It’s firing season at the banks. How far will the job losses go?

Chanticleer columnist James Thomson and banking reporter Angira Bharadwaj on ANZ’s overhaul, why banks are cutting jobs and whether management has lost control of the message. This podcast is sponsored by Ancenda Further reading:ANZ’s pragmatic deal for ‘betraying’ Australia deserves no applauseANZ has stitched up a pragmatic settlement with ASIC to give Nuno Matos room to launch his reset. But it shouldn’t distract from what has been shabby governance.‘It’s long overdue’: The cull wiping out thousands of bank jobsAfter a spike in staff numbers since the royal commission, three of the big four banks are wielding the axe, with more than 5000 people exiting the industry.It’s the age of turbulence as Nuno Matos turns ANZ upside-downKnown among some staff as El Nuno, the Lisbon-born chief executive is attracting fear, intrigue and admiration as he cuts staff and overhauls the bank.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NSW political correspondent Paul Karp and deputy property editor Michael Bleby on the political leaders declaring war on NIMBYs, whether it will help the country meet its housing supply target and why the bigger problem might be a tradie deficit.This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets Further reading: How the Woollahra development could redraw politics in Sydney’s eastUrban infill doesn’t just reshape the local environment; it can change the political landscape as well.NSW planning minister says NIMBYs ‘vying to create childless suburbs’Paul Scully has been pushing for higher densities in Sydney, creating a backlash from residents. He says resistance to housing has become “institutionalised”.Property supply chief targets capital gains tax breaks in housing ‘war’As the country begins a discussion about tax, the property industry veteran says the crucial role of housing also demands a big-picture review.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rupert Murdoch's eldest son has finally secured control of the family’s sprawling media empire in a multi-billion dollar settlement with his siblings. Media reporter Sam Buckingham-Jones gives his take on the deal that ends a bitter succession battle. This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets Further reading: Lachlan Murdoch takes family media empire, paying siblings $5b to exitThe deal brings to an end almost two years of bitter legal wranglings over control, cementing Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son’s leadership at News Corp and Fox.6:42Lisa MurrayWendi Deng emerges on Rupert and Lachlan’s side in Murdoch splitUnlike three of their older half-siblings, the businesswoman’s two children with the billionaire patriarch will keep a stake in the family media empire.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin, workplace correspondent David Marin-Guzman discusses the test case of a compliance company that has been spying on its staff, what it means for work from home and how AI will affect the future of surveillance.This podcast is sponsored by CMC MarketsFurther reading:Company turned laptops into covert recording devices to monitor WFHSafetrac says it needed to track work-from-home staff for underperformance, but some employees say the surveillance went too far and police are now investigating.WFH surveillance case is a wake-up callThe Safetrac case shines a spotlight on the issue of employee surveillance versus the right to personal privacy when staff work from home.Safetrac surveillance installed without staff agreement: HR managerThe firm, which turned staff laptops into covert listening devices, should have updated its surveillance policy beforehand, its own people manager told WorkCover.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political editor Phillip Coorey on the debt bomb facing the next generation, the ‘Braveheart ’situation in parliament and the Iran-led attacks in Australia.This podcast is sponsored by CMC MarketsFurther reading: The VW, the tobacco kingpin, and Iran’s Revolutionary GuardSloppy criminals who reused a stolen car for arson attacks on a synagogue and nightclub led spies to uncover a state-sponsored campaign of terror.PM had no choice but to act after explosive Iran revelationsAfter years of rejecting overtures to sever ties with Iran, the government was left with no other option.Talkfest hasn’t started yet. Jim Chalmers says it’s already a winThe treasurer says the build-up to Tuesday’s summit has entrenched the productivity crisis in the political psyche.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast: senior writer Greg Bearup on why the Mormon Church is buying up vast tracts of Australian farmland and whether it’s in the national interest. This podcast is sponsored by CMC MarketsFurther reading: Mormon church’s $490m spending spree exposes trade deal blind spotFarmers fear the American church could change the face of Australian agriculture.The chequebook of Mormon: $500m on Australian farms in six monthsWith its immense resources, the US-based Mormon church is buying up vast tracts of Australian farmland. Is this in our national interest?Wagyu Rich Listers fatten outback portfolio with Qld dealPeter and Jane Hughes, already among the world’s biggest producers of wagyu beef, have added a central western Queensland cattle property to their operation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast: senior writer Myriam Robin on how worried we should be about declining fertility rates, whether they could and should be reversed and why politicians in Australia are so reluctant to talk about it. This podcast is sponsored by CMC Markets Further reading:Can Australia escape the global fertility crisis?Not too long ago, the world was worried about runaway population growth. But with birth rates falling too fast, the scramble is on to avoid the demographic crunch.How to fix the economy to make Aussies richer – from people who didJim Chalmers’ economic roundtable risks history being repeated because a cautious prime minister has no electoral mandate for sweeping change.Why Australia is far from full but no one wants to talk about it Angst over house and rental prices is fracturing the fragile bigger-Australia consensus. Yet walking away from a larger population is not an optionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast: senior reporter Jemima Whyte and associate editor Joyce Moullakis on whether Macquarie has lost its edge, who might be in line to take over the top job and what happens when you threaten the pay packets of a millionaires’ factory.Further reading: Macquarie scrambled to lobby proxy firms ahead of fraught AGMThe company made the highly unusual move to understand if major investors would reject executive pay plans as it dealt with a backlash.Glenn Stevens feels the burn from Macquarie’s worried investorsThe former RBA governor has seen off a global financial crisis and angry borrowers. Can he turn around an undercurrent of anxiety at the Millionaires Factory?Macquarie investors deliver wake-up call with strike on executive payInvestors deliver an embarrassing rebuke to the Millionaires Factory over bonuses amid regulatory woes and the surprise exit of its CFO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin, Technology editor Paul Smith talks about his interview with Altman and reveals what it would take for the AI chief to pull the plug. Further reading: What OpenAI’s Sam Altman suggests you do to keep your jobThe race is on to build machines that can outthink humans. The tech founder in charge of ChatGPT says there is one thing that would make him stop.‘Try the future’: New ChatGPT AI agents promise to do your jobsDrawing on three pre-existing OpenAI products, ChatGPT Agent lets users ask AI to take control of multi-step and fairly complex tasks.OpenAI wants AI tax breaks, promises $115b annual windfallOpenAI chief economist Ronnie Chatterji has conducted a whirlwind set of meetings in Canberra as the company prepares to launch an AI blueprint for Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin, North Asia correspondent Jessica Sier and Lowy Institute senior fellow Richard McGregor on whether Panda diplomacy works and why Beijing needs a succession plan. This podcast is sponsored by Workday.China ordered this Aussie flower farm to grow rice. Then they found a solutionIn a country of 1.4 billion people, keeping everyone fed can be the difference between stability and chaos. The Lynch Group nearly had to tear down its greenhouses.Beyond the Wall: Albanese’s high-stakes China playAs the prime minister is criticised over the extent of his China sightseeing, the government insists it is playing the long game and that face time matters.Rumours of Xi’s downfall distract from China’s real challengesThe notion that Xi Jinping is about to be toppled is a distraction from the real cleavages in Chinese politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.