People & associates
Alan Moran
Taxes on carbon too drastic and too soon
Julia Gillard's loss of voter confidence was massively compounded by her reneging on the pledge that "there will be no carbon tax under a...
Surely PM is having a lend of us
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in promoting the case for Budget deficits, says, "Imagine a wage earner, John, employed in the same job throughout...
US leads on shale gas, and we ought to follow
President Barack Obama's spending and regulatory excesses are battering the US economy. However, notwithstanding government unfriendliness to...
Sale means cash for state and better power for people
Privatisation has never been popular electorally. There is a range of reasons for this. Many people believe a business that is under political...
Tough task to rein in spending and regulation
Tony Abbott is fleshing out his policies for government. Hard on the heels of repealing the carbon tax and mining taxes, he has nominated spending...
Plenty of fat to trim if leaders get real
Over the past 60 years, Australia, like most Western countries, has seen a very rapid growth in the size of government. Whereas 60 years ago...
Innovation sorely lacking in Gillard's industry move
Government "industry" policy in Australia has a dismal history. In the past, policy was dominated by tariffs that sought to provide a domestic...
Bloated public service chews up industry funds
Selective industry subsidies and requirements for higher local content in major project developments form the centrepiece of the Gillard...
Cancun can-do is a con
Ross Garnaut says carbon dioxide emissions are on track to meet targets set at the 2010 Cancun international climate change meeting. True or not,...
The Aussie dream one of the most expensive
The ninth annual Demographia survey of house prices across the world was published this week. It again shows Australian house prices, adjusted for...