This Month
Treasury prepares to crack down on audit firms, with or without ASIC
Officials are considering handing the corporate regulator the power to punish major accounting and consulting firms for the first time, among other options.
June
Samuel: A fork in the eye is less painful than AICD director’s course
Former competition watchdog chief Graeme Samuel says executives would learn more about governance reading APRA’s report on CBA than doing the company directors course.
Investors demand greater voice on ASX governance review
The review needs to give investors a greater say in how the regime is tied to company profits, Sandon Capital founder Gabriel Radzyminski says.
May
Disgraced CFMEU boss’ boast is ‘complete rubbish’: Hutchinson
Scott Hutchinson says any suggestion Cbus or its property business would pressure his company over contracts is “complete rubbish”.
Sussan Ley, the Liberals’ rebel with a cause
Sussan Ley has made history as the first female Liberal leader. It’s been an unorthodox path to the top.
April
Hedge fund uses ‘independent journalist’ in fight with Rio Tinto
In the battle to unify Rio’s dual-company structure – or not – the fine print is doing some heavy lifting.
March
‘Focus on real factors’: Coles hits back at ninth supermarket inquiry
The country’s second largest supermarket operator said politicians should focus on measures to bring down energy, fuel and labour costs to reduce the checkout prices.
February
Revealed: Cbus’ secret governance report details deep union ties
Commissioned in 2015, the review found the super fund was reliant on the CFMEU to enforce the payment of super in a difficult industry, creating big risks.
January
Prudential watchdog must release secret Cbus review: advice
New advice from the clerk of the Senate argues APRA has no grounds to keep the critical review secret from parliament.
December 2024
How Cbus’ big party year went horribly wrong
It’s not the biggest or the worst performing of the super funds. So why has Cbus become the poster child for the $4 trillion sector’s problems?
September 2024
Woolworths and Coles could be ‘innocent’: Samuel
Graeme Samuel says the higher prices charged by the two major supermarkets could have been caused by suppliers, as the ACCC found the retailers have increased their earnings and operating margins over the past five years.
August 2024
Time for lateral thinking on boards
Representation of pensioner members on super fund boards is an eye-catching idea. What if similar lateral thinking was applied to the future of corporate boards too?
Former ACCC tsar Samuel pushes Cbus for more independent directors
Graeme Samuel recommended Cbus get more independent directors after a 2015 review, but he says the fund has scarcely acted.
July 2024
Economic logic always trumps junk politics
Brexit, MAGA trade policies, and the Coalition’s nuclear power push will fail because they make no economic sense.
‘Not the Coalition I used to support’: Samuel savages Dutton’s break-up plan
Former competition regulator Graeme Samuel and senior Liberal Kate Carnell have savaged Peter Dutton’s plan to break up supermarket giants, warning it could push up grocery prices.
May 2024
Human Rights Commission’s ‘silence deafening’ on antisemitism
Former regulator Graeme Samuel has taken aim at the Human Rights Commission for it’s ‘deafening silence’ on the rise of antisemitism.
Stokes’ anti-AFR price rise could breach competition law: Samuel
Billionaire Kerry Stokes has faced political criticism – and calls for an ACCC investigation – for forcing The Australian Financial Review print edition out of his home state of WA.
Consulting firm fixes are impractical and an overreach
More importantly, they are not necessary to correct a deficiency in the regulation of delinquent behaviour, says the former ACCC chairman.
Let ASIC police big four conflicts: Samuel
Former ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel says the big four’s governance changes looked good on paper, but would not fundamentally change the culture of the firms.
April 2024
‘Take a chill pill’: Graeme Samuel urges calm on environment law delay
Former competition tsar Graeme Samuel has urged conservation groups to “take a chill pill”, and for miners to stop talking “rubbish” on plans to overhaul federal environment laws.