Dutton re-ignites the climate war and weaponises immigration policy, the economy shows early signs of recovery from decades of the Coalition’s low-wage-low-productivity policy, the struggle between authoritarian populism and democracy heats up. Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, podcasts, reports and other media on current economic and political issues.

Dutton’s campaign to oust Immigration Minister Giles is a cover for his own failures in that portfolio. How Dutton uses the Gaza war as another opportunity to set Australian against Australian. Polls show rising support for the Coalition but it’s far too little to get them into government. Frydenberg’s cameo reappearance on the electoral stage. Vale Raymond Steele Hall, a Liberal politician with principles.

GDP growth is slow but in line with expectations for an economy weakened by decades of economic mismanagement, exposing a severe problem in income and wealth distribution (stop calling it a “cost of living” crisis). The RBA would accept that inflation is now in its two to three percent comfort zone, if it looked in the right places. Wages are up a little, but there won’t be a significant rise until our productivity improves.

Dutton re-ignites the climate war as a way to drive investors from Australia. How the pandemic made Australia a more unequal country. What traffic jams on the Tullamarine Freeway has to do with John Howard’s cronyism.

The erosion of civility in the public sphere. How anti-democratic authoritarians are winning. The ideas of Karl Polanyi, the economic philosopher who predicted the great transformation of our time.