Latest
The worrying signal small business is sending on the economy
If the sector is the canary in the coal mine, Australia’s economic growth is not looking good, according to a new economic indicator from accounting software giant MYOB.
- Ronald Mizen
No rate cuts and maybe a rise as inflation sticks, super funds warn
The investment chiefs of the country’s biggest funds also have a bleak outlook for Aussie shares over the next year, after global equities drove double-digit returns in FY23.
- Hannah Wootton
- Exclusive
- AUKUS
Revealed: Turnbull’s Paris option to revive French subs deal
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull paved the way for Australia to renegotiate the French submarine contract when Labor came to power, but there was silence from the new government.
- James Curran
- Special Award
- Sustainability Leaders
This trailblazer turns destructive weed into a replacement for coal
Biomass Projects has plans to build the world’s largest biochar production on a 225,000-hectare Pilbara plot that is overrun with mesquite.
- Gus McCubbing
More RBA rate rises ‘unwarranted’ as non-migrant jobs growth tumbles
Yarra Capital chief economist Tim Toohey has cut his economic growth forecast from 2.25 per cent to 1.75 per cent in 2024-25, well below the RBA’s 2.1 per cent.
- Ronald Mizen
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.
- Ronald Mizen
Opinion & Analysis
Australians need a sharp reminder of how well off they are
A new study is an objective demonstration of why Australians have no cause to mimic the populist rhetoric that has poisoned politics in the US and Europe.
Editorial
Shipping shock glimpse of world without rules
The Houthi missile blockade in the Red Sea driving a new spike in import freight costs shows a global exporter and importer such as Australia has a critical interest in maintaining free and open global trade.
Editorial
Democrats simmer over no-win dilemma as Biden support ebbs away
President Joe Biden is losing political traction on Capitol Hill as congressional Democrats count the cost of his determination to stay in the race.
Columnist
Ukraine remains NATO’s pressing test of global relevance
The shadow that hangs over NATO’s 75th birthday is a strange brew of populism that now endangers the alliance’s claim to modern strategic relevance.
Editorial
More From Today
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Australians need a sharp reminder of how well off they are
A new study is an objective demonstration of why Australians have no cause to mimic the populist rhetoric that has poisoned politics in the US and Europe.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Shipping shock glimpse of world without rules
The Houthi missile blockade in the Red Sea driving a new spike in import freight costs shows a global exporter and importer such as Australia has a critical interest in maintaining free and open global trade.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- US election
Democrats simmer over no-win dilemma as Biden support ebbs away
President Joe Biden is losing political traction on Capitol Hill as congressional Democrats count the cost of his determination to stay in the race.
- Jennifer Hewett
Yesterday
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Ukraine remains NATO’s pressing test of global relevance
The shadow that hangs over NATO’s 75th birthday is a strange brew of populism that now endangers the alliance’s claim to modern strategic relevance.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Cyber warfare
Asian allies key to our cyberdefence against China
Japan and South Korea have for the first time joined Five Eyes allies led by Australia in directly calling out Chinese cyberattacks, but more can be done.
- Alastair MacGibbon
The best way to empower ASIC to tackle bad corporate behaviour
Readers’ letters on beefing up ASIC’s powers; discriminatory land tax; and the dangers of neglecting science.
- Opinion
- Energy transition
It’s an energy race between the implausible and the impossible
Peter Dutton has come up with a nuclear-powered cost of living wedge to expose Labor’s overreach on renewables and sustainability.
- Matthew Warren
- Opinion
- US election
Inside the Democrats’ fight over Biden
Hosting the NATO summit was supposed to help the US president demonstrate unity within the Democratic Party. But it is tearing itself apart.
- Jennifer Hewett
This Month
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Where do Australia’s China ties go after hack?
The public outing only raises the question of where Australia takes the matter from here, and what it expects China to do.
- The AFR View
Starmer’s centre-right policies will not bring meaningful change
Readers’ letters on the shrinking centre of politics; harsh punishment in Queensland; Peter Dutton’s supermarkets plan; Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop; and the ambiguity of Palestinian protesters.
- Opinion
- AUKUS
Control of the sea is worth gambling on AUKUS
To any objective observer it is apparent acquiring nuclear-powered submarines has significant advantages for national security. However, these come with major costs and risks.
- Richard Dunley
- Opinion
- Energy transition
CSIRO brings science, not politics, to electricity cost debate
Some nuclear fans claim the agency has a position on Australia’s energy mix. That is both wrong and a misinterpretation.
- Doug Hilton
- Opinion
- World elections
Confused despair grips Democratic voters
Joe Biden seems to be revelling in his determination to once again prove his doubters wrong. The Trump campaign is confident it ensures their victory on November 5.
- Jennifer Hewett
Labor strife exposes risk to our cohesion
Readers’ letters on Fatima Payman’s exit from the Labor Party; Monique Ryan’s call for an early election; handouts for Baby Boomers; the changing face of pharmacies.
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Economic logic always trumps junk politics
Brexit, MAGA trade policies, and the Coalition’s nuclear power push will fail because they make no economic sense.
- Craig Emerson
- Opinion
- Immigration
Our larrikin egalitarianism is more appealing than tribalism
This is another critical time for this nation’s multiculturalism. Anthony Albanese must lead the case against sectarian identity politics that might unsettle it.
- Tanveer Ahmed
- Opinion
- World elections
Immigration is the reason swing states are turning back to Trump
Joe Biden is still betting big he can move key swing states his way, but Arizona was shifting back to Trump well before that debate. Jennifer Hewett reports from the south-west.
- Jennifer Hewett
- Opinion
- Defence
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.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Investing
Why 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.
- Jonathan Shapiro
US jobs data bolsters rate cut bets: Wall Street
US bond yields fell and equities extended their rally as the path to a Fed pivot has become ever so slightly wider.
- Timothy Moore
