Rate hikes and the soaring cost of living are finally starting to weigh on household spending. Non-essential outgoings decreased in August, according to CommBank’s household spending intentions index, with sectors such as travel, entertainment, transport and retail all softening. However, spending in other categories – such as...
A parliamentary committee will grill the head of the Reserve Bank over the central bank’s past decisions. Australian mortgage holders have endured five rate rises as the RBA seeks to bring inflation under control, with the central bank’s governor Philip Lowe coming under pressure to resign...
Many people feel a little anxious if they forget their phone but some suffer from nomophobia – “no mobile phone phobia” – a serious fear of being disconnected. Macquarie University psychologist Wayne Warburton says smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs can all fuel screen overuse, but phones...
The King is a constitutional monarch who must remain politically neutral. The head of state has “an important formal and ceremonial relationship” with parliament, the monarchy’s official website says. Charles’ role will consist, as did the late Queen’s, of assenting to bills passed by parliament on the...
King Charles III may not automatically replace Queen Elizabeth II on Australia’s $5 note. Assistant Treasury Minister Andrew Leigh said the federal government had yet to make a decision on who should appear on the country’s lowest denomination bank note. Dr Leigh said the decision to include...
Many Australians don’t trust artificial intelligence (AI) and risk being overtaken by change, experts warn. Stela Solar, newly installed head of the CSIRO’s National AI Centre, said on Monday Australians have a “higher benchmark of trust” that needs to be met. “It comes with our natural leaning...