Homebuyers at square one as price hikes eat rate cuts
Surging home prices have wiped away the benefits of three interest rate cuts to new buyers, new data reveals. Across Australia, home values grew by one per cent in November…
Defence set for biggest overhaul in decades
Labor is poised to announce the biggest overhaul of Defence in decades in a bid to lift performance in a department plagued by cost blowouts and delays in getting new…
Crackdown nears on ‘dark patterns’ exploiting consumers
Dodgy business practices that trap consumers into hard-to-escape subscriptions or hit shoppers with hidden fees are a step closer to being weeded out. Legislation outlawing the manipulative tactics, known as…
Runaway reindeer sparks emergency operation in UK
A recalcitrant reindeer has gone on the run in an English seaside town, causing a Christmas kerfuffle for local authorities. The reindeer fled a festive celebration in the coastal town…
Big fall in tobacco sales burns wholesaler’s profits
Independent retail supplier Metcash has posted a small rise in interim profit, after a further collapse in tobacco sales. The wholesale distributor to IGA, Mitre 10, Total Tools, the Bottle-O,…
Arms producers increase revenue to record $1 trillion
Stoked by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the revenues of the 100 largest arms makers grew to a record $US679 billion ($A1 trillion) last year. The 5.9 per cent…
Renewable energy hits half the grid as Coalition scaremongering hits overdrive
While the Coalition and Murdoch media ramp up their campaign against renewable energy, renewables set yet another record – more than half the grid for the first time. What’s the…
From Tampa to Nauru. Billion-dollar refugee deal to be scrutinised at last.
Following last week’s revelations about the “Nauru deal”, the Senate voted in favour of a full inquiry into the Government’s “Offshore processing and resettlement arrangements.” Janet Pelly reports on what…
Trump, Xi talk on phone about trade, Taiwan and Ukraine
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have spoken by phone to discuss trade, Taiwan and Ukraine, according to the White House and Chinese officials, nearly a month…
Labor path to pass nature laws in last week narrows
Labor is facing an uphill battle as it tries to strike a deal in the Senate to pass major environmental law reforms. Resistance from the Greens and the coalition suggests…