Weekly roundup Saturday 20 August
Another round of immigration coming? (Bonegilla railway siding, site of postwar migrant camp)
Weekly roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy.
Public policy
The jobs and skills summit: after 77 years an update of the White Paper on Full Employment. Australia re-opening to immigrants, cautiously. Economists give their ideas on fixing inflation – that is, if they think it’s a problem. Affordable transport – we need a lot better data on transport disadvantage. Affordable housing – renters doing it tough, organized criminals doing it easy, Australians shivering – and the benefit of mixed neighbourhoods.
Australian politics
The Coalition asks itself why it lost the election and finds three reasons (spoiler: bad policy isn’t one of them). Constitutional experts overwhelmed with media requests about Morrison’s magic ministries, but is the real problem our lack of a legitimate head of state? How preferential voting allows us to live in a socialist paradise.
The pandemic and other health policy
The pandemic, cases falling, but it’s still killing too many Australians. Is the government serious about Medicare, or is it letting it drift into a charity system?
Public ideas
The attack on Rushdie evokes comments on freedom of expression. Have we mistaken gimmickry for technological progress?
Links to sources of webinars, podcasts and readings
Technological complexity
Are our technologies really more complex than those of earlier times?
If you have comments, corrections, or links to other relent sources, I’d like to hear from you. Please send them to Ian McAuley — ian, at the domain name ianmcauley.com
