Kim Wingerei blog posts
“Without idealists, the pragmatists would have nothing to do…”
Welcome to West Air – our latest flight of Qantas fancy!
We are very excited to announce that Michael West Media will be starting an airline. We haven’t set a date yet, nor do we have any planes, pilots or stewards, but watch this space, tickets will be on sale soon! We made this decision after Qantas – an actual airline...
Announceables Galore: Albo cosies up to US on AUKUS, Microsoft and critical minerals
Despite a dysfunctional US Congress, PM Anthony Albanese is making the best of his America trip by announcing defence investments, a deal with tech giant Microsoft, and throwing the local minerals industry some bones too. Kim Wingerei reports. One could forgive...
The Voice. A simple proposition of empathy to be ruined by time and politics?
If the polls are to be believed, the referendum question will be soundly voted down this Saturday. It could – and should – have been so different. The Voice referendum is asking us to say yes or no to a simple statement of recognition of our Indigenous Peoples, and to...
Sacred Cow: are politicians’ many houses an impediment to property, rental reform?
Our elected representatives own a lot of property. Not counting their homes, 126 of Canberra’s 232 MPs and Senators own 297 properties between them, at least those that are declared. Nothing wrong with that, but does it affect their decisions? Michael West and Kim...
Ziggy Switkowski’s “independent” review of PwC is out – missing the obvious
When the tax scandal could no longer be ignored, the PwC board commissioned an “independent review” into its “governance, culture and accountability,” appointing former Kodak, Telstra and Optus CEO Ziggy Switkowski to conduct it. So what’s the scam? The scam is that a...
Stepping down? Will Chairman Emiritus Ruper Murdoch still pull the strings?
Rupert Murdoch has announced that he is becoming ‘Chairman Emeritus’ of News Corp and Fox Corporation, leaving his previous co-chair, favoured son Lachlan Murdoch, to be in charge of both, all by himself. What’s the scam? The scam is that public company boards are...
Bowing to pressure – Minns and Sharpe throwing crumbs to the Koalas
In response to public outrage, Premier Chris Minns and Environment Minister Penny Sharpe today announced that 5% of the proposed great koala national park would be protected from logging. What’s the scam? The scam is that this is a mere 8400 hectares of the 175,000 to...
Diesel fuel rebate our biggest fossil fuel subsidy. What’s the scam?
The diesel rebate accounts for the lion’s share of the government’s mining subsidies of $1 billion a month. The scam is that the rebate encourages diesel fuel consumption, while discouraging electrification. According to a report released today by Climate Energy...
Most competitive airline market in the world Alan … sorry, Albo?
PM Anthony Albanese told Parliament, “we have the most open aviation market in the world, bar none,” implying no need to allow Qatar more flights into Australia. What’s the scam? The scam is that this is first-class fantasy on any conceivable measure. Incidentally,...
Qantas’ phantom flights – what’s the scam?
The ACCC has launched Federal Court action against Qantas, alleging the airline continued selling tickets on flights already cancelled. It begs the question of who knew, when did they know, and why didn’t they tell? The ACCC alleges that Qantas has: engaged in false,...
Competition Tribunal confirms ACCC folly on Telstra and TPG deal – what’s the scam?
The Australian Competition Tribunal has backed the ACCC’s decision to block the deal between telcos Telstra and TPG to share regional infrastructure. It is another blow for mobile coverage in the bush, so what’s the scam? The scam is the enduring travesty of...
Hey Philip Lowe, it ain’t the wages. Best regards from Mathias Cormann and the OECD
The latest OECD report is out, confirming higher profits are the leading component of recent inflation in Australia and elsewhere. Yet Philip Lowe and the RBA keep raising interest rates to curb inflation with wages growth as the culprit. What’s the scam? The scam is...