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The treasurer’s fifth budget confirms intentions to put higher taxes on wealth but without reducing income taxes, cutting spending or boosting productivity. Every argument being made now and in the next few weeks could have been made before the last election – and carried. The S&P 500 has added a staggering 16.6 per cent since hitting a wartime low in late March, while the local bourse continues a long slump.

The reason today’s senior executives are ‘shy’ about ESG is that their efforts have not prevented major scandals. Investors and CEOs say non-financial issues remain a key risk for businesses, but we may have outgrown the phrase ‘environmental, social, governance’. How to balance good governance with financial return for shareholders remains a burning issue when it comes to ESG investing. A top consultant says the government’s Climate Active program is no longer part of corporate decarbonisation plans. But diplomats also pressed the World Health Organisation about how it might cope when its biggest donor exits the UN health agency.

Under the Coalition, developers were offered financing to build major fuel stores. It is important to recognise that the problem demands year-round dedication, comprehensive strategies, and multi-faceted interventions. There are the men who perpetrate financial abuse, but there are also the platforms which have for too long been unprepared to confront the damage they facilitate.

Victoria’s Secret accuses Blundy adviser of corporate espionage

Major super funds, banks and financial bodies hope to meet in March to share information about best practice in identifying and preventing financial abuse. The businessman resigned as chairman of Australian Community Media at the weekend after being charged by Victoria Police with assaulting a woman late last week. The disgraced businessman already resigned as executive chairman of Australian Community Media last week. Jasmin Tarasin pitched a film about coercive control, then had to race to keep up with a “groundswell” of philanthropists wanting to support it.

As largely expected, the 2026 Federal Budget has delivered a twin tax blow to landlords and property investors in a bid to make it easier for Australians to buy their own homes. See how the government plans to help younger Australians into the housing market, increase taxes on Baby Boomers and rein in NDIS spending. The warning from the Australian Institute of Company Directors came despite concerns Australia is “cherry-picking” global sustainability reporting standards. Look at the companies whose shares have hit all-time highs this week and what do you see? The review needs to give investors a greater say in how the regime is tied to company profits, Sandon Capital founder Gabriel Radzyminski says. Former competition watchdog chief Graeme Samuel says executives would learn more about governance reading APRA’s report on CBA than doing the company directors course.

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The government will make changes to its selection process to target more educated, higher-skilled and younger migrants. The minimum tax rate rips a key tool of wealth building used by millions of richer Australians and has a particular sting for so-called bucket companies. Changes to negative gearing and tax increases on trusts and capital gains have heralded the end of preferential treatment of asset wealth. Its runaway success has helped change global streaming. Brandon Riegg convinced Netflix and Formula 1 to take a risk on a documentary series on the sport.

The government is still hanging its hopes on global oil prices declining by mid-way through the year, and stabilisation by the same time in 2027. It is one of few jurisdictions that has agreed to apply new reporting standards only partially, says former super fund chief David Atkin. Major lenders had promised to send bosses to meet traditional owners near Santos’ Barossa gas project. The Swiss-based commodities giant had proposed spinning off the fossil fuel into a separate company but has decided to retain the division. Institutional investors see natural capital as the next force in corporate governance, with big implications for companies growing and selling food. The big investor says it was drawn to the miner’s shift to metallurgical coal and remains committed to net zero by 2050 after buying shares last week.

Sydney Metro has launched an inquiry into allegations of worker exploitation and a corporate cover-up on the Western aussie payid pokies Sydney Airport metro project. Big international funds have swung behind a resolution to force the gas company to explain how its NT Beetaloo pipeline project aligns with its green targets. Labor and the Coalition went to the federal election promising to end Chinese ownership of the port.

• The reason today’s senior executives are ‘shy’ about ESG is that their efforts have not prevented major scandals.
• Treasurer Jim Chalmers today confirmed the tax break will be officially enshrined in law and will come into effect in time for the 2027 tax season next year.
• South of the border, this luxury jungle property thrums with mysterious spirits – and we’re not talking about the 3500-bottle tequila collection.
• Over 5300 people at multi-billion dollar software giant Canva’s global workforce have joined the company’s second-ever “AI Discovery Week”.

The country’s largest pastoral company has told investors four of its properties are affected, but says it will not be as bad as the 2019 devastation. The Gina Rinehart-backed rare earths play has secured $230 million from Export Finance Australia and German bank KfW to develop its Nolans project in the NT. The US president has been weakened by the war with Iran, but China needs a stable global economy so it can keep exporting its goods and boosting growth at home. Queensland’s only pumped hydro project under construction is delayed, adding further pressure to the state government’s energy plans. Our three tax cuts, instant deduction and the new offset are the equivalent of up to $54 back in the average earner’s pocket each week.

Departure tax hike to margarine: 12 budget items you may have missed

But his tax hit isn’t backed with big-bang reform to expand the economy. The Albanese government’s planned new restrictions mean people could opt out of gambling ads on their favourite podcasts or platforms like YouTube and Spotify. In an excoriating report, the state’s audit office has provided a window into the relationship between the NSW government and the powerful sporting body.

An independent review led by the Tesla chairwoman has urged the government to overhaul its research and development tax incentive scheme. The industry minister wants a lengthy public discission about a major review’s findings, but business wants bold and urgent action. Industry players and analysts expect the government to push the sale after the Chinese-owned port failed to cause a stir in Beijing. Crisis support services are so stretched that some victims never receive a response, an expert review has told the government. At least 26 domestic flights departing from Sydney Airport have been cancelled as residents in three states battle major power outages.

The global confectionary giant currently imports recycled plastics to meet its target for 30 per cent recycled packaging as Australia doesn’t have a facility. As well as dealing with perennial challenges, industry and government are under pressure to figure out how to regulate AI without strangling its potential. The Tesla chairwoman has stepped up her campaign for investors to support the billionaire chief’s pay package ahead of a crucial shareholder vote on November 6.

A battle over how to treat childhood obesity is brewing between two groups who each believe their approach has young people’s best interests at heart. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US will consider chronic health conditions and even factors like retirement age as reasons to deny visas. Labor is considering advice to subsidise weight-loss drugs for obese people with heart disease, but doctors say more people need access to cheaper treatments.