Australia
Banking
Home loan fees jump 17 per cent as banks collect $15 billion
Australian banks collected roughly $15 billion in fee revenue in the year to June 2025, a 3 per cent lift on the prior year, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest annual survey of bank charges. On the big four's combined balance sheets, that number barely registers.
Australia
Japan to test hypersonic missiles on Australian soil under new deal
Japan has secured the right to test hypersonic missiles on Australian soil, with the Woomera Range Complex in South Australia confirmed as a primary site.
Finance
AUSTRAC uncovers coordinated mortgage fraud across 10 major banks
AUSTRAC says its Fintel Alliance has uncovered coordinated mortgage fraud across 10 major banks, with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected fraudulent loans, most of them on Sydney properties.
Sport
Sydney Swans ban five players for the season amid police investigation
Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner will not be considered for selection for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season, including any finals series.
Australia
Australia to spend $3.2 billion stockpiling diesel and jet fuel by 2030
Australia holds roughly 37 days of diesel cover. The government has opened consultation on spending 3.2 billion dollars to stockpile a billion litres of diesel and jet fuel by 2030.
Finance
RBA bans card surcharges from October 2026
Every payment terminal in Australia must stop adding a surcharge to eftpos, Mastercard and Visa transactions from 1 October 2026, and the Reserve Bank expects most small merchants to be better off.
Australia
Pygmy blue whale washes up dead in the NT, a first for the Gulf of Carpentaria
Read the stranding records for the Gulf of Carpentaria and one thing stands out: pygmy blue whales do not belong there. The Gulf is shallow, warm and enclosed, sitting well inside waters the subspecies is almost never documented to enter.
Technology
Coles tests facial recognition as privacy law bites
Retail loss prevention has one persistent weak point: the door. Self-checkouts can be hardened, staff trained, body-worn cameras installed, and shrinkage still climbs.
Business
One in three Australian businesses are gone by year four
Open a business in Australia in 2021 and still be trading today, and you have already beaten the odds by more than most people realise.
Mining giant BHP's profit jumps 30% as copper overtakes iron ore
Sydney fintech opens a 90-lender panel to Aussie's mortgage brokers
Australian startup says quantum physics can catch hacked devices
Self-managed super funds banned from new home loans, 3,613 contracts at risk
Children with autism to lose NDIS access from 2028 under Labor deal
NAB is the fourth big bank to report home loan applications diving
Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets for a first Test win on Australian soil
Sydney colour-cube maker CMY Cubes wins spot in Korea's state accelerator
Small business workers win right to refuse after-hours contact
Small businesses pay 6% to borrow, big companies pay 4%
Telstra lifts dividend 10.5% and launches $1bn buyback
Tanzid century puts Bangladesh 153 ahead of Australia in Darwin
Housing power shift: fastest price falls since 2022 put buyers in charge
Japan's ambassador rebukes Albanese over melon joke
Court blocks Australia’s online safety regulator from double-regulating X
Why taxpayers are paying $2.5 billion to keep a Rio Tinto smelter open
One company now controls every property settlement in Australia
Self-managed super funds banned from new residential property loans
Copying someone else's contract could cost your business up to $50m
Insurers now ask about your cyber security before renewing your policy
