Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
Energy Australia has acknowledged that carbon offsets do not prevent or undo damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions and apologised to its customers for allegedly misleading marketing.
More than 400,000 Australians had signed up to Energy Australia’s “go neutral” carbon offset program that since 2016 had promised to offset emissions released due to their electricity and gas consumption.
The advocacy group Parents for Climate launched legal action in the federal court in 2023 alleging the company had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by claiming it was reducing emissions on behalf of its customers, including by buying international carbon offsets.
The case, which was the first time a large Australian energy company had faced legal action for alleged greenwashing, was set to begin last week but the parties agreed to a settlement instead.
Top newsIn picturesNeil Bidu, a Martu man, talked about his frustration with the native title system and how the network of Aboriginal corporations and charitable trusts in the Pilbara function. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian
Guardian Australia’s assistant picture editor, Ellen Smith, journeyed to the Pilbara to provide the visuals for our podcast series on Gina Rinehart, Gina: power, privilege and influence. See her selection of shots from the Pilbara, also known as the land of “Aunty Gina”.
What they said … Photograph: The Guardian
“Many writers hooked on semicolons become an embarrassment to their families and friends.”
That’s the thinking of Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The punctuation, first deployed in 1494, seems to be in terminal decline, with its usage in English books plummeting by almost half in two decades – from one appearing in every 205 words in 2000 to one used in every 390 words today.
skip past newsletter promotion
Sign up to Afternoon Update
Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
In numbers Illustration: Guardian Design
Transparency and integrity experts have voiced alarm over the increasing rate at which freedom of information requests are being rejected. On Sunday, Guardian Australia revealed FoI refusals are at record rates, with 27% of FoI requests rejected outright in the December 2024 quarter. That’s a high not seen since at least 2014-15, data shows.
Before bed readMichelle Burton, 59, a former therapeutic coordinator at Jamie’s Farm, Monmouth. Photograph: Francesca Jones/The Guardian
Fed up with being inside all day? Missing fresh air and nature? Five people who ditched their desks for the great outdoors revealed the truth about their new lives, with one saying “it was like I woke up”.
Daily word game Photograph: The Guardian
Today’s starter word is: CANT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.