Good morning and goodbye to the week that was.

1. Labor has unveiled its own policy vision for Australia. Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese pledged cheaper childcare and a $20 billion jobs plan that would see Australians overhaul the energy grid under an NBN-like program, in his response to the government’s federal budget.

2. Speaking of the Budget, the biggest winners might be some of the country’s biggest companies. Woolworths, Coles and McDonald’s will reap the rewards with the government’s new wage subsidy reducing their wage liabilities for teenage workers by two-thirds. While they’re lovin’ it, however, the subsidies will incentivise businesses to hire multiple casuals instead of full-time workers.

3. High crime rates can’t keep Australian home buyers away. New analysis shows that over the last 10 years, ‘unsafe’ suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne have actually outperformed the rest of the market. Rather than seek crime out, however, it appears Australians are desperate enough to buy that it simply doesn’t phase them. Until, I imagine, they move in.

4. One comparison site found hundreds of thousands of customers worse deals on their energy bill. iSelect has been whacked by an $8.5 million fine for misleading customers on plans between 2016 and 2018, with the ACCC claiming 38% would have done better by simply shopping around themselves. Buyer beware.

5. New South Wales fitness junkies are lobbying the state government to relax restrictions on gyms. An online petition has amassed more than 8,000 signatures in a few days, urging the government drop the need for a COVID marshall to always be present, claiming it is “not going to make a difference”.

6. There are a few bright spots appearing for Australian job hunters as Australia’s economy rebounds. While unemployment is set to hit 8% by the year’s end, these are the 20 professions that are in growing demand right now.

7. Vaping is headed for a government inquiry as Australia tries to figure out its complicated legal status. While the jury is still out on whether its a gateway to smoking or a useful way to quit, retailers are demanding they be able to sell “smoke-free nicotine”.

8. Elon Musk’s Tesla has driven past Mars. Two years since launching a Roadster into space, the car and its dummy driver made their first flyby of the Red Planet. It’s expected the two will travel for millions of years before crashing, most likely back into Earth. Can’t fault the mileage.

9. Square, founded by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has made a big bet on crypto. The payment company bought $US50 million worth of Bitcoin, saying it sees the cryptocurrency becoming “a more ubiquitous currency”.

10. A French Open blowout is being investigated for match-fixing. As the competition now progresses through the finals, authorities are investigating earlier rounds where it suspects gang activity spanning multiple countries. The ball is now in their court.

BONUS ITEM

Australian world championship surfer Matt Wilkinson has come within inches of a 2.5-metre-long shark while paddling in at Sharpes Beach, just north of Sydney. Drone footage captured just how close he came to being attacked.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.