Parramatta Eels chairman Roy Spagnolo is taking on one high-profile supporter in a bitter war over the club’s board. The campaigning from rival tickets last December is still playing out after season kick-off.

Young tech entrepreneur Nick D’Aloisio has just become a multi-millionaire after selling his Summly news app to Yahoo!. It reveals something of the future of news — and the tech giant.

More details of Nathan Tinkler’s troubled financial situation are set to be made public, after the lifting of a super-injunction against Fairfax.

Shareholders will be asked to approve a $2.34 million goodbye for the country’s biggest insurer’s former CEO Frank O’Halloran, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in directors’ fees.

Michael Fraser has a dual personality: he heads up a company with a massive carbon footprint that is also heavily involved in renewable energy. So why is he walking both sides of the line — and how did this quiet company man rise to the top? Climate Spectator and Crikey investigate.

ICAC has heard a cosy little story of Ian Macdonald’s allies sealing a deal which could have been worth $100 million to the NSW government — over a waterfront dinner and a magnum of pinot noir.

Crikey crunches the numbers on how the newspapers have covered the federal government’s proposed media reforms — and finds the coverage heavily negative, with few alternative views presented.

No one seems especially cut up by Nathan Tinkler’s recent rapidly declining fortunes. Tinkler, once the richest Australian under 40, says he has some $700 million in assets. But does he?

With the discovery of nickel deposits in WA, Sirius Resources’ major shareholder Mark Creasy’s personal wealth has risen $93 million in under two weeks. Will he make it to $1 billion?

Even after 30 years, voters loathe privatisation. That may prove a potent weapon for Labor if it is prepared to dump its history on the issue.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, our friends at SmartCompany name Australia’s top 30 female entrepreneurs in 2013. Cara Waters and Patrick Stafford report.

Solar baron Shi Zhengrong has been sensationally sacked as chairman of the Chinese firm he set up. So what does this have to do with the University of NSW — and does Dr Shi still call Australia home?

A major mining company is going to spoil someone’s pastoral lease without their consent, writes former native title lawyer Sarah Burnside. Only thing is, “someone” is Andrew Forrest.

Warren Buffett has changed his mind about the future of newspapers, having bought 63 papers in the last 15 months.

Who will influence Tony Abbott on climate policy if he claims the Lodge? The Coalition vows to ditch the carbon tax but its Direct Action alternative needs resourcing. The Power Index examines the field and finds ex-minister Robert Hill could be in the box seat.

Speculation about media tie-ups reflects the agenda of the players involved. And that’s before the dance music even starts. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane on who’ll be left without a partner.

“There are a lot of solutions on the cusp,” says up-and-coming engineer Dr Jane Sargison on the task of reducing carbon emissions. Now she’s stepped out of her Hobart laboratory to lobby for the cash and commitment in Australian boardrooms to make them happen. Sargison comes in at #10 on The Power Index list.

The Power Index is profiling the top 10 people who are de-carbonising Australia’s economy. Read our long list of the top 25 here, before we launch into the pointy end of the list tomorrow …

No-one in the 1980s in Australia saw the future direction of aviation with more clarity and purpose than James Strong, who has died at 68, writes Ben Sandilands.

Who’s really cutting carbon in Australia? The Power Index uncovers the most influential: the business chiefs, lawyers, regulators and bureaucrats driving the green economy as concerns mount globally over climate change.

Clive Palmer’s Titanic II will have a high-tech engine, air conditioning, a hospital, a helipad … and more lifeboats. But you’ll still be able to dine in early-20th century finery.

Departing BHP boss Marius Kloppers is leaving the mining company in far worse shape than he found it — and being paid handsomely for it. Even Rich Lister Ivan Glasenberg took a swipe today.

Brightening marine clouds to reflect more sunlight? Coating the Earth with a solar shield of sulphate particles? From the new book Earthmasters, how science — and Bill Gates — could tackle climate change.

Hamish McLennan, the new CEO of Ten, has promised the network’s third revamp in two years. But until its deals with the Murdoch-owned Shine and Fox are reworked, an improvement in ratings seems unlikely

The Ten Network is in deep despair with an enormous job for new CEO Hamish McLennan ahead. So why is the company firing off legal letters around commentary of its woes?

Why is a tiny Australian superannuation fund trying to influence the way a Norwegian recycling giant does business? Ethical investing is more organised — and more international — than before.

A recent spate of sackings at Boeing tell a familiar story about tunnel vision management and much needed talent that may never return, writes Ben Sandilands.

Paddy Manning exposed the incestuous nature of business journalism in Crikey. It raises bigger questions about who finance journalists represent, writes ex-business hack Jim “Mr Denmore” Parker.

Has the Business Council of Australia got a vision for Australia? Has anyone? Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane takes Crikey editor Jason Whittaker through the business agenda. Plus should we really give a Gonski?

Tony Shepherd’s economic vision for Australia ignores what we’ve already achieved and relies on politicians delivering for business regardless of what the electorate wants, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.

The real losers in the new Foxtel-BBC deal will be the ABC — and by extension, the Australian TV-watching public.

Commitments on regional news are just one tactic as Nine tries to persuade the government to drop the key obstacle between it and a merger, while Ten tries to block it.

Labor’s primary vote is starting to recover, but the PM’s personal ratings are not. However, voters aren’t enthused with Malcolm Turnbull’s broadband proposal.

The One Big Switch campaign claims to offer discounts of hundreds of dollars on private health insurance in a win for “people power” and consumers. But does it deliver? Crikey intern Ben Westcott investigates.

How to lose $25 billion in a year? You talk a big game and watch your remarkably bullish predictions fail. Eike Batista bankrolls much of Brazil, but his fortunes are on the wane.

The new report on high-speed rail shows that in Australia the numbers simply don’t add up for it. And won’t for many, many decades. It’s time we all moved on.

It’s been more than two years since the $1 milk price war began. But are Coles and Woolworths indicating that the end of the war is in sight?

The market didn’t want a bar of Billabong’s latest takeover offer. And no wonder — the former surfwear giant might end up selling for less than it’s ever traded.

Whatever its flaws, Malcolm Turnbull’s broadband policy had dragged the Liberal Party a long way in recognising the importance of broadband. Has he removed a key reason not to vote Liberal with this policy?

Handouts to the automotive sector hurt Australia and, if not abolished, should at least opened up to the rest of the manufacturing sector.

The Ten Network has reported a loss of close to $300 million as the group pays the price for dud programming in late 2012.

Despite the apocalyptic rhetoric from the mining industry and the opposition, Australia continues to be ranked as the world’s safest place for mining investment. Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer report.

It’s not often that Stephen Mayne and Gina Rinehart agree. But they’ve found common ground in urging mining giant Rio Tinto, which has recently slashed its Melbourne workforce, to relocate its headquarters from London to Australia.

Click Frenzy is set to return and its co-founder says things will run a little smoother this time around. But some retailers won’t be returning.

From what has appeared in print and from talk among brokers, there’s a fear in the Murdoch camp that many investors, especially his big US supporters, don’t want to be found owning a print-skewing company.

Fairfax has shed jobs again. Today, it’s senior management shown the door (or given new titles). Will it pave the way for another round of broader cuts — or lead to more copy-sharing across the mastheads?

Is there any way to stop a Queensland mine? Queensland-based freelance journalist Amanda Gearing investigates the effectiveness of an environmental impact statement (hint: not much).

We know plenty about what’s in Wayne Swan’s sixth — and probably last — federal budget, thanks to media leaks and strategic drops. Crikey provides a pre-budget cheat sheet …

After a few pints, our resident provocateur is ready to bust a cap in super and prop up the Australian porn industry. It’s another Crikey fantasy budget, with a slight twist …

Australia’s business leaders spout the same pre-budget talking points about the economy over and over again, and The AFR happily parrots them, argue Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane. Bottoms up!

The RBA, while cautious, sees growth returning to trend in 2014, an outcome a falling dollar will help bring about, write Crikey’s Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.

Why should public universities receive so much taxpayer money? Lifting uni fees and giving more money to private universities would result in better outcomes, argues Andrew Norton of The Grattan Institute.

Today’s strong employment growth figures suggest the economy is travelling better than many believe. The rate is down, but Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane report 50,000 new jobs were created.

Lobby groups hoping for a last-minute push for their pet projects in next week’s budget are out of luck — it’s been mostly done for months. Governance expert Stephen Bartos explains the painstaking process.

The Australian Institute executive director Richard Denniss says Australia would have a lot more money for services if it did not keep giving tax breaks to the rich.

Behind the apparent fiscal chaos, the government is doing what it always does before its federal budget — announcing the nasties beforehand. Will there be goodies on budget night?

Australia’s budget deficit is far too low — we should guarantee jobs for the underemployed and spend more on public hospitals. That’s what economist Professor Bill Mitchell would do if he were in charge.

Yesterday’s surprise rate cut is designed to address both the strong dollar and a domestic economy struggling as governments slash spending, say Crikey writers Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.

It’s not Wayne Swan you should listen to next week, but the budget reply speech from Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Economist and former Labor adviser Stephen Koukoulas says the PM-in-waiting has to deliver some hard numbers.

Big writedowns in revenues are a problem, but a slow path back to budget sustainability can be found by curbing big spending and tax items. Crikey’s political correspondent draws up his fantasy budget.

A week out from what is expected to be a deficit budget, Essential asked voters their views on public debt. We’re pretty ignorant, and we blame the government for what we see as a problem.

While we’re assuming there’ll be further interest rate cuts, the big banks have a more optimistic view of how the economy is travelling. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane report.

Ahead of the budget, Crikey asked economist John Quiggin what he would do if he were Wayne Swan. Tax hikes on the rich and a lift in the GST to pay for improved services — and don’t panic about the deficit.

Levies have played a significant role in the Australian economy in recent years, and the Financial Review’s reflexive support for Bernie Brookes does its readers no favours.

The government wants to increase the Medicare levy to help support the national disability insurance scheme. Amber Jamieson and Sasha Petrova report on politicians’ historical love of levies.

Julia Gillard’s speech on the government’s fiscal challenge repeated Labor’s bizarre claims that it understands that Aussie families are “doing it tough” due to “cost of living pressures” — which the government knows is nonsense.

Concerns about the direction of the Australian economy are growing but voters aren’t enamoured of budget spending cuts.

As revenue writedowns become apparent in the federal budget, keep in mind the lessons from austerity offshore. Crikey writers Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane report.

The federal budget is less than three weeks away and pollies are gearing up for a future of budget deficits. But does it have to be this way? Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane talks forward estimates with Crikey deputy editor Cathy Alexander.

Curbing population growth will reduce Australia’s greenhouse emissions but at a profound economic cost — and it won’t decarbonise our emissions-intensive economy. There’s a more viable solution.

More benign inflation data shows “cost of living” complaints are unfounded, and gives the RBA some room to move rates downward. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane look at the numbers.

The German press cited a confidential Bundesbank opinion paper, which strongly opposed the ECB’s implementation of Outright Monetary Transactions (quantitative easing).

Curbing population growth will reduce Australia’s greenhouse emissions but at a profound economic cost — and it won’t decarbonise our emissions-intensive economy. There’s a more viable solution.

With questions hanging over the Coalition’s climate policy, it’s becoming obvious the business community wants the carbon price to stay. Here’s four reasons why …

It’s now a three-speed economy, with Tasmania and South Australia falling behind mining states. Crikey intern Kylar Loussikian asks whether special economic zones would help mitigate the effects of the boom.

European markets posted their biggest intraday gains in more than seven months on a good Spanish bond auction.

US existing home sales were down 0.6% to 4.92 million in March, missing the forecast of 5.02 million and the previous reading of 4.95 million.

Health spending and health employment are surging in Australia. But it’s not inevitable, as the experience of other countries shows. And it’s not necessarily being driven by the ageing population.

For years, the rich and their money have flocked to Zurich. Not any more. Asian tax havens are now in vogue, led by the friendliest of all in Singapore.

Finance leaders of the G20 countries said that more efforts are required to boost growth: “Much more is needed to fulfill our commitment to address the ongoing weakness in the global economy.”

The Dow was down 123 at worst and up 32 at best on soft economic data and company earnings.

Paddy Manning exposed the incestuous nature of business journalism in Crikey. It raises bigger questions about who finance journalists represent, writes ex-business hack Jim “Mr Denmore” Parker.

A 30-year gold rout has spooked markets. But economists aren’t that concerned. Crikey intern Kylar Loussikian speaks to some pointy heads about how low it could go, and whether we should be worrying.

Tony Shepherd’s economic vision for Australia ignores what we’ve already achieved and relies on politicians delivering for business regardless of what the electorate wants, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.

Westfarmers has posted an increase in sales at its Coles division driven by strong volume growth particularly in grocery.

Claims Australia’s carbon price is in terrible trouble due to the price plunge in Europe’s carbon scheme need to be seen for what they are. Australia’s polluters have a sweet deal from our carbon price, and they know it.

Commitments on regional news are just one tactic as Nine tries to persuade the government to drop the key obstacle between it and a merger, while Ten tries to block it.

The Obama administration’s campaign against the press has extended to criminalising attempts to accurately cover the cybersecurity industry.

RBA Governor Glenn Stevens has some concerns about China’s “shadow banking” system. He poses questions about the role of non-bank entities in the Middle Kingdom.

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index was 4.2% above its long-term trend of 2.8%. The index indicates that Australian economic growth is expected to pick up in the coming year.

Gold is down $153.60 (10.23%) to $1347.80, its biggest intraday fall in over four years and its largest two-day fall in 30 years.

Property needs must be addressed if we’re to free up the stagnation which will impact city dwellers as the population expands — and grows older. Property analyst Catherine Cashmore explains.

Chinese GDP numbers have come in at a disappointing 7.7% annualised — down from 7.9% and below the 8.0% expected.

The One Big Switch campaign claims to offer discounts of hundreds of dollars on private health insurance in a win for “people power” and consumers. But does it deliver? Crikey intern Ben Westcott investigates.

The market is up 13. ASX 200 Futures were up 11 this morning. Dow Jones finished up 69 on below average volumes. The Dow was 85 at best and down 17 at worst on strong economic data. The S&P500 hit a fresh record high of 1597 during the session. Info tech stocks underperformed as PC […]

The new report on high-speed rail shows that in Australia the numbers simply don’t add up for it. And won’t for many, many decades. It’s time we all moved on.

Parramatta Eels chairman Roy Spagnolo is taking on one high-profile supporter in a bitter war over the club’s board. The campaigning from rival tickets last December is still playing out after season kick-off.

Young tech entrepreneur Nick D’Aloisio has just become a multi-millionaire after selling his Summly news app to Yahoo!. It reveals something of the future of news — and the tech giant.

More details of Nathan Tinkler’s troubled financial situation are set to be made public, after the lifting of a super-injunction against Fairfax.

Shareholders will be asked to approve a $2.34 million goodbye for the country’s biggest insurer’s former CEO Frank O’Halloran, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in directors’ fees.

Michael Fraser has a dual personality: he heads up a company with a massive carbon footprint that is also heavily involved in renewable energy. So why is he walking both sides of the line — and how did this quiet company man rise to the top? Climate Spectator and Crikey investigate.

ICAC has heard a cosy little story of Ian Macdonald’s allies sealing a deal which could have been worth $100 million to the NSW government — over a waterfront dinner and a magnum of pinot noir.

Crikey crunches the numbers on how the newspapers have covered the federal government’s proposed media reforms — and finds the coverage heavily negative, with few alternative views presented.

No one seems especially cut up by Nathan Tinkler’s recent rapidly declining fortunes. Tinkler, once the richest Australian under 40, says he has some $700 million in assets. But does he?

With the discovery of nickel deposits in WA, Sirius Resources’ major shareholder Mark Creasy’s personal wealth has risen $93 million in under two weeks. Will he make it to $1 billion?

Even after 30 years, voters loathe privatisation. That may prove a potent weapon for Labor if it is prepared to dump its history on the issue.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, our friends at SmartCompany name Australia’s top 30 female entrepreneurs in 2013. Cara Waters and Patrick Stafford report.

Solar baron Shi Zhengrong has been sensationally sacked as chairman of the Chinese firm he set up. So what does this have to do with the University of NSW — and does Dr Shi still call Australia home?

A major mining company is going to spoil someone’s pastoral lease without their consent, writes former native title lawyer Sarah Burnside. Only thing is, “someone” is Andrew Forrest.

Warren Buffett has changed his mind about the future of newspapers, having bought 63 papers in the last 15 months.

Who will influence Tony Abbott on climate policy if he claims the Lodge? The Coalition vows to ditch the carbon tax but its Direct Action alternative needs resourcing. The Power Index examines the field and finds ex-minister Robert Hill could be in the box seat.

Speculation about media tie-ups reflects the agenda of the players involved. And that’s before the dance music even starts. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane on who’ll be left without a partner.

“There are a lot of solutions on the cusp,” says up-and-coming engineer Dr Jane Sargison on the task of reducing carbon emissions. Now she’s stepped out of her Hobart laboratory to lobby for the cash and commitment in Australian boardrooms to make them happen. Sargison comes in at #10 on The Power Index list.

The Power Index is profiling the top 10 people who are de-carbonising Australia’s economy. Read our long list of the top 25 here, before we launch into the pointy end of the list tomorrow …

No-one in the 1980s in Australia saw the future direction of aviation with more clarity and purpose than James Strong, who has died at 68, writes Ben Sandilands.

Who’s really cutting carbon in Australia? The Power Index uncovers the most influential: the business chiefs, lawyers, regulators and bureaucrats driving the green economy as concerns mount globally over climate change.

Clive Palmer’s Titanic II will have a high-tech engine, air conditioning, a hospital, a helipad … and more lifeboats. But you’ll still be able to dine in early-20th century finery.

Departing BHP boss Marius Kloppers is leaving the mining company in far worse shape than he found it — and being paid handsomely for it. Even Rich Lister Ivan Glasenberg took a swipe today.

Brightening marine clouds to reflect more sunlight? Coating the Earth with a solar shield of sulphate particles? From the new book Earthmasters, how science — and Bill Gates — could tackle climate change.

Hamish McLennan, the new CEO of Ten, has promised the network’s third revamp in two years. But until its deals with the Murdoch-owned Shine and Fox are reworked, an improvement in ratings seems unlikely

The Ten Network is in deep despair with an enormous job for new CEO Hamish McLennan ahead. So why is the company firing off legal letters around commentary of its woes?