NewsBite

James Hall

Yesterday

Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Chalmers has ‘damaged’ RBA independence

Jim Chalmers’ pressure on Reserve Bank governors Michele Bullock and Philip Lowe is “highly reprehensible” and has damaged the independence of the RBA, Roger Corbett and Angus Taylor say.

Trump and Norman have had a close bond for many years.

Don’t worry, Trump knows what AUKUS is, Greg Norman says

The Australian golf legend says he’s prepared to help if he can to broker relations with his mate Donald Trump, as a deadline looms on tariffs and the president appears oblivious to the big-money submarine pact.

February

CopperString will connect Townsville to Mount Isa in Queensland’s north.

Qld urged to flip giant power line project to save money

The state-owned company in charge of delivering an enormous transmission line in Queensland has asked the government to approve a change in direction for a project blasted by APA Group as economically “horrendous”.

January

After 3½ years of bickering, it’s crunch time for Brisbane Olympics

Amid competing plans and multibillion-dollar price tags, the premier will now decide on the Olympic stadium – with implications for cricket, the AFL and beyond.

The Queensland government paused approvals for new wind farms.

Qld hits pause on wind farms, and big miners are among those worried

Resource-rich Queensland had become a poster child for the energy transition, but early signs from the new LNP government have created confusion about the state’s energy plans.

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Part of the entranceway to the Star casino and Queens Wharf complex in Brisbane.

Inside the high-roller room at struggling Star’s new casino

Bored-looking dealers amid golden opulence. There are not as many big-paying customers as Star Entertainment would like at the most exclusive space in its sparkly new Brisbane casino.

Treasurer David Janetzki says measures to rein in the budget will be necessary.

Debt explosion pushes Queensland to cusp of rating downgrade

Queensland is at risk of a credit rating downgrade as early as this year, after Treasurer David Janetzki released a dire fiscal update from the new LNP government.

Australia’s super system is too complex, according to a new report.

Super has turned into ‘massive inheritance scheme’: Grattan Institute

The leading think tank has called for the federal government to create a lifetime annuity to ensure retirees receive an income for life.

The chairman of Winsway Coking Coal, Xingchun Wang, who shares the same name as a person who last week became a minority shareholder in Star Entertainment.

Star’s Macau mystery man is a coal magnate with a taste for luxury

Why did Xingchun Wang choose now to invest in Australia’s gambling industry? The plot thickens in casino-friendly Macau, the Chinese special administrative region where he resides.

Star’s bid for a tax relief has been brushed off by NSW and Queensland.

NSW and Qld unmoved by Star’s renewed plea for tax relief

NSW Premier Chris Minns was emphatic the government would not offer respite to the struggling gaming company whose casinos are ailing.

While most big investors have been trying to offload their Star holdings, the mystery man has been buying up.

On the trail of Star Entertainment’s mystery Macau shareholder

Who is Xingchun Wang, and what does he want with the ailing operator of casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast that is teetering on the brink of collapse?

Peter Dutton says one of the core strengths of a Coalition government would be law and order.

Banks would face new loan regime under Coalition amid ESG pushback

Peter Dutton says bankers on multimillion-dollar pay packets who restrict lending on environmental grounds are out of step with ordinary Australians.

Former senator Eric Abetz.

‘Swayed by extremist groups’: Abetz slams bank in ESG stoush

A dispute over ESG requirements has emerged in Tasmania after a forestry company claimed its financing from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank was knocked back on environmental concerns.

NSW nurses demonstrating for a pay rise in November.

Wage rises to blow out ‘unrealistic’ state budgets: S&P

Psychiatrists in NSW and teachers, nurses and police in Queensland are the latest essential workers to demand significant wage rises from state governments.

Shark populations have continued to fall over recent decades.

Think there’s been a major rise in shark attacks? You’re wrong

Two deaths within a week have heightened fears over the ocean predator, but experts insist there’s been no significant uptick in fatal attacks.

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Catriona McGregor, Chief Legal and Transformation Officer Domain Group, says running is a pressure relief.

The busy person’s guide to getting marathon-ready in 16 weeks

Running is having a moment, and taking it all the way to 42 kms can be an ultimate show of achievement for high-performing entrepreneurs and executives.

Warren Inwood - division general manager at Bayer.

The return of fishing is big business for Aussie retailers

No longer just a hobby for beer-guzzling blokes’ trips, fishing is having a moment with Australian families.

Members of a Virgin Australia crew have allegedly been assaulted at Nadi, Fiji.

Virgin Australia crew allegedly sexually assaulted, robbed in Fiji

Fiji police confirmed it was investigating allegations of sexual assault and theft involving Australian air crew during New Year’s parties.

New Year’s Day morning at Bondi.

Eastern states set for hot nights and a soggy rest of summer

Parts of Australia’s east coast will swelter in the tail end of the summer, and forecasters also predict above-average rainfall.

December 2024

Bowline sails out of the heads following the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Veteran skipper calls for Sydney to Hobart rule review after deaths

Geoff Hill, who has completed 21 Sydney to Hobarts, says entrants must be more experienced after the tragic deaths of two sailors in the prestigious yacht race.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/james-hall-gnx3rp