City v Country: demand for regional homes is outpacing city stock

The homes with some of the fastest growing values were in regional towns based in Tasmania and New South Wales, outpacing that of cities and hinting at a lifestyle shift influencing the buying decisions of Australians.

Hot housing market to carry momentum into new year

Cheap debt, government payments and a pandemic seemingly at bay are creating ripe conditions for a surging housing market in the years to come, industry experts say.

Shoppers using buy now pay later risk “inflated prices”, regulator warns

Shoppers using services including AfterPay, Zip Pay and Certegy risk paying inflated prices, the financial regulator has warned, as merchants could try to recoup some money.

One in 10 struggling to make mortgage repayments

The number of people struggling to repay their mortgage has more than doubled since the early days of the pandemic, data from the nation’s statistical agency reveals.

NSW mulls replacing Stamp Duty with yearly tax, but it could cost more in the long run

New South Wales is looking to transition its property tax away from a lump sum payment the size of a car to a yearly payment, in a change to a 155 year old revenue maker.

Commonwealth Bank predicts a “much stronger recovery”

Australia's economy could snap back much quicker and stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say, but the road to recovery has been described as “uneven” and “bumpy”.

Buy now pay later fees surge, causing some to skip meals: ASIC

One in five people using services such as Afterpay and Zip Pay were skipping essentials like meals in order to make their repayments on time and avoid paying late fees, a regulator has found.

State Governments plan electric vehicle road tax

Two major states are working on introducing a tax on electric and other zero emission vehicles to subsidise road infrastructure, but industry groups warn it might affect the uptake of the nascent ‘green’ category.

COVID-19: JobSeeker extended but cut by 40 per cent

The COVID-19 supplementary payment intended to help over 400,000 people find work again has been extended, but it’s also been cut by 40 per cent.

Consumer Sentiment surges, housing confidence reaches a seven year high

The backdrop of a pandemic is unlikely to affect people spending money over the Christmas holidays -- and that could include signing the deed to a new house.