12:00AM | The Australian Financial Review
Louise Dodson has welcomed Tony Abbott's conversion to feminism in his alternative parental leave plan (March 10) but his scheme seems to be more welfare for the rich.
12:00AM | The Australian Financial Review
The issue of refugees targeting Australia as their preferred destination of refugee is complex. Complicating this is the misinformation, disinformation and distortions by various groups. Bruce Haigh, a former deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka (1994) and former member of the Refugee Review Tribunal, appears to advocate an ``open door'' policy for asylum seekers (Letters, March 9).
12:00AM | The Australian Financial Review
Milton Cockburn's contribution ("ADT steps not in doubt", Letters, March 5) to the debate regarding the need for a retail leasing ombudsman not surprisingly reflects the self-interested perspective of an industry association which is unlikely to ever be publicly critical of its members.
12:00AM | The Australian Financial Review
When any change suggestion attracts a barrage of ``nays'' it's usually a good sign that the initiator is on the money with the concept.
10 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
Perhaps reflecting the quality and depth of his research, Dean Paatsch of proxy adviser RiskMetrics Australia, in his letter ("Doubting Thomas now aware of sizes'', March 9) has chosen to play the man rather than the ball in his response to my article ``Executive pay an easy target for proxy advisers'' (Opinion, March 2).
10 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
The story of Luke Phillips (``BankrTruptcy debate stirs emotions'', March 1) is disturbing and may well expose cracks in the system. But let's not be too quick to point the finger at the process.
10 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
How pleasing to see the largest industry fund AustralianSuper has now recognised the default options in most superannuation funds are out of date ("Rewriting super rules'', March 8).
10 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
The federal government must ensure taxpayers are protected from potential risks, by ensuring all parties that provide tax advice are covered by the new Tax Agent Services Regime.
10 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
It is bad enough that companies do not always appear to comply with continuous disclosure requirements, but why make it harder?
09 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
Due Diligence ``Challenger's bold life cycle'' (March 1) gave a very positive review of prospects in coming years, with its concentration on annuities. It advises annuities represent a low risk option, and I would largely agree. However, like all investments a large part of risk lies with the organisation with which you invest. A few years ago Axa sold my annuity clients to Challenger. My clients had no say in this and neither did I. They had no opportunity to get back their money, so now must trust an institution which may or may not be financially inferior to my original choice. I will think long and hard before I use annuities again.
09 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, arrives on an official visit to Australia today.
09 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
Reform of the nation's public hospital system is too important to be rushed. Since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is a believer in evidence-based policy, the states should set up an independent inquiry into the federal proposal.
09 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
Chris Thomas from search firm Egon Zehnder suggests that proxy advisers level of expertise on executive pay is ``highly questionable'' (``Executive pay an easy target for proxy advisers'', Opinion, March 2).
09 March 2010 | The Australian Financial Review
Although I now understand that the active ingredient in insulation bats is teflon, I'm amazed that the government has drawn the Green Loans program into the same vortex of responsibility. To suggest that the ``less popular loans component of the program will be discontinued next month'' in order to beef up the home Green Assessments is certainly as comical as the best satirists' representation.
