Monday, March 14, 2022

Australians are ready for a change of government – but we can’t watch the political contest as if it’s a spectator sport


Voters long to be collaboratively led rather than cynically played. But are we prepared to not just vote for change, but be part of it?

  • Morrison wants khaki election but voters aren’t convinced Coalition best to handle war, survey suggests

  • Prime minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese. According to the latest Guardian Essential poll, 56% of under 35s are ready for change of government while only 40% of over 55s are ready to shift. If history is our guide, a change of federal government at the upcoming election will come in an irresistible wave or not at all.

Australians are ready for a change of government – but we can’t watch the political contest as if it’s a spectator sport


Innovation Is Fine. But Wisdom Crates Longterm Success

Fairly or unfairly, many tech companies with disproportionately young employees and leaders have gone from a shining example of how entrepreneurial capitalism can improve our lives to something that seems unhealthy and even sinister over the past several years. - The Atlantic

… the ATO has progressively reduced its reliance on physical and virtual mid-range services in favour of public cloud from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

At an industry briefing this week, chief information officer Ramez Katf said the overhaul was crucial to drive down BAU operational costs and free up funding to deliver future digital services.

Less funding is expected to be available to agencies in the coming years as the government resets its budget position, following the unprecedented support provided during the pandemic’s initial phase.

“The more we put in one bucket, the less we have available [in] another bucket, and where the value is for us is... trying to get as much of our investment to drive tech-enabled change,” Katf said.



Will sanctions be enough to stop wealthy Russian oligarchs?

They are paid “millions to hide trillions” and hold influence at the very top – but Russia’s oligarchs are about to be cut off. . .

These provide and operate anonymous shell companies, trusts and offshore accounts that hide dirty money.

“Some elites pay respected professionals and businesses to open political doors, to lobby against sanctions, to fight legal battles and to launder money and reputations,” Professor Tasse says. “In doing so, these institutions and individuals push the boundaries of the law and degrade the principles of our democracy.”



Critical Bugs Expose Hundreds of Thousands of Medical Devices and ATMs Wired


RICHARD FERNANDEZ: The End of the Old Normal. “The West made a miscalculation of comparable magnitude to Putin’s by becoming energy dependent on the Kremlin to mollify their domestic Greens. They ignored the obvious danger that their money would fund aggression because invasion was inconceivable to them, though not, as it proved, to the siloviki, the clique of strongmen who control Russia. It’s another reminder of the danger of mirror imaging; to think the other guy wants what you want is always fraught. John Kerry’s reaction to the outbreak of hostilities was to observe it would hamper the campaign against climate change. But that was probably the farthest thing from Putin’s mind


Anxiety in the workplace costs the economy billions. Here are some ways to manage it


Full Transcript Of Putin’s Remarks On 3/5/22: Includes Comments On Why He Ordered The Military Operation In Ukraine, Why It Went Beyond Donbas, Whether He Plans To Declare Martial Law, Etc. Natylie’s Place: Understanding Russia. Worth reading in full.


How the War in Ukraine Could Get Much Worse Foreign Affairs. Somebody’s gonna have to dial back the triumphalism:

The United States should be especially attuned to the risks of escalation as the next phase of conflict begins, and should double down on finding ways to end the conflict in Ukraine when a window of opportunity presents itself. This may involve difficult and unpleasant choices, such as lifting some of the worst sanctions on Russia in exchange for an end to hostilities. 

Somebody also needs to figure out for Biden how to present “difficult and unpleasant choices” as victory. The midterms aren’t far away!


Ukraine’s Zelensky says he has ‘cooled’ on joining NATO and is open to discussions about control of Russian-backed separatist regionsBusiness Insider


A note from Roula Khalaf, Editor: The Financial Times is making key Ukraine coverage free to read to keep everyone informed as events unfold..”