Australia
Property
Sydney and Melbourne House Prices Are Falling
Sydney house values dropped 0.6% and Melbourne 0.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Cotality data. RBA rate hikes in February and March, combined with the economic fallout from the Iran conflict and rising fuel prices, have spooked buyers who were already stretched. The falls are modest s
AI
Meta Plans 20% Layoffs as AI Infrastructure Costs Mount
The Facebook parent is weighing cuts to offset spending on AI acquisitions and compute
Australia
Ben Roberts-Smith, VC, Charged with Five Counts of War Crime Murder
Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, Australia's most decorated living soldier, was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday and charged with five counts of war crime murder. The Office of Special Investigator alleges he was involved in the unlawful killings of five Afghan nationals in Uruzgan Province between 200
Australia
Trump's 100% Pharmaceutical Tariff Hits Australia. The PBS Won't Move.
The United States imposed a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical exports from Australia, citing the PBS pricing system as a trade barrier. Health Minister Mark Butler and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor both said the PBS will not change. CSL, Australia's largest pharma exporter, is reviewing the impact.
Trade
Liberation Day, One Year On: How Australia's 10% Tariff Played Out
A year after Trump's Liberation Day tariffs hit 185 countries, Australia remains at the 10% floor rate, the lowest applied globally. Exports have shifted, the trade relationship has held, but new pharmaceutical tariffs and an escalating Iran situation are adding fresh complications.
Technology
Australian tech stocks shed $7 billion as Iran war deepens market rout
WiseTech Global down 59%, NextDC falls 34% over six months as Middle East conflict compounds AI disruption fears and forces second RBA rate rise
Work
Victoria Passes World-First Law Giving Workers Two WFH Days a Week
From September 1, Victorian employees whose roles can be done remotely will have a legal right to work from home. Small businesses get until July 2027.
AI
Anthropic Signs AI Safety Deal With Australia, Opens Economic Tracking
The first agreement under the National AI Plan gives Canberra access to Anthropic's economic index data and commits both sides to joint safety evaluations.
News
The Architecture of Timidity: Fuel and Gambling Policy
The Prime Minister's national address on fuel and the compromised gambling reforms reveal a government unwilling to intervene decisively in markets that extract wealth from the lowest income quintiles.
Geopolitics
Australia Joins Hormuz Summit Without US
Penny Wong represents Australia at a UK-led virtual summit. The diplomatic track negotiates the reopening of a strait carrying 20 per cent of global oil.
News
Vaping Causes Cancer: UNSW Study Dismantles the Safe Alternative Myth
A landmark review of more than 100 global studies finds nicotine-based e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung and oral cancers. The financial and human costs are just beginning.
News
ATO grants payment relief as fuel crisis drives record business slump
Tax office launches three-year payment plans as industry conditions plunge 19.9 points