Forced divestiture is better than expanding regulation
‘Muddying the waters’ is one of the cleverer and more effective tools deployed by public relations advisers. The method involves…
Health insurers experiment with nine-day fortnights
It is reported that health insurer BUPA is ‘trialling’ a nine-day fortnight for its staff, meaning it is looking to…
Australian banks need to be making much bigger losses on their lending
At a recent event I met and had a long chat with a retired economist who, in his professional career,…
The 30th anniversary of ABS gender pay gap data
Gender pay gap activists have had an exciting few weeks, especially with the new statistics showing these gaps at the…
Should ANZ be allowed to buy Suncorp Bank?
As I’m writing this article, I have one eye on the ANZ share price. I’ve watched it drop more than…
Medicinal cannabis and government licensing
One of the more insidious aspects of government involvement in commercial markets is the practice of supplier licensing. As entrepreneurs…
Take the lollies away: defund UNRWA
A few weeks back, I observed a pretty sad scene down at the local shops. A mother was holding out…
Applying Javier Milei’s ideas to banking regulation in Australia
There is a series of sentences in Javier Milei’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which are…
The café owner and the public servant
What I thought was going to be an irritation turned out to be a source of admiration. Even inspiration. At…
What happened to Labor’s two big election promises?
The two most notable Labor promises before the May 2022 election involved ‘getting wages moving again’ and the promise to…
How to protect yourself against risk
A formative incident for me happened when I was 25 while travelling through Turkey with a backpack. The British owner…
A splinter in life
My feet had become so white and feminine that I committed myself to walk around barefoot as much as I…
King Charles vs Ayn Rand
Is it only the political movement of Climate Change in which we need to be wary of King Charles III,…
A teetotal Parliament House?
Christmas seems a good time to bring up alcohol. Having recently moved to Manly, I am now living near the…
Albanese government: highest taxing since 1959!
What I’m about to say is probably not fair, but I’ll say it anyway. When working in party politics, you…
Is the RBA’s 2-3 per cent inflation target still being taken seriously?
Promises need timeframes, otherwise they are just empty words. If your friend tells you they are doing a diet, you…
Does the ABS partner violence survey fall short?
Since the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its publication on partner violence, the widely reported statistic is that one…
Wokeism complicates the raising of kids
One of the dilemmas raising children in an era when Wokeism dominates every institution is whether to bluntly express your…
Affirmative consent: a seductive ‘maybe’ no longer means ‘yes’
Warren Buffett once got into trouble with a joke that touched on the matter of sexual consent. He was lucky…
Sad times for the larrikin
When Bob Hawke died, I received a phone call from an old family friend who jokingly reminded me to put…
Private health is painfully slow
It started with an odd sensation in my leg as I ate chicken and leek pie in a Sydney CBD…
Who will speak up for young men?
The success of girls highlights problems facing boys in schools
It’s amazing how tolerant home borrowers have become
It seems like the Aston by-election was not just a disaster for the Liberal Party, losing a once-safe seat from…
Despite criticism, RBA outperforms most central banks
A small war has broken out amongst some economics on the topic of whether Australia’s central bank has performed well…
A devastating truth
Every now and again you come across someone who has genuine authority, no self-interest at stake, nothing to gain, but…
