Economy
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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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Against the odds, South Australia is a renewable energy powerhouse. How on Earth did they do it?
Less than two decades ago, SA generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60% of the state’s electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped by paralysis – so how did it happen?… Continue reading »
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Behind the scenes: Section 92, the High Court and State coronavirus border closures
Nearly four months after the High Court ruled in favour of the WA Government against billionaire miner Clive Palmer, who challenged WA’s coronavirus border closure, we have the Court’s reasons for its decision…. Continue reading »
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Let’s talk tax: It’s vital if Labor genuinely wants a fairer, more equal society Part 2
Part 1 discussed the policy platform that Labor needs to seize leading up to the election. However, such a platform will lack credibility unless all its policies are fully costed, and it is clear how they will be paid for…. Continue reading »
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Liberal and Liberal-lite: a Hobson’s choice for voters at next election? Part 1
Will Labor offer voters a real choice? Labor should grasp the nettle and focus on the key challenges facing Australia – climate change and inequality. Tomorrow, I will discuss the budget consequences of this policy agenda, as this is essential to Labor’s credibility…. 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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The ‘Gambler’s Curse’: finance traders upstaged by their own tactics
When a trading “rabble” hit financial markets in late January, with retail investors – the “Main Street Traders” – putting a squeeze on Wall Street’s squeeze of GameShop, financial journalists were furious on behalf of the merchants of debt who offer nothing but their own enrichment. … 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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Porter’s IR bill: ‘tearing a gaping hole in the award safety net’
The government’s Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill before parliament was drafted at the end of a six-month consultative process that brought together employer and employee representatives to chart what the prime minister hoped would be “a practical reform agenda, a job making agenda”…. Continue reading »
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Move over neoliberalism; rentier capitalism is now king
Because the average person’s prosperity is shrinking, they can’t buy so much stuff. Companies are instead generating profits by getting hold of assets to rent out, such as housing and roads. This financial capitalism has huge political ramifications for the Left, but it is not listening…. Continue reading »
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Foreign ownership hits hopes of national independence
Foreign ownership and control is continuing to devastate the Australian economy to the detriment of all Australians. It undermines the economic base for national independence…. 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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Banks that listen to their customers will go places
Loyalty to banks used to be a big thing in the days of yore. But the Banking Royal Commission certainly skewered any reason to remain loyal. And there are options for those looking for an ethical bank that listens to their customers. … Continue reading »
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Covid-19 has been a circuit breaker. Now we need to flip a different switch
A horror year, 2020 has brought some salutary lessons. But can we change our ways because of our trauma? Or will we: continue to ignore climate change; bring back overseas students and depend on their privileged place in universities; boost migration to support the housing price spiral; turn a blind eye to inequality and social… Continue reading »
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The Reserve Bank needs accountability that only external scrutiny can provide
In the US and other countries, central banks have agreed to greater transparency in return for modifications of Freedom of Information policy. That would be appropriate in Australia, given the failure of our FOI Act to generate meaningful transparency…. Continue reading »
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How good is Morrison’s Australia? Going backwards and being left behind
After seven years of a Coalition government, household debt is the second highest of 43 countries; we ranked third last out of 35 OECD countries for wage growth and we have the third most unaffordable housing market in the OECD. But the good news is that the combined worth of Australian billionaires is 52.4% higher… Continue reading »
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Underinsurance entrenching poverty as the vulnerable are hit hardest by disasters
It is after extreme weather events that people’s lack of insurance is particularly distressing. But simply telling people to get more insurance is not necessarily the answer. We first need to understand why people are underinsured and work out how insurance can work better for people…. Continue reading »
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Corporate activism: CEO silence on public issues can be deafening
Taking a stand on an issue needs to be thoughtful, meaningful and strategic, not opportunistic. CEO activism is most effective when there is a strong connection between the issue and the brand. Authenticity is critical…. Continue reading »
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And then there were three – Australia’s dwindling oil exports
With a growing dependence on imports, Australia will become more vulnerable to disruptions to supply. It will not be easy to quantify the disadvantages. And it will be extremely difficult for governments to decide what level of insurance against disruption would be appropriate…. Continue reading »
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Fundamental purpose of superannuation is to provide adequate retirement incomes, not finance bequests
The priority for retirement incomes policy is to ensure that retirement savings are used efficiently to generate an adequate income. Until this occurs, there should be no change in the legislated increases in the compulsory superannuation guarantee contribution rate…. Continue reading »
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Let the JobKeeper rorts roll
Where do we start when considering the $100 billion JobKeeper scheme? Should we focus on the opaque nature of the scheme in which less than 3% of JobKeeper payments have been disclosed in public company accounts and there is no way of finding out who got what and how much?… Continue reading »
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Australia can phase out coal power while maintaining energy security
The end of coal-fired generation in Australia is inevitable. The key is for an orderly transition to spread the costs fairly…. 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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Ideology triumphs over evidence: Morrison government drops the ball on banking reform
Weakening responsible lending laws is a bad look for the federal government. It has the hallmarks of political opportunism, with Morrison and Frydenberg using the Covid crisis to be a friend of business at the expense of consumers…. Continue reading »
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Despite appearances, this government isn’t really Keynesian, as its budget update shows
It is tempting to think the Australian government’s decision to spend big – an unprecedented 33% of GDP this financial year according to the budget update – marks an embrace of Keynesian economics after decades in which authorities have looked the other way…. Continue reading »
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Chocolate: still tainted by child labour
What is your New Year resolution? To get fitter and eat less sugar, including chocolate? There’s plenty of other reasons to re-think our love affair with chocolate…. 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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Fool’s paradise: ‘independent’ advisers promote lie that transport infrastructure can lead a Covid recovery
A recent report for Infrastructure Australia confirms what many suspect – some transport infrastructure projects should be shelved. Yet IA refuses to reassess any transport projects, including those it knows or should know are wrong…. Continue reading »
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Why inequality increased and what to do about it
The evidence clearly shows that the rise in inequality has been principally driven by technological change. But governments can make a difference. Education and training policies to assist the adjustment to new technologies can help preserve the distribution of income and an egalitarian society…. Continue reading »
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What real reform looks like: increase wages and tackle inequality, climate change
The economy has been stagnating for years under successive Coalition governments. It badly needs fixing, but it can be done. This is how…. Continue reading »
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