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Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 15:10 Source

Andrew Forrest turbines squadronAndrew Forrest tells business summit artificial intelligence is both "incredibly dangerous" and critical to balancing Fortescue's "incredibly complex" green energy grid in the Pilbara.

The post Forrest says AI the stuff of nightmares, but also critical to Fortescue’s push to real zero appeared first on Renew Economy.

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Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 15:03 Source

Rumours of the demise of the Cheaper Home Batteries are greatly exaggerated... or so the industry is keen to believe, as reports emerge that further tweaks to the scheme are being considered.

The post Shock … and doubt: Industry bats off report home battery rebates could be slashed or scrapped appeared first on Renew Economy.

Read more Views: 4
Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 14:41 Source

Francis Norman, the head of the Centre of Decommissioning Australia, on the extraordinary task of shutting down and removing oil and gas wells, and the lessons that could be learned for the offshore wind industry.

The post Special episode: How to close down oil and gas appeared first on Renew Economy.

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Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 13:28 Source

Western Australia's Albany Wind Farm.New guidelines create a state-funded go-between who will negotiate with developers and help communities decide on their preferred plans for funds from renewables. 

The post State proposes go-betweens to lead negotiations on community benefits from renewables appeared first on Renew Economy.

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Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 13:14 Source

This year’s energy market forecasts feature a particularly large problem that is likely causing headaches for AEMO – and the culprit is residential batteries.

The post Is the market operator’s next energy transition plan already out of date? appeared first on Renew Economy.

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Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 13:02 Source

Scott River, synergyA small wind farm that has been a flash-point for local environmental concerns has been waved through the federal EPBC queue, but with a raft of conditions. 

The post State-backed wind farm gets federal green light, with long list of conditions appeared first on Renew Economy.

Read more Views: 4
Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 13:02 Source

Scott River, synergyA small wind farm that has been a flash-point for local environmental concerns has been waved through the federal EPBC queue, but with a raft of conditions. 

The post WA state-backed wind farm gets federal green light, with long list of conditions appeared first on Renew Economy.

Read more Views: 12
MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 13:00 Source

Brisbane dwelling values have soared by 116% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, according to PropTrack. As a result, Brisbane is now the nation’s second most expensive housing market after Sydney, with a median dwelling value of $1,046,000 as of February 28, 2026, and a median house price of $1,203,000: According

The post Brisbane is Australia’s most overvalued housing market appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 12:30 Source

Treasurer Jim “chicken” Chalmers is convening a confidential roundtable with leading market economists in Canberra to discuss potential economic reforms ahead of the May federal budget. Participants will include economists from the four major banks, and Chalmers has encouraged them to propose unconventional or “left-field” policy ideas beyond those currently considered by Treasury. Discussions are

Read more Views: 16
Renew Economy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 12:10 Source

A Rockhampton region big battery – a winner of the federal government's Capacity Investment Scheme – is the latest target of the state planning minister's call-in powers.

The post Queensland LNP calls in four-hour big battery that local MP claims is a threat to the Barrier Reef appeared first on Renew Economy.

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 12:00 Source

Of Australia’s main capital cities, Melbourne is the most economically challenged. The latest labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), presented below by CBA, shows that Victoria has recorded the steepest rise in unemployment in the nation: Victoria’s unemployment rate of 4.5% is also the highest in the nation, tracking 0.4% above

Read more Views: 17
MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 11:30 Source

The market does enjoy watching a good war. But this is still not all clear, in my book. This is especially true now that the Straits are closed. Goldman reckons due to the collapse of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, damage to energy infrastructure, and storage congestion that caused Iraq to reduce oil

The post The fat lady ain’t singing in Iran appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 11:00 Source

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Tuesday reported a 0.9% increase in public sector demand in the December quarter, which was estimated to contribute 0.3 percentage points to GDP for the quarter. Public demand, which comprises all federal, state and local government spending and investment, totalled $198 billion in the three months to December.

The post NDIS swallows federal budget and economy appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 10:30 Source

Victoria continues to swing to One Nation. According to a RedBridge Group/Accent Research poll cited in the AFR, One Nation, which was not a choice in the previous survey conducted in December, is at 24%. Labour is down 6 to 25%, the Coalition is down 12 to 28%, and the Greens are up 1 to

The post Time to give One Nation some power appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 10:09 Source
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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 10:00 Source

Wednesday’s December quarter national accounts release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) came in hot, with GDP rising by 2.6% in 2025, above the RBA’s latest forecast in the February Statement of Monetary Policy (SoMP): Viewed alongside the higher-than-target inflation and lower-than-forecast unemployment rate, the strong GDP print suggests that the RBA will be

Read more Views: 31
Your Democracy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 09:40 Source

Donald Trump has criticised Keir Starmer again over the UK’s refusal to aid the offensive strikes on Iran, saying the “relationship is obviously not what it was”.

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 09:30 Source

Canadian PM Mark Carney has raised the median IQ in Australia for a few days. The world order is undergoing a rupture and the old norms of the rules-based international order are being erased, and that new system that will emerge ultim­ately is yet to be built. Global institutions have often been too slow to

The post Carney vs Bell vs Harries appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 09:00 Source

The ferrous market does love seasonality, and no sooner has it closed the jaws than it is reopening them. This is part short squeeze, part hope for stimmies, with a dash of Iran thrown in. Futures markets have gotten rather short over the last month, so some corrective medicine was due. Second, hope for stimmies

The post Iron ore takes off as steel market crumbles appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 08:01 Source

From Afghanistan to Iraq and Libya, repeated military interventions have weakened rather than strengthened US power. With new strikes on Iran launched without congressional authorisation, the pattern of executive overreach and strategic miscalculation deepens.

 

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MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 08:00 Source

In a normal post-pandemic year, auction clearance rates in Sydney leap out of the gates as the holiday season hibernation period ends and the property market surges in February and March. In 2022 and 2024, this period had the highest clearance rates of the year. Without an external catalyst, such as movements in interest rates,

The post Sydney’s “pretty sh!t” auction market appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 06:55 Source

 

Since I don’t suffer from memory problems or cognitive deficiencies, I am able to remember in 2024 that (the candidate) Trump promised that he would “end the Ukraine war in 24 hours” if elected, even stating he would do it before being inaugurated. I’m still waiting on that. 

Read more Views: 23
Your Democracy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 04:00 Source

When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, many of us knew, and argued loudly, that the American public was being lied to. We knew that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and could back up our claims. The war went ahead anyway, but eventually, the lies were exposed. 

 

Debunking the Lies of the Iran War

Mitchell Plitnick for Mondoweiss

Read more Views: 35
Your Democracy Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 03:22 Source

There has scarcely been an attempt to pretend any justification in international law for the attack on Iran and murder of its leader. The response of the U.K. government, focusing almost entirely on condemning Iran for exercising its legitimate right of self-defence, takes the Keir Starmer dishonesty meter further off the scale.

Read more Views: 38
MacroBusiness Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 00:01 Source

Australia is suffering its worst rental crisis in living memory. Advertised rents have soared by around 47% since the end of 2019, according to Cotality, adding around $11,470 to the annual cost of renting for the typical Australian: Australian rental vacancy rates are also tracking at historical lows, at around half pre-pandemic levels: Cotality shows

The post Rising population growth pressures renters appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Read more Views: 35
Renew Economy Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 22:23 Source

The printed solar technology spun out of the University of Newcastle has secured a $2.1 million federal government grant to help fund a commercial-scale pilot.

The post Australian printed solar technology used to power Coldplay world tour secures federal funding appeared first on Renew Economy.

Read more Views: 37
Your Democracy Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 19:58 Source

This analysis examines the strategic importance of a narrow maritime chokepoint and how its closure could trigger global economic collapse. Discover the vulnerabilities of major economies and infrastructure in a potential conflict between regional powers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOmmHOqMGvo

 

How the Strait of Hormuz Will Start World War 3 | Prof Jiang Explains

 

Read more Views: 46
Renew Economy Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 15:08 Source

New data shows more Australians are having a crisis of faith in the transition to renewables. But workers on the frontline of community engagement tell a different story.

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Renew Economy Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 14:49 Source

Waratah Super Battery.Big battery projects including stand-alone BESS and solar-hybrids dominated investment activity in the final quarter of 2025, featuring in 16 deals across financing, M&A and PPAs.

The post Big battery deals dominate as investors buy, sell, finance and contract Australian energy storage appeared first on Renew Economy.

Read more Views: 52
Your Democracy Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 14:28 Source

Former foreign minister Bob Carr has lamented the Albanese government’s strong backing for the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran, pointing to simmering discontent within parts of Labor about the party’s seeming lack of interest in upholding international law.

Read more Views: 47

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