From High Court decisions and Chief Justice criticisms, to the ACCC chairman's bid to get tough and the opposition leader quietly setting in motion industrial relations reform: these are The Power Index's top picks of people who mattered this week.

He's not in Michael Kirby's league yet, but Justice Dyson Heydon's reputation as the High Court's new great dissenter is growing.

David Manne has been the Achilles heel of asylum seeker policy across a number of different governments. But the biggest wound he's ever managed to inflict came yesterday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is set to take on more cases with less predictable outcomes under the watch of new chairman Rod Sims who believes the watchdog needs to lose a few cases to truly flex its muscle.

Not sure whether One.Tel’s special purpose liquidator Paul Weston is Rasputin or Dracula, but he’s certainly proving hard to kill. More than ten years after Jodee Rich’s fabulous phone company collapsed with close to $1 billion of the Packers’ and Murdochs’ money, Weston has risen again to threaten another legal action for damages.

Kerry Packer once told his punting chum Chris Murphy 'You know nothing about markets. You've got big balls and you are lucky.' And as always the Big Fella was right.

Financial Partners founder Simon Finnigan once referred to his investors as family. Now, he's due to stand trial for dishonest conduct involving their funds.

In the business world Solomon Lew is used to getting what he wants. But the billionaire retailer may be forced into an embarrassing -- and costly -- tumble turn, after building a new swimming pool without council approval.

It has taken decades, and the charging of Mark Standen, for the absolute power of the NSW Crime Commission to be held to account.

The government will get no favours from High Court judge Kenneth Hayne when it comes to deciding the fate of the asylum seekers bound for Malaysia. The fact that his judgement might scupper its policy on boat people will not be a consideration.