Economy
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Innovation policy advice should be more than an echo chamber
At a recent Innovation Forum, the Minister for Government Services, the Hon Bill Shorten, volunteered the observation that the Australian research and innovation community is in danger of becoming an “echo chamber”, if it wasn’t already. Continue reading »
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The RBA is a moribund institution – an incumbrance on the economy
For the last three decades the Reserve Bank of Australia has focused on just one economic goal – a rate of inflation between 2 and 3 per cent. It is a goal they have pursued relentlessly since 1993, regardless of how effective or fair it is. Last Tuesday they increased the cash rate yet again. Continue reading »
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Drugs and alcohol aren’t even half the problem
Australia’s penal colony culture has continued into the fabric of all our public administrations, but most particularly Health, Education, Community Services and Justice. Continue reading »
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Biden confirms he’s not the intellect he once was
Once again Biden confirms he’s not the intellect he once was. People will remember years ago when Biden was a smart, intelligent and incisive man. He was always easy to disagree with but never easy to dismiss. Now, there is a serious danger whenever he goes off-script. As he left a meeting with Xi Jinping, Continue reading »
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Hazards in the critical minerals strategy
Demand is exploding for materials used in clean technology and IT. Amid worries that China dominates supply of many of these, Australia is developing a $4 billion program to expand their mining and processing. In Washington, our PM and the President announced a joint “Compact” on critical minerals. There are hazards here, including possibly tying Continue reading »
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‘Job-ready Graduates scheme’ damaging Australian Higher Education
In January 2021, the Morrison government changed the way university fees are set with the Job-ready Graduates scheme. Continue reading »
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Biden forgets that the C in APEC stands for cooperation
There are 21 countries attending APEC and over 1,200 organisations from within those countries. Only one of the 21 countries, which happens to be the host, has a recent history of promoting de-coupling, or de-risking which is diametrically opposed to what APEC stands for; they seem to forget that the C means cooperation. Continue reading »
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Pivoting away from China’s manufacturing power threatens global supply chains
While the US and its allies prioritise reducing supply chain risks, reshuffling away from China, repercussions from decoupling or de-risking might pose greater concerns than the risks themselves. Such actions could bifurcate the global economy, leading to fragmented supply chains and divergent technology standards. This could hinder global economic recovery, dampen investment flows, and impede Continue reading »
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The care economy: Ageing is not a disease – who knew?
Becoming an Elder in many societies is a process of active shared engagement across the generations, and holding a meaningful and honoured place in one’s community. Sadly, that time-honoured community cultural process has been pretty much eradicated in modern westernised, market-driven systems of ‘Aged Care,’ such as dominate the Australian ‘market.’ Continue reading »
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Australia-China relations: Diplomacy and a win “Without a Fight”
We should be greatly encouraged by Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to China. Isolation is always a bad thing. Dialogue is essential for relationships to be sustained or nourished. This is the most important aspect of the visit, far outweighing in importance any specific outcome. Continue reading »
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Optus outage: We can’t afford to have a single point of failure in our telecoms system
The recent Optus outage cannot be considered a ‘rare occasion.’ Over the last few years, we have witnessed several major outages across the telecoms networks, making it imperative for us to prepare ourselves for such events. We must address Telecom system vulnerabilities to prevent widespread outages. Continue reading »
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China’s removal of tariffs on Australian wine: Is it what it seems?
China’s offer to negotiate the removal of its ‘tariffs’ on imports of Australian wine is seen by many as a generous act to facilitate the current visit by the Prime Minister. Continue reading »
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Climate policy: The widening reality gap
The global warming problem seems increasingly insoluble. The past record shows growing gaps between ambition and achievement, decreasing time in which to act, and governments, including Australia’s, stubbornly sticking to policies that have failed to stop emissions growth. Clues to the reasons behind this can be found in the Treasurer’s address to the Economic and Continue reading »
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Australian PM’s China visit helps normalise relations, says Andrew Robb
Former Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb, in an exclusive interview with People’s Daily Online, said he viewed the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to China as another step toward normalising political relations. Continue reading »
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The structural challenges facing the Chinese and American economies
The two major economies, China and America, have severe structural imbalances between their savings and investment, which could significantly damage their medium-term growth prospects, with consequences for the rest of the world. Continue reading »
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Australia does not have to choose between China and the United States
The biggest challenge Australia is facing now probably is not how to maintain a balance between China and the United States, or to choose a side between the two, but instead how to serve the interests of its own people. The choice facing Australia is between standing on the side of division and confrontation, or Continue reading »
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Record asylum caseload at Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
With announcement of a strategy to address Australia’s burgeoning asylum backlogs, it is worth looking at the asylum caseload at the AAT. Addressing the backlog at the appeals stage is often critical to getting the asylum system working, as it should to help genuine refugees while deterring the unmeritorious. Continue reading »
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America: a wounded hegemon
Amid the pomp in Washington did the Australian Prime Minister sense the enormity of the moment? As he paid homage to the hegemon could he feel the facade crumbling to reveal America’s slipping power? Continue reading »
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Paying tax is good and, for better government, we should pay more
On Friday, a former top econocrat did something no serving econocrat is allowed to do, and no politician is game to do: he set out the case for us to pay higher, not lower, taxes. Continue reading »
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In the Chinese new era, what’s new is old
Industrial transformation has accelerated China’s rise as a global power. In the New Era, which was officially recognised in the Chinese national constitution in 2017, the narrative of national rejuvenation is writ large: it underpins the Community of Shared Future, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and China’s various soft power campaigns. Continue reading »
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Disability care is still all about us without us
Any talk about disability in Australia is very likely to quickly lead to mention of ‘the System,’ which controls everything in the lives of People With Disability. Continue reading »
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How to choke EV use – car first, service later
Governments across the nation claim they want to reduce pollution. On their list are electric cars. Consumers are encouraged with rebates, tax breaks and blarney, but discouraged by inaction on infrastructure. Continue reading »
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“Red line”: Overshadowed by Gaza, Ukraine drifts beyond proxy war
The news that Ukraine has begun to use US-supplied long range ATACMS missiles against Russian forces has been overshadowed by the Palestine-Israel crisis, but it is an escalation that has profoundly dangerous implications. Continue reading »
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Divide and fool: The Coalition’s misinformation campaign
In a recent Q and A, the opposition’s shadow minister for Climate Change and Energy Ted O’Brien’s improbable aim was to convince Australia that small nuclear reactors (SMRs) could replace our coal fired power plants and lead us to carbon neutrality. If you examine the economics of SMRs the proposition has to be classified as Continue reading »
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Crushing the human connection: Managerialism does not deliver good care
Australia began its National Carers Week (15-21 October), poignantly, the very day after the nation voted ‘No’ to a way forward to giving Voice to their communities, which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had asked for in the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart. Continue reading »
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Biden and Xi should follow their generous instincts
President Joe Biden last June showed his ignorance and arrogance to the world, when he called President Xi Jinping a dictator. Apparently he does not realise the weight of his remark. As the leader of the world’s most powerful country, President Biden should understand that the responsibility of a leader must be to serve the Continue reading »
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Australia’s Covid-19 response inquiry: towards an integrated national disaster strategy?
The terms of reference for the Inquiry into the Commonwealth Government Covid-19 Response were released on the 21 September. Ostensibly the inquiry is “to identify lessons learned to improve Australia’s preparedness for future pandemics”. However, what if the next pandemic is nothing like Covid? And how prepared are we for other potential disasters? Continue reading »
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China sees remarkable growth in global soft power
Almost all geopolitical “soft power” explanations draw on the seminal analysis by the Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye, who promoted the term in his 1990 book Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power. At that time, he wrote, “When one country gets other countries to want what it wants (this) might be called co-optive Continue reading »
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Return of the Wild West: America was built on genocide
Gravity-defying Western double-standards are now on worldwide display, as the US and its liegemen line-up to support a vengeful Israel to the hilt. Which prompts this question: what is the difference, today, between the universal human rights gospel of the Global West and a Potemkin Village? Answer: Increasingly little. Continue reading »
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Cheng Lei’s release a win for diplomacy
Make no mistake, had the Australian Government not changed last year, Chen Lei would still be languishing in her miserable detention cell, denied access to her children, relatives, and friends. Continue reading »