Business
Property Prices Lift in M...
House prices have continued rising across Australia amid a backdrop of interest rate cuts and growing buyer sentiment. According to the latest data from property analytics firm Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), national dwelling values in May posted another month of gains. Industry experts now forecast capital city combined dwelling prices could climb between 6% and 10% by late 2025 or early 2026, driven by cheaper finance, tight housing supply, and government initiatives aimed at first home buyers.
Business
Australia Condemns Trump’...
The Australian government has sharply criticised US President Donald Trump’s decision to double import duties on steel and aluminium from 25% to 50%, effective from June 4. Australia’s Minister for Trade, Don Farrell, described the move as “unjustified and not the act of a friend,” calling it “an act of economic self-harm” that will hurt consumers and businesses on both sides of the Pacific. Although Australia exports relatively little steel and aluminium to the United States—approximately 2.5% of US aluminium imports by volume come from Australia—Australia’s trade minister says Canberra will continue to press Washington to remove the tariffs.
Business
Patients Worry About Futu...
Healthscope, one of Australia’s largest private hospital operators, has plunged into financial crisis this week after its investors entered receivership. The company’s 37 private hospitals across all states and territories—including Hobart Private Hospital, Darwin Private Hospital, and multiple facilities in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia—face a cloud of uncertainty even as Healthscope assures patients and staff that “it is business as usual” .
Business
Investment in Big Batteri...
Australia’s transition towards renewable energy gained significant momentum in the first quarter of 2025, with investment in large-scale battery storage systems reaching $2.4 billion. According to data released by the Clean Energy Council (CEC), six major battery projects—totaling 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of dispatchable capacity—achieved financial close between January and March. This marks the second-strongest quarter on record for energy storage, trailing only the final quarter of 2023, when $2.8 billion was committed to similar projects.
Business
How Private Equity ‘Trash...
The collapse of Healthscope, Australia’s second-largest private hospital operator, has laid bare the risks of heavy private equity involvement in essential care services. Once touted as a model of efficiency and community partnership, Healthscope’s rapid descent into receivership on 26 May has prompted urgent questions about the viability of privately run hospitals under intense debt and profit pressures.
Business
Healthscope Collapse Spar...
Australia’s second-largest private hospital operator, Healthscope, plunged into receivership this week after its owners, Brookfield Asset Management, failed to meet debt obligations and its financiers withdrew support. With 37 hospitals nationwide, 650,000 annual patient episodes and 19,000 staff at stake, the collapse has been described by health economist Professor Anthony Scott as “the canary in the mine” for the private hospital sector’s financial sustainability.
Business
Low-Carbon Sustainable Fu...
Next season, the roar of Formula 1’s V6 turbocharged engines will be accompanied by a quieter revolution: all teams on the grid will run on 100 percent sustainable fuels. Gone are the days when F1 cars relied solely on petroleum-derived gasoline; instead, five specialist suppliers will provide drop-in blends of synthetic and biofuels that recycle carbon dioxide and cut lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80 percent. Formula 1’s chief communications officer, Liam Parker, says the move “demonstrates how existing internal-combustion engines can deliver top performance while helping the wider automotive sector transition to net zero.”
Business
Hepburn Shire Council Mov...
Hepburn Shire Council has secured approval from Victoria’s Essential Services Commission to impose a one-off 10 per cent increase in property rates for the 2025–26 financial year. The decision, announced late this week, has sparked widespread community anger in the region that encompasses the spa town of Daylesford and surrounding rural districts. While council representatives insist the rise is “regrettable but necessary” to address a $4 million budget shortfall, ratepayers and local business owners are demanding greater accountability and improved public consultation.
Business
RBA Deputy Governor Sees ...
Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser traveled to Beijing in mid-April, mere days after the United States imposed so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs on Chinese goods averaging 145 percent. His trip came on the heels of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s own outreach to President Xi Jinping and reflects the deep economic interdependence between Australia and China. Hauser’s mission was to gather first-hand insights into how Chinese policymakers, businesses and citizens were digesting the latest escalation in Sino-U.S. trade tensions—and he found a prevailing mood of confidence.
Business
ASX Climbs on Rate-Cut Ho...
Australia’s sharemarket extended its winning streak on Wednesday, buoyed by optimism that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will deliver further rate cuts in coming months. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed at 8,386.80 points, up 43.50 points or 0.5 per cent, capping a two-day gain of 1.1 per cent. Nine of the ASX’s 11 sectors finished in positive territory, with financials, energy and utilities powering the advance. Defensive sectors including healthcare and staples also outperformed, while materials edged higher on a gold-price rally.
Business
National Native Title Tri...
The Pilliga — an ancient woodland stretching across north-west New South Wales — has become the focal point of a protracted legal and cultural clash over gas extraction. In 2020, the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) granted conditional approval to Santos’s A$3.6 billion Narrabri Gas Project, which envisages up to 850 coal seam gas wells and associated infrastructure. Traditional landowners of the Gomeroi nation filed native title claims, arguing the project would irreparably damage sites of immense cultural significance and threaten the Great Artesian Basin, the continent’s largest underground water reserve.