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The US Justice Department has disclosed that it is investigating former president Donald Trump for removing White House records because it believed he illegally held documents including some involving intelligence-gathering and clandestine human sources, which are among America's most closely held secrets.

The department released a heavily redacted affidavit that underpinned the FBI's extraordinary August 8 search of Trump's Florida residence in which agents seized 11 sets of classified records including some labelled "top secret" as documents that could gravely threaten national security if exposed.

In the affidavit, an unidentified FBI agent said the agency reviewed and identified 184 documents "bearing classification markings" containing "national defence information" after Trump in January returned 15 boxes of government records sought by the US National Archives.

Other records in those boxes, according to the affidavit, bore handwritten notes by Trump.

The search was part of a federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed and kept documents when he left office in January 2021 after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden and whether Trump tried to obstruct the probe.

Trump, a Republican who is considering another presidential run in 2024, has described the court-approved search at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as politically motivated, and on Friday again described it as a "break-in."

Documents released with the affidavit revealed that "a significant number of civilian witnesses" knowledgeable about Trump's actions after leaving office were helping the probe, a rare disclosure.

The search was a significant escalation of one of several federal and state investigations Trump is facing involving his time in office and in private business.

The agent who drafted the affidavit wrote that after the FBI reviewed the materials Trump returned in January to the National Archives - the agency responsible for preserving government records - it had probable cause to believe more documents were still inside Mar-a-Lago.

"There is also probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found at the premises," the agent said.

Other defence-related records Trump had returned contained references to topics including "clandestine human sources" who help US intelligence-gathering, the affidavit showed, as well as details on how the nation conducts foreign surveillance and information it collected using a law that established the US domestic surveillance program.

The 32-page affidavit, a sworn statement outlining evidence that gave the Justice Department probable cause to ask a judge to approve a search warrant, was heavily redacted at the department's request. Most pages had at least some portions blacked out. Some completely blacked out. An additional six pages of documents were released with it.

The department had sought to keep the affidavit secret. But after media organisations sued to make it public US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the search warrant based on the affidavit, on Thursday ordered the release of a redacted version.

Trump complained on social media that the released affidavit was "heavily redacted" and demanded that Reinhart step aside from the case, without giving any apparent basis. Trump's legal team has not formally made such a request.

"Judge Bruce Reinhart should NEVER have allowed the Break-In of my home," Trump wrote.

Asked by reporters if it is ever appropriate for a president to bring home classified material, Biden said it depended on the document and on how secure the location was.

Biden said he had a "completely secure" site at his home and he was taking home on Friday a copy of his daily intelligence briefing, but said those records would later be returned to the military.

The FBI agent said in the affidavit that a preliminary review in May of records the Archives earlier received from Trump found 184 "unique documents" labelled as classified - 67 marked "confidential", 92 marked "secret" and 25 marked "top secret".

with AP

© RAW 2022

Anthony Albanese's time as prime minister got off to a flying start. Literally.

Within hours of being officially sworn in as Australia's 31st prime minister alongside an interim cabinet, he was jet-setting to Tokyo to take part in the Quad Summit alongside leaders from the US, Japan and India.

The frenetic pace of his first few days in office would set the tone for his first 100 in the top job.

After spending 26 years in parliament, just six of them in government, Mr Albanese wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

"I want to remind you that you shouldn't waste a day in government," he told caucus colleagues after winning the election.

"We need to change the way politics operates in this country."

International trips would be a focal point of the prime minister's early weeks.

On the heels of his Japan trip, he was off to Indonesia for bilateral talks and "bicycle diplomacy" with President Joko Widodo.

Travel to Europe for the NATO summit would soon follow, along with a visit to war-torn Ukraine.

There was also time to repair Australia's relationship with France following the fallout from the AUKUS security pact and nuclear submarine deal, meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

Sending a signal to regional leaders was the focus of a visit to Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum.

Amid the globe-trotting, the prime minister was quick to point out Australia was back on the main stage in terms of climate change.

It was something he repeatedly highlighted not only to Pacific neighbours facing rising sea levels but other world leaders.

It's no surprise Mr Albanese used his first 100 days to elevate climate action, updating Australia's climate submission to the UN and passing its emissions reduction bill through the lower house during the first sitting fortnight.

Following the swearing in of his cabinet, which included 10 women - a record for a federal government - the PM looked to overhaul what he called a "decade of denial and delay" on the issue by the coalition.

Getting the Greens and crossbenchers to back laws to enshrine a 43 per cent reduction in emissions based on 2005 levels by 2030 was touted a major win.

Yet future negotiations with the Greens - who hold the balance of power in the Senate - will be among the challenges faced by the government, as it looks to implement its legislative agenda.

Meanwhile, it has already taken steps to scrap the cashless debit card, institute paid domestic and family violence leave, and reform the aged care sector.

Next cab off the rank will be setting up a national anti-corruption commission.

A bigger challenge, however, involves securing support for an Indigenous voice to parliament, which the prime minister hopes to implement by the end of the term.

Mr Albanese outlined at the Garma Festival a possible question for a referendum to enshrine the voice in the constitution, saying he wants support for the move to be as broad as possible.

The first 100 days haven't all been smooth sailing though. They were also dominated by cost of living woes, rising interest rates and inflation.

Mr Albanese has come under fire from the opposition for failing to show how he will cut power bills by $275 and drive down the cost of essentials.

In response, he has flagged the possibility of including measures in the October 25 budget.

Rising COVID cases from new sub-variants have also caused headaches, with the fledgling administration forced to backtrack on plans to scrap isolation payments for eligible workers.

Criticised also erupted among crossbench MPs after it was revealed they would be given fewer parliamentary staff than under the Morrison government.

Despite the controversies, though, the political honeymoon seems to be continuing for the bloke popularly known to supporters as Albo.

The latest Newspoll showed Labor ahead 56 to 44 on a two-party basis, while a Resolve Poll showed Mr Albanese leading 55 per cent to 17 per cent over Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister.

The Newspoll also revealed Mr Albanese had a satisfaction level of 61 per cent, the highest for any incoming prime minister since the polls began.

A jobs and skills summit in the coming week will be an opportunity for him to make a flying start on economic reform over his next 100 days and beyond.

© AAP 2022

Rising cost of living pressures are forcing some Australians to live hand to mouth, some to take stock of their financial reserves and others to compromise on their dreams.

In spite of the inflationary bite, or perhaps because of it, many who can afford to are madly saving, according to consumer tracker Finder.

Research by the comparison site shows the average adult has $39,439 squirrelled away or enough to live on for 19 weeks should they lose their job today.

That's a 75 per cent increase on six months ago, with the amount trending up following four successive cash rate rises from the Reserve Bank.

Finder's money expert Sarah Megginson believes cash is king during a downturn.

"Australians are drastically increasing how much cash they have stashed to offset the spiralling cost of living," she says.

"Consumers are concerned that high levels of inflation and increasing interest rates will leave them vulnerable and where possible, they're stockpiling cash to weather the storm."

With high interest savings accounts offering rates of more than 3.10 per cent and term deposits even higher, the RBA lifting the cash rate to 1.85 per cent is bad for borrowers but good news for savers, especially blokes.

The research shows men, on average, have much bigger reserves than women: $52,786 compared to $26,132.

Putting money aside for a rainy day isn't atop everyone's personal finance strategy, however.

Of more than a thousand Australian adults surveyed on behalf of Money.com.au, 51 per cent reckoned they'd buy a new car within the next 18 months so long as they didn't have to wait for delivery.

Sales for July were more than 10 per cent below historical averages due to vehicle and component shortages, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Yet 59 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds said they would be willing to enter the market for a new set of wheels by 2024 in the absence of future supply chain issues.

In the same age group, 39 per cent said they would buy a used car if the waitlist for a new one was more than six months.

"While the choice to purchase a new vehicle is dependent on one's financial situation, savings and overall car usage, it is important to remember that it is a depreciating asset," says financial adviser Helen Baker.

"Younger Australians are likely more willing to purchase a used car for this reason, as they may not have the funds built up for a large purchase or are prioritising other purchases or investments, such as their first property."

On the long end of the scale, though, there are plenty of Australians doing it tougher.

Of a separate nationwide batch of a thousand Finder research subjects polled in June, nearly one in five (19 per cent) said they'd had a transaction declined at the counter in the past three months.

Eleven per cent have had to abandon a purchase after coming up short at the till and eight per cent have had to return some items to the shelf in order to pay for their shop.

Some 37 per cent rank groceries among their top three most stressful expenses.

Accordingly, more than one in three Australians experience food insecurity, according to the 2021 Foodbank Hunger Report.

Bill shock, low incomes, rent or mortgage payments and declining savings are the leading reasons.

Meanwhile, the soaring cost of living is also having an impact on Australia's skills shortage with a new survey revealing lowly paid electrical trades apprentices are being pushed to the brink of quitting.

Completion rates for young sparkies sit at 52 per cent, which according to the National Centre for Vocational Research, compares to 57 per cent for apprentices and trainees across all trades who started out in 2015.

The Electrical Trades Union's poll of 642 currently working electrical apprentices shows more than 37 per cent have already considered throwing it in.

A third nominated either low wages or living expenses as their main difficulty, saying their pay wasn't adequate to cover necessities such as food, travel and housing.

© AAP 2022