Business

Business · 19 October 2026

Barkly Rare Earths Extends NT Discovery by 8km, High‑Grade Hits Up to 4550ppm TREO

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Barkly Rare Earths announced that new drilling in the Northern Territory has pushed its discovery zone another 8km beyond earlier hits, with high‑grade intercepts reaching up to 4550 ppm total rare‑earth oxide (TRE…

Business · 19 October 2026

Federal Court declares goldmine’s Aboriginal protection order fundamentally flawed, leaving market participants to mine the loopholes

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

A Federal Court judge found the Aboriginal protection order for a New South Wales goldmine fundamentally flawed, prompting market participants to question the legal safeguards around mining projects.

Business · 19 October 2026

Gas‑gate: Sydney’s New Rules Pull Asian Giants into a Tug‑of‑War

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Labor’s contentious export limits aim to keep more gas at home, risking a diplomatic backlash from Asian energy giants as markets scramble to adjust.

Business · 19 October 2026

Stax Resurrected by Sneaker‑Marketplace Founders as Retail Collapse Reboots

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

After collapsing in June following an ill‑fated retail expansion, the athleisure brand Stax is being revived by the couple who founded a popular sneaker‑trading marketplace. Their plan relies on limited‑edition dro…

Business · 18 October 2026

Two Activists Take the Plunge, Literally, onto Woodside Platform 200km Offshore

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Two people were taken into police custody after they occupied an offshore Woodside gas platform about 200 km off Western Australia’s coast to protest the company’s gas operations.

Business · 18 October 2026

Tasmania Toasts “Amazing Opportunities” Amid Global Whisky Gloom

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

A worldwide whisky downturn is hitting producers from Kentucky to Kilkenny, yet Tasmania’s distillers say they’re seizing ‘amazing opportunities’, the biggest challenge the state has faced since colonial‑law da…

Business · 18 October 2026

Assistant Treasurer Mulino Says Govt Knew About ATO Credit‑Card Ban Months Before Public Reveal

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Daniel Mulino confirmed the Treasury knew the Australian Taxation Office was weighing a July ban on credit‑card payments months before the plan was announced publicly, sparking a scramble among market watchers.

Business · 18 October 2026

Cormann Counters Populist Pop‑Ups: Migration Caps Won’t Ease Cost of Living, May Hurt Jobs

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Former OECD head Mathias Cormann warns that limiting migration won’t lower living costs or boost productivity and that migrants actually help raise employment across Australia’s cities.

Business · 17 October 2026

Bundaberg’s First Hotel in Two Decades Opens, Market Participants Brace for a Possible Property Boom

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Bundaberg’s 20‑year hotel lull ends as a new development opens, sparking speculation that market participants might finally see a tourism‑driven property boom.