April 2024
Christopher Pyne emerges as Hanwha’s man in Canberra
The Korean conglomerate has lobbed a $1 billion bid for ASX-listed Austal. The local shipbuilder has rejected the offer, saying it won’t be approved.
March 2024
SA byelection could help Albanese avoid minority government
Anthony Albanese will redouble efforts to win the SA seat of Sturt to ward off replicating the unfolding mess in Tasmania.
February 2024
Chris Pyne to chair ageing lobby
COTA Australia has appointed the former ageing minister as its new chairman, replacing career bureaucrat Jane Halton.
Why is Defence so little involved in the great defence debate?
In times of global tension, the public needs to understand the purpose of defence, and its costs. But that is hampered by a habit of public risk aversion among the defence leadership.
May 2023
Lobbyists rail against ‘unfair’ federal reforms
The Centre for Public Integrity says the federal lobbying code should be legislated, with possible criminal sanctions, but lobbyists say the centre doesn’t understand how government works.
November 2022
Lobbyists set sights on ‘Albo whisperers’ as elections loom
From Liberal powerbrokers to former Labor stalwarts and traditionally conservative lobbying firms, both sides are making unexpected moves.
September 2022
The Powerless List: once you are on it, it’s hard to get off
The Power List does not tell you that fame and influence are also revolving doors. Or is that sliding doors?
March 2022
As Wong and Pyne flounder, Farrell ascends
Don Farrell’s second ascendancy is all the more notable for the recent fortunes of the state’s other major political identities.
February 2022
The deal makers and investors helping fund the next election
While most donations large enough to disclose are made by businesses, there are exceptions.
November 2021
Secure file sharing business Cocoon Data seeks pre-IPO funding
Christopher Pyne advised Cocoon Data Holdings has tapped PAC Partners to raise $5 million, ahead of an IPO next year.
September 2021
Christopher Pyne fixes his website
You might now miss his major defence procurements entirely: they’re buried 440 words into an extensive list of everything else Pyne has ever done.
June 2021
Chris Pyne concedes to Press Council complaint
The defence minister turned defence lobbyist “will not mention clients in future columns unless essential to his argument”, and then with full disclosures.
May 2021
At least Elbit Systems has a great lobbyist
The Australian Defence Force could be forced to scribble down battle plans on paper in its largest biennial joint military exercise after a ‘back door’ was uncovered.
April 2021
Australia’s strategic sage has guided history down the ages
Former defence minister Christopher Pyne has told a group of students that they might need those submarines he ordered.
February 2021
COVID-19 vaccine no cure for pandemic mania
The nation’s politicians have damned their own efforts through their entirely overwrought response to a foreseeable vaccine overdosing.
Pyne signs up third defence client
Four years after Christopher Pyne gleefully posed with DroneShield’s satisfyingly large drone gun at an Abu Dhabi defence expo, his lobbying firm has signed on as an advisor.
January 2021
Australia's escalating regulatory risks
It is possible there will be a repeat of the Probuild and Worley situations with FIRB approval for the QCLNG Common Facilities deal being followed by a private conversation that sees the deal withdrawn.
December 2020
The inside push to shift the Coalition's climate scepticism
A swell of determined conservatives are wading into the fierce battle over climate change.
November 2020
Former defence minister Christopher Pyne heads on to ASX battlefield
Christopher Pyne says geopolitical tensions will only accelerate a rise in defence spending by governments, which is already under way.
October 2020
It's Worley's AGM but Dar Group's move
Unfortunately for Worley, Dar Group's existing stake means that when it comes to AGMs, the arithmetic isn't on its side.