Stephen Mayne
Journalist and Crikey founder @MayneReport
Stephen Mayne founded Crikey in February 2000, and has remained as a contributor since selling it in 2005. He’s a former political staffer and local government councillor who also pursues shareholder advocacy as a two-time former director of the Australian Shareholders’ Association. He also spent two years working for the Alliance for Gambling Reform.
James Packer is right to slam Macquarie Group CEO Nicholas Moore for a series of poor business decisions. Print media, as the investors should know by now, doesn't pay.
James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch dance on the grave of Fairfax while its newspapers fail to properly scrutinise their power and influence. The recent story of Fairfax is one of independence cut short.
The market loves the deal to give James Packer's Crown a new casino licence in Sydney. But NSW taxpayers aren't on as safe a bet as they think they are.
News Corporation has begun trading its two new entities on the Australian stock exchange. Regulators should closely at the de-merger, and future takeover targets of Rupert Murdoch.
The major parties have agreed to push the "yes" case on constitutional recognition of local government, right? Well it's not so simple, as delegates at a large local government pow-wow in Canberra learnt first-hand.
A high-profile mayor has entered Labor's race for the safe seat of Batman. Senator David Feeney's prospects of moving to the lower house are now taking blows from both sides.
The Lowys say they've deserved their $300 million in cash over two decades to run Westfield. Shareholders might disagree, and there's a course of action if they do.
The Murdochs, Packers and Lowys were once the wealthiest families in Australia. The mining boom gave rise to the likes of Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer, who exercise their power in very different ways.
The Lowy family still continue to draw millions from Westfield, which is extraordinary. But now shareholders are thinking about putting a stop to it.
The line from News Limited on recognising local government in the constitution doesn't make much sense given the value of councils to the company's vast community newspaper network.
