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."


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GST punishes resourceful states to reward the rest

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."

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"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. "

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

"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". "

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Miner's taxes pay for PM's follies

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

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PM rebuilds the base to go back to the future

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."

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Flimsy balancing trick really a lacklustre effort