'Our house is a precious gift. We have to fight'
More than a thousand chanting protesters gathered at the Sydney Opera House, using torches and lights to disrupt Racing NSW projections on the famous sails.
Sydney has always been a gambler's town, but it's a game for mugs
Dr Michael Jensen is the rector at St Mark's Anglican Church, Darling Point and is the author of My God, My God: Is it Possible to Believe Anymore?
Sydney Opera House painted with light from torches, lamps to disrupt Everest promotion
More than 1,000 protesters have disrupted the Everest horse race illumination by painting over the light show with torches and lamps.
Key points:
- The barrier draw numbers were obscured as thousands of protesters disrupted the lights with torches and lamps
- The Heritage Council sent a damning letter to the NSW Premier
- 2GB radio presenter Alan Jones dismissed the protests as "childish stuff"
When the Opera House sails were finally illuminated after days of national backlash, protesters shone bright lights onto the barrier draw results.
From across the other side of Circular Quay, the numbers of the race horses displayed on the heritage building were obscured.
At the base of the building, protesters were seen dancing and chanting profanities directed at 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones, whose on-air interview last week sparked the furore.
Tax Cheat Circus King
A poem received from an unnamed source with an illustration from the NY Times.
A poem received from an unnamed source with an illustration from the NY Times.
America’s top shitholer goeswhole hog at the public trough,
and never mind the rest of us,
because that is the hog’s nature.
A silly grin when he licks his lips,
a scowl like a lout’s mustache—
the toadstool dick, the hellish
grunts, the squeals, the bogus
outrage of the ring, all are brazen
matches for his silly pompadour.
We crowned him circus king,
our technicolor conman—woeful
but willing, we shamed ourselves
by enabling such a shameless thing.
Strategic governance of risk: Lessons learnt from public sector audit
The age of empathy
The madness of HMRC and Border Force cuts as we face Brexit
Rise of the ‘neobanks’
your money, 25 September 2018. For the first time the big four banks are about to face several new challengers at once as a group of ‘neobanks’ promise to change the way you manage your money. “We have got what we call the ‘digital working memory’ that enables us to look at customers’ data with their permission, every second of every minute of every day and use data analytics, AI and big learning to give them a really differentiated experience.”
Government
transparency is key to trust
ANZSOG, 26 September 2018. ANZSOG Dean and CEO Prof Smith delivered the annual Solomon Lecture and said that a decline in public trust and a rise in populism and alternative voices were the biggest background trends facing governments. “A culture of secrecy and a desire for non-disclosure are still commonplace across many areas of politics and the bureaucracy.”
ANZSOG, 26 September 2018. ANZSOG Dean and CEO Prof Smith delivered the annual Solomon Lecture and said that a decline in public trust and a rise in populism and alternative voices were the biggest background trends facing governments. “A culture of secrecy and a desire for non-disclosure are still commonplace across many areas of politics and the bureaucracy.”
An evening at the OECD
Six
signs tougher times are coming
AFR, 4 October 2018. Australia has managed to avert a recession for 27 years But there are worrying signs starting to emerge in some parts of the economy. Some less obvious economic indicators have joined falling property prices as a pointer to some tougher times ahead in Australia.
AFR, 4 October 2018. Australia has managed to avert a recession for 27 years But there are worrying signs starting to emerge in some parts of the economy. Some less obvious economic indicators have joined falling property prices as a pointer to some tougher times ahead in Australia.
Off-the-plan
apartment pain as property prices fall
ABC News, 4 October 2018. As the housing market made its way higher and higher, buying off the plan was an attractive choice for many people because it gave them a property, but also the window to save more money for the down payment. But with national dwelling prices now down 2.7 per cent in the past 12 months, the environment has completely changed. Many buyers are being squeezed by a double punch — with a lower property valuation and a smaller borrowing capacity.
ABC News, 4 October 2018. As the housing market made its way higher and higher, buying off the plan was an attractive choice for many people because it gave them a property, but also the window to save more money for the down payment. But with national dwelling prices now down 2.7 per cent in the past 12 months, the environment has completely changed. Many buyers are being squeezed by a double punch — with a lower property valuation and a smaller borrowing capacity.
Treasurer,
RBA wary of credit squeeze risk
AFR, 4 October 2018. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has confirmed he is liaising closely with the Reserve Bank of Australia and Treasury about ensuring the economy avoids a credit squeeze, amid market concerns the royal commission's damning findings into misconduct in the financial services sector risks triggering a credit crunch.
AFR, 4 October 2018. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has confirmed he is liaising closely with the Reserve Bank of Australia and Treasury about ensuring the economy avoids a credit squeeze, amid market concerns the royal commission's damning findings into misconduct in the financial services sector risks triggering a credit crunch.
Banking
royal commission: Will the credit squeeze become a credit crunch?
ABC News, 1 October 2018. Following the release of the banking royal commission's interim report, analysts are divided about just how much further the lending slowdown has to go.
Beware the IT industry's 'fail fast' mantra: how local governments do digital
TECHNOLOGY: State and local government agencies should be wary of taking on board too much of the IT industry's wisdom about rapid and agile product development as they modernise service delivery, according to new research.
ABC News, 1 October 2018. Following the release of the banking royal commission's interim report, analysts are divided about just how much further the lending slowdown has to go.
Beware the IT industry's 'fail fast' mantra: how local governments do digital
TECHNOLOGY: State and local government agencies should be wary of taking on board too much of the IT industry's wisdom about rapid and agile product development as they modernise service delivery, according to new research.
Learn how to assess the strength of an organization’s integrity capabilities and operationalize integrity processes to bridge the gap between intentions and behaviour
In the excellent The Secret of Our Success Joe Henrich gives many examples of complex technological products and practices which were not the product of intelligence but rather of many, small, poorly understood improvements that were transmitted culturally down the generations. Derex et al. offer an ingenious experimental test of the cultural generation hypothesis.
Bullying,
Harassment and Misconduct Review : A report from the review into bullying,
harassment and misconduct in the Civil Service
UK Cabinet Office The report sets out the analysis and conclusions from a review carried out of the arrangements for tackling bullying, harassment and misconduct in the Civil Service. This covers both how Civil Service organisations are ensuring employees feel able to speak up and report issues, and how issues are handled once raised, and sets out the actions being taken as a result of the review.
UK Cabinet Office The report sets out the analysis and conclusions from a review carried out of the arrangements for tackling bullying, harassment and misconduct in the Civil Service. This covers both how Civil Service organisations are ensuring employees feel able to speak up and report issues, and how issues are handled once raised, and sets out the actions being taken as a result of the review.
Australia’s
most popular freelance jobs revealed: Why businesses are turning to outsourcing
as the gig economy gathers steam
smart company, 4 October 2018. As the gig economy gathers steam in Australia, and indeed across the world, a growing number of businesses are turning to freelance jobs to take care of specific tasks within their companies. Analysis of 500,000 jobs on Freelancer’s platform from July-September 2018 finds jobs related to data entry and excel, as well as proofreading and article writing, are the most in-demand freelance jobs in Australia.
smart company, 4 October 2018. As the gig economy gathers steam in Australia, and indeed across the world, a growing number of businesses are turning to freelance jobs to take care of specific tasks within their companies. Analysis of 500,000 jobs on Freelancer’s platform from July-September 2018 finds jobs related to data entry and excel, as well as proofreading and article writing, are the most in-demand freelance jobs in Australia.