Inside the fight to beat Melbourne's lockdown mayhem
Melbourne's lockdown threatens to reverberate through economic supply chains. Here's how business owners rallied to keep their firms open.
Victoria's CMO says cases are 'stabilising'
The case numbers in Victoria are 'stabilising' and the rate of mystery cases has reduced, the state's top doctor said. Victoria reported 466 cases and 12 deaths including a man in his 30s.
Victoria's shutdown threatens critical deliveries
Critical deliveries of food, medicines and school supplies are at risk as a midnight lockdown of distribution centres, required by Victoria's virus shutdown, threatens to disrupt supply lines and parcel deliveries.
What 30 years in global markets teaches us about COVID-19 fears
Analysis of global bond and equity markets since 1990 reveals some of the secrets to successful investing during good times and bad.
Victoria's epic battle to keep supply chains open
Victorian businesses expected the COVID-19 crisis to escalate this week but did not foresee how tough the new rules would be and how they would chop and change as the week went by.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Rio Tinto's cultural indifference
Rio Tinto talks a good game, is a member of all the right groups and is doing much to be a good corporate citizen. So how did it all go so wrong at Juukan Gorge?
WA order may shut down Gorgon LNG
The orders from the WA mines department's dangerous goods and WorkSafe departments may require the whole of Gorgon LNG to be shut down.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Lack of lockdown consultation raises business hackles
The CEO of pharmaceutical group Sigma says lack of consultation brought extra panic, while Gerry Harvey says getting 'adjustments' right in Victoria is crucial.
Victoria could have virus under control within weeks, experts say
The state is on track to get daily case numbers down to around 200, allowing the health department to get on top of contact tracing and cut down community transmission.
Quarantine audit needed to prevent repeat of Vic disaster
Restrictions on Australians returning from abroad will stay in place for "some months", and the states have been advised to audit their quarantine procedures.
Deja vu for tourism operators as Qld shuts its borders again
Orpheus Island owner Chris Morris said he expected there to be some kind of border restrictions on Australia's east coast until Christmas.
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Victoria used to run the country. Not any more
COVID-19 means change and this is happening to Victoria, the state that largely made the running in Australian political and corporate developments over the first 66 years of Federation, but is now in crisis.
Companies
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What we learnt: Welcome to profit season's brave new world
A retailer which raised its dividend despite getting $4 million in taxpayer funds is a neat window into the topsy-turvy world of a COVID-19 profit season.
Andrew Forrest is now a big fish in ocean farming
The mining billionaire is casting his net wide, with aquaculture ambitions in oysters, shellfish and yellowtail kingfish in the waters off Western Australia.
AustralianSuper wants 'true accountability' at Rio for gorge blast
Rio boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques says two of his highest-ranking executives did not convey the cultural significance of Juukan Gorge until after it was blasted.
Perich family pays high price for Freedom
The billionaire Perich family installed one of their own this week as chief executive of Freedom Foods in a bid to get to the bottom of a $60 million inventory bungle.
Ardent Leisure: How private funders lose to government
Distressed debt funds circling Ardent Leisure have been left disappointed by the Queensland government decision to offer support.
REA warns of Melbourne lockdown hit
The company behind realestate.com.au has reported an earnings dip of 5 per cent in its final results as its total national property listings dropped 12 per cent from the previous financial year.
Virgin administrators rebuff new bondholder bid
The last ditch bid by two Asian hedge funds would offer creditors a better return but Deloitte has dismissed it.
Markets
Nasdaq snaps seven-session streak of gains
A sharp slowdown in jobs growth and as yet no deal on more stimulus put investors on the defensive ahead of the weekend.
Gold's record-breaking run a boon for ETFs
Gold's allure as a hedge against global economic disaster is attracting retail investors in their droves.
ASX ends week higher on surging commodity prices
The Australian sharemarket pushed higher over the week as commodity price strength supported the earnings outlook for resources companies.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What we learnt: Welcome to profit season's brave new world
A retailer which raised its dividend despite getting $4 million in taxpayer funds is a neat window into the topsy-turvy world of a COVID-19 profit season.
More pay cut pain ahead, warns RBA
More than one in three businesses will implement a wage freeze over the next 12 months and household incomes will shrink a record 6 per cent by the middle of next year, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Opinion
Virus leaves no room for politics or ideology
The reality of a long and deep economic depression – and one in which no one can confidently predict the end – has been sinking in, writes Laura Tingle.
Columnist
Growing cause to question the Andrews strategy
We may still all be Melburnians, but the huge national cost of Victoria's lockdown demands more answers than the country is getting.
Editorial
Victoria used to run the country. Not any more
COVID-19 means change and this is happening to Victoria, the state that largely made the running in Australian political and corporate developments over the first 66 years of Federation, but is now in crisis.
Senior writer
Trouble in the Murdoch trust fund
Rupert's succession saga is over but brace for a trust fund melodrama as the money stream dries up.
Senior writer
When will Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis peak?
The lesson for investors is the importance of accounting for the possibility of irrational decisions from policymakers.
Columnist
Australia's big soft power test
Australia cannot recover well if our neighbouring region is destabilised and deteriorating. This is a major diplomatic challenge.
Contributor
Politics
PM open to virtual participation in federal Parliament
Scott Morrison says MPs voting on legislation must be in Canberra, but options for video conferencing could be considered.
Quarantine audit needed to prevent repeat of Vic disaster
Restrictions on Australians returning from abroad will stay in place for "some months", and the states have been advised to audit their quarantine procedures.
- Analysis
- GDP
Forecasting has never been more fraught
The Reserve Bank's assistant governor Luci Ellis mentioned the word uncertainty no less than a dozen times in a speech on Friday.
Porter seeks to support High Court 'double dipping' challenge
The government is seeking to intervene in a High Court challenge over the landmark casual 'double dipping' ruling which exposed employers to billions in backpay.
$15b JobKeeper blowout as Victoria hammers economy
The cost of the JobKeeper wage subsidy will increase by more than $15 billion due to the hammer blow to business caused by the Victorian crisis.
SPONSORED
World
Russia interfering in US election to hammer Biden, help Trump
At the same time, China is assessing whether to take more aggressive action to bolster its preference that Donald Trump be defeated.
Canada calls Trump administration 'most protectionist' in US history
"We will impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures in a balanced and perfectly reciprocal retaliation. We will not escalate and we will not back down."
US sanctions Hong Kong's Carrie Lam, other officials
President Donald Trump’s offensive against China comes as he assigns full blame to Beijing for the coronavirus outbreak in the US.
US economy added 1.8 million jobs in July
The gains were modest in comparison with June and there's worry that a resurgence in the pandemic will hit the data for August hard.
Beirut death toll tops 150; Hezbollah denounces critics
Hezbollah - now part of Lebanon's government - is widely believed to use the port facility for its own smuggling operations, including weapons from Iran.
Property
Inside Mirvac's first build-to-rent Sydney apartments
Mirvac's first build to rent upmarket apartments are renting at above market rates, and getting mixed responses from tenants.
Sydney property bounces back
The Reserve Bank had some good news for the Sydney market on Friday, declaring a "strong bounce-back" in auction rates and listings returning to normal levels.
The property fund spared by COVID-19
Charter Hall's Long WALE REIT has so far navigated the pandemic well, with the value of its properties ticking higher by $96 million.
The 25-year-old YouTuber who just bought a $9m home in Sydney
The Tamarama house redesigned by architect Peter Stronach sold to former Gilbert+Tobin intern Elliott Watkins, now known to his 9 million fans as gamer Muselk.
REA warns of Melbourne lockdown hit
The company behind realestate.com.au has reported an earnings dip of 5 per cent in its final results as its total national property listings dropped 12 per cent from the previous financial year.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
Sneaky strata decisions made under cover of COVID-19
Beware rushed electronic approval on matters affecting your apartment block, as some will be more expensive than you realise and could take years to unpick.
How to stop togetherness from driving your family apart
Adult offspring and older parents sharing homes is an increasing cause of expensive court cases to resolve bitter financial disputes.
- Opinion
- Investing
Sharemarket operator Euronext's deal-making rewards investors
Thanks to recent takeovers, post-trade revenue will be a key contributor.
Technology
Atlassian lets its staff stay at home forever
The Australian tech giant says it will 'measure outcomes, not clock hours' and hire talent from anywhere in the world, as it commits to a permanently flexible workforce.
How deep fakes could ruin your business
Author Nina Schick says Western democratic systems and freedoms that should protect you from misinformation could make you more prone to the 'infocalypse'.
Trump orders WeChat, TikTok ban in US
The popular Chinese-owned social media apps will be banned in the United States starting in 45 days after the President called them a 'significant threat' to US security.
Work & Careers
Teacher assessment to boost year 12 exams in Victoria
The Victorian government says year 12 students studying their final year exams will be individually assessed this year to compensate for adverse effects of the coronavirus.
Bernard Collaery: A warrior for democracy
Veteran lawyer at the centre of the sensational Witness K trial over allegations Australia bugged East Timor's government tells of his fight against the creep of 9/11-era national security laws.
Life & Luxury
The man who captured every day style in the Big Apple
New from a legendary New York photographer's archives: five decades of street style.
Why the Beach Boys are up there with Mozart
In 'Echoes from the Canyon', Bob Dylan's son Jakob explores the legacy of the thriving music scene in LA's Hollywood Hills during the mid '60s.
Why women are posting black-and-white selfies
Questions have been raised about the practicality of a new Instagram campaign that uses black-and-white images of women in an effort to promote female empowerment.
Bluesfest owner sees red on profiteering
The booking agents for some Australian acts are trying to capitalise on a lack of foreign competition, veteran promoter Peter Noble says.
Australian designers join forces to win Chinese hearts
Luxury e-tailer Showroom-X brings together the best of fashion, beauty and art from Down Under.
