AUSTRALIA- Page 12

Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have bitten over the past few years. So too have prices.…

The Commonwealth should fund and manage a national hotel quarantine system for future pandemics, senior NSW government officials have said. In a submission to the federal COVID inquiry, the Minns Government’s Cabinet Office argued that the lack of national quarantine arrangements meant…

A new pill based on a cannabis compound could be the key to a good night’s sleep for chronic insomniacs. A clinical trial by Melbourne biotech company Avecho is recruiting sleep-deprived Australians to test the bedtime capsule. Taken once a day at…

Younger Australians and lower income households are spending up to 25 per cent of their income on food, according to research by the Australian Consumer and Complaints Commission (ACCC). Australians are spending more time shopping to save money, replacing fresh food with…

The government-backed digital identity scheme, known as the ‘Digital ID Bill 2023’, was rushed through the Senate without thorough discussion, prompting criticism over its hurried implementation. This legislation lays the groundwork for a comprehensive digital identity system, amalgamating personal data from various…

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to jam airport queues and crowd roads today ahead of the long Easter weekend. More than 200,000 people are expected to pass through Sydney and Melbourne airports in the next 24 hours – the busiest…

Sally Capp has announced she will step down as Lord Mayor of Melbourne after six years in the role. Capp, who was elected in 2018, announced this morning “with mixed emotions” that she would not contest the October 2024 local government election,…

Both Melbourne and Sydney have seen a surge in population growth, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The biggest increase was seen in Melbourne, which jumped by 167,500 people in 2022-23, with the suburb of Rockbank in…

Inflation has held stable at 3.4 per cent for the third month in a row, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Inflation in the 12 months to February was driven by increases in housing (up 4.6 per cent), food…

A new Reserve Bank report reveals a worrying trend in Australia, with one in 20 mortgage holders spending more money than they earn. What’s more, tens of thousands of households are at risk of running out of savings by the end of…

Easter is upon us again and that means a whole heap of confusion with stores across the country either open, shut or operating at different hours. To make things easier for you around the busy holiday period, we’ve done the leg work…