Donald Trump appears to regard tariffs as a political and geo-strategic weapon as much as an instrument of economic protection of local industries. For him, it’s really all about negotiation.
Following the money is a useful guide to understanding what is going on in the public square. The revelations about the CFMEU and Cbus are really the tip of the iceberg.
MYEFO shows spend and tax is in Labor’s DNA. But there are no Peter Walshes or Paul Keatings to take an axe to excessive spending.
Chris Bowen refuses to acknowledge what’s going on in virtually every developed economy around the world and some developing ones too.
The only conclusion to draw is from Thursday’s overshoot on net overseas migration figures is that the Canberra bureaucrats don’t really know what they are doing.
The bigger ticket item the PM is contemplating is a flat-fee model for all users. It would be crazy, but that probably won’t stop him.
If Labor ‘friends’ dominate the new board, there will be real questions over the objectivity of the decision-making. This is particularly important because the non-bank appointees will make up most of the board.
What is becoming clear is that there are many unintended consequences when governments seek to diminish consumer sovereignty by attempting to direct consumer purchases in ways that don’t reflect their preferences.
The idea that Australia can become a renewable energy superpower is fanciful. As for things being made in Australia, we are making fewer things, not more.
The inescapable conclusion from COP29 is that its relevance is rapidly diminishing, but Chris Bowen has failed to read the signs.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/judith-sloan/page/3