ANZ scraps passwords for digital banking log-in
ANZ is scrapping password access to its digital banking arm ANZ Plus, replacing key-based log-ins with two-factor authentication.
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Rather than typing in a password, customers will instead be able to access their ANZ Plus Web Banking through two authentication methods: either by using a passkey, which could be their fingerprint, face or mobile device PIN, or by entering their mobile number and approving a log-in request sent to their secure ANZ Plus app.
ANZ Group Executive Australia Retail, Maile Carnegie says: 'The introduction of Password-less Web Banking will revolutionise the way customers access their bank account. Not only will it be easier than ever to log into your account, we're helping our customers bank with confidence knowing their accounts are secure.
'By introducing this change, we're helping prevent customer log in details from the risk of data breaches or phishing attacks - providing an extra layer of protection and one less thing for customers to worry about when it comes to banking security.'
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Proposed Macquarie University restructure will ‘hollow out' humanities, academics say
Academics have accused Macquarie University of 'hollowing out' the humanities after the institution announced a restructure that would halve some arts faculties and drastically reduce course offerings for some degrees. Under the proposed changes, seen by Guardian Australia, 42 full-time equivalent academic roles in the Faculty of Arts and 33 in the Faculty of Science and Engineering would be cut, making about $15m in net savings. Curriculum changes would be made in 2026 and 2027, with mergers and reductions largely attributed to low enrolment figures. The proposal, released to staff on 3 June, said the prospect of international student caps and 'uncertainty' in domestic student growth meant Australian universities could no longer rely on boosting enrolments to ensure financial sustainability. 'The objective of the changes … is to resize the workforce in areas where current staff profile and capacity is not aligned to student demand.' Staff have less than a month to provide feedback about the cuts. A final decision is expected to be made in early July. A spokesperson for Macquarie said the proposed curriculum changes were designed to ensure education remained 'transformative' for students. 'The needs of employers and students are evolving and universities, including Macquarie, need to adapt to modern demands,' they said. 'While we are preserving traditional humanities subjects such as history, philosophy, and English literature, we are at the same time offering majors and courses that are focused on employability and meeting areas of student interest and demand.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email President of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and academic at Macquarie, Dr Alison Barnes, said she had been receiving 'constant calls' from academics worried about changes at their institutions. More than a dozen universities are undergoing restructuring, including ANU, UTS, Western Sydney University and the University of Wollongong. The NTEU estimated that more than 1,000 roles were on the line, less than five years after more than 17,000 job cuts during the pandemic – or 13% of the workforce. 'Another round of job cuts is extremely damaging to people's wellbeing, they're living with systemic uncertainty,' Barnes said. 'It's also having a corrosive impact on students. They need to be able to study things that they are inherently interested in.' At Macquarie, ancient history and archaeology, creative arts, politics and international relations and the school of sociology would all lose up to, or more than, half of their FTE staff, while media and communications – which jointly operates the 2SER radio station with the University of Technology, Sydney – would be reduced by about one quarter under the proposed changes. Majors would also be discontinued in a string of study areas including politics, gender studies and performing arts, while a number of bachelor degrees would be abolished, including music, ancient history and archeology – which would be incorporated into a new bachelor of history. The number of media majors would also be reduced from six to three. Ten new research positions would be created in science and engineering, and two in education. Barnes said it 'shocked' her that the humanities was being particularly targeted. 'It's this hollowing out of our institutions. You've got people who've worked their entire lives in these disciplines, and then that knowledge is lost, which is why I think these decisions are so incredibly damaging and shortsighted. 'It's a travesty, and it's heartbreaking.' Acting president of the Australian Historical Association (AHA), Prof Kate Fullagar, said the cuts were part of the 'ongoing devaluation' of humanities at Macquarie and most Australian universities. 'What we're most concerned about is the reduction in unit offerings and staff – ancient history has been massively depleted, and that sector was clearly the best in the country,' she said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'It took Macquarie 40 or 50 years to build up … it's the university's own investment that they're undermining, and it just seems like recklessness. 'Inevitably, what will happen is that with less offerings and less choices for the students, numbers go down, and then you get into this horrible cycle where they cut you further.' In an email sent to Macquarie students on 3 June, the deputy vice-chancellor (academic), Prof Rorden Wilkinson, said students may notice a 'more focused structure' to their course, major or units from 2026. 'The units you choose from will be based on the best education offerings in each faculty,' he wrote. 'Your study choices will be clearer. The curriculum you study will be more purposeful. Your pathway to graduation will be easier.' Associate professor in the department of history and archaeology at Macquarie, Paul McKechnie, who has worked at the university for almost 20 years, said it would be challenging to adequately cover teaching with 'so few staff'. McKechnie said he was 'skeptical' about Macquarie's claims that the cuts were being made because of falling student numbers. A change paper seen by Guardian Australia, which was published by the university and distributed to staff, last year, showed the arts generated $133m in annual profit but cost $48.6m to run. The vice-chancellor of Macquarie, Prof Bruce Dowton, said universities in Western democracies were facing a 'range of external pressures' and Australia was no exception. Macquarie has run a deficit for five of the past six years, including a $4m loss in 2024. It cut its workforce in 2020 and 2021 around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. 'We understand that changes of this nature can be unsettling, and we do not take them lightly,' Dowton said. 'Our community can be assured that we are proposing these changes because they are needed.' NTEU branch president for Macquarie, and senior lecturer in quantitative sociology, Nicholas Harrigan, said the cuts were a 'disgrace'. 'That is simply stealing from students,' he said. The spokesperson said the proposed changes were the result of 'careful planning and reflection'. They said teaching overall was 'generally financially sustainable' but that wasn't 'uniformly true'. 'Courses and units with low enrolments are generally more likely to be loss-making after all costs are fully allocated,' they said. 'Strategic realignment allows us to focus on areas of sustainable strength, invest in emerging disciplines, and make choices to safeguard our future.'
The Guardian
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Taxing actual rather than unrealised super gains would mean ‘significant' costs for millions of Australians, Treasury says
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The Guardian
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It is so expensive and getting more difficult to rationalise … I do not tell my colleagues that I buy a coffee daily.' Although many are feeling the burden of pricier takeaway coffees, readers remain faithful to their local cafes. 'Our closest cafe is an important establishment in the community,' wrote Anthony. Overwhelmingly, readers said they will continue to buy coffee from cafes if prices keep rising. Jacob, Anne and others point to the social aspect. 'It's not just about the coffee. It's a peaceful place – a little community. You can chat to people that you might not normally interact with,' wrote Jacob. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion 'I will not be changing this [habit] even if the price doubles. In the local neighbourhood, a coffee is more than a cup of liquid. It is an interpersonal interaction,' said Anne. This resonatedwith readers who work from home or remotely. Peter wrote: 'More often than not, [it's] the only in-person interaction I'll have all day.' Many readers also stressed the importance of supporting their local cafes and were happy to pay more to do so: 'The best cafes are the ones that bring the community together, if those places go under due to financial stress … then the small financial loss I feel when I buy the coffee will be surpassed by the larger cost to the community and quality of the areas we live in,' wrote Anthony. Whether or not people continue to buy coffees out, around half of the readers who responded said they are making coffees at home more frequently. Many, such as Kiri, established a set-up during lockdown. 'Our coffee habits really changed through Covid and we started using our home espresso machine every day,' she wrote. 'Since then I haven't gone back to buying coffee on a daily basis.' Others have just established their home cafe, such as Danielle who no longer buys coffee out. 'I recently bought a home espresso machine. The machine will pay for itself in three weeks of no takeaway coffees.' These set-ups range from French presses and moka pots to espresso machines with plenty of add-ons, which Katie said was 'all quite normal for inner Melbourne'. Unfortunately more than half of readers could not name a place that offers a decent yet affordable coffee, with some turning to convenience store cups. 'If I really need one … the 7-11 stuff isn't bad!' wrote Erin. Office coffee machines were also another cost-effective option for some readers, though with less positive results. 'I now either bring my coffee from home or I use the instant sachet coffees at work,' wrote Rosa. 'They all taste worse and are more for need than enjoyment.' Others would rather opt out entirely. 'Bad-tasting coffee isn't worth it even if it's cheap,' wrote Andy. For most, it's either coffee or nothing. When asked if they were seeking out alternative drink options, readers responded with a resounding no. The mere suggestion was too much for Maria: 'Every time I drink tea I just think, 'I wish you were coffee.''
