news
economy
health December 5, 2020
Economy tests positive for recovery
Despite howls from some of the loudest voices in the media and politics to ‘let it rip’ in response to Covid-19, the latest economic figures show Australia’s health-first approach saved lives and the country from a long and painful recession.
ir November 28, 2020
Andrews budget wedges Morrison on aged care
After Victoria was ravaged by a second wave of Covid-19, Premier Daniel Andrews has targeted his state’s budget to address the crisis’s key drivers: insecure work and aged care.
immigration November 28, 2020
Population decline and the economy
Australia’s fertility rate is the lowest it has been in history. While successive governments have paid scant attention to this, Covid-19 has made the issue more urgent than ever.
immigration November 7, 2020
The reality of life as a foreign student
The coronavirus pandemic has only heightened the precarious situation in which international students often find themselves, with many forced to take on jobs that pay less than the minimum wage.
health November 7, 2020
Australia’s suppression of coronavirus is in stark contrast to most of the world. In the absence of a vaccine, the country now enters a period of ‘Covid-normal’ defined by containment measures.
health October 31, 2020
Challenges linger as Victoria opens up
As Melbourne reopens, new analysis of data from the state’s second wave reveals the government’s overhauled testing and tracing measures could be leaving cracks for the virus to slip through.
business October 24, 2020
What went wrong inside Australia Post?
The mail carrier’s chief executive has been asked to stand aside after revelations of luxury watches gifted to executives, but the company is facing much deeper crises.
economy October 24, 2020
Probe into Western Sydney airport land deal
A scathing audit of the Infrastructure Department’s purchase of land for the Western Sydney airport has led to an AFP investigation. But this is only the latest controversy in a long history of scandals relating to the Badgerys Creek site.
economy October 10, 2020
Budget primes Morrison for an early election
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg framed the 2020 budget as a plan for Australia’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, but it could also open the way for an election in the second half of next year.
health October 10, 2020
Why Australia runs out of vital medicines
More than 90 per cent of Australia’s medicines are imported, putting the country at risk of dangerous shortages. But while the government has announced plans to boost the sector’s manufacturing capabilities, industry experts warn that the problem runs far deeper.
economy October 10, 2020
Budget 2020 does little for the vulnerable
This year’s budget provides little support for those in greatest need, including the aged-care sector and people who are unemployed – with women over 40 bearing the heaviest burden.