Economy
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Anti-China hysteria lies at heart of action against IMF’s Georgieva
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva’s fall would prove the fund has mere trappings of multilateralism — leaving others to go their own way. ..Many in the US Congress want Georgieva out because she is not a sworn enemy of Beijing. Continue reading »
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The Australian dilemma: a gas-led recovery, stranded assets and carbon neutrality
If Australia’s coal and gas industry continues to expand production, it faces the prospect of an eyewatering accumulation of stranded carbon assets when Australia formally adopts a policy of net zero emissions by 2050. Continue reading »
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Australia’s banks got $188 billion in cheap loans from the RBA. Now they’re funding share buybacks
Much has been written about the taxpayer-funded windfalls to some companies provided by the $90 billion JobKeeper scheme. Their gains have come from grants given to them to offset projected COVID-19 losses — with no obligation to pay that money back when the losses didn’t eventuate. Continue reading »
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Ken Henry: The interests of the most disadvantaged are not being served by our tax system
Those who care about distributive justice cannot ignore the extraordinary intergenerational inequity inherent in our present tax system. Continue reading »
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In competition between China and the US, Australian consumers choose China
Australia’s relationship with China involves many dimensions and Australia/China relations look a lot different from different perspectives. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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With allies like these, Australia doesn’t need enemies
As Australia’s trade dispute with China continues, allies who have pledged solidarity with Australia have been moving into the trade spaces from which we’ve been evicted. Hardly ‘protecting our back’ as the US boasts. Continue reading »
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What will the world look like by the time our subs are launched?
By the time Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines are ready, the world will have seen some dramatic economic realignments, according to predictions of GDP by country. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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Agriculture industry condemned to becoming a growing centre for exploitation and abuse
The Senate report on temporary migration makes many excellent recommendations, but also misses opportunities. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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Climate Change: will the financial system survive?
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal global response to the escalating climate crisis has been the preparedness of financial market regulators to force their regulated institutions to face up to the implications of climate risk. Continue reading »
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The China push for a cleaner and cooler planet
Not a day passes without our media damning China for some imagined infamy or other. So many stories, so many column inches, and nothing positive to be found. At the same time, our television screens are full of other images; real images of a disaster that is enveloping us all. Continue reading »
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Newcastle Port decision: overreach, misunderstanding or both?
The Federal Court’s rejection of the ACCCs case against Government-imposed penalties facing Newcastle Port seemed to misunderstand transport policy matters and give more weight to the Government’s latest excuses than to logic and observed actions. Continue reading »
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Why don’t farmers just raise wages to get workers?
Are powerful retailers who set farm prices the real problem in keeping wages down? Continue reading »
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Jeffrey Sachs speech on the state of the world’s “food system” that is rigged against the poor.
We have a world food system but we need a different system, one based on human rights and national sovereignty. The US won’t allow that. Consider the United Fruit Company in Honduras that was backed by the US government and the military and exploited the local population.The US doesn’t even care about it’s own poor. Continue reading »
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What does Labor offer? Part 2
Part 1 of this article discussed the implications for equity and inequality resulting from Labor’s recanting its previous opposition to the Government’s Stage 3 income tax cuts, as well as dropping its policies to reform the taxation provisions covering capital gains and negative gearing. Part 2 discusses the other major concern; the ability of a Continue reading »
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Foreign sanctions: Beijing counters Biden’s bullying of Hong Kong
Although China’s anti-foreign-sanctions law is novel, it is a vivid demonstration that the days when the US could bully others with impunity are gone. Continue reading »
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What does Labor offer? Part 1
Labor’s repudiation of its previous opposition to the Government’s Stage 3 income tax cuts, and its decision to drop its reforms covering the taxation of capital gains and negative gearing raises two major concerns. Continue reading »
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What goes around comes around: carbon tariffs bite our exports
In his excellent opinion piece, Ross Gittins points out that those posturing against the proposed EU carbon tariffs on our exports are the very people who struck down own effective national greenhouse action. They argued then that that unfair competition from countries who were not acting would impact our industries – so it’s a bit Continue reading »
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The ALP is supporting stage three tax cuts for the wealthy.
Progressive taxation is the cornerstone of a fair, equitable and just society. Just don’t tell that to the Australian Labor Party. Continue reading »
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No evidence the US has Australia’s back in its dispute with China, despite all the rhetoric
The US has “got our back”. This talking point is repeated by Australian government ministers with rising fervour, as China continues its campaign of trade punishment against Australia. Think-tank experts and media commentators amplify it further. Continue reading »
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NSW rail policy: more than cooking the books
Media reports claimed changes to NSW railways artificially inflated State Budget results. Yet ‘cooked books’ are the least of the concerns. Continue reading »
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Ready or not: a carbon price on exports is coming to Australia
Those of us who have at least an elementary grasp of economics would have been astonished at the reasoning of Trade Minister Dan Tehan during his ABC interview last week on The EU’s proposed carbon levy on imports (the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Continue reading »
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A drip-feed of scary numbers about the future.
20 years ago, when Peter Costello launched the first Intergenerational Report, he promised that looking four decades ahead would greatly help long-term decision-making and asset allocation. But the aim did not coincide with the reality. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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Pegasus-India’s Watergate moment
A journalist hacked by Pegasus says he will survive, but Indian democracy may not. Continue reading »
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