Former Treasurer Peter Costello has told an e61 Institute event in Sydney that the federal government should consider reintroducing the baby bonus. Costello’s 2002 budget introduced it, giving parents $3,000, but it was wound back about a decade ago. Australia’s fertility rate is now at a near-record low of 1.48 births per woman, with the
By Trent Saunders, Senior Economist at CBA The Q3 25 GDP figures pointed to an economy on a much more solid footing when compared to the last few years. GDP improved to be 2.1% higher over the year, up from a low of 0.8%/yr in Q3 24. The October Monthly Household Spending Indicator (MHSI) rose
Cotality’s September housing affordability report showed that Sydney’s housing market was easily the most expensive in the nation, with a dwelling price-to-income ratio of 10.0. The percentage of median household income needed to service a mortgage on the median-priced Sydney home was also tracking at a historically high 54.5% in the September quarter, making Sydney
International Reading: Trump Official Panics as Brutal Jobs Report Blames Trump’s Tariffs – New Republic Donald Trump Jr-backed start-up scores $600mn US federal government deal – FT Trump says national debt is ‘peanuts’ and his tariff income will pay everyone a $2,000 dividend too—but the math doesn’t add up – AZ Express Main Street reels
According to Cotality’s Pain & Gain Report for the September quarter, 94.8% of sellers across Australia achieved a record-high median profit of $315,000, up from $305,000 in the previous quarter. Since then, dwelling values posted two strong rises in October and November, increasing capital gains for holders of Australian property. The situation across the pond
In October, the nation’s housing market saw the strongest growth since June 2023. It also marked the strongest growth in credit to property investors in a decade on an annualised basis. October was also notable due to the introduction of the Albanese government’s significantly expanded 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers. Under the previous
Victoria has legislated a target to source 95% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035. This is one of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in Australia and globally, designed to accelerate the state’s transition away from cheap brown coal and toward cleaner energy sources, such as wind, solar, and storage. The target is
Some WEF boffins are making no sense. Australia could double its iron export revenues to AUD250 billion ($162 billion) a year by shifting to low-emissions green iron. The country must accelerate two or more commercial-scale green iron ‘lighthouse’ projects by 2027 to secure first-mover advantage. A shift to green iron could help Australia cut up
In September, Frank Chung at News.com.au reported that “international students are overwhelming Australia’s asylum system with bogus refugee applications, as the country’s deportation backlog surges towards 100,000”. Abul Rizvi told Chung that “there’s an increasing number of student visa holders applying for asylum”, adding that there are likely to be around 50,000 migrants who have
The Market Ear on some growing crosscurrents for stocks. Trying The 10 year holding “stubbornly” around that big 4.1% level. A close slightly higher and things could get a bit squeezy. Note the negative trend line from May as well as the 50 day around these levels. Source: LSEG Workspace The Jaws gap Japanese vs.