Opinions
July 2019
Coalition’s tax cuts could be an expensive mistake
by Ebony Bennett[Originally Published in The Canberra Times, 29 June 2019] You have to hand it to the Coalition. It says it hates Labor’s style of “class war” politics, but the reality is the conservative side of politics is just better at it. The Coalition has so radically reshaped our tax debate that earlier this
June 2019
Modern conservatives don’t fear social change, they just oppose it when it undermines their friends
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 26 June 2019] The modern conservatives often seem afraid of new technology. They act as though renewable energy, battery storage and electric cars will take us down the path to blackouts, economic ruin and, of course, the end of weekends as we know them. But if recent
These tax cuts will prove wrong and costly in five years’ time
by Richard Denniss[Originally Published in the Australian Financial Review, 26 June 2019]Imagine if the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) conducted monetary policy the way the Morrison government conducted fiscal policy. Step one: publish optimistic forecasts of GDP and wage growth to create “confidence”. Step two: set interest rates five years down the track, based on
Adani mine approval shows climate change debate reaches new level of lunacy
by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in The Canberra Times, 15 June 2019] Australia’s debate on the climate crisis reached a new level of lunacy this past week. Almost nowhere else in the world is the climate debate so divorced from reality. Firstly, Adani’s groundwater plan was approved by the Queensland government in a rushed process. This
It’s cheap to tackle climate change – but that isn’t the reason to do it
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guardian Australia, 12 June 2019] If renewables weren’t getting cheaper, would Australia still want to tackle climate change? And if world demand for coal wasn’t declining, would we still want to stop the Adani coalmine being built? After 30 years of democratic failures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in the
Tax cuts are a bad bet on a wobbly future
by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 11 June 2019] How good is the Australian economy? Not very. It’s as if months of prime ministerial promises that the economy was strong had absolutely no impact on employers’ desire to boost wages or consumers’ ability to spend. GDP growth is at its lowest levels
A poll can’t predict the future, but that doesn’t mean they’re not useful
by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in The Canberra Times, 01 June 2019] I come not to bury polls, but to praise them. While everyone – including the polling companies it seems – was shocked by the election results, the media and the public are learning the same lessons that political parties have had to. And it’s
May 2019
Where To Now for Union Campaign? Workplace Express
The unexpected results of the 2019 Commonwealth election have sparked many commentaries regarding what happened, and why. This article, reprinted with permission from Workplace Express, considers the role of the major #ChangeTheRules campaign mobilised by Australian unions in the lead-up to the election – and ponders the movement’s next steps in the continuing debate over labour market policies and industrial relations. It cites both our Economist Alison Pennington, and our Director Jim Stanford, as well as our previous research on the erosion of collective bargaining in Australia.
Minimum Wage to Rise 3% for 2019-20
The Fair Work Commission has announced a 3% hike in Australia’s national Minimum Wage, effective July 1, taking it to $19.49 per hour. That increase is lower than the 3.5% increase implemented last year.
What’s ‘left’ and ‘right’ in Australian politics today? The lines are shifting
by Richard Denniss[Originally Published on Guardian Australia, 29 May 2019] While Australian political debate has never seemed more sharply divided, the philosophical lines between left and right have never seemed more blurred. The economy is always in transition, and people are always losing and finding jobs, but – after decades of the right being contemptuous
Fossil fuel’s win may be Coalition’s loss
by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 27 May 2019] There’s no doubt the Adani coal mine helped the Liberal National Party win votes in North Queensland but there’s also no doubt it helped them lose a lot of votes – and economic credibility – in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. And while the triumphalism of
Bob Hawke leaves behind an important environmental legacy
by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 17 May 2019] Bob Hawke is perhaps credited most often for his economic reforms, but he also leaves a tremendous legacy of protecting Earth’s wilderness. Without Bob Hawke, Antarctica would be a quarry, Tasmania’s iconic Franklin River would be flooded and Queensland’s Daintree rainforest would be a
Rank opportunism spells danger for Australian energy policy
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 15 May 2019] It’s now 12 years (and seven prime ministers) since John Howard promised to introduce a price on carbon and – despite emissions having increased to a new high and a number of big coal fired power stations having shut down – Australia still doesn’t
Tax reform is simple: soak the rich
by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 16 May 2019] The political debate about tax has become unmoored from the economics of tax. The idea that cutting taxes is good for the economy and collecting more revenue is bad for the economy is not just simplistic, it’s wrong. But it should be no
Danger rests in confusion over Senate voting rules
by Ebony Bennett,[Originally published in The Canberra Times, 04 May 2019] Trust in politicians is at an all-time low, the national debate is coarse and toxic, and the bar for what is judged politically acceptable is so low now that it feels like a cockroach could clear it. It’s not unique to this election, but
Denying Wages Crisis Won’t Make It Go Away
As the great novelist Isaac Asimov wrote, “The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists.” Business leaders and sympathetic commentators have adopted that advice with gusto, during current public debates over the unprecedented weakness of Australian wages.
Preferences matter for Senate voting. Here’s how to make your election vote count
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 02 May 2019] Australians are asked to either vote ‘above the line’ in the Senate by expressing a preference for at least six political parties, or vote ‘below the line’ by expressing a preference for at least 12 individual candidates. Photograph: Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images You can’t name
April 2019
PM hides tax cut light under a bushel
The Coalition is spruiking local pork barrel projects because its poorest supporters won’t benefit from its massive tax cuts. by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 29 April 2019] For a man with a marketing background, it’s surprising that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ignored the credo that ”all politics is local” when selling his
Getting a go’ isn’t the same as getting a fair go
by Ebony Bennett[Originally published on The Canberra Times, 22 April 2019] Australia is having a huge national debate about taxes and tax reform that’s mostly missing the point. There’s too much focus on costings and not enough analysis of who is getting the biggest slice of pie – here’s a hint: it’s not those struggling
Politicians are like magicians, tricking us into looking at the wrong things
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guardian Australia, 17 April 2019] When a magician says you must look carefully at the cards that they’re shuffling, they don’t want you to see what their assistant is doing. And when a politician tells you to focus on one key economic issue, it’s a sure thing they don’t want
Technophobia is the LNP’s last bastion
by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 16 April 2019] Scott Morrison hopes he can make voters as scared of electric cars as he made them of refugees. It’s a tough ask but credit where it’s due: given his party managed to make a swath of voters afraid of wind turbines and fibre
Don’t be sucked in by Frydenberg’s tax cuts econobabble
by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in The Canberra Times, 06 April 2019] Look out, it’s a trap! The centrepiece of the Coalition’s budget is more than $300 billion worth of income tax cuts. This sounds great in theory. In reality, the Coalition has committed to a radical plan to flatten Australia’s progressive tax system. If implemented,
The Coalition says the silliest things about economic management
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 03 April 2019] Riddle me this: if “free market” politicians think that the role of governments is to get out of the way, then what do they do all day while “managing the economy”? Interest-rate policy has been delegated to the Reserve Bank of Australia and the
Labor dumps one carbon policy fantasy
by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 01 April 2019] The one thing that unites the major parties on climate change is that neither of them still believe carbon pricing is central to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, the party sticking to the proposition that a carbon price is the most efficient way
Jobs and a Living Wage
Australians tend to bring a fair bit of swagger to international comparisons of economic performance. After all, Australia has experienced twenty-eight consecutive years of economic growth without a recession—a record for industrial countries. We are the ‘lucky country’, with one of the highest material living standards in the world, a wealth of natural resources, and a ‘no worries’ ability to withstand global economic shocks.
March 2019
Australia’s gun lobby and its political donations laid bare
The footage was shocking: One Nation figures meeting with the National Rifle Association in the US in search of political donations, media support and strategic advice. Australians may be surprised to discover the gun lobby in Australia rivals the NRA in size and spending, according to Australia Institute research commissioned by Gun Control Australia. Most people have
The reason women were locked out of the budget
by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 23 March 2019] Australia has never had a federal treasurer who wasn’t a man and has had more finance ministers named John than female finance ministers. It doesn’t take an economics degree to know those numbers are a problem. With the federal budget near, we learned this
Here’s why Australia needs to keep subsidising renewables
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guardian Australia, 20 March 2019] Conservatives love subsidies because they know that they work. It’s why they spend $11bn subsidising private schools and $6bn subsidising private health insurance. It’s why they’re so keen to subsidise new coal mines and coal-fired power stations. And of course, it’s the reason that they are so obsessed
Stagnant pay is pulling us all down
Like a dog that doesn’t know what to do when it catches the car it’s been chasing, the business community doesn’t seem to know what to do now they’ve pushed wages growth to record lows and the profit share of GDP to all-time highs. While some might read the room, bank their gains and mouth some platitudes about sharing said gains, the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Coalition are not for turning.
The world has changed but the agenda of Australia’s tribal right has not
by Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 6 March 2019] Interests ahead of ideas, friends before philosophy, denial instead of debate. The desperate rush by “law and order” conservatives to defend a child rapist has shown there is no principle that the right of Australian politics won’t abandon in order to protect one of their inner
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