Stephen Long
Sydney
Award-winning journalist. Fmr Senior fellow @TheAusInstitute. Fmr senior reporter @4Corners, economics specialist @ABCnews and staff writer for AFR & SMH.
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Articles by Stephen Long
Chip City closes all U.S. locations
Chip City Corp., a cookie chain established in Astoria, Queens in 2017, closed roughly 20 remaining locations across the country in early October citing “significant macro-economic headwinds.” Before doors closed, Chip City rapidly expanded to 45 locations at its peak across the United States. The company was backed by Enlightened Hospitality Investments, which invested $10 million in 2022 to support a rapid expansion. This investment was followed by an additional $7.5 million in 2024.
Bill Kelty on One Nation’s ‘giant tax avoidance scheme’
The former ACTU secretary and architect of Australia’s superannuation system says workers will risk lower wages, higher inflation and a poorer future all round if super funds are tapped today. Then prime minister Paul Keating shakes hands with ACTU secretary Bill Kelty in 1996. One Nation wants to let workers take money out of their super to help pay rent and mortgages.
The NSW koalas-for-coal shakedown – and what it reveals about the carbon offset market
‘Nice forest you’ve got there. It’d be a shame if somebody messed with it.’ This isn’t a line from a mobster movie, it’s effectively what the NSW government is saying to the koalas and people of NSW. The NSW government is proposing to make a Great Koala National Park to protect forests in the north east of the state. In fact, making the Park has been NSW Labor policy for more than a decade, but it has recently taken on a new twist.
Is this an ambitious budget?
It’s the word no one dared to mention, but Jim Chalmers’ fifth budget puts class back at the centre of politics. At its core is a deliberate effort to shift the tax system in favour of workers and away from people who make passive income from owning assets. In the treasurer’s words, “to rebalance a system which is more generous to assets than it is to labour”.
Welcome to war-flation
News While in 2024 US President Donald Trump won votes off the back of falling living standards and rising prices, his current war against Iran is creating a far worse economic storm. By Stephen Long. A Thai bulk carrier is hit by Iranian fire in the Strait of Hormuz. SHARE Copy Link Bluesky Facebook X LinkedIn Donald Trump won the United States presidency for the second time in 2024 by harnessing working-class and middle-class discontent about rising prices and falling living standards.
Super tax dissent shows just how out of touch the Coalition is
Predictably, the Liberal Party is opposing reforms that would reduce tax concessions on money made from superannuation balances above $3 million. But its stance is out of touch with the public mood. Polling conducted by YouGov for the Australian Institute shows that twice as many people support the federal government’s proposed changes as oppose them.
December 5, 2020 It was the kind of news that should have spelt big trouble for James Packer’s Crown casino empire. In September 2014,Four Corners revealed Crown’s joint venture in Macau, Melco Crown,was bringing in high rollers from mainland China using junket operators with links to organised crime triad gangs notorious for laundering drug money and the proceeds of sex trafficking, as well as for violent debt collection.
Information Services: The Other Internet Transaction Tax in Texas
Data processing gets top billing in Texas regarding internet taxation, but it is not the only relevant taxable service in this context. If data processing is Batman, information services has long been its Robin. The two are often thought of together because of their similarities. Both taxable services are defined broadly and potentially catch a wide range of services in their nets. Both were also enacted simultaneously in the same legislation.
A giant is felled: Woolworths 0, workers 1
Frederick Winslow Taylor had an obsessive personality. From youth, he counted his steps, measured the time it took to perform activities, and analysed his movements in search of “efficiency”. These days he might have been diagnosed and treated. Instead, in the early 20th century he became the father of “scientific management”, which used time and motion studies to analyse, measure, direct and control how workers went about their tasks.
How not to battle inflation
News Economists including former Reserve Bank governor Bernie Fraser are increasingly convinced there are more effective tools than interest rates to fight inflation – but what are they? By Stephen Long. SHARE Copy Link Facebook X LinkedIn Bernie Fraser is tired of hearing people say there’s “one blunt instrument” for dealing with inflation. “It makes me feel sick in the guts,” says the former Reserve Bank of Australia governor and Treasury secretary. “It’s not true. It’s patently wrong.
The government’s coal approvals could make the housing crisis worse
By choosing to extend three coal mines, the government could be inadvertently redirecting construction workers from building houses to the fossil fuel industry. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg explores the impact of the government’s coal mine extensions on the housing market and our climate. Greg Jericho is Chief Economist at the Australia Institute and the Centre for Future Work and popular columnist of Grogonomics with Guardian Australia.
A Bad Case of Gas
The gas industry likes to tell us it’s vital to the Australian economy. But when people are paying more in GST for Taylor Swift merch than many companies are paying in company income tax per year, and the government collects more from HECS than the PRRT, you know something is seriously wrong. Greg Jericho is Chief Economist at the Australia Institute and the Centre for Future Work and popular columnist of Grogonomics with Guardian Australia.
Sacred Tension | Stephen Bradford Long | Substack
I first joined The Satanic Temple in 2017. I had just deconverted from Christianity, and while my skeptical mind could no longer believe in the existence of a God or affirm the core creeds of the faith, I recognized that Christianity gave me a constellation of symbols, rituals, and community that structured my life. I knew that I would be lost without a religious scaffold going forward.
Price gouging alive and well in Australia
Australians are paying prices that are too high, too often. This is the conclusion of an inquiry into price gouging by big business conducted by Allan Fels, former head of the watchdog Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Now, this may be as obvious as the nose on your face if you pay for things on a daily basis, but the idea that excessive corporate profits have anything to do with rising inflation and the rising cost of living has been a surprisingly controversial one in recent years.
Stomatal conductance reduction tradeoffs in maize leaves: A theoretical study
Stephen P. Long The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK Search for more papers by this author
The Pink Test is a feel-good story, but does it help where it’s really needed?
With the federal government announcing a desire to double charitable donations by 2030, Stephen Long examines the potential inefficiency & inequity of relying on charities, rather than governments, to provide essential services. It’s one of the feelgood stories of the summer.
The Pink Test is a feel-good story, but does it help where it’s really needed?
It’s one of the feel-good stories of the summer. Every year at the New Year’s Test match at the SCG, tens of thousands of cricket fans don pink and give money to the McGrath Foundation to fund free breast care nurses to support individuals and their families who are experiencing breast cancer. The charity, founded by the famous bowler Glenn McGrath and his wife Jane before she died of breast cancer, is almost universally lauded and raises millions for its cause.
Politics in the Pub: End of Year Wrap | Summer Series
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars and live events in 2023. This year has been a doozy in Australian politics, and we need to talk about it. We invited a panel of distinguished press gallery journalists along to our Politics in the Pub live event, to give us the low down on what’s happened, and wrap things up for us for the year. This was recorded on Wednesday 29th November 2023 and things may have changed since recording.
Why You’re Paying More Tax Even Though Real Wages Are Shrinking
It’s a bitter irony. Wages in Australia are going backwards compared to prices, as surging inflation and mortgage payments gobble up peoples’ pay. Yet workers of modest means are paying a far bigger slice of their earnings in tax – an extraordinary situation with no precedent in recent times. It’s contributing to the serious financial pain being felt in lot of households. Unless it’s addressed, it could be politically toxic for the federal government.
Inflation is Swallowing Australian Incomes, Workers Need a Tax Reform Lifeline
It’s a bitter irony. Wages in Australia are going backwards compared to prices, as surging inflation and mortgage payments gobble up peoples’ pay. Yet workers of modest means are paying a far bigger slice of their earnings in tax – an extraordinary situation with no precedent in recent times. It’s contributing to the serious financial pain being felt in lot of households. Unless it’s addressed, it could be politically toxic for the federal government.
The new face of old-fashioned climate change denial
By Stephen Long Australia’s government isn’t so gauche as to deny climate change out loud at a COP meeting. But it does support fossil fuel expansion completely at odds with the science. The post The new face of old-fashioned climate change denial appeared first on RenewEconomy. Read Full Article Here For more great articles: Renew Economy (Visited 1 times, 1 visits today) Comments comments
The new face of old-fashioned climate change denial
Someone should have told the president of COP28 not to say the quiet bit out loud. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is an Emirati politician and energy tsar, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation, the state-owned energy company of the United Arab Emirates.To say he strayed off script is putting it mildly. The man presiding over the latest global climate conference in the UAE claimed there is “no science” showing that the world must phase out fossil fuels to restrict global heating to 1.5°C.
The New Face of Climate Denial
Old-fashioned climate change denialism is the risk you run when you hold an international climate conference in a Middle Eastern petrostate and hand the reins to an oil baron, writes Stephen Long, but in practice, is Australia really much better? Someone should have told the president of COP28 not to say the quiet bit out loud. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is an Emirati politician and energy tsar, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation, the state-owned energy company of the United Arab Emirates.
Who knew Queensland’s richest man is a foreign investor?
Key issues Investment The Australia Institute | 24 November 2023 Who knew Queensland’s richest man is a foreign investor? by Stephen Long Clive Palmer’s controversial legal strategies challenge Australia’s trade agreements and environmental laws, and have profound implications for global climate action, writes Stephen Long. Clive Palmer isn’t a noted Singaporean.
The Australia Institute
Clive Palmer, one of Australia’s richest men, is suing Australia for $41.3bn, claiming it breached the ASEAN free trade agreement in relation to coal exploration permits. But he’s doing so…as a foreign investor? Stephen Long explains how Clive Palmer’s controversial legal strategies challenge Australia’s trade agreements and environmental laws. Stephen Long is a Senior Fellow and Contributing Editor at the Australia Institute, and Walkley Award winning journalist, previously at ABC’s Four Corners.
The Australia Institute
Clive Palmer’s controversial legal strategies challenge Australia’s trade agreements and environmental laws, and have profound implications for global climate action, writes Stephen Long. Clive Palmer isn’t a noted Singaporean. The closest the Queensland billionaire and erstwhile Australian MP seems to have got to Singapore lately is when his super yacht ran aground off its coast.
What is Alan Joyce's real legacy at Qantas? - ABC listen
ABC Investigative Reporter Stephen Long has covered Qantas and Alan Joyce extensively over the past few years and reflects on what Alan Joyce's legacy will be at the airline.
This family empire has left a trail of defective buildings, unpaid tradies and bankrupt businesses Original
Dyldam was once a towering force. Its apartments still line the streets and light up the skyline of western Sydney. But for more than a decade, the Dyldam group has left a trail of misery behind it that includes bankrupt businesses, unpaid taxes, tradies denied payment for work they've done, suppliers ripped off, and anguished apartment buyers stuck with defective buildings — one built so badly it posed a hazard to human life.
The missing $2m, the alleged bribe and the police raid: PNG's climate change office hit by scandal
Senior staff at the government body responsible for carrying out Papua New Guinea's climate change response are facing major criminal proceedings after the alleged misappropriation of more than $2 million.
totalhealth Pharmacy Connacht Rugby Summer Camps confirmed | 8th March 2023 | News
Connacht Rugby and totalhealth Pharmacy are delighted to announce the launch of the 2023 totalhealth Pharmacy Connacht Rugby Summer Camps. So far 13 locations have been confirmed with the first of those starting on July 3rd, however more clubs and dates will be announced in the weeks ahead. The Summer Camps are generally three days long during weekdays, and are open to all boys and girls between the ages of 6-12 with no prior rugby experience necessary.
Carbon credit schemes in Papua New Guinea raise fears of unfulfilled promises and ineffective projects
That doesn't always happen. The south-western shores of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, are fringed by pristine rainforest. An American company called NIHT Inc has partnered with local people here to put an end to deforestation in the region. NIHT stands for "New Ireland Hardwood Timber", and as the name implies, it started out as a timber company with its own plans to cut down the rainforests. It shifted instead to preserving the trees and turning the carbon within them into an asset.
Carbon Credits: Are we getting what we're paying for?
A rainforest protection project Australian companies are using to offset their greenhouse gas emissions is under attack from logging. Australian law firms and super funds, the environment group Planet Ark, the Sydney Opera House, and Nespresso, have all bought carbon credits from the venture -drawn by claims it would stop deforestation and transform the lives of people in poverty. Broadcast 1h ago1 hours agoSun 12 Feb 2023 at 8:00pm
Team named for BKT URC clash with Stormers
The Connacht side has been named ahead of tomorrow’s clash with reigning BKT URC champions DHL Stormers in Stellenbosch (k/o 1.30pm Irish time). In total there are nine changes from the side that lost to Ulster, with six of those among the forwards. There’s a new front row of Denis Buckley, Dylan Tierney-Martin and Finlay Bealham, and a new second row partnership of Niall Murray and Josh Murphy who moves from blindside flanker.
Avoiding the MisMATch: How Edtech can Help Academisation – FE News
The government’s desire for all schools to be in a multi academy trust, or working towards joining one, by 2030 remains an ambitious target. By January 2022, just over a third of primary schools and 80% of secondary schools were academies (45.5% of all schools), many of whom were not in a MAT. Back in 2016 the government’s bid to force all schools to become academies and/or to join MATs was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the number of schools joining MATs has continued to rise, albeit slowly.
Management Information System
The government’s desire for all schools to be in a multi academy trust, or working towards joining one, by 2030 remains an ambitious target. By…
Qantas staff fear airline's safety reputation at risk
Dozens of Qantas staff, from pilots to flight attendants, tell Four Corners how they fear the airline's stellar safety reputation could be undermined. More Information Featured: Tony Lucas, Qantas pilot and President of Australian Pilots Association Broadcast 52m ago52 minutes agoSun 4 Sep 2022 at 8:00pm
Qantas staff fear the airline's stellar safety reputation is at risk as pressure from management mounts
Qantas has an enviable safety record, consistently ranked as either the safest airline in the world or not far from it. Since the dawn of the Jet Age, it has never suffered a fatal accident or lost an aeroplane hull, which is a credit to its staff and its leadership.
Connacht squad named for pre-season friendly with Castres
Five Connacht players will represent the province for the first time in tomorrow’s pre-season friendly away to Castres (k/o 7pm Irish time). Grant Stewart, Shamus Hurley-Langton, David Hawkshaw, Byron Ralston and Adam Byrne have all been selected in the starting XV for the first outing of the campaign. Ralston partners Tom Daly in the centre who captains the side, while Byrne is selected on the wing with Alex Wootton on the opposite wing and Oran McNulty at full-back.
Jack Carty named Connacht Rugby captain for 2022-23
Jack Carty has been named as captain of Connacht Rugby for the 2022-23 season. One of the all-time Connacht greats, Carty was named as on-field captain for a large number of fixtures last season while supported by club captain Jarrad Butler who has held the role since 2018. Carty will be supported by Butler and Bundee Aki who will act as vice-captains for the season.
Connacht Rugby - Don Crowley RIP
Connacht Rugby are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Don Crowley, a stalwart of rugby in Connacht and former President of Galwegians RFC, Connacht Rugby and the IRFU. Born in Galway City and educated at The Bish, Crowley enjoyed success in his playing days, as a winner of the Connacht Schools Senior Cup and both the Connacht Junior League and Senior League with Galwegians and UCG respectively.
Dubarry Park to host pre-season friendly with Sale Sharks
Connacht Rugby are pleased to announce that the Pro team will return to Dubarry Park in Athlone for a pre-season friendly with Sale Sharks on Friday 26th August (k/o 19:00). It will be the squad’s first fixture at the ground since 2018, and will allow for Connacht supporters to attend a pre-season game while the new pitch at The Sportsground continues to be installed.
The 'Slum Doge Millionaire' made it big with crypto. His fortune is now vanishing but he's all in Original
"What's going on guys? Pro the Doge here, A.K.A. SlumDoge Millionaire," Glauber Contessoto declares to his hundreds of thousands of followers online. Mr Contessoto has the kind of rags to riches tale that has drawn many people to cryptocurrency. "It took me two months to become a millionaire." According to his own account, Mr Contessoto grew up poor in a family that emigrated to the United States from Brazil and was determined to make money.
Potential conflicts of interest abound in Australia's carbon credits market Original
The video features a vast property outside Cobar in far western NSW, and a salt of the earth grazier. He has another source of income apart from his sheep: carbon farming, which is now a multi-billion dollar industry.
Schools White Paper
The Schools White Paper, Opportunity for All: Strong schools with great teachers for your child sets out a series of new measures to support the delivery of these ambitions, including: Schools will offer a minimum school week of 32.5 hours by September 2023 Ofsted will inspect every school by 2025, including the backlog of ‘outstanding’ schools that haven’t been inspected for many years By 2030 all children will benefit from being taught in a school in, or in the process of joining, a strong...
'It's become a rort': Insider blows whistle on Australia's greenhouse gas reduction schemes
There are few people in the world of carbon credits and emissions reduction policy with the credibility of Andrew Macintosh. Key points: Andrew Macintosh is the former chair of the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee He says Australia's carbon offset market has become "a rort" Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor says Australia's carbon credits scheme is seen as one of the best "in the world" The ANU law school professor is an internationally respected authority on these issues.
If this home had tracked inflation, it would be worth $37,000. It just sold for $2.7 million. Here's why
An un-renovated semi-detached home in Bondi sold recently for more than $2.7 million. It had last traded back in the early 1950s, in the pre-decimal currency era, for about a thousand pounds. The "mint original condition", three-bedroom home, up the hill from the famous Sydney beach, provides a window into the extraordinary escalation of Australian real estate prices.
Australian billionaire Lex Greensill beguiled the world's rich and powerful. Until it came crashing down
A fleet of private jets, unparalleled access to the corridors of power, an honour bestowed by royalty, and stratospheric wealth — Australian Lex Greensill was every inch the corporate titan. With a company valued in the billions of dollars, Mr Greensill mixed with the rich and powerful on a grand scale, even calling one of the world's richest men his mentor, and a former British prime minister his employee. It was a lifestyle that a boy from Bundaberg could normally only dream of living.
Socialism for business, a helping hand for the needy as Liberals deliver slightly Labor budget
This is a budget that blunts Labor's electoral pitch by colonising its traditional territory. Childcare, aged care, women's safety and Indigenous mental health; these are not funding priorities one normally associates with the traditional custodians of laissez faire. Yet with an eye on the election, the federal government, perhaps reluctantly, finds itself embracing policy and welfare concerns more typically associated with social democracy.
From world leaders to the back of a van: The reality of the trade war
A worker at Tasmanian Gourmet Seafoods is hopeful for customers.( Four Corners: Harriet Tatham ) Over the past year, China's trade sanctions have hit industry after industry. More is at stake than exports alone. At a plant near Hobart airport, workers sort southern rock lobster by size, colour and grade. Worker in lobster processing plant in Hobart.( Four Corners: Harriet Tatham ) About 10,000 creatures are in the tubs here, 7,000 tonnes of the delicacy.
Richard Gill School adds music to STEM to create a winning formula for future-proof workers
In the heart of coal mining country in the NSW Hunter Valley is a new school with a difference. The motto of the Richard Gill School at Muswellbrook is "through music and movement let us flourish" — and it aims to prepare the sons and daughters of mining engineers and coal mine workers for a changing world.
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