News In Brief

Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you in no more than five paragraphs.
Below are snippets of all the media releases we received from Feb 16 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Finder Crowns Top Credit Cards

Perth, Feb 16: Finder has revealed the winners of its Credit Card Awards 2026 after analysing 247 cards from 73 banks and brands, spanning categories such as balance transfer, frequent flyer, rewards, travel and business.
ANZ led the results, winning best balance transfer (Low Rate), best rewards card (Rewards Black Credit Card) and best Qantas frequent flyer card (Frequent Flyer Black), and was also named overall Provider of the Year for credit cards.
American Express and NAB each claimed three wins. American Express won best Velocity frequent flyer card (Velocity Platinum Card) and business frequent flyer charge card (Qantas Business Rewards Card), while NAB dominated business categories including low rate business charge card, business frequent flyer credit card and small business rewards credit card.
Kogan Money won best no annual fee credit card and best no annual fee rewards credit card, while Bankwest’s Breeze Platinum Mastercard won both the travel and no FX fees categories, extending Bankwest’s travel-category streak to an eighth year.
Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said the awards are designed to highlight cards delivering long-term value rather than short-term promotions, with Provider of the Year awards weighted 50% product data and 50% customer satisfaction surveys.

TEG taps Turcotte

Perth, Feb 16: Ticketek Entertainment Group (TEG) has appointed Nashville-based executive Brad Turcotte (pictured above) as Senior Vice President of Country at TEG Live, to be based at the company’s new Nashville office as it expands its global touring platform.
TEG Live said Turcotte will lead its Country strategy across North America and work closely with Australia and New Zealand teams to strengthen artist pipelines, partnerships and long-term touring development, as the group prepares to launch a dedicated touring brand for the genre.
Turcotte most recently served as an artist manager at Vector Management and has held senior roles at Universal Music Group Nashville and Big Machine Label Group, where he led international strategy and global campaigns for artists including Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban, and worked on Taylor Swift’s multi-platinum albums 1989, Red and Speak Now.
Tim McGregor, Global Head of Touring at TEG, said: “Brad’s appointment is a major milestone for TEG Live. Nashville sits at the centre of the global Country music ecosystem, and by deepening our presence in Nashville, we’re strengthening the bridge between North America and our home markets. This creates more opportunities for artists to tour, for fans to connect, and for new talent to emerge.”
Brad Turcotte said: “I’ve always considered myself a global ambassador for Country music, working to build bridges between Nashville and audiences around the world. I’m incredibly excited to now focus my efforts on delivering country music to fans across the Asia-Pacific region – especially Australia, a dynamic but historically underserved international market. I’m grateful to join Tim and his team, and we plan to be bold and aggressive in expanding the reach and impact of this genre we love.”

ABEA Seeks funding

Perth, Feb 16: The Australian Business Events Association has submitted two proposals to the Federal Government, urging an expansion of the Business Events Bid Fund Program and the establishment of a National Business Events Data Hub and Dashboard.
ABEA is calling for the Bid Fund to be lifted to $9 million a year and extended to 2032, citing $1.38 billion in economic value from 205 successful bids since 2018 and warning Australia is falling behind better-funded competitors. It is also seeking $250,000 in 2026 to develop a roadmap for a national data hub, arguing the sector is still being assessed using largely outdated 2019 data.
“With certainty of funding beyond 2029, Australia could grasp the opportunity to win the next generation of high-impact international conferences and exhibitions,” Brown said.
“Business events drive far more than tourism, they underpin innovation, trade, research collaboration and talent attraction across priority sectors.”
“Strong advocacy relies on strong evidence.
“A modern data foundation will allow government to see the full value of business events, not just as tourism, but as a driver of productivity, trade and national capability, as well as providing real time data to inform business decisions by operators,” said Brown.

AustPost launches DigiStamp

Perth, Feb 16: Australia Post is celebrating the Year of the Horse with a Lunar New Year stamp issue and its first-ever ‘DigiStamp’ collectable. The stamp range, designed by Sydney-based artist Chrissy Lau, is available now at participating Post Offices and online.
The ‘DigiStamp’ launches in March for $15 and pairs a physical stamp with a blockchain-based digital counterpart, activated by scanning a QR code on the stamp card—no app, account or digital wallet required. Three designs will be released (Plum Blossom Fire Horse, Fire Lantern Horse, and Longevity Knot Fire Horse), each with 100 special versions randomly packaged.
“Stamps have always captured the spirit of their era, and with the launch of our first ‘DigiStamps’ it marks a defining moment in the history of collecting. By blending a centuries-old tradition with digital innovation, ‘DigiStamps’ are a tangible example of how Australia Post continues to modernise as a 21st-century, digitally enabled postal operator.”
“This evolution builds on our long legacy while reimagining how collecting can look today, opening the door for a new generation to discover the joy of collecting, while giving long-standing stamp enthusiasts new ways to engage,” Le Cornu said.

Dodgy Agents Exposed

Perth, Feb 17: Millions of Australians say they’ve seen questionable — and in some cases illegal — behaviour from real estate agents during a property sale or auction, according to new research by Finder. A Finder survey of 1,010 respondents found more than 1 in 4 Australians (27%) have experienced “dodgy” tactics, ranging from underquoting and fake bidding to agents allegedly misrepresenting competing offers.
Inflated price expectations to win listings (10%) and significant underquoting (9%) were the most commonly reported issues. Others reported phantom offers, fake bids, or digitally enhanced property photos (8%), along with conflicts of interest and withheld disclosures (6%) and misleading building reports (5%). A smaller share of respondents (4%) said they had seen situations where deposits were allegedly paid with illegal cash.
Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said the findings show buyers can’t afford to blindly trust what they’re told — especially in a competitive market.
“Buying a home is the biggest purchase most Australians will ever make, yet many walk into negotiations where the deck is stacked against them.
“As anyone who’s attended an auction in Australia will tell you, agent guide prices are often a fantasy designed to push as many buyers as possible into the system.”
Cooke urged buyers to independently verify claims and avoid relying solely on price guides or verbal assurances.
“In my experience in the Sydney property market, I’ve seen dishonest guide prices, fantasy bidders, and outright lies about developer’s intentions.
“If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Do your own research, get independent inspections and remember the agent is legally working for the seller, not you.
“Knowledge is your best defence. The more buyers understand these tactics, the harder it becomes for bad actors to get away with them.”

Premiums Set to Rise

Perth, Feb 18: Private health insurance premiums will rise by an average 4.41% from April 1, affecting 15.3 million Australians and marking the biggest increase in almost a decade. Finder research says 14% of Australians (about 2.1 million people) plan to drop cover this year, with insured members paying an average $238 a month — about $126 extra a year after the hike.
“Premium increases will sting for households already struggling to keep up with rising costs, and many no longer see health insurance as a must-have expense.
“Before you make any decisions, review your policy and check whether you’re paying for cover you don’t actually use. Downgrading extras, increasing your excess or switching tiers could lower your premium without scrapping cover altogether.
“Insurers price risk differently, so you could be overpaying for the same level of protection – and new customers often score better deals, including weeks free or cash for switching. If you can afford it, paying annually before the hike kicks in may lock in the current rate.
“Also, splitting your hospital and extras cover across two insurers can be a great way to save.
“While some Australians are gambling they won’t need hospital treatment this year, one unexpected accident or diagnosis can become very expensive very quickly.
“Dropping cover can also mean tax penalties, reset waiting periods and higher costs to rejoin later. Before cancelling, compare your options – a few minutes of research could save you far more in the long run.”

AI Fuels Cyberattacks

Perth, Feb 20: Acronis has released its “Acronis Cyberthreats Report H2 2025: From exploits to malicious AI” (February 18, 2026), warning that cyberattacks continued rising across 2025 as phishing, ransomware, and AI-enabled tactics accelerated.
The report found email-based attacks rose 16% per organization and 20% per user year-on-year, with phishing remaining the dominant entry point — accounting for 83% of email threats in H2 2025 and 52% of attacks targeting managed service providers (MSPs). Attacks on collaboration platforms also grew sharply, jumping from 12% in 2024 to 31% in 2025.
Key trends included PowerShell as the most abused legitimate tool globally, high/critical MSP-platform vulnerabilities disclosed in 2025, and increased operational use of AI for reconnaissance, social engineering, and ransomware negotiations. Acronis also flagged geographic and sector hot spots, with manufacturing, technology, and healthcare among the most targeted industries.
“As cyber threats evolve at an accelerated pace, 2025 has shown that attackers are not only scaling traditional methods like phishing and ransomware, but are leveraging AI to act faster, more efficiently, and at greater scale,” said Gerald Beuchelt, CISO at Acronis. “Attackers are increasingly integrating AI into their operations, so the cybersecurity landscape is entering a new era. This shift requires organizations to anticipate threats, automate defenses, and build resilient systems capable of withstanding both traditional and AI-driven attacks.”
Ransomware remained a major threat, with nearly 150 MSP and telecom organizations directly targeted and more than 7,600 victims publicly disclosed globally. Acronis listed Qilin (962 victims), Akira (726), and Cl0p (517) as the most active groups, and noted new groups emerging in H2 2025 including Sinobi, TheGentlemen, and CoinbaseCartel.
The report also highlighted ongoing supply-chain risk, with attackers abusing remote monitoring and management tools such as AnyDesk and TeamViewer, affecting over 1,200 third-party and supply-chain victims, with the U.S. recording the highest exposure.