Latest news with #AustralianBureauofStatistics
The Age
a day ago
- General
- The Age
Some blokes drink tea. Why can't waiters understand that?
This story is part of the May 31 edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories. I'm a man who drinks tea and my wife drinks coffee. Over the years, whenever we go out to a café, no matter which one, the waiter always – without fail – puts the coffee in front of me and the tea in front of my wife. Why, Guru, why? S.C., Bondi, NSW It could be a gender thing. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that men drink more coffee than women, so maybe waiters are just making a gender-based assumption (and data from my own personal research shows that waiters are more likely to forget who ordered what at a table when it's a beverage-only order because they know they're not getting much of a tip). But there could be a non-gender reason why this is happening: maybe you and your wife look very similar and it's confusing the wait staff, in which case try dressing differently: wear your favourite T-shirt with the smiling teacup that's saying, 'I'm a Tea-shirt!' and pop a tea cosy on your head – cute! Loading Or it could just be a crazy coincidence, in which case switch your seats at the last minute to fool the Divine Powers of the Cosmos (they'll totally fall for that, they're a pack of massive boof-heads).
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Some blokes drink tea. Why can't waiters understand that?
This story is part of the May 31 edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories. I'm a man who drinks tea and my wife drinks coffee. Over the years, whenever we go out to a café, no matter which one, the waiter always – without fail – puts the coffee in front of me and the tea in front of my wife. Why, Guru, why? S.C., Bondi, NSW It could be a gender thing. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that men drink more coffee than women, so maybe waiters are just making a gender-based assumption (and data from my own personal research shows that waiters are more likely to forget who ordered what at a table when it's a beverage-only order because they know they're not getting much of a tip). But there could be a non-gender reason why this is happening: maybe you and your wife look very similar and it's confusing the wait staff, in which case try dressing differently: wear your favourite T-shirt with the smiling teacup that's saying, 'I'm a Tea-shirt!' and pop a tea cosy on your head – cute! Loading Or it could just be a crazy coincidence, in which case switch your seats at the last minute to fool the Divine Powers of the Cosmos (they'll totally fall for that, they're a pack of massive boof-heads).
Fashion Network
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Australia's retail sales fall as clothing demand weakens
Australian retail sales unexpectedly fell in April after three months of gains, led by a decline in clothing purchases and prompting traders to bring forward expectations for a third interest rate cut this year. Sales dropped 0.1% in April from a month earlier, compared with a forecast 0.3% increase, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed Friday. The decline caps a week of dour economic data including private capital investment, which fell in the first quarter against economist expectations for a gain, and construction work done, which was flat, again confounding estimates for a rise. The data added to expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia will continue cutting rates, especially with US President Donald Trump making it clear that he wants tariffs to stay in place. Swaps traders are fully pricing in three more cuts for the year, with yields on three- and 10-year government bonds down about 10 basis points. Prior to Friday's report, markets were fully pricing in two cuts this year. The weakness in Friday's data 'is one indication that households are being a little cautious in the face of rising global uncertainty,' said Ben Udy, lead economist for Oxford Economics Australia. 'Unless consumption picks up a little more strongly in the coming months, the RBA may cut rates even sooner than we currently expect.' Retail sales can be an important consideration for monetary policy, as consumption accounts for more than half of gross domestic product. The Reserve Bank has repeatedly highlighted the outlook for household spending as a key uncertainty as it considers cutting interest rates further. Friday's data also showed: Annual retail sales climbed 3.8% in April. There were mixed results across industries, with the largest falls in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing, and department stores — both down 2.5%. Food-related spending continued to rise, with growth in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services up 1.1%. This was partially offset by a fall in food retailing, which declined 0.3%. The ABS intends to cease the publication of retail sales data from July. It is switching to a more comprehensive monthly report on household consumption that will be released Thursday.
Fashion Network
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Australia's retail sales fall as clothing demand weakens
Australian retail sales unexpectedly fell in April after three months of gains, led by a decline in clothing purchases and prompting traders to bring forward expectations for a third interest rate cut this year. Sales dropped 0.1% in April from a month earlier, compared with a forecast 0.3% increase, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed Friday. The decline caps a week of dour economic data including private capital investment, which fell in the first quarter against economist expectations for a gain, and construction work done, which was flat, again confounding estimates for a rise. The data added to expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia will continue cutting rates, especially with US President Donald Trump making it clear that he wants tariffs to stay in place. Swaps traders are fully pricing in three more cuts for the year, with yields on three- and 10-year government bonds down about 10 basis points. Prior to Friday's report, markets were fully pricing in two cuts this year. The weakness in Friday's data 'is one indication that households are being a little cautious in the face of rising global uncertainty,' said Ben Udy, lead economist for Oxford Economics Australia. 'Unless consumption picks up a little more strongly in the coming months, the RBA may cut rates even sooner than we currently expect.' Retail sales can be an important consideration for monetary policy, as consumption accounts for more than half of gross domestic product. The Reserve Bank has repeatedly highlighted the outlook for household spending as a key uncertainty as it considers cutting interest rates further. Friday's data also showed: Annual retail sales climbed 3.8% in April. There were mixed results across industries, with the largest falls in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing, and department stores — both down 2.5%. Food-related spending continued to rise, with growth in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services up 1.1%. This was partially offset by a fall in food retailing, which declined 0.3%. The ABS intends to cease the publication of retail sales data from July. It is switching to a more comprehensive monthly report on household consumption that will be released Thursday.
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
Budget $5 billion better off thanks to bigger tax scoop
Australians paying more income tax than expected last month have helped deliver a $5 billion improvement to the federal budget's bottom line as the government looks to wrangle the nation's finances into a better position. The latest monthly financial statements, released by Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Friday, showed the budget remained in a $19.2 billion deficit – but was better placed in the 12 months to April than the $24 billion deficit projected for the same period at the federal budget. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in March that the budget would be in deficit for the next decade after delivering surpluses in the two prior years, drawing ire from the Coalition even though the opposition's costings revealed towards the end of the campaign that its policies would sink the bottom line by $7.9 billion more in the first two years. But after winning an overwhelming majority at the election, Labor is under pressure to make difficult decisions aimed at bolstering the budget as the country faces structural issues such as an ageing population that will require further spending in health and aged care. The latest improvement to the budget since March was driven by a $3.9 billion larger tax collection than anticipated and about $850 million less in payments made by the government. Loading The government's coffers were topped up by about $3 billion in additional company tax, $1 billion in additional superannuation fund taxes and more than $1 billion in additional tax collected from individuals. This was partly offset by lower collections of some other taxes, including excise duty, luxury car tax and the wine equalisation tax. Higher income tax collections were likely driven by higher wages and company profits. Wages rose 3.4 per cent in the 12 months to the March quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, outpacing price growth, which increased 2.4 per cent. Outlays from the government also came in smaller than expected, driven by about $300 million less in payments made for grants and subsidies, $1.5 billion less paid for goods and services associated with the government's operations, and a $100 million smaller interest bill. This was partly offset by increases in other payments such as $300 million more in personal benefit payments such as the age pension, JobSeeker and disability support pension.
