Latest
After the wave: untold stories of Australia’s response to Fukushima
On the 10th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan, AFR Weekend reveals tales of terror, Australia’s doomsday planning and Canberra’s fears for a missing spy boss.
- Liam Walsh and Angus Grigg
Doomsday embassy plan revealed for Japan nuke disaster
After explosions started at Fukushima nuclear plant, Australia’s embassy remained in Tokyo, but also prepared for the worst.
- Liam Walsh and Angus Grigg
The biggest risk to the Australian economy is wasting the recovery
The Australian economy’s recovery from COVID-19 has arguably been the best in the world. Now we risk squandering that advantage.
- Matthew Cranston
Can long weekend jolt Melbourne back to life?
Fresh data provided by the city council show that Melbourne pedestrian traffic is still 60 per cent lower than pre-lockdown averages.
- Patrick Durkin
How a deal to save university jobs went horribly wrong
In a moment of rare unity, university leaders and the academics union agreed to work together in the wake of COVID-19. Then it came unstuck.
- Julie Hare
Record trade surplus, retail sales surge add to recovery
The economic lights are shining brightly after Australia posted a record trade surplus in January, along with further gains in retail sales.
- Matthew Cranston
Opinion & Analysis
The COVID-19 bubble is heading for a hard landing
The US Federal Reserve is now a prisoner of the forces it has unleashed. The COVID-19 bubble will crash in a stagflationary bust.
Contributor
Why royal commissions don’t always solve the problem
The split among the aged care commissioners has raised questions about the effectiveness of royal commissions to find solutions to complex policy issues.
Government editor
Big super’s sense of entitlement
The way REST feels entitled to the money of so-called ‘members’ spotlights the governance and other problems in the default superannuation system.
Editorial
Greensill on the brink
That the supply chain finance company is on the brink suggests it might be better if companies just paid their bills on time.
Editorial
Yesterday
- Opinion
- Globalisation
The COVID-19 bubble is heading for a hard landing
The US Federal Reserve is now a prisoner of the forces it has unleashed. The COVID-19 bubble will crash in a stagflationary bust.
- Nouriel Roubini
- Analysis
- Aged care royal commission
Why royal commissions don’t always solve the problem
The split among the aged care commissioners has raised questions about the effectiveness of royal commissions to find solutions to complex policy issues.
- Tom Burton
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Big super’s sense of entitlement
The way REST feels entitled to the money of so-called ‘members’ spotlights the governance and other problems in the default superannuation system.
- The AFR View
This Month
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Greensill on the brink
That the supply chain finance company is on the brink suggests it might be better if companies just paid their bills on time.
- The AFR View
The hidden warning behind rising bond yields
The Reserve Bank’s Jonathan Kearns says that if global bond investors demand higher risk premiums, that will infect other asset classes.
- Jonathan Shapiro
Liberal governments outspend Labor on COVID-19 stimulus
Liberal-led governments are the largest contributors to $327 billion spent in COVID-19 stimulus as they ditch long-held fiscal restraint and outspend Labor.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Sluggish start in race to hit vaccine rollout target
The arithmetic shows that if 20 million adults are to be vaccinated by late October, Australia will have to set a world-leading pace of daily injections.
- Elmer Funke Kupper
- Opinion
- Inflation
Are inflation fears justified?
The opening of the global economy tamed inflation. Putting up the barriers again is the reason to start worrying about it again.
- Kenneth Rogoff
Discovery of people who control HIV naturally brings new hope
Researchers have identified two groups of people in Africa who have naturally controlled the HIV-AIDS virus without any medication.
- Jill Margo
Household spending gives economy push to full recovery
The economy has climbed back to within 2 per cent of its pre-pandemic levels following a stunning surge in December quarter GDP that smashed economists’ expectations.
- Updated
- Matthew Cranston
Victoria’s spending surge great news for yoga instructors
Household spending by Victorians increased 10.4 per cent in the December quarter as tough lockdown restrictions were lifted and people could head back to spending on services such as yoga.
- Matthew Cranston
Super performance test ‘sets wrong priority’
The government’s Your Future, Your Super reforms will push super trustees to choose short-term investment strategies over long-term options that generate higher returns for members, new research finds.
- Ronald Mizen
- Opinion
- The AFR View
How to turn the economic rebound into a solid recovery
The Australian economy has surged forward with a huge shot of stimulus. But we need some real changes to lock in the gains.
- The AFR View
- Analysis
- Australian economy
Recovery on track, but more mediocrity awaits
A powerful V-shaped economic rebound now seems assured, but the economy will not coast to a new post-virus nirvana.
- Updated
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Rest should give ASIC sob story a rest
Perhaps the most extraordinary part of the civil action launched by the corporate watchdog against superannuation giant Rest is the industry fund’s reaction to it.
- Updated
- James Thomson
States in the dark over vaccine rollout
NSW didn’t know about a Commonwealth plan to use the defence force for the vaccine rollout and doesn’t know how many nursing homes in the state have received the jab.
- Updated
- Finbar O'Mallon
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
Take away the punch bowl Dr Lowe, it’s making us sick
The RBA governor is the ring leader of another house price party. But he does not have the control that everyone thinks.
- Andrew Mohl
Google baulks at proposed online safety bill
The search giant’s local branch says shorter timeframes to remove harmful content could result in the company pulling offline whole websites to meet deadlines.
- Finbar O'Mallon
Financial regulators monitor surging house prices
They will more actively target credit growth, not house prices, when considering if they need to put the brakes on real estate loans.
- John Kehoe
