The Australian dollar has hit a 22-month low against its US counterpart, as COVID-19 lockdowns in China strain the economy of Australia’s largest trading partner. The Aussie was buying just 69.21 US cents on Tuesday morning, after staying almost entirely above the 70 cent mark since...
Westpac has pledged to push on with cost cuts after its program to streamline operations helped it partly offset a contraction in margins amid intense competition in the home loans market and higher provisions for bad debts. The lender on Monday posted a 12 per cent...
Petrol prices rose for a third week in a row as global factors undermine the Morrison government’s much-touted temporary cut in fuel excise aimed at easing cost of living pressures. The Australian Institute of Petroleum said the national average for petrol prices rose by a further...
Delivery platform DoorDash and the Transport Workers’ Union have signed an agreement that sets out how Australia can ensure safety and fairness for contract or so-called gig workers. The statement of principles recognises the nature of work in the on-demand economy as well as the need...
Farmers are being urged to be on the look out for mice in their paddocks amid reports of increased numbers of the rodents across Australia’s cropping regions. CSIRO says farmers have reported increased mice activity in northern NSW, central Queensland, north western Victoria, the Yorke Peninsula...
Tech giants Google, Microsoft and Apple have backed a push for scrapping password logins to establish a more secure sign-in process across digital platforms. The new login standard, developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium, would enable users to sign-in to devices...
Confidence among Australians fell to a 20-month low after the first official interest rate rise in more than decade, while business sentiment has been jarred by rising cost pressures. Consumer confidence has fallen for four straight weeks, with the latest decline coming after the Reserve Bank...
More than one million students will take part in the latest round of annual NAPLAN testing and for the first time, all the assessments will be conducted online. Students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9 will sit the national literacy and numeracy test across 9500...
What is palliative care? Palliative care is treatment, care and support for people living with a life-limiting illness. A life-limiting illness is an illness that can’t be cured and that you’re likely to die from. Life-limiting illnesses can include: cancer motor neurone disease end-stage kidney disease dementia Palliative care also supports your...
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group is counting on most homeowners and businesses being able to withstand higher interest rates, a day after the Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate from a record low 0.1 per cent. The country’s third largest lender expects competition in the...