Virgin Blue jolted the market this morning by making more money in the first half of its financial year than the three times larger Qantas Group, the first time any Aussie airline has beaten Qantas in profits.
February, 2010
Roskam and the truth: he stands by Q & A claim on climate change
Free market think tank director John Roskam is the latest Australian climate change sceptic to be caught out using distorted quotes to undermine the existence of global warming, writes Crikey intern Matthew Knott.
The answer is ASIO
Another security announcement, another boost for ASIO. It doesn’t take an alfoil-wearing conspiracy theorist to see a pattern, the Government is keen to bolster its security credentials.
Daily Proposition: Get thee to Adelaide for a feast of entertainment
People like to bash Adelaide. But if you can find a city with more to do in the next couple of weeks, I’d be surprised. Arts Festival. Writers’ Week. Fringe Festival. Womadelaide. It’s all happening.
Guy Rundle: Rundle in Athens: how could this not get interesting?
“I would say the Greek economic crisis is 20% global, 20% Europe based ….60% due to Greece,” says Dmitris Papadimoulis in the ante-room of his party’s offices in the Athens parliament.
Expert calls for health inequalities to be on the election agenda
Successive Australian governments have failed to tackle the social and economic inequities that result in some people having shorter, unhealthier lives than others, writes Melissa Sweet.
Video of the Day: How to cover the Olympics without getting sued
Don’t mention the rings! Stephen Colbert explores the intricacies of copyright in reporting the Winter Olympics. Or, as he’s been forced to rename them, the “Quadrennial Cold Weather Athletic Competition”.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: a NAB back-door deal?
Has there been a back-door deal done with the NAB? Three months ago employees were told there was a fund of $7 million that employees and creditors will be paid out of. Now it appears there will be nothing left.
Why Tony Abbott needs to shut up
This constant slandering of Peter Garrett is counter-productive. Tony Abbott’s Opposition thrives on opposing everything the government says simply to gain the political upper hand, and therefore loses its own authority.
Can we blame the latest private health insurance hikes on a “lazy” Government?
It’s no surprise that private health insurance premiums continue to rise. What is surprising is that more questions aren’t being asked about the merits of such extravagant public subsidy.
PHOTO GALLERY: Inside Saddam Hussein’s private photo album
As part of Slate’s investigation into Saddam Hussein’s capture, they’ve released ten private photos of Saddam — including Mafia don Saddam and birthday party Saddam — which aided the US military in capturing him.
The chaos in cleaning up Haiti
Clearing up the rubble from Haiti’s earthquake will involve 1,000 trucks of debris per day, for 1,000 days and the heavy equipment still hasn’t arrived. But it’s crucial the rubble is removed before the rainy season starts.
Blowing off the tobacco industry
“To smoke is to be a slave to tobacco” may not sound like a troublesome anti-smoking slogan. But juxtapose that with a young person hinting at a submissive sexual act, and you can understand the controversy surrounding the new French campaign.
Van Onselen: Ministerial responsibility never means having to lose your job
No matter how slow, corrupt or inept, federal ministers never resign over failures in their departments. Ministers lose their jobs over politics, not ministerial responsibility, writes Peter Van Onselen.
Farr: Abbott dents the Rudd armour
The insulation scheme was a rush job, placing economic aims over environmental ones. For this, Kevin Rudd is responsible, but he doesn’t seem regretful, writes Malcolm Farr.
Grattan: Rudd is also responsible
Peter Garrett may be bearing the heat of the roofing insulation scandal, but Kevin Rudd is no innocent bystander, argues Michelle Grattan. Rudd and his bureaucrats should have picked this up long ago.
Freelancers shouldn’t work for free
Following on from Content Makers own fight for freelancers, the Media Alliance has announced its own project to collect online information on how freelancers are paid and how they are treated.
Toyota CEO: How we stopped listening to our customers
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has penned another apologetic op-ed about the brake recall plaguing Priuses and other safety stuff-ups, this time outlining the future plans for the company. Will it appease customers?
Paul Kelly: How the govt deny, spin and divert attention from the ETS
It’s rare for a first term government to struggle with implementing one of their first major policies, in the way that the ETS has become, writes Paul Kelly. Labor seem unable to champion it, yet won’t abandon it.
Kristina Keneally: the new kid’s popular
The NSW state Newspoll has primaries running 44/30 to the Coalition, up four for the ALP. NSW voters still want to kick the ALP at next election, but it seems Kristina Keneally might be convincing them to wear ugg boots, so it wont hurt so much.
Opposition fails to pin Garrett
The Coalition’s pursuit of Peter Garrett has faded in only the second Question Time this week, with the Minister untroubled by sustained Opposition questioning this afternoon.
This day in Crikey: February 23, 2004
February 23, 2004, Jim Bacon’s Tasmanian bombshell by Stephen Mayne.
