Labor shrugs off claim tax shift will sink house prices

3 June

Contentious changes to taxes on property investments won’t be the main driver of expected falls in prices, the housing minister says. As auction clearance rates hit lows not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare O’Neil said it was unclear how...[Read More]

Australians love their cash and will carry or hoard it

23 April

If you are one of those people who still carry a bunch of $10 or $20 notes around in your pocket in case of emergencies, you’re not alone. While a majority of payments made in Australia are done by electronic means, including cards, about half of...[Read More]

Credit card points schemes in firing line after tweaks

9 April

Overseas trips and hotel stays funded through credit reward schemes could be in trouble as Australia’s central bank cuts fees on card transactions. The Reserve Bank has revamped card usage by banning surcharge payments and cutting interchange...[Read More]

Vested interest ‘cartel’ killing Aussie housing dream

26 February

A “cartel” of vested interests is stymying crucial tax reforms which could help free up more homes, a former boss of the Reserve Bank says. Bernie Fraser, the only person in Australian history to have served as both RBA governor and Treasury...[Read More]

Aussies tapping more credit as arrears value swells

26 February

Australians have leaned into debt ahead of the central bank’s pivot to hike interest rates, with applications for mortgages and credit cards doubling in the recent quarter. Mortgage credit demand grew 12.3 per cent, while credit card applications...[Read More]

RBA hikes interest rates six months after last cut by 25 basis points, board lifted the cash rate to 3.85 per cent

3 February

The Reserve Bank of Australia has hiked interest rates by 25 basis points, becoming the first major central bank to go from rate cuts to rate hikes following the post-COVID inflation spike. In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, the RBA’s monetary...[Read More]

Jobs and wage data in focus ahead of interest rate call

15 May

Upcoming wages and unemployment data may have significant bearing on the Reserve Bank’s closely watched interest rate decision. Domestic signals have taken somewhat of a back seat since US President Donald Trump’s tariff dump in early April. But...[Read More]