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The Australia-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
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Last updated: 24 November 2015 Except for a few newspaper articles that appeared
late in 2013, the links previously on this page are now at: http://www.accci.com.au/PoliticalSetting2013.htm
Asylum-Seekers and Immigration Policy Australia’s Cities –Issues and Policies Defence Policy and National
Security Inequality
in Income and Wealth Leadership
Struggle within the Coalition Lessons
from the Global Financial Crisis Motor
Vehicle Industry in Australia Shifts
in Government Priorities Earlier links are at
the top of each section |
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Grattan
Institute, First Book Launch, City
Limits: Why Australia’s Cities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them, by
Jane-francis Kelly and Paul Donega. Details and transcripts of speeches made at
the book launch are available at: http://grattan.edu.au/events/city-limits-book-launch-melbourne-and-sydney-events/. |
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Michael Bradley,
“Press Freedom Sidelined in Pursuit of Security,” The Drum, 23 September
2014. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-23/bradley-press-freedom-sidelined-in-pursuit-of-security/5761364. “One of the most profound
consequences of the new round of national security laws will be a major loss
of press freedom. And that's passing
through almost without protest, even from the media itself.” Raymond Bonner, “Civil Liberties in Peril Down Under,” The New York Times, 27 November 2014. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/28/opinion/civil-liberties-in-peril-down-under.html?ref=opinion. “Australian anti-whistle-blower laws, [similar to] President Obama’s anti-leak investigations, is certain to have a chilling effect. Of course, such steps are always explained as a result of a careful balancing between national security and civil liberties. What is becoming increasingly clear is that political self-interest — which serves no one except the powers that be — is just as important a factor.” |
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Oliver
Milman, “CSIRO Scientists Say Warmer World Wager with
Maurice Newman a Safe Bet,” The
Guardian, 17 January 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/17/csiro-scientists-say-warmer-world-wager-with-maurice-newman-a-safe-bet. “Some
of Australia’s top climate scientists, including those from the CSIRO, have
said they will be willing to bet Tony Abbott’s business adviser Maurice
Newman $10,000 that the world will warm over the next 20 years.” Lenore Taylor,
“Tony Abbott ‘Launching a Full-Frontal Attack’ on Renewable Energy Industry,”
The Guardian, 6 February 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/06/tony-abbott-launching-a-full-frontal-attack-on-renewable-energy-industry. “Labor accuses Coalition of backtracking on election
promise as industry grows fearful renewable energy target may be abolished. Peter Wilson and
Jonathan Swan, “IMF Chief Christine Lagarde in Veiled Criticism of
Government’s Climate Role,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 15 February 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/imf-chief-christine-lagarde-in-veiled-criticism-of-governments-climate-role-20140214-32r9u.html. “Speaking in Paris before her first visit to Australia as IMF chief
next week to attend a G20 meeting, Ms Lagarde said previous Australian
governments had played an important role in international debates about
climate change” and urged the Abbott government not to abandon Australia’s
role as “what she calls ‘a pioneer’ in the debate on climate change.” Tom Arup, “Climate Sceptic Dick Warburton to Head Tony
Abbott Review into Renewable Energy Target,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/climate-sceptic-dick-warburton-to-head-tony-abbott-review-into-renewable-energy-target-20140217-32vve.html. “The Abbott
government has launched a formal review of Australia's 20 per cent renewable
energy target, choosing senior business figure and climate change sceptic
Dick Warburton to head it.” The review
is expected to focus on the impact to targets on electrify prices, the
renewable energy sector generally and on manufacturing. Lenore
Taylor, “Ross Garnaut: Climate Debate Has become a Martian Beauty Contest,” The Guardian, 7 March 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/07/ross-garnaut-climate-debate-martian-beauty-contest. The article reports on a submission to a Senate
committee investigating the government’s direct action policy in which
Garnaut urged the Senate “to stick with a floating carbon price until the
Coalition comes up a sensible alternative.” Lenore
Taylor, “Carbon-Taxed Companies Cut Emissions by 7% in Past Year, Investor
Group Says,” The Guardian, 7 March
2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/07/carbon-taxed-companies-cut-emissions-by-7-in-past-year-investor-group-says. Information brought before the Senate committee
investigating the government’s direct action policy suggests that funding for
low-carbon projects is “going abroad” since the direct action policy is not
“investor grade.” Suzanne
Goldenberg, “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report: Climate Change
Felt ‘on All Continents and Across the Oceans,” The Guardian, 28 March 2014.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/28/ipcc-report-climate-change-report-human-natural-systems. The article reported that a leaked copy of the
IPCC’s report (still waiting for nearly 500 people to sign-off on the exact
wording of the summary) concluded that climate change has already been felt. Peter
Hannam, “Wilder Winds, Less Rain, as Roaring Forties Become Furious Fifties,”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 May
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/wilder-winds-less-rain-as-roaring-forties-become-furious-fifties-20140511-zr9b1.html. “The Roaring Forties, the
Southern Ocean winds which once bore European sailors to Australia and the
East Indies, are becoming more like the Furious Fifties as climate change
triggers a shift in key weather patterns poleward, an Australian-led team of
scientists has found.” Justin Gillis, “A Price Tag on Carbon as a Climate Rescue
Plan,” The New York Times, 30 May
2014. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/science/a-price-tag-on-carbon-as-a-climate-rescue-plan.html?hpw&rref=science. The articles
describes how the state of California is initiating a “cap and trade” scheme
and a system of carbon offsets within its jurisdiction. A feature of the process is how the state
is benefiting from the mistakes of other attempts at carbon reduction. AAP, “Climate Unity Dealt Blow as Australia and Canada Take
Issue with US Stance,” The Guardian,
10 June 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/10/climate-unity-dealt-blow-as-australia-and-canada-take-issue-with-us-stance. The article
reports that “Prime ministers Tony Abbott and Stephen Harper say they do not
want to harm economy in the fight against climate change.” See also Tom Arup, “Tony Abbott Missing
Signs of World’s Switch to Carbon Trading, Experts Say,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 June 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-missing-signs-of-worlds-switch-to-carbon-trading-experts-say-20140609-39t8q.html. Editorial, “PM Tony Abbott’s
Australia Out in the Cold Over Climate Change,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 June 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/pm-tony-abbotts-australia-out-in-the-cold-over-climate-change-20140611-zs3ko.html. The editorial comments on the remarks made by
Tony Abbott while in the USA and Canada, which appear to “spin the line that
solutions to climate change other than ‘Direct Action’ will, in [his] words,
"clobber the economy". Peter Hannam, “China and the UK Declare Global Warming Is
‘One of the Greatest Challenges Facing the World,’” The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 June 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/china-and-the-uk-declare-global-warming-is-one-of-the-greatest-challenges-facing-the-world-20140618-zsb6k.html. The
article describes a joint statement by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and
his visiting Chinese counterpart, Premier Li Keqiang, which said climate
change was already happening, “much of it as a result of human
activity.” They called on all nations
to reveal their action plans well ahead of a major climate summit set for
Paris in late 2015. Brian Robins, “Is Carbon Policy Too Tangled to Unweave to
Satisfaction of All?” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 23 June 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/is-carbon-policy-too-tangled-to-unweave-to-satisfaction-of-all-20140622-3amab.html. Politicians
rarely let “common sense get in the way of a cheap headline, and the
implications of a prolonged delay in effecting the plan to scrap the carbon
price, and return monies paid to those who have paid, is not their
concern.” But perhaps it should be
since anything that adds to concentration is the supply of energy in
Australia is likely to be harmful to the consumer. Editorial “How Tony Abbott Can Tackle Climate Change
Without a Carbon Tax,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 23 June 2014.
Available at: 23 June 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/how-tony-abbott-can-tackle-climate-change-without-a-carbon-tax-20140623-zsij0.htm. The editorial
suggests that beneficial policies could emerge from the new Senate over the
desire of the Abbott government to scrap the carbon tax. Peter Martin, “Both Clive Palmer and Tony Abbott Will Get
What They Want,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 26 June 2014. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/both-clive-palmer-and-tony-abbott-will-get-what-they-want-20140625-3atp6.html. Peter stated:
“Clive has saved the furniture. If he gets his way (and he is almost certain
to), the architecture of the emissions trading scheme will stay in place.
Negotiated over seven years and running to hundreds of pages, the design of
the scheme was a massive intellectual effort about to be rendered useless.” Peter Martin, “How Tony Abbott Made the Carbon Tax Work,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 July
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/how-tony-abbott-made-the-carbon-tax-work-20140630-zsqj4.html. The author
notes that “for more than a century, through two world wars and the Great
Depression, Australia used more electricity each year than the year
before. Then, in 2010, something
changed. Ever since 2010, we’ve been using less each year than the year
before.” This, he suggests is attributed more to Tony Abbotts’s insistence
that electricity prices would rise than to the rises themselves – the “scare
factor.” Oliver Milman, “Zero-Carbon and Economic Growth Can Go
Together, UN Study Says,” The Guardian,
10 July 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/10/zero-carbon-and-economic-growth-can-go-together-un-study-says. The top 15
emitter countries could make deep cuts to emissions while also tripling
economic output, according to the study Matt Grundorff, “Abolishing Renewable Energy Target Rewards
Rich Polluters,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 11 July 2014. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/abolishing-renewable-energy-target-rewards-rich-polluters-20140710-zt2v7.html. The author
reports on his research for The Australia Institute that indicated a
renewable energy target is likely to “decrease electricity prices, not
increase them,” though there may be small price increases in the short term,
until the industry adjusts to the increased competition that will emerge as a
result of the more complete development of alternative energy sources. Ross Gittins, “Carbon Tax Merely a Blip in Power Price
Scandal,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
16 July 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/carbon-tax-merely-a-blip-in-power-price-scandal-20140715-zt7na.html. The author’s
lead-in statement is: Prime Minister
Tony Abbott is right about one thing: the price of electricity has shot up
and is now a lot higher than it should be.
It's a scandal, in fact. Trouble
is, the carbon tax has played only a small part in that, so getting rid of it
won't fix the problem. Mark
Kenny, “Battle Lines Drawn: Carbon Politics Are Not Going Away Any Time
Soon,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
17 July 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/battle-lines-drawn-carbon-politics-are-not-going-away-any-time-soon-20140717-3c3s6.html. Kenny offers an opinion of
post-carbon-tax-repeal politics. See also John Connor, ”Tony Abbott’s Carbon
Tax Outrage Signals Nadir of Post-Truth Politics,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 July 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbotts-carbon-tax-outrage-signals-nadir-of-posttruth-politics-20140717-ztz2b.html. John Connor is the CEO of the Climate Institute
(http://www.climateinstitute.org.au) but even those who
are unsympathetic to the work of the institute may benefit in reading
Connor’s view as to what might be achieved without the carbon tax. Julia Baird, “A
Carbon Tax’s Ignoble End,” The New York
Times, 24 July 2014. Available at:
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=julia+baird. The article summarises the events leading
up to the repeal of the carbon tax and also touches lightly on the lack of a
replacement policy. The article was
written mainly for American readers and is accompanied by comments mainly
from Americans. Oliver Milman,
“Australia’s Investment in Renewable Energy Slumps 70% in One Year,” The Guardian, 3 October 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/03/australias-investment-in-renewable-energy-slumps-70-in-one-year. “Australia’s investment in renewable energy projects has slumped below
that of Algeria, Thailand and Myanmar, new figures have shown, with the
sector “paralysed” by the government’s review of the Renewable Energy Target.” Oliver Milman, “Sea Level Rise
Over Past Century Unmatched in 6,000 Years, Says Study,” The Guardian, 14 October 2014.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/14/sea-level-rise-unmatched-6000-years-global-warming. “Research finds 20cm rise since
start of 20th century, caused by global warming and the melting of polar ice,
is unprecedented.” James Massola,
Peter Ker and Lisa Cox, “Coal Is ‘Good for Humanity’, Says Tony Abbott at
Mine Opening,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 14 October 2014. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coal-is-good-for-humanity-says-tony-abbott-at-mine-opening-20141013-115bgs.html. “Prime Minister Tony Abbott says
Australia's coal industry has a "big future, as well as a big past"
and predicted it will be the world's principal energy source for decades to
come.” For additional comment, see Mark
Kenny, ‘Coal Comfort for Tony Abbott,”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/coal-comfort-for-tony-abbott-20141013-115h8x.html. Mark
Kenny, “Tony Abbott May Yet Be on the Wrong Side of History on Climate Change
Debate,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
17 October 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/tony-abbott-may-yet-be-on-the-wrong-side-of-history-on-climate-change-debate-20141016-116ngz.html. “Abbott began this
week talking about coal as "essential for the prosperity of Australia
and … the prosperity of the world … for many decades to come". True enough, but he may end his first term
talking about much stronger action on climate change whether he likes it or
not after being "reverse Copenhagened" in Brisbane, Lima, and
Paris.” Priyamvada
Natarajan, “What Scientists Really Do,” The
New York Review of Books, 23 October 2014. Available at: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/oct/23/what-scientists-really-do/?insrc=whc. The two books
reviewed by Nararajan are not focused specifically on climate change, but
rather they examine current misuses of scientific findings and the relative
poor public understanding as to what scientists do. This has direct implications on assessing
the nature of climate change. Mark Kenny,
“Deal on Direct Action Spells End to Emission Trading,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 October 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/deal-on-direct-action-spells-end-to-emissions-trading-20141030-11e763.html. “The federal government is crowing about the deal it stitched up to
get its friendless Direct Action policy through a hostile Senate while
killing off forever Labor's carbon price-cum-emissions trading scheme. Meanwhile, Clive Palmer, with whom said
deal was hammered out, is simultaneously positioning himself as the last sentry
against environmental neglect, and arguing his terms have secured what the
government would not, and the Green/Labor axis could not, the retention of
emissions trading as a live option in Australia. They cannot both be right. Additional analysis by Lenore
Taylor, “Emissions Trading Will Be Back in the Game if Direct Action Proves
Ineffective,” The Guardian, 30
October 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/30/emissions-trading-back-in-the-game-direct-action-proves-ineffective. John Quiggin,
“Direct Action is Here: Now Tony
Abbott Can Finally Move on from Doomed Tribalism,” The Guardian, 30 October 2014.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/30/direct-action-is-here-now-tony-abbott-can-finally-move-on-from-doomed-tribalism. “There are
really two debates on climate change: one on action, the other on the
semantics of carbon pricing. Both have been resolved, albeit in an
unfortunate way.” Lenore
Taylor, “Tony Abbott Keeps Digging Himself in Deeper, and It Makes No Sense,”
The Guardian, 21 November
2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/21/tony-abbott-keeps-digging-himself-in-deeper-and-it-makes-no-sense. The Abbott government is in untenable positions
on climate change and broken election promises and it’s time it took stock. Tom Switzer, “Abbott Will Soon Look Like a Genius for
Refusing to Drag Australia to Yet Another Climate Fiasco,” The Guardian, 18 November 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/18/abbott-will-soon-look-like-a-genius-for-refusing-to-drag-australia-to-yet-another-climate-fiasco. “Defensive,
embarrassing, insular, cringeworthy – this is just a sample of media comment
on Abbott’s performance at the G20.
But look Deeper and a Different Picture Emerges.” Peter Hannam, “Australia Ranked Worst-Performing Developed
Nation on Climate Performance,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/australia-ranked-worstperforming-developed-nation-on-climate-performance-20141208-122nk4.html.“Australia ranked
57 out of 58 nations reviewed by the survey, which has been done each year
since 2005 by Climate Action Network Europe and Germanwatch. Only Saudi Arabia fared worse.” See also,
Peter Hartcher, “Tony Abbott Must Shift with the Tide on Climate Change, The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/tony-abbott-must-shift-with-the-tide-on-climate-change-20141208-122ie7.html. See also: Mark Kenny and Gareth Hutchens,
“Budget Blowout Preferable to Dent in Confidence, Hockey Decides,” Sydney
Morning Herald, 15 December 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/budget-blowout-preferable-to-dent-to-confidence-hockey-decides-20141215-127mza.html. Michael Safi and Shalailah
Medhora, “Tony Abbott Says Repealing Carbon Tax His Biggest Achievement as
Minister for Women,” The Guardian,
22 December 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/22/tony-abbott-repealing-carbon-tax-biggest-achievement-minister-for-women. “Women are
particularly focused on the household budget and the repeal of the carbon tax
means a $550 a year benefit for the average family,’ the PM said.”. Oliver Milman, “Fall in
Greenhouse Emission Due to Economy Not Carbon Tax, Coalition Says,” The Guardian, 29 December 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/28/fall-in-greenhouse-emissions-due-to-economy-not-carbon-tax-coalition-says. “Mathias Cormann
says below-trend growth was responsible for the 1.4% drop in emissions during
the second year of carbon pricing.” Peter Martin, “Climate Change:
Why Some of Us Won’t Believe It’s Getting Hotter,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 January 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/climate-change-why-some-of-us-wont-believe-its-getting-hotter-20150110-12koa1.html. The author concludes: “It is getting
hotter. […] Warming is a fact. The
Bureau of Meteorology accepts it; the government accepts it and it shouldn't
be beyond our abilities to accept it.
Then we can talk about what to do.” Oliver
Milman, “Still No Modelling to Show Whether Direct Action Will Meet Emissions
Target,” The Guardian, 24 February
2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/24/still-no-modelling-to-show-whether-direct-action-will-meet-emissions-target. “Environment department head tells
[Senate] estimates he cannot say whether climate policy can reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by 5% of 2000 levels by 2020.” Oliver
Milman, “Amazon Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef Need Better Care, Say
Scientists,” The Guardian, 20 March
2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/19/amazon-rainforest-and-great-barrier-reef-need-better-care-say-scientists. “Protecting places of global
environmental importance such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon
rainforest from climate change will require reducing the other pressures they
face, for example overfishing, fertilizer pollution or land clearing.” The study referred to is available at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150319143325.htm. Editorial, “Energy White Paper Has Some
Huge Black Holes,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 12 April 2015. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/energy-white-paper-has-some-huge-black-holes-20150412-1mjflr.html. “Was it an accident or wilful
blindness? The federal government's 74-page energy white paper, released last
week, contained just a single reference to climate change. Given the Abbott
government's self-imposed blindness on this issue, we have to suspect it was
the latter. The omission renders the document deeply flawed.” See also Clancy
Yeates, “Coal Makes a Comeback Thanks to Carbon Price Repeal, Emissions
Rise,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
13 April, 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/coal-makes-a-comeback-thanks-to-carbon-price-repeal-emissions-rise-20150412-1mifs6.html. Hunter Lovins,
“The Climate Denier’s Guide to getting Rich from Fossil Fuel Divestment, The Guardian, 14 April 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/14/the-climate-deniers-guide-to-getting-rich-from-fossil-fuel-divestment. “Whether you
believe in climate change or not, there’s no denying the figures – taking
your money out of oil, coal and gas makes good financial sense.” Lisa Cox and Tom
Arup, “Australia Should ‘Get Off Sidelines’ with 30 Per Cent Emissions Cut by
2025: Report,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 22 April 2015. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australia-should-get-off-sidelines-with-30-per-cent-emissions-cut-by-2025-report-20150421-1mq1fe.html.
For comment read Tom Arup at: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change-authority-presents-a-compelling-case-for-deeper-australian-emissions-cuts-20150421-1mpqwe.html. The Climate Change Authority’s “First Draft Report of the Special
Review: Australia’s Future Emissions Reduction Targets” is available
at: http://www.climatechangeauthority.gov.au/special-review/first-draft-report. Justin Gillis,
“New Study Links Weather Extremes to Global Warming,” The New York Times, 27 April 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/science/new-study-links-weather-extremes-to-global-warming.html. “The moderate global warming that has already
occurred as a result of human emissions is responsible for about 75 percent
of daily heat extremes, and about 18 percent of precipitation extremes.” Lenore Taylor, “Greg Hunt
Hasn’t a Lot to Show for $660m Spent on Reducing Greenhouse Emissions,” The Guardian, 4 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/no-more-shortcuts-to-budget-surplus-20150503-1myets.html. “While the
environment minister is proclaiming a ‘stunning’ result, the money monstly
went on projects begun under the previous government.” Lisa Cox, “New Renewable
Energy Target Will Mean $6 Billion Cut to Investment: Analysis,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 May
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/new-renewable-energy-target-will-mean-6-billion-cut-to-investment-analysts-20150518-gh4ffd.html. “Bloomberg's
Australian head Kobad Bhavnagri said the organisation forecast that
investment by 2020 would be 29 per cent lower under the new target ‘but no
resolution to the impasse meant the industry was uninvestable’”. Giles Parkinson, “The Benefits
of Solar Do Outweigh Its Costs. Some Have a Hard Time Accepting It,” The Guardian, 25 May 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/25/the-benefits-of-solar-do-outweigh-its-costs-some-have-a-hard-time-accepting-it. “A new Grattan Institute report on rooftop solar says its
economic costs exceed its benefits by $9bn. That’s true only if you don’t
include all the benefits.” A summary and a link to the full report by the Grattan Institute
is available at: http://grattan.edu.au/report/sundown-sunrise-how-australia-can-finally-get-solar-power-right/. Grattan Institute’s response is available
at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/29/we-didnt-demonise-solar-the-grattan-institute-responds-to-its-critics. Peter Hartcher, “Green Power Success Stories Take
the Wind Out of Tony Abbott,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/green-power-success-stories-take-the-wind-out-of-tony-abbott-20150525-gh9bd6.html. “If Abbott wanted
to, he could help Australians cut their power bills by much more than 9 per
cent. The way to do it, as the German event demonstrated, is with more
renewable energy.” The Editorial Board, “The Case for Carbon Tax,” The New York Times, 6 June 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/opinion/the-case-for-a-carbon-tax.html?ref=opinion. The editorial
makes the claim that a carbon tax would be much easier to administer than
some of the other climate change policies that many leaders have backed, but
noted that getting lawmakers to adapt a carbon tax will be difficult. “Just last year, Australia repealed its
carbon tax after a new conservative government came to power.” Oliver Milman, “Coalition’s
$2.55bn Emissions Reduction Fund Could Run Our Next Year – Analysts.” The Guardian, 6 July 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/06/coalitions-255bn-emissions-reduction-fund-could-run-out-next-year-analysts. “The
direct action fund is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by just 11%
by 2025, far less than the expected target the government is soon to unveil.” Daniel Hurst, “Solar Power Industry Vows to Step Up Campaign
to Topple Abbott Government,” The
Guardian, 14 July 2015. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/14/solar-power-industry-vows-campaign-topple-abbott-government. “Vow to expand marginal-seats
campaign against Coalition comes after ban on Clean Energy Finance
Corporation from financing wind and small-scale solar.” Ross Gittins, “Time to Get the
Economics of Environment Right, “The
Sydney Morning Herald,” 17 July 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/time-to-get-the-economics-of-environment-right-20150717-giejry.html. “The government's role is to
support the development of voluntary, industry-based sustainable
certification of farms and to ensure such schemes are trustworthy. The
government should also be active in the development of international sustainability
standards so our exporting farmers can participate and benefit.” Editorial, “Climate for Change: Abbott’s Cheap and Nasty
Political Zombie,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 17 July 2015. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/climate-for-change-abbotts-cheap-and-nasty-political-zombie-20150717-giebq3. “The real-life zombie that
returned to horrify Australians this week was not Labor's carbon tax or even
a triple-whammy version of the walking dead as Prime Minister Tony Abbott
claimed. Rather it was the terrible
spectre of cheap and nasty politics over good policy.” Daniel
Hurst, “Bill Shorten Recommits to Emissions Trading, Opposing ‘Abbott’s
Society of Flat-Earthers,’” The
Guardian, 24 July 2015. Available
at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/24/bill-shorten-emmissions-trading-climate-change-labor-conference. “Labor leader’s address to party conference
includes a vow not to succumb to ‘ridiculous scare campaigns’ and to insist
an emissions trading scheme.” Lenore Taylor, “Hysterical Bill
Shorten Headlines Miss the Point, No Credible Climate Policy Exists,” The Guardian, 24 July 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/24/hysterical-bill-shorten-headlines-miss-the-point-no-credible-climate-policy-exists#img-1. “It’s been hard to miss the hyperventilating news
coverage about Labor’s new emissions ‘aspiration’, but neither major party
has a plan for climate change.” Graham Readfearn, “How Australians Were Ready to Act on Climate
Science 25 Years Ago … and What Happened Next,” The Guardian, 6 August 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2015/aug/06/how-australians-were-ready-to-act-on-climate-science-25-years-ago-and-what-happened-next. “New book investigates how corporate
interests and ideologues worked to make Australia doubt what it knew about
climate change and its risks.” |
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Alan Dupont, “Abbott Must Back Wide-Ranging Reform of Defence,”
The Lowy Institute for International Policy”, 11 March 2014. Available at: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/abbott-must-back-wide-ranging-reform-defence. The author
offered the opinion that “when Tony Abbott and
his colleagues on the National Security Committee of cabinet sit down to have
their first serious look at defence this week they will find a dispirited and
disjointed department in need of direction and renewal.” Ben
Doherty, “Australia Buys Up, Enters Asian Arms Race,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australia-buys-up-enters-asian-arms-race-20140615-3a5xk.html. The author uses the database made available by
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute to show that “Australian imports of major arms – large-scale
military materiel such as warships, fighter planes and tanks – jumped by 83
per cent in the five years to 2013, a reaction to increasingly volatile Asian
relations and fears the region is set on the path of a dangerous arms
race. The database is available online
at: http://milexdata.sipri.org/files/?file=SIPRI+military+expenditure+database+1988-2013.xlsx. Andrew
Carr and Harry White, “Japanese Security, Australian Risk? The Consequences
of Our New ‘Special Relationship,’” The
Guardian, 8 July 2014. Available
at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/08/japanese-security-australian-risk-the-consequences-of-our-new-special-relationship. “Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's speech to
the Australian parliament was a move towards a de facto alliance. Will it
involve us in a war we could have otherwise avoided?” Peter
Hartcher, “To Discredit Islamic State, Take Away Their Naming Rights,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 September
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/to-discredit-islamic-state-take-away-their-naming-rights-20140908-10e2i6.html. “A powerful draw for many of the
[IS] recruits is the belief that this is not just any ordinary war against
the infidels but the fight foretold in prophecy to be the battle at the end
of time.” Arthur Moore, “Australia
Losing Its Middle-Power Status – Analysis,” Eurasia Review, 22 January 2015.
Available at: http://www.eurasiareview.com/22012015-australia-losing-middle-power-status-analysis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eurasiareview%2FVsnE+%28Eurasia+Review%29. The
analysis by Geopoliticalmonitor.com concluded that “current
trends [in defence spending] indicate that Australia will soon lose the
ability to behave like a middle power on the world stage, and even
regionally, in military matters, and instead come to rely more on diplomatic
initiatives. Dennis Richardson, Secretary of the Department of Defence,
”Blamey Oration: The Strategic Outlook for the Indo-Pacific Region,”
presented to the Royal United Services Institute’s 3rd International Defence
and Security Dialogue, 28 May 2015. Text
of the speech is available at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/defence-secretary-dennis-richardsons-blamey-oration-20150528-ghbf7w.html. The speech
underscores two global developments.
The first is the increasing geographic
dimensions of ungoverned space which we see from South Asia to the Middle
East, to relatively large parts of Africa, into which have tended to flow
groups with extremist ideologies. The second is the “changing power relativities, and the shape of our own region.” Lenore Taylor, “Tony Abbott’s National Security One-Upmanship Is
About Winning –at Any Cost,” The
Guardian, 12 June 2015. Available
at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/12/abbott-unleashed-on-terror-is-set-to-win-the-next-election-whatever-it-takes. “The national security ‘debate’ is a response to
Isis but it’s also a way for the prime minister to back Bill Shorten into the
untenable position of being ‘weak on terror.’” |
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During
2015 Latika
Bourke, “Govt to Tackle Head-On Claims It Is Unfair and Say Borrowing Against
Our Kids Is the Most Unfair Act of All,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 4 January 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/govt-to-tackle-headon-claims-it-is-unfair-and-say-borrowing-against-our-kids-is-the-most-unfair-act-of-all-20150103-12gtum.html. “Former Howard government Minister Peter Reith has
attacked Tony Abbott for ‘not lifting a finger’ on industrial relations and
job creation, as the federal government attempts to reset the economic debate
about the fairness of its budget.” Peter
Martin, “Low 10-Year Bond
Rates Are the Deal of the Century but Abbott's Not at the Table,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 January
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/low-10year-bond-rates-are-the-deal-of-the-century-but-abbotts-not-at-the-table-20150120-12tq4j.html. A $15
billion drop in infrastructure is forecast for 2015, despite Tony Abott’s
self-proclaimed status as the “infrastructure Prime Minister. Peter Martin rubs the proverbial salt into
that wound by noting that “the 10-year bond rate of interest is currently
fixed at 2.55 per cent – an all-time low.”
We missed out on the opportunity to restore and replace old and
ineffective infrastructure because the Coalition remains a “prisoner of the
silly things it said about debts while in opposition.” Vanessa Desloires, “Top CEOs Raise Concerns over Abbott Government's Lack of Control, The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 January
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/top-ceos-raise-concerns-over-abbott-governments-lack-of-control-20150120-12tz5u.html. A
survey of 44 of the nation's leading chief executives indicated that
over-regulation, the government's response to the fiscal deficit and debt and
the increasing threat of rising taxes were the biggest threats to business
growth.” Editorial,
“A Timely Warning that Australia’s Inertia Must End,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 January 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/a-timely-warning-that-australias-inertia-must-end-20150128-12z7fd.html. The text of Jennifer Westacott’s Australia Day
Speech, referred to in the editorial, is available at: http://www.bca.com.au/newsroom/australian-unity-great-australia-day-breakfast-2015-speech-by-jennifer-westacott. Gareth Hutchens, “Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg Says
Australia Needs to Double Its Efforts to Fix the Budget,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 January
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/assistant-treasurer-josh-frydenberg-says-australia-needs-to-double-its-efforts-to-fix-the-budget-20150127-12z3wi.html. “Assistant
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he is much more concerned about the state of
the global economy after his trip to the World Economic Forum this week, and
he is determined to reinforce the case for budget repair when he returns to
Australia.” Commentary is available at: http://www.accci.com.au/CommentonFrydenberg.pdf. Peter Martin, “The Economic Case for Changing Leaders,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 February
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economic-case-for-changing-leaders-20150206-1385jc.html. Peter Martin
uses the Reserve Bank of Australia’s rule of thumb that two interest rate
cuts would boost economic growth by about 0.25 per cent after a year to
eighteen months. “It means that the
associated forecasts of economic growth could be as low as 2.75 per cent for
that period. “They [the forecasts]
would have made Abbott’s promise of half a million new jobs in five years
impossible to achieve and would have seen unemployment rate steadily rise. Note that charts outlining a similar
scenario are available in the PDF commentary cited immediately above. Ross
Gittins, “RBA Channelling Hopes for Economy,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 February 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/rba-channelling-hopes-for-economy-20150213-13dptk.html. “Why did the Reserve wait 18 months before cutting interest rates to a new
low? Because it knows it's running a high risk of sparking a housing boom and
bust. But with the economy now so weak, it felt it had no choice.” Heath Aston, “All Eyes Turn to
Treasurer: Budget Do or Die for Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 February
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/all-eyes-turn-to-treasurer-budget-do-or-die-for-joe-hockey-and-tony-abbott-20150213-13dwoj.html. “This week Hockey
told the Coalition joint party rooms that the country ‘may never get back to
surplus’ the way things are going.
That was before the unemployment rate jumped to its highest level in
13 years and evidence emerged that budget cuts were not even covering higher
spending under the Abbott government.”
Additional comment: Peter Martin, “It’s a Matter of
Trust. Why Confidence is Our Biggest Economic Problem,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 February 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/its-a-matter-of-trust-why-confidence-is-our-biggest-economic-problem-20150213-13e787.html. Mark
Kenny, “Treasure Joe Hockey Hangs Tough Despite Jobs Slump,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/treasure-joe-hockey-hangs-tough-despite-jobs-slump-20150213-13eaov.html. “Treasurer
Joe Hockey says his second budget will take account of a sharply slowing jobs
market but has affirmed there would be no change from his tough spending cuts
approach, arguing it is confidence the economy needs, not stimulus. Ross Gittins, “Don’t Fix Budget while Economy Weak,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 February
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/dont-fix-budget-while-economy-weak-20150215-13es44.html. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/dont-fix-budget-while-economy-weak-20150215-13es44.html. Ross underscores the importance of
establishing a priority when a mixture of economic policies is on the table,
and favours one that is opposite to the Coalition’s. Editorial, “Joe Hockey’s
Intergenerational Report vs Voter Trust,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 6 March 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/joe-hockeys-intergenerational-report-vs-voter-trust-20150306-13vs32.html. “Get more people into jobs, work
smarter, shore up budget revenue and get a bigger bang for the taxpayers'
buck in spending.” The “2015 Intergenerational
Report” is available at: http://www.treasury.gov.au/Policy-Topics/PeopleAndSociety/Intergenerational-Report. Ross Gittins, “State
Governments Need to Step Up,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 7 March 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/state-governments-need-to-step-up-20150306-13wrao.html. “With monetary
policy (interest rates) now less effective in stimulating the economy, it
would be better if fiscal policy (budgets) was doing more to help, not less.” Greg Jericho,
“Intergenerational Report: Assumptions about Government Spending Are a
Confusion of Idiocy,” The Guardian,
9 March 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/mar/09/intergenerational-report-assumptions-about-government-spending-are-a-confusion-of-idiocy. “The report happily assumes that the government
would not change any spending policy for 40 years and debt by 2055 would
reach 122 per cent of GDP.” Editorial,
“Tony Abbott’s Government by Shambles: Something Has to Change,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 March
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbotts-government-by-shambles-something-has-to-change-20150319-1m2kzx.html. “The government must think people are
mind-readers or, worse, plain gullible.” Tim Dick, “Australia’s Luck Ran Out When It Came to Leaders,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/australias-luck-ran-out-when-it-came-to-leaders-20150412-1mj7y8.html. “Australia is immensely rich, incredibly desirable and lucky enough to have two dud leaders at the same time, continuing the truth of Donald Horne's ironic observation in 1964: "Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck." Lenore Taylor, “Who Will Lose Most from the 2015 Budget
(Apart from the Government?” The Guardian, 14 April 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/apr/13/who-will-lose-most-from-the-2015-budget-apart-from-the-government. “There
remains a disconnect between the PM’s new positive messaging, as it applies
to the budget, and what his economic ministers are saying.” Gareth Hutchens, “IMF Warns Reserve Bank May Have to Keep Cutting Rates,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 April 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/imf-warns-reserve-bank-may-have-to-keep-cutting-rates-20150414-1mkpy9.html. “The Reserve Bank has been warned it may have to keep cutting already historically low interest rates to prevent Australians from becoming fearful of falling wages and weaker employment prospects. […] Financial markets believe there is a 100 per cent change the cash rate will be 2 per cent by September or October this year.” John Edwards,
“Tony Abbott’s New Budget Strategy – and How Bill Shorten Will Respond,” Inside Story, 14 April 2015. Available at: http://insidestory.org.au/tony-abbotts-new-budget-strategy-and-how-bill-shorten-will-respond. “Fixing the federal budget might not be as hard
as we think, argues the author. “And
the Intergenerational Review shows we have the breathing space to choose how
to do it.” Jessica Irvine, “We Have to
Raise Revenue, Not Just Cut Spending,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/we-have-to-raise-revenue-not-just-cut-spending-20150417-1mn16h.html. “To
balance the books, Australians will have to pay more tax, the only questions
being what will be taxed and how high the rate.” Katharine Murphy, “Labor Plans
to Rein in Super Concessions for Wealthy in Bid to Raise $14 Billion,” The Guardian, 22 April 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/apr/21/labor-plans-to-rein-in-super-concessions-for-wealthy-in-bid-to-raise-14bn.
“Retirees would have to pay 15% on super income over $75,000 and
workers earning more than $250,000 face paying more tax on contributions,” Peter Martin, “Negative Gearers
Are the Opposite of Battlers and They Don’t Build Many New Houses,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/negative-gearers-are-the-opposite-of-battlers-and-they-dont-build-many-new-homes-20150427-1msy10.html. “It is disturbing
that the policy advice of the Property Council is preferred to that of the
Reserve Bank.” Ross Gittins, “No More
Shortcuts to Budget Surplus,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 4 May 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/no-more-shortcuts-to-budget-surplus-20150503-1myets.html. “The most obvious
lesson – one to be learnt not just by politicians but by all those who care
about fiscal responsibility – is that if you manage to con the pollies into
proposing blatantly unfair "reforms" you run a high risk of
actually setting back the cause of reform.” Nassim Khadem, “Tax the Rich
and Save the Budget $1 9.5b a Year, The Australia Institute Urges,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 May
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/tax-the-rich-and-save-the-budget-195b-a-year-the-australia-institute-urges-20150504-1mz7h4.html. According to the Australia Institute If
Tony Abbott stopped giving superannuation tax breaks to the rich, restricted
negative gearing, scrapped the capital gains tax discount and slapped a
minimum tax rate on high-income earners, he could raise up to $19.5 billion
in annual revenue.” Malcolm Maiden, “What’s Holding
the Australian Economy Back?
Companies,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 8 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/whats-holding-the-australian-economy-back-companies-20150508-ggwvip.html. “There's nothing
inherently wrong with companies sweating their assets, and boosting earnings
by cutting costs, jobs, and investment.
They become more productive in the process. Heath Aston,
“Federal Budget 2015: Budget 2.0 Will Determine Future of Joe Hockey-Tony
Abbott Partnership,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 9 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-budget-20-will-determine-future-of-joe-hockeytony-abbott-partnership-20150508-ggx5si.html. “Coalition backbenchers see the
budget as the opportunity for Abbott and Hockey to revive the government's
fortunes.” See also: Peter Martin,
“Federal Budget 2015: Reserve Bank Says Growth Will be Lower, Recovery
Slower,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
9 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-reserve-bank-says-growth-will-be-lower-recovery-slower-20150508-ggxk1c.html. Greg Jericho, “The Budget to Repair the
(Poll) Damage Done by the Last Budget – in Graphs,” The Guardian, 12 May 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/may/12/the-budget-to-repair-the-poll-damage-done-by-the-last-budget-in-graphs. “The 2015 Australian budget smacks
of a government that has targeted spending towards improving its polling
rather than growth.” Peter Hartcher, “Bipartisan Convergence
There Is – but Not on What Really Matters for the Economy,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/bipartisan-convergence-there-is--but-not-on-what-really-matters-for-the-economy-20150515-gh2rah.html. Hartcher brings out some of the hidden motives,
as well as the hidden cuts, in the budget for government action during the
incoming fiscal year. Peter Martin, “Federal Budget 2015: Cut Income Tax, says Treasury Secretary
John Fraser,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
16 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-cut-income-tax-says-treasury-secretary-john-fraser-20150515-gh2zcs.html. “The
head of the treasury believes that the easy days of high economic growth are
over and that Australia will need big personal income tax cuts to remain
competitive.” See also, James Massola, “Bringing Home the Bacon, Saving
the Base,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
16 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bringing-home-the-bacon-saving-the-base-20150515-gh25qc. Ross Gittins, “Don’t Trust the Knockers of Treasury
Forecasts,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
17 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/dont-trust-the-knockers-of-treasury-forecasts-20150517-gh37i3.html. “Treasury and the
Reserve Bank – whose forecasts are essentially a joint exercise – put an
enormous amount of time and expertise into their forecasts […]. That doesn't mean their forecasts are
likely to be right, of course. Far
from it. But it does mean that, on
average over time, they're likely to be less wrong than their critics.” Michael
Pascoe, “Small Business Myths Work Budget Miracles,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/small-business-myths-work-budget-miracles-20150518-gh42qq.html. “The budget seems
to have miraculously achieved what it set out to do: restore the political
fortunes of the Prime Minister and Treasurer. It's done so by playing
upon a couple of popular myths and carefully targeting some spending.” Ross
Gittins, “Low Interest Rates Mean It’s No Longer Business as Usual,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 May
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/low-interest-rates-mean-its-no-longer-business-as-usual-20150522-gh7by8.html. Gittins comments on a recent speech by Phillip
Lowe, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, concerning the
often-forgotten disadvantages of low interest rates. Links to this and two other related
comments from the RBA are shown here. Editorial,
“Tony Abbott Builds Australians a Tax White Elephant,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbott-builds-australians-a-tax-white-elephant-20150527-ghae4n.html. We should be examining how to simplify and expand
consumption taxes. […] It's a sad reflection of the state of political
discourse when the Coalition – and Labor on issues other than superannuation
taxes – feels incapable of or unwilling to explain to voters the
benefits and drawbacks of important policy options.” Mark
Kenny, “Deficit Decade: Tony Abbott’s $100 Billion Black Hole,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 May
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/deficit-decade-tony-abbotts-100-billion-black-hole-20150529-ghckxn.html. “Australia faces
more than decade of uninterrupted deficits according to an
updated assessment by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office that
shows Senate intransigence will carve a $100 billion black hole out of
revenue between now and 2025-26.” Malcolm
Maiden, “GDP: Better but Still Not Good Enough,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 June 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/gdp-better-but-still-not-good-enough-20150603-ghg019.html. “This economy won't be
motoring until private sector investment picks up, and when the building
bulge in the housing market is stripped out, investment is weak.” Greg Jericho, “Joe Hockey May Call Me a Clown, but GDP Growth
Hasn’t Been ‘Terrific,’” The Guardian,
4 June 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/jun/04/joe-hockey-may-call-me-a-clown-but-gdp-growth-hasnt-been-terrific. “The treasurer
talked up the DGP figures, suggesting that those who believe there are ‘dark
clouds’ are ‘clowns’ However,
quarterly growth numbers hide economic concerns – here is what you need to
know.” Greg
Jericho, “The Dark Clouds of Australia’s Largest Ever Trade Deficit Have a
Silver Lining,” The Guardian, 8
June 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/jun/08/the-dark-clouds-of-australias-largest-ever-trade-deficit-have-a-silver-lining. “Our exports drastically decreased due to a drop
in iron ore and coal exports, and imports drastically increased due to
equipment imported from Korea.” Peter
Martin, “Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens: More Infrastructure Spending
Now, Please,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
11 June 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/reserve-bank-governor-glenn-stevens-more-infrastructure-spending-now-please-20150610-ghl1ri.html. After months of hinting the
Abbott government isn't doing enough to lift the economy, Glenn Stevens has come right out and said it.” See
address to the Economic Society of Australia in Brisbane, 10 June 2015 at: http://www.rba.gov.au/speeches/2015/sp-gov-2015-06-10.html. Peter Ker, “Rio Tinto’s Mike Fitzpatrick on the RBA, BHP
and Managing a Mining Boom,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 24 June 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/rio-tintos-mike-fitzpatrick-on-the-rba-bhp-and-managing-a-mining-boom-20150623-ghuzxj. Fitzpatrick
commented in an interview on the two-speed economy in Australia during the
recent boom in mining activity. “While
some blamed the miners for the strong currency, Mr Fitzpatrick believed the
Reserve Bank ‘left interest rates too high for far too long.’” Ross Gittins, “Tony Abbott’s National
Security Scare Campaign Hides the Truth: He’s Making a Hash of the Economy,”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 June 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbotts-national-security-scare-campaign-hides-the-truth-hes-making-a-hash-of-the-economy-20150630-gi16ie.html. “Tony Abbott and his minister are more interested
in diverting our attention to exaggerated threats to national security than
in fixing our economic threats.” Katherine
Murphy, “Shift from Stamp Duty to Property Levy Could Raise $7bn a Year for
States – Report,” The Guardian, 14 July 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/14/shift-from-stamp-duty-to-property-levy-could-raise-7bn-a-year-for-states-report.
“ Grattan Institute report
proposes levy of $2 for every $1,000 of unimproved land value, or $1 for
every $1,000 of capital-improved property value.” The report is by John Daley and Brendan Coats, “Property Taxes,”
Grattan Institute Working Paper, 14 July 2015. Available at: http://grattan.edu.au/report/property-taxes/. Daniel Hurst, “Australian Tax Reform: Options on the Menu
for Abbott and Premiers at COAG,’ The
Guardian, 22 July 2015. Available
at: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/jul/22/australian-tax-reform-options-on-the-menu-for-abbott-and-premiers-at-coag. “Increasing or broadening the base of GST? Hiking the
Medicare levy? Scrapping negative gearing? Who supports which measures as
political leaders gather for the COAG meeting in Sydney?” Tom Wesland, “Is Joe Hockey
Going to Bust Some Monopolies? His IP
Referral Gives Us Hope,” The Guardian, 19 August 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/19/is-joe-hockey-going-to-bust-some-monopolies-his-ip-referral-gives-us-hope. “A Productivity Commission review into
intellectual property is welcome news – it could help prevent Australia being
fleeced in future trade agreements.” Andrew Leigh, “Joe Hockey’s Tax
Disclosure Wind-Back Is a ‘Reform’ Nobody Asked for,” The Guardian, 21 August 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/21/joe-hockeys-tax-disclosure-wind-back-is-a-reform-nobody-asked-for. “The Coalition is changing laws that
require the top 2,000 companies’ tax affairs to be reported. I’m sorry – who
demanded this reduction in transparency?” Gareth Hutchens, “Abbott
Government to Take Personal Income Tax Cuts to the Election,” The Sydney Morning Herald,” 24 September
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-to-take-personal-income-tax-cuts-to-the-election-20150823-gj5rgg. “Mr Hockey will
on Monday set out a comprehensive economic case for personal income tax cuts
in a speech to the Tax Institute and Chartered Accountants Australia and New
Zealand in Sydney.” Mark
Kenny, “National Reform Summit: Recession Wake-Up Call from Ex-Treasury Head
Martin Parkinson,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 27 August 2015. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/national-reform-summit-extreasury-head-martin-parkinson-warns-of-recession-20150826-gj8byi.html.
“A former
Treasury head has told a historic coalition of business, unions and welfare
lobbyists that the equivalent of a recession is looming in the next
decade unless Australia boosts productivity.” Peter Martin, “Liberal Leadership: The Malcolm Turnbull Doctrine –
Telling the Truth about the Economy,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 15 September 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/liberal-leadership-the-malcolm-turnbull-doctrine-telling-the-truth-about-economy-20150914-gjmfyc.html. “Malcolm Turnbull has promised to
tell us the truth. He says he is
offering a new style of leadership that respects people’s intelligence,
that explains complex issues and then sets out a course of action”. Greg
Jericho, “Equality Is Built into Our Tax System – That's Why Morrison's Sums
Don't Add Up,” The Guardian, 9
November 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/nov/09/equality-is-built-into-our-tax-system-thats-why-morrisons-sums-dont-add-up. “Unless
the government wants to increase inequality, it’s almost impossible to keep
revenue the same without increasing spending.” Peter Martin, “Tax White Paper
Will Target Superannuation, Not the GST,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 24 November 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tax-white-paper-will-target-superannuation-not-the-gst-20151122-gl4xbc.html.
“Forget the GST
– it's tackling the burgeoning problem of superannuation that will show
whether the Treasurer is serious about fixing tax.” |
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Daniel Hurst, “Student Visa Applications Rise Strongly After
Tough Three Years,” The Guardian, 17 January 2014.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/17/student-visa-applications-rise-strongly-after-tough-three-years. “A large increase in international student
visa applications in Australia has raised the sector’s hopes of moving on
from the slump caused by a ‘perfect storm’ of a series of migration rule
changes, bad publicity about the nation’s safety, and the strong dollar.” Matthew Knott, “Education Minister Christopher Pyne: Set
Universities ‘Free’ to Create a US-Style System,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/education-minister-christopher-pyne-set-universities-free-to-create-a-usstyle-system-20140428-zr0vc.html. The
author reported that “in a speech to a London think tank on Monday night, Mr
Pyne said a new wave of deregulation was needed to stop Australia's
universities falling behind the rest of the world.” Note that not all of the US-style system is
considered by Americans to be ideal. Editorial Board, “Tightening Rules on
For-Profit Colleges,” The Washington
Post,” 28 April 2014. Available
at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tightening-rules-on-for-profit-colleges/2014/04/27/2b80630e-cca4-11e3-95f7-7ecdde72d2ea_story.html. Ross
Gittins, “University Fees To Be Regulated under Pyne’s Reforms,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 May
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/university-fees-to-be-regulated-under-pynes-reforms-20140530-399pd.html. Gittins
begins his article with this statement: “The greatest economic puzzle in the
budget is Tony Abbott's intention to ‘deregulate’ university fees in
2016. There's a lot more to it than
many people imagine.” Daniel
Hurst, “Australia’s Top Eight Universities Push for Higher Fees, Fewer
Students,” The Guardian, 30 July
2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jul/30/australias-top-eight-universities-push-for-higher-fees-fewer-students. The author
reports that “Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight (Go8) universities are
likely to reduce the number of people they enrol while increasing fees for
each student after deregulation, a key backer of the reforms has predicted. Jane
Caro, “Pyne’s Education Policies Hurt Women – But the Men in Cabinet Don’t Seem
to Have Noticed,” The Guardian, 11
August 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/11/pynes-education-policies-hurt-women-but-the-men-in-cabinet-dont-seem-to-have-noticed. “Recent
measures would have forced women to pay much more than men for degrees that
were worth far less to them. With only
one woman in cabinet, it’s heads men win, tails women lose.” Jewel Topsfield and Matthew Knott,
“Education Review: Overhaul of ‘Bloated’ National Curriculum Widely
Supported,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
12 October 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/education-review-overhaul-of-bloated-national-curriculum-widely-supported-20141012-114zkz.html. “The Abbott government's controversial review of
the national curriculum has failed to reignite the culture wars as expected
with its recommendations receiving widespread support across the country.” Jamie
Miller. “Don’t Turn to US for University Reform When They Look to Us,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 January,
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/dont-turn-to-us-for-university-reform-when-they-look-to-us-20150123-12vok9.html. The author
observes that the educational funding system in the US is in crisis, yet the
Coalition government is seeking to replicate it in Australia. He suggests that the government “should
take its user-pays model to an election and explain why it wants more of the
University of Phoenix and less of the University of Sydney.” Daniel Hurst,
“Government Based University Fee Modelling on ‘Invented’ Figures, Says
Official,” The Guardian, 25
February 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/25/government-based-university-fee-modelling-on-invented-figures-says-official. “The education department’s associate
secretary, Robert Griew, cast doubt over the calculations in a statement to
the Administrative Appeals Tribunal opposing the release of internal
government documents on the impact of the government’s higher education
reform.” Daniel Hurst,
“Higher Education Bill: Abbott Government Trades Away $3.5 Billion Budget
Savings,” The Guardian, 3 December
2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/03/higher-education-bill-abbott-government-trades-away-35bn-budget-savings. “Christopher Pyne’s latest legislation reveals
significantly scaled-down estimated savings, cutting four-year impact from
$3.9bn to $451m.” Kevin Carey,
“Here’s What Will Truly Change Higher Education:
Online Degrees That Are Seen as Official,” The New York Times, 5 March 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/upshot/true-reform-in-higher-education-when-online-degrees-are-seen-as-official.html. “In the long run, massive open
online courses will most likely be seen as a crucial step forward in the
reformation of higher education. But their
true impact won’t be felt until students and learners of all kinds have
access to digital credentials that are also built for the modern world.” Daniel
Hurst, “Senate Blocks University Deregulation for the Second Time,” The Guardian, 17 March 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/17/senate-blocks-university-deregulation-for-the-second-time. “‘We will not give up,’ vows Christopher
Pyne after most crossbench senators vote against the government’s legislation
to remove limits on student contributions.” Matt Wade, “Joe Hockey: Why Isn’t He Being Grilled About the
Unemployment?” The Sydney Morning Herald,
27 April 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/joe-hockey-why-isnt-he-being-grilled-about-unemployment-20150426-1mtb66.htm. The number of people looking for a job has
now been over three quarters of a million for the past nine months – it's 18
years since Australia had that many people out of work. Last month's count of
the unemployed – 768,600 in trend terms – was 60 per cent more than before
the global financial crisis.” Peter Martin, “Federal
Budget 2015: ‘Glacial’ Wage Growth Puts Budget Forecasts in Doubt,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 13 May 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-glacial-wage-growth-puts-budget-forecasts-in-doubt-20150513-gh0s5l.html. Budget
forecasts for wages growth and interest rates on government debt are assessed
as optimistic. As a consequence
projected revenue for government is likely to be lower than expected for the
coming financial year. Gareth Hutchens, “Small Business Tax Cut ‘Will Not Be as
Effective’ as Abbott Government Thinks,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 21 May 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/small-business-tax-cut-will-not-be-as-effective-as-abbott-government-thinks-20150521-gh6vwx.html. According to
Saul Eslake, a leading business economist, “almost 63 per cent of
small companies will derive no benefit from [the 1.5 percentage point tax
cut] because they are neither profitable nor taxable. Pete Goss and Jordana Hunter, “One-Size-Fits-All Past Its NAPLAN Use-by
Date,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 5
August 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/onesizefitsall-past-its-naplan-useby-date-20150805-gis9zk.html.
“A new approach
to teaching the five-year-olds who start school in 2016 won't show up in year
3 NAPLAN results until 2019 or in year 9 results until 2025. We do know that if we keep doing the same
things, we are likely to get the same outcomes. For the sake of our children,
we need a better approach.” Editorial, “ABS
and NAPLAN Shows Why We Need Gonski,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 15 August 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/abs-and-naplan-shows-why-we-need-gonski-20150814-gizbe3.html. “School funding must be needs-based.
The Abbott government must restore the final two years of Gonski funding,
which NSW intends to spend mostly on disadvantaged schools. Unlocking the true potential of each
child.” |
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Katharine Murphy, “States Should Be Given Access to Income
Tax, Audit Report Says,” The Guardian,
1 May 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/01/states-should-be-given-access-to-income-tax-audit-report-says. Greg Jericho, “Colin Barnett’s GST Rhetoric Is Finding
Blame for WA’s Shambolic Budget”,
13 April 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/apr/13/colin-barnetts-gst-rhetoric-is-finding-blame-for-was-shambolic-budget. “The state
premier ignores that for most of the past 100 years the rest of Australia has
actually propped up WA.” Daniel Hurst, “GST Debate Fires up Again with Proposal to
Distribute on Per-Capita Basis,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 23 June 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/23/gst-debate-fires-up-again-with-proposal-to-distribute-on-per-capita-basis. “Discussion paper setting out range
of tax options is released after government faced criticism of leaks on
health and education changes.” |
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Michael Pascoe, “Trade Deal: Japan Wins, and Why That’s
Good for Australia,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 8 April 2014. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/trade-deal-japan-wins-and-why-thats-good-for-australia-20140408-36ach.html. Michael
suggests that the immediate advantage Australia should enjoy will not last
long as a result of global competitiveness in the agricultural products that
will enter Japan more freely as a result of the agreement. Japanese consumers will continue to benefit
from lower prices of these products. Nick Dearden, “Bring on the Defeat of the EU-US Free Trade
Deal,” The Guardian, 2 September
2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/eu-us-free-trade-deal-ttip-transatlantic-trade-investment-partnership. “So the [UK]
government is now down to its last defence: suggesting that those opposed to
the treaty are motivated by “anti-American” sentiment. But it is precisely in the US where
opposition to the TTIP, and its sister treaty the Trans-Pacific Partnership,
has been most vociferous. Democrat opposition in Congress has even prevented
President Obama from getting special “fast track” negotiating authority.” Gabrielle Chan and Michael Safi, “WikiLeaks’Free Trade
Documents Reveal ‘Drastic’ Australian Concessions,” The Guardian, 17 October 2014.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/17/wikileaks-trans-pacific-partnership-drastic-australian-concessions. “Secret negotiations over the Trans Pacific
Partnership have been apparently revealed, and experts are concerned about
what they show.” Gabrielle Chan, “China-Australia Free Trade Agreement:
What’s on the Table and Who Will Benefit,” The Guardian, 11 November 2014.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/11/china-australia-free-trade-agreement-whats-on-table-who-benefits. “Tony Abbott says
service industries – tourism, finance, education, law and accounting – will
be big winners, but critics warn against rushing to a deal.” John
Garnaut, “Australia Wins Good Trade Deal, Reassurance from China Despite our
Friendship with US, Japan,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 18 November 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/australia-wins-good-trade-deal-reassurance-from-china-despite-our-friendship-with-us-japan-20141117-11oiqf.html. “Australia was supposed to pay a heavy price for
the Abbott Government sidling closer to the United States and Japan, while
pushing back against Chinese territorial misbehaviour. Instead, President Xi Jinping delivered
Australian farmers and service professionals the most ambitious bilateral
free-trade agreement. Christoph
Pauly, “Free Trade Faults: Europeans Fear Wave of Litigation from US Firms,” Spiegel Online, 26 January 2015. Available at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/eu-fears-ttif-free-trade-agreement-could-spur-litigation-a-1015013.html. “With broad public resistance
and a European Parliament majority against it, EU officials are
rethinking their positions on the proposed free-trade agreement with
Washington. Many fear investor protection rules will wreak havoc on national
laws.” Shiro Armstrong, “The Costs of
Australia’s ‘Free Trade’ Agreement with America,” East Asia Forum, 8 February 2015. Available at: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/02/08/the-costs-of-australias-free-trade-agreement-with-america/. “Ten years after the
Australia–United States free trade agreement (AUSFTA) came into force, new
analysis of the data shows that the agreement diverted trade away from the
lowest cost sources. Australia and the
United States have reduced their trade by US$53 billion with rest of the
world and are worse off than they would have been without the agreement.” Peter
Martin, “Trans-Pacific Partnership:
What’s the Deal Being Negotiated in Our Name?” The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 February 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/trans-pacific-partnership-whats-the-deal-being-negotiated-in-our-name-20150220-13jci9.html. The agreement has been “bubbling along below the radar for half a decade, it's about to become
solid. It is set to deliver much more money and power to US pharmaceutical
companies, to criminalise the use of technology in ways that presently don't
attract jail time and to set up outside tribunals to reconsider decisions
already made by Australian courts.” Elizabeth
Warren, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership Clause Everyone Should Oppose,” The Washington Post, 25 February
2015. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kill-the-dispute-settlement-language-in-the-trans-pacific-partnership/2015/02/25/ec7705a2-bd1e-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html?hpid=z4. “The provision, an increasingly common feature of trade
agreements, is called “Investor-State Dispute Settlement,” or ISDS. The name
may sound mild, but don’t be fooled. Agreeing to ISDS in this enormous new
treaty would tilt the playing field in the United States further in favour of
big multinational corporations.” Peter
Ker, “Chinese Iron Ore Subsidies Raise Doubts about Free Trade Agreement,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 April
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/chinese-iron-ore-subsidies-raise-doubts-about-free-trade-agreement-20150409-1mhh5m.html. “Federal Labor has
challenged the Abbott government to clarify the terms of Australia's free
trade agreement with China, after the survival prospects of Australian iron
ore miners were further imperilled by China's decision to cut the tax rate
imposed on its own iron ore miners.” Leon Berkelmans, “Gold Standard
Trade Deal Is Littered with Pitfalls,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 14 April 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/gold-standard-trade-deal-is-littered-with-pitfalls-20150414-1mkktf.html. “Trade deals were
once about securing global trade. So, a shift towards negotiating issues
other than trade is troubling.” Jonathan Weisman,
“Trans-Pacific Partnership Puts Harvard Law School Rivals on Opposite Sides,
Again,” The New York Times, 27
April 2015. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/business/trans-pacific-partnership-puts-harvard-law-school-rivals-on-opposite-sides-again.html. The battle of over the Trans-Pacific Partnership
is multi-faceted, as this article indicates. For more comment on trade negotiations see:
http://www.accci.com.au/CommentonTPP.pdf. Philip Dorling, “WikiLeaks
Reveals New Trade Secrets,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 4 June 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/wikileaks-reveals-new-trade-secrets-20150603-ghfycx.html. “Highly sensitive
details of the negotiations over the little-known Trades in Services
Agreement (TiSA) published by WikiLeaks reveals Australia is pushing for
extensive international financial deregulation while other proposals could
see Australians' personal and financial data freely transferred overseas.” Peter Whish Wilson, “Australia’s Treaty-Making
Process Is Broken: The China Free-Trade Deal Is a Case in Point,” The Guardian, 11 September 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/11/australias-treaty-making-process-is-broken-the-china-free-trade-deal-is-a-case-in-point. “By the time a free trade agreement like Chafta reaches parliament it has already been agreed to.
Democracy demands more than a ‘take it or leave it’ approach.” See also Gabrielle Chan, “Confused about the China Free Trade Deal? Here’s What You Need to Know.” The Guardian, 3 September 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/03/confused-about-the-china-free-trade-deal-heres-what-you-need-to-know. Heath Aston, “Experts Cautious
of Robb’s Trade Deals Exuberance as They Anticipate Trade-offs,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 October
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/experts-cautious-of-robbs-trade-deals-exuberance-as-they-anticipate-tradeoffs-20151008-gk4zqr.html. The author reports on views expressed by
economists and legal experts that recently negotiated trade agreements may
not be as beneficial to the Australian economy as was announced by the trade
minister and his department. See
also “Ross Gittins, “Trade Pact Is No Big Deal,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 October
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/trade-pact-is-no-big-deal-20151008-gk4s7j.html. Peter Martin, “Trans-Pacific Partnership: We’re Selling Economic
Sovereignty for Little Return,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/transpacific-partnership-were-selling-our-sovereignty-for-little-return-20151011-gk6fhw.html. The author argues that the “trade deal’s benefits
may be exaggerated.” Guardian Staff, “TPP Trade Deal: Text Published Online,” The Guardian, 6 November 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/05/tpp-trade-deal-new-zealand-releases-text-online.
“Release offers first detailed look at
12-state Trans-Pacific Partnership, world’s largest free trade agreement.” |
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Adele
Ferguson, “Politics Aside, $22 Million SPC Bailout Might Bear Fruit,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/politics-aside-22-million-spc-bailout-might-bear-fruit-20140213-32nbe.html. “After
watching the killing of the car industry this week, the Victorian government
was always going to support an investment plan designed to breathe new life
into Coca-Cola Amatil's ailing fruit business, SPC Ardmona.” Further
reporting in Associated Press, “SPC Ardmona Deal Proves It Didn’t
Need Federal Help, Tony Abbott Says”, The Guardian, 13 February
2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/feb/13/victoria-invests-22m-spc-ardmona-bailout. Mark Kenny,
“The Storm Facing Qantas Was One Joe Hockey Couldn’t Ignore,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 14 February 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/the-storm-facing-qantas-was-one-joe-hockey-couldnt-ignore-20140213-32lkr.html. “Bad luck
might come in threes but for the federal government wounded by the
SPC-Ardmona debacle, and claims of policy indolence over the car
industry’s demise, troubles at Qantas threaten the biggest danger of all.” Additional comment by Matt O’Sullivan,
“Treasurer Joe Hockey Lines Up Debt Facility for Airline Qantas,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 2014.
Available at:http://www.smh.com.au/business/treasurer-joe-hockey-lines-up-debt-facility-for-airline-qantas-20140213-32n9o.html. Mark Kenny,
“Blueprint to Pick Economic Winners in Push Away from Manufacturing,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/blueprint-to-pick-economic-winners-in-push-away-from-manufacturing-20141013-1159w1.html. “Knowledge-based
industries driving the future economy will be treated more favourably in tax
and assistance terms than the old industrial powerhouses under a new
competition and investment agenda to be released on Tuesday.” See also Business Council of Australia, “Building
Australia’s Innovation System,” October 2014.
Available at: http://www.bca.com.au/publications/building-australias-innovation-system. Nick Talley, “What’s the Point of Abbott’s Medical Research
Future Fund if We Have No Medical Researchers?” The Guardian, 5 December 2013.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/05/whats-the-point-of-abbotts-medical-research-future-fund-if-we-have-no-medical-researchers. “The federal government’s
medical research future fund is a welcome initiative because Australia needs
to substantially increase its investment in medical science. But in order for
the fund to be effective, we need to attract more clinicians into research.” |
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Michael Thorn, “Spending Cuts Imperil the Health of All,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 August
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/spending-cuts-imperil-the-health-of-all-20150804-gir1oc.html. “Public health activists despair of the prospects
of an adequate strategy to tackle chronic disease, described as ‘Australia's greatest
health challenge’ by the government's Reform of the Federation White Paper.” A working draft of the White Paper is available at: https://federation.dpmc.gov.au/publications/discussion-paper. Tim Binsted, “War on Healthcare
Costs Hits Tipping Point with Medibank/Healthscope
Deal,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
23 November 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/war-on-healthcare-costs-hits-tipping-point-with-medibankhealthscope-deal-20151123-gl5yx9.html. “The nation's biggest private health fund, Medibank Private, has secured a landmark win in its
battle to lower costs in hospitals after inking a new agreement with the
country's second-biggest private hospital operator Healthscope.” |
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Arthur C Brooks, “The Downside of Inciting Envy,” The New York Times, 1 March 2014. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/opinion/sunday/the-downside-of-inciting-envy.html?hp&rref=opinion. The author
expressed concern with what he perceives to be an increasing amount of envy
and anger aimed at those who “have more than they deserve” and suggests that
the underlying problem cannot be met effectively by a large scale
redistribution of income. Rather, we
must “increase mobility with a radical opportunity agenda” and we need
“aspirational leaders” to do the hard work of uniting the population around a
more optimistic vision. While this was
addressed mainly to problems currently experienced in the USA, it has similar
applications in less urgent situations. Inga Ting, “Freedom and Control Are Why the Rich Really Are
Charitable,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
8 March 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/freedom-and-control-are-why-the-rich-really-are-charitable-20140307-34cb5.html. The article reports on the results of an
analysis of data from the Tax Office:
“It’s a paradox that seems to reinforce every stereotype about greed
and wealth: those with the smallest incomes donate the greatest share of
their money, while the rich pinch their pennies. Peter Hartcher, “Healthy, Wealthy and Unfair: Tide Goes Out
on Equality in Australia,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 14 October 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/healthy-wealthy-and-unfair-tide-goes-out-on-equality-in-australia-20141013-115fa9.html. “[T]he world,
like Australia, […] needs growth, and it needs a reasonably fair distribution
of its benefits. I t's a matter of policy.
That is, it's a national choice and we know how to do it. What is the purpose of a country's economy
unless it is for the benefit of its people?” Editorial, “The Guardian View of New Thinking on Global
Inequality,” The Guardian, 14
October 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/13/guardian-view-of-new-thinking-on-global-inequality. “The old
Washington consensus is under mounting challenge. Reducing inequality is morally right and
economically necessary.” |
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Peter Hartcher and James Massola, “Treasurer Joe
Hockey Backs Second Sydney Airport,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 14
February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/treasurer-joe-hockey-backs-second-sydney-airport-20140213-32nd1.html.
he article reports that “Treasurer Joe Hockey has declared Sydney must have a
second airport, arguing it will be an essential driver of jobs, growth and
investment in the city's west.” Clancy Yeates and Glenda Kwek, “G20 to Act to Unlock Infrastructure
Investment, The Sydney Morning Herald,
14 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/g20-to-act-to-unlock-infrastructure-investment-20140223-33agx.html. The article announced that the infrastructure
investment taskforce within G20 held “very deep discussions on the issue” of
funding for global infrastructure needs and mentioned that there is likely to
be a document on proposals for the G20 meeting in November. No author cited, “The Trillion-Dollar Gap: Investing in
Infrastructure,” The Economist, 22
March 2014. Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21599358-how-get-more-worlds-savings-pay-new-roads-airports-and-electricity.
The article
points to the recognised need for more investment in infrastructure,
particularly at the present time when interest rates are, and suggests that
“every
country needs a competent group of bureaucrats who have the authority and
skills to design a pipeline of viable infrastructure deals and the political
clout to standardise procurement procedures and other practicalities of
getting a road built or a tunnel dug. Matt Wade, “World Leaders Put Global Infrastructure Hub on the Menu,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 22
November 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/world-leaders-put-global-infrastructure-hub-on-the-menu-20141121-11qrwo.html. The article quotes the Treasurer, Joe Hockey: “To
have a global centre in Australia is a big event. We've never had a global hub like this,
especially one so important to the world economy. This will service 85 per cent of the world
economy. It's an opportunity that Australian businesses have never had
before. We really can become a hub of excellence.” |
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Editorial,
“Tony Abbott Still Doesn't Get It - and
Time's Running Out,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 2 February 2015. Available
at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbott-still-doesnt-get-it--and-times-running-out-20150202-133mn8.html. “All
voters want is for Tony Abbott to explain why he and Joe Hockey broke
promises and included extremely unfair measures in the budget last May, when
many more reasonable and even more efficient alternatives are
available. Lenore
Taylor, “Tony Abbott Is Circling the Wagons and Not Going Anywhere,” The Guardian, 2 February 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/02/tony-abbott-is-circling-the-wagons-and-not-going-anywhere. “The Prime Minister’s press club’s speech was
most notable for what it lacked – recognition of voters’ concerns and
determination to address them.” David Marr, “Tony Abbott Is In Trouble Because He
Never Let the Junkyard Dog Go,” The Guardian, 6 February 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/06/tony-abbott-is-in-trouble-because-he-never-let-the-junkyard-dog-go. “This week
has proved that unlike his political hero, Churchill, the Australian prime
minister did nto grow once he had the power he scrapped and fought for.” Michael
Gordon, “Waiting for Malcolm,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 7 February 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/waiting-for-malcolm-20150206-137xiu.html. “The
uncomfortable truth of the crisis that threatens to destroy the Coalition
government is that Tony Abbott is only part of the problem, and removing him
will not avert the prospect of decimation in 2016.” See also Mark Kenny,
“Tony Abbott’s Errors Have Cost Him Support of His Colleagues,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 February
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbotts-errors-have-cost-him-support-of-his-colleagues-20150205-136t06.html. Katharine Murphy, “How the Liberal Party Machine
Swallowed the Real Tony Abbott Alive,” The
Guardian, 8 February 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/08/how-liberal-party-machine-swallowed-tony-abbott. The author states:
“The
Tony Abbott I knew disappeared in 2013 as he sublimated himself to the needs
of his party and its backes.
Ultimately the strategy backfired.” Peter
Hartcher, “Tony Abbott Ripe for the Knockout Blow,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-ripe-for-the-knockout-blow-20150213-13e6ox.html. “All Malcolm Turnbull has to do is wait patiently and the prime
ministership will come to him.” Gabrielle
Chan, “Malcolm Turnbull Plays Convincing Role as the Man Who Is Not Tony Abbott,”
The Guardian, 17 February
2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/17/malcolm-turnbull-plays-convincing-role-as-the-man-who-is-not-tony-abbott. “On [the ABC
program] Q&A the potential challenger for the Liberal leadership
pointedly distanced himself from Abbott, without directly criticising.” Lenore
Taylor, “Promises, Promises … Now It’s Time for Tony Abbott to Focus on the
Nitty-Gritty,” The Guardian, 13
March 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/13/promises-promises-now-its-time-for-tony-abbott-to-focus-on-the-nitty-gritty. “The prime
minister can no longer skirt around the things that matter: hospitals, education, welfare, climate
change and the rest.” Mark Kenny, “Hockey
and Abbott Pay the Iron Price as Labor Circles,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 April
2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/hockey-and-abbott-pay-the-iron-price-as-labor-circles-20150424-1mrib4.html. “Voters are increasingly bemused as the government dissembles its way
towards a second budget aimed mainly at over-writing its first, while
inevitably falling short of the Magic Pudding promise of lower taxes and
surpluses–a–plenty.” Lenore
Taylor, “Balancing the Party and the Public Will Be Turnbull’s Biggest
Challenge,” The Guardian, 14
September 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/14/balancing-the-party-and-the-public-will-be-turnbulls-biggest-challenge-yet. “The new prime minister will need to keep the
voters’ faith in his status as a conviction politician, as well as
maintaining unity in a fractured party in which many are at odds with his
views on climate change and marriage equality.” |
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Mark
Hawthorne, “Taunts in Parliament and Text Brought about General Motors
Holden’s Exit from Australia,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 11
December 2013. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/taunts-in-parliament-and-text-brought-about-general-motors-holdens-exit-from-australia-20131211-2z6i6.html. The
article describes the events leading up to the announcement by General Motors
that production in Australia would cease by 1917. Comment
from Peter Hartcher, “Holden Departure Can Be to Joe Hockey What Banana
Republic was to Paul Keating,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 11
December 2013. Available at:http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/holden-departure-can-be-to-joe-hockey-what-banana-republic-was-to-paul-keating-20131211-2z6c3.html. See
also Lenore Taylor, “Did Holden Deserve Endless Assistance? A
Question the Coalition Failed to Ask,” The Guardian, 11 December
2013. Available at:http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/dec/11/should-holden-get-endless-assistance. Editorial,
“Car Makers Test Coalition Resolve on Workplace Reform,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 11 December 2013. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/car-makers-test-coalition-resolve-on-workplace-reform-20131210-2z3vx.html.
The editorial suggests that Australia has reached a watershed
moment. “With the high dollar, the nation needs to pull every lever to
remain competitive. The two keys are productivity growth and
restraint in labour costs. Australia is lagging in both areas.”
The need to resolve these key elements is made clear with the lingering
uncertainty over the viability of car making in Australia. Waleed
Aly, “Holden Demise the Price of Global Economy,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 13 December 2013.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/holden-demise-the-price-of-a-global-economy-20131212-2za89.html. The main point of the article is summarised
by this statement: The larger
story here isn't really about our car industry, or whether we could have
delayed Holden's decision to some other day.
“It's about the fact our politics don't match our economics: that the
assumptions of a hyper-specialised global free market and its effortlessly
mobile labour force don't reflect the more diversified, comparatively static
nature of our societies.” Additional
comment at: http://www.accci.com.au/CommentonAly.pdf. At
beginning of 2014 Jonathan Swan,
“Joe Hockey, Toyota at Odds Whether Union to Blame for Car Maker’s Closure”, The
Sydney Morning Herald, 12 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-toyota-at-odds-whether-union-to-blame-for-car-makers-closure-20140212-32h1u.html. The article comments
on the different versions reported of a private conversation between
Treasurer Joe Hockey and Toyota Australia president Max Yasuda.” Mike Carlton, “Tony Abbott
Opposition Leader Bites Tony Abbott PM,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 15
February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-opposition-leader-bites-tony-abbott-pm-20140214-32r1i.html. The author quotes a statement made by the prime
minister while visiting a Ford production line at Geelong in 2011 that
appears to contradict the actions taken by his government in relation to
Holden and Toyota. |
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James Massola, “Abbott Prepares for Major Shake-Up of
Public Service,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 31May 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-prepares-for-major-shakeup-of-public-service-20140530-399un.html. The author
states that “The Prime Minister is planning sweeping changes to the highest
ranks of the public service to make it more responsive to the Coalition
government. Matthew Knott, “Merger with ABC Would Be Death of SBS, Says
Fraser,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
31 May 2013. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/merger-with-abc-would-be-death-of-sbs-says-fraser-20140530-399v0.html. The article
reported on the views of Malcolm Fraser regarding the recommendations of the
Abbott government's efficiency review into public broadcasting that SBS
vacate its premises in Sydney and Melbourne and move into the ABC's
headquarters. Bob Carr and
Gareth Evans, “Australia Hinders Progress in Middle East Peace Process,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 June
2013. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/australia-hinders-progress-in-middle-east-peace-process-20140608-zs15x.html. “The Abbott
government’s new position shatters what has been for nearly 50 years a
completely bipartisan position. Neither Fraser and Peacock, nor Howard and
Downer either adopted or even explored taking a similar stance. And for very
good reason.” Mark Kenny,
“Tony Abbott Puts a Positive Spin on Clive Palmer’s Political Tornado,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 July
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/tony-abbott-puts-a-positive-spin-on-clive-palmer8217s-political-tornado-20140710-zt2zy.html. Kenny summarises the events during the early July
period as follows: It “reveals the
essential weakness of the government’s negotiating position – a weakness that
will extend far beyond the carbon and mining tax repeals to a raft of budget
cuts for which the mandate question is entirely contestable. In its major features, the budget was a
very different fiscal prescription from the one Abbott had promised voters.” Mark Kenny, “Has the Pro-Business
Party Lost Its Nerve?” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 27 March 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/has-the-probusiness-party-lost-its-nerve-20150326-1m876h.html. “Business bodies are concerned that a weakened
Coalition leadership is putting political stability ahead of reform.” Eleanor
Robertson, “Does the Coalition Support Families? After the PPL Debacle, Who Can Say?” The Guardian, 20 May 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/20/does-the-coalition-support-families-after-the-ppl-debacle-who-can-say. “The federal government’s paid parental leave and
childcare plans are in disarray. Of
course they are: nobody in the Coalition can agree on whether families
deserve support.” Peter
Hartcher, “Tony Abbott Rolled by His Own Ministers Over Stripping Terrorists
of Citizenship,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 29 May 2015. Available at:
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-rolled-by-his-own-ministers-over-stripping-terrorists-of-citizenship-20150529-ghcuxf.html. “When Monday night's cabinet meeting turned to
other business, Tony Abbott had a bombshell waiting.” Mark Kenny, “Speaker Bronwyn Bishop Bows to
Pressure, Leaving Tony Abbott to Clean up the Mess,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 August 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/speaker-bronwyn-bishop-bows-to-pressure-leaving-tony-abbott-to-clean-up-the-mess-20150802-giptzv.html. “Three weeks into
a crisis which has noticeably crippled his government, Abbott has at last
acknowledged what almost everyone else had known from the start. That it is not tenable to have the
parliament's most senior officer, its chief guardian of standards, outed as
its most egregious abuser of privileges.” Peter Hartcher, “Good Government Needn’t Be
a Punchline, Tony Abbott,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 14 August 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/good-government-neednt-be-a-punchline-tony-abbott-20150814-gizeg8.html. “The leadership of the most successful conservative
government in the Western world had a close-up look at the Abbott government
a year and a half ago.” Peter Hartcher,
“Demon of Division Must Be Denied,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 9 October 2015.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/demon-of-division-must-be-denied-20151009-gk5kwa.html. “Fear and hate
retard Australia. The only true winners are hate-mongers. The rise of
Islamist terrorism has given them much to work with, but this week is also
the beginning of an opportunity to deny the demon the divisions that it
craves.” Editorial, “Malcolm Turbull’s National Makeover,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/malcolm-turnbulls-national-makeover-20151105-gks6g4.html. “And for the most part Australia is looking
the better for it.” |
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Richard Ackland,
“Heydon Royal Commission into Unions Aims for Jackpot,” The Sydney
Morning Herald, 14 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/heydon-royal-commission-into-unions-aims-for-jackpot-20140213-32n1q.html. “Throughout
the nation lawyers gasped as they tried to absorb the pages of print that
spell out the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into Rotten Unions
and their Connection to the ALP.” Ross Gittins,
“The Truth Behind Tony Abbott’s Anti-Union Push,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-truth-behind-tony-abbotts-antiunion-push-20140223-33agu.html. Ross sees the government’s actions against
Australian unions as “motivated more by a search for political advantage than
by a desire to free the economy from the scourge of unionism. Indeed, when the union movement finally
expires – which can’t be too many years off – I’d expect the Coalition to
shed a private tear at the loss of such a useful whipping boy.” Lenore Taylor, “Tony Abbott’s
Promised Industrial Relations Crackdowns Face Senate Defeat,” The Guardian, 13 February 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/13/tony-abbott-industrial-relations-unions-crackdown-senate-defeat. “PM’s pre-election promise to monitor conduct of
unions and business groups, and strengthen industrial laws, meets crossbench
opposition.”
The legislative history of the “Fair Work (Registered
Organisations) Amendment Bill 2013, as well as the full text of the bill, are
available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r5126. Greg Jericho, “Its Nonsense to
Believe More Flexibility Leads to Greater Productivity,” The Guardian, 6 August 2015.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/aug/06/its-nonsense-to-believe-more-flexibility-leads-to-greater-productivity. “You’d be hard-pressed to find any evidence that
greater flexibility leads to improved productivity, but the Productivity
Commission asserts that it does – and recommends accordingly.” The draft report by the Productivity
Commission is available online at: http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/workplace-relations/draft. Written submissions are invited by
18 September 2015. |
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Glenda Kwek,
“Jobs Australia’s ‘Achilles Heel’ as Inflation Worries Keep Rates on
Hold,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 February
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/jobs-australias-achilles-heel-as-inflation-worries-keep-rates-on-hold-20140213-32mnb.html. The
article reports on recent economic indicators that have pointed to “an
improvement in some of the non-mining sectors,” but the lack of growth in
jobs is a weakness, which, if continued, will have an impact on Australia’s
macroeconomic policy. John Collett,
“Nightmare Vision of 2014 Property Crash”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14
February 2014. Available at:http://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/nightmare-vision-of-2014-property-crash-20140213-32kl2.html#poll. The
article reports the recent prediction by Harry S Dent jnr that
house prices will fall by at least 27 per cent in Sydney and Melbourne over
the next several years and the “trigger for the collapse will be the bursting
of the Chinese house bubble.” Mark
Kenny, “Joe Hockey Feels Sting of Shock Rise in Jobless Figures,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-feels-sting-of-shock-rise-in-jobless-figures-20140213-32ndm.html. Kenny’s
lead-in sentence is: Soaring jobless
numbers and a raft of soft economic data have forced Joe Hockey to rethink
the severity of his first budget with the Treasurer declaring it will now be
''focused on growth''. Garry Shilson-Josling, “Wages Growth Weakest in 16 Years,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 February
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/wages-growth-weakest-in-16-years-20140219-32zyv.html. The author notes that “economic growth has
been too slow to stop the unemployment rate from rising over the past couple
of years, and this has had a direct impact of slower wages growth. This is expected to continue for the “near
future.” Ben
Schneiders and James Massola, “Government Pushed SPC to Slash Wages in Return
for Bailout, Union Officials Say,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/government-pushed-spc-to-slash-wages-in-return-for-bailout-union-officials-say-20140219-3314e.html. The article reported that “three union
officials told Fairfax Media they had meetings with SPC Ardmona managing
director Peter Kelly before Christmas in which Mr Kelly said he was being pressured
by the Abbott government to put workers on the award if the company wanted a
$25 million subsidy.” Additional comment by Peter Martin, “Don’t Believe the
Hype: Wages Growth Is Not Hurting the Economy,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 February 2013. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/dont-believe-the-hype-wages-growth-is-not-hurting-the-economy-20140219-3313z.html. Michael West, “Study Shines a Light into Dark Corners of
Electricity Pricing,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 February 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/study-shines-a-light-into-dark-corners-of-electricity-pricing-20140223-33ah7.html. West reports on a recent study that supports the view
that “if Tony Abbott truly wants to achieve lower power prices, he will need
to be better advised. He could start
by recognising for instance that it is not the carbon tax and renewable
energy costs that are primarily responsible for energy price hikes. The culprit is network costs; and it is his
own state governments that are making the killing. Anne Summers, “Abbott Has Dug Himself into a Hole Over Paid
Parental Leave,” The Sydney Morning
Herald, 5 May 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/abbott-has-dug-himself-into-a-hole-over-paid-parental-leave-20140505-zr4r4.html. Simply
stated, Anne’s main point is: “You
would think a government that claims to have a budget emergency would be
grateful that we already have an affordable and effective scheme. Improving it will be far cheaper than
Abbott's billions-dollar baby.” Ross Gittins,
“Ending Mining Tax Will Damage Jobs,” The
Sydney Morning Herald, 17 April 2014.
Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/ending-mining-tax-will-damage-jobs-20140316-34vh1.html. Gittins believes that the proposed removal of the
mining tax will “be an act of major fiscal vandalism, of
little or no benefit to the economy and at great cost to job creation.” This arises since the mining
industry is about 80 per cent foreign owned so the any increases in dividends
to shareholders is not spent in creating jobs in Australia. Peter Martin, “Very Low Wage Rises Send Many Workers
Backward,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
14 August 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/very-low-wage-rises-send-many-workers-backward-20140813-3dn6k.html. The author
reports the lowest wage rise in Australia since 1997, and it is associated
with low growth in employment. Peter Martin and Mark Mulligan, “Wage Growth at a Record
Low,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 25
February 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/wage-growth-at-a-record-low-20150225-13onwg.html. The article
reports that the latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics “show wage
growth has never been lower - not since the bureau began collecting accurate
figures in the 1990s.” Greg Jericho, “The Worst Wages Growth in 20 years is Joe
Hockey’s ‘Good News,’” The Guardian,
2 May 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/mar/02/the-worst-wages-growth-in-20-years-is-joe-hockeys-good-news. “The
treasurer ignores that fact that the 2.8 per cent growth in average wages he
touted in question time is actually the third worst annual growth rate since
1994, […] and no matter how much you spin it, wage rises below the inflation
rate do not provide workers with “greater prosperity”. Greg Jericho,
“Is Australia Stuck in a ‘New Normal’ of Low Wages Growth,” The Guardian, 13 August 2015. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2015/aug/13/is-australia-stuck-in-a-new-normal-of-low-wages-growth. “Labour market flexibility has kept wages growth
down while demand was weak, but it remains to be seen whether it will push up
wages when demand returns. |
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Lenore Taylor,
“Christopher Pyne’s Fury at “Illegitimate’ SA Government Smacks of Sore
Loser,” The Guardian, 24 March
2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/24/christopher-pynes-fury-at-illegitimate-sa-government-smacks-of-sore-loser. The author suggests that Pyne’s
denouncement of Jay Weatherill’s winning alliance with an independent
following the recent South Australian election is a “well-worn Liberal
tactic.” Helen
Davidson, “NBN Report Finds Coalition Plan Better than Labor’s,” The Guardian, 27 August 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/26/nbn-report-finds-fibre-to-premises-plan-not-worth-the-expense. “A mix of
technology is cheaper and easier to upgrade than fibre-to-premises, says
study by Department of Communications’ panel of experts.” Comment at: Editorial, “Coalition
Must Push on with ‘a Slower NBN Sooner,’ but Hurdles Remain for Malcolm
Turnbull,” Sydney Morning Herald, 28 August 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/coalition-must-push-on-with-a-slower-nbn-sooner-but-hurdles-remain-for-malcolm-turnbull-20140827-1093h0.html. Mark Kenny,
“How Bill Shorten Lifted Labor’s Fortunes,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 October 2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/how-bill-shorten-lifted-labors-fortunes-20141010-1141ra.html. “Shorten’s
supporters in the Labor caucus – and that means almost everyone – are not
complaining. Nothing sells like
success and Shorten, surprisingly, offers some chance of that.” Anna Patty,
“Charities Can’t Cope with Increasing Demands, Says Report,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 October
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/charities-cant-cope-with-increasing-demands-says-report-20141012-114w2d.html. “PricewaterhouseCoopers
found 84 per cent of more than 300 chief executives it surveyed in the
not-for-profit sector doubted they would have the necessary resources.” Ross Gittins, “Health Spending Crisis Isn’t Real,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 October
2014. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/health-spending-crisis-isnt-real-20141021-1196j8.html. Gittins examined the recent report by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and concluded that “it didn’t
exactly fir with what the government has been telling us.” Julia May, “Disability Groups Granted Temporary Funding
Reprieve,” The Sydney Morning Herald,
1 March 2015. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/disability-groups-granted-temporary-funding-reprieve-20150228-13rg8r.html. “Last month the Department of Social Services announced
it would cut funding to the disability sector by 40 per cent and support an
alliance of just five representative bodies. It left eight bodies
representing 200,000 people with disabilities under threat and sparked allegations
that the government was in breach of the United Nations convention on the
rights of disabled people.” |
