The search is on for the 2025 Best Places to Work.
- Exclusive
- Rich families
Rich Lister wealth secrets revealed after 30-year loophole ends
Two years after removing an exemption that allowed Australia’s richest families to keep details of their private companies secret, their financials are filtering through.
- Live
- Markets Live
Consumer stocks push ASX higher; Star posts $1.7b loss
Shares advance; Platinum board says Regal bid ‘undervalues’ the listed global equities fund manager; ACCC allows Lendlease projects sale to Stockland and Supalai; Soul Patts profit slides. Follow updates here.
The 10 most covertly powerful people in Australia in 2024
Those who wield the most clout behind the scenes in the nation’s business and politics.
- Breaking
- Gaming & wagering
Queensland walks away from helping Star with its big tax bill
Premier Steven Miles ended discussions with the casino operator and said executives were refusing to give up their bonuses in exchange for assistance.
CBA says another wave of China stimulus is imminent
Analysts warn this week’s surge in the iron ore price and mining stocks can only be sustained if Beijing launches massive government support.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Big dogs go to war for Platinum’s $175m honeypot
If there’s one thing we can be sure of, it is that Platinum’s M&A dance didn’t end on Thursday. Its fee-earning assets under management are too tempting.
- Live
- Need to Know
Australia and allies call for ‘immediate’ 21-day ceasefire
The United Nations calls for a pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah; Donald Trump says Ukraine is “dead”; Greens claim credit for Labor’s negative gearing shift. Follow live updates.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
POWER LIST
Australia’s five most powerful people in education in 2024
As we hurtle to the end of the year, there are a lot of balls still up in the air for the sector. The question is, how many have landed?
Australia’s ‘brain boxes’ are a growing source of covert power
These research and advocacy institutes are on the rise. But to get the funding, they need to be seen.
Power list reveals diminished influence of Australia’s corporate sector
This year’s list reflects the fading voice of CEOs and the growing size, scale and power of the superannuation sector.
Australia’s 10 most powerful business leaders in 2024
The strongest voices for corporate Australia in a year when cost-of-living pressures have ripped through the most vulnerable parts of the economy.
Australia’s top five powerbrokers in the law for 2024
It was a momentous year for the High Court, the competition regulator and outspoken judges. Here are the people setting the agenda in legal circles.
The best of travel, fashion, cars and more, straight to your inbox every Saturday.
Companies
BlueScope sounded out as Whyalla steelworks rescuer
Sanjeev Gupta’s empire is showing further signs of distress as creditor defaults tick up against his other businesses in Australia, InfraBuild and Tahmoor coal.
Sanitarium Weet-Bix and Vita Brits merger under ACCC microscope
The competition regulator is pursuing supermarkets over claims they offered non-genuine discounts. Now it’s taking a look at some of the most popular cereals.
ACCC green light for $1.3b Lendlease, Stockland estates deal
The divestment is one of a number of major initiatives that Lendlease boss Tony Lombardo is pursuing in a radical overhaul of the global developer.
Star’s Queen’s Wharf comes to life – unless you want to shop or eat
It’s been dubbed a “multistaged opening” or, in other words, a work in progress. But the sight of hi-vis and faint smell of sawdust haven’t deterred visitors.
NSW Bar backs compulsory anti-harassment training
State bar associations have swung behind the Australian Bar Association’s proposal to mandate “equality and wellbeing” training.
Platinum rejects Regal’s takeover on value grounds
Regal Funds offered 0.274 of its own shares for every Platinum Asset Management stock plus a special dividend. But that wasn’t enough.
Investors blame supermarket ‘arrogance’ for dodgy discount lawsuit
But some fund managers say a slump in Woolworths and Coles shares is a buying opportunity, betting the ACCC’s claims will be hard to stand up in court.
Companies in the News
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Markets
Ex-RBA governor Lowe joins Barrenjoey board
In February 2023 Philip Lowe found himself in hot water after accepting a lunch invite from Barrenjoey. This week he joined the start-up investment bank’s board.
What happened overnight? The Dow dragged Wall Street lower
Australian shares were set to open higher. US stocks were mostly lower. Goldman said bullish equity positioning reflected enduring US exceptionalism.
China kills ASX bank rally as money piles into miners
Traders are scrambling after China’s latest effort to boost its economy prompted investors to rapidly pull money from the big four banks and pile into the mining sector.
Bond markets too punchy on RBA rate cuts, say investors
Fund managers say traders have overblown the comments from governor Michele Bullock and are siding with the central bank on the rate outlook.
Meta stock bulls look for next rally catalyst
Meta’s annual Connect conference kicks off this week, with industry buzz around the latest technology reveal and updated by chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
Opinion
Why even good politicians are unpopular these days
It’s not just Keir Starmer – political leaders are on the nose around the world, and it’s not all their fault. Decades of peace and affluence have raised expectations.
Contributor
Three ideas to sharpen up the Business Council of Australia’s act
Curiously, given business bangs on about innovation all the time, the BCA has failed to get the memo.
Policy expert
Why Labor seems to be flirting with housing tax breaks again
The real story is that the government is desperately looking for a way out of the political dead end that has stalled any momentum in its drive to an election.
Columnist
Real tax reform could help fix the housing crisis
The political system lacks the maturity to even discuss using tax policy as a serious instrument to help solve the housing shortage.
Editorial
Beware the hidden cost of Dutton’s nuclear plan
The Coalition’s timeline will need major expansion of gas to replace sidelined renewable energy projects, which will be a huge and needless expense.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy
The answer to our housing crisis is three letters: EBA
For all the focus on the illegal activities of the CFMEU, it’s their legal activities that have played a starring role in our housing affordability crisis.
Economics professor
Reports
Technology - Valuation shift
This special report looks at shifting valuations for tech companies in public and private markets, plus how AI will change work.
Politics
Rate cuts may trigger unsustainable property price boom: RBA
Falling interest rates could lead to a rising market that encourages households to take on too much debt, raising the risk of a damaging downturn, the bank warns.
- Exclusive
- Energy
Bowen uses gas to fire up offensive on Coalition’s nuclear plans
Energy Minister Chris Bowen claims the Coalition’s energy plans will require spending tens of billions of dollars to build and service new gas power plants.
Electricity bills to surge 47pc next year as government support ends
The Albanese government has hinted it could extend the federal government’s $300 electricity bill rebate to avoid a sharp rise in out-of-pocket energy costs.
A quick guide to the politics of housing tax breaks
Anthony Albanese won’t be the last political leader to mull changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, and he certainly is not the first.
ADF prepares land and air capability for possible Lebanon evacuation
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned evacuation operations will not be able to accommodate all of the up to 30,000 Australians in the region.
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World
- Analysis
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
In Jerusalem, life is normal as Israel prepares for another war
While an invasion of southern Lebanon is seemingly inevitable, there is a sense of calm in the Israeli capital.
- Updated
- Middle East tensions
US, Australia propose ceasefire to avert Lebanon war
The US and its allies proposed a three-week truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon in a bid to clear the way for negotiations and head off an all-out war.
Harris insists she’s a ‘capitalist’ in economic pitch
The Democratic presidential candidate has been under pressure to offer more details on her economic plans.
- Analysis
- UK politics
Why Britain’s PM faces political firefights on all fronts
A combination of bad politics and unpopular policy has left Sir Keir Starmer on the back foot. And there isn’t even a Tory opponent who can lead the attack.
Lebanon says 51 killed in latest round of Israeli strikes
The attacks are the deadliest in the country since the bruising month-long war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah in 2006.
Property
- Exclusive
- Office
Brookfield to sell $480m stake in tower that Cartier calls home
Singaporean property giant UOL will buy Brookfield’s half stake of 388 George Street, which will be managed by Investa once the deal is completed.
- Exclusive
- Commercial real estate
BlackRock seeds $1.5b laboratory real estate fund
BlackRock is partnering with local private equity firm Wentworth Capital on a “pure play” laboratory fund that has already secured a number of seed assets
Jose was priced out of his inner-city home. So were 16,000 others
KPMG data shows rising costs are squeezing out much-needed workers from Sydney and Melbourne’s most sought-after suburbs.
‘Paying whatever it takes’: Prestige home prices jump 20pc a year in this city
International and east coast buyers are helping fuel a price boom in Perth’s most sought after luxury coastal and riverside properties.
Country’s biggest builder warns on housing slowdown
Forget fiddling with tax settings and focus on fixing red tape and the tradie shortage to deliver more housing, says Metricon boss Brad Duggan.
Wealth
Hartman exit leaves separated Forrests occupying Tattarang board
The longest surviving member of the Forrest inner circle, John Hartman, has left the board of the private company that holds most of the couple’s combined fortune.
The $52b side hustle economy offers a shot at getting rich
The ATO estimates there are around 1 million side hustlers, including a fast-growing group of white-collar workers who dream of going into business for themselves.
- Opinion
- SMSFs
How to get your kids more tax-free super when you die
Re-contribution strategies allow you to withdraw money from super and put it back again to minimise tax for whoever inherits it. Such strategies are making a come-back, particularly in SMSFs
Technology
Meet the ‘actionable futurist’ who demystifies tech for the C-suite
Futurist Andrew Grill reckons execs will struggle to make good decisions about deploying tech in their businesses if they’re not actively using it themselves.
How a Caramello Koala helped catch Coles and Woolies out
As consumers’ belts tightened, price-sensitive shoppers vented their frustrations online on Reddit, TikTok and X. The ACCC, it seems, was listening.
Will AI be a bust? A Wall Street sceptic rings the alarm
Jim Covello, Goldman Sachs’ head of stock research, warns that building too much of what the world doesn’t need “typically ends badly”.
Work & Careers
How Angella went from healthcare to coder in nine months
Holberton’s course is an example of the practical training programs employers are using to fill stubborn vacancies in the face of persistent skills shortages.
Dentons CEO to fight anti-vax, antisemitism claims
Dentons chief executive Doug Stipanicev has stepped down after he was accused of ignoring bullying allegations and sending a conspiratorial report.
Life & Luxury
Seven must-see shows this October
From a Bette Davis cabaret, to Celine Dion on the Titanic and a takeover in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, there are plenty of reasons to leave the house this month.
The doctor-turned-CEO aiming to beat Ozempic
Adam Steensberg leads Zealand Pharma, a Danish drug maker whose stock has risen by more than 800 per cent since he took over in 2022.
Heading to Melbourne for the footy? It might pay to book a stop-over
Brisbane fans might choose a less-than-ideal path to save a few dollars in the pilgrimage to the MCG this weekend – booking a flight via Sydney or Canberra.
The perfect autumn weekend in London
It’s not called the UK’s capital of cool for nothing. Here’s an insider’s guide to how to spend 48 fun hours.
People don’t want ‘challenging’ music, says Peaceful Piano king
Chad Lawson writes music to improve your mental health – which has meant this stalwart of Spotify’s Peaceful Piano playlist repressing some of his own creative impulses.
