A weekly podcast from The Australian Financial Review that examines the biggest stories in business, markets and politics, and why they matter, explained by the...
Big super reckoning: Are Australians losing faith in the system?
This week on The Fin podcast, Chanticleer columnist James Thomson and reporter Hannah Wootton on why ASIC is suing Cbus, what it means for industry funds and whether the ‘super wars’ are back.This podcast is sponsored by Aussie Broadband. Further reading:How Cbus’ big party year went horribly wrongIt’s not the biggest or the worst performing of the super funds. So why has Cbus become the poster child for the $4 trillion sector’s problems?Big Super’s reckoning has arrivedAfter 32 years of guaranteed inflows from workers and scant scrutiny, the $3.9 trillion industry faces customer fury over service, unclear investment practices and questionable governance.Super sector’s problems are much bigger than CbusThe damning review of governance at CBUS shows while industry funds have led the way in gathering and growing assets, they now need to play governance catch-up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Social media ban: screen time fix, magic wand or a waste of time?
This week on The Fin podcast, Technology editor Paul Smith and media and marketing reporter Sam Buckingham-Jones on why the ban is being introduced, what it means for children and parents and whether it could cause a rift with the new US President.This podcast is sponsored by UNSWFurther reading:Why this former TikTok executive wants a strict social media banTikTok hired Felicity McVay to convince Disney, Universal and the AFL to use the platform more. Now she’s campaigning to get children off it.Canberra takes on big tech – and Gen Alpha – with social media bansAll Australians could be forced to register official identity documents with social media giants to prove they are over the age of 16.Trump may use tariffs to hit back at PM’s tech crackdownAmerican and Australian officials are warning the Albanese government that its crackdown on social media platforms could anger the incoming US president into putting tariffs on $33 billion of exports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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'Chussia Anxiety': Why Donald Trump wants to “un-unite” China and Russia
This week on The Fin podcast, Australian Financial Review contributor and former diplomat Geoff Raby on Trump’s world and what it means for Australia and why China and Russia are less close than you might think.This podcast is sponsored by UNSWFurther reading: Xi is thumping Putin in the Great GameFormer Australian ambassador to China Geoff Raby takes a deep dive into the “Chussia” partnership. His conclusions about a rising Sinostan would not please the Kremlin.Civil servants to flee as Trump ‘drains the swamp’ (again)Everyone knew Trump’s cabinet picks would be provocative and a purge of government workers was coming. But they have arrived with stunning speed.G20 goes soft on Russia as Putin threatens to use nuclear weaponsThe G20 has ended with a whimper with watered-down statements on Russia, climate change and the Middle East.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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MinRes investigation: a secret tax deal, company cash and a boat named Anya
This week on The Fin podcast, investigative reporter Neil Chenoweth and Rear Window columnist Mark Di Stefano on how Chris Ellison’s secret deal with the tax office came to light, why some investors want the founder to stay on and whether Mineral Resources can draw a line in the sand. This podcast is sponsored by UNSWFurther reading:Inside the two-week unravelling of Chris Ellison’s hold on MinResMonday’s attempt to draw a line in the sand still leaves unanswered questions for shareholders and investigators about the goings-on at Mineral Resources.Meet Chris Ellison’s personal accountantYenna Ong, the number cruncher who managed the Mineral Resources founder’s private affairs, rapidly gained great power. Then just as suddenly, she was gone.MinRes paid a 70pc mark up to rent Chris Ellison-owned propertiesIndependent valuations that the owners of the four industrial facilities commissioned themselves indicated that the leases were well in excess of market rates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Luxury property & unpaid bills: the two worlds of Sanjeev Gupta
This week on The Fin podcast, senior reporter Simon Evans and Rear Window editor Myriam Robin on Sanjeev Gupta’s flashy property purchase, his financial troubles and the South Australian town caught in the middle.This podcast is sponsored by UNSWFurther reading:Whyalla steelworks running out of options as taxpayer rescue resistedThe SA premier says it’s time Sanjeev Gupta took some action, with governments wary of taxpayer funds being siphoned off to overseas parts of GFG Alliance.The town bearing the brunt of Sanjeev Gupta’s financial nightmareThe British industrialist’s steelworks looms over Whyalla, population 21,900. There’s plenty at stake if things go south.Sanjeev Gupta buys on Sydney waterfrontThe steel magnate is cutting jobs and salaries at the Whyalla steelworks one week, and splashing out for prime Sydney waterfront property the next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A weekly podcast from The Australian Financial Review that examines the biggest stories in business, markets and politics, and why they matter, explained by the best financial journalists in the country.
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