Weekly roundup Saturday 22 March
Sunlit plains extended (Glenrowan West solar farm)
Weekly roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy.
Politics
Polling finds green shoots for Labor, while Dutton forgets that he left the Queensland police force 26 years ago. Simon Holmes à Court tells us about community independents. It’s not just OK to have a minority government: it would be a better government. Judith Brett explains how our political institutions and traditions can protect us from a Trump, for now.
The budget
The Grattan Institute lays out its immediate and longer term priorities for economic reform. It is a hard budget to draft with so much happening internationally and domestically. The OECD predicts lower economic growth for Australia – worried about the possibility of a Coalition government perhaps? What to do on budget night – go out to dinner, or find a good movie?
Living with Trump’s America
Tariffs are only part of the problem – Trump can do much more damage to the Australian and world economies. The Coalition offers to put its affection for Trump to the national purpose. We would be well advised to hook ourselves into multilateral arrangements that don’t depend on economic or military cooperation with America (has someone kept the drawings for those French submarines?)
Electricity prices
Under Labor’s plan your electricity bill could increase, and that’s a good thing because you would be paying less for energy: we need to think less about bills and more about prices, but the Coalition doesn’t want us to because there is no way its nuclear plans can bring down prices.
Other public policy
In terms of affordability house prices have stopped growing in Sydney and Melbourne, but are rising quickly in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. We should respond to confronting revelations about childcare by asking whether for-profit enterprises should be let anywhere near human service provision. The Reserve Bank delivers a shock for royalist numismatists.
Public ideas
Governments should stop worrying about public debt: private debt is the problem. An Englishman discovers wealth inequality
Maewyn Succat’s Day
If you have comments, corrections, or links to other relevant sources, I’d like to hear from you. Please send them to Ian McAuley — ian, at the domain name ianmcauley.com
