Why Australia’s pro-globalisation consensus endures
Australia’s post-pandemic politics may look more divided, but fears of a rising populist backlash are overstated. Demographics, institutions and economic geography still anchor the nation’s long-standing consensus in favour of openness, migration and global integration.
Recent articles in Economy
26 November 2025
Western Australia is rich, but it's not the economic powerhouse it claims to be
Western Australian politicians claim the state is the “powerhouse” of the national economy and deserves an outsized share of GST revenue. The ABS State Accounts for 2024–25 tell a different story, revealing a decade of weak growth, falling per capita output and a system that rewards WA despite clear under-performance.
25 November 2025
Senate committee on disinformation should look into the Liberals' energy policy: It is full of it
The Liberal Party’s new energy policy recycles discredited claims and fossil fuel talking points, undermining public trust and delaying the essential task of real action.
20 November 2025
Five reasons Trump’s economy stinks and 10 things the Dems should do about It
The Trump economy is truly awful for most Americans. Democrats need to show America that they can be better trusted to bring prices down and real wages up.
19 November 2025
Migration myths
Migrants aren’t to blame for expensive houses or stress on infrastructure: in fact they’re making more contribution to our shared assets than Australians.
17 November 2025
'A national humiliation': Australia at bottom of new renewables ranking
As the Coalition abandons net zero, Andrew Forrest has quietly moved on not just to net zero, but to real zero.
10 November 2025
China planning ahead with 15th five-year plan
In business, the five Ps are often referenced: Poor preparation prevents proper performance. That extends to planning a national economy.
10 November 2025
Arms industry infiltrates National Press Club
More than a quarter of the National Press Club’s sponsors are part of the global arms industry or working on its behalf.
9 November 2025
To fix the economy, fix housing
Australia’s economy is in a post-pandemic slump. To dig us out, state and federal governments must tackle the chronic shortage of housing in our biggest cities.
8 November 2025
Computer still says no to Queenslanders wearing seatbelts
The ACT Government has just announced that from 3 November, “ACT traffic cameras will detect and issue infringements for seatbelt offences.
7 November 2025
The new political economy of innovation: Why Australian policymakers need better tools
When the Commonwealth Government reorganised its innovation responsibilities for the fourth time in a decade, public servants made jokes about updating their email signatures again.
6 November 2025
Practical, equitable … cute? Labor’s free solar plan sparks call for more electrification and flexibility
The federal energy minister’s plan to make electricity free for three hours in the middle of each day for customers on the default market offer has made a big splash in the energy world, and sparked calls for more electrification and demand flexibility.
5 November 2025
In memoriam: The slow death of the Quad
Quietly, but surely, life is ebbing away from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad).
Catch up on other sections
More from Economy
30 October 2025
ASEAN leads response to the threat of global economic disorder
26 October 2025
Bad debt ‘cockroaches’ signal new threats to the global economy
23 October 2025
Dental health – time for a small, cost-effective revolution
23 October 2025
Superannuation and the Canberra Press Gallery's fantasies
22 October 2025