This Month
Albanese makes $8.5b Medicare overhaul his signature election policy
The prime minister will make Medicare the centrepiece of his re-election campaign, promising to spend big to eliminate patient costs for visits to the doctor.
Inflation will tell if RBA’s pre-election cut is the right call
We don’t doubt Bullock and the board have conducted themselves independently. Yet, the RBA’s credibility will finally depend on whether inflation continues to fall.
In the mortgage belt, rate cut offers little comfort for Albanese
Chai Sharma, a 39-year-old tech worker paying off a $1 million mortgage on his first home in Sydney’s north-west, welcomed some rate cut relief but won’t launch into a spending spree anytime soon.
Bullock and the board playing dice with Australia’s economy
The Australian public needs more than a good luck charm to finally tame inflation and our ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
January
No side of politics has a plan to make you better off
The depressing reality is that no party can convincingly articulate a strategy to improve Australians’ fortunes in the next three years and beyond.
The great ‘Asian dream’ has hit a roadblock
Across the continent, middle-class families are forced to rethink spending priorities as household wealth erodes. What can policymakers do?
Labor’s social spending budget blows out by $26b
The Albanese government’s spending on aged care, disability, medicines and childcare – where it will campaign – is $26 billion higher than first budgeted.
Private schools raise fees at three times rate of inflation
For a decade or more, private schools have increased their fees by far more than the CPI. This year is no different, and schools have a range of explanations.
Labor’s risky election strategy takes shape
It’s only a few days in to this federal election year and already Labor and the Coalition are rehearsing their lines.
December 2024
January 1 brings cash boost for some ahead of election
A range of Labor’s cost-of-living relief measures will come into effect on New Year’s Day, meaning some voters will have a bit more cash each week before polling day.
New year, new rules: all the January 1 changes you need to know
From pricier passports to more fuel-efficient cars, the start of the year will bring changes that will hit your finances, your workplace and even your kitchen.
Labor to have a swing at Hinkler after Pitt calls it quits
The unpopularity of federal Labor in Queensland makes it unlikely it will pick up Keith Pitt’s seat of Hinkler, around Bundaberg.
Labor has left it too late for an early election this time
This year, the polls, the economy and the budget have all got worse for the government, and it has run out of room to go to voters before the end of its term.
Labor striking right budget balance between relief, repair and reform
We know that if Peter Dutton and the Coalition were in charge, Australia would be in recession.
Profit-bashing won’t help Australians become better off, CEOs warn
Politicians and regulators going after big business was one of the features of 2024. Has it gone too far, and if so, what can be done to restore the balance?
‘Australia is falling behind’: 55 CEOs demand election action
Top chief executives say the next federal government must make the nation’s crippling regulatory burden and housing supply top priorities.
CEOs reveal their asks for the coming election
With a federal vote due by mid-May at the latest, Australian business leaders highlight what they think the government and opposition should focus on to win.
Private school fees to rise at almost triple the rate of inflation
Prestigious schools have been gradually contacting parents over the past few weeks announcing new fee schedules for 2025.
PM to scrap childcare activity test, fund centres in ‘deserts’
Anthony Albanese has unveiled the first big steps towards delivering universal and affordable childcare.
November 2024
Albanese dangles childcare package in pitch to voters
Labor’s new childcare policy will not be legislated until after the election, making its delivery contingent on re-electing the government.