Opinion
Cult of Kevin Rudd will never die
For one dreadful moment during the election campaign, I thought Kevin Rudd might lose his seat – a catastrophe for anyone who has to fill column inches in a newspaper such as this, writes Mark Latham.
Only fools ignore bubble trouble
Anyone not investing serious time contemplating housing hazards, including the prospect of destabilising bubbles, should wake up and heed the warnings.
The benign Abbott campaign mask comes off
The political animal that is the new Prime Minister is showing his true colours after shedding the softer camouflage that helped win the election.
Busy trade agenda for Robb
Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb has big plans for achieving international trade agreements and partnerships.
Getting ready to tame the housing inflation dragon
Economists Ross Garnaut and Bob Gregory warn of the risk of a real estate bubble. The Reserve Bank’s Malcolm Edey calls warnings of an unsustainable property boom alarmist.
Behind the BT wealth machine
When the owners of online foreign exchange company OzForex pressed the button on a $480 million public float this week it marked another huge endorsement for the most extraordinary financial institution Australia has ever seen.
Fixing GST is a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it
The push for GST reform, seen as the holy grail of tax simplfication in many parts of the Liberal Party, will grow in Abbott’s first term – whether he likes it or not.
Don’t deny sportspeople right to free speech
The latest sports scandal – over Johnathan Thurston’s post-game comments – should spur Peter Dutton, the Coalition’s new Minister for Sport and Health, to defend free speech for sportspeople.
Keep tabs on super’s tax-free components
A superannuation expert says failing to monitor tax-free super components could result in costly mistakes that affect those who inherit the death benefits.
Equity gains lose their lustre in the cold light of inflation
Any investor who’s been celebrating since the S&P/ASX Accumulation Index edged past its previous November 2007 peak might want to put the party hat away.
Thermomix imports a recipe for success
Grace Mazur, who introduced multi-function kitchen appliance Thermomix to Australia, claims sales of about 4000 units per month.
Fussy food does not make for fine dining
The focus of the food critic is usually on the food and chef rather than the restaurant as a whole. Surely the entire experience is what truly counts.
Best keep macro-prudential tools for unusual crises
Given the recent strength in Sydney and Melbourne house prices, there’s been a pick-up in commentary as to whether Australia is in – or risks creating – a housing bubble.
Casino players ready to roll
Asian gaming group Genting has been waiting for more than a year to find out if it will be allowed to increase its stake in Sydney casino operator Echo Entertainment.
Ideological ‘flexibility’ never goes astray
There’s been some wild claims that the principality’s new leader is too rigid, never varying his position on women or climate change or parental leave, but that’s not right–look at Tony Abbott’s idoeological suppleness on the subject of lobbyists.
It’s a Labor of love . . . with a politic dose of passive aggression
The pot shots fly as Labor’s would-be leaders unite in their disunity and put their cases to the party unfaithful.
