From the ABC

IMF urges reform of strong Aust economy
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given Australia a glowing report card in its annual assessment of the nation's economy.
The IMF says the economic outlook is extremely positive and concludes that Australia is in a strong position because of years of reform.
The fund argues further reform is necessary and backs the Government's plans for overhauling the industrial relations system and the proposed welfare to work package

Adopting an endorsement from a totally discredited organization smacks of desperation Gus.

 

Check-out the IMF’s track record on IR matters in Argentina & there are ongoing doubts over the future of the organization itself, without US backing, Crisis In The IMF & take a gander at the Wikipedia assessment.

 

But would you expect anything better from poor uncle Pete?

From today's Crikey .....

The Who's Who of Macquarie influence pedalling  

 

By Stephen Mayne, owner of 12 Macquarie Bank shares  

 

Bob Carr's decision to join Macquarie Bank so soon after retiring as NSW Premier is a disgrace. Just look at the $1 billion plus Macquarie and its investors have made from the Eastern Distributor toll road between the city and Sydney Airport which the incompetent Carr Government presided over. The Millionaire Factory may as well have said, "Thanks for the billion Bob, now here's an undisclosed amount of money for you, to help us try and suck in the next bloke."  

 

However, the Liberal Party can't exactly call for the more ethical American approach of a two year cooling off period because retiring Howard Government Ministers have been even worse than Bob Carr in recent years. In terms of the eight most inappropriate appointments over the years, try these for size.

Michael Wooldridge: gave an additional $5 million to the Royal Australian College of GPs for a new Canberra headquarters one week before quitting as Health Minister in November 2001 and then signed up as a consultant a few weeks later, eventually receiving a $382,500 payout.

Peter Reith: signed up as a consultant to Australia's biggest defence contractor, Tennix, within two days of resigning as Defence Minister.

Bob Carr: after handing over billions in value to Macquarie Bank as NSW Premier, signs up as a consultant two months after retiring.

Larry Anthony: Former Children and Youth Affairs Minister who joined the ABC Learning board five months after losing his seat.

Richard Alston: took a consultancy from Austereo over digital radio regulation six months after retiring as Communications Minister in February 2004.

Graham Richardson: Thought it was fine to be Federal Minister for Communications and then a fixer for Kerry Packer, the biggest beneficiary of Australia's television licensing system over the years.

Alan Stockdale: Macquarie and its investors made hundreds of millions from the Kennett revolution and then the former Victorian Treasurer thought it was fine to join the Millionaire's Factory two weeks before the all important Frankston East supplementary election in October 1999.

Terry Mackenroth: Played the tough guy Queensland Treasurer handing our great slabs of hinterland for development, then retired and six weeks later joined the board of Brisbane-based developer Devine Ltd.

 

 

Paul Keating: Joint venture partner in China flogging home loans  

 

Stan Howard: former chairman of Macquarie-packaged Hills Motorway Group

 

Max Moore-Wilton: PM's former departmental secretary is CEO of Sydney Airport  

 

Alan Stockdale: former Victorian Treasurer was head of external relations for Macquarie Infrastructure Group  

 

Warwick Smith: former Howard Minister is head of external relations for the entire bank

Ross Cameron: the former Federal MP is a consultant  

 

Paul McClintock: John Howard's former Cabinet Secretary sits on a Macquarie's infrastructure management board

 

Michael Easson: former NSW Labor Council Secretary on MIG board

If we've missed anyone, email smayne.com.au.au. Macquarie's Labor credentials have even extended to sponsoring the Mick Young charity day at Randwick in Sydney each year.

Arguably only Dick Pratt has had more political figures on the payroll over the years, although the likes of Kerry Packer, Rupert Murdoch and Frank Lowy have also been politically active as they work the regulatory system to maximise their wealth and power.

Given that so much of Australian business relies on a corporatist approach of exploiting government licences and weak regulators, as opposed to genuinely competing on the global stage, you can't blame the suits for trying to maximise their position. The problem lies with the money-hungry politicians who are members of a political duopoly that seemingly adopts an anything goes approach.

At one level, we really should applaud Mark Latham for eschewing this grubby system and telling us what really happens.

 

CRIKEY: We rang Carr's office for comment but he's overseas and unavailable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Macquarie Bank only features twice in this list, but there is no doubt about the scale of their influence pedalling strategies which extends to hiring the siblings of Prime Ministers, top bureaucrats, former unionists and politicians themselves. How's this for an impressive line-up?
Anne Keating: independent director of Macquarie Leisure

 

 

 

Strangely enough as I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about “incidence — the meshing and un-meshing of unrelated/related events in a chaotic environment

From the SMH’s Heckler column. 

 

‘The Government is proud to unveil its new industrial relations program - SerfChoices. You may have seen the ads for it already: smiling peasants plough the fields while soothing mandolin music plays. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find peasants with full sets of teeth for those ads, this being the Middle Ages and all. Or ones that remembered how to smile. But I digress.  

 

SerfChoices features exciting changes to the way your lord handles your employment. In the past, there were many ways you and your lord negotiated. Some lords liked to beat their serfs with maces; some cudgels; some preferred the rack. The Government is pleased to announce there will now be one standard method for beating peasants with large sticks, making it a simpler and fairer system.’  

 

Introducing SerfChoices