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AFL's wrong route to the right decision

Joe's latest subscriber note – coming to you from Los Angeles.

Joe Aston |
AFL's wrong route to the right decision
Geelong President Craig Drummond with Chairman of the AFL Commission, Richard Goyder, at the 2023 AFL Premiership Launch in Melbourne, March 9 2023. Photo: Daniel Pockett.

My apologies for the lack of new material from me since Monday – I've been researching a bigger piece that I hope will be ready to publish next week or the week after, which I assure you will be worth the wait.

I was also waylaid writing my monthly AFR column on the "ritual public nutting" of three James Hardie directors, including the chairman, in Dublin at the company's AGM on Thursday. This one's been the corporate story of 2025.

Way back in March, I was early out of the blocks on James Hardie's outrageous conduct (both in Rampart and the AFR) and the gaping deficiencies it highlighted in the ASX listing rules. I've been banging on about it ceaselessly ever since. 

I hope you didn't miss my Rampart column from Monday on the same subject, "Aaron Erter unplugged", which in retrospect I should've headlined, "Aaron Erter, American moron". I made up for that oversight in the AFR today:

The miscalculations of Aaron Erter, American moron
The window for investors to save James Hardie is closing. Its CEO’s Azek egg can’t be unscrambled, but he could at least be forced to suffer adults in the room.
Australian Financial ReviewJoe Aston

I've been working from Los Angeles for the past two weeks and enjoying another change of scene (having endured August and September in Byron Bay). Having all morning to ruminate before Australia wakes up each day is a luxury I now remember how much I loved when I lived here.