French left set for shock victory over Le Pen and Macron
The coalition’s surge is a surprise blow to far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who had hoped to form the next government, and President Emmanuel Macron.
- Investigation
- Property development
Investors ‘hung out to dry’ as NDIS housing schemes fail
Investors had been pitched double-digit “government-backed” returns. But there are no signs of those and, without tenants, there is little choice but to liquidate.
- Exclusive
- Electricity
$2.3b energy project faces cost blowouts
The problems plaguing the EnergyConnect scheme add to major delays at other projects key to Australia’s energy transition including the $12 billion Snowy 2.0.
Can the NRL pull off its biggest ever expansion?
The NRL is deciding whether to expand to a 20-team competition. The rewards could be huge, but the clubs aren’t so confident.
ASX to sit out global rally amid iron ore woes
Australian shares are set to dip on Monday despite a strong lead from Wall Street as investors brace for the release of crucial US inflation data this week.
- Opinion
- Investing
Michele Bullock’s next rate call will be one of the toughest
The RBA governor faces one of the hardest calls any central banker has ever had to make. The chances of getting it wrong are higher than ever, and so are the costs, writes Jonathan Shapiro.
- Exclusive
- PwC tax scandal
Sold for $1, Scyne claws back a third of PwC’s revenue
Scyne, spun out of PwC a year ago, is heading towards $200 million in revenue, rebuilding a third of the roughly $600 million earned by its predecessor firm.
- Driving With Tony Davis
- Motoring
The upgraded Tesla that’s cheaper than its predecessor
Wealth Generation: News and views to help aspirational investors grow their wealth. In your inbox every Wednesday.
MONDAY MEDIA
Mediaweek rocked by sexual harassment allegations
Trent Thomas, who owns and runs Mediaweek, was found by an internal HR investigation to have sexually harassed and bullied staff.
‘We know nothing’: Media blasts information void in privacy reform
Uncertainty about the Albanese government’s new privacy laws threatens billions in advertising, with one data firm urging clients to pause online targeting.
Todd Woodbridge and the jackpot quiz thwarting Seven’s news offensive
The former tennis star and Nine presenter is upending the 6pm news ratings battle because of the unlikely success of the game show he hosts at 5pm.
Airtasker bets $10m stake on radio, outdoor media surge
Airtasker founder Tim Fung has signed two deals in two weeks with media companies to promote its gig economy platform.
Network Ten wavers on turning off broadcast across swath of WA
The regional signal – a joint venture between Seven West Media and WIN Corporation – will remain on air only after more funding from the federal government.
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Companies
Foreign start-ups swarm Australia, ‘buying time’ to show profits
Australia offers a gateway to Asia, a skilled commercial workforce and cultural commonality with the US, but its wealthy customer base is an even bigger prize.
- Opinion
- Competition
Could this be the country’s stupidest public policymaking debacle?
From a regulator which has declared it can’t do anything to a company – PEXA – transparently trying to keep its monopoly, there’s not much that can compare, writes Kylar Loussikian.
Palmer accuses CITIC of contract breach with 3000 jobs in balance
The Chinese conglomerate has dismissed Clive Palmer’s claims as absurd in the latest twist in a bitter legal battle over an $18 billion WA mine.
- Exclusive
- Private equity
Quadrant taps Houlihan Lokey for premium pet food review
The private equity firm with a strong track record in the pets category is mulling its options, including a sale of the premium Prime100 brand.
Mt Gox repays ‘forced’ bitcoin holders years after its collapse
Japanese bankruptcy lawyers have begun repaying thousands of creditors of collapsed crypto exchange Mt Gox, including some Australians.
- Analysis
- Due diligence
Competition for broadband intensifies as consumers crack down on bills
Small telcos such as Superloop and Aussie Broadband have been stealing internet customers from Telstra, TPG Telecom and Optus as consumers shop around.
Ski season finds cold comfort from a slow start
Ski industry operators say soft early snowfalls combined with 13 interest rate rises have led to a slower start to the season. But things can change quickly.
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Markets
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Investors chasing the rally should get ready for an ‘upswing’
Investing will remain difficult as we go through the final stages of the slowdown, but this is the time where you can also find stocks that are not yet priced for an improving backdrop in the bargain bin.
- Exclusive
- Nuclear energy
Too uncertain, too slow: funds rule out financing Dutton nuclear plan
The disinterest from superannuation funds comes despite appetite for other energy transition assets and a shortage of domestic investment opportunities.
The next global investing megatrend: war stocks
Governments around the world are ramping up military spending – and fund managers are positioning accordingly.
Meta, Apple drive Nasdaq, S&P 500 to record highs
Investors continue to press tech valuations higher bolstered by renewed bets that the Federal Reserve is closer to a rate pivot.
Why coal stocks are seeing an epic rally
Underground fires at two major coal operations have ignited a rally in unloved ASX miners, and some analysts are tipping prices to push even higher.
Opinion
Reject injecting political Islam into Australia
The British general election has underlined the dangers now facing Australia’s political and social cohesion.
Editorial
Labor’s pledge is a bulwark against identity politics
Some say Labor’s caucus discipline is outdated in modern, multicultural Australia. In reality, it is more vital when individualism has infected the party of late.
Researcher
NDIS payback for Shorten
The new regulations are a worthwhile but modest start, and after the Coalition’s playing politics, both sides should come together to get on top of disability spending.
Editorial
Pezzullo bangs the war drums against placating an ‘imagined China’
The former Home Affairs secretary does not, however, present a philosophy of international relations that might form a basis for Australia’s position in the world.
International editor
Why things could get even worse for the Tories
If the Conservative Party doesn’t come to an understanding with Reform there is a real chance Reform could replace it as the main party of the right at the next election.
Historian, journalist, author and political commentator.
Keir Starmer can drive Britain to reform-led growth
Britain’s new PM must lock in growth quickly if he is to secure Labour’s huge win. With a planning system from hell and a 17,000-page tax code, there is plenty of scope for reform.
Editorial
Reports
Law partnership survey
After a period of caution following a pandemic-era peak our Law Partnership Survey shows firms have roared back, with growth near its COVID-era record.
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- Exclusive
- Insolvency
Labor reveals personal bankruptcy overhaul
The threshold for involuntary bankruptcy will rise to $20,000 and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will also launch consultations for a mini-bankruptcy regime.
- Exclusive
- AUKUS
Australia might blink at AUKUS cost, fears Trump’s ex-Pentagon chief
A former top security official under Donald Trump says AUKUS would be safe under a Trump administration but he is more worried Australia could baulk at the hefty cost.
Voters will ‘resist the poison from Canberra’: WA premier
Roger Cook says WA voters will resist the introduction of sectarian politics to Australia, warning against “poison” from Canberra coming into his state.
Australia-US forum aims to solve Pacific banking crisis
Western banks are increasingly withdrawing from Pacific Island nations to “de-risk” their operations, raising fears about China muscling in on the business.
Federal Court allows class action contingency fees
Law firms will be able to run class actions off their own balance sheets in the Federal Court and share in damages awards.
SPONSORED
World
Fixing broken Britain needs ‘tough decisions’, Starmer warns
The new prime minister held a cabinet meeting on Saturday to kickstart his bid to resuscitate the country’s ailing public services and tight finances.
Newcomer Starmer set to be mobbed at NATO summit
Britain’s new prime minister will travel to a NATO summit this week in Washington, where he will represent a rare point of centrist stability among unsettled allies.
- Opinion
- UK election
How The Muslim Vote’s sectarian insurgency over Gaza shocked Britain
Across the country, Sir Keir’s party was enjoying a famous victory, but a powerful counter-current flowed from a single cause, rooted in a single demographic group, writes Jake Wallis Simons.
Billionaire ‘French Murdoch’ behind Le Pen’s rise
Vincent Bollare’s TV channel and related media outlets have normalised and amplified the far-right leader’s message ahead of this weekend’s French elections.
Biden faces nervous wait as Democrat warns of ‘utter catastrophe’
The US president’s public appearances since the debate debacle have failed to stop a growing chorus of Democrats demanding he step aside.
Property
Winter chill, school holidays cut auction volumes
Buyers and sellers are cautious about the interest-rate outlook, but are still willing to pay strong prices for good homes – when they can find them.
Office deal flow still a trickle despite 60pc increase
Office deal activity will not ramp up quickly as due diligence processes are taking as much as four times longer due to concerns about the sector.
Georgian homestead near Canberra sold for the first time since 1841
Manar was an 11,000-acre farm when it was purchased by Scottish emigrant Hugh Gordon with his inheritance for £12,000.
Lendlease plans $500m development in Sydney’s Edgecliff
The new project is one of many the developer needs to show investors it is replenishing its local housing pipeline as it pivots to a new Australian focus.
- Exclusive
- Insolvency
Administrator takes builder Mahercorp to task for halting creditor payments
The insolvent builder has an obligation to meet repayment arrangements it struck with creditors before its restructuring, its own administrator says.
Wealth
Time to buy into tech stocks has passed, says UniSuper
Soaring technology stocks helped increase the retirement savings of the fund’s customers last financial year, but it’s hitting the pause button on further investment.
Aware Super cashes in on tech, healthcare bias to return 11pc
Aware follows several other super funds with high global equities exposure reporting returns of more than 11 per cent for 2023-24 as tech stocks soared.
Heavy office tower exposure drags down Cbus’ annual returns
But the construction industry super fund stood by its heavy allocation to the asset class, even as its financial year returns fell below rivals.
Technology
Mt Gox repays ‘forced’ bitcoin holders years after its collapse
Japanese bankruptcy lawyers have begun repaying thousands of creditors of collapsed crypto exchange Mt Gox, including some Australians.
Foreign start-ups swarm Australia, ‘buying time’ to show profits
Australia offers a gateway to Asia, a skilled commercial workforce and cultural commonality with the US, but its wealthy customer base is an even bigger prize.
Movie stars to narrate audiobooks from beyond the grave with AI
The estates of Judy Garland, James Dean, Sir Laurence Olivier and Burt Reynolds have sold the rights to their famous voices to be used by an AI gimmick reader app.
Work & Careers
Sending kids to selective schools doesn’t pay off: study
Demand for selective public high schools far outweighs places, but a new study casts doubt on whether they live up to their promise.
Work-free Friday nights ‘unrealistic’ for CEOs
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he tries not to work past 6pm on a Friday. Some of Australia’s top CEOs say that wouldn’t fly in their world.
Life & Luxury
The all-in-one physical, mental and emotional workout
Kimbali Harding began learning piano as a toddler. The hobby has not just guided her career choice – she can’t imagine her life without it.
How Terri Irwin defied pundits with debt-free success
The wildlife warrior discusses business strategies that helped Australia Zoo navigate the shock death of her husband – and the zoo’s frontman – Steve.
Are you overweight or obese? Depends on where you carry your fat
European experts have developed a new framework to modernise the staging, diagnosis and management of obesity.
Sexual pathologists would have plenty to say about this film
Director Yorgos Lanthimos has returned to his arthouse roots in Kinds of Kindnesses.
The exercise habit that boosts this founder’s productivity
Road running in the morning gets Brand Rebellion’s Bryden Campbell primed for her workday.
