Search Results for: superannuation story

Is big business, super funds the key to fixing social housing problem in Australia?

From The Herald Sun. PHILANTHROPISTS, charities, superannuation funds and publicly-minded big business will be encouraged to build and manage social housing developments in a bid to dramatically boost the number of social houses available across Australia. Treasurer Scott Morrison said major changes were needed in the way social housing was provided, to make it more … Continue reading “Is big business, super funds the key to fixing social housing problem in Australia?”

Housing affordability is in dire straits

Good article from Julia Corderoy, news.com.au. THIS map is a homebuyer’s worst nightmare. It is no secret that housing affordability in many parts of Australia absolutely sucks, especially in Sydney. And it looks like it’s getting worse. Since 2009, house prices in the Harbour City have almost doubled, rising by 97.5 per cent, according to … Continue reading “Housing affordability is in dire straits”

ASIC gives the banks cause for Christmas celebration

From The Conversation. Christmas is a time to forgive and forget and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) sure knows how to distribute good cheer at Yuletide, especially to old friends such as the big four banks.   On (almost) the night before Christmas, ASIC popped down the chimney and gave the banks a … Continue reading “ASIC gives the banks cause for Christmas celebration”

The good, the bad, and the ugly of algorithmic trading

From The Conversation. Algorithms are taking a lot of flak from those in financial circles. They’ve been blamed for a recent flash crash in the British pound and the greatest fall in the Dow in decades. They’ve been called a cancer and linked to insider trading. Government agencies are taking notice and are investigating ways … Continue reading “The good, the bad, and the ugly of algorithmic trading”

Time to toss one of banking’s four pillars out of the nest?

From The Conversation. This week, ANZ, the latest (and now the last) of the big four Australian banks to have ventured far away from the nest, confirmed it was coming home into the arms of the Bank of Mum and Dad (also known as the Australian taxpayer). Though it took considerably less time than NAB’s … Continue reading “Time to toss one of banking’s four pillars out of the nest?”

The Resilience Of The Australian Economy

Secretary to the Treasury, John Fraser gave an address to the Australian Government Fixed Income Forum in Tokyo. He argues that the Australian economy continues to perform well and largely as expected in the 2016-17 Budget. It remains resilient in the face of global volatility. The economy is transitioning from an unprecedented mining investment boom … Continue reading “The Resilience Of The Australian Economy”

Young people don’t expect to rely on the ‘bank of mum and dad’: study

We highlighted recently that more first time buyers are getting help from “The Bank of Mum and Dad” to buy a property and the inter-generational issues this implies. So we were interested to read this article from The Conversation, which uses a small sample of young people, but not focussing on those seeking to buy … Continue reading “Young people don’t expect to rely on the ‘bank of mum and dad’: study”

Forcing insurers to reveal rejected claims a win for consumers

From The Conversation. Companies offering life insurance will now disclose the outcomes of claims, under a new reporting regime in a bid to increase transparency in the industry. This information won’t only be used by individual customers but also by financial advisers and in the case of many of us, by our superannuation fund, via … Continue reading “Forcing insurers to reveal rejected claims a win for consumers”

A super test for Australia’s political system

From The Conversation. In the past week, both major parties have made welcome, albeit tentative, commitments to tackle much-needed budget repair. The Turnbull government has moved quickly to lock in budget savings that Labor supported in the federal election campaign. Now Labor has signalled its support for the bulk of the government’s proposed changes to … Continue reading “A super test for Australia’s political system”

The Economic Foundations of Tax Reform

Roger Brake, Division Head, Tax Framework Division at The Treasury gave an interesting speech today “Tax Reform and Policy for an Economy in Transition”. Essentially, we face a number of headwinds, including falling productivity, shifting demographics, slower growth, more adverse terms of trade and rising personal income tax. I have selected some of the more … Continue reading “The Economic Foundations of Tax Reform”