1. EU borders to open to vaxxers

One of the greatest challenges for getting business back to normal is getting the world flying again internationally. Well, the EU has opened its doors to fully vaccinated tourists as Europe’s holiday season starts, but the kick-off date is yet to be announced. 

2. Unions aren’t impressed

Just as the Reserve Bank wants wages to grow quickly, Alison Durbin, a high ranking employment officer in the Attorney-General’s Department, told the Fair Work Commission that the economic uncertainty about our recovery and the threat from the virus, means wage rises for low income workers need to be moderate. Studies from the OECD say when wages rise quickly, low paid jobs are the first to go. 

3. Ampol set to turn green and ties up with Tesla

Australia’s largest fuel supplier Ampol is going green, planning a tie up with Tesla. The refiner also says it will push into green hydrogen production at its Brisbane refinery. Ampol shares surged 9% on Monday after the Prime Minister announced a $2 billion support package for the refinery to stay open and another in Geelong owned by Viva-Energy.

4. Alligator removed from fast food car park

Authorities in southwest Florida have safely removed a 6-foot alligator from the car park of a Wendy's fast food restaurant following reports that the gator was chasing customers. "He may have just been 'hangry' for a cheeseburger, but he gave many quite the scare!" the Lee County Sheriff's Office wrote on Twitter.

5. All three major indexes down

For the third consecutive day, the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all closed lower on Wednesday. The Dow was down 164.62 points or 0.48% to 33,896.04, the S&P 500 fell 12.15 points or 0.29% to 4,115.68 and the Nasdaq was down 3.90 points or 0.03% to 13,299.74.