Former Filipino shoemaker featured in ‘Hidden Stories: Faces of Our Community' Photo Exhibition in Sydney
Pilar López Cardenas is a Spanish-Australian and the founder and CEO of House to Grow, a not-for-profit organization in Australia focused on education, personal development, and social well-being—especially for migrants, women, and underserved communities. As a personal development coach, she helps individuals discover their potential and purpose in life.
The "Hidden Stories: Faces of Our Community" Multicultural Photography Exhibition will be held at Harold Park Community Hall, 1 Dalgal Way, Forest Lodge, on July 5 and 6, 2025.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
SBS Filipino
01/07/2025 15:31 Filipino 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino 📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit sbs.com.au/filipino or stream on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Youtube Podcasts , and SBS Audio app.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Currency war looms if Trump moves to replace Federal Reserve chair early
US President Donald Trump's reported plan to name Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's successor months ahead of schedule threatens to unleash fresh volatility across financial markets. According to The Wall Street Journal, Mr Trump is considering naming Mr Powell's replacement as early as September – eight months before his term expires in May 2026. Concern about such an unprecedented move to undermine Mr Powell's authority and pressure the Fed into deeper rate cuts saw the US dollar index fall 0.4 per cent to fresh three-year lows on Thursday. A corresponding rise in the Australian dollar to US65.36c left the local currency near its highest point since November. US bond yields fell about 2 basis points amid speculation the Fed may restart interest rate cuts next month. US stock index futures turned up slightly. The S&P 500 has bounced 26 per cent from its April low as concerns about US trade policy and Middle East risks receded. However, any move to undermine Fed independence could rekindle the 'Sell America' theme that emerged when Mr Trump ramped up tariffs in April. Bank of America's fund manager survey this month showed investors were already heavily positioned against US assets. Perhaps this will mute the short-term impact of the WSJ report. And of course, rapid-fire US interest rate cuts could provide short-term support to stock valuations. The US President has called for 2 to 3 percentage points of additional cuts. But politically motivated interest rate cuts could undermine investors' confidence in the Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting credibility. IG market analyst Tony Sycamore warns that Mr Trump's pick will inevitably sit 'at the highly dovish end of the spectrum' and support aggressive rate cuts that could fundamentally undermine Fed independence. Such an erosion of institutional credibility poses risks for the global monetary system, potentially triggering competitive devaluations as other central banks respond to US policy accommodation. For Australian markets, Mr Trump's gambit represents a potentially destabilising force that could reshape currency dynamics, bond yields and equity valuations. The most immediate impact will likely hit currency markets. While a stronger Australian dollar might initially benefit consumers and import-dependent businesses, the implications are complex. A persistently weak US dollar could complicate the Reserve Bank's policy considerations, particularly as local inflation pressures ease. Rapid Australian dollar appreciation would effectively tighten monetary conditions through the exchange rate channel, potentially forcing the RBA to cut rates more aggressively than domestic conditions alone would warrant. A weaker US dollar typically supports commodity prices, benefiting Australia's resource-heavy economy. However, political uncertainty surrounding Fed policy could increase market volatility, making Australian commodity exports vulnerable to sudden shifts in global risk sentiment. Australian government bond markets face particularly complex dynamics. While falling US Treasury yields might initially support local bonds through global yield curve effects, an underlying erosion of central bank credibility could prove more damaging. If markets seriously questioned the Federal Reserve's commitment to price stability – as during the 'great inflation' of the 1970s – long-term inflation expectations could become unanchored, with devastating implications for economic growth. Bond vigilantes could demand higher risk premiums across developed markets as compensation for increased policy uncertainty. The timing is awkward for Australian bond markets, which have rallied on expectations of domestic rate cuts following softer inflation data. CBA, Westpac, AMP, RBC, Deutsche, HSBC and Morgan Stanley economists now expect the RBA to cut again in July. But a sudden shift in global monetary policy dynamics could leave local investors caught between improving domestic fundamentals and deteriorating global policy credibility. Australian equity markets face similarly complex prospects. Aggressive US rate cuts might initially support risk assets through global liquidity channels, but political interference could ultimately prove counter-productive for market confidence. The resources sector, comprising about 20 per cent of the ASX, could benefit from both a weaker US dollar and commodity price support. However, this support could prove fleeting if political pressure on the Fed triggers broader concerns about institutional stability. Financial sector stocks face particular challenges, with Australian banks already confronting squeezed net interest margins from domestic rate cuts. Further complications from US monetary policy interference could extend this weakness. Perhaps most concerning is the broader regional context. If Fed independence becomes compromised, it could encourage similar political interference elsewhere, potentially destabilising the entire framework of independent central banking that has underpinned global financial stability for decades. The Bank of Japan has already begun reversing ultra-accommodative policy, and additional pressure on global monetary policy co-ordination could complicate these efforts. For Australia, which maintains significant trade and financial linkages with both the US and Asian economies, such policy fragmentation could prove particularly disruptive. At this stage, it's unclear whether Mr Trump's Fed gambit represents temporary political theatre or the beginning of a fundamental shift towards politically influenced monetary policy globally. The full implications for Australian markets will depend on how aggressively Mr Trump pursues his plan and whether other major central banks feel compelled to respond. Australian markets may benefit from global liquidity effects of anticipated US rate cuts. But longer-term risks to institutional credibility could prove far more damaging, particularly if Mr Trump's approach spreads to other jurisdictions. At a minimum, investors should prepare for increased volatility across all asset classes as markets grapple with politically compromised monetary policy in the world's largest economy. David Rogers Markets Editor David Rogers began writing about financial markets in 1987. He has worked for Standard & Poor's, Thomson Financial, BridgeNews, Tolhurst Noall, Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. David has extensive real-time reporting experience in economics, foreign exchange, equities, commodities and bonds. Companies HMC Capital's shares have been dumped by investors after it revealed its plans to raise $2bn for an energy transition fund had faltered. Companies The sought-after Boral boss is stepping down after just over three years, as he reveals his next plans.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Construction times for houses have grown by 50 per cent in the last decade, building costs 53 per cent more expensive, IPA finds
Construction time for an average home has increased by a whopping 50 per cent in the past year, with Australia's ambitious 1.2 million homes target already 55,300 homes behind just one year in. While a house took about 8.5 months to build from approval to completion in 2014, it took an average of 12.7 months in 2024, data compiled by the Institute of Public Affairs has revealed. Costs for building materials had also increased by 53 per cent in the same period. Construction times increased across the board in 2021 as a result of supply-chain issues during the Covid pandemic. The lacklustre figures come as Australia marks one year into the five-year National Housing Accords, in which states and territories must build a combined 1.2 million well-located homes by June 30, 2029. The Commonwealth government has also encouraged states and territories with a $3.5bn funding pot as a carrot for reaching the goal. Using building activity data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the IPA found Western Australia was leading the construction lag, with an unenviable increase of 85 per cent to 17.8 months. Building costs have also increased by 45 per cent. South Australia had the next slowest builds of 15.8 months, a hike of 74 per cent, with cost going up by 51 per cent. Over 10 years, the cost of materials had increased by 58 per cent in both NSW and Queensland, where it now respectively takes 12.7 months and 10.2 months to build a detached home. It takes 11.3 months to build a home in Victoria, and 12.6 months to complete a home in Tasmania, with material prices increasing by 56 per cent and 55 per cent. IPA research director Morgan Begg said it was 'little wonder' that Australia was in a housing crisis, with the 'unprecedented demand' for housing being exacerbated by increased construction time and costs. 'The federal government's National Housing Accord will mark its first-year anniversary being tens of thousands of homes behind schedule, as red tape strangles new home builds, with construction times ballooning by 50 per cent,' he said. 'Home ownership is fundamental to the Australian way of life. It gives people a stake in our country and provides long-term financial security for families.' Mr Begg said 'all levels of government must do their part to fix this crisis,' highlighting action points like reducing migration, urging state and local governments to open up more land and cut red tape to boost construction. 'Over the past decade Australia has seen demand-driven cost increases to construction material and labour caused by large, inefficient government projects, creating the perfect storm of rising prices and rents, particularly in the post-pandemic period,' he said. 'Across the board, the latest figures reinforce the depth of Australia's housing crisis, brought about by out-of-control migration intakes, a construction sector burdened by red tape, and competition for resources from large, expensive, and inefficient taxpayer-funded projects.' Coalition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg said the housing targets were a 'dead duck,' adding that completed dwellings had dropped by 1 per cent over the last 12 months, according to the ABS. 'A year since Labor's Housing Accord 'officially began', building approvals and activity have gone backwards,' he said. 'Labor is more interested in announcing targets and building bureaucracies than actually erecting any homes. 'Labor's actions show they don't support private developers and builders. They think they know better. No wonder the construction industry has consistently led the nation in insolvencies.' Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has previously said reducing the 'thicket of regulation' around building homes will be a key priority in Labor's next term of government. As of June, the Hotham MP will also oversee planning policy after she inherited it from the the treasurer's portfolio. A spokesman for Ms O'Neil said on Tuesday Labor had been 'very frank' that building homes both costed too much and took too long. He said Labor was focused on 'working closely with all levels of government and builders to try and fix that,' while also 'increasing productivity, encouraging the building sector to look at more modern methods of building and improving planning pathways and removing red tape'. 'The Liberals can run their mouths, but the reality is they haven't put forward a single legitimate proposition that would increase the number of homes being built in Australia – in fact, their solution was to rip billions of dollars from funding for tens of thousands of social and affordable homes,' he said. 'Talk to anyone who knows the residential building sector and they will tell you that structural reform takes time, and building homes takes time, and the Commonwealth is doing that work. In contrast, the Liberal Party didn't touch that work in their last decade in office.'
Daily Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Advocates warn urge Labor, energy retailers to slash energy debts amid July 1 energy bill hikes
Don't miss out on the headlines from Costs. Followed categories will be added to My News. A welfare advocate has warned Australians struggling with soaring energy costs are giving up food and medication, with increases to minimum wage and a $150 extension to the energy rebate doing little to soothe rising bill shock. Adelaide public housing resident Mel Fisher, 43, said she's been forced to stay in bed as a way to keep warm during bitter winter days so she can avoid using heating in her draughty, concrete, two-bedroom house. 'It's absolutely freezing. I live in public housing, so it has no insulation at all and the interior and exterior are concrete walls, so once they get cold, they stay cold,' she told NewsWire. The Elizabeth Vale woman recently received notice from her energy provider Engie that her yearly bill will increase by $634 from Wednesday. When asked about Labor's $150 six-month energy rebate, which kicks in from July 1, she grimly responds: 'Albanese's subsidy isn't fixing this'. When asked about the extension to the federal government energy rebate, Ms Fisher responded: 'Albanese's subsidy isn't fixing this'. Ms Fisher currently pays about $120 a fortnight on electricity bills, nearly 15 per cent of her fortnightly JobSeeker payment, and is struggling with an energy debt - money owing to energy providers - of $6000. Because she needs to run airconditioning during the summer to keep cool due to a health condition, she uses the winters to bring down her debt. 'I tried to change electricity companies, because this one has consistently been very high, but I still have to pay them off while paying the new electricity company ... I just can't do that,' Ms Fisher said. Antipoverty Centre co-ordinator Jay Coonan said Ms Fisher is one of more than 330,775 Australian households facing electricity bill debt, with the total amount of arrears totalling over $300m. South Australian public housing resident Mel Fischer, 43, is struggling to keep up with her bills, leaving her to seek warmth in bed instead of using her heating during winter. Picture: NewsWire/ Roy VanDerVegt Under the Default Market Offer set by the Australian Energy Regulator, customers on standing offer contracts are set to have their bills increase by 7.9 per cent to 9.7 per cent in NSW, while residents in southeast Queensland will see hikes of 3.7 per cent, and 3.2 per cent in South Australia. Calculated by the state Essential Services Commission, Victorians will have to weather a 1 per cent spike. Alongside Anglicare and ACOSS, Mr Coonan is one of many advocacy groups calling on energy retailers and the government to absorb electricity bill debt and give households a chance to catch up. Ms Fischer was recently hit with a notice that her power bills would be increasing by $635 over the next financial year. Picture: Supplied Mr Coonan said bill stress was having a 'compounding effect' on cash-poor Australians, who were giving up medication and food to get by. 'It's compounding into a crisis and if you can't afford energy you're going to be suffering more and more and living with less and less,' he said. 'I'm talking about people who are on the JobSeeker payment, and pensioners. These are the people who are in debt, who have no ability to be able to pay their bills because energy prices are high.' Recent Anglicare research also found low-income earners were most affected by electricity bill debt, and despite the minimum wage going up by $32.06 a week from July 1, a worker on a full-time wage would have just $33 left over after paying for rent, food and transport. A single-parent on would have just $1 remaining even if they received the full Family Tax Benefit and were on the highest rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance. Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers said too many households were 'falling behind and staying behind'. 'People are forced into payment plans they can't sustain. They carry energy debt from one bill to the next with no chance of catching up, even though energy retailers are making record profits,' she said. 'That's why we're calling for energy debt relief for people in hardship, and better regulation to stop the gauging of energy costs and helps people to start afresh.' Energy Minister Chris Bowen acknowledged energy bills were too high. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman While Energy Minister Chris Bowen didn't comment directly on calls to scrap the bill debt for households, he acknowledged energy was too expensive. 'It's clear energy bills for many Australians remain higher than they should be – that's why we're providing help for people doing it tough as we deliver longer term reform, including making the energy retail market fairer,' he said. He pointed to recent rule changes that restrict price increases to once every 12 months, prohibit retail fees for vulnerable customers, and remove 'unreasonably high penalties' for customers who aren't able to pay their bill one time. Coalition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said Labor 'must honour' its 2022 election commitment to reducing energy bills by $275 – a policy the party didn't rehash in the 2025 election. 'Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen said Australia was going to become an energy super power under their ideologically-driven renewable-only approach, yet the sad reality is that more and more Australians are being driven into energy poverty,' he said. His words come as the Coalition reviews its commitment to net-zero. Mr Tehan went as far as to say that Mr Bowen should quit as minister if energy bills don't come down. '(He) should resign because his incompetence is sadly causing untold hardship to more and more people,' Mr Tehan said. Originally published as Advocates warn urge Labor, energy retailers to slash energy debts amid July 1 energy bill hikes
