March, 2010
LIVE NOW: Crikey commentates the Rudd-Abbott health reform smack-down 
After a century of failure, Obama passes US health reform
It took 20 years, but the US has finally passed major healthcare reform. Michael Tomasky explains how the Democrats pulled it off, and what it means for the party and country going forward.
Jetstar escapes prosecution
Why is Jetstar untouchable when it breaks the law? It failed to notify the ATSB of a reportable air safety incident, yet it’s escaped prosecution. Where is the integrity and consistency of the ATSB?
Essential: Voters back Rudd on health reform
Kevin Rudd retains strong support from voters for his health reform plan, according to Essential Research’s latest poll, and has a commanding lead on the issue that will dominate politics for the next week.
Crikey Says: Time to get SA out of smarm’s way
Yesterday, Mike Rann described his government’s likely narrow election win as “the sweetest victory of all.” Um, really?
State elections: down for the count
As the air cleared on Saturday night and Sunday morning, word was that the results in South Australia and Tasmania were too close to call. However, for all but the most starry-eyed Liberal optimists, that was only half true.
Video of the Day: The Mad Hatters at the Tea Party
A little chat with the protesting Tea Partiers in Washington, there to oppose Obama’s health care bill. It’s a happy collection of Fox News lovers, socialised medicine haters, people who haven’t actually read the bill and elephants.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Foxtel boss on the ABC
An apology to Shaun Carney for wrongly publishing that he has changed jobs, plus Foxtel boss Kim Williams weighs in on the ABC and Crikey readers weigh in on science in the media.
The Green Apple Isle
The ALP are likely to be reliant on the Greens for government in Tassie. This isn’t without precedence, writes Brian Costar and Jennifer Curtin, as they recount how other minority governments coped.
Sigma Pharmaceuticals collapse more bad news for Fairfax?
More bad news for Fairfax Media: one of its trio of new directors, Linda Nicholls, is now implicated in the collapse of one of Australia’s biggest pharmaceutical companies.
JP Morgan’s ConsMin con job a red flag for rainmakers
The NSW Supreme Court’s ruling on JP Morgan’s fee demands have sent shivers down the spines of thousands of investment banks across Australia.
Business As Usual: Business as usual: while the RBA talks stability, US banks still falling over … pay freeze for Murdoch staff
The RBA will be talking stability later this week … US banks continue to bite the dust … Murdoch has a big win over the union in New York … Greece continues as a basket case … and Germany has a debt blow-out
Morning Market Report: Market up, Wall St down
The Dow broke an eight-day winning streak last night: up 39 at best and down 86 at worst.
Spinning the Media: It’s up to you to read between the lines
Is the term “special report” actually industry parlance for “advertising feature” in some editorial departments? Daniel Bishton canvasses opinion on the topic.
Regional radio content: guarantee to remain relevant is up for grabs
The government plans to change the restrictions that force media proprietors to maintain levels of local presence on regional radio after a change in ownership. Expect amalgamated newsrooms, hubbed content and fewer jobs for reporters.
Media briefs: Don’t LOL at Twitter: The Oz … the ABC broadcast nobody watched
A Herald Sun scoop — with the help of the The Sunday Age, an e-model for journalism in Seattle, FT.com brings down an even thicker wall, and more newsy nuggets from the mediasphere.
SA: Rann returns, but Labor breaches trust on day one
The Labor Government of SA Premier Mike Rann was this weekend kicked in the sensitive parts, not stabbed fatally in the heart. And they have dirty tricks to thank, says Hendrik Gout.
This day in Crikey: March 22, 2005
March 22, 2005, Barry Everingham on the religious right, writes Royal watcher/provocateur Barry Everingham.
Yet more regulation for the internet: here comes anti-siphoning
Sports rights holders are anxious for the government to show its hand on anti-siphoning. When it comes, it will be yet another win for the free-to-air television networks. Surprise surprise.
Christmas Island ‘pressure cooker’ could explode after UN review
The situation in Christmas Island is expected to blow up completely if the Federal Government is allowed to deport asylum seekers back to strife-torn Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
Tasmanian election: Utopia or a dog’s breakfast?
The real story of the Tasmanian election is that voters were unprepared to elect a Liberal government, writes Bruce Montgomery.
Political snippets: Tasmanian Greens in a quandary
Don’t take Tasmania’s Greens for granted, why Rann can thank the pollsters for his victory, expect an increasingly thorough analysis from the Coalition of Hawker Britton’s client list, and more thoughts from Richard Farmer.
Mungo MacCallum: Debating Abbott, Rudd’s on a hiding to nothing
The results in South Australia and Tasmania were hardly what Kevin Rudd would have chosen; but in the end the damage was more psychological than psephological.
