Westpac has introduced an AI-based questionnaire to combat the hundreds of millions of dollars siphoned from Australians through scams each year. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the number of people who have fallen victim to a scam has decreased slightly during the past three years, to about 2.5 perContinue Reading
Claims that a pay boost for some 350,000 aged care workers could fuel inflationary pressures have been rubbished by Aged Care Minister Anika Wells. On Friday, the Fair Work Commission awarded increases of up to 13.5 per cent on top of 15 per cent granted last year for employees acrossContinue Reading
The Reserve Bank’s November rate hike was “overkill”, economists have cautioned, after fresh GDP data revealed a sharp decline in household spending on non-essential items such as cars, clothes and eating out in the final three months of 2023 Economic growth slowed to a crawl in the December quarter, theContinue Reading
The Albanese government’s midterm malaise looks to have taken hold as voters continue to shun its handling of the continued cost of living crunch, new polling shows. Conducted by Sydney-based pollsters Freshwater Strategy, the new electoral survey shows Labor and the Coalition are neck and neck in the two partyContinue Reading
A landlord has been accused of increasing a single mum’s rent “out of spite” because she asked him to provide a legal rental increase notice. The mum-of-two recently shared a text message exchange between herself and her NSW landlord to Reddit, which appeared to show the homeowner adding a furtherContinue Reading
While a record number of construction firms traded as insolvent in the 2022-23 financial year, as many businesses were established in the sector than exited, new data has shown. A total of 73,405 construction businesses ceased their operations in the 12 months to June 2023, yet 73,013 new firms alsoContinue Reading
Australia’s annual migration intake has rocketed to its highest level ever, with a “big catch-up” of foreign students and backpackers arriving in droves after Covid-era border closures were scrapped. Fresh data, released by the Bureau of Statistics on Thursday, revealed net overseas migration – the difference between the number ofContinue Reading
Drivers planning to purchase popular family car models including the Toyota Kluger and the Mazda CX-60 could be forced to fork out thousands more in taxes under changes announced to encourage motorists to take up more fuel efficient vehicles. While most cars are not currently subject to the Luxury CarContinue Reading
Baby Boomers are increasing their spending on travel and eating out as soaring inflation and interest rates inflict pain on young Australians. New data from CommBank iQ has revealed that older Australians have been living more comfortably and increasing their expenses this year, with the average person over 65 increasingContinue Reading
In dire news for Australians struggling with the cost of living crisis, some economists have warned interest rates won’t begin falling until 2025. Bond markets, which forecast future interest rates, are suggesting that interest rate cuts may no longer be on the cards for 2024, and it’s a view sharedContinue Reading