Rumours continue to swirl that Australia’s biggest plastics and chemical manufacturer could shut down, putting 700 manufacturing jobs, supply chains and the nation’s recycling capability at risk. Qenos operates out of Sydney and Melbourne and has been hit with multimillion-dollar losses and increased energy costs over the past couple ofContinue Reading
Struggling Australian households could expect lower power bills this year after new figures showed wholesale electricity prices fell dramatically in 2023. According to the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) latest report, wholesale electricity prices fell by between 44 per cent and 64 per cent last year. Average annual east coast gasContinue Reading
A major deal has been inked between the east coast’s largest LNG producer and the Albanese government in a bid to stem the risk of gas shortages that threaten to drive energy costs for households and businesses. On Monday, Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Resources Minister Madeleine King announced newContinue Reading
While cost-of-living support remains the government’s No.1 priority, Anthony Albanese says Australians should not expect cash handouts and sweeteners to relieve the pressure on households. The Prime Minister said he had asked the Treasury and Department of Finance to devise ideas that could be announced in the May federal budget;Continue Reading
Just about everywhere you look, there are worsening signs that Australia is no longer the lucky country. From record-high rents to skyrocketing mortgages, a cost-of-living crisis to the alarming emergence of a ‘working poor’ population, the country faces an unprecedented storm of factors putting pressure on millions of people. AndContinue Reading
Aussie households can save about $450 per year on their energy bills by switching from gas to electricity, a new study has found. Gas prices are climbing at almost double the rate of electricity, making the staple increasingly difficult to afford, according to Monash University. Low-income households, in particular, areContinue Reading
Liberal Senator Jane Hume has claimed the economy is “shuddering to a halt”, accusing the government of relying too much on the central bank to do “all the heavy lifting” amid the cost of living crisis. In a heated clash on breakfast television, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil fired backContinue Reading
Gas giant Chevron has bagged its wish for an expedited hearing into the enterprise bargaining dispute with workers threatening its West Australian operations. The Fair Work Commission on Tuesday booked in a full-bench assessment with Chevron and the Australian Workers Union and Electrical Trades Union for bargaining declarations on SeptemberContinue Reading
Millions in revenue and the size of energy bills for consumers from Berlin to Perth will hang on the outcome of a Fair Work Commission hearing on Tuesday after the industrial disputes body agreed to rule on the escalating tensions engulfing gas giant Chevron’s WA operations. The FWC will hearContinue Reading
Users of gas cookers and heaters in the home have a message for any potential move to ban them: hands off. Polling of more than 2500 gas consumers found that more than half viewed their home gas connection as “essential”, while 90 per cent said they intended to keep usingContinue Reading