Golf handicap must wait as iron man takes a swing at banks, regulators and critics

'We had nowhere near the talent base that Billiton had.' Don Argus

Don Argus in sweeping strokes

THE Don is not going gently into the corporate night. On the eve of his baton-pass to Jac Nasser, BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus has gone on the record to warn Australia's big banks against over-reliance on home lending, to defend his leadership of the world's biggest mining group and to ask whether global regulators should be able to stymie BHP's planned iron ore merger with Rio Tinto.

Not enough to go round - field sizes hit racing again

'Eight out of 10 of their horses have a winning chance.' Hugh Bowman on the Darley team after notching a winning double on them at Randwick on Saturday. Is the horse or the jockey the vital factor? Bowman is riding in great form but in recent times outside jockeys have looked good when given opportunities on mounts trained by Peter Snowden.

On the way out, boomers still have the numbers

IT'S here. As of yesterday, the oldest baby boomers will start to retire from the workforce, and as they move on to the age pension, the squeeze on government revenue which has been predicted for so long will begin to occur.

Much more of me to come, says Moore

She is Sydney's choker-wearing Lord Mayor who, despite criticism of her holding down two jobs, retains an iron grip on the inner city as the state MP for Sydney. But unlike a certain former prime minister, Clover Moore (at right) has never promised to consider her political future at the age of 64. Moore is secretive about her age, but according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission records, she celebrates the milestone on Thursday. And, as was the case with John Howard, it is quite clear that she intends to ask the question "Will you still love me?" of her constituents at least one more time when she is up for re-election as Lord Mayor in 2012. "I do intend to run. I am still very excited about and committed to the work," said Moore, who defeated Labor's Michael Lee to succeed the city's first female lord mayor, Lucy Turnbull, in 2004. Her ability to simultaneously run Town Hall and look after her state seat became the main focus of challenges from opponents in the lead-up to the poll, in particular from the former NSW Liberal leader Peter Collins, who also stood against Moore. "I find my dual roles at city and state levels enable me to be even more effective for the community and the city, and I am committed to long-term plans to improve inner-city transport and sustainability, particularly in this era of global warming,�� Moore told The Diary.

Royal Geoff

Royal Geoff

Woodie looking for life after Lleyton

Yet again, Lleyton Hewitt will fly the men's flag for Australia at next week's US Open. Richard Hinds talks to the man charged with restocking the larder.

Jac the Knife wins the vote

JAC Nasser, the Lebanese immigrant raised in working-class Northcote who rose to the top of US car giant Ford, where he became known as "Jac the Knife", will replace Don Argus as chairman of the world's biggest resources group, BHP Billiton.

Schubert the bridesmaid as Nasser takes chair at BHP

JAC NASSER, the Lebanese immigrant raised in working-class Northcote, in Melbourne, who rose to the top of US car giant Ford where he became known as "Jac the Knife", is to replace Don Argus as chairman of the world's biggest resources group, BHP Billiton.

All Smiles Despite Fashion Handicap

TELEVISION personality Nicky Buckley will have a nine iron in hand when she goes to battle against her better half today on the golf course, that is.

Golfers Just Can't Shake The Weather Handicap

COUNTRY LIFE In the third part of a Herald series focused on Narrandera, Daniel Lewis heads out to the golf course to find members working hard to keep the trees and the greens alive. AFTER more than 30 years enjoying grass-covered greens, Narrandera Golf Club vice-president Pat Hayllar insists there is no way she will allow her 18 holes to go back to the sand greens they had until the 1970s.

Celeb And 'pyjama Game' Plan To Give Golf Some Stick

GOLF will join cricket's 20-20 revolution, if a proposal before the PGA Tour of Australasia is adopted. One of Australia's most experienced golf promoters has proposed a round-robin six-hole matchplay tournament to be tacked on to the local golf tour.

Lees Exits With Game In A-grade Condition

OUTGOING Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union general manager Warren Lees is looking forward to reducing his golf handicap and joining "critics corner" for Nelson Bay home games.

Hinze Means Business

She reads, she's studying marine biology and has a mean golf handicap - so don't call this model just another pretty face, writes Caroline Marcus.

Hot Pepper

Age cannot weary multi-talented Keith Pepper. In fact, it can't even knock down his golf handicap, writes Trevor Hulm.

Goodbye Golf As Parker In Swing

KEMBLA Grange trainer Kerry Parker has knocked a couple of shots off his golf handicap in the past two months and will be looking for a couple of winners on comeback day this afternoon.

Clear Clues Point To Job Interview Tattle-tales

It could be as innocuous as enhancing your golf handicap to fit in with the executive crowd, or as grave as rewriting history to cover up a criminal record. But as many as 45 per cent of job candidates do it lie, that is, in a job interview. Steve Van Aperen, a former Victorian detective trained in polygraph testing, has spent the past six years teaching recruiters how to pick up the porkies that potential employees tell.