economic, business
& industrial relations
2013
2013-701 17Dec13 Delivering Christmas gifts this year.
Announcement of a bigger than expected budget deficit.
2013-698 16Dec13 Santa shopping locally.
Light hearted look at the campaign to get people to shop in their local areas for Christmas.
2013-674 5Dec13 The battlers' debt ceiling.
Debt and the impact it has on people struggling to make ends meet.
2013-691 12Dec13 Holden tire logo.
Holden's announcement that they will pull out of Australia.
2013-681 6Dec13 The house of cars.
Speculating that the Australian car industry will collapse like a house of cards if Holden pulls out of Australia.
2013-682P 6Dec13 Australian car industry Holden engine.
Went with article on speculation about the impact Holden pulling out of Australia would have on the Australian car industry.
2013-680 6Dec13 Holden car yard in the future.
Holden's plans to pull out of Australia.
2013-678P 5Dec13 Qantas' newest aircraft terminal.
Went with article on job loses at Qantas.
2013-675 5Dec13 Carry-on and off luggage.
More Qantas job loses.
2013-646 25nOV13 Grazing in the top bid paddock.
Fierce bidding war for the dairy company Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.
2013-620 12Nov13 The gap between the rich and the poor.
An increasing number of people are unable to afford to buy their own home.
2013-612 7Nov13 Farmer Abbott's piggybank trough.
Abbotts superannuation changes favours high income earners at the expense of low income earners.
2013-602 4Nov13 Correct weight in the world economy stakes.
Using a horse racing metaphor to highlight debt.
2013-601P 1Nov13 The future of car manufacturing in Australia?
Went with article on the demise of the Australian car industry.
2013-599 1Nov13 The running of the car industry stakes.
Australia's car industry racing towards oblivion.
2013-595P 30Oct13 Warrnambool Cheese and Butter tug of war.
Went with article on takeover battle between rival companies for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.
2013-587P 25oCT13 Supermarkets price war tank.
Went with article on how the supermarkets' price war is driving down the prices that farmers get for their crops.
2013-584 25Oct13 Canning industry map of Australia.
Cheap canned food imports ruining the Australian canned food industry.
2013-565 17Oct13 Processed potatoes.
Cheap imported processed potatoes damaging the Australian potato industry.
2013-552 15Oct13 Hospitality industry penalty rates special.
Calls by business interests in the hospitality industry to cut weekend penalty rates.
2013-520P 26Sept13 Telstra rollout.
Went with article on another round of job loses at Telstra.
2013-499 19Sept13 The high manufacturing industry Aussie dollar.
The high Australian dollar damaging Australia's manufacturing industry.
2013-513 24Sept13 The second highest point in Australia.
Esoteric look at the high Aussie Dollar.
2013-501P 19Sept13 Ditching health and safety red tape.
Went with article on campaign to reduce the amount of red tape for businesses.
2013-443 26Aug13 In, outsourced.
Outsourcing jobs often results in poorer service.
2013-429 20Aug13 Not paying tax.
Austrian shoppers buying online from overseas sites do not have to pay GST on goods under the value of $1,000. A practice that has been heavily criticised by the business community.
2013-433 21Aug13 Maternity leave funding vehicle.
Funding for Abbott's paid maternity leave scheme to be partially funded by lower returns to retirees' share investments.
2013-430 20Aug13 Expert economic commentary.
So called expert economic commentary often comes laced with the commentator's economic biases or vested interests.
2013-417P 1Aug13 Weighing up the cost.
Increase in the tax on cigarettes and the health risks of smoking.
2013-398 25July13 Salary sacrificing.
A look at the inequities of salary sacrificing for high income earners.
2013-385 19July13 Filling her up.
Attempts by the government to curtail excesses in the salary sacrifice scheme and the fierce opposition to this move by vested interests who benefit from this scheme at the expense of the general taxpayers.
2013-353 5July13 Send a taxation accountant.
The large number of multinational companies using offshore tax havens to avoid paying tax.
2013-326 25June13 Sweatshops.
Using sweatshop conditions for Bangladeshi workers as a segue to job loses in Australia, which are often a result of jobs going overseas to low wage countries.
2013-322 24June13 The supply chain.
Australian retailers buying clothes from Bangladeshi factories where staff working in appalling conditions.
2013-305 17June13 Food labelling today.
The prevalence of inaccurate labelling on food products.
2013-294 12June13 Geelong Target.
Target sacks 260 staff at its head office in Geelong.
2013-289P 6June13 Target layoff notice.
Went with article about likely job losses at Target's head office in Geelong.
2013-279 3June13 NBN rollout so far.
Another look at the NBN rollout problems caused by the difficulty in removing asbestos from old Telstra pits.
2013-274 31May13 NBN cable rollout.
Removing asbestos from Telstra pits causing major health and safety problems for contractors working on the National Broadband network rollout.
2013-257 24May13 What does Ford cost to run?
Massive subsidies that have been given to Ford in recent years.
2013-252 23May13 Geelong football club sponsor.
Looking at the closure of Ford's Geelong plant through the lens of Ford's sponsorship of the Geelong Football club.
2013-237 20May13 Government debt as a percentage of GDP.
Pointing out the the Australian government debt level is not as bad as some pundits make it out to be.
2013-232 14May13 Memorials that we should have.
As well as being vigilant about the horrors of war we should also be vigilant about the horrors of major economic depressions.
2013-228 13May13 Reactions to the falling Aussie dollar.
The falling Australian dollar giving some relief to the Australian manufacturing industry crippled by the high dollar.
2013-224 10May13 Passing on more than the RBA rate cut.
The ANZ have been lauded for passing on to their customers more than the Reserve Bank’s latest official interest rate cut, but when compared to the massive profits the ANZ and other major Australian banks have made in recent years it seems somewhat miserly
2013-218 8May13 Budget promises applied to family finances.
String of broken budget promises by the government.
2013-130 29Mar13 Eggs.
Excessive fees that super funds charge their customers.
2013-199 30April13 The state of the Australian economy today.
Record profits by the major banks in stark contrast to how many poorer Australians are fairing.
2013-193 29April13 Economic black holes.
A sideways look at the Government's announcement of a budget black hole due to the downturn in the world economy.
2013-188 25April13 Inflation forecast.
Esoteric view of the negative impact deflation has on the economy.
2013-158 12April13 Today's most exclusive club.
The difficulty of finding permanent full time work in the current economic climate.
2013-152 10April13 Country internet speed roads.
Using country roads as a metaphor for the different internet speeds proposed for the national broadband network.
2013-146 9April13 New look Holden car.
Heavy government subsidies lavished on Holden has failed to stem further job losses.
2013-125 28Mar13 Superannuation for the marginalised.
Inequity in the Australian superannuation.
2013-107 6Mar13 Guess which boat is considered the greater threat?
The massive numbers of jobs moving offshore more damaging to Australia than refugee arrivals.