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Do you have $3 million in super? Me neither. These changes will actually help you

Do you have $3 million in super? Me neither. These changes will actually help you

Do you have $3 million in super? Me neither. It is estimated that the changes will only impact a tiny fraction of the Australian population, around 80,000 people. That's fewer people than can fit in the MCG. In fact, 99.5 per cent of Australians currently do not have more than $3 million in super. According to ATO data, the average super balance is a mere $182,000 for men and $146,000 for women. Greg Jericho, chief economist at the Australia Institute, crunched the numbers and found that around 97 per cent of people currently in the labour force will never have $3 million in superannuation, no matter how hard they work for their entire lives. Even if a young person works their entire life on the full-time average wage, with no time out of the workforce for kids or illness, they will never accumulate $3 million in super. Not surprising when you consider the median super balance for women aged 60-64 is less than $160,000, meaning half of Australian women have less super than that (half of Australian men the same age have just $211,996 or less).

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Ford Ranger PHEV built for choice not compliance, says exec
Ford Ranger PHEV built for choice not compliance, says exec

Perth Now

timean hour ago

  • Perth Now

Ford Ranger PHEV built for choice not compliance, says exec

Ford Australia has launched the Ranger PHEV to broaden customer choice, not meet emissions regulations, according to senior global product executive Jim Baumbick. The Ranger PHEV joins a growing collection of electrified Ford models in Australia that includes the all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV and E-Transit and E-Transit Custom vans, as well as a plug-in hybrid version of the Transit Custom. All will serve as key pillars of Ford's initial response to the New Vehicle Emissions Standard (NVES) in Australia, with sales of the greener vehicles set to help offset fines accrued by dirtier models in the lineup such as diesel versions of the Ranger and the Everest SUV, as well as the petrol-powered Mustang sports car. However, Mr Baumbick says that Ford was working on diversifying its Ranger lineup well before the strict new emissions regulations were announced, and that the Ranger PHEV complements its other ute offerings. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'This is not a compliance play, it's a portfolio of options,' Mr Baumbick told Australian media at the international launch of the Ranger PHEV. 'At Ford, we want to let the customers choose so they can pick the right tool for the job. 'The regulatory requirements in Australia have changed very rapidly, faster than normal process. But we already had this in development, and we'll continue to enhance the portfolio. 'We're launching it now, but we didn't do this because of the new requirements. It's part of our overall mission to offer a portfolio of options.' Despite his insistence that the plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger wasn't an emissions-led project, Mr Baumbick admitted that Ford was caught on the back foot by tightening regulations across the globe. Supplied Credit: CarExpert The ink officially dried on the Australian Government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) at the start of this year, bringing with it regulations designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the Australian car market. While the NVES came into effect on January 1, 2025, penalties won't start being accrued until July 1. 'Going electric isn't a light switch,' explained Mr Baumbick. 'We're trying to move as fast as we can, and when things change quickly there are development lead times, so stay tuned. 'It's going to be a portfolio of solutions over a longer arch of time. We're going to continue to improve the efficiency and emissions of our systems and a migration to hybrids over time will make a big contribution to the challenge of reducing emissions. EV will play a significant role, but it's got to be the right tool for the job.' Supplied Credit: CarExpert As for the other measures Ford is set to take to survive in the Australian market, the brand is committed to shielding consumers from the financial burden of NVES fines. 'We're not jacking up prices due to our regulatory status,' Mr Baumbick asserted. 'As we always have, we continue to work on our broader mission to improve year over year. Every model is going to continue to improve.' MORE: Explore the Ford Ranger showroom

Ford Ranger PHEV built for choice not compliance, says exec
Ford Ranger PHEV built for choice not compliance, says exec

7NEWS

timean hour ago

  • 7NEWS

Ford Ranger PHEV built for choice not compliance, says exec

Ford Australia has launched the Ranger PHEV to broaden customer choice, not meet emissions regulations, according to senior global product executive Jim Baumbick. The Ranger PHEV joins a growing collection of electrified Ford models in Australia that includes the all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV and E-Transit and E-Transit Custom vans, as well as a plug-in hybrid version of the Transit Custom. All will serve as key pillars of Ford's initial response to the New Vehicle Emissions Standard (NVES) in Australia, with sales of the greener vehicles set to help offset fines accrued by dirtier models in the lineup such as diesel versions of the Ranger and the Everest SUV, as well as the petrol-powered Mustang sports car. However, Mr Baumbick says that Ford was working on diversifying its Ranger lineup well before the strict new emissions regulations were announced, and that the Ranger PHEV complements its other ute offerings. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. 'This is not a compliance play, it's a portfolio of options,' Mr Baumbick told Australian media at the international launch of the Ranger PHEV. 'At Ford, we want to let the customers choose so they can pick the right tool for the job. 'The regulatory requirements in Australia have changed very rapidly, faster than normal process. But we already had this in development, and we'll continue to enhance the portfolio. 'We're launching it now, but we didn't do this because of the new requirements. It's part of our overall mission to offer a portfolio of options.' Despite his insistence that the plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger wasn't an emissions-led project, Mr Baumbick admitted that Ford was caught on the back foot by tightening regulations across the globe. The ink officially dried on the Australian Government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) at the start of this year, bringing with it regulations designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the Australian car market. While the NVES came into effect on January 1, 2025, penalties won't start being accrued until July 1. 'Going electric isn't a light switch,' explained Mr Baumbick. 'We're trying to move as fast as we can, and when things change quickly there are development lead times, so stay tuned. 'It's going to be a portfolio of solutions over a longer arch of time. We're going to continue to improve the efficiency and emissions of our systems and a migration to hybrids over time will make a big contribution to the challenge of reducing emissions. EV will play a significant role, but it's got to be the right tool for the job.' As for the other measures Ford is set to take to survive in the Australian market, the brand is committed to shielding consumers from the financial burden of NVES fines. 'We're not jacking up prices due to our regulatory status,' Mr Baumbick asserted. 'As we always have, we continue to work on our broader mission to improve year over year. Every model is going to continue to improve.'

Three reform scenarios shaping Treasurer Jim Chalmers' tax agenda at upcoming productivity roundtable
Three reform scenarios shaping Treasurer Jim Chalmers' tax agenda at upcoming productivity roundtable

Sky News AU

time2 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

Three reform scenarios shaping Treasurer Jim Chalmers' tax agenda at upcoming productivity roundtable

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has foreshadowed significant tax reform, but there are three possible scenarios likely to arise from his upcoming productivity roundtable. The Albanese government's productivity summit in August 2025 will bring together businesses, unions and leaders to discuss potential economic reforms. Mr Chalmers opened the door to major tax changes for the first time in years at the National Press Club on Wednesday, outlining 'progressive and patriotic' reform. According to sources, there are three possible scenarios likely to emerge from the reform push - and each one could shape the future of the tax system. The first scenario sees the best-case outcome for Mr Chalmers - business and other stakeholders unite behind a shared reform agenda. This would give the Albanese government the political cover to act decisively and push ahead with meaningful changes. The second scenario is less rosy, and would result if consensus breaks down and scare campaigns erupt. In such a case, the government would decide to shelve major changes and instead focus on implementing the modest agenda it took to the last election. The third scenario would be the boldest, and it would be that, even in the face of criticism, Mr Chalmers proceeds with tax reform proposals anyway. He would either put these to voters at the next election in 2028 or design a phased system that would not come into effect until after it. Emboldened by Labor's strong electoral mandate, there have been loud calls to lift the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in exchange for income tax cuts. However, Mr Chalmers poured cold water on such a possibility, dampening the hopes of economists who have requested the change for decades. 'Historically I've had a view about the GST. I think it's hard to adequately compensate people,' he told reporters at the National Press Club. 'I think often an increase in the GST is spent three or four times over by the time people are finished with all of the things that they want to do with it. 'But what I'm going to try to do… I'm going to try not to dismiss every idea that I know that people will bring to the roundtable.' Despite this, AMP's chief economist Shane Oliver has since urged Labor to hike the GST and apply it across the board to minimise income tax. 'In an ideal world you would have less reliance on income tax and reduce the disincentive effects associated with it and have more reliance on GST,' he said 'It's seen as a fairly efficient tax because if you're taxing all goods and services at the same rate it doesn't distort people's economic decisions. 'The GST is a good tax. Economists like it because it's neutral.' CPA Australia's chief executive Chris Freeland also urged reform as the tax system remains 'overly reliant on personal and company income tax'. 'We welcome that the Treasurer was careful not to rule in or rule out any changes at this stage,' Mr Freeland said. 'Australians deserve a mature and honest conversation about the trade-offs required to fund the services and resources they expect. 'That must also include examining and fixing the GST and federal-state arrangements.' CreditorWatch's chief economist Ivan Calhoun said the Treasurer expressing a more open attitude towards GST than he, or his predecessors, had in the past was positive. 'He actually used that three letter GST acronym which has just been off the agenda for any political party,' Mr Calhoun said.

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