Economy

Scott Morrison's assertion that the aid package will secure a "boost to Australia's long-term fuel security by locking in the future" of its refining sector seems less plausible.
Opinion

Australia throws good money after bad propping up local oil refineries

Canberra should know by now that "fuel security" is a mirage

28 May 2021
SoftBank Group is set to report a net profit of more than $40 billion, the highest ever for a Japanese company. 
Your Week in Asia

SoftBank comeback, Kelly testifies in Nissan case, Australia budget

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

9 May 2021
A passenger prepares to catch a flight to New Zealand at Australia's Sydney Airport on April 19, as the countries' quarantine-free travel bubble opens.
Coronavirus

Australia-New Zealand travel bubble off to fast, emotional start

Quarantine-free trips raise hopes for an economic shot in the arm

19 April 2021
Members of Victoria Police perform random checks in Melbourne in July 2020: Australian police have a insidious method of breaking the human spirit.
Opinion

Why I no longer call Australia home

The Lucky Country's unbearable slide into paternalism

9 April 2021
Mathias Cormann, Australia's former Finance Misister and the secretary-general designate of the OECD, pictured in October 2020: there is one way Cormann could be a real game-changer.
Opinion

The OECD should set its sights on China

Mathias Cormann's golden chance to even up the global economic system

8 April 2021
One analyst told Nikkei Asia that the central bank is "genuinely worried that the government will start to consolidate the fiscal position prematurely" as the economy improves.
Economy

Australia's fast COVID recovery leaves central bank nursing doubts

RBA wary of government focus on deficit as China looms and vaccines lag

6 April 2021
China continues to import Australian iron ore as part of its economic recovery push even as it imposes tariffs and other curbs on other Australian products.
Trade

Despite China feud, Australia resource exports to hit record by value

Soaring iron ore prices make up for friction in bilateral trade

30 March 2021
The International Energy Agency predicts that renewables will be the number one source of electricity within five years, overtaking natural gas and coal.
Opinion

How COVID-19 gave renewables an energy boost

Even oil majors concede pandemic may have marked peak fossil fuel production

27 March 2021
A man wades through his flooded yard in a Western Sydney suburb on March 23. Some experts say plans to build more houses in flood-prone areas should be scrapped.
Natural disasters

Australia floods raise alarm on Sydney's great housing gamble

Plans to meet surging home demand go underwater as rain wreaks havoc

25 March 2021
A barley crop in Canada. Chinese importers are responding to a high tariff on Australian barley by buying more from Canada, France, Argentina and Ukraine.
Agriculture

China tariff on Australia's barley reshapes global trade

Surging price hits brewers and livestock farmers while exporters shift to new markets

19 March 2021
A containership at Sydney's Botany Bay in October: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Australian exporters faced escalating Chinese trade restrictions in 2020.
Economy

Australia's GDP bounce defies China's trade pressure

Exporters find alternative customers as Morrison's COVID response pays off

4 March 2021
Facebook has chosen to take a confrontational approach.
Opinion

Facebook's Australia tantrum shows why Big Tech must be reined in

Other nations likely to follow Canberra's lead with their own regulatory frameworks

24 February 2021
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, pictured in May 2017: politicians are pushing the proposal as a favor to their preferred news organizations, including the Murdoch media empire.
Opinion

Australia's flawed push to make Big Tech pay for news

Proposed law will align traditional media and tech platforms against consumers

12 February 2021
Beachfront property in Hyams Beach: Demand for lifestyle properties has grown with the increased prevalence of remote work since the pandemic.
Property

Australia's suburban home prices soar as city dwellers seek space

Telecommuting in pandemic lets families pick bigger houses near nature

20 January 2021
China's aggressive and insulting diplomacy has united public opinion in Australia.
Opinion

We Australians face China's bullying insults with honor

Beijing has shown the world exactly what sort of great power it would be

30 December 2020
Exchange students arrive at Darwin International Airport in late November. (Photo courtesy of Charles Darwin University)
Education

Study-abroad hub Australia wants students back -- in small doses

First batch of 63 international students arrive under pilot program

23 December 2020
Australia has "irritated" Beijing and caused it to "lose face," according to Canberra's former ambassador, who also says the spat shows "economic coercion is an important part of [China's] statecraft."
Interview

Ex-envoy to China says Australian 'no strategy' diplomacy misfires

Geoff Raby blames Canberra defense establishment for riling top trade partner

18 December 2020
A passenger arrives from New Zealand after the Trans-Tasman travel bubble opened. Travelers outside the bubble are still largely banned.
Economy

Businesses push back on Australia and New Zealand travel bans

With low infection rates, companies say entry limits are too strict

8 December 2020
A worker prepares imported iron ore for transport at a port in China's Jiangsu Province in 2019.
Economy

China helps fuel Australian economic recovery despite trade feud

Hunger for iron ore offsets Beijing's clampdown on other commodities for now

4 December 2020
Scott Morrison appears unlikely to change course.
Opinion

Australia's climate change denial will inflame China tensions

Beijing will punish Canberra for its stubborn refusal to take action

2 December 2020
Climate activists display banners in front of the Sydney Opera House as part of a "Fund Our Future Not Gas" rally in late September.
Environment

Australia climate wars flare as China and others make carbon vows

Asian net-zero goals, Biden's rise and domestic divisions pressure Morrison

1 December 2020
Suga and Morrison should tell Beijing thanks but no thanks.
Opinion

China should not be allowed anywhere near the TPP

The only way Beijing enters Pacific trade deal is by watering it down to mediocrity

26 November 2020
Rupert Murdoch's position is all about accumulating and exercising political power.
Opinion

Why I'm taking on Rupert Murdoch

Media campaign to deny climate change is harmful

22 November 2020
"For many businesses forced to close their doors during lockdowns, Facebook and Instagram have been a lifeline," writes Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Opinion

How an open internet can power Asia-Pacific's economic recovery

Everyone should have the opportunity to be part of the digital future

19 November 2020
Morrison is prepared to spend two weeks in quarantine.
Opinion

Australia cements closer ties with Japan

Scott Morrison first foreign leader to call on Yoshihide Suga in person

17 November 2020