The Fin

Angela Macdonald-Smith and Ryan Cropp on the reasons we all stopped freaking out about the oil price and why that was premature.
This podcast is sponsored by Westpac
Further reading:Labor’s plans to source more fuel leaves shipments stranded at seaThe government has been accused of picking winners for its subsidised import plan, which has created a glut and forced vessels to wait offshore for months.Ampol rakes it in on refining, trebling first-half profitsBumper first-half gross profits have been driven by soaring returns on turning crude oil into petrol and diesel during the conflict in the Middle East.Oil refiners chase sweeter support deal despite surging profitsAmpol and Viva Energy are pushing for a major overhaul of subsidies to keep their refineries running for longer, even as their own earnings are soaring.
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Legal affairs reporter Janek Drevikovsky on why Twiggy is taking on Meta, whether he can win and what happens if he does.
This podcast is sponsored by Westpac
Further reading:Meta admits it wiped key evidence in Forrest stoushThe social media giant has accepted it should be punished for not preserving copies of Facebook scam ads featuring the mining billionaire’s likeness.‘Dad, it’s a fraud’: Call that sparked Forrest’s $60m war on FacebookWhy is Andrew Forrest fighting one of the world’s biggest tech companies in one of California’s most storied courts – and spending his own money to do it?Forrest pressures local ad body to penalise Meta over scam revenueAndrew Forrest has written to IAB Australia asking for the group to consider Meta’s membership, after news the company made more than $20 billion from scams.
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James Thomson and Ronald Mizen on why CEOs are losing patience with the AI giants, what’s driving the government’s policy shift, and whether Anthony Albanese is overplaying his hand.
This podcast is sponsored by Workday
Further reading: Could China’s AI bombshell spark a ‘Lehman Bros moment’ for markets?A new model that threatens OpenAI and Anthropic could have huge ramifications for global indices, which have soared on the artificial-intelligence trade.The AI pivot: inside Albanese’s plan to bring big tech to heelRiding high on global momentum from the under-16 social media ban, the prime minister is stepping up for a high-stakes public brawl with AI tech giants.National security concerns drove Labor’s pivot on AIAs the technology increasingly encroaches on defence capabilities, cyber experts and the opposition warn that Australia must redouble its efforts to master it.
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How I Made It is back with host Lauren Sams.
Don’t miss season six as we uncover how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.
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Professional services editor Edmund Tadros on the fallout from the KPMG scandal and what the government might do to bring the big four accounting firms into line.
Further reading: KPMG’s ‘10-hour masterclass in how not to respond to a crisis’By repeating PwC’s crisis-management mistakes, KPMG has forced a reluctant federal government to finally pull the trigger on unprecedented structural reforms.No timeline for big four reform despite PwC, KPMG scandalsAssistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino says reform is “real priority for the government”, but concedes there is “no particular timeline” for new rules.Inside Project Magenta: How Allens gave KPMG a pass on leaksThe law firm cleared the company of partner misconduct without interviewing a single outsider and using a literal reading of the allegations.
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