How power works in Australia

JANUARY 30, 2021

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Leading nicely into next Monday’s release of the AEC’s political donations data, this week provided a number of examples of how power works in this country — starting with the “lifetime achievement” gong handed to Rupert Murdoch on Australia Day by a collection of big banks, miners and climate sceptics. David Hardaker took on the story, which got a big response from Crikey readers.

Speaking of miners, Stephen Mayne and Bernard Keane both revisited the case for a super profits tax in light of the obscene $1.5 billion Twiggy Forrest’s Fortescue made in December alone. Keane also examined Labor’s internal division over climate policy.

Our reporters also marked a year since the arrival of COVID-19, casting their eyes over the past 12 months, weighing up the fallout and asking… what comes next?

Thanks for reading,

Charlie Lewis
Reporter

Labor, Lambie, Hanson and Palmer are on a donations unity ticket — so why not the Coalition?

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

What does the Coalition have to hide?

Murdoch’s Australia Day award — brought to you by miners and bankers

DAVID HARDAKER 3 minute read

Those who promote and profit from fossil fuels have appropriated the phoney awards handed out by the obscure Australia Day Foundation.

Labor swings in the breeze on climate as Australia’s time runs out

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

The NSW Liberals used smart politics to fight internal climate wars, but the ALP hasn't shown that kind of shrewdness.

The case for a super profits tax

We need to talk about Twiggy… and Gina, and probably Tony

STEPHEN MAYNE 4 minute read

How much is too much when it comes to the profits of one company and one man?

‘An additional and fair contribution’: time for a mining super-profits tax

BERNARD KEANE 2 minute read

The government has imposed a super profits tax before. It's time for another one — on the iron ore sector.

A day for all Australians — and there’s $10m to make sure you know it

GEORGIA WILKINS 3 minute read

The Morrison government has more than tripled the amount of funding it allocates to the National Australia Day Council, with most of it being spent on an ad campaign.

Morrison fails to read the room as sport shows he’s playing out of his league

CHRISTOPHER WARREN 3 minute read

After decades of the right using racism to wedge the left, professional sports players have now wedged the right between past and future.

Margaret Court for US ambassador, governor-general and her own show on Sky News…

GLENN PETERS 2 minute read

Another year, another inevitable Court-roversy.

A very long year

A year to forget — and remember. How COVID-19 infiltrated Australia

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 7 minute read

From day one on January 25 last year the coronavirus found every nook and cranny it could to divide and conquer.

In public health, politics and the economy, Australia did well… but could have done better

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

While we fared better than a lot of other countries, our COVID-19 response was by no means perfect.

Migrants are key to our COVID recovery, yet 50,000 have been denied entry

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

Australia’s bungled visa exemptions have split up couples and had migrants turn away, jeopardising our post-pandemic economic recovery.

How build-to-rent is gaslighting Australians on housing affordability

LAURA PHILLIPS 5 minute read

The build-to-rent model may not be the panacea that the private sector and state governments seem to think it is.

With Trump and Pompeo gone, it’s the media’s job to get justice for Julian Assange

GUY RUNDLE 6 minute read

A Trump pardon for the WikiLeaks founder was a long shot. But Joe Biden is no fan either. A concerted and global effort from the media is demanded.

Xi sends a message the world can’t ignore. Here’s how it has been interpreted

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 3 minute read

In Australia, analysts have focused on Xi Jinping's comments on free trade. But overseas, his remarks are seen as a message for the new US administration.

Could small businesses survive a Google-less Australia?

CHRISTOPHER WARREN 3 minute read

This major Coalition constituency could soon face real crisis.