THE NEWS WRAP: Bully hotline mooted by parliamentary inquiry

The Federal Government has been urged by a parliamentary inquiry to tackle workplace bullying by setting up a national service to provide practical advice on the issue.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment recommended a service where employers and employees could call a hotline to discuss workplace bullying.

The inquiry also put forward the idea of online training packages for employers, to help them deal with the issue.

Clean tech sector still has room to shine: Climate Commission

Australia installed more solar panels than any other country last year, but the clean energy sector still has a long way to go to fulfil its potential, according to the chief commissioner of Climate Commission.

Professor Tim Flannery said that Australia is well placed to become a renewable energy leader, with solar and wind energy set to become cheaper than coal by 2030.

However, Australia only derives 10% of its power from renewable sources, less than many other leading industrial countries, such as Germany.

Crackdown launched on counterfeit sites

US and European authorities have teamed up to seize 132 websites selling counterfeit goods, in an operation that coincided with ‘Cyber Monday.’

The crackdown targeted sites selling a range of knock-off goods, from brands including Armani, Guess, Burberry, Chanel and Gucci.

The move took place during Cyber Monday, the American online sales event that inspired Australia’s Click Frenzy.

Overnight

The Dow Jones was down 0.33% to 12,967.37. The Australian dollar was steady at US104.58 cents.