The Bloomberg Australia Podcast

Could one remote Australian mine be a warning sign for the world? This week, Bloomberg Opinion columnist David Fickling talks to Chris Bourke about the revival of King Island's century-old tungsten mine, and how it reflects a new era of geopolitical competition as countries race to secure supplies of the little-known metal for weapons and munitions. The conversation explores China's dominance of t...

Australia's housing downturn is accelerating, with national prices recording their biggest monthly fall since late 2022 as higher interest rates, tighter investor lending rules and geopolitical uncertainty weigh on demand. In this episode, Chris Bourke talks to Bloomberg economist James McIntyre about why the weakness has spread beyond Sydney and Melbourne. The episode also explores what falling h...

KPMG Australia is facing its biggest crisis in years after allegations that confidential client information was misused to help win lucrative audit contracts. In this episode, Amy Bainbridge talks to finance reporter Richard Henderson about what emerged from an explosive parliamentary hearing, and why more senior executives are stepping down. We also examine the scandal’s broader implication...

Australian mortgage holders got some relief this week after the Reserve Bank left interest rates unchanged, pausing after three consecutive hikes. But has the central bank finished tightening? And what does the outlook for inflation, growth and global risks mean for investors? On this week's podcast, Chris Bourke speaks with Adam Bowe, Australian head of portfolio management at global investment g...

SpaceX is finally heading to the stock market in what could become the biggest IPO in history. The Elon Musk-founded company is seeking a valuation of around $1.75 trillion, a debut that could make Musk the world’s first trillionaire and test investor appetite for one of the most ambitious businesses ever brought to public markets. On this episode, host Chris Bourke speaks with New York-base...

Fresh polling has delivered one of the biggest political shocks in decades: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is now Australia’s most popular party, overtaking Labor and the Coalition on primary vote. The surge comes amid growing voter frustration over cost-of-living pressures, higher interest rates and a budget that many Australians feel has done little to ease household strain. On this epi...

New Zealand’s housing boom once looked unstoppable. Now prices are falling sharply, construction firms are collapsing and younger buyers are questioning whether property is still the safest path to wealth. On this week’s podcast, Chris Bourke speaks with Wellington Bureau Chief Ainsley Thomson about the economic fallout from one of the world’s biggest housing reversals — an...

Australia’s supermarket giants are facing a growing backlash as shoppers battle rising grocery bills and fresh scrutiny lands on the industry. After a federal court found Coles misled customers over its “Down Down” discount campaign, questions are mounting over whether Australians have really been getting the bargains they were promised. On this episode of the Bloomberg Australia...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has pitched his latest budget as one of the most ambitious in decades — but does it live up to the hype? With deficits stretching into the future and spending still strong, economists warn the plan could add to inflation rather than ease it, setting up a growing clash with the Reserve Bank. As interest rates rise and global uncertainty deepens, the stakes for Australia...

War-driven energy shocks, persistent inflation and rapid advances in AI are colliding to reshape global markets in 2026. In this special episode, we bring you highlights from a live Bloomberg panel in Sydney, where leading voices in economics, investing and dealmaking unpack how they’re navigating one of the most uncertain environments in years. Westpac Chief Economist Luci Ellis, Ten Cap fo...

Australia’s mining giants are entering a new phase. After years chasing mega deals that never quite landed, the focus is shifting to discipline – cutting costs, reviewing assets and doubling down on metals like copper that are critical to the energy transition. But that shift comes as operating pressures build, from rising input costs to weather disruptions and tighter supply. On this...

A blowout in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme has forced the Australian government to make tough cuts to rein the program in ahead of its May budget. On this week’s episode, economy reporter Swati Pandey discusses how NDIS spending rose so rapidly, concerns about misuse of the program, and how the government plans to fix it with greater oversight, curbs on fraud and tight...

The war in the Middle East is sending shockwaves through global fuel and fertilizer markets, and that’s flowing through to what farmers are planting in Australian paddocks this season. On this week’s episode, agriculture reporter Ben Westcott breaks down what this means for Australia’s grain production, food security, grocery prices and exports. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Global markets have been rocked by the escalating conflict between the US, Israel and Iran — and Australians are starting to feel it in their super balances. After one of the worst months since 2022, many investors are nervously checking their accounts and wondering how much damage has been done. On this week’s episode, pensions reporter Amy Bainbridge breaks down what the volatility m...

Australia’s world-first ban on social media for under-16s was designed to protect kids — but just months in, cracks are already showing. Regulators say major platforms may be falling short, while parents and teens report the rules are easy to get around, with workarounds ranging from shared accounts to AI-generated age checks. So is the policy actually changing behavior, or just reshuf...

Is Australia at risk of running out of fuel? Panic buying has surged, prices are spiking and some regional stations are already running dry as tensions in the Middle East rattle global supply chains. This week on the podcast, Ben Westcott joins Rebecca Jones to unpack the data behind the headlines — how much fuel Australia actually has, where the system is under strain and why the ripple eff...

For a second straight meeting, the RBA has lifted interest rates, signaling the fight to curb price pressures isn’t over. But what’s actually driving those decisions behind closed doors? Bloomberg Economics’ James McIntyre joins the podcast to decode the RBA’s thinking: from the data that matters most to how global shocks, like rising energy prices, are shaping the outlook...

Australia consumes more cocaine per capita than any other country in the world — nearly double the rate of the US. In this episode, Bloomberg’s Angus Whitley joins host Chris Bourke to unpack the data behind the surge, why a wealthy, remote nation has become such a lucrative market for global cartels, and how cocaine use has spread across professions and age groups. They examine the A$...

Oil prices are surging as the escalating conflict involving Iran rattles global markets, sending investors scrambling to assess the fallout. While US stocks have been relatively steady, crude’s jump is sharpening concerns about inflation and what it means for interest rates worldwide. In this episode of the Bloomberg Australia Podcast, Rebecca Jones talks to markets reporter Richard Henderso...

Retiring comfortably in Australia just got a lot more expensive. New figures show couples now need about A$730,000 in super to fund a comfortable retirement — roughly A$40,000 more than six months ago — as living costs continue to climb.  On this episode of the Bloomberg Australia Podcast, host Rebecca Jones speaks with pensions reporter Amy Bainbridge about what the new targets m...

Sydney is one of the least dense major cities in the developed world — but that may be about to change. In the affluent suburb of Woollahra, residents are pushing back against a plan to revive a long-abandoned incomplete train station and build 10,000 new homes nearby. It’s a local fight with national implications, as governments grapple with soaring rents, a deepening affordability cr...

Global markets have been on a rollercoaster, with billions wiped from two of the hottest trades of the past year: Big Tech and Bitcoin. At first glance they might seem unrelated – but both are deeply tied to the same force driving markets right now: the AI boom. As software stocks wobble, crypto swings wildly and tech giants ramp up spending on data centers, investors are being forced to rea...

Global markets have started 2026 in chaotic fashion, with wild swings in stocks, a plunging dollar and fresh questions about everything from gold to AI. So what does all that mean for Australia’s super funds — and the retirement savings of millions of workers? This week on the Bloomberg Australia Podcast, host Chris Bourke is joined by AustralianSuper CEO Paul Schroder, who runs the na...

We’re tackling one of the most fraught (and often avoided) conversations in Australian agriculture: farm succession. As families return from summer break and set their goals for the year ahead, reporter Ben Westcott joins host Rebecca Jones to unpack why passing on the family farm has become so complex, emotionally charged and financially risky. With soaring land values, ageing farmers and s...

Australia’s political year has opened amid deepening domestic and global tensions. One Nation is now surging in polls, underscoring the erosion of support for traditional parties as cost-of-living pressures and cultural divides reshape the political landscape. In this episode, Bloomberg’s new Canberra correspondent James Mayger joins the podcast to unpack the fallout from the Bondi att...