those cash salesmight befakes

that green future your super is betting on might just be buying more pollution instead.

the safeguard mechanism meant to cut industrial emissions is reportedly failing as companies use unlimited offsets to keep polluting.

a new report from the australia institute claims our biggest climate policy is actually protecting the fossil fuel industry. the safeguard mechanism targets 219 major sites like mines and gas plants that produce about 31% of our emissions. instead of cleaning up their act, these companies are allowed to buy carbon credits to offset their pollution, which often works out cheaper than actually fixing the problem.

for you, this means the 'sustainable' investments in your super or portfolio might be tied to companies that are only going green on paper. while the net numbers look okay in a report, the actual physical greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere from these facilities are still rising. keep an eye on whether the government tightens these rules or keeps letting big polluters pay their way out of change.

even if you buy on clearance, you still have the legal right to a refund.

the ACCC fined a melbourne retailer $79,200 for using fake original prices and lying to customers about their refund rights.

a melbourne-based online retailer behind stores like milky-day and daily-bargains just got hit with a $79,200 penalty. the accc found they were using fake strikethrough pricing to make deals look better than they actually were, often listing 'original' prices that hadn't been used in a long time.

the watchdog also called them out for telling shoppers they couldn't get refunds on clearance items or when using store credit. it is a blunt reminder that australian consumer law applies everywhere, and companies cannot just opt out of giving you a refund for faulty gear because it was on sale.