Wendy* could tell something was wrong by the look on her son’s girlfriend’s face when she came down to the kitchen on Easter morning. “He’d been out with his mates, had a few drinks, got her phone, got into her savings account, and gambled $2,800 into two bets,” she says. Her son’s girlfriend burst into…
Over the last two years high CPI-driven HELP debt indexation – 3.9% in 2022, 7.1% in 2023, probably in the vicinity of 5% this year – has been a major issue. It has brought to public attention HELP debt issues that had been waiting for their trigger. The last time HELP debt indexation exceeded 5%…
Rates of problem gambling may be more than eight times higher than previously thought, according to new data released by the betting industry regulator. The Gambling Commission has previously said the proportion of people suffering from a gambling problem may be as low as 0.3% of adults in Great Britain. The figure, which was based…
[3520359] The views expressed represent the investment team’s assessment of the market environment as of May 2024, and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security, and should not be relied on as research or investment advice. Views are subject to change without notice. This market commentary has been prepared for…
Last December, three-time All Star and two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani signed the biggest contract in North American sports history to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. But just weeks into his tenure with the Dodgers, the two-way star is in the middle of an investigation by MLB and law enforcement involving allegations of $4.5 million…
KEY POINTS There must be changes to the way student loans are increased, Teal MPs say. It comes as the government mulls changes following a report into Australia’s higher education system. The government is considering recommendations to make the system fairer, the education minister says. Federal Teal MPs want changes to the way higher education…
Michael was just 17 when he placed his first bet on a horse race. Key points: The federal government is considering reforms to online gambling A parliamentary inquiry has recommended a complete ban on gambling advertising within three years A regional Queensland man says the accessibility of gambling through apps and advertising make it difficult for people…
The Australian Taxation Office denied debt relief to a taxpayer despite acknowledging the person was in serious financial hardship and at immediate risk of homelessness, according to details released by the tax ombudsman. The person, whose name was not disclosed, is one of many caught by the ATO’s widely criticised “robotax” scheme that has resurrected…
A 16-year-old Melbourne boy was able to gamble nearly $100,000, including at suburban pubs, despite his mother desperately seeking help, a court has heard. The Melbourne magistrates court heard that when his mother discovered his gambling habits, she began a frantic mission to get him help, only to be repeatedly turned away. In April last…
Loading Let me explain how that average person would have ended up there. HELP is an income-contingent loan, which means graduates do not start paying it off until they are earning above a particular threshold. Once a graduate starts earning more than $51,550, their employer needs to start deducting HELP repayments from their pay alongside…