Latest news with #GerryHarvey
News.com.au
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bred by a billionaire, bought by a battler: The Jackal's remarkable Ramornie legacy
There have been some great horses win the time-honoured Ramornie Handicap; Razor Sharp, Mistress Anne, Cangronde and the greatest of them all, Takeover Target. But why is it that so many people's favourite Ramornie winner – The Jackal – is the same? He's one of four horses to have won the race twice but only the ardent racing scholars could name the other three. Everyone loves The Jackal, the horse bred by a billionaire but bought by a battler. 'He was a life-changer,'' the horse's trainer Paul St Vincent told Racenet 17 years on from The Jackal's second Ramornie win. 'I bought him at the Magic Millions Sale in June (2004) so he was a fairly late yearling by then, nearly turning two. 'Gerry (Harvey) bred (him). I paid twenty grand for him.' Not big money for Harvey but hardly an insignificant sum for any country trainer to spend on an unraced horse at the time. 'That's a fair few years ago and we weren't racing for anywhere near the prizemoney we're racing for now,'' St Vincent says. 'That's why he had to move about a bit and travel, Brisbane, Sydney whatever to chase the rich races.' • Ramornie mission is Boom or bust Time for Heathcote galloper Given St Vincent was stationed at Tamworth, The Jackal wasn't that much further from Eagle Farm or Doomben as he was from Randwick or Rosehill. In fact, 27 of The Jackal's 74 starts were at Eagle Farm. 'He was in some pretty big races,'' St Vincent said. 'The thing about him was that he didn't like it if the track was soft. 'He was fairly sound. Towards the end, he had a few little niggles and has his issues that we had to manage continuously 'It wasn't 100 per cent with nothing ever not going wrong, there was always something happening here and there but that's training racehorses. 'I was lucky because we owned him, we could call the shots and if I didn't like the way he was, if I thought he's got something not right, I didn't go. I could pull him out and I didn't have an owner that I had to explain to.' • For the record. The Jackal won 15 times including the WJ Healy Stakes, Star Kingdom Stakes, Prime Minister's Cup and Falvelon Stakes. But it was his two Ramornie's in 2007 and 2008 that elevated him to cult status. 'That's what country racing can do to horses,'' the man they call The Saint says.' 'When they're owned by country people and trained by country people and come out and beat whatever's the best on offer, they seem to get plenty of coverage from it.' So with another Ramornie nigh upon us, plenty of racing fans of a certain age with tell those younger of a horse named The Jackal. For those of us who admired the son of Bite The Bullet from afar, we think of him every Ramornie day every year. But for The Saint, it's more often than that. • Mitch Cohen's Blackbook: Five to follow from Randwick on Saturday 'I think about him every day cause I've gotta feed him,'' St Vincent said. 'He's still alive, you know. He's at my place at Tamworth. We've got a place out of town and he lives out there. 'He gets looked after pretty well. 'He's rising 23, it's not what you class as old, old, old but it's pretty good I can tell you.' A $20,000 purchase who would go on to win a million bucks and win not just the lifelong devotion of one man but the admiration of so many more. The Jackal, like the Ramornie itself, was always destined to become 'time-honoured'.
West Australian
30-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
‘More money out there than we think': Harvey Norman chair Gerry Harvey on EOFY sales splurge
Harvey Norman chair Gerry Harvey reckons shoppers have cast aside the cost of living crunch to snap up bargains during the end of financial year sales, saying 'there's more money out there than we think'. Australians are tipped to spend a whopping $10.5 billion during EOFY sales in June, despite the mid-year clearance discount season not often attracting the same level of hype as the Black Friday or Boxing Day promotional events later this year. Most retailers run their sales from early June to the end of the month, with some continuing through early July. For Mr Harvey, EOFY sales at his furniture, electronics and white goods business — which has hundreds of stores across Australia, Europe and Asia — had been 'much stronger than I would have anticipated'. 'There's a million more people in Australia now than there was two or three years ago and I think that there's more money out there circulating than we think,' Mr Harvey told The West Australian on Monday. 'There's been an awful lot of publicity on how tough things are but you've still got unemployment at a very low level. 'If you go to a restaurant at the moment, it's not uncommon to see them very full and you and I can go in there with two friends and we walk out spending $400 or $500 at least.' The Reserve Bank of Australia in May delivered the second rate cut this year in some much-needed financial relief for millions of cash-strapped mortgage holders. Some analysts are expecting three more cuts this year. 'People are a little more confident than they would have been had there not been those two interest rate drops,' Mr Harvey said, adding his artificial intelligence-led computers and devices have been popular during the EOFY sales. Robot vacuums are also in demand. Chloe Lennon was out shopping with friends Eolise Sheldrick and Issy Renough on their first day of school holidays. Cotton On, Universal Store, General Pants Co and Sephora were among the shops the 15-year-olds hit up on Monday. 'I'm going away to Italy soon so I needed to buy some t-shirts,' Ms Lennon said, adding there were 'lots of sales'. 'It wasn't too busy because I think people are still at school.' Karrinyup centre general manager Trudy Cook said it continued to receive strong demand for EOFY sales, with an increase in foot traffic at the centre compared with last year. 'Our shoppers are taking advantage of the major discounts on offer during our EOFY sales period to purchase premium items at significantly reduced prices,' she said. 'Our best-selling products during this year's sale include luggage, household appliances, tech and gaming consoles and home furnishings.'
Sky News AU
24-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
‘Hang the rich 2025-style': Even average earners must oppose Labor's super tax that guts the foundations of the Australian tax system
If a proposed superannuation tax is targeting wealthy Australians - only 0.5 per cent or roughly 80,000 people so the messaging tells us - there's nothing to worry about, right? Labor's plan to tax unrealised capital gains on $3 million-plus super balances is about making rich folk pay their way because all the trickery of their complicated wealth is finally being blown open. The highly contentious plan is to slug 30 per cent of the future earnings of super balances belonging to current high-net-worth individuals while for those below $3 million, a 15 per cent tax will apply. The extra sting is that former governors, judges, police commissioners and top bureaucrats will all get a free pass, thanks to the exemptions buried in section 995 of the bill's draft. Known as Division 296, and divisive it is no doubt, the plan sets a precedent whereby gains you haven't made can be taxed because indexation has been ruled out. Heaven forbid if the Federal Government, giddy with overreach and a ton of election promises to fund, realised that cutting wasteful spending was a better solution instead. The question is: how do you plan for long-term investments if you might have to sell stuff later to cover a tax bill you can't predict? But this is not just about our retirement funds which are meant to be an incentive, by the way, so we avoid the welfare teat later in life. It's about Labor's appetite for your money becoming insatiable, a creeping tax regime where even prudent investment is punished. The intent is political, make no mistake, and all about control over our decisions and, ultimately, our independence. It's Hang The Rich 2025 style - the motive every Greens party policy is aligned too, of course. And now Labor, emboldened by electoral dominance, is tantalisingly close to achieving this socialist-style dream on July 1 so they can target someone merely because they are wealthy. That's because their super majority gives them the numbers in the lower house and frankly why wouldn't the Greens support it in the Senate, even though they want a more savage $2 million threshold. Factor in a weak Opposition and fractured cross bench and it's the government laying a slow and silent tax trap. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles thinks legitimate outrage is a 'scare campaign' but we are right to be suspicious of where this could head next. It is also being robustly questioned by the most astute in our business world, such as the country's leading retailer Gerry Harvey and former RBA governor Philip Lowe, as very poor public policy. Sky Business Editor Ross Greenwood nailed it too - this policy guts the very foundations of Australia's tax system. In layman's terms, what might seem like a protective but high bar today could easily ensnare middle-income Australians in the future. Even a child in primary school knows a dollar today will not hold the same value in ten or 20 years time. Older kids understand the fundamentals of our tax system - you earn and then you pay tax. How about you might not earn but you'll still pay? Also, the whole point is to not raise the threshold so Labor can rope in more people with reports it is budgeted to raise $2.3bn in 2027-28, rising to $40bn over a decade. Also what exactly is the message Labor is sending to regional Australians, such as those who buy farms through self-managed super funds for example? What will they target next? There's real concern that farmers and small business owners could be forced to sell off land or shares just to pay taxes on money they haven't actually seen, let alone spent. Well, what a way to support our rural families already under excruciating pressure with flooding in the NSW's mid-north coast and drought in the Riverina and Murray regions. If you've saved responsibly and prepared for retirement, PM Anthony Albanese's message is clear. You did everything right, now pay the price. Your nest egg is Labor's future revenue stream. Louise Roberts is a journalist and editor who has worked as a TV and radio commentator in Australia, the UK and the US. Louise is a winner of the Peter Ruehl Award for Outstanding Columnist in the NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism and has been shortlisted in other awards for her opinion work.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Billionaire calls for investigation into two popular online shopping platforms: 'It's a real worry'
The rise of online shopping has resulted in the creation of ultra-cheap retailers like Shein and Temu that ship products from overseas. While these options look like a good way for consumers to save money, there are hidden dangers to people and the planet. Australian billionaire Gerry Harvey recently called out the companies for their activities and suggested that the country's government should look into their impact, Pedestrian reports. As Pedestrian acknowledged, Harvey isn't exactly impartial. He is co-founder and chair of Harvey Norman, a leading retailer in Australia, making Temu and Shein his competitors. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a point. "[Shein and Temu] are a . . . pariah, it's a very difficult situation for Australian retailers to combat," Harvey told the Nightly in January. "They never pay any tax here, they don't employ anyone. There should be a government inquiry into it as to what ramifications are there and whether they should or shouldn't do something about it. It's a real worry, do you let it just go or not; I think it's worth an investigation." One of the reasons these retailers are able to offer goods so cheaply is the lack of safety and quality standards being applied to their products. Pedestrian cited the examples of "croissant lamps" that turned out to be actual croissants coated in resin, highly flammable children's clothing that resulted in severe burns for one 8-year-old wearer, and a vial of human blood found in a shipment — all dangerous or damaging situations for the buyers. Another factor in the price? The heavy exploitation of workers, including the use of child labor. Shein and Temu may have raked in a combined 3 billion Australian dollars (about $1.89 billion) in sales last year, per Pedestrian, but a BBC investigation revealed Shein's workers are overworked, underpaid, and kept in unhealthy conditions to keep costs low. Meanwhile, the way these companies churn out ton after ton of low-quality products, meant to be bought on a whim and thrown away just as easily, is a driver behind overconsumption and pollution, which costs consumers far more than they save while damaging the planet we all live on. The problem has been extensively discussed when it comes to fast fashion, for example. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. It's not clear whether the Australian government will investigate these companies, but it might take a page from France's book. The European nation has recently passed a bill that would tax these products up to 10 euros (about $10) per item to offset the damage they do to the environment. As an individual, you can also help fight exploitation and pollution by choosing eco-friendly brands to support, or buy clothes and other items secondhand. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
