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Latest news and issues
ANZ at cashless tipping point after fundamental change to bank business model
ABOVE: ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott was questioned about the removal of cash service from his banks by Labor MP Tania Lawrence...
Hard NO to cash mandate that will do more harm than good
ABOVE: Submissions to this consultation close on Friday. Statement of position on Federal Government Cash Mandate proposal The Federal...
Does the Treasurer have a god complex or is he just trying to avoid the really hard reforms?
THE Senate inquiry into regional bank closures, which delivered its final report in May this year, was an important investigation by...
ANZ's bid to outsmart Suncorp contract reaches new low
ABOVE: From ANZ's response to a customer complaint over the Katoomba closure dated September 6, 2024. JUST when it seemed ANZ’s attempts...
ANZ blows up 'legally binding' Suncorp deal over Katoomba branch
ABOVE: ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott after telling Economics Committee chairman Daniel Mulino for the second time that ANZ had...
A win for the people as Australia's big banks finally go too far
IT is impossible to pinpoint an exact time when Australia’s big four banks turned on their regional customer base but May 24, 2024 will...
When money changes hands, independence is out the window
THE Commonwealth Bank has marked the Sunshine Coast again being named the fastest growing regional migration destination in Australia by...
Banks blow their chance to self-regulate by betraying trust
IT may have taken 20 years but a Federal Government inquiry has finally made good on a warning that if the 'big four' banks did not...
Report signals party is over for Australia's big four banks
OFFICIAL recognition of banking as an essential service, the end of self-regulation of the banking industry and a pathway forward for the...
Latest sport - equestrian
Stonewall a glamorous backdrop for NSW Show Horse Championships
ABOVE: Champion leading rein show hunter pony was Sandy Beattie's Bamborough Catapulte ridden by Elizabeth Alexander. Picture: LORELLE...
How the Bendigo showgrounds project became a sports rort (without the sport)
ABOVE: This year's Victorian Agricultural Shows Saddle Horse Championships at the Bendigo Showgrounds attracted more than 300 entries...
Plan confirms sports funding not being used for sports pavilion
ABOVE: From the 2019 Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan - the proposed sports pavilion in the equestrian precinct (circled top) and the...
Open letter to Victorian Planning Minister: Bendigo showgrounds redevelopment
ABOVE: Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes gave the City of Greater Bendigo a $50,000 grant in 2019 to develop a master plan...
Strathalbyn puts on a show that would make Jim proud
ABOVE: Courtney Munro was on fire riding her aptly named Jen Jan Dracarys. Picture: TY MANNING THE Jim Dunn Memorial Show continues to...
Sporting group blows whistle on showgrounds consultation failure
ABOVE: An artist's impression of the new pavilion at the Bendigo Showgrounds. WHO would have thought ping pong could get the Victorian...
Horse groups have grounds for complaint over planning schemozzle
ABOVE: The arena plan released this week showing where the new fence line will be. THE Bendigo Showgrounds – home of the Victorian...
New talent on display as SA showcases rising stars
ABOVE: Champion small show hunter galloway Contredance and Annabelle Richardson. Picture: TY MANNING THE 2025 Rising Star Show in South...
Crookwell showcases talent, quality across all sections
ABOVE: Supreme hack of Crookwell Show 2025 was Timothy Hadlow’s Rhythm. Picture: LORELLE MERCER YOU have to admire an agricultural show...
Latest lifestyle and features
Guardian of the dressage gate always ready with a kind word
ABOVE: Les Limpus is a familiar face at the Adelaide Equestrian Festival. Picture: TY MANNING EACH year at the Adelaide Equestrian...
The Clydie cross a policewoman just couldn't leave behind
ABOVE: Tiffany Williams and Toby, captured by Sydney Morning Herald photographer Steven Siewert. THE Clydesdale cross is one of the most...
What goes on inside the curious world of a cat's mind?
TOM came to us for unknown reasons. A stranger in our midst, yes, but feral? He was clearly somebody’s pet but having learned from other...
Story of the stock saddle a ride worth strapping in for
I HAVEN’T enjoyed a book more for ages. I am deep into Wild Ride, The story of the Australian Stock Saddle by Fiona Carruthers and have...
Four lambs! Tale of Queenie the supermum launches new author
SHEEP farmer Suzanne Lewis has just published her first children’s book and had no further to look for something to write about than her...
Dogs, gardening and welcoming a new puppy into the family
COLUMN: PEOPLE who love dogs often love gardens, and often, keeping mental peace while loving the two can be fraught. Many people have...
The Master: inside the world of an Olympic showjumper
BOOK REVIEW: OLYMPIC showjumper John Fahey’s memoir, The Master, pulls no punches. It is a great read for any horse lover, even if...
Horses put on the map with our national monument and art trail
TRAVEL: AUSTRALIA is a horse-loving country and we are all familiar with the names that have moved into folklore. Our greatest racehorse...
'Big Four' banks casting a dangerous shadow
Are cashed-up and bankless towns just watching the money go round and round? CASTERTON, Grenfell, Home Hill, Nathalia and Toukley. Five...
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