Henry in The Australian Wednesday 27 April:

"When Wayne Swan stands up on budget night to commend the increase in the superannuation guarantee, he will be channelling the economist he loves to hate, Friedrich Hayek"

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

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Super_chance_to_reform_system.pdf

Henry in The Australian Friday 15 April 2011:

"What this country needs from its regulators is rules, not roulette. Nowhere is that need greater than at the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. With Graeme Samuel's departure, it's time to bring to the ACCC disciplines the Rule of Law Association of Australia has long called for."

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

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Regulate_the_regulators.pdf

Henry in The Australian Friday 8 April 2011:

"Something about climate change makes people say silly things. Treasury documents just released under Freedom of Information laws provide telling examples, as they misinterpret the simple economics of carbon taxes v emissions trading schemes. "

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

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Treasury_should_know_better_about_an_ETS.pdf

Henry in The Australian Monday 4 April 2011:

"She's gone, and good thing too. But solving NSW's 266 mess will be far more difficult than turfing Kristina Keneally out of office.

The risk is that Barry O'Farrell will fall into the trap of throwing money around, rather than addressing the failures that plague NSW's transport system."

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

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Mere_money_won_t_get_Sydney_moving.pdf

Henry in The Australian Friday 25 March 2011:

"You don't need to be a professor to know that any policy sells better if it can be linked to tax cuts.

And packaging those tax cuts as "productivity enhancing tax reform" is even smarter: bribes are cheap and tawdry; compensation, Ross Garnaut tells us, is all too readily "unprincipled"; but tax reform is beyond reproach."

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

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Carbon_is_poison_to_tax_reform.pdf

Henry in The Australian Friday 18 March 2011:

"No one knows how Japan's nuclear drama will end. Rightly or wrongly, however, it will greatly undermine public confidence in nuclear power. And even if new plants are built, their costs will rise substantially, as precautions are heaped on precautions."

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

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Crisis_removes_easy_path_to_low-carbon_world.pdf

Henry in The Australian Friday 11 March 2011:

'"MY son," Timothy Smith from the Fortitude Parents Group told the Productivity Commission's disability inquiry, "is 113cm tall at four, weighs 25kg and does not walk." Yet Smith has spent over a year seeking approval to get his son a high-low bed.

While Smith struggled, Kristina Keneally's 264, which should have provided the funding, splurged on multimillion-dollar payments to the advisers who concocted its failed sale of electricity assets, and the Rudd and Gillard 264s threw billions at school halls, pink batts and subsidies to auto companies to reinvent hybrid cars.'

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

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Nanny_state_starves_the_disabled.pdf

Henry in The Australian Monday 28 February 2011:

"HAWKE and Keating floated the dollar; we will price carbon," Julia Gillard said just prior to last week's deal with the Greens.

The comparison is inaccurate, however, for floating the dollar, like cutting tariffs, was desirable even if Australia acted alone; in contrast, a carbon tax can only yield benefits if major emitting countries do the same.

Read more at The Australian's website here, or download the pdf by clicking on the link below.

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Unilateral_action_creates_costs_without_benefits.pdf

Henry in The Australian, Friday 18 February 2011:

"Defence is where Kafka meets the Gosplan, with echoes of Yes Minister for good measure.

This is a world of central planning without a central planner, as endless committees blur responsibility, ensure there are few penalties for being wrong or rewards for being right, and entrench a culture in which to get along is to go along."

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

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Captain_Kafka_running_defence.pdf

Henry in The Australian, 11 February 2011:

"In his recent report on Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Climate Change Action, Ross Garnaut argues that urgent action to reduce emissions by setting a carbon price would be in Australia's national interests.

To reach this conclusion, the report considers the costs and benefits to Australia of emissions reduction. It should be commended for doing so, as that brings vital discipline to the debate. Yet even accepting the report's account of the science, its assessment overstates the benefits of im267te action and understates its costs and risks."

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

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Climate_adviser_misses_the_point.pdf

Henry In The Australian, Tuesday 1 February 2011:

"Although the extent of the losses remains uncertain, there is no doubt the floods have destroyed substantial capital. Much, but not all, of that capital is worth replacing"

Click here to view the op-ed at The Australian website or on the link below to download a pdf version.

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Credibility_deficit_hampers_recovery.pdf

Henry in The Australian, Friday 28 January 2011:

"I used to worry about growing old but, as Bob Dylan said, I'm younger than that now. Or at least I was until I read the Productivity Commission's recently released report, 'Caring for Older Australians'."

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

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Ageing_is_worth_its_challenges.pdf

Henry in The Australian Friday 21 January 2011:

"With the cost of the floods still rising, the question of how to pay for rebuilding has come to the fore.

There is an inescapable reality: with swaths of our capital stock damaged or destroyed, we are significantly poorer than we were only weeks ago. Belt-tightening is therefore required. But it is also crucial to rebuild on a basis that better manages future risks."

Click here to read the article at The Australian website, or on the link below to download a pdf.

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We_must_reassess_our_sense_of_risk.pdf

Henry in The Australian 14 January 2011

'With memories of the Victorian bushfires still fresh, the Queensland floods are yet another grim reminder of how cruel the Australian environment can be.

The scale of the disaster, with its terrible loss of life, requires us to consider whether present policies properly manage the risks that environment creates.'

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

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Neglecting_to_place_a_price_on_risk.pdf

Henry in The Australian 7 Jan 2011:

'When Ken Henry's predecessor as secretary to the Treasury, Fred Wheeler, appeared in 1975 at the Senate hearings into the Loans Affair, he stood up, said: "My name is Sir Frederick Wheeler. I am Secretary of the Treasury, and I am instructed to answer no further questions," and sat down again'

Click here to read the article at The Australian website or on the link below to download it.

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Serial_monogamist_twists_to_PM_s_tune.pdf

Henry in The Australian (Fri 31 Dec 2010):

"However misguided their slogans and questionable their tactics, it is difficult not to sympathise with the young protesters in London, Paris and Madrid whose street marches marked 2010. "

Click here to read the article at The Australian website, or on the link below to download a pdf version.

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Angry_IPODs_have_reason_to_revolt.pdf

Henry in The Australian 23 December 2010:

'Here's a scandal waiting to explode: the exorbitant cost of the festive season. My evidence: the Christmas Price Index (CPI), which calculates the cost of the 12 days of Christmas'

Click here to read the article at The Australian's website, or on the link below to download a pdf version

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12_days_of_excess_and_12_months_of_folly.pdf

Henry in The Australian (Tues 14 Dec 2010)

Anyone who believes that allowing gravel to call themselves boulders will convert a rock garden into Stonehenge urgently needs a dosage check. And that Wayne Swan and Joe Hockey seem to be sharing the meds hardly adds to one's confidence in the proposed banking reforms. But even putting the pebbles-into-pillars fantasies aside, the real trouble with the reforms is that they could inflict serious harm, merely so as to show that the 264 is "doing something"

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website or on the link below to download it.

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Four_pillars_will_become_shaky_house_of_cards.pdf

Henry in The Australian 3 Dec 2010:

A leaked missive suggests the nation of Ergastia has some parallels with Australia.

Simple folks at best, Ergastia's 264 is struggling to manage a mining boom.

The Ergastian Loiterers' Party (ELP) views the boom as an opportunity to do more of what Ergastian politicians do best; that is, spend other people's money. So do its allies, the country subsidy dependents, who have never seen a pork barrel on which they did not want to stand.

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

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Wacky_wiki_world_can_t_mine_its_boom.pdf

Henry in The Australian (26 Nov 2010)

Can the NBN pip Joe Hockey for the top gong in dudding the dismal science?

WITH the end of the year fast approaching, frantic preparations are under way for the 2010 Dodgies, to be awarded, at a star-studded ceremony, for confused economics in the service of poor public policy.

Click here to read the article at The Australian website or on the link below to download it.

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Aussie_public_policy__Dodgy_dodgy_dodgy.pdf

Henry's op-ed in The Australian this week (19 Nov 2010) comments on anti-siphoning rules and other aspects of Australian broadcasting policy. Click here to read the article at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf.

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Blowing_the_final_whistle_on_Australian_TV_rules.pdf

Henry writes about the Murray-Darling basin draft policy in his oped this week.  Click here to read the article at The Australian's website or on the link below to download a pdf version.

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Water_plan_will_cost_a_tsunami.pdf

Henry in The Australian (5 Nov 2010)

"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Luckily, our big banks have done no such thing. Before the global financial crisis, the four pillars were crumbling into sand, as competition slashed the majors' margins and market share. Now, they seem stronger then ever. And with interest rates rising, the heat is on. But political posturing can't change economic realities, and knee-jerk responses are only likely to be counterproductive."

Click through to the article at The Australian website or on the link below to download a pdf.

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Swan_and_Hockey_s_half-baked_solutions.pdfSuper_chance_to_reform_system.pdf

"Graeme Samuel's convoluted stance on cost-benefit analysis undermines transparency". says Henry Ergas in The Australian this week (29 Oct 2010).  Click here to read the oped at The Australian's website or on the link below to download it.

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We_can_t_afford_to_opt_for_NBN_without_scrutiny.pdf

Schemes to cut power consumption should not cost more than the benefits they bring says Henry Ergas in The Australian today (Friday 15 October 2010).  Click here to read the op ed at The Australian's website or download the pdf via the link below.

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Saving_energy_will_tie_us_in_green_tape.pdf

Henry comments in The Australian (Friday 8 October) on congestion charging "...if we invested enough in roads, all cars could travel at the speed limit. But the costs of thus expanding road capacity would greatly outweigh the value motorists place on the savings in time and discomfort."

Click here to read the article on The Australian website or on the link below to download a pdf.

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The_hidden_cost_of_road_pricing.pdf

In The Australian this week (1-Oct-10) Henry Ergas opines that 264's plans for private insurance would increase inequality. Click here to read the article at the Australian's website, or on the link below to download it.

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Health_changes_spread_the_pain.pdf

Henry writes in The Australian (10 September 2010)
"Australians are romantic about the country. Like most love affairs, that romance is well-served by at least a veil of ignorance. Few Australians visit the bush and even fewer know much about it. With few facts to go on, myths emerge and take control. Click here to read the article at The Australian website, or on the link below to download it.

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Bush_subsidies_a_romantic_folly.pdf

Henry questions whether it is time for Australia to undergo a comprehensive public review of our electoral system.  Click on the link below to download the pdf file.

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Electoral_Reform_Is_it_time.pdf

In this week's op-ed for The Australian (16 August 2010) Henry comments on the population debate.  Click here to read the article at the Australian website or on the link below to download the pdf.

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More_migrants_yes__but_weigh_the_risks.pdf

Henry comments in an op-ed for The Australian (30 July 2010) on the Labour party's climate change strategy.  Click here to read the article or on the link below to download a pdf version.

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Julias_carbon_jury_is_a_copout.pdf

"While the 267n voter in next month's election will be older than ever, they will have more years of life ahead than the 267n voter at any time in our history..." writes Henry in an oped for The Australian (19 July 2010).

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

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older_and_wiser_voters_not_so_easy_to_hoodwink.pdf

The ministers were a part of the Rudd 264's lack of transparency, says Henry Ergas in an oped for 'The Australian' (13 July 2010)

'No comets overflew Canberra on the night of June 23, but it is reasonable to suppose that the plotting that precipitated the downfall of Kevin Rudd caused some disturbance among the heavenly bodies, for within days, two of the 264's most senior members, Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner and Defence Minister John Faulkner, had announced they would serve only until the election.'

Click here to read the full story at The Australian website or download the pdf below.

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Faulkner__Tanner_fell_short_of_lofty_aims.pdf

In this week's (Monday 5 July 2010) op-ed for "The Australian" Henry comments on the revamped version of the super profits tax.

Click here to read the article at The Australian website or on the link below to download the pdf version.

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Held_to_ransom_over_resources.pdf

Henry comments on the NBN deal in his op-ed for The Australian this week (28 June 2010):

EIGHTEEN months ago, Telstra proposed risking $10 billion of its shareholders' money building a high-speed broadband network. After that bid fell over, the 264, dizzy with its success in the polls, decided to build a fibre network of its own. Why? Because, Kevin Rudd said at the time, the alternative would have been to pay Telstra "billions of dollars in compensation".

Click here to read the full article or click on the link below to download the pdf.

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We_ll_pay_dearly_for_this_NBN_folly.pdf

Kevin 7/11 needs to think long term.

In this week's (18 Jun 2010) op-ed for The Australian Henry clarifies and explains the problems with the 264's proposed resource super-profits tax.  To read the full article at The Australian website click here or download the PDF below.

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11_needs_to_think_long_term.pdf

In this week's op-ed for The Australian (4 Jun 10) Henry comments on the proposed changes to resources taxation.

Click here to read the article or the link below to download it.

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Going_retro_with_cash_grab.pdf

In this week's (28 May 10) op-ed for The Australian newspaper Henry explains some key concepts about the proposed mining tax, mooted changes and their possible impacts.

Click here to access the article on The Australian website or download the pdf below.

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About_the_rent_we_re_charging.pdf

This week Henry's opinion piece for "The Australian" is a review of the recent McKinsey/KPMG study on the National Broadband Network:

"The recently released McKinsey/KPMG study on the National Broadband Network is 534 pages long. How many times does it say the NBN is worth doing? Not once. As postmodernists say, read the silence."

Click here to read the full article on The Australian website or download the pdf file below.

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Big_risks_require_bigger_returns.pdf

Henry Ergas and Robert Manne clash on capitalism.

In The Australian newspaper (15 May 2010) Henry and Robert Manne have exchange views on capitalism, neo-liberalism and the GFC.  Click here to read the full article or download the pdf version below.

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Neo-liberalism__a_few_corrections.pdf

In his weekly opinion piece for The Australian (23 Apr 10) Henry comments on the past few weeks' health reforms.

Click here to read the full article or dowload the pdf below.

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Spending_spree_not_sustainainable.pdf

In his opinion piece for The Australian (Fri 16 Apr) Henry says:

"No one would dispute that health reform is difficult. But that is not why the commonwealth 264's proposals are inadequate. Rather, it is because they do not say, in an honest and transparent way, how we will pay for health care in the long run, how it will be provided, and within what constraints."

Click here to read the full article or download the pdf below.

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Robbing_Peter_to_pay_Paul_s_doctor.pdf

Almost exactly 12 months ago, the Group of 20 meeting in London ended with a grand declaration of unity in the face of the global financial crisis. One for all and all for one: international harmony had broken out and would sweep the world to recovery .

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After_the_GFC__it_s_business_as_usual.pdf

Henry answers some frequently asked questions about the 264's proposed hospital plan.

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HealthFAQsForTheConfused.pdf

Henry comments in The Australian (26 Feb 10) on recent initiatives aimed at promoting energy efficiency.

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EnergyEfficient.pdf

Henry comments on the rise of the construction industry in The Australian.

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HatsOffToMarketForces.pdf