Featured Opinion
Treasury is addicted to income tax to fund spending
Virtually everyone is protected by the government from inflation eroding their real incomes, except the humble wage earner.
Economics editor
ESG idealism runs into hard realities of execution
The end of cheap money to invest, the cost of living crisis, and energy price shock have dramatically changed the order of priority for customers, governments and investors.
Editorial
Let’s wait before we make rash decisions on foreign students
Universities are being asked to fix a housing problem they did not create, and the government’s haste will massively disrupt thousands of students’ lives.
Vice-Chancellor
Don’t bet on this meme stock trading frenzy being like the last
It is a very different market to the early days of 2021, as traders hoping for a quick profit from GameStop have found. And analysts say it is increasingly fragile.
Columnist
In the ESG debate, this is what’s really torching shareholder value
For all the talk about the “E” in “ESG”, what gets CEOs sacked and costs investors money are old-fashioned social licence and governance issues.
Columnist
Fair Work decision gives Labor another chance to run its wages fib
The former government never embarked on a deliberate strategy to suppress wages. But you wouldn’t know it.
Political editor
Reserve Bank must restore credibility and not buy into energy rebate trickery
A year out from an election and amid Labor’s overhaul of the institution, a temporary mechanical reduction in the CPI has the potential to interfere with the RBA’s independent conduct of monetary policy.
Economist
Migration is our ‘special sauce’, so let’s be rational about it
We should be honest about failed housing policy, thoughtful about changing the international student mix, and not shunt blame onto migrants.
Member for Wentworth
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Confusing revisions within the national accounts suggest that things are not as dire as the misleading talk about a per capita recession.
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What big investors want in the puzzling ESG era is pretty simple
Making money is hard, let alone doing it when the goalposts are shifting around. But boards should never forget what drives investors.
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Hasty immigration cuts may escalate crises
Readers letters on proposed immigration cuts; Bill Shorten’s handling of the National Disability Insurance Scheme; and the productivity push
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Investors’ big worry from GDP data isn’t what you think
The March quarter GDP numbers suggest a whiff of stagflation in the air. But the real story is of surprising economic resilience.
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Why KKR’s Colonial First State calls default pension plan ‘dangerous’
Colonial First State chief executive Clive van Horen says the wealth and super giant is back in growth mode. But he’s not shying away from a big super debate.
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- Australian economy
Why weak GDP is not the full picture for the RBA
The economy is barely crawling, but weak 0.1 per cent quarterly growth should be considered a Goldilocks scenario for Treasurer Jim Chalmers and the Reserve Bank.
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Beware the knock-on effect of ‘sensible’ decisions like Eraring
If we want private capital to transition Australia’s power grid, we need to remember the ground rules.
- Anthony Macdonald
- Opinion
- India
Modi has just learned that hype can only carry you so far
Much of India looks very different from 2014 and the pre-Modi era. But much of it looks the same, and even populists have to deliver.
- Mihir Sharma
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Modi’s magic is fading fast. Who’s next for India?
The prime minister’s fading halo can no longer keep people distracted from everyday issues such as high unemployment in cities and depressed incomes in villages.
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What it’s like to drive this new $900k electric Porsche-on-water
The Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air is a chic and thrilling powerboat that shares its tech DNA with the car company’s Macan EV.
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- Media & marketing
Global digital platforms have failed us
Now is the time for decisive government action to safeguard Australia’s democratic values and prevent these platforms from further eroding the information and media landscape.
- Nick Shelton
Yesterday
- Opinion
- ESG Summit
The biomethane route to cutting emissions
Renewables such as solar and wind get most of the policy attention, but businesses are experimenting with other low-carbon fuels.
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Frydenberg wise to wait for Liberal renewal
Letters from readers on Josh Frydenberg’s reluctance to return to politics; electric vehicles and the infrastructure required to spur demand; UN intervention in Gaza; and Bill Shorten’s speechwriter
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Meet Australia’s new mortgage prisoners
New data from Morgan Stanley suggests high house prices, difficulty getting loans and depleted savings mean more households are stuck in their current home.
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Guzman y Gomez float a bet on a maverick founder and his grand plans
The Mexican-themed restaurant chain’s founder is pitching big growth. He’s not an overnight success story, but the riches are there if he can make it work.
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- Anthony Macdonald
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- AI
The right way to regulate AI to reap benefits and avoid harm
Rather than a pause, we should engage in more small-scale experiments with AI to identify potential harms when it is still possible to limit their damage.
- Joshua Gans
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Bill Ackman’s coming IPO looks like a great deal for Bill Ackman
The Wall Street legend has sold a chunk of his firm Pershing Square at an impressively rich valuation. But as the firm prepares to float, investors should be cautious.
- James Thomson
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- Investing
The GameStop flurry masks the market’s underlying angst
Investors are worried that the Federal Reserve is now overly preoccupied with reducing inflation, and could be missing signs that the US economy is weakening.
- Karen Maley
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Why Putin’s nuclear weapons threats are a flop
The Western alliance is intensifying its support for Ukraine in a way that was unthinkable at the beginning of the war.
- Gideon Rachman
