News Archive for September 2015

Calling regional online innovators! Google and the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) are looking for the country’s ‘Regional Online Heroes’. The countrywide competition has been launched to identify the top small and medium regional businesses (SMBs) that are using the Internet to grow.

Jetstar has responded to strong demand for travel to Queensland this upcoming holiday season by increasing the domestic seat capacity to holiday hotspots including Brisbane, Cairns, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

On the back of the recent change in Prime Minister, where Malcolm Turnbull defeated Tony Abbott in the leadership ballet, consumer confidence has surged 8.7% to 114.5 according to the ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence results.

Even while the lowest rate credit card could save the average credit cardholder $466 in fees and interest every year, there aren't enough options for consumers to choose from, according to the latest data collected by Mozo.

During 2015 the home loan market has seen significant changes with lenders introducing higher interest rates and stricter deposit requirements for investor borrowers.

The latest Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI) revealed that annual sales growth remained above the decade average in August, even while experiencing the slowest monthly growth in about three years.

The latest report by Tourism Research Australia revealed an optimistic travel outlook for Australia despite slower growth in the number of Australians going on holidays overseas.

How do you book travel? Do you pick up your phone and click on your favourite travel app on the way to work? Do you wait for the safety of your desktop computer, on a Wednesday night? To answer these questions and more, we asked Debby Soo the Vice President for KAYAK in APAC, to share the findings from their recent Mobile Travel Report. Here’s what they found:

More than a quarter of vehicles stolen over the past 12 months have been taken from a homeowner’s driveway revealed RACQ’s 2015 Car Security Index.

Have you let your savings slip over the winter months? Lucky for you we've entered a new season, Spring to be precise which is all about starting afresh.

According to a new report by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, the gap between Australia's richest and poorest grew by 13% over the past decade. This gap is expected to further widen by 10% over the next 10 years, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Sustainable House Day this Sunday brings a good opportunity for people who are looking to build a sustainable home in Australia.

New research conducted by Roy Morgan, which asked participants if they would recommend their electricity provider to a friend or colleague, showed a large majority were either “not at all likely” (16%) or uncertain (24%).

Financial institutions may need to get customers’ consent for contactless features to be activated on their card, as per a parliamentary committee’s recommendation.

As we farewell one of the coldest winters the south-eastern states have experienced in years, Australian households are beginning to receive their statements for the last quarter with around 50% opening a larger electricity bill than expected.

So you’re the quintessential offbeat traveller who has already mastered the art of homestays thanks to Airbnb. And like any trendy traveller, you’re itching to hear about the next travel trends to hit the circuit.

Environment Minister Steven Miles has justified the move by Queensland’s biggest electricity network in joining a battle that could lead to a rise in electricity prices. According to Mr Miles, the company only wants to speak for “Queensland energy users”, reported news.com.au. He added that the move was “relatively procedural”.

Visa and Tourism Australia have partnered in an effort to increase the number of international tourists to Australia from the Asia Pacific Region as well as how much tourists spend when they are here.

Households in South Australia could be up for a $776 cash reward by switching electricity providers, according to energy comparison site Mozo.com.au.

Experts have warned travellers to brace themselves for further depreciations after the Australian dollar plunged to a six year low yesterday, trading at US69.78c.

The household saving ratio saw another decline in the June 2015 quarter, in line with some of the weakest quarterly figures on economic growth in years.

Bargain hunters get ready because Tigerair is about to launch a mega domestic flight sale from 12pm today that will run through to midday Saturday 5 September (unless sold out prior).

After a record number of energy disconnections in Victoria in 2013-14, the Essential Services Commission has proposed a new framework for customers who face difficulty making their electricity bills.

Now’s a great time to be purchasing or refinancing your own home, as we’ve seen a number of lenders drop their home loan interest rates for owner occupiers.

A major catch of prepaid travel cards that has long frustrated Aussie travellers is the risk of the card expiring before they have been able to spend the entire balance.

At the Reserve Bank of Australia meeting today, the Board decided to leave the official cash rate on hold at a steady 2% for September.

Planning a holiday in September? Good news for deal seekers! Skyscanner has looked through domestic as well as international flight costs across the year to list the travel destinations that are going to be most affordable this month.