Ben Butler

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Ben Butler

The lead guitarist of iconic Australian band Men At Work is attempting to claw royalties from the outfit's hits back from a controversial American music financier. In documents filed with Victoria's Supreme Court, Ron Strykert said US company Royalty Advance Funding, which lends money to musicians, advanced him US$150,000 (about $200,000 at the time) in 2007.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Kate Ashton |Mikaela Ortolan |Ben Butler

Recruitment for Victoria's next police commissioner will likely take months, with former police warning the next pick must be ready to fight the government on funding, address ailing morale within the force and reassure the community on crime. Any incoming commissioner is facing down a disgruntled force where thousands of police union members (87 per cent of more than 14,500 voters) handed down a vote of no-confidence in Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, following a protracted pay dispute.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Ben Butler

At least one of the commanding officers the federal government said would be stripped of medals over alleged war crimes that happened under their command in Afghanistan has challenged the decision. The challenge, which is being resolved within the Defence Department, has added at least four months of delay to a process that has already taken more than four years.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Ben Butler

A fraudster who has run scams against Australians for more than two decades has resurfaced at the centre of a dispute over patents potentially worth more than $21 billion. The patents cover a method of calculating surge pricing — the mechanism companies like Uber use to jack up fares when lots of passengers book at the same time. If they are valid, it would give their owners the right to collect royalties from companies like the rideshare giant which use surge pricing algorithms.

Nov 27, 2024 | abc.net.au | Adele Ferguson |Ben Butler |Chris Gillett

The Victorian government will become the first state to force retirement village operators to sign up to a mandatory code of conduct as part of a crackdown on the sector that also includes more transparency on how fees are calculated. The overhaul follows an ABC investigation into the sector that exposed some operators gouging residents by charging exit fees of as much as 60 per cent of the home's purchase price plus the cost of refurbishing the villa when they sell up.