Economy
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WA’s GST deal is keeping the rest of the nation under water
Every government in Australia is running a budget deficit. Except one. Western Australia, unlike the rest of Australia and the world, is rolling in it…. Continue reading »
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UK conservatives are willing to tax the rich to repair their budget, Morrison will only take from the needy
Conservative politicians in both Australia and the UK profess to believe in small government. However, UK conservatives are prepared to increase tax to fund essential government services while in Australia, our conservatives try to achieve small government by stealth by not properly funding key government responsibilities…. Continue reading »
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The Reserve Bank’s target for wage growth is difficult whilst the Government resists wage increases
The Reserve Bank has tied the future of monetary policy to the restoration of wage growth. But how likely is that, and what are the consequences?… Continue reading »
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Vital Signs: timing of Yallourn’s closure shows it’s high time for a carbon price
If you ever doubted the price of renewable energy was falling so rapidly it would eventually replace fossil fuels, the expedited closure of the Yallourn coal-fired power plant should change that…. 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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It took an accounting book to teach me the importance of Indigenous peoples’ connection to ‘Country’
It is said that Einstein’s Theory of Relativity came to him as he was leisurely riding a bike. Christopher Stone’s inspiration to write a potentially world-changing paper came to him as a result of a flippant question he posed to a law class he was teaching in 1972: Should trees have rights? Both changed the… Continue reading »
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How good is Scott Morrison? Or is it all marketing?
After a bad beginning with the bush fires, Scott Morrison has understandably claimed credit for Australia’s relatively strong performance in mitigating the health and economic consequences of the Covid pandemic in 2020. But looking to the future, how much substance is there, or is he just Scotty from marketing. So long as Morrison remains determined… Continue reading »
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The death of coal-fired power is inevitable — yet the government still has no plan to help its workforce
Yallourn power station — Australia’s oldest, dirtiest coal plant — will close four years ahead of schedule in 2028. Announcing the move this week, operator Energy Australia said it will build a giant energy storage battery on the site to make room for more renewables. This is a powerful statement about where our energy system is heading…. 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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Rising house prices putting at risk the economic stability of the nation
Housing policies are contributing to stagnating economic growth and putting at risk the economic stability of the nation. … Continue reading »
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What happens after JobKeeper ends?
While the labour market has almost completely rebounded, the employments prospects for some groups of workers are much bleaker than before the pandemic hit, while several industries are also lagging in regaining the lost jobs. These situations require a specific policy solution, not just on the basis of equity but also efficiency…. Continue reading »
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BossKeeper: ports giant Qube bullies its way into JobKeeper and plush bonuses
Shipping group Qube Holdings will give back $17m in JobKeeper subsidies but pockets $13.5m and some fancy executive bonuses despite its revenue rising strongly. How did it pull this off? Callum Foote investigates how the Liberal Party-linked Qube gamed the Tax Office…. Continue reading »
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The NBN, a litany of failures
There is no greater example of deception, incompetence, short-sightedness and poor economic management by this government than when it comes to the National Broadband Network…. 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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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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