| CARVIEW |
Secure your seat at this milestone gathering and be part of the conversation shaping Australia’s economic and political future.
Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg named Australian of the Year
Australia’s first qualified astronaut has been honoured for her work in helping more women become involved in the space sector.
Business leaders and former pollies line up for Australia Day honours
OECD boss Mathias Cormann, former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Fox family matriarch Paula Fox are among the honoured. See the full list.
Electricity bills could jump 24pc this year
Australian households are bracing for a surge in power costs due to the expiry of $6.8 billion in federal government rebates.
Trump faces backlash over ‘reckless’ shooting of nurse
Some Republicans are breaking ranks over the incident while Democrats are threatening a shutdown over the latest death in Minneapolis by immigration agents.
Zelensky looks for compromises to reach peace deal
Obama condemns ICE agents; Ukraine leader desperate for war to end. Follow live.
Littleproud walks back from his ultimatum over Ley leadership
The Nationals leader suggested the Coalition could be restored if three rebel senators were returned to their frontbench roles.
- Opinion
- Antisemitism
My grandfather found refuge here. What would he make of Australia today?
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, I will wonder what he would make of the Australia we are living in, where antisemitism is no longer something on the margins.
LONG WEEKEND READS
Inside the long tail of the Luke Sayers lewd photo scandal
It’s been more than a year since the now-infamous post appeared on Sayers’ X profile. But a new defamation case this week shows the saga isn’t going away.
- Opinion | Jessica Gardner
- Foreign relations
Rudd’s replacement is no political animal. That’s a good thing
Many believe the role of US ambassador requires a sharp politician, but Greg Moriarty is the technocrat that Australia needs to meet the challenges of the times.
Instagram’s dad-bod busting, energy boosting pills are all about vibes
For $1000 a year, these supplements can manifest a jawline and stop menopause pain. But why are these Australian natural remedies all registered in Wyoming?
3 ways to beat the new super tax
With the new super tax slated to start in less than six months, we ask the experts for strategies you can put in place now to limit your potential liability.
- Podcast
- IVF
Ill-conceived: Inside Australia’s IVF money-making machine
The commercialisation of the industry as private equity owners take over from pioneering doctors has many people worried.
smart investor
Retail buyers spark silver rush as rally gathers pace
Small bars and coins are in vogue across China and the Middle East, depleting inventories and forcing old stock of varying purities back into circulation.
- Opinion | Jonathan Scholes
- Inheritance
The Beckham blowup is a potent warning for all wealthy families
Brooklyn Beckham’s relationship with his parents looks irretrievable. The rift serves as a reminder that wealth ultimately amplifies family fractures.
Magnificent seven’s stock market dominance shows signs of cracking
Big tech profits are projected to slow this year, narrowing the gap with the rest of the S&P 500 and forcing Wall Street to hunt for value beyond the majors.
This couple had $500k to invest in property but did this instead
Tim and Darienne Branson are using borrowed money to invest in the sharemarket. Financial advisers say it’s becoming increasingly popular among young Australians.
The wealth divide splitting young Australia in two
The “Great Australian Dream” might feel like a nightmare for many young people but a fortunate cohort who managed to buy when interest rates hit record lows are surging ahead.
Health editor Michael Smith on why baby making is big business and how private equity firms are reshaping the IVF sector.
Companies
Major investor knew of Airwallex investigation before $498m round
Airwallex told its biggest local investor Square Peg that it was being investigated by AUSTRAC, with the VC saying discussions had been going on for the last year.
Cult label VRG GRL bucks the trend and plots string of new stores
Founded in Brisbane almost two decades ago, the Australian womenswear brand is growing rapidly and considering moving beyond its big online presence.
Unleash challenge to big three telcos, OECD tells Australia
Encouraging a fourth mobile services operator to compete with Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom could lower consumers’ phone bills, the organisation says.
Retail tycoon Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group increases stake in Accent
Shares in Accent, which owns Hype, Platypus, The Athlete’s Foot, Nude Lucy and Style Runner, have fallen by almost 60 per cent in the past year.
Life360 upgrades full-year profit guidance, shares surge by one-third
The tech company surprised investors by upgrading its revenue and earnings guidance, and revealed that it had almost 100 million users.
The quiet rise of Australia’s newest billionaire
Katrina Leslie avoided attention for years, but her software firm Swipejobs did not. It drew in a who’s who of big backers, with plans for an IPO this year.
- Updated
- Fintech
Airwallex forced into audit over child sexual abuse funding fears
AUSTRAC said it was investigating after becoming concerned that the Melbourne-founded giant was not properly monitoring payments made on its platform.
SPONSORED
Markets
First came TACO. Now it’s all about TUNA as traders look beyond US
Top investors say that better opportunities abroad and concern about US domestic policy are driving investment overseas, not the president’s tariff threats.
Australia’s top equity funds for 2025 revealed
A bet on unlisted artificial intelligence play Firmus Technologies has helped Tectonic Investment Management’s Opportunities Fund deliver a 146 per cent return.
Rieder’s market support, Fed plans seen as boon for nomination
BlackRock executive Rick Rieder is seen as looking the part of a central banker, one element that has bolstered his candidacy for the central bank’s top job.
Bell Potter pushes DroneShield declaring ‘year of the drone’
Stocks in the counter-drone developer soared by 9.5 per cent on Thursday as news of Bell Potter’s updated price target hit the market.
Aussie dollar storms to a 16-month high on rate hike bets
The local currency climbed above US68¢ following a blowout jobs report that analysts says could seal the case for the first interest rate increase in Australia in two years.
Opinion
As Ley faces her big test, Littleproud finds himself facing one, too
Questions are being raised about the Nationals leader’s judgment after his political grenade blew up the Coalition alliance and severely weakened the opposition.
Canberra bureau chief
How the race to outflank One Nation tore the Coalition apart
The hatred between the Liberals and the Nationals is at a level last seen in 1987 and Sussan Ley’s leadership is as good as terminal.
Political editor
Labor’s Harvard index obsession is a recipe for grand fiscal follies
Jim Chalmers must resist pressure to spend billions of dollars in the name of economic complexity. If not, it won’t be a decade of deficits we face, but more.
Economics professor
Australia must end ‘addiction’ to US alliance: ex-ambassador
John McCarthy, who was ambassador to the US from 1995 to 1997, says Donald Trump’s behaviour means it is time to re-examine foreign policy settings.
Foreign affairs and defence correspondent
The RBA is primed for an embarrassing backflip
The Reserve Bank of Australia is heading towards being the first central bank in the world to raise rates following a post-pandemic easing cycle.
Columnist
I was ambassador to Washington. We must be as transactional as Trump
We must lose our fear of abandonment, harnessing the benefits of the alliance but without the expectation that the United States will fight our battles for us.
Former Australian ambassador
Politics
Defence secretary Greg Moriarty to replace Kevin Rudd as US ambassador
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has opted for an experienced public servant to manage the country’s relationship with the Trump administration.
Public servants to keep status credits in blow to Virgin
Qantas gets the lion’s share of public service travel even though its flights are not cheaper, but says status benefits save the government money overall.
Taylor firms as leadership favourite, Ley defiant
Sussan Ley says the door is open for the Nationals to rethink their defection as she defends her leadership.
Retailers howl as Labor pushes ahead with free power plan
The government has given power retailers just five months to come up with unique free energy plans that it says will slash family bills by up to $800.
Labor won over blue-collar voters, people working from home: review
A review of the party’s 2025 election win says in the modern political landscape every seat is vulnerable to well-resourced challenges from independents.
World
Vibe shift: Aussie tells of year running MAGA hotspot in DC
The Australian-owned Butterworth’s in Washington acts as a looking glass into the White House and a microcosm of running a business in Trump’s America.
- Analysis
- China relations
Gleeful China sees opportunity as Trump ruptures world order
The US president’s confrontational foreign policy is fuelling Chinese confidence about forging stronger alliances with US allies. Netizens are celebrating.
- Updated
- Trade wars
Trump threatens 100pc tariffs on Canada over China deal
The president issued the threat as Canada secured a trade deal with China and just days after Mark Carney suggested the US was “rupturing” the world order.
European airlines halt flights on US, Iran tensions
The flight cancellations come as the United States moves naval assets to the Middle East, amid ongoing tensions with Iran.
- Analysis
- Trump's White House
Trump and Dimon bickered for years. Davos was the final straw
The $7.3 billion lawsuit is the latest twist in the president’s long, complex and sometimes combative relationship with the head of the biggest US bank.
Property
Finance heavyweights splash $75m on Palm Beach trophy homes
Three weekenders in Sydney’s holiday playground of the rich and famous have sold in separate deals.
Billionaire hedge fund investor Coffey plots sprawling Mosman mansion
Known as The Wizard of Oz, the businessman first bought into the popular Sydney street more than two decades ago.
Silver lining for property stocks amid uncertain outlook for rates
Real estate is particularly exposed to interest rates. But even as the outlook for rates turns hawkish, there are reasons to be cheerful, say fund managers.
Hotels ready for changing travel plans in an uncertain world
Operators are optimistic they will be able to managing changing macroeconomic and global circumstances as demand outlook remains strong into 2026.
‘The time is right’: Billionaire Lederer opens up funds platform
Billionaire Paul Lederer has 50 years of investment nous, building his own property portfolio. He’s putting that on the line in a funds management business.
Wealth
He runs a giant sovereign wealth fund but is famous for a podcast
Nicolai Tangen wanted to raise the profile of Norway’s $3 trillion oil fund and change corporate behaviour, but he may have helped embroil it in a geopolitical tangle.
How your super compares to others – from 25 to 70
Whether you’re 25 and just starting out or a 60-year-old eyeing the exit, this new data breakdown reveals exactly how your super balance stacks up.
- Opinion | Jonathan Scholes
- Inheritance
The Beckham blowup is a potent warning for all wealthy families
Brooklyn Beckham’s relationship with his parents looks irretrievable. The rift serves as a reminder that wealth ultimately amplifies family fractures.
Technology
Can Apple build AI wearables that won’t get you killed?
Apple is rumoured to be making a lapel pin AI wearable that will take Siri with you everywhere. The question is, will Siri be up to the task?
TikTok will live on in US as deal ends years of drama
TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance have closed a long-awaited deal to transfer parts of its US operations to American investors, ending fears it will be banned there.
Elon Musk picked a fight with a CEO. Now the CEO is cashing in
The billionaire has been feuding online for days with Ryanair’s owner in a spat over the company’s refusal to install Starlink. The airline is leaning into it.
Work & Careers
Do bosses still need a private office?
Business executives increasingly recognise that visibility in the workplace is important.
Sydney and UTS law schools bow to AI wave, partner with Harvey
Students at the prestigious departments will have access to the specialist legal artificial intelligence platform in the hope students don’t get left behind.
Life & Luxury
Executive hacks for a better night’s sleep
A silk pillowcase, herbal teas and “a simple mental reset”. Here’s how some top bosses are crash-tackling their sleep demons.
Get into the game with tennis ball-inspired perfume and a chic Dior visor
Plus, Ralph Lauren’s AO-themed capsule, a sporty Rimowa duffle bag and sleek Louis Vuitton sneakers.
- Updated
- Streaming
American climbs Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes live on Netflix
Watch videos of Alex Honnold scaling the building, amid concerns over the ethical implications of attempting such a high-risk endeavour on live broadcast.
- Opinion
- Streaming
The best Australian shows to stream this long weekend
Suffocating under the weight of foreign shows on streaming platforms? Here are six home-grown offerings to enjoy on Australia Day and beyond.
Barty-backed brand leads cheeky challenge to official sponsors
Ralph Lauren has paid big bucks to be the event’s official sponsor. It hasn’t stopped other brands muscling in.
