The current debate about the introduction of a carbon price in Australia marks the nadir of policy evaluation and political commentary in Australia. It is hard to imagine an economic issue where there could be less reliance on established facts and consistent logic. Then again, recent developments in US politics suggest that we may indeed have a lot further to slide down the slippery slope of “truthiness”. Truthiness is the phrase now widely used in the US to describe “concepts or facts that one wishes or believes to be true rather than concepts or facts known to be true”. In the words of Stephen Colbert, “I don’t trust books. They are all fact no heart”. Truthiness is at the heart of the climate policy debate in Australia, and it is embraced by all sides of that debate.
Related documents
Between the Lines Newsletter
The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.
You might also like
Stage 3 Better – Revenue Summit 2023
Presented to the Australia Institute’s Revenue Summit 2023, Greg Jericho’s address, “Stage 3 Better” outlines an exciting opportunity for the government to gain electoral ground and deliver better, fairer tax cuts for more Australians.
Corporate Profits Must Take Hit to Save Workers
Historically high corporate profits must take a hit if workers are to claw back real wage losses from the inflationary crisis, according to new research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work.
Here are 22 Times Carbon Offsets Were Found to be Dodgy
Carbon offsetting has received a lot of attention recently. As businesses and governments look to meet their climate targets, many are turning to carbon offsets. That is, they are paying someone else to reduce or avoid putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, so they don’t have to.