If your business is turning inspiration into innovation, it’s time to be recognised.
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.
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 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.
AFR Weekend: The big stories, best reads and expert advice. In your inbox on Saturday.
weekend reads
- Exclusive
- Antisemitism
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.
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?
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.
- Analysis
- US election
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
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.
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?
- Opinion
- 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.
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
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.
Get the latest business news on the go with the AFR’s new iOS app.
Companies
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.
- Exclusive
- Media & marketing
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.
- Investigation
- Rich List
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 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.
- Exclusive
- Tax avoidance
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
View stories and data from an ASX listed company
Markets
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, ‘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.
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.
International editor
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.
Editorial
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.
Contributor
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.
Political editor
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.
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.
Economist
Reports
BOSS Best Places to Work
The awards celebrate the achievements of the best small, medium and large organisations and nine sector winners.
Politics
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.
- Analysis
- Federal budget
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.
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.
- Analysis
- Immigration
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.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
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.
SPONSORED
World
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”.
- Analysis
- US election
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.
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
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.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
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.
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.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
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.
Wealth
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
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.
- Updated
- Earnings season
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.
- Opinion
- Tech Observed
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
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.
Life & Luxury
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
