Who is Godwin Grech?
June, 2009
Tips and rumours: The Utegate edition of tips & rumours
Japan sluggish, OECD gloom still to come
Japan’s exports in May fell 40.9% from May of 2008.
Talking the Town: Talking the town: the Australian Book Industry awards
Like Christmas in the trenches, all hostilities were suspended last night as the local book industry got together for the Australian Book Industry Awards.
Dreamliner: great until the wings peeled off
The enormity of the problems with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are only just starting to sink in.
The sugar fix that earned a Heart Foundation tick
Why is the Australian Heart Foundation handing out ‘ticks’ to confectionery, asks David Gillespie?
Morning Market Report: Market, Dow down
The market is down 21 compared, while the Dow dropped 15.
Parallel importation of books: writers have their two bobs’
It’s been a thrilling week for literature in Australia, but the talk of the town is the impending final report to the Productivity Commission on copyright restrictions, says Crikey intern Bhakthi Puvanenthiran.
Guy Rundle: Liberal party ideology lost in the woods
Wow, when it all goes to crap, it all goes to crap, dunnit?
Grech, journos and Liberals: leaks that run deep
Godwin Grech, the Treasury official wrapped up in Utegate, would be, if reports are correct, no ordinary leaker.
Obama and HuffPo stage a PR stunt
The Huffington Post came up with a great gimmick to get its blogger called on at Obama’s press conference on Iran: field questions directly from Iran. And the White House were more than happy to join in.
Fight Club director slated for Facebook movie
Fight Club director David Fincher is looking likely to direct a movie about Facebook. Yes, they’re making a movie about Facebook. We know.
NSW Shooters’ Party MPs stick up Premier Rees
For the past two years, NSW Shooters Party MPs, Roy Smith and Robert Brown, have been voting loyally for controversial Labor legislation to secure its passage through the Upper House.
War and Peace (but mostly war): Cheney signs a book deal
Former US VP Dick Cheney has signed on with a book publisher to pen his memoirs, in a deal said to be worth at least $2 million.
Gannett feel the credit crunch
With their credit status slashed to junk, the largest newspaper publisher in the US, Gannett Co (owners of USA Today, amongst over 90 other titles) need to raise $400 million over the next two year to survive — but many of their bondholders would rather they default.
Why aren’t customers switching banks?
The government tried last year to make it easier for people to switch banks — but there hasn’t been much take-up. Joshua Gans looks at why this is — and why it doesn’t mean the scheme was a failure.
Whaling pact must keep with the times
The countries with thriving whale tourism must “start exerting a little more effort to have this hands-off use of these mammals become the main focus” of whaling agreements, says Andrew C Revkin.
Pundits weigh in on Iran’s diverging story
The Iran election story has diverged into many different strands, from President Obama condemning the post-poll violence in Tehran to fresh enmity between Britain and the Islamic nation.
Lessons from Guardian‘s people power test
The MP expenses scandal was a big story to cover. How’d The Guardiancope? By putting the public-records dump online and asking readers to sift. Brilliant, says Michael Anderson.
This won’t help Turnbull’s public trust issues
If Godwin Grech turns out to be the long-suspected Treasury mole, the Opposition’s problem won’t be one of political ethics so much as public trust, says Possum. Malcom Turnbull should be worried.
Prince Charles: now 25% more expensive
Another expenses scandal is brewing, with revelations that Prince Charles’ bill to the taxpayer rose from under £2½ million to over £3 million last year, most of it accounted for in overseas trips on private jets.
Special Licence to Scrutinise Syndrome
Many big-name journos suffer from the belief that they have a special media sheriff’s badge to kick down doors and investigate — but that this does not apply to freelance journalists or bloggers or non-ABC TV journalists, writes Sasha Uzunov.
Turnbull’s judicial inquiry demand shot down
Malcom Turnbull tried to force the issue of a judicial inquiry into Utegate in Parliament this morning. It failed on party lines, reports Christian Kerr.
Wayne Swan’s marginal crime no hanging offence
There is a case against Swan for his involvement in Utegate, says John Warhurst, but it’s hardly black-and-white and the Opposition shouldn’t be pointing too many fingers about Ministerial standards.
