Kim Wingerei blog posts
“Without idealists, the pragmatists would have nothing to do…”
Fake news or no news? The folly of the News Media Bargaining Code
Meta’s declaration that Facebook will no longer pay (some) Australian publishers for their news content has again highlighted the folly of the News Media Bargaining Code. It’s a poor solution to the wrong problem, Kim Wingerei writes. Facebook’s threat to jettison...
Forget the Bathurst 1000, enter the AUKUS 368. What’s the Scam?
While the Government this week announced another billion-dollar handout to foreign shipyards, this time in the UK, the mayor of Bathurst is putting his hand up for the town’s share of some of the $368B AUKUS loot. What’s the scam? The really big scam, of course, is...
Facebook pulls plug on ‘News Media Bargaining Code’ – what’s next?
Meta’s Facebook has declared they’ll stop paying Australian media outlets for content when current agreements expire. It’s sparked the ire of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and consternation within the Government. Kim Wingerei asks what may happen next. The announcement...
Qantas gets customers to pay surcharge during promo. What’s the scam?
Is Qantas jacking up fares to pay for a time-limited promotion? That is illegal under the Consumer & Competition Act administered by the ACCC. What’s the scam? When a Jetstar flight attendant tells a customer to pay $5 for a pen to fill out a landing card, parent...
Empire building in the Beetaloo, funded by Federal Government gas grants
The Department of Industry, Science and Resources is investigating if Empire Energy has been given Research & Development grants in preparation for fracking in the Beetaloo Basin. This is contrary to the R&D program’s rules, Kim Wingerei reports. The R&D...
Those pesky colonial journalists and justice for Assange. What’s the scam?
Julian Assange’s case to be allowed an appeal of his extradition to the US is coming up in the High Court of Justice in London next week. We requested permission to attend via the court’s broadcast link but were refused. What’s the scam? Should Assange fail in his...
Banana Shire takes AUKUS by storm. What’s the scam?
The by-now mythical figure of $368 billion for the AUKUS submarine mirage is creating a frenzy. So far, we’ve seen some of those billions go to shipyards in the US and the UK, but now Queensland’s Banana Shire wants their own slice of the action. What’s the scam? The...
War, what is it good for? Not for news anymore, it seems
Israel struck a Mosque in Gaza yesterday, a kindergarten too, fired rockets into Lebanon and raided the West Bank, but if you read today’s mainstream media headlines, the Middle East might as well be at peace. Like the war in Ukraine, it’s no longer front-page news in...
Westpac cops puny fine for insider trading. What’s the scam?
Westpac has been fined a paltry $1.8 million for a trade that netted the bank over $20M in behaviour akin to insider trading. Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found their conduct “risible.” What’s the scam? The scam was all in a day’s work back in September 2016 for...
Crimes and misdemeanours, ex-PwC high flyer David Collard arrested
David Collard is well known to our readers. The ex-PwC partner and failed entrepreneur is now facing court in New York for alleged assault and harassment. What’s the scam? Entrepreneurship should be celebrated. It involves taking risks, which sometimes leads to...
The housing crisis we didn’t have to have, and how to fix it
Alan Kohler’s Quarterly Essay is a valiant attempt to put the housing crisis into a historical and macroeconomic perspective. He offers solutions, but there are no quick fixes. Kim Wingerei with the review. It’s the crisis everyone wants to talk about that politicians...
David Collard’s financial innovations – VAT’s the Scam?
Scale Facilitation’s CEO, David Collard, is alleged to have issued a grossly inflated invoice to boost the VAT refund his company could claim in the UK, adding to his long list of financial ‘innovations’. Scrambling to find money to pay late wages and make overdue...