Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes credit card use being banned for online gambling, Australia sealing a $6.4 billion housing program to tackle the crisis, Australia’s IT spending increasing by 7.8 per cent next year, and Ayala-led ACEN to triple investments in Australia.
Nation
$6.4 billion housing program to tackle housing crisis
Australia’s government broke a months-long deadlock in the upper house of parliament to secure support for its signature housing policy that aims to build 30,000 new homes to tackle an accommodation crisis, Head Topics has reported. The left-wing Greens Party, which holds the balance of power in the Senate, said it would support the Housing Future Fund after having held out for more than five months. The country is facing a burgeoning housing crisis as both property prices and rents soar, fueled by a resumption of immigration post-Covid. The crisis has been exacerbated by a slowdown in construction across the nation due to labour shortages and rising materials costs.
https://headtopics.com/ca/australia-seals-6-4-billion-housing-program-to-tackle-crisis-44051739
Politics
Credit cards to be banned for online gambling
The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2023 will seek to ban the use of credit cards and credit credit-related products, and digital currencies for online wagering, Mirage News reported. Companies not enforcing the ban can face $234,750 in fines. The Bill continues the Government’s priority work to protect vulnerable Australians from online gambling harms and will also provide the Minister for Communications with the power to prohibit additional credit-related products as they emerge as a way of ‘future proofing’ the legislation.
https://www.miragenews.com/legislation-to-ban-credit-cards-for-online-1082992/
Economy
Australia’s IT spending to increase 7.8 per cent next year
Gartner, Inc. sees the country’s IT spending exceed $133 billion in 2024, an increase of 7.8 per cent from 2023, Gartner said. Spending on software will see the largest growth with an increase of 12.8 per cent expected in 2024 as more money will be available to IT departments. “Given the highly publicized data breaches we’ve seen in Australia over the past 12 months, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity is at the top of the spending list again,” the company said. The continued shift to digital in Australia will also drive increasing investment in generative AI technologies in 2024.
Business
ACEN set to triple investments in Australia
AYALA-led ACEN Corp. is on track in its renewable energy expansion in Australia and is poised to triple its investments in the country’s energy transition, Business World has reported. The partnership was concluded during the visit to the Philippines of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “ACEN appreciates the government’s efforts to augment the much-needed transmission capacity to enable the growth of renewables. Our projects are particularly reliant on the Central West Orana renewable energy zone and the Marinus link transmission projects, among others,” the company said. To date, ACEN has around 4,200 megawatts of attributable capacity spread across the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia.
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