Joe Aston: Inside the Cosy Ties Between Politicians & Australian Businesses

Today’s guest is Joe Aston, Rear Window columnist at the AFR for 12 years and the author of The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out .(https://www.amazon.com.au/Chairmans-Lounge-inside-story-Qantas-ebook/dp/B0D7NPDKBY)

Joe’s book tour will go down as one of the most successful in the history of Australian business book. It has caused weeks of headaches for the Prime Minister and has seen a number of nervous politicians declare flight upgrades and other benefits from Australia’s major airlines.

In today’s episode we wanted to go beyond the Qantas story and unpack Joe’s view on Australia’s corporate culture and how large listed companies can do better. We unpack:

- The cosy relationship between business media and Australia’s large companies
- Joe’s most memorable columns from his time at the AFR
- The Qantas story and why everyday Australians should care
- The relationships Joe has witnessed between politicians and large companies
- The lack of oversight from boards of many large Australian companies
- How everyday investors can look for misaligned incentives and poor oversight
- Whether, in Joe’s opinion, Qantas is a buy, hold or sell?


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