Australia has yet to suffer a critical, Hollywood-style cyber security incident, according to the nation’s top online cop, but our defences are being tested and criminals grow in number. The rate of cyber attacks against Australian businesses may also be higher than statistics indicate, she warned...
Carbon offsets seemed like an environmentally savvy investment for food packaging firm BioPak when the company invested in a solar power project in Southeast Asia. But over more than a decade, the project’s price rose, its transparency fell and Gary Smith’s firm started to question whether...
A jump in the cost of building and renovating homes is not helping the case for more rate cuts. Headline inflation remained steady at 2.4 per cent in the 12 months to April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday. But the result was higher than...
A bid to increase taxes on wealthy Australians’ superannuation has been paved with good intentions, but there are warnings it may create unfair outcomes. The federal government is hoping to pass a bill to impose a 15 per cent tax on super balances higher than $3...
Beneath its robust facade, deep-seated cracks threaten the integrity of Australia’s jobs market. Wages are growing in real terms, unemployment is historically low and falling interest rates bode well for further jobs growth. But employment growth has been lumpy, with investment in government-reliant industries such as health...
Stamp duty would be scrapped for first homebuyers spending up to $1 million under a state election pitch that creates a $1 billion budget shortfall. In his budget reply speech, Victorian shadow treasurer James Newbury unveiled a policy to lift the stamp duty exemption for first...