Writer
Percy Allan
Percy Allan is a public policy economist and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology, Sydney. Professor Allan is a former Secretary of the NSW Treasury (1985-1994) and a former Chair of the NSW Premier’s Council on the Cost & Quality of Government (1999-2007). He has chaired several public and private sector boards.
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Public policy making is failing in Australia. Here’s how to fix it
Federal and state governments are falling short of basic standards of evidence in legislating policy, according to new independent research. Continue reading »
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Good governance in six logical and easy steps
A statement of public interest should be obligatory for major government decisions. Here’s why. Continue reading »
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After initiating the coercion against China we are now with AUKUS in the front row in a new cold war.
Since we have decided to integrate our navy with America’s and be its ally in confronting China, we should expect to be viewed as an extension of a nuclear superpower and be targeted accordingly. Continue reading »
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How to engage with China
The Chinese government’s overriding goals are unity, stability, security, and prosperity. They arose from its “century of humiliation” (1839-1949) when it underwent invasion, addiction, civil war, and destitution. The Great Leap Forward campaign (1958-62) triggered famine and the Red Guard riots (1966-67) destroyed heritage and education. All post-Mao governments have brutally cracked down on internal Continue reading »
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Australia’s fundamental fiscal dilemma
This was a big pump-priming budget. The maximum deficit as a proportion of GDP is 7.8% which makes the deepest deficits of the Rudd (4.2%) and Whitlam (2.8%) governments look modest. It discards the government’s pre-pandemic commitment to return to surplus. Of the $92 billion of new spending over the next four years, two-thirds is Continue reading »
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China-Australia trade conflict is not all China’s doing
For the past nine months China has blocked some Australian exports, including coal, cotton, lobsters and timber, while also levying anti-dumping duties on Australian wine and barley. Post Covid, it will be hard for Australia to grow quickly without China’s market, capital, people exchange and know-how. Finding a détente is essential. Continue reading »
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Latest Findings on how well our Governments make Policy
For the third year running, independent research undertaken by two philosophically opposed Right and Left think tanks finds that basic standards of evidence and consultation-based policy making are only loosely followed by Australian federal and state governments. Nevertheless, there was an improvement on last year’s results. Continue reading »
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Review: TOAST – the new Australian primer on climate change
Toast describes the huge threat climate change poses to the world and to Australia in particular. It explains why this is so difficult to perceive. It sets out evidence that the climate scientists, not the denialists, are right. Continue reading »
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How to avoid a September cliff edge (AFR 29.6.20)
Bond sales to the Reserve Bank would allow stimulus to continue without busting the budget or raising taxes. Continue reading »
