Yesterday
‘Stay for years’: Coalition wants to limit appeals by visa overstayers
Legacy cases composed mostly of foreign students and temporary workers would be targeted as part of the Coalition’s immigration policy.
RBA is worried it cut interest rates too far
Michele Bullock is ringing the alarm on “upside” inflation risks and openly talking about the plausibility of raising interest rates next year.
This Month
Treasurer flags difficult decisions ahead to address budget blowout
A $6.8 billion series of power bill discounts has come to an end after Jim Chalmers conceded spending cuts were needed to deal with worsening budget pressures.
Airfares might be poised to start falling: watchdog
Deliveries of new and bigger aircraft to Qantas may bring good news for travellers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says.
Western Australia’s GST defence comes with a catch
The wealthy state is determined to stop any changes to its special tax deal, no matter how much the other states complain how it is unfair.
Albanese ‘misled’ public on wage growth
The prime minister touted eight consecutive quarters of real wage growth, but ABS data shows negative growth in the September quarter.
Like a return to 2011: Wages going backwards as inflation rises
Economists and the Reserve Bank of Australia expect real wages will continue to worsen next year as the government grapples with inflation.
Is the Australian economy firing up or hitting a wall?
The answer will determine the direction of the Reserve Bank’s next interest rate move. Opinions are divided.
Treasury debt manager hit by staff exodus, corruption claims
The Australian Office of Financial Management has lost about a quarter of its 50 staff over the past year, with employees raising corruption concerns.
$1700 per person: Taxpayers face interest bill on government debt
Taxpayers will pay $48.1 billion in interest payments on state and federal debt this year, equivalent to about $1700 per person.
Black market economy: ABS to measure illegal cigarette sales
As sales of legal tobacco products plunge, the government statistician has taken the extraordinary step of trying to measure spending on black market nicotine.
Treasurer places his bet on how to lift momentum
Jim Chalmers is confident that private sector investment will balance out all that government spending, but Michele Bullock sounds less sure inflation is tamed.
If Liberals need fictional voters to feel your pain, something is off
While the shadow treasurer was lost in his own world of absurdist make-believe people at the Press Club, his counterpart faces some real economic challenges.
SMSF members will ‘hold until death’ to avoid super tax
Retirees could defer the sale of assets to minimise the cost of the levy on balances above $3 million, raising doubts about how much revenue it will raise.
Treasury’s $2.3b energy subsidy law breach ‘serious’
The audit office says the department committed a serious legal breach by paying the energy rebates without Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ written approval.
Rebates have not stopped energy debt rising almost 20pc
Despite billions of dollars being spent on federal and state energy rebates, more households and small businesses are struggling to pay their bills.
Private sector wages soar 6pc, outpacing profits
The latest data suggests higher wage bills are reducing profit margins and could force businesses to pass their increased costs on to consumers.
FIRB delays puts $100m energy retailer buyout on brink of collapse
TPC Consolidated had agreed to sell itself to Chinese government-backed Beijing Energy in March last year, but approval has not been forthcoming for 18 months.
November
Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon marry in private ceremony
Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon have tied the knot at a private ceremony in Canberra marking the first time an Australian prime minister has married while in office.
Victoria’s hospital spending risks federal budget blowout
The Commonwealth’s decision to remove its own cap on hospital funding has left it and the budget exposed to the largesse of state governments.