It was to much fanfare that the Institute of Public Affairs announced the hiring of Tony Abbott to “lead a new movement to defend and revive traditional Australian values”. Such a movement was deemed necessary by the release of the IPA’s report titled “The Fair Go – Going, Gone: The Decline of the Australian Way of Life, 2000 to 2020”.
Tamed Estate: media kicks off 2021 copying and pasting government “drops”
Spruiking the Coalition’s 2020 tax cuts; Australians’ ‘$200 billion’ war chest; Google’s experiments; free speech; and even a Liberal Party self-congratulatory piece on the NBN. Michael Tanner checks out the past week in the mainstream media.
Tamed Estate: Gladys leads from behind
On the journey of Covid-19 and “enemies of the state”, hotel quarantine, sycophancy, the vaccine, MPs’report cards, and Reds under the … somewhere. Michael Tanner reports on the week in the media.
Tamed estate: Scott Morrison, the master magician
Prime Minister Scott Morrison swung the spotlight away from the mounting evidence of the misuse of taxpayer funds and on to AusPost’s CEO Christine Holgate. The media was only too happy to oblige. Michael Tanner reports.
Megaphone Madness: how reckless media impeded Victoria’s Covid-19 recovery
The media we consume influences our compliance with Covid-19 recommendations. The unbalanced media coverage in Victoria is impeding the state’s recovery, writes Michael Tanner.
Cuts to JobSeeker, Jobkeeper: out of the frying pan and into the fire
Hefty cuts to JobSeeker and JobKeeper mean that Australia now faces a potentially more deadly epidemic than Covid-19. But it is largely avoidable, writes Michael Tanner.
Holding comedians to account: Nine and News miss John Barilaro, hit Friendlyjordies instead
Once venerable, the Nine Entertainment-owned Fairfax press has sunk to holding comedians to account and protecting corrupt government. Michael Tanner on the rise of vloggers and the stoush between Youtuber Friendlyjordies and the mainstream media.
Polarisation in Covid-19 lockdown debate a dangerous prospect
Michael Tanner weighs the evidence as Victorian Premier Dan Andrews charts a way out of the state’s lockdown.
Young Australians told to be resilient as COVID-19 wipes out jobs and housing hopes
Australia’s youth have been hit hardest by the unemployment crisis and are bankrolling the financial advantages enjoyed by older generations yet are told the pandemic is a good opportunity to grow and develop coping mechanisms. Michael Tanner reports on a new form of victim blaming.
Boomers & Millennials: an aftermath of austerity will kill Australians too
Yesterday, the Treasurer warned that restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus are costing Australia $4 billion a week. Is it fair for the younger generation to cop this economic fallout plus be burdened with Australia’s biggest economic stimulus while the Government stubbornly refuses to address controversial franking credits, negative gearing and tax-free super? Michael Tanner reports.
Latest stories
BossKeeper: ports giant Qube bullies its way into Jobkeeper and plush bonuses
Shipping group Qube Holdings will give back $17m in JobKeeper subsidies but pockets $13.5m and some fancy executive bonuses despite its revenue rising strongly. How did it pull this off? Callum Foote investigates how the Liberal Party-linked Qube gamed the Tax Office.
Morrison’s media code could be catastrophic for climate and energy news
Morrison’s government could hardly have wished for a better outcome. The core of their supplicant media is to receive millions to continue their cheering from the sidelines, while independent voices such as RenewEconomy risk being squeezed by these secret deals....
Premier of ‘Sydney’ launches farewell tour to regain dignity
Gladys Berejiklian is telling voters on the South Coast one thing: Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is regaling the CBD with quite another. They are on two different missions: she wants out; he wants in. Ms Berejiklian is behaving like a Premier on the way out and not one...
Vaccine rollout: Herd immunity unlikely with AstraZeneca in the frame. Part 2
Because the failed immunity rate for the AstraZeneca vaccine is more than seven times that of the Pfizer vaccine, if the Australian rollout takes place as planned, about 5.5 million people (22% of the population) could still be at risk of getting ill, while some of...
Hunger games: is it any wonder that most of the Independents and MPs from small parties are women?
The major parties are largely managed by men who manipulate the choice of candidates to favour men like themselves. I doubt there has been a woman working in Parliament who has not experienced sexual harassment at some time in her career. It is time men in leadership...