Guardian AU
Lambie, Hanson and Pocock form unlikely alliance to protect transparency campaigner Rex Patrick
Three crossbench senators spanning the political spectrum have united in defense of transparency campaigner Rex Patrick, urging the government to withdraw a federal court legal threat stemming from his FOI pursuit of classified AUKUS nuclear waste storage details. The case has drawn unusual scrutiny because bureaucrats escalated the dispute themselves, raising questions about whether the government is using legal pressure to suppress sensitive information. The alliance between Lambie, Hanson, and Pocock signals rare cross-party concern that the legal action sets a dangerous precedent for public accountability.
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Australia’s mortgage burden is now above 1989 levels – when interest rates were 17%
Australian homeowners are now carrying a greater mortgage burden than they did when interest rates hit 17% in the late 1980s, according to new KPMG analysis. The finding challenges the persistent narrative that older generations faced tougher conditions when buying property, pointing instead to today's astronomical house prices as the defining factor. Even with rates a fraction of their 1989 peak, the sheer size of loans required to enter the market has made modern homeownership comparably — if not more — punishing.
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Life now tougher for borrowers than 17pc interest days, analysis finds
Mortgage holders today are under greater financial strain than borrowers who endured the notorious 17 percent interest rates of the late 1980s, according to new analysis. The finding cuts against a common assumption that older generations faced the harder road to homeownership, pointing instead to the crushing combination of record-high prices and stagnant wage growth. The data may finally give the long-running generational housing debate a definitive answer.
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Australia politics live: Albanese says Coalition and One Nation an ‘axis of grievance’ as Taylor questions Labor on cost of living
Two EY graduate employees on secondment at Commonwealth Bank have been charged after allegedly accessing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's personal bank account details, with both subsequently sacked. Albanese described the charges as "appropriate," signaling he views the matter as being handled correctly by authorities. The case adds to mounting scrutiny facing the big four consulting firms, with EY joining KPMG under the spotlight.
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Sydney Morning Herald
Super-sized mortgages giving Australians a massive interest rate headache
Australia's mortgage debt has ballooned to such extremes that the country's total interest burden now eclipses what borrowers paid when official rates sat near 20 percent. The sheer size of modern loans is amplifying the impact of today's rate rises far beyond what historical comparisons might suggest. For millions of homeowners, the size of the debt is proving just as punishing as the rate itself.
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