WA warns Albanese’s ‘nature positive’ will extend far beyond mining
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook says a wide range of industries in his state have raised major concerns with him over the planned reforms.
Auerbach tells court of drugs, prostitutes and a ‘pay rise’ offer
In bombshell evidence in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten, ex-Seven producer Taylor Auerbach described nights out with Mr Lehrmann.
Influential proxy adviser urges vote against Woodside chairman
CGI Glass Lewis also supported an activist shareholder group push to reject the oil and gas producer’s updated climate strategy at the company’s annual meeting.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Big hurdle needs to be cleared before interest rates can be cut
The easy work’s done in the inflation fight. But the missing piece before interest rates can be cut looks more elusive.
Wylie finds heavyweight backers in push to break up Lendlease
Allan Gray, which owns 6.2 per cent of the struggling property giant, expects the sale of its overseas assets could extract up to $4 billion.
- Updated
- Cash economy
Linfox lays out its terms for keeping Armaguard afloat
Linfox executive chairman Peter Fox says the billionaire family will keep Armaguard in business for at least three years, but only if the banks and major retailers agree to pay more.
Queensland, NT to make up Victoria’s gas shortfall this winter
The outlook for July, August and September comes after the Australian Energy Market Operator last month warned of a deterioration in Victoria’s medium-term gas supply.
Do you read the AFR’s newsletters? We want your feedback.
legal affairs
- Analysis
- Legal industry
Ex-Seven producer: ‘I have let you down and I am devastated’
Taylor Auerbach was assigned to look after Bruce Lehrmann for the Seven Network. He came to bitterly regret the job.
Founder fights and investor fury exposed as Uber makes its case
Investors in fallen transport app GoCatch were alarmed by its lack of progress and wanted to sack its co-founders around the time UberX launched in Australia, private emails show.
The biggest culture shock for an Aussie lawyer in Tokyo
Despite looking Japanese, Katsu Saikawa is very much Australian, which meant the strong workplace culture of seniority in Tokyo came as a big shock.
- Analysis
- Lehrmann trial
Combative Auerbach puts spotlight back on Lehrmann
So how did Taylor Auerbach, a former producer at Channel Seven’s Spotlight program, fare as he testified before Federal Court judge Michael Lee on Thursday?
‘Mission finally accomplished’: How Seven got its Lehrmann exclusive
After a four-month mission, thousands of dollars, and allegations of prostitutes and drugs, Seven finally secured a tell-all interview with Bruce Lehrmann.
review
- Opinion
- Global economy
Population decline will destroy the West as we know it
By 2100, the number of people worldwide will have peaked. The value of assets will drop and the incomes they generate will fall.
Welcome to WeWork for spies
In this co-working space, only the cappuccino isn’t classified. Servicing the spook sector is a rare bright spot in the market for office facilities,
- Opinion
- Recycling
Plastic recycling needs to be freed from the oil price cycle
Until it’s always cheaper to use repurposed materials, the industry has little hope of success.
- Opinion
- Global economy
Why women don’t stick with economics
Economic models of anything are founded on the assumption of Homo economicus. No sensible woman looks at this model and recognises herself.
- Opinion
- Middle East tensions
Four reasons why Joe Biden can’t force a truce on Israel, or won’t
The United States has intervened in past Middle East wars, but for the current president, this one is different.
Get the latest business news on the go with the AFR’s new iOS app.
Companies
- Updated
- Mergers & acquisitions
Grant Samuel concedes it got Boral valuation wrong in win for Stokes
But the building materials group’s independent directors are still recommending shareholders reject a $1.9 billion takeover offer lobbed by Seven Group.
Cettire admits to tax queries from Texas authorities
But it says that the issue has been resolved. The luxury fashion marketplace has since March been under intense investor scrutiny over its business model.
Fears for $8b Woodside project under Senegal’s new government
The nationalist rhetoric from a new president who has pledged to rework oil production contracts comes just ahead of the start-up of the Sangomar oil project.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Deal activity passes litmus test, more M&A in the tank
Bankers and lawyers always say they’re busy. They have to. But believe them when they say deal activity is better this year.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Big hurdle needs to be cleared before interest rates can be cut
The easy work’s done in the inflation fight. But the missing piece before interest rates can be cut looks more elusive.
Buy Newmont to benefit from gold price surge, Citi urges
Shares in the gold miner, which merged with Newcrest last year, have fallen. But the investment bank says that should be more than overcome this year.
Japan wind project founders as other decisions remain secret
Flotation Energy says it is ‘very surprised and disappointed’ after hearing last week that it had failed to secure an offshore licence for Gippsland.
Companies in the News
Search companies
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
Greg Coffey is back, but he’s ‘no longer taking big swings’
The Australian hedge fund manager known as the Wizard of Oz has an estimated fortune of $989 million. He says his approach has changed since his younger years.
Buy Newmont to benefit from gold price surge, Citi urges
Shares in the gold miner, which merged with Newcrest last year, have fallen. But the investment bank says that should be more than overcome this year.
Why this US short seller is spooked by Australia
US-based Australian manager Nathan Koppikar says the ASX is too dominated by super funds and investor cliques – and other hedge funds agree.
Lowe sees ‘strong case’ for RBA board members to stay
Philip Lowe has undercut Jim Chalmers’ push for new RBA board members, saying the existing directors are best placed to steer inflation back to target.
ASX lifts; tech rebounds, gold hits record high, copper 52-week high
Shares add 0.5pc. Tech gains on rate cut bets. Copper hits 52-week high. Gold miners jump. Building approvals lowest since 2013.
Opinion
Tax review to avoid an ‘intergenerational tragedy’
Incremental change is a waste of time. Ken Henry says someone has to grab this thing and get on with it.
Editorial
Dutton’s slippery populist slope
The opposition leader should be challenging Labor’s bad ideas, not adding one of his own.
Editorial
A first governor-general from the business world
Sam Mostyn’s instinctive promotion of progressive cultural policies will now be cloaked in a vice regal role that should remain above politics and controversy.
Editorial
At Yarralumla it’s not about the person. It’s about the institution
For 99.9 per cent of the time the governor-general is irrelevant to the lives of most Australians. But when they do matter, they matter very much.
Senior correspondent
Tax reform fail threatening the social compact of a nation
A new tax review will have to look at what this generation can do for the Australians of the future.
Contributor
A governor-general from the Chairman’s Lounge
The PM is truer than he knows when he says Sam Mostyn represents modern Australia. It’s a nation of talkers, not doers.
Columnist
Reports
AI’s brave new world
Artificial intelligence is being used by hackers to create ever more convincing fakes, but the technology is also giving our leading companies an edge.
Politics
Queensland, NT to make up Victoria’s gas shortfall this winter
The outlook for July, August and September comes after the Australian Energy Market Operator last month warned of a deterioration in Victoria’s medium-term gas supply.
Lowe sees ‘strong case’ for RBA board members to stay
Philip Lowe has undercut Jim Chalmers’ push for new RBA board members, saying the existing directors are best placed to steer inflation back to target.
‘Young people have been screwed’ on tax: former Treasury boss
Ken Henry has warned the social compact with workers shouldering a rising tax burden faces an “existential crisis”, unless reformers can persuade the public for major changes.
Albanese looks to states for power price help
The prime minister looks set to call on state and territory governments to help deliver further household energy cost relief in the May 14 federal budget.
Auerbach details nights out and ‘pay rise’ offer
The Seven Network has denied it offered former producer Taylor Auerbach a promotion and a pay rise after he spent thousands on a drunken night out with former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann.
SPONSORED
World
Israel’s Gantz demands early elections, piling pressure on Netanyahu
The war cabinet member has broken ranks by demanding a vote near the first anniversary of the conflict in Gaza.
Yellen says US has option to shield industries against China
‘We need to have a level playing field,’ the Treasury Secretary told reporters en route to China, where she will press counterparts on the build-up of industrial overcapacity.
AUKUS subs construction delayed by years: US Navy
Construction of the nuclear-powered submarines Australia is supposed to buy in the early 2030s is running late by up to three years, a review has shown.
Chipmaker resumes production as Taiwan begins quake recovery
TSMC, the leading producer of advanced chips for Apple and Nvidia, has restarted operations, less than 24 hours after evacuating staff and halting work.
- Analysis
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Biden is ‘outraged’. But is he willing to use US leverage with Israel?
The US president consistently stops short of openly breaking with Benjamin Netanyahu, a confrontation he believes will only make the prime minister more difficult to handle.
Property
Victoria has been targeting the same suburbs for 40 years
Nearly half of the Victorian government’s 10 suburbs slated for increased density have been targeted in multiple similar plans as far back as 1981.
The key to downsizing from a truffle farm to this $3.6m oasis
Sam Curwood has undergone a sea change where he swapped luxury farmland for a home closer to his boys’ school.
Scentre shareholders deliver first strike against CEO’s $5.5m pay
Despite delivering distributions ahead of expectations over the 2023 year, the Westfield owner’s remuneration report has suffered a protest by shareholders.
Home approvals must lift by 80,000 a year to hit target: Oxford
An entrenched shortfall in supply is putting further pressure on record rents and home prices.
Who’s really making money in today’s housing market?
Perth’s house prices surged by up to 40pc in some suburbs but homeowners in Sydney’s premium housing markets are making a bigger windfall, according to CoreLogic.
Wealth
- Opinion
- SMSFs
What SMSFs need to know as ATO cracks down on illegal access to super
More than $630 million has been accessed illegally from SMSFs. Here’s what you need to know to stay on the right side of the law.
What if my late wife’s pension pushes my super above $3 million?
Reversionary pension law gives surviving spouses time to sort out their super.
Why picking ASX biotechs is mostly for the crazy brave
It’s a space with a reputation for rollercoaster returns and outlandish sales pitches, but some investors get lucky.
Technology
Google mulls charging for AI-powered search in major shift
The proposals would mark the first time any of the software group’s core product falls behind a paywall.
Spotify is increasing its prices again – and you can blame audiobooks
By the end of this month, the streaming giant will raise fees for the second time in a year in five markets, including the UK, Australia and Pakistan.
- Opinion
- Electric vehicles
The big worry for car makers: what if the EV slowdown is not a blip?
If politicians cannot persuade consumers to buy EVs, will they tear up their net-zero pledges, or turn to other measures to drive sales?
Work & Careers
Labour pools should face competition scrutiny: lawyers
Legal experts warn arrangements where employers can share their employees under multi-employer agreements could hand unions control of labour supply.
- Exclusive
- Business of sport
Ex-NRL executive in frame for Rugby Aus board as club tensions mount
Alexi Baker is one of two candidates up for election at the company’s AGM as it tries to rebuild the game and change its fortunes.
Life & Luxury
What happens when a rich US lawyer buys a medieval Tuscan village
Michael L. Cioffi was so taken by a hilltop hamlet in Val d’Orcia that he restored its crumbling structures to create a luxurious boutique hotel and more.
This Aussie start-up’s world-first could change fashion forever
Samsara Eco has patented technology that can break down fabric into new yarn, which can be recycled infinitely. Its CEO thinks it could upend the industry.
Why a grown-up gap year is a great idea
When two Sydney architects’ youngest child left home, they did too. Seven months, 63 beds, 12 flights, 36 trains, 18 buses, seven cars, three boats and one lost wallet later, here are their highlights.
The secrets of France’s other Olympic city
Less than four hours by train from the main event in Paris, Marseille will host the sailing and plenty of soccer – all with a relaxed beachside vibe.
The Venetian island worth an after-dark visit
From April, a new, immersive event series is firing up on Murano, known for its exquisite glass craftsmanship.
