Insights

Turning up to work with children in tow can be hard for all concerned, but sometimes parents don't have a choice. A pupil-free day, a babysitter not being available, day care closed or a sick child can leave parents with no option but to lug them into the office.

Free advice and longer holidays are among the benefits that come with life as an entrepreneur, writes Nina Hendy.

• The secretive panel vetting foreign investors.

The three-way fight over prized Victorian dairy group Warrnambool Cheese and Butter looks set to continue despite another knockout bid from Canadian dairy company Saputo.

The FIRB must weigh up the national interest against the country's need for capital investment, writes Peter Cai.

Transfield Services has warned of continued tough trading conditions as it works to cut debt amid continuing weak revenue generation.

The federal government has criticised General Motors' decision to promote Holden managing director Mike Devereux to a new international position during crucial funding negotiations with the local car maker.

Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood said there has been no pick-up in business sentiment since the federal election, underscoring comments by Australia's top retailers that hopes of a post-election rise in conditions are yet to materialise.

The sharemarket closed on a five-year high this week as investors welcomed news of better-than-expected quarterly earnings by US companies and that the Reserve Bank was confident non-mining investment could soon pick up.

Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has warned the new government not to compromise national security for trade, as the Coalition pushes ahead with a review of whether to overturn the ban on Chinese telco Huawei's involvement in building the national broadband network.

The Australian dollar has lost ground as investors took advantage of this week's strong gains to book profits before the weekend.

When headlines "Claims Corruption Rife at Leighton", "Bribe Claims Hit Board", "Going Rogue" and "Ex Leighton exec quits as bribe scandal intensifies" were plastered on the front pages of Fairfax Media newspapers earlier this month it wiped 13 per cent off the construction group's share price and left the investment community jittery about bribery and corruption risks in other companies.

One of Charlie's favourite movies is The Blues Brothers. It's devoted entirely to "putting the band back together again" so that Jake and his brother Elwood can raise $5000 to save the orphanage that saved their life.

Joe Hockey's new Commission of Audit will be the most comprehensive in almost two decades. It will examine everything the government does. And what will it say?

The country's biggest insurers are counting the cost of the NSW bushfires, with losses worth an estimated $138 million and climbing.

BHP Billiton boss Andrew Mackenzie has defended the resource company's environmental credentials in the face of criticism from a former chairman of the Australian Coal Association.