Households have drastically cut back on non-essential spending in recent months, according to a new report from Commonwealth Bank that lays bare the differing fortunes of renters and homeowners.

The nation's biggest bank says household spending in April was 1 per cent lower than in March and had only increased by 2.6 per cent over the previous 12 months – comfortably lower than inflation, which currently sits at 3.6 per cent.

While spending on the likes of utilities and car expenses was up, the overall drop was led by significant cutbacks across all discretionary categories, according to CBA's Household Spending Index (HSI).

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"The April HSI paints a picture of a constrained consumer following an early Easter bump in March," CBA chief economist Stephen Halmarick said.

"Significantly, the annual rate of household spending has fallen from 3.9 per cent in March to 2.6 per cent in April, led by a large drop-off in discretionary spending, which is down 4.4 per cent in the month."

For the first time, the index looked at how the spending of renters, mortgage holders and outright homeowners compared.

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Renters were found to have cut back the most, while spending among people who own their home without a mortgage was found to have increased far faster than inflation.

"We can see from the new home ownership insights included in this month's report that renters in particular have cut back, with spending just inching higher at 1.3 per cent over the year," Halmarick said.

"Those who own their home outright experienced the strongest spending growth at 6.3 per cent annually."

Halmarick said the spending slowdown is set to continue for the rest of the year, leading to a probable interest rates cut in November.

"We expect weak consumer spending and below-trend economic growth to continue throughout 2024, and despite recent inflation data surprising to the upside, we anticipate the RBA will cut interest rates in November this year," he said.

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New technology is being rolled out in taxis across Australia to stop rogue drivers ripping off passengers.

But critics say the rollout doesn't go far enough to protect the majority of unwitting customers from being overcharged.

Cabcharge's new technology will directly connect the payment terminal in the vehicle to the meter.

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If a taxi has a sticker offering the service, the driver has to comply.

"A seamless experience for passengers where they know they will only have to pay what the metered fare is at the end of the trip," Cabcharge chief operating officer Gary Becus said.

"There's no reason for a driver to try and bargain or barter with a passenger."

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The new technology will at first apply only to people using Cabcharge products.

The Victorian state government said penalties were in place for drivers caught price gouging, but industry insiders say enforcing those penalties is where the real difficulty lies.

Rod Barton of the Transport Matters Party said the new technology was a good idea but a "stepping stone" to dealing with broader price gouging.

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A man on trial for murdering Charlise Mutten claims it was the nine-year-old's mother who shot the schoolgirl rather than him, a court has been told.

Justin Laurens Stein, 33, is accused of murdering Charlise on or around January 12, 2022, at Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

He has pleaded not guilty.

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Charlise was shot in the head and back, and her body was later recovered from a barrel dumped near the Colo River.

Stein was in a relationship with Charlise's mother, Kallista Mutten, at the time of the alleged murder, a jury was told as his trial started in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday.

He had changed his account a number of times, the court heard, initially telling Mutten her daughter was missing and pretending to search for her, before telling a corrections officer it was the girl's mother who shot and killed Charlise.

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But Stein's lawyer, Carolyn Davenport SC, told the jury her client had changed his story because he had initially been trying to protect Mutten.

She said evidence would show it was Charlise's mother who had motive to carry out the killing, rather than Stein.

Crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC told the jury the pair had met while they were both serving jail sentences.

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Mutten was in prison for the crime of dangerous driving occasioning death.

In his opening statement, McKay told the jury Stein had transported the barrel containing Charlise's body on the back of his ute with the intention of dumping it.

CCTV footage captured Stein stopping once to purchase five 20kg bags of sand from Bunnings and on another occasion to purchase a can of Coke, a slushie and a Snickers bar before the body was disposed of, the court was told.

Stein had previously served a jail sentence for drug-related offences and was undergoing treatment for heroin addiction.

He was also on medication for schizophrenia, the court was told.

At some time prior to Charlise's death, Stein and Mutten committed a break-and-enter together, during which two firearms were taken, the jury heard.

"One of them … is of importance in the case the Crown brings on the murder charge," McKay said.

While her mother was in custody, Charlise was being cared for by grandparents who lived in Tweed Heads, where she also attended school.

She flew to Sydney on December 21, 2021 with plans to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with her mother and Stein.

On January 14, Mutten contacted police and reported her daughter missing.

Police found Charlise's body four days later.She had suffered two gunshot wounds, one to her face and the other to her left lower back.

"The crown case will be that Stein shot Charlise Mutten," McKay said.

Justice Helen Wilson informed the jury some aspects of the case could be confronting and reminded them of the importance of remaining impartial.

"This is a trial in which it is alleged a nine-year-old child was shot to death," she said.

"Some people find evidence of the death of a child particularly confronting.

"You will need to be assured that you can look at such evidence and … maintain complete impartiality."

The trial is expected to run for six weeks.

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A teen who murdered a mother of two during a burglary has been sentenced to 14 years in youth detention after a judge found his offending was "particularly heinous".

The teenager, aged now just over 19, faced Brisbane Supreme Court today for sentencing having earlier pleaded guilty to murder.

The teen also pleaded guilty to armed burglary at night while in company, committing a malicious act with intent and assault in company causing bodily harm.

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Justice Tom Sullivan reserved his decision on sentencing for more than a week following submissions from the prosecution and defence.

The teen and another teenage co-offender were charged after Emma Lovell was fatally stabbed in her home north of Brisbane in 2022.

Police alleged the two boys, then 17 years old, broke into a North Lakes house and attacked Emma and her husband Lee about 11.30pm on Boxing Day.

The mother-of-two died after being stabbed in the chest while Lee was treated in hospital for a knife wound.

Justice Sullivan previously heard he could sentence the teen to a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment or up to 14 years if he found the crime to be "particularly heinous".

Today, Justice Sullivan found the teen met this threshold due to his prior criminal history and making two attempts to stab Emma and Lee before landing the fatal blow.

"This offending was atrocious and would create outrage in the community," Justice Sullivan said.

Crown prosecutor David Nardone previously said the teen stabbed Emma with such force the knife blade snapped.

Security footage previously played to Justice Sullivan showing the teen testing the front door and finding it unlocked before entering ahead of his accomplice.

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The teen soon after engaged in a physical altercation with Emma and Lee while holding a knife.

The couple's two teenage children, Kassie and Scarlett, were also sleeping in the house when the co-offenders broke in.

The teen stabbed Emma in the heart and Lee in the back, before kicking him several times in the head.

Justice Sullivan said the Lovells' teen daughters were standing over their mother's body sobbing when police and paramedics arrived and open heart surgery was performed on the front lawn in an attempt to save her life.

Defence barrister Scott Lynch previously said the teen grew up in a chaotic environment, exposed to domestic violence and finding his only close friend dead after he took his own life.

Justice Sullivan said the teen had an extensive but previously non-violent criminal history that included 16 break-ins.

"You were not placed in custody for any of those offences," Justice Sullivan said.

Justice Sullivan said the victim impact statements had revealed a "devastating" impact.

"The Lovells were ordinary citizens enjoying family life in their home where they are entitled to feel safe. What occurred violated that completely," Justice Sullivan said.

The teen will be required to serve at least 70 per cent of the detention order with credit for 500 days in custody on remand.

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