raising children) are a big factor. Banks also won't give older people a loan for a home and rents have skyrocketed. The Superannuation Guarantee, with a mandatory three per cent contribution rate for employers came into effect in 1992 - nearly 20 years after reader of The Senior Suzanne G finished high school. "As a woman of 67 soon 68 ... back in 1974 when I finished school there was no superannuation," the retired pensioner told The Senior. She said she's worked all her life, owns her own home, and had a "meagre private super" which was cashed in some years ago to complete home renovations. The 1980s was the birth of superannuation for Aussies, but in the beginning, it was generally limited to public servants and white collar employees of large corporations. It was only in 2003 that provisions came in to allow the splitting of superannuation between divorcing or separating spouses, while 2007 saw investment losses for Australian superannuation funds of more than $200 billion thanks to the global financial crisis (GFC). The other flipside to all this: is if an older person does want to keep working they are either financially penalised (if they're on the age pension) or they're discriminated against by employers (according to the research by the Human Rights Commission and Australian Human Resources Institute). Who's with me and standing up for the rights of our wise elders? Retirees are humans too, with basic needs like anyone else. It's time the generations before them showed some respect. Share your comments below if you agree ... or disagree ...
West Australian
6 hours ago
- West Australian
Morgan Stanley on the lookout for signs of consumer recovery during August earnings season
Morgan Stanley analysts will look for signs of a broader consumer recovery during the August earnings season, noting rate cuts have helped ease cost-of-living pressures but the impact on spending had so far been moderate. In a research note to clients overnight Tuesday, the investment back indicated it would keep an eye on retailers' sales and margin trajectories for the 2026 financial year. The analysts noted while the consumer outlook was more 'constructive', several retailers have called out incremental weakness and softer trading conditions. They include Accent Group, Myer, Super Retail Group, Bapcor, KMD Brands and Adairs. Category trends are also in focus for the upcoming earnings season, with weakness in apparel and alcohol compared with growth in electronics. Morgan Stanley has an 'overweight' rating on Sigma Healthcare versus an 'equal weight' rating on Endeavour Group — owner of Dan Murphy's and BWS — as consumers continued to prioritise health and wellness. 'Decline in traditional quick-service restaurant performance and alcohol consumption is increasingly appearing more structural than cyclical as consumer preferences shift toward healthier options,' it said. Morgan Stanley says while household incomes will improve through 2025 and 2026, it expects a cautious response from spending. It added flow through from additional rate cuts was required before there was meaningful turnaround in consumer sentiment. Electronics giant JB Hi-Fi — also behind The Good Guys — will kick off the first full week of earnings season when it reports 2025 financial year results on August 11. The last week of August is shaping up to be jam-packed, with Endeavour, Coles, Woolworths, Domino's Pizza, Wesfarmers and Harvey Norman among the major retailers reporting. It comes as National Australia Bank on Wednesday revealed online retail sales grew 2.6 per cent month-on-month in June. All States recorded growth in June, with a strong rebound for South Australia, WA and Tasmania — all of which posted a drop in May. The bank estimates in the 12 months to June, Australians spent just over $64 billion on online retail. The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release retail trade data for June on Thursday.
