One in four Australians don’t have access to essential technology. The Smith Family says a national device bank could help close the gap * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Westfield shopping centre isn’t an obvious place to get homework done. But for Deborah Botende, it was one of her only options. Botende grew up in foster care in Brisbane and had no internet access at home. Throughout high school, she’d stay back after her retail shift to use the shopping centre’s wifi – completing her schoolwork on a secondhand laptop. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Consumers are the big losers in a world where top retailers get ‘sweetheart deals’ while small businesses get confused, advocates say * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Debit cards have long been promoted as a replacement to cash. But a complicated system of opaque fee charges has created a multi-billion-dollar revenue opportunity for the payments sector and left many consumers paying too much. Continue reading...