The regulator just told four of the world’s biggest online marketplaces to pull dangerous magnet toys off Australian shelves, and the Fair Work Commission has handed the country’s lowest-paid workers a real pay rise from 1 July. Today’s brief unpacks what both moves mean for your hip pocket, where the deepest EOFY savings now sit (hint: Hello Molly), and which homepage stores are running deals worth a closer look this morning.
ACCC pulls banned magnet toys from Amazon, eBay, Kogan and Fruugo
If you have bought a so-called magnetic chess or magnetic battle chess set from Amazon, eBay, Kogan or Fruugo in recent months, stop using it and contact the seller for a refund. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission yesterday ordered all four marketplaces to delist toys and games containing small high-powered magnets that have been outright banned in this country since 2012, and three of the four have already agreed to issue refunds.
The regulator is targeting magnets small enough to swallow with a flux index above 50 kG mm squared, the threshold linked to internal injury when two or more are ingested. Reporting by PPC Land notes Kogan, Amazon and Fruugo have already provided or offered refunds, while all four platforms have committed to contacting affected buyers directly and blocking sellers from relisting the same products. ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe urged consumers to keep affected products out of children’s reach immediately.
This move lands just four days after the regulator filed Federal Court proceedings against Amazon Commercial Services (its first court action against an online marketplace operator) over alleged button battery warning failures on children’s backpacks. As reported by the ABC, the case centres on unicorn-themed toddler backpacks stored in Amazon’s Australian fulfilment centres in 2022. Two enforcement actions inside a fortnight tells you everything about the regulator’s posture toward overseas-owned marketplaces this year.
Shopper takeaway: If you bought any magnetic chess set or magnet construction toy in the last few months, check your purchase history on those four platforms. Refunds are on offer with no fight required. The safer alternative for kids’ games this EOFY is to stick with Australian-owned toy specialists with locally enforced safety compliance.
Minimum wage rises 4.75 per cent from 1 July
The Fair Work Commission has delivered its Annual Wage Review 2026 decision, lifting modern award rates by 4.75 per cent and the standalone national minimum wage by 5.97 per cent. The new minimum hourly rate climbs to $26.13, with weekly pay rising to $1,004.90 for a standard 38-hour week. The change kicks in on 1 July, the same day EOFY sales close.
ABC business reporters covering the announcement noted the lift exceeds the prevailing inflation rate, meaning the country’s lowest paid will see a genuine real wage gain rather than just keeping pace with rising prices. Nearly three million Australians benefit, including retail workers, hospitality staff and aged care assistants who sit on or near award rates.
Shopper takeaway: The pay rise lands the same week tax-deductible EOFY work purchases stop counting for FY25/26. If you are buying a laptop, monitor, work uniform or tools you can legitimately claim, do it before 30 June. Hold onto receipts. Items bought after 1 July only count toward next year’s return.
EOFY tech: the deals worth chasing before 30 June
EOFY 2026 is now in full swing across the major Australian retailers. Tracking from the TechRadar AU team shows the deepest tech discounts currently sit at Lenovo Australia (up to 47 per cent off select PCs), HP Australia (up to 45 per cent off select laptops, code FUTURE5 for an extra trim), Dyson Australia (up to $651 off vacuums, purifiers and hair tools) and Samsung Australia (up to $637 off Galaxy devices). JB Hi-Fi is running its EOFY hub with featured cuts on robovacs, TVs and smartwatches including the Garmin Epix Pro 2 at half price.
A few standouts worth a closer look: the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura at $1,299 (was $2,259, 42 per cent off), the Dyson Gen5detect Absolute at $898 (was $1,549), and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ Wi-Fi 256GB at The Good Guys for $894 (was $1,794). All ship across Australia and all are eligible work-related tax deductions if used for income-producing purposes. Hold onto your receipts.
Special of the Day: Hello Molly, up to 80% off
Today’s top headline percentage across our tracked sales pool sits at Hello Molly, the Melbourne-founded womens fashion label, which has stated its current sale runs up to 80 per cent off. The page advertises layered savings of “up to 30 per cent, 50 per cent, even 80 per cent off” across dresses, tops, knits and going-out pieces. We spot-checked product badges this morning and confirmed live 40 per cent off markers on items including the Ford Mini Dress in Ivory at $47.40 (was $79).
Hello Molly is Australian-owned with local fulfilment, so AU shipping cut-offs apply normally and returns sit under Australian Consumer Law. Browse the Hello Molly sale here. As always, verify stock and confirm the discount holds when you reach checkout, headline percentages are a guide, not a guarantee.
Other deals worth a look on the homepage
The four featured stores on the itsonsale.com.au homepage are running EOFY sales worth a scan this morning. David Jones: selected Sportscraft styles and full-priced boxed dinner sets from Ecology and Porto up to 60 per cent off, plus the EOFY beauty event still live. Repco: workshop tool and battery deals tied to its EOFY workshop event. Dan Murphy’s: rolling EOFY savings on premium spirits and wine cases. Spotlight: discounted homewares, fabrics and winter manchester. All four are Australian-owned with local fulfilment.
What to watch tomorrow
The RBA’s next monetary policy decision sits on the calendar later in June. EOFY tech sales typically peak in the second-to-last week of the month as retailers race to clear stock, so expect deeper Dyson, Samsung and JB Hi-Fi cuts from roughly the 15th. Keep an eye on whether the ACCC opens further enforcement against any of the four marketplaces named in yesterday’s takedown order. The regulator has explicitly kept penalty proceedings on the table.
