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Cost of living

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Productivity Commission head Danielle Wood.

Workers facing $14,000-a-year penalty if Australia can’t find its mojo

Business, university, technology and farming groups have combined to propose a raft of solutions to Australia’s growth malaise.

  • Shane Wright and Jessica McSweeney

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Justin Flowers, a 52-year-old Maribyrnong local who runs his own graphic design business, cannot get a bank loan to buy an appropriate house for his family due to his age, but his savings prevent him from accessing other government assistance.

Justin has $300,000 in the bank but can’t get a home loan

He’s among many Australians getting closer to retirement who are trying to solve the puzzle of owning a home that suits their life.

  • Caroline Zielinski
Ashleigh and Wyatt Galea say they would have had four kids if they could afford it.

Ashleigh and Wyatt could help end the ‘baby recession’. They have to win the lotto first

The Galea family are among the Australians putting a hold on the number of kids they have as cost-of-living pressures continue to hamstring the country’s fertility rate.

  • Millie Muroi and Shane Wright
Joanna Penty , from the south-west, says sharing a larger home with a garden has saved her money, but also cost her time.

‘Race for affordability’: The Sydney suburbs where rents jumped most

Sydney is ground zero for the country’s housing crisis, an expert warns, as one suburb rose as much as 41 per cent in a year.

  • Alice Uribe
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock after the RBA board decided to keep rates on hold.

Split Reserve Bank shocks economists, banks and households by holding rates steady

For the first time in its history, the RBA board has openly split over the direction of interest rates.

  • Shane Wright
5/07/2025 Allan Lancaster pictured with Haidyn Boothey from 1KOMMA5° at his home in Truganina where he’s having a solar battery installed. Photo: Aaron Francis / The Age NEWS

Battery boom: Australians charge into next phase of solar revolution

A national rebate scheme for solar households has kicked off, but experts have urged battery customers to think before they buy.

  • Mike Foley
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Some July 1 changes will see happier hip pockets, while others won’t. It depends on what stage of life you’re in, and where you live.

All the changes coming into effect from today – and it is not all good news

Who won when the clock struck midnight? It depends on what stage of life you’re in … and where you live.

  • Bronte Gossling
Even a relatively cheap hobby like swimming will set you back.

All year, I’ve tried to find a new hobby. One major problem is crushing my efforts

All I wanted was an activity that I could do regularly, that was distinct from work and make me sound a bit more interesting. Then I started doing the maths.

  • Shona Hendley
Alison Bransdon and her children, Madeleine, 11, and Harvey, 9, with the chickens they raise in their backyard in Sydney’s south.

Chooks in the city: How an egg shortage drove the return of the backyard hen

As egg prices remain stubbornly high, the humble backyard chook is enjoying renewed popularity in urban areas. Here’s how to keep the eggs coming.

  • Shona Hendley
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show 28 sexual offences by minors on school grounds were reported to police in 2022, and 37 in 2023.

‘It’s not a voucher’: This is how Queensland’s $100 back-to-school bonus will work

When a school hat costs $90, the payment, which will not be handed directly to families as a voucher, might not stretch far.

  • Felicity Caldwell

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/cost-of-living-jfq