Research
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Rank opportunism spells danger for Australian energy policyby 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 have anything approaching a coherent climate and energy policy. Since Tony Abbott scrapped the carbon price in 2014, wholes... -
Tax reform is simple: soak the richby 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 surprise that in a country where politicians link electric cars to socialism, talk of removing tax loopholes leads...
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Danger rests in confusion over Senate voting rulesby 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 it feels like there has been a steep decline in recent years. This week commentator Greg Sheridan claimed the Greens "hate our society" an...
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Preferences matter for Senate voting. Here’s how to make your election vote countby 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 your child Anzac, King or G-Bang in Australia. But imagine you wanted to, and some sill...
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PM hides tax cut light under a bushelThe 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 $300 billion income tax cuts. While he made much of the $2 mill...
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'Getting a go' isn't the same as getting a fair goby 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 to make ends meet. If Australians are going to make an informed choice, the tax debate must examine not only the costs of the c...
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