The already strong likelihood of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cutting Australia's cash rate to a record low of 0.50% has increased further due to the economic cost of the bushfires raging across the nation.
Australian dwelling values rose by 1.1% over December and 4.0% over the quarter, representing the fastest rate growth over a three month period since November 2009.
New research has compounded a miserable year for the private health insurance sector, with 2.23 million Australians dumping their cover in the past five years.