A flood of failure

MARCH 12, 2022

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You could hardly get a better example of the cluelessness of our ruling class than the Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney this week. As flood waters engulfed the city, bankers chatted away about how it was time to “get greedy” as war and climate change scared investors away.

At home the floods have left lives and livelihoods upturned. It’s political poison for Scott Morrison, who proved this week he was so unpopular he couldn’t even walk through a disaster area for fear of being abused.

But it was the other disaster unfolding in Ukraine that sent shockwaves through the world. The bombing of a maternity hospital hit by a Russian air strike was a potential turning point, Amber Schultz reported.

Meanwhile, Grace Tame revealed details of what was said in that ‘Morrison threat’. And Crikey revealed child sexual abuse claims levelled at a Pentecostal-linked facility granted $4 million by the PM.

Thanks for supporting Crikey.

Have a great weekend,

Georgia Wilkins
News editor

A city is flooded, a state in chaos — but the business elite are told: ‘Get greedy’

BERNARD KEANE and GLENN DYER 3 minute read

As the waters rose yesterday, advice given to the ruling class at the AFR Business Summit reveals some cognitive dissonance.

Scott Morrison is toxic waste for a government in desperate trouble

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

The PM is so unpopular he can't even walk through a disaster area for fear of being abused. No wonder the Coalition is in very hot water.

Russia bombs a Ukrainian maternity hospital. Could this be the world’s turning point?

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

World leaders may be united in their despair over the bombing but prosecuting Russia for war crimes will not be an easy task.

War in Ukraine

As emotions run high, Western media shuts down dissent and debate on the how and why of Ukraine war

GUY RUNDLE 8 minute read

The reasons behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine are complex and messy, but the West sticks stubbornly to the NATO storyline.

Is Putin rational? A Kremlin insider’s view

ANDREY VLADIMIROVICH KOZYREV 2 minute read

Understanding the internal logic of Vladimir Putin via a series of tweets by Andrey Vladimirovich Kozyrev, Russia's former foreign affairs minister.

Twitter is being gamed into boosting pro-Russia hashtags. Who’s behind them?

CAM WILSON 2 minute read

As physical war plays out in Ukraine, there's an information war happening online.

Morrison’s subs stunt needs another stunt to salvage it

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

Scott Morrison's AUKUS announcement never added up politically or in strategic terms. Now he's rushing to try to fix his own error.

Child sexual abuse claims leveled at Pentecostal-linked facility granted $4 million by Scott Morrison

DAVID HARDAKER 6 minute read

Former residents of the Esther Foundation have alleged they were sexually abused and harassed by an employee at the facility.

Floods wreak damage

Four months ago, national cabinet was briefed on severe flood risk. Here’s what happened next

JOSEFINE GANKO 3 minute read

The Morrison government was told to expect and plan for high-risk weather in November. Why didn't it act?

As eastern Australia floods, stingy, cashed-up agencies hoard disaster relief money

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 3 minute read

As flooded Australians sort through their devastated lives, disaster relief funds keep gaining interest safely tucked away in government coffers.

‘A lake in the sky’: 17m-high Roseville Bridge floods as rain batters Sydney

JOSEFINE GANKO 2 minute read

The flooding of the Sydney bridge, briefly dubbed the 'Roseville Aqueduct', is a sight not many Sydney-siders will forget.

Anger rises over flood failures as governments promise to do better

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 4 minute read

In disaster after disaster the federal and state governments have failed to devise responses that work for Australians. It's past time.

Abandoned: voters face up to a world where governments can’t or won’t govern

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

Why don't governments do the basics — such as keeping their citizens safe — any more rather than leaving them to fend for themselves?

Tame, Higgins, Holgate launch gender equity campaign ahead of election. Will it work?

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

The Safety Respect Equity Alliance — founded by Grace Tame, Brittany Higgins, Julia Banks and several other prominent women — has outlined steps to reduce violence and discrimination against Australia's women.