The final
Daily Mercury print newspaper landed on people s doorsteps and its pages turned for the last time. How do you send off a publication that has been around for 154 years with less than a month s notice? Well, we did our best. We had one to two pages in every paper of the Daily Mercury for the final fortnight as well as an eight-page wraparound for the final issue on Saturday June 27, 2020. It was a team effort but special thanks goes to Loris Wall, Lucy Martin, Tony Martin, Heidi Petith and Kate Rasmussen for pitching in to ensure we gave a nod to the paper s history during that final month.
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An Australian beach has taken the form of an enormous Christmas card, with a heartfelt message from Australia to the UK created in the sand as many in both countries face being unable to travel to the other to visit friends and family.
The enigmatic sand artist known only as Edward – or as ‘the Banksy of Barrow Head’ – created the 70×40 metre long artwork on Raafs beach near Geelong, Victoria in collaboration with Tourism Australia.
The message, “We Will Meet Again” is a reference to the words spoken by The Queen in her national address as the UK entered its first Covid-19 lockdown, it itself a reference to the famous song lyrics by Dame Vera Lynn that spoke of British resilience through crisis.
Dec 23, 2020 14:02 GMTFXStreet News
AUD/USD is edging higher following Tuesday’s sharp drop.
US Dollar Index stays in the negative territory ahead of US data.
Risk flows dominate financial markets in light pre-holiday trading.
The AUD/USD pair staged a rebound on Wednesday after starting the week on the back foot and rose to a daily high of 0.7577 during the European trading hours. Although the pair retreated modestly from this level, it’s still up 0.53% on the day at 0.7560.
Earlier in the day, the data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that Import surged by 11% and Exports increased by 1% in November but these figures had little to no impact on the AUD’s performance against its peers.
COVID-19-hit employees increasingly relying on personal debt By Sarah Buckley 23 December 2020
The pandemic has forced more working Australians to rely on personal credit to cover expenses and debt, new research from AMP has shown.
According to AMP’s 2020
Financial Wellness Report, which collected insights from 2,131 Australian employees over June and July 2020, 14 per cent of Australians have been unable to pay one or more bills on time over the past year.
It found that, in 2020, around one in seven (14.5 per cent) of survey respondents reported moderate or severe levels of financial stress. This rose markedly for those whose finances have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, to around a quarter (23 per cent).
COVID-19 sees Aussies reach record-high wealth
By Maja Garaca Djurdjevic
23 December 2020
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1 minute read
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New stats have revealed that Aussies are now richer than ever, having stashed away their cash during a year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdown.
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), total household wealth is up 1.7 per cent to a record high $11.351 trillion.
“The September quarter estimate surpassed the previous high of $11,248 billion recorded in December quarter 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the head of finance and wealth at the ABS, Amanda Seneviratne.
Three main contributors led to the growth in household wealth, with residential assets topping the board following a 1.2 per cent increase in the quarter. Deposits came next with a 5.4 per cent growth, while superannuation balances followed closely following a 1.1 per cent expansion.