Today
Cost of living crunch adds urgency to Christmas charity appeals
Charities are reporting a dip in the number of donations amid a heightened need for support.
- 24 mins ago
- Gus McCubbing
November
One age group is feeling the economic pain more than the rest
Australians spend almost the same amount on things considered essential and discretionary. But the 25-29 age group is the only one cutting back on both.
- Lucy Dean
Albanese tells voters: budget surplus trumps relief
Voters should not expect any more cost-of-living relief other than limited targeted measures.
- Phillip Coorey and Michael Read
How these three Boomers escaped RBA pain
Why retiree savings and the spending habits of young adults are making it hard to curb inflation.
- Duncan Hughes
Too lavish for your own good? Seven steps to beat lifestyle creep
In the weeks following a pay rise, there’s a short (but science-backed) opportunity to really get your finances on track, say the experts.
- Lucy Dean
October
Retailers urge RBA to hold rates fire as tough Christmas looms
Strong growth in spending on clothes and gardening equipment underlines the case for further interest rate rises, but retailers are urging the central bank to hold fire.
- Michael Read
- Exclusive
- Funding
Digital debt collector counts benefits of a cost-of-living crisis
Perennial-backed InDebted has made its first acquisition since 2021 as a rise in people defaulting on payments sees it approach profitability for the first time.
- Tess Bennett
September
The winners and losers in the NSW budget
Coal miners, EV drivers and property investors will pay the price for Treasurer Daniel Mookhey’s first stab at budget repair. Public sector workers, first home buyers and regular toll road users will do better.
- Samantha Hutchinson
Mookhey plots NSW’s return to surplus in two years
The state’s treasurer is promising voters “immediate assistance ... with long-term reform” in the Minns government’s first budget.
- Updated
- Samantha Hutchinson
August
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Labor’s anticompetitive hypocrisy over Qantas
The corporate brand and personal reputation of the CEO have taken a battering in the Alan Joyce era. Yet shareholders appear to have few complaints.
- The AFR View
NSW deficit to blow out to $2b: Treasury
NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey is under pressure to rein in spending after new Treasury modelling revealed a gloomy outlook.
- Samantha Hutchinson
A family earning $460k with two kids in care can now claim $10,000 in subsidies
Families earning over $350,000 can now claim childcare subsidies. But they need to remember to sign up, warns Entitlemate’s Brendan Ryan.
- Julie Hare
July
Why the price of your favourite chocolate might jump soon
Soaring cocoa prices and continuing elevated sugar costs may soon result in higher prices for chocoholics.
- Gus McCubbing
‘Not an economy on its knees’: Why more rate pain is on the way
When expensive Taylor Swift tickets sell out in a day, consumers clearly still have money to spend on “non-essentials”. And that’s not the RBA’s game plan.
- Karen Maley
How rate rises have killed romance
Florists are hoping corporate sales will save them as rising interest rates make buying flowers a luxury reserved for funerals for consumers.
- Gus McCubbing
Booming tax take now exceeds 24pc of GDP
Economist Chris Richardson estimated the tax-to-GDP ratio for the financial year was hovering about 24.2 per cent, which is the first time it exceeded 24 per cent since 2007-08.
- Andrew Tillett
June
Can we get the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card on a defined pension?
Thousands of public servants with defined benefit pensions could potentially be eligible for this popular concession card.
- John Wasiliev
The gloss comes off for Albanese’s government
The realities of a second year in office are sinking in as challenges pile up. The Voice, fallouts with the Greens, and industrial relations battles are all souring the mood.
- Phillip Coorey
Boomers splurge on holidays and cruises amid interest rate windfall
While Millennials tighten their belts, older generations are enjoying higher incomes as interest rates rise.
- Michael Read
May
Households cut back as rate rise speculation mounts
Households are cutting back on non-essentials as cost-of-living pressures mount, but some economists say the data won’t stop the RBA from lifting rates again.
- Updated
- Michael Read
