Ticket to freedom starts at vax rate above 70pc
National cabinet has agreed to open up in four stages with full freedom requiring an adult vaccination rate somewhere north of 80 per cent.
Australia may need to live with restrictions indefinitely: report
The Burnet Institute warns herd immunity is unlikely and mask wearing, working from home and density limits may need to be regularly imposed to bring future outbreaks under control.
Victoria’s Tesla Big Battery catches fire
French company Neoen’s 300 megawatt Victorian Big Battery project near Geelong had only started initial testing before one of the Tesla Megapacks caught fire on Friday.
‘We don’t accept as accurate:’ Westpac brief slams Papas evidence
Bill Papas, the man at the centre of nearly $400 million worth of fraud allegations by major Australian and global banks, has been accused of lying in a sworn affidavit.
Data and money: behind China’s tech crackdown
Both tech companies in China and the US are facing government scrutiny but it’s Chinese companies that are in the eye of the regulatory storm.
China aversion pays off for long-wary Bell fund
The snap crackdown on the listed Chinese education sector validates Bell Asset Management’s China scepticism.
Consumers sitting on $140b post-pandemic war chest
Households have squirrelled away more than $140 billion since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, ready to unleash when life returns to normal.
AFR Weekend: The big stories, best reads and expert advice. In your inbox on Saturday.
Tokyo Olympics
Team players Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell stand out with solo swims
Australia’s Emma McKeon has won the gold medal and compatriot Cate Campbell the bronze in the women’s 100-metres freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.
The song that kept Cate Campbell in Olympic tune
The Australian medallist said she kept a song on repeat in her head to keep her demons at bay.
Aussie track and field trio isolated for entire Games
Three members of the athletics team will remain in isolation for the rest of the Tokyo Olympics after contact with US pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, who tested positive for COVID-19.
- Analysis
- Tokyo Olympics
Olympic Games are a welcome distraction for Japan
While the country celebrates its success in the medal tally, it is also dealing with an unwelcome rise in the number of COVID-19 case, writes Melanie Brock.
What’s on at the Olympics on Friday
Here’s what’s coming up today in Tokyo for Friday, July 30. (All times AEST.)
AFR MAGAZINE
Watch this space: 16 timepieces coming your way this year
You mightn’t be travelling yet, but with watches like this arriving, there’s no reason to deny your wrist a holiday.
Aston Martin’s new CEO was making electric cars way before Elon Musk
Tobias Moers is taking the wheel of a portfolio of petrol vehicles as the world turns its back on them, but his past bodes well for the brand’s green future.
Glam new high-rise bar shares recipes for cocktail hour at home
How to eat and drink like you’re in a design-led European cocktail bar, without a passport.
Why Rolex’s Australian head decided to run a watch shop instead
After a decade at the helm of the famed watchmaker’s antipodean arm, Patrick Boutellier did the unthinkable by leaving the dream job to run a store.
Australian brandy is now so popular that a single bottle can cost $750
Distillers are taking advantage of a burst in demand for dark spirits and some brands are demanding hundreds of dollars for their product.
Companies
Fund trader reverses fraud guilty plea at last minute
The switch to not guilty for Roger Munro earned a rebuke from a judge.
MedAdvisor inks deal with Priceline owner to crank up vaccine rollout
As pharmacists ramp up their Covid-19 vaccination contributions across Australia, MedAdvisor signs a deal with Australian Pharmaceutical Industries to integrate 450 new pharmacies into the network.
Ampol revs up EV fast charging rollout
Ampol will install fast-chargers at more than 100 petrol stations in cities and regional centres in its first significant plunge into the electric car space.
- Updated
- Industrial relations
Qantas pushed to reinstate staff after court rebuff
The airline’s move to outsource baggage handling, aircraft cleaning and refuelling roles at its domestic ports breached the Fair Work Act, a court has determined.
Stokes to chair Boral in board shake-up
Seven Group hopes Boral can lift returns and make hay from $150 billion in infrastructure spending in the pipeline.
The Uber ride that put Afterpay on the market’s radar
A chance meeting between a proud father and a celebrity stockbroker helped turn the pioneering start-up into a buy now, pay later phenomenon.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
NAB buyback shows banks don’t fear lockdown
A year ago, NAB was raising capital to survive the COVID-19 storm. Now it’s handing capital back to investors, suggesting Sydney’s lockdown holds few concerns.
Companies in the News
Westpac Banking Corporation
Crown Resorts
Fortescue Metals Group
Updated: Jul 30, 2021 – 4.10pm. Data is 20 mins delayed.
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
Afterpay, Nasdaq futures sink; BHP hits record high
E-commerce plays Afterpay, Zip, Redbubble sink on Amazon miss, NAB flags buyback, Origin in $2.25b impairment, Atlassian up 13pc after-hours, iron ore below $US200.
China aversion pays off for long-wary Bell fund
The snap crackdown on the listed Chinese education sector validates Bell Asset Management’s China scepticism.
NAB changes tack to launch $2.5b buyback
NAB has announced it will take advantage of its flush finances by launching a $2.5 billion on-market share buyback.
Robinhood’s shares tumble more than 8 per cent in trading debut
Robinhood stumbled out of the starting gate, signalling perhaps some scepticism about the stock-trading startup’s grand mission of upending Wall Street.
Robinhood duo ride trading frenzy to billionaire riches
The initial public offering of Robinhood Markets put the personal net worth of Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt between $3 billion and $4 billion respectively.
Opinion
Team Australia awaits the RBA’s hand
Governments have done their part while banks and APRA have done theirs but the missing piece remains the RBA, which is expected to announce its important support measures on Tuesday, writes Christopher Joye.
Columnist
How Sydney can wrest back virus victory over restrictions
NSW has suffered a late setback, but the priority now is to get vaccines out and preserve the state’s human capital.
Contributor
Why the US is quietly outshining China
Xi Jinping likes to say China owns the future and the West is in decline. But appearances can also deceive
Contributor
Politics is now just a show about the virus
Both big parties are vying to be a smaller target than the other, reducing the next election to a referendum on the pandemic and the road out.
Political editor
AMP is Australia’s cut-down former financial colossus
New CEO Alexis George now has to work out what AMP’s product is for the modern era, or risk overseeing the end of an Australian institution.
Editorial
Roll out the lotto barrel to hit vaccination target
The national cabinet’s properly fleshed-out plan to get 80 per cent of Australians vaccinated should include a national lottery to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
Politics
- Live
- Need to Know
National cabinet agrees on reopening plan
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says 80 per cent of the eligible population will need to be fully vaccinated before Australia can deal with the virus without statewide lockdowns. Follow updates here.
Morrison can be beaten by the pandemic and win the election
The Prime Minister needs to become more political and prove he has a pandemic plan as NSW continues to battle to control its latest outbreak.
ABC defence in Porter case to stay secret
The public will not be able to see the broadcaster’s defence to Christian Porter’s defamation claim.
‘Big departure’: PM to weigh Treasury, health advice on reopening
Scott Morrison says the cost of restrictions will be among factors considered to determine when the nation can begin living with the virus.
Angus Taylor’s cure for electric car range anxiety
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor says the chargers represent a seven-fold increase in available power points.
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World
Data and money: behind China’s tech crackdown
Both tech companies in China and the US are facing government scrutiny but it’s Chinese companies that are in the eye of the regulatory storm.
Philippines military deal boosts US efforts to counter China
The move allows large-scale combat exercises between US and Philippine forces, which at times have alarmed China, to proceed.
Why Joe Biden is in no rush to let Britons back in to the US
The President has a problem – keep the travel ban and snub an important ally, or drop it and enrage his public health experts.
China shakes up education in push for more babies
A crackdown on private after-school tutoring programs is expected to take the pressure off Chinese students but won’t do much to relieve the sector’s structural issues.
Pratt makes biggest US investment ever
The $540 million paper mill in Kentucky is a sign the avowed Trump fan still believes in America.
Property
Agent pleads guilty to converting funds to his own use
A Melbourne real estate agent who took nearly $100,000 to splurge on luxury cars and private school fees should keep working in the industry, a court has heard.
AMP prepares grand exit from its Circular Quay home of 60 years
A revamp of the historic HQ of AMP is due to begin by early next year, when staffers move up to the street to their new home at the $3 billion Quay Quarter Tower, now under construction.
S&P tips double-digit house price growth for the next two years
S&P said bank bad debts will revert to pre-COVID-19 levels as soon as government support rolls off, while housing demand will surge when borders reopen.
CSR to clear property profit of $230 million after latest deal
Property sales are now a vital profit generator for CSR, better known as the manufacturer of building products such as PGH Bricks, Monier Roof Tiles and Gyprock.
Price gap between Sydney houses and units blows out to a record
The premium between houses and units widened to a record across Sydney, and is poised to grow further as the lockdown drives demand for detached housing.
Wealth
Can I leave my super to my girlfriend?
It gets complicated when you’re not living together, and a partner may not be regarded as a dependant. Your super questions answered.
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
How the pandemic could inspire more liveable units
Property developers have sensed a change of priorities for those who can’t or don’t want to leave the cities and want top-level facilities.
Early inheritance to help kids buy property
Parents considering bequests before they die need to take into account the potential tax, welfare, emotional and legal risks before making a decision.
Technology
Facebook’s hate speech controls violated Germans’ rights, court rules
In a landmark decision, Germany’s supreme court has said Facebook must give users a right to respond before it suspends their accounts
Amazon forecast misses estimates as pandemic online bump fades
Even before Amazon’s weak forecast, investors were fretting that the company could lose momentum with return of travelling and dining out.
Zuckerberg says Facebook’s future lies in virtual ‘metaverse’
Think of the metaverse as an immersive virtual world where people can spend time together and hang out, much like you can do today with virtual reality, dialled up to 11.
Work & Careers
Homebush stadium to host mass jabs for year 12 students
Homebush’s former Olympic stadium will become jab central when 20,000 year 12 students get vaccinated in early August.
How women get on boards
Schemes such as the AICD’s mentoring course are helping more females navigate the often inscrutable path from executive career to board seat.
Life & Luxury
What we learnt while writing our book about Afterpay
The story of the buy now, pay later juggernaut so captivated us as Australian Financial Review reporters that we went in, long-form, with or without approval.
Black Widow repowers the Marvel action thriller
The question fans are asking about this Marvel movie, which fills in the blanks about Natasha Romanov, is whether Scarlett Johansson met her match?
Kerr Neilson gives record donation to support Shakespeare
The billionaire founder of Platinum Asset Management reveals deep, personal reasons for backing Bell Shakespeare’s work with $3 million.
The quest to create an Australian haka
The quest of former NRL player Dean Widders to create a pre-match dance drawing on Indigenous culture has been captured in a powerful new film.
Farmer in a dust storm wins top photo portrait prize
There’s a message of hope in the apocalyptic image that took out the $50k National Photographic Portrait Prize.
