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If you think the banking royal commission is big, you’re wrong. It’s much bigger. This week’s disclosure of corporate lies, deceit and greed has damaged the reputations of the big five (big four banks plus AMP). Down the track, some … Continued

If you want to feel heat in Townsville, sledge the Cowboys NRL side or just mention the name “Storm Financial”. Storm was Emmanuel and Julie Cassimatis’ Townsville-based cowboy (no relation) finance outfit that destroyed the savings of thousands of clients, … Continued

There’s a certain irony in Prime Minister Turnbull and Home Affairs Minister Dutton having different recollections about whether they had discussed cutting immigration. It’s being quietly reduced anyway. If the current trend in the way Dutton’s department issues visas holds, … Continued

I’ve given up, surrendered to The Thing’s inevitability. I’ve tried moving, running, hiding, but still the old ooze-encrusted sea chest finds me on New Year’s eve with all its horror and foreboding. The moment came when The Thing’s dystopian vision … Continued

What do leaking spooks, a dashed Dastyari and a dubious donor say about our most important trade partner? A week after the release of a foreign affairs white paper that left unresolved how Australia can simultaneously ride the Chinese dragon … Continued

Unsurprisingly, the 30th anniversary of the Crash of ’87 really has nothing new to add to what was written for the 25th anniversary and the 20th and so on before it. But it is a chance to revisit the anniversary … Continued

The FBI is still searching for a motive for the Las Vegas massacre. From the other side of the earth, we can see one: the end result of the fantasy that goes with buying and possessing machines specifically designed for … Continued

Pascoe’s Law of Stuff states that stuff expands to fill available space. Live in a small unit, it will be full. Live in a big house for a while, it also will be full. The corollary is that less space … Continued

There was movement in the nation, for the word had passed around That the gas from Cooper Basin got away, And had joined the LNG trains – it was to Asia bound. So all the pollies had gathered to the … Continued

“When profits go up, so do wages,” Business Council of Australian president Grant King declared last week as he struggled to keep alive the dream of a tax cut for his members. It would be equally simplistic but a bit … Continued