General News

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International Students Return to Adelaide

17 August 2020 In: Study, Adelaide, Family, General

Study in Australia: Under a trial program, 300 students from China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore will fly into Adelaide in early September to take up university places. The Australian Government has made a number of changes to student visa arrangements to ensure Australia remains a priority destination for international students as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. International students are extremely important to Australia and our economy, contributing $40 billion annually and supporting 250,000…

Australia Jobs and Wages Increase

14 August 2020 In: Jobs, Economy, General

Australia jobs market saw a significant increase in July and weekly wages have also increased. Around 115,000 new jobs were added across Australia during July. The average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults in Australia in May 2020 was $1,714, up 3.3 per cent from November 2019, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS, said: ”Lower paid jobs and industries were particularly impacted by COVID-19…

Home Working: The Up and Downside

08 August 2020 In: Jobs, Family, General

Home Working has many benefits but also many downsides, a major new study has shown. The global shift to home working since the pandemic began has led to some upsides: More flexibility, no commute – more comfortable clothes. But working from home also comes with downsides – longer working days, more meetings and more email to answer. A new survey of 3.1 million workers shows that the average working day lengthened by 48.5 minutes in…

Home Loans Recover

05 August 2020 In: Property, Finance, Economy, General

Home Loans: The value of new loan commitments for housing rose in June, up 6.2 per cent according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. The rise in Home Loans in Australia in June reflects the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in May on auctions, open houses and mobility in general. The value of new loan commitments for owner occupier housing rose 5.5 per cent, while investor housing rose 8.1 per cent. The number of owner…

Cost of Living Falls

05 August 2020 In: Migration, Economy, Family, General

Cost of Living Falls: Large price movements in response to the impacts of COVID-19 in the June 2020 quarter have resulted in the largest fall to date in the living cost index for Employee households. The fall in cost of living was driven by the provision of free child care for Australian families during the quarter, with Employee households having the highest weight for both child care and preschool and primary education. Other government transfer…

Australia Retail Sales Rise

04 August 2020 In: Economy, Family, General

Australia retail sales rose 2.7 per cent in June 2020 following a 16.9 per cent rise in May. Food retailing (0.9 per cent) was lifted by a rise in sales in Victoria at the end of the month. Online sales remain elevated, making up 9.7 per cent of total retail sales in June. Online contributed 6.1 per cent in June 2019. Other retailing (0.3 per cent) rose in June, while there were falls in department…

Australia Property Prices Rise

03 August 2020 In: Property, Economy, General

Australia Property Prices have risen by around 13 per cent in major cities across the country. The coronavirus emergency has caused a 2.5 per cent fall in house values over the past quarter but overall Australia Property prices have seen a big increase in the past 12 months. Sydney house prices fell 1% in July and have dropped by 2.4 per cent over the quarter. Despite the drop, Sydney house prices have increased by 13.2…

Migration to Australia: Act Now To Succeed

28 July 2020 In: Jobs, Migration, General

Migration to Australia remains possible despite the current effects of the coronavirus. Act now to ensure your visa application meets the work or migration criteria, as demand will be high during 2021 when the recovery gains speed. Australia is currently experiencing a ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus and various state lockdowns have created a level of uncertainty when it comes to migration and work, travel and study visas. State Sponsorships are low, Skilled Migration is…

Australia Jobs in $48bn Boost

28 July 2020 In: Jobs, Economy, General

Australia jobs market is to be boosted by a $48bn plan to create new jobs and cut taxes. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his top priority is to create new jobs and keep people in work. Policies to create jobs will take priority over calls for faster tax cuts in stage two of the government’s economic stimulus. The government has legislated personal tax cuts in three stages over the next three years but some Mps…

Australia Property $30k Boost

27 July 2020 In: Property, Sydney, New South Wales, General

Australia Property buyers could save $30,000 with the axe on stamp duty down under. First-time buyers in New South Wales can benefit from the state government announcement to temporarily axe stamp duty on new homes under $800,000 for first home buyers. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the initiative is expected to help over 6000 first home buyers to save thousands of dollars. “Thousands of people seeking Australia Property will benefit from this change – it…

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