Friday morning and the July numbers just rewrote the household budget forecast: the Australian Bureau of Statistics said 76,300 more Australians were in work in June, more than five times the 15,300 that economists forecast, though the jobless rate held steady at 4 point 4 per cent as an extra 71,000 people came in off the sidelines to hunt for work. Money markets swung sharply, with local rate strategists at Sycamore now pricing a roughly 95 per cent chance the Reserve Bank will lift the cash rate at its 12 August meeting. Origin Energy has walked back Wednesday’s early assurance and confirmed the stolen customer file did include the last four digits of credit cards and last three digits of bank account numbers for up to 4 point 8 million customer accounts. And Brent crude has cracked 100 US dollars a barrel for the first time since May. Today’s Top 5 opens with Kick Push Skate at up to 80 per cent off.
Australian Jobs Boom 76 Thousand In June, RBA August Hike Now Priced At 95 Per Cent
Australian employment surprised sharply to the upside in June, per the June 2026 Labour Force release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday 23 July at 11:30am AEST. Employment jumped by 76,300 people month on month, more than five times the median economist forecast of 15,300, and the biggest single monthly print since April 2025, per the ABS media release from Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics. Full-time positions added 29,300 and part-time roles added 47,000. The headline unemployment rate held at 4 point 4 per cent (technically drifting up from 4 point 37 per cent to 4 point 43 per cent on unrounded figures), because the participation rate rose 0 point 3 percentage points to 67 per cent, its highest level since July 2025, meaning an extra 71,000 Australians came in off the sidelines looking for work. Underemployment lifted 0 point 2 percentage points to 6 point 5 per cent (its highest since August 2024), and the broader underutilisation rate rose to 10 point 9 per cent.
Markets moved sharply on the print, per subsequent reporting by Renju Jose and Stella Qiu at Reuters, 23 July 2026, and separate coverage by Bloomberg News, 23 July 2026. The Australian dollar climbed and ASX-listed bank stocks lifted while rate-sensitive REIT names slid. On Thursday afternoon, local rate strategist Sycamore told Yasmine Wafai at The Courier Mail the market now prices a 95 per cent chance the Reserve Bank hikes the cash rate 25 basis points to 4 per cent at its Tuesday 12 August meeting, citing the strong jobs print combined with Brent crude climbing to US$100 a barrel overnight. NAB has now formally pulled forward its expected hike call to August from June, per the NAB economics team, 23 July 2026.
Practical shopper read: if you carry a mortgage, an August 25 basis point hike would add roughly 45 to 55 dollars per month to repayments on a 500,000 dollar loan and about 90 to 110 dollars on 1 million dollars, depending on your term remaining and current variable rate. Do the maths against your July statement now rather than waiting for the August one to land. If your fixed-rate rollover is due between now and December, ring your bank today and ask them to run a 4 per cent cash rate scenario against your current arrears buffer. If you are on variable, use one of the free comparison tools (Canstar, Finder, or Mozo) to check whether any of the smaller Australian lenders (Athena, Tic:Toc, Homeloans.com.au, ubank) is holding fire on hikes for new customers, several typically absorb the first move to steal share. And if a hike would push you past the household stress threshold (roughly 40 per cent of after-tax income to mortgage plus utilities plus fuel), talk to a National Debt Helpline financial counsellor before the RBA meeting, not after. All of it is free.
Origin Energy Confirms Bank And Card Data Were Stolen In Breach
Origin Energy has substantially revised what it told the market on Wednesday, per Sarah Basford Canales and Rafqa Touma at The Guardian Australia, 23 July 2026. Origin said Wednesday that the leaked customer sample did not appear to contain credit card or bank account information. On Thursday, Origin walked that back and confirmed the exposed data does include the last four digits of credit card numbers and the last three digits of bank account numbers alongside names, residential addresses, postal addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and Origin account details, for up to 4 point 8 million customer accounts covering electricity, gas, LPG and internet services. Chief executive Frank Calabria apologised to customers and confirmed Origin is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Origin says full account numbers and full card details are not in the exposed set.
Independent cyber experts told Nassim Khadem at ABC News on Friday 24 July 2026 that the specific mix of exposed data (last four credit card digits, last three bank digits, plus DOB and address) is unusually well-suited to fuel AI-powered voice and text scams, because a scammer can quote a genuine partial card or account number in a call or SMS to establish trust before extracting the rest. Australians should assume any inbound call or SMS in the next 60 days claiming to be from Origin, or from a bank quoting the last few digits of a card or account, is potentially fraudulent regardless of how convincing it sounds.
Practical shopper read: if you are or were an Origin electricity, gas, LPG or internet customer in the past decade, do these four things today. First, log in to your card provider and bank apps and turn on real time transaction alerts for every card and account. Second, freeze your credit file at Equifax, Illion and Experian (all three are free at each bureau’s site). Third, never authorise a payment, share a one time code, or click a login link inside an inbound call, SMS or email claiming to be Origin: always hang up, then type origin.com.au directly into the browser or ring the number on the back of your card. Fourth, ask your bank to reissue any card whose last four digits may have been in your Origin account, most Australian banks will do this free within three business days. The Notifiable Data Breaches scheme entitles you to written confirmation of whether your specific record was in the exposed set.
Petrol Costs Set To Climb Again As Brent Cracks 100 Dollars
Brent crude closed above 100 US dollars a barrel for the first time since May overnight Thursday, per the ABC News markets live blog, 24 July 2026. Combined with the residual unwind of the fuel excise cut (worth roughly 10 to 12 cents a litre when the last tranche lifts at 11:59pm on Sunday 2 August) and the current mid-cycle recovery in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane retail pump prices, Australian consumers should model diesel at 2 dollars 25 to 2 dollars 35 a litre and unleaded 91 at 1 dollar 92 to 2 dollars flat across the first fortnight of August in the eastern capitals.
Practical shopper read: keep using MotorMouth and PetrolSpy to find the current lowest price within 5 kilometres before you leave the driveway. The 7-Eleven Fuel Lock app still holds a price for seven days, valuable to snap on Wednesday or Thursday when the next cycle low prints. Costco Fuel remains 8 to 12 cents cheaper than the equivalent supermarket-branded servo where you are a member. If your household filled two vehicles weekly at 55 cents cheaper per litre through disciplined price shopping, you would recover 45 to 60 dollars a fortnight to offset the fuel run.
Friday’s Top 5 Deals
Discount
Kick Push SkateSkate & ScootersUp to 80 per cent off Kick Push Skate: complete skateboards, cruisers, longboards, decks, trucks, wheels, protective gear and skate shoes from the Melbourne-founded Australian-owned specialty skate retailer, with Afterpay, Zip and Australia-wide shipping.80%OFF2
ShowpoWomen's WearUp to 80 per cent off Showpo: dresses, tops, denim, activewear, occasion wear and accessories from the Sydney-founded Australian-owned womenswear label that ships from an Australian warehouse, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $50.80%OFF3
UGG ExpressUgg BootsUp to 80 per cent off UGG Express: classic sheepskin boots, slippers, moccasins and slides from the Australian ugg manufacturer producing genuine sheepskin footwear locally, with Afterpay, Zip and free Australia-wide shipping.80%OFF4
Eckersley'sArt SuppliesUp to 70 per cent off Eckersley’s: artist paints, brushes, canvases, sketchbooks, easels and craft supplies from the family-owned Australian art materials chain founded in 1946 with stores nationwide, with Afterpay, Zip and click and collect.70%OFF5
DuskCandles & HomewaresUp to 50 per cent off Dusk: scented candles, diffusers, essential oils, wax melts, lanterns and homewares from the Australian-owned specialty candle chain founded in 1999 with over 130 stores, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $60.50%OFFEvery store in Friday’s Top 5 is Australian-owned or locally fulfilled. Every discount was checked against the store’s current sale page before publication. None of it is Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Wish or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. Every product ships from an Australian warehouse and is backed by the Australian Consumer Law.
Other Deals Worth A Look
Beyond the Top 5, a handful of other Australian-owned or locally fulfilled retailers are worth a Friday scroll ahead of the Wednesday CPI print and the fuel excise unwind. Nine West (today’s Top 6 ticker pick) has up to 50 per cent off boots, heels, flats, sneakers, sandals and handbags from the Australian franchise of the global womens footwear brand with dedicated Australian fulfilment, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $80. Sportsgirl keeps up to 70 per cent off dresses, denim, tops, blazers and accessories from the Australian-owned Melbourne-founded youth fashion label with over 100 stores, with Afterpay, Zip and free shipping over $60. Cotton On holds 50 per cent off basics, denim, activewear and homewares from the Australian-owned Geelong-founded group of brands, with Afterpay and Australia-wide shipping. Glassons Australia continues 50 per cent off dresses, knits, tailoring and accessories from the trans Tasman fashion brand with dedicated Australian fulfilment, with free shipping over $80. OPSM has up to 50 per cent off frames when purchased with prescription lenses across the Luxottica-owned Australian optical retailer with over 350 stores. Kathmandu is at up to 40 per cent off jackets, thermals, packs, tents and travel accessories from the trans Tasman outdoor specialist, with free shipping over $50. Rebel is at up to 40 per cent off running shoes, gym gear, footy boots and racquets from the Australian-owned Super Retail Group brand, with Rebel Active member deals and click and collect at over 160 stores. All Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, all backed by the Australian Consumer Law.
Week Ahead
Four dates matter for Australian shopper wallets between today and mid-August. Wednesday 29 July at 11:30am AEST: the ABS releases the June quarter Consumer Price Index alongside the June monthly headline CPI, a double release that fixes the inflation reading heading into the RBA decision. Sunday 2 August at 11:59pm: the temporary fuel excise cut fully unwinds with the full excise of 52 point 8 cents per litre resuming from Monday 3 August, adding another 10 to 12 cents a litre through the following week on top of the current mid-crude spike. Tuesday 12 August at 2:30pm AEST: the RBA cash rate decision, now priced at 95 per cent chance of a 25 basis point hike to 4 per cent following yesterday’s labour force print. Wednesday 20 August: Afterpay Day begins, four days of BNPL-led promotions across fashion, sportswear, homewares and electronics from Australian retailers, expected to be the largest single promotional event ahead of the Father’s Day and October designer-fashion runs.
Our Take
Friday 24 July genuinely rewrites the household maths for the rest of 2026. A 25 basis point RBA hike on Tuesday 12 August would add roughly 45 to 55 dollars a month to a 500,000 dollar mortgage and 90 to 110 dollars to a 1 million dollar loan. An extra 20 to 30 cents a litre at the pump through August would add 25 to 40 dollars a week to a two car household. If Origin’s breach fuels the AI-scam wave that cyber experts are warning about, one careless click could cost thousands. Together, these three shocks arriving in the same week could pull 250 to 400 dollars a month out of the average household budget, and that is before the September utility bills land. The right household response is not to spend less overall (most Australian families are already at the limit), but to spend smarter on Australian retailers running genuine live-price discounts rather than offshore marketplaces or theatre promotions.
That is exactly why It’s On Sale exists. We track 35,000 Australian stores and 45,000 live sale products, every retailer Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, every promotion audited daily against the store’s own price history. No trial traps, no hidden fees, no offshore marketplaces dressed up as a local brand. Today’s Sales shows every store currently running a discount in one place. The AI search reads the way real shoppers ask (try “womens winter knitwear under 100” or “hiking jacket half price”). None of it is Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Wish or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. Browse Today’s Sales on Friday morning ahead of a fortnight that will genuinely reshape the balance between mortgage costs, fuel costs, energy bills and household spending power, and make your money go further with Australian retailers who stand behind the ticket.