PC Thomas is one of Australia’s best known integrated building design specialists who’s worked closely with the NABERS energy rating system for buildings. This is a lightly edited version of a presentation he made to the Building Simulation 2025 conference in Brisbane in August, before an international audience, to explain the origin of the system and ...
It is good to see the federal government taking an interest in transport accessibility issues for the Sydney–Central Coast–Newcastle corridor. The recent findings on the investigation of high speed rail (HSR) options for the corridor, as outlined in Infrastructure Australia’s Business Case Evaluation Report (2025), raise important questions that should ...
As Tony Arnel prepares to step down as deputy chair of Forest and Wood Products Australia, he reflects on the value of timber to our net zero and low ambitions.
Spinifex is an opinion column submitted by readers. If you would like to contribute, contact us to ask for a detailed brief.
Sign up for our free newsletter.
When ...
IN BRIEF: Was it the $2 billion of mooted costs? Was it Australia’s go-slow on environmental reforms and what could shape up as the biggest wasted electoral majority of all time? We might never be able to unpick the real reason from the plethora of “media words” tumbling out on Thursday to explain why Australia lost the chance to host the next COP in ...
State and Federal Governments are proposing to add $2.4 billion to the Whyalla Steelworks financial disaster, while the man responsible rides into the sunset. Kim Wingerei with the story. The South Australian government put the Whyalla Steelworks into administration in February 2025, following years of mismanagement and mounting debts –
First, a quick reminder: We’d love to get to know more about our readers, hear your thoughts on Firstlinks and see how we can make it better for you. Please complete this short survey, and have your say.
****
Regular readers will know that dementia has become a topic affecting me personally with both my parents being diagnosed with the condition in ...
Industry fund giants Hesta and Vision Super have cut ties with Israel, standing out among Australia’s large investors for compliance though earning vicious attacks in the Zionist media. Stephanie Tran and Michael West report. Hesta and Vision Super have weathered an hysterical spate of attacks by Rupert Murdoch’s The Australian
For more years than I care to remember, I, along with many other retirement commentators, have had an unhealthy adherence to the concept of the retirement journey.
Don’t get me wrong. I do understand that, unless you die early or work forever, most people will experience some form of retirement life stage. But I am now questioning the assumption that ...
Australians are having fewer children than ever. At 1.5 babies per woman, the fertility rate is at a record low. Many attribute this to the cost of having and raising children.
If this is true, it raises questions of intergenerational fairness and future planning for governments. What do we do about the young would-be parents who are opting out because ...
If you don’t know who you are, this is an expensive place to find out.– Adam Smith, The Money Game
The Money Game remains one of my favourite all-time investment books. Both funny and wise, it was published during the first great tech boom, in 1967.
This was a few years before Buffett decided to close his early partnerships due to a lack of value ...
Unlike the past few bank reporting seasons, there was little trepidation from investors going into the November 2025 season. The last few bank reporting seasons had been very consistent, with a similar story of high margins, solid loan growth, strong capital, and minimal bad debts. An excellent position for investors with a large weighting to the ...
AI has been the story of the past few years in markets. It’s an AI rush, and like the gold rush that occurred in the 19th century, those who are winning are not who you would expect.
In the mid-19th century, California was home to the gold rush. People from all over the world made their way to Northern California and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in ...
PC Thomas is one of Australia’s best known integrated building design specialists who’s worked closely with the NABERS energy rating system for buildings. This is a lightly edited version of a presentation he made to the Building Simulation 2025 conference in Brisbane in August, before an international audience, to explain the origin of the system and ...
It is good to see the federal government taking an interest in transport accessibility issues for the Sydney–Central Coast–Newcastle corridor. The recent findings on the investigation of high speed rail (HSR) options for the corridor, as outlined in Infrastructure Australia’s Business Case Evaluation Report (2025), raise important questions that should ...
As Tony Arnel prepares to step down as deputy chair of Forest and Wood Products Australia, he reflects on the value of timber to our net zero and low ambitions.
Spinifex is an opinion column submitted by readers. If you would like to contribute, contact us to ask for a detailed brief.
Sign up for our free newsletter.
When ...
IN BRIEF: Was it the $2 billion of mooted costs? Was it Australia’s go-slow on environmental reforms and what could shape up as the biggest wasted electoral majority of all time? We might never be able to unpick the real reason from the plethora of “media words” tumbling out on Thursday to explain why Australia lost the chance to host the next COP in ...
State and Federal Governments are proposing to add $2.4 billion to the Whyalla Steelworks financial disaster, while the man responsible rides into the sunset. Kim Wingerei with the story. The South Australian government put the Whyalla Steelworks into administration in February 2025, following years of mismanagement and mounting debts –
First, a quick reminder: We’d love to get to know more about our readers, hear your thoughts on Firstlinks and see how we can make it better for you. Please complete this short survey, and have your say.
****
Regular readers will know that dementia has become a topic affecting me personally with both my parents being diagnosed with the condition in ...
Industry fund giants Hesta and Vision Super have cut ties with Israel, standing out among Australia’s large investors for compliance though earning vicious attacks in the Zionist media. Stephanie Tran and Michael West report. Hesta and Vision Super have weathered an hysterical spate of attacks by Rupert Murdoch’s The Australian
For more years than I care to remember, I, along with many other retirement commentators, have had an unhealthy adherence to the concept of the retirement journey.
Don’t get me wrong. I do understand that, unless you die early or work forever, most people will experience some form of retirement life stage. But I am now questioning the assumption that ...
Australians are having fewer children than ever. At 1.5 babies per woman, the fertility rate is at a record low. Many attribute this to the cost of having and raising children.
If this is true, it raises questions of intergenerational fairness and future planning for governments. What do we do about the young would-be parents who are opting out because ...
If you don’t know who you are, this is an expensive place to find out.– Adam Smith, The Money Game
The Money Game remains one of my favourite all-time investment books. Both funny and wise, it was published during the first great tech boom, in 1967.
This was a few years before Buffett decided to close his early partnerships due to a lack of value ...
Unlike the past few bank reporting seasons, there was little trepidation from investors going into the November 2025 season. The last few bank reporting seasons had been very consistent, with a similar story of high margins, solid loan growth, strong capital, and minimal bad debts. An excellent position for investors with a large weighting to the ...
AI has been the story of the past few years in markets. It’s an AI rush, and like the gold rush that occurred in the 19th century, those who are winning are not who you would expect.
In the mid-19th century, California was home to the gold rush. People from all over the world made their way to Northern California and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in ...
