- Analysis
- Media & marketing
Why the Murdoch trust battle is about more than money
After a quarter-century of increasingly public bickering, today the only thing that can bring Rupert Murdoch’s family together is a court case.
Albanese to press Modi on Indian ‘nest of spies’ at Quad summit
The prime minister will hold talks with outgoing US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and India during the weekend’s Quad summit.
- Exclusive
- Workplace
‘I would not recommend ASIC’: scathing assessment by staff
The results of a confidential cultural survey make for embarrassing reading on staff motivation, satisfaction and the regulator’s leadership team.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Wirth’s rescue plan for Myer takes shape but lacks one vital thing
For much of the last decade, Myer’s strategy has been to accept its diminished place in the market and shrink itself in response. Olivia Wirth’s plan is very different.
- Live
- Markets Live
ASX hits record, Macquarie scales all-time top
Shares scales all-time high; Myer flags challenging conditions; Regis Healthcare and Kelsian nab contracts; Namoi Cotton backs Olam Agri bid; $A leaps as does bitcoin. Follow updates here.
- Live
- Need to Know
‘I failed them’: VC apologises to Jewish students
Sydney University vice chancellor Mark Scott says it should have consulted Jewish groups; PwC International took control of Australian firm’s tax leaks response. Follow live updates.
How investors should play the first rate cut
Australian market participants are all-in on the immaculate soft landing narrative. But history says they need to tread carefully as interest rates come down.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
review
A Hezbollah war would be Israel’s biggest challenge in decades
If the conflict broadens, Hezbollah’s massive rocket and missile arsenal and hardened military forces would pose a major threat to Israel while its response would likely be devastating to Lebanon as well as Hezbollah.
How Australia crushed the COVID curve and lost the race
This country had one of the best-designed economic responses in the world, and one of the worst vaccine procurement processes.
Microsoft’s climate hypocrisy on AI
The tech giant has marketed AI technology to ExxonMobil and Chevron as a powerful tool for finding and developing new oil and gas reserves.
- Opinion
- Jobs
Always been a blusher? It’s a good sign
Embarrassing moments can humanise us and can bond us to one another. Studies have even shown that those who display signs of it tend to be more trusted than those who don’t.
The sad and lonely lives of the world’s richest kids
There’s a darker side to being super-wealthy, from Vladimir Putin’s two secret sons who “live in isolation” to $180,000-a-week clinics for depressed kids.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
Companies
Lithium giant flags exiting Australia
Arcadium Lithium will consider selling its only mine in Australia and has walked away from plans to pursue new assets here in favour of projects in Canada and Argentina.
Cashback promos quietly return as battle for home loans intensifies
Some of Australia’s biggest banks are once again offering upfront cash incentives to lure and retain borrowers.
- Exclusive
- Hotels
Embattled pubs owner hasn’t paid super to staff all year
Property developer Virtical, facing an investigation over $100 million in GST refunds, is now subject to complaints it has not paid superannuation to hospitality staff.
Can Olivia Wirth right the three-decade drift at Myer?
The former Qantas executive has inherited the start of a turnaround at retail’s grand dame. But there is plenty more to do, starting with finding profit growth.
WA opens narrow window for onshore gas exports
The Cook government’s revised policy may not be enough to achieve the aims of encouraging more gas exploration and development, some commentators say.
SEC accuses Macquarie of inflating asset values, issues $117m fine
The US markets regulator said Macquarie’s asset management business had “no reasonable basis” to believe it could sell at the valuations it quoted.
Tabcorp chairman Bruce Akhurst quits before he is pushed
Investors have been concerned about the wagering giant’s performance, with its shares down 50 per cent since the start of the year.
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Markets
Bank of England holds fire on rate cuts after Fed’s bazooka round
Facing less pressure from its economy or jobs market, the BoE is expected to wait until November to unleash a second interest rate cut.
What happened overnight? The S&P 500 and Dow closed at record highs
US shares leapt after the Fed rate cut bolstered hopes that the central bank had stepped forward to keep the economy on a growth path. Techs paced the rally.
Traders temper bets the RBA will follow the Fed’s rate cut
The Aussie dollar briefly topped US68¢ after the US Federal Reserve’s jumbo rate cut, but hopes of a similar move in Australia are starting to wane.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Jobs data and big-spending governments mean RBA can’t follow Fed
The labour market is softening only at a glacial pace, thanks in no small part to strong public sector jobs growth. That leaves the RBA in a bind.
Iron ore tipped to fall below $US80, forcing mine closures
Bank of America cautioned that the price of Australia’s key export could slump more than 10 per cent, which would force a new wave of miners to exit the market.
Opinion
Why ‘free’ childcare is bad for working parents
Further childcare subsidies will likely require an explicit new tax rise to fund it. Billions of dollars of more debt can’t be added to the national credit card.
Economics editor
Australian rugby revival isn’t happening any time soon
Irrespective of the result in the Bledisloe Cup, the local game’s structural problems only look to be getting worse.
International editor
Corporate Australia can’t let Albanese brush reform under the carpet
Business needs to get more on the front foot in calling out the policy and political class failure that most media coverage has normalised.
Editor-at-large
Electric vehicles hit consumer speed bumps
Energy minister Chris Bowen doesn’t think hybrids offer a real advance in the transition to electric cars. Drivers disagree, and the road to a pure EV market is bumpy.
Columnist
The economic case for higher childcare spending should stack up
Simply throwing more money at the system doesn’t seem to be the answer for cheaper childcare or increasing women’s participation in the workforce.
Editorial
‘Airbus Albo’ grounded as domestic struggles take over
Like a farmer waiting for rain, Albanese will hold out for a pre-election rate cut that could do a lot more to shift the dial than anything he’s tried so far.
Political editor
Reports
Executive Education - lifelong learning
This special report looks at lifelong learning, focusing on the impact and efficacy of leadership courses designed for top-tier managers and business leaders.
Politics
- Exclusive
- International students
Clare tells VCs: shut up on caps or suffer the consequences
The only thing vice chancellors hate more than caps on overseas students is ministerial direction 107. Jason Clare has now handed them a tough ultimatum.
‘Propping up a failed system’: Labor looks beyond PC on childcare
The Productivity Commission’s childcare proposal has raised questions of affordability, the removal of the activity test, and adding more subsidies onto a failed model.
RBA to keep interest rates high after employment jumps 47,000
Economists said the solid jobs numbers meant Australia would not be in a rush to reduce borrowing costs despite a jumbo cut in the US overnight.
Australia pleases no one after abstaining on anti-Israel vote
Penny Wong defended Canberra’s stance on a resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of West Bank and East Jerusalem, warning about escalation.
Super boards can rely on ‘reasonable’ outside advice: court
The corporate watchdog has lost a case claiming Rest Super misled customers, with the judge finding the fund relied on reasonable legal advice from Allens.
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World
Israel strikes Lebanese targets as Hezbollah leader warns of war
The attacks “crossed all red lines”, Hassan Nasrallah said in a television address, as sonic booms from Israeli warplanes shook buildings in Beirut.
Harris and Oprah host star-studded rally as race tightens
Vice President Kamala Harris tried to convince less-motivated voters during a livestream with TV legend Oprah Winfrey.
Dutch bank ING to ditch climate laggards as clients
ING’s stance is in sharp contrast to many other financial institutions, especially in the US where banks such as Bank of America have loosened some climate targets.
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
This is a staggering success for Mossad that opens a window for war
Detonation of Hezbollah walkie-talkies highlights the strength and sophistication of Israeli intelligence.
Trump, Harris vie for political edge from Fed rate cut
The candidates’ duelling narratives underscore the extent to which the economy and interest rates have rapidly become a focal point in the presidential race.
Property
James Packer’s former right-hand man snaps up Fairfax family retreat
Matthew “Ched” Csidei purchases another grand Southern Highlands mansion, and northern Victorian country estate Noorilim joins the prestige market.
- Exclusive
- Property market
NSW house prices to flatline this year, valuer general says
A strong first half has pushed values up in the NSW capital, but those gains are unlikely to be repeated.
- Exclusive
- Commercial real estate
The new high-tech Australian CBD shaping up to rival Singapore
3D printing, semiconductors and advanced packaging are all part of a high-tech mix envisaged for Bradfield city planned for Sydney’s west.
London’s mansions are struggling to sell
Rich buyers have been spooked by unanswered questions around higher tax regimes and plans to do away with preferential tax treatment for wealthy foreigners.
- Opinion
- Workplace culture
Amazon unwinding WFH won’t cure productivity blues
Dropping the hammer on remote work is probably more about making life easier for managers than it is about helping workers be more productive.
Wealth
Three ways the ASX has changed and how investors can respond
Finding yield, good value and diversification on the ASX is getting harder. We asked experts what investors can do to overcome the challenges.
Can I access my super to save my business?
Using your superannuation for anything other than its intended purpose – your retirement – can be a legal minefield.
Want to invest like Warren Buffett? This chatbot promises to help
A chatbot-powered ETF promises to harness the brainpower of the investment world’s most illustrious minds.
Technology
Microsoft’s climate hypocrisy on AI
The tech giant has marketed AI technology to ExxonMobil and Chevron as a powerful tool for finding and developing new oil and gas reserves.
Cyberspies phone businesses to warn of danger but half don’t respond
The Australian Signals Directorate’s new director-general Abigail Bradshaw says there is a stigma to being attacked, but it is costly for companies.
Why John Mullen wishes he’d paid a cyber ransom
When hackers targeted Qantas chairman John Mullen’s private maritime museum, he didn’t pay the ransom out of principle.
Work & Careers
AFL more important to Khuda than data centres, Swans chairman suspects
Andrew Pridham is vice chairman of asset manager MA Financial and chairman of Sydney Swans. AirTrunk founder Robin Khuda texts him before games.
- Exclusive
- Disney
Disney chief goes retro for AFL finals to reel in streaming rivals
Disney’s Australian boss Kylie Watson-Wheeler is bringing her AFL obsession into her day job as the US giant takes on the dominant players in the local streaming wars.
Life & Luxury
- Opinion
- Alcohol
I took a pill to fix my drinking problem
It’s the magic drug for hard drinkers that has an 80 per cent success rate, so why is this treatment so under-prescribed?
How a law firm shaped an award-winning poet’s style
Amy Crutchfield last week won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry, and credits her time at Mallesons for shaping her poetic style and philosophy.
This summer is going to be hot, but in a good way
Our weekly edit of beautiful things to buy ranges from the purely practical to the YOLO. In other words, there’s something for everyone.
Downton Abbey but with NDAs: how to be a butler to the super-rich
At an elite academy in the Netherlands, the archaic art of buttling is being reinvented for the 21st century.
Demi Moore gives performance of her life in shocking ‘The Substance’
There’s a self-referential note to the ’90s superstar’s role in Coralie Fargeat’s fable about ageism, making it doubly compelling.
