Privatising assets without allowing for competition or regulation creates private monopolies that raise prices, reduce efficiency and harm the economy.
Tag: mw
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Fibre in the Coral Sea or message in a bottle? Who’s interests are we serving?
Many have been preoccupied with the geopolitical tensions exposed by the Coral Sea Cable, continuing a longstanding – and problematic – tradition of treating the islands of the South Pacific as an empty stage on which to play out Great Power conflict. (more…)
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A cry from Myanmar: We can’t breathe.
The people of Myanmar are facing one of the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophes, and are asking why the world has forgotten them. There is a way out, but the world needs to act quickly. (more…)
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Labor’s plan for an anti-corruption body
The ALP this week released an outline of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) it would introduce if it were to come to power at the next federal election, a body based on the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that has operated (mostly) successfully in New South Wales for more than three decades. (more…)
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The Nordics are way out in front for happiness in the COVID era
It may be surprising but a lot of people in the world are happier in the midst of COVID and lockdowns than they were – although Australia is a slight exception. (more…)
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Car parks: certainly corrupt and probably illegal
An Audit Office report led to condemnation of ‘processes’ behind Commonwealth funding of commuter car parks. This is like merely looking at – not even touching – deckchairs on the Titanic. (more…)
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The ABC continues to deny right-wing bias by The Drum.
It is was with some sadness that I penned an article indicating what I saw as a right-winged bias by The Drum in its selection of some panellists. Since that article, I have continued to exchange correspondence with the ABC and I believe that the thread of responses mirrors the same tactics the Government uses to conceal obvious bias on their part. The ABC’s tactics has been at first ignore, then deny and if that fails spin the story.
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Rights, law breakers, Scott Morrison, Sky News and the Covid lockdown
George Christensen and Craig Kelly, amongst others, have been spruiking false information about the pandemic, about vaccinations and about the lockdown, giving comfort to those who have proved more than a little capacity for anarchic behaviour. Given these exponents of controversy in service of self-promotion sit on government benches, one might have expected censure from the Prime Minister. There has been none. (more…)
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What goes around comes around: carbon tariffs bite our exports
In his excellent opinion piece, Ross Gittins points out that those posturing against the proposed EU carbon tariffs on our exports are the very people who struck down own effective national greenhouse action. They argued then that that unfair competition from countries who were not acting would impact our industries – so it’s a bit rich now to call out the EU for a tariff designed to protect their emissions intensive trade exposed sectors from unfair competition.
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The ALP is supporting stage three tax cuts for the wealthy.
Progressive taxation is the cornerstone of a fair, equitable and just society. Just don’t tell that to the Australian Labor Party.
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John Barilaro is privatising Kosciuszko National Park
John Barilaro’s Snowy Mountains Special Activation Zone Precinct effectively wrests the control of developments in Kosciuszko National Park from the Minister for the Environment into the hands of the Minister for Regional NSW, John Barilaro. The plan is to heavily develop Jindabyne and surrounding areas for tourism, with little thought for the environment.
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Between the lines with Tom Switzer: China, friend or foe?
The western world’s relationships with Beijing are at their worst in more than half a century. How do we account for the rapid deterioration in Australia’s dealings with China? With Peter Hartcher,described by Tom Switzer as a ‘China scholar’ and David Brophy.
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Dutton’s and Pezzullo’s citizenship hypocrisy
The in-coming minister’s briefing prepared by long-standing Departmental Secretary Mike Pezzullo was inevitably going to be more significant for what it didn’t highlight than what it did.
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Possibilities for the next federal election
Now that the redistributions in Victoria and WA are completed we can begin to assess the possibilities for the next federal election. Imperfect as it is polling offers some interesting insights. (more…)
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Public service or politics?
Senior public servants are only as good as the leadership provided by politicians working in the national interest. With appropriate checks, balances and protections in place, senior public servants should be able to give the frank and fearless advice required of their position and as set out in law. (more…)
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Ready or not: a carbon price on exports is coming to Australia
Those of us who have at least an elementary grasp of economics would have been astonished at the reasoning of Trade Minister Dan Tehan during his ABC interview last week on The EU’s proposed carbon levy on imports (the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
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Gareth Evans versus the Surveillance State: application of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme
See below a letter exchange between Assistant Secretary, Integrity and Security Division Attorney-General’s Department and ANU Professor Gareth Evans and former Foreign Minister regarding the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme.
Gareth Evans did not give his response to the media but did copy his reply to a number of former Cabinet, diplomatic and ANU colleagues, from which it found its way into yesterday’s The Australian. Some of the story being out, he has now agreed to put the full exchange on the public record. His colleagues enthusiastically welcomed his robust response.Several have offered to visit him in prison. (more…)
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We can help restore confidence in the AZ vaccine
Public policy and personal reticence due to side effects continue to impede the use of Australia’s available and effective AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine at a time when it is most needed, the now critical 6 months before sufficient supplies of alternate vaccines can deliver the desired 80% vaccination rate required to end the need for crippling lockdowns. (more…)
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Pegasus-India’s Watergate moment
A journalist hacked by Pegasus says he will survive, but Indian democracy may not. (more…)
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Australia’s alliance with the United States: passed its use by date
Australia’s alliance with the United States has become an unthinking custom and practice. It has already cost us dearly in both blood and treasure with little to show for it. It is time to look at the alternatives.
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1921: pandemics, racism, inequality a hundred years on
Considering what was making news a hundred years ago, we seem to be plagued with the same issues. Race, wars, gender inequality, pandemics; self interest still seems to drive those in power, and although we have learned to use weasel words to hide our real intent, we are not improving much. (more…)
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Poor leadership, irresponsible media and a clever virus
Despite this being the most scientific of all ages, capable of producing highly effective vaccines a year after the SARS-COV-2 virus was identified ( Russian scientists actually achieved this in six months), poor leadership, ignorance, stubbornness and irresponsible media, (broadcast and social), are making this pandemic much worse than it needs to be.
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The EU tariff plan is good news for Australia’s place in the World
The steady deterioration in Australia’s environment and the ineffective revision of the EPBC Act suggests that we need help from other developed nations to solve our problem. This help may come from proposals on trade from the EU and the USA.
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The harmful myths we live by about the US.
Defence Minister Dutton has upped the ante in some interesting comments on China and Afghanistan. He reinforces some myths we accept and states unequivocally our dependence on the US to protect us from evil for Thou art with us, Thy nukes and Thy military they comfort us. (more…)
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Wanting a social marketing campaign on Covid and getting a band aid instead
There is one thing almost everybody commenting about Australia’s poor vaccine roll out agrees with – the need for an advertising campaign. (more…)
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy (more…)
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The NSW ‘lockdown’ that isn’t while putting business before people.
A ‘lockdown’ strategy that does not involve lockdown, a vaccine distribution policy that is dangerously inconsistent and covid testing facilities that cannot meet the demand generated by public health orders, are but some of the problems responsible for the continuing explosion of COVID-19 cases in Sydney (more…)
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RBA Governor’s wages-immigration bomb and how he got it wrong.
RBA Governor Philip Lowe’s speech last week on the Labour Market and Monetary Policy set off a frenzied debate on the impact of immigration on wages. (more…)
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After many years the Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’ listing shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Environment Minister Susan Ley says she was “blindsided” by UNESCO’s recommendation to declare the Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’. Prime Minister Morrison was “appalled”. Their responses reflect a concern that the Reef’s political potency may be re-ignited. Then to top it off they blamed the Chinese. (more…)