Economy

With her trip to New Caledonia and Tuvalu, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will have visited every member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
International relations

Australia foreign minister visits Pacific islands with eye on China

Climate, post-COVID economic recovery on agenda in New Caledonia and Tuvalu

20 April 2023
Sri Lankan women protest against high living costs and taxes on March 8: The island nation and others in debt distress are in need of relief. 
Opinion

G-20 nations should commit $500bn a year to 'SDG Stimulus'

The world is running out of time to rescue the U.N. 2030 Agenda

10 April 2023
The Mt. Marion lithium mine in the Goldfields region of Western Australia: The country is home to the second-largest reserves of lithium. (Handout photo from Ganfeng Lithium) 
Opinion

Australia and Indonesia should forge business ties in lithium

Missing ingredient for Widodo's vision for EV sector is close at hand

3 April 2023
Container ships at the Port of Felixstowe in England. CPTPP members have agreed on Britain's entry into the grouping.
Trade

U.K. accepted as 12th member of CPTPP trade bloc

Group aims to finalize first nonfounding member's accession in July

31 March 2023
Chinese students gather for photos at the University of Sydney on July 4, 2020, after a graduation ceremony was cancelled during the COVID-19 outbreak. 
Economy

Australia banks on China tailwind as rate hikes threaten slowdown

Influx of Chinese students, tourists could help offset RBA's hawkish policy

20 February 2023
Syndey Opera House near the waterfront in 2021. Workers in Australia took more annual leave than usual in January.
Economy

Australia employment falls unexpectedly for second month

Jobless rate jumps to 8-month high of 3.7% in January

16 February 2023
A farmer makes plantings on a floating seedbed made from invasive water hyacinths in Pirojpur district, Bangladesh: Modern-day green technologies can take inspiration from indigenous practices.
Opinion

Asia's green transition will require more climate finance

Philanthropic organizations can support technological innovations

14 February 2023
Facial recognition technology is displayed at the 2019 Digital China Exhibition in Fuzhou, China: Dual-use technologies have prompted renewed debate about the ethical use of technology.
Opinion

Tech standard setting cannot be left to companies or lone nations

International effort needed to build digital norms around democratic values

9 February 2023
Oxeye scad in Raja Ampat, Indonesia: The transition from an extractive to a regenerative model will rely on systemic political and economic shifts.
Opinion

Asia's 'blue capital' can help alleviate hunger and poverty

Fishery and aquaculture output can be sustainably expanded with care

2 February 2023
Expectations for Australia's wheat crop remain high despite concern about heavy rain during harvest season.
Commodities

Australia's bumper wheat crop cuts prices for hungry Asian markets

Imports by top consumer China more than double as shipping jam eases

21 January 2023
A coastal Sydney suburb. Australia's AU$9.4 trillion housing stock is worth more than four times the size of its gross domestic product.
Economy

Australia's huge housing market keeps central bank on knife edge

Test awaits in 2023 as inflation-fighting rate hikes put focus on mortgage servicing

12 December 2022
The world's first hydrogen carrier arrives from Japan at the Port of Hastings in Victoria, Australia, on Jan. 20: Hydrogen is not a new source of energy but a form of energy storage. (Handout photo from HySTRA)
Opinion

Japan and South Korea must recognize blue hydrogen is not clean

Even direct use of fossil fuels can involve lower greenhouse emissions

28 November 2022
In his new book, "The Lucky Laundry," Nathan Lynch examines Australia's role as a "major international hub" for laundering illicit funds.
Economy

Australia 'economically vulnerable' to money laundering: expert

Author says dependence on foreign funding makes it 'international hub'

15 November 2022
Shoppers look at produce at a shopping center in Sydney on July 27.
Economy

Australia looks to trim spending as slowdown looms

Government seeks to boost wages; planned tax cuts for top earners off limits

24 October 2022
As the race for talent heats up around the world, some experts argue the Albanese government will struggle to attract immigrants back to a country dubbed "Fortress Australia" throughout the pandemic for its hardline response to prevent the virus from hitting its shores.
Asia Insight

'Fortress Australia' seeks to become immigration nation again

COVID-induced labor shortages push Albanese to raise cap on migrants

18 October 2022
Australia had 69 major coal projects in the pipeline in 2021, according to the federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Around 60% of these were greenfield developments.
Commodities

Price rally spurs Australian coal expansion, risks climate goals

Some miners have been using windfall to pay down debt, draw up growth plans

14 October 2022
Australia's Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Oct.10. He said Canberra is open to dialogue with Beijing. (Photo by Tomoyoshi Oshikiri)
Interview

Australia sees 'no prospect' of China being accepted into CPTPP

Trade Minister Don Farrell 'open to dialogue and engagement' with Beijing

11 October 2022
A competition for the best of the best workers is heating up across Asia, as governments and companies seek the talent they need to accelerate growth in the wake of COVID-19.
Asia Insight

From Singapore to Thailand, Asia dangles visas to lure high-fliers

New programs kick off as companies struggle to find skilled workers

4 October 2022
Workers in Singapore: Asian employers are more eager to bring people back to offices than Western companies, research suggests.
Coronavirus

From Singapore to Japan, workers get restless as offices call

Surveys signal clash between employer and employee priorities after COVID

19 September 2022
A large crack is seen in a highway near the town of Kainantu, following a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northeastern Papua New Guinea on Sept. 11.
11 September 2022
The Reserve Bank of Australia is in tightening mode as it attempts to tame inflation.
Economy

Australia raises key rate to 2.35%, hiking for 5th straight month

As inflation bites, RBA hints at more hikes and government lifts immigration cap

6 September 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity launch event in Tokyo on May 23. 
Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific nations to agree on better supply chain communication

IPEF draft statement for Sept. 8-9 meeting also includes push for clean energy

4 September 2022
Employers seek to attract workers at a job fair at Sydney Airport in June. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) 
Economy

Australia PM calls for 'compromise, sacrifice' to combat labor crunch

Summit held with private sector amid 48-year-low jobless rate, inflation threat

2 September 2022
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's support has dropped off considerably since 2021.
Politics

Inflation and lockdowns hurt New Zealand's ruling party in polls

Once a COVID success story, PM Ardern's camp trails opposition ahead of 2023 election

23 August 2022
A solar cell production line in Baddi, in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh: India is emerging as a low-cost, large-scale rival to China in clean energy manufacturing.
Opinion

Quad should seize chance to boost Indo-Pacific clean energy

Challenging China's dominance will not be easy

11 July 2022