As it happened: Brisbane on Monday, November 18

Woolworths has strongly denied land-banking to prevent competitors from setting up shop in some suburbs and towns.

The $36 billion food giant’s land acquisitions were placed under the microscope today at the inquiry into supermarket prices by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Woolworths property boss Ralph Kemmler said its portfolio included shopping centres, including some where the company did not operate a supermarket.

Ralph Kemmler, managing director of property at Woolworths, speaks at Monday’s public hearing.

None of the centres it owned had both a Woolworths and a Coles.

An internal document, dated March 2023, noted Woolworths owned sites “held for strategic reasons” that were not earmarked for development.

Barrister Naomi Sharp, SC, the counsel assisting the ACCC, pressed Kemmler on whether holding land for strategic reasons counted as land banking, to which Kemmler said, “I don’t believe so”.

Sharp asked: “It [the document] says that the properties are held on the balance sheet, and they’re not planned for future development, and that they’re held for strategic reasons … Do you want to give us an example of what that means?”

Kemmler replied: “They’re a combination of company homes, surplus land from developments that we’ve completed that are to be sold or land held pending other developments, and also would include some land that has long term underlying leases that have been developed for other purposes.”

Sharp was not convinced, and asked again what “sites held for strategic reasons” meant.

“It means that they didn’t fit into the previous buckets,” Kemmler replied.

“Well, that sounds like a strange explanation of the word ‘strategic’,” Sharp responded.

with AAP

Thank you for joining us on this Monday. We will be back tomorrow with more rolling news coverage from Brisbane and beyond, so do join us.

Here are some of the stories that made headlines today:

Brisbane’s $1.4 billion Metro bus service has come to a quiet end one month after it began and City Hall’s transport chair Ryan Murphy has flagged further delays, saying the full rollout is not expected until “early 2025”.

Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones has been charged with 24 offences against eight alleged victims spanning two decades after a lengthy police investigation into allegations of indecent assault and sexual touching.

Premier David Crisafulli has used his first major post-election address to the LNP’s organisational wing to deliver a warning about lingering division in its ranks.

A pedestrian is fighting for his life after being hit by a car near Roma Street Station in Brisbane’s CBD on Sunday night.

The first weekend of Schoolies on the Gold Coast saw the majority of partying teenagers doing the right thing, with only four arrests.

In property news, a family from China snapped up a five-bedroom, three-bathroom trophy home in Indooroopilly for $3,888,888 in a pre-auction deal the night before it was due to go under hammer.

Next year’s State of Origin series opener at Suncorp Stadium looms as crucial for Queensland, given the Maroon’s poor record at Perth’s Optus Stadium where Game II will be played.

Latrell Siegwalt could be one summer training season away from convincing new Broncos coach Michael Maguire he has the tools to fill the void left by Ezra Mam, who is expected to be sidelined for much of the first half of the 2025 NRL season after failing a roadside drug test following a car crash.

A senior Woolworths executive has rejected accusations of land banking to lock out competitors while being grilled at an inquiry into the nation’s supermarkets.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has all but ruled out taking a promise of tax cuts to the next election.

Caroline Kennedy, a scion of the famous American political family, has called her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s vaccine scepticism “dangerous” as Donald Trump plans to nominate him to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services.

And, fans of Irish singer-songwriter Hozier will be hoping the weather holds out for tonight’s concert at the Riverstage at Gardens Point after lining up for much of the day.

Two teens have been charged after a police officer was hospitalised in a targeted hit-and-run on the weekend.

Officers inspecting an abandoned stolen car on Cullen Street in Bundaberg attempted to pull over a nearby Subaru Forrester about 4pm on Sunday.

The Forrester allegedly drove directly at the police, with one suffering chest and foot injuries in the crash. He was taken to Bundaberg Base Hospital and has since been discharged.

A 19-year-old Branyan woman was charged today with dangerous driving, failure to stop after a crash and possession of a drug utensil. Her 16-year-old passenger is charged with unlawful use of a car and wilful damage.

Both will appear in court today. Investigations are ongoing.

Army aircrew feel pressure to continue on missions even when fatigued because they do not want to let down the team, an inquiry into last year’s fatal Taipan helicopter crash has been told.

D11 - a pseudonym for a senior aircrewman - was in an MRH-90 helicopter during a training exercise sortie when the Taipan chopper crashed into water off Lindeman Island near the Queensland coast in July 2023.

“No one wants to be the cause of an aircraft having to drop from a sortie and possibly force a mission from not going ahead,” D11 said in a statement that was read to the inquiry today.

“I can’t remember anyone who had removed themselves from a flight due to fatigue in 2023, that’s not to say it didn’t happen ...

“I think there’s still a culture of wanting the mission to succeed, this may cause some aircrew to not be 100 per cent honest with their fatigue levels.”

Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs died in the 2023 crash.

Alan Jones has been charged with 24 offences against eight alleged victims spanning two decades, after a lengthy police investigation into allegations of indecent assault and sexual touching.

The broadcaster and former Wallabies coach was arrested at his luxury Circular Quay apartment on Monday morning over allegations he indecently assaulted, groped or inappropriately touched multiple young men.

Jones has been charged with 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, nine counts of assault with an act of indecency, two counts of sexually touching another person without their consent and two counts of common assault.

He was granted conditional bail and will face Downing Centre Local Court on December 18.

Read more here.

Caroline Kennedy, a scion of the famous American political family, has called her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s vaccine scepticism “dangerous” as Donald Trump plans to nominate him to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Appearing at the National Press Club in Canberra earlier today, the daughter of late president John F. Kennedy said she wasn’t able to comment much on politics as she was still the US ambassador to Australia.

“And now you’re asking me to comment on family, so that’s really a lot,” the 66-year-old said, drawing laughter from the audience.

“I think Bobby Kennedy’s views on vaccines are dangerous. But I don’t think most Americans share them. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens ... You know, I grew up with him. So I have known all this for a long time. And others are just getting to know him.”

Caroline Kennedy says her cousin’s views on healthcare are not shared by the rest of the political dynasty.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Kennedy touted the work of her late uncle Ted Kennedy in the US Senate as evidence of her Democratic family’s commitment to improving healthcare in America.

Much of the Kennedy family have distanced themselves from RFK Jr as he launched a bid for the presidency before dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump. In 2023, his sister Kerry Kennedy condemned his suggestions that there was an argument COVID-19 was an ethnically targeted bioweapon.

Outgoing US ambassador Caroline Kennedy has called for calm over Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations, suggesting Australia wait and see who actually gets confirmed before considering implications.

After speaking at the National Press Club earlier today, Kennedy was asked why Australia should continue to trust the US with sensitive intelligence given Trump’s nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Outgoing US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, speaks in Canberra on Monday.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Democrats have accused Gabbard of posing a threat to US intelligence through links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In response, Kennedy implied it wasn’t a certainty that Gabbard would be confirmed, while joking about her own familial links to controversial Trump appointments.

“So let’s see what happens with President Trump’s appointment. They have been … making waves, headlines,” Kennedy said.

“There’s another one who is nominated for health and human services,” she joked, referring to her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as the crowd erupted in laughter.

“Let’s just calm down and wait and see what happens. But obviously that would be of great concern, and we’ll see who actually gets confirmed.”

Woolworths has strongly denied land-banking to prevent competitors from setting up shop in some suburbs and towns.

The $36 billion food giant’s land acquisitions were placed under the microscope today at the inquiry into supermarket prices by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Woolworths property boss Ralph Kemmler said its portfolio included shopping centres, including some where the company did not operate a supermarket.

Ralph Kemmler, managing director of property at Woolworths, speaks at Monday’s public hearing.

None of the centres it owned had both a Woolworths and a Coles.

An internal document, dated March 2023, noted Woolworths owned sites “held for strategic reasons” that were not earmarked for development.

Barrister Naomi Sharp, SC, the counsel assisting the ACCC, pressed Kemmler on whether holding land for strategic reasons counted as land banking, to which Kemmler said, “I don’t believe so”.

Sharp asked: “It [the document] says that the properties are held on the balance sheet, and they’re not planned for future development, and that they’re held for strategic reasons … Do you want to give us an example of what that means?”

Kemmler replied: “They’re a combination of company homes, surplus land from developments that we’ve completed that are to be sold or land held pending other developments, and also would include some land that has long term underlying leases that have been developed for other purposes.”

Sharp was not convinced, and asked again what “sites held for strategic reasons” meant.

“It means that they didn’t fit into the previous buckets,” Kemmler replied.

“Well, that sounds like a strange explanation of the word ‘strategic’,” Sharp responded.

with AAP

More from the inquiry into supermarket prices: A cheesecake chain, newsagents and home-delivered meal providers are among 44 competitors to Woolworths, the supermarket giant claims as its market dominance comes under further scrutiny.

Six sitting and recently departed senior executives used a rare public inquiry by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today to defend the $36 billion company’s role in Australia’s concentrated grocery market.

Coles and Woolworths are giving evidence to the ACCC inquiry this week.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Amanda Bardwell, Woolworths’ chief executive, name-checked a range of chains ranging from the Cheesecake Shop and Nextra Newsagents to diet-focused home-delivery meal providers.

“Some of the retailers … play a very important role in some key categories, like personal care when it comes to Chemist Warehouse, or pet and household care when it comes to Bunnings,” Bardwell said.

The commission’s interim report found various non-supermarket grocery retailers were not significant competitors to supermarkets.

“[The market] is dominated by Coles and Woolworths, isn’t it?”

That was the question put to Woolworths’ newly minted chief executive Amanda Bardwell today at an inquiry into supermarket prices by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

“We are a substantial part of the market, which is dramatically changing and we compete every single day for customers to choose to shop with us,” Bardwell replied.

Woolworths boss Amanda Bardwell at the ACCC hearing on Monday.Credit: AFR

A cheesecake chain, newsagents and home-delivered meal providers are among 44 competitors to Woolworths, the CEO claimed.

Amazon was “absolutely an increasing competitor” to Woolworths, she said, noting the supermarket chain had spent hundreds of millions of dollars to improve its e-commerce capabilities.

“In their recent Prime Day offering ... 30 per cent of the range at substantial discounts was grocery product,” Bardwell said.

The ACCC’s supermarket probe is putting costs under the microscope, including how wholesale prices translate to customers at the checkout.

The first weekend of Schoolies on the Gold Coast saw the majority of partying teenagers doing the right thing, with only four arrests.

Queensland Police Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon said four Schoolies and eight non-school leavers were arrested on the weekend for 17 minor offences.

Schoolies enjoying a pool party last year.Credit: Schoolies.com

These include drug possession and public nuisance incidents like urinating in public and drunk and disorderly behaviour.

“In the scheme of things, it’s not serious,” he told reporters this morning.

“People can take a lesson from those and move on.”

Hanlon said Schoolies revellers so far were having fun but being respectful.

“Considering it’s the Gold Coast on a weekend, we think that’s a very good result,” he said.

“So thank you to the Schoolies who are doing the right thing.”