crikey--2020-03-26--Glenn Dyer's TV Ratings: Breakfast news continues to smash records

The rise of news audiences shows no signs of slowing as breakfast TV records continue to tumble .
Once again @ @ @ @ @ interest in COVID-19 news saw viewing of the evening news and current affairs programs jump @ @ @ @ @ week ago , when interest in the story was starting to accelerate .
Nine News @ @ @ @ @ five-year high -- 1.60 million across the hour .
But for yet another night , @ @ @ @ @ much higher -- 1.90 million for the hour .
Big rises were enjoyed by Ten @ @ @ @ @ ’ 6.30pm news -- up a combined 138,000 .
The 7pm part of The Project @ @ @ @ @ alone .
The ABC cracked the million viewer level in the metros for the first @ @ @ @ @ , ACA enjoyed a sharp improvement from a week earlier .

Once again the continuing high level of interest in COVID-19 news saw viewing of the evening news and current affairs programs jump by 1.27 million from a week ago, when interest in the story was starting to accelerate.
Nine News’ average audience hit a five-year high — 1.60 million across the hour. But for yet another night, Seven’s audience was much higher — 1.90 million for the hour. Big rises were enjoyed by Ten’s 5pm and SBS’ 6.30pm news — up a combined 138,000. The 7pm part of The Project saw a jump of 123,000 alone.
The ABC cracked the million viewer level in the metros for the first time in a long while, ACA enjoyed a sharp improvement from a week earlier.


crikey--2020-03-26--ACCC clears Pacific Mags sale, offering template for more media mergers

The ACCC has approved the sale of Seven 's Pacific Magazines to its rival Bauer , citing declines in circulation @ @ @ @ @ the sale by Seven West Media of its Pacific Magazines business to rival Bauer Media @ @ @ @ @ competition regulator , has all but written off the magazine business .
Originally the commission @ @ @ @ @ about the anti-competitive nature of the two biggest magazine groups in the country combing , @ @ @ @ @ Thursday morning the commission said that aspect of the deal didn ’ t really matter @ @ @ @ @ way about the impact on Seven West Media -- the shares edged up from 6.9 @ @ @ @ @ the ASX this morning , a rise of more than 17 % .

In approving the sale by Seven West Media of its Pacific Magazines business to rival Bauer Media, the ACCC, the competition regulator, has all but written off the magazine business.
Originally the commission had a lot of doubts about the anti-competitive nature of the two biggest magazine groups in the country combing, but in a statement on Thursday morning the commission said that aspect of the deal didn’t really matter.
Investors thought the same way about the impact on Seven West Media — the shares edged up from 6.9 cents to 8.1 cents on the ASX this morning, a rise of more than 17%.


crikey--2020-03-26--'Doctor' Trump is a fake and needs to be struck off before he kills again

Bad advice about COVID-19 can be fatal .
Especially when it comes from the US president .
Reality TV host @ @ @ @ @ mogul ?
Tick .
POTUS ?
Tick .
Doctor and/or pharmacist ?
Not the last @ @ @ @ @ here was Donald Trump offering to the world his insights about medications that might -- @ @ @ @ @ .
The results were predictable .
People rushed to buy it , patients who needed @ @ @ @ @ and , inevitably , someone died .
How can someone in a position of such @ @ @ @ @ irresponsibility ?
Trump , of all people , knows the power of the half-fact ; @ @ @ @ @ and scared will latch onto any crumb of hope .

Reality TV host? Tick. Real estate mogul? Tick. POTUS? Tick. Doctor and/or pharmacist? Not the last time I looked.
Yet here was Donald Trump offering to the world his insights about medications that might — MIGHT — work for COVID-19. The results were predictable. People rushed to buy it, patients who needed it couldn’t get it and, inevitably, someone died.
How can someone in a position of such responsibility behave with such monstrous irresponsibility? Trump, of all people, knows the power of the half-fact; how people who are desperate and scared will latch onto any crumb of hope.


crikey--2020-03-19--Claims of racism fuel escalating media war between China and Washington

Unsurprisingly , barbs traded between China and the US over responsibility for coronavirus are part of a much larger power @ @ @ @ @ news conference on March 18 , US President Donald Trump called the COVID19 virus the @ @ @ @ @ , when questioned , defended his choice of words .
This was not a slip @ @ @ @ @ deliberate choice presumably guided by security specialists and his China team .

At a televised news conference on March 18, US President Donald Trump called the COVID19 virus the “Chinese virus” and, when questioned, defended his choice of words.
This was not a slip of the tongue but a deliberate choice presumably guided by security specialists and his China team.
Is it racist?


crikey--2020-03-19--Feel the fear and pump money into the economy: how we can survive the crisis

It may be hard to swallow , but a short , sharp tumble in the economy may be precisely what @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus crisis .
Australia ’ s economy is contracting sharply as we hunker down @ @ @ @ @ people .
Anyone could be infected , even ourselves , and for the hospitals not @ @ @ @ @ is our best choice .
Much economic policy is based on spurring animal spirits , @ @ @ @ @ But those policies don ’ t account for the situation we are in now -- @ @ @ @ @ , adaptive and helpful .

Australia’s economy is contracting sharply as we hunker down and limit contact with other people.
Anyone could be infected, even ourselves, and for the hospitals not to be overwhelmed, self-isolation is our best choice.
Much economic policy is based on spurring animal spirits, optimism and borrowing money. But those policies don’t account for the situation we are in now — one where fear is useful, adaptive and helpful.


crikey--2020-03-19--Reserve Bank launches massive operation to encourage lending

The Reserve Bank has unveiled a $ 90 billion fund to encourage business lending , as well as the lowest @ @ @ @ @ its monetary policy response to the coronavirus crisis .
The Reserve Bank has this afternoon @ @ @ @ @ lowest possible level and announced a suite of measures to inject much-needed capital into the @ @ @ @ @ afloat through the coronavirus crisis .
The RBA 's cash rate has now been lowered @ @ @ @ @ zero , following a cut to 0.5 % a fortnight ago .
Australia now joins @ @ @ @ @ US , UK , Japan , New Zealand , Switzerland , Scandinavia and Europe in @ @ @ @ @ `` zero lower bound '' .
The bank will also provide a three-year funding facility @ @ @ @ @ $ 90 billion , conditional on them lending it to business , `` especially to @ @ @ @ @ .

The Reserve Bank has this afternoon cut interest rates to the lowest possible level and announced a suite of measures to inject much-needed capital into the financial system to keep business afloat through the coronavirus crisis.
The RBA’s cash rate has now been lowered to 0.25%, effectively zero, following a cut to 0.5% a fortnight ago. Australia now joins other major economies like the US, UK, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Europe in having interest rates at the “zero lower bound”.
The bank will also provide a three-year funding facility to banks worth at least $90 billion, conditional on them lending it to business, “especially to small and medium-sized businesses”.


crikey--2020-03-18--Trump ramps up racism and xenophobia with "Chinese virus" slur. China not much better

Attempts to blame other countries or races for disease are a long tradition , and both Trump and Xi Jinping @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump has had to face the health and economic ramifications of the rapid spread @ @ @ @ @ States , his use of the term `` Chinese virus '' has ramped up along @ @ @ @ @ now using and tweeting the term repeatedly , and overnight defended its use , declaring @ @ @ @ @ and Asian-Americans would agree with him using it .
White House officials are referring to @ @ @ @ @ flu '' , while the White House earlier today accused critics of seeking to `` @ @ @ @ @ rooting for us to fail '' .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has routinely referred @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan virus '' .

As Donald Trump has had to face the health and economic ramifications of the rapid spread of coronavirus in the United States, his use of the term “Chinese virus” has ramped up along with it.
Trump is now using and tweeting the term repeatedly, and overnight defended its use, declaring it was “accurate” and Asian-Americans would agree with him using it.
White House officials are referring to the virus as “kung flu”, while the White House earlier today accused critics of seeking to “divide Americans” and “rooting for us to fail”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has routinely referred to it as the “Wuhan virus”.


crikey--2020-02-06--Worm: Nobody puts Barnaby in the corner

Worm: Nobody puts Barnaby in the corner

Good morning , early birds .
Barnaby Joyce and his fellow rebels are threatening to cross the floor and disrupt the Coalition 's two-seat majority , and Melco is pulling the plug on its $ 880 million Crown deal .
It 's the news you need to know , with Chris Woods .
Just days after agreeing to give the coup business a rest , Barnaby Joyce has responded to Michael McCormack ‘ s decision to promote only allies to cabinet by threatening to disrupt the Liberal-National alliance .
Both The Australian ( $ ) and The New Daily report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rebel group of Nationals MPs — himself , George Christensen and Llew O ’ Brien — are now willing to cross the floor , disrupt the Coalition ’ s two-seat majority , and block legislation .
Coming within 24 hours of Malcolm Turnbull — and , to a lesser extent , Julie Bishop — slamming the Coalition ’ s inability to address global heating , it ’ s continuity and change forever , friends !
Universities are planning quarantine zones for international students , The Sydney Morning Herald reports , and Melco has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dump its $ 880 million Crown deal with James Packer ( although the timing is handy , considering a local inquiry was set to comb through the two companies ’ finances ) .
Elsewhere , The Guardian says global deaths have hit 563 , including the doctor who first warned against the virus , Dr Li Wenliang , while thousands remain quarantined on cruise ships around the world , including an Australian couple the ABC says is going “ stir crazy ” in their cabin .
Israeli forces have killed a second teenager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a demonstration against the demolition of a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank , according to Al Jazeera .
The killing of Yazan Abu Tabikh , 19 , and wounding of seven others followed an army raid of the northern town of Jenin , where Israel planned to demolish the home of a man charged with aiding a Hamas cell .
The increase in violence comes days after Donald Trump unveiled his nakedly pro-Israel , anti-Palestine plan for the Middle East .
In suspiciously benign immigration news , the federal government will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incentives aimed at bolstering both refugee and regional unemployment , The Australian ( $ ) reports .
Population and Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge will today launch the package by acknowledging “ unacceptable ” new data showing a 77 % unemployment rate for refugees one year after arrival .
TALKING POINT : While a commendable focus , the growing disadvantages Tudge points to might just have something to do with a certain government ’ s erosion of employment , education and welfare rights .
THEY REALLY SAID THAT ?
Australia ’ s top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least those from government ministers — can influence whether or not they investigate alleged forgery .
More time to rifle through journos ’ underwear , then .
READ ALL ABOUT IT Cyclone Damien upgraded , now predicted to be category four when it crosses WA Pilbara coast Inside the files that reveal alleged identity takeover of more than 100 Australians Tunnel turmoil : EPA rates one project early , the other too late Opioid crisis : Australian states told to act now or suffer a public health emergency DHS bans New Yorkers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws Proposed Nationals voting change would deny access to democracy ( $ ) — Barnaby Joyce ( The Australian ) : “ Because Victorian National Anne Webster had her idea of changing the voting rules in our party aired in this newspaper on Wednesday , I shall repudiate them on the same pages .
Rosie Lewis revealed that under Webster ’ s proposal Nationals MPs would need to vote in a two-thirds majority for there to be a leadership spill.
” AFP ’ s failure to investigate Angus Taylor has corrosive consequences for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guardian ) : “ Precision matters , so let ’ s be very precise .
The Australian federal police has not conducted a deep dive into what went on in Angus Taylor ’ s office – how it came to pass that a dodgy document was deployed in a political attack against the Sydney lord mayor , Clover Moore .
The police haven ’ t investigated .
They have declined to investigate.
” How Labor insiders have undone Whitlam ’ s hard work to broaden the church — Richard Whitington ( The Sydney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 53rd anniversary of Gough Whitlam becoming leader of the Labor Party in 1967 , after the ALP had suffered eight straight election losses .
Labor ’ s 1966 primary vote of 40 per cent – its lowest in 30 years – looks OK against the 33.3 per cent at last May ’ s election.
” • Opening day of the 2020 Perth Festival , to run until Sunday , March 1 .
• Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe will front an economics committee hearing .
The joint Public Accounts and Audit Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of an inquiry into the operations of the Parliamentary Budget Office 2019-20 .
• Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Intrepid Travel ’ s CCO Leigh Barnes will help launch a new collection , Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism , at the Wheeler Centre .
• The Art Gallery of South Australia will host VAULT Magazine ’ s Issue 29 launch , to feature a panel event with curators from the 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art : MONSTER THEATRES .
• Protesters will call for an end to the ‘ China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside Department of Immigration buildings in Melbourne and Sydney , arguing that closing off borders is against the advice of the World Health Organisation .
Speakers in Sydney will include Greens MLA Jenny Leong , National Tertiary Education Union NSW secretary Michael Thompson , and Sydney University SRC president Liam Donohoe .

DIRTY PRANCING
Just days after agreeing to give the coup business a rest, Barnaby Joyce has responded to Michael McCormack‘s decision to promote only allies to cabinet by threatening to disrupt the Liberal-National alliance.
Both The Australian ($) and The New Daily report Joyce has warned Scott Morrison that a rebel group of Nationals MPs — himself, George Christensen and Llew O’Brien — are now willing to cross the floor, disrupt the Coalition’s two-seat majority, and block legislation.
Coming within 24 hours of Malcolm Turnbull — and, to a lesser extent, Julie Bishop — slamming the Coalition’s inability to address global heating, it’s continuity and change forever, friends!
CORONAVIRUS REPORTS
Universities are planning quarantine zones for international students, The Sydney Morning Herald reports, and Melco has cited the outbreak as a reason to dump its $880 million Crown deal with James Packer (although the timing is handy, considering a local inquiry was set to comb through the two companies’ finances).
Elsewhere, The Guardian says global deaths have hit 563, including the doctor who first warned against the virus, Dr Li Wenliang, while thousands remain quarantined on cruise ships around the world, including an Australian couple the ABC says is going “stir crazy” in their cabin.
TWO PALESTINIANS DEAD IN ISRAEL ATTACKS
Israeli forces have killed a second teenager in two days — this time during a demonstration against the demolition of a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera.
The killing of Yazan Abu Tabikh, 19, and wounding of seven others followed an army raid of the northern town of Jenin, where Israel planned to demolish the home of a man charged with aiding a Hamas cell. The increase in violence comes days after Donald Trump unveiled his nakedly pro-Israel, anti-Palestine plan for the Middle East.
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POSITIVE REFUGEE NEWS?
In suspiciously benign immigration news, the federal government will trial new English language classes and employment incentives aimed at bolstering both refugee and regional unemployment, The Australian ($) reports. Population and Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge will today launch the package by acknowledging “unacceptable” new data showing a 77% unemployment rate for refugees one year after arrival.
TALKING POINT: While a commendable focus, the growing disadvantages Tudge points to might just have something to do with a certain government’s erosion of employment, education and welfare rights.
THEY REALLY SAID THAT?
The low level of harm and the apology made by the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, along with the significant level of resources required to investigate were also factored into the decision not to pursue this matter. The Australian Federal Police
Australia’s top cops officially announce that apologies — at least those from government ministers — can influence whether or not they investigate alleged forgery.
More time to rifle through journos’ underwear, then.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Rainfall brings biggest drop in active fire numbers since season began
Cyclone Damien upgraded, now predicted to be category four when it crosses WA Pilbara coast
Labor asks AEC to investigate Liberal party over Morrison ally donation ‘error’
Inside the files that reveal alleged identity takeover of more than 100 Australians
Senator Rex Patrick blasts CIMIC over supplier payments ($)
Victorians welcome wombat protection laws after hunting revelations
Tunnel turmoil: EPA rates one project early, the other too late
‘Criminal’ auditors in ASIC’s sights ($)
Opioid crisis: Australian states told to act now or suffer a public health emergency
DHS bans New Yorkers from Global Entry, punishing state for sanctuary laws
THE COMMENTARIAT
Proposed Nationals voting change would deny access to democracy ($) — Barnaby Joyce (The Australian): “Because Victorian National Anne Webster had her idea of changing the voting rules in our party aired in this newspaper on Wednesday, I shall repudiate them on the same pages. Rosie Lewis revealed that under Webster’s proposal Nationals MPs would need to vote in a two-thirds majority for there to be a leadership spill.”
AFP’s failure to investigate Angus Taylor has corrosive consequences for our democracy — Katharine Murphy (The Guardian): “Precision matters, so let’s be very precise. The Australian federal police has not conducted a deep dive into what went on in Angus Taylor’s office – how it came to pass that a dodgy document was deployed in a political attack against the Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore. The police haven’t investigated. They have declined to investigate.”
How Labor insiders have undone Whitlam’s hard work to broaden the church — Richard Whitington (The Sydney Morning Herald): “Saturday is the 53rd anniversary of Gough Whitlam becoming leader of the Labor Party in 1967, after the ALP had suffered eight straight election losses. Labor’s 1966 primary vote of 40 per cent – its lowest in 30 years – looks OK against the 33.3 per cent at last May’s election.”
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
WHAT’S ON TODAY
Perth
Opening day of the 2020 Perth Festival, to run until Sunday, March 1.
Canberra
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe will front an economics committee hearing. The joint Public Accounts and Audit Committee will also hold a public hearing as part of an inquiry into the operations of the Parliamentary Budget Office 2019-20.
Melbourne
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Intrepid Travel’s CCO Leigh Barnes will help launch a new collection, Modern Day Slavery and Orphanage Tourism, at the Wheeler Centre.
Adelaide
The Art Gallery of South Australia will host VAULT Magazine’s Issue 29 launch, to feature a panel event with curators from the 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: MONSTER THEATRES.
Australia


crikey--2020-05-13--It's easy to get lost in the overwhelming numbers of COVID-19

There 's one number that can not be dismissed : the unemployed .
When people do n't have a job @ @ @ @ @ worse , humans suffer .
What will happen to our economy as the pandemic sweeps @ @ @ @ @ entire industry that exists to answer that question .
This is a fecund time for @ @ @ @ @ .
But like a jungle , when the growth of numbers gets too thick they @ @ @ @ @ we need a machete to cut a path through .
COVID-19 has been brilliant for @ @ @ @ @ getting to grips with exponential growth and logarithms for the first time .
Yet even @ @ @ @ @ us could be forgiven for feeling lost amid the competing claims over the future of @ @ @ @ @

What will happen to our economy as the pandemic sweeps through? There’s an entire industry that exists to answer that question.
This is a fecund time for models, guesses and forecasts. But like a jungle, when the growth of numbers gets too thick they can block the light, we need a machete to cut a path through.
COVID-19 has been brilliant for numeracy. Many people are getting to grips with exponential growth and logarithms for the first time. Yet even the most numerically inclined among us could be forgiven for feeling lost amid the competing claims over the future of Australia’s economy.


crikey--2020-05-13--Your Say: how to fund the arts during a war on culture

Crikey readers consider how we could be funding the struggling arts sector , and let us know how they feel about the end of lockdown .
Today , Your Say features some of your ( many ) responses to Guy Rundle ’ s interrogation of the Coalition ’ s war on culture and the arts .
We also heard from you on lockdown restrictions easing , and how you ’ ve been coping .
If an item in Crikey moves you , write to us at [ email protected ] .
Include your full name to be considered for publication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and clarity .
On the war on the arts : Ray O ’ Brien writes : We are bombarded with funding requests constantly .
A national campaign for donations would be successful .
Ask people to donate $ 10 and watch the response .
Chris McKenna writes : Whilst I am not an “ arts fan ” as such , I do feel we need to be represented in all aspects of the arts .
I don ’ t think that the government is deliberately trying to end funding to this sector , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fund itself , like AFL and other entertainment areas .
Yes it is hard , yes it requires commitment from the supporters , users , and community , and yes it can be difficult — life is not a free ride , for anybody !
Survival is not about being supported totally by a government , it is about looking at what resources you have , and finding a way to better manage them .
None of the actors , managers , producers , etc are worth the millions of dollars they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don ’ t worry , I feel the same way about sports people , and the government !
Some of these “ unrealistic ” payments should be put towards supporting their own area of the arts .
Whatever the outcome , good luck .
We do need our arts .
On the end of lockdown : Tim Stephens writes : Maybe I am just a little bit weird , but I am NOT happily looking forward to the end of restrictions .
I am loving the quiet streets .
I can park almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years ago .
Today I can again see the shops and signs .
No crowds packing every available space and tripping over each other , pushing and shoving .
Cruising the quiet roads on my bike with ease and less apprehension that I am about to be squashed .
Yep , apart from the possibility of impending death and financial ruin , I ’ m loving it .
Mike and Katya Rubbo write : Actually , surrounded by beautiful bushland on the Central Coast , we have been going out every day for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s become such pleasant habit , such a reawakening of our love of nature , that we plan to keep on taking long daily walks when the crisis is over .
Judy Hardy-Holden writes : As an 80 year old with some health issues I believe the bods , who are supposed to lead us , are too quick to send us out into the big , bad world .
And surprisingly I even have evidence of community reticence .
Six of we sweet old dears meet for lunch once a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the appropriate time to meet for our first meet-up after lockdown , almost in one voice we all decided it was too soon to risk it .
We have much to lose and little to gain if the lockdown unlocks too quickly without serious planning ( like what which went into that app we all applaud ) .
I realise we all need our incomes and we should support the most vulnerable generously , but forcing people back to virus prone work places is verging on diabolical , without proper protocols in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for everyone ’ s sake .
Parking Australia CEO Stuart Norman writes : The notion that the removal of fringe benefits tax ( FBT ) on business providing their staff car parking as “ corporate welfare ” is absurd .
FBT is a disincentive for businesses to provide or purchase car parking for their employees .
Now more than ever businesses could do with some tax relief and employees need a COVID-19-safe way to get to work .
On Monday 11 May Crikey published an article by Adam Schwab which labelled the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At no time has the parking industry sought industry-specific assistance from the Federal Government .
The views expressed in the article failed to properly understand the issues facing both employees and employers as lockdown measures are eased and we look to get back to work .
The proposal ( not a demand as stated ) to suspend FBT would benefit businesses and employees .
It would also support businesses whether they purchase a commercial parking space from a parking provider ( company or council ) or provide staff with parking on their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide a COVID-19-safe working environment and by extension it makes sense that businesses look to provide a COVID-19-safe method for their staff to get to and from work .
No business can afford to have an outbreak of the virus and as such providing parking is a way to limit their staff ’ s interactions with others and limit the chances of contracting COVID-19 .
By removing the FBT disincentive , it unshackles the employer from the tax and provides them with choice .
Some employers would make the decision to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that happy employees are more productive and more productive workforce helps the country ’ s economic recovery .
Schwab ’ s article also affirms the often-held misconception that all car parking is owned by the car park operators .
While this is true for car parks that are owned and run by the same organisation it is more the exception rather than the rule .
In most instances car park operators either lease or manage the car park from or for the owner .
It is the owner of the facility which receives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rightly so as they have invested significant funds to either build or purchase the facility .
I encourage anyone to first develop an understanding of how an industry is structured and managed before making public comment .
Considering all the factors mentioned in this piece , it is Parking Australia and the industry ’ s view that the proposal to suspend FBT on car parking is helpful , reasonable and worthy of the Federal Government ’ s consideration .

Today, Your Say features some of your (many) responses to Guy Rundle’s interrogation of the Coalition’s war on culture and the arts. We also heard from you on lockdown restrictions easing, and how you’ve been coping.
And Parking Australia responds to columnist Adam Schwab.
If an item in Crikey moves you, write to us at letters@crikey.com.au. Include your full name to be considered for publication. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.


crikey--2020-04-21--Here's how Australian manufacturing could be revived by the pandemic

The monumental shifts of the COVID-19 pandemic are having some unexpected consequences , among them the possible revival of Australian @ @ @ @ @ is building sets and stages for outdoor events , what do you do when suddenly @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 ?
If you are the Australian manufacturer Stagekings , you get advice from @ @ @ @ @ start building desks instead .
Nick Martin from Stagekings says since the company turned to @ @ @ @ @ staff has grown from pre-COVID-19 numbers .
Today it employs 52 people : about 20 @ @ @ @ @ others working from home or doing deliveries .

If your business is building sets and stages for outdoor events, what do you do when suddenly all events are cancelled because of COVID-19?
If you are the Australian manufacturer Stagekings, you get advice from a mate in Ireland and start building desks instead.
Nick Martin from Stagekings says since the company turned to manufacturing working-from-home desks its full-time staff has grown from pre-COVID-19 numbers. Today it employs 52 people: about 20 in its Kurnell warehouse and others working from home or doing deliveries.


crikey--2020-04-22--Virgin's blues: what can we do to keep air travel fair?

The collapse of Virgin Australia is sending the airline industry into turbulence .
How do we keep it fair ?
@ @ @ @ @ voluntary administration and searching for investors .
There are reportedly 10 potential suitors .
But @ @ @ @ @ .
What does the future for Australian aviation look like ?
Here are some key @ @ @ @ @ public have choice ?
A Virgin advertising campaign once claimed it was “ keeping the @ @ @ @ @ we may find out whether this holds true .
Without a second airline , we @ @ @ @ @ flying domestically once travel restrictions are finally lifted .
Even when Ansett collapsed in the @ @ @ @ @ Virgin Blue had been flying for a year and quickly took off as it picked @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t had to rely on just one domestic airline since our aircraft had @ @

Debt-laden Virgin Australia is in voluntary administration and searching for investors. There are reportedly 10 potential suitors. But there is also the coronavirus. What does the future for Australian aviation look like? Here are some key questions:
Will the travelling public have choice?
A Virgin advertising campaign once claimed it was “keeping the air fair”. Soon we may find out whether this holds true. Without a second airline, we could have no choice when flying domestically once travel restrictions are finally lifted.
Even when Ansett collapsed in the early 2000s, a fledgling Virgin Blue had been flying for a year and quickly took off as it picked up the slack. Aussies haven’t had to rely on just one domestic airline since our aircraft had propellers.


crikey--2020-04-22--Sacrifice the Virgin! Air travel should be nationalised and socialised

Virgin Australia does n't exist anymore .
Labor and the unions must now protect airline workers and propose bolder ideas @ @ @ @ @ shame they do n't play movies like The Great Race and Those Magnificent Men in @ @ @ @ @ any more .
Those comic tales of moustache-twirling villains and hapless well-meaning innocents would serve @ @ @ @ @ schemer from afar .
For example , what can you say about Richard Branson ?
@ @ @ @ @ dazzling-eyed bloke with his striking goatee who arrives somewhere in a balloon -- an actual @ @ @ @ @ a pile of your money , throws it into the basket and takes off again @ @ @ @ @ Over and over and over .
How does this keep happening ?
Does no one @ @ @ @ @ into view , the sinister laugh of Muttley behind him ?

Damn shame they don’t play movies like The Great Race and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines on TV any more.
Those comic tales of moustache-twirling villains and hapless well-meaning innocents would serve us well in recognising a schemer from afar.
For example, what can you say about Richard Branson? Here’s this leonine, dazzling-eyed bloke with his striking goatee who arrives somewhere in a balloon — an actual goddamn balloon — asks for a pile of your money, throws it into the basket and takes off again. In his balloon. Over and over and over. How does this keep happening? Does no one hear, as Branson drifts into view, the sinister laugh of Muttley behind him?


crikey--2020-04-22--ANZ and Westpac owed millions by troubled Singapore oil trader

ANZ and Westpac are among the most heavily-exposed banks in a scandal engulfing Asia 's biggest oil trader .
ANZ @ @ @ @ @ in the collapse of a Singapore-based oil trading-empire last week , owing S $ 3.64 @ @ @ @ @ $ 4 billion ) to more than 20 local and international banks .
It is @ @ @ @ @ of the slump in global oil demand and prices triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ war between Russia and Saudi Arabia .
A filing in a Singapore court last Friday @ @ @ @ @ Leong Trading Pte .
Ltd ( HLT ) , one of Asia ’ s major @ @ @ @ @ through their Singapore branches , the two Australian banks are owed S $ 240.07 million @ @ @ @ @ or A $ 266 million .

ANZ and Westpac face massive losses in the collapse of a Singapore-based oil trading-empire last week, owing S$3.64 billion (more than A$4 billion) to more than 20 local and international banks.
It is the biggest collapse so far of the slump in global oil demand and prices triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the short but silly price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
A filing in a Singapore court last Friday about the demise of Hin Leong Trading Pte. Ltd (HLT), one of Asia’s major oil-trading groups, reveals that through their Singapore branches, the two Australian banks are owed S$240.07 million as at April 9, or A$266 million.


crikey--2020-03-24--A new era of big government is here, and the government isn't ready

The role of government has dramatically changed in recent weeks .
And it will require a reversal of much of @ @ @ @ @ thirty years .
The world has changed dramatically , if not overnight , then in @ @ @ @ @ , and our governments appear to lack the institutional capacity to operate in that new @ @ @ @ @ to avoid that conclusion given the inability of Centrelink to cope with a predictable surge @ @ @ @ @ failure of the MyGov website yesterday , falsely blamed on a denial of service attack @ @ @ @ @ that 's the word -- minister Stuart Robert .
The denial of service was to @ @ @ @ @ site that the government has tried to shunt us all onto for years in order @ @ @ @ @

The world has changed dramatically, if not overnight, then in the space of a month, and our governments appear to lack the institutional capacity to operate in that new world.
It’s hard to avoid that conclusion given the inability of Centrelink to cope with a predictable surge in joblessness and the astonishing failure of the MyGov website yesterday, falsely blamed on a denial of service attack by the relevant — if that’s the word — minister Stuart Robert.
The denial of service was to citizens trying to use a site that the government has tried to shunt us all onto for years in order to access basic services.


crikey--2020-03-24--It's time for radical action: don't pay your rent or mortgage

If it flows towards the bank or a finance company then you 're under no obligation to pay it .
@ @ @ @ @ dwindling money for dead rent .
The Centrelink lines are going round the block , @ @ @ @ @ announcements of rent assistance , twitter buzzes with notes from the newly laid-off wondering how @ @ @ @ @ the table and pay the rent and the mortgage .
Here 's a suggestion .
@ @ @ @ @ the latter .
If you have lost most or all of your income , or @ @ @ @ @ n't pay your rent , do n't pay your mortgage .
Write to your landlord @ @ @ @ @ you wo n't be paying for the next X months , and that you do @ @ @ @ @ deferral , but as non-rent/non-mortgage months .

The Centrelink lines are going round the block, the government has made vague announcements of rent assistance, twitter buzzes with notes from the newly laid-off wondering how they’ll put food on the table and pay the rent and the mortgage.
Here’s a suggestion. Do the former by omitting the latter.
If you have lost most or all of your income, or are about to, don’t pay your rent, don’t pay your mortgage. Write to your landlord or bank and tell them you won’t be paying for the next X months, and that you don’t regard this as a deferral, but as non-rent/non-mortgage months.


crikey--2020-04-09--A peculiar Australian disease: the total dislike of parliamentary democracy

Unlike their overseas counterparts , Australian politicians have given themselves a holiday while the pandemic rages .
Why are they so different ?
Australian politicians seem to be alone in shirking their duties by not showing up to parliament for the next few months , ostensibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The Parliamentary Library , in something of an implied rebuke of the government , last week posted a short paper noting which parliaments had suspended sittings .
It found that parliamentarians in the US , the UK , Canada and New Zealand would all be returning to parliament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case of Congress , hadn ’ t altered its sitting plan at all .
In Australia , every parliament except those of South Australia and Western Australia have adjourned until later in the year , or indefinitely .
Labor opposed the suspension of federal parliament until August , and Anthony Albanese has this week ramped up his criticism of the government ’ s decision , pointing out parliament “ wasn ’ t suspended during the Spanish flu , or World War I or World War II ” .
Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government its extraordinary powers to respond to the current public health crisis .
It is absurd and dangerous to suggest that the parliament now has no role in ensuring that these emergency powers are being exercised in the best interests of their constituents and of our nation ” .
Dreyfus quoted the UK Tory government ’ s Commons leader , the hard-right Jacob Rees-Mogg , who said of the Commons “ parliament ’ s role of scrutinising government , authorising spending and making laws must be fulfilled ” .
The suspension of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of his time as a minister , Morrison has consistently demonstrated a thin skin and a deep aversion to any kind of scrutiny , whether from the media or from parliament .
Even his regular media briefings during the pandemic response have been marked by an ill-tempered hostility to journalists .
The prime minister appears to regard questioning of his actions or attempts to elicit information as a personal insult .
But Morrison is hardly alone , and this is hardly a partisan issue .
Victoria ’ s Daniel Andrews , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ draconian lockdown demands to nonsensical lengths , has gone even further than Morrison and suspended parliament indefinitely , a move criticised by Victorian opposition leader Michael O ’ Brien as “ extraordinary ” .
The Palaszczuk Labor government in Queensland has similarly stopped sitting until further notice .
Gladys Berejiklian won ’ t return to NSW parliament until September .
At the same time as federal politicians and politicians outside SA and WA are having an extended break to avoid getting infected , they ’ re asking health workers to put themselves in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the impacts of the pandemic .
Morrison wants teachers to continue to show up to work , even as his own chief medical officer warns older teachers were at risk .
And as Dreyfus notes , there are ways of reducing , if not eliminating , concerns about infection in parliament , through reduced numbers of MPs or greater use of technology .
Why do British politicians , and those of other anglophone countries , feel their parliamentary work is important enough to carry on through the crisis , despite the greater risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken , when Australians don ’ t ?
The House of Commons has a greater tradition of independence , and an independent speaker , unlike Australian parliaments .
Congress is completely separate from the executive .
And the Canadian and New Zealand governments are both minority governments , unlike the Morrison , Andrews , Berejiklian and Palaszczuk governments .
Where executives dominate , parliament is evidently seen as an inconvenience , at a time when scrutiny of executive government is more important than ever .
The pandemic appears to be an excuse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Australian politicians seem to be alone in shirking their duties by not showing up to parliament for the next few months, ostensibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Parliamentary Library, in something of an implied rebuke of the government, last week posted a short paper noting which parliaments had suspended sittings. It found that parliamentarians in the US, the UK, Canada and New Zealand would all be returning to parliament later this month or, in the case of Congress, hadn’t altered its sitting plan at all.
In Australia, every parliament except those of South Australia and Western Australia have adjourned until later in the year, or indefinitely.


crikey--2020-04-08--Coronavirus, pangolins and the global, political power of Chinese medicine

How the coronavirus started remains a burning question .
But the answer most favoured by the Chinese regime raises even @ @ @ @ @ played by traditional medicine in the growth of the country 's global influence The jury @ @ @ @ @ origins of COVID-19 , also known as SARS-CoV-2 virus .
What is known is that @ @ @ @ @ virus crossed over from animal to human hosts in Wuhan over the final weeks or @ @ @ @ @ galloping across the province of Hubei in December to reach epidemic proportions in China later @ @ @ @ @ internationally at remarkable speed .
By the time the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) @ @ @ @ @ March 11 2020 , the thing had bolted .

The jury is still out on the origins of COVID-19, also known as SARS-CoV-2 virus.
What is known is that a new form of corona virus crossed over from animal to human hosts in Wuhan over the final weeks or months of 2019, before galloping across the province of Hubei in December to reach epidemic proportions in China later in January and then spreading internationally at remarkable speed.
By the time the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed a global pandemic on March 11 2020, the thing had bolted.


crikey--2020-05-15--A decade of hard yakka on participation lost in jobs disaster

The Coalition has presided over a major achievement in workforce participation , but all of that has been undone in @ @ @ @ @ 's participation rate may take a long time to recover .
One area where the @ @ @ @ @ economic bragging rights is participation .
When it came to office in 2013 , it @ @ @ @ @ labour participation to continue falling : it had peaked at 65.8 % in 2011 and @ @ @ @ @ .
Given the ageing of the population and predictions that baby boomers would begin entering @ @ @ @ @ likely .

One area where the Coalition is fully entitled to economic bragging rights is participation.
When it came to office in 2013, it had every right to expect labour participation to continue falling: it had peaked at 65.8% in 2011 and had been declining ever since.
Given the ageing of the population and predictions that baby boomers would begin entering retirement, further falls were likely.


crikey--2020-05-15--The pandemic stimulus proves that radical economic change is possible

The old theory that deficits are an evil to be avoided is making way for a new one : they @ @ @ @ @ boost the economy .
As money pours from government coffers all around the world , @ @ @ @ @ rethink our understanding of economic principles .
We ’ ve long been told society ca @ @ @ @ @ without tempting financial ruin .
And yet stimulus has clearly been necessary to stave off @ @ @ @ @ ruin of millions .
Modern monetary theory ( MMT ) , an emerging branch of @ @ @ @ @ government spending , may be the key to understanding that and the what-comes-next .

As money pours from government coffers all around the world, it’s time to fundamentally rethink our understanding of economic principles.
We’ve long been told society can’t support massive government spending without tempting financial ruin. And yet stimulus has clearly been necessary to stave off economic annihilation and the financial ruin of millions.
Modern monetary theory (MMT), an emerging branch of macroeconomics dealing with debt and government spending, may be the key to understanding that and the what-comes-next.


crikey--2020-05-01--Suspended newspapers will fight to return and serve the country

A true picture is emerging of the state of regional media , and it ’ s not pretty .
Will @ @ @ @ @ rally in a post-pandemic world ?
When the Covid-19 crisis ends , it 's likely @ @ @ @ @ Australia will wake up without a newspaper .
That 's the expectation of Australian media @ @ @ @ @ picture is emerging of the virus ’ s impact on regional media .
Crikey can @ @ @ @ @ and regional newspapers across Australia have stopped printing in the last month , with many @ @ @ @

When the Covid-19 crisis ends, it’s likely that hundreds of communities across Australia will wake up without a newspaper.
That’s the expectation of Australian media researchers who say a true picture is emerging of the virus’s impact on regional media.
Crikey can reveal at least 152 community and regional newspapers across Australia have stopped printing in the last month, with many unlikely to restart.


crikey--2020-04-30--'Gum' attack on Australia a clear sign of China's global mindset

When the anti-Australia writings of a once-disregarded columnist are in lockstep with the Chinese government , Australia should be worried .
It ’ s been some years since the editor of China ’ s Global Times , Hu Xijin , took time out from his busy schedule to belittle Australia .
A few days ago , he did just that .
Referring to himself under the avuncular moniker “ Old Hu ” he informed his Chinese-language social media followers that in recent years he has “ not bothered to pay attention to Australia , not drafted a single editorial targeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even raised the matter on Weibo , video or twitter .
It ’ s because I fear no one will bother to read what I have to say.
” But now that Australia was “ prevaricating ” once again on matters important to China , he went on , Old Hu had no choice but to return to this irritating subject .
“ I feel [ Australia ] is a bit like a piece of chewed up gum stuck under China ’ s shoe .
Sometimes you just have to find a stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time Old Hu bothered to belittle Australia was during the 2018 G20 meeting in Argentina .
At that time he published an editorial in Global Times insisting that Beijing should teach Australia a lesson by rejecting all friendly gestures coming out of Canberra .
Global Times is an authorised party mouthpiece that sits at the more chauvinistic or bellicose end of official opinion on international affairs within the Chinese leaderships .
Its opinion pieces often make lively reading but they are not as a rule taken seriously in Canberra or even in Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ principles , Old Hu wrote in 2018 , and should “ stick to those principles … and make Australia pay for its arrogant attitudes it has revealed towards China ” .
The provocation that sparked that editorial was a statement by Julie Bishop repeating Australia ’ s well-known position on the South China Sea at the G20 gathering of foreign ministers .
To Old Hu this was a fit of arrogance not to be tolerated .
On that occasion he prescribed a range of punishments for Australia ’ s arrogance reaching from indifference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australia hanging for a while ” by delaying ministerial visits and then cut away at Australian imports by giving preference to American wine and foodstuffs over Australian producers .
This should get the message across to Canberra that Australia had “ limited strength and influence globally ” and compel it to reconsider the balance between its trade policies and its alliance politics .
More than that , it would send a clear message to other countries that if they elected to follow Australia ’ s lead and showed a similarly “ arrogant attitude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ” they would not be spared punishment either .
Other nations would learn from the Australian experience “ that there are no benefits for any country that chooses to take provocative measures against China ” .
This theme of Australian arrogance featured earlier still in a number of Global Times articles published at a time when accusations of Chinese government interference were making headlines in Australia .
Rather than consider the evidence , Global Times targeted Australia ’ s presumption in even imagining China would do such a thing .
Australians were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them worth the time , effort , or trouble of trying to influence them .
What in Australia could possibly be worth influencing ?
What could a remote , insignificant place like Australia offer a great and powerful country like China ?
Old Hu fell silent until this week when China ’ s ambassador to Australia drew on some of his suggestions for curing Australian arrogance in an interview with the Australian Financial Review .
Ambassador Cheng Jingye predicted a consumer boycott of Australian wine and beef — and threw in education and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persisted in irritating Beijing by pressing for a public inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 .
For Old Hu this was an opportunity not to be missed and he found time to dust off his thumbs and take to social media to teach Australia another lesson .
Old Hu and Ambassador Cheng have certainly taught Australians a few lessons .
One is that the rantings of a self-opinionated media guru who was once considered an eccentric outlier in China ’ s foreign policy space turn out to be a fairly reliable predictor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jinping .
Now that China ’ s foreign ministry has begun incorporating threats and rants into its normal operating procedures , we may need to start taking Global Times seriously .
The second is a lesson about the hierarchical mindset that Beijing brings to international relations .
Under Xi Jinping , China aspires to refashion the regional political order after its own hierarchical , authoritarian and deferential style of government .
In this order , political scientist Christopher Ford points out , political authority operates along a vertical axis of hierarchical deference to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a horizontal axis of pluralist interaction among equal sovereign states .
All states falling under the shadow of the new order need to know and to accept their subordinate position in a framework of authority culminating in Beijing , and to abide by its norms and rules .
These include deference .
Preservation of limited national sovereignty is predicated on ritual displays of respect for the regime in Beijing that sets and polices the rules .
Under these rules , governments need to refrain from commentary or conduct that could possibly offend the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these rules a great power can not be arrogant , just great .
A small country can not be great , just arrogant Third , Old Hu ’ s chauvinistic style offers a window on everyday life for a Tibetan or Uighur or other non-Han minority subject to the contempt of people in power .
Beijing ’ s emerging foreign policy style is an international extension of the authoritarian and hierarchical style of rule at home that demands deference from subjects and minorities .
It ’ s a reminder as well of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights lawyers and democratic activists , towards street protesters in Hong Kong , and to ordinary citizens in Taiwan living under the threat of blockade and invasion .
Australia could count itself lucky to be just a piece of chewed-up gum .
Looking forward , we can hope that Old Hu finds the time to tell us what comes next , after his great country has scraped this petty one from its boots .
Australians are proving to be quick and adaptive learners .
They don ’ t want to wait another two @ @

It’s been some years since the editor of China’s Global Times, Hu Xijin, took time out from his busy schedule to belittle Australia.
A few days ago, he did just that. Referring to himself under the avuncular moniker “Old Hu” he informed his Chinese-language social media followers that in recent years he has “not bothered to pay attention to Australia, not drafted a single editorial targeting the country.
“I have not even raised the matter on Weibo, video or twitter. It’s because I fear no one will bother to read what I have to say.”


crikey--2020-05-18--Hundreds of media jobs cut as pandemic hits even the most secure titles

Even the best-known and well-established news titles in the world are cutting jobs to deal with the effects of the @ @ @ @ @ crisis in journalism is making inroads into the businesses of some of the biggest and @ @ @ @ @ global media .
Names such as The Economist , Conde Nast and the Financial Times @ @ @ @ @ and pay freezes , and smaller digital players have joined BuzzFeed with cuts of their @ @ @ @ @ both cut jobs last week .
All up nearly 400 jobs were lost just last @ @ @ @ @ or more sent on leave , possibly never to return if business conditions don ’ @ @ @ @ @ of managers had bonuses and pay cut amid warnings of multi-million dollar revenue gaps .

The COVID-19 crisis in journalism is making inroads into the businesses of some of the biggest and most secure titles in the global media.
Names such as The Economist, Conde Nast and the Financial Times have been announcing job cuts and pay freezes, and smaller digital players have joined BuzzFeed with cuts of their own — Quartz and Vice both cut jobs last week.
All up nearly 400 jobs were lost just last week, and a 100 or more sent on leave, possibly never to return if business conditions don’t improve quickly. Hundreds of managers had bonuses and pay cut amid warnings of multi-million dollar revenue gaps.


crikey--2020-05-18--Time to dump anti-dumping before it inflicts more damage on Australia

Getting rid of tariffs will deliver big wins to businesses and consumers and go some way towards healing the growing @ @ @ @ @ several years of warnings from the Productivity Commission on the enormous problems caused by Australia @ @ @ @ @ prop up inefficient industries , some sections of the media have finally worked out it @ @ @ @ @ 's almost as if Australians have n't been able to quite believe we 're not @ @ @ @ @ free traders and honest brokers in a corrupt world trade system that we tell ourselves @ @ @ @ @ out we 're one of the bad guys -- along with everyone else .
And @ @ @ @ @ spent slapping punitive tariffs on imports using confected claims that products have been `` dumped @ @ @ @ @ a downside for Australian business and consumers who have to pay more for products , @ @ @ @ @ of our protectionism to hit back under both anti-dumping and other protectionist counter-measures .

After several years of warnings from the Productivity Commission on the enormous problems caused by Australia’s abuse of anti-dumping to prop up inefficient industries, some sections of the media have finally worked out it’s a problem.
It’s almost as if Australians haven’t been able to quite believe we’re not the innocent, plucky little free traders and honest brokers in a corrupt world trade system that we tell ourselves we are. It turns out we’re one of the bad guys — along with everyone else.
And now we know that years spent slapping punitive tariffs on imports using confected claims that products have been “dumped” doesn’t just have a downside for Australian business and consumers who have to pay more for products, it also prompts the targets of our protectionism to hit back under both anti-dumping and other protectionist counter-measures.


crikey--2020-04-02--News Corp's abuse of power must be exposed — and stopped

For decades , News Corp has bullied and threatened its media rivals .
Something desperately needs to change .
It was the early 1990s .
Our fledgling publishing company had launched a new kind of glossy weekly newspaper , in the suburbs of Melbourne .
It was doing really well .
We ’ d taken big slabs of advertising away from the fat , rich suburban newspapers owned by News and Fairfax .
They weren ’ t happy .
We decided to expand the idea into the north shore of Sydney , where News Corp dominated the territory with their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily .
Although we tried to keep our Sydney expansion plans quiet , a few months before launch I got a phone call from a senior figure in News Corp ’ s newspaper division .
He thought it would be good to catch up .
We met in the coffee shop of the Hilton Hotel in East Melbourne .
He was a Big Company media executive from central casting who looked , acted and talked corporate .
After effusively congratulating me on our success with the Melbourne Weekly , he cut to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re planning to launch in Sydney , ” he told me .
Then — and I still remember these words as if they were spoken yesterday — he said : “ If you stay in Melbourne , we ’ ll let you survive , but if you come to Sydney , we ’ ll wipe you out in both places.
” As it turned out , despite the mafia-style threat , we survived in both .
Earlier this week , News Corp “ suspended ” 60 of its community newspapers across Australia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those years ago .
In an op-ed published prominently in News Corp ’ s dailies yesterday , the company ’ s Australian CEO Michael Miller declared that “ COVID-19 did not create this crisis , but it brought it to a head , ” instead blaming “ international platforms ” ( Google and Facebook ) who “ unlike us ” have “ no commitment to local communities ” for forcing the “ suspension ” of 60 Australian community newspapers at a moment in history when those communities need local news more than ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an $ 8.6 billion corporation run from Sixth Avenue in New York .
It is controlled by the ( American ) Murdoch family .
Its exploits over seven decades have been as brutal and Darwinian as any media company in history .
It has regularly dispensed “ we will wipe you out ” threats to small and large competitors across the world .
Now , we ’ re told , “ international platforms ” who have “ no commitment to local communities ” are responsible for depriving 60 Australian local communities of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades .
At some point in Australian history , the malevolent abuse of power by the billionaire family who milks its former colony will be exposed .
Maybe , just maybe , we have reached that point .
Eric Beecher is the Chairman of Private Media , the publisher of Crikey .

It was the early 1990s. Our fledgling publishing company had launched a new kind of glossy weekly newspaper, in the suburbs of Melbourne.
It was doing really well. We’d taken big slabs of advertising away from the fat, rich suburban newspapers owned by News and Fairfax. They weren’t happy.
We decided to expand the idea into the north shore of Sydney, where News Corp dominated the territory with their vastly profitable North Shore Times and Mosman Daily.


crikey--2020-04-02--A letter from 's editor-in-chief

A letter from 's editor-in-chief

In these unprecedented times , it 's clearer than ever that an independent , Australian-owned media organisation is an essential service .
There ’ s been plenty of talk in recent days about the role of media in the coronavirus crisis .
And much talk about what constitutes an essential service in these extraordinary times .
So , please allow me to speak plainly : an independent , Australian-owned media company such as Private Media IS an essential service .
• It is essential that we report without fear or favour ; • It is essential that skilled journalists — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult questions ; • It is essential that we respond to what you want and need to know .
So , we are asking for two things from you : • Let us know what you want to know — and what we can and should do better ; • If we come up with the goods , please help us by subscribing to Crikey .
We are fighting to survive these times .
All our staff and management are making sacrifices .
We have so far only made modest changes to what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a popular new newsletter , COVID-19 Watch , and put Bernard Keane ’ s Side View on ice ( Please don ’ t worry : we ’ ve haven ’ t iced Bernard himself .
He ’ s still an integral part of what we do .
And we hope to have Side View back soon ) .
We can see and feel the daily toll and the rising sense of stress and insecurity , not to mention the job cuts .
We understand that pain .
This crisis will cut hard and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over .
What will be left ?
What do you want to be left ?
The Reserve Bank and federal government have talked about building a “ bridge ” to the other side of the crisis .
What do you want to see on that other side ?
I know what I want to see : I want to see a thriving , independent and robust Australian-owned news media .
I want to see governments , authorities and those will power held to account .
I want to see the media held to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do is running high .
Thank you .
You can help us even more by encouraging others to subscribe — or by subscribing yourself if you haven ’ t already done so .
Crikey is 20 years old this year .
We have every intention for being around for many , many years to come .
We need your ongoing support to be able to do that .
If you like what we do , please subscribe here .

There’s been plenty of talk in recent days about the role of media in the coronavirus crisis. And much talk about what constitutes an essential service in these extraordinary times.
So, please allow me to speak plainly: an independent, Australian-owned media company such as Private Media IS an essential service.
Why? Because:


crikey--2020-04-08--How the virus has already killed Australia's major media companies

The virus crisis has dramatically accelerated the decline of Australia 's major media companies , and the recurring problem of the industry — too much debt — is again threatening to destroy companies , this time for good .
The history of media industry deals in Australia is , almost uniformly , disastrous .
The debacles of the 1980s .
CVC ’ s acquisition of Nine .
Kerry Stokes ’ creation of Seven West Media .
The spectacular failure of Packer , Murdoch , Rinehart , Gordon et al at Ten .
Not that that has ever stopped an endless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them on .
The common theme from the 1980s onwards has been too much debt and terrible management , which has also plagued what used to be Fairfax , and News Corp , now a husk of a company with the Murdoch family ’ s worst-performing assets lumped into it .
Now the black swan event of the virus crisis is again exposing the operation of those two factors — and dramatically accelerating the decline of traditional media in Australia .
An industry that seemed to have a few years of life is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why is debt a problem when interest rates have been at historic lows for the past decade ?
While debt costs are a tax deduction for companies , there can be too much debt no matter how low interest rates are .
And interest rates are low for a reason — they indicate stagnating economies that are not going to allow traditional media companies to prosper , even without the challenge of the shift to digital advertising .
It is clear many companies allowed their debt levels to rise in the past few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a positive and not a warning sign .
Now they are exposed to a colossal collapse in advertising revenue , while needing to service those high levels of debt .
They can thus try to cut costs , but in the face of an ad revenue collapse , it ’ s not enough .
And some cost cuts are only temporary .
Media companies aren ’ t having to pay quarterly fees on sports rights contracts to the AFL , NRL , soccer , netball and rugby union broadcast contracts at the moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2021 — those costs will need to be met again .
But ad revenues won ’ t resume in the same way .
The big advertisers are also hacking into costs , just like them .
The beleaguered Flight Centre spent $ 169 million in advertising in 2018-19 .
It is slashing its annual costs by $ 1.9 billion a year to survive , and marketing will be part of that .
Cruise companies and their death ships will not be around for some time .
Qantas and Virgin , facing years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be big spenders , nor will the banks or major retailers .
And many companies will turn more and more to online rather than return to legacy media .
The decline in ad revenue that has plagued the media industry for two decades has been dramatically accelerated by the crisis .
The result is a queue of media companies facing existential threats .
Southern Cross Media , which has two national FM radio chains and runs Nine ’ s regional TV business ( written down to nil value a year ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised $ 149 million of a $ 169 million share raising , along with an extra $ 57 million from its bankers .
It ended the day at 11.5 cents , at a total market value of $ 28 million .
Its $ 353 million of debt last year — when it was already warning of declining revenue — is now over $ 400 million .
Seven West ’ s woes are well known .
At Tuesday ’ s close the company had a market value of just $ 105 million against a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The only hope is Kerry Stokes ’ Seven Group Holdings converting its 41 % share into a full takeover , or a recapitalisation like Southern Cross .
Seven , which has cut staff pay by 20 % , is also trying to sell Pacific Magazines to Bauer for $ 40 million by tomorrow .
On Wednesday morning that sale seems to have fallen through with news that Seven has suspended its shares and pending an announcement .
Seven has started legal action against Bauer to start in the NSW Supreme Court on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t want ti either pay that much or even buy Pacific .
Could this deal , if it fails , cause Seven or even Bauer to sink ?
For Australian Community Media ( ACM ) , the old Fairfax regional titles bought last year by Anthony Catalano and Alex Waislitz for $ 110 million , the crisis comes on top of the drought and bushfire catastrophe .
Staff have been cut , production centralised , employees at The Canberra Times have been told to take long service leave .
Catalano ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property play are dead in the water , and the company ’ s stake in Prime Media Group , which was bought in a true lose-lose bid to stop Seven from taking over Prime last year , is currently worth half its purchase value .
Investors are waiting for the bad news from the Murdoch family ’ s second company in early May when the March quarter results will be released .
At the end of December , News Corp had US $ 1.2 billion in cash , down more than 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1.2 billion in debt , up 20 % from a year earlier .
It has also invested $ 700 million in inter-company loans to keep Foxtel afloat .
It has already cut hours , casuals and staff at Fox Sports , Foxtel and the far-right asylum of Sky News , as well as suspending 60 community and regional papers from Thursday .
Foxtel ’ s hopes for its Kayo sports streaming service have collapsed , with major sports suspended .
Foxtel has already lost a couple of hundred thousand home subscribers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desperately trying to convince thousands of subscribers currently ringing up to cancel to instead take a much cheaper package .
News ’ best asset is 61 % of REA , the bigger of two major online real estate sites ( the other is Domain , 59 % owned by Nine ) .
Real estate auction clearances fell to just over 39 % in Sydney last week , and worse is coming .
Nine Entertainment is in a similar position , but at least has the 100 % owned Stan streaming service .
Its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year ; it has trimmed its debt level to $ 620 million from $ 650 million but extended maturity to three and four years , meaning no debt will fall due until 2023 at the earliest .
Nine was already cutting $ 100 million in costs before the crisis and has suspended production of inserts , told staff to use up leave and revealed another $ 116 million in cost reduction ( the biggest being the 2020 NRL season ) .
Domain is in the same position at News Corp ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ViacomCBS , but how much benefit that will bring isn ’ t clear — if anything the US media is under even more pressure from the virus crisis .
Ten has already cut working fortnights to nine days , cut wages and told staff to take leave .
The best placed company seems to be HT & E , owners of two FM radio networks and an outdoor ad business in Hong Kong that hit trouble last year .
In a statement to the ASX it noted it had “ no debt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 250 million undrawn facilities ” and was planning “ total non-repeat cost savings of circa $ 10.5 million in 2020.
” But even its shares are down 26 % so far this year , despite after a 12 % jump on Tuesday .
That list of Australian media companies is now like a queue at an abattoir .
Without major government intervention , the decline of legacy media in Australia is about to be accelerated to its natural conclusion .
Tomorrow : can a government with its hands full stopping a pandemic save @ @ @

The history of media industry deals in Australia is, almost uniformly, disastrous.
The debacles of the 1980s. CVC’s acquisition of Nine. Kerry Stokes’ creation of Seven West Media. The spectacular failure of Packer, Murdoch, Rinehart, Gordon et al at Ten.
Not that that has ever stopped an endless series of commentators and business journalists cheering them on.


crikey--2020-05-12--COVID-19 and mental health: a broken system needs to be fixed now

Our mental health services have long been underfunded and sub-standard .
We need to do more than slap a few @ @ @ @ @ over .
There ’ s been a lot of talk recently about how tough this @ @ @ @ @ with mental health issues , fears about exacerbation of anxiety and depression , a possible @ @ @ @ @ sure , there are good reasons to be concerned , but make no mistake -- @ @ @ @ @ people with any sort of mental health problem .
It ’ s not as if @ @ @ @ @ from some psychiatric utopia and now been hurled into the abyss .
Despite all our @ @ @ @ @ being one of the wealthiest societies in the world , our services in mental health @ @ @ @ @ sub-standard .

There’s been a lot of talk recently about how tough this COVID-19 business is for people with mental health issues, fears about exacerbation of anxiety and depression, a possible spike in suicides.
And sure, there are good reasons to be concerned, but make no mistake — life is always tough for people with any sort of mental health problem.
It’s not as if they’ve been taken from some psychiatric utopia and now been hurled into the abyss. Despite all our knowledge and resources, despite being one of the wealthiest societies in the world, our services in mental health have long been underfunded and sub-standard.


crikey--2020-05-12--Looming construction crisis shows that virus is here for the long haul

New forecasts from the construction sector suggest one of Australia 's biggest employers will be struggling well into the mid-2020s @ @ @ @ @ immigration levels continues to simmer , yesterday the Master Builders Association ( MBA ) provided @ @ @ @ @ the economic future might look like with lower levels of new arrivals and less demand @ @ @ @ @ has overhauled its industry forecasts to take into account the impact on forward contracts of @ @ @ @ @ any industry group , the MBA has an incentive to catastrophise the coming contraction , @ @ @ @ @ more grounded in reality than the usual industry propaganda pieces ( such as the Minerals @ @ @ @ @ coal mining was a “ major employer ” ) .
Pre-pandemic , the MBA had @ @ @ @ @ bad year in 2019 , growth in the whole construction sector would tick over at @ @ @ @ @ into the mid-2020s .

While debate over future immigration levels continues to simmer, yesterday the Master Builders Association (MBA) provided a small glimpse of what the economic future might look like with lower levels of new arrivals and less demand for housing.
The MBA has overhauled its industry forecasts to take into account the impact on forward contracts of the pandemic. As with any industry group, the MBA has an incentive to catastrophise the coming contraction, but its numbers are far more grounded in reality than the usual industry propaganda pieces (such as the Minerals Council trying to claim that coal mining was a “major employer”).
Pre-pandemic, the MBA had forecast that, after a bad year in 2019, growth in the whole construction sector would tick over at around 1% a year into the mid-2020s.


crikey--2020-05-12--What does being unemployed do for your chances of ever working again?

The Australian Council of Social Service says being unemployed nearly halves your chances of ever working again .
The RMIT ABC Fact Check unit investigates .
With recent economic modelling suggesting more than a quarter of Australians could be out of work due to COVID-19 , the federal government is being urged to provide better support for those who find themselves unemployed .
On April 20 , 2020 , Australian Council of Social Service ( ACOSS ) CEO Cassandra Goldie told ABC viewers it was important to get people out of unemployment quickly .
Goldie said : “ Many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and almost 10 years later , when we looked at the effectiveness of what was done , we left far too many people behind .
The experience was that if you were out of paid work for over a year , then you almost halve your chances of ever getting back into employment.
” She repeated the claim that day in a media statement : “ We know from past experience that when someone is unemployed for over a year , their chances of securing paid work typically fall by 40 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly halve after 12 months of unemployment , and was that the experience following the global financial crisis ?
Studies show the longer a person is unemployed , the slimmer their employment chances become .
The evidence supplied by ACOSS does not allow for a precise calculation of chances within the first 12 months of unemployment , but experts said it was likely they were roughly halved at 12 months .
Recent analysis suggests people unemployed for one to two years have a 44 % smaller chance of finding work within the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three months .
For those unemployed longer , the likelihood is even slimmer .
None of the studies seen by Fact Check showed what happened to people who lost their jobs during the global financial crisis .
However , experts said it was reasonable to use past experience as a rough guide .
They also said there were several reasons why people unemployed long-term may see their job prospects diminish , meaning it was not simply down to the length of their unemployment spell .
During her interview , Goldie referred to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fact Check has previously written that there is no precise way to measure when the crisis started and finished , though it might be roughly said to cover the period from the September quarter of 2007 to the March quarter of 2009 .
But the economic fallout continued for some time after that , with unemployment peaking in mid-2009 .
Since then , data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS ) shows , long-term unemployment — that is , people unemployed more than 12 months — has been rising as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the basis of the claim , a spokeswoman for ACOSS told Fact Check via email : “ The evidence we have for this statement is both more recent ( 2016 ) and from the last recession ( early ’ 90s ) as distinct from the GFC [ global financial crisis ] .
Evidence from the two periods , either side of the GFC , is consistent.
” She supplied Fact Check with a 1993 academic paper by economists from the Reserve Bank of Australia ( RBA ) and a presentation by the Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A summary of the department ’ s presentation was cited in an ACOSS report published the day Goldie made her claim , titled Faces of Unemployment 2020 .
Both analyses relied on by Goldie examined welfare data from the Department of Social Services .
That means it is not directly comparable with ABS unemployment data , which excludes anyone who has worked more than an hour in the previous week .
Michael Dockery from the Faculty of Business and Law at Curtin University told Fact Check the data was “ not perfect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to grab the statistics that I thought were available that would cast a light on this question , it ’ d be the [ department ’ s ] .
” Jeff Borland , a professor of economics with the University of Melbourne , said there was no problem using the departmental data as a proxy for unemployment data , something many studies had done in the past .
In its conference presentation , the Department of Social Services ( DSS ) looked at who was on unemployment benefits in April 2015 and who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ These outcomes are used as a guide for the likelihood of recipients exiting payment in the next year based on their current duration , ” it said .
Results were presented for six groups , categorised by how long they had been receiving payments when the study began : zero to three months , three to six months , six to 12 months , one to two years , two to five years and more than five years .
The department found that of the people who had been on benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 55 % had “ exited payment ” within the year .
By contrast , of those who had been on benefits for one to two years , only 31 % were off benefits by the end of the study .
That makes their chances 44 % lower than people unemployed for up to three months — chances that continued to fall the longer they were on benefits .
Only 23 % of those who had been on benefits for two to five years were off benefits by the end of the year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had been on benefits for over five years .
“ The longer a person ’ s income support duration the more likely it is they will still be on payment twelve months later , ” the presentation concluded .
A spokeswoman for the department told Fact Check the study was a one-off analysis , but declined to confirm whether “ exits ” only included people who had found a job .
Goldie said a person ’ s chance of finding work was 40 % lower after being unemployed for “ over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether this was in contrast to the entire period under year or the period at the start of unemployment .
ACOSS ’ s spokeswoman told Fact Check that her claim was based on a comparison of the department ’ s results for the zero to three month and the one to two year groups .
Dockery said making a precise comparison of people unemployed for less than 12 months with those unemployed for more than 12 months would require weighting the results to account for the number of people in each group ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three to six months and six to 12 months ) , so , based on what was available , Goldie ’ s comparison was “ about the best you can do ” .
Borland echoed the point about weighting the data , but said it could be “ roughly ” inferred from the department ’ s analysis that “ your probability of leaving unemployment in the next year is less than half once you get to 12 months compared to the average in the first 12 months ” .
This was consistent with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he said .
However , Goldie spoke of the chances of “ ever ” finding a job .
Borland explained this made it “ very difficult ” , maybe “ impossible ” to test , and said it was more usual to investigate the probability of finding a job in a specific interval of time .
ACOSS also supplied a Fact Check with a 1993 peer-reviewed paper by two Reserve Bank economists .
It examined the average rates at which people moved off unemployment payments in any given three-month period between 1985 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to the authors , the departmental data for males provided “ the most accurate reflection of the labour market ” at the time because , for example , an unemployed married woman would generally appear as a dependent spouse on her husband ’ s benefit entitlement .
The results show men who had been unemployed less than three months at the start of the quarter had a 43 % chance of moving off benefits by the next quarter .
Those who had been unemployed for one to two years had a roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarter .
In other words , their chances were 53 % lower .
After two years , the chance of leaving benefits fell to 15 % .
The paper said the data “ shows very clearly that exit rates decline as the duration of unemployment increases ” .
Experts said most of the research on long-term unemployment was done following recessions in the 1980s and 1990s when unemployment had been high .
They pointed Fact Check to a handful of more recent studies that similarly showed employment prospects diminish with time spent unemployed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data , for example , found the chances of someone ending a spell of unemployment “ falls continuously as duration increases ” .
Co-authored by Dockery in 2000 , it used time spent job searching as an estimate for the length of unemployment spells .
Dockery told Fact Check the results showed that “ the rate does pretty much fall by half after 12 months ” , and that on previous evidence , “ it ’ s probably even more ” .
In 2006 , a peer-reviewed study of data from the Household @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey found the rates of people finding work “ do not fall with duration initially , but after a period of approximately four months they then appear to decline by a large amount ” .
More recently , in 2016 , an ABS research paper using longitudinal data from the labour force survey found : “ The relative odds of exiting into employment decrease with the time spent in unemployment and the rate of change is quite steep at first and then tends to smooth out.
” Fabrizio Carmignani , a professor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Check the ABS paper confirmed the general finding of the 1993 Reserve Bank study .
“ So you ’ ve got the story being told in two different ways , but consistently , in the two papers , ” he said , noting that while that did not confirm the precise figures quoted by Goldie , it did confirm “ the economic logic ” .
Does it apply to the GFC ?
While Goldie spoke of the people who lost their jobs during the global financial crisis , the studies cited by ACOSS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period .
Nor did the studies identified by the experts contacted by Fact Check .
Borland said economists would expect that , in downturns , “ the outlook for people who are long-term unemployed probably becomes worse than on average ” .
But while it was “ not unreasonable ” to apply the lessons of past experience to the global financial crisis , he said it was “ important to be clear about the time periods from which the data were taken ” .
Carmignani told Fact Check that “ on strict econometric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the estimates of the 1990s are identical to the estimates for 2000s ” , but said the results from the 1990s would probably carry through to the global financial crisis .
Experts consulted by Fact Check said there were several possible reasons why a person ’ s chances of finding work diminished over time .
Phil Lewis , director of Canberra University ’ s Centre for Labour Market Research , said : “ It ’ s not a simple matter of , you get a recession , therefore , people become unemployed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ re always going to be unemployed.
” People may lose motivation and skills the longer they are unemployed , or employers may use length of unemployment as an imperfect way to screen candidates in the absence of other information .
Or , time spent unemployed may simply reflect your original chances of finding work , which might have been low to begin with .
“ So just from a statistical point of view , people who can get a job easily tend to leave the queue first , so the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who haven ’ t got the qualities that firms desire , ” Lewis said .
Echoing this point , Dockery said it was “ really hard to say ” how much a person ’ s shrinking prospects were due to time spent unemployed , and to what extent they instead reflected “ the people with the least chance [ being ] the ones that are left as you go on over time ” .
• Fact Check : Is economic growth the lowest it ’ s been since the global financial crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ABS , Research paper : Unemployment duration in Australia : a longitudinal analysis with missing data , May 24 , 2016 • Jeff Borland , Labour market snapshot # 49 : What we missed while we looked away … , June 2019 • Ken Henry , The unemployment rate doesn ’ t go back to normal after a recession – there are long-term effects , March 26 , 2020 • AIFS , The impacts of recession on families , 2009

The claim
With recent economic modelling suggesting more than a quarter of Australians could be out of work due to COVID-19, the federal government is being urged to provide better support for those who find themselves unemployed.
On April 20, 2020, Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) CEO Cassandra Goldie told ABC viewers it was important to get people out of unemployment quickly.
Goldie said: “Many people lived through the global financial crisis, and almost 10 years later, when we looked at the effectiveness of what was done, we left far too many people behind. The experience was that if you were out of paid work for over a year, then you almost halve your chances of ever getting back into employment.”


crikey--2020-04-28--What we can learn about the future of our economy by paying attention to the past

Implementation of a big business reform agenda after the crisis would lead to lower growth , more wage stagnation and @ @ @ @ @ it inflicts costs on the community .
What would the economy look like if “ @ @ @ @ @ crisis ” advocates of neoliberalism in business , the government and the media had their @ @ @ @ @ , say , late 2021 .
The world economy is recovering as the last border @ @ @ @ @ removed .
International air travel is back to a limited version of its pre-virus self @ @ @ @ @ under a re-elected Donald Trump is back below 8 % .
Unemployment in Europe ’ @ @ @ @ @ is still double digits , but no longer at depression levels .

What would the economy look like if “don’t waste the crisis” advocates of neoliberalism in business, the government and the media had their way?
Imagine Australia in, say, late 2021. The world economy is recovering as the last border restrictions in major economies are removed. International air travel is back to a limited version of its pre-virus self.
Unemployment in the US under a re-elected Donald Trump is back below 8%. Unemployment in Europe’s major economies outside Germany is still double digits, but no longer at depression levels.


crikey--2020-04-28--Oil over water: what is behind Angus Taylor's $94 million US stockpile deal?

With Australia 's precarious fuel reserves suddenly set for a boost , questions remain about Angus Taylor 's oil deal with the US .
Angus Taylor ’ s decision to buy $ 94 million of oil last week seemed to come out of nowhere .
The energy minister said it was because the price for oil had tanked , making it the perfect time for Australia to buy up and restock our dangerously low reserves .
But the deal — which will see Australian oil stored in America ’ s national stockpile — has been brewing for some time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an effort to improve Australia ’ s fuel security , the oil will sit , unrefined , in reserves on the other side of the world .
So what ’ s going on here ?
Crikey has confirmed that the oil is not being purchased from the US government , but from the private sector , with details currently commercial in confidence .
The Taylor ’ s office would not say which company Australia was buying the oil from .
It was also unable to say when the oil would be purchased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are storing it in America .
Some answers no doubt lie in the agreement struck between the US and Australia last month .
But those details are yet to be made public .
“ There are some very valid questions about what is in the fine print , but we might not get to see that , ” Paul Barnes , head of the risk and resilience program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute ( ASPI ) said .
“ There are also details that the government should address .
What are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a crisis ?
How do we get it into a refined product ?
” Washington might have the answers What we do know is that the government has been negotiating access to America ’ s oil reserves since at least 2018 .
The latest arrangement stems from discussions between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Washington last August .
Back then , crude oil was worth around $ 55 a barrel and no one had ever heard of COVID-19 .
In March , Taylor signed a deal in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its strategic reserves .
As the SMH reported , the visit coincided with oil prices hitting their lowest levels since 1991 .
During the visit , Taylor also travelled to Texas to meet with top industry executives there .
Taylor ’ s announcement comes at a time when US oil companies are desperately trying to get rid of their oil , as a COVID-19-induced oversupply threatens to overwhelm their storage capacity .
Trump had initially wanted the US government to buy the oil but a plan was rebuffed by congress .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space in its national reserve to companies struggling with a glut .
Australia does need to increase its strategic fuel reserves .
But it ’ s not clear how counting oil on the other side of the world toward our reserves helps Australia from a security point of view .
Australia currently holds just 28 days ’ worth of fuel imports , well below the 90-day minimum required under international agreements .
The International Energy Agency has granted permission for Australia to count oil held in the US towards its 90-day obligation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the oil would be useless in a crisis , as it would take four weeks for the oil to get here and once it did , Australia had no capacity to refine it .
Tom Swann , a senior researcher at the Australia Institute , which has been pushing for a reduction in Australia ’ s oil consumption , says the deal doesn ’ t help Australia ’ s fuel security and is a missed opportunity to invest in renewable energy .
“ There ’ s a real opportunity to fix this problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electric vehicle capacity , ” he said .
“ Instead we ’ re getting accounting tricks and oil on the other side of the world .
”

Angus Taylor’s decision to buy $94 million of oil last week seemed to come out of nowhere. The energy minister said it was because the price for oil had tanked, making it the perfect time for Australia to buy up and restock our dangerously low reserves.
But the deal — which will see Australian oil stored in America’s national stockpile — has been brewing for some time. And despite claims that it is part of an effort to improve Australia’s fuel security, the oil will sit, unrefined, in reserves on the other side of the world.
So what’s going on here?


crikey--2020-04-28--The dirty secret of business investment: oligopolies are killing it

Increasing business investment is crucial to the post-crisis recovery .
But what if our economy was increasingly resistant to investment @ @ @ @ @ competition ?
Yesterday the Business Council of Australia got some free advertising by `` releasing @ @ @ @ @ the economic impact of the pandemic .
The modelling showed `` the way we manage @ @ @ @ @ to ensuring people who have already lost their jobs do not fall into the trap @ @ @ @ @ according to the BCA , a statement of truly profound obviousness .
Once you saw @ @ @ @ @ the reason for `` no shit , Sherlock '' stuff became clear : the EY @ @ @ @ @ .
What it `` modelled '' was what would happen to the economy if the @ @ @ @ @ provided no assistance .

Yesterday the Business Council of Australia got some free advertising by “releasing” modelling from EY about the economic impact of the pandemic.
The modelling showed “the way we manage the recovery will be critical to ensuring people who have already lost their jobs do not fall into the trap of long-term unemployment”, according to the BCA, a statement of truly profound obviousness.
Once you saw the modelling, however, the reason for “no shit, Sherlock” stuff became clear: the EY modelling was two PowerPoint slides. What it “modelled” was what would happen to the economy if the government shut everything down and provided no assistance.


crikey--2020-05-27--Are dating apps more popular due to coronavirus? Tinder, Bumble, Hinge

Are dating apps more popular than ever ?
What demographics use them most ?
What is the future of online dating ?
Your questions , answered .
Are dating apps more popular in Australia due to coronavirus ?
The short answer is yes .
In the absence of being able to physically meet up with potential partners , it is unsurprising to hear Australians are paying more attention than usual to dating apps .
In the last five years , online dating has become much more mainstream .
A 2010 Australia Talks survey of 54,000 Australians found a third of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners online , and more people met their partner online than through any other method .
Over the years , there has also been a societal shift from pretending to meet people at farmer ’ s markets to proudly announcing to your friends that you have a Tinder date .
Online dating is one of the few industries that is benefiting from the pandemic due to the fact that dating platforms can momentarily quell people ’ s desire to date with a virtual option .
Some of the household names , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video chat since pre-pandemic .
Others are in the process of pivoting to create more human experiences .
For example , Hinge is now providing an option where you can indicate to someone you are ready to move the conversation “ off-app ” without even needing to type it out .
According to Hinge , 70 % of its users would be interested in going on a virtual date outside of the app based on a recent poll .
Hinge is also reporting a 30 % increases in the number of messages being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 6 that it is testing a video dating functionality to be ready by the end of this year , to prevent a slowdown in user growth .
( Tinder pulled in US $ 1.2 billion in revenue in 2019 — a 43 % increase from 2018 . )
According to Statista , there are 1.7 million Australians using online dating apps at present , and revenue in this sector is expected to grow from $ 35 million in 2020 , to $ 51 million by 2024 .
Here ’ s what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apps : The majority of users are aged between 25 and 34 years of age .
The majority of users are men .
The majority of users are described as having medium to high income .
How is online dating expected to change in the future ?
The numbers of both paying and non-paying online dating users are expected to increase between 2020 and 2024 .
The dating scene may not truly return to normal anytime soon , but getting to know one another virtually has become an accepted alternative among those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the future .
Read : Coronavirus travel ban | When will international flights reopen in Australia ?

Are dating apps more popular in Australia due to coronavirus? The short answer is yes.
In the absence of being able to physically meet up with potential partners, it is unsurprising to hear Australians are paying more attention than usual to dating apps .
In the last five years, online dating has become much more mainstream. A 2010 Australia Talks survey of 54,000 Australians found a third of people (35%) meet their partners online, and more people met their partner online than through any other method.


crikey--2020-05-28--The day newspapers died: don't expect News Corp survivors to last long

Despite News Corp 's intentions to use digital news and state-based tabloids to balance regional closures , the initiative wo @ @ @ @ @ news media .
Today ’ s News Corp conflagration of the venerable regional mastheads from @ @ @ @ @ the tipping point where printed newspapers will now endure as a nostalgic luxury good for @ @ @ @ @ afford them .
Among the 100-plus titles slated for shutting are almost half of all @ @ @ @ @ -- 12 dailies out of its 17 , leaving no daily papers along the more @ @ @ @ @ Newcastle and Townsville .
Only the Gold Coast Bulletin and Courier-Mail in the heavily-populated south-east @ @ @ @ @ in between .
Many suburban newspapers suspending print early in the COVID-19 crisis .
Now @ @ @ @ @ unsurprisingly , confirmed as shutting .

Today’s News Corp conflagration of the venerable regional mastheads from northern NSW and Queensland marks the tipping point where printed newspapers will now endure as a nostalgic luxury good for those few communities that can afford them.
Among the 100-plus titles slated for shutting are almost half of all Australia’s regional newspapers — 12 dailies out of its 17, leaving no daily papers along the more than 2000km-long regional strip between Newcastle and Townsville. Only the Gold Coast Bulletin and Courier-Mail in the heavily-populated south-east corner of Queensland will be in between.
Many suburban newspapers suspending print early in the COVID-19 crisis. Now most of them are, unsurprisingly, confirmed as shutting.


crikey--2020-05-28--Virus Watch: clues from South Korea on the bumpy, mysterious road ahead

Looking to South Korea , the road out of coronavirus lockdown does n't seems entirely smooth .
Plus , the @ @ @ @ @ .
More than 100,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus .
The mystery behind a @ @ @ @ @ in a small Queensland mining town .
And more clues from South Korea about the @ @ @ @ @ , the United States ’ COVID-19 death toll passed 100,000 .
And while only time @ @ @ @ @ much this tragic loss of life will change the country , it ’ s worth @ @ @ @ @ .
More Americans have died of the virus than died in the Korea and Vietnam @ @ @ @ @ s taken more lives than domestic terrorism , several times over .

More than 100,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus. The mystery behind a 30-year-old man’s death in a small Queensland mining town. And more clues from South Korea about the winding road ahead.
America hits a tragic milestone
Yesterday, the United States’ COVID-19 death toll passed 100,000. And while only time will really tell just how much this tragic loss of life will change the country, it’s worth putting that figure in perspective.
More Americans have died of the virus than died in the Korea and Vietnam wars combined. It’s taken more lives than domestic terrorism, several times over.