Packer's year to forget: Mimi, Macau and giant tax bill

• IN DEPTH

By all accounts, 2016 was shaping as a year to behold for Packer, by mid year, his life was in turmoil.

Ex-APN chief to News Corp: 'Be clear and be quick' about newspaper closures

News Corp should make its intentions to close or amalgamate any of its network of regional newspapers as quickly as possible, the group's former chief executive Mark Jamieson said in Mooloolaba on Friday.

Dreamworld to reopen with 'respectful' weekend focusing on families

Dreamworld and WhiteWater World theme parks on the Gold Coast will throw open their doors on Saturday following the tragic accident on October 25. 

How Trump can help the Rust Belt workers

• COMMENT

Donald Trump hung his winning presidential campaign on the idea that he alone could bring back American jobs.

The Facebook scam damaging Australian retail reputations

Australian businesses are struggling to get advertising platform Facebook to act on scams that use their company logos and branding and which lead to complaints from ripped-off consumers.

Foxes in charge of the hen house

• COMMENT

It was supposed to be the Coalition government’s panacea for the crisis in confidence plaguing the financial planning industry, but almost two years after it was launched, it’s a dud.

How life for milk's market darling turned sour

• EXCLUSIVE

There have been few bigger darlings of the Australian sharemarket than Bellamy's. 

The great student swindle: how young people are being ripped off

Ashleigh Mounser took to Facebook to vent about being offered as little as $10 per hour to work in a takeaway food shop. Asking if anyone else had experienced similar treatment, she was was overwhelmed by complaints from 67 young workers within days of her original posting.

Case against Myer an 'abuse of process', court finds

Australia's largest department store wins continuous disclosure battle.

Showdown between ATO and big business looms as list of company tax paid is revealed

A showdown between the Australian Taxation Office and the nation's largest companies including Chevron, Crown and BHP Billiton is looming as the tax man hit seven large companies with tax bills amounting to $2 billion in revenue.

Recession? Look out your window

• COMMENT

What would economic race-calling be without its little excitements? As you may possibly have heard, this week's news is that the economy has contracted - shrunk, gone backwards - by 0.5 per cent.

Early Santa rally drives ASX to 4-month high

Christmas came early for investors this week, sending the ASX to its highest level in four months.

Markets Live: Bulls remain in charge

Shares extend their gains after the ECB tweaks its stimulus, while Sirtex plunges on disappointing sales.

Government approves Kidman cattle empire sale to Gina Rinehart

After originally blocking the sale of land and cattle empire S. Kidman & Co to Chinese buyers, Treasurer Scott Morrison has approved a joint bid with mining magnate Gina Rinehart.

You win some, you lose some: retailers struggle while agriculture booms

Fairfax Media spoke to business owners across five industries to find out who the year's economic winners and losers have been.

Knowing they're being exploited, young workers feel powerless to speak up

Deep down, Cal Stanley knew he was being ripped off.

The great student swindle

What started as a vent on social media has exposed an endemic pattern of young workers being exploited.

Rio's CEO wants to buy diamonds, but finding them won't be easy

Even for the deepest pockets in the mining industry, diamonds are hard to find.

'We don't think there's a bubble': Westpac hoses down fears

Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted is hosing down concerns about the looming surge in apartments on the market.

Draghi keeps market eyes off the polls

Somehow the ECB has convinced markets that it is both reducing and extending stimulus.

Wheat giant CBH rules out $3b float

Australia's largest agribusiness has ruled out a share market listing, ending the prospect of what would have been the country's largest IPO in more than two years.

Shopping centres of the future not far away

Shopping malls will be front and centre for the next two weeks as shoppers head in for the festive season.

Simple, gallery-like fit-out showcases Japanese culture

A slither of Japanese culture has arrived in Toorak Road, South Yarra. Monolab, a Japanese gallery-like store, showcases the work of artisans and manufacturers working in a number of regions throughout Japan.

Australia eyes home-delivery takeoff

Australians have been slow to embrace grocery home deliveries. But this could change as online retail giant Amazon readies to head Down Under.

Labor attacks 'treasury' report discrediting economic stimulus

Labor has questioned the bona fides of a report apparently commissioned by the Treasury that plays down the role of big government spending in helping Australia survive global financial crisis.

Politicians' staff yes-vote challenged as Centrelink strikes again

The union has cried foul over the ballot of nearly 2000 workers in the office of federal politicians, alleging that many were unfairly denied the right to vote.

The Federal Reserve to hike this week

A hike from the Federal Reserve is all but assured, but the market is keen to understand the pace of hikes going forward.

Crown shares plunge after report of ATM withdrawal cap in Macau

The bad news for James Packer's gaming empire, Crown Resorts, just keep coming, with the company's share price falling as much as 8 per cent on Friday amid concerns gamblers in Macau may soon have less cash to splurge.

The biggest office complaint is about temperature, survey shows

All office workers have their pet hates, whether it's that annoying colleague munching away loudly at their desk, or the lack of privacy in an open-plan space.