Economy

As the federal government plans to expand its cashless welfare card program to Bundaberg, the residents of Australia’s ‘dole capital’ say the problem is that there simply aren’t any jobs.

As politics comes to reckon with inequality, Bill Shorten’s former defence of discretionary trusts has morphed into a policy to more harshly tax them.

More than ever, markets read between the lines, making volatile every pronouncement by the government or Reserve Bank.

As low-cost housing in America’s inner cities is routed by gentrification, and unemployment and feeble wage growth dogs workers, homelessness is booming – including in the nation’s capital.

While the dealings of the government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility remain shrouded in secrecy, pressure mounts over funding for the Adani rail line.

When Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg briefed Coalition MPs on the Finkel review’s recommendations for a clean energy target, all eyes were on Tony Abbott and his supporters.

As the treasurer squares up for a fight with the banks over a new levy, his budget finds its unifying theme in making an example of foreign money.

As Donald Trump toughens his rhetoric on North Korea, the implications for Australia and other neighbours are becoming clearer.

Debate within the government about housing affordability underscores a rift between the prime minister and his treasurer.

The refusal of politicians to define ‘rich’ plays to a social confusion about how well off people actually are.