Andrew McKean

1 week ago | outdoorlife.com | Andrew McKean

As Backcountry Hunters & Anglers mobilizes a nationwide “Flood the Lines” day on Wednesday, June 25, and as Western congressmen and women come home to cranky neighbors, the movement to kill the provision to sell public lands has hit high gear. Political insiders now say there’s a real chance the intense opposition to the bill that requires the sale of 3 million acres of federal land in the West could result in it being pulled.

1 week ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Productivity, a concept treasurer Jim Chalmers recently described as too often seen as "cold" and "almost soulless," despite it being, as he also noted, the best way to improve people's lives over time, was stagnant in the March quarter and declined over the year, according to the latest figures from the Productivity Commission. Productivity Commission deputy chair Alex Robson said Australia's productivity problem is no flash in the pan, calling it a "long-term, structural challenge".

1 week ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has cast productivity as the government's chief priority, with budget sustainability and resilience also among its key focuses but made the case that sensible progress can't be made without proper consideration of more tax reform in a speech at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday. Productivity, he said, which is too often regarded as "a cold, almost soulless, concept," is a problem that's been with Australia not for a couple of years, but for a couple of decades.

1 week ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Rest and the NZ Super Fund have bagged a perfect score in GlobalSWF's GSR scoreboard for governance, sustainability, and resilience. Established in 2020, the annual study examines all the publicly available information from the world's largest sovereign wealth and public pension funds to compile its scorecard. It assesses criteria including transparency and accountability, governance structure and processes, ethical standards and policies, and alignment with sustainable development goals.

1 week ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Vanguard, Betashares, and BlackRock have an iron grip over the ETF industry, commanding the lion's share of funds under management (FUM) - thanks largely to their flagship core, low-cost equity exposures. However, Financial Standard understands that Global X may plan to challenge the incumbents where they're arguably strongest.