There are numerous signs that the United States is undergoing a secular and irreversible process of decline, especially relative to China and other powerful developing nations. The global influence of the US in the military, diplomatic, economic, technological, ideological, and cultural realms is declining unabatedly. In recent years, this process has sped up and is Continue reading »
Government
Lines composed on Budget Day as Australia starts saving up for our new nuclear-powered fleet. The ocean is restless tonight. Is that the boom from cliffs at Dover Heights, With their surf unheeding? Or melancholy, long, withdrawing roar Of empire, receding? Once, a fleeing General came ashore; Took charge, returned as pledged, but then hove Continue reading »
It is a big week for ‘but’ and ‘however’, delivered with some vehemence in responses to the Federal Budget. It is also a timely reminder that simple things matter, like our tone of voice in private and public conversations. We may all be happier and more grateful if we were carefully attentive to how we Continue reading »
We need a radical rethink of the way we structure a 100-year life. Stephen Duckett welcomes the shift in focus of health care policy from the extreme end of hospitalisation to making primary care a priority – improvements to Medicare, cheaper access to medications, bulk-billing incentives for GPs. These measures will help many older people, Continue reading »
The Government has announced the 2023-24 migration program will be set at 190,000 places – in headline terms a 5,000 place reduction on the 2022-23 migration program. Note the permanent migration program counts visas granted irrespective of whether the person is already in Australia or not. It is very different to net migration which counts Continue reading »
Labor has produced a responsible Budget that balances the need to advance traditional Labor priorities while also bringing inflation down. But there remains more to do. As was telegraphed weeks in advance, this Budget had two primary objectives. First, to help bring down inflation. Second, the Government wanted to provide support for living standards, targeted Continue reading »
A housing policy bonanza it most certainly was not, but related announcements in Budget 2023 included some modestly positive steps that supplement the Albanese Government’s existing array of housing initiatives. These included pledged new spending to ease cost of living pressures for hard-pressed renters, and to fund dwelling energy efficiency upgrades in social housing. On Continue reading »
The Government’s treatment of climate change in the 2023 Budget is a vast improvement on their conservative predecessors. That said, it continues a pattern of reluctance to face reality on the really big issues which will determine our future as a nation, notably on climate. At a micro level, the budget has much to commend Continue reading »
With the NSW election behind us the media is mulling over what Labor has in store for the premier state. The Sydney Morning Herald recently unpacked the agenda of education minister Prue Car. There is much to cheer about, but will she deal with deep-seated problems? The cheers are well deserved. After a promising start, Continue reading »
There were four major changes for health care in the 2023-24 budget: prioritising primary care, funding to strengthen Medicare, cheaper access to common medicines, and new funding to keep the digital health system going. Many of these changes were foreshadowed in recent weeks. The big news on budget night was a tripling of the bulk-billing incentive, a Continue reading »