Latest
NAPLAN vital for judging schools’ progress
We know things about our education system, and the inequalities within it, simply because of NAPLAN. To dump it would be a mistake, according to an education expert.
- Julie Hare
Budget spending can be cut later: Treasury boss
Steven Kennedy says the government will eventually need to rein in spending once the economic recovery is locked in, to close a budget shortfall of about $40 billion a year.
- John Kehoe
Frydenberg hits back at claims budget isn’t a ‘Liberal’ one
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg dismissed criticisms he delivered a Labor-style budget and said the government is examining how travel restrictions could be eased.
- Michael Read
Family names now required in Victoria for check-ins
Last names will now be required for check ins in Victoria, with the state joining the rest of Australia, despite privacy advice that first names were only needed.
- Tom Burton
- Opinion
- Letters to the Editor
Letters: Age-old views hurt longevity economy
Mature-age workers, infrastructure projects, Vic property taxes, tax residency, nurses and age care.
‘Not taboo to ask anymore’: employers sign up to family-friendly push
Australia’s largest employers are signing up to be certified as “Family Friendly Workplaces” as offices adjust to the post-pandemic world.
- Finbar O'Mallon
Opinion & Analysis
Regrettable retreats into protection and intervention
For the government’s oil refining and electricity-generating interventions to be justified, they need to be integrated into an energy transition plan.
Editorial
Quitting NAPLAN would be a fail for Australian education
Opponents of standardised national testing ignore the international evidence that greater transparency improves the performance of school systems.
Contributor
The RBA is flying blind on inflation
It is misleading and dangerous for the central bank to say interest rates will stay low until 2024. There is no certainty when inflation will rise in a world disrupted by COVID-19.
Contributor
Who to blame for the plastic peril
A handful of companies and their investors could make all the difference to a world that’s awash in plastic waste.
Contributor
More From Today
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Regrettable retreats into protection and intervention
For the government’s oil refining and electricity-generating interventions to be justified, they need to be integrated into an energy transition plan.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- NAPLAN
Quitting NAPLAN would be a fail for Australian education
Opponents of standardised national testing ignore the international evidence that greater transparency improves the performance of school systems.
- Glenn Fahey
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
The RBA is flying blind on inflation
It is misleading and dangerous for the central bank to say interest rates will stay low until 2024. There is no certainty when inflation will rise in a world disrupted by COVID-19.
- Ed Shann
Early super withdrawals cost $4.7 billion in lost returns
The left-leaning McKell Institute says people who withdrew their superannuation missed out on an “investment windfall” from the stock market recovery.
- Michael Read
- Opinion
- Plastic
Who to blame for the plastic peril
A handful of companies and their investors could make all the difference to a world that’s awash in plastic waste.
- Mark Barnaba
Yesterday
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Where have all the Liberal Party ‘Dries’ gone?
Is the internal contest of ideas inside a more tribalised Liberal Party no longer about Wet versus Dry economics, and really about culture war social issues?
- The AFR View
Super funds in the gun for ‘wasteful’ spending
APRA is considering taking super funds to court for potentially mismanaging advertising money, as it wraps up a probe into fund spending.
- Michael Read
Henry calls for budget ‘guard rails’ to return
Future governments face a ‘hell of a challenge’ to repair the nation’s finances, according to the former federal Treasury boss.
- John Kehoe
Reverse mortgages to ‘unlock’ $500b in home equity for retirees
The government will shake up its reverse mortgage product so more retirees can fund their post-work lifestyles while remaining in their home.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Coronavirus pandemic
Open the international border when we are 80pc vaccinated
New COVID-19 strains are far more infectious. Higher vaccination levels with a longer quarantine buffer is a proportionate response.
- Elmer Funke Kupper
No tourists, no loan...under the bus
For Perth tourist bus operator Martin Wright, the indefinite international border closure is killing his small business and putting stress on his family.
- Updated
- John Kehoe
Pharmacy Guild’s president not quite a full professor
The guild refers to its new president as Professor Trent Twomey. Which is odd, as his highest qualification is a bachelor’s degree.
- Myriam Robin
This Month
Unions reject Andrews’ wage cap
The Victorian government is on a collision course with unions after moving to cap public sector wage growth at 1.5 per cent, despite government moves to ignite wages.
- Patrick Durkin
Refineries get $2b handout to stay open
The taxpayer will pay the owners of two remaining oil refineries up to $2.3 billion to stop them closing down and leaving Australia entirely reliant on imported fuel.
- Phillip Coorey
Women’s leadership programs no fix for the glass ceiling
Funding women’s leadership programs without dismantling the barriers that prevent women from climbing the corporate ladder will do little to help female leaders.
- Sally Patten
Readers fear debt piling up, and feel trapped, says latest AFR poll
AFR readers have given a measured response to the federal budget, which shows 36 per cent of people don’t expect to go overseas until late next year.
- Fiona Carruthers
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Follow health advice to escape the gilded cage
As health experts now warn, breaking out of Australia’s gilded COVID-safe cage will depend on accepting the need to live with the virus when new cases inevitably appear.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Victoria’s tax grab
The Victorian tax grab underlines the importance of building fiscal buffers before a crisis. But it is also a lesson about the failure to reform the tax system.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Victorian budget
Not the right taxes, not the right time
The property tax hikes that have blindsided unsuspecting Victorians will hit home owners, small business, investment, and the state’s recovery.
- Danni Hunter
