Consumers

Australian financial markets are now pointing to a close to zero chance of further rate rises — with a fair chance of a rate cut next year. That's thanks to the latest news from the US and UK, writes Peter Martin.

Financial counsellors have accused Telstra of selling unaffordable phone plans to Indigenous customers.

Young people are continuing to bear the brunt of rising interest rates and rent while older Australians are still splashing out, new spending data indicates.

While there are good deals available on Black Friday, it's important to be on alert for strategies retailers use to get you to open your wallet and spend your hard-earned cash.

It takes two weeks for these Aussie mangoes to go from a farm to a US supermarket shelf. But for Manbulloo Mangoes it's been worth it.

A supermarket chain in the UK has gone against the trend of self-service check-outs, saying they cannot provide great customer service "through a robot". So, could it happen in Australia? 

What if the government kept the Stage 3 tax cuts, but reoriented them to Australians who actually need them, asks Peter Martin.

What contribution has privatisation made to the creation of a better, fairer, more harmonious society? Britain's experience with the sale of its water and sewage network suggests not all industries come out on top, writes Linton Besser.

CEO of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Rachael Falk speaks to 7.30 about the outage that affected more than 10 million Optus customers.

Airnorth's fares connecting the Kimberley to Darwin have dropped since Nexus entered the air space, and while it means cheaper tickets there may be trouble on the horizon.

While most Australians are stuck with inflated fixed-rate power prices, some are saving money by playing the spot market. So how are they doing it, and why isn't it for everyone?

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE calls out "the very worst products and services" it found this year.

Virgin Australia is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars of unused flight credits that expire this year.

Consumers are being warned not to expect any immediate relief despite a big fall in wholesale power prices to their lowest levels in two years.

Imports of all Fiber Fresh products have been suspended and an urgent recall has been issued.

Damon spent almost $12,000 on a second-hand car he barely drove. Trying to get it sorted was a long and complicated journey, and consumer groups are calling for change.

The Albanese government has announced additional powers and funding for the ACCC to monitor the domestic airline industry.

Some of the recommendations of a new report would shift power away from Qantas — such as by giving travellers automatic cash compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, write Gui Lohmann and Justin Wastnage.

It has taken decades of work and a number of setbacks, but three mango varieties are being commercially rolled out — and finally have names.

Yet another South Australian builder has gone into voluntary administration, citing fixed price contracts as a factor behind debts of more than $1 million.

Petrol prices have pushed inflation up. At its next meeting, the RBA board is going to have to decide if that warrants an increase in interest rates, writes Peter Martin.

Fuel prices have increased since July to well above $2 per litre, and they could keep climbing. With everyday life expenses rising across the board, commuters are having to make tough decisions.

The South Australian government is running a campaign encouraging consumers to "do their homework" before signing with a builder. But buyers caught up in the aftermath of multiple building companies collapsing say they did everything they could.

OPEC has run an oil cartel for decades, but as the world moves away from fossil fuels, could its influence be waning, asks Nassim Khadem. 

The carabao mango, also known as the "Manila mango", is being imported fresh to Australia for the first time in about two decades.