Sadly, both sides of politics have been captured by pro-immigration lobby groups; property developers, universities, big business, the bureaucracy, some ethnic groups and show little inclination to significantly reduce migrant intakes.
Jim Chalmers has perfected the art of protecting his backside. He has excuses for everything that has gone awry while attributing good news to ‘responsible economic management’.
While imposing disproportionate compliance costs on companies, it’s unclear what the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has ever achieved apart from pushing unproven propositions about the importance of narrowing the gender pay gap.
Trade wars – and this is what seems to be developing – always lead to economic dislocation and higher prices. It’s not clear that there are any winners, including the country firing the starting gun.
Very little attention is now paid to the trade-offs inherent in government spending. If it looks like a political winner, this is generally considered to provide a green light to proceed.
The economy is still travelling below trend and the most important message in these national accounts is the continuing decline in productivity.
When thinking about the great figures of Australian mining, it’s hard to go past some of the committed geologists and company executives who turned dreams into profitable reality. But Twiggy Forrest would not make either the first or second XI
If green energy is akin to a dead parrot, then Future Made in Australia is like Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. Badly planned, badly executed, a complete disaster.
While it is unusual for a state government to initiate a company being put into administration, there is logic to the move. It’s hard to see how the steelworks had any future with Sanjeev Gupta in control.
It’s been a long time between drinks, although if you have a large mortgage, you may have felt the need for a drink or two.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/judith-sloan/page/2