Two pandemic rights make a repeat wrong
We cannot in 2021 contemplate going back to lockdowns, state border closures or the JobKeeper safety net.
Terry McCrann
Three cabinets won’t save PM’s skin
There is no way the federal government is going to win the next election. The only uncertainty is where in the spectrum between the Queensland debacle and the WA wipe-out the result will sit.
US policy chief makes idiotic call
The single most important economic policymaking adviser in the world has revealed herself to be utterly clueless by calling for a “global minimum corporate tax rate”.
The bank deals on COVID SME loans
Two of Australia’s big banks have finally rolled out the deals they will offer small businesses under the government’s $40bn subsidised Covid19-recovery loan scheme.
House prices: No-one’s in charge
Is the property market anybody’s responsibility or has the issue simply fallen between the regulatory slats?
AMP board can’t lie straight
For many company boards it’s a case of why tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when you can do the opposite.
Screwing shareholders didn’t save BOQ money
The numbers suggest that BOQ was itself “screwed over” by a pair of investment bank heavyweights who facilitated its latest capital raising.
AGL and Tabcorp face all our futures
AGL and Tabcorp are both proposing demergers for very different reasons but the end goals are the same.
BOQ shamed over $1.35bn fund raising
Two major listed companies recently announced capital raisings to fund acquisitions. One did it fairly and efficiently while the process adopted by the other was a disgrace.
Where did the $90bn JobKeeper cash really go?
It was the small end of town that seemed to be the biggest winners from the lavish scheme although we will never really know.
RBA and Canberra are not going to war
Canberra is not in a battle with the RBA. The federal government has no plans to bring down a tax-hiking/spend-slashing budget.
Smaller firms made JobKeeper killing
JobKeeper is coming to an end and if there has been monumental gouging of the taxpayer, it’s mostly been out of sight, among smaller private businesses.
Richest duo our biggest taxpayers
Australia’s two richest people could potentially have a combined tax bill of more than $2bn this year if iron ore prices keep rising.
Crown needs a second suitor to take a punt
A suitor like Blackstone may end up taking over Crown Resorts or just replacing James Packer as the major shareholder. A higher offer price will require at least a second bidder.
Why Portland won’t survive the decade
Governments throwing taxpayer money at heavy industries like refiners and car makers are delaying the inevitable.
JobKeeper worked maybe a little too well
While there was some ‘over-indulging’ by the big end of town, the $90bn or so spent on JobKeeper did the job it was designed to do.
Small biz did it tough, did it well
Small businesses have shown amazing grit through the pandemic, but in two weeks’ time we find out which ones are actually going to survive it.
Taxpayer spend on Cormann’s OECD job might top $1m
Why has the federal government spent hundreds of thousands of dollars – probably even into the millions – to secure a job for someone who is now a private citizen?
Why Morrison won’t win the next federal election
The West Australian state election result will dramatically and deeply impact federal politics across the board, all the way to and including the result of the next federal election.
Reality left blowin’ in the wind
In an insane move this week, we are replacing 24/7 power with a partial battery. When it goes flat, you’d better pray for a gale…
OECD good for Cormann but meaningless for us
The appointment to the Paris-based role might be great for the former finance minister, but what exactly does it do for Australia?
Christmas comes early for bankers with JobKeeper 2.0
It is no wonder the big banking CEOs are so enthusiastic about playing Father Christmas in April.
Goodbye Yallourn, hello blackouts
No matter how many wind ‘turbines’ or solar panels you scatter across Victoria, or the whole of south-eastern Australia, when the wind don’t blow and the sun don’t shine, the power don’t flow.
We now need ‘smart’ immigration
The past year has spectacularly elevated Australia into the consciousness of the world as the ‘place to be’, not just for the short-term but longer-term and permanently.
Goodbye JobKeeper, hello JobKeeper 2.0
It’s important to remember why we got JobKeeper, just under a year ago, and what it aimed it do.
Bega buys a future for all of us
Buying Lion Dairy and Drinks was literally make or break for Bega Cheese. Now, Barry Irvin must ensure it’s the making of the company.
A market boom made by central banks
Sure as day follows night, share and property prices keep rising. But are we all being led up the garden path, asks Terry McCrann.
The big risk with Victoria’s record spending
Who knew you could ring up a net debt of $155bn and people would barely blink an eye, writes Terry McCrann.
Skyrocketing debt is free for now
It makes sense for governments to borrow big, but they should move to lock in interest rates, writes Terry McCrann.
What happens when JobKeeper runs out?
JobKeeper has kept workers in their jobs and boosted the broader economy. But what happens when it stops, asks Terry McCrann.
Superannuation surplus is too much
Will an increased “superannuation guarantee” cost jobs? Or would a failure to increase it cost jobs and wages, asks Terry McCrann.
What NSW tax changes mean for the rest of us
NSW is moving to abolish property stamp duty in Tuesday’s budget, but the change is unlikely to impact the rest of the country, writes Terry McCrann.
ASIC needs a new leader and new direction
Scott Morrison was quick to demand Christine Holgate stand down over four watches, but where was his same fury for ASIC boss James Shipton who billed almost $119,000 for personal tax advice to the body, writes Terry McCrann.
Debt, debt, debt as far as the eye can see
It’s official. Australia’s three biggest states will all soon be wallowing in more than $100bn of debt each – on top of $1 trillion in federal debt. But does it matter? Terry McCrann answers.
The PM’s crazy free-trade fantasy
What can the PM expect our shiny new international trade deal to get us when China ignores the free-trade deal we already have, asks Terry McCrann.
World’s risky one-way bet
The people who govern us – both the politicians and the central bankers – are making a universal one-way bet. Here’s why it’s disturbing and very dangerous.
Costello is our 99 per cent man
In corporate life, former federal treasurer Peter Costello is notching up a remarkable record that is probably unrivalled in the developed world, says Terry McCrann.
Why the NBN must not be sold off
Any suggestion the NBN should be privatised is simply madness. It must stay in public hands, and to do otherwise would be vandalism on a national scale, writes Terry McCrann.
Why CPI inflation figures are a nonsense
Official figures tell us inflation is all-but non-existent, but in the real world — especially for one big group of Australians — nothing could be further from the truth, says Terry McCrann.
Why vaccine-induced market surge is premature
Sure, there may well be a coronavirus vaccine in the pipeline, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The benefit, at least economically, will take months to play out, writes Terry McCrann.
Politics not driving Wall Street bullishness this time
Global share markets are on the march but its expectations of further central bank stimulus, rather than the US election result, which is the key driver, writes Terry McCrann.
Big week brings closest thing to free money
After an extraordinary week, home loan borrowers and investors have to decide if they should grab the closest thing to “free money” they are ever going to see and lock it in for four years, writes Terry McCrann.
Big banks had a pretty good year
The big profit plunges reported by the big four banks do not give an accurate guide to how they actually performed through the year — they’ve come through the pandemic pretty well, writes Terry McCrann.
Packer’s Barangaroo dream becomes a nightmare
If the NSW casino inquiry’ final report concludes that Crown is not a suitable holder of the Barangaroo licence, either the licence or Crown will have to go. Either way, it’s complicated and ugly for James Packer, writes Terry McCrann.
The great disruptor exits
In the 1990s John Symond took on the big banks — and won. Since then he has delivered tens of billions of dollars in savings to bank customers and around a billion to himself, writes Terry McCrann.
Why Reserve Bank went zero-point-one
With the most widely anticipated Reserve Bank decision in years, and a strong rise overnight on a Wall St, our market has risen strongly — but it is headed for both immediate and longer-term volatility, writes Terry McCrann.
Holgate’s gone… Now the chairman must follow her
The departure of Christine Holgate as Australia Post chief casts a long shadow over the chairman of the postal service, who must now tender his own resignation, writes Terry McCrann.
No, the recession is not over
Despite the headlines you may have read this week, the whole country will still be in – yes, a milder – recession as we move into 2021. Terry McCrann explains why.
Australia Post chair digs his grave deeper
The chairman of Australia Post has zero understanding of the role and responsibilities of a board chairman, he has betrayed the corporation and its management and staff, and acted against the best interests of all Australians. So now he must go, writes Terry McCrann.
Prime Minister’s outrage over Aus Post chief proves selective
If Scott Morrison did not call for the sacking of ASIC chairman James Shipton or deputy chairman Daniel Crennan but still demanded Christine Holgate be sacked, he has revealed himself as a very small person, writes Terry McCrann.
Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/page/14