Podcasts about hawke keating

This weeks ai slop is served up by DeepSeek v4 Pro. I tried to use Kimi but it got stuck generating the notes. So now you get this. Could be worse. Episode SummaryJack the Insider and Hong Kong Jack return for a wide-ranging conversation that spans the turbulent state of Australian politics and the precarious state of global affairs. The episode opens with striking Redbridge polling data suggesting One Nation could pick up as many as 19 seats in the upcoming Victorian state election -- a result that would leave neither major party able to form government in its own right. The Jacks explore the mechanics of minority government, the prospect of a marriage of convenience between the Liberals and One Nation, and whether Labor voters in protest mode could deliver One Nation unexpected inroads into heartland seats.The domestic focus then shifts to the Australian economy. Drawing on former ACTU Secretary Bill Kelty's recent analysis, the hosts dissect a bureaucracy more concerned with treating symptoms than causes, lamenting squandered billions on unused quarantine centres, infrastructure costs among the highest in the world, and a housing crisis driven by a failure to train enough workers. The conversation turns to political courage -- or the lack of it -- comparing today's risk-averse governing class with the Hawke-Keating reform era, when fringe benefits tax was meant to kill the long lunch but somehow did not.A spirited defence of Emerge Australia -- an advocacy group training GPs to diagnose and treat myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome) -- highlights the government's decision to cut a mere $400,000 in funding, a move Jack the Insider brands disgraceful for an organisation serving an estimated 250,000 Australians. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme reform also gets a hearing, with pharmaceutical companies increasingly bypassing Australia for clinical trials.Internationally, the Jacks confront the escalating dangers of the Russia-Ukraine war. With Ukraine making Crimea increasingly uninhabitable and Vladimir Putin backed into a corner, the prospect of an attack on a NATO or NATO-aligned state looms. The conversation covers Russia's cancelled bond sale, the shifting power dynamic between Putin and Xi Jinping, and thousands of Russian passports arriving in Moldova -- a familiar prelude to intervention. On Iran, the hosts reflect on the Trump administration's military strikes, oil climbing past USD 100 a barrel, and the political consequences for the upcoming US midterm elections.The episode closes with sport: the FIFA World Cup (and Argentina's remarkable ability to unify the football world in mutual disdain), the AFL's handling of the Nicky Winmar domestic violence case and questions of consistency, the end of the Bazball era in English Test cricket, a warm tribute to the late Sir Garfield Sobers, and rugby union's new Nations Championship format.Timestamped Highlights(All timestamps adjusted +25 seconds to account for theme music.)00:00:26 -- Introduction and Banter Jack the Insider and Hong Kong Jack open the show trading observations on air conditioning, long lunches, and the perils of sitting directly beneath the vent.00:01:32 -- One Nation's Victorian Polling Surge Redbridge polling data indicates One Nation could win as many as 19 seats in the Victorian state election. In an 88-seat legislature, that would make a majority for either major party almost impossible.00:02:52 -- Minority Government Mechanics Hong Kong Jack explains the constitutional pathway: if no party wins a majority, the sitting Premier gets the first conversation with the Governor and may be recommissioned to form government.00:04:20 -- A Three-Cornered Contest Jack the Insider argues the Allan government is at the end of the road, but the Liberal alternative inspires little confidence. One Nation may poll well in Labor heartland seats as protest voters look for an outlet that is not the Liberal Party.00:06:33 -- The Polling vs. the Pencil Hong Kong Jack predicts One Nation's polling numbers will soften once voters are alone in the booth with an HB pencil hovering over the ballot paper.00:08:32 -- Commonwealth Games Land in Glasgow The hosts acknowledge the Commonwealth Games have begun -- in Glasgow, not Victoria. The opening ceremony featured King Charles and Queen Camilla emerging from a Doctor Who TARDIS.00:10:50 -- Pauline Hanson and the Tommy Robinson Interview The Jacks dissect Hanson's decision to interview the controversial British figure, with Hong Kong Jack arguing the motivation is straightforward: publicity, good or bad.00:12:12 -- Factions Within One Nation Barnaby Joyce's visible discomfort with the Robinson interview signals internal tensions. Jack the Insider warns One Nation risks veering further towards the "lunar right."00:13:30 -- Two Australias: The Great Dog Divide A detour into the changing culture of pet ownership. Jack the Insider contrasts the utilitarian farm dogs of his Reservoir childhood with the multi-billion-dollar industry of designer dog beds, pushchairs, and booties.00:15:59 -- Bill Kelty's Economic Diagnosis Former ACTU Secretary Bill Kelty delivers a blunt assessment: Australian governments have spent decades treating symptoms rather than causes -- quarantine centres never used, infrastructure costs at world-record levels, a housing crisis born of under-investment in skills.00:17:59 -- The Courage Deficit Hong Kong Jack argues the current government, like its recent predecessors, lacks political boldness. The Prime Minister's Labor conference speech seemed "spooked by One Nation" rather than offering a growth narrative.00:19:22 -- The Keating Comparison Jack the Insider revisits the Hawke-Keating reform era, noting the howls of outrage that greeted early reforms -- including fringe benefits tax, which was meant to "kill lunch" but somehow did not. The difference today: social media amplifies every backlash.00:23:02 -- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Funding Cut An urgent segment on the defunding of Emerge Australia, an advocacy group that has trained roughly 10% of the nation's GPs in diagnosing and treating ME/CFS. The cut amounts to approximately $400,000 -- a sum Jack the Insider describes as negligible in public expenditure but catastrophic for the 250,000 Australians living with the condition.00:26:37 -- The PBS and Australia's Clinical Trial Problem Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly bypassing Australia for clinical trials, leaving patients with rare conditions to raise extraordinary sums for overseas treatment. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme's pricing structure may require root-and-branch reform, particularly for newly developed drugs.00:29:50 -- What Should Labor Do About One Nation? Hong Kong Jack's prescription is simple: fix the economy and stop saying silly things. One Nation will wither on the vine if economic growth returns.00:30:17 -- Derryn Hinch: The Human Headline Remembered The former broadcaster, senator, and Justice Party founder has died aged 82. The Jacks reflect on a complicated legacy -- a man who transformed Melbourne talkback radio and tabloid television, was twice married to Jacki Weaver, and whose profound impact on the media is tempered by a deeply troubling intervention in the justice system.00:32:00 -- The Glennon Case: When a Headline Cost Children Their Safety Jack the Insider recounts in detail how Hinch's decision to publicly name convicted paedophile priest Michael Glennon during an active trial led to the suspension of proceedings, an eventual overturned conviction, and a four-year window in which Glennon continued operating camps and abusing children -- as many as 20 additional victims.00:38:14 -- Hinch's Media Legacy Despite the Glennon tragedy, Hong Kong Jack credits Hinch with changing the sound of Melbourne radio. The talkback format he pioneered arguably saved stations like 3AW.00:40:32 -- Ukraine and the Battle for Crimea The Ukrainians cannot hold Crimea, but they are making it unliveable. Water, electricity, and supplies have been cut. Crimeans are fleeing en masse. The Russian Black Sea Fleet has effectively ceased to exist.00:42:13 -- Putin Backed Into a Corner Jack the Insider warns that Vladimir Putin, when cornered, does not act rationally. The spectre of an attack on a NATO country -- perhaps a Baltic state -- or on Moldova is real. Putin cannot sue for peace; it would mean the end of him.00:44:21 -- Russia's Economic Pressure Points Hong Kong Jack notes that Russia cancelled a regular bond sale last week after failing to find buyers. The economic squeeze is mounting. Putin and his deeply unpopular party are now being fused together ahead of elections.00:47:13 -- Russian Passports Arrive in Moldova Thousands of Russian passports have been shipped to Moldova -- the same playbook used in Crimea and eastern Ukraine before intervention.00:49:32 -- Iran, the Houthis, and Oil Above USD 100 US strikes on Iran continue. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have struck oil tankers. The price of crude has pushed past USD 100 a barrel -- a politically dangerous number for Donald Trump four months out from the midterms.00:50:33 -- The Netanyahu Pitch for Regime Change Jack the Insider recounts the scene from Swan and Haberman's book: Benjamin Netanyahu presenting a case for US-Israeli combined bombing to achieve regime change in Iran. Trump was impressed; Marco Rubio and the CIA director were not.00:52:56 -- US Midterms: The Democratic Candidate Problem The Democrats' prospects are muddied by candidate issues including the withdrawal of Graham Plattner over sexual assault allegations and the party's persistent inability to select candidates who genuinely connect with the white working class.00:54:40 -- Tim Waltz, John Kerry, and Authenticity Hong Kong Jack contrasts the Democrats' clumsy attempts to project authenticity -- Tim Waltz hunting, John Kerry windsurfing -- with the reality that Kerry was an ice hockey player who once attended a White House meeting with two black eyes from a congressional game.00:58:19 -- The Sickness in American Democracy Jack the Insider argues the two-party lock on presidential politics -- achieved partly by keeping third-party candidates off ballots in roughly 30 states -- is profoundly undemocratic. With 40% of voters now registering as independents, millions have no candidate who represents them.00:59:43 -- Can Trump Disrupt the Midterms? Hong Kong Jack analyses the constitutional limits on presidential interference in state-run elections. Any attempt to use emergency powers would go straight to court.01:03:43 -- Marine Le Pen: France's Next President? Polling around 67%, Le Pen is the frontrunner for the French presidential election. Her felony conviction for misusing EU funds appears to be no impediment.01:05:09 -- Andy Burnham's Fast Start as UK Prime Minister The new PM has hit the ground running with popular measures: a GBP 2 bus fare cap across England, 20% business rate cuts for pubs, clubs, and live music venues, and the scrapping of VAT on domestic electricity bills.01:07:36 -- Britain's Investment Challenge The biggest test for Burnham will be attracting investment. The UK has 11 million working-age citizens on benefits -- a figure now exceeding tax receipts.01:09:03 -- FIFA World Cup: Argentina Triumphs, Trump Photobombs Argentina are world champions, but not before a petition signed by millions demanded their exclusion from the final. Donald Trump appeared on the podium; the Spanish commemorative photos, the Jacks note, did not include him.01:11:07 -- The Refereeing and the Expansion The officiating was patchy, but the expanded tournament format was vindicated. Seeing Cape Verde, Australia, New Zealand, and Iran compete gave the event a genuinely global feel.01:14:23 -- Nicky Winmar, the AFL Hall of Fame, and Domestic Violence The Jacks grapple with the AFL's removal of Winmar from the Hall of Fame following a domestic violence conviction. Jack the Insider questions the consistency: Wayne Carey and Gary Ablett Sr. remain honoured. Hong Kong Jack suggests a suspension rather than permanent expulsion would have been more appropriate, arguing that football cannot be reserved for choirboys.01:19:06 -- Bazball's End: The McCallum Era Concludes Baz McCallum is out as England's Test coach after 49 Tests: 27 wins, 20 losses. Ten of the first eleven were victories; seven of the last nine were defeats. The hosts debate whether Bazball added to cricket's audience even if it could not sustainably win Test matches.01:23:20 -- Sir Garfield Sobers: The Greatest of All Time A warm tribute to the late West Indian legend. Jack the Insider recalls meeting Sobers at the Hilton in Barbados. Hong Kong Jack shares the story of Sobers -- completely ambidextrous -- playing golf off scratch left-handed and off two right-handed.01:27:53 -- Rugby Union's Nations Championship A new format pits Northern Hemisphere sides against Southern Hemisphere sides, culminating in finals at Twickenham. Hong Kong Jack is sceptical anyone will care which hemisphere wins. The 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, however, is selling tickets strongly.01:30:00 -- Sign-Off Jack the Insider thanks listeners and apologises for the previous week's absence due to illness. The hosts promise to return on or around 31 July, though Hong Kong Jack advises against buying "20-year futures in us."Social Media PostsTwitter / XPost 1: One Nation could win up to 19 seats in the Victorian election. On this week's episode, we break down what a three-cornered contest means for the major parties -- and why minority government may be coming to Spring Street. Listen now.Post 2: "Putin, when cornered, does not act rationally." This week we examine the escalating dangers in Ukraine, Russian passports in Moldova, and why oil above USD 100 spells trouble for Trump. New episode of The Two Jacks out now.Post 3: $400,000. That is what it costs to train GPs across Australia to diagnose and treat ME/CFS -- and the government has cut it. We discuss why this quiet defunding of Emerge Australia is a disgrace. Full episode linked.Post 4: Derryn Hinch transformed Australian media. He also, by his own grandstanding, gave a paedophile priest four more years of access to children. This week we examine the complicated legacy of the Human Headline.Post 5: Bazball is dead. Garry Sobers is immortal. Nicky Winmar is out of the Hall of Fame. Our sport segment this week covers the big calls in cricket, AFL, rugby, and a World Cup final that unified the planet -- against Argentina.FacebookThis week on The Two Jacks: Jack the Insider and Hong Kong Jack navigate a political landscape where the old rules no longer apply.Redbridge polling has One Nation on track to become kingmaker in Victoria. We explore what minority government would actually look like -- and whether Labor can cling to power even if it finishes second.Bill Kelty says Australia's bureaucracy treats symptoms, not causes. We ask: where has political courage gone, and could anyone sell reform the way Keating did?From a USD 400,000 funding cut that will devastate chronic fatigue sufferers, to pharmaceutical companies abandoning Australian clinical trials, to a PBS in need of root-and-branch reform -- the domestic agenda is packed.Internationally, the picture is darker. Putin is cornered in Ukraine. Iran burns. Oil has passed USD 100. And the US midterms are shaping up as a referendum on Trump's foreign policy.Plus: Derryn Hinch's complicated legacy, Argentina's World Cup, Nicky Winmar and the AFL's consistency problem, the death of Bazball, and a toast to Sir Garfield Sobers -- the greatest cricketer who ever lived.Listen wherever you get your podcasts.InstagramCaption for episode artwork: Episode 165 is live. This week: One Nation's Victorian moment, Putin's dangerous corner, the Hinch legacy, and why a $400K funding cut matters more than you think. Link in bio.

This is such a crap job from Gemini but when you order AI slop I suppose you get what you are given. Welcome back to the Two Jacks. It is May 4, 2026, and today Jack the Insider (Joel Hill) and Hong Kong Jack (HKJ) dive deep into a world teetering on the edge of economic and food security crises. From the "Iran War" closing the Strait of Hormuz to the ongoing "trauma" that is the Carlton Football Club, we've got plenty to cover. Show Notes & Timestamps00:00:25 – Introduction & The HK Power Situation The Jacks open episode 155 with a look at Hong Kong's infrastructure. HKJ reports on building-wide power outages to install 220 new EV chargers—a feat of density that Australia's regional infrastructure is still struggling to match. 00:01:33 – Defining the "Iran War" The hosts discuss the nomenclature of the current conflict. Is it the US-Iran War, or just the "Iran War"? They explore the complex web of proxies and the long-standing hostilities dating back to 1979. 00:03:51 – Polling & The One Nation Surge A breakdown of the latest Redbridge poll shows One Nation at 27%, the Coalition at 22%, and Labor steady at 31%. Despite the right-wing rupture, Anthony Albanese's approval rating sees a surprise boost. 00:05:18 – By-Election Analysis: Nepean & Farrah A post-mortem of the Nepean by-election, where One Nation underperformed its polling. Looking ahead to the Farrah by-election, the Jacks debate the impact of "Teal" candidates and the reliability of how-to-vote cards. 00:09:39 – Scrutineering with Julia Gillard HKJ shares a personal anecdote from his time working at the same law firm as former PM Julia Gillard, recalling how she could always spot his unique (and rebellious) preference flows during internal elections. 00:11:30 – Global Economic Strain: Oil, Food, & Fertilizer The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered the largest energy disruption in history. Brent Crude is sitting at $113.40 per barrel. The hosts discuss the dire warnings from the UN World Food Programme: an additional 45 million people could face acute food insecurity by June. 00:18:34 – The Fertilizer Crisis Farmer and listener Lawrence provides boots-on-the-ground intel: nitrogen and phosphorus prices have skyrocketed, creating a "price issue rather than availability issue" that will hit developing nations like Vietnam and Thailand the hardest. 00:30:42 – Inside Iran: Economic Collapse Iran is facing 67% inflation, with red meat prices soaring beyond the reach of those on a $130/month minimum wage. Post-war reconstruction is estimated at $270 billion—nearly 80% of the nation's GDP. 00:37:22 – The Australian Budget & The Housing Divide A preview of the upcoming federal budget. Will the government risk the "demographic card" by making changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing to appease disenfranchised Millennials and Gen Z voters? 00:41:06 – Productivity & The Ghost of Keating HKJ argues that the road to recovery is productivity growth, lamenting the lack of "courageous" leadership seen during the Hawke-Keating era. 01:02:47 – Money Sinks: NDIS & Snowy Hydro 2.0 A look at the $20 billion blowout of Snowy Hydro 2.0 and the sustainability of the NDIS. 01:07:30 – Was the 90s the Pinnacle? A philosophical debate on whether Western civilization peaked in the decade following the fall of the Berlin Wall. JTI and HKJ reflect on the Cold War, nuclear disarmament talks between Reagan and Gorbachev, and our current "downward slope". 01:12:41 – The Scandinavian Model vs. The Mining Lobby Why are the Danes and Norwegians so much happier than us? The hosts discuss Norway's sovereign wealth fund and why Australia has struggled to implement similar national-building royalty programs due to effective mining industry lobbying. 01:16:03 – Sport: Premier League, NRL, & AFLPremier League: Arsenal and Man City are neck-and-neck with only one point between them. NRL: The Melbourne Storm are in a freefall with seven losses in a row. AFL: Carlton's "astonishing" lapses continue as St Kilda rips them apart. Is Michael Voss's coaching future in jeopardy? 01:34:48 – Wrap Up & Next Week's Preview The Jacks prepare to look at the UK political landscape next week, specifically the "woes" of Sir Keir Starmer and the potential comeback of Nigel Farage. "Eventually, people will get hungry enough and angry enough and will do something. But when that happens, who knows?" — Hong Kong Jack on the situation in Iran. What do you think about the government's approach to the fuel excise and the housing crisis? Drop us a line and let us know!

Robert Tickner began his advocacy with Friends of the Earth and ended up becoming the Federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in the Hawke/Keating governments. He's still fighting for the underdog as Chair of the Justice Reform Initiative, as well as being Co-chair of the EveryAGE Counts initiative to combat ageism. He says ageism is rife in the employment sector and says it's just a matter of time until class actions are launched.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people are attracted to borrowing to invest in property because of negative gearing tax benefits. That is, the (income) loss that an investment property generates helps reduce the amount of tax you pay on your salary or business income.  However, investing in shares also offers unique tax advantages. I thought it would be interesting to quantify and compare the taxation outcomes of these two investment options. Taxation of share market investmentsInvesting in shares can result in some attractive tax outcomes.  Tax credits Australia's imputation system, which was introduced by the Hawke-Keating government in 1987, is unique to Australia. It seeks to avoid the double taxation of corporate profits. It does that by giving shareholders a credit (called franking credit) for the tax that the company has paid. For example, if a listed company makes a net profit of $100, it will pay tax at the flat rate of 30%, so its profit after tax is $70. If it pays the profit out as a dividend to shareholders, the shareholders will receive $70 in cash and a franking credit of $30. Therefore, if the shareholder has no other taxable income, when they lodge their personal tax return, the $30 franking credits will be refunded, meaning that shareholder has received $100 in total (being $70 dividend plus $30 tax refund). Therefore, investing in Australian shares which pay franked dividends is particularly attractive to taxpayers that have low tax rates such as super funds, family trusts that have adult beneficiaries with low taxable incomes, and so forth. Even if you are on the highest marginal income tax rate, you are only going to pay 17% of tax on (fully franked) dividend income, because the company has already paid 30%. If you invest in international shares, and Australia has a tax treaty with the country where the shares are listed, you may be able to claim a foreign income tax offset for the tax that you have been deemed to pay in that country. Although, these credits are not nearly as generous as the Australian imputation system. CGTCapital gains tax applies to share investments. If you hold shares for more than 12 months, you will be entitled to the 50% CGT discount, which means only half of the net capital gain will be included in your taxable income. As a rule of thumb, you can calculate your CGT liability by multiplying the net capital gain by 23.5% (being half of the top marginal tax rate including the Medicare levy; 47%). Perhaps the biggest advantages of investing in shares from a CGT perspective is the ability to (1) progressively sell and (2) nominate which parcel of shares you are selling. Selling shares progressively over multiple tax years can help minimise or even avoid crystalising a CGT liability. This benefit cannot be understated. Selecting which method you use to calculate your CGT liability (e.g., FIFO, LIFO, HIFO, as explained here) can also help minimise CGT liabilities. Share investments are very flexible which allows you (or more correctly, your holistic accountant) to proactively minimise your taxation liabilities. Interest and other deductions If you borrow to invest in shares, the interest you pay in respect to those borrowings will be tax deductible, just like it is with property. Therefore, it is possible to negatively gear share investments, although I would caution against doing so (at least not to the same extent as property), aTo subscribe to Stuart's blog: https://www.prosolution.com.au/stay-connected/

Andrew Fraser is a former journalist who was Queensland bureau chief of a national newspaper and a member of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery during the Hawke-Keating era. He was a political adviser and speechwriter to several Queensland governments. Today he's the ARM QLD Branch Convenor, and says: "To get specifically onto the subject of the republic, in 1999, Queensland had the worst result. 37.5%. Yes. I think probably the main reason was that it was actually seen as a trendy lefty Sydney, Melbourne thing…" Today, Queensland is sporting a very different outlook. Hear about what's on the horizon for the sunshine state… To contact Andrew Fraser regarding the campaign in Queensland please email qld@republic.org.au

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected as “laughable” criticism he has turned his back on the Hawke-Keating reform era in his blueprint for “values-based capitalism”. In this podcast Chalmers also reveals he spoke with Paul Keating while writing of the essay, published in The Monthly. “Capitalism after the crises” looks at Australia's future following three international crises: the GFC, the pandemic, and the current energy and inflation shock. Chalmers advocates government-private co-investment, the renovation of the Reserve Bank and the Productivity Commission, and improving the functioning of markets. Critics have labelled his values-based capitalism highly intervention, and counter to the direction of the reforms Bob Hawke and Keating implemented.

Gordon Menzies obtained a (First Class) Honours degree from the University of New England in 1985. He won the Robert Jones Prize for the best Masters student at the Australian National University in 1997, and he won a Commonwealth Scholarship to undertake doctoral studies at Oxford University over 1998 to 2001. Prior to joining the University of Technology Sydney in 2003 he was 'in the room' of policymakers during the transformation of the Australian economy by the Hawke-Keating governments. From 1986 until 2003, he was an economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia. Links ___________________ Contact: utopiaisnow2020@gmail.com Gordon Menzies: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/gordon.me... Buy Western Fundamentalism: https://bit.ly/3HaqUl0 Timestamps ___________________ 0:40 - Gordon Menzies Introduction 1:41 - What is Fundamentalism & how are we in the West fundamentalists? 5:03 - What is the importance of having first principles? 11:31 - Possession of ‘unprovable beliefs' 19:21 - Is there a problem with being a fundamentalist, especially a Western fundamentalist? 35:50 - What are ‘Unthinking Responses' and how can this help us examine our first principles 39:32 - Can we be friends with people who hold fundamentally different beliefs? 46:12 - How can we promote critical thinking? 50:07 - Do policymakers have a view that economics takes primacy over issues such as moral goodness, environmental protection and being a person of virtue? 1:05:12 - Is Economic Growth a western fundamental? 1:14:17 - Do we have to bring an end to Capitalism? 1:20:25 - Limits: Why Malthus was Wrong 1:28:36 - What ought we do in an age where political discourse has been hallowed out by economists and technocrats? 1:40:21 - Promoting alternative scripts of living 1:50:58 - What is Gordon's Utopia? Credits __________________ Thumbnail: Scuola di Atene by Rafael Sanzio da Urbino --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/utopia-is-now/message

Scotty From Multitasking has so many jobs! Emerald and Tom are joined by Elizabeth Humphrys (12:02), author of How Labour Built Neoliberalism: Australia's Accord, The Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project. What is neoliberalism and when did it take over Australia? Is Paul Keating actually bad? Will the upcoming Jobs & Skills Summit be the Accord 2.0? Finally, a call to action (1:00:59). Subscribe to our Patreon to keep the show alive and hear bonus episodes like our full hour-long interview with Wil Anderson -  https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  Full video version of this episode available on https://www.youtube.com/c/SeriousDangerAU  Follow Elizabeth on Twitter @anintegralstate All her links - https://linktr.ee/anintegralstate   Toohottowork.org   Order Elizabeth's book here - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1360-how-labour-built-neoliberalism ‘The Hawke-Keating agenda was Laborism, not neoliberalism, and is still a guiding light' by Wayne Swan - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/14/the-hawke-keating-agenda-was-laborism-not-neoliberalism-and-is-still-a-guiding-light  Tom talking to Wayne Swan about neoliberalism on his other podcast (and it makes Wayne tetchy) - https://likeimasixyearold.libsyn.com/206-wayne-swan  CALL TO ACTION - Check for Greens events in your area - https://greens.org.au/events  If you're outside the ACT, email your state MP and ask them to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years old - https://www.changetherecord.org.au/RTA_EmailMP Don't NAB our future campaign - https://chuffed.org/project/ss4c-dontnabourfuture  Produced by Michael Griffin Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Patreon @SeriousDangerAU seriousdangerpod.comSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gareth Evans AC QC, former Cabinet Minister in the Hawke–Keating governments joins Amy to talk about his new book, Good International Citizenship: The Case for Decency. Why should Australia care about poverty, human rights atrocities, environmental catastrophes, weapons proliferation or any other problems afflicting faraway countries, when they don't have any direct or immediate impact on us? Gareth Evans explains why and how Australians should demand better both morally and ethically from their governments on the international stage. British biologist and bumblebee expert Professor Dave Goulson joins Amy to talk about his latest book, Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse. Dave talks about how insects have been misunderstood, the vital contributions they make to our ecosystems and lives. He also explains the concerning research detailing insect decline and the reasons behind it. We can and must prevent an insect apocalypse. Dave Goulson studied biology at Oxford University and is Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. Dr Emma Shortis, Research Fellow from the EU Centre of Excellence at RMIT drops by to discuss the latest in U.S. politics. Emma talks about the real-life consequences of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade, Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia, and gun control reform since the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting.

Employers urge the Albanese government to use its upcoming jobs summit to restore the Hawke-Keating enterprise bargaining system to boost productivity. World Economic Forum in Davos is told Russia's war in Ukraine will unleash “the worst food crisis in recent memory” across vast swathes of the developing world, with the potential to create “hell on earth” for some countries. Van Eck Australia will list a fund tracking the price of carbon on the local sharemarket as environmental investors are buoyed by Green, teal election victories. Employers may be required to train staff to speak up about workplace sexual harassment with a view to preventing it, or at least intervene earlier, and deal with power imbalances without excluding women, under legislation committed to by the new Labor government. Facebook Australia's tax bill was $24 million last year after it doubled profits but funnelled nearly $1 billion in local advertising revenue to an international subsidiary Follow my socials on: https://twitter.com/leongettlerhttps://www.instagram.com/leongettler/https://www.linkedin.com/in/leongettler/https://www.facebook.com/talkingbusinesspodcasthttps://business.google.com/dashboard/l/17460167277811417147?hl=en&gmbsrc=au-en-z-z-z-gmb-s-119-u~mhp-ns_hom_8-u&omec=EI_z6RYYASIBATIBATotZ21ic3JjPWF1LWVuLXotei16LWdtYi1zLTExOS11fm1ocC1uc19ob21fOC11QAFKEwjq4cCIj5D3AhXNnWMKHUB5Cqg%3Dhttps://www.youtube.com/c/LeonGettler/discussion?app=desktop See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans speaks to Executive Director Michael Fullilove about his new book Good International Citizenship: The case for decency. He argues that being, and being seen to be, a good international citizen is in a country's national interest. He sets out four benchmarks by which a country's performance can be judged: its foreign aid generosity, its response to human rights violations, its reaction to violence and mass atrocities, and its contribution to dealing with complex global issues such as nuclear proliferation and climate change. The Hon Gareth Evans AC QC was a Cabinet minister throughout the Hawke–Keating governments and served as foreign minister from 1988 to 1996. He was president of the International Crisis Group from 2000 to 2009, and Chancellor of the Australian National University from 2010 to 2019. He was co-chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty and the Australia–Japan International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. He has written or edited thirteen books, most recently Incorrigible Optimist: A Political Memoir. More about this episode here: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/conversations-gareth-evans-good-international-citizenship

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans speaks to Executive Director Michael Fullilove about his new book Good International Citizenship: The case for decency. He argues that being, and being seen to be, a good international citizen is in a country's national interest. He sets out four benchmarks by which a country's performance can be judged: its foreign aid generosity, its response to human rights violations, its reaction to violence and mass atrocities, and its contribution to dealing with complex global issues such as nuclear proliferation and climate change. The Hon Gareth Evans AC QC was a Cabinet minister throughout the Hawke–Keating governments and served as foreign minister from 1988 to 1996. He was president of the International Crisis Group from 2000 to 2009, and Chancellor of the Australian National University from 2010 to 2019. He was co-chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty and the Australia–Japan International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. He has written or edited thirteen books, most recently Incorrigible Optimist: A Political Memoir.More about this episode here: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/conversations-gareth-evans-good-international-citizenshipSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Start your day the right way, with a stimulating discussion of the latest news headlines and hot button topics from The Advertiser and Sunday Mail. Today, hear from Pavlo Hunka, Sally Warhaft and Gareth Evans. Pavlo Hunka is performing as Tsar Dodon in The Golden Cockerel in the 2022 Adelaide Festival. An internationally acclaimed opera singer, he has sung in the most prestigious opera houses in the world over the past 32 years. Pavlo is the Artistic Director of the Ukrainian Art Song Project whose aim is to record an anthology of over one thousand Ukrainian classical art songs by 29 Ukrainian composers. Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre's live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year, a Wheeler Centre podcast about Australians' lives in the fog of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a former editor of The Monthly and the author of the bestselling book Well May We Say: The Speeches that Made Australia. Gareth Evans, now Chancellor of the Australian National University, was a member of the Australian Parliament for 21 years, and a cabinet minister throughout the Hawke–Keating era, serving as Foreign Minister from 1988-96. He led the Brussels-based International Crisis Group from 2000-09 and has won many prizes and awards for his contributions to international policymaking. He has written or edited, solely or jointly, twelve books, most recently Good International Citizenship: The Case for Decency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When he emerged as Australia's 30th Prime Minister in 2018, Scott Morrison was not known for his diplomatic credentials and had never made foreign policy a big feature of his political career. Yet he has presided over one of the most consequential periods in Australia's international relations: from a recalibration of ties with China, Australia's primary trade partner, to the announcement of the AUKUS agreement. In this episode, Director of the Lowy Institute's International Security Program Sam Roggeveen speaks to journalist and political commentator Paul Kelly about the factors and influences that have shaped Scott Morrison's approach to foreign policy, which are detailed in Kelly's new Lowy Institute Paper, Morrison's Mission: How a Beginner Reshaped Australian foreign policy.Paul Kelly is Editor-at-Large at The Australian. He writes on politics, public policy and international relations and is a former Editor-in-Chief at the paper. He has written or co-authored 12 books on Australian politics and history including The End of Certainty (1992) on the politics and economic reforms of the Hawke-Keating era, The March of Patriots (2009), offering a re-interpretation of the Keating and Howard prime ministerships, and Triumph and Demise (2014), an account of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era. Morrison's Mission follows his 2006 book for the Lowy Institute on John Howard's foreign policy, Howard's Decade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When he emerged as Australia's 30th Prime Minister in 2018, Scott Morrison was not known for his diplomatic credentials and had never made foreign policy a big feature of his political career. Yet he has presided over one of the most consequential periods in Australia's international relations: from a recalibration of ties with China, Australia's primary trade partner, to the announcement of the AUKUS agreement. In this episode, Director of the Lowy Institute's International Security Program Sam Roggeveen speaks to journalist and political commentator Paul Kelly about the factors and influences that have shaped Scott Morrison's approach to foreign policy, which are detailed in Kelly's new Lowy Institute Paper, Morrison's Mission: How a Beginner Reshaped Australian foreign policy. Paul Kelly is Editor-at-Large at The Australian. He writes on politics, public policy and international relations and is a former Editor-in-Chief at the paper. He has written or co-authored 12 books on Australian politics and history including The End of Certainty (1992) on the politics and economic reforms of the Hawke-Keating era, The March of Patriots (2009), offering a re-interpretation of the Keating and Howard prime ministerships, and Triumph and Demise (2014), an account of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era. Morrison's Mission follows his 2006 book for the Lowy Institute on John Howard's foreign policy, Howard's Decade.

Australia has had a touchy relationship with Multinationals since the economy was opened to the world during the Hawke-Keating years. But now, the distinction between those well-known multinationals in primary industries such as Rio Tinto or Adani Mining, and the new-age arrivals like Facebook, Google, Netflix and Spotify, is making the argument about why less corporate tax gives Australia competitive advantage a little harder to argue.

Wayne Swan is a former Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. He's the current President of the Australian Labor Party.  In this conversation I ask Wayne about Labor's performance in the recent Newspoll, what it means for Australia to aspire to "full employment" out of COVID, the ideological war over superannuation, whether the Hawke-Keating legacy can be described as "neoliberal" and how he thinks about the relationship between the ALP and the Greens.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you @SwannyQLD Wayne's media as ALP President My interview with Wayne on Tonightly in 2018 ARTICLE: Sometimes, Too Much Is...Too Much by Wayne Swan ARTICLE: Already in this crisis we are slipping into over-optimism about the economy and over-pessimism about debt by Wayne Swan ARTICLE: Liberals tearing down the pillars of our superannuation scheme by Wayne Swan ARTICLE: Weakening superannuation is a once-in-a-100-year mistake by Wayne Swan ARTICLE: The Hawke-Keating agenda was Laborism, not neoliberalism, and is still a guiding light by Wayne Swan How Labour Built Neoliberalism: Australia's Accord, the Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project by Elizabeth Humphrys Cause of the Week: St Vincent de Paul Society (vinnies.org.au)  

S2 E5: The 90s at HomeE5.3 Australia in the WorldThis week, Chloe and Emma return to home shores to explore Australia in the 1990s. On the domestic front, Australia was led by three Prime Ministers: Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and John Howard. They discuss the economic legacy of the Hawke/Keating era, and wonder if current debates about the enduring legacy of the Accords obscure the dramatic economic reforms pursued by the Howard Government. They discuss Keating’s efforts to further Aboriginal rights and the ensuing white backlash led by John Howard and Pauline Hanson.LinksAmy McQuire: ‘We must bear witness to black deaths in our own country’ https://amymcquire.substack.com/p/we-must-bear-witness-to-black-deathsAlison Whittaker, ‘Despite 432 Indigenous deaths in custody, no one has ever been convicted. Racist silence and complicity are to blame’, https://theconversation.com/despite-432-indigenous-deaths-in-custody-no-one-has-ever-been-convicted-racist-silence-and-complicity-are-to-blame-139873[Note: Chloe mistakenly said noone had been ‘arrested and charged’ over a death in custody. In 2019, murder charges were laid against two men, for the murders of, respectively, Joyce Clarke and Kumanjayi Walker https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/01/deaths-in-our-backyard-432-indigenous-australians-have-died-in-custody-since-2008]Don Watson, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart, 2002.Boris Frankel, ‘Beyond Labourism and Socialism: How the Australian Labor Party developed the Model of 'New Labour'’, New Left Review, 1/221, 1997 https://newleftreview.org/issues/I221/articles/boris-frankel-beyond-labourism-and-socialism-how-the-australian-labor-party-developed-the-model-of-new-labour [subscription required]Frank Bongiorno, ‘Are we in Accord?’, Inside Story, 27 May 2020 https://insidestory.org.au/are-we-in-accord/Elizabeth Humphrys, How Labor Built Neoliberalism: Australia’s Accord, the Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project, Brill, 2019.‘The drink that started the Mueller investigation: George Papadopoulos and Alexander Downer tell us everything’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-24/mueller-investigation-george-papadopoulos-alexander-downer-speak/11107712Robert Manne, “Little America: How John Howard has changed Australia,” and “The History Wars,” both in The Monthly, March 2006 and November 2009.https://www.themonthly.com.au/monthly-essays-robert-manne-little-america-how-john-howard-has-changed-australia-184#mtrhttps://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2009/november/1270703045/robert-manne/commentPaul Keating question time excerpt - Australian Parliament HousePaul Keating in Indonesia News Story excerpt - ABC TV AustraliaJohn Hewson ‘Birthday Cake’ GST excerpt - Channel 9 NewsJohn Howard’s GST excerpt - ABC TV AustraliaGun Buyback news story excerpt - Channel 10 NewsJohn Howard’s Indigenous Rights excerpt - Liberal Party AustraliaGulf War News Story excerpt - Channel 9 NewsPort Arthur Massacre news story excerpt - ABC TV Australia

S2 E5: The 90s at HomeE5.2 Australia at the End of HistoryThis week, Chloe and Emma return to home shores to explore Australia in the 1990s. On the domestic front, Australia was led by three Prime Ministers: Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and John Howard. They discuss the economic legacy of the Hawke/Keating era, and wonder if current debates about the enduring legacy of the Accords obscure the dramatic economic reforms pursued by the Howard Government. They discuss Keating’s efforts to further Aboriginal rights and the ensuing white backlash led by John Howard and Pauline Hanson.LinksAmy McQuire: ‘We must bear witness to black deaths in our own country’ https://amymcquire.substack.com/p/we-must-bear-witness-to-black-deathsAlison Whittaker, ‘Despite 432 Indigenous deaths in custody, no one has ever been convicted. Racist silence and complicity are to blame’, https://theconversation.com/despite-432-indigenous-deaths-in-custody-no-one-has-ever-been-convicted-racist-silence-and-complicity-are-to-blame-139873[Note: Chloe mistakenly said noone had been ‘arrested and charged’ over a death in custody. In 2019, murder charges were laid against two men, for the murders of, respectively, Joyce Clarke and Kumanjayi Walker https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/01/deaths-in-our-backyard-432-indigenous-australians-have-died-in-custody-since-2008]Don Watson, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart, 2002.Boris Frankel, ‘Beyond Labourism and Socialism: How the Australian Labor Party developed the Model of 'New Labour'’, New Left Review, 1/221, 1997 https://newleftreview.org/issues/I221/articles/boris-frankel-beyond-labourism-and-socialism-how-the-australian-labor-party-developed-the-model-of-new-labour [subscription required]Frank Bongiorno, ‘Are we in Accord?’, Inside Story, 27 May 2020 https://insidestory.org.au/are-we-in-accord/Elizabeth Humphrys, How Labor Built Neoliberalism: Australia’s Accord, the Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project, Brill, 2019.‘The drink that started the Mueller investigation: George Papadopoulos and Alexander Downer tell us everything’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-24/mueller-investigation-george-papadopoulos-alexander-downer-speak/11107712Robert Manne, “Little America: How John Howard has changed Australia,” and “The History Wars,” both in The Monthly, March 2006 and November 2009.https://www.themonthly.com.au/monthly-essays-robert-manne-little-america-how-john-howard-has-changed-australia-184#mtrhttps://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2009/november/1270703045/robert-manne/commentPaul Keating question time excerpt - Australian Parliament HousePaul Keating in Indonesia News Story excerpt - ABC TV AustraliaJohn Hewson ‘Birthday Cake’ GST excerpt - Channel 9 NewsJohn Howard’s GST excerpt - ABC TV AustraliaGun Buyback news story excerpt - Channel 10 NewsJohn Howard’s Indigenous Rights excerpt - Liberal Party AustraliaGulf War News Story excerpt - Channel 9 NewsPort Arthur Massacre news story excerpt - ABC TV Australia

S2 E5: The 90s at HomeE5.1 We did the dispossessingE5.2 Australia at the End of HistoryE5.3 Australia in the WorldThis week, Chloe and Emma return to home shores to explore Australia in the 1990s. On the domestic front, Australia was led by three Prime Ministers: Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and John Howard. They discuss the economic legacy of the Hawke/Keating era, and wonder if current debates about the enduring legacy of the Accords obscure the dramatic economic reforms pursued by the Howard Government. They discuss Keating’s efforts to further Aboriginal rights and the ensuing white backlash led by John Howard and Pauline Hanson.LinksAmy McQuire: ‘We must bear witness to black deaths in our own country’ https://amymcquire.substack.com/p/we-must-bear-witness-to-black-deathsAlison Whittaker, ‘Despite 432 Indigenous deaths in custody, no one has ever been convicted. Racist silence and complicity are to blame’, https://theconversation.com/despite-432-indigenous-deaths-in-custody-no-one-has-ever-been-convicted-racist-silence-and-complicity-are-to-blame-139873[Note: Chloe mistakenly said noone had been ‘arrested and charged’ over a death in custody. In 2019, murder charges were laid against two men, for the murders of, respectively, Joyce Clarke and Kumanjayi Walker https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/01/deaths-in-our-backyard-432-indigenous-australians-have-died-in-custody-since-2008]Don Watson, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart, 2002.Boris Frankel, ‘Beyond Labourism and Socialism: How the Australian Labor Party developed the Model of 'New Labour'’, New Left Review, 1/221, 1997 https://newleftreview.org/issues/I221/articles/boris-frankel-beyond-labourism-and-socialism-how-the-australian-labor-party-developed-the-model-of-new-labour [subscription required]Frank Bongiorno, ‘Are we in Accord?’, Inside Story, 27 May 2020 https://insidestory.org.au/are-we-in-accord/Elizabeth Humphrys, How Labor Built Neoliberalism: Australia’s Accord, the Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project, Brill, 2019.‘The drink that started the Mueller investigation: George Papadopoulos and Alexander Downer tell us everything’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-24/mueller-investigation-george-papadopoulos-alexander-downer-speak/11107712Robert Manne, “Little America: How John Howard has changed Australia,” and “The History Wars,” both in The Monthly, March 2006 and November 2009.https://www.themonthly.com.au/monthly-essays-robert-manne-little-america-how-john-howard-has-changed-australia-184#mtrhttps://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2009/november/1270703045/robert-manne/commentPaul Keating question time excerpt - Australian Parliament HousePaul Keating in Indonesia News Story excerpt - ABC TV AustraliaJohn Hewson ‘Birthday Cake’ GST excerpt - Channel 9 NewsJohn Howard’s GST excerpt - ABC TV AustraliaGun Buyback news story excerpt - Channel 10 NewsJohn Howard’s Indigenous Rights excerpt - Liberal Party AustraliaGulf War News Story excerpt - Channel 9 NewsPort Arthur Massacre news story excerpt - ABC TV Australia

Investing in shares can produce tax benefits. But it can also result in tax liabilities too. Terms such as “franking credits” and “imputation credits” (same thing) were frequently used during last year’s federal election (the Labor Party proposed to ban franking credit refunds). However, many people do not understand these concepts. So, this blog seeks to provide a simple overview of the possible taxation consequences resulting from investing in shares.There are two types of taxes that could result from making an investment (including share market investments) being income tax and Capital Gains Tax (CGT).Income tax and franking creditsSome shares pay investors an income which is called a dividend. This is typically paid twice per year (interim plus final dividend). The amount of the dividend can vary significantly (this is called the dividend yield – refer to this blog for a basic overview of investing in shares).A company can declare and pay a dividend from profit after it has paid tax. The dividend imputation system was introduced in Australia in 1987 by the Hawke-Keating Labor Government. Essentially, it sought to avoid the double taxing of corporate profits. This is best explained as an example.Assume listed company XYZ Ltd recorded a profit of $100. It would pay $30 in tax because the corporate tax rate is 30% for companies with turnover of greater than $50 million. So, its after tax profit is $70. If it paid the dividend to shareholders who are individuals on the highest margin income tax rate of 47%, they would pay $32.90 of tax (being 47% of $70). The amount of the dividend left after paying all taxes is only $37.10 meaning the effective tax rate is 62.9%! In this instance, company profits have been taxed twice – once in the hands of the company and then again in the hand of the shareholder. Hawke-Keating believed this double taxation was unfair. So, how does dividend imputation work?To avoid the double-taxing of dividends, shareholders obtain a credit for the amount of tax the company has previously paid. Using the example above, the company has already paid $30 in tax so the shareholders will obtain a credit for this amount.The formula is: cash amount of dividend plus franking credit multiplied by the marginal tax rate minus the franking credits.Therefore, using the example above, the cash dividend is $70 + $30 of franking credits X 47% - $30 franking credit = $17. So, the shareholder will pay an additional amount of tax of $17 when they lodge their tax return. This means the net dividend retained after all taxes is $53 ($100 - $30 - $17).Imputation credit refundsIf the shareholder has an effective tax rate lower than the corporate tax rate, then they will receive a tax refund. A good example of this is superannuation funds. A super fund’s tax rate is 15%.Therefore, a super fund will receive the dividend of $70 plus a refund of $15 (i.e. using the formula above; $70 + $30 X 15% - $30 = refund of $15). If the super fund is in pension phase, its tax rate is zero so it will receive a full refund of all imputation credits i.e. $70 + $30. This is what the Labor Party was arguing against last year i.e. that self-managed super funds shouldn’t be entitled to a refund.International shares offer limited tax creditsMost foreign countries do not have an imputation system except for New Zealand. That said, you may be entitled to foreign tax credits resulting from receiving dividends. However, any credits will typically be relatively immaterial, and certainly not as generous as the Australian system.How does capital gains tax work?If you sell shares and for a profit, you may have to pay capital gains tax. If you have owned the shares for more than 12 months, you are entitled to discount your capital gain by 50%. The net capital gain is then taxed at your marginal tax rate.Example: Karen purchased Afterpay Ltd shares in January 2018 for $6.50 per share. She sold these shares in January 2020 for $34 making a very healthy profit of $27.50 per share. Because she owned them for more than 12 months, she can discount the gain by 50% to $13.75. This gain is taxed at her marginal rate of 47%. So, she will pay approximately $6.46 per share in tax.Different owners will produce different tax outcomesThe dividend imputation system means that the amount of tax you pay will be dictated by the shareholder’s tax rate:§ Superannuation fund (either in a SMSF or wrap product) – this is the most tax effective environment because it has a flat tax rate of 15% in accumulation phase (i.e. while you are still working) and zero in retirement (pension phase). This means that the amount of dividend will consist of a cash amount plus a tax refund. For example, over the past 12 months, Westpac paid a cash dividend of $1.74 per share and this was fully franked. This means there were $0.75 of franking credits attached to these dividends. Therefore, if a super fund that is in pension phase owned these shares, the total income that would receive is $2.49 per share ($1.74 + $0.75) or 9.9% p.a. If a super fund was still in accumulation phase, the after-tax dividend would be $2.11 or 8.4% p.a.§ Family Trust – if a family trusts owns shares it can distribute dividends and capital gains to the beneficiaries that would enjoy the best tax outcomes. For example, dividends can be distributed to persons on low incomes to receive full benefit of the imputation credits. Capital gains can be distributed to beneficiaries that have carried forward capital losses.§ Personal name – if you own shares in your personal name then obviously dividends will be taxed at your marginal rate.A plan will find the most optimal structureThis demonstrates that depending on how you own shares, dividend imputation credits can significantly increase your after-tax income returns. When I develop a financial strategy for my clients, I take this into account.For example, if a client has share investments in super and a family trust, then I might recommend that we invest in Australian shares in the super fund and international shares in the trust, to achieve the best tax outcomes. Of course, I’m not going to develop an asset allocation solely to maximise tax benefits. The asset allocation is developed without considering taxation. However, how that pre-determined asset allocation is implemented is often heavily influenced by taxation considerations.Don’t rush out and buy sharesI don’t believe in investing in direct shares because there is overwhelming evidence that very few people or businesses (less than 1%) can pick which shares to buy and when to sell them consistently well to generate materially higher returns than the market.Instead, I believe that investors are better off using a diversified portfolio of low-cost, rules-based, index funds that utilise various methodologies. Here are two blogs that explain this in more detail (here and here). Investors will still enjoy the tax benefits explained above if they adopt this approach.

Why is contemporary Australia seen globally as a successful economic nation? University of Oxford Professor David Vines explores the radical shift in thinking by the HC 'Nugget' Combs' generation of macroeconomists, which took place during World War II, and formed the necessary underpinning of the later Hawke-Keating reforms. Professor Vines is the 2018 National Library Fellow supported by the Minerals Council of Australia.

From social media to our need for 24 hour news, we know that the world has changed. But how would past leaders survive today? And do we put our current political leaders under so much pressure, despite being able to do only so much? Talking through these topics with me is professional economist William Witheridge and Whig Capital's Jordan Shopov. A special thanks to Sam Muller for his help in producing this episode!

Australia has a vital set of relationships with its Asian neighbours, built on the foundation of shared geography, security interests and mutually beneficial trade. Over recent decades Japan and China have become global powerhouses and India may yet join them. Having strong, beneficial relations with these countries will only become more important. One of the most important figures in building these relationships is Gareth Evans. When he became Foreign Minister in September 1988 he prioritised building a strong relationship between Australia and Asian countries, navigating the troubled relationship with Indonesia, working closely with China and other regional powers in initiating the UN peace plan for Cambodia, and playing key roles in the creation of new regional economic and security policy architecture with APEC and the ASEAN Regional Forum. This conversation reflects on Gareth Evans’ time in office, discuss his thoughts on Australia’s place in Asia and how our region’s future may unfold. He is in conversation with Professor Nick Bisley, executive director of La Trobe Asia. Gareth Evans was a member of parliament and Cabinet member throughout the Hawke-Keating years. His newbook, Incorrigible Optimist: A Political Memoir is published by Melbourne University Publishing. Recorded at the State Library of Victoria on 15 November, 2017.

Australia has a vital set of relationships with its Asian neighbours, built on the foundation of shared geography, security interests and mutually beneficial trade. Over recent decades Japan and China have become global powerhouses and India may yet join them. Having strong, beneficial relations with these countries will only become more important. One of the most important figures in building these relationships is Gareth Evans. When he became Foreign Minister in September 1988 he prioritised building a strong relationship between Australia and Asian countries, navigating the troubled relationship with Indonesia, working closely with China and other regional powers in initiating the UN peace plan for Cambodia, and playing key roles in the creation of new regional economic and security policy architecture with APEC and the ASEAN Regional Forum. This conversation reflects on Gareth Evans’ time in office, discuss his thoughts on Australia’s place in Asia and how our region’s future may unfold. He is in conversation with Professor Nick Bisley, executive director of La Trobe Asia. Gareth Evans was a member of parliament and Cabinet member throughout the Hawke-Keating years. His newbook, Incorrigible Optimist: A Political Memoir is published by Melbourne University Publishing. Recorded at the State Library of Victoria on 15 November, 2017.

In this episode of Living the Dream Jon (@JonPiccini) and Dave (@withsobersenses) are joined by Liz Humphrys (@liz_beths) who torpedos the hagiography of the ALP Hawke-Keating government. Whilst the talking heads of the ALP like Van Badham and Wayne Swan argue over if the Hawke-Keating government was mainly excellent with a few flaws or really excellent with none, Liz’s ground breaking work on the Accord shows how the latter was the central plank of the implementation of neo-liberalism in Australia and the method of delivering an epoch defining defeat to the working class and the decomposition of our power. Not one for pointless pessimism Liz also gives us some key insights from this history that can help us recompose a viable anticapitalist project today. Liz’s work can be found at:   An Integral State  Left Flank How Labour Made Neoliberalism (with Damien Cahill)   And we take umbrage at these confused musings of and about Australian Laborism: Australian Labor led centre-left parties into neoliberalism. Can they lead it out? Labour has a chance if it replaces Corbyn. Look at Australia in 1983 The Hawke-Keating agenda was Laborism, not neoliberalism, and is still a guiding light   For those interested in the subject matter of this podcast the Brisbane Labour History Association is presenting the Alex Macdonald lecture: Labor, labour and Australia in the 1980s feature historian Frank Bongiorno 7th June 5.30 for 6.00pm at the QCU Building, 16 Peel St,, South Brisbane. This podcast contains music from Painters and Dockers that encapsulates the feel of Australia in the 1980s

The Privatisation of Ward 9B follows a desperate psychiatrist, Doctor Craven (played by David McCrae) in his efforts to supplement diminishing public funding by dragging his patients into the merciless world of economic enterprise. Written in 1991 at a time when the Hawke-Keating government was privatising public services such as airports, airlines, telecommunications and banks, Bill Marshall’s social message still rings clear - we bring an emphasis on profit making and cost cutting into the provision of public services at the peril of those most vulnerable in society. As I was born in the year it was written, I’ve only ever known these services to be private, and wonder if the setting had a more meaningful impact on the audience’s members from an older generation. Walking into the intimate black box theatre at La Mama, a nurse seated in the corner of the stage judged our every movements. It was as if we had entered a psychiatric ward as patients instead of a theatre as audience members, foreshadowing the audience's active role as characters in the story that unfolded. We were addressed as potential investors, which questioned the morality of our role as observers of a stage performance as a parallel to those people detained on behalf of society at large. Theatre norms were smashed from the beginning when the theatre manager gave his Welcome to Country and phones off announcement after the play had seemingly begun. With the actors on stage with him, they guided the audience members to a medicine cup with a “pill” under each of our chairs. I don't know what was in that pill but it was a roller coaster into crazy land from that moment forward. Mike, played by Marc Opitz, claims he is a sane visitor of the hospital, trapped in the ward and being treated like a patient. Much like Leonardo Dicaprio in Shutter Island, the audience is left wondering whether he is the only voice of reason, or profoundly self-deluded. The thematic relevance of this character in a wider sense opened the question; who should be given the power to decide what is sane and what is not? In Ward 9B, the audience is privy to Dr Craven’s abuse of authority to make these judgements, yet within the world of the play fails to see his corruption and wrongly rewards his manipulations. The farcical results are begging to be compared with our contemporary political and social landscapes. Mike’s sub-story, like all four of the patients in Ward 9B, I felt were not fully developed and could have been produced as separate plays altogether. With the patient’s back stories, their mild relationship developments and the overarching story all happening on stage simultaneously with no ascertainable rhyme or reason, the story line was at times difficult to follow. There were moments in which eight character were crowding the tiny stage with no obvious justification. Physically and psychologically it was utterly chaotic. Trapped in the small theatre for 80 minutes, as an audience member I began to feel what the patients in that ward might be experiencing such as agitation, relentlessness and disorientation. A special mention to Matthew Richard Walsh who plays Max, a creepy, depraved patient, whose acting was nuanced and consistent Caroline Ferguson who plays the vain Nurse Wrench (perhaps a nod to and a less malevolent version of Ken Kesey’s Nurse Ratched) has a beautifully resonant voice which filled up the space both when she was speaking, and when she treated us to a strange and random cabaret performance. I thought the acting of the cast as a whole was a little disconnected disconnected at times where lines or physical responses were anticipated, although this could have been a directorial choice by Mark E Lawrence to set up a hyper realistic, melodramatic tone. The synopsis promises an interesting explanation into a controversial matter, but I found that the scriptwriting, direction and acting all tried to cover too much ground, which meant sacrificing a clear message, and losing important themes along the way. The Privatisation of Ward 9B is showing at La Mama theatre in Carlton until the 19th of February. Written by Scarlett KoehneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Privatisation of Ward 9B follows a desperate psychiatrist, Doctor Craven (played by David McCrae) in his efforts to supplement diminishing public funding by dragging his patients into the merciless world of economic enterprise. Written in 1991 at a time when the Hawke-Keating government was privatising public services such as airports, airlines, telecommunications and banks, Bill Marshall’s social message still rings clear - we bring an emphasis on profit making and cost cutting into the provision of public services at the peril of those most vulnerable in society. As I was born in the year it was written, I’ve only ever known these services to be private, and wonder if the setting had a more meaningful impact on the audience’s members from an older generation. Walking into the intimate black box theatre at La Mama, a nurse seated in the corner of the stage judged our every movements. It was as if we had entered a psychiatric ward as patients instead of a theatre as audience members, foreshadowing the audience's active role as characters in the story that unfolded. We were addressed as potential investors, which questioned the morality of our role as observers of a stage performance as a parallel to those people detained on behalf of society at large. Theatre norms were smashed from the beginning when the theatre manager gave his Welcome to Country and phones off announcement after the play had seemingly begun. With the actors on stage with him, they guided the audience members to a medicine cup with a “pill” under each of our chairs. I don't know what was in that pill but it was a roller coaster into crazy land from that moment forward. Mike, played by Marc Opitz, claims he is a sane visitor of the hospital, trapped in the ward and being treated like a patient. Much like Leonardo Dicaprio in Shutter Island, the audience is left wondering whether he is the only voice of reason, or profoundly self-deluded. The thematic relevance of this character in a wider sense opened the question; who should be given the power to decide what is sane and what is not? In Ward 9B, the audience is privy to Dr Craven’s abuse of authority to make these judgements, yet within the world of the play fails to see his corruption and wrongly rewards his manipulations. The farcical results are begging to be compared with our contemporary political and social landscapes. Mike’s sub-story, like all four of the patients in Ward 9B, I felt were not fully developed and could have been produced as separate plays altogether. With the patient’s back stories, their mild relationship developments and the overarching story all happening on stage simultaneously with no ascertainable rhyme or reason, the story line was at times difficult to follow. There were moments in which eight character were crowding the tiny stage with no obvious justification. Physically and psychologically it was utterly chaotic. Trapped in the small theatre for 80 minutes, as an audience member I began to feel what the patients in that ward might be experiencing such as agitation, relentlessness and disorientation. A special mention to Matthew Richard Walsh who plays Max, a creepy, depraved patient, whose acting was nuanced and consistent Caroline Ferguson who plays the vain Nurse Wrench (perhaps a nod to and a less malevolent version of Ken Kesey’s Nurse Ratched) has a beautifully resonant voice which filled up the space both when she was speaking, and when she treated us to a strange and random cabaret performance. I thought the acting of the cast as a whole was a little disconnected disconnected at times where lines or physical responses were anticipated, although this could have been a directorial choice by Mark E Lawrence to set up a hyper realistic, melodramatic tone. The synopsis promises an interesting explanation into a controversial matter, but I found that the scriptwriting, direction and acting all tried to cover too much ground, which meant sacrificing a clear message, and losing important themes along the way. The Privatisation of Ward 9B is showing at La Mama theatre in Carlton until the 19th of February.   Written by Scarlett Koehne

Gareth Evans is a former Labor cabinet minister and the current chancellor of ANU. He talks with Michelle about his new book about his time in the Hawke Keating government and the Abbott government's education reforms.