Kim Wingerei

Kim Wingerei is a former business-man, turned writer and commentator. Passionate about free speech, human rights, democracy and the politics of change. Originally from Norway, lived in Australia for 30 years. Author of ‘Why Democracy is Broken – A Blueprint for Change’.

Kim's recent articles

$1.6b handout to Telstra's Andy Penn to head off the Chinese

$1.6b handout to Telstra's Andy Penn to head off the Chinese

Why was Telstra slotted $1.6b by the Morrison government to buy Digicel, and how is it Telstra shares slumped by one-third during the bull market?

Crossword clues and bullying: the almighty power of the Australian pro-Israel lobby

Crossword clues and bullying: the almighty power of the Australian pro-Israel lobby

arts,  media

The influence of Colin Rubenstein and his lobby group does not just limit what mainstream media outlets dare publish, it forces self-censorship on editors and journalists alike, writes John Lyons in his latest book.

The voices of independents being heard and aiming high

The voices of independents being heard and aiming high

There is a strong feeling of change in many electorates around Australia. The Voices Of movement is gathering steam as more than 30 such groups are looking to field candidates at the next federal election.

The Norwegian election was fought and won on climate policy. Are there lessons for Australia?

The Norwegian election was fought and won on climate policy. Are there lessons for Australia?

Despite its lowest polling in 20 years, the Norwegian Labour Party will form a coalition government after a campaign largely focussed on the environment and renewable energy. Is this a sign of things to come for our federal election?

The Other 9/11: secrecy fight over Australian spies helping CIA overthrow Chile's President

On the eve of its 48th anniversary, documents just declassified by the Australian National Archives show the extent to which the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) worked closely with the CIA in the lead-up to the coup-d'tat in Chile in September 1973. Story by Peter Kornbluh and Clinton Fernandes.

Pandemic paranoia - the penal colony strikes back at those pesky Australians who left

Pandemic paranoia - the penal colony strikes back at those pesky Australians who left

Ever since the pandemic started, Australia has restricted the ability of its citizens to travel overseas in ways few other countries outside of North Korea have done. It is now using the biosecurity laws to also deter those who live overseas from coming back.

The world is in a crisis of our own making - is it sowing the seeds of change?

The world is in a crisis. And many of our leaders are failing us. People are despondent, angry and sad, many unable to see their loved ones, many more not knowing how to cope. There is no end in sight, unless we look beyond the concreted corridors of power.

The digital media farce continues as nothing changes

The digital media farce continues as nothing changes

Nine Entertainment is the latest of the old media companies to announce deals with Google and Facebook. For a fraction of what they once thought they deserved, and without any of the benefits to consumers which the Digital Bargaining Code bill purported to provide.

Google leaving Australia serves nobody, but it is not an empty threat

Google is threatening to withdraw its search functions; Facebook is threatening to remove news posts. Not idle threats but with its flawed media legislation, the federal government is using the wrong solution for a problem that requires regulation.

Fake news abounds in the misguided war on the digital media platforms

Opposition is growing both locally and globally to media laws introduced by the Coalition Government requiring tech giants Google and Facebook to pay for displaying original news content. Why should our domestic monopolists get preference?

Divide and conquer - Google and Facebook show who's the boss!

After a year of reports, submissions and public inquiries - and much posturing on all sides - the Government has finally delivered the draft legislation designed to bring Google and Facebook to heel. But who is holding the leash?

Independent media winning the battle of the online audience

Independent media, online and print, continues to grow. Meanwhile, traditional media is under threat on many fronts, driven by stalling readership and declining revenue. News Corp, in particular, is losing out in the online audience stakes.

KIM WINGEREI. My week with Malcolm and a faltering democracy.

Otto von Bismarck (in)famously said: Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best. It is a sentiment I abhor.

Clever politics is not the answer - nor is party politics

We live in a particracy - the party-room rules and we are run by clever politicians, not leaders with courage and the fortitude to make tough decisions. Or as Charlie Chaplin put it in The Great Dictator - we are run by machine men, yet we need kindness more than cleverness.

KIM WINGEREI. The Curious Case of a Telco Merger Opposed

On one side of the courtroom: TPG, a consumer-oriented telco grown large on acquisitions and minimalist customer service, run by a reclusive billionaire. Next to them is Vodafone, a mobile carrier with a global brand, the perennial number three in the Australian market, no stranger to customer service issues, and yet to make a profit after more than a decade of trying. Across the floor: the ACCC, telling them they cannot merge.

KIM WINGEREI. Defining bribery is more important than an ICAC

As much as we should welcome the long overdue Federal ICAC, without redefining what should be the limitations of political influence it will be another toothless body which will struggle for relevance and fail in its intent.

KIM WINGEREI. Facebook Libra Pitching for World Domination

Facebooks Libra launch has the potential to propel Facebook into a major player in consumer payments and credit services and may turn out to be one of the most profound change to worlds financial systems since the abolishment of the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971.

KIM WINGEREI The Religion of Sports

Israel Folau is a sad case of a sports star failing to understand his own religion, his role and his contractual obligations all at once.

KIM WINGEREI The NBN is wrecking a whole industry

NBNCo is not just a costly technological failure, but a policy debacle that has cost Australias taxpayers billions of dollars that should have been better spent, as well as contributing to the severe devaluation of a whole industry.

KIM WINGEREI Independent media continues to grow

Independent media continues to grow. With 21.7% growth in online audience in the last quarter sites such as this are taking significant mind- and marketshare from the mainstream infortainment giants who continue to lose readers both online and offline.

Shadows of Uniformity

The Shadow Cabinet mirrors the Government in more ways than intended, uninspiring in its uniformity, offering limited hope for new beginnings or imagination.

KIM WINGEREI Ministry of Mediocrity

In the (in)famous words of Donald Horne: Australia is a lucky country run by mainly second-rate people who share its luck. The new Morrison Government is a mostly uninspiring group lacking in diversity and bereft of vision. A staggering lack of diversity making it impossible to match experience, competencies and interests to suitable portfolios.

KIM WINGEREI The Climate Election That Wasn't

This was supposed to be the election about climate action. It was the most important issue for voters, yet official government policy remains climate inaction as the opposition was once again divided on the issue and failed to make sufficient impact. It could have been so different...

KIM WINGEREI The Battle of the One Percent

This election proved to be no exception after all politics is a battle over small margins, apathy reigns supreme among voters, the particracy rules and democracy is the loser every time.

KIM WINGEREI. Independent Media Continues to Grow!

Independent media continues to grow apace, while mainstream media is at best stagnant. Based on data provided by SimilarWeb - a global online traffic measurement service - independent media traffic has grown by 9.76% from November 2018 to February 2019*. During the same period the top corporate mainstream media sites** grew by 1.1%.

KIM WINGEREI The Banking Royal Commission - The work has only just begun!

Even if all the 76 recommendations of Kenneth Hayne's Banking Royal Commission were to be implemented, not much would change. There is a reason bank stock rallied after its release, bank board members and executives have little to fear.

KIM WINGEREI Political Bastardy and Silly Politics

The franking credits scare campaign by the LNP is working. Once again, sensible tax reforms is sacrificed on the altar of short-term politics and the absence of a holistic approach. Once again politics gets in the way of policy making. Once again, fear and obfuscation are winning.

KIM WINGEREI. Democracy in Decline - Part 2.

The Economists Democracy Index is not all doom and gloom - there is hope, but it requires that we engage. Democracy is about much more than the next election!

KIM WINGEREI. Democracy in Decline - Part 1

The Economists Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently published their annual Democracy Index, a comprehensive report on the state of democracy around the world. It warns that democracy is in decline after three decades of growth, and of the emergence of populist strongmen. Even in Australia we cannot afford to hide behind our proud democratic record - we cannot just show up at the polls, we need to engage.

KIM WINGEREI. Brexit chaos - the failures of Westminster

As the Brexit chaos continues, it is worth reflecting on the background that led Britain to where it is today - with no ending in sight. The root cause lays in how the Westminster system is failing to serve the people.

KIM WINGEREI. Independent Media On The Rise

To conclude my series of posts on media power and politics, it is worth highlighting how independent media is on the rise in Australia. As we head into the new year elections looming trust in politicians at an all-time low, aided and abetted by mainstream media focused on headlines instead of substance voters can and should seek answers elsewhere.

KIM WINGEREI. The Politics of Media Power.

Much has been said and will continue to be said about the power that Rupert Murdoch wields in our very concentrated media landscape. It is a landscape that continues to change and the ACCC just released the preliminary report on Digital Platforms. New regulations may be needed, but the issues goes to the core of our political discourse which no regulation will remedy.

KIM WINGEREI. The Particracy Rules!

If this week of political machinations, tactical manouverings and partisan grandstanding hasn't proved beyond doubt what the real problem with our democracy is, I don't know what will. We don't live in a democracy, we live in a particracy.

KIM WINGEREI. The Italy of Asia.

Assuming that come May next year Australia will have had its 7th Prime Minister in ten years, it puts us on par with Italy - the erstwhile lead exponent of revolving door politics. Despite being the fourth most populous country in Europe, Italy is also the perennial underachiever on everything from economic growth to political clout. Political stability matters.

Media Ethics and Politics

As the political circus goes from bad to worse, it is important to not only demand that our politicians improve their behaviour, but the media has an equally important role to play. Journalists and the media already have a code of conduct setting ethical standards, but do they adhere to it?

KIM WINGEREI. Its Time for Ethical Politics.

As we decry what many say is the most incompetent Government in living memory, it's important not to fall into the trap of just waiting for it to be replaced, thinking all will be well henceforth. We need to look at how to avoid Australia ever having to experience this kind of dysfunction again. Just electing another party is not enough - like peeing in your pants to keep warm, feels good for a while until it goes cold or smelly or both.

KIM WINGEREI. The Turnbull Legacy Hour

Malcolm Turnbull appeared on a special edition of the ABCs QandA last Thursday. Charming, at times evavise and polite as ever, we didnt learn much, but is this the end of his political career as he claims, or the beginning of a new chapter?

KIM WINGEREI. US Mid-Terms: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I hail from a country (Norway) that doesn't have mandatory voting, yet gets close to 80% of eligible voters turning up at the polling booths, around the same as in Australia. Although I am philosophically opposed to mandatory voting as a contradiction in terms of a free democracy, I am also not too fussed about it. It is not on my list of important democracy reforms. The United States have a very different system of voter registration, obfuscation and various other means of limiting participation - let alone the strange notion of voting on a workday. Around 57% of...

Bill Shorten - where the bloody hell are you?

As the Morrison government stumbles from fumble to bungle on a daily basis, Labor leader Bill Shorten is keeping a low profile. Would this not be his turn to shine, or is he just biding his time?

KIM WINGEREI. The dearth of accountable leadership

As much as we like to talk about the failures - or absence - of political leadership in Australia over the last decade, there is an equal dearth of responsible and accountable leadership in both the business sector and elsewhere in society.

KIM WINGEREI. An Australian Spring

The Wentworth by-election was not just a resounding loss for the Liberal Party, but also the clearest message yet that the people have had enough of party politics. Fielding an impressive and like-able candidate who did (almost) nothing wrong in his campaign, the Labor Party lost, too.

KIM WINGEREI. Wentworth Democracy

Our Prime Minister has declared that the Wentworth election threatens the stability of our country unless a majority vote for the Liberal candidate. It may be the most hotly contested in living memory, and the Wentworth by-election also reveals much about why our democracy is broken and needs fixing!

KIM WINGEREI. A Secular Nation

Australia is a secular nation. It is enshrined in our constitution, yet we have a Prime Minister and many others in Parliament who don't quite seem to understand what that means. The Ruddock report reveals not only state laws in possible conflict with federal law, but with the constitution and the principles of secularism.

KIM WINGEREI. (Art) encounters of the Jones kind.

When the artist by the name of Banksy had his own artwork shredded, it was his right. It was (and is) his own artwork and he wanted to make a statement about his work being sold at an auction. But when NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian instructed Opera House CEO Louise Herron to allow Jrn Utzon's iconic sails to be defaced by advertising for a horse race, she is in the wrong in more ways than one.

KIM WINGEREI. The Ghosts of Eureka.

The Ghosts of Eureka are still haunting us. Terra Australis has come a long way since the rebellion of 1854, but that last crucial step to become a fully independent nation again, remains elusive.

KIM WINGEREI. The politics of change - reviews of Michelle Grattan's anthology and Laura Tingle's Quarterly Essay.

As trust in our political leaders continues to decline, writings and commentary decrying the malaise in which our democracy finds itself are booming. Everybody has a view of what's wrong. Much of it along similar lines of lack of leadership, the short-term focus on elections, the 24 hour news cycle and the adversarial nature of the political discourse. Plus, of course, the inevitable Facebook-, Murdoch- and ABC-bashing, lamenting populism, trashing Trump-ism and generally blaming all the other 'ism's' except one's own.

KIM WINGEREI. The responsibility of free speech.

I dont like what Steve Bannon has to say. I find Nigel Farrages attempts at shrouding his anti-immigration messages in Judeo-Christian values abhorrent. But I am also quite certain that neither pose more nor less of a threat to Australia than Chelsea Manning does. The idea of picking and choosing who gets to speak is what we should be afraid of.

KIM WINGEREI. Au dair - it may be legal, but it aint right.

From waving Au Pairs through the immigration queue, throwing money at unsuspecting charities and denying medical treatments for children - to ignoring climate change and the bullying culture that is endemic to party politics; what the last few weeks of politics have shown above all, is that our political leaders just don't know the difference between being right and doing right.

KIM WINGEREI. The Legacy of the Lucky Generation

Mine is the lucky generation our parents endured hardship, enjoyed unsurpassed economic growth and shielded us from the past. But what will be our legacy?

<