Journalism and other writing
The Australian Taxation Commissioner’s dire warnings about keeping records to justify every tax deduction has at least one use.
When a territory minister starts carrying on about “greedy landlords” you can drag out figures from past years and invite him to take a long hard look in the mirror. Continue reading “Who’s the greedy one: landlord or govt”
Of the scores of inquiries, ideafests and commissions instituted by the new Rudd Government, one was sadly missing – an inquiry into tax.
Any new occupants of the Treasury benches should go into the legislative and policy cupboards and throw out all the things that have past their used-by dates or are growing mould. Much will be worth keeping, but a lot needs a pretty good sniff, and if off, thrown into the garbage can of history. Continue reading “Tax — Rudd’s blind spot”
The part of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s address to the Business Leaders Forum this week on “the Challenge of Housing Affordability” did not mention the word “immigration”. Not once.
It was the unmentionable elephant in the room. Continue reading “Immigration the unmentionable housing elephant”
You can trust an ACT Government (of whatever complexion) to demonstrate that it cannot be trusted to respect the national elements of Canberra.
Within a few days of the Federal Government foolishly announcing that the National Capital Authority would be culled and its planning functions virtually surrendered to the ACT, the ACT Government announced a plan to put 500 paid-parking lots on the grassy area west of the southern side of Commonwealth Ave Bridge. It will be an eyesore in the national area. Continue reading “National planning role needed in Canberra”