Chrysler parent Stellantis says it is recalling 1.46 million vehicles worldwide due to a software malfunction in the anti-lock brake system that can increase the risk of a crash.
The recall includes nearly 1.23 million Ram 1500 trucks from the 2019 and 2021-2024 model years in the United States, as well as about 159,000 vehicles in Canada, 13,000 in Mexico and 61,000 outside North America.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a software malfunction may result in the anti-lock brake system control module disabling the electronic stability control system.
The issue means the vehicles do not comply with a US federal motor vehicle safety standard on electric stability control systems.
Stellantis said if the issue occurs, the ABS, ESC, Adaptive Cruise Control and Forward Collision Warning indicator lights will be illuminated at vehicle start up, indicating the systems are not working.
Foundational braking would be working, it added.
The company said it is unaware of any related injuries or crashes.
Stellantis also said on Saturday it is recalling about 33,000 Jeep Gladiator models from 2020-2024 and Jeep Wrangler vehicles from 2018-2024 due to a potential internal short circuit issue in the instrument panel cluster.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
The harrowing stories told by veterans and their families will stay with the chair of a royal commission for the rest of his life.
After almost 6000 submissions and hundreds of testimonies, the final report by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide will be handed down on Monday.
Julie-Ann Finney lost her 38-year-old son David Finney, after the navy veteran died by suicide in 2019.
She led a campaign of grieving mothers who successfully petitioned the former Morrison federal government for the inquiry.
Speaking ahead of the report’s release, chair Nick Kaldas said it was difficult to judge whether defence leadership had turned a corner in confronting problems within the organisation three years on.
“My fear is that the royal commission will come and go, and there may be people who feel that they can continue doing what they want to do, which is wrong,” he told AAP.
“Therefore it’s up to the Australian Defence Force, and in particular the leadership, to actually commit to changing the culture.”
Praising the “exceptional” bravery and courage of everyone who came forward, Mr Kaldas said the evidence heard had affected him and fellow commissioners James Douglas KC and Dr Peggy Brown.
“It has touched all of us and will remain with us, probably for life,” he said.
Amongst the hundreds of witnesses to give evidence, was defence force chief Admiral David Johnston who told one of the hearings he wasn’t able to achieve all the reforms to the military justice system he wanted, and rejected accusations it had been weaponised.
Mr Kaldas said the issue of sexual abuse and other forms of misconduct within the defence force hadn’t received the attention it deserved.
But the chair was “heartened” by Admiral Johnston’s “blunt” statements and looked to his leadership to fix the problems aired during the inquiry.
“One of the main lessons is that the vast majority of those who have suicided … have never been to war,” Mr Kaldas said.
Families brought pictures of their loved ones to an August ceremony to formally close the inquiry. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
“It’s what’s happening in the barracks, it’s how they’re being treated by their chain of command and their workplace. It’s unacceptable behaviour going unchecked.”
He said the deteriorating geopolitical environment meant the nation had to ensure its military remained an attractive employer of choice to potential recruits.
A key recommendation in the report will call for a body to be set up after the royal commission to monitor the situation and report publicly.
“If any government rejects our recommendation to establish that entity, which is essentially to recreate the interim national commissioner for suicides, we’re actually going to leave the constituency in a worse place than when we found them,” the chair said.
As the inquiry wraps up, Mr Kaldas wants the royal commission to become a “line in the sand” and save countless further people from trauma.
“I hope and pray that the government of the day and the bureaucrats actually embrace the problems and deal with it once and for all,” he said.
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This post was originally published on Michael West.
Israel is on track to wipe out nearly the entire population of Gaza if global powers don’t intervene to stop its genocide, a UN expert has warned, based on estimates of the true death toll in Gaza from the first 11 months of the slaughter. “Reading the health experts, I am starting to think with horror that if it’s not stopped, Israel’s assault could end up exterminating almost the entire…
In response to a question on child care on Thursday, former President Donald Trump gave a roundabout, incoherent answer, providing no specific insights into how he would lessen the burden for parents should he win the presidential election this year. Trump’s response delved into a number of unrelated issues, including placing tariffs on other countries, deficit spending…
A federal judge agreed to postpone Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case until after the November election.
The 14-year-old suspect in a shooting that killed four people at a Georgia high school and his father will both remain in custody after back-to-back court hearings.
Concerns over the rising cost of living and a slowing economy will be front and centre when federal politicians return to Parliament House for the upcoming sitting fortnight.
Figures have shown weak growth for the economy and the government will hope measures on the agenda for new parents and university students will ease hip-pocket concerns.
But the coalition is expected to intensify its pressure on the government in parliament from Monday over visa and migration issues, as well as monetary woes following forecasts from the Reserve Bank a cut in interest rates would not be imminent.
Debate is expected to continue in the lower house on measures to pay superannuation on top of government paid-parental leave for new mums and dads.
Queensland MP Gerard Rennick will move to the crossbench when the Senate returns. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)
Extra relief for university pupils will be on the cards in the House of Representatives, with talks to continue on laws to lower the amount of interest paid on student debt, as well as payments for those doing practical training as part of their course.
The mental health of defence personnel will be in the spotlight, with the government to receive a royal commission’s final report into veteran suicide.
The report will be handed down after more than three years of evidence.
A fight on housing is set to emerge in the Senate, with the future of the government’s build-to-rent scheme facing an uncertain future.
The scheme would allow for investors to receive tax breaks for the construction of new homes if they are used only for renters.
The coalition has opposed the plan because of concerns it would create a dependence on renting, while the Greens have criticised the proposal for not doing enough to solve housing shortages.
The government would need the support of either the coalition or the Greens to get its build to rent policy through the Senate, with housing to be one of the biggest issues at the federal election in 2025.
The Senate crossbench will also grow by an extra person on Monday.
Gerard Rennick will move to the crossbench as an independent after quitting the coalition after being kicked off the party’s federal election ticket.
The Queensland senator, who became known for his stance against vaccine mandates during the COVID pandemic, plans to register a new political party for the next federal election.
Voters will have to head to the polls by May 2025.
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This post was originally published on Michael West.
Fewer Australians are working multiple jobs but the number of employees juggling different positions to make ends meet still remains high.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the number of people working more than one job fell by 1.2 per cent in the June quarter.
The figures showed 961,000 people working in different jobs.
However, the number of secondary jobs remains 25 per cent higher compared to the September quarter in 2021.
The bureau’s head of labour statistics Kate Lamb said the fall in people working more than one job followed a decrease in other jobs figures.
“The drop in the number of people working multiple jobs coincided with a 2.9 per cent decline in secondary jobs in the labour market in the June quarter,” she said.
“This was the largest fall in secondary jobs since September quarter 2021, when public health measures were introduced in response to the COVID-19 Delta variant.”
While there was a drop in secondary jobs, the number of primary jobs rose by 0.6 per cent in the last quarter.
The bureau figures also showed the rate of people working multiple jobs fell to 6.5 per cent, down from the record high of 6.7 per cent in the first three months of the year.
“This is the lowest multiple job-holding rate we’ve seen since the September quarter 2022,” Ms Lamb said.
“However, 6.5 per cent remains high compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the rate of multiple job-holding was usually between five and six per cent.”
The data came following figures released on Wednesday that showed the national economy grew by just 0.2 per cent in the three months to June.
Outside of the pandemic, the annual growth rate was the lowest since 1991/92, when Australia was in a recession.
This post was originally published on Michael West.
If Republicans were to win the White House and Congress, their fiscal agenda would increase poverty and hardship nationwide in order to provide deep tax breaks for corporations and wealthy families, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a liberal-leaning think tank. In a new report, the group analyzes the House GOP’s legislative wish list alongside Project 2025…
