Flight Centre to close another 91 stores as pandemic continues to bite

Flight Centre will shut down another 91 stores as the travel agency continues to struggle under the weight of foreign and interstate travel restrictions.

That's on top of the 330 stores that Flight Centre already closed since the pandemic struck.

ABC's Peter Ryan speaks in NewsRadio with Sandy Aloisi.

Economists urge $60 billion cash splash to avoid budget cliff

Economists are urging a $60 billion emergency package to generate jobs and to help households avoid a "cliff" as stimulus measures wind back. 

EY chief economist Jo Masters says $750 payments to low income households and that infrastructure spending would slash the jobless rate by one percentage point. 

Ms Masters tells ABC's Peter Ryan the federal government should exploit record low interest rates.

Budget spending programs to push pandemic deficit to $200 billion, Westpac pushes rate cut bet to November

Economists are finetuning their forecasts for next week's federal budget with a pandemic-induced deficit of $200 billion now likely. 

The Reserve Bank is also poised to cut the cash rate to a new record low of 0.1 percent. 

But Westpac chief economist Bill Evans believes that rather than a budget day rate cut, the RBA will hold off until the Melbourne Cup Day meeting in November.

Here's my report from The World Today

Reclusive billionaire James Packer, Crown Resorts board to face grilling in casino licence inquiry

Reclusive billionaire James Packer and the Crown Resorts board will be grilled by an inquiry this week to examine the future of the company's licence to operate a casino at Barangaroo in Sydney. 

The inquiry being held by the New South Wales gaming regulator is looking whether Mr Packer and Crown are "fit and proper" to retain the licence after allegations that Crown Resorts was exposed to alleged anti-money laundering breaches and links to organised crime.

Here's my report on RN Breakfast