Afternoon Update: Coles cuts cash withdrawals; Esther House survivors share stories; and can millennials unscrew themselves?

Security and transit service Armaguard has sounded the alarm on its sustainability as cash usage continues to drop. Photograph: Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images

Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update. Coles has announced a reduction in their cash withdrawal limit, prompted by concerns around the future of Armaguard, Australia’s primary physical money transit company.

Previously, Coles customers were able to make cash withdrawals of $400. But with with mounting uncertainty around Armaguard’s ability to continue transporting physical currency, this limit has been reduced to $200.

In Australia, cash usage has dropped to just 13% of transactions, prompting the Linfox-owned company to sound the alarm on the sustainability of their business model. A funding package backed by the major banks and retailers has been put in front of Armaguard to keep it afloat.

Top news

$1bn package for Australian-made solar panels announced | The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said: “We have every metal and critical mineral necessary to be a central player in the net zero transformation, and a proven track record as a reliable energy producer and exporter.”

Three defamation cases against John Pesutto to be heard in single trial | A federal court judge has ruled three separate defamation cases against the Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto – the cases of Moira Deeming, Kellie-Jay Keen and Angie Jones – are to be held concurrently, with a trial to begin on 16 September.

A-League facing TV blackout | The A-Leagues are hoping to recover close to $1m from broadcast production partner Global Advance, which has gone into administration and sent the competition scrambling to find a last-minute replacement.

Government department quits X over safety | Victoria’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) has quit X, stating that the social media platform – owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk since 2022 – was no longer safe and productive for community engagement, with more agencies likely to follow.

Online conspiracy circles proclaim Baltimore bridge collapse a ‘black swan event’ | Far-right commentators have declared Tuesday’s dramatic collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge a “black swan event”. The phrase, which conspiracy theorists use to describe public distractions from alleged plots, trended online following the collision.

Ex-Trump lawyer should be disbarred, says judge | John Eastman, a former law school dean, faces 11 disciplinary charges in the state bar court stemming from his development of a legal strategy to have then vice president Mike Pence interfere with the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Macron calls trade pact with South America ‘very bad deal’ | French president Emmanuel Macron has called a proposed trade agreement between the EU and South America’s Mercosur bloc a “very bad deal” that lacks proper climate considerations.

US State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over Gaza policy | A human rights official has resigned from the US state department over Gaza, saying the Biden administration is flouting US law by continuing to arm Israel and is hushing up evidence that the US had seen on Israeli human rights abuses.

TikTok bans Australian influencer over nicotine pouches | TikTok has banned the account of bodybuilder Stefan Kohut after he promoted flavoured nicotine pouches in viral videos. TikTok said Kohut’s account had been banned from the platform due to violations of its community guidelines; however, other accounts showcasing the controversial product remain on the platform.

In pictures

The World Nature Photography award winners have been announced from a pool of entries from all corners of the globe – including a baby elephant in Kenya and an owl-like plant in Thailand. The top award and cash prize of $1,000 went to Tracey Lund from the UK for her image of two gannets under the water off the coast of the Shetland Islands.

What they said …

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“As some of the most vulnerable people in Perth, we were just failed time and time again.” – Former Esther House resident Lucy Lorenti

Ex-residents of the controversial WA religious rehab centre, Esther House, say welfare payments were taken against their wishes, a Guardian Australia investigation has revealed.

In numbers

That enormous success has raised questions, and not all of them are easy to answer. But the Guardian’s technology editor, Alex Hern, has done much of the heavy lifting.

Before bed read

Australia’s economy has become a young people-screwing machine. So how do we unscrew ourselves?

Millennials and younger generations are on the brink of outnumbering older cohorts as the largest voting bloc. Living in a democracy affords us the power to change the system, writes Intifar Chowdhury.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: ARCO. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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