Robert P said he was close to death during the more than five years spent in an Iraqi prison, in his first comments since leaving Iraq. P stated that he was innocent and recalled the difficult period, stating: "We were innocent when we were taken on 7 April 2021, and remain innocent today."
P and his Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were arrested in Baghdad in 2021 after travelling to a meeting with banking officials to resolve a dispute with their engineering firm, CME Consulting. P described the dramatic circumstances of his release: "I was released from prison a few hours before death. My body was fading after months of critical illness and unbearable pain, but I remained in Iraq."
Reflecting on the return home, P expressed deep gratitude to the person who supported him. "He is an incredible person, someone I respect so much, and being able to come home was incredible. The emotion it carries is, you can't describe it. I mean, years have passed," he said.
In a separate development in Australia, companies have been prohibited from including transaction fees as part of reforms led by the Reserve Bank aimed at improving transparency for consumers and, ultimately, reducing bank fees. The RBA estimated that trade would include bank fees in the final sales price, which would likely lead to an increase in inflation of 0.1 percentage points.
UBS economists in a note to clients said that estimate was too low and that there was evidence that companies, such as cafes, were using the ban on fees as a cover for passing on larger price increases. "The estimate made by the RBA seems to be the lower limit, especially given recent increases in fuel and other input costs," they said, estimating an increase in inflation of 0.2 per cent.
According to a survey of more than 1,500 cafes by Small Flat White, an online platform for tracking coffee prices, 17 per cent of cafes have increased prices since the ban on fees, with an average increase of 50 cents, or more than 10 per cent. This is several times higher than the typical 1.5 per cent fee for card transactions.
UBS economists added: "Resilient demand and still elevated inflation expectations may allow traders to use the change as a 'cover' for passing on wider cost pressures (wages, fuel and other inputs)." They also noted: "After years of inflation above target, consumers may be more accepting of price increases" and "Evidence of 'rounding' prices on items such as coffee suggests that the pass-through may exceed the fee itself."
In a political context, Jonathon Dunian, the outgoing shadow minister for home affairs, was interviewed on Sky News about his role in the parliamentary committee examining AI policy. The office of Anthony Albanese approved the language in the committee's bipartisan letter before it was sent to the prime minister, which member of parliament David Pocock called concerning. Pocock stated that he was concerned about the intervention of Albanese's team in the letter, which expressed concern about copyright, AI protection, sovereign capabilities and AI literacy.
Dunian, who was the deputy chair of the committee, sent the letter to the Labor MP and chair of the inquiry, Jo Brysk, the previous night, on behalf of the Labor, coalition and independent MPs. Dunian had previously said that there was no "guidance, nor interference" in the work of the committee and that he would be "the first person to criticise the government if the prime minister did not show interest in the work of the committee."
Dunian rejected the claims made by Pocock during the interview on Sky, saying: "Well, I would like to know what is not in the letter, but should be included, and what is missing. I have seen comments that the letter was thoroughly checked, I am not sure what was deleted." He added: "I think it is good that the key players are actively interested in what we are doing... This does not remove the independence of the committee."
Dunian stated: "The committee is not doing what Anthony Albanese or Angus Taylor says, the committee is doing what it thinks is the right way to go." He also said: "And to be clear, parliament will be the master of its own fate when it comes to things like copyright legislation."
Jonathon Dunian, the shadow minister for home affairs, was due to deliver his farewell speech this week and leave parliament at the end of October. Dunian had announced in June that he would resign, but had promised to stay until the end of the year. It is expected that he will remain for the last parliamentary week in October, which will include estimates of the Senate. Dunian was first elected as a liberal senator representing Tasmania in 2016. This means that the leader of the Liberal Party, Angus Taylor, will have one more seat in the front bench to fill – which could lead to a minor reshuffle in the shadow cabinet.
