Let’s not reject forty years of cooperation and exchange with China. Australia has greatly benefitted from trade, investment, cultural exchange and collaboration over these decades. Now, as the United States and Europe threaten to raise tariffs, erect barriers to exchanges and prioritise security concerns, it is time to remember when we espoused multilateralism and openness. Continue reading »
Economy
The Albanese Government was right to change its previous position on the already legislated Stage 3 tax cuts and to seek a fairer and more equitable taxation system for all Australians. However, its proposed changes fail to deal sufficiently with the increasing tax bites into the incomes of low paid working Australians. The focus on Continue reading »
Notwithstanding calls to divert supply lines from China this is not happening except for America. An Oxford Economics research report funded by the Hinrich Foundation made the following surprising discoveries: Asia’s supply chain trade is growing and diversifying, even as the US and China decouple; Decoupling remains largely a US-China phenomenon, and to a lesser Continue reading »
Regularly, Western media claims that China’s run is near an end and that collapse is just around the corner. So constant has this become, it is like a broken gramophone record. Recently predictions of this collapse have been couched around the indebtedness of some major players in the Chinese property market. The ‘inevitable collapse’, however, Continue reading »
Anyone who thinks so is just plain dumb. It has obviously been stunningly successful. It has produced huge increases in wealth, for instance in the last few years the three richest people in Australia doubled their wealth. It has worked like a dream. The trouble is that it does not and is not designed to Continue reading »
The Productivity Commission has released a damning report on Australia’s worsening public and community housing disaster. Needs have increased, supply has not and the various announced policies stretching out in the distance aren’t enough to make a significant difference. However bad you think the Australian public and community housing crisis is, it worsened over the Continue reading »
A new report by the Public Accounts Committee lambasts the Treasury for being 'too passive' in chasing up the cash, resulting in inaccurate figures
Anthony Albanese risks being the man who did what Scott Morrison couldn’t – easing the tax burden of the rich. I have no inside info on whether Anthony Albanese will stick to his oft-repeated promise to deliver the stage 3 tax cuts intact on July 1, or change them in some way because the cost-ofliving Continue reading »
On Monday the US launched its eighth wave of airstrikes in its new war against Yemeni forces, which it has now formally titled “Operation Poseidon Archer”. The strikes are aimed at breaking a Red Sea shipping blockade which the de facto authorities in Yemen have implemented to pressure Israel and its allies into ceasing the Continue reading »
As Australia Day looms it’s not surprising that Peter Dutton has yet again found another culture war to prosecute – this time against Woolworths’ decision not to stock Australia Day themed goods. The approach worked with the Voice campaign but if this is going to be his main tactic in the year or so to Continue reading »