Future of the $100 note up for grabs as government targets cash

The Turnbull government is to consider a ban on the $100 note and a crackdown on all but small cash payments as part of an assault on the cash economy to be unveiled in Monday's mid-year budget update.

Fortress Parliament: our elected representatives won. We are no longer above them

• COMMENT

Aldo Giurgola would have said these changes rip out the building's heart.

Open Australia to workers from the Pacific, says Lowy Institute

The Lowy Institute has proposed opening Australia to workers from Pacific nations including Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands as a way of easing some of the shortages predicted as a result of changes to the backpacker tax and as a way of helping workers from those nations far more powerfully than could foreign aid.

Entire ATO website down

The Tax Office ruled out a census-style "denial of service" attack as the reason for the loss of its entire website, saying the massive failure was due to hardware problems "not being caused by any external factors".

Labor attacks 'treasury' report discrediting economic stimulus

Labor has questioned the bona fides of a report apparently commissioned by the Treasury that plays down the role of big government spending in helping Australia survive global financial crisis.

Recession? We're not even close

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The Treasury and the Reserve Bank are likely to 'look through' the reported numbers to focus on what's happening beneath them.

GDP dive more than a 'wake-up call', says Treasurer Morrison

Treasurer Scott Morrison has branded the dramatic end to five continuous years of economic growth "not just a reminder, not just a wake-up call, but a demand to support economic policies that drive investment and jobs".

Experts think economy has gone backwards

Financial market analysts believe the economy went backwards immediately after the July election, ending 5 years of continuous growth and calling into question the government's repeated promise to "deliver jobs and growth".

RBA holds rates amid fears of negative growth

The RBA kept its cash rate on hold in the lead-up to Christmas, playing down concerns over sliding business investment and a likely collapse in economic growth to keep the rate at 1.5 per cent.