Elderly parent visas are Australia’s most costly and should be abolished. Around 8,500 permanent parent visas are issued every year. The 2023 Migration Review from the Australian Treasury estimated that each parent visa costs Australian taxpayers $393,000: The Treasury has estimated that each parent permanent migrant costs $393,000 over their remaining lifetime in Australia. Older
The Albanese government announced on the weekend that it will increase the application charge on student visas from $1,600 to $2,000 if Labor is re-elected. The change will not affect arrangements for Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants. The visa fee increase is forecast to deliver $760 million to the budget over the forward estimates. “We
The latest polling from Resolve Political Monitor shows Labor leading the Coalition 53% to 47% in two-party terms. Anthony Albanese also leads Peter Dutton by 47% to 31% as preferred Prime Minister. However, Resolve notes that Labor’s primary vote “remains weaker than it was at the last election, down from 32.6% to 3%, highlighting the
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released the all-important Q1 2025 CPI inflation print. Headline inflation rose by 0.9% over the quarter and by 2.4% year over year. The result was slightly ahead of analysts’ expectations of a 2.4% annual increase. The more policy-important trimmed mean inflation printed at 0.7% in Q1 2025, in
The ferrous complex is not well. As the trade shock begins. Morgan Stanley. Our Asia Economists see China’s 2Q GDP growth tracking below 4.5% Y/Y (vs. 5.4% Y/Y in1Q) as more hard data points are showing that tariffs are affecting activity: container throughput is declining, freight shipping prices to the US are slumping, and China’s
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Victorians pay the highest state and local taxes in the nation. Victorians suffered a 40.5% increase in state and local government taxes since 2020-21, the largest increase in the nation. Victoria’s state taxes as a share of gross state product have also increased to 6.08%, the highest
The Market Ear on diving US leading indicators. Post crisis lows VIX at the lowest levels since the early April panic. Note the aggressive VVIX implosion, as well as the latest little bid in VVIX. Volatility is not dirt cheap, but early long volatility positions/hedges are starting to screen attractive again. Our full volatility
The composition of Australia’s international student enrolments has changed drastically over the past 20 years. In December 2005, 288,579 overseas students were studying in Australia. China (63,695) dominated enrolments, with India (24,644) in a distant second position. The Department of Education didn’t even list Nepal. Nine years later, in December 2014, 452,965 overseas students enrolled in
DXY struggles on. AUD is holding support. Lead boots plod on. Oil is pointing the way for growth. Metals meh. Mining meh. EM meh. Junk has entered autobid as equities rise. And yields fall. VIX down means stocks up with robots. Deutsche says DXY is stuffed. DB tracks two near real-time measures of US capital
A better night on Wall Street due to better earnings reports and by absorbing the Canadian general election outcome. The USD was able to push back slightly against most of the majors although Pound Sterling remains at a new three year high amid the growing UK/EU detente on trade. The Canadian Loonie firmed slightly on