Turned to writing at 60, reckon that'll do for the next 30 years, then I'll become a musician - after that, who knows, maybe a wizard...
Konnichiwa! The Japanese are not so keen on our gas. What’s the scam?
Australia ships 30 million tonnes of tax and royalty-free gas out of Darwin every year, but the Japanese are not all grateful for our largesse. What’s the scam? The scam is that not only do we not profit from it, but our great gas giveaway is slowing Japan’s...
AUKUS to JAUKUS or JAUKUSI – what’s next? The Indians are coming!
Japan mooted as the next to join the AUKUS pact? India too, encouraged to join the anti-China team. But first, another set of Indians wants in. What’s the scam? The scam is the AUKUS Forum – a self-appointed ‘interest group’ hungry to share in the submarine loot....
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...