Yesterday
Australia’s fuel crisis is just the first domino to fall
Rebuilding our lost sovereignty will require government to rein in profligate spending on industry losers and stop treating the budget as a bottomless well.
Oil crisis flows through to Australian dinner plate
Rising costs and budget-wary consumers are squeezing restaurant owners like Sam Young, as farmers warn high fuel prices mean worse to come.
‘Double whammy’ minimum pay rise ‘could trigger a wages spiral’
The lowest-paid workers, such as fruit pickers, could get a bigger increase than the minimum wage rise this year, sparking fears of a trickle-up effect.
Grey nomads stay home over fear of getting stranded without fuel
A five-week caravan trip is now off the cards for a group of avid travellers, as concerns over fuel supply crimp their holiday plans.
This Month
Labor’s wage rise plan amid oil spike risks ‘stagflation’
Economists fear a decision to increase minimum pay could aggravate impacts of the energy price shock, push inflation higher and put more people out of work.
‘Really escalating now’: Lobster prices to rise before Easter
Fuel insecurity is driving up prices for lobster fishers and prompting some West Australian farmers to delay seeding ahead of the first autumn rain.
War will keep inflation ‘higher for longer’: Chalmers
New data from the period before the Iran conflict broke out shows headline inflation in Australia remained high and outside the Reserve Bank’s target range.
Victoria to force retailers to offer free power during the day
The Allan government says the scheme could save households with solar panels and batteries $1070 a year, but retailers warn there are hidden costs.
The town where you can buy only enough fuel to get to the next stop
A service station owner in a remote Queensland town has started imposing limits on passing customers, who are already paying $3.25 a litre for diesel.
Banks face climate stress as home insurance crisis widens
By 2050, one in four Australian houses may be uninsured, as rising premiums from climate change make it unaffordable, creating problems for lenders.
Chalmers’ stagflation-lite nightmare: Why piecemeal fixes will fail
Economic reality has caught up with the government, as it confronts a 1970s-style stagflation-lite shock. Nothing less than a U-turn is needed to get back on track.
Handouts won’t help the young become better off
A smorgasbord of policies could genuinely help young people improve their lives. Yet, here we are, quarrelling over an inconsequential capital gains tax discount.
How to keep your seniors’ health card as deeming rates rise
Generous medical benefits worth up to $3,000 can be kept by monitoring income buffers and using superannuation structures to navigate rising deeming rates.
Gen Z are anxious, politically divided and lacking hope: study
New research reveals 66 per cent of young Australians are finding it harder to get ahead than previous generations and close to half worry about their futures.
Split RBA rates vote takes pressure off Labor on budget reform
Leading economists say the split decision on interest rates has taken pressure off Labor as the treasurer maintains the economy is not expected to enter a recession.
Labor set to act on regional fuel supply crunch, price gouging
The Albanese government is working on measures to ease regional fuel supply shortages amid a broader crackdown on petrol price gouging.
Public servant wages bomb could cost NSW $300m
At least 300,000 public servants in NSW will be eligible for a $1000 cash payment if inflation hits 4.5 per cent.
EV owners face job trap if Labor extends cuts to tax break
Business and unions have warned about changes that would whack EV drivers with hundreds of dollars in fortnightly costs if they change jobs.
Higher inflation to create a short-term budget win
Jim Chalmers can expect higher inflation to support the budget’s bottom line, with tax revenue boosted by nominally higher incomes and profits.
Asia nears breaking point as oil shock gets real
Markets are trading off every headline. But while the Iran war drags on, the real-world pain is spreading across the globe, and one region has been hit the hardest.
