There was a time when the world looked to China to reduce its emissions. China was, they quite rightly pointed out, one of the globe’s worst polluters. A repost from Feb 15, 2024 But it’s never been the world’s worst offender. There are many arguments why. The obvious one is the per capita argument:China has Continue reading »
Economy
If it wasn’t already clear, the writing is now well and truly on the wall for the fossil car makers: Just a week after BYD launched its $US15,000 “Corolla killer” and with the world’s largest EV battery maker recently announcing it’s on track to cut battery costs in half this year, new research suggests the decline in Continue reading »
Fed by an irresponsible media, neither voters nor political leaders are willing to accept the trade-offs inherent in fiscal choices, writes Chris Grey in his monthly column for the Byline Times print edition
Australia is often celebrated as a wealthy nation, with a prosperity that is purportedly shared across its population. However, such assertions crumble under scrutiny. According to the 2021 census, 122,494 Australians were denied the basic right of shelter due to their inability to afford housing. This stark reality reveals the vast and growing chasm between Continue reading »
The Labor Party is a long way from done but at the moment it is mired in mediocrity. We need a Labor Party agenda in which the big issues are confronted, writes Bill Kelty. A repost from Oct, 05, 2024 It is a sad day for me in some ways. I remember coming back from Continue reading »
When I met Andrew Leigh before his ‘Meet the Authors’ discussion of this new edition of his book, I had to ask him, ‘how on earth do you do this?’. Lyn Hatfield Dodds who moderated the discussion opened with the same question. Andrew Leigh is not only an extraordinary politician but an extraordinary person. Another Continue reading »
If, as seems likely, Anthony Albanese and his government lose seats at next year’s federal election, one thing we can be certain of is that the nation’s economists and econocrats won’t be admitting to their not insignificant contribution to Labor’s setback. Economists have such a limited understanding of how the behaviour of the real-world economy Continue reading »
Government spending is keeping Australia out of recession, just as last week’s feeble GDP numbers tallied 7 consecutive quarters of negative growth. Michael Pascoe reports on the moaning business lobby. A funny thing happened after Wednesday’s weak national accounts figures: a large part of the economic commentariat poured scorn on government spending and investment for keeping the Continue reading »
Trump’s economic strategy is based on a series of delusions that will result in higher inflation, a bigger trade deficit and a loss in the value of the American dollar. How can that Make America Great Again? Trump’s tariff delusion President Trump is on record as saying, multiple times, that “tariffs” are his favourite word. Continue reading »
Australia and the United States believe China is hegemonic. China uses a different approach to international engagement, and that means Australia fails to understand China’s appeal to the region and the global south. Increased tariffs on China and 100% tariffs on any country that backs any other currency to replace the US dollar. The Trump Continue reading »