When Jac Nasser complains about the high cost of mining in Australia, the guilty party isn't in Canberra,  but in his own boardroom.

The Power Index drops in on day one of the ACTU congress: a day of mixed emotions where even Dave Oliver’s much anticipated first speech as ACTU secretary couldn’t dispel thoughts of the inevitable – that an Abbott government’s on its way

The timing of an organisation's response to an ethical issue, as Gillard and federal MP Craig Thomson have learned to their detriment, is everything.

James Packer gave an impressive performance during his interview with 60 Minutes last night, making the most of an excellent opportunity provided by Dad's old firm – the Nine Network – to pitch the benefits of his extended casino empire.

For students of power, Rebekah Brooks’ Leveson appearance was a veritable feast, given she had Britain’s power elite eating out of her hand, until she got the sack from News of the World in July last year.

Gina Rinehart’s children may not be buying a gift for Mum this Mother’s Day. But with Australia’s richest woman yesterday conceding a little in her legal battle against the kids, they may spend the day wondering just what she’s up to.

Rebekah Brooks, who has been arrested on suspicion of phone-hacking, corruption and perverting the course of justice, is said to be ready to tell Lord Leveson all about the text messages she and Britain's PM sent each other, sometimes up to a dozen times a day.

This budget supports Wayne Swan's reputation as a bland but responsible Treasurer, whose economic legacy will be judged more fairly in the future. But that will be of no comfort to Labor MPs facing an election wipe-out.

Well, he's done it. Treasurer Wayne Swan has kept his political promise to deliver a surplus in 2012-13, with his fifth federal budget set to swing from a deficit of $44.4 billion this year to a tiny surplus of $1.5 billion in 2012-13. But getting there will not be easy.

Clive Palmer’s bid to build a replica of the Titanic is yet another example of the mining magnates many, many intriguing ideas. So what are the chances of all the things he’s floated in recent years coming to fruition?