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Michael West

Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney

Michael West spent two decades working as a journalist, stockbroker, editor and finance commentator before striking out on his own. Having worked for eight years investigating financial markets and big business for Rupert Murdoch’s The Australian and another eight years for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald at Fairfax Media, West has well and truly tested the limits of the mainstream media.

michaelwest.com.au kicked off in July, 2016. Four months later, West was appointed Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney’s School of Social and Political Sciences. The role is to work with the School’s Sydney Democracy Network, particularly addressing money in politics and the intersection between government and big business.

His investigations into multinational tax avoidance were instrumental in establishing the Senate Inquiry into Corporate Tax Avoidance in 2015 and subsequent corporate tax reforms by Parliament. His investigations into “gold-plating” in the electricity sector helped to establish the Senate Inquiry into Electricity Networks in 2014. Prior to the global financial crisis his work in exposing the “financial engineers” such as Macquarie Bank, Allco Finance and Babcock & Brown for aggressive business practices had a significant impact on corporate Australia.

Bottom of the canal: Pfizer's billion-dollar tax ploy

Aug 07, 2017 16:04 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has engaged in a series of paper transactions to create a A$936 million loss in Australia. It is, for all intents and purposes, a billion-dollar exercise in tax avoidance. Pfizer and its...

Chevron: a game-changer for multinational tax avoiders

Apr 24, 2017 12:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

The Australian Tax Office had a superb win against Chevron in the Federal Court last week, but there is something everyone is missing, something that will turn the art of tax avoidance on its head; a game-changer for...

Late payments: the policy no-brainer for business

Mar 27, 2017 14:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

Hammurabi nailed it back in 1772 BC when he declared: The first duty of government is to protect the powerless from the powerful. When it came to common sense, the sixth king of Babylon was an early adopter, earlier...

Australia's march towards corporatocracy

Feb 22, 2017 04:30 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Confounding the familiar government narrative of reckless spending binges by Labor, the Coalition actually has the record of greater profligacy when it comes to showering billions of dollars of taxpayers money on external...

Economy

US-India Trade Bombshell: Tariffs Slashed to 18% — Rupee Soars, Sensex Explodes

Announced on February 2, 2026, the US-India commerce deal offers Indian exports significant tariff relief. From 25% to 18%, US reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods have been cut; the extra 25% punitive tariff connected with...

India Services Sector Rebounds in January as New Business Gains Momentum: HSBC PMI Shows Growth

Indias dominant services sector showed a strong rebound in January after slipping to an 11-month low in December, supported by a rise in new business activity, according to the latest HSBC India Services Purchasing...

Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Stabilizes, Yen Weakens Ahead of Japan Election

Most Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar steadied following a strong rebound over the past week, while the Japanese yen underperformed amid growing political uncertainty ahead of a...

Australia’s Corporate Regulator Urges Pension Funds to Boost Technology Investment as Industry Grows

Australias corporate regulator has warned the countrys rapidly expanding pension fund industry that it must significantly increase investment in systems, technology, and governance to safeguard its future and avoid...

Trump Administration Sued Over Suspension of Critical Hudson River Tunnel Funding

New York and New Jersey have filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to restore federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project, a critical piece of U.S. transportation...

Politics

Illinois Joins WHO Global Outbreak Network After U.S. Exit, Following California’s Lead

Illinois will join the World Health Organizations Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), marking a significant public health move following the United States official withdrawal from the WHO last month....

U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Expected in Oman Following Venue Change Request

Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Oman on Friday, according to a report by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, who cited an Arab source familiar with the matter. The upcoming...

Trump Extends AGOA Trade Program for Africa Through 2026, Supporting Jobs and U.S.-Africa Trade

President Donald Trump has signed legislation extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a key U.S.-Africa trade program, through December 31, 2026. The extension is retroactive from September 30, 2025,...

Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile

An Australian scandium mining project backed by billionaire mining executive Richard Friedland is expected to play a role in the United States newly announced $12 billion critical minerals stockpile, according to comments...

Stephen Miran Resigns as White House Economic Adviser Amid Federal Reserve Tenure

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran has formally resigned from his role as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), fulfilling a commitment he made to the U.S. Senate as his tenure at the Federal...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links

Shares of Tencent Holdings (HK:0700) fell sharply on Wednesday after its popular messaging platform WeChat blocked certain promotional links related to YuanBao, the companys artificial intelligence chatbot. The move...

Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies

Nvidia is reportedly nearing a major investment deal with OpenAI, signaling a significant development in the global artificial intelligence landscape. According to sources cited by Reuters, the chipmaking giant is in...

Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic is reportedly preparing a major secondary share sale that would allow some employees to sell shares at a valuation of at least $350 billion, according to a recent Bloomberg report....

AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) delivered a solid quarterly earnings beat, topping Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit, yet its stock slipped in extended trading after the company projected a sequential...

Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns

Nintendo shares fell sharply on Wednesday after the Japanese gaming giant reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, intensifying investor concerns over profitability and margins tied to its highly...