Writer
Ian McAuley
Ian McAuley is a retired lecturer in public finance at the University of Canberra. He can be contacted at “ian" at the domain “ianmcauley.com” .
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IAN McAULEY. Don’t call economic reform “class war”
Those who accuse Labor of having engaged in “class warfare” in its election campaign are trying to stymie economically responsible taxation reform and to deflect attention from the corrupting influence of big money on our democracy. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. It’s not about “left-right”: it’s the economy
Some see Australia’s election from a traditional “left-right” perspective, but that frame is meaningless. Labor should be guided by principles of good economic policy, in contrast to the Coalition’s policy of thwarting necessary economic adjustment. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. No wonder the real-estate agents went against Labor
A glance at movements in share prices since the election shows who expects to do well out of the Coalition’s win. (Spoiler – it’s the finance sector.) Continue reading »
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IAN MCAULEY. Dutton knew what he was doing when he booted out Turnbull
Australia’s Trump/Brexit moment came on Saturday night, when Antony Green called the election for Morrison. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Bob Hawke’s open letter to Australians
On Wednesday Bob Hawke sent an open letter to Australians — a short message reminding us that Bill Shorten is ready to lead a united Labor team to contribute to a prosperous, fair and environmentally sustainable Australia. Here is the full text. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Don’t be distracted by the Coalition’s promise of a budget surplus
A government’s budget surplus or deficit is meaningless unless it’s carefully interpreted and is seen as only one of many indicators of a government’s economic competence. There’s nothing intrinsically good about a budget surplus. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Surely Morrison isn’t seriously asking us to trust him
Morrison’s words are a plea to trust his government, but his tactics seem to be aimed at spreading mistrust, not only of Labor but also of democratic institutions more generally. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. A budget to entrench economic vulnerability
Even from a “what’s in it for me” viewpoint, the budget is a failure, because tax cuts would soon be wiped out by higher charges for education, health care and transport. More importantly it does not address structural weaknesses in the Australian economy. Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Banks and the housing bubble
Providing housing finance has always been a major part of banks’ business. But how did we allow them to make housing into speculators’ playthings? Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. The rot set in when they privatized the Commonwealth Bank
The banking and finance commission’s focus was on specific poor behaviours. It avoided broad policy issues, including the general failure of competition to improve consumer outcomes. Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Labor’s policy on imputation credits is flawed, but it’s in the right direction
Labor’s proposal to disallow imputation credits unless offset by other taxes is flawed on grounds of economic efficiency and equity. But it does try to deal with the terrible injustice that sees well-off retirees exempt from tax. That’s in contrast to the petulant complaints from lobby groups who offer no constructive alternatives to make the Continue reading »
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SATURDAY’s GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts in other media Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Medicare under threat – from Labor!
Last year Labor announced that if elected it would refer health funding, particularly private health insurance, to the Productivity Commission, it being 50 years since the value of PHI was last examined by government. It appears, however, that Labor is squibbing on its promise to subject PHI to economic scrutiny, abandoning its historical commitment to Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. The housing bubble, inflated by Howard and Costello, is now deflating.
Housing prices in our most overheated markets, Sydney and Melbourne, are falling. The housing bubble is a consequence of reckless economic policies pursued by the Howard-Costello Government, who, in the name of “financial dynamism”, privileged financial transactions over real economic activity. Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Reminder to Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison: Australia is a parliamentary democracy
On the last sitting day of Parliament, the Government took extraordinary measures to block a vote on a bill to ease the medical evacuation of asylum-seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. The Government’s terror of losing a vote on the floor of the House reveals a dangerous misunderstanding of the workings of our parliamentary democracy. Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. The National Electricity Market is a mess. Morrison wants to make it messier.
The National Electricity Market needs re-design involving re-nationalisation of networks and “retailers” because privatisation and structural separation have failed. Continue reading »
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GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND
A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts covered in other media. Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. Victoria’s election: the trend behind the noise
The Victorian election is the latest instalment of a five-year trend that has seen the Liberal Party lose ground in every state and federal election. What’s going on? Continue reading »