How negative gearing made the poor worse off
Australia's poorest people are taking on negatively geared property investments, despite their inability to manage the risks.
The Economy
The green, amber and red of housing affordability
State and federal governments are promising action to make property more affordable for first-home buyers. But what would be the best policies?
'This thing's gonna blow': Top economists' interest rate warning
An overcooked housing market and rising interest rates are poised to plunge thousands of Australian families into mortgage stress.
ACT economy riding high on housing boom and federal gridlock
ACT economy now among the fastest growing in Australia.
Home internet should be tax-exempt for employers that allow staff to work flexibly: Telstra
Home internet services should be exempt from fringe benefits tax to take account of the fact that more Australians are working from home, telecommunications giant Telstra says.
Surging China tries to tame credit
China's economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter as higher government infrastructure spending and a gravity-defying property boom helped boost industrial output by the most in over two years.
My bias? Poor should rate above the powerful
I have a lot of strong views, and I hope it isn't hard to detect an internal consistency in them, but they're not driven by loyalty to any party.
Amid housing gloom, one chart gives homeowners reason to hope
Australian people are spending more of their income on housing than ever before.
Bottom line is there's no magic number
A lot of the problems we cause ourselves arise from the way we've evolved to economise on thinking time by taking mental shortcuts.
One in three new home loans at risk, warns RBA
One third of new mortgage owners have less than a month's buffer against financial instability, the Reserve Bank has warned.
$A bounces as full-time jobs rebound
Australia's employment surged more than expected in March, led by a rebound in full-time jobs.
What if inflation rises and wages don't?
We might seem to forget it sometimes, but Australia has more economic challenges than just Sydney and Melbourne housing prices.
Canberra leads Australia for growth in executive employment
The private sector is leading ACT growth in executive employment, according to a national report, and the ACT leads Australia.
Consumers fret on economic outlook
Consumer sentiment inched lower in April as worries about the economic outlook overshadowed growing optimism about the state of family finances, a survey showed on Wednesday.
What happens if China stumbles? A $140b doomsday scenario
Australia is more exposed to the economy of a single nation - China - than at any time since the 1950s, when Britain was our major trading partner.
Australia should consider Republicans' tax plan: Garnaut
Australia should consider a tax plan being pushed by Donald Trump's Republican Party which could stop multinational corporations avoiding tax, prominent economist Ross Garnaut says.
Overheating housing market threatens to end good times
An overheating housing market threatens to bring the good times in Australia to an abrupt end.
Business conditions best since GFC: survey
Business conditions were healthier last month than at any point since the global financial crisis, National Australia Bank says.
A considerable show of 'doing something' about housing affordability
With a dash of true conservatism, Scott Morrison wants the vast majority of our housing market to keep doing just what it's been doing.
Property prices forecast to fall then stagnate
Rising interest rates and housing supply are likely to push Australian home prices lower in 2018.
'Vicious circle': Sydney's property market hurting families
Akhilesh Mehta flops into his bus seat and readies himself for the hour-and-a-half commute from his job in central Sydney to his home on the city's outskirts.
Why the RBA will be sweating on this week's jobs data
Caught between overheating property markets and signs of a moderating economy, the RBA will be praying for a solid jobs number this week.
Former spy boss to head foreign investment board
The former boss of Australia's spy agencies has been appointed to head up the federal government's watchdog on foreign investments.
Australia has $1 trillion foreign debt. Should we be worried?
Our foreign debt will grow and it already exceeds $1 trillion deficit. But that's not necessarily bad.
Why we need to worry about the level of household debt
The balance sheets of Australian households with a mortgage are dangerously exposed to any fall in house prices.
Australia has a property bubble? Look again
As regulators crack down on lending, chances are the rest of the country will pay for the excesses of easy money and federal politics in Sydney and Melbourne.
$22b cost of tax deductions to be tackled in budget
Government to take stab at reducing annual $22 billion in 'overclaimed' tax deductions for work expenses.
Did we miss a recession we had to have?
Australia's success in evading the global recession is coming back to haunt it, with a delayed fallout manifesting itself now in the steady climb in underemployment.
ATO unlikely to get the $2.9b it's chasing from multinationals
The tax office is chasing seven companies for $2.9b, but if history's any guide, it will only get half that amount.
Microsoft, McDonald's, IBM avoid government's tax transparency code
Dozens of multinationals have not signed up to federal government's tax transparency code.
Small Business
How small businesses can compete with a retail Goliath
True personalisation is something only a small business can offer.
'Taking the bigness out': Online fixed price florists blossom
Little bunches of flowers sold online are offering an alternative to traditional florists.