NewsBite

Why Australia’s best companies were built in the 1980s

Why Australia’s best companies were built in the 1980s

Some mark the ’80s as the era of the corporate cowboys, but it also heralded the arrival of Australia’s most successful global finance house, major hi-tech success stories, and ‘ocker’ advertising.

Andrew ClarkSenior writer

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

The loudest noise in the 1980s came from the corporate cowboys – Alan Bond, John Elliott, Christopher Skase and Robert Holmes a Court. Longer term, however, history will record the 1985 arrival of Macquarie Bank – Australia’s global banker, investor, funds manager and infrastructure portfolio specialist – as more significant.

The banks thrashed around in the deep water of deregulation; Macquarie proved to be the deregulated deep water champion swimmer.

Loading...

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

Read More

Andrew Clark
Andrew ClarkSenior writerAndrew Clark is a former editor of The Sun-Herald and Australian Business. He was a correspondent in Europe and North America, a political correspondent in Canberra and has been a journalist for more than 55 years. Email Andrew at aclark@afr.com.au

Latest In Financial services

Fetching latest articles

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/why-australia-s-best-companies-were-built-in-the-1980s-20220123-p59qgp