Exclusive: In this nine.com.au series, we'll be talking to some of Australia's smartest and sharpest entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs to find out what makes them tick – and what advice they'd have for anyone starting out.

In 2010, Jane Lu left her corporate accounting job to start an online fashion brand; today Showpo does more than $100 million in sales a year.

She was drowning in debt from a failed business when she began the humble start-up from her garage.

Now it's a global e-commerce business and one of the most popular online fashion retailers in Australia.

These are her secrets to success.

How do you start the day to set yourself up for success?

I live by my calendar – if it's not in there, it's not happening.

It's the only way to stay on top of a busy day and make sure I'm spending time on what actually matters, not just what's loudest.

What are three daily habits you always stick to?

If I'm being honest, I don't have the best habits – I don't get nearly enough sleep, I hate reading books and my screen time is out of control.

But I've learned not to beat myself up over it.

What I do stick to is staying adaptable, doing what works for me, and remembering that productivity isn't about being busy – it's about being effective.

Lots of Aussies are looking for a career change — what small action can help them get ahead of other candidates?

Bring ideas, not just answers.

Anyone can tell you what they'd do in theory – stand out by showing you've thought about the specific company or role.

Ask sharp, curious questions that show you've done your homework and that you genuinely care about adding value.

Energy and curiosity go a long way.

What financial myth do you wish you never bought into?

That owning a home is the ultimate marker of success.

Business owners need to value the importance of liquidity.

Prioritising liquidity over owning a home early on gave me the freedom and flexibility to take risks and move quickly when opportunities came up.

What do you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self?

Don't be afraid to fail – your first business probably will. Mine did.

But that "failure" taught me more than any business degree ever could.

Every setback is just data – take the lesson, not the loss.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at Google Play.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has kept the door open for another round of electricity rebates, saying the government is yet to rule out what would be a second extension of its key cost-of-living relief policy.

The rebates were introduced in the 2024 federal budget, providing all households with $300 off their bills over the course of a year at a cost of $3.5 billion.

Chalmers then found an extra $1.8 billion to extend the measure in this year's budget for another two quarters – or $150 per household – taking the total spend to more than $5 billion.

READ MORE: Final nail in the coffin for rate cut hopes

But with the rebates due to expire at the end of the year, and inflation rising – driven in large part by electricity prices – the government has been facing questions about whether they will be extended once again.

Chalmers said today that that decision was yet to be made, and suggested that an announcement on the policy will be made as part of the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (MYEFO).

"The mid-year budget update will be towards the middle of December, as it has been on the last couple of occasions," the treasurer told reporters this afternoon.

"We'll take a decision about electricity rebates in the context of finalising that mid-year budget update."

EXPLAINED: The tax loophole leaving innocent Aussies with massive, secret debts

Chalmers warned, though, that regardless of the decision made over the next fortnight or so, the rebates will eventually come to an end.

"They are a really important way that we are helping Australians with the cost of living, taking some of the edge off these electricity price pressures that people are encountering," he said.

"They're a really important part of our budget, but they're not a permanent feature of our budget, and we've made that clear."

Chalmers' comments came after fresh data showed inflation has reached its highest level in more than a year, with rising electricity prices, caused in part by the end of state-level energy bill relief, a significant contributing factor.

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A Western Australian councillor who claimed he accidentally walked into a strip club on a work trip and subsequently filed an expenses claim associated with the visit has resigned.

City of Joondalup Councillor Nige Jones visited the Crazy Horse Revue in Adelaide in August and then submitted an expense claim for costs associated with the conference, including the strip club beer.

He claimed the short visit to the establishment, which has a bright neon sign and a logo of a woman at the front, was a "genuine mistake" and he simply wanted a late-night beer before an early flight the next morning.

READ MORE: NSW MP files court action challenging constitutionality of social media ban

After criticism from Western Australian Premier Roger Cook and others, Jones officially tendered his resignation from the City of Joondalup Council today.

Jones posted on social media announcing his decision: "It's time for me to stand down as I'm not a fit with the new council coupled with my mistake grabbing a beer in a unsavoury venue.

"I'm sorry if I let you down but hope I served you well the other 10 years."

Earlier today, Cook said the incident was "completely unacceptable" and called on Jones to resign.

"The idea that you can use ratepayer funds to buy entertainment such as strippers and booze is completely unacceptable," he said.

"That's not even meeting the pub test, that's going beyond that, that is fundamentally letting down the ratepayers of Joondalup in this situation, and that councillor should reconsider his position as a councillor on that local government authority."

Police Minister Reece Whitby has today dismissed his explanation, saying there were obvious signs the business was a strip club.

"I've seen the bright neon light of the dancing girl, that would tend to give it away. The poles would give it away, and the bikini lady would absolutely give it away," he told reporters.

"He's got his own ratepayers to answer to. I don't think he should have been in there in the first place, and to charge it to the ratepayers is extraordinary.

"My advice is when you're on official business, and your business is done, go to the hotel, go to sleep and stay there."

READ MORE: Vandals blamed for Optus outage that hit more than 14,500 customers

Jones claimed he left the establishment after 20 minutes when he noticed a "skimpily dressed" woman, and he realised he was at a strip club.

"It's definitely not where a councillor should be," Jones told Perth's 6PR radio yesterday.

"I accept that, and I apologise to the ratepayers for that, but like I said, I didn't actually receive the reimbursement – the council picked up on it straight away."

Jones was censured by the council this month after the discovery and ordered to undertake an "education course on ethical decision making" and provide a "written reflection on his actions".

"His claim for reimbursement of an alcoholic beverage at the Crazy Horse Revue and attendance at this establishment while on city-funded travel does not meet the standards of conduct expected of a council member," the council noted.

The reflection was sent in on November 19, and Jones said he booked himself in for the course at the earliest date in March.

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A magistrate has dismissed a rape charge against a man accused of murdering two women almost half a century ago as there was insufficient evidence.

Perry Kouroumblis was today committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court on two counts of murder over the January 1977 Easey Street killing.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet found there was evidence of a sufficient weight to commit him to stand trial before a jury on the two most serious charges.

READ MORE: Severe thunderstorms across NSW cause public transport delays

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Kouroumblis pleaded "not guilty" to the two charges, as he sat in the court dock flanked by custody officers.

The 66-year-old is accused of stabbing Suzanne Armstrong, 28, and Susan Bartlett, 27, and prosecutors further alleged he had raped Armstrong before the murders. 

The two housemates were found dead inside their home on Easey Street in Melbourne's inner suburb of Collingwood on January 13, 1977, by their neighbours.

Armstrong's screaming toddler could be heard by the two women living next door.

Kouroumblis was aged 17 at the time and police also claimed he had "carnal knowledge with Suzanne Armstrong without her consent".

That charge, from the 1970s, would now be known as rape.

READ MORE: Two young women facing life in prison over $33 million find in their suitcases

However, Sonnet found there was insufficient evidence to support a conviction on that charge as a homicide detective had told the committal hearing Armstrong appeared to have been raped after she was killed.

Former detective Adrian Donehue, one of the first on the scene in 1977, said in October "she was in a classic pose you would expect to see for post-mortem rape, in my view".

Prosecutors today argued to keep the pre-death rape charge in for a jury to decide, but the defence said the charge could not be proven on the evidence.

Sonnet agreed and struck out the rape charge.

Kouroumblis will remain in custody and returns to the Supreme Court on December 17 for a directions hearing.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Exclusive: Specialist police have launched a new search for any trace of missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy.

New intelligence has led detectives to Enfield State Park, about 30 kilometres south of Ballarat.

The mother of three disappeared after leaving her Ballarat home about 7am on the morning of February 4, 2024, to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest.

READ MORE: How the investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy unfolded

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 23, was charged with the 51-year-old's murder on March 7, 2024.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Police have searched bushland in Enfield State Park multiple times since her disappearance.

The park, which is littered with disused mineshafts, is about five kilometres away from where the 51-year-old's mobile phone was discovered in a dam in May.

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The Victorian government has scrambled to fix an oversight that would make Melbourne home to the country's first pedestrian tollway when the Metro Tunnel opens this weekend.

The more-than-$13 billion project, which included the construction of 9km twin tunnels under Melbourne's CBD and five new underground stations, is set to open this Sunday.

But an underpass connecting two CBD stations was thrown into the spotlight today when it was revealed pedestrians using the walkway to access shops at Melbourne Central would need to pay more than $5.

READ MORE: Two young women facing life in prison over $33 million find in their suitcases

Situated just metres apart, the State Library and Melbourne Central stations share an underground concourse on La Trobe Street.

But pedestrians who want to avoid foot traffic or bad weather by using the underpass were told they would be charged a full fare when they tap on at the State Library and exit less than 50 metres away at Melbourne Central.

"It's a ticketed train station area… I don't think it's that confusing," Public Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said.

Premier Jacinta Allan told media today that Myki's change-of-mind policy, which doesn't charge commuters who tap on and off at the same station within 15 minutes, would apply.

https://x.com/metrotunnelvic/status/1993179448758485169?s=46&t=cEzraAkIJjokwmcV4Qu_MQ

But that message was at odds with a post on Metro Tunnel's social media.

"Touching on your myki at State Library Station and touching off at Melbourne Central Station will be counted as a trip and your myki will be charged," Metro Tunnel said on X last night.

READ MORE: Severe thunderstorms across NSW cause public transport delays

The state government backflipped on its stance late today, confirming it intends to leave a gate open at the stations to allow pedestrians to travel through the underpass for free.

"As a result of building five brand new stations, two of which connect to existing stations, we want to make them fully accessible because we want Victorians to make the most of them," a government spokesperson said.

"We will have one gate open at both Town Hall and State Library stations to provide a free thoroughfare and Metro Trains staff will be out in force to help passengers.

"These underpasses will be open to everyone with no Myki required."

Town Hall Station is located on the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane, near Flinders Street Station.

READ MORE: NZ mum handed life in prison for murdering her children

The Metro Tunnel has been in the pipeline for 10 years making Sunday's grand opening long-awaited.

But it will be nearly another year before all the station entries are open.

The Flinders Street Station entrance at Young and Jacksons will open early next year, while the entry at Federation Square is still another year off.

To celebrate the opening, the state government is offering free public transport on weekends from November 30 to February 1.

From November 30, 240 extra train services will run through the tunnel as the service integrates into the network.

The Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines will run exclusively through the new tunnels from February.

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A man has died after being pulled from the water this evening.

Ahead of the impending under-16 social media ban, nine.com.au has spoken with a number of young content creators to find out what they think about the upcoming changes.

Some describe it as a "double-edged sword". Others believe that removing under-16s from their audience will have long-lasting effects on their engagement, audience reach and, subsequently, their livelihoods.

Mackenzie McIntyre is a creator from Queensland who creates relatable-style observational content, amassing a huge audience in the process.

McIntyre has garnered over 27 million YouTube views and has over 400,000 TikTok followers. Those numbers could soon take a huge hit once the restrictions come into effect on December 10.

"I've had a lot of friends, especially who make content for high school, people in high school, pretty concerned recently because it's obviously going to have a huge impact on their engagement." Mackenzie McIntyre said.

What's your take on the upcoming ban? Let us know at jo************@******om.au.

"The freedom to create as a young person is being really stripped away," McIntyre said.

"Not just like someone who's already creating for viewers, but for people who want to create."

"When I was 15 years old, all I wanted to be was a content creator, so I think that plays a big role in it too."

Creators like Western Australia's Empire Family announced to their 1.8 million followers in October that they moved to the UK to avoid the upcoming social media ban. 

"I've got a lot of friends who have already, in preparation for the ban or just the regulations that are coming in, have moved to America or moved to Bali, or Indonesia keep that younger audience," said Josiah Young.

Josiah is a creator who has been posting relatable content skits since he was 18 and believes that creators will have to adapt to the changes.

"I will definitely have to start tailoring some of my content."

"I've even started thinking about maybe pushing up that age to kind of end of high school, early university days sort of relatability."

"It might end up being a double-edged sword where kids just end up in these really unsafe places because they are just scrambling to find somewhere that they can continue consuming the content that they've grown up with."

"I think it's almost like it hasn't really sunk in for a lot of creators that there will need to be some sort of change."

Dane Clarke is the creator of Clarkey's Rugby League Column

Clarke's daily rugby league content posted to his Instagram account has fostered an audience of nearly 150,000 followers, including a mix of people who are set to have their accounts wiped on December 10.

"It will certainly affect my engagement numbers, as the younger generation is a highly engaged portion of my followers," Clarke said.

"Whenever I meet someone under the age of 18 or looking like they're in high school, they usually tell me that they love my page and get all their news from it daily.

"I suspect plenty of them will just find an alternate method to access social media. Kids are resourceful, and I am sure they are going to find hundreds of ways to loophole this ban."

The government has placed the responsibility of enforcing the laws into the hands of the social media platforms included in the ban.

This includes removing and deactivating any accounts used by anyone under the age of 16, as well as preventing the creation of any additional accounts and preventing workarounds that may allow children to bypass the restrictions.

The platforms set to be age-restricted include: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick, Twitch and Reddit.

However, there are no penalties for under-16s who access age-restricted platforms, with the government stating that the purpose is to protect young Australians rather than punishing and isolating them.

Other creators have echoed this sentiment, believing that under-16s will find their way around the new legislation.

"I really don't think a lot of them will settle for just not being able to do it," McIntrye said.

"These young people are going to have to find alternative ways to watch this content, whether by using their parents' account, then that messes up all the demographics. statistics and everything."

"That can also create a dangerous environment because then they may be shown more adult content because the age range is a lot higher."

Social media influencer agencies have been preparing for months in the lead-up to the new laws.

"Under-16s often drive trends and virality, though their direct purchasing power is limited," said Head of Brand and Partnerships at Sticki and DataSauce, Rachael Webb.

"Over the last few months, our focus has been on education, helping brands understand that this legislation represents a delay in when young audiences can legally participate, rather than the disappearance of youth influence online."

"The key challenge for creators is understanding how this will affect their analytics. With Influencer marketing now highly data-driven, engagement metrics may fluctuate as under-16 accounts are removed or restricted."

Webb is urging creators to be proactive and use the new laws as a way to test new approaches and formats to see what works as the social media landscape continues to evolve rapidly.

"Test new angles of content, explore what resonates with your other audience segments, and experiment with new creative styles."

"It's rare for a creator's audience to be made up entirely of under-16s, but many will see shifts in their community makeup."

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A man has died after being struck by a tree on the NSW Central Coast as wild weather continues to bring dangerous conditions across the state.

The 76-year-old man was hit by the falling tree at a home on Glenworth Valley Road on the Central Coast, and was unable to be revived by emergency workers who were called to the scene about 1:30pm.

The tragedy occurred as severe thunderstorms swept through Sydney and its surrounds, hitting Richmond, Camden, Campbelltown and Penrith in the early afternoon, as well as the Hunter, with warnings stretching as far as Tamworth, Bourke, Scone, Walgett and Coonabarabran.

READ MORE: Dozens of schools closed as state swelters through 'catastrophic' fire risk

At about 1pm, emergency crews also responded to a large gumtree falling onto a house on Kurrajong Road at North St Marys, where a woman and her baby were inside.

There were no injuries, and they were taken to Nepean Hospital for mandatory testing.

"She was just very shaken up, she was just thankful that we were there to put her in the car," a witness told 9News.

A 35-year-old man had to be cut free after being trapped under a branch while camping in Orange. 

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The SES has so far received more than 620 calls for help, more than 200 of which have come from Blacktown. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has said the severe thunderstorms in Sydney have temporarily eased, but that they could redevelop later today.

The BoM has warned that severe thunderstorms were likely to produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the state's north, between Taree, Kempsey and Mungindi, over the next several hours.

READ MORE: Ex-detective suggests reason for new search for missing Gus Lamont

Light rail services between Carlingford and Rosehill are not running due to fallen overhead wires near Carlingford. 

Passengers are being advised to make alternative travel arrangements.

Trains are not running between Parramatta and Richmond, or between Parramatta and St Mary's on the T1 North Shore and Western Line, T5 Cumberland Line and Blue Mountains Line, due to severe weather conditions causing power supply issues.

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Replacement buses have begun running between Blacktown and Richmond.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has advised people impacted by storms to stay indoors and move cars under cover and away from trees.

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Chloe Nicholson failed to wake up from her nap nine years ago.