melbourne rentscould jump20% soon

people are still dropping hundreds of dollars on tickets for intense cultural experiences despite the tough economy.

tasmania's dark mofo festival is back, expecting to top last year's $67 million economic boost with tickets priced up to $400.

Hobart is currently hosting the winter festival that turned Tasmania's quiet season into a massive money-maker. Last year, nearly 120,000 people showed up to see the large-scale art and food stalls. This year's lineup is as weird as ever, featuring an experimental film starring Willem Dafoe that only one person can watch at a time and dancers streaming to adult webcam sites.

It shows there is a massive market for premium, controversial experiences even when people are supposedly tightening their belts. While the tickets are expensive, the festival is strictly banning scalpers to keep some control over the hype. It is a reminder that culture is a heavy-hitting economic engine for the state.

the federal laws you fund are currently the only thing stopping a massive gas project in the kimberley.

a texas company wants to drill 20 gas wells in the world's largest savanna, but federal officials say they haven't proven it's safe.

Black Mountain Energy is pushing for the Valhalla project near Fitzroy Crossing, right next to a national heritage-listed river. While Western Australia's state environmental authority already gave it the green light, federal documents show the environment department is worried about the lack of data on local ecosystems.

Conservation groups are now pushing the federal minister to scrap the assessment entirely. National heritage laws are the final gatekeeper for these projects, even after state governments have already signed off on the drilling.

the ethical fund you picked for its "no way" policy might have actually held fossil fuels.

the federal court found active super misled members by investing in coal and oil despite claiming to eliminate them from its $13.5 billion portfolio.

asic took the fund to court because it promised to avoid "sin" industries like gambling and russian assets after the ukraine invasion. in reality, the fund was still holding onto shares in companies like whitehaven coal and shell between 2021 and 2023. the judge didn't buy their excuse that holding these through other big pooled funds made it okay.

this is a massive win for transparency because it is only the second time a fund has been successfully sued for greenwashing in australia. it means every fund now has to double-check that their marketing matches their actual spreadsheets. a separate hearing will figure out exactly how much they have to pay in fines.

you'll keep a bit more of your paycheck every year once the new tax rates kick in

from july 2026, the tax rate for anyone earning under $45,000 drops from 16% to 15% to lower the cost of living

The government just locked in a two-part win for your bank account starting in 2026. The tax rate for anyone earning between $18,201 and $45,000 is dropping to 15%, with another drop to 14% scheduled for the following year. It's a rare moment where the tax man takes a step back to help with the daily grind.

The package also forces bosses to ditch quarterly super payments. By moving super into your account every payday, that money starts compounding months earlier. For a 25-year-old, this timing shift is expected to add an extra $6,000 to your total balance by the time you retire.