
Speech by Mrs Gina Rinehart AO – Townsville Bush Summit Thursday 18 June 2026
News Corp Townsville

News Corp Townsville

Australia’s big four banks have shed 25 per cent of their value as consumer confidence hits record lows not seen since the 1990 recession following the 2026 federal budget.

Australia’s regulatory regime has crimped the nation’s growth, ANZ chief Nuno Matos says, with the boss of the big four bank warning that without an “entrepreneurship approach” growth will be anemic.

Australia’s falling productivity levels have been driven down by the replacement of coal-fired power plants with billions of dollars in renewable energy projects, the Productivity Commission has declared, as it warns governments should to make only the most efficient, cost-effective investments.

Consumers remain “deeply pessimistic”, as the rising cost of living and changing tax policies have many fearing their budgets will have to stretch further than ever.

Australian consumers remain “deeply pessimistic”, as rising cost of living and changing tax policies have many fearing their budgets will have to stretch further than ever.

If you are in your early 40s, you are not imagining it – you really are paying more tax than anyone else in the country.

Australia’s economic slowdown is just beginning, economists warn, as interest rate rises and cost-of-living pressures weigh on households.

Funding for hundreds of new homes in regional towns across Western Australia has been given a boost with a $170 million contribution from the State’s resources sector.

The big four ASX-listed iron ore stocks collectively lost about $16 billion on Thursday after the “Pilbara killer” mine in Africa beat expectations.

Surging exports from the giant “Pilbara killer” iron ore mine in Guinea have spooked investors in WA’s powerhouse producers of the steel-making ingredient