10 things you need to know this morning in Australia

Good morning.

The RBA has kept interest rates on hold at 0.25%, shocking absolutely nobody

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has left the official cash rate on hold at 0.25%. Having effectively run out of conventional monetary policies, the RBA board revealed it is increasingly concerned with the shape of Australia's recovery.

Victoria's lockdown 2.0 is set to cost more than 250,000 jobs. Here's what it means for Australians everywhere.

With Melbourne entering stage four restrictions for six weeks, and greater Victoria entering stage three, 250,000 Australians are expected to be stood down.

1 in 9 Australians have frozen their mortgage, but few are ready to restart repayments on $195 billion worth of debt anytime soon

The latest APRA figures show Australians have frozen $274 billion in loans as of June 30. Of that, $195 billion was mortgage debt, making up 11% of all home loans.

Rideshare companies like Uber and Ola can only be used by essential workers in Melbourne under its stage four lockdowns

Under Melbourne's stage four restrictions – which will be enforced from Wednesday August 5 – rideshare companies are only allowed to support access to permitted services and provide transport for essential workers.

Victoria is introducing new, tougher penalties for those who dodge lockdown rules – including a maximum fine of $20,000 for repeat breaches

Victoria has announced tougher penalties for those violating the state's stage four lockdown. A fine of $4,957 will apply to people who breach quarantine a "second or subsequent time", with maximum penalties of $20,000 for those found to have violated rules multiple times.

Wesfarmers reveals how its stores, including Bunnings and Officeworks, will operate in Victoria under stage four restrictions

Wesfarmers has revealed the conditions under which its stores Kmart, Target, Bunnings and Officeworks will operate in Victoria under stage four restrictions.

A Microsoft deal to purchase TikTok would resolve security concerns in Australia, according to government MPs

Any Microsoft deal to purchase TikTok would resolve many of Australia's security concerns about the social media platform, according to government MPs and investors.

Uber announces employees can work from home through June 2021, and it's giving them $500 for their home office

On Tuesday, Uber announced that corporate employees will have their voluntary work from home policy extended through June 2021. Corporate employees will also be given a $US500 stipend for a home office setup.

The 3 biggest issues people say they have with electric vehicles

According to the 2019 Nielsen report 'Caught in the Slow Lane,' only 16% of Australians believe they are adequately informed about electric vehicles. That's a lot of people in the dark when it comes to adopting a sustainable technology that can lessen their impact on the environment.

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