Driving your tax savings for 30 June
April 2, 2026
Vehicle-related expenses remain one of the most commonly claimed tax deductions for Aussies, and it’s an area where the Australian Tax Office (ATO) frequently finds errors.
With 30 June not far away, now is a good time to check….
Age Pension increase offers relief as deeming rates rise gradually
April 2, 2026
The Federal Government increased the Age Pension from 20 March 2026, alongside a gradual rise in deeming rates. Advocacy group COTA Australia says the pension boost will offer relief, but warns updated deeming assumptions may not reflect the realities facing all older Australians.
The Iran war and markets: Keeping perspective amid uncertainty
April 2, 2026
There’s a particular kind of unease that creeps in when market headlines start mixing geopolitics with talk of oil prices and recessions. That feeling has been hard to avoid, as the escalating war in the Middle East spooked global markets and brought fresh uncertainty to an already fragile economic landscape.
2025 Year in review: It was a soft landing for Australia
January 12, 2026
Many investors breathed a sigh of relief at having survived (and even thrived) the turbulent economic and political events of 2025. Super funds posted strong double-digit returns for the 2024-2025 financial year. Australia recorded modest economic growth, while inflation cooled a little throughout the year – albeit with a slight uptick at year’s end –…
As Trump abandons the rulebook on trade, does free trade have a future elsewhere?
October 8, 2025
The global trading system that promoted free trade and underpinned global prosperity for 80 years now stands at a crossroads. Recent trade policy developments have introduced unprecedented levels of uncertainty – not least, the upheaval caused by United States President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff regime. This is presenting some fundamental changes to the way nations…
Australia’s economy shows best result in two years as consumer spending picks up
October 8, 2025
The Australian economy picked up strength in the June quarter as consumers opened their wallets, boosted by interest rate cuts earlier in the year. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6% in the June quarter and 1.8% over the year — the strongest outcome in two years and…
Inflation, deflation – what’s in a name?
February 4, 2021
When the inflation rate fell into negative territory in the June quarter, it was so unusual it begged the question of what this means for the economy. Are we facing deflation or even stagflation and what is the difference? In the June quarter the annual inflation rate fell to minus 0.3 per cent, only the third time…
2020 Year in Review
January 11, 2021
Just as we were recovering from the long drought and the worst bushfires on record, the global coronavirus pandemic took hold and changed everything. Suddenly, simple things we took for granted, like going to the office or celebrating special occasions, were put on hold. While life is still not back to normal, Australia is in…
Review of 2020, outlook for 2021 – from Pandemic to Recovery
December 10, 2020
Key points 2020 was dominated by the Coronavirus pandemic but shares saw okay returns on the back of policy stimulus and vaccine optimism, resulting in constrained but positive returns for balanced growth super funds. For 2021, the combination of massive policy stimulus and the prospect of vaccines allowing a return to something more normal by…
Federal Budget 2020-21 Analysis
October 13, 2020
Building a bridge to recovery In what has been billed as one of the most important budgets since the Great Depression, and the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic dragged Australia into its first recession in almost 30 years, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the next phase of the journey is to secure Australia’s…
Extension of the JobSeeker program
August 5, 2020
The Government is extending the Coronavirus Supplement to eligible recipients to 31 December 2020. The amount of the Supplement will be adjusted to reflect the gradually improved economic conditions and improving labour market. Both existing and new recipients eligible for the Coronavirus supplement will continue to be $550 per fortnight up to and including 24…
JobKeeper changes announced
August 5, 2020
The JobKeeper Payment has been extended by a further six months to March 2021, targeting support to those organisations which continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19. From 28 September 2020, eligibility for the JobKeeper Payment will be based on actual turnover in the relevant periods. The payment rate will be reduced, and a lower…
JobTrainer skills package
August 5, 2020
The Australian Government will invest $2 billion to provide hundreds of thousands of Australians with access to new skills by retraining and upskilling them into sectors with job opportunities, as the economy recovers from COVID-19. The JobTrainer package has two aspects to it. The first aspect of the package, which is worth $1.5 billion, is…
Year in Review – Investment Insights
July 27, 2020
Financial year 2020 has truly been a year of two halves. The first half was characterised by continued economic expansion, buoyant equity markets and historically low – even negative in some countries – interest rates. However, before midnight’s chimes heralded a new decade, raging bushfires made it clear that Australia was potentially set for a…
Tax Alert June 2020
June 30, 2020
With COVID-19 dominating everyone’s thoughts, employers are being offered a brief window of opportunity to get their tax affairs in order with the new Superannuation Guarantee (SG) amnesty. There is also a range of virus related assistance on offer to help affected business and individual taxpayers. Here’s a roundup of some of the latest tax…
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