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If your business is turning inspiration into innovation, it’s time to be recognised.

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Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor.

Coalition warns Labor over RBA board ‘sack and stack’

The implication is Labor would seek to appoint board members inclined to lower interest rates ahead of the federal election, risking the push to curb high inflation.

Jim Chalmers says the budget will be good for women.

Budget to provide billions for wages, super blowout

Tuesday’s federal budget will include a massive provision for pay rises in aged care and childcare as well as the recent decision to apply compulsory superannuation to parental leave.

David Di Pilla’s HMC Capital has taken a big stake in Baby Bunting

David Di Pilla’s HMC Capital takes big stake in Baby Bunting

The country’s largest maternity and baby good retailer has had a poor year, with earnings downgrade and executives departures pushing shares a third lower.

New laws to cap international student intakes

The federal government has stopped short of imposing a hard cap on international student numbers, but will introduce new limits for each provider.

Defiant Israel orders more Palestinians to flee Rafah

Benjamin Netanyahu insists that he must maintain military pressure in Gaza to eradicate Hamas despite warnings from the US and others.

Inside Project Constantine, the plan to sell Perpetual

Soul Patts’ $3 billion offer for the asset manager set the stage for whirlwind negotiations and accelerated a sale that private equity firms had eyed for years.

Uncorked: Accolade Wines locked in negotiations with Pernod Ricard

In short, if Pernod moves into the ‘trop difficile’ basket, Australian Vintage is waiting in the wings.

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weekend reads

Lowy’s lament: ‘I know how insidious antisemitism can be’

Sir Frank Lowy experienced hatred against Jews first hand in Hitler’s Europe, and is shaken by what he now sees “leaking out of decent people” in Australia.

Israeli soldiers drive a tank at a staging ground near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Halting the bombs: Biden’s gamble to rein in Netanyahu

The US president paused a weapons shipment to Israel, piling pressure on Israel’s leader to change course. Will it work?

While all countries will need to cut greenhouse gas emissions if the world is to limit global warming, many of the poorest are struggling with ever-stretched budgets.

The $13.6 trillion question: how do we pay for the green transition?

The private sector will have to provide about 70 per cent of climate finance globally, and the heat is building on governments to deliver policies that do that.

Trump’s long week in court as election looms

Stormy Daniels’ allegations of a sexual encounter with Trump set the courtroom alight this week. How they play into his election chances is unclear.

Michele Bullock’s run of good news may be about to end

RBA governor Michele Bullock has proven a better communicator than her predecessor Philip Lowe. But her real test may still be yet to come.

smart investor

While governments find it tempting to punish people holding large balances with more tax, what we really need is to learn from the past.

A smarter way to tax high super balances

The government has tried to keep things simple, but in doing so fairness has gone out the window.

Emma Lo Russo with her children Eliza and Jack.

Love or money? What to tell kids about career choice

Do you tell them to do what they love or urge them to become a doctor, accountant or a lawyer because it will provide financial security?

RBA governor Michele Bullock revealed “the board did discuss the option of raising interest rates”.

RBA’s credibility at risk as central banks confront interference

The contradictions in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s communications reveal policy conflicts that could erode its already embattled credibility, writes Christopher Joye.

We have $700,000 in super – can we buy investment property with it?

If you want to add a geared investment property to your retirement savings, here’s what you must think about.

Building commissioner’s parting warning for property developers

David Chandler’s legacy includes an army of inspectors able to identify the developers most likely to produce suspect buildings.

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Companies

NWQ founder Jonathan Horton.

Hedge fund founder’s $550,000 loan to be questioned by liquidator

The founder of Perth’s NWQ Capital Management owed more than half a million dollars before its collapse and has told liquidators the loan cannot be repaid.

ARN Media chairman Hamish McLennan and chief executive Ciaran Davis.

Anchorage pulls out of ARN Media’s Southern Cross takeover plan

The private equity firm has withdrawn from the bid which would have, if successful, radically reshaped the country’s radio market.

For this Rich Lister, does the reality live up to the hype?

Property mogul and entrepreneur Shaun Bonett has a fortune of more than $2 billion, according to the Rich List. Those valuations might not live up to the hype.

Lex Greensill.

Lex Greensill alleges his UK pursuers were protecting David Cameron

The fallen Aussie financier alleges media leak by Britain’s Insolvency Service, which is seeking to ban him as a company director, were politically motivated.

Anglo’s South African investors open to improved BHP bid

The shareholder stance defies South African government hostility to the plan that would break up the national champion.

PE firm behind Bonza calls in insolvency experts

The private equity firm called in advisers overnight to assist with “operational challenges”. It is a major shareholder in the A-League club and budget airline.

Lendlease hit with $112m tax bill over retirement business

The property group has been hit with an initial $112 million bill from the Tax Office, in a dispute that could ultimately cost it more than $300 million.

Companies in the News

Search companies

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Markets

Graincorp was among a number of companies this week to warn on profit.

Confession season kick-off fails to derail ASX run

Fund managers say this year’s Macquarie Australia Conference was among the least eventful in recent memory – and that may be a good sign for investors.

Jim Simons of Renaissance Technologies has acknowledged that he has had to switch off its models in every major crisis.

Jim Simons, ‘quant king’ at Renaissance Technologies, dies at 86

The mathematician-investor created what many in finance consider the world’s greatest moneymaking machine at his secretive firm.

Interest rates have been on hold in the US>

Fed’s Logan says still too early to think about rate cuts

Lorie Logan, the president of the Dallas Fed, flagged uncertainties over how restrictive monetary policy is.

Crypto miner spruiked 16pc returns for five years without a licence

A Gold Coast cryptocurrency miner was authorised to provide financial services for less than seven months despite operating for six years.

Cabal of industry super funds, led by investors, weighed ASX takeover

The ASX is an essential piece of infrastructure, and has a quasi-monopoly position, a description that would fit Sydney Airport, for instance, which went private in a $23.6 billion takeover.

Opinion

How Trump’s ‘imperial presidency’ will reshape the world

If Donald Trump wins in November, expect even greater strain on American institutions. But he’s unlikely to be an “imperial president” abroad.

James Curran

International editor

James Curran

Australia wants more than the Lucky Country can deliver

Successive terms of trade booms – the envy of other nations – have allowed Australian governments to splurge. But now it seems that even that is not enough.

The AFR View

Editorial

The AFR View

Why the campus protests are so troubling

Hamas is against the existence of a Jewish state and believes there should be an Islamic state between the river and the sea. When protests on college campuses ignore that, they are part of the problem.

Thomas Friedman

Contributor

Thomas Friedman

Budget week is time for Dutton to roll a few Jaffas down the aisle

In the same week Peter Dutton went in to bat for the koalas, Labor flew the flag for gas.

Phillip Coorey

Political editor

Phillip Coorey

Best bet is auctioning a Future Made in Australia

There needs to be a process of competitive testing against a clear public interest standard so that taxpayers’ money doesn’t get skinned in a lopsided contest.

John Wylie and Peter Harris

Contributor

Tax inertia pushes budget towards a black hole

Redesigning the tax system against the principles of fairness, efficiency, sustainability and coherence would deliver us all with an economic dividend.

Reports

BOSS Best Places to Work

The awards celebrate the achievements of the best small, medium and large organisations and nine sector winners.

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Politics

The resolution “determines” that a state of Palestine is qualified for membership.

Australia’s ‘yes’ vote on Palestine at UN slammed by Labor MP

Penny Wong said Australia’s support for Palestinian statehood will help to broker peace, but a Labor MP has argued it will further isolate Jewish Australians.

The budget that could be make or break for Labor

Jim Chalmers is gearing up for his third and most important budget. If he spends too much and stokes inflation, he knows he’ll own the next rate increase.

Australia has protested to Beijing that a Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian navy helicopter over international waters.

Military tensions flare on the road to stability with China

A near miss between a Chinese fighter jet and Australian helicopter show that friction remains despite improvement in ties between Beijing and Canberra.

No more gaming the system, says High Court

The High Court has sent a clear message: those “manipulating the system” won’t be rewarded with a get-out-of-detention free card.

GST and gas show a government that’s still out of tune

A huge GST handout to WA and a report that gives a free pass to the state’s gas industry show how far parochial toadying in the west will go.

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World

Citadel founder Ken Griffin is backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Ken Griffin urges Harvard University to embrace ‘Western values’

The hedge fund founder who has given his alma mater more than $US500 million has slammed the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping colleges as “almost like performative art”.

Former President Donald Trump walks to the courtroom following a break in his trial at Manhattan criminal court on Thursday.

Trump’s long week in court as election looms

Stormy Daniels’ allegations of a sexual encounter with Trump set the courtroom alight this week. How they play into his election chances is unclear.

A village under fire from Russian forces in the Kharkiv region.

Russia ‘captures key villages’ as Ukraine races reinforcements

Military bloggers say the assault in the north-east could mark the start of an attempt to carve out the “buffer zone” sought by President Vladimir Putin.

Japan’s energy giants applaud Australia’s ‘clear’ gas plan

Japanese energy giant Inpex said the Albanese government’s new gas strategy shows Australia’s role as a “reliable and trusted” partner.

Bank of England boss ‘optimistic’ interest rate cuts are coming

The BoE left its benchmark unchanged at 5.25 per cent, but the UK economy is looking ripe for a rate cut.

Property

Record levels of wheat production have helped fuel a price boom in WA.

WA farmland boom to end in 2024 as drier conditions prevail

Farmers in Australia’s wheat and sheep powerhouse state enjoyed a 32 per cent uplift in land values in 2023, but there will be no repeat performance of that in 2024.

Liberman family to sell $17m Toorak ‘treehouse’

A glass and steel modernist retreat designed by Robin Boyd has joined Toorak’s prestige market with a guide of $15.9 million to $17 million.

Damien Frawley was CEO of QIC from 2012 to 2022.

Former QIC boss Damien Frawley puts Qld cattle station on the market

Damien Frawley, who is a director at Mirvac and chair of Hostplus, is the biggest shareholder of Blue Sky Beef which is selling Gowan Station.

AI pioneers pay $12.45m for harbourside penthouse

Appen founders Chris and Julie Vonwiller have joined a trend of “discerning down-sizers” seeking large apartments.

Simon and Catriona Mordant shoot for record with $16m trophy weekender

The Sydney power couple have listed their Clareville waterfront, which is expected to reset the suburb record.

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Wealth

ASIC’s Simone Constant says super funds found evidence of fees being charged but no service delivered.

ASIC finds super funds still charging fees for no service

Super funds are obliged to ensure members are only charged for financial advice they actually receive but not all are doing so.

A smarter way to tax high super balances

The government has tried to keep things simple, but in doing so fairness has gone out the window.

Coalition to oppose ‘sophisticated investor’ test overhaul

Labor is grappling with backlash from the start-up sector over calls to limit access to venture capital to investors worth more than $4.5 million.

Technology

X owner Elon Musk has slammed Australian government attempts to remove videos on his site.

15 minutes to get around X’s stabbing video ban, court hears

Lawyers for the social network argued that they had complied with a government take-down notice, which they said was invalid, by blocking footage in Australia.

Life360 co-founder Chris Hulls and chief financial officer Russell Burke are preparing the tracking company for the US IPO.

Life360 reheats plans to target US investors with Nasdaq listing

The ASX-listed, San Francisco-based family-tracking app does not expect to raise more than $US100 million. It had considered a similar move in 2021.

iPad

Apple ad fail shows why we fear AI

Apple has apologised for an ad for its new iPads that was so tone-deaf that the creative types, who normally love the company, had an existential fright.

Work & Careers

The CFMEU marching on Labour Day in Queensland.

CFMEU in ‘open defiance’ of the law: judges

Federal Court judges said the CFMEU “simply regards itself as free to disobey the law” and 25 years of fines have done nothing to stop it.

Why so many top executives start in accounting, consulting

BOSS delves into the career paths of the senior executives at Australia’s 20 biggest companies to discover where they started – and the critical skills and experience they gained.

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Life & Luxury

Monster and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Monster’ movie reviews

One is set to be a blockbuster, but the other is one of those critically acclaimed films that can expect to enjoy only a modest success at the box office.

Anthony Puharich, Jill Dupleix, Peter Gilmore and Andrew McConnell.

When business comes to dine: Fin Dining & Wine launches at Bennelong

The Financial Review’s first restaurant guide features 50 of the best business lunches across Australia, helmed by Jill Dupleix with wine tips from Max Allen.

This luxury spa in India costs $17k for five nights. Is it worth it?

We road-test celebrity magnet Ananda Spa in the Himalayas.

xx

How to host a business lunch

The lowdown on what to do – and what not to do – from three hosts who are legends in their own business lunch times.

International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol.

The world’s wiliest climate warrior? It’s not who you think

International Energy Agency boss Fatih Birol, a lifelong bureaucrat with roots in the oil industry, has made the net zero transition a personal mission.

From the gallery