Ian Verrender is the ABC's business editor. A journalist for more than 30 years, Verrender spent 25 years at The Sydney Morning Herald in a variety of roles including senior writer and business editor. He joined Business Spectator and Eureka Report in 2012 and joined the ABC in 2014.
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Malcolm Turnbull is facing not just the expected sniping from the sidelines but growing discontent from the political middle as tax reform and renewable energy policy go nowhere, writes Ian Verrender.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, electricity-energy-and-utilities, alternative-energy, tax, australia
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Don't believe anyone who claims they have an easy and painless way to make housing affordable; it just doesn't exist, writes the ABC's business editor Ian Verrender.
Topics: housing-industry, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, housing, tax, australia
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The acrimonious battle for control of Tasmanian dairy group Bellamy's takes a new twist after dissident shareholder Jan Cameron admits being aligned to a mysterious offshore trust that has been attempting to roll the board.
Topics: company-news, business-economics-and-finance, stockmarket, tas
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| UpdatedSadly, much of the debate about our future power generation has become mired in political point-scoring and simplistic arguments designed to inflame and outrage; where ignorance dominates academic research, writes Ian Verrender.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, environment, alternative-energy, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, australia
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| UpdatedUltimately, desperate US corporations could lean further towards automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, and seek ways to eliminate labour altogether, writes Ian Verrender.
Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, globalisation---economy, trade, united-states
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| UpdatedThey say truth is the first casualty in war, but when it comes to trade, truth has been missing in action for quite some time, business editor Ian Verrender writes.
Topics: international-aid-and-trade, business-economics-and-finance, trade, government-and-politics, federal-government, world-politics, australia, united-states
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| UpdatedThe good news from the MYEFO is Treasurer Scott Morrison appears to have achieved an improvement in the current year compared to the May budget — the bad news is the forecasts for next year and beyond look shocking, writes Ian Verrender.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, economic-trends, money-and-monetary-policy, budget, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
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| UpdatedWhen Treasurer Scott Morrison unveils his second Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, it will be in the knowledge that the "coveted" AAA credit rating is doomed.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, money-and-monetary-policy, government-and-politics, federal-government, budget, australia
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Financial markets have partied on years of easy money, but the Fed is rocking the party boat as it threatens to turn the financial distortion down from 11.
Topics: money-and-monetary-policy, markets, currency, economic-trends, united-states, australia
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| UpdatedAnother anguished treasurer faces the prospect of a mid-year downgrade to his economic forecasts. Perhaps it's time to revisit our resources rent taxes.
Topics: mining-industry, business-economics-and-finance, wa, australia
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How much worse off are we all now that the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been consigned to the dustbin? The short answer is it will not make a lick of difference — in fact, we may be better off.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, international-aid-and-trade, trade, world-politics, government-and-politics, australia, united-states
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Like the hapless Mr Jones in Bob Dylan's Ballad of a Thin Man, our political and business leaders simply cannot fathom what is wrong, or why anyone would be unhappy.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, world-politics, australia, united-states
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| UpdatedDonald Trump's election promises to remove trade barriers and restore US industries will not play out well on the world market or for the US economy.
Topics: globalisation---economy, business-economics-and-finance, world-politics, international-aid-and-trade, industrial-relations, united-states
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| UpdatedOnce concerned only with unemployment as a barometer of the nation's health, economists have begun to view underemployment with alarm. With good reason.
Topics: unemployment, community-and-society, government-and-politics, australia
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Former Commonwealth Bank chief executive David Murray again pours scorn on the bank's newly appointed chairman Catherine Livingstone.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, banking, industry, australia
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| UpdatedChina's Government adds another thorn to James Packer's Crown, with the arrest of 18 casino staff a sign it is serious about stopping the exodus of high-roller gamblers.
Topics: company-news, hospitality, gambling, fraud-and-corporate-crime, world-politics, foreign-affairs, australia, china
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| UpdatedLoosening the purse strings does not come naturally to the Coalition, but investing for the future at a time of record-low interest rates and low national income is vital, writes Ian Verrender.
Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, budget, transport, housing-industry, business-economics-and-finance, australia
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| UpdatedCan you have too much of a good thing? The developed world, including ourselves, certainly appears to believe so and it is time the business world and governments woke up to it, writes Ian Verrender.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, economic-trends, banking, government-and-politics, australia, united-states
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| UpdatedWith another banking crisis brewing again in Europe, the leaders of our big four banks are steeling themselves for what they hope will be a wet-lettuce-slapping, meaningless bit of theatre in the national capital this week.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, industry, banking, government-and-politics, australia
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Former federal education minister John Dawkins' woes intensify after class action lawyers seize upon news he is facing legal action from the corporate regulator.
Topics: education, vocational, university-and-further-education, education-industry, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, australia, vic
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| UpdatedFormer federal education minister and treasurer John Dawkins faces legal action over his role in the collapse of private education provider Vocation.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, vocational, education, education-industry, government-and-politics, university-and-further-education, law-crime-and-justice, australia, vic
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| UpdatedThe world's economic leaders now find themselves stranded at a crossroads, agonising over which way to turn as it becomes ever more obvious that their radical policies have failed.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, industry, banking, government-and-politics, australia
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The state that should be the richest is in desperate straits as it enters a recession-like conditions, global resources companies are notching up losses by the score and the car manufacturing industry is being killed by a resources boom that paid only temporary dividends. So much for the lucky country.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, economic-trends, budget, automotive, government-and-politics, federal---state-issues, wa, australia
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| UpdatedTreasurer Scott Morrison's decision to block the sale of Ausgrid to Chinese interests highlights how worthless free trade deals really are.
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, international-aid-and-trade, trade, foreign-affairs, china, hong-kong, nsw, australia
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| UpdatedTens of thousands of Australians have had their lives ruined by the major banks. If there's no need for a Royal Commission, why is the Turnbull Government wasting time and money on a parliamentary inquiry?
Topics: banking, royal-commissions, federal-parliament