Judith Sloan

2 days ago | spectator.com.au | Judith Sloan

Let’s face it, Labor and gabfests go together like a horse and carriage. Who can forget that gabfest of all gabfests, the 2020 Summit, convened by the Ruddster in 2014? (I must confess to attending that shindig, but I quickly add that I took an early mark because there was only so much a sensible woman can tolerate.)In Albo’s first term, there was the Jobs and Skills Summit convened by then workplace relations minister, B2, aka Tony Burke.

1 week ago | spectator.com.au | Judith Sloan

It took a while, but we have now escaped Victoria to spend the winter months in Queensland. It took longer than we expected to quit the joint and the cold weather had well and truly arrived. Heating turned on, heavy doona found. Living in Melbourne is like hanging out in a once grand mansion that is falling apart.

2 weeks ago | spectator.com.au | Judith Sloan

My Dad was a big Aussie Rules fan. He barracked for Carlton, the Blues, on the basis that he had been born in Bacchus Marsh, just outside Melbourne, and a lot of Carlton players came from that area. That was his story, at least. In turn, his children became enthusiastic fans of the Blues, although I was probably less fanatical than my sisters.

3 weeks ago | spectator.com.au | Judith Sloan

Last week I wrote about the freebie phenomenon, the handing out of free or highly subsidised stuff to eager voters. It’s been on the rise for some time and shows no signs of waning, even with conservative governments. Of course, Speccie readers have good memories and none of us has forgotten the excesses of the federal Coalition government during the Covid period.

1 month ago | spectator.com.au | Judith Sloan

For my sins, I need to read the federal and state budget papers. Believe me, there is a great deal of fiction contained in the pages although it is neither well-written nor entertaining. It has become increasingly disheartening to read budget papers as more political propaganda replaces serious economic analysis. But one of the most depressing developments in both federal and state budgets is the ‘freebie’ – handing out free stuff to voters, generally on a universal basis.