Elizabeth Minter

Liz began her career in journalism in 1990 and worked at The Age newspaper for two 10-year stints. She also worked at The Guardian newspaper in London for more than seven years. A former professional tennis player who represented Australia in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Liz has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Letters (Hons).

Recent articles by Elizabeth Minter

Brereton’s NACC cloaked in military-grade secrecy

Brereton’s NACC cloaked in military-grade secrecy

Monday marked the first anniversary of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. This deep dive into the NACC's first decision discovers secrets upon secrets, and the military seemingly at every turn.

Coalition protects wealthy retirees investments under cover of Covid-19 pandemic

The Coalition moved to protect the superannuation of Australias wealthiest retirees at the same time it was encouraging the nations poorest to raid their retirement accounts. And they continue to protect the wealthiest even though the Australian share market is back at record highs.

Australian Government silent on CSL, Red Cross contaminated blood scandal; UK government accepts 'moral responsibility'

Australian Government silent on CSL, Red Cross contaminated blood scandal; UK government accepts 'moral responsibility'

The Government still refuses to apologise and offer financial support to the up to 20,000 victims of the contaminated blood scandal as recommended 17 years ago by a Senate Committee. Labor has acknowledged the historic injustice but says it cant do anything. Is it because CSL, the darling of Australias business community, lies at the heart of the scandal?

Kalbars exotic minerals mine puts the nation's food supply at risk

Kalbars exotic minerals mine puts the nation's food supply at risk

A mineral sands mining proposal on rich Victorian farmland is putting the country's food supply at risk. Will the Labor Government back big money over big farmers, and fail to protect heritage listed wetlands?

Fairy Tales: Google Australias claims eclipse even News Corp and Nine

Google Australia pays pitifully tiny tax for its size just $100 million last year despite booking$4.8 billion locallyin advertising revenue. Yet now Google claims that its value to Australia is more than $50 billion and it is responsible for 280,000 jobs although it merely employs 1800 people. In an excoriating paper, a senior research fellow at the Australia Institute, David Richardson, has torn apart Google Australia for vastly overstating the importance of Google Australia.

JobSlayer: gas giants grab $300million subsidy then axe 3000 workers

The Government touts gas as being a key plank of JobMaker, its Covid-19 recession recovery plan. To help support jobs the government has given the gas industry $300 million of taxpayers money in subsidies. In return, the industry has cut about 3000 workers, more than 10% of it workforce, in a boom production year.

Christian Porter responsible for serial breaches of the law, now cries rule of law

Christian Porter responsible for serial breaches of the law, now cries rule of law

Christian Porter is responsible for serial breaches of the law, as documented repeatedly by Pearls and Irritations. These revelations alone should be enough to see Porter removed from official duties but his relentless persecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery both denied natural justice and prosecuted in secret are hardly the stuff of a model litigant. Yet now the besieged Attorney-General calls for rule of law to apply in respect of the rape allegations against him.

The first law officer of the land must be beyond reproach

In the words of investigative journalist Michelle Fahy: Federal attorney general Christian Porter is the first law officer of the land. The role is a uniquely powerful position, one that is supposed to sit, unblemished and above the reach of vested interests. Yet as federal attorney general Porter has demonstrated a disturbing acquiescence to powerful corporate interests.

Housing Hypocrites: Tim Wilson's housing affordability crusade just an assault on super

Tim Wilson is the latest Coalition politician to cry crocodile tears over the housing affordability crisis, calling for Australians to access their superannuation to buy a house. Yet Coalition policies - from negative gearing, property subsidies, money-laundering, super fund borrowing to banking and lending standards - are all about pushing up house prices to benefit those who already own a house.

Bushfire Rorts: Coalition targets bushfire recovery funds for Coalition seats

Federal and state funds for bushfire recovery have been heavily skewed in favour of state Coalition seats with NSW State Labor picking up just 1% of $177 million handed out. The devastated Blue Mountains electorate, with a Labor MP, received nothing.

With regulations gutted and tax breaks banked, corporate funders and enablers desert Donald Trump

Corporate America is frantically distancing itself from Donald Trump in the dying days of his presidency after spending four years financing him, enjoying his tax giveaways, his attacks on workers and gutting of regulations to fatten corporate profits. The rank hypocrisy even extended to Scott Morrisons top adviser on Covid-19 economic recovery.

Scott Morrison: Trump Lite. A fair moniker for Australias Prime Minister?

Scott Morrison has said that he and Donald Trump share a lot of the same views. Just how far does that similarity extend?

No Plan PM: how governments lack of an aged care plan cost lives. Typically the PM then blamed others.

While the federal government indulged in semantics, Covid-19 deaths continued to rise in the woefully under-prepared residential aged care sector. 2020 was a horror year for older people living in residential aged care.

Gutless Wonders: when will politicians demonstrate the accountability they foist on the rest of us?

Politicians are past masters at ducking responsibility, though busy prosecuting perceived foes. All the while, in the absence of a federal anti-corruption commission, the political scandals unfold, and pass without consequence.

Strung out on centre court: the loneliness of the long distance tennis player

January has long been the month when the international circuit wends its way to Australia, with the Australian Open a key event on the calendar. While Covid-19 delayed the Grand Slam until early next month, January remains a bittersweet time for me. I can't help but reflect on my professional tennis career. But while I remember the highlights, other memories come flooding back the constant pressure to perform, and live up to the expectations of coaches, the public and family.

Big Four banks still lending money to gamblers

The Big 4 banks ANZ, Westpac, CommBank and NAB continue to lend people money to gamble with. You cant get a personal loan from a bank to use for gambling. So how is gambling a permitted purpose for a credit card? On what planet would that be considered responsible lending?

Mainstream media either ignore or castigate youth

Youth have borne the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting recession. Hearing from young people is therefore more important than ever, yet their representation in the media is minuscule and dropping, according to a recent report. News Corps widespread use of damaging stereotypes about young people was also notable.

Responsible Lending? Coalitions left hand not sure what its right hand is doing

The Coalition government is pushing hard to get rid of responsible lending obligations, but it doesnt seem to realise that removing these obligations will pull the rug out from one of its signature pieces of legislation that Scott Morrison championed when he was treasurer mandatory comprehensive credit reporting.

The Coonan Conundrum: Crown chair in a morass of conflicts

Crown chair Helen Coonan is chair of PR firm GRACosway, whose clients have been involved in questionable financial transactions and include mortgage brokers fighting commission bans. Her PR role is in conflict with her position as chair of financial complaints ombudsman AFCA, and both make her position at the head of Crown unsustainable.

Crown chair Helen Coonan conflicted in role of ombudsman chair

Crown profits from the hardship of problem gamblers, the banks refuse to stop credit cards for problem gamblers. Helen Coonan is chair of both Crown and bank ombudsman AFCA (Australian Financial Complaints Authority). It is a conflict that makes her position untenable.

Rich Thinking: Canberra Bubble wage delusions spawn a bizarre plan to flatten taxes (MWM Sep 24, 2020)

Forget the average wage, half of working Australians earn less than $57,000 a year. Rich think they are poor, poor rich. Elizabeth Minterreports on the governments strange plan to flatten taxes so everybody who earns between $45,000 and $200,000 pays the same rate.

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