Celebrate the companies that are making progress in tackling sustainability challenges.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why AusSuper will back Origin board to stay after failed takeover
Shareholders have knocked back the takeover deal the Origin board recommended. But its biggest investor is prepared to bury the hatchet.
‘Fraudulent’: NDIS firm quotes $40k for ramp that cost $11k
Unscrupulous NDIS providers are seeking to take advantage of the scheme’s vague promise to provide care that is ‘reasonable and necessary’.
PwC fined $10.5m over exam cheating by China and Hong Kong staff
US regulator says more than 1000 of firm’s workers cheated on tests designed to familiarise them with US standards.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Advice is the missing link in super’s retirement debate
Australia needs the retirement phase of super to work. But personalisation means better access to advice in a post royal commission world is vital.
Origin investors block $20b takeover deal
Shareholders broke into applause as chairman Scott Perkins confirmed the deal had failed to secure 75 per cent support, leaving Origin in Australian hands.
$A hits four-month high as Fed rate cut in sight
Investors are growing more confident the US will cut rates next year, which could pave the way for the Reserve Bank to follow suit.
- Opinion
- Mining
How Argentina’s Milei looks set to undercut Australian lithium
The president-elect’s country holds 21 per cent of the world’s proven reserves. It is today producing just 6 per cent of supply. This is about to change, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.
Breaking news on companies, politics and economics, in your inbox as it happens.
MONDAY MEDIA
ARN to fight forced sale of Southern Cross stake
The owner of KIIS FM and Pure Gold radio network rejected a Takeovers Panel ruling it illegally bought shares in the rival.
Mattress maker accuses rivals of dodgy marketing with fake reviews
One of the Young Rich Lister founders of Sleeping Duck says the websites are owned by rival companies and are masquerading as review sites.
Would Kerry Stokes pay to avoid Bruce McWilliam’s embarrassing emails?
Kerry Stokes’ ACE and Seven can pay Nine’s legal costs or let 8650 emails from Bruce McWilliam be released; Eyes turn to News Corp’s new Google deal.
Foxtel boss braces for ‘bumpy summer’ of sport without India, Poms
The West Indies and Pakistan tours will not draw the kind of TV audiences that India and England series do, says Patrick Delany.
Google agrees to pay $111m for news in Canada
The deal ends a stand-off with the government that led the search giant to threaten to cut links to online articles, following a similar dispute in Australia.
Get the latest business news on the go with the AFR’s new iOS app.
Companies
Amazon snaps up rights to cricket World Cups until 2027
The deal means major tournaments including the T20 World Cups – previously aired by Foxtel, Nine and Seven West – will instead be consolidated at Prime Video.
ANZ argues plenty of competition in bid to reverse blocked deal
The bank’s lawyers told a tribunal that the ACCC made an error in blocking the deal, and changes to the lending sector had only boosted competition.
AACo made manager a whistleblower, then retrenched him a month later
Beef giant AACo maintains the job loss was simply due to a restructure. But a dispute has emerged about the timing.
- Exclusive
- Tax minimisation
Coke shifted $430m offshore which should have been taxed: ATO
The Tax Office alleges that by not charging for intellectual property, The Coca-Cola Company avoided paying more in local taxes.
Origin’s pet Octopus makes a splash at COP28
Octopus CEO Greg Jackson was looking to make his mark at COP28 in Dubai, but he stayed mum on the takeover saga at his company’s part-owner, Origin Energy.
- Exclusive
- Food & drink
Guzman y Gomez’s owners step in amid executive exodus
Despite the internal turmoil, TDM Growth Partners says the Mexican food restaurant chain could be valued at more than $2 billion, and an IPO is still on the cards.
Chinese ties exclude Australian lithium miners from US cash
Major miners in this country could miss out on US government subsidies because of Chinese investment in this country’s lithium sector.
Companies in the News
Search companies
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Markets
ASX rallies; energy stocks decline; BHP jumps
Shares advance at the closing bell; the proposed $20 billion buyout of Origin Energy by the Brookfield and EIG consortium was defeated; Metcash reports interim results; gold and bitcoin surge. Follow here for more.
How Regal is making money in small caps when others are failing
James Sioud is among the youngest portfolio managers in Australia. He works alongside Phil King and Todd Guyot in a fund that is more than beating the market.
Slowing inflation piles pressure on central banks to pivot
Some policymakers are already warning that by waiting too long to cut borrowing costs, central banks could harm weakening economies.
- Analysis
- Investing
This old investing principle is more crucial than ever
The storm over the so-called 60/40 investment portfolio misses the point. The key issue is diversifying your portfolio.
- Opinion
- Bonds
Investor love affair with US bonds restarts after rocky times
The market consensus has flipped once again, now to a widespread expectation that rates are easing.
Opinion
Australia Post’s mail modernisation
Plans for big changes prompt the question of why the government needs to own a postal service in this day and age.
Editorial
COP28 pledges and realities
Whatever the outcome in Dubai, the world will end its reliance on fossil fuels not to a political timetable but only when reliable, affordable replacements are a reality.
Editorial
A permanent ceasefire would be just another temporary truce
Supporters of a genuine peace process should hope Israel can finish the job of protecting itself from Hamas as quickly as possible.
Editorial
Capacity scheme sounds grand, but it’s a political Band-Aid
Labor’s “two birds” political strategy had been to promise that a rapid build of massed renewables would deliver both cheaper energy and environmental salvation. But not any more.
Energy expert
Why CEOs must plan for a second Trump presidency
We are likely to see a harder-edged President Trump, without moderate advisers to talk him out of introducing tariffs or blaming China as growth slows.
Contributor
Why Israel should call for a permanent ceasefire
Wiping out Hamas is an unattainable goal, and getting stuck in Gaza would be a disaster.
Contributor
Reports
The Fast Lists 2023
The AFR Fast 100 and Fast Starters lists include a tech firm with its eye on the moon and consultants with 3500 per cent revenue growth.
Politics
Labor MP Peta Murphy dies after cancer fight
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was emotional as he confirmed that the Dunkley MP died at home at age 50.
Ex McKinsey, Bain operative to run Canberra’s in-house consulting push
The high-powered in-house Australian Government Consulting unit to be led by former Victorian data chief Andrew Nipe.
- Exclusive
- Retail
The six places where AusPost is testing the end of daily letters
The government is expected to sign off on dropping such deliveries potentially as early as this week, as part of a restructure of Australia Post.
Rolling three-year prison sentences for high risk non-citizens
The bill will face a stoush in the Senate as the Coalition says it does not go far enough and the Greens have labelled it ‘knee-jerk hysteria policymaking’.
Reform the NDIS, but don’t expect states to pick up cost: Minns
NSW Premier Chris Minns says state services cannot be expected to pick up people removed from the NDIS.
SPONSORED
World
Venezuelans vote to claim sovereignty over oil-rich chunk of Guyana
It remains unclear how President Nicolas Maduro will enforce the results. But Guyana considers the referendum a step towards annexation.
Energy chief warns Europe’s gas security ‘without margin or buffer’
RWE chief executive Markus Krebber said Europe needed to boost its capacity to import gas so it could cope with any unexpected outages on pipelines or import terminals.
Israel says ground forces operating across Gaza Strip
Israel said it had struck more than 400 targets over the weekend ‘including extensive aerial attacks’ and had also killed Hamas militants.
- Opinion
- Mining
How Argentina’s Javier Milei looks set to undercut Australian lithium
The president-elect’s country holds 21 per cent of the world’s proven reserves. It is today producing just 6 per cent of supply. This is about to change.
Israel wants buffer zone inside Gaza
A senior adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister denied that the “security envelope” around Gaza to stop Palestinians from crossing the border was a land grab.
Property
Hemmes’ $3b property empire outgrows nightlife roots
The billionaire has spent at least $900 million building a sprawling hospitality and residential empire. But there’s one business he is happy to leave in the shadows.
House sells for $235,000 more than expected after tenants removed
Agents say it is better to market an empty house, but owners don’t want to give up rental income – and renters don’t want to leave, either.
Mirvac lures Optiver, tech unicorn into its offices despite weak market
From trading house Optiver to tech unicorn Advanced Navigation, large companies are upgrading offices to take advantage of a weak office market.
Man buys home for $2m more than guide, proposes on the spot
In a country obsessed with real estate, one Sydney buyer combined love and property with an $8.5 million auction offer and a ring.
High land prices stalling office developments: Hines
Land values have yet to adjust to rising cost and the price of debt, the developer and fund manager says.
Wealth
Rich Lister returns to his rock’n’roll roots with $180m US deal
The microphone mogul behind Rode has ambitions to be the world’s biggest provider of pro audio gear, most of it made in Australia.
- Exclusive
- Executive pay
Revealed: Australia’s 50 highest-paid CEOs in 2023
Despite topping the pay ranks, Macquarie Group’s Shemara Wikramanayake is just one of two women on the list.
- Opinion
- Investing
What Charlie Munger taught me about life, love and money
Munger compiled a list of 25 common cognitive biases that afflict us, and it makes for a handy guide of mistakes for investors to avoid, writes Jonathan Shapiro.
Technology
- Opinion
- Review
Where Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2 beats the new MacBook Pro
Microsoft’s latest laptop might not be as powerful as its high-performance Apple rival, but it does offer features and flexibility that Apple can’t match.
- Exclusive
- Funding
VC pitching platform helps founders find investors
It can be a nightmare for entrepreneurs to access backers for their start-ups, but some of the biggest investors in the industry are jumping on a new online marketplace.
- Exclusive
- Funding
Millions for Australian start-up using AI to change how we see
Arkeus, an ambitious Melbourne start-up that has secured early contracts with the Defence Department for its automated optical technology, has also caught investors’ eyes.
Work & Careers
How Cathie Reid went from typing class to $550m
The Rich Lister originally wanted to be a typist. Instead, she became a pharmacist before she spotted a gap in the market and become an entrepreneur alongside husband Stuart Giles.
- Exclusive
- International students
Foreign uni enrolments rise again amid visa crackdown
Universities say demand from overseas students is “going through the roof”, but a clampdown on non-genuine students will dampen temporary migrant numbers.
Life & Luxury
Soho House is coming: here’s the type of member they have in mind
Markus Anderson is a master connector with friends in high places and is helping to bring the elite members-only club for creatives to Australia.
The Australian womenswear brand that’s making waves everywhere
Founded by sisters and based in Noosa, where its “secret store” is used as a testing ground, Matteau is the ultimate quiet achiever.
This exec comes up with answers while running barefoot
Ogilvy PR & Health boss Richard Bennett took up running to improve his fitness, but the mental health benefits surprised him.
Yours for just $7k: watch brands save best for last in 2023
From exciting updates to cool artist collaborations, luxury watch makers including Amin Strom, Blancpain and IWC continue to impress right up to the end of the year.
- Tony Davis
- New car snapshot
The Audi RS e-tron GT proves an EV can be zippy
From $248,200 plus, you can have all the performance, handling and technology of a Porsche Taycan. What’s not to love?
