Category: Politics

John Howard announced that he was running on incentivation – a word that even his colleagues could not comprehend; they thought they were hearing things. (more…)

Parking may seem like a “pedestrian” topic (pun intended). However, parking is of increasing importance in metropolitan areas worldwide. On average, motor vehicles are parked 95% of the time. Yet most transport analysis focuses on vehicles when they are moving. (more…)

Like all our big cities, Sydney needs better public transport. The Government’s responsibility is to secure this with the best system, for the best price. But as a minimum, new investments cannot be allowed to threaten the productivity and growth potential of our existing public transport system and its commuters.

Sydney Metro Rail is starting to show clear signs of failing us on all these counts.

The Royal Commission into Banking shows us how ‘official’ stories can change dramatically once confronted with a process where evidence can be compelled and witnesses protected.

On its first day in government after the next NSW election the new government should establish an enquiry into the developing rail mess.   (more…)

The Liberals and their allies have always favoured the private over the public, whether in hospitals, health, schools – and broadcasting. The Liberal Council decision to privatise the ABC was neither new nor surprising. It was just more honest than the (private) musings of their parliamentary peers, most of whom would do it like a shot if they thought they could get away with it.   (more…)

There’s a new coalition governing Australia. On Thursday it was personal tax cuts and the contentious elimination of the 37.5 per cent tax bracket from 2024. (more…)

CLIP

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Despite the many rules in place to regulate it, donations remain a scourge on our democracy. The ill conceived ‘Funding and Disclosure’ bill is stalled in the Senate. What we need are simple regulations or maybe even banning political donations altogether. (more…)

 Pauline Hanson  usually votes for the wealthy end of town. She has done it again.

Upper income earners will be the biggest beneficiaries over the next seven years with the recent tax cuts. Average total earnings for employees is about $62,000 a year.  Moving to  a flat marginal tax rate of 32.5% for incomes from a low $41.000 a year to a high of $200.000 is a massive attack on our progressive taxation system. It decisively favours the wealthy at a time when we are seeing disturbing increases in inequality.

To defend this largesse for the wealthy, Malcolm Turnbull  tells us that the Coalition ‘believes in aspiration’. He tells us that the tax changes are ‘good for working families’. That is  privilege speaking.  It is not good for most families and aspiration is not peculiar to the wealthy friends he serves. We all want to improve and do better. And aspirations are not just about more money. They  include relationships and quality of life like clean air,clean water,liveable cities and a healthy planet. They also include aspirations,indeed rights we all have for ourselves and our families for equal access to good education,good health care and good housing.  We are citizens , not just taxpayers.

People from privileged backgrounds like Malcolm Turnbull have little appreciation of other people’s aspirations and needs They think every one starts life like themselves on third base. If only lazy people were more aspirational and worked harder. (more…)

Telstra’s bombshell announcement that it will split in two is “huge” news for consumers, resulting in cheaper, faster internet. But experts say it comes 15 years and $40 billion too late. (more…)

After an exchange of high-level trips between Nepal and India, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli is to land in Beijing on Tuesday for a five-day state visit. It will be his second state visit since his accession to the Prime Minister’s Office after his party’s landslide victory in the general election in November. (more…)

Increasing numbers of city dwellers live in apartments. This is particularly the case for migrants. And that makes apartment buildings important hubs of multiculturalism in our cities. (more…)

The imposition of what is termed ‘managerialism’ or ‘marketisation’ on universities is almost entirely disastrous.  (more…)

Australia’s coal-fired generation capacity could be little more than a twinkle in Tony Abbott’s eye by as early as 2050, when it will have been all but snuffed out by cheap renewables and battery storage, and household energy investments. (more…)