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Bubble-wrapped windows and foam-taped doors: How to keep warm for less this winter

Fancy your home as an "hermetically sealed space ship" this winter, and keeping warm to boot? Here's how you can do both and not pump out more electricity, gas or wood smoke.



  • Energy
  • Electricity Energy and Utilities
  • House and Home

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Trump says China should be punished if 'knowingly responsible' for coronavirus

The US President warns China that it should face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the coronavirus pandemic, as protests about strict stay-at-home measures spread across America.




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'Right to repair' taken up by the ACCC in farmers' fight to fix their own tractors

The competition and consumer watchdog has launched an inquiry into whether tractor manufacturers are failing farmers who want the right to repair their own machinery.




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US oil price falls below $0 for first time

The benchmark price for US crude plummeted to negative $US35.20 a barrel as traders sought to avoid owning crude with nowhere to store it.





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Company charged $42 for box of masks in January, now charging $780

Health professionals are incensed by dramatic price increases for face masks and other protective equipment by one of Australia's largest medical supply companies.




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Brent oil futures drop to near two-decade low amid falling demand and storage woes

With the world experiencing "the biggest supply and demand disparity in history", benchmark Brent oil futures fall to their lowest level since November 2001.




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ASX claws back losses to end flat, oil meltdown deepens

Australian shares recoup earlier losses as retailers and banks rise, after initial falls were spurred by oil prices falling to their lowest value in 18 years.




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Netflix adds 15 million subscribers but warns coronavirus lockdown boom won't last

The hit show Tiger King and self-isolation measures boost the world's largest streaming service, which has added millions of new customers so far this year.




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'Thought my number was up': Tragedy follows horror after man quits job for dream cruise

Raymond Barbara gave up his job for "the holiday of a lifetime". Instead he ended up with coronavirus, in mourning for his late mother, and thousands of dollars out of pocket.




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Australia capitalises on low fuel prices to establish stockpile in US

Australia will buy fuel from the US at historic low prices to bolster its national stockpile, after criticisms that the Government only holds about 30 days' worth of fuel in domestic storage, far below the 90-day minimum.




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Ruby Princess doctor tells inquiry she would not have allowed passengers to disembark

The senior doctor on board the Ruby Princess tells an inquiry she is surprised passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney last month despite some displaying COVID-19 symptoms.




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Many WA businesses already struggling fear they've just been hit with a knockout blow

The tourism industry warns if Virgin Australia collapses it could deliver a knockout blow to many WA businesses who were already on their knees as a result of coronavirus.




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Quest backs down after trying to 'bully' apartment owners into accepting rent holiday

Since the 1970s, the Degenhardts dreamed of retiring to Gerroa. Their dream became a reality — but retirement got tougher this month when they were told their supposedly guaranteed monthly income would not be paid until July due to coronavirus.




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I took a risk for my dream job — and now I'm grounded on the other side of the planet

The decision to give up a well-paid job to learn how to fly planes already seemed risky. But then the coronavirus hit, and my dreams came crashing back to the tarmac, writes Victoria Bryan.




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How insulated is Australia's space industry from the COVID-19 crisis?

An Australian company that's set to own the world's largest privately operated rocket test range says the Australian space industry is well protected from the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.




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These three people's lives have changed because the pokies have shut down

The coronavirus shutdown has negatively affected so many aspects of the economy, but for these Australians, the closure of pokies rooms has changed life for the better.




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'It takes a village': Tourist town turns to good grub for coronavirus solace

With 100 per cent of the bookings cancelled at his boutique business, a country chef decides to use his culinary skills to help others through the pandemic.




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The 'reset' it needed — how coronavirus is changing the fashion industry forever

Almost a quarter of Australia's fashion labels believe they will never recover from the coronavirus hit — but some are adapting and finding new ways to make money, and a new way of doing business.




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Union takes Qantas to Federal Court over 'heartless' denial of sick leave to stood-down workers

The Transport Workers' Union urges the Federal Court of Australia to find that Qantas is still responsible for paying sick leave to 25,000 workers who have been stood down during the global coronavirus pandemic.




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'Relax the rhetoric': Businesses open, but coronavirus crackdown has customers 'nervous'

Small businesses in Tasmania struggling to survive amid the coronavirus crisis call for clearer messaging from authorities, saying there is no point trading if customers are too nervous to leave home.




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Coronavirus shutdowns leave expats unable to sell their homes in time to avoid hefty tax bills

Thousands of Australian expats fear they could be hit with large capital gains tax bills because they've been unable to return home due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, before a June 30 deadline that would have allowed them to sell their property to avoid liabilities.




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Coles gets coronavirus boost, Melco abandons Crown, ASX jumps

Panic buying, unsurprisingly, has led to a surge in Coles' sales, while the Crown Casino has picked up some new owners and Australian shares are having another volatile day.




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'A form of self-medication': The limitless power of music during times of crisis

From balconies to lounge rooms, songs of joy and sadness are helping us cope and keeping us connected. And if we look to the past, we'll find that our tendency to turn to music during times of crisis is nothing new.




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Energy operator wants to remotely switch off rooftop solar systems amid 'uncontrolled growth'

Australia's electricity grid operator wants the authority to remotely switch off new rooftop solar systems in SA in order to manage their "invisible and uncontrolled" growth.




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Coronavirus update: China's Hubei province lowers emergency response level

The initial epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak will lower its emergency response level from tomorrow. These are the key coronavirus developments from Friday.




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Company buys coal mine for $1 and receives $35 million environmental refund. Here's how

A company linked to Labor figures that bought a mine for just $1 enjoyed multi-million-dollar refunds from its environmental bond after concessions from the Palaszczuk Government, documents show.




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'No going back to everything the way it was': ANZ boss warns of 'slow grind' recovery

ANZ's chief executive warns the Australian and New Zealand economies will be reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic and take years to recover from the economic fallout.




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Pub owners to pay $380,000 in damages over secret beer tap deals

The directors of a prominent Adelaide hotels syndicate are ordered to pay $383,000 to their former business partners after a court found they concealed deals with major breweries over access to beer taps.




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How an elderly island enclave warded off COVID-19 ... without blowing up the bridge

The community of mainly over-60s on St Huberts Island in NSW manages to stare down the threat of COVID-19 with music, exercise and good wine — and a fresh catch of fish delivered by doting grandsons.




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In the blink of an eye coronavirus has turned the property market upside down

Within the space of a month, the coronavirus pandemic has upended the property market for buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords.




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Fine-dining restaurants turn to takeaway to keep staff employed during virus lockdown

With dine-in service off the table many restaurants struggle to retain staff who are ineligible for JobKeeper payments.




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Trump takes swipe at China, bickers with journalists during virtual town hall meeting

The US President said China tried to cover up the coronavirus outbreak before trying to blame other countries for the ensuing health pandemic.




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Shutdown costing economy $4 billion a week as Cabinet prepares to assess restrictions

Josh Frydenberg will tell the National Press Club he is happy a discussion about lifting coronavirus restrictions is taking place earlier than first planned as new analysis says the Australian economy is losing $4 billion a week.




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Take a seat: This tiny Australian territory is allowing diners back in cafes and restaurants

Norfolk Island is the only place in Australia you can dine in a cafe and gather outdoors with 50 people.




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Chinese state-owned company buys up water in the Murray-Darling

Companies owned by the Chinese Government have been buying Australian water assets, with concerns raised about the level of scrutiny foreign investment of water is receiving.




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How soon will music festivals return?

Some festivals are pushing ahead with dates for later this year, despite uncertainty around how to safely mingle once public gathering laws are eased and what the spread of the virus will look like in the second half of 2020.




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'Nothing changes today': Victorians must wait until Monday to learn when shutdown measures will ease

Premier Daniel Andrews says his Government will explain changes to the state's coronavirus restrictions on Monday, after the National Cabinet agrees to a three-step process of lifting restrictions to create a "COVID-safe economy".




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An industry which employs 120,000 people in WA is at an historic low after it was hit hard and fast

The rate of new homes being built in WA falls to a historic low, as the housing industry is hit by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic just after it was emerging from a five-year slump.





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Queensland's mine minister refuses to resign following Moranbah mine blast

Anthony Lynham is under pressure from the Opposition to "fall on his sword" over the latest mining disaster, which saw four men critically injured in an underground blast at Anglo American's coal mine in central Queensland.




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Live from the loungeroom: How performers are innovating to survive

Entertainers speak of the shock of COVID-19 restrictions on their working lives and what they've had to do to keep audiences — and money — coming in.




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Scared new world: in some ways, this lockdown is worse than a coup

We were down the pub when the generals took control. This is very different.




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New suits and long journeys: How we navigated the Great Depression

Memories of the Depression years come flooding back with talk of Australia heading into another depression or at least a severe recession.




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The Great Lockdown is a sledgehammer busting dreams that won't bounce back

It’s like a giant version of the Kings Cross lockout.




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Economic lockdown causes big reduction in air pollution globally

Researchers believe the reduction in air pollution from a one-year lockdown could prevent 780,000 premature deaths globally.




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Snow resorts plough on for bumper ski season despite instructors' doubts

Snow resorts are preparing to open, but the coronavirus pandemic has cast doubt on this year's ski season.




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A city of homebodies? How coronavirus will change Sydney

From washing hands to working from home, the coronavirus has dramatically altered city life. But will these changes last?




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Seven in 10 suspended kindergarten kids have a disability, new figures show

Advocacy groups say children are being sent home for behaviour they cannot control; staff say other students are being put at risk.




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Neither Sweden nor NZ: Australia must steer its own COVID-19 course

With some modifications, Australia must keep its social-distancing restrictions in place until after winter.