Election countdown: Labor has plenty of laws to pass before voting day
With the election due within 12 months, Labor ministers privately concede that some policies could be pushed back into a likely second term.
Collapsed Dion Lee owes $20m to Levis family’s Cue
An entity linked to Cue extended $20.3 million in working capital and funding since January 2022, making it Dion Lee’s number one creditor ahead of the Commonwealth Bank.
ASX to fall as RBA’s inflation problem rattles nerves
Shares are set to start the week down 0.2 per cent with investor nerves tested by monthly inflation data and RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser’s assessment of the economy.
Keating labels Dutton ‘a charlatan and climate change denialist’
The former prime minister accused the Coalition leader of seeking to “camouflage” his “long held climate denialism” in an industrial fantasy of nuclear energy.
Cleanaway closes on Melbourne City’s garbo Citywide
Street Talk understands Cleanaway has seen off rival suitors for the business, with a deal expected to be announced as early as this week.
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel needs to get the hell out of Gaza
The extremists in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have led a reckless act of economic, military and moral overstretch, writes Thomas Friedman.
Thousands of Iran-backed fighters offer to join Hezbollah
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said militant leaders from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen had previously offered to send tens of thousands of fighters to help.
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smart investor
Can I do anything to maximise my tax return this close to June 30?
Though the end of the financial year is just days away, there are still some last-minute ways small businesses can reduce their tax liabilities.
- Exclusive
- Income tax
How much extra tax you stand to pay because of bracket creep
The average taxpayer will lose $2000 to the so-called stealth tax in the next four years, which will deliver the federal government an extra $29 billion in revenue.
Why parents are forking out $40k for their kids to live on campus
Residential colleges used to be the preserve of country boarders and blue-blood families, but there’s a growing trend among parents who want their kids to have the kind of university experience they had.
How much your super fund is expected to grow this financial year
The expected returns were driven largely by strong performances from overseas equities, Chant West found.
- Opinion
- Bonds
Attention investors: the risk of a sovereign debt crisis is back
The financial market volatility induced by the political dramas in France show the world is moving into a new risk regime, writes Christopher Joye.
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Companies
- Analysis
- Due diligence
Deterra’s big-ticket bet on lithium royalties faces tough reception
After years of being criticised for high costs and inaction, Iluka-backed Deterra Royalties has bid for Trident Royalties and is facing a backlash, again.
Surf lifesaving in the Olympics? This broker says it’s no pipe dream
Shaw and Partners is all-in on wealth and health. But there’s more to its latest deal: elevating competitive surf lifesaving to the Brisbane 2032 program.
Rich Lister’s ‘billion dollar’ company faces $79m loss
Shaun Bonett bought into Prezzee in 2015 and has slowly increased his control over the business. New figures reveal it lost $79 million in the 18 months to December 31.
- Analysis
- Media & marketing
Publishers fear this new Google AI feature will kill their traffic
Google’s ‘AI Overviews’ has rolled out in the US. Its AI-generated results push links down by a full page, a new study has found.
From Goldman Sachs to Westpac, Nell Hutton is climbing the ladder
Having reached the top of the Wall Street giant by her mid-40s, the career banker has big plans to turn around Westpac’s once-dominant institutional bank.
Federal Court rules iSignthis misled the market
A Federal Court judge says payments company iSignthis and its former managing director John Karantzis misled the market, but ASIC had failed to prove that the boss knew about performance milestones and deliberately structured revenue to trigger share bonuses.
The bank at the heart of Project Jalapeno was not Barrenjoey
The founder of Guzman y Gomez, Steven Marks, had been working with one Wall Street giant for years to get the Mexican chain’s $3 billion float off the ground.
Companies in the News
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Markets
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Favourite demographer of market gurus predicts catastrophe
History says something really ugly is coming, according to Neil Howe. Investors need to be ready.
Global ambitions a dangerous trap for overzealous local giants
“An organic approach to world domination is a better way to do it,” says Allan Gray’s Simon Mawhinney. A string of failures shows he’s on the money.
CBA rally threatens to dethrone BHP as ASX top stock
A 25 per cent rally in the country’s largest bank has placed it within striking distance of the miner, which has been Australia’s most valuable listed company for more than two years.
S&P 500 slips, Nvidia paces semiconductor slide
The S&P 500 ended modestly lower as semi stocks pared some of their advance. BofA broadly positive on China’s economic outlook.
Investors see uranium riches if Coalition’s nuclear plan takes off
The country’s largest uranium developer could almost triple in value if Australia relaxed its restrictive position on the energy source, Morgan Stanley says.
Opinion
Putin to Xi: I have options in East Asia
The Russian President’s visits last week to North Korea and Vietnam shows Russia’s residual capacity to stir trouble in East Asia.
International editor
Blackstone’s mega private credit deal is a sign of the times
Private credit funds are the solution for private equity’s problems. But can the good times last for Wall Street’s hottest sector? Blackstone thinks they can.
Senior reporter
Nuclear is unviable because of economics, not engineering
Even if all that mattered was the cheapest possible energy that meets minimum levels of reliability and emissions, the Coalition’s plan fails.
Why billionaires support Trump
Business people struggle to understand fanaticism. In commercial life, all actors are negotiable, even if their price is high. They also tend to overrate contrarianism.
Contributor
Global supply chains at risk without new WTO rules for digital trade
The World Trade Organisation, despite its flaws, remains the only single vehicle able to attract multilateral participation, and business needs it more than ever.
Contributor
Attention investors: the risk of a sovereign debt crisis is back
The financial market volatility induced by the political dramas in France show the world is moving into a new risk regime.
Columnist
Reports
Executive education - Microcredentials
A growing number of employers are developing short, sharp courses known as microcredentials in collaboration with tertiary institutions.
Politics
- Exclusive
- Defence
Crash hits army’s multimillion-dollar drone program
An army drone crashed soon after take-off in a test flight after losing communications with operators.
- Exclusive
- Nuclear energy
Labor’s $40b renewables bid attracts massive industry support
Energy Minister Chris Bowen will on Monday reveal the first auction for 6 gigawatts of renewable energy received bids from more than 100 projects covering more than 40 gigawatts of renewable energy production.
The gambler: Dutton bets it all on nuclear
The opposition leader is hoping his energy wager could return the Coalition to government. But if it all goes badly wrong, his dream of becoming prime minister could be lost.
Skyrocketing gas prices intensify fears of shortage this winter
There are growing fears the long-forecast shortage in supplies in the south-eastern states will emerge this winter, hitting manufacturers hard.
Setka’s ‘obnoxious and rude’ CFMEU fined for wet wipes blockade
The Federal Court has fined the CFMEU $109,000 for behaviour that a judge said was emblematic of the coercion that has plagued the construction industry for decades.
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World
Israeli business leaders push for elections
A forum of Israel’s top 200 business leaders is calling for early elections “to save Israel from a deep economic crisis”.
Thousands of Iran-backed fighters offer to join Hezbollah
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said militant leaders from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen had previously offered to send tens of thousands of fighters to help.
Rio Tinto punts on British start-up to plug renewables gap
The mining giant joined a $575 million investment round for Highview Power, which says its storage technology can firm renewable power.
Biden-Trump debate comes with great risks and rewards for both men
In appealing to divided and often angry voters, the past and present presidents will need to navigate a minefield of perceptions and realities.
China, EU agree to talks to head off EV trade war
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis will hold discussions to ease an escalating dispute.
Property
- Exclusive
- Rural property
Fund manager Allan Fife pays $11m for 180-year-old Yass sheep farm
The Fife Capital founder will add Dowan Hill to a farming portfolio that includes Stonehenge, a sheep farm in Tasmania he bought last year for $25 million.
Rural Funds eyes further sales of farms to cut debt and risk
Rural Funds COO Tim Sheridan says the trust may look to sell half-stakes in other cattle, cropping and macadamia properties it currently owns and operates.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Rich Lister buys Manly’s most expensive home
Maas Group’s Wes Maas and his wife Emma have emerged as the buyers of Manly’s most expensive home for around $35 million.
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Power couple creates Brisbane’s most expensive family compound
Prominent Brisbane couple Steve and Jane Wilson have bought the property next door to their recently restored landmark home Lamb House.
Post-pandemic demand for Australian housing softens
Overseas interest in Australian residential real estate softened in the six months to December, according to new Treasury figures of Foreign Investment Review Board applications.
Wealth
Can I do anything to maximise my tax return this close to June 30?
Though the end of the financial year is just days away, there are still some last-minute ways small businesses can reduce their tax liabilities.
Why avoiding Coles and Woolies will save you 25pc
A basket of everyday groceries is $17 cheaper at Aldi, research by consumer group Choice shows, with little difference between the big two supermarket chains.
Australia had more female fund managers seven years ago
Industry efforts to hire more women in investment management have borne fruit. But the industry is struggling to get more women into portfolio manager roles.
Technology
OpenAI co-founder’s new company promises safe ‘superintelligence’
Last year, Ilya Sutskever tried to force out OpenAI boss Sam Altman. Now he has a new company, aiming to build a machine that is more intelligent than humans – safely.
Grong Grong (population 150) does its bit to solve the energy crisis
Small-scale solar farms like that at Grong Grong can fly below the radar but represent a large opportunity to plug renewable power into the system.
Calls to ban Facebook and Instagram in Australia
The heads of major media organisations say Meta’s refusal to renew about $70 million in commercial deals with news outlets will likely lead to job losses and newspaper closures.
Work & Careers
Union calls for ‘moratorium’ on AI-job losses in banking sector
The Finance Sector Union wants laws to ensure gains from artificial intelligence are passed on as pay rises and halt job losses to allow workers to retrain.
- Exclusive
- Australian economy
Tax cuts will prolong rate pain: directors
Economic uncertainty and the energy transition are among the top issues being debated in our biggest boardrooms.
Life & Luxury
When Maria Callas went from diva to teacher
By 1971, the celebrated soprano’s voice was worn out. This made for a febrile mood at her series of Juilliard masterclasses that year, now immortalised in a play.
The under-the-radar watch brands worth your time
Can’t get your hands on a Rolex, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet? Try one of these lesser-known timepieces as your next must-have.
Do you know this week’s news? Answer these 10 questions
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
- Driving With Tony Davis
- Motoring
Is Lexus’ plug-in hybrid the best NX on the market?
A PHEV is either the perfect compromise or an expensive and unnecessary one, depending on your situation.
How to keep off the kilos after stopping weight-loss jabs
Until now, those prescribed the radical treatments have been warned that they may have to stay on the drugs for life – or revert to their former size.
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The Australian Financial Review Magazine
The under-the-radar watch brands worth your time
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