November 2024
Victoria to sell loss-making Baw Baw, Lake Mountain ski resorts
The two resorts closest to Melbourne have long needed subsidies to keep operating. But selling them creates dilemmas for the state’s alpine tourism market.
- Michael Bleby
Port of Newcastle’s container terminal pitch tempts foreign investors
The world’s biggest coal export hub has been approached by big investors who want to help fund an expansion that is expected to cost well above $2.5 billion.
- Jenny Wiggins
October 2024
- Analysis
- Government Observed
Victoria’s $8b black box, stamped confidential
In 2022, pandemic-indebted Victoria sold its motor registry to a consortium led by Macquarie Bank. Two years later there is not much to show for it, and the secretive registry is free from scrutiny.
- Tom Burton
April 2024
Macquarie short-listed in $772m Indian road auction
The Australian bank is competing with a Canadian pension fund for the roads held in India’s Athaang Infrastructure.
- Preeti Singh
March 2024
Port of Newcastle’s container ambitions could cost NSW up to $4.3b
Documents commissioned during the facility’s privatisation, to be published today, show other port owners would be entitled to significant compensation.
- Samantha Hutchinson
Half of $195b toll hit on Sydney drivers will come from WestConnex
Excerpts of a review into NSW toll roads shows drivers will be slugged $195 billion by 2060, but major roads remain clogged at peak hour.
- Nick Bonyhady
August 2023
I wouldn’t have sold CBA, Albanese says
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a former Commonwealth Bank employee, says keeping the bank in public hands could have been better for customers.
- Andrew Tillett and Lois Maskiell
July 2023
Thames Water back from the brink after investors pump in $1.45b
The £750 million of equity Thames Water will receive between now and April 2025 is less than the £1 billion it had said it needed last year.
- Sarah Young
- Opinion
- Opinion
Britain’s water industry is drowning in dysfunction
This is a simple story. Companies loaded up on debt to juice returns during a period of abnormally low financing costs, then got squeezed when inflation surged.
- Matthew Brooker
June 2023
UK in emergency plan to nationalise water supplier
Government ministers are on standby to intervene in the debt-laden business, amid questions over the future of the privatised sector.
- Sarah Young
- Opinion
- World markets
Thames Water is a disaster zone and a reckoning is overdue
Under Macquarie’s stewardship, the company was plied with £10.6 billion of debt, and its shareholders extracted nearly £3 billion in dividends.
- Ben Marlow
Super funds ‘unquestionably open’ to taking over more companies
Fund CIOs say private assets offer diversification and performance benefits, amid predictions the ASX is on track to shrink for the first time since 2005.
- Hannah Wootton
May 2023
Minns pursues anti-privatisation agenda
Six weeks after Labor claimed victory in the NSW election, Premier Chris Minns is moving to keep Sydney Water and Hunter Water in public hands.
- Samantha Hutchinson
March 2023
Unions ready NSW wage push
Within hours of Labor claiming victory over the Liberals, Unions NSW called the change an opportunity “to restart how we do industrial relations” in the state.
- Samantha Hutchinson
- Exclusive
- Energy transition
Transition to renewables will be much harder than people think: Broad
The former boss of Snowy 2.0 describes the energy market intervention as ‘madness’ and says consumers are paying the price for past mistakes on industry structure.
- Updated
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Baird: Voters hate sell-offs, but they love the rewards
The former premier, who steered a NSW privatisation agenda, says political leaders should keep an open mind on asset recycling in the next term
- Samantha Hutchinson
February 2023
Cost of living dominates a fiery NSW leaders’ debate
Labor leader Chris Minns attacked the government over asset recycling, and Premier Dominic Perrottet hit out at his opposition’s economic credentials.
- Samantha Hutchinson
December 2022
The spectre of future write-downs make the NBN a tough sell
Investment bankers who typically welcome the chance to sell government-owned assets are concerned the NBN could be re-evaluated as costs soar.
- Aaron Weinman
November 2022
‘Coal is declining’: Newcastle port gets closer to containers
The port will start building a container terminal as soon as possible after the NSW parliament agreed to scrap “outrageous” fees designed to crimp competition.
- Jenny Wiggins
August 2022
- Opinion
- Opinion
Why ‘privatisation’ should not be a dirty word for the NBN
The Albanese government is mistakenly moving away from selling public assets, by setting up $50 billion of funds to shower taxpayer money on special interests.
- John Kehoe