Weight loss medication has changed the way I feel about myself, says Melissa Nightingale.

A state-owned water company has apologised over an IT issue which resulted in some customers being hit with unexpected bills totalling thousands of dollars.

The Victorian government's Greater Western Water (GWW) admitted that a direct debit failure from an IT upgrade bungle meant many residential water bills were left unpaid for months.

Sunshine resident Matthew Schulz was slugged with a delayed bill notice of $2641.20 for around 18 months of water use.

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Schulz told 9News he was "confused" when he saw the huge charge after he tried to remedy the direct debit issue in late 2024.

"I can't afford that, that's not something that I budgeted for," Schulz said.

"I am happy to pay what I owe, but it's just diabolical, it's just a big mess."

At first, Schulz was told he needed to pay the full amount.

But GWW has since worked out a payment plan.

"I have direct debits for all my other bills and they just get paid on time," Schulz added.

An ill-fated $100 million IT upgrade is understood to be the cause of the billing bungle.

GWW acknowledged the billing issue and said it is passing on $130 million in bill relief to customers, along with the facilitation of payment plans.

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GWW Managing Director Cameron Fitzgerald said the company had "missed the mark" and encouraged impacted customers to contact the company over any back-dated bills.

"We know that we've let the community down and we're working really hard with our regulator, the ombudsman, to improve our systems," Fitzgerald told 9News.

"We're about halfway through our catch-up billing approach, which is about bringing people back to their regular billing cycles so they can be confident about their water bill, what they get, and how we move forward.

"We want people to call us, because we know we got this wrong, we know that we need to make this right."

General Manager Customer Experience Terence Alvares told Nine.com.au that most customers are now back on the regular billing cycle.

"We know the billing issues have caused significant frustration for our customers, and we're genuinely sorry for the impact this has had," Alvares said.

"No one is expected to pay a large amount all at once."

The Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) said it has fielded nearly 4000 complaints about GWW between October 2024 and March 2026.

There were 120 complaints regarding back-dated bills for the month of March.

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"Greater Western Water customers have reported a range of billing, customer service and payment difficulty issues to EWOV, including bill shock from retrospective bills," EWOV ombudsman and chief executive Catherine Wolthuizen said.

"In some cases, customers have received bills for significant amounts, and faced difficulty paying these large bills.

"Some customers have come to us disputing the accuracy of backbills and other customers report having never received bills."

According to the Essential Services Commission, water businesses in Victoria have a four-month backbilling limit where a customer has been undercharged for a water bill.

However, the regulator gave GWW the green light to pursue customers over the unpaid bills in 2025.

EWOV said it is continuing to investigate ongoing complaints.

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The will left $500,000 to Xinfeng (Lily) Li but was later thrown out in court.

Just weeks after announcing its collapse, Click Frenzy has been snapped up by new owners who are betting the brand still has a place in Australia's crowded online deals market.

Click Frenzy and its sister company, Power Retail – an online news and events business – folded in late March, after fourteen years in business.

The once high-profile sales platform has been acquired by e-commerce entrepreneurs Gabby and Hezi Leibovich, the brothers behind Catch of the Day.

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They plan to relaunch within weeks after securing the domain and customer database.

Click Frenzy launched in Australia with great success in 2012.

In announcing the pioneering online retailer's shock collapse in March, founder Grant Arnott described being "shattered" and "embarrassed" in a heartfelt social media post.

However, the turnaround isn't without significant hurdles.

Click Frenzy is returning to a market that has ostensibly outgrown its original model.

A leader in sales events, it now faces staunch competition from prolonged promotions like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.

The platform built its name on limited-time sale events, pulling in large audiences during short bursts of heavily promoted deals.

That model is now being reworked, with the new owners moving towards a more consistent stream of offers.

Gabby Leibovich said the brand still has strong recognition, but the way people shop online has ultimately changed.

"The brand didn't lose its connection with shoppers. It just didn't keep up with how people shop today," he told nine.com.au.

"We saw a chance to bring it back in a way that works better for both sides. More useful for customers, and more effective for retailers."

Instead of relying on a handful of major sale dates, the relaunch will centre on more frequent deals to keep customers coming back.

"There's no shortage of deals online today. Our job is to cut through that noise and make it easier to find genuinely good deals."

Bringing retailers back onto the platform will be critical, particularly as brands weigh where to place promotions and how to reach customers directly.

"Retailers are looking for places where they can stand out, not get lost," he said.

For shoppers, the biggest change will be how the platform feels to use, with offers appearing more regularly across a mix of brands.

"Customers won't have to wait around for a few big sale moments. There will be more reasons to check in, more often.

"Expect sharper deals, well-known brands, and a few surprises along the way," Leibovich said.

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The US President proclaimed "I have all the cards". Iran pointed out that in UNO, less is best.

Thirteen people have been charged after a crowd stormed a petrol station and supermarket during a riot which broke out over the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby.

Last Thursday, the body of a child believed to be that of the five-year-old girl was found after a five-day search.

The man suspected of her murder, 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, was found later that night, when he was arrested and taken to Alice Springs Hospital.

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Following his arrest, violence broke out outside the hospital late in the evening as a grieving crowd demanded the man be handed over to be dealt with by the community.

As the crowd dispersed, dozens of people poured into the Shell Express and Piggly's Supermarket at The Gap.

CCTV vision shows people ransacking the aisles of the petrol station and taking items from the shelves.

Police said about $105,000 worth of property was stolen and $80,000 of damage caused.

CCTV footage released by police shows people ransacking the aisles of the petrol station and taking items from the shelves.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said the behaviour was "not people processing grief in relation to the death of Baby Kumanjayi".

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Police have since charged four women and three men with aggravated burglary and theft.

Two of the women, aged 26 and 24, were charged with two counts of each offence.

Another 36-year-old woman was charged with one count each of aggravated burglary, theft and breach of suspended sentence.

A 26-year-old man was charged with one count each of aggravated burglary, theft and breach of suspended sentence.

A 32-year-old man was charged with two counts each of aggravated burglary and theft and one count of breach of suspended sentence.

A 29-year-old man was charged with two counts of aggravated burglary and theft and one count each of damage of property, attempt arson and armed with an offensive weapon at night.

A 36-year-old man was charged with one count each of unlawfully cause serious harm, aggravated assault and breach of DVO.

A 49-year-old man was charged with one count of breach of bail and one count of breach of suspended sentence.

Repairman Kim Shegog told 9News the lost stock came at a cost for the business.

"We had a skip (bin), we filled the skip up with all the food," he said.

"All of the food that had use-by dates had to be disposed because it's going to be two to three weeks to get the place back up and running again."

Northern Territory Police acting superintendent Michael Ordelman denounced the alleged behaviour.

"The businesses involved have suffered extensive monetary loss," Ordelman said.

Jefferson Lewis was yesterday charged with the murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby.

He is expected to appear in court tomorrow.

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).

He says he has several near misses on his daily school run due to drivers.

Australian workers are being urged to check their superannuation payments, as a new analysis reveals one in four are being underpaid – often by thousands of dollars a year.

Between 2018 and 2023, Australian workers were underpaid superannuation by a staggering $24.4 billion collectively, the analysis by the Super Members Council (SMC) found.

New South Wales had the highest total underpayments, totalling $8.1 billion, followed by Victoria with $6.1 billion over the five-year period.

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However, the highest figure for underpayment per individual was in the Northern Territory with an average amount of $2140 per year, closely followed by the Australian Capital Territory at $2120 a year.

The figures were calculated by the SMC based on an analysis of the Australian Tax Office (ATO)'s 2 per cent sample file in 2018-19 and 2022-23.

According to their modelling, a worker underpaid by $1730 in super for just one year could enter retirement $30,000 worse off due to the loss of compounding investment returns.

From July 1, payday superannuation laws will come into effect, requiring employers to pay super at the same time as wages, instead of quarterly.

Experts believe this change will help reduce the amount of unpaid superannuation, which currently costs Australian workers $6 billion a year.

It's also hoped the change will increase transparency for workers, making it easier for them to spot and fix underpayments.

"Unpaid super is a silent pay cut that's cost Australian workers $24.4 billion in just the last five years alone," SMC CEO Misha Schubert said.

"This is money Australians have earned but never been paid – and it's leaving millions significantly poorer at retirement.

"Unpaid super hits hardest where it hurts most – for women, younger workers and people on low incomes."

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Locals fear dropping the 2008 Heritage Act from new laws weakens key safeguards.

Australia and Japan have agreed to strengthen economic, energy and defence ties to withstand the shocks of the war in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese counterpart Takaichi Sanae marked 50 years of "friendship" today with the signing of the new Joint Declaration on Economic Security and Cooperation.

The agreement will build "trusted" fuel, energy, critical minerals, food and technology supply chains with the major trading partner.

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"Our Joint Statement on Energy Security reaffirms our commitment to navigate the current energy crisis together and maintain open trade flows of essential energy goods, including liquid fuels and gas," Albanese said at a press conference with Sanae this afternoon.

"For Australians, it will mean we are less vulnerable to global shocks, like we are seeing right now because of conflict in the Middle East.

"It will mean more security for farmers when they are planting their crop, and more certainty for commuters when they are filling up their car."

It comes as Australia looks to shore up more fuel shipments from its allies after supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran. 

Australia gets the majority of its refined fuel from Asian markets, which get their oil from the Middle East.

Albanese travelled to Malaysia and Singapore last month to secure more fuel and has now turned his sights on Japan.

While Australia gets some of its fuel supply from Japan, Japan receives about 40 per cent of its liquified natural gas from Australia. 

Australia and Japan also signed agreements on critical minerals, defence and an open Indo-Pacific region.

Both countries have instructed their relevant ministers to find ways to strengthen their partnership. 

"Our friendship has never been closer, and in these uncertain times, friendships matter more than ever," Albanese said.

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Sanae, through a translator, said the meeting with Albanese was "highly productive" and would affirm their countries' relationship for the next 50 years.

"The two countries have built a relationship as frontrunners in cooperation among like-minded countries by advancing pioneering security cooperation at a level that could be described as quasi allies," she said. 

Sanae admitted the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had created regional issues, but said the pair will work closely to strengthen their resilience.

"We affirmed that Japan and Australia will closely communicate with each other in responding with a sense of urgency," she said.

Japan is Australia's third-largest two-way trading partner and second-largest export market.

Under a $10 billion deal signed in April, Japan will deliver three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy in 2029.

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