- Exclusive
- Federal budget
Budget to help retirees boost super savings
A scheme enabling downsizers to boost their super will be extended to 60 year olds and above, while the work test for super top-ups will be scrapped.
- Opinion
- Banking products
Why savers are turning their backs on term deposits
Australian savers, clearly unimpressed by the paltry returns being offered on term deposits, are parking more of their money in at-call deposits and offset accounts.
- Analysis
- Online trading
Can lower fees help lift AMP’s faded fortunes?
The wealth giant has attempted a loss-leading tactic in the $840 billion platform market. But price drops alone won’t win the battle for financial adviser hearts and minds.
Gabriel Radzyminski says activism is a tool to unlock value
Any company will ultimately bend to the will of the majority of shareholders, says the market-beating fund manager.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Inside Brookfield’s big bet on the office
Brookfield’s global real estate boss says its new flagship development in Sydney shows why the office is alive and kicking.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
The end of the COVID-19 commission
The Morrison government’s idea was to ask a disparate bunch of individuals from the private sector to give it some direct advice on managing COVID-19. How did it work out?
Fundies crave a bolder-thinking budget
Surely there are better ways to deploy the iron ore windfall than a $1.7 billion childcare package that will just result in operators lifting fees, fund managers say.
Companies
- Exclusive
- Startups
COVID-19 and failed US deal combined to kill Data Republic
Data Republic was backed by some of the biggest names in Australia and Singapore, but its co-founder says it ran out of the money needed to keep growing.
Pepper targets Airtaskers, Uber drivers with $1.3b float
Pepper Money will target Airtasker contractors, Uber drivers and Airbnb owners to grow its 0.5 per cent share of the Australian home loan market.
High-flying Virgin valued at $1b under Bain
The prices of equity stakes taken by the Queensland government and Virgin Group paint a picture of the airline’s post-administration market value.
- Exclusive
- Publishing
Facebook commits $15m to regional Australian newsrooms
As separate discussions continue between Country Press Australia to secure payment for news content on the platform, the social giant has committed to investing $15 million in regional Australian newsrooms via grants.
CBA forms data joint venture with Quantium
The data science firm will no longer use NAB transaction data for insights, switching to CBA, which will enhance its institutional banking offering.
Smash-repairer expense claims entangle more AMA executives
Claims have been made of invoices being dummied up, but key executives maintain any expenses were approved.
Gas players call for local focus for federal funding
Some east coast gas players want the government to act more urgently on domestic gas initiatives rather than LNG imports.
Markets
Fundies crave a bolder-thinking budget
Surely there are better ways to deploy the iron ore windfall than a $1.7 billion childcare package that will just result in operators lifting fees, fund managers say.
- Opinion
- Foreign investment
Australia is divesting from China
Australian investment in China fell by 25 per cent last year. That is unprecedented, and ominous.
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Entrepreneurial spirit key to expanding our recovery
In this new stage of COVID-19-economics, we have the luxury of being more direct with policy and investment. We shouldn’t overlook Australian businesses, forged in entrepreneurism.
- Opinion
- Mergers & acquisitions
Takeovers Panel’s new wings fit well
Giving the Takeovers Panel jurisdiction over schemes of arrangement is smart and will lead to more consistent outcomes.
Is the $US79 billion Dogecoin joke wearing thin?
The Dogecoin frenzy is reaching fever pitch, cryptocurrency purists fear it’s a distraction from their grand project of using blockchain to revolutionise finance.
Opinion
The end of the COVID-19 commission
The Morrison government’s idea was to ask a disparate bunch of individuals from the private sector to give it some direct advice on managing COVID-19. How did it work out?
Columnist
Fadden’s ‘horror’ 1951 budget is a lesson in sacrifice
The chief lesson of the 1951 budget is that prioritising short-term economic and political imperatives can ultimately require drastic corrective action.
Editorial
Will the budget be a requiem for economic responsibility?
If Josh Frydenberg rejects more pump-priming and makes tough policy choices to help drive investment and productivity, Tuesday night could be the Treasurer’s finest hour.
Contributor
Business smarts is why the insolvency ‘cliff’ has disappeared
There are few ‘zombies’ after the end of JobKeeper because firms have horded cash and restructured debt. The challenge now is seizing opportunities on the other side of hibernation.
Contributor
Having beaten the ‘drums of war’ first, Labor now falls silent
Pushback against China long ago ditched prudence for paranoia. But after starting the gung-ho rhetoric, Labor is now saying nothing substantial about Australia’s greatest geostrategic challenge.
Columnist
Talking up war over Taiwan goes against Australia’s national interest
Making clear a willingness to fight for democratic Taiwan in its hour of need might advance our status as a good international citizen, but it would also prejudice our own security and prosperity.
Contributor
Politics
Mateship, patriotism on show in controversial War Memorial rebuild
A public consultation about the $500 million redevelopment plan received a record number of submissions.
I have a voice and I intend to use it: Jane Hume
Minister for Women’s Economic Security Jane Hume says Tuesday’s “women friendly” budget is no cynical political ploy.
Housing budget promises will likely drive up prices
Federal budget measures designed to help single parents and first home buyers get a foot in the property market risk further inflating house prices, experts say.
Di Marco doubles down on ‘arrogant’ proxy advisers
TechnologyOne founder and chairman Adrian Di Marco has continued his attack on proxy advisers, as superannuation funds warn against reforms to proxy advice.
Private QR providers fume after being dumped by Victorian government
Sixteen private check-in providers have been dumped by the Victorian government, after poor compliance prompted it to mandate the Service Vic app for all venues.
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World
Chinese newspaper suggests ‘long-range’ strikes on Australia
The Global Times says Beijing should consider air strikes against Australia if it were to join a US-led conflict over Taiwan. Experts, meanwhile, have called for an end to war talk.
Boris Johnson rejects push for new Scottish independence vote
The British Prime Minister is riding high in England but faces a challenge holding the United Kingdom together.
We will never know the true extent of India’s pandemic tragedy
Public health experts believe India’s second wave infection numbers could peak in mid-May, but the crisis in hospitals will linger for months.
US economy adds 266,000 in April
The closely watched employment report missed expectations of a near 1-million advance. And March’s payrolls were revised downward by almost 150,000.
Boris Johnson gets boost from byelection win in Labour heartland
The result shows Labour leader Keir Starmer struggling to overcome the schisms opened up by Brexit, which have driven battlers towards the Tories.
Property
Flight to quality leaves secondary office markets behind
Smaller tenants are leading the charge into premium office space, leaving holes in the secondary market which will take longer to fill.
Federation Education REIT raises capital as float beckons
The raising for the unlisted Federation Education REIT comes as the childcare sector prepares for a $1.7 billion boost from the federal budget this week.
Farming families join forces to buy New England station
The 11,800-hectare property about 32 kilometres east of Glenn Innes sold to three local farming families for close to $12m.
From Singapore to Rio, green buildings keep tropical tenants cool
Offices and apartment blocks designed to be green are springing up around the globe as businesses and start-ups need to show their environmental credentials.
Higher volumes take heat off housing market
Soaring house prices and the surging number of properties taken to auction have started to take some heat off the residential market as buyers become increasingly cautious.
Wealth
- Opinion
- Investing
Why you need to work out whether you’re a gambler or an investor
Trading based on short-term market movements shares more characteristics with sports betting than it does with investing – including the likelihood of loss.
- Opinion
- Quantitative easing
Tapering of monetary policy looks likely
This could mean that although cash rates will stay near zero, policy may “tighten” sooner.
- Opinion
- Ethical investing
Private investors lead the way on social responsibility
Companies that do the right thing are likely to experience a material advantage in a lower cost of capital, and investors can earn well while helping the planet.
Technology
My dad the engineer worked on breakthrough tech into his 90s
Owen Potter worked until his early 90s on his last invention, which could improve industrial processes. Now it’s up to his children to carry on his life’s work.
US megatechs’ ‘exceptionalism’ to be tested: Goldman
Goldman Sachs argues that anti-trust intervention is the biggest threat, of several, to US tech stocks which continue to dominate the S&P 500.
Industry warns government’s AI cash splash is way short
On the surface, a new $124 million investment in AI looks like a lot, but spread over six years, the tech sector says it is at least $126 million short.
Work & Careers
The untold story of how Jeff Bezos beat the tabloids
When a gossip rag went after the Amazon CEO, he responded with the brutal efficiency he used to build his business.
How to make the right decision
The vast majority of ethical dilemmas do not relate to large scale fraud or stealing. They are dilemmas we all face daily in the course of our work.
Life & Luxury
How lockdown turned author Ian Rankin into a jigsaw fiend
For someone whose day job is crafting intricate plots full of interlocking clues, puzzles seem to be a natural pastime.
When crime novel fans turn NIMBYs
The crime writer chose to use a fictional Highland village for his new novel after he was criticised by residents previously for using a real one.
Solid Gold: Artists from Paradise
The Home of the Arts Gallery inaugural exhibition on the Gold Coast highlights the work of local artists in textiles, ceramics, painting and immersive video.
De Gaulle brings a French giant to the big screen
Portraying one of France’s most respected figures – an archetypal military man: stiff, formal, devoted to duty – in a way that engages modern audiences was never going to be easy.
Why you’re intrigued when billionaires’ marriages fail
If the Gateses can’t make a marriage work, what hope is there for everyone else? It’s comforting to know relationships are difficult, no matter who you are.
