Daniel Ziffer
Daniel Ziffer has worked at the intersection of journalism and public debate for nearly two decades. He covers Melbourne-based issues for ABC News. Daniel is the long-time senior producer of Mornings with Jon Faine, ABC Radio Melbourne, and has worked on air and in production at Macquarie Radio, as a freelance foreign correspondent based in New York City, journalist at The Age and a magazine editor.
Latest by Daniel Ziffer
Five years on, issues that never made the banking royal commission are in the spotlight
Five years on from the banking royal commission, there's still plenty of work to do, and some serious unintended consequences to clean up.
Frank thought you should be able to do jobs around the house on weekends. It put him in jail
Hardware store owner Frank Penhalluriack faced massive fines, financial ruin and went to jail as he fought for what he believed in. He won, and has changed how we live, work and socialise.
Analysis
analysis:Was 2023 the year that the class cracks in Australia's economy opened into gaping chasms?
This was the year we got shock and more. While 2023 saw continued freedom from COVID lockdowns and rules, a cost-of-living crisis and an ever-growing crunch in housing put substantial curbs on our lives and choices.
Unemployment rate hits 3.9 per cent in November, ASX jumps on news US interest rates 'may have peaked' — as it happened
The Australian share market jumped 1.65 per cent higher as traders brought forward rate cut bets in the US and around the world, and after new data showed 60,000 more Australians found employment in November.
As it happened: ASX closes lower, dollar to drop, laws to stop smoking pass
Laws that aim to reduce the appeal of smoking and limit the ability of the tobacco industry to market the product passed federal parliament on Thursday. Follow the daily blog for all the latest news in business, finance and the markets.
Why more employers are forcing staff back to the office after working from home
Some bosses are tying bonuses to getting people back into the office. But with "work from home" the most searched-for term on job websites, the push-and-pull is a source of contention.
The national gender pay gap has fallen to a new low, and a decision to name and shame could push it lower
The national gender pay gap has fallen to 21.7 per cent. In February, a big shift in how it is reported — naming companies individually — will shake up employment and likely narrow the gap further.
'Women deserve to buy products they want where they want to buy them': The battle over sex toy sales restrictions
Sexual devices like vibrators are sold in department stores and pharmacies in some parts of the country. In others they can only be sold in stores hidden from public view and subject to intense restrictions.
Australians are more dissatisfied with their economic situation than ever before; ASX ends slightly lower — as it happened
Australians are more dissatisfied with their economic situation than ever before, with young people particularly downbeat. Meanwhile, the ASX has ended modestly down on Wednesday. See how the day unfolded on our business news blog.
Despite the biggest wages rise on record, the real pay of Australian workers is stuck near a 13-year low
Wages post their biggest quarterly increase in at least a quarter of a century, due to big pay boosts for aged care staff and workers on awards.
Freight giant DP World recovers from cyber attack, but warns investigation and remediation is 'ongoing'
DP World is a global behemoth in shipping and logistics. But a cyber attack on its Australian operation has crippled some of our busiest ports in the busy lead up to Christmas.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses lost money in the Optus outage. They want the telco to pay up
Hundreds of thousands of businesses saw trade literally stall as the Optus outage put payment systems, internet services, phones and work-from-home set-ups out of action. Now, many are demanding compensation.
As it happened: ASX closes higher as Telstra bounces on Optus woes, but miners sink
The Australian market closed higher with solid gains for most sectors offset by steep losses in the big mining and energy sectors. Follow the day's financial news on our live blog.
Analysis
analysis:Why do taxpayers reward companies that don't support them back?
Lots of multinational companies use legal means to reduce the amount of tax they pay. If governments supported companies that paid more generously, it might shift the dial on what's considered acceptable.
Property is white hot and the RBA is changing the way it examines the market
The central bank insists housing is still a topic of intense focus, as rents and prices rocket, despite a key analysis group within the RBA not meeting for more than a year.
How to fix the gender pay gap, according to one of the 'bloke-iest' companies in Australia
In early 2024, more than 4.6 million workers are about to find out how much less the company they work for pays female staff. Many companies are working now to fix the problem.
As two controversial watchdogs were shut down there was little anger — and a lot of admin
The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and the Registered Organisations Commission (ROC) were controversial watchdogs. But the last days before their closure, revealed in previously secret documents, were a flurry of questions about payroll and administration.
All big four banks predict November rate hike, ASX closes in the red — as it happened
RBA governor Michele Bullock tells Senate estimates that while slowing, annual rental prices are expected to reach 10 per cent in the coming months, the big four banks say another rate hike is imminent, and the ASX ended lower.
The cash to fix the climate crisis and cost-of-living pressures is there if tax evasion is stopped
Australians hold more than one-third of a trillion dollars in known tax havens, and profit-shifting by multinational firms deprives Treasury of almost $11 billion a year, finds a new international report.
Analysis
analysis:What would Marcus Aurelius make of people who have their camera off during online meetings?
Ancient philosopher Marcus Aurelius on online meetings, hot-desking and what to do if you send an email to a friend but accidentally reply-all to the whole company.
November rate hike by RBA still possible despite softer jobs data, ASX down 1.4pc after interest rate fears on Wall Street — as it happened
Softer-than-expected employment data hasn't ruled out a possible rate hike by the RBA at next month's meeting, while the ASX followed Wall Street's lead and finished 1.4 per cent lower at the close of trade on Thursday.
ASX finishes lower for the day as oil prices rattle global markets, Westpac and Qantas see leadership shake-ups — as it happened
The ASX finished lower at the close of trade on Monday over global geopolitical worries, while Westpac announced a new chair and Qantas saw more shuffling of its senior executives. Look back on the day's business and markets news as it happened with our blog.
Analysis
analysis:The former boss of PwC united all sides of politics in an hour by embodying Alan Bond's infamous phrase
As the boss of PwC at the time of the tax leak scandal, Luke Sayers's evidence at a Senate inquiry was meant to provide answers. But the exposure of a potentially incriminating contradiction means PwC will face even more scrutiny, writes Daniel Ziffer.
This seaside town is so popular that employers are turning an aged care home into accommodation for their staff
Converted airports, refurbished nursing homes, caravans, sheds and school camps aren't considered suitable housing options. But they're all in the mix as workers struggle to find a place to live near their workplace that they can afford.
Four-day week enshrined in first Australian union agreement, with concept spreading
With unions embedding trials of the four-day work week in industrial agreements, is this the moment the working-hour-reducing concept goes mainstream?