Telcos hit by Huawei suspension, Coles to discount ugly fruit and vegetables, and more top news

The news Australian professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation in the comments below.

Australian telcos are assessing the impact of Google’s decision to suspend some business with Huawei. China’s largest tech company — currently barred from Australia's 5G network — will immediately lose access to updates for the Android operating system, while the next generation of its smartphones outside of China will also lose access to Gmail, Maps and the Google Play Store. This comes after the Trump administration added Huawei to a trade blacklist. It is the third-biggest handset provider in Australia, after Apple and Samsung, which have about 80% of the market between them.

Coles will reduce food waste by selling ugly fruit and vegetables at a discounted price. The supermarket’s new program — called "I'm Perfect" — is being tested in Victoria and South Australia, and will allow shoppers to save between 10-30%. But a spokesman told The Age there was no “hard and fast” rule on how big the discounts can be. Coles’ rival Woolworths has been selling ugly produce since late 2014 through its "Odd Bunch" program. The government estimates that food waste costs the Australian economy $20B each year.

Should landlords who keep shops empty be hit with a vacancy tax? The idea has been floated after a meeting of small businesses commissioners from across Australia. "One of the great dilemmas we’ve got is that there is incentives for landlords to leave premises vacant rather than reduce rent," said small business ombudsman Kate Carnell. While the conversation needed to start with banks — who value property based on potential rental yields — Carnell also said a vacancy tax could be explored.

Pay-TV provider Foxtel is locked in some tough negotiations, as it seeks to cut costs while simultaneously securing more broadcast rights. According to an Australian Financial Review report, Foxtel, which is battling falling revenue as it faces increased competition from a slew of online streaming services, has entered “tough contract conversations” with BBC, Discovery and NBCUniversal. According to the report, Foxtel needs to build its catch-up library ahead of the launch of a new user interface in July and its planned drama and entertainment streaming service. 

Also… Foxtel has reportedly offered some customers discounts in an attempt to keep subscribers following the end of the hit series Game of Thrones.

Having employees focus exclusively on areas where they are strong may allow managers to avoid uncomfortable feedback sessions, but it does a disservice to employees and companies alike, argues the Center for Creative Leadership’s Craig Chappelow and Cindy McCauley. Avoiding weaknesses encourages employees to believe that those weak spots are not important. It also ignores the fact that the needs of a company (and entire industries) will change over time. Qualities that are not critical today may be essential tomorrow.

Idea of the Day: Ray Dalio, co-chairman of Bridgewater Associates, gives out some adviceto new grads transitioning “to the second phase” of life.

“Idealists who are not well grounded in reality create problems, not progress.”

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

— Ben Collins