By Rod Benson The nation’s big banks are once again returning record profits to their investors, and approving record salaries and benefits for their senior executives. These actions have unleashed a tidal wave of criticism, with Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey going so far as to suggest that the government should impose punitive measures to “rein …
Good news for asylum seekers
By Rod Benson In a unanimous decision the High Court has ruled in favour of two asylum seekers who claimed they were denied legal fairness when they applied for a review of their refugee claims. The two Tamil men arrived by boat from Sri Lanka on October 2. Their claim for refugee status was denied, …
Wanted: modern day Good Samaritans
By Rod Benson You’ve probably noticed that a lot of the news we hear is bad news – I suppose that’s just an indication of the kind of world you and I live in today. But one story I heard recently really troubled me, and got me thinking about our diminished capacity for compassion in …
Compassion can show the way
By Rod Benson Christian author Max Lucardo knows how to write a book. He’s sold more than 65 million. And he loves to talk about his faith, and argue with atheists. But several years ago musician Tai Anderson asked Lucardo a challenging question: “When your great grandchildren learn that you lived in a day in …
Banks need ethical leaders
By Rod Benson It’s fair to say that my interests centre on politics, ethics and literature. I don’t often read the business section of the daily papers. But a Sydney Morning Herald article by Ian Verrender caught my eye this week. He notes that the four big banks are expected to deliver annual earnings figures …
