Not every person with a HECS debt will "suddenly" be approved for a home loan, the Australian Banking Association chief says.

A federal court has ruled in favour of Toowoomba Regional Council over its future tax obligations, in an outcome the mayor says will save ratepayers $3m over the next decade.

With tobacco excise rates up 282 per cent since 2013, Treasury also admitted the high cost of legally purchased cigarettes was driving a fall in tax revenue.

Australia's road tax system has a problem. Revenue from the fuel excise – the primary way we tax motoring – has been declining steadily as a proporti ...