Latest
Dutton opposes Albanese ‘stunt’ to ban cuts to penalty rates
Peter Dutton said he supported the status quo on worker entitlements, while employer groups slammed Labor’s proposal to ban cuts to penalty rates.
Albanese to ignite IR war with promise to ban cuts to penalty rates
Labor will drag Peter Dutton into an election fight over industrial relations, effectively killing off a handful of cases by employer groups to cut penalty rates.
Dutton announces tax discount for small businesses
Small businesses will receive a $2000 tax deduction for tech upgrades, while entrepreneurs will pay discounted tax rates for three years under a $330 million plan.
Taking stock of Trump | Why house prices will rise | 5 trends to watch
This week, what’s next in Donald Trump’s trade war, five corporate trends shaping business and what Labor and Liberal policies will do to house prices.
Still-tight jobs market unlikely to derail May rate cut
Economists still expect the RBA to cut rates next month despite employment increasing by 32,200 in March.
Turbine blades shredded and reborn as gnarly surfboards
The project is more than just an experiment in sustainability - it’s a return to an unexpected, decades-old connection between wind energy and surfing.
Sponsored
by ACCIONA
Opinion & Analysis
In Trump’s new order, Australia must fight for affordable medicines
We must protect the principle that sovereignty, stability and fairness are not up for negotiation – even in a more transactional world.
Former political adviser
The forgotten tax keeping women out of work
Removing fringe benefits tax on employer-subsidised childcare is a no-brainer if we truly care about lifting workforce participation.
Business director at Kicker Communications
Dutton’s ‘aspiration’ to end tax bracket creep is too little, too late
If the Coalition leader had committed to indexing the tax scales a month ago, he could have given himself a better shot at winning the election.
Economics editor
Albanese and Dutton are like Whitlam and Fraser. That’s a disaster
On any reasonable economic assessment, Labor barely deserves a chance to be re-elected – but the Coalition’s offering may be even worse.
Economics editor
This Month
In Trump’s new order, Australia must fight for affordable medicines
We must protect the principle that sovereignty, stability and fairness are not up for negotiation – even in a more transactional world.
The forgotten tax keeping women out of work
Removing fringe benefits tax on employer-subsidised childcare is a no-brainer if we truly care about lifting workforce participation.
Dutton’s ‘aspiration’ to end tax bracket creep is too little, too late
If the Coalition leader had committed to indexing the tax scales a month ago, he could have given himself a better shot at winning the election.
Albanese and Dutton are like Whitlam and Fraser. That’s a disaster
On any reasonable economic assessment, Labor barely deserves a chance to be re-elected – but the Coalition’s offering may be even worse.
Western Sydney Uni to cut 400 jobs to stave off $80m deficit
Western Sydney is the latest university to announce a big cost-cutting program and hundreds of job cuts.
Labor housing scheme exposes taxpayers to half of mortgage defaults
Labor’s expansion of a free guarantee on first home loans will wipe out more than half of the $1 billion private market for lenders mortgage insurance and expose taxpayers to potentially billions of dollars in payouts on defaults.
Why Canberra can’t afford to ignore Jakarta
In the shifting tides of the Indo-Pacific, the real danger lies not in Indonesia’s dance with others, but in our failure to keep in step.
Why working hard no longer buys you a home in Australia
We need to end the federalism disconnect and enable states to strip away their own government-imposed costs on new housing.
‘Fails the pub test’: Farmers taxed for supporting energy transition
Landowners are being hit with big tax bills for selling their holdings to make way for critical energy infrastructure.
Trump’s trade war is a sledgehammer to America’s tech dominance
The president’s instincts on rebalancing the trade deficit with China aren’t wrong, but his methods are constraining the talents that have underwritten the US AI boom.
Investor groups urge Labor not to extend tax on unrealised gains
A coalition of self-funded retirees, small businesses and farmers is demanding it rule out extending its taxation of unrealised gains to other investments.
This is the election where politicians gave experts the middle finger
The views of Australia’s top policy minds are unwelcome this campaign because few of the announced policies would have survived the scrutiny of a first-year university tutorial.
Chalmers is determined not to waste Trump crisis. But it will get ugly
The tariff war has given the treasurer’s election pitch new momentum. But for whoever wins government, dealing with the president’s brave new world will be tough.
RBA open to May interest rate cut
The Reserve Bank has flagged that interest rates could be cut again in May, once it has the latest information on inflation and Donald Trump’s trade war.
My China trip made one thing clear about the global trade war
The Chinese mean it when they say they won’t cave to Washington’s escalating threats. They have many cards to play.
The $5b move that could smash house prices
The housing policy promises from the major parties both offer assistance for housing supply, but they also boost demand in ways that are not well-targeted.
Navigating the ESG storm
The Australian Financial Review ESG Summit 2025, where Australia’s top leaders shape the future of responsible business in an era of rising scrutiny and accountability.
Housing tax break ‘would blow Coalition’s budget’
Economists say the Coalition’s tax deductions for mortgage interest could cost the federal budget billions of dollars more than the $1.25 billion it has claimed.
Finding someone to fix your EV is hard, and may be about to get harder
Australia is short at least 7000 electric vehicle technicians and industry leaders warn proposed occupational licensing could exacerbate the repair bottleneck.
Labor picks city to host climate summit, making it an election issue
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the COP31 summit will provide an economic boost to Adelaide that would be denied under a Coalition government.
