20 May2013

It takes brains to be a swindler

Posted in Op eds

Today in The Australian
"Last week's budget seems the farewell card Labor had to have. It constrains spending, while funding DisabilityCare and the Gonski reforms; it projects sustained revenue increases, with receipts rising twice as rapidly as payments to 2014-15; it heralds a surplus in 2015-16; and it paints a strong picture of the outlook to 2023-24, at which time net debt will be negative and the government will be accumulating assets on behalf of taxpayers."
Attachments:
Download this file (It takes brains to be a swindler_Mon 20 May 2013.pdf)It takes brains to be a swindler_Mon 20 May 2013.pdf[ ]61 Kb
13 May2013

Fiscal fudge worthy of Dr Seuss

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Imagine a wage earner, John." But not Julia Gillard's avatar. Rather, the John who was elected prime minister on March 11, 1996. Inheriting a budget deficit of 2.1 per cent of GDP, he promises a surplus: a year later, he delivers it.
Attachments:
Download this file (Fiscal fudge worthy of Dr Seuss_Mon 13 May 2013.pdf)Fiscal fudge worthy of Dr Seuss_Mon 13 May 2013.pdf[ ]64 Kb
06 May2013

Cracks in yellow brick road

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"In July last year, Julia Gillard curtly dismissed the Liberal premiers' suggestion of a levy to fund the national disability insurance scheme without proposing any alternative. A week ago she "changed her mind". Suddenly, the whole scheme, until then merely aspirational, is suffused in the warm glow of consensus, despite an increasingly dire fiscal outlook."

Attachments:
Download this file (Cracks in yellow brick road_Mon 6 May 2013.pdf)Cracks in yellow brick road_Mon 6 May 2013.pdf[ ]67 Kb
04 May2013

Bad policy does not just happen

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"On November 14, 2007, Labor launched its "economically conservative" fiscal policy. In only 10 lines of text, long since removed from the ALP's website, Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan's media release repeatedly contrasted Labor's promised "restraint" and "discipline" with John Howard's "reckless spending"."
Attachments:
Download this file (Bad policy does not just happen _Sat 4 May 2013.pdf)Bad policy does not just happen _Sat 4 May 2013.pdf[ ]223 Kb
29 Apr2013

T. Rex rises - dim, dangerous, doomed

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Faced with Kevin Rudd's initial foray into essay writing, Rossini's quip about Wagner's Lohengrin leapt to mind. "One cannot judge Lohengrin from a first hearing," said Rossini. "And I certainly do not intend to hear it a second time."
Attachments:
Download this file (T Rex rises_dim dangerous doomed.pdf)T Rex rises_dim dangerous doomed.pdf[ ]77 Kb
22 Apr2013

Show us the models, Mr Abbott

Posted in Op eds

Today in The Australian:
"As well as being policy fiascos, the carbon tax, the National Broadband Network and the mining tax have this in common: they were based on economic modelling that has been kept hidden from the public."
Attachments:
Download this file (Show us the models, Mr Abbott_Mon 22 April 2013.pdf)Show us the models, Mr Abbott_Mon 22 April 2013.pdf[ ]62 Kb
15 Apr2013

Retiree tax just one more bone-headed idea

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
"According to the government, taxing retirees' superannuation earnings above $100,000 will "enhance the sustainability of retirement incomes" while only affecting 0.5 per cent of retirees who are "fabulously wealthy". Those claims are demonstrably false: should it ever be legislated, the tax would eventually hit millions of Australians and make the superannuation system increasingly unsustainable."
Attachments:
Download this file (Retiree tax just one more bone-headed idea_15 April 2013.pdf)Retiree tax just one more bone-headed idea_15 April 2013.pdf[ ]33 Kb
08 Apr2013

Swan's next $10 billion problem

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
"Wayne Swan's woes are even worse than they seem. For the National Broadband Network has blown an additional $10 billion hole in Labor's next budget."
Attachments:
Download this file (Swan's next $10 billion problem_Mon 8 April 2013.pdf)Swan's next $10 billion problem_Mon 8 April 2013.pdf[ ]73 Kb
01 Apr2013

Latham's vision: climate change can save the ALP

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Mark Latham is furious. With the ALP for turning its back on the legacy of economic reform. With Labor's opponents, accused of every possible malfeasance. And perhaps especially with himself, for coming to the leadership "too young" and "with too little life experience".
Attachments:
Download this file (PM's barrowfuls of favours_Mon 25 Mar 2013.pdf)PM's barrowfuls of favours_Mon 25 Mar 2013.pdf[ ]64 Kb
25 Mar2013

PM's barrowfuls of favours

Posted in Op eds

Today in The Australian:

"Early in 1952, a group of trucking operators decided to protest against the restrictions on interstate road freight imposed by the states to protect their inefficient railways. Placing a copy of the Australian Constitution in a wheelbarrow, the truckers pushed it from Melbourne to Sydney. The journey took 11 days; but that was still two days quicker than a parcel mailed the same day and carried by rail."
Attachments:
Download this file (PM's barrowfuls of favours_Mon 25 Mar 2013.pdf)PM's barrowfuls of favours_Mon 25 Mar 2013.pdf[ ]64 Kb
18 Mar2013

PM haunted by the mendacity of despair

Posted in Op eds

From today's The Australian:
"Rushed policy, as Kevin Rudd discovered with the mining tax, is bad politics. And bad politics can be harmful to prime ministers and other animals."


Attachments:
Download this file (PM haunted by the mendacity of despair_Mon 18 Mar 2013.pdf)PM haunted by the mendacity of despair_Mon 18 Mar 2013.pdf[ ]33 Kb
14 Mar2013

Another minister's mining tax moment

Posted in Op eds

From today's The Australian:
"Arrogance is the curse of those long on power and short on wisdom. Little wonder, then, that Stephen Conroy has announced his media reforms as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, giving parliament no time to consider, much less amend, legislation it has not yet seen and will not see until the last moment."
11 Mar2013

Sadly Swanny is no Paul Keating

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

As Labor reels federally, demonising the Liberal premiers has become Wayne Swan's stock in trade. A man who makes enemies effortlessly, the outcomes of his strategy in Western Australia speak for themselves. But, as a Queenslander, the Treasurer has focused his attacks on Campbell Newman, denouncing his spending reductions as "unnecessary" while claiming they are "in stark contrast to those of the Gillard government".
Attachments:
Download this file (Sadly Swanny is no Paul Keating_Mon 11 Mar 2013.pdf)Sadly Swanny is no Paul Keating_Mon 11 Mar 2013.pdf[ ]64 Kb
04 Mar2013

Teachers have a lot to learn

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
"The goal of the "Give a Gonski" campaign is not a revolution; it is a counter-revolution. Its targets are changes taking place in the Coalition states that bring greater autonomy to government schools, devolve more control from bureaucrats to parents and principals, and increase school choice."
Attachments:
Download this file (Teachers have a lot to learn_Mon 4 March 2013.pdf)Teachers have a lot to learn_Mon 4 March 2013.pdf[ ]49 Kb
02 Mar2013

Weakest link in the eurozone

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
The impasse in Rome is bad news for Italy and Europe’s economic prospects.
25 Feb2013

ALP's legacy: a disdain for facts

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Campaigning is the enemy of governing. And while the prospect of being hanged concentrates the mind wonderfully, the moments before the high jump are rarely spent developing sound public policy. The Howard government's water initiative, launched in 2007 just after Labor's sharp rise in the polls, was public policy at its worst; the Gillard government's jobs plan provides it with a worthy competitor."
Attachments:
Download this file (ALP's legacy_ a disdain for facts_Mon 25 Feb 2013.pdf)ALP's legacy_ a disdain for facts_Mon 25 Feb 2013.pdf[ ]64 Kb
18 Feb2013

Blowing a black hole in budget

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Now we know. Locked away in Parliament House were the world's largest miners. In strode the new Prime Minister and her Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, with a spring in their step and fresh blood on their hands. As the execution of Kevin Rudd had shown, it wasn't that they lacked scruples; they simply wouldn't let them get in their way. And so our capi dei capi made the miners an offer they couldn't refuse. "

Attachments:
Download this file (Blowing a black hole in budget_Mon 18 Feb 2013.pdf)Blowing a black hole in budget_Mon 18 Feb 2013.pdf[ ]78 Kb
11 Feb2013

Simply no sense in Labor super strategy

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
"
If you believe the allegations being reported daily, Eddie Obeid may have earned twice as much out of the resource bonanza as the MRRT. It's comforting that at least one part of Labor takes seriously Wayne Swan's mantra of "spreading the benefits of the mining boom". But that is little help to the government in its desperate search for revenue."
Attachments:
Download this file (Simply no sense in Labor super strategy_Mon 11 Feb 2013.pdf)Simply no sense in Labor super strategy_Mon 11 Feb 2013.pdf[ ]82 Kb
05 Feb2013

Captain prompts rush for the exits

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
"The captain having announced that she intends to land the plane, the crew don their parachutes and
rush for the emergency exits. As far as votes of confidence go, it is a corker."
Attachments:
Download this file (Captain prompts rush for the exits_Tues 5 Feb 2013.pdf)Captain prompts rush for the exits_Tues 5 Feb 2013.pdf[ ]62 Kb
28 Jan2013

Gillard's fiscal credibility in tatters

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:
"Tomorrow the nation goes back to work with no clarity whatsoever as to the government's fiscal strategy. Yet exactly a year ago, the Prime Minister was unambiguous. "
Attachments:
Download this file (Gillard's fiscal credibility in tatters_Mon 28 Jan 2013.pdf)Gillard's fiscal credibility in tatters_Mon 28 Jan 2013.pdf[ ]81 Kb
14 Jan2013

Deceptive attack on Howard's record

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"You don't need to be a professor of economics to know John Howard was more fiscally prudent than Silvio Berlusconi. And if an econometric study suggested the opposite, you would look very carefully at its data and methods before placing much weight on its results. Unless, that is, you were the Fairfax press and the ABC. "
Attachments:
Download this file (Deceptive attack on Howard's record_Mon 14 Jan 2013.pdf)Deceptive attack on Howard's record_Mon 14 Jan 2013.pdf[ ]82 Kb
07 Jan2013

Tony Abbott should flesh out plan to fix federalism

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Bob Hawke wants to abolish the states because he believes the commonwealth would provide services more efficiently. "
Attachments:
Download this file (Tony Abbott should flesh out plan to fix federalism_Mon 7 Jan 2013.pdf)Tony Abbott should flesh out plan to fix federalism_Mon 7 Jan 2013.pdf[ ]37 Kb
31 Dec2012

Greenback flood worse than fiscal cliff

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"With the US facing both the prospect of the "fiscal cliff" and a looming showdown over the allowed debt ceiling, it is difficult to fault consumers and investors for being spooked. These are times to be prudent. And that makes it all the worse that the Gillard government has abandoned even the pretence of having a credible fiscal strategy. "
Attachments:
Download this file (Greenback flood worse than fiscal cliff _31 Dec 2012.pdf)Greenback flood worse than fiscal cliff _31 Dec 2012.pdf[ ]103 Kb
24 Dec2012

A dream tax to solve a stuffed surplus

Posted in Op eds

From today's Australian:

"Something fishy has happened to prices for our feathered friends. Not only has this year's Christmas Price Index, which calculates the cost of buying the gifts specified in the Twelve Days of Christmas, increased by 3.7 per cent, well above the Reserve Bank's inflation target, but prices for turtle doves, French hens and calling birds all spiked in 2012, rising by 25 per cent or more. Even swans, which at more than $1000 each already squeezed the family purse, have increased by a hefty 8 per cent."
Attachments:
Download this file (A dream tax to solve a stuffed surplus _ The Australian.pdf)A dream tax to solve a stuffed surplus _ The Australian.pdf[ ]231 Kb
17 Dec2012

Desperate PM's war has failed her own gender

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Little Miss Bossy tells everyone what to do. Little Miss Naughty is badly behaved.  And Little Miss Fickle breaks her promises. But no one is as scary as Little Miss Ogyny, especially when she goes on the attack."
Attachments:
Download this file (Desperate PM's war has failed her own gender_17 Dec 2012.pdf)Desperate PM's war has failed her own gender_17 Dec 2012.pdf[ ]35 Kb
10 Dec2012

Baillieu's chance to be hailed as a taxi reformer

Posted in Op eds

Henry in "The Australian" today

"This Wednesday is Ted Baillieu's moment of truth. He must respond to the independent inquiry into taxi services. Does he have the ticker to tackle entrenched interest groups? "
Attachments:
Download this file (Baillieu's chance to be hailed as a taxi reformer_10 Dec 2012.pdf)Baillieu's chance to be hailed as a taxi reformer_10 Dec 2012.pdf[ ]38 Kb
03 Dec2012

PM's power plan can't fix shock

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Julia Gillard's announcement yesterday that she would take action to "save families up to $250 a year on electricity bills" is readily understandable. With a long, hot summer in prospect, Australian families are in for an electric shock. "
Attachments:
Download this file (PM's power plan can't fix shock_3 Dec 2012.pdf)PM's power plan can't fix shock_3 Dec 2012.pdf[ ]76 Kb
30 Nov2012

Despite scandal, unions make Gillard strong

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"It just won't go away. All week, Julia Gillard refused in parliament to answer detailed questions about her role in overcoming the West Australian regulator's concerns with the incorporation of the so-called AWU Workplace Reform Association. Now it is clear that she was pivotal in doing so."


Attachments:
Download this file (Despite scandal, unions make Gillard strong_30 Nov 2012.pdf)Despite scandal, unions make Gillard strong_30 Nov 2012.pdf[ ]36 Kb
26 Nov2012

State's long history of dodgy deals

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Corruption, the economist Robert Klitgaard once said, is the inevitable product of "rents plus discretion minus accountability". He had the gangsters running equatorial Africa in mind; but if the allegations being presented to the Independent Commission Against Corruption are proven, he could have been writing about the government led by Kristina Keneally in NSW."
Attachments:
Download this file (State's long history of dodgy deals_Mon 26 2012.pdf)State's long history of dodgy deals_Mon 26 2012.pdf[ ]78 Kb
12 Nov2012

Poorly positioned for the future

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"The opposition was right to ridicule the Asian Century white paper. But that hardly means the changes under way in the world economy can be dismissed; on the contrary, positioning Australia to grasp the opportunities they create, while managing their risks, should be at the heart of the opposition's economic strategy. "


Attachments:
Download this file (Poorly positioned for the future_Mon 12 Nov 2012.pdf)Poorly positioned for the future_Mon 12 Nov 2012.pdf[ ]68 Kb
05 Nov2012

Can polarised US close the fiscal gap?

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Historically, American voters have responded less to the immediate state of the US economy than to recent trends: if the economy is improving, incumbents win. On that basis, Barack Obama should secure a second term in this week's vote. But whoever the next president may be, the US faces challenges its political system seems increasingly poorly placed to address."
Attachments:
Download this file (Can polarised US close the fiscal gap_Mon 5 Nov 2012.pdf)Can polarised US close the fiscal gap_Mon 5 Nov 2012.pdf[ ]68 Kb
29 Oct2012

Truth about tigers and school

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"According to the "Asian Century" report, making our education system one of the world's five best is crucial to seizing the opportunities created by Asia's economic growth. Perhaps, but the real question is what that would involve. "
Attachments:
Download this file (Truth about tigers and school_Mon 29 Oct 2012.pdf)Truth about tigers and school_Mon 29 Oct 2012.pdf[ ]67 Kb
22 Oct2012

No time for Wayne's pea and thimble

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"On October 9, 2007, the New York Stock Exchange's Dow Jones index reached its all-time high of 14,164.53. Almost exactly five years of turmoil later, the International Monetary Fund's recently released World Economic Outlook warns that the "risks for a serious global slowdown are alarmingly high". With world trade virtually stagnant in recent months, the fund has downgraded its assessment of global economic prospects, while hedging even that projection with a chilling litany of possible downsides. "

Click on the filename to download a pdf.

Attachments:
Download this file (No time for Wayne's pea and thimble_Mon 22 Oct 2012.pdf)No time for Wayne's pea and thimble_Mon 22 Oct 2012.pdf[ ]62 Kb
15 Oct2012

Strangling super goose to get its egg

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"Bad enough strangling the goose: they shouldn't get away with also gilding its eggs. For there are myths and there are facts. And while the myth is that superannuation savings are lightly taxed, the fact is that effective tax rates on long-term super savings are close to or even above the top rate of income tax."

Click on the filename to download a pdf.



Attachments:
Download this file (Strangling super goose to get its egg_Mon 15 Oct 2012.pdf)Strangling super goose to get its egg_Mon 15 Oct 2012.pdf[ ]72 Kb
05 Oct2012

Alan Jones fosters robust debate while Ross Garnaut hides his models

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian today:

"It's hard to disagree with Ross Garnaut that China's slowing growth will place new pressures on our economy. But the implications he derives from that are wrong-headed. And that is unsurprising, as they are driven more by the politics of protecting the carbon tax than by sensible economic analysis."

Click on the filename below to download a pdf.

Attachments:
Download this file (Alan Jones fosters robust debate while Ross Garnaut hides his models_Fri 5 Oct 2)Alan Jones fosters robust debate while Ross Garnaut hides his models_Fri 5 Oct 2[ ]45 Kb
27 Sep2012

Wayne's deficit chainsaw massacre

Posted in Op eds

In The Australiian today (subscription required)

"This is a tale of deficits, deaths and deceptions. The deficit is that for 2011-12, which we now know was nearly $44 billion. The deception is the process by which the estimates of that deficit were massaged in the lead-up to the 2010 election. The death is that of budget honesty."

Click on the filename below to download a pdf.
Attachments:
Download this file (Wayne's deficit chainsaw massacre _ The Australian.pdf)Wayne's deficit chainsaw massacre _ The Australian.pdf[ ]89 Kb
17 Sep2012

Fishing policy all at sea as Ludwig and Burke trawl new depths

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian today (subscription required):

"One cannot but admire Joe Ludwig, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. After the triumph of the ban on live cattle exports, a lesser man might have rested on his laurels. But with the Abel Tasman episode, Ludwig has shown he can trawl new depths"

Click on the filename below to download a pdf.
Attachments:
Download this file (Fishing policy all at sea as Ludwig and Burke trawl new depths_Mon 17 Sep 2012.p)Fishing policy all at sea as Ludwig and Burke trawl new depths_Mon 17 Sep 2012.p[ ]48 Kb
10 Sep2012

The government subverts the cost benefit analysis of its legislation

Posted in Op eds


Henry in The Australian Monday 10 September 2012:

"Bad government is no excuse for bad governance. Yet an interim report just released by the Productivity Commission highlights the damage this government has done to a key element in the integrity of public decision-making: the process of scrutinising proposed regulations."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link to download.
Attachments:
Download this file (The government subverts the cost benefit analysis of it legislation_Mon 10 Sep 2)The government subverts the cost benefit analysis of it legislation_Mon 10 Sep 2[ ]49 Kb
03 Sep2012

Causes of union thuggery run deep

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 3 September

"Last week's violence in Melbourne is merely the most visible sign of resurgent union thuggery. Far from keeping peace, the Fair Work Act is fanning conflict, allowing negotiation to descend into extortion. And far from addressing root causes, Julia Gillard and Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten are at best papering over the symptoms, at worst tolerating criminality."


Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf version.
Attachments:
Download this file (Causes of union thuggery run deep_Mon 3 Sep 2012.pdf)Causes of union thuggery run deep_Mon 3 Sep 2012.pdf[ ]126 Kb
29 Aug2012

Combet's cut-price carbon caper blows $25 billion budget black hole

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Wednesday 29 August

 "The carbon floor price is dead, but it certainly hasn't died alone. Rather, there are so many fatalities in this announcement that Canberra will need a new cemetery."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf version.
Attachments:
Download this file (Combet's cut-price carbon caper blows $25 billion budget black hole _ Wed 29 Aug)Combet's cut-price carbon caper blows $25 billion budger black hole[ ]1133 Kb
27 Aug2012

A pity prosperity depends on mining

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 27 August 2012:

'Reducing mining investment is not collateral damage from the carbon tax: it is integral to achieving its objective of shrinking the carbon intensive components of Australia's economy. As Treasury found, because of the tax, "the (Australian) mining sector experiences a significant decline in rates of return. As a result, investment falls significantly."'

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download the file at the link below.
 A pity prosperity depends on mining
Attachments:
Download this file (A pity prosperity depends on mining_Mon 27 Aug 2012.pdf)A pity prosperity depends on mining_Mon 27 Aug 2012.pdf[ ]1512 Kb
20 Aug2012

Gillard's morality of convenience

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 20 August 2012:

"Julia Gillard is a woman of principle: the survival principle. And if the backflip on asylum-seekers is about saving lives, the life it is intended to save is her own."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download the pdf file below. More reading at Henry's blog.
Attachments:
Download this file (Gillard's morality of convenience_Mon 20 Aug 2012.pdf)Gillard's morality of convenience_Mon 20 Aug 2012.pdf[Gillard's morality of convenience]1525 Kb
13 Aug2012

PM in another fine gold-plated mess

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 13 August 2012:

"Displaying that Laurel and Hardy sense of timing that has brought them fame on Canberra's vaudeville circuit, Stephen Conroy and Julia Gillard closed last week contradicting each other."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download PM in another fine gold-plated mess. More reading at Henry's blog.

Attachments:
Download this file (PM in another fine gold-plated mess_Mon 13 Aug 2012.pdf)PM in another fine gold-plated mess_Mon 13 Aug 2012.pdf[ ]1655 Kb
08 Aug2012

Treasurer should put his Ginis back in the bottle and go for growth

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Wed 8 August:

"The genie is out of the bottle and no statistic is safe. For clutching his Gini coefficients, Wayne Swan is on the rampage. The Treasurer's fury is directed at this paper's George Megalogenis, who writing in last Thursday's edition dared suggest inequality had increased on the class warrior's watch."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download Treasurer should put his Ginis back in the bottle and go for growth.  
More reading at Henry's blog.
06 Aug2012

The Treasurer is dancing in the dark

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Mon 6 Aug 2012:

"Wayne Swan's John Button oration raises important questions: why is it that inequality has increased more in the US than in Australia? And what lessons can be drawn from those differences?"

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download The Treasurer is dancing in the dark. More reading at Henry's blog.
30 Jul2012

Why Mr Abbott needs this big new tax

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian:

"There are two issues with the National Disability Insurance Scheme: how it will be paid for, and how its services are delivered. The NDIS trials seem designed to address the second; but virtually no progress has been made on the first. As a result, regardless of the trials' outcomes, there seems little prospect of the scheme being adequately funded."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download Why Mr Abbott needs this big new tax.

23 Jul2012

Electorate right about PM's left turn

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian Monday 23 July 2012:

"At the heart of Labor's problems is its reaction to the 2010 election. In that election, voters swung to the Right, but thanks to Julia Gillard's deal with the Greens, the government shifted sharply to the Left. Those opposing movements transformed a gap between Labor and the electorate into a chasm. And with voters sceptical of the Prime Minister's trustworthiness from the outset, that chasm now threatens to swallow Labor whole."

 Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download Electorate right about PM's left turn.

18 Jul2012

Ken Henry is no Paul Keating, nor was he meant to be

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian Wednesday 18 July 2012:

"When Hamlet soliloquised about shuffling off the mortal coil, he cited "the insolence of office" in the same breath as "the pangs of disprized love". Judging by the presentations at an Australian National University conference earlier this week on tax reform, he could have had Canberra in mind."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download Ken Henry is no Paul Keating, nor was he meant to be.

16 Jul2012

Policies standing in the way of management can do great damage

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian Monday 16 July 2012:

"It was not meant to be this way. In the Australian collective consciousness, as the country grew, it would become less dependent on natural resources, not more. But the reality is that we remain an economy that rides on the sheep's (or at least, the miners') back, with the prosperity, but also volatility, that implies."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) 

More reading at Henry's blog. 

09 Jul2012

Stuck in a policy of odd origins

Posted in Op eds

In The Australian Monday 9 July 2012:

"With more compensation packages than boat arrivals, the carbon tax is a policy at war with itself."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or download Stuck in a policy of odd origins.

More reading at Henry's blog.




02 Jul2012

Let market forces determine the future of media

Posted in Op eds

"A strange thing happened to the "public interest" test for media ownership as it made its way from the Productivity Commission's 2000 broadcasting report to Stephen Conroy's 2012 Convergence Review. The PC designed the test to apply only to major media mergers. But with little discussion and less explanation, the Convergence Review, while citing the PC report as the authority for such a test, expanded it to cover mere changes of ownership."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required)

Download Let market forces determine the future of media
25 Jun2012

Bad ideas are slow killers

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 25 June 2012:

Beaming from ear to ear, Wayne Swan declared the latest figures on Australia's economic growth "stunning". As for Julia Gillard, she hailed the "remarkable" data as "proving the doomsayers and sceptics wrong". "They are proof," Swan added, "that something special is happening in our country."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required) 

More reading at Henry's blog.

Download Bad ideas are slow killers 
Attachments:
Download this file (Bad ideas are slow killers _ Mon 25 Jun 2012.pdf)Bad ideas are slow killers[ ]39 Kb
18 Jun2012

Carbon impost a recipe for low wages

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 18 June 2012:

"Next year, each man, woman and child in this country will pay $450 in electricity charges for "green schemes", including the carbon tax, renewable energy targets and solar feed-in tariffs."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required)

More reading at Henry's blog

Download Carbon impost a recipe for low wages
Attachments:
Download this file (Carbon impost a recipe for low wages _ 18 June 2012.pdf)Carbon impost a recipe for low wages[ ]157 Kb
11 Jun2012

GST punishes resourceful states to reward the rest

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 11 June 2012:

"Two weeks after being elected, Kevin Rudd convened the state and territory premiers to announce "a historic new era of co-operative federalism" that would, at long last, "fix the federation". Five years later, Australian federalism lies in tatters."


Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required)

More reading at Henry's blog

Download
GST punishes resourceful states to reward the rest
Attachments:
Download this file (GST punishes resourceful states to reward the rest _11 Jun 2012.pdf)GST punishes resourceful states to reward the rest[ ]48 Kb
04 Jun2012

Treasury's arguments against royalties seriously flawed

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 4 June 2012:

"Here's the rub," Julia Gillard told the nation's mining executives at last week's Minerals Council annual dinner; "you don't own the minerals". But she carefully omitted to say precisely who does. For she knows full well the commonwealth no more owns those minerals than it owns the moon."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required)

More reading at Henry's blog

Download the pdf.
28 May2012

Better for Club Med to stay in eurozone and face up to reform

Posted in Op eds


"It is far easier to make a fish soup out of an aquarium than the other way around. And once the soup has been made, it is a bit late to try to extricate a particularly inedible goldfish. "

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required)

Download
Better for Club Med to stay in eurozone and face up to reform
Attachments:
Download this file (Better for Club Med to stay in eurozone and face up to reform _ 28 May 2012.pdf)Better for Club Med to stay in eurozone and face up to reform _ 28 May 2012.pdf[ ]81 Kb
21 May2012

Miners' taxes pay for PM's follies

Posted in Op eds

"Last Tuesday, Martin Parkinson, the Treasury Secretary, used the annual post-budget address to examine the uncertainties in the economic outlook. While his speech was wide-ranging, one component stuck out: the suggestion that the rapid growth of mining was "dampening tax receipts as a share of the economy", with "the accelerated write-offs provided for many mining assets" being "of particular importance". "

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website (subscription required)

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Miner's taxes pay for PM's follies



Attachments:
Download this file (Miners' taxes pay for PM's follies _ 21 May 2012.pdf)Miner's taxes pay for PM's follies[ ]202 Kb
18 May2012

PM rebuilds the base to go back to the future

Posted in Op eds

"Despite the devastating Christchurch earthquakes, New Zealand is undertaking a fiscal consolidation twice the size of Australia's"

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
PM rebuilds the base to go back to the future


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Download this file (PM rebuilds the base to go back to the future_18 May 2012.pdf)PM rebuilds the base to go back to the future_18 May 2012.pdf[ ]203 Kb
11 May2012

Flimsy balancing trick really a lacklustre effort

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 7 May 2012:

"Since being elected in 2007, Labor has taken policy decisions that have increased revenue by $24.2 billion and expenditure by $126.1bn, worsening the budget bottom line by $102bn."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
Flimsy balancing trick really a lacklustre effort

Attachments:
Download this file (Flimsy balancing trick really a lacklustre effort_7 May 2012.pdf)Flimsy balancing trick really a lacklustre effort_7 May 2012.pdf[ ]65 Kb
11 May2012

Talk of fiscal rectitude is Labor spin

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 7 May 2012:

"Tomorrow, in presenting the 2012-13 budget, Wayne Swan is likely to repeat the Gillard government's mantra that it has achieved "the fastest fiscal consolidation on record". But the reality is far from the government's claims of shining fiscal rectitude."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
Talk of fiscal rectitude is Labor spin

Attachments:
Download this file (Talk of fiscal rectitude is Labor spin_7 May 2012.pdf)Talk of fiscal rectitude is Labor spin_7 May 2012.pdf[ ]85 Kb
11 May2012

Doubling tax on super will blow out distortions

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 30 April 2012:

"Given just how warped our taxation of superannuation is, one might have thought it difficult to make it worse."

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
Doubling tax on super will blow out distortions
Attachments:
Download this file (Doubling tax on super will blow out distortions_30 April 2012.pdf)Doubling tax on super will blow out distortions_30 April 2012.pdf[ ]72 Kb
11 May2012

Aged-care package buys time but tsunami ahead

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 23 April 2012:

"It is nonsense to talk of population ageing as a problem. Rather, its main cause -- the immense rise in human life expectancy -- is perhaps society's greatest achievement. But it does create challenges, and providing aged care is central among them."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
Aged-care package buys time but tsunami ahead

Attachments:
Download this file (Aged-care package buys time but tsunami ahead_23 April 2012.pdf)Aged-care package buys time but tsunami ahead_23 April 2012.pdf[ ]73 Kb
11 May2012

Extra money won't fix schools

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 16 April 2012:

"The Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling is right: our schools should provide better and more equitable outcomes. Unfortunately, the funding model it recommends is unlikely to achieve those goals."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
Extra money won't fix schools

Attachments:
Download this file (Extra money won't fix schools_16 April 2012.pdf)Extra money won't fix schools_16 April 2012.pdf[ ]68 Kb
11 May2012

Prohibition still best way to beat drugs

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 1 April 2012

"That drugs destroy lives hardly needs to be said. The question is how we should deal with them. In a recently released report, Australia21, a policy think tank, calls our prohibition-based approach an exercise in "failure and futility". Australia21's claims are exaggerated and in important respects incorrect. But that doesn't mean our policies should stay as they are."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website.

Download
Prohibition still best way to beat drugs
Attachments:
Download this file (Prohibition still best way to beat drugs_9 April 2012.pdf)Prohibition still best way to beat drugs_9 April 2012.pdf[ ]45 Kb
01 Apr2012

Labor needs to connect with the voters, not with party members

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 2 April 2012

"The ALP's crushing defeat in Queensland has renewed calls for Labor to expand and empower its shrinking membership."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required).

Download
ReformingTheALP.pdf
26 Mar2012

Campbell must clean up state finances

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 26 March 2012:

"The challenge facing Queensland's new 264 is to clean up the legacy of 14 years of Labor rule, improve the state's 266 and deliver on its ambitious election promises. "

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Campbell_must_clean_up_state_finances_Mon_26_Mar_2012.pdf
20 Mar2012

Blog Update: 20 March 2012

Posted in Op eds

There is inspiration in respiration

One of those obnoxious climate sceptics, may they perish in the eternal flames (should it stop raining long enough for those flames to burn the way they used to), has written querying a report on the ABC science blog. That report suggests climate change is to blame for yes, obesity: “Steadily rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be affecting brain chemistry and contributing to the obesity epidemic”. The sceptic (may he perish etc.) complains this assertion does not seem to be based on any evidence.

Read more at Henry's blog.

Download
ThereIsInspirationInRespiration.pdf
19 Mar2012

It's only when crime doesn't pay that criminals will be deterred

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 19 March 2012:

"Since 1999 Australia's prison population has increased by 50 per cent. And with high and likely rising recidivism rates, it seems set to continue growing."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the  link below to download a pdf.

Download
It_s_only_when_crime_doesn_t_pay_that_criminals_will_be_deterred_Mon_19_Mar_2012.pdf
14 Mar2012

Blog Update 14 March 2012: Just how important is cutting company tax rates?

Posted in Op eds

The 264 is placing huge weight on its rather small cut in the company tax rate. However, Australia has an imputation tax system. That means that dividends that are ‘franked’ are effectively pre-payments of personal income tax. As a result, the company tax bites most when companies are paying dividends to foreign shareholders. Those dividends are typically covered by double tax agreements: so payments made on investments in Australia to foreign investors are taxed at the higher of the Australian or foreign tax rate. When the Australian rate of company tax is cut, the investor’s tax liability only decreases if the effective Australian tax rate is higher than the tax rate overseas. In other cases, the result of cutting the Australian tax rate is simply to transfer tax from the ATO to its foreign counterparts. 

Read more at Henry's blog.

Download
JustHowImportantCuttingCompanyTaxRates.pdf
12 Mar2012

Watchdog can muzzle 264 critics

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 12 March 2012:

"Should the News 267 Council recommended by the Finkelstein 267 inquiry be established, it will have no difficulty finding penalties: for severe offences, 100 pages of the inquiry's report; for recidivism, another 100; and for the truly heinous, the entire document, committed to memory. Like capital punishment, that should ensure recalcitrants never do it again. "

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the  link below to download a pdf.

Download
Watchdog_can_muzzle_264_critics_Mon_12_Mar_2012.pdf
05 Mar2012

Swan's attack on wealthy a bit rich

Posted in Op eds


Henry in The Australian Monday 5 March 2012:

"Whatever Wayne Swan's strengths may be, a sense of irony is not among them. Were it, he might have hesitated to publish in The Monthly, the brainchild and mouthpiece of developer Morry Schwartz, an essay excoriating tycoons for investing in the 267. But then again, The Monthly hews to the Left; and what Swan really objects to is not tycoons as such, but those who dare to disagree with him."

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.  

Download
Swan_s_attack_on_wealthy_a_bit_rich_5_Mar_2012.pdf
27 Feb2012

Decline and fall of social democracy

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 27 February 2012:

"Tetth bared and hissing in action, Rudd and Gillard, the cobra and the mongoose of Labor politics, seem intent on giving fresh life to the famous opening lines of Marx's The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte: "Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce."

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Decline_and_fall_of_social_democracy_27_Feb_2012.pdf
20 Feb2012

Rip Van Winkle economics will embalm shop stewards and Holdens

Posted in Op eds


Henry in The Australian Mon 20 Feb 2012:

"Call it Rip Van Winkle economics. Invented by Julia Gillard, it says we should protect struggling firms so that when we wake up from the mining boom, they will still be there. It's a pity that by then the world will have moved on, ensuring today's laggards are tomorrow's relics."


Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.
 
Download
Rip_Van_Winkle_economics_will_....pdf
13 Feb2012

Both sides failing the test on health

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 13 February:

"It is disingenuous to claim, as the 264 does daily, that its private health insurance changes, which seem set to get parliamentary approval this week, are a savings. And it is even more disingenuous to claim they will increase efficiency in our health system. Rather, they will increase costs while entrenching a two-tier health system that penalises the poor. "

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Both_sides_failing_the_test_on_health_13_Feb_2012.pdf
06 Feb2012

Direct support to those industries with a future

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Mon 6 Feb 2012:
 
"'A major report released today by Rio Tinto shows just how foolish ACTU president Ged Kearney is to dismiss mining as merely 'digging things out of the ground'."

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Direct_support_to_those_industries_with_a_future_6_February_2012.pdf
04 Feb2012

Julia Gillard's policy to prop up inefficient firms will be counterproductive

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Sat 4 Feb 2012:

"According to Julia Gillard, things are difficult for Australian manufacturing as the resource boom threatens "to hollow out other sections of the economy".

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Julia_Gillard_s_policy_to_prop_up_inefficient_firms_....pdf
30 Jan2012

Enforcing one rule of law for all

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian, Mon 30 Jan 2012:

"According to Fred Chaney, the rioters at the Aboriginal tent embassy have no more in common with most Aborigines than the Cronulla rioters have with most other Australians."

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Enforcing_one_rule_of_law_for_all_30_Jan_2012.pdf
24 Jan2012

Sub 'self-reliance' a blank cheque to protectionists

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian, Tues 24 Jan 2012:

"No question in defence is more vital than "how much is enough?". But not according to Paul Dibb and Richard Brabin-Smith"

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Sub__self-reliance__a_blank_cheque_to_protectionists_24_Jan_2012.pdf
13 Jan2012

Collins sham points to enemy within

Posted in Op eds


Henry in The Australian, Fri 13 Jan 2012:

"On August 28, 1993, Paul Keating launched the first Collins-class submarine. The fanfare was impressive. Led by the ABC, the 267 hailed the event as a triumph. But it was a hoax. "

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Collins_sham_points_to_enemy_within_13_Jan_2012.pdf
04 Jan2012

Don't just throw cash at universities

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian, Wed 4 Jan 2012:

"The report of the Higher Education Base Funding Review has important things to say: things every university student now basking at the beach should know. And it contains many sensible recommendations. But it concentrates too heavily on increasing funding rather than on incentives for resources to be used efficiently. As a result, its approach cannot durably resolve our universities' problems. "

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required)  or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Don_t_just_throw_cash_at_universities_4_Jan_2012.pdf
19 Dec2011

Merry Christmas Canberra fat cats

Posted in Op eds


Henry in The Australian, Mon 19 Dec 2011:

"We should pay top dollar for the best bureaucrats but do we need so many? "

Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Merry_Christmas_Canberra_fat_cats_19_December_2011_1.pdf
12 Dec2011

Europe's tough fiscal rules are likely to be broken

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian, Mon 12 Dec 2011: "So Europe is to get new fiscal rules, imposing tighter constraints on debt and deficits. But Australians don't need to leave home to understand why markets are sceptical as to their effectiveness." Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Europe_s_tough_fiscal_rules_are_likely_to_be_broken_12_Dec_2011.pdf
10 Dec2011

Expect nothing and avoid disappointment

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Sat 10 Dec 2011: "Blessed is he who expecteth nothing," said D.H. Lawrence, "for he shall not be disappointed." Lawrence must have had the euro in mind. After four summits in 12 months, a solution to its problems remains elusive." Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf version.

Download
Expect_nothing_and_avoid_disappointment_10_December_2011.pdf
09 Dec2011

Taxpayers ambushed by 264's stand-and-deliver tactics

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Fri 9 Dec 2011: "So these are the "substantial cuts" Wayne Swan promised: at $6.8 billion across four years, the claimed savings in last week's mid-year economic and financial outlook weigh in at a mighty 4c in each $10 of commonwealth 264 outlays." Click here to read the full  article at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf version.

Download
Taxpayers_ambushed_by_264_s_stand-and-deliver_tactics_9_Dec_2011.pdf
03 Dec2011

No shelter in euro storm for Club Med

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Sat 3 Dec 2011: "With a European summit to be held on December 9, Thursday's headline in France's leading paper, Le Monde, read "10 days to save the euro". Unfortunately, Le Monde has now run that headline four times in as many months, yet the euro looks shakier than ever." Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required)or on the link below to download a pdf version.

Download
No_shelter_in_euro_storm_for_Club_Med_3_Dec_2011.pdf
02 Dec2011

Feathering a bed for the return of bludging Fred

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Friday 2 December 2011: "In late 1987, John Button, the industry minister in the Hawke 264, announced he had discovered Australia's biggest bludger. He was, Button said, a wharfie, call him Fred, who for 20 years had been transported to and from the port by taxi, had clocked on, clocked off, done no work and drawn full pay. All this under union-imposed rules." Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or click on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Feathering_a_bed_for_the_return_of_bludging_Fred_2_Dec_2011.pdf
26 Nov2011

Eurobonds anything but a panacea

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Sat 26 Nov 2011: "The latest pressure point in the European crisis is over whether to issue "eurobonds": bonds, collectively guaranteed by the 264s of the eurozone, that could fund public expenditure in the region." Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required).

Download
Eurobonds_anything_but_a_panacea_26_Nov_2011.pdf
25 Nov2011

Broadcasting xenophobia makes little sense in this digital age

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 24 Nov 2011: IN 1992, a new Broadcasting Services Act was introduced with the goal of dramatically simplifying 267 regulation. Two decades and 70 amendments later, the original 100 pages have grown to nearly 1000. The result is a quagmire that is as unsustainable as it is inefficient. Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required).
19 Nov2011

Compelled to reform, unable to deliver

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Sat 19 Nov 2011: "It is not just Berlusconi financial markets have lost confidence in. It is the sistema Italia -- the complex interplay of economics, social relations and politics that characterises modern Italy."

Download
CompelledToReform.pdf
18 Nov2011

MRRT hurts our silicon valley

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Fri 18 Nov 2011:

"Having given the Greens their tonne of flesh with the carbon tax, Julia Gillard is repositioning as quickly as she can to the middle. The "surprise" trip to Afghanistan, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the proposed uranium sales to India and Barack Obama's visit to Australia all give the 264 a new, more mainstream gloss."

Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required)
11 Nov2011

Gillard and Abbott build fortress Oz

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Fri 11 Nov 2011:

"Julia Gillard is certainly right when she says that Australia "has nothing to fear from freer and freer trade": after all, protectionism is merely a way of taxing consumers to subsidise inefficient producers, reducing incomes overall. And Gillard also deserves a cheer for pushing the G20 to revive global trade talks."

Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Gillard_and_Abbott_build_fortress_Oz_11_Nov_2011.pdf
04 Nov2011

Fair Work Act a featherbed for unions

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Fri 4 Nov 2011: "It s no defence of a law that encourages arson to say it also provides firefighters. And it is even worse if the fire brigade will save your house only if the entire street is on fire, forcing the victims of arson to themselves become arsonists. Yet that is exactly what the Fair Work Act does." Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (suscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Fair_Work_Act_a_featherbed_for_unions_4_Nov_2011.pdf
03 Nov2011

Greek vote a banana republic moment

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Thurs 3 November 2011: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has balls. And his decision to call a referendum on the austerity program is hardly irrational. True, it is a gamble, and a risky one. But, like Paul Keating in 1986, he has confronted Greece with its banana republic moment, and challenged it to rise to the threat it faces. Far from expressing dismay, European leaders should have endorsed his call. Click here to read the full op-ed at The Australian's website (suscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Greek_vote_a_banana_republic_moment_3_Nov_2011.pdf
28 Oct2011

Labor could learn from eurozone facing mutually assured distrust

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Friday 28 October:

"Count on Julia Gillard to lecture Europe about fiscal rectitude when at 3.4 per cent of gross domestic product, our 2011 structural budget deficit is twice Germany's, a third larger than Italy's and only a fraction smaller than France's. "

Click here to read more at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

Download
Labor_could_learn_from_eurozone_facing_mutually_assured_distrust_28_Oct_2011.pdf
21 Oct2011

Not a model way to sell a carbon tax

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Friday 21 October 2011:

"It has taken three months and 10 hours of questioning in Senate committees. Ultimately, however, the facts do emerge. And they did last Monday."


Click here to read more at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf. 

Download
Not_a_model_way_to_sell_a_carbon_tax_21_Oct_2011.pdf
14 Oct2011

Billions will be wasted painting pork barrel green

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Friday 14 October 2011:

"So it's done. But it's hardly a shining achievement. Even the 264's hope is that by the next election most voters will have forgotten it. And who knows, like an unpleasant visit to the dentist, the climate change legislation may fade with time. But it will still be the most expensive dentist's visit in our history."

Click here to read more at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf. 

Download
Billions_will_be_wasted_painting_pork_barrel_green_14_Oct_2011.pdf
07 Oct2011

NSW was our Greece in 1930

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian 7 October 2011:

"We've been there, though so long ago that what happened is taught, usually badly, in schools. But Australia's experience with debt and default in the Depression helps explain why markets are spooked by Europe's crisis. For if we got over our difficulties, it was because of factors Europe entirely lacks. "

Click here to read more at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf. 

Download
NSW_was_our_Greece_in_1930_7_Oct_2011.pdf
30 Sep2011

Mr Garnaut, climate policy should be questioned

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Friday 30 September 2011:

"Ross Garnaut has an unusual concept of democracy. The Prime Minister goes to the country promising "there will be no carbon tax under the 264 I lead". Once in office, she then proposes to implement one, with the added twist of making repeal by a future 264 prohibitively costly. Yet, according to Garnaut, rejection of the 264's proposed legislation would amount to a failure of Australian democracy on a historical scale, indeed to "a corruption of democracy" caused by "distortion of reality and abuse of truth". "

Click here to read more at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf. 

Download
Mr_Garnaut__climate_policy_should_be_questioned_30_Sep_2011.pdf
26 Sep2011

Lies, deception and carbon tax

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Monday 26 September:

"Start with what is uncontested. First, once carbon emitters are issued permits, those permits will be property they own, so any 264 that abolishes them will have to pay compensation, possibly in the billions of dollars."

Click here to read more at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf. 

Download
Lies__deception_and_carbon_tax_26_Sep_2011.pdf
16 Sep2011

Labor plants poison pills in carbon tax

Posted in Op eds

Henry in The Australian Friday 16 September:

"It was Mark Dreyfus QC, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, who let the cat out of the bag."

Click here to read more at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf. 

Download
Labor_plants_poison_pills_in_carbon_tax_The_Australian_16_Sep_2011.pdf
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