FEAR & GREED | Business News The Saturday Edition | 28 Mar 2026
Mar 27, 2026
Adam Lang, a regular contributor known for scoring stories with an economic lens. He weighs in on the EU–Australia free trade deal and its export impacts. He adjudicates a heated debate over petrol shortages versus trade wins. He also comments on the Meta/Google legal verdict and timing troubles for carmakers amid fuel shocks.
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EU Australia Free Trade Deal Boosts Exports And Lowers Car Costs
- The EU–Australia free trade deal will cut or eliminate many car tariffs and scrap a 5% tariff, lowering costs for Australian consumers and exporters.
- It secures preferential treatment for critical minerals, opens 30,000 tonnes of beef access, and is estimated to add about $10 billion of annual value to Australia.
Fuel Crisis Is Hitting The Whole Economy
- Fuel shortages and spiking petrol prices are creating cascading economic impacts across transport, logistics and agriculture.
- Examples include Australia Post raising fuel surcharges to 12%, Qantas warning earnings could halve from higher jet fuel costs, and farmers facing diesel and fertilizer shortfalls.
Social Platforms Face Legal Reckoning Over Design Addiction
- A US jury found Meta and Google liable in a case linking platform design to addiction and mental harm, setting a potential legal precedent.
- Mark Zuckerberg testified and Snap and TikTok settled earlier, meaning platform design and liability are now under scrutiny internationally.