Victoria is set for its first Coalition government in 11 years after a brutal swing against the incumbent Brumby administration in Saturday’s state poll.
Labor has refused to concede defeat until all pre-poll votes are counted but it appears that the crucial seat of Bentleigh is set to fall to the Liberal party, giving it the 45-seat majority it needs to form power.
NAB patches up faulty payment system
NAB has insisted that the error in its payment processing system has been rectified, following a major glitch that saw employees across Australia unpaid last week. NAB has taken out full-page newspaper ads to apologise for the problem and its expected that the backlog of payments could take some time to clear.
Retailers in discount blitz
Fears over online sales have been retailer discounting heavily ahead of the Christmas trading period. A slow start to the festive season has seen discounts of up to 30% in the fashion, fragrance and electrical categories, according to the Australian Retailers Association.
Staff using work time for present buying
Retail sales may be sluggish, but one in 10 Australian workers has admitted sneaking off the job or extending lunch breaks in order to buy Christmas gifts. Research by Westfield shows that the average consumer plans to buy five to 10 Christmas presents each.
