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the western Thursday, March 19, 2026
Celebrating 35 years!
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BUSINESS HEALTH CHECK A SPECIAL WE STERN WEEKEND ER FE ATURE | SEE PAGE S 23-29
LEADING JEWELLER TO LAUNCH FLAGSHIP STORE
YORK’S BIG MOVE
Iconic Penrith jewellery store York Jewellers is exiting Westfield Penrith, announcing it will open a brand new first-class flagship store on Riley Street in the middle of the year. Ally Hall reports on Page 8 Douglas Ely outside the new York flagship store on Riley Street.
INTEREST RATES UP
PETROL PRICES SOAR
POWER BILLS SURGE
UNDER THE PUMP EMILY CHATE & TROY DODDS
H
ouseholds could be “pushed to breaking point” according to experts as a mix of interest rate rises, high petrol prices and soaring electricity bills heap pressure on families. The latest blow came on Tuesday when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the official cash rate for the second time this
year. The 0.25 per cent increase will add an extra $118 a month to the average mortgage repayment. With the Middle East conflict seeing petrol prices sky-rocketing and household budgets already under enormous pressure, the road ahead is tough for locals like Kristen Turton from Mount Vernon. “I’m a single mum of three children and it is putting an additional strain on financially
to keep above water,” she told the Weekender after Tuesday’s interest rate rise. “We’ll have to look at ways to reduce some of our spending, but we have already cut stuff out. I do a pretty good tight budget every single week and now it is going to have to be even tighter. It’s getting ridiculous to be honest! “It’s actually quite stressful. It’s a big worry that is constantly over your head that you just stress about day in and day out.”
Graham Cooke, the Head of Consumer Research at Finder, said Tuesday’s interest rate decision was a “punch in the gut” to people already facing challenges from multiple fronts. “This is a tough blow at a time when Aussie families are already feeling the pinch from a volatile global market,” he said. Story continues on » p. 2
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