ABC Business Daily

Major sell-offs are rippling across global bond markets as fears of rising inflation mount. So why is the global bond market behaving this way? And what does this mean for the Australian economy? Plus, fresh data from the Grattan Institute suggests that Australia is wasting billions of dollars on unused parking spots. What’s going on with capital city car parks? Daniel Ziffer and Lin Lin break it...

Why is diesel still more expensive than petrol? And where exactly is the Fuel Tsar while the energy crisis rolls on? Dan Ziffer and Tom Crowley take on your questions - from the politics of fuel prices to the economics behind them - and help make sense of what’s happening, who is responsible, and what matters most right now on Fuelcast on ABC Business Daily. Listen to Carrington Clarke and Alan Ko...

AI-generated Anthony Albanese memes. Startup founders in revolt. And a growing fight over whether the government’s capital gains tax changes will hurt the very businesses it says it wants to support. The Treasurer Jim Chalmers insists there is plenty of misinformation flying around. But with Australia’s startup sector now worth hundreds of billions of dollars, the stakes are real.  So what is chan...

It hasn't even been a week since Treasurer Jim Chalmers unveiled the 2026 federal budget, but the conversation around property doesn't seem to show any sign of slowing soon. Even economists remain divided about what impact the federal budget's tax changes will have on the Australian housing market. So what are the economists saying? And where’s the disagreement? And with the war between the US and...

There is still no obvious end in sight to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and G7 finance ministers are meeting this week to discuss the economic fallout, particularly for Europe. So it’s time for a check-in: what is the state of global fuel supply, with the conflict still unresolved? And as Alan Kohler reflects, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can keep flying around the world to secure more f...

Commercial television is under pressure, newspapers have had to reinvent themselves, audiences are splintering across platforms, and the algorithms are doing their best to turn everyone into a partisan. Into that comes Hugh Marks - a career commercial media executive, former Nine boss, and now the man running the ABC. He joins to talk about the future of traditional media, whether commercial TV ca...

This episode starts with your questions - because if you’re trying to make sense of the energy crisis, chances are other listeners are asking the same thing.  So what’s happening at Viva’s Geelong refinery after the recent fire? And what about biofuels - has the global fuel shock actually sparked a boom in Australia? Carrington Clarke and Alan Kohler are here to help you cut through it - answering...

This morning a verdict came DOWN DOWN on Coles, delivering a huge win to consumer watchdog ACCC in a case that accused the supermarket giant of misleading shoppers on discounted items.   And Commonwealth bank shares plummeted yesterday, falling more than 10 per cent. But is it fair to link it to the taxation changes in the budget? Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Daniel Ziffer break it...

It’s the day after the big budget release and there’s a certain buzz rippling across the country.  Treasurer Jim Chalmers claims this is the most ambitious budget in decades and says it will make things fairer for young Australians.   But what exactly will the budget mean for business, the economy, and you? Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Steph Chalmers break it all down on ABC Busines...

The 2026 federal budget makes clear the temporary fuel excise cut is due to end on June 30th. So is the government betting the crisis eases in time, or risking a fresh hit to motorists while the Reserve Bank warns against more cost-of-living relief? Carrington Clarke and Alan Kohler help you stay on top of the numbers behind the ongoing energy crisis on Fuelcast on ABC Business Daily. Got a burnin...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled his highly anticipated "responsible" and "reforming" fifth budget, aiming for "resilience" and a bolstering of the economy. Housing tax reform was the centrepiece, with changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount announced. Labor says the reforms will allow 75,000 new people to afford their first home, but does the move go far enough to addres...

A brand-new federal budget is slated for release tomorrow, with expectations running high that although the energy supply shock has played havoc with economic forecasts, the government will still unveil major reforms. Meanwhile new analysis says that a rethink might be in order for how interest rates impact the labour market.  Carrington Clarke and ABC business and economics reporter Gareth Hutche...

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, US-Iran negotiations are still going nowhere, and the clock is ticking on Australia’s temporary fuel excise cut. So where does that leave the policy? Could a change impact how much you're paying at the pump?  And what does a 26 per cent jump in Saudi Aramco’s profits say about who is winning, and who is paying, in the ongoing energy crisis? Carrington Clarke an...

A closed shipping route can sound like a distant problem - until it starts showing up in the cost of Vegemite, peanut butter, milk, cheese, yoghurt, packaging, freight, fertiliser, and food on Australian shelves. Pete Findlay runs Bega, the company behind some of Australia’s best-known products. He says the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is already driving costs higher right through the supply ch...

The government has unveiled a new energy strategy, which will force major east coast gas companies to reserve 20 per cent of their export volumes for the Australian market.  The policy is set to go into effect in the middle of next year. But is the government being prudent? Or is this more of a ‘too little too late’ kind of move? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Verrender bre...

Frustrations boiled over at the ARN Media annual shareholders meeting, with owners voicing anger at the performance of the company in recent years, and a messy divorce from two of its biggest stars. Meanwhile, the price of oil has dropped, with markets seeming to pull from never ending reserves of hope that the Strait of Hormuz is soon to open. So what should we make of these big business meetings...

After another rate hike was handed down from the Reserve Bank yesterday, Governor Michelle Bullock was quizzed on whether government spending could make the RBA’s task of bringing down inflation more difficult. While she was careful to avoid direct criticism of government policy, she also made clear that higher demand wouldn’t be welcome. So how might this impact Treasurer Jim Chalmers' thinking a...

Project Freedom is paused - and attention is turning to who is best prepared for a longer fuel shock. China imports most of its oil, but it has also built one of the world’s biggest crude stockpiles. So what’s its strategy? Carrington Clarke and Alan Kohler help you stay on top of the numbers behind the ongoing energy crisis on Fuelcast on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning brent crude question? Se...

Another rate hike is here, with the Reserve Bank lifting the cash rate to 4.35 per cent and wiping away the policy easing delivered last year. The RBA says fuel-driven inflation linked to the Middle East conflict is adding to price pressures across the economy, and that inflation is now likely to stay above target for longer.  So what does that mean for mortgage holders, inflation, and the path ah...

Today the Reserve Bank starts its deliberations about whether to hike interest rates once again. Meanwhile NAB seems to have disappointed with its results, warning about the state of the economy. And there’s a mixed report card from this week’s property auctions. So just how fragile is the property market right now?   Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Steph Chalmers break it all down on...

Donald Trump says “Project Freedom” will aim to help guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz - but with little detail and no clear response yet from Iran, the big question is whether it changes anything.  With Brent crude still above US$100 a barrel and diesel creeping higher, should Australians brace for higher prices at the bowser? And with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi landin...

Artificial intelligence - and the data centres that support it - are no longer just a share market story. It’s become a conversation about power, water, land, security, and who gets to build the infrastructure behind the next wave of the economy. Craig Scroggie has spent 15 years building NEXTDC into one of Australia’s biggest data centre companies - and now the AI boom is sending that business in...

Brent Crude has spiked and fallen. Donald Trump is being briefed on new military possibilities in Iran. And Australian supermarket giants Coles and Woolies have warned that they are facing higher cost pressures from transportation to packaging. It's been another busy week in fuel news.  Carrington Clarke and Alan Kohler help you keep on top of the numbers behind the ongoing energy crisis on Fuelca...

Woolworths has warned its profit is going to be hurt by surging inflation, sending the share price of the Australian supermarket giant tumbling. And while Woolworths might be promising to lock in the price for 300 items, there’s growing warnings about the rate at which other costs are going to grow, including for plastics packaging. Are the worst fears about this energy crisis starting to play out...

Inflation is rising at its fastest pace since September 2023 - driven in part by the global fuel shock - and it is now putting fresh pressure on the Reserve Bank ahead of next week’s rates decision. Australia’s annual headline CPI rose to 4.6 per cent in March, up from 3.7 per cent in February, driven by a surge in the cost of energy as the oil supply shock bites. So what do the latest CPI numbers...