Occasional articles in Pearls and Irritations

Title Date publshed
Productivity – maybe one good aspect of the Morrison-Frydenberg budget 29-Oct-2020
The ACT Election – a loss for Liberals but not really a win for Labor 20-Oct-2020
The government sees itself as an agent of the private sector 8-Oct-2020
The path out of recession: knowns and unknowns 28-Jul-2020
Economic reflections on the lockdown 21-May-2020
A little more coronavirus arithmetic 22-Apr-2020
Arithmetic supports a policy of eradicating coronavirus 14-Apr-2020
We should be thankful that Morrison wasn’t our PM in 1939 18-Mar-2020
The Reserve Bank’s interest rate cut – a futile gesture? 5-Mar-2020
In defence of Bridget McKenzie 30-Jan-2020
Tuvalu, climate change and Westminster 20-Aug-2019
Why do we trust our economy to this mob? 26-Jun-2019
Don’t call economic reform “class war” 7-Jun-2019
No wonder the real-estate agents went against Labor 23-May-2019
Dutton knew what he was doing when he booted out Turnbull 20-May-2019
Bob Hawke’s open letter to Australians 17-May-2019
Don’t be distracted by the Coalition’s promise of a budget surplus 22-Apr-2019
Surely Morrison isn’t seriously asking us to trust him 17-Apr-2019
A budget to entrench economic vulnerability 4-Apr-2019
Banks and the housing bubble 26-Feb-2019
The rot set in when they privatized the Commonwealth Bank 19-Feb-2019
Labor’s policy on imputation credits is flawed, but it’s in the right direction 4-Feb-2019
Medicare under threat -- from Labor! 17-Jan-2019
The housing bubble, inflated by Howard and Costello, is now deflating. 9-Jan-2019
Reminder to Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison: Australia is a parliamentary democracy 19-Dec-2018
The National Electricity Market is a mess. Morrison wants to make it messier 5-Dec-2018
Victoria’s election: the trend behind the noise 28-Nov-2018
How Peter Dutton and Kelly O’Dwyer set themselves up to look ridiculous 21-Nov-2018
Watch for Morrison’s next round of economic impression management 13-Nov-2018
The finance sector -- value creation or vlue extraction? 29-Oct-2018
Outdoor advertising – enclosing the commons 10-Oct-2018
A new “leader”, but no sight of leadership (With John Menadue) 29-Aug-2018
We sympathise with you Malcolm, but you should have read your mail 27-Aug-2018
If we can’t kill the NEG can we at least shape it into something useful? 17-Aug-2018
Don't rush to endorse the National Energy Guarantee: there's an election in a few months 8-Aug-2018
How political opportunism and poor journalism brought us a dumbed down tax debate 29-Jun-2018
What's so sacred about small business? 5-Jun-2018
Dutton's extended police powers won't be confined to airports 22-May-2018
Morrison's budget: 23.9 is the new 42 9-May-2018
The BCA needs to study Argentinian history and some basic economics 3-May-2018
Strong employment growth - until you look behind the figures 23-Apr-2018
A warning about team players 3-Apr-2018
South Australia's election:Xenophon no kingmaker, but still a force 28-Mar-2018
Labor's superannuation changes: clever cosmetics but a failure on equity, public revenue and economics 15-Mar-2018
Tax reform, not tax cuts 5-Mar-2018
Turnbull's dead albatross: The National Party 21-Feb-2018
Has labor lost its nerve on private health insurance 6-Feb-2018
Reframing Public Ideas - consolidation of eight articles (pdf) 1-Jan-2018
The finance sector: a drag on the real economy 6-Dec-2017
Queensland election: a policy challenge for the Coalition 28-Nov-2017
The Trans-Pacific Partnership isn’t about trade liberalisation: it’s about corporate protection 17-Nov-2017
Scott Morrison commissions an economic platform for a Shorten Government 1-Oct-2017
Turnbull’s National Energy Guarantee: can it work? 23-Oct-2017
Yet another futile attempt to support private health insurance 16-Oct-2017
What Australia can learn from Germany’s election 3-Oct-2017
Private Health Insurance – let’s make the young pay. 21-Sep-2017
Mates, lobbyists and rent-seekers 18-Sep-2017
Electricity discounts for some, price rises for others 4-Sep-2017
Low wage growth: does the government understand how capitalism works? 28-Sep-2017
Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Turnbull, and the ABC – a Faustian bargain 16-Aug-2017
Can Labor hold its nerve on tax reform? 1-Aug-2017
Dutton’s new super ministry: will it make us safer? 27-Jul-2017
The National Party’s Dämmerung – an awakening for representative democracy? 19-Jul-2017
Australia’s economy: she’ll be right mate – or will she? 14-Jul-2017
Comrade Abbott – Comrade who? 12-Jul-2017
This time, let’s get electricity pricing right 26-Jun-2017
Learning from the UK election 12-Jun-2017
Australia’s finance sector: a bloated overhead? 8-Jun-2017
Labor’s love affair with private health insurers 2-Jun-2017
There’s more to Morrison’s conversion on debt than appears at first sight 12-May-2017
The budget – still tough on the young 11-May-2017
Doing without private health insurance 28-Apr-2017
The Liberal Party’s French connection 27-Apr-2017
Capital gains taxes: Keating got it right in 1985 19-Apr-2017
Can we please have a more intelligent debate about corporate taxes 12-Apr-2017
The National Electricity Market: What happens when economists get involved with electricity 15-Mar-2017
Warning from Colin Barnett: Privatisation is on the nose 13-Mar-2017
South Australia’s Electricity Problems: Jay Weatherill should follow the Coalition’s example 8-Mar-2017
Pauline Hanson’s youth support 2-Mar-2017
What lies beyond capitalism? 6-Feb-2017
Holden cars, AWA TVs, Chesty Bonds underwear: Manufacturing and globalisation 29-Nov-2016
Opportunity knocks: the economics of a Trump victory 21-Nov-2016
Mein Drumpf: Hitler, Donald Trump And A Shot Across The Bow For The Left 11-Nov-2016
The future of globalisation (With John Menadue) 31-Oct-2016
The mounting case for a royal commission into banks and insurance companies 22-Sep-2016
Health care and Labor 10-Aug-2016
Problems of Private Health Insurance 2-Aug-2016
Brexit – retreat to isolationism and discontent of those left behind 29-Jun-2016
Bill Shorten Is Right: Malcolm Turnbull Is A Major Threat To Medicare 21-Jun-2016
A royal commission into banking and the private health insurance industry 16-Jun-2016
The difference in the economic policies of the major parties 16-Jun-2016
The more we examine the Coalition’s ‘plan’ to cut corporate taxes, the more is revealed of its economic shortcomings 20-May-2016
Are Conservatives better economic managers? 20-Apr-2016
Labor’s policies 1-Apr-2016
The government says that tax cuts are good for workers! 23-Mar-2016
Chris Bowen and ‘The Money Men’ 29-Feb-2016
The only unifying thread in the Liberal Party is a compulsion to keep Labor out of office 11-Feb-2016
Private health insurance – does the lady protest too much? 3-Feb-2016
Private health Insurance companies are price takers. Prices are set by doctors and hospitals (with Jennifer Doggett and John Menadue) 14-Jan-2016
Economic management, lobbyists and the Coalition Government 1-Oct-2015
Refugees and German redemption 14-Sep-2015
The ABC and a second chance 1-Jul-2015
Inequality matters 17-Jun-2015
Ian McAuley and Miriam Lyons – Governomics 14-Jun-2015
Role of government 16-May-2015
If the government wants price signals, it should stop supporting health insurance 9-Apr-2015
The speech that Tony Abbott almost delivered to the National Press Club 18-Feb-2015
Pyne on education funding 4-Dec-2014
A Year Of Tony Abbott 9-Jun-2014
Ignored Budget issues 14-May-2014
Pay for a GP visit 12-May-2014
Piketty and the gap between rich and poor. Inequality of wealth is the problem rather than the inequality of income 30-Apr-2014
Inequality in Australia 6-Apr-2014
The case for government funding of healthcare (with Jennifer Doggett and John Menadue) 27-Mar-2014
Cutting waste and costs in health 3-Feb-2014
Health care and the budget deficit in the US (with John Menadue) 26-Dec-2013
Julie Bishop fails Economics I 17-Sep-2013
Government failure in health care (with John Menadue) 20-Aug-2013
Catholic Health still leaves the impression that it wants to destroy Medicare (with John Menadue) 30-May-2013
Sport and Markets 17-Feb-2013