-
2 months ago | 
themandarin.com.au | Scott Hamilton |Stuart Kells
In the first weeks of Donald Trump’s second presidency, the flow of executive orders and policy announcements from the White House has been extraordinary and dazzling, so much so that getting a clear fix on the decisions – and their rationale and impact — has been difficult. What is real and what is just for show? What decisions will be flashes in the pan, and which ones will have a lasting impact?
-
2 months ago | 
themandarin.com.au | Stuart Kells
In 1799, the physician and philanthropist Dr George Birkbeck gave a series of free lectures for the working men of Glasgow. Extremely popular, the lectures led to more permanent facilities dedicated to workers’ education: the Edinburgh School of Arts (1821) and the London Mechanics’ Institute (1823). At the time, the word ‘mechanic’ had a broad definition that included sundry artisans and tradespeople, many of whom had little access to formal education.
-
2 months ago | 
publicaccountant.com.au | Stuart Kells
Money is important but widely misunderstood. Here are seven hard-to-bust misconceptions about modern money that might surprise you. ‘Fiat money’ means money that is created and given value through the decisions of government. Official bank notes and coins are highly visible examples of fiat money. Today, in modern capitalist economies, the most dominant form of money by far is not fiat money.
-
Nov 27, 2024 | 
themandarin.com.au | John Brumby |Scott Hamilton |Stuart Kells
An extract from ‘A Better Australia: Policy, politics and how to achieve lasting reform’ by John Brumby, Scott Hamilton and Stuart KellsThe national interest and the security and safety of citizens are the best reasons for politics to be put aside. Gun laws will always be a contentious issue, but the post–Port Arthur bipartisanship under Howard’s prime ministership, as reflected in the 1996 [National Firearms Agreement] NFA and subsequent legislation, was a landmark of politics and policy.
-
Nov 19, 2024 | 
johnmenadue.com | Scott Hamilton |Stuart Kells
Many of Australia’s public policy settings were designed decades ago. Since that time, society and the economy have changed radically. Australia’s outdated policy settings now extend to matters as important and diverse as taxation, competition policy, drug laws, reproductive healthcare, the carbon transition, media regulation and the organisation of our parliaments. Change is urgent. This is how we achieve reform, write Scott Hamilton and Stuart Kells.
-
Nov 4, 2024 | 
themandarin.com.au | Scott Hamilton |Stuart Kells |Dan Holmes |Angus Crowther
In the current US presidential election campaign – one of the hardest fought in decades — Australian cultural exports have been surprisingly prominent. When Kamala Harris became the democratic nominee, a video endorsing her for president went viral. It included clips of Australia’s boy wonder, John Farnham, singing the Australian anthem, ‘You’re The Voice’.
-
Oct 31, 2024 | 
themandarin.com.au | John Brumby |Scott Hamilton |Stuart Kells |Erin O'Brien
This is an edited extract from A Better Australia: Politics, Policy and How to Achieve Lasting Reform by John Brumby, Scott Hamilton and Stuart Kells, published by Melbourne University Publishing, RRP $39.99In this context of global change, democratic deficits and a crisis of trust, how can we reform Australian politics and policymaking to meet the challenges and take advantage of the climate of opportunity? The first thing we need to do is decide what kind of Australia we want.
-
Oct 23, 2024 | 
themandarin.com.au | Stuart Kells |Cathy Fussell |Abram El-Sabagh |Liz Hobday
In my 2018 book with Ian Gow, The Big Four, we called out several myths about the international system of corporate oversight, including the idea that the four major accounting firms performed a systemically important, public-benefit function and that they were ‘too big to fail’. We noted that the four firms were facing a powerful confluence of forces — in technology, competition, regulation, integrity and the workforce — that made significant change inevitable.
-
Oct 23, 2024 | 
themandarin.com.au | Tom Ravlic |Stuart Kells |Ian Shepherd |Scott Langford
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission took enforcement action against fewer auditors during the 2023-24 financial year, but don’t automatically hold that against the corporate regulator. ASIC’s latest annual report says that the regulator took action against 52 auditors during the 2023-24 reporting period. This compares with the 468 the commission pinged during the previous year.
-
Oct 22, 2024 | 
themandarin.com.au | Julian Bajkowski |Stuart Kells |Ian Shepherd |Daniel Holmes
South Australian agencies have pushed back against negative findings by the state’s auditor-general. (TI 18) require the chief executive’s approval to approach non‐South Australian businesses for procurements exceeding $55,000. The Audit Office of South Australia’s annual report details the challenges major agencies face in meeting this requirement. Half of the agencies (22 out of 44) covered by the new local procurement rules failed to meet the audit disclosure requirements.
