Labor's plan will leave first home buyers owning just a fraction of their homes, while the government claims the rest. It is a sly scheme poised to hurt the very voters it is designed to appeal to.
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John Humphreys
From diversity of trade to competition-fueled innovation: Free trade is a powerful force for economic growth. A shift toward freer international trade during Australia’s productivity reforms in the 1980s led to a golden period of economic prosperity that we continue to benefit from 30 years on. But trade deals and free trade are two very different ball games
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Our plan going into this budget was to rank the top three positive outcomes and three negative outcomes but sadly, due to reasons beyond our control, the budget sucked.
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For something so openly talked about across social and mainstream media, the astronomical price of fuel—and the costing behind it—is widely misunderstood. A good chunk of the price of petrol comes down to nothing other than good old taxes.
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Samuel Chamberlain | Tim Andrews Essay Prize winner
On one hand, polls shows an ever decreasing trust in our government and media institutions. On the other, any suggestion that pandemic health measures had gone too far were labelled ‘conspiracy theory’. This paradox reflects nearly every defect in Australia’s Covid response.
Read MoreBy Barclay McGain | Quadrant
A top-secret email chain is the latest twist in the saga involving an ABC journalist, a defamatory tweet and a hefty legal bill. It poses the question: What good is a public broadcaster if it can’t be trusted to meet the baseline standard of integrity—transparency?
Increased unemployment and even more small business closures are in store if governments stick to plans to delay reopening until states hit an 80% full vaccination rate.
Read MoreGood health means different things to different people and achieving it involves a more sophisticated approach than simply avoiding all risk, at all costs.
Read MoreIn case it isn’t clear, Mr Perrottet, the people of New South Wales are crying out for freedom and you - now wielding the keys to the kingdom - have the keys to the cage.
They are the heart of Australian cities, towns and neighbourhoods but brutal COVID-19 restrictions have left community sporting organisations gutted.
Read MoreAppearing to grasp the interplay between demand, supply and price, the IMF has suggested legislation to effectively remove a large chunk of the market - and it isn’t wealthy investors. It’s an iconic genie move - a deliberate misinterpretation of the issue at hand with a solution that misses the point.
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Across Australia’s east coast, the political split is blatant with all three incumbent governments in support of hidden speed cameras. It poses the question: Why is a party’s position perfectly aligned with whether or not it is in power?
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Soaring Aussie house prices have caused the average stamp duty bill to skyrocket. The huge “admin fee” lands on the buyer - but has generated nearly $60 billion in additional revenue for state governments.
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For years we’ve been told that the driver of upward economic mobility and the antidote to sticky wages is a higher minimum wage. When we consider the impact high price floors have on demand, we can see a too-high minimum wage comes at the cost of jobs.
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How much would you pay to access ABC content? Nearly all Aussie households subscribe to at least one streaming service. Is it time for the ABC to adopt a similar 'user-pays' model?
Read MoreSmall businesses will suffer if governments mandate a ‘vaccinated only’ policy, in which customers are prevented from visiting venues without first proving they have been double-jabbed against Covid-19. It’s a cost cashed-up chains may absorb but—when forced on ma and pa joints with ever-shrinking margins—will be yet another nail in the coffin for struggling small businesses.
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Are the increasingly-desperate attempts by major banks to hobble cryptocurrencies symptomatic of the death throes of the banking behemoths?
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Getting kids to play outside is a tough ask for any parent in the digital age, where screen time is king. Now, the Victorian Government has emerged as the latest obstacle in their fight (literally).
A twenty-five year career in anything is an achievement. In Federal Politics a very rare one. The Labor Party’s Joel Fitzgibbon, member for the seat of Hunter since 1996 deserves congratulations for more than just his resilience and perseverance.
Read MoreBy Xin Yuan Quek | The Spectator
Australians are fighting for survival because of bad policies, it’s hardly the time to introduce more of them.
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