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 Sept 21 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Undeclared Gold Costs $259,000

Perth, Sept 21: A man who failed to declare $1.3 million in gold jewellery at Sydney Airport has paid $259,352.92 in fines, duty and GST to get it back.
The Australian resident arrived earlier this month on a flight from the United Arab Emirates and was selected by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers for a baggage examination. Inside two containers, they found a combined 8.5kg of gold jewellery. He had not completed an import declaration, which is required for imported goods worth more than $1,000 being cleared into home consumption.
The man told officers he was trying to evade customs duty and deferred GST, estimated at almost $209,000. The gold was held pending assessment and referral to the ABF’s Trade Intervention Unit, which issued an infringement notice the next day for $50,448.04.
The penalty has since been paid in full, along with the outstanding duties and deferred GST. The jewellery has been released to him.
ABF Acting Superintendent Neil Singh said passengers trying to bypass payable duties are playing a game of chance, with officers always using real-time intelligence and passenger behaviour to identify those who may be breaking the law.
“Attempting to evade duty and GST obligations is a serious offence that undermines the integrity of the border system,” Acting Supt Singh said. “Australia’s border relies on travellers making honest and accurate declarations of dutiable and taxable goods.”
“This traveller thought they had a golden opportunity to smuggle their million-dollar goods into the country, but the plan fell in a heap, and they ended up paying a much larger bill.”
“Let this be a message to anyone thinking about smuggling undeclared goods into the country – ABF officers won’t tolerate those who seek to line their pockets through deception and deliberate breaches of the law.”
Travellers can check which imports need a declaration on the ABF website.

Many Aussie Workers Doubt They Can Retire

Perth, Sept 21: Almost one in five employed Australians believe they will never have enough money to retire, according to a survey by comparison site Finder.
The survey of 757 employed Australians, taken in July 2026, found 17% expect never to be able to afford retirement, while another 12% expect to work part-time for longer than planned. Finder estimates that adds up to about 4.2 million employees who don’t expect to stop working when they want to.
A further 24% think their super will cover only the bare necessities, and 32% expect to travel occasionally but will need to watch every dollar. Just 16% believe they will have enough to travel the world with almost no financial limits.
Finder money expert Richard Whitten urged workers to review their super regularly, including comparing funds, consolidating accounts, checking investment options and making extra contributions.

Australians Expect Surcharge Ban Changes

Perth, Sept 21: More than half of Australians (56%) expect the card surcharge ban, due to take effect on October 1, to change how they shop and pay, according to research by YouGov.
The most common expected change is being less likely to avoid a business because of a surcharge (22%), followed by paying less attention to which payment method they use (20%). Some 18% expect to make more small purchases by card and 11% expect to spend more overall when paying by card. Almost half (44%) don’t expect their behaviour to change at all.
Younger Australians expect the biggest shift, with 65% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials anticipating changes. Some 17% of each group expect to spend more when paying by card, while 23% of Gen Z and 21% of Millennials expect to make more small card purchases.
Seven in ten (71%) expect to notice a difference at the checkout. One in three (33%) expect fewer unexpected extra charges, but 29% anticipate new or increased fees elsewhere and 26% expect higher advertised prices.
YouGov Australia Research Director Fumin Rianto said: “Our data shows that some Australians expect to change how they approach everyday payments once card surcharges disappear, with some expecting to pay less attention to their payment method, while others anticipate making more small purchases by card or spending more overall. These expected changes are particularly pronounced among younger Australians, suggesting the change could influence not only how people pay, but how they shop.”

Adobe Premiere Lands on Android

Perth, Sept 24: Adobe has released its Premiere mobile video editing app on Android, a year after it launched on iPhone.
The free app includes a multi-track timeline, frame-accurate editing, one-tap audio cleanup to reduce background noise, and exports of up to 4K. It also offers Firefly-powered generative AI tools, including Generative Fill, Image-to-Video and sound effect generation.
Adobe says the app has no ads, watermarks or forced logins, with paid upgrades available for extra generative credits and storage. Features including Adobe Fonts, keyframes, cropping and beat detection are coming soon.
The app is available on the Google Play Store for devices running Android 13 or later with at least 5GB of RAM.

Super Funds Reshape Australian Dealmaking

Perth, Sept 24: Superannuation funds are becoming major players in Australian mergers and acquisitions, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
BCG’s M&A Report 2026 found super funds now hold more than A$4 trillion in assets and own an estimated 36 per cent of the ASX’s market capitalisation, giving them a growing say in the outcome of major deals.
“Superannuation funds are becoming increasingly important stakeholders in Australia’s dealmaking landscape,” said Gates Moss, Partner and Associate Director at BCG. “Acquirers need to be prepared to explain not only the financial merits of a transaction, but also its strategic value and broader impact on the Australian capital market.”
The report found Australia’s new mandatory merger control regime and tougher foreign investment scrutiny are lengthening approval times, while higher interest rates and lower growth expectations are widening the gap between what buyers will pay and what sellers want.
“The Australian M&A market remains challenging, but there are still attractive opportunities for organisations with a clear strategic rationale and the patience to execute effectively,” said Matthew Abel, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG.
BCG expects continued investor interest in LNG, energy transition assets and critical minerals such as lithium, copper and rare earths. It also said upcoming changes to capital gains tax settings could prompt more privately owned businesses to sell before July 2027.

Experts Tip another RBA Hike

Perth, Sept 25: Australian borrowers are bracing for another rate rise, with 90% of experts in Finder’s latest RBA Cash Rate Survey tipping the Reserve Bank to lift the cash rate to 4.60% on Tuesday.
Of the 41 experts and economists surveyed, 48% also expect at least one further hike before the end of 2026, with most pointing to November. That would take the cash rate to 4.85%.
Most panellists cited stubborn inflation as the main reason for the expected move, with the RBA looking to stop it from becoming entrenched.
“After more than five years of having inflation above target the RBA risks further losing its credibility if it decides to extend its wait and see approach,” said AMP Chief Economist Dr Shane Oliver.
According to Finder, a hike on Tuesday would see borrowers with the average home loan of $736,259 paying about $427 more a month, or roughly $5,124 a year, than at the start of 2026. A second hike before year’s end would push that to $542 a month.
The survey also found one in three experts believe rate hikes are losing their effectiveness.