James Thornhill

Sydney

Deputy Companies Editor at Australian Financial Review

Editor @WestpacWire. News, views and insights from Australia's oldest bank. Former newswire journo with Bloomberg/Reuters, also ex-Citi.

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Articles

‘Our continent is different’: Re-thinking how we farm Australian soil

1 week ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

Cole’s passion for caring for the land and studying the Australian landscape started when she was four years old, living in Far North Queensland where many of her friends were First Nations people. “The First Nations people don’t see themselves as owners of the land, they see themselves as custodians for generations.
Westpac Economics revises RBA rate cut timeline, next cut still in August but more next year

1 week ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

Westpac Chief Economist Luci Ellis is sticking with her call of an August RBA interest rate cut, despite increasing market expectations of a move in July. The team has not changed its view that the RBA will cut twice more this year, with another reduction anticipated in November as well as the one in August. Both cuts are expected to be 0.25 percentage points.
Lessons in success, from a four-time Olympic champion

2 weeks ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

Ariarne Titmus knows pressure. At just 24, she’s already a four-time Olympic gold medallist and one of Australia’s most decorated athletes. But it’s her mindset, not her medals, that have really won the world over. “I've always been unafraid of chasing big goals. The worst that can happen is you try your best and don't achieve it, but the person you become along the way is more important. “Setting a goal is a skill,” she says.
"Hello? Anybody in there?" Heroes in the sky save lives as floods devastate parts of NSW

3 weeks ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

The grateful mother later posted on social media, "I really cannot thank you guys enough for bringing my babies safely to me. It was a hell of a few days being there for my community knowing my kids were on the other side of water without me."Three days with snakesNot every rescue was a race against time. Some tested the limits of human endurance. One man survived three harrowing days stranded on his caravan roof, surrounded by floodwater and unwelcome company.
Westpac deploys real-time AI to take on scammers

3 weeks ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

Westpac has introduced a new AI-powered call assistant aimed at tackling scams as they happen. Currently in pilot with the bank’s specialist scam and fraud team, the tool is designed to identify signs of a scam during live customer calls and support operators in responding swiftly and consistently. The clever tech can detect indications the customer may be about to transfer money to a scam, based on their phone conversation with the bank.
RBA delivers second rate cut of 2025, more expected this year

1 month ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

The Reserve Bank of Australia has lowered interest rates for the second time this year, bringing the official cash rate down by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.85 per cent. Westpac Economics had anticipated the RBA would deliver the quarter percentage point rate cut as all measures of inflation were firmly within the central bank’s target band of 2-3 per cent.
Fashion, finance and a family legacy: Zampatti opens Australian Fashion Week

1 month ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

It’s an hour until showtime, and one thing is clear: the anticipatory backstage buzz that crescendos with each passing minute does little to fluster Alex Schuman. At least a head taller than the swarm of models around him, Schuman displays a calm confidence amid the excitement – a quality likely honed over a career in finance, politics and now at the helm of a heritage Australian fashion label.
Meet the vigilante ex-cop who catfishes the catfish

1 month ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

For Kylee Dennis, the fight against scammers has always been personal. A 14-year career in the police force came to an end when she traded in her badge for a different kind of stakeout: catching catfish on dating apps. The founder of Two Face Investigations is passionate about stopping romance scams – a mission borne from a close call at home.
Westpac's Miller hands down first result, urges calm amid global uncertainty

1 month ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

Westpac CEO Anthony Miller says the bank is in a strong position to support customers through uncertain times, as he hands down his first half year result as CEO. Miller, who took over from Peter King last December has posted a $3.5 billion net profit excluding notable items, down one percent on the first half of 2024.
Inflation prints higher than expected but cuts still on the cards

1 month ago | westpac.com.au | Ben Young |James Thornhill |Marina Gainulina |Sarah Williamson

Headline inflation has exceeded Westpac Economics estimates, holding at 2.4 per cent for the year, but has not impacted the team’s base case of rates cutting in May. Annual trimmed mean inflation, the preferred measure of core inflation by economists and the Reserve Bank of Australia, has moderated to within the central bank’s target range to 2.9 per cent for the first time since 2021.