Economy
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Burning the EV bridges with China is risky
While Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are engaged in a tight presidential race by highlighting their differences, they share similar perspectives about China. They both hold the common belief that the imposition of higher tariffs will stimulate economic growth. However, the intricate network of tariffs implemented by both the Trump and Biden administrations Continue reading »
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Stewards should have an early look at this roughie racehorse
We can all be grateful that the acting auditor general Rona Mellor has decided to take at least a sideways glance into Commonwealth speculation, alongside a similar bet by the probably outgoing Queensland government, in an American horse in the great quantum computing race. I know nothing to say that there is anything intrinsically dodgy Continue reading »
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In August the market dived, but then revived on rate hopes – Monthly economic and market review
The All-Ords share price index plunged 5.8% in the first two trading days of August and then rebounded 5.8% by 30 August. It ended the month just 0.3% short of where it started. Continue reading »
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Achieving net-zero: is nuclear the answer?
The recently published book ‘Nuclear is not the answer’ by Prof. M.V. Ramana at the University of British Columbia provides a comprehensive and well-researched response to the evolving debate on the relevance of nuclear in our energy mix. Continue reading »
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End the private hospital blame game by exposing the cost of care
The federal Department of Health will soon finish a “health check” of private hospital finances. Warnings of an emerging crisis sparked the review, with private hospital closures, claims that more hospitals are on the brink of collapse, and high-profile disputes between private hospital companies and health insurers. Continue reading »
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Dutton’s nuclear vision is distorted by ignorance (or worse)
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan may well have minimal carbon emissions, but the distant time of arrival, and ignoring the well known drawbacks makes it a dud. Continue reading »
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The dangers of AUKUS, the FPA and nuclear submarines
AUKUS and the FPA will lead us into unnecessary war, compromises our sovereignty and bring with them toxic risks to our health through radiation leaks, accidents associated with the nuclear reactors and the toxic waste from porting US and UK nuclear submarines Continue reading »
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Big battery market charges beyond expectations, now the grid just needs more wind and solar
The big battery storage market continues to charge ahead beyond expectations, buoyed by the doubling of planned capacity at what is already Queensland’s biggest battery, and a host of new projects that have taken the sector to levels and dimensions not contemplated even 12 months ago. Continue reading »
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Missing the point: Chalmers, Dutton and the politics of division
A government is in trouble when it has to utter the banal and reiterate the damnably obvious. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is certainly struggling of late, a state of affairs all the more unspeakable given the calibre of his opponent. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton barely makes the grade of a two-dimensional politician, but has Continue reading »
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‘Price-gouging’ and ‘profiteering’ haven’t been major contributors to Australian inflation
Australia’s experience over the past three years of the highest inflation in 35 years is in large part — as it has been in other countries — the result of producers of goods and services, in both the private and public sectors, being able to pass on increases in costs to their customers or clients Continue reading »
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Path not taken: the Petroleum and Minerals Authority at fifty
Speaking recently on the ABC, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz claimed that Australia was ‘giving away its natural resources’. This he found ‘mind-boggling’. Would a sovereign mining company have made a difference? Continue reading »
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That time when Canada cancelled its nuclear submarine order
Back in 1987, when no one knew that the Cold War was just about to end, the Canadian Government signed up to build ten nuclear-powered submarines. That submarine program lasted for all of two years before being cancelled in 1989. No nuclear Canadian sub ever even began construction, let alone gettin Continue reading »
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Retirement villages: are they really a safe haven for retirees?
The looming question for me and my partner is “where might we live as we grow older and frailer?” For us, the ideal place is likely to be a retirement village. But at what cost? Continue reading »
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Global population growth is now slowing rapidly. Will a falling population be better for the environment?
Right now, human population growth is doing something long thought impossible – it’s wavering. It’s now possible global population could peak much earlier than expected, topping 10 billion in the 2060s. Then, it would begin to fall. Continue reading »
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Artificial cleverness is polluting the essence of our humanity
Fakes, deep fakes, disinformation, lies and rumours pollute the internet, the legacy media and conversations. Some of these are not new, but their power is growing. Now we have a new contender, so-called artificial intelligence, interfering in our human experience. Continue reading »
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Inequality is about more than just who has the money
Rising inequality in Australia needs a new understanding of how people live, not just economics. Continue reading »
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Digital technology: blessing or curse?
The challenge we face with digital technology is not just managing it; it’s about what it’s doing to us. Continue reading »
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Managing the economy: sharpening a blunt instrument
Conceptually, managing the Economy is simple: if inflation is rampant, suck money out of the Economy; if recession is raging, pump money into the Economy. Continue reading »
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The end of Israel’s economy
As Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza continues unabated, the Israeli economy is facing a catastrophe. The physical destruction in Israel from the war has been minimal, but one thing has been destroyed: its future. Continue reading »
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Engaging Pillar 2 of AUKUS: losing self-respect and encouraging self-harm
Pillar 2 is a thing that AUKUS created: it appears at different times and with different meanings and possibilities and yet is not entirely, or even at all, predictable because the initial conditions and predicate logic on which it depends are themselves illusions or fabrications of the collective mind of those who constructed it in Continue reading »
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Australia, developing countries and the US clash over WTO electronic commerce rules
Despite ongoing debates about the need to regulate Big Tech companies Australia is sponsoring a deregulatory international agreement in the face of opposition from both the US and developing countries. Continue reading »
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Why organised crime puts its money on online gambling
Illegal online casinos are used by criminal gangs to launder billions in profit garnered from transnational crime. Continue reading »
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Data-driven, theory-averse research is fuelled by the rankings hamster wheel
Big data has contributed to a cultural shift towards evidence-based decision-making in academia, industry, and government, which prioritises empirical evidence over theory-based inquiry. It has also been associated with the boom in the publication of shorter journal articles and the decline in the publication of scholarly books, fuelled by the publish-or-perish academic rankings hamster wheel, Continue reading »
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China’s open source revolution: innovation through collaboration
While Western nations often celebrate private ownership as a driver of innovation, China’s traditional focus has been on how intellectual property can best serve the collective needs of the nation, particularly in economic development and technological self-reliance. In recent decades, however, China’s approach has undergone a significant transformation. It has shifted from imitation and adaptation Continue reading »
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China and the US are facing parallel economic conundrums
Mutual economic quandaries as both try to reshape their economies may force the two bitter rivals to learn to live with each other again. Continue reading »
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The global collapse of parenting and the rise of the device
Over ten years ago, I wrote an article for the Guardian that argued it was time to slay a sacred cow: that the internet is a force for good. Many advised me against writing it, saying it would be read as the views of a laggard, but it became one of the most-read articles published Continue reading »
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The geopolitics of cyber espionage
In March 2024, the United States government and its Five Eyes allies issued dire warnings about a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as “Volt Typhoon.” They alleged a shadowy entity had compromised thousands of devices worldwide to target critical infrastructure in Western nations. Continue reading »
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How to fix poverty? Universal basic income
A single standard income payment, untaxed and unconditional to every person, will provide income security and the freedom to choose education, work and lifestyle. It would replace existing targeted welfare payments (not programs) and be integrated for administration purposes with the taxation system. Giving an equal payment to everyone would overcome poverty while boosting participation, Continue reading »
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Maybe only a recession will fix macroeconomic management
In the economy, as in life, it helps a lot if you learn from your mistakes. Or, if you’re in public life, from the mistakes of your predecessors. Continue reading »
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Shocking news: China is kicking more global goals
Is China mired in economic misery while bogged down by old habits- or very successfully developing its exceptional manufacturing prowess as it expands and consolidates its influence across the Global South (and well beyond)? Never mind any apparent contradiction, one leading global weekly answers yes and yes to these two questions. Continue reading »
