Charging exorbitant prices for travellers stranded overseas while raking in record government subsidies. Qantas and Virgin are the quintessential cases of “privatise the profits, socialise the losses”. Tasha May.looks at the airlines’ fine balancing act in corporate socialism during the pandemic.
Vintage year for the wealthy: COVID-19 widens gap between rich and poor
Executive bonuses inflated by JobKeeper, rising property and share prices, tax cuts for the wealthy. What’s not to like about 2020 for the top end of town? Tasha May takes a closer look at how the pandemic is exacerbating wealth inequality in Australia.
Money-laundering bill finally back in Parliament despite fight by Law Council, property lobby
As Australia is a global pariah on climate change, it is a pariah for not cracking down on money laundering and financial crime that facilitates child exploitation and terrorism. But with the Greens’ amendment to the anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing bill to be debated this week, Labor, the Coalition and the cross-bench senators will have to decide
BossKeeper: how JobKeeper lined the pockets of top ASX directors, executives and shareholders
New Zealand and the US compile public registers to ensure their Jobkeeper-type subisidies are not rorted by businesses. But no such transparency for Australians. As the Government singles out bureaucrats such as Australia Post chief Christine Holgate for corporate excesses, Tasha May shines the torch on pandemic rorting at the top end of town.
A masterful PR campaign: the links between Hollywood, luxury cars and the arms industry
Luxury cars are inextricably linked with the weapons industry. When James Bond saves the world in his faithful Aston Martin he is glamourising the very industry he is ostensibly trying to defeat. Tasha May reports.
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Ervin & Charlotte Vidor
Ervin and Charlotte Vidor are pioneers in the Australian hotel and property development industries. Through their Toga Group empire, which includes two Dark Companies, the pair control over 10,000 hotel rooms across Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe.
Internet’s founder, US officials slap down News and Nine’s crusade on Google
Is Government intervention viable, or just a favour for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Peter Costello’s Nine Entertainment? Opposition is growing both locally and globally to media laws introduced by the Coalition Government requiring tech giants Google and Facebook to pay for displaying news content. Kim Wingerei delves into the numbers.
A Letter to President Biden: Rebuilding US credibility
You will be acutely aware that, after the ravages of the Trump years, you have a big healing job ahead of you, not only at home but abroad. Too often in recent times America’s allies, partners and friends around the world have found ourselves regarded as...
China-Australia trade conflict is not all China’s doing
Post Covid, it will be hard for Australia to grow quickly without China’s market, capital, people exchange and know-how. Finding a détente is essential. However, Australia targeted China before it targeted us. After signing a free trade and investment agreement with...
Joe Biden’s Inauguration: “We must end this uncivil war”
Racism was the core of Trump’s politics. The country divided along the lines of the Civil War and of post-reconstruction America. In his inaugural address, Biden acknowledged this reality. His Administration will prioritise tackling the pandemic but success with that...