Clive Palmer: the unlikely canary in the coalmine
In 2002, Geoff Gallop’s Labor government in Western Australia entered into a state agreement with Mineralogy, Clive Palmer’s company, for…
Axe HECS-HELP for failing students? Why not? Universities are supposed to be about learning
Yesterday, Dan Tehan announced a Federal Government plan for first-year university students to lose government funding if they fail more…
We might have a pandemic on our hands, but we still also have the rule of law
I happened to switch on the telly at the start of the week just in time for Annelise Nielsen’s interview…
We’re only just entering the corona economic rapids. Wait to we go over the waterfall
On October 3, 2008, I sat on the end of a bed in a Dubai hotel watching the once credible…
Labor, Liberal, whatever: if you really want to stop the stacks, it’s time for party democratisation
As a general rule, I try to steer clear of commercial television. People crying over flopped souffle grates on my…
We need a new approach to saving and investment, not ScoMo’s Reno Rorts
Y’all remember back in the good old days when the Prime Minister said the government wasn’t going to pick winners.…
Welcome to recession – with a ticking personal debt bomb
My family migrated to Australia in the 1950s with barely enough cash to bless themselves. Such is the story of…
Virgin no more
Yesterday, Virgin Australia announced to the ASX that it had entered into voluntary administration and that it intended to recapitalize…
The Pell ruling: imperfect, but if you want moral police and moral courts try Iran
On Tuesday, the High Court of Australia unanimously granted Cardinal George Pell leave to appeal to the High Court and…
If we’re really all in this together, here are some suggestions
It’s been quite the fortnight for Australia. The economy has been all but shut down, thousands have lost their jobs,…
Won’t somebody please think of the Instagram influencers?
We are reliably informed by News.com.au that travel influencers — sorry, glamourous travel influencers — say that coronavirus is ‘impacting…
The recession we have to have
Mark Twain said history doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes. That goes for a great many of history’s seeming reoccurrences, many…
Five tips for modern women, courtesy of Nonna
I find it immensely dull that International Women’s Day is primarily used as a platform for the sisterhood to whinge…
It’s called legal tender for a reason
The Australian economy has had a rough trot the last twelve months or so: economic growth is slow, unemployment is…
The lowest public service wage increase on record? This calls for a celebration
Yesterday, the Australian bemoaned weak public sector wage growth, suggesting public sector wages are in the ‘doldrums’ and public servants…
Love and Thoms: this isn’t closing the gap, but entrenching our differences
Friends, Romans, Countrymen – Lend me your ears and hear my words. This week the High Court of Australia handed…
Memo Canberra: stop your party games and get on with governing
A week is a long time in politics. Last week started with Bridget McKenzie becoming the Blockbuster Video of politics:…
Economics: throw out the male, pale and stale and we’ll have utopia. Apparently…
The latest stroke of identity politics disingenuity is directed at the study of economics. In a self-flagellating piece written for the…
Bushfire brilliance: let’s sue ourselves out of harm’s way
While most of us took a break over Christmas and New Year, the hysteria around climate change didn’t so much…
So, ‘is fragile masculinity the biggest obstacle to climate action’, just like the ABC tells us?
Dear Taxpayer, I weep for thee. The ABC started this week with an article titled ‘Is fragile masculinity the biggest…
Dear XYs, we love you
I bloody love men. I love almost everything about them: the banter, the directness, the chivalry and the everyday interactions…
Forget racehorses. What about drunk colts and silly fillies?
Yet again, we’re in the middle of the spring racing carnival. And, like every other year, there is so much…
Tackle the drought or a hard rain’s gonna fall
I’m a country kid. I grew up on a broadacre farm 360 kilometres south-east of Perth, in a little town…
Menzies to Morrison: the master to the miracle-worker
This week the Liberal Party of Australia turns 75. And like most milestones, it encourages a bit of reflection. In…
Are you being served?
Whether it’s federal or state, health or education, the ATO or ASIC – dealing with bureaucracy is a notorious source…
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