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Our readers are primed for indulgence – new opportunities available across Nine’s leading publishing assets

Enrich your marketing campaign with a publishing partnership with Nine.

Our readers are primed for indulgence and ready to spend. Whether it’s styling their seasonal wardrobe, planning a much-needed getaway, making home improvements, finding inspiration in arts and design or immersing themselves in the gourmet food world, there is plenty of opportunity to wrap your brand around our upcoming special issues.

Across Good Weekend, AFR Magazine, Sunday Life, Traveller, Life & Leisure, Good Food and Fin Magazine, there is an abundance of opportunity to engage our readers with your brand message.

LIFESTYLE & DESIGN

Good Weekend //

52 Weekends Away

On Sale: Saturday 7th November

This edition covers the "mini-break" including everything from flying to a snazzy capital city hotel, to driving the country's best wine regions, to glamping in the kind of stunning, remote spots that end up on postcards.

This is always one of our most eagerly anticipated issues of the year. For our highly engaged readers, who are educated, cultured and love to explore the world around them, it can't come soon enough!

Booking Deadline: Thursday 16th October

Material Deadline: Wednesday 28th October

Sunday Life //

Europe Special

On Sale: Sunday 18th October

Who can resist the allure of Europe - the brio of Italy, the chic of France, the lazy allure of the Greek islands. It's little wonder so many of us are flocking back to revel in the joys of the Continent. So, don’t miss Sunday Life’s annual special edition where we revel in all things European.

From fashion inspired by the world’s most stylish cities and the latest beauty treatments to homestyle, food and travel aspirations, our editorial experts will whisk our readers into a world of international sophistication and adventure.

Booking Deadline: Thursday 24th September

Material Deadline: Thursday 8th October

AFR Magazine //

Young Rich

On Sale: Friday 30th October

For two decades, the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List has chronicled the rise of next generation entrepreneurs. It is the definitive record of Australia's wealthiest people aged 40 and under, and all of them are self-made multi-millionaires, along with more than a few billionaires.

Booking Deadline: Wednesday 16th September

Material Deadline: Wednesday 30th September

TRAVEL

LIFE & LEISURE //

Travel: Luxury Cruise

On Sale: Friday 16th & Saturday 17th October

Life & Leisure's Luxury Cruise gloss special issue returns this October in time for Luxury Cruise week! As one of the most anticipated travel editions of the year, this special issue reaches an exclusive audience of affluent, travel-hungry AFR readers looking for their next dream-achieving escape.

Booking Deadline: Thursday 17th September

Material Deadline: Friday 25th September

TRAVELLER //

Quick Getaways

On Sale: Saturday 12th September

It’s the timeless dilemma of the time-poor traveller: you need a break but can’t get away for long enough. The solution? Keep it short. As in a short break of between two and five nights. Better, spread a few or more of them over the course of a year. But where to go? In this special annual guide our experienced writers and editors have done the work for you by road testing the best short break options not only in Australia but within our own near region.

Booking Deadline: Monday 7th September

Material Deadline: Wednesday 9th September

DIGITAL

Sunday Life & Good Weekend //

Collections

Collections invites our users to engage in an immersive and enhanced relaxing magazine experience, digitally. Collections at Nine Publishing is a hand-selected curation of content pieces into a series with the ability to integrate client brands into a contextually relevant environment. Brands have the opportunity to own this new lean-in digital 'Collection' experience and align to the premium brands of Publishing at Nine.

Contact your Nine representative for more information.

Explore more from Nine Publishing

Find out how your brand can leverage the power of Nine's Publishing assets to drive business outcomes. Request more information.

The News Effect | The Misinformation Counterweight: Why Integrity is a Brand’s Best Insurance Policy

EPISODE FIVE//

The Misinformation Counterweight

Why Integrity is a Brand's Best Insurance Policy

In 2026, influence is everywhere, but integrity is rare. As Australians increasingly flag influencers as a significant misinformation risk, brands are asking a critical question: is our reputation built on solid ground or shifting sand? Luke McIlveen, Executive Editor of Nine’s Metro Mastheads, explains why a regulated newsroom is the ultimate safeguard for brand credibility.

Pictured: Luke McIlveen (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

The digital gold rush of the influencer era is facing a reality check. According to the latest News Effect research from ThinkNewsBrands, 57% of Australians now view influencers as a major misinformation risk. The reason? An influencer is almost always selling something - whether it’s a product, a lifestyle, or a political lens.

In the final episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Luke McIlveen to discuss how the rigorous and often unglamorous work of journalism acts as the essential antidote to the whirlpool of social media misinformation.

The independent north star

For McIlveen, the distinction between a newsroom and an algorithm-led platform is found in a single word that sits above the masthead: Independent.

“We’re not taking a political point of view to the news, we’re not putting a lens over it, and we’re certainly not selling products,” McIlveen says. “Advertisers choose to work with us because our credibility is paramount. We will always protect that.”

In an environment where integrity is often used as a buzzword, McIlveen argues it is actually the core business model. Unlike influencers, newsrooms operate under a strict legal and ethical code. “Integrity is about accountability. If we get it wrong, there are consequences. On an algorithm-led platform, no one is in charge.”

The art of slowing down

In a 24/7 news cycle, the pressure to be first is immense. However, McIlveen’s strategy for maintaining the Trust Halo is counterintuitive: he tells his journalists to slow down.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlpool of facts breaking on social media, but there are countless examples where a story broken by an influencer has turned out to be completely wrong,” McIlveen notes. “Our approach is to make sure we have a clear code of conduct and to take the time to get it right. You need to show the audience you’ve done the work.”

This rigour is best exemplified by Nine’s dedicated investigations unit. Behind the headlines of major outcomes, like the Ben Roberts-Smith case, lies years of "obsessive and intensive" journalism - going through thousands of documents and verifying every quote. This level of tenacity creates a premium environment that supports every other section of the masthead, from hard news to lifestyle content.

The 'kill the story' principle

The most unique aspect of Nine’s editorial philosophy is a principle McIlveen learned early in his career: never be afraid to make the phone call that kills the story.

“It’s really easy to get an angle and just run with it,” he explains. “What’s much more difficult is to go that extra step and make the phone call that might actually prove your story wrong. If that additional call means the story is dead, then that’s the end of the story. If we strive toward that every day, the audience picks up on it.”

The bottom line for brands

For marketers, the 'Misinformation Counterweight' provides a unique form of insurance. By placing a brand alongside journalism that prioritises accuracy over clicks, advertisers aren't just reaching an audience, they are anchoring their reputation to a platform built on accountability.

As McIlveen puts it: “Credible, independent journalism is what we’re here to do.” Standing next to that journalism is the surest way to ensure their credibility remains on solid ground.

Watch the full interview with Luke McIlveen above to explore the power of the Misinformation Counterweight.

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Let's talk about how Nine's premium publishing ecosystem can elevate your brand's impact.

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The News Effect | The Attention Economy: Why News Environments Deliver 6x Higher Brand Recall

EPISODE FOUR //

The Attention Economy

Why News Environments Deliver 6x Higher Brand Recall

Imagine your brand being remembered six times more effectively than it is right now. It sounds extreme, but according to the latest News Nation research by ThinkNewsBrands, it is the direct result of the lean-back behavior unique to news environments. Aimie Rigas, Director of Audience Growth at Nine Publishing, dives into why capturing a reader’s focus is the most valuable investment a brand can make.

Pictured: Aimie Rigas (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

The days of measuring digital success by clicks alone are over. In the age of distracted scrolling, the new gold standard is optimising for audiences with intent. While social media is designed for the lean-forward hunt for dopamine, premium news ecosystems are built for a different mindset - one where three in four Australians intentionally slow down.

In the fourth episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Aimie Rigas to discuss how Nine optimises for focus rather than just traffic, and what that means for advertiser ROI.

The happy accident of engagement

High engagement wasn’t always a digital strategy; it began as a carryover from the deeply immersive experience of print. However, Rigas explains that this lean-back behavior is now an intentional part of the digital ecosystem.

“Historically, you picked up a paper and you were really deeply engaged. Now, we are definitely optimising for that engagement and building habit,” Rigas says. “One of the key metrics we use to judge our success is engagement time. Our readers spend minutes pouring over our best stories, not seconds.”

For brands, this extra time is transformative. When a reader slows down to consume a compelling investigation or an interactive feature, the ads surrounding that content benefit from a massive surge in brand recall - clocking in at 6.4x higher than in other digital environments.

The direct-to-brand advantage

A key driver of this high recall is the intent of the audience. Unlike social media users who are fed content by an algorithm, the vast majority of Nine’s audience (70%-80%) comes direct.

“They are actively choosing to engage with our content,” Rigas explains. “They come via newsletters or the homepage, and they stay for Good Food or lifestyle news, but the same journalistic rigor is applied to all of it. There is no ‘fluffy’ section of the site; our journalists write about movies and TV with the same intensity they bring to world politics.”

This intentionality means that when a user sees an ad, they aren't just scrolling past it; they are in a high-attention state, ready to absorb information.

Turning accidental readers into loyalists

While direct traffic is the goal, audience growth often starts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Rigas’s strategy is to ensure that the transition from social media to the masthead is seamless and honest, avoiding the clickbait traps of the past.

“We intentionally are the same brand on all platforms. We don’t go to TikTok and say, ‘Hey kids, we’re the AFR!’” says Rigas. “We build top-of-mind awareness so that when there is breaking news, they choose us first. We balance the experience so that if someone accidentally stumbles across us, it’s such a high-quality experience that it isn’t an accident next time.”

Journalists as the new influencers

Rigas is particularly optimistic about the next generation of readers. While Gen Z identifies strongly with individuals, Rigas sees Nine’s newsrooms as being "full of hundreds of influencers."

By showcasing the faces and the rigorous work behind the stories, Nine is teaching the next generation why they should trust a masthead over a solo content creator. This transparency builds a foundation of trust that brands can then leverage.

The bottom line for brands

In an economy of scarcity, the most valuable thing a brand can buy is a reader's time. By moving away from the cheap reach of social media and toward the high-attention environments of premium news, advertisers can ensure their message isn't just seen - it's remembered.

Watch the full interview with Aimie Rigas to learn more about the science of engagement and the News Effect.

Want more insights?

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Let's talk about how Nine's premium publishing ecosystem can elevate your brand's impact.

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The News Effect | Beyond Brand Safety: Why the ‘Context Dividend’ is a Marketer’s Secret Weapon

EPISODE THREE //

The Context Dividend

Beyond Brand Safety: Why the ‘Context Dividend’ is a Marketer’s Secret Weapon

If your brand has been avoiding the headlines out of caution, you’re missing a superpower. Cosima Marriner, Editor of The Australian Financial Review, explains why 85% of Australians have more confidence in brands that show up in news environments, and how the investment mindset translates to massive opportunity for advertisers.

Pictured: Cosima Marriner (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

In a landscape dominated by blunt keyword blocking and hyper-cautious brand safety metrics, many advertisers are inadvertently locking themselves out of the most influential rooms in the country. This is a missed ‘context dividend’.

In the third episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Cosima Marriner to discuss how the AFR’s 70-year legacy of authority creates a unique environment where readers are consuming news and preparing to take action.

The power of accuracy without an agenda

Trust in the Financial Review is built on a foundation of rigorous sourcing and a commitment to reporting without a premeditated bias.

“The only thing we care about is if it’s going to bolster prosperity for the country,” Marriner says. “When you read us, you know you are getting news straight down the barrel.”

For a brand, this neutrality is a goldmine. Appearing alongside trusted reporting transfers that sense of stability and reliability to the advertiser, providing a level of credibility that social media feeds - often marred by partisan bias - cannot offer.

Tapping into the high performance mindset

The AFR audience is using news as a tool for success.

“Whether it's getting ahead in their career, building their finances, looking after their wellness, or making the most of their leisure time - they want to be the best at that,” Marriner explains. “You come for the core business news that makes you smarter in the boardroom, but you stay for the stuff that grows your investments or finds the coolest place to holiday.”

For advertisers, this means reaching an audience that is already in a lean-forward state. They are looking for ways to improve their lives and businesses, making them uniquely receptive to premium brand messages.

The case against blunt keyword blocking

One of the biggest hurdles for modern marketers is the use of automated brand safety tools that block ads from appearing near hard news keywords. Marriner argues that this is a fundamental misunderstanding of how the world works in 2026.

Using the conflict in the Middle East as an example, she notes that global events have direct ripple effects on fuel prices, supermarket costs, and business logistics. “If you want to know how that’s going to affect you, you’ve got to be tuned into the news,” she says.

By avoiding these topics, advertisers miss out on a defined, affluent audience of decision-makers exactly when they are most engaged. “Our readers are decision-makers in politics, business, and finance. What they do tends to trickle down,” Marriner adds. “If you want to get to them, you have to be around the news.”

The bottom line for brands

The 'Context Dividend' is simple: when you advertise in an environment of authority, your brand gains authority. With 85% of Australians reporting higher confidence in brands found within news environments, the real risk isn't being near the news, it's being absent from it.

Watch the full interview with Cosima Marriner to discover how the investment mindset can drive growth for your brand.

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Let's talk about how Nine's premium publishing ecosystem can elevate your brand's impact.

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The News Effect | The Gen Z Curator: Why Quality News is a North Star

EPISODE TWO //

The Gen Z Curator

Why Quality News is a North Star

Contrary to the myth that younger audiences have checked out of traditional media, Gen Z is proving to be the most discerning and news hungry demographic yet. Lisa Muxworthy, Head of Growth Content for Nine Publishing, breaks down how The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age are meeting this story-first generation.

Pictured: Lisa Muxworthy (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

There is a massive misconception that Gen Z has abandoned the news. In reality, the data tells a completely different story. This is a generation of curators who actively manage information from five or more sources simultaneously, and they are the demographic most inclined to pay for a news subscription.

In the second episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas is joined by Lisa Muxworthy to discuss how Nine is evolving its distribution to reach this audience without compromising on editorial authority.

From article-first to story-first

To reach an audience that lives across social feeds, Nine has shifted its approach to content delivery. According to Muxworthy, the goal is to meet Gen Z where they are, rather than waiting for them to find a traditional landing page.

“The biggest shift for us has been video – it’s increasingly audience-first,” Muxworthy explains. “When we have a big investigation, it’s not just a long read. It’s a 90-second video giving the behind-the-scenes, and it’s a podcast episode on The Morning Edition featuring the reporter behind the story. It’s gone past being ‘article-first’ to being ‘story-first.’”

The subscription mindset

Gen Z’s willingness to pay for news comes from a place of skepticism. In a digital environment flooded with unverified claims, they are looking for a professional source to act as their personal fact-checker.

“They have a really healthy news diet,” says Muxworthy. “What they want from us is trust and authority. They are seeing things in their social feed fed by an algorithm and using our brands to say, ‘Okay, is this correct or not?’”

As AI-generated content makes it harder to distinguish fiction from fact, the value of having boots on the ground – whether it’s a reporter in a local courtroom or a foreign correspondent in Lebanon – provides a level of validation that an algorithm cannot match.

Breaking the echo chamber

One of the greatest risks of a social-only news diet is the echo chamber effect, where algorithms serve users content that only reinforces their existing beliefs. Muxworthy argues that Gen Z’s habit of consulting multiple sources shows a desire to be challenged – a need that heritage mastheads are uniquely positioned to fill.

“We should all be challenged. We should be hearing both sides of a story,” Muxworthy notes. “Whether it’s balanced reporting or hearing a different opinion that you might not agree with, it makes you think.”

The bottom line for brands

For advertisers, the 'Gen Z Curator' represents a high-value opportunity. This audience isn't passive; they are active, engaged, and willing to invest in quality. By appearing alongside trusted journalism, brands align themselves with the authority and credibility that this generation is actively seeking.

As Muxworthy concludes: “They don’t want AI sludge. They want to pay for a service they can trust. Journalism will be around for many years because of what we are able to give our audiences.”

Watch the full interview with Lisa Muxworthy to learn how the next generation is reshaping the future of news.

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Let's talk about how Nine's premium publishing ecosystem can elevate your brand's impact.

READY TO CREATE? //

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The News Effect | The Verification Layer: Why Trusted News is a Brand’s Greatest Superpower

EPISODE ONE //

The Verification Layer

Why Trusted News is a Brand's Greatest Superpower

In an era of AI-generated content and social media echo chambers, the value of a ‘verification layer’ has never been higher. Jordan Baker, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, explores why Australians are turning to heritage newsrooms to fact-check their world and why brands should be standing right beside them.

Pictured: Jordan Baker (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

The digital landscape is currently facing a crisis of credibility. As misinformation rises and deepfakes become indistinguishable from reality, the "News Effect" has shifted. It is no longer just about information delivery; it is about authentication.

In the first episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Jordan Baker to discuss the evolving role of The Sydney Morning Herald as a source of verified media. Recent research from ThinkNewsBrands reveals that two out of five Australians now use news platforms specifically to fact-check what they see on social media.

For Baker, this isn't a new phenomenon, it’s a 195-year-old legacy.

The 195-year-old fact checker

While social media thrives on hot takes and immediate reactions, Baker explains that the Herald’s superpower is its rigorous editorial process.

“We pride ourselves on accuracy foremost,” Baker says. “What you read in the Herald has been checked multiple times. We’ve had subs look at it, people double-checking the maths and the quotes. People know they can’t quite trust what they see on social media, so they come to us to verify it.”

This long-standing history of integrity creates a halo effect for the environment. In a world where audiences don't believe their eyes, the newsroom acts as the ultimate filter, providing a safe harbor for both readers and advertisers.

AI: The tool, not the journalist

As AI becomes a common fixture in content generation, Baker is clear on its role within a premium newsroom: it is an efficiency tool, not a replacement for human intellect.

“AI will never replace the critical cognitive thinking skills of a human journalist,” Baker asserts. “AI is not going to be at a crime scene describing what it sees, or talking to victims in a court case to find out how they feel.”

Instead, the Herald utilises AI to handle laborious data tasks - like roaming through online documents or identifying subject matter experts - freeing up journalists to do the boots-on-the-ground work that builds trust. For brands, this ensures that the content they appear alongside is produced with human nuance and ethical oversight.

The power of the engaged mindset

A common misconception among some advertisers is that hard news is a restrictive environment. However, Baker highlights that the Herald’s audience engagement is holistic. A reader may arrive to verify a political story, but they stay to engage with lifestyle, travel, and culture.

“People might come to check what’s going on overseas with Trump, but they might stay to look at which restaurants are the hottest in town or where to go for a drink,” Baker says.

By avoiding news environments, brands risk missing out on a highly engaged, emotionally connected audience. “Our readers are reading about heartbreaking news, but they are also reading beautiful stories about relationships or sport,” Baker adds.

The bottom line for brands

The message for marketers is clear: proximity to truth matters. If a brand wants to be trusted, it must be present in environments where trust is the primary commodity.

As Baker concludes: “If you stay away from news, you are missing an element that is emotionally connecting with readers. You’d be missing a very big and very engaged audience.”

Watch the full interview with Jordan Baker to learn more about the Verification Layer and the News Effect.

Want more insights?

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Let's talk about how Nine's premium publishing ecosystem can elevate your brand's impact.

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State of the Nation: The News Effect

This is The News Effect,

a brand-new series as part of our State of the Nation initiative.

In conversation with the editors of our mastheads and our talented journalists – on The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review – we pull back the curtain on how they curate news for the modern reader, anchored in the latest ThinkNewsBrands 'News Nation' data.

Hear from Nine Publishing's Managing Director Tory Maguire and Commercial Director Ashleigh Thomas as they run through what to expect.

Episode One //

The Verification Layer

With Jordan Baker – Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald

With the continued rise of misinformation and social platforms acting as echo chambers, is it becoming impossible to differentiate fiction from fact?

Prefer to read?

Episode Two //

The Gen Z Curator

With Lisa Muxworthy – Head of Growth Content

There’s a massive misconception that Gen Z has "checked out" of traditional news, but the ThinkNewsBrands data tells a completely different story. They are, in fact, the demographic most inclined to pay for a news subscription.

Prefer to read?

Episode Two //

The Gen Z Curator

With Lisa Muxworthy – Head of Growth Content

Prefer to read?

Episode Three //

The Context Dividend

With Cosima Marriner – Editor, The Australian Financial Review

If you’re a brand who has been avoiding the headlines out of caution, you might be missing your biggest opportunity yet. It turns out news journalism isn’t just safe for brands, it’s actually a superpower.

Prefer to read?

Episode Four //

The Attention Economy

With Aimie Rigas – Director, Audience Growth

Imagine your brand being remembered six times more effectively than it is right now. It sounds extreme, but the recent ThinkNewsBrands data says it's the result of ‘The News Effect’.

Prefer to read?

Episode Four //

The Attention Economy

With Aimie Rigas – Director, Audience Growth

Imagine your brand being remembered six times more effectively than it is right now. It sounds extreme, but the recent ThinkNewsBrands data says it's the result of ‘The News Effect’.

Prefer to read?

Episode Five //

The Misinformation Counterweight

With Luke McIlveen – Executive Editor, Metro Mastheads

In 2026, influence is everywhere, but integrity is rare. With Australians now flagging influencers as a significant misinformation risk, brands are starting to ask: are we building reputation on solid ground, or shifting sand?

Prefer to read?

Responsible Journalism

At Nine, we champion truth, depth and integrity to connect with an engaged, high-value audience. For advertisers, responsible journalism is a business advantage - explore our news brands and get in touch today.

Learn More

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State of the Nation with Genevieve Quigley, Editor, Sunday Life

Nine Publishing

Independence | stories that matter | commercial with integrity

Genevieve Quigley - Editor, Sunday Life

Our mission is simple: to elevate our readers’ day. We do that through a curated blend of style and substance. Whether our readers are diving in over a morning coffee or winding down on Sunday night with a glass of wine, Sunday Life is their ultimate passport to ‘me-time’. We don’t just report on the lifestyle, we define it.

Explore Nine Publishing opportunities

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A Wealth of Knowledge – AFR’s Cosima Marriner and Lucy Dean

Nine Publishing

Independence | stories that matter | commercial with integrity

A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE//

AFR's Cosima Marriner and Lucy Dean

Join Editor Cosima Marriner and Wealth Reporter Lucy Dean as they analyse the forces shaping 2026. From the "Australian Dream" being redefined by a $3.5 trillion wealth transfer to the impact of AI on national productivity, Cosima and Lucy provide a roadmap for decision-makers. Plus, all will be revealed about a pivotal story the AFR is watching this year - one that will define the "State of the Nation."

Explore more from Nine Publishing

Cosima Marriner

Editor, The Australian Financial Review

Lucy Dean

Wealth Reporter, The Australian Financial Review

THE EXPERT LENS//

Navigating the New Australian Economy

EVOLUTION OF THE MASTHEAD//

Leadership and the Modern The Australian Financial Review

“For over 70 years, The Australian Financial Review has been the 'record of truth' for the Australian establishment, historically a very male-dominated space. How are you ensuring the masthead reflects a 2026 Australia that is more diverse in its wealth and leadership than ever before?”

Cosima: For a long time, the positions of power in Australian society were occupied by men, and the AFR reflected that both in the way it covered things and in terms of its audience. But luckily, more women are now taking up leadership positions in society, and we’re to covering the key leaders across all facets of society. This ranges from our day-to-day reporting, ensuring we seek out female voices, recognise their success and highlight the challenges they still face, to more high-level initiatives such as our Women in Leadership Awards that recognise the success of women at the top echelons of Australian society.

We’re also continuously focused on improving the gender balance in our newsroom. Most of our senior editors and key columnists are women, and the economics correspondent. We’ve also hired a new batch of smart young, talented trainees. All of this ensures that we have many more fresh perspectives coming into our newsroom and helping to shape our reporting.

Another key focus for the Financial Review is broadening our offering to appeal to more people. With a big proportion of our audience always coming for our core topics of business, finance and politics, they’ll now stay for the other content – wealth, lifestyle, cultural offerings. And similarly, that breadth of offering attracts a new cohort of readers that hopefully then become real core AFR types.

“The AFR has moved from being a traditional daily newspaper to a multi-platform powerhouse. In 2026, what does a Financial Review reader look like? Is it still the C-Suite, or has the net broadened to a younger, more activist investor class?”

Cosima: Definitely has. The traditional AFR audience was the C-Suite and those aspiring to be in it. But in the last decade that has really shifted, as the younger generations are much more entrepreneurial. I’m proud that the AFR audience is evenly spread across all the age brackets, from young people starting out in their careers, seeking advice on how to get ahead in the workplace and how to grow their wealth, to retirees who are looking at protecting savings while still having a great lifestyle.

And while our audience is becoming more diverse, there’s a core tenet that unites them. They’re all very performance oriented. They are looking to the AFR to help them succeed in all facets of their life. whether it’s making them smarter, advancing their career, building their wealth, or enhancing their well-being and fitness.

As our new campaign says, it’s not for everyone. But for those people who want to get ahead in life, the AFR is absolutely for them.

“Cosima, you have taken the helm during a period of intense economic transition. What is the one structural or cultural shift you’ve implemented at the paper that you feel best prepares us for the next decade of Australian business?”

Cosima: I don’t think it’s going to surprise you when I say the key trend that’s going to shape Australian business over the next decade is artificial intelligence, the adoption of it, the use of it, and how that plays out across society in terms of the jobs people do and the way people run their lives. The AFR is an unashamedly digital-first masthead. Our audience are mad early adopters of technology and we see that with artificial intelligence as well.

Likewise, our journalists are very interested in how AI can help them work more efficiently and augment their journalism, and we encourage that curiosity and investigation.

Our journalism will always be created by a human and produced by a human, but there are ways that AI can help when you’re doing your journalism.

Whether it’s using AI to synthesise large amounts of data or research material, or write those pesky SEO headlines that a machine can do way better than many humans.

THE GREAT WEALTH TRANSFER//

A $3.5 Trillion Handover

“Lucy, you’re reporting on the $3.5 trillion transfer suggests we are standing on a precipice. How do you see this massive movement of capital rewriting the ‘Australian Dream’ in 2026, particularly for those who aren’t on the receiving end of an inheritance?”

Lucy: One of my best read stories last year was where I took two hypothetical 24- year-old-graduates. They graduate and get well-paying jobs. But in this scenario we gave one graduate a $100,000 gift from the “Bank of Mum and Dad”, and the other graduate didn’t get anything. We tracked them over the course of their lives. The first graduate got into the property market in about two years. The second graduate got in about eight years later. By the time they were 65 the first graduate was worth about $11 million. The second about $9 million. They both did well, but that’s still a $2 million difference that came from a $100,000 gift from their parents.

The fact that this article did so well told me there’s a huge amount of interest both from the parents who are navigating how to pass down wealth, and from the people who aren’t expected to receive anything, wondering how do they build wealth in a world where the property market is really difficult now to enter if you don’t have that family support.

What we’re seeing, in terms of that “Australian Dream” story, is that people are investing more in ETFs and cryptocurrency, and redefining what it means. But to what extent are they redefining it with hope? And to what extent are they being forced to redefine it because the things that they actually want, they just cannot achieve anymore?

“We often focus on the numbers, but what about the values? Are you seeing a fundamental shift in how the next generation wants to use their wealth compared to the Post-War and Boomer generations who built it?”

Lucy: There isn’t a lot of comprehensive data in terms of the way younger people are thinking about inheritances. But anecdotally, they have a real focus on the idea of building intergenerational wealth.

They seem to really understand the value of what they’ve been given, perhaps due to an emotional element, where they are looking to structure it so their children can benefit.

We also know Baby Boomers and Gen X receive inheritances, and they are receiving the bulk of the money at this stage, with about 65 per cent flowing to women, due to “the eldest daughter effect”, where the eldest daughters are often lumped with responsibility and often are custodians of the money. We know women tend to be more interested in philanthropy and investing in female-backed businesses, and they’re more interested in bringing their family members along for the journey.

“Inheritance is often a private family matter, but at this scale it’s a national economic issue. How should the government be looking at this transfer in terms of productivity and the ‘State of the Nation’?”

Lucy: Looking at AFR’s James Thompson’s article from November 2025, at the inheritocracy and the Rich List, he found that of the 161 billionaires on the list, 40 had inherited the business from their parent or had a parent on the Rich List.

Speaking to Alan Schwartz on the concept of “Creative Destruction”, which is the idea that innovative technologies will eventually replace inefficient ones, Schwarz is worried that as more wealth is held in the hands of people who got it from their parents, there’s all this infrastructure built around keeping that wealth in those families. So the likelihood of creative destruction occurring and new businesses being built that oust the old businesses starts to deteriorate, and we end up in a society where hard work isn’t as rewarded as it once was – that dynamism isn’t taking place, that innovation isn’t happening. It’s a bit of a depressing way of looking at it, but I think there is something to it.

So we need to be thinking seriously about the way this wealth transfer is taking place and what it’s incentivising in terms of ideas, work ethic, and where we’re putting our money.

Collage real estate selling or rental banner. Halftone hand holds house keys and giving, receiving golden coins from other hand. Collage design. Concept of real estate agent. Vector.

THE 2026 STATE OF THE NATION//

Dynamic Exchange on the Australian Landscape

“If you had to pinpoint the biggest challenge facing the Australian economy in 2026, one that perhaps the general public isn't talking about enough, what would it be?”

Cosima: Our biggest challenge is lifting productivity. That might sound like a bit of a boring, dry economic term, and the average person might think “productivity” and shut their ears off, but they know what that means when they see their living standards going backwards. Making the economy more productive is key to growing the prosperity of Australia and lifting everybody’s living standards.

Making the economy more productive is key to growing the prosperity of Australia and lifting everybody’s living standards.

Now the government has belatedly acknowledged that we’ve got a productivity problem, and they’re promising a big package of reform in the budget in May to improve this. We’ll wait and see if that happens.

“With the wealth transfer comes a transfer of influence. Do you think 2026 marks the year where Gen Z and Millennial priorities finally start to override the traditional political and economic agenda?”

Lucy: I hope so, as a Millennial, but I’m not sure. I wrote a story a couple of years ago where I spoke to Paul Bassat and Danielle Wood, about where there is a shift in the conversations we’re having. You know, a Boomer might say “You got to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and have a go”, but what’s happening now is that those baby boomers are realising their kids can’t afford to live near them, if we don’t do something about the housing market. This could start to shape some of the appetite among the electorate for actual reform.

We’re talking about the CGT discount now as Treasury is considering reducing it. If property investment becomes less lucrative there are fewer property investors, and maybe first home buyers have a bit more of a crack at getting into the market. It will be interesting to see what happens with that in the federal Budget.

But young people are ambitious, they want to achieve a lot, and they’re engaging with our content on investing and side hustles. They’re not giving up.

But there is a sense that the political debate isn’t matching the urgency of the problem.

“Cosi, as Editor you have a bird’s-eye view of the country’s productivity and policy. If you had to describe the mood of Australia in 2026 in three words, what would they be? And does the AFR have a role in shifting that mood?”

Cosima: Polarised, uncertain, and short-term.

Polarised means a fracturing of social cohesion, that people aren’t feeling united in their circumstances in life, in the things they believe in. They’re uncertain because they feel like we’ve had a really great past and they’re uncertain that their future will be as positive. That uncertainty is leading to short-termism in the way people think about things because they are trying to cling on to their prosperity.

The AFR definitely has a role to play in shifting that mood. Our readers are key decision makers with their hands on the levers of the economy and society. While part of our job is to highlight the challenges we face as a country and to hold policy makers accountable on poor decisions, an equally important role is for us to chart a path forward, and to come up with solutions for the country's challenges.

“You’re looking at the ‘Great Wealth Transfer’, but we’re also in the middle of a ‘Great Digital Transfer’ with AI. How do you think the intersection of massive inheritance and AI-driven finance will change the ‘State of the Nation’ for the average Australian worker?”

Lucy: There are two massive trends intersecting and it can go two ways. The first one, which Danielle Wood from the Productivity Commission also believes, is that AI will be a great thing for productivity and will allow a whole lot of young people who can’t build businesses or build wealth through property to get a start.

The other side of it is what happens to those entry-level jobs, the unglamorous, hard-yakka stuff you must learn how to do to get into the room and pick up the skills and figure out what it means to have a full-time job and how to deal with people. I think a lot of those jobs are going to disappear. So there’s a big conversation to be had around making sure that young people have the opportunities they need to meet people, to be paid, and to build careers. That first rung is starting to splinter a bit.

THE AFR BREAKS A PIVOTAL STORY//

Defining the "State of the Nation" this year

What is the one story the AFR will break this year that defines the "State of the Nation" more than any other?

Cosima: I don’t know what that story will be yet. At the end of the year, I would love to sit here and reflect on the government making some big important economic reforms that boost our living standards, redress the intergenerational inequality that people are experiencing, and secure Australia’s long-term prosperity.

Lucy: I can talk about what we’ll be tracking closely, intergenerational wealth transfer and the way that intersects with opportunity and hope. Referencing an ANU study, its annual social cohesion report where they ask people, “To what extent do you agree that Australia is a land of economic opportunity where hard work brings a better life?” In 2013, the percentage of people who said “yes”, was 82 per cent. But by 2024, that had fallen to 61 per cent.

The biggest story would be the one about a meaningful suite of reforms that actually that give younger generations a bit more hope that they can have a go.

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State of the Nation with Lauren Sams, Editor, Fin Magazine

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