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Richard Denniss

August 2021

No, Senator Canavan, lockdowns save future lives and livelihoods

The former resources minister thinks the cost-benefit analysis of stopping the spread should focus only on the recent past. That explains a lot about his apathy towards climate change.

June 2020

BHP has been in debt for 100 years and has no plans to repay it for the simple reason that its leadership are paid to discover projects with a higher rate of return than the record low interest rate.

Leverage lazy public balance sheet

Rather than worry about Australia's relatively low-level debt, the Morrison government should be like BHP and borrow more to fund productivity-boosting services.

May 2020

Alex Ellinghausen

Spend the $60b windfall on bigger stimulus

If the Treasury still thinks we are headed for a recession, the JobKeeper underspend should be used to pump-prime the economy.

Josh Frydenberg has talked like a Keynesian but he is not acting like one.

There is no 'snap-back' coming

Consumers and exports are not going to tow the economy out of trouble. Only massive government action can do that.

April 2020

Super funds have been asked to provide up to $20,000 at short notice to an estimated 1.5 million members in need of cash.

Future Fund can keep super afloat

Super funds would not have to sell assets to cover withdrawals if the Future Fund were to swap them for its ample liquid cash.

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March 2020

Centrelink should have been upgrading its website and lengthening its office hours weeks ago.

Put the jobless on public payroll

When businesses don't survive hibernation, the government will have to shift workers off the wage subsidy onto pay for government jobs.

GDP does not distinguish between billions preventing bushfires and billions clearing them up.

The Treasurer is missing the mark

Josh Frydenberg mocks the idea of wellbeing as a measure of economic success. But in an age of climate change it might be the best one, writes Richard Dennis.

February 2020

Former Resources Minister Matt Canavan's claims about renewable's subsidies are incorrect.

Coal-station rorts are Coalition's new pork

The Collinsville proposal makes Bridget McKenzie’s gift to the Mosman Rowing Club look like one of the federal government's better ideas.

Coddrington wind farm in south-western Victoria.

Scott Morrison's missing target: climate

If he is going to appease noisy climate change denialists, it would be better if the Prime Minister left emissions reduction policy to the states.

January 2020

Property owner Stuart Skeen walks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison through his burnt-out property at Binna Burra in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Where do the PM's carbon targets lead?

Scott Morrison is happy to throw money at bushfire relief. But he will need to spend an awful lot more on climate policy victims in future.

Economic costs: scene from Mallacoota in fire devastated East Gippsland.

Fund fire recovery with climate tax

The Prime Minister should impose a permanent levy on fossil fuel production to pay for the rebuilding of our broken communities.

November 2019

Australia is ramping up when it should be ramping down.

Australia's dirty great secret

Australia is a very big reason why the world will struggle to meet its Paris climate goals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison holding a lump of coal during question time in 2017.

The Prime Minister needs to get real on climate

State premiers and business leaders don't have the luxury of speculating on whether climate change exists or not.

October 2019

Free trade deals undermine sovereignty

The idea that we must sign up to trade clauses that protect the rights of foreign investors but impose harm on our community is absurd.

Extinction Rebellion protestors superglued to the road in Brisbane last week.

Scott Morrison's coal-fired climate hypocrisy

This government has chosen to drag its heels on climate issues. It should not be surprised at the backlash it has triggered.

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September 2019

RBA, the ACCC, and CEOs all snubbed by the PM's approach.

Australia needs a good budget deficit

The Prime Minister lashes chief executives for their virtue signalling, yet ignores everyone's advice on the economy.

Australian universities did not need to hock themselves to revenue from China.

How we have sold ourselves short

Policies driven by excessive financial stringency have left Australia open to security threats and foreign influence

August 2019

Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau, Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, Tonga's Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva, Scott Morrison and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

A condescending Pacific step down

Pacific nations haven't asked Australia to shut down its coal sector – just not to expand it any more while their sea levels rise.

Perceptions are everything when investing is involved.

How the ex-pollies' club ends up hurting the economy

Companies are less likely to compete for our business if their rivals have spent millions on expensive lobbyists.

July 2019

Tick of approval ... confidence in the government has jumped to an all-time high following the election.

The word reform is broken

Australian government and business tries to airbrush Nordic out of debates about economic reform: the IMF, OECD and World Bank don't.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/richard-denniss-hvf6q