The Latest Breaking News from ABS

After a year of surging rental prices and cost-of-living expenses, relief could be on the cards for borrowers with economists raising hopes for a soft landing.

When retail spending surges, the Reserve Bank can be tempted to raise interest rates – but analysing the economy requires an understanding of what is happening in the real world.

Despite a higher-than-expected 61,000 jobs being added to the economy in November, the jobless rate lifted to 3.9 per cent.

Economy grows more slowly than expected, with consumer spending flat under the pressure of high interest rates

ONLINE CRIMINALS: There's no shame in falling for a scam, so report it

The Prime Minister announced plans in October to introduce the Advanced British Standard (ABS) – a new single post-16 qualification.

In recent months, there has been increasing focus on crime committed by young people in Australia. Politicians are coming under more pressure to respond to these well-publicised criminal acts and the public perceptions that Australia is in the grips of a youth crime crisis.

Consumers have been reining in their spending in response to high interest rates and new data may signal a continuation of this trend.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a new qualification to replace A-levels and T-levels. The planned Advanced British Standard (ABS) will also come with more teaching time for students: an extra 195 hours over two years.