The Bloomberg Australia Podcast

Australia’s world-first ban on social media for under-16s was designed to protect kids — but just months in, cracks are already showing. Regulators say major platforms may be falling short, while parents and teens report the rules are easy to get around, with workarounds ranging from shared accounts to AI-generated age checks.

So is the policy actually changing behavior, or just reshuffling it? Bloomberg’s Ros Mat...

Is Australia at risk of running out of fuel? Panic buying has surged, prices are spiking and some regional stations are already running dry as tensions in the Middle East rattle global supply chains.

This week on the podcast, Ben Westcott joins Rebecca Jones to unpack the data behind the headlines — how much fuel Australia actually has, where the system is under strain and why the ripple effects could hit everything from supe...

For a second straight meeting, the RBA has lifted interest rates, signaling the fight to curb price pressures isn’t over. But what’s actually driving those decisions behind closed doors?

Bloomberg Economics’ James McIntyre joins the podcast to decode the RBA’s thinking: from the data that matters most to how global shocks, like rising energy prices, are shaping the outlook — and what it all means for w...

Australia consumes more cocaine per capita than any other country in the world — nearly double the rate of the US. In this episode, Bloomberg’s Angus Whitley joins host Chris Bourke to unpack the data behind the surge, why a wealthy, remote nation has become such a lucrative market for global cartels, and how cocaine use has spread across professions and age groups.

They examine the A$82 billion economic toll of illicit...

Oil prices are surging as the escalating conflict involving Iran rattles global markets, sending investors scrambling to assess the fallout. While US stocks have been relatively steady, crude’s jump is sharpening concerns about inflation and what it means for interest rates worldwide.

In this episode of the Bloomberg Australia Podcast, Rebecca Jones talks to markets reporter Richard Henderson about how the turmoil is flowing ...

Retiring comfortably in Australia just got a lot more expensive. New figures show couples now need about A$730,000 in super to fund a comfortable retirement — roughly A$40,000 more than six months ago — as living costs continue to climb. 

On this episode of the Bloomberg Australia Podcast, host Rebecca Jones speaks with pensions reporter Amy Bainbridge about what the new targets mean for workers decades away from r...

Sydney is one of the least dense major cities in the developed world — but that may be about to change. In the affluent suburb of Woollahra, residents are pushing back against a plan to revive a long-abandoned incomplete train station and build 10,000 new homes nearby. It’s a local fight with national implications, as governments grapple with soaring rents, a deepening affordability crisis and pressure to force wealthie...

Global markets have been on a rollercoaster, with billions wiped from two of the hottest trades of the past year: Big Tech and Bitcoin. At first glance they might seem unrelated – but both are deeply tied to the same force driving markets right now: the AI boom. As software stocks wobble, crypto swings wildly and tech giants ramp up spending on data centers, investors are being forced to reassess what comes next.

On this epis...

Global markets have started 2026 in chaotic fashion, with wild swings in stocks, a plunging dollar and fresh questions about everything from gold to AI. So what does all that mean for Australia’s super funds — and the retirement savings of millions of workers?

This week on the Bloomberg Australia Podcast, host Chris Bourke is joined by AustralianSuper CEO Paul Schroder, who runs the nation’s largest super fund wit...

We’re tackling one of the most fraught (and often avoided) conversations in Australian agriculture: farm succession.

As families return from summer break and set their goals for the year ahead, reporter Ben Westcott joins host Rebecca Jones to unpack why passing on the family farm has become so complex, emotionally charged and financially risky. With soaring land values, ageing farmers and siblings pulling in differen...

Australia’s political year has opened amid deepening domestic and global tensions. One Nation is now surging in polls, underscoring the erosion of support for traditional parties as cost-of-living pressures and cultural divides reshape the political landscape.

In this episode, Bloomberg’s new Canberra correspondent James Mayger joins the podcast to unpack the fallout from the Bondi attacks, the passage of gun and hate-s...

The mining sector kicked off 2026 with a bang as Rio Tinto and Glencore confirmed early-stage talks that could create the world’s biggest mining company. In this episode, host Chris Bourke is joined by Bloomberg’s Asia-Pacific head of commodities, Clara Ferreira Marques, to unpack why the deal is back on the table, what’s changed since talks first surfaced last year, and whether the “most obvious” merg...

Bondi Beach has long stood as a symbol of Australia’s easygoing spirit—a multicultural meeting place of sunlight, surf and community. But the recent terror attack during a Hanukkah celebration shattered that image, leaving a nation in mourning and reflection. In this episode, host Rebecca Jones is joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist David Fickling to explore why this attack cuts so deeply, not just for those directly ...

Australia’s hopes for rate cuts in 2026 have dimmed after RBA Governor Michele Bullock signaled they’re no longer on the table – and that a rate hike is now a real possibility. With inflation proving stickier than expected and price pressures broadening on everything from housing to everyday essentials, markets are beginning to reprice the path for interest rates.

In this episode, Bloomberg’s Swati Pandey br...

From next week, Australia’s under 16s will be prevented from accessing platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, as the Labor government pushes to curb harms caused by social media.
In our latest podcast, Rebecca Jones asks Bloomberg’s Angus Whitley to unpack the origins of the ban, what both parents and children can expect when it comes into force next week – and what the controversial move means for ...

Australia has suffered a major climate setback, losing its bid to host next year’s COP summit in Adelaide. At the same time, the Coalition has reignited Australia’s climate wars by abandoning its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 – a reversal that resets the political debate just as the world pushes for faster decarbonisation.

In this episode, Rebecca Jones asks Bloomberg’s David Stringer to unpack wh...

The softer New Zealand dollar means more Australian tourists are flocking across the ditch for holidays and long weekends. Meanwhile, Kiwis are increasingly migrating to Australia to escape their country’s economic weakness.

On this week’s Bloomberg Australia Podcast, Chris Bourke talks with Ainsley Thomson in Wellington about why New Zealand’s currency has weakened, the impact on its tourism industry and why Kiwi...

Macquarie’s reputation as Australia’s “millionaires factory” is under strain. The investment giant’s latest profit fell short of expectations, sending its shares sliding and investors questioning whether its golden era is fading. Commodities trading – once the powerhouse of the bank – is losing steam amid regulatory pressure and a calmer market, while leadership faces scrutiny over pay and ...