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The AFR View

Yesterday

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles attends a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, not pictured, at the Pentagon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Rudd has the Trump tariff job ahead of him in Washington

Cutting a fresh tariff deal with Trump will be a test of Rudd’s diplomatic skills and ability to secure access and favour in the White House and on Capitol Hill.

This Month

The downfalls of WiseTech founder Richard White (left) and MinRes founder Chris Ellison revealed culture and governance problems at both companies.

Broadening the director talent pool could help fix the ‘founder problem’

Innovative entrepreneurs with the relevant skills and experience are disqualified from serving on the boards of companies that would benefit from their presence.

On Sunday, Allan took no responsibility for Victoria’s economic malaise.

Allan’s deflections are no solution to Victoria’s economic mess

The result in the Werribee byelection is a hopeful sign of a growing public appetite for the rational approach to dealing with Australia’s long-term economic challenges.

Trump has announced a stunning proposal of a US take-over of the war-torn Gaza Strip to redevelop the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Albanese must stand up to Trump’s Gaza plan

Australia must be prepared to stick up for the international rule of law system that has contributed to our nation’s security, peace, and stability for decades.

Member for Wentworth and Teal, Allegra Spender has previously called for meaningful tax reform.

Teal election pivot is a sign of taxing times

It says something about the dire state of the economic policy debate when the teal Independents have more sensible things to say about tax than either major party.

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Jim Chalmers, Michele Bullock, and Steven Kennedy.

Public servants must have independence to give fearless advice

The normalisation of political appointments to top bureaucratic jobs has resulted in public servants becoming more timid about providing robust advice to governments.

Led by Anthony Albanese, politicians have blamed Coles and Woolies for higher supermarket prices.

Australia must catch up and get serious about cutting red tape

Deregulation is a good place to start, but cutting red tape alone is not a silver bullet to fix Australia’s economic stagnation.

Trump’s tariff war will force investors to recalculate their assumptions.

Trump’s trade war could hit inflation, rates, and growth in Australia

The pressure is on the Albanese government to negotiate the same deal the Turnbull government did in 2018, which exempted Australia from steel and aluminium tariffs.

What real promise to make people better off would look like

The prime minister’s “narrative” glosses over the key lesson of the past three years; it’s impossible to improve living standards without meaningful reform.

January

DeepSeek, a Chinese-owned open-source artificial intelligence platform, was developed with far less investment, time, and infrastructure than its US big tech competitors.

Australia should lean on natural advantages in AI race

We need scientists and technology experts embedded in company boardrooms, political offices and regulatory bodies.

Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek is putting “nature positive” reforms back on the legislative agenda, despite objections from the WA premier and mining sector.

‘Nature positive’ is high risk for Labor in the west

The short-term politics are a sideshow to the bigger danger of further slowing down Australia’s already sluggish economy.

CEOs are keeping a close eye on RBA governor Michele Bullock’s interest rate calls and press conferences.

No side of politics has a plan to make you better off

The depressing reality is that no party can convincingly articulate a strategy to improve Australians’ fortunes in the next three years and beyond.

The sudden emergence of DeepSeek should not be a surprise given the US has long dealt with competitive threats in technology.

China’s AI leap means security must trump economics for Australia

Australia’s dilemma is that there is a tension in balancing the commercial advantages of cheaper Chinese technology with our national security interests.

The Australian Open 2025.

Brisbane should learn lessons of Australian Open’s success

It’s always tough for governments to justify spending money on sporting venues. Yet, long-term thinking and the best option for leaving a legacy should be factored into the plans for Brisbane’s Olympic stadium.

Donald Trump’s inauguration had more tech billionaires than any other.

More than bluster to Trump’s pro-business agenda

Donald Trump’s second coming must focus the mind of the political class on progressing the tax, workplace and regulatory reform agenda required to sharpen Australia’s international competitiveness.

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Gisele Kapterian is the slight favourite to gain Liberal preselection in Bradfield.

Liberal party must be a broad and inclusive church

All institutions need to pick the best people on their merits, yet half the population is significantly underrepresented in one of Australia’s major political parties.

The great cultural question of the moment in Western countries like Australia is, why the left has turned viciously, demonically against Israel, and more generally against Jews.

States must step up the antisemitism fight

The antisemitic attacks on Jewish Australians are a national scandal. It’s up to state governments and police to protect all citizens equally.

Who’s who at the inauguration zoo: in attendance will be (from left) Jeff Bezos, Kevin Rudd, Mark Zuckerberg, Penny Wong, Gina Rinehart, J.D. Vance, Ivan Kanapathy, Elon Musk, Anthony Pratt, Donald Trump, Barron Trump, Donald Trump jnr, Eric Trump, Pete Hegseth, the Village People.

Trump’s ‘unwokening’ is a cautionary tale

The US experience raises questions about how corporate Australia should achieve sensible diversity goals without fuelling a populist backlash.

Hours after TikTok went dark across America, Trump rushed to the rescue by switching the app back on.

Look to AI, not TikTok, for Trump’s China intentions

Trump’s TikTok’s reprieve is a sideshow that reflects his personal popularity on the platform. He will fight much harder in the real geopolitical technological battle – the global struggle for AI supremacy.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Poll suggests times may suit Dutton, not Albanese

As Labor doubles down on making Australia a green superpower, its climate-related priorities and election strategy risk alienating voters.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/the-afr-view-h0w04x