Treasurer courts business with productivity promises
Helping businesses leverage clean energy and AI will transform Australia to its "fourth economy" and improve productivity growth, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says.
Economy, Business and Finance
Flooding puts focus on failing major highway
Promises of a better Bruce Highway costing billions of dollars have followed another flooding of the major road which isolated towns and sparked rescues.
Economic uncertainty clouds business investment outlook
The value of planned investment projects, such as road and rail infrastructure, has fallen as businesses cut costs in response to rising economic uncertainty.
Witches, pop star’s memoir drive up News Corp revenue
News Corp shares have hit an all-time high after posting five per cent revenue and 20 per cent earnings growth in the second quarter.
Telcos talk up 3G shut down amid ‘dire’ safety fears
Rural Australians have reported poor mobile service and new black spots after the 3G network closure, but the telcos say their coverage is steady or better.
Electric vehicle sales brake as car market slows again
Australians bought fewer new cars in January, with electric car sales more than halving despite growing price competition and new limits on vehicle emissions.
Australian shares give up gains as Trump tariffs start
The ASX200 had been up by as much as 0.8 per cent in early trading but closed slightly lower as US President Donald Trump's levies begin on China.
Power company fined $9m over explosion and blackout
A Federal Court justice has found a coal-fired power station's "catastrophic failure and destruction" was a result of serious breaches in operating procedures.
Senator pushes for gambling industry influence inquiry
David Pocock is critical of the government for not acting on a landmark report recommending banning gambling ads, linking it to industry lobbying efforts.
House prices expected to rise amid supply challenge
Housing will remain a key policy battlefield at the election with prices expected to continue increasing and efforts to boost supply lagging behind targets.
Review to put derailed 2032 Games plans back on track
A multi-billion-dollar transport problem will be tackled by an Olympic infrastructure review as cost blowouts threaten to derail major 2032 rail projects.
Aussie shares hit record high as rate-cut hopes grow
The ASX200 has hit a new high in intraday trading and finished just under its all-time closing record amid optimism the RBA will cut rates at its next meeting.
Aussie shares set another record on back of rates hype
The ASX200 has risen almost half a per cent to finish at its highest-ever level and end January up 4.6 per cent from where it started.
Fresh data to shed light on retail, housing strength
Australians are expected to have pulled back on retail spending after major sales, with the latest data unlikely to shift the dial for the Reserve Bank.
Home approvals bounce can’t keep a lid on prices
Home values held firm in January as a shallow and short-lived housing downturn nears its end, with new supply coming too slowly to solve unaffordability.
Aussie shares, dollar plunge as Trump starts trade war
Billions of dollars have been wiped from the Australian share market as it plunged to its worst loss in four months and the dollar fell to a near five-year low.
Big bank clips rates as RBA mulls next move
Strong retail spending figures are not expected to deter the Reserve Bank from cutting rates at its next meeting as one big bank lowers fixed-rate loans.
Beyonce wins album of year Grammy for country record
Beyonce has secured the prestigious album of the year Grammy Award for her chart-topping country album Cowboy Carter.
Aussie households forecast to weather Trump tariffs
Australia might see some fallout from Donald Trump's tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, but local households are expected to be spared too much pain.
More than $15bn a year to save threatened species
Climate change and other threats have 16 species headed for extinction no matter how much money is spent, new research shows.
Chief scientist lights fuse on nuclear energy debate
The nation's new chief scientist is on a collision course with a possible coalition government over its contentious pre-election pledge for nuclear energy.
Belief firms in rate relief as inflation takes breather
Markets and economists widely tip a February interest rate cut after underlying inflation came in below expectations for the December quarter.
DeepSeek surge could lead to Australian AI boom: expert
The lowering of the cost of artificial intelligence, as demonstrated by DeepSeek, could see Australia play more of a role in the industry, an expert says.
Top clothing chains to close, shedding hundreds of jobs
More than 250 outlets of two leading retail chains will close, costing nearly 1000 jobs, after receivers failed to find a buyer for the stores.
Last big bank holdout against February rate cut folds
With the stars aligned for a February interest rate cut, borrowers are now concerned with how many cuts the Reserve Bank will hand down.
Record renewables share in grid as power demand climbs
Emissions fell to record lows in the three months to December as renewables notched a record share and coal's contribution dipped below half for the first time.
‘Year of the unit’: cost squeeze drives homebuyer shift
Rising unaffordability and changing lifestyles are driving an unusual turnaround in real estate dynamics as unit prices grow faster than houses in some areas.
US central bank holds interest rates steady
The US central bank has left its benchmark interest rate unchanged after cutting it three times in a row last year.
Apprentice incentive not enough to meet housing targets
Despite the Albanese government's well-meaning rhetoric, its policies and results reveal a failure to fix housing affordability, a housing expert says.
How horses, pumpkins and corn flakes made a bush legend
A craft competition on the back of a cereal box, a deep love of horses and a quirky pumpkin festival have shaped one woman's life of service to rural Australia.
Crucial inflation readout to determine RBA rate call
Mortgage relief could be just around the corner if predictions of a faster-than-expected fall in price growth are borne out in ABS data released on Wednesday.