9 To 5 Aussie

Updated: 30 October 2026, 3:22 am AEDT (Sydney) More than 100 Victorian business, sport and media figures have signed an open letter asking every party contesting the state election to produce a credible plan to reduce government debt. Campaign group AMPLIFY announced the joint appeal on Thursday, 29 October , ahead of the 28 November election. The signatories include AFL figures Toby Greene and Gerard Healy, former Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett, entrepreneur Sid Myer and Afterpay co-founder Anthony Eisen. The letter asks political leaders to explain how they would bring debt down, rather than make broad promises. AMPLIFY founder Paul Bassat said the campaign reflected concerns about the cost of servicing debt and its effect on future generations. These are the campaigners’ arguments for changes to fiscal policy; the letter does not announce a government decision. In an interview published by news.com.au on Thursday , signatory and former Australia Post chief Ahmed Fahour called for an...

Updated: 29 October 2026, 10:32 pm AEDT (Sydney) Bomberry has recalled four varieties of its 150g chocolate-covered berry products sold across Australia because of metal contamination. Food Standards Australia New Zealand published the recall on Wednesday, 28 October. The recall covers blueberries with dark chocolate; blueberries with white and milk chocolate; raspberries with white and dark chocolate; and raspberries with white and milk chocolate. All best-before dates up to and including 20 January 2028 are affected. Atomic Changes Pty Ltd, trading as Bomberry, said the products had been sold nationally and online through Woolworths and independent retailers, including IGA, Harris Farm and Drakes Supermarket, according to the official recall notice . The regulator warned that food containing metal can cause illness or injury. Consumers should not eat the affected products and should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Anyone concerned about their health should see...

Updated: 28 October 2026, 12:25 p.m. AEDT Australia’s annual inflation rate increased to 4.3 per cent in September, up from 4.0 per cent in August, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday. Consumer prices rose 0.8 per cent during the month, twice the August increase. Housing made the largest contribution to the annual rise, with prices up 5.2 per cent. The ABS release identified higher new dwelling and electricity costs as contributors. New dwelling prices were 4.7 per cent higher than a year earlier. Transport prices rose 8.7 per cent over the year. Automotive fuel increased 9.4 per cent in September alone, which the bureau attributed to higher world oil prices. The annual trimmed mean measure of underlying inflation reached 3.6 per cent. August’s figure was revised down from 3.6 to 3.5 per cent following changes to seasonal factors. For the September quarter, the overall CPI rose 1.3 per cent, while the quarterly trimmed mean on its pre-October 2025 basis increased...

Updated: 27 October 2026, 6:24 a.m. AEDT Reserve Bank assistant governor Brad Jones warned on Monday, 26 October, that rising retirement withdrawals and growing liquidity demands would make it harder for Australia’s superannuation sector to cushion future financial shocks. Speaking at the AFR Super and Wealth Summit in Melbourne, Jones said the sector had historically helped stabilise markets, including by buying Australian shares during the 2008 and 2020 crises. Recent stress testing by the RBA and APRA suggested funds were generally well placed to withstand substantial stress, according to the RBA’s published transcript . However, he said weekly net inflows of $1 billion to $2 billion had provided an important buffer. As more members draw down retirement savings, more funds will face net cash outflows, while foreign-exchange hedging will require more liquidity. Jones also highlighted concentrated service providers and the risk of an operational disruption occurring alongside financia...

Updated: 27 October 2026, 1:19 a.m. AEDT Centrelink is pursuing about 147,000 outstanding income-apportioned debts after a prolonged pause, according to Nine’s reporting published on Monday, 26 October . Victoria Legal Aid supports restoring a six-year limit on social security debt recovery. The repayment process did not begin on Monday. Services Australia says it started writing to affected people from June 2026 and has been gradually restarting repayments, explanations of decisions and formal reviews. Income apportionment divided a person’s employment earnings across Centrelink reporting fortnights when the available information did not show exactly when income was earned. Services Australia says legislation has retrospectively validated payment rates and debts calculated using the method before December 2020. Nine reported that Victoria Legal Aid’s Miles Browne warned of confusion and difficulty finding evidence about payments made more than a decade ago. The Department of Soci...

Updated: 26 October 2026, 10:23 a.m. AEDT Reserve Bank of Australia chief economist Sarah Hunter said the bank had not yet finished tackling inflation, in a television interview broadcast on Sunday night, 25 October. The RBA’s published transcript says the Sydney interview for 60 Minutes was recorded on 21 October. Asked whether enough had been done after four interest-rate increases this year, Hunter said the task was not yet complete and that higher rates needed time to work through the economy. Hunter pointed to two pressures: an overseas oil shock feeding into Australian costs, and domestic demand remaining above what the economy could sustainably supply. She said the bank needed to prevent inflation from becoming entrenched. She acknowledged the strain on mortgage holders while also highlighting the effect of rising living costs on renters and lower-income households. Hunter said the bank was watching closely for signs of a sharp downturn and was not seeking a recession. ABC News...

Updated: 22 October 2026, 7:25 a.m. AEDT NEXTDC cut its revenue and earnings forecasts on Wednesday, 21 October, after delayed electricity-network upgrades pushed back expansion at its M3 Melbourne data centre in West Footscray. In its ASX announcement , the company said Jemena had suspended parts of the required network works because of community and stakeholder opposition. The next increase in grid supply is now expected in FY28, delaying delivery and billing of contracted capacity. NEXTDC lowered FY27 net revenue guidance to $475 million–$500 million from $615 million–$640 million. Its underlying EBITDA forecast fell to $245 million–$265 million from $385 million–$410 million. Both revised ranges exclude the affected M3 contracts. ABC independently reported that shares fell about 40 per cent following Wednesday’s announcement. Residents and councils had opposed power-pole upgrades, including over consultation concerns. The filing also reduced FY27 capital-expenditure guidance to $4...

Updated: 22 October 2026, 5:20 a.m. AEDT Reserve Bank deputy governor Andrew Hauser warned in Sydney on Wednesday, 21 October, that Australia’s inflation outlook had become “materially worse” than the bank’s August forecast, as policymakers prepare for their November interest-rate meeting. Speaking at Citi’s Australia and New Zealand Investment Conference, Hauser said the RBA was still finalising its forecasts. The bank’s published transcript identifies higher oil prices, the AI and technology investment boom, and domestic capacity constraints as continuing sources of inflation pressure. Hauser said oil prices were about a third above the level assumed in August. He also pointed to rising technology prices and Australian data-centre construction, while services inflation remained sensitive to limits on the economy’s capacity. He warned that business surveys and the RBA’s liaison work showed some companies were beginning to regard inflation of 3–3.5 per cent as normal. At the same time...

Updated: 21 October 2026, 5:24 a.m. AEDT (Sydney) The Reserve Bank of Australia’s payments policy chief, Ellis Connolly, defended the card surcharge changes at a Sydney conference on Tuesday, saying consumers should be able to pay the price they see advertised. Speaking at the AFIA Conference on 20 October, Connolly said cards now account for 75 per cent of consumer payments. He said the RBA was monitoring implementation and wanted greater clarity for shoppers at checkout. For businesses, he said the bank was looking for reductions in interchange charges to flow through to the fees merchants pay their payment providers. Domestic interchange changes took effect on 1 October, while adjustments for international cards are due on 1 April. Connolly also pointed to requirements for large merchant payment providers and card networks to publish more fee information. The aim is to help businesses compare providers and identify better deals. The comments came after the surcharge ban took effect ...