Adrian Black

Adrian Black covers business and the pressures on companies and workers, with a strong focus on how regulation, court action and economic shifts play out in real organisations. His reporting in The Canberra Times centres on accountability stories about corporate conduct, the legal and market consequences of misleading investors, and the concrete risks confronting businesses from technology, crime and volatile costs.

Corporate conduct under scrutiny

Black’s recent work is distinguished by sustained, detailed coverage of the legal and market fallout from Regional Express (Rex) Airlines’ profit forecasts and subsequent losses. He follows the case across multiple stages, from allegations that the Rex board knew a major loss was looming when it maintained an optimistic profit narrative, through to courtroom arguments about what directors and executives told the market and when they did it. In “Rex board accused of knowing big loss about to take off”, he focuses on claims that four former directors misled investors by keeping a profit forecast in place despite internal awareness of deteriorating finances, framing the story around the tension between boardroom knowledge and public messaging. Subsequent pieces drill into specific evidence and gaps in the regulator’s case, including an “unexplained gap” in the allegations against ex-directors, and testimony about whether the company’s profit promises were ever tenable for a responsible business.

This coverage is not just about reporting outcomes; it tracks the mechanics of continuous disclosure, profit downgrades and misleading conduct findings in the NSW Supreme Court and how they affect shareholders. Black documents how a bullish statement about expected operating profits was left uncorrected until a late downgrade to a substantial loss, and how that timeline becomes central to ASIC’s case against the airline and its former leadership. Across these stories, he consistently explains the junction between corporate optimism, regulatory obligations and market reality, making abstract disclosure rules concrete through the example of Rex’s eight-figure loss and the individuals in the dock.

Legal and regulatory process as business story

Black treats courtrooms and regulator actions as core business terrain, not as separate legal beats. His Rex series follows ASIC’s enforcement strategy, the arguments put by defence and prosecution, and judicial comments on the strength of the evidence. In one article, he reports a former Rex boss admitting that a profit message to investors was misleading, turning what could be a technical disclosure breach into a straightforward narrative about responsibility and admission of fault. In another, he highlights prosecutorial criticism that the airline’s profit promise was “untenable” for a responsible company, using that language to underline how far corporate communications can stray from prudent governance.

This emphasis on process gives communications professionals a sense of how Black writes about contested business events: he follows cases over time, parses formal statements from companies and regulators, and makes clear which facts are accepted and which are being fought out in court. His stories routinely tie legal developments back to the broader business implications, such as reputational damage, shareholder confidence and the precedent a ruling sets for continuous disclosure obligations.

Operational risks for businesses

Beyond headline corporate litigation, Black reports on the day-to-day risks that leave businesses exposed to shocks and misconduct. In “‘Oil doesn’t discriminate’: businesses on shaky ground”, he shows how rising fuel or energy costs can destabilise firms, using business owners’ experiences to illustrate how input price volatility cuts across sectors and size, “discriminating” against no one. The focus is practical: he looks at how companies adjust operations, manage cash flow and reassess viability when a single cost line becomes unpredictable.

He also covers criminal groups targeting “money mules”, framing it as a business and consumer risk story rather than purely a crime piece. That article explains how seemingly attractive offers draw individuals into moving illicit funds, the impact on legitimate financial systems, and the consequences for organisations that unknowingly find themselves part of these flows. A separate piece, highlighted externally as “a great piece … on the ongoing challenge of unpaid invoices for Australian businesses”, shows his interest in cash-flow strain and the persistent problem of invoices that are never settled, a classic pressure point for smaller firms. Together, these stories mark him out as someone who treats operational risk—whether from rising costs, non-payment or fraud—as a central business theme.

Workforce, technology and the future of careers

Black’s business beat also extends to the relationship between technology and work. In “Why AI’s beginning doesn’t mean the end of your career”, he tackles anxiety about artificial intelligence and job security, arguing that the arrival of AI tools is a starting point for career adaptation rather than an immediate terminus. The piece looks at how workers can reposition themselves, what kinds of skills become more valuable, and how businesses and employees can think about automation without defaulting to fear.

This strand of his work sits alongside his coverage of more traditional business risks, giving him a portfolio that spans present-day pressures and near-future change. Whether he is reporting on fuel costs, fraud schemes or AI’s impact on employment, he consistently ties abstract forces back to specific businesses and individuals, showing who bears the risk and what choices they face.