The NRL's expansion has ramifications for more than the existing 17 clubs, with Australian and New Zealand rugby talent also in the crosshairs.
Australia faces slow economic growth, with GDP per capita declining. While business investment and low unemployment offer some positives, productivity is a key concern. Artificial intelligence is seen as a potential driver for productivity gains, attracting investment in data centers, but also raising community concerns about energy, water, and noise.
Telstra's recent network failure, mirroring Optus's 2025 incident, has reignited debate over Australia's telecommunications policy. The article argues that prioritizing competition over essential service reliability, a legacy of 1990s reforms, has led to patchy networks and service failures, including for triple zero calls. A call for a national essential services network (ESN) is made.
Former BHP chief economist Huw McKay argues for robust government climate policies, like a carbon price, to drive decarbonisation at major resource companies. Leaked documents revealed BHP's delays in renewables projects and electrification, raising concerns about Australia's climate targets.
A major Telstra outage on Wednesday caused significant disruption to small businesses, with an expert estimating the economic cost could reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Businesses reported being unable to communicate with clients and suppliers, leading to lost sales and productivity.
Disability support provider Yooralla has back-paid over 1,300 employees $2.05 million due to a clerical error in payroll systems from March 2018 to March 2024. The organization self-reported the issue to the Fair Work Ombudsman and entered an enforceable undertaking to upgrade protocols.
Despite US sanctions and recent strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has generated billions from oil sales, exceeding pre-war forecasts. The US blockade, intended to restrict Iran's oil exports, was lifted under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), allowing Iran to move stored oil and circumvent sanctions through ship-to-ship transfers and new evasion techniques.
