November 6 – 12, 2021
News
Comment
Comment
Tim Costello
Crown has grown into a monster and must be split up
“Back in 1997, when Crown casino opened its massive Southbank ‘entertainment centre’, I was possibly its best-known public critic. It was a time for compulsory cheering after Crown’s lavish opening, but I was disturbed. I said it is too big and too powerful, with so much money flowing that politicians and media will not even know when they have been bought. This memory was triggered as I read the findings of the Finkelstein Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence.”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
How Morrison spectacularly failed the diplomacy test
“In one of the most remarkable developments, certainly since the Second World War, an Australian prime minister has leaked a highly confidential security document against an American president. Think about that. On the international stage, Scott Morrison put his own domestic political interests ahead of maintaining public trust between Canberra and its most important strategic and treaty partner, the United States. ”
Comment
John Hewson
When will Morrison learn that a slogan is not a policy?
“When will Scott Morrison and the Liberal National Party realise that three-word slogans are not a policy; indeed, they may not even be an effective way to deliver the desired marketing message? In the past two elections we were bombarded with ‘Jobs and growth’. Absent any detail, we were left asking, Which growth? In what sectors? On what time line? The latest slogan covering the absence of policy detail is ‘Technology not taxes’. ”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
The Influence
Stephen Dupont
Acclaimed war photographer Stephen Dupont traces his vocation back to the shock of first seeing Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son.
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Media
“Ratings are an erratic beast.”
The veteran broadcaster announces that Sky News will not renew his contract. He leaves behind decades of offence and at least one race riot.
Driving
“I’ve spoken to my GP and the advice I’ve got is, ‘You’re not mentally unwell, you’re just an idiot.’ ”
The Victorian Liberal rejects calls from his own party to resign after drunkenly smashing his Jaguar into a fence. He called it the worst mistake of his life, which suggests the alcohol or the crash also affected his memory.
Diplomacy
“We didn’t steal an island. We didn’t deface the Eiffel Tower.”
The acting prime minister defends Australia’s handling of relations with France. This is the same man who once split his trousers open before a meeting with American bankers and used a safety pin to conceal his “red grundies”.
Submarines
“The idea that a nuclear reactor ... can be treated like a power pack from Bunnings is incredible. I mean, it is just bullshit.”
The former prime minister expresses doubt that Australia could acquire nuclear submarines with a reactor that lasts for the life of the boat. To be fair, we can’t even find a prime minister who can last the term of a government.
Climate
“I’ve always been of the view that if we had a globally ... and consistently applied carbon price that would be the most efficient way to get to net zero by 2050.”
The OECD secretary-general backs a price on carbon. It’s almost as if he was never Finance minister in the government that dismantled one.
Crime
“My name is Cleo.”
The toddler is found alive and well 18 days after she disappeared from a remote camping ground in Western Australia. The state’s Police minister, Paul Papalia, described it as “a ray of sunshine in an often dark world”.
