Featured Opinion
Australia wants more than the Lucky Country can deliver
Successive terms of trade booms – the envy of other nations – have allowed Australian governments to splurge. But now it seems that even that is not enough.
Editorial
Budget week is time for Dutton to roll a few Jaffas down the aisle
In the same week Peter Dutton went in to bat for the koalas, Labor flew the flag for gas.
Political editor
No more gaming the system, says High Court
The High Court has sent a clear message: those “manipulating the system” won’t be rewarded with a get-out-of-detention free card.
Legal editor
RBA’s credibility at risk as central banks confront interference
Alleging neutrality while considering lifting rates seems contradictory.
Columnist
GST and gas show a government that’s still out of tune
A huge GST handout to WA and a report that gives a free pass to the state’s gas industry show how far parochial toadying in the west will go.
Columnist
China’s grim pattern in South China Sea needs a collective response
A quiet tussle is going on over China’s ambitions to control all of its neighbouring seas. Affected countries need to unite before China miscalculates.
Defence expert
Sad halting of the press in WA
The Australian Financial Review has built a publishing model based on premium digital subscriptions. But it is still sad that from May 22, no one in Western Australia will be able to read a hard copy version.
Editorial
Half-priced detergent every few weeks? Shoppers can smell a rat
Deep food and grocery discounts have become increasingly popular with consumers, but the cost is unfairly borne by suppliers, prompting calls for change.
Columnist
More From Today
- Analysis
- Earnings season
Can the banks fight their way out of the commodity trap?
It’s hard to see how the banks can meaningfully increase profit margins unless the trend towards mortgage brokers reverses.
- Lucas Baird
- Opinion
- Satire
A call for destruction can mean, well, just about anything really
Confused about what “from the river to the sea” means? It’s been a common mistake right through history.
- Rowan Dean
Yesterday
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
There’s a bigger story behind Perpetual’s sad break-up
The break-up of Perpetual is a story of mismanagement, but it also speaks to the structural changes sweeping across Australia’s financial sector.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Public service
Why headcount matters when it comes to budgets
As any finance chief will attest, the number of bums on seats tells you most of what you need to know about an organisation’s underlying size and costs.
- Tom Burton
- Opinion
- Tech Observed
Apple ad fail shows why we fear AI
Apple has apologised for an ad for its new iPads that was so tone-deaf that the creative types, who normally love the company, had an existential fright.
- Paul Smith
- Opinion
- Mental health
Is it time to stop talking about mental illness?
I believe many young people are being encouraged to frame normal experiences as psychiatric conditions. There are even financial motivations.
- Peter Quarry
- Opinion
- Flat Chat
Building commissioner’s parting warning for property developers
David Chandler’s legacy includes an army of inspectors able to identify the developers most likely to produce suspect buildings.
- Jimmy Thomson
- Opinion
- Legal industry
How the US Supreme Court became a political organisation
When judges make decisions that should be left to politicians, they undermine democracy.
- Amanda Stoker
- Opinion
- USA
Campus protests may help Donald Trump win
History suggests the intellectual conformism sweeping university life could trigger a popular backlash that ends in conservative rule.
- David Brooks
This Month
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Labor locks gas firmly into energy transition
The Future Gas Strategy reaffirms a strong role for gas, but despite the title it is light on ideas to get there.
- The AFR View
Gas policy betrays Labor voters
Readers’ letters on the government’s plan to back gas until 2050; a call to arms from Perth; why it’s time to leave the low-tax silo; and why King Charles should phone Xi Jinping.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What we learnt as CEOs meet capital markets kings, queens
It’s been three days of watching CEOs pitch to fund managers and hearing their off-record feedback at Macquarie’s annual conference. Both sides are more upbeat.
- Anthony Macdonald
- Opinion
- Gas
Why Albanese is going all in on gas
The Labor government has infuriated climate activists by insisting that gas will play a crucial role in the energy transition for many decades to come. Big producers like Woodside will wait to see what that means.
- Jennifer Hewett
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
CBA shows this is not your parents’ slowdown
CBA’s chief executive started banging the drum on loss-making mortgages early last year. Now, the broader banking sector appears to be thinking along the same lines.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Why now is not the time for Palestinian statehood
We cannot just hope that Hamas will lay down its arms – it will never happen. Nor can we hope that an alternative Palestinian Authority will emerge. We need to demand it, as a pre-condition of any form of recognition.
- Jeremy Leibler
- Opinion
- Federal budget
A responsible pre-election budget is a delicate balancing act
The treasurer must not stimulate the economy, but cannot ignore the fact that some Australians are bearing more than their share of the pain.
- Aruna Sathanapally
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
‘Why would I invest a single cent in Australia?’ asks Orica boss
The explosives giant’s CEO, Sanjeev Gandhi, is getting a little tired of hearing about the Albanese government’s much hyped Future Made in Australia policy.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Why Gaza is an endless gift for Vladimir Putin
Israel’s war on Hamas is a serious drain for Joe Biden as he heads towards the US presidential election.
- Edward Luce
- Driving With Tony Davis
- Motoring
Why this wrecked Ferrari is good value at $3m
Apparently, the burnt-out remains of a 1954 Ferrari race car was a bargain.
- Tony Davis
- Opinion
- Energy
We will need new sources of gas
Australia is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, and we will need gas to get there.
- Madeleine King
- Opinion
- The AFR View
The digital health black hole must be fixed
The Productivity Commission’s report on the failure of My Health Record should concern all Australians not only as taxpayers, but as consumers in an ageing society.
- The AFR View
