Markets live: ASX to drop at open, oil prices rise as Israel continues strikes on Iran
Meanwhile, oil prices rose 3 per cent as Donald Trump considered a US attack on Iran "within the next two weeks".
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ABC News
8 minutes ago
- ABC News
Dean Winter says it would be 'helpful' if the Greens 'engaged in discussion'
Labor leader Dean Winter responds to claims it was a mutual decision for the Greens to not attend crossbench negotiations

Daily Telegraph
10 minutes ago
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Average family's grocery bill up 11 per cent, Canstar research finds
Don't miss out on the headlines from Costs. Followed categories will be added to My News. The average family shop has gone up 11 per cent in the past year, the largest increase in five years. Comparison website Canstar found that after polling 2800 shoppers the average weekly shop for a household of four people had risen by $25 to $240. 'That's a big jump for a non-negotiable purchase,' CanstarBlue spokeswoman Eden Radford said. 'Every move, no matter how small, can make a difference, particularly when the average weekly spend for a household of four at the supermarket has climbed 11 per cent from the previous year to hit $240.' A household of four people is now spending $12,480 a year at the supermarket, the analysis finds. Aldi has been rated the best of the four major supermarkets in Australia by respondents to a Canstar survey. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele Almost half of the people surveyed (45 per cent) go to two of either Aldi, Coles, IGA or Woolworths, 16 per cent visit at least three of these, while 39 per cent are loyal to just one. More than 80 per cent of respondents also said they changed their shopping habits in the past year to try and save money; most commonly spending more time checking the unit price, buying in bulk, buying marked-down items closer to expiry, only buying in-season produce, cutting out treats, and buying frozen vegetables instead of fresh. 'When shoppers were asked what they think was the most important thing a supermarket should offer them, the majority (63 per cent) said it was low prices across all products, not just specials,' the researchers said. 'This response was far ahead of the second most popular response of convenience. 'The results demonstrate that while shoppers might enjoy a supermarket that offers easy parking and access, ultimately it's the impact on their budget that they're concerned about most.' Meat and seafood prices are up 3 per cent in the past year. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard The survey also took answers on overall satisfaction, value, produce freshness and customer experience at the four major outlets. Aldi won Canstar's 'most satisfied customer award' for the eighth year in a row. 'Supermarket shoppers rated Aldi a top rating of five stars for overall satisfaction as well as value for money, freshness of fruit, vegetables, and meat, store/website layout and presentation, and quality of supermarket-owned branded products,' the research found. 'The only other supermarkets to score a top rating of five stars from shoppers were IGA, for customer service and checkout experience, and Woolworths, which earned five stars for its product range.' While Canstar's data indicates the average shopper's weekly haul has increased by $25, or 11 per cent, the latest government data shows fruit and vegetable prices rose 4.6 per cent in the 12 months to the June quarter. Global shortages of cocoa have driven up chocolate prices, while bird flu outbreaks in Australia drastically drove up egg prices during the past year. As a whole, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices have risen 3 per cent in the past 12 months, the government data shows, meat and seafood is up 3 per cent, and bread and cereal products have risen 2.2 per cent. Originally published as Average family's grocery bill up 11 per cent, research finds

Sky News AU
16 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
ABS travel data shows fall in Aussie visits to US
Australian holiday-makers continue to drift away from the US, with fresh Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealing a stark fall off in visitor numbers. Overseas arrivals and departures data shows the US fell from third to fourth most popular travel destination across 2024-25. Travel to the vast and vibrant North American democracy was now 25 per cent lower from 10 years ago, the ABS said. China, meanwhile, rose two spots to fifth place, even as the government recommends travellers exercise a 'high degree of caution' when visiting the Communist country. More restrictive US trade and entry policies, introduced following US President Donald Trump's victory in November last year, could be dampening Australia's traditional American wanderlust. In a trading update from July, travel booking company Flight Centre warned of an 'ongoing global downturn in bookings to the US' and said Australian holiday-makers were searching for destinations closer to home. 'This volatility temporarily disrupted traditional travel and booking patterns during Flight Centre's peak trading period as some customers either booked closer-to-home overseas holidays (in Australia, examples include China, Japan, Fiji and New Zealand) or delayed finalising travel plans,' the company said. The $2.8bn company delivered a reduced profit forecast as a result of the disruption in traditional travel patterns. Though travel to the US declined, Indonesia held steady as Australia's most popular travel destination. The northern neighbour, which boasts the tourism crown jewel of Bali, accounted for 14 per cent of Australian overseas trips across the year. Some 87 per cent of the 1,741,370 trips recorded to Indonesia were for holidays. New Zealand came in second place, Japan third, the US fourth and China at No.5. Trips to Japan have tripled compared with 2015, while trips to India have doubled. For travel into Australia, New Zealanders took out top spot, accounting for 16.6 per cent of all visitors, or 1,391,140 visits. The median duration of stay in Australia was 12 days, the same as 2023-24. Originally published as ABS overseas arrivals and departures data shows 25 per cent fall in Aussie visits to US