Australia’s stealthy wealth

Saturday Oct 1

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This week Australians found out they were the “richest people in the world”. Really? Benjamin Clark dug into that claim and argued there’s no point being the wealthiest nation on earth if it isn’t shared.

Elsewhere Cam Wilson reported on all the latest updates around the massive Optus cyberattack, including with an interactive story that lets readers find out what hackers can do with their personal information. And speaking of hackers, Amber Schultz took a look at another serious data breach that you might have missed.

We also had Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane on the hard economic lessons facing the UK, and Guy Rundle with some useful context to add to discussions about whether Italy’s new PM is a fascist.

Find all those stories, and plenty more, in today’s Crikey Weekender. And remember, your backing keeps us going. To further support us, give the gift of Crikey for 50% off.

Thanks for reading,

Gina Rushton,
News editor

Australia is the wealthiest nation on earth — that’s bad news for most

BENJAMIN CLARK

Credit Suisse has dubbed Australians as the 'world's richest people'. Yet our economy isn't nearly as enviable as might first appear.

(Image: Mitchell Squire/Private Media)

Tell us what data you had leaked and we’ll show how a scammer can ruin your life

CAM WILSON

Oh no! A trusted institution has suffered a data breach and you've been affected. Take our quiz to find out how bad things are going to get for you.

(Image: Zennie/Private Media)

It’s too late to undo the Optus hack. How do we stop the next one?

CAM WILSON

An account claiming to be the hacker told Crikey they wouldn't release the data if Optus paid them $1 million — but said the telco had not yet been in touch.

(Image: Zennie/Private Media)

The Optus hacker is being treated as the real deal by the government. Its apology can’t be trusted

CAM WILSON

The millions affected by the data breach can't trust the promise that their personal information has been deleted.

(Image: Mitchell Squire/Private Media)

‘A much more serious breach than Optus’: how hack affecting NDIS participants went under the radar

AMBER SCHULTZ

Sensitive medical information about NDIS participants and aged home care residents was hacked in May but little action was taken.

(Image: Zennie/Private Media)

‘It’s a horrible, horrible place’: ABC goof reveals David Speers’ true inner thoughts

CHARLIE LEWIS

If you thought Senator Jane Hume set the bar for candour with her comments on this week's episode of Insiders, that was just the beginning.

Insiders host David Speers (Image: ABC/Insiders)

AGL closes Australia’s highest-polluting coal station early — but too late for some

JULIA BERGIN

The Australian energy giant has announced it will close its high-polluting coal power station Loy Yang A by 2035. Is that soon enough?

Loy Yang A power station in Victoria (Image: Adobe)

‘Highly destructive’: Zoe Daniel’s speech on media diversity

AMBER SCHULTZ

'Information is power' the teal independent said this afternoon. 'Disinformation, unfortunately even more so.'

Independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas)

Flying blind: Qantas and Jetstar limp from one doomed survival plan to another

MICHAEL SAINSBURY

The airlines' ageing fleet, their worsening relationship with staff and the loss of trust and loyalty from their customers have left them reeling.

(Image: AP/Mark Baker)

Adults intervene to save the UK economy as Tories play ideological games

GLENN DYER and BERNARD KEANE

Only a major intervention by the Bank of England prevented the UK financial system from collapsing yesterday, as the Truss government inflicts mayhem on the UK.

UK PM Liz Truss (Image: AAP/EPA/Neil Hall)

The best and most delusional coverage of Britain’s near economic collapse

CHARLIE LEWIS

With Britain's economy teetering off a cliff, some UK media are still defending PM Liz Truss with a bizarre passion.

Fool Britannia: sloppy Tory treatise a hint of horrible things to come

JONTY BLOOM

A decade ago, Britannia Unchained, a poorly researched and written book charting new directions for UK growth, was released. Today two of its authors hold the keys to the kingdom.

Massive Baltic pipeline ruptures a sign of hybrid wars to come?

CHARLIE LEWIS

They've been called a terrorist act, an environmental disaster and even a war crime. All of the above? Crikey looks at what's known so far.

Methane gas bubbles into the Baltic Sea (Image: Danish Defence)

Liz Cheney has no path to the White House in today’s Republican Party

KEIR SEMMENS

For standing against Donald Trump, Cheney is an outcast among Republicans, her immediate political career in ruins.

Liz Cheney (Image: AP/ J Scott Applewhite)

Shout ‘fascist’ long enough and a tired shrug of surrender may be the inevitable response

GUY RUNDLE

Giorgia Meloni becoming Italy's new prime minister has people the world over concerned about the resurgence of fascism. Maybe a re-examination of the term and its history is in order.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Image: Piero Tenagli/Sipa USA)

Kyle Sandilands and Alan Jones are proof that in Australia, white men only fall up

MICHAEL BRADLEY

They're obnoxious, they're offensive, they're still around. What would it take to remove the likes of Kyle Sandilands and Alan Jones from the media?

KIIS 106.5's Kyle and Jackie O (Image: KIIS 106.5)

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