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🗞️ Bag check

Aldi has scrapped the compulsory bag checks at its self-serve checkouts after a survey found nearly 97% of its checkout staff had faced abuse or violence, most of it over the bag checks themselves.

The Aussie Corporate Published Oct 26, 2026

Good morning. Aldi has scrapped the compulsory bag checks at its self-serve checkouts after a survey found nearly 97% of its checkout staff had faced abuse or violence, most of it over the bag checks themselves.

Under the old policy staff had to check every bag bigger than A4, and dozens reported rising anxiety and stress from having to approach customers, with some followed by shoppers who waited for them to finish their shift.

Checks can still be requested when a worker has clear evidence something was hidden in a bag.

All the headlines and more below...

48% OF AUSTRALIA'S TRADE OCCUPATIONS ARE IN SHORTAGE AS DATA CENTRES PULL WORKERS FROM HOUSING

Jobs and Skills Australia's annual shortage list released this week showed 102 of 251 occupations in shortage were trade or engineering roles, with bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, plasterers and glaziers among those the agency warned are vital to building homes.

The shortages have been worsened by a surge in non-residential construction, with total building activity now at 14.5% of GDP, close to the highest level since the 1960s outside the mining boom. Reserve Bank chief economist Sarah Hunter warned in July that the data centre boom is drawing workers from other projects and adding to inflation across construction.

The government has set a target of 1.2 million new homes by mid-2029, but housing completions over the past 2 years are already 124,200 dwellings behind the pace needed. ASX-listed builders Stockland and Mirvac reported sales of new homes down 29% and 30% in the year to September, as higher interest rates and cuts to investor tax breaks hammered demand.

AUSTRALIAN AND GLOBAL NEWS

Australia’s eastern electricity market recorded one of the world’s lowest wholesale power prices in 2026, driven by mild weather, big batteries, coal and record-low gas generation. AFR
CreditorWatch reported that businesses defaulting on ATO tax debts rose 21% to 37,577 as tough economic conditions hit SME cash flows and the ATO pursued record overdue liabilities. AFR
Australians withdrew a record $1.46B from superannuation on compassionate grounds last financial year as regulators warned of predatory health practitioner tactics and rising medical unaffordability. LINK
A magnitude-7 earthquake hit the northern Tibetan city of Nagqu, killing at least 16 people, injuring 54 and collapsing 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds as rescue efforts continue. LINK

37,000 BUSINESSES NOW MORE THAN 90 DAYS BEHIND ON TAX DEBTS OVER $100,000

The number of businesses defaulting on tax debts jumped 21% to 37,577 in September, up from a year earlier. Elevated interest rates and high inflation are squeezing cash flows while the ATO pursues a record $54B in overdue payments. Most of the pain is hitting small and medium enterprises in property, transport, manufacturing, retail and hospitality.

Small businesses owe the ATO a record $36B in overdue tax and interest, up $19.4B from 2018-19 and roughly two-thirds of the total collectable debt pile. The ATO issued 84,529 director penalty notices in FY25, a 136% jump from 26,702 the year before, covering $5.5B in unpaid liabilities for PAYG withholding, GST and superannuation guarantee. The government banned tax deductibility of ATO interest charges in July 2025. Business invoices paid on time dropped from 58% a year ago to 48%.

Jim Chalmers flagged on Friday that both economic growth and unemployment forecasts will be downgraded in the mid-year budget update due by December.

COMPANY NEWS

Canva launched its first in-house AI image generation model, Canva Craft, after benchmark results ranked it 4th on Design Arena and made its lab second only to OpenAI. LINK
Barclays said it will cut about 5,000 full-time roles, or 5% of its global workforce, as AI reduces support-staff needs, while quarterly profit rose 12% to GBP2.3B. LINK
Tesla cancelled plans for a right-hand-drive Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand and will refund deposits within 30 days as its US Cybertruck sales and recalls mount. LINK
Zip reported about $10M of US fraud by first-time customers that hit July-August transaction volumes and new customer growth, prompting analyst concerns over its risk and onboarding controls. AFR
NEXTDC suffered a roughly $3B, 42% plunge in market value after energy provider Jemena paused installing power poles needed for its Melbourne data centre expansion, amplifying sector-wide community and investor concerns. LINK
Bunnings reported unexpectedly strong Halloween sales as Australian households facing surging living costs cut back on other discretionary goods but lift total Halloween spending to an estimated $510M, up 2%. AUS
Big W has returned to a $64M profit after years of losses as less discounting, stronger clothing sales and a growing marketplace business underpinned an early-stage turnaround. LINK
Decathlon widened its Australian loss to $21M on flat $35M revenue in 2025 as it cut stores but pursued low-price positioning and plans up to 40 outlets. AUS

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