The proposed sale of Medibank Private is not popular, but as I wrote last year, and as Finance Minister Mathias Cormann points out, it’s hard to find public policy grounds to justify ongoing public ownership…
Looking for fast broadband? Here, read this report.
Stefan Postles/AAP
Nobody can ever state with certainty how much it will cost or how long it will take to deliver broadband services to more than 22 million people spread out over 7.6 million square kilometres. Even more…
HMP Oakwood, the vanguard of British carceral design.
John M/Creative Commons.
In the first few weeks of 2014, private security company G4S has repeatedly had to deny reports of full-scale riots at the UK’s newest prison, HMP Oakwood, near Wolverhampton. The prison has experienced…
The days when Qantas flew the flag as an iconic government business and public service still inspire public nostalgia.
AAP/Paul Miller
Sometimes in politics Newton’s Third Law – for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction – is applicable. Australia has a long history of public ownership, but it also has a long history of…
Called to account: G4S and Serco executives appear at the Public Accounts Select Committee last year.
PA Wire
On Friday, the National Audit Office released a report detailing its investigation into the COMPASS housing project, a series of contracts between the Home Office and three service providers – G4S, Serco…
The public versus private debate is oversimplified, and the situation is made worse by the hybrid nature of many so-called “public” organisations.
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The Federal Government’s Commission of Audit reports at the end of this month. Tasked with identifying where efficiency and productivity improvements may be made across all areas of Commonwealth expenditure…
A proposal to sell off Australia Post has caused controversy.
AAP
Australians returning from holidays to work this week were met with headlines reading: “ACCC calls for big asset sell-off”. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chief Rod Sims had reportedly…
Is selling public infrastructure assets to fund government projects a good idea?
AAP
When Tony Abbott stepped up to claim victory for the Coalition in September, he declared Australia was “under new management and once more open for business”. One hundred days on, we look at the open for…
Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, London’s two elected mayors, may have their differences but both have pursued a strongly market-driven, growth-centric agenda in the capital. Boris’ second term in particular…
The government’s announcement that it is to sell off its stake in Eurostar is another sign of its convoluted thinking towards railway policy. The operator of international train services from London through…
Graeme Samuel retired from the ACCC in 2011, but says the watchdog is the only real oversight the government has over businesses like Australia Post, which he says should be privatised.
AAP/Andrew Taylor
Australia’s reform agenda has stalled, according to former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chief Graeme Samuel, and we won’t see any serious reform attempts for some time. The election of…
Matthias Finger, EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
Royal Mail has been privatised. Even after Margaret Thatcher’s frenzy in the 1980s, it was one of the last UK public enterprises left; now, the coalition government has sold 52% of Royal Mail. Whereas…
The oceans cover almost three-quarters of the planet’s surface, and for many people they represent the last great wilderness. But in fact the seas support many human activities, and have done for millennia…
The past few months have seen the flotation of Royal Mail, the Lloyds share sale and the first national employee ownership day. The theme linking these three developments is one that has been around since…
Sparks will fly between government and the unions if Royal Mail is sold off.
Andrew Milligan/PA
Union opposition to the Royal Mail sell-off comes as no surprise to any of us. Postmen and women are well known within the public sector for their militancy. But their response must be careful; both the…
RBS: Not as valuable as it used to be.
David Cheskin/PA
The UK could be about to make a multi-billion pound mistake. Plans to sell-off the 82% share of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and the 39% share of Lloyds owned by the taxpayer are gaining favour in…
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has flagged it will consider the sale of two ports: but should such assets be in private hands?
Should major Australian ports be in public or private hands? This question goes to whether we are selling off vital assets for short-term financial gain and political expediency, or for commercially sound…
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman announces his government’s plan to outsource, rather than completely privatise, many public services.
AAP/Dan Peled
Back in July last year Queensland Premier Campbell Newman was in a very black mood. All was gloom and doom in the Sunshine State, as he warned Queensland was “on the way to being bankrupted” without tough…
There’s a strong financial case to selling Medibank Private, but politics has made privatisation an unpopular choice.
AAP/ Joel Carrett
At first sight it is surprising that neither the government nor the opposition, both seeking budgetary savings, is proposing to sell Medibank Private. When retiring Medibank Private chairman Paul McClintock…
Electricity price rises can be traced to a number of factors.
AAP Image
As the political debate around rising power prices and the carbon tax heats up, there is a renewed debate around the privatisation of electricity distribution in New South Wales. With power prices sure…