Latest
Crescent Capital mulls exit for Green Leaves Early Learning
Street Talk understands the Sydney-based buyout firm is gearing up to add the Queensland-based childcare group to deal sheets.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
- Exclusive
- Trade wars
Trump tariffs ‘not too disruptive’, Goldman’s top economist predicts
He expects the US president-elect’s slug on imports will be smaller than threatened, but warns they would hit growth hard if fully implemented.
- John Kehoe
Fed on track to cut rates: Wall Street’s view of jobs data
November’s payrolls report keeps open the door for a quarter point rate cut this month, though next week’s CPI data still needs to be cleared.
- Timothy Moore
Construction boss jailed over ‘rape and pillage’ fraud
Organised crime figure George Alex also had help in claiming millions of dollars of debts from an unnamed CFMEU official, a NSW Supreme Court judge said.
- David Marin-Guzman
Meet our Business People of the Year | GDP grumpiness | CBA’s rare slip
This week on the Chanticleer podcast, James and AFR Editor-in-Chief James Chessell take you inside the AFR’s Business Person of the Year awards, examine business’ angst over the economy and look at an uncharacteristic political blunder by the Commonwealth Bank.
‘Cruiser schools’ and why parents might not be getting what they pay for
Australia has one of the most privatised school systems in the world, but national data suggests not all students are benefiting from their costly educations.
- Julie Hare
Opinion & Analysis
Middle East braces for fresh chaos after Assad’s fall
Euphoria has swept the streets of Damascus after Bashar al-Assad’s brutal reign suddenly ended. But what comes next?
International editor
There’s a compelling case for RBA reducing interest rates on Tuesday
The board has created expectations of no rate cut at the final meeting of 2024. That’s the mirror of its 2021 error when it implied there would be no rise.
Contributor
How Victoria became one of the rich world’s most indebted states
Victoria is the fourth-most indebted advanced economy state government outside the US. It may soon find there’s a fine line between nation-building and overbuilding.
Economics correspondent
Public sector is strangling economy to death
Like a parasitic twin, the healthy economy is sucking the life out of the sick economy. Something has to give.
Columnist
Yesterday
- Analysis
- Syrian conflict
Middle East braces for fresh chaos after Assad’s fall
Euphoria has swept the streets of Damascus after Bashar al-Assad’s brutal reign suddenly ended. But what comes next?
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Interest rates
There’s a compelling case for RBA reducing interest rates on Tuesday
The board has created expectations of no rate cut at the final meeting of 2024. That’s the mirror of its 2021 error when it implied there would be no rise.
- Ross Garnaut
- Opinion
- Leading Indicators
How Victoria became one of the rich world’s most indebted states
Victoria is the fourth-most indebted advanced economy state government outside the US. It may soon find there’s a fine line between nation-building and overbuilding.
- Michael Read
This Month
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Public sector is strangling economy to death
Like a parasitic twin, the healthy economy is sucking the life out of the sick economy. Something has to give.
- Steven Hamilton
- Opinion
- Letters to the Editor
Labor lacking business nous
Readers’ letters on Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the state of the economy, Labor’s stance on Israel, the Melbourne arson attack and payroll tax.
- Opinion
- Political unrest
A crazy six hours in Seoul and the fragility of democracy
A presidential brain snap in South Korea has revived dark memories of the country’s past, with potentially damaging geopolitical ripples across north-east Asia.
- James Curran
- Opinion
- Economics explained
Why price discrimination can be a good thing
The online age may make it easier for companies to predict what we’re willing to pay. But it also makes it easier for us to share stories of nasty corporate behaviour.
- Richard Holden
Public sector jobs surge props up economy
Employment in the public sector is growing at double the pace of the private sector.
- John Kehoe
- Analysis
- Australian economy
Australia’s economic problems have been brewing for years
We are in the most prolonged downturn since the 1991 recession. It’s time for a treasurer to do something about it.
- John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
AusSuper has a $1 trillion problem. It’s working backwards to solve it
While the Australian super system deals with its first real crisis, AustralianSuper’s Paul Schroder is looking to the future.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- The AFR View
The treasurer must ask what he can do for business
Jim Chalmers is asking business to dig Australia’s economy out of the hole. But he also needs to say what he is going to do to help businesses invest and lift the nation’s embarrassingly poor productivity.
- The AFR View
- Exclusive
- Australian economy
Australia is now an economic ‘problem child’: McKinsey
Business investment is at recession levels as the country’s productivity growth slumps to 30th out of 35 rich countries, says a new report.
- John Kehoe and Michael Read
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Five reforms Chalmers must tackle to kickstart growth
Taking on big reforms may entail political risks, but the alternative is to continue on a path of genteel decline.
- David Alexander
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Wesfarmers CEO: ‘We can’t just wait around for rates to fall’
As Rob Scott says goodbye to an unsung hero of his own investment success, he says Australia’s tepid GDP growth can be a rallying point for the private sector.
- James Thomson
You’re part of the growth problem, business leaders tell Chalmers
The bosses of BHP and Wesfarmers have called on Labor to overhaul the uncompetitive tax system and reverse changes to IR laws if it wants a private sector recovery.
- Michael Read, Carrie LaFrenz, Elouise Fowler and John Kehoe
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
Michele Bullock could be the Maradona of Australian central banking
The Reserve Bank governor is weaving through the inflation challenge with a hawkish comment here, a dovish quip there and a steady interest rate.
- Paul Bloxham
- Opinion
- Gas
Victoria is running out of gas and there is no easy fix
A gas-rich, wealthy country unable to supply gas to its major population centres is a massive policy failing. There is one “least-worst” solution.
- Tony Wood
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Business Person awards celebrate founder success
AirTrunk and Chemist Warehouse’s founder stories underline the importance of innovative and risk-taking entrepreneurship, perceptiveness, and persistence to build wealth- and job-creating enterprises.
- The AFR View
Chalmers admits business must pull Australia out of growth slump
Jim Chalmers says record government spending is stopping the economy from shrinking, but economists say it is delaying rate cuts and crowding out the private sector.
- Michael Read
Cbus’ Swan has ‘serious questions’ to answer: Coalition
Fundamental transparency and accountability failings at the industry super fund may yet claim the scalp of its chairman.
- Michelle Bowes, Joanna Mather and Lucy Dean
