Weekly roundup Saturday 15 August
Who lives in them? Who owns them? Who can afford them?
Weekly roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy.
Housing
Alan Kohler on housing and interest rates: interest rates are not particularly high — mortgage stress results from low interest rates in the pre-pandemic period.
Who owns the house you live in? Incautious interpretation of data leads us to overestimate the the rate of home ownership.
Energy standards: the Liberal Party puts forward a creative plan to develop low-density slums on our urban fringes.
Crime and housing: expect a fall in the top end of the market as new laws make it harder for criminals to park their money in luxury real estate.
Other economics
The Reserve Bank’s non-surprise: having decided to hold interest rates at 4.35 percent will the Reserve Bank have the good sense to maintain a steady path of monetary policy?
The “inflation” you experience is not the same as the Reserve Bank’s “inflation”: that difference has consequences.
Telecommunication policy: it’s always been tough in the bush: a disoriented National Party MP reminds us that not all Australians live in urban regions with 5G cover.
Politics
Gambling reform: ignore the political theatre and think instead about the two-party system, media funding and the commercialization of sport.
Sussan the easy rider: on a Greyhound bus ride a former Australian politician discovers an America that’s gone beyond the politics of grievance.
Have we reached peak Pauline? Peak Pauline is probably behind us, but her support seems to be stabilising at a high level.
Public ideas
What's left? Can social democrats seize political territory from the populist right?
Independence 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
