Business
The economy
Opinion
Federal budget
Australia’s future to be made under Treasury’s watchful eye
Treasury’s “national interest framework” in the planned Future Made in Australia Act provides stronger grounds for hoping that the oversight will keep the crazy decisions to a minimum.
- by Ross Gittins
Latest
Catering to the ultra-rich is a booming business in WA
There’s a new sign that the Perth elite are starting to tip over the line separating the merely rich from the fabulously so.
- by Harry Brumpton, Paul-Alain Hunt and Patrick Winters
Opinion
Property market
Two weeks after the budget, I’ve realised I missed its most surprising revelation
The budget papers include a long statement spelling out what’s wrong with housing with a candour I’ve not seen before.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Immigration
Politicians don’t control immigrant numbers, and usually don’t want to
Politicians could exercise more control over immigration, but neither side has particularly wanted to.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Global economy
Xi and Putin’s love-in is an ominous sign for the West
Russia and China have traditionally treated each other with mutual suspicion and loathing. But now they are closer than ever.
- by Liam Halligan
Opinion
Housing crisis
Treasury tells all: How the housing market is so stuffed up
Our housing industry has been too slow to respond to the increased demand for housing. What’s the Albanese government doing about this mess?
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Employment
We are now in a vaudeville economy where bad news is good news
There’s a good chance that there’s enough bad news around on family finances that the government handouts won’t push up interest rates.
- by Chris Richardson
Opinion
Inside China
The US sends the world a China warning
The US wants a united front with Europe to respond to a flood of cheap imports from China, arguing the consequences of not doing so will be damaging.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Immigration
Something truly strange is happening when Dutton wants to slash immigration
The unaffordability of home ownership is a good issue for the election campaign, but Peter Dutton is drawing a long bow in linking it to immigration.
- by Ross Gittins
Delays building renewable energy ‘superhighway’ raise power grid fears
One of the most significant upgrades to Australia’s outdated power grid is facing fresh delays, intensifying concerns about the pace of the clean energy shift.
- by Nick Toscano
Opinion
Inside China
China just unveiled a ‘ground-breaking’ fix for its property crisis. It’s not enough
Three years after China’s property sector started imploding, Xi Jinping is finally doing something meaningful to fix it. He needs to do more.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz