This week, senior writer Greg Bearup and Lowy Institute senior fellow Richard McGregor on China's dominance of the local EV and battery market and why that's a security risk.

This podcast is sponsored by Salesforce

Further reading:

Is your Chinese EV a ‘ticking time bomb’?
The rapid uptake of electric cars and home batteries from the Asian nation has put Australia’s energy infrastructure at risk of foreign hijack, experts warn.
China could disable or detonate Aussie EVs, warns top cyber expert
Malcolm Turnbull’s former cybersecurity tsar says Australian government officials should not ride in Chinese-made EVs because of the surveillance risk.
‘Crying shame’: Inside the demise of Australia’s only battery maker
Brian Craighead spent a decade trying to build an industry. He blames a cash crisis, a glut of Chinese product and shambolic federal policies for its failure.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Hobbs and Tony Boyd on how investors lost $1.2 billion in Shield, First Guardian and Australian Fiduciaries, and how the gatekeepers let it happen.

This podcast is sponsored by Acenda

Further reading:
The ‘easy peasy’ approval: Shield exposes $850b super wrap industry
These funds told us they were toxic: how did Macquarie miss it?
How Macquarie ignored its own advice on Shield (and lost $100m)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior reporters Jonathan Shapiro and Primrose Riordan on what ASIC's crackdown on LaTrobe Financial and the Jon Adgemis saga tells us about the private credit market, the risks for super investors and whether the golden run is over.

This podcast is sponsored by Acenda

Further reading:

• Private credit faces tougher regulation after damning report
• La Trobe investment products hit with stop orders by ASIC
• Deutsche Bank appoints receivers for Adgemis pubs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canberra bureau chief Nicola Smith and Washington correspondent Jessica Gardner on the Pacific defence deals and what to expect when Albanese sits down with Donald Trump.

This podcast is sponsored by Acenda

Further reading: 
Trump and Albanese meet, as PM finally lands White House visit
Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese met at a UN reception in New York as it was confirmed they would finally sit down together at the White House next month.
China looms large over PM’s embarrassing setback
Australia faces a diplomatic setback after failing to secure PNG defence treaty, but what it really signals is a growing influence of China in the Pacific.
Tears, forgiveness and fury: Kirk remembered as martyr for free speech
Allies of Charlie Kirk have vowed to carry on his mission to defeat leftist ideology at a packed service that at times looked more like a campaign rally.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chanticleer columnist James Thomson and banking reporter Angira Bharadwaj on ANZ’s overhaul, why banks are cutting jobs and whether management has lost control of the message.

This podcast is sponsored by Acenda

Further reading:
ANZ’s pragmatic deal for ‘betraying’ Australia deserves no applause
ANZ has stitched up a pragmatic settlement with ASIC to give Nuno Matos room to launch his reset. But it shouldn’t distract from what has been shabby governance.
‘It’s long overdue’: The cull wiping out thousands of bank jobs
After a spike in staff numbers since the royal commission, three of the big four banks are wielding the axe, with more than 5000 people exiting the industry.
It’s the age of turbulence as Nuno Matos turns ANZ upside-down
Known among some staff as El Nuno, the Lisbon-born chief executive is attracting fear, intrigue and admiration as he cuts staff and overhauls the bank.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NSW political correspondent Paul Karp and deputy property editor Michael Bleby on the political leaders declaring war on NIMBYs, whether it will help the country meet its housing supply target and why the bigger problem might be a tradie deficit.

This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets

Further reading:
How the Woollahra development could redraw politics in Sydney’s east
Urban infill doesn’t just reshape the local environment; it can change the political landscape as well.
NSW planning minister says NIMBYs ‘vying to create childless suburbs’
Paul Scully has been pushing for higher densities in Sydney, creating a backlash from residents. He says resistance to housing has become “institutionalised”.
Property supply chief targets capital gains tax breaks in housing ‘war’
As the country begins a discussion about tax, the property industry veteran says the crucial role of housing also demands a big-picture review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rupert Murdoch's eldest son has finally secured control of the family’s sprawling media empire in a multi-billion dollar settlement with his siblings. Media reporter Sam Buckingham-Jones gives his take on the deal that ends a bitter succession battle.

This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets

Further reading:

Lachlan Murdoch takes family media empire, paying siblings $5b to exit
The deal brings to an end almost two years of bitter legal wranglings over control, cementing Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son’s leadership at News Corp and Fox.6:42Lisa MurrayWendi Deng emerges on Rupert and Lachlan’s side in Murdoch split
Unlike three of their older half-siblings, the businesswoman’s two children with the billionaire patriarch will keep a stake in the family media empire.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin, workplace correspondent David Marin-Guzman discusses the test case of a compliance company that has been spying on its staff, what it means for work from home and how AI will affect the future of surveillance.

This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets

Further reading:
Company turned laptops into covert recording devices to monitor WFH
Safetrac says it needed to track work-from-home staff for underperformance, but some employees say the surveillance went too far and police are now investigating.
WFH surveillance case is a wake-up call
The Safetrac case shines a spotlight on the issue of employee surveillance versus the right to personal privacy when staff work from home.
Safetrac surveillance installed without staff agreement: HR manager
The firm, which turned staff laptops into covert listening devices, should have updated its surveillance policy beforehand, its own people manager told WorkCover.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.