The Australian is a national daily broadsheet newspaper published by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Headquartered in Sydney, but with bureaux around Australia, it was founded in 1964, losing money for nearly thirty years. Its circulation is still quite small, with a weekday circulation of approximately 130,000 and a Saturday circulation of approximately 295,000.

The Australian treads the Murdoch editorial line on most issues, in favour of free-trade economic policy and, particularly, relaxed regulation of the media sector, a realpolitik approach to foreign policy, and, unlike its downmarket stablemates, a reasonably liberal approach on social issues. It has a particular focus on foreign news and especially Australia's immediate neighbours in South-East Asia. On Monday it has a liftout focussing on worldwide issues, on Tuesdays an IT liftouts, Wealth and High Education liftouts on Wednesday, Media and Marketing on Thursdays and an expanded sport liftout on Fridays.

Amongst its regular columnists are the political journalist Paul Kelly, Machiavellian foreign editor Greg Sheridan, left wing highbrow radio broadcaster Phillip Adams, and right wing provocateurs Janet Albrechtsen and Angela Shanahan . It also features daily cartoons from Bill Leak and Peter Nicholson . As the only national daily, its closest competitors in the major Australian markets are the Fairfax broadsheets The Sydney Morning Herald, and Melbourne's The Age.

See also

• List of Australian newspapers

External links

• The Australian Online