Category Archives: headline

Bunnings, Officeworks Flybuys program kicks off

Bunnings and Officeworks have started their in-store Flybuys programs today, offering one point for every $1 spent in-store.

From today, Flybuys points will be able to be collected by members across Wesfarmers and Coles Group retail businesses which also include Kmart, Target, Liquorland and online retailer Catch.

Flybuys is one of the largest loyalty programs in Australia, boasting more than 8 million members.

READ MORE: The once unthinkable mandate that might become the norm

When partnered with a retailer, shoppers earn "points" for every dollar amount spent in-store or online, which can later be redeemed for rewards such as holidays, money off a transaction or specific items.

Flybuys is a free program that encourages customers to shop at specific retailers.

There are no fees to join or to hold a membership.

It is co-owned by Coles itself and retail conglomerate Wesfarmers, the parent company of Bunnings and Officeworks.

READ MORE: Flood record smashed as Queenslanders flee rising waters

Coles and Wesfarmers have hired digital veteran John Markovsky as the new head of their loyalty program Flybuys.

Coles is no longer a subsidiary of Wesfarmers following a demerger in 2018.

Wesfarmers owns just under 5 per cent of the Coles Group.

Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider said customers will also be able to redeem their points for in-store gift cards.

"A trip to Bunnings is set to get even more rewarding with the launch of Flybuys at more than 300 of our stores across Australia," Mr Schneider said.

"From tackling a weekend DIY project to a garden makeover, our customers can collect points on tens of thousands of products available across our store network, all at everyday low prices.

"We're so pleased that the partnership also means Flybuys members can now redeem their points for Bunnings gift cards.

"This will get members one step closer to completing a dream renovation, creating a backyard oasis or setting up a new play area for the kids."

READ MORE: Horrific testimony heard in Ghislaine Maxwell trial

Flybuys CEO John Merakovsky said the partnership with Bunnings and Officeworks was an easy decision as loyalty club members likely already shop at both retailers.

"We're proud to welcome Bunnings and Officeworks into our coalition of partners," Mr Merakovsky said.

"We know that a vast majority of Flybuys members already shop at both retailers, which is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our eight million-plus members to collect more points where they're already shopping."

READ MORE: Australia Post Christmas delivery deadlines and cut-off dates

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Police prepare to evacuate second Queensland town amid flood crisis

Police are preparing to evacuate a second Queensland town as floodwaters continue to rise.

Residents in Yalarbon, in the Goondiwindi region, will need to leave their homes for safety.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have issued an Emergency alert warning for the town, and Goondiwindi Regional Council has advised door-knocking will commence to check on residents.

Evacuees will be helped to reach the Goondiwindi Evacuation Centre at the town's Showgrounds.

LIVE UPDATES: Omicron variant 'our first real test of living with COVID-19'

Meanwhile, residents have been allowed to return to the inundated Darling Downs township of Inglewood in Queensland after an overnight evacuation.

The main street of Inglewood, tucked in a bend of a rising Canning Creek in the Darling Downs, was underwater this morning with police going door-to-door to ensure people left their homes safely.

The Macintyre Brook burst its banks, hitting 11.15 metres this morning and shattering a previous 1988 water level record of 10.5m.

It has now settled to 10.9m, and is expected to stay at a similar level through the day.

The town's 950 residents were gathered at the local evacuation point by the cemetery, but have since been allowed back into the township, though roads are still underwater.

Some residents are still unable to get to their homes, with parts of the town inaccessible.

"It's supposed to reach the levels of 1976," resident Troy Callaghan said.

https://twitter.com/GracieRichter/status/1465854187539820550

"Here, we're just trying to save what we can."

Some areas have received more than 100mm rain in just 24 hours.

Areas like Chinchilla, in the state's Western Downs region, Yalangur near Toowoomba and Bundaberg in central Queensland have also been hit with extensive flash flooding due to heavy rains.

https://twitter.com/heinkealex/status/1465809776848224257

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services tweeted that the SES had received 320 calls for help in the past 24 hours.

QFES Commissioner Greg Leach said crews were working hard to evacuate and advise residents.

"It's been a very busy start to our severe weather season in Queensland," he said.

"There's a number of river catchments we're watching closely, and as the water moves down we'll work with local groups to get messages out.

"This is only the start of our severe weather system. We've got a long way to go yet so we'll probably face this over the next few months."

READ MORE: World slams doors shut as fear grows of Omicron variant

Queensland floods

The weather system has moved off-shore, but heavy rain is still expected.

Waters won't peak around Goondiwindi until Friday.

On the Gold Coast, residents in a number of suburbs are watching major flood warnings.

More rain is expected today, with heavy falls until lunchtime along the Queensland coast north to Townsville.

More than 200 roads have been closed across the state.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner Stephen Smith has said flood risks are rising after heavy falls of rain.

https://twitter.com/QldFES/status/1465827155024105476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Some parts of the state received up to 180mm of rain on already wet ground.

"There's a risk across the vast majority of the state today," Mr Smith told Today.

Currently, Inglewood and the Goondiwindi region are the most affected, he said.

He urged people to stay up to date on warnings and to be very careful if they had to be out on the roads.

"Unfortunately, we continue to see people getting themselves into situations driving through swift water and floodwater," he said.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1465851109319352320Queensland floods

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jackson Browne said the widespread rain in south-east Queensland and northern NSW would start to "break down" today.

"We had a band of thunderstorms that was following this band of rain, so that will be the main weather feature today," he said.

"So severe thunderstorms for those areas, unfortunately, that did see the rainfall."

However, he said, the thunderstorms were smaller in size than the rain band, meaning less rainfall would enter the catchments.

Record rain devastates farmers' 'harvest of a lifetime'

Record-breaking November rain has challenged some farmers who were looking forward to "the harvest of a lifetime".

Despite near-ideal conditions during the growing season, rainfall and a shortage of workers in regional Australia have affected the harvest period for some farmers.

This is particularly the case for some grain growers in New South Wales and parts of South Australia.

READ MORE: Flood record smashed as Queenslanders flee rising waters

National Farmers' Federation Chief Executive Officer Tony Mahar told Sydney radio station 2GB the situation is "really disappointing", as La Niña brings wetter than average conditions for much of the east coast of Australia.

"They were just looking forward to what, for some, was going to be the harvest of a lifetime," Mr Mahar told 2GB's Michael McLaren.

"The crops were just looking so good and they were just really looking really forward to this harvest period."

However, there are some positives.

Mr Mahar said some farmers managed to harvest their crops early and others have postponed their plans.

He also said he suspected there will be fewer mice problems in some areas.

READ MORE: The once unthinkable mandate that might become the norm

"We thought that if it was a dry late spring and summer that the mice might come back, but hopefully the rain has put an end to that," he said.

Nationally, this November is "likely" to be the wettest since 2011, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

Meteorologists also expected last month to be among the 10 wettest Novembers on record for NSW and South Australia.

Numerous flood warnings were issued for rivers in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and in Northern Territory's south.

Large areas of mainland Australia experienced "more than their average November rainfall".

The BoM said last week that spring rainfall has been "above to very much above average" for large areas of the eastern states, from western Queensland into the Alice Springs District in the NT, and for parts of southern SA.

"Overall, it is likely to be the wettest spring since 2016," the BoM said.

Mr Mahar said it was "bittersweet" that the once "bone dry" dams and rivers were now overflowing.

"Farmers ebb and flow with the seasons, of course, but this rain, for a large number of farmers, has come at the wrong time," he said