Recent publications
Letter to Coalition MPs
A letter to Coalition MPs regarding the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012.
Figures do not lie - building industry out of control
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released quarterly data on industrial disputes for the September quarter 2012. "Industrial disputation in construction soared to an alarming level. Construction recorded 62.7 days lost to industrial...
The Automotive industry: Workplace relations impediments to its survival
The Automotive industry: Workplace relations impediments to its survival
Changes we need to make our country rich
Published in Australian Resources & Investment Magazine, December 2012
A 'nudge' in the wrong direction
Like many sinister concepts, the idea of governments ‘nudging' people may seem on first glance somewhat innocuous. Rather than relying on coercion such as using bans, fines and regulation to achieve social change, nudge employs a supposedly...
The economics of food
Have you ever not ordered something at a restaurant because it had strange ingredients, and ordered the roast chicken instead? Ever tried a restaurant because the social vibe of the place made you think it would be a great night out? They're safe...
The big government merry-go-round
Unintentional self-parody has long being a forte of governments around the world. Yet a movement in recent years to create multi-layered government and quasi-governmental agencies, each existing simply to lobby each other to in turn lobby other...
The life and times of the modest member
The publication of this new biography of legendary anti-tariff campaigner, Bert Kelly, is particularly timely. For it was fifty years ago, in late 1962, that the Australian policy of ‘protection all round', sometimes dubbed McEwenism,...
The ghost written article the government wanted us to publish
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says this article, secretly written by his department and offered to the IPA Review, is ‘a huge improvement on the rubbish they normally print'. We thought we'd print this...
Why the press gallery failed us, and why they will again
One of the most revealing stories in modern Australian politics comes from James Button-a speechwriter for Kevin Rudd for a short time in 2009. Button's recent and fascinating book, Speechless: A year in my father's business, details the now...