New data lights up enormity of tobacco black market
Four in five vapes and cigarettes consumed in Australia were bought on the black market, up from 12 per cent less than a decade earlier, according to new official estimates.…
‘Need to do more’: PM pleads case for budget tax change
First home buyer programs are not enough on their own to get more people purchasing their own property, the prime minister says, shrugging off calls to hit pause on contentious…
Global economic body weighs in on Australian rate rises
A global economic body is urging the Reserve Bank not to raise interest rates again unless inflation expectations become untethered. As the economy slows as a result of the global…
Big lottery operator plans to step up the fun factor
Australia’s largest lottery operator is building a new smartphone app because its digital operation has done a poor job of recreating the fun of playing the lottery. The Lottery Corporation,…
SpaceX plans to raise $US75 billion in IPO, source says
SpaceX plans to raise $US75 billion ($A105 billion) in its initial public offering by selling 555.6 million shares at a target price of $US135 ($A188) per share, a source familiar…
Oil jumps on Mideast missiles, AI bulls carry stocks
Oil prices rose for a third day running on Wednesday and the dollar was on the brink of breaking above 160 yen as fresh hostilities flared in the Gulf after…
‘You guys have no idea’: Air Force blasted on planes
The Australian Defence Force has been criticised for its phase out of planes it has operated for only a decade in favour of commercial replacements. “You guys don’t really actually…
Aussie shares lift as weak growth softens rate outlook
The ASX is creeping higher after cooler-than-forecast economic growth figures became the latest in a series of soft data to take pressure off the need for more interest rate rises.…
Shifting gears: electric cars surge during fuel crisis
A record number of Australian drivers are choosing electric and hybrid vehicles, with the low-emission cars closing in on half of all new vehicles sales for the first time. Motorists…
Zverev dismisses teenager Jódar as elusive grand slam title inches closer
World No 2 wins quarter-final 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3 Zverev will face Jakub Mensik in last four For at least a few fleeting moments, it appeared that something significant might…