Yesterday
The graduates getting a winning deal on HECS debt relief
The government’s promised 20 per cent cut to student loans will most benefit students who are already on track to high incomes.
This Month
Markets see signs ‘cost-of-living crisis’ is finally coming to an end
Consumers are “increasingly positive” as household incomes begin to rise and inflation starts to fall, analysts say, in good news for struggling retailers.
Why the second half of 2025 could be quitting season
Employment experts warn a lack of success in mid-year pay reviews may be contributing to high levels of job applications.
May
Small business says Labor’s card surcharge ban will be inflationary
Hotel and cafe lobby groups will meet the RBA’s head of payments to raise concerns about plans for the surcharge ban this week.
April
CBA and Westpac mull removing numbers from their credit cards
Australia is expected to be the first major market to embrace numberless credit cards in the next two years, according to Mastercard.
March
Dutton promises modelling on power price cuts ‘shortly’
The Coalition’s gas policy dominated his first campaign press conference at the XXXX Brewery in Brisbane, which was crashed by a climate protester.
Households to get $150 power bill rebate as Albanese extends relief
The one-year $300 rebate announced in last year’s budget was set to expire on June 30, but will be extended to the end of this year.
The six charts that show the consumer comeback is here
After two years of cutting back, Australians are finally loosening their purse strings as confidence rises. But a full-blown boom seems unlikely.
February
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.
The ‘singles tax’ stings, but can you put a price on happiness?
Studies suggest the price of choosing to live alone could be anywhere between 3 per cent and 15 per cent.
January
Butler rejects health insurers’ second bid to lift prices
Health Minister Mark Butler has rejected a second round of requests from private health insurers to increase customer premiums, saying they need to help more during the cost-of-living crisis.
Private or not, Sydney most expensive for schools
The annual Cost of Education Index found the total cost of educating a child in a private school in Sydney rose by 9 per cent in the past year.
Nine red flags for budget watchers
Labor has a choice: deliver a pre-election budget that builds Australia’s future or keep sailing blindly towards another decade of debts and deficits.
It cost $20k to bring a dog to Australia, but that was just the start
If there was a pet under your tree this Christmas, buckle up for a lifetime of expense (along with the love, of course).
December 2024
People pleasing cost me $32,000. Here are four ways to stop it
Since people pleasing is a personality trait, dialling back your spending requires more than learning the nuts and bolts of money management.
How Victoria became one of the rich world’s most indebted states
Victoria is the fourth-most indebted advanced economy state government outside the US. It may soon find there’s a fine line between nation-building and overbuilding.
Why price discrimination can be a good thing
The online age may make it easier for companies to predict what we’re willing to pay. But it also makes it easier for us to share stories of nasty corporate behaviour.
November 2024
The small luxury Australians just won’t give up
Australians are hanging onto their subscriptions, reflecting a world in which the little luxuries may be all they have left.
October 2024
Home brands have had a makeover - and customers love it
As families faces stubbornly high mortgage and utilities bills, they are increasingly turning to Woolworths and Coles’ own brands. It is a lucrative sale.
Fears for Victoria as economy ‘diverges from other states’
Victoria has fallen behind the rest of the country across a range of economic indicators including for house prices, spending and business conditions as economists warn of a “clear divergence” from other states.