Political editor Phillip Coorey on the debt bomb facing the next generation, the ‘Braveheart ’situation in parliament and the Iran-led attacks in Australia.

This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets

Further reading: 
The VW, the tobacco kingpin, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Sloppy criminals who reused a stolen car for arson attacks on a synagogue and nightclub led spies to uncover a state-sponsored campaign of terror.
PM had no choice but to act after explosive Iran revelations
After years of rejecting overtures to sever ties with Iran, the government was left with no other option.
Talkfest hasn’t started yet. Jim Chalmers says it’s already a win
The treasurer says the build-up to Tuesday’s summit has entrenched the productivity crisis in the political psyche.

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This week on The Fin podcast: senior writer Greg Bearup on why the Mormon Church is buying up vast tracts of Australian farmland and whether it’s in the national interest.

This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets

Further reading: 
Mormon church’s $490m spending spree exposes trade deal blind spot
Farmers fear the American church could change the face of Australian agriculture.
The chequebook of Mormon: $500m on Australian farms in six months
With its immense resources, the US-based Mormon church is buying up vast tracts of Australian farmland. Is this in our national interest?
Wagyu Rich Listers fatten outback portfolio with Qld deal
Peter and Jane Hughes, already among the world’s biggest producers of wagyu beef, have added a central western Queensland cattle property to their operation.

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This week on The Fin podcast: senior writer Myriam Robin on how worried we should be about declining fertility rates, whether they could and should be reversed and why politicians in Australia are so reluctant to talk about it.

This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets

Further reading:
Can Australia escape the global fertility crisis?
Not too long ago, the world was worried about runaway population growth. But with birth rates falling too fast, the scramble is on to avoid the demographic crunch.
How to fix the economy to make Aussies richer – from people who did
Jim Chalmers’ economic roundtable risks history being repeated because a cautious prime minister has no electoral mandate for sweeping change.
Why Australia is far from full but no one wants to talk about it Angst over house and rental prices is fracturing the fragile bigger-Australia consensus. Yet walking away from a larger population is not an option

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This week on The Fin podcast: senior reporter Jemima Whyte and associate editor Joyce Moullakis on whether Macquarie has lost its edge, who might be in line to take over the top job and what happens when you threaten the pay packets of a millionaires’ factory.

Further reading: 
Macquarie scrambled to lobby proxy firms ahead of fraught AGM
The company made the highly unusual move to understand if major investors would reject executive pay plans as it dealt with a backlash.
Glenn Stevens feels the burn from Macquarie’s worried investors
The former RBA governor has seen off a global financial crisis and angry borrowers. Can he turn around an undercurrent of anxiety at the Millionaires Factory?
Macquarie investors deliver wake-up call with strike on executive pay
Investors deliver an embarrassing rebuke to the Millionaires Factory over bonuses amid regulatory woes and the surprise exit of its CFO.

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This week on The Fin, Technology editor Paul Smith talks about his interview with Altman and reveals what it would take for the AI chief to pull the plug.

Further reading: 
What OpenAI’s Sam Altman suggests you do to keep your job
The race is on to build machines that can outthink humans. The tech founder in charge of ChatGPT says there is one thing that would make him stop.
‘Try the future’: New ChatGPT AI agents promise to do your jobs
Drawing on three pre-existing OpenAI products, ChatGPT Agent lets users ask AI to take control of multi-step and fairly complex tasks.
OpenAI wants AI tax breaks, promises $115b annual windfall
OpenAI chief economist Ronnie Chatterji has conducted a whirlwind set of meetings in Canberra as the company prepares to launch an AI blueprint for Australia.

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This week on The Fin, North Asia correspondent Jessica Sier and Lowy Institute senior fellow Richard McGregor on whether Panda diplomacy works and why Beijing needs a succession plan.

This podcast is sponsored by Workday.

China ordered this Aussie flower farm to grow rice. Then they found a solution
In a country of 1.4 billion people, keeping everyone fed can be the difference between stability and chaos. The Lynch Group nearly had to tear down its greenhouses.
Beyond the Wall: Albanese’s high-stakes China play
As the prime minister is criticised over the extent of his China sightseeing, the government insists it is playing the long game and that face time matters.
Rumours of Xi’s downfall distract from China’s real challenges
The notion that Xi Jinping is about to be toppled is a distraction from the real cleavages in Chinese politics.

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This week on The Fin podcast, economics editor John Kehoe and senior reporter Jonathan Shapiro on the RBA’s shock decision on interest rates, what it means for the economy and whether the next generation could be the first to be worse off than their parents.

This podcast is sponsored by Workday.

Further reading: 
Gen Z will be richer than their parents. But here’s the catch
Sluggish productivity and tax policies rigged against young people mean many are missing out on financial comfort precisely when they need it most.
RBA rate call extraordinaire Rory Robertson makes his last prediction
The economist has spent three decades trying to interpret the smoke signals emanating out of Martin Place. He’s giving up the game as it’s profoundly changing.
Which RBA board members voted for a rate cut?
At least two Labor appointees to the Reserve Bank monetary policy board almost certainly voted for a cut on Tuesday, former insiders believe.

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This week on The Fin podcast, workplace correspondent David Marin-Guzman on what has been done to stamp out a culture of fear and intimidation in the CFMEU and whether it's working.

This podcast is sponsored by Workday.

Further reading:
High Court leaves CFMEU administrator with no more excuses
The failed High Court challenge to the CFMEU administration has cleared a path to cleaning out the union. But the administrator still has to walk it.
High Court ruling on CFMEU a ‘line in the sand’ moment for cleanout
The CFMEU administrator has declared the High Court backing of the administration will make way for systemic industry reforms.
‘Let’s make some money together’: Inside the CFMEU’s bribery scandal
Sometimes it was a foot tap, other times a little kick, but either way cash was passed under the table to the union boss.

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This week on The Fin, Chanticleer columnist James Thomson and Wealth reporter Lucy Dean on the surge in inherited wealth, what’s behind it and what can, or should, be done about it….

This podcast is sponsored by Workday.

Further Reading:
You're probably part of Australia's new inheritocracy
How inheritance is upending the marriage market
How do the 1pc find love? With these high-end matchmaking services
The maths that makes SMSFs a tax reform target for Chalmers

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This week on The Fin podcast: senior reporter Ayesha de Kretser and Chanticleer columnist Anthony Macdonald on Virgin’s return to the market, why it will struggle to stay in its lane and whether Australia can ever sustain more than two airlines.

This podcast is sponsored by Aussie Broadband

Further reading: 
Virgin prepares for IPO take-off in a test for Bain – and the market
Five years after collapsing into administration, the country’s second-largest airline will finally return to the ASX on Tuesday. There is a lot at stake.
IPO market cracks open as Virgin, Greatland shares soar on debut
Fund managers rushed into the airline’s stock in a major win for Bain Capital, which has worked on turning around the business for five years.
Virgin’s future is now in the hands of the markets gods
The problem with listing ceremonies is they look backwards, but investors look forward. The airline did what it must to relist, but now it’s over to the ASX.

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