Christopher Niesche: Aussie businesses hold on to wage subsidy despite bumper profits 7 Mar, 2021 03:00 AM 5 minutes to read Harvey Norman is among a number of big companies in Australia that decided not to return the wage subsidy. Photo / Getty Images Harvey Norman is among a number of big companies in Australia that decided not to return the wage subsidy. Photo / Getty Images NZ Herald OPINION: For some businesses, such as those in tourism and hospitality, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been debilitating. But for others, it's as if the pandemic never happened, as Australia's latest earnings season reveals. In fact, it was the best earnings season – when companies report their annual or half-year profits - in Australia for six years. Some 55 per cent of companies reported an increase in profits, up from 36 per cent in the earnings season six months early.