Kim Wingerei blog posts
“Without idealists, the pragmatists would have nothing to do…”
Ambulance chasers Slater & Gordon win a shiny takeover bid. What’s the scam?
Long-suffering shareholders of law firm Slater & Gordon may soon be out of their misery, with private equity vultures honing in for a buy-out. What’s the scam? The scam is private equity ain’t there for the justice Your Honour; there is profit to be had exploiting...
Is Adani the next Enron? What’s the scam?
A research report published in the US this week cites numerous concerns with Adani’s business structure, accounting practices and its lofty valuation. Echoing Enron – one of the most spectacular corporate failures in recent history – the report even questions how...
The Bali Bonk Ban that wasn’t – media gets it wrong. Again.
Cancel your flights, lock your bedrooms. If you’re off to Bali and you’re not married, forget having sex, they’ll put you in gaol! So say Australian mainstream media and the Government’s travel advisory. Except they didn’t check the story, Duncan Graham and Kim...
New York, New York! Dixon collapse brings Christmas cheer for lawyers, accountants, and 4c in the dollar for clients
Dixon Advisory clients will get 4c in the dollar back from their savings if they accept PwC’s deed at the creditors’ meeting today. A classic case of hubris, greed, hard-selling and poor management, Kim Wingerei and Michael West report on the Dixon wash-up. It was...
$1.6b handout to Telstra’s Andy Penn to head off the Chinese
Why was Telstra slotted $1.6b by the Morrison government to buy Digicel, and how is it Telstra shares slumped by one-third during the bull market? It’s corporate welfare on steroids. Another bizarre intervention in what Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg like to...
Crossword clues and bullying: the almighty power of the Australian pro-Israel lobby
The influence of Colin Rubenstein and his lobby group does not just limit what mainstream media outlets dare publish, it forces self-censorship on editors and journalists alike, writes John Lyons in his latest book. In 2019, Fairfax’s Sydney and Melbourne...
The voices of independents being heard and aiming high
There is a strong feeling of change in many electorates around Australia. The “Voices Of” movement is gathering steam as more than 30 such groups are looking to field candidates at the next federal election. The recent announcement of Kylea Tink as an independent...
The Norwegian election was fought and won on climate policy. Are there lessons for Australia?
Despite its lowest polling in 20 years, the Norwegian Labour Party will form a coalition government after a campaign largely focussed on the environment and renewable energy. Is this a sign of things to come for our federal election? Norway is in a unique position. It...
Pandemic paranoia – the penal colony strikes back at those pesky Australians who left
Ever since the pandemic started, Australia has restricted the ability of its citizens to travel overseas in ways few other countries outside of North Korea have done. It is now using the biosecurity laws to also deter those who live overseas from coming back. On...
The world is in a crisis of our own making – is it sowing the seeds of change?
The world is in a crisis. And many of our leaders are failing us. People are despondent, angry and sad, many unable to see their loved ones, many more not knowing how to cope. There is no end in sight, unless we look beyond the concreted corridors of power....
The digital media farce continues as nothing changes
Nine Entertainment is the latest of the old media companies to announce deals with Google and Facebook. For a fraction of what they once thought they deserved, and without any of the benefits to consumers which the Digital Bargaining Code bill purported to provide. In...
My week with Malcolm and the hypocrisy of our democracy
Otto von Bismarck (in)famously said: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best”. It is a sentiment I abhor. And Malcolm Turnbull’s tome of atonement - “A Bigger Picture” - unwittingly demonstrates with abundant clarity that the...