Research
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Labor dumps one carbon policy fantasyby 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 to reduce emissions is the Greens. That Business Council of Australia president Grant King wrote on... -
Australia's gun lobby and its political donations laid bareThe 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 heard of the NRA, but few have heard about the Shooting Industr...
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The reason women were locked out of the budgetby 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 week that eight community organisations representing women, children, Indigenous Australians and people with disa...
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Here's why Australia needs to keep subsidising renewablesby 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 with renewable energy subsidies — they know just how...
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Stagnant pay is pulling us all downby Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 18 March 2019]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 Aus...
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The world has changed but the agenda of Australia's tribal right has notby 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 circle. The “tough on crime” brigade are usually quick to criticise judges for le...
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Coalition's coal virtue signallingby Richard Denniss[Originally published in The Australian Financial Review, 5 March 2019]Cultural symbols have replaced price signals at the heart of conservative politics.There's now no better way for Australian conservatives to virtue signal than to support the construction of new coal mines. The Coalition is no longer neo, nor liberal – it simply wants to subsidise their friends and regulate their enemies. But as their reaction to mining...
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The election year of living dangerouslyby Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 23 Febuary 2019]These last two weeks of Parliament may prove a turning point for the 2019 election, but only time will tell if they mark the moment the Coalition got back in the game or the point at which voters wrote them off entirely.At their best, elections inspire “policy auctions” where politicians compete to announce and defend the best, most ambitious and well-reasoned policies....
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Cashed-up retirees getting a refund for tax they never paid? We've hit peak rortby Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 20 Feb 2019]It’s hard to believe that anyone who receives larges cheques from the government can call themselves a “self-funded” retiree, but hey, this is modern Australia and powerful groups get to call themselves whatever they want. Sure, the full age pension is only $23,823.80 per year for a single person and, sure, some wealthy retirees get cheques for “spare” dividend imputat...
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Coal, conservatives, and crazinessby Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Financial Review, 19 Feb 2019]Millions of people in developing countries jumped straight from having no phone to having a mobile phone and so too will thousands of villages in developing countries jump from having no grid electricity to their own renewable energy. Leapfrogging old technologies can save billions.But here in Australia, where we try to use a copper network to deliver broadband internet,...