AUSTRALIA/NEWZEALAND (AUSNEWZEA)NEWS.

The Visa Spending Momentum Index (SMI) for Australia has increased by 2.7 points in March to reach 98.6, signalling a rebound in consumer spending after two months of decline. The March SMI data reflects the end of subdued consumer activity that followed a strong December result, suggesting that Australian consumer sentiment may be stabilising. The index is based on VisaNet transaction data and measures the year-on-year change in household spending, filtering out fluctuations that could obscure broader economic trends.

The Federal Court of Australia has ruled in favour of digital asset platform Block Earner, overturning prior findings that its discontinued crypto lending product, Earner, constituted a managed investment scheme or financial investment facility under the Corporations Act 2001. In a judgment handed down by Justices O'Callaghan, Abraham and Button, the Full Court dismissed the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's (ASIC) appeal and allowed Block Earner's cross-appeal.

The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in Western Australia is running a free webinar on the implementation of the National Construction Code 2022 and residential energy efficiency.

International design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon has appointed Todd Battley as its new Chief Executive for Australia. Mr.Battley has 29 years of industry experience and joins Aurecon from AECOM, where he held roles including Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Executive for Australia and New Zealand.

The recent government budget announcement has sparked significant discussions within various sectors in Australia, particularly in the fields of education, technology, and labour laws. With extensive investment planned in these domains, industry leaders have voiced their perspectives on the potential impacts.

The PLA Navy’s unprecedented live-fire exercise 640 kilometres off the south coast of New South Wales, quickly followed by a second such exercise closer to New Zealand, was provocative and deeply regrettable. But it does not call for an immediate aggressive Australian response, it does not show that the Australian government’s diplomacy is failing, and it certainly does not indicate that Australia is helpless as China’s military power grows.

Australia and Chelsea soccer star Miss Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment toward a British police officer following a late-night dispute with a taxi driver.

It is known for being the punch line of many jokes over the years, and was once named the "a---hole of the world" by Mick Jagger, but now New Zealand locality Invercargill has been left feeling salty after their Council claimed the city vanished off Google Maps.

Australia will reward power-guzzling aluminium smelters that use renewable electricity instead of coal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today as he unveiled a A$2 billion ($2.2b) green metals plan. Australia is the world’s sixth largest producer of the in-demand metal, according to officials, which is used in everything from aeroplane parts to soft-drink cans.

Mexico and Canada are sending firefighters and equipment to help battle the blazes scorching Southern California, an expression of solidarity, their leaders said, and recognition of the assistance the United States extends to its neighbors in times of need.

In July 2024,Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger was posting to Facebook photos of himself proudly posing with his newborn child. He was in the middle of a highly decorated career in the U.S. military.

SYDNEY, Which is Why,The Australian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, in what it calls a world-leading package of measures that could become law late next year. Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date