To prepare for retirement, there’s forced savings in the form of social security, such as superannuation. Other options to arrange for a secure financial future are savings in the bank, investments and insurance. These days, preparing for retirement has become more challenging because of people’s longer...
There are countless countdowns everywhere, whether it’s for Christmas or the new year, and yet, when the festive season happens, it always comes as a bit of a surprise. Some people experience a touch of panic and get lost in the holiday rush. Feeling unprepared and...
If there’s anything people learned from the recessions and global crises of recent past, it’s that no one is immune to economic upheavals. Even middle to upper-class families are at the mercy of their finances when misfortune strikes. This can come in the form of sudden...
Almost $10 billion in savings and spending changes have been clawed back as part of the mid-year federal budget review. The savings and reprioritisations include billions slashed from the federal infrastructure pipeline last month, the finance minister said on Tuesday. Katy Gallagher said the federal government was...
KEY CHALLENGES FOR AUSTRALIA’S ECONOMY * Economic growth is expected to moderate to 1.75 per cent in 2023/24 before recovering to 2.25 per cent in 2024/25 * Household budgets remain under pressure from elevated but moderating inflation and higher interest rates * Growth in real household disposable incomes...
Time’s up for businesses making dodgy or vague claims about being clean, green and sustainable. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Tuesday released final guidance for clear and accurate environmental claims about products or services so that consumers are not misled. “Where a business has genuinely...
The federal government has been urged to lift welfare payments, with a new study finding a majority of people could not live on the current JobSeeker rate. Research from the Australian Council of Social Service and the University of NSW found 62 per cent of people...
A construction boom across multiple Australian states will widen a skills and labour gap, with the nation already short of more than 200,000 infrastructure workers. The latest snapshot by Infrastructure Australia shows some regional areas in NSW, the Northern Territory and South Australia will experience significant...
Australia’s energy market operators are confident the network is in good shape ahead of another hazardous summer. But governments, companies and regulators are readying for a so-called one-in-10-year day of high demand and potentially deadly conditions. This year’s summer forecast is for hot and dry El Nino...
Australians will have to shell out nearly $400 for a new passport after another increase was announced in the mid-year budget update. Along with routine annual indexation in line with the consumer price index, travellers will be hit with a 15 per cent increase to passport...