- Exclusive
- Coronavirus pandemic
Sweeping Vic lockdown closures revealed
Construction sites, manufacturing plants, car dealerships and the majority of retail stores are set to be closed under the stage four restrictions poised to devastate the Victorian economy.
Business and unions team up on pandemic leave plan
More than 240 Woolworths workers at a Melbourne distribution centre downed tools on Monday after a worker tested positive; Victoria is expected to report more than 400 new coronavirus cases; federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg said his state was in shock and faced a "war-like situation". Follow the latest news here.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX flat; CSL shares up as restrictions hit banks
ASX recovers from early falls; bank shares hit on worsening restrictions; health sector helps stem loses; China's Caixin manufacturing PMI hits 52.8.
- Exclusive
- Big four consultants
Revealed: the clients boosting EY consulting
The consulting division of Ernst & Young Oceania has posted increased sales despite the wider sector suffering a dramatic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
COVID-19 has sparked a ‘phoney’ profit season
The trend of companies pre-releasing their profit numbers is being driven by the big questions the pandemic is posing about business models.
Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok in US, Australia
Buying TikTok would put Microsoft in a powerful position to compete with Facebook and Google's YouTube, which operate dominant social media sites.
Melbourne, Sydney price falls to accelerate
New figures show price falls have accelerated in Melbourne as virus cases surge, weakening the housing market outlook dramatically.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
- Opinion
- Australian recession
Lockdown will test Australia's willingness to sacrifice
Politicians must present more rigorous evidence and cost-benefit analysis to keep people’s faith that the sacrifices of COVID-19 lockdowns are worth the pain.
Second time unlucky for Melbourne's non-essential retailers
Many non-food retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman stayed open during the first national lockdown in by successfully arguing they were essential services, but most in Melbourne will be forced to close for six weeks from midnight on Monday night.
Genomic testing could prove employers' COVID-19 liability
Specialist virus sequencing could be used to prove whether employees contracted coronavirus in the workplace, comparing samples of the virus with other known cases to establish liability.
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Tourism’s collapse could trigger next stage of the crisis
This is where we move from a public health emergency and mass unemployment to widespread insolvencies in myriad industries.
Tassie tourism will feel Melbourne pain: MyState CEO
Nearly one-in-five Tasmanians rely on tourism but there's broad support to keep its border closed to Victorians, says the Hobart-based bank's CEO.
Companies
Rio in $493m damages claim against Monadelphous
The mining giant blames the engineering group for the fire that destroyed part of its vast iron ore operations in Western Australia.
- Exclusive
- Coronavirus pandemic
Workplaces flock to Aussie tech firm for return to work plans
It predicted a big decline in April, but SafetyCulture has had its most new sign-ups ever as companies around the world try to get workers safely back on-site.
Viva petrol sales smashed in Victoria
Viva has signalled a slump in Victorian fuel sales may affect its Geelong refinery, which is already running at less than full capacity.
SEEK ditches final dividend
The online jobs platform says it will not pay a final dividend - after omitting the interim payment to shareholders - to keep cash on hand in uncertain times.
Tabcorp profit to plunge on COVID-19 hit
Tabcorp's full-year underlying profit will fall more than 31 per cent as it weighs the long-term damage caused by COVID-19 to its retail business.
AFR profit season calendar and results
Here is a list of the results of Australian companies reporting their full-year financial results in the August reporting season.
- Opinion
- Family business
Decoding James Murdoch's resignation letter
When Rupert Murdoch’s family make public statements it’s tempting to read them as actual messages to the public – but the Murdochs don’t work that way.
Markets
Here's why shares 'will hit new record highs within months'
Fundstrat's Tom Lee says investors should have exposure to sectors that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, because a vaccine is looming.
Resilient stocks to shine in dire earnings season
Among the companies expected to show they have fared well through the pandemic are resources-exposed stocks such as Alliance Aviation Services and healthcare company ResMed.
The way to $80 billion: what's driving this round of share issues
Beating the $80 billion raised during the GFC may not be possible this year, say investment bankers.
How markets were looking before the bell
Australian shares are poised for a muted start to the week amid heightening virus concerns, the latest global manufacturing data and RBA positioning.
Deficit financing task helped by RBA's hard 'no' to negative rates
Australia's desirably sloped yield curve is making life easier for the fiscal relief effort, says Kapstream's Daniel Siluk.
Opinion
Three steps needed to advance the Morrison doctrine
Australia went to AUSMIN to reaffirm the US alliance without burning bridges to Beijing. But what is the best way of taking this stance forward?
Contributor
Tourism’s collapse could trigger next stage of the crisis
This is where we move from a public health emergency and mass unemployment to widespread insolvencies in myriad industries.
Contributor
Corporate earnings locked down for longer
Governments and central banks lack the resources to shield companies from further blanket lockdowns. From now on, choices over corporate and public health will be painfully counterpoised.
Contributor
Victoria is now infecting the entire national mood
The anxiety spreading across Australia because of the state's catastrophe has just made it too hard for anyone to push for easing anything at the moment.
Political editor
Icare execs face grilling as pressure mounts for heads to roll
Workplace compensation scheme icare's senior executives will face a grilling in NSW Parliament on Monday about deteriorating finances and underpayment of workers.
Investigative journalist and columnist
State of disaster a great leap backwards
The financial price that Australia will have to pay on account of the escalating crisis in Victoria is getting dearer by the day.
Editorial
Politics
Henry blasts mining tax 'stupidity'
Tax reform architect Ken Henry has revived the mining tax debate, saying Australia's economically 'illiterate' failure to tax the mining boom properly has cost the country dearly.
ALP factional feud over climate change rearing its head
Joel Fitzgibbon and Kristina Keneally post duelling Twitter messages as Labor's yet-to-be determined policy on climate change is at the centre of a festering feud within the Right faction.
Victoria to help foot the bill in state of disaster
The Morrison government will require Victoria to help fund new income support measures, including paid pandemic leave, for the state's citizens after Premier Daniel Andrews declared a state of disaster and a night-time Melbourne curfew.
Education at the front of economy-wide reform
The components have been put in place – all it needs is will power to push the process ahead, says Deloitte Access Economics partner John O'Mahony.
Corporate watchdog call to book 'regular' casual liabilities
Corporations must calculate any leave owed to 'regular' casuals in their next financial statement as a result of a precedent court ruling, ASIC has advised.
SPONSORED
World
Biden leads Trump in poll showing most people unhappy with US
Almost 90 per cent of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the state of the country, and their unhappiness is affecting their political decisions four months before the presidential election.
SpaceX brings NASA astronauts home safe in milestone test flight
The return is a signature achievement 18 years after Elon Musk founded the company with the ultimate goal of populating other planets.
- Opinion
- Corruption
No end to Malaysia’s political games after Najib’s courtroom downfall
The Malaysian public is stuck with games of three-dimensional chess between – and within – teams of politicians who are UMNO men who missed out on the power they sought through that party.
- Opinion
- Family business
Decoding James Murdoch's resignation letter
When Rupert Murdoch’s family make public statements it’s tempting to read them as actual messages to the public – but the Murdochs don’t work that way.
Mexico eclipses Britain with third-highest virus death toll
The record places Mexico behind Brazil, Latin America's largest and most populous nation, and the United States.
Property
Westfield heiress buys $8m digs
Settlement records show a five-bedroom 'showpiece of chic modern charm' in North Bondi was snapped up by the daughter of Westfield co-founder John Saunders.
Primewest bags $22m distribution centre in Adelaide
Perth-based, ASX-listed investor has continued its spree of property acquisitions.
The property market is 'falling as we speak'
Weak auction clearance rates in Sydney and Melbourne point to further falls before the October 'crunch time' as stimulus measures and bank mortgage moratoriums end.
Singapore's Koi first in line for LJ Hooker recapitalisation
Singaporean fund manager Koi Structured Credit is the favourite to take the keys to Australian real estate group LJ Hooker after securing the support of administrator KPMG.
Billionaire Con Makris puts $200m of shopping centres up for sale
The Rich Lister is selling off the City Cross shopping centre in the Adelaide CBD, and the North Adelaide Village complex in the nearby affluent suburb.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Four shares that could get a boost from the remote working trend
It's worth investors keeping a watching brief on companies that set up systems to help staff communicate and collaborate in the new world of working from home.
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Why telcos could be coronavirus-proof
Telcos have been a challenge for investors, with falling margins from mobiles and the NBN, but the growth story could come from the demerging of infrastructure.
Is it too late to buy Afterpay?
Some investors say Afterpay's growth trajectory justifies the sky-high valuation, yet risks are rising.
Technology
- Exclusive
- AI
Lawyers turn to AI for workplace claims
Maurice Blackburn says using AI software to judge whether to take on workers' insurance claims means it can give clients a decision in minutes instead of days.
Aged care provider Regis hit by ransomware hack
Federal government's cyber security agency warns aged care, hospital providers are seen as lucrative targets for financially-motivated hackers.
Damstra reaches fever pitch during COVID-19
Analysts and investors are buoyant about Damstra's future, but says its global operations are still in their infancy.
Work & Careers
'Workplaces need more people like me'
Business leader Charlotte Valeur tells Maria Lally why, in her fifties, she has spoken out about her autism.
Parents ask for relief on private school fees
Parents say school fees are the last thing they want to cut, but some are being forced to ask for help as the pressure on income continues.
Life & Luxury
21 tell-tale signs that you're a modern snob
As it's reported that Prince Harry called his brother, William, a snob over his attitude to Meghan Markle, here's how to tell if you're a latter-day elitist.
Has the virus made you unfit? Here's how to bounce back
Lockdown has left many out of shape physically and mentally, but some simple steps can help you get fit for spring.
Burberry opens its first real-world social media store
Luxury brand Burberry has opened a new store in Shenzhen, China, where people can like, share, scan, book and spend through an associated WeChat app.
As a kid he hated running. Now this CEO's hooked on ultra-marathons
'I'm obsessed with going to very dark places to learn something I never knew about myself,' says Physio Inq founder Jonathan Moody.
Arty thriller with nothing underneath
Somewhere in the film there’s a serviceable neo noir struggling to escape the arty carapace, but something has gone wrong.
