The podcast is on holiday right now so we are replaying some of our favourite episodes as part of a summer series.
Former Rear Window editor Joe Aston was one of the Australian Financial Review’s most loved and most feared columnists. He had people turning to the back page every morning before they had poured out their coffee. In October, after a twelve-year reign, he decided to call it a day.
The Fin spoke with Joe about his evolution from gossip columnist to campaigning journalist, his struggles along the way and how he held companies like Qantas and PwC to account.
We hope you enjoy this replay of our discussion.

Further reading:

Joe's farewell column Rear Window’s style evolved (and its rigour improved), but my primary motivation never really changed, and that was to entertain.
Richard Goyder's pantomime swan song The Qantas chairman has elected to take an excruciating route to the inevitable.
Sobering thoughts from Rehab Riviera Resisting alcohol is almost the easiest part of early sobriety. Vastly more daunting is the reconstruction of one’s interpersonal skills.
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Summer Series: Joe Aston on 12 years of Rear Window

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This week on The Fin podcast, aviation reporter Ayesha de Kretser on the dramatic downfall of Bonza, the future of regional air travel in Australia and whether it’s possible for another airline to ever thrive in this market.
This podcast is sponsored by AICD
Further reading:

Better slot access at Sydney might have saved Bonza, says regulator

The ACCC warns that regional travellers risk being left behind by the entrenched duopoly of Qantas and Virgin Australia.

PE firm behind Bonza, Melbourne Victory calls in insolvency experts

The private equity firm called in advisers overnight to assist with “operational challenges”. It is a major shareholder in the A-League club and budget airline.

How 777 Partners bad marriage doomed Bonza from the start

Documents pitched to investors prove Bonza could never succeed with the fleet it was leasing – a condition of its relationship with 777 Partners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside the Bonza bust & what it means for airline competition

This week on The Fin podcast, wealth reporter Lucy Dean and wealth editor Joanna Mather explain what’s happening in the great wealth transfer and how it will shape the economy, politics and intergenerational rivalry.
This podcast is sponsored by AICD
Further reading:

Forget Boomers. Millennials, your next landlord could be a best mate

For decades, Millennials and Generation Z have blamed Baby Boomers for locking them out of the housing market. But what happens when wealthy Boomers start to give their kids cash?

Women overwhelming winners in $5trn Baby Boomer wealth transfer

Women will receive 65 per cent of the nearly $5 trillion due to pass from Baby Boomers and their parents to the next generation in the next decade, a new report finds.

Not just cruises: Boomers direct spending to kids and grandkids

Financial advisors report many over-65s are helping family members rather than splurging – though travel is a thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when Australia’s Boomers hand $5 trillion to their heirs

This week on The Fin podcast, political editor Phillip Coorey talks about what the government is likely to announce in the federal budget, what that means for inflation and interest rates, and gives his assessment of how Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are faring as we count down to the next election.
This podcast is sponsored by AICD
Further reading:

Labor election plans start blowing smoke

Labor is banking on at least one rate cut before calling an election. That scenario is no longer guaranteed.

Chalmers locks in business tax breaks to help Made in Australia

The budget will contain tax breaks for investors to turbocharge the government’s Future Made in Australia Act, Jim Chalmers has confirmed.

‘Vigilant’ RBA puts home loan borrowers on notice

Governor Michele Bullock has issued a fresh warning to mortgage holders, two years after the Reserve Bank of Australia began raising interest rates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2024: rates watch, tax breaks & the NDIS ticking bomb

This week on The Fin podcast, Ben Potter and Jacob Greber talk about Peter Dutton’s atomic bet, the economics of nuclear energy and whether the power requirements of the AI revolution change the debate.

This podcast is sponsored by ANZ
Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Spotify here
Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Apple here 
Further reading:

Dutton’s atomic bet threatens Coalition chain reaction over climate

Rather than keep the heat on Labor’s handling of the cost-of-living pain as inflation stays high, the opposition leader’s nuclear venture risks becoming the story.

Booming AI demand threatens electricity supply

Regulators are scrambling to factor the explosive growth of data centres into demand projections as one network warns of a 250 per cent surge in power needs.

Why Dutton is going nuclear

Peter Dutton thinks he can sell nuclear power to the public. The energy industry remains unconvinced by the business case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nuclear power: Could we? Should we?

This week on The Fin podcast, before heading home after more than six years based in Shanghai and then Tokyo, Michael Smith talks about the changes in China over that time, what its slowing economy means for Australian prosperity and Japan's new role on the world stage. 
This podcast is sponsored by ANZ
Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Spotify here
Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Apple here 
Further reading:

In six and a half years I witnessed a dark pivot in China
When I first landed in Shanghai on a freezing winter’s night in January 2018, China felt like a place bursting with optimism and opportunity.
Japan is finally waking up from its lost decades. Can it last?
The country is doing defence deals and its economy is powering up. But it has a fight on its hands to keep the momentum going given its structural challenges.
The data that reveals the truth about Australia’s China ties
Although Australia’s relations with China have warmed, key metrics show economic ties are at their lowest levels in more than five years and are unlikely to bounce back.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer Series: Joe Aston on 12 years of Rear Window

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