It is hard to believe it was ten years ago that the Kouk (who?) fought a tremendous battle against conservative commentators over plain packaging for durries. He claimed a mighty victory. Tobacco consumption has plummeted a staggering 17.5 per cent since the plain packaging laws were introduced in late 2012. Stick that in your pipe
The federal government has set a target of 50% of all car sales being electric by 2030, whereas AEMO assumes near total electrification of the vehicle fleet by the 2040s. Current sales trends are underwhelming. The chart below shows that battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales (green line below) failed to launch in 2025, with only
The Albanese government is on track to collect far more personal income tax than expected this financial year, as higher‑than‑forecast inflation pushes workers into higher tax brackets. Treasury forecasts inflation of 3.75% for 2025–26. However, CPI has already risen 2.7% in the first six months, meaning the full‑year figure is likely to be higher. The Reserve
Charts from TME. ‘Tis a mighty bust. But has not reached the 100day MA. RSI collapse. Not a CME story. A China story. More. Chinese traders, including homemakers and hedge funds, are experiencing big losses after a record rally in gold ended with a sharp market reversal. The reversal was triggered in part by the
In the decade to June 2025, NSW’s population expanded by 977,703, driven by 884,772 net overseas migration (NOM). The state lost 245,211 residents to other jurisdictions over the last decade, which was mostly offset by a natural increase of 403,898 (i.e., births minus deaths). With NSW’s fertility rate of only 1.55 births per woman, most
Historically, a “lame duck” U.S. President is an incumbent who is in their final term, has seen dramatically reduced political influence and congressional support, or has lost their reelection campaign. Currently, on paper, Trump has significant power, with Republicans holding the White House, Congress, and the Senate. But by mid-November, with the midterm elections looming,
When the Albanese government came to office, it quickly raised Australia’s permanent migrant intake by 30,000 to 195,000 annually. It also raised the humanitarian intake by around 7,000 annually to 20,000. The permanent migration intake has since been reduced back to 185,000. So, along with the 20,000 annual humanitarian intake, the official permanent migrant program
ANZ job ads are in their strongest surge in three years. Labour demand often rises at the beginning of the year (the job advertisements series grew 6.2% m/m in January 2019 and 3.9% m/m in January 2017). The increase in January comes after the unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% and employment increased by 65.2k in
Overnight saw the release of a very strong US ISM manufacturing PMI print which gave industrial stocks on Wall Street a big lift and will likely spread to a risk on mood here in Asia on the open. The USD saw a small lift against most of the undollars as Euro fell below the 1.18
Exclusively from national treasure, Gerard Minack. Australian rates and sticky inflation Expectations for RBA policy have swung 180° through the past three months, from easing to tightening, as inflation lifted through the second half of 2025. There is noise in the data so I’m not as sure as the market that the RBA will tighten