Latest
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- Australian economy
‘Timidity’ on tax reform taints Chalmers’ good report card
Economists say the Treasurer must confront his reluctance to reform the tax system and rein in Labor’s “radical” industrial relations agenda, to deliver higher living standards.
- 35 mins ago
- John Kehoe
‘Akin to a recession’: business braces for slowing economy
An estimated 40 per cent of leaders expect conditions to be weaker this year, thanks to uncertainty, ongoing supply side constraints and weakening demand.
- 35 mins ago
- Patrick Durkin
- Exclusive
- Australian economy
How Treasurer Jim Chalmers is rated by 10 economists
Leading economists surveyed by The Australian Financial Review were asked to assess the performance of Treasurer Jim Chalmers and rate him out of 10.
- 35 mins ago
- John Kehoe
Bass Strait gas deal struck, amid shortfall fears
The east coast’s biggest domestic gas supplier has agreed to help bridge a potential energy shortfall by locking in new supply agreement with the federal government.
- John Kehoe
PM’s urgent reset to ease cost of living and win back voters
Anthony Albanese has decided to bring forward the timing of new measures to well before the May 14 federal budget.
- John Kehoe
Business bets mega US green bill will survive Trump resurgence
US President Joe Biden’s flagship $US369b clean energy policy will survive a second Trump Administration, leading Australian business figures say.
- Lucas Baird, Aaron Weinman, Jessica Sier, Campbell Kwan, Matthew Cranston and Hans van Leeuwen
Opinion & Analysis
Labor needs to get much bolder on economy
Labor is rushing back to Canberra to salvage their own election prospects from the cost-of-living crisis engulfing them. But they need to offer something better for the country’s future too.
Editorial
Howard still ducks key Iraq question
Former prime minister John Howard has defended his record on committing Australia to the Iraq war. But we are no closer to fully understanding his reasons.
International editor
Economic policy warnings can no longer be ignored
The IMF could not be any more explicit about Australia’s need to reform taxation and unleash productivity growth. Letting things slide is no longer an option.
Editorial
China needs to choose its words more carefully
Australia would have no motive to confect a story about a sonar incident after so much hard work to restore the relationship.
Editorial
Yesterday
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Labor needs to get much bolder on economy
Labor is rushing back to Canberra to salvage their own election prospects from the cost-of-living crisis engulfing them. But they need to offer something better for the country’s future too.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- John Howard
Howard still ducks key Iraq question
Former prime minister John Howard has defended his record on committing Australia to the Iraq war. But we are no closer to fully understanding his reasons.
- James Curran
This Month
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Economic policy warnings can no longer be ignored
The IMF could not be any more explicit about Australia’s need to reform taxation and unleash productivity growth. Letting things slide is no longer an option.
- The AFR View
Migration boosts house prices, but not inflation
Migration surges in Australia have contributed to rising house prices, but the evidence is mixed on the impacts on economic growth, jobs and wages, a study by the IMF suggests.
- John Kehoe
The week that put ‘green lawfare’ in the dock
Claims against fossil fuel projects based in Indigenous cultural heritage suffered a setback after the emphatic dismissal of a case blocking Santos’ Barossa project.
- Ben Potter
RBA should lift rates: IMF; How this fundie prepares for shocks; The Davos the world won’t see
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Australia told to raise rates, cut spending: IMF
The IMF has ramped up calls for comprehensive tax reform and pushed back the idea that the move on interest rates will be downwards, saying inflation is still a problem.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- The AFR View
China needs to choose its words more carefully
Australia would have no motive to confect a story about a sonar incident after so much hard work to restore the relationship.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- China relations
Australia and China have very different notions of stability
This week’s Chinese embassy press conference was a further effort to corral Australia into compliance and compromise with Beijing’s views.
- Justin Bassi
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Strong but softening jobs market means rates have peaked
ASX laggard APM may have plunged 40 per cent on a profit downgrade caused by tight labour markets, but December’s jobs data shows clear signs of softening. That’s good news for borrowers.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- National security
There is no hidden hawk agenda in our security services
The job of our security services is to warn and inform governments. There is no deep-state divide between the spooks and the diplomats, just professionals doing their job.
- Mike Hughes
Unemployment steady at 3.9pc despite 65,000 job losses
A volatile labour market showed signs of cooling heading towards the new year, as the number of people in jobs fell by 65,000 in December from previous record levels.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Parenting
The four absolute truths I’ve learnt about parenting
Children are not born understanding how to help their community. They need parents to model that for them.
- Amy Joyce
- Exclusive
- Superannuation
Revealed: Big super’s executive gender pay gap
Despite pressuring companies to ramp up female representation in their senior ranks, there is just one woman among the top 10 paid executives at the eight most powerful super funds.
- Hannah Wootton and Sarah Mitchell
What the man who coined the term ‘soft power’ thinks of Trump
Harvard professor Joseph Nye says America could face a nasty decade but will probably recover from a possible second Trump term.
- Henry Mance
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Forget Chinese GDP growth, these are the numbers to worry about
China might be celebrating another year of on-target GDP growth, but its declining population and property woes pose long-term threats.
- Updated
- James Thomson
Barossa one of the new projects pushing up carbon bill
RepuTex analyst Anton Firth estimates Barossa will emit 19 MT CO₂ between its commencement in 2025 and 2030.
- Ben Potter
‘What not to do’: Gas project ruling a lesson for lawyers
The Federal Court’s ruling will “make it more difficult” to bring similar claims, but lawyers will seek to refine evidence in future cases.
- Maxim Shanahan
Green investor calls out Biden’s climate law for enriching consultants
The bill has too many hurdles that are delaying implementation and enriching middlemen while leaving less money for green projects.
- Natasha White
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Biden is running out of patience with Netanyahu
Bad blood between the Israeli prime minister and the US Democrats goes back a long way. The danger now is that Israel never escapes from the baleful Bibi era.
- James Curran
