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Subscriber only Youth homelessness is skyrocketing in Central Queensland, with a 11.2 per cent increase in rent and no affordable housing construction resulting in calls to combat a serious social issue. On National Youth Homelessness Matters Day, campaign Everybody s Home has joined ongoing calls from charity organisations for the federal government to make housing easier for young Australians to access. Spikes in rental costs and youth unemployment are leading young people to seek support from homelessness services due to issues with housing or finance. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show 24 per cent of homeless people were aged 12 to 14. A Productivity Commission study found more than half of young people under 24 who got government rent assistance were in housing stress.
Retail spending jumped 1.4 per cent in March, led by gains in Victoria and Western Australia after their COVID-19 lockdowns impacted sales in the previous month.
Marchâs rise in the Australian Bureau of Statistics preliminary retail figures for the month was stronger than the one per cent increase expected by economists and followed a 0.8 per cent fall in the previous month.
Retail turnover was 2.3 per cent higher than a year earlier.
In the month, retail spending grew by four per cent in Victoria and 5.5 per cent in WA, rebounding from their February lockdowns.
In contrast, Queensland saw a minor fall reflecting the three-day lockdown in Greater Brisbane at the end of March.
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SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian retail sales surpassed expectations in March in a positive sign for the economy as soaring house prices and a surge in employment boosted consumer confidence and spending.
FILE PHOTO - A shopper holds items and looks at others on sale at a clothing retail store in central Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2017. REUTERS/Steven Saphore
Sales rose 1.4% in March from February, outpacing forecasts for a 1% gain, preliminary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed on Wednesday.
Retail turnover of A$30.72 billion ($23.71 billion) was up a hefty 2.3% on March last year, just when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.