Farmer urges commuters to stop driving to work to ease fuel crisis

Farmer urges commuters to stop driving to work to ease fuel crisis

City commuters in Victoria have been urged to stop driving and take public transport to work as regional communities in the state battle an ongoing fuel shortage.

Petrol stations in rural Victoria are running completely dry, leaving farmers who urgently need diesel to operate machinery in the lurch.

Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) president Brett Hosking has called on the state government to make public transport free to encourage workers in Melbourne to stay off the roads and save the much-needed fuel for farmers.

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Petrol prices showing BP petrol station in Clovelly 16th March 2026 SMH Photo: STEVEN SIEWERT

"We need to get the fuel out of our metropolitan areas and into those rural communities, where it's needed to grow your food and fibre, where it's needed to get kids to school, where it's needed to get people to work," Hosking told Today.

"Australian farms run on liquid fuel, it's a reality we can't avoid.

"We don't have a public transport network, we're required to drive long distances, and we need liquid fuel to make that happen."

Hosking said farmers and their families desperately need the government to step in and ease the fuel crisis.

Demand for fuel has skyrocketed and has affected "every corner of Victoria", Hosking said.

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Public Transport Victoria, cab invasions, railway, Southern Cross Station

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But the flow of petrol and diesel has been disproportionately stemmed in regional areas.

Robinvale in Victoria's north-west is believed to be the first town in the state to run out of fuel on the weekend before resupply arrived.

The towns of Wedderburn and Bonnie Doon are also facing the prospect of empty bowsers.

Hosking said fare-free public transport would be a "simple" way to help farmers out of this predicament until supply stabilises.

"We need some support to make sure we're getting that liquid fuel to those who need it the most," he added.

"If just one in five Victorian car commuters shifted to public transport, the fuel saved would be enough to plant roughly half of Australia's wheat, barley, canola and lentil crop.

"There's some really simple levers here to pull, and we just need to have the will to be able to do it."

Brett Hosking, VFF

NATIONAL: New threat brewing for already-saturated far north Queensland

He said even one or two extra days on the train or bus per week instead of a trip in the car would make a meaningful difference.

Hosking warned this was the crisis point for farmers and that supermarket shelves could soon be empty too if nothing changes.

"For now, we're asking for a helping hand to grow the food and make sure it gets to where it needs to go."

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New threat brewing for already-saturated far north Queensland

New threat brewing for already-saturated far north Queensland

A tropical low heading towards the Queensland coastline could develop into a tropical cyclone by the end of the week.

The weather system is currently south of the Solomon Islands and is expected to move in a westerly direction over the coming days.

It is expected to strenghten as it moves through the Coral Sea on a path towards the far north Queensland coast.

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A tropical low heading towards the Queensland coastline could develop into a tropical cyclone by the end of the week.

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It is expected to cross the Queensland coast later in the week, around Friday.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, there is a high chance of it becoming a cyclone before the end of the week.

However if it does not turn into a cyclone, it could bring rain to the far north Queensland coast.

Once the system crosses the Queensland coast, it is expected to move out into the Gulf of Carpentaria and possibly over towards the Top End.

"People in northern Queensland and near the Gulf of Carpentaria should keep up to date with the latest forecasts," the Bureau of Meteorology said.

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One Nation has surged even further. But what does Hanson really stand for?

One Nation has surged even further. But what does Hanson really stand for?

One Nation is on the rise after decades as a fringe political party and has enjoyed a surge in popularity on the back of criticising the federal government's policies on just about everything from immigration to abortion.

Pauline Hanson began One Nation in Queensland in 1997 after being elected as Oxley MP the previous year.

In her controversial and divisive maiden speech to parliament she said she believed Australia was in danger of being "swamped by Asians".

Hanson's opposition to immigration and multiculturalism has remained one of the key pillars of One Nation's electoral campaigns over the past three decades – and it's also among her more controversial policies.

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Pauline Hanson One Nation

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After a surprise early surge in the polls earlier this year, voter support has now skyrocketed to levels not seen in the party's history.

Not only did support for One Nation surge from nine per cent to 26 per cent, soaring past the Coalition as the country's second most popular party, it is now stripping voters from Labor.

The latest Resolve Political Monitor polling has pushed One Nation's primary vote above the Coalition to sit at 24 per cent.

And damage is now being done to federal Labor's primary vote, which fell back to 29 per cent from 31 per cent in February.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MAY 03: A member of the public casts their ballot paper on May 03, 2025 in Perth, Australia. Australians headed to the polls on Saturday for the 2025 federal election, where all 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of 76 Senate seats are up for grabs. This election is especially consequential due to a tightly contested race, with cost-of-living pressures, affordable housing, and energy policy dominating the campaign. Though most polls indicate a narrow Labor victor

One Nation also claims its membership has exploded by 500 per cent since the 2025 federal election.

"We are establishing branches in every federal electorate. High-profile leaders like Barnaby Joyce and Cory Bernardi bring additional strength to the party," a One Nation spokesperson told nine.com.au.

"Australians know exactly where Pauline Hanson stands on the issues which matter most to them, and they're looking for leadership they're not getting from Anthony Albanese or Sussan Ley."

But what exactly does One Nation stand for and what is its plan for Australia?

Immigration

Hanson claims on her website that Australia's immigration system is "broken".

Hanson has called on Australia to cut immigration by 570,000 people, to deport visa holders who break the law, to withdraw from the UN Refugee Convention and to deport 75,000 "illegal immigrants".

The One Nation leader has frequently blamed immigration for house prices and wage stagnation.

In 2016, Hanson told the chamber she believed Australia was "in danger of being swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own".

Her views have landed her in water in the past; last year, a federal court found Hanson racially discriminated against Pakistani-born senator Mehreen Faruqi after telling her to "p-- off back to Pakistan".

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Senator Pauline Hanson wears a burqa in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra on November 24, 2025. fedpol Photo: Dominic Lorrimer

Hanson was also banned from the chamber for seven sitting days after she appeared in the Senate wearing a burqa, repeating a stunt she pulled in 2017.

Hanson has also voted against several motions for letting families return home from immigration detention, most notably the Biloela family.

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Housing

Hanson has proposed an urgent reform of the country's foreign ownership and investment rules.

This would involve banning all foreign purchases of Australian homes and forcing current foreign owners to sell their homes, along with banning the sale of freehold farmland to foreign investors.

The party also claims that slashing immigration by 130,000 visa holders would reduce housing demand.

"With a crucial shortage of housing stock in Australia, we must stop the sale of property to non-residents and non-citizens," Hanson states on her website.

The party has called for a five-year GST moratorium on building materials for new homes valued up to $1 million.

One Nation said it is also committed to "removing mandatory disability compliance requirements for all new homes".

Hanson has previously blamed immigration levels and foreign students as the root cause of Australia's skyrocketing house prices.

At the same time, Hanson has repeatedly voted against measures to increase housing affordability, including the Help to Buy Bill in 2023.

Free speech

Hanson has warned Labor's hate speech laws, passed in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, are "dangerous" and claimed the legislation threatens the right to freedom of expression.

One Nation states that it wants to enshrine "open debate, free expression, and the rights of all Australians to speak their minds without fear" in the constitution.

"We will push for constitutional protection of free speech and work to repeal any laws or government bodies that restrict it," the party states on its website.

"Censorship, speech regulations, and bureaucratic overreach that silence Australians will be dismantled."

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Tax return for individual. Australia tax settlement. Financial and business concept. Calculation and manual filling of the form. close up

Cost of living and tax

Hanson's cost-of-living proposals are mostly targeted at immediate, short-term relief for households.

This includes electricity bill reductions, fuel price relief and permanently scrapping the excise tax on beer and spirits in pubs.

"One Nation continues to develop and update policies on the issues which matter, releasing our signature energy policy to dismantle net zero and reduce energy prices in December last year– rising energy costs are the single biggest factor in the rising cost of living," a One Nation spokesperson said.

One Nation has also claimed Medicare is being "rorted" by billions of dollars and wants to crack down on fraud.

The party has previously spoken about its plan to simplify income tax and lower the corporate tax rate in Australia.

One proposed tax cut is to help out families with children to allow couples to split their income across two tax returns, thereby reducing their tax bill.

This proposal was swiftly criticised for only targeting high-income earners.

Climate

Hanson has called for Australia to pull out of the Paris Agreement, claiming carbon emission cuts are "economic suicide".

The One Nation leader has also denied climate change is man-made, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence.

The One Nation senator claims to back a scientific approach to climate change, but at the same time denies there is evidence to prove that global warming is the catastrophe that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says it is.

Hanson has generally voted against climate change mitigation strategies.

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Member for New England Barnaby Joyce and One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday 19 January 2026. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Abortion

One Nation describes itself as "pro-life".

Hanson said her party wants to roll back abortion laws in Australia, including reducing the gestational limit for abortions.

She also wants to reinstate a doctor's right to a "full conscientious objection" to abortion.

Gun ownership

New England MP Barnaby Joyce, who joined Hanson's One Nation party in December, opposed the new gun laws introduced by the federal government in the wake of the Bondi shooting.

Hanson was not in the Senate chamber for the vote due to her ban.

"We won't allow Labor to scapegoat lawful firearm owners for Anthony Albanese's failure to allow radical Islam and antisemitism to go unchecked and unchallenged in Australia," a One Nation spokesperson said.

The party says it supports "responsible gun ownership".

"We do not believe that further stringent measures or regulations are required regarding licensing," One Nation's website reads.

"One Nation calls for stricter border security and tougher sentencing for gun crimes and traffickers."

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Jared lost priceless messages from late sister after Meta 'cancelled' him

Jared lost priceless messages from late sister after Meta 'cancelled' him

Exclusive: Australian small business owners are losing more than just money after being flagged by Meta's AI enforcement systems - they're having their personal accounts wiped too.

Jared Hartley runs a tattoo removal studio in Canberra and was baffled when his business Instagram account was suspended last October.

Meta said the account had violated community standards; Hartley said it wasn't true.

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Jared Hartley lost priceless messages from his late sister after Meta 'cancelled' him.

He followed Meta's instructions to appeal the ban, had the account reinstated, only to have it suspended again – twice.

Then Meta disabled his personal Instagram account, and in doing so wiped away years of memories, photos and chats with Hartley's late sister, who died in 2025.

He says his desperate attempts to recover the account went nowhere.

"They said they couldn't do anything," he told nine.com.au.

"When you lose your account, they say you can download your information ... but all the file contains is your settings."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au

Hartley paid for a Meta Verified subscription on his Facebook account to access 24/7 support, which start at $20 per month and can cost hundreds of dollars per month.

He said conversations with Meta agents went nowhere.

"I had no access to any support," he said.

"It's things like this that I don't think [Meta] understands ... these are the impacts that they can have when they don't have access to support or do anything."

Jared Hartley runs Expired Laser Studio, a tattoo removal business in Canberra.

Tech expert Trevor Long said that's a major issue when Meta's AI systems seem to be kicking Aussie business owners who have done nothing wrong off its platforms.

"These companies make billions of dollars from Australians and have no customer service whatsoever," Long told nine.com.au.

"They think that computers can solve the problem, but they can't."

Long called it "outrageous" that business accounts sharing photos of handmade bracelets and nature paintings are being flagged for child sexual exploitation violations.

The most frustrating part is that no one can explain why so many small businesses are getting flagged by AI systems meant to catch predators.

Nine.com.au understands Meta uses people and technology, including AI, to find and remove accounts that violate content rules and community guidelines.

Technology is also used to identify signs of potentially suspicious behaviour, like when accounts search for content that violates child safety terms.

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Charlotte Paternoster also lost her personal account after her Instagram and Facebook business accounts were suspended last November.

She used the business pages to promote her handmade jewellery business and was horrified when both were suspended for allegedly violating Meta's community standards regarding child sexual exploitation.

"It's awful, it's disgusting," Paternoster told nine.com.au.

"I just assumed that someone had hacked in and done that, which actually made me feel worse, because I thought someone was actually sharing that on my profile."

But Paternoster hadn't been hacked.

She, like a growing number of Australian small business owners, had been flagged by Meta's AI systems for something she said she didn't do.

Paternoster went through Meta's automated appeal process but her business accounts were permanently disabled.

Her personal Facebook account was also suspended, wiping nearly 20 years' worth of photos, chats and memories.

"It was f--king heartbreaking, honestly," Paternoster said.

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Charlotte Paternoster used to promote and sell her handmade jewellery on Facebook and Instagram.

Like Hartley, she paid for a Meta Verified subscription but said it got her nowhere.

Paternoster's jewellery business has quietly faded away since losing the business accounts and she won't be starting new ones.

"It's so much work and I don't trust Meta anymore," she said.

Paternoster's account had not been reinstated at the time of writing.

A Meta spokesperson told nine.com.au "we take action on accounts that violate our policies, and people can appeal if they think we've made a mistake".

It's the same thing they said last week when nine.com.au reported that Gold Coast fitness coach Jed Zimmer had been 'cancelled' by Instagram after supposed community standards violations regarding child exploitation.

Since Jed's story was published on Friday, dozens of Australian small business owners have written in saying their Facebook and Instagram business accounts were also suspended for alleged violations of Meta's community standards.

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Jed's Instagram account was wrongly suspended. It's cost him $50,000.

In many cases, the users affected claimed the only way they were able to speak to a human support agent was by paying for a Meta Verified subscription.

"I want it not to be the case that they're over quantifying the number of accounts that have issues because they want to drive subscribers," Long said.

"But it does feel very like a very good ploy to drive more subscribers to their Meta Verified system."

He pays for a Meta Verified subscription and encourages other business owners with accounts on Facebook and Instagram to do the same.

It may be the only line of defence if one of your accounts is wrongly suspended.

"The concept of Meta Verified is excellent but the fact that it's the only way to get support is, I think, troubling," Long said.

"Sadly, Meta is not going to change."

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One dead, one seriously injured after head-on crash west of Brisbane

One dead, one seriously injured after head-on crash west of Brisbane

Police are investigating whether a car involved in a horror smash that killed a woman and left a man with serious injuries was hooning north-west of Brisbane last night.

A Holden Commodore and a black BMW were involved in a head-on collision on the Brisbane Valley Highway at Lake Wivenhoe just after 11pm yesterday.

The driver of the Holden, a 23-year-old Bracken Ridge woman, died at the scene, and the male 24-year-old passenger from Mango Hill was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane with serious injuries.

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A 30-year-old woman who was driving the BMW was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police confirmed they are investigating whether the woman was part of a group of cars that were hooning in the area just before the crash occurred, but this has not been confirmed.

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No charges have been laid.

Police are appealing for any eyewitnesses or people with dashcam footage of the crash to come forward.

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Legendary Australian chef hailed a 'visionary'  following death at 59

Legendary Australian chef hailed a 'visionary' following death at 59

Highly respected Melbourne chef Teage Ezrad has died at the age of 59 after a battle with a neurological disease.

Ezard burst onto the Australian culinary scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and ran well-known Melbourne restaurants Ezard and Gingerboy, with the former winning The Age's Best New Restaurant of the Year award when it first opened.

However, Ezard began to step away from the restaurant world during the COVID-19 pandemic as he began to suffer from health issues.

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Teage Ezard ran multiple restaurants in Melbourne, winning awards and becoming a famed chef in the city.

In 2024, he was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), an incurable disease that affects movement, balance, speech and other emotional regulation.

Yesterday, his family announced his death.

"With the heaviest of hearts, we share that our beloved Teage Ezard has passed after a brave fight with MSA," the family said in a statement on social media.

"He met this cruel disease with courage, humour, wit, and unbreakable spirit, joking and uplifting others until the very end.

A legendary chef who shaped Australian dining, he was our devoted husband, father, son, brother and friend.

"Teage wanted his story to raise awareness of MSA and support research to spare other families this pain.

"We're grieving deeply and ask for privacy.

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Inside Gingerboy, one of Teage Ezard's most well-known restaurants in Melbourne.

"Honour him by spreading MSA awareness & supporting Combat MSA."

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nick Reece called Ezrad a "visionary" who helped put Melbourne on the map in culinary terms, and "set new standards for Australian hospitality."

"[His] creativity reshaped the way Melbourne dined," Reece said.

"Teage was in the vanguard of chefs who revolutionised the Melbourne dining scene in the 1990s and early 2000's."

Reece also praised the work of Ezard in creating awareness for MSA, with Ezard and his family creating the Combat MSA organisation.

"He met this cruel disease with courage, humour, wit, and unbreakable spirit, joking and uplifting others until the very end," Combat MSA said in a post on social media announcing Ezard's death.

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Teage Ezard with his wife Tina last year.

"A legendary chef who shaped Australian dining, he was our devoted husband, father, son, brother and friend."

Last year, Ezard spoke to The Good Weekend about his diagnosis and its impact on his family, especially his wife Tina.

"I was scared of dying after the initial shock of the diagnosis, but I've accepted time isn't on my side," he said at the time.

"It's hard to have your independence taken away. Tina reassures me, helps me engage in social interactions, monitors my symptoms. Her strength and patience leave me in awe."

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Missile strikes helipad inside US Embassy compound in Baghdad

Missile strikes helipad inside US Embassy compound in Baghdad

A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy in Baghdad, two security officials said.

The projectile landed within the embassy's boundaries after the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district in central Baghdad that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies, added the security officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak with the press.

Video obtained by The Associated Press showed smoke billowing from inside the compound.

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The US Embassy in Baghdad has been bombed.

There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy in Baghdad.

On Friday, the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and "may continue to target them."

The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones in the past by Iran-aligned militias.

These groups have recently stepped up attacks on bases hosting US and coalition troops.

A drone strike in northern Iraq on Thursday killed a French soldier and wounded several others stationed there as part of an international coalition.

US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran will end "when I feel it in my bones".

Trump was asked on The Brian Kilmeade Show about the timeline of the war, which he previously described as a "brief excursion".

"When it's over –– and I don't think it's going to be long –– when it's over, this is going to bounce back so fast," the president said.

The US has attacked a piece of vital infrastructure in Iran that has so far been untouched by the war.

Donald Trump announced this morning that he had "executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East" on Kharg Island.

In a Truth Social post, the US president said he had destroyed every military target on what he described as "Iran's crown jewel".

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Cops warn of popular craze after it sent a TAFE campus into lockdown

Cops warn of popular craze after it sent a TAFE campus into lockdown

Police have warned that a popular game can be treated like a real threat after a TAFE campus was put into lockdown after a girl was spotted walking around with a water pistol.

The message comes as emergency services were called to Campbelltown TAFE on Tuesday when a 16-year-old girl walked through the campus with a water pistol mistaken for a gun.

What many feared was a shooter on the loose turned out to be a teenager playing a viral TikTok game known as "Senior Assassin".

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Cambelltown TAFE descended into lockdown after it was reported there was a shooter on campus.

Police addressed the concern of the game in a social media post, saying that it can be treated as a "real threat".

"From a distance, these items can look very real.

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"If someone reports a firearm to police, then we treat it as a genuine threat, and we respond accordingly," a NSW police officer said in the post.

"In that moment, we don't know it's just a game.

"A bit of fun can very quickly become a very serious situation."

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Queensland man arrested after allegedly posting antisemitic content

Queensland man arrested after allegedly posting antisemitic content

A Queensland man is behind bars this morning, accused of making antisemitic threats on social media while stockpiling illegal weapons.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers began an investigation into a string of online antisemitic comments posted on Telegram last year.

A home in Longreach in Queensland was later raided, with police allegedly seizing knives and batons after tracing a series of Telegram posts directed at the Jewish community back to the 56-year-old.

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A Queensland man has been charged with making antisemitic posts on social media and the unlawful possession of weapons.

In total, police seized two flick knives, an extendable baton and electronic devices for forensic examination.

The Queensland man will face court today after being charged with one count of using a phone to harass and one count of possessing illegal weapons. 

AFP Detective Superintendent Bill Freeman said it will not tolerate any threats toward the Jewish community.

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Police seized two flick knives, an extendable baton and electronic devices, which will be subject to forensic examination.

"The AFP supports freedom of speech and political expression, but does not tolerate criminal behaviour, including threats and harassment," Freeman said.

"The AFP is committed to identifying and charging individuals suspected of harassing, menacing or threatening the Jewish community."

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Australia's No.1 retailer named as last year's winner plunges

Australia's No.1 retailer named as last year's winner plunges

In the battle for Aussie dollars, a new winner has been crowned.

Kmart was named the country's No.1 retailer at the Power Retail awards in Melbourne on Thursday night.

The shopping giant owned by Wesfarmers — a Perth-based conglomerate valued at $85 billion — beat out Big W for the top spot.

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Big W, which is owned by $43 billion Woolworths Group, was last year's winner.

Power Retail's top Australian retailers, in order, are:

  1. Kmart
  2. Myer
  3. Bunnings Warehouse
  4. Officeworks
  5. Chemist Warehouse
  6. Big W
  7. JB Hi-Fi
  8. The Iconic
  9. Dan Murphy's
  10. Adore Beauty
  11. BCF
  12. Rebel
  13. The Good Guys
  14. David Jones
  15. Petbarn
  16. Appliances Online
  17. Target
  18. Bonds
  19. Ikea

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bulk cleaning products big w price comparison

Power Retail, an industry outlet providing companies with news, data and insights, said its rankings were weighed according to four pillars: acquisition, conversion, fulfilment and retention.

Power Retail head of data David Fear said Kmart ticked all the boxes to reclaim top spot.

"We score retailers across five pillars, with the highest weighting on how well they integrate their online and in-store operations," he said.

"Kmart led the Index because they delivered where it matters most — and where most retailers still have gaps.

"Less than half show real-time store stock online. Only around 30 per cent have a dedicated app or wish list functionality. Kmart has all of them, backed by a strong returns policy and a cross-channel loyalty program.

"In a market where shoppers are rapidly changing their habits, that kind of completeness across the entire customer journey is what separates the leaders."

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