Good afternoon,

Labor will enter an election year with household energy costs higher than when it came to office and with Australia’s competition and consumer watchdog warning many families and small businesses are paying over the odds in a market dominated by the big three retailers.

Meanwhile, the Australian Federal Police estimates it has stopped about $83m being lost to scammers since 2020, with at least 100 live cybercrime investigations continuing.

And on the sharemarket, the local bourse drifted lower on its last full day of trading for the year. The ASX 200 closed down 0.3 per cent at 8235, with property leading the losses.