Show Notes
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 wealthier neighborhoods to take on more housing. Bloomberg’s Swati Pandey and Aradhana Aravindan join the podcast to unpack what’s at stake — from property prices and lifestyle trade-offs to productivity, inflation and the Reserve Bank. Can Australia fix its housing crunch without reshaping its most exclusive suburbs? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from The Bloomberg Australia Podcast
Australia became the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from social media. Almost a year later, the government is preparing for a potential court battle with some of the world’s biggest tech companies — while pushing ahead with even tougher rules for social media platforms and AI chatbots. In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg’s Angus Whitley, communications minister Anika Wells explains why she believes the ban is working, why Big Tech still isn’t doing enough to protect children, and how Australia’s next wave of regulation could reshape the way companies from Meta to OpenAI operate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Firmus went from being one of Australia’s hottest IPO prospects to a spectacular flop in less than 48 hours. The Nvidia-backed data center operator’s failed listing has raised questions about sky-high valuations, enormous funding needs and just how much investors are willing to pay for the promise of future AI profits. Bloomberg’s Sydney Bureau Chief Ainslie Chandler joins Chris Bourke to unpack what went wrong — and why the Firmus fiasco may be a warning sign for the billions pouring into AI infrastructure around the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australia is embracing the AI boom, with billions of dollars pouring into data centers and the technology promising to transform the economy. But anxiety is growing too. A rogue OpenAI agent’s unauthorized access to Medicare systems has raised fresh questions about what happens when increasingly autonomous AI behaves in ways its creators never intended. Bloomberg’s Chris Bourke is joined by tech reporter Newley Purnell to unpack what the incident tells us about the risks of AI, whether Australia has the power to keep US tech giants in check, and the dilemma facing Canberra as it pushes for greater safeguards while trying to attract a potentially enormous wave of AI investment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australia’s inflation fight just got harder. The Reserve Bank has lifted interest rates for the fourth time this year as surging energy prices ripple through the economy — and another hike could be just weeks away. Bloomberg economist James McIntyre joins host Chris Bourke to explain why the RBA is so worried about businesses passing higher costs on to consumers, what that means for jobs and household budgets, and when Australians might finally see some relief from high interest rates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tasmania is home to the world’s largest battery-electric ship — a 130-metre ferry powered by more than 250 tonnes of batteries. This week, host Rebecca Jones talks to David Stringer, APAC Managing Editor for ESG and Green, who toured the vessel and met veteran shipbuilder Robert “Bob” Clifford. They explore how this remarkable project came together, whether electric ferries can transform global shipping, and what Tasmania’s maritime innovation could mean for an industry under pressure to cut emissions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.