The mining tax... why it remains a good idea

Like most of you this week, I have been reflecting on the state of Australia politics and am thinking that a good shake up is exactly what we need...

For too long the two main parties have resembled each other on key policy issues - with the mining tax being one key exception.

With the independents acting as 'King (or Queen) Makers' (as the case may be), I thought I would again raise the important issue of rent resource tax...

I had this article published by The Punch... check it out here...

Economics - a discussion of housing and stimulous

Hi everyone

Many of us have been frustrated with the simple positions taken in the 2010 federal election especially around economics. As a result, I have decided to write a couple of pieces as follows...

1. The stimulous package
No matter how you feel about the ALP, the stimulous package saved Australia from deep recession. While I was critical of some aspects of the package in the past, I think Rudd/Swan should be commended for it. I explain why here... for the Centre for Policy Development

2. Housing and economic policy beyond interest rates
In a globalised economy, the direction that interest rates take has as much to do with international factors as domestic management - and as a result, this proxy can be misdirected. A better way to judge economic credentials and leadership is by looking at the issue of housing: who can afford what; what are the inflationary implications; where is it located; and is it both economically and environmentally sustainable? These questions should not be limited to home ownership, but also need to be applied to the rental market. Read more here... in an article I wrote with Lee Rhiannon - Green's candidate for the Senate...

Hope you enjoy the read

Cheers, james

Population... size does not matter

For those of us who feel that Australia is at a crossroad on issues around sustainability the debates related to this topic have been more than a little disappointing – and I am not just talking about the election cycle. The issue of sustainability, carrying capacity and population numbers have all been meshed together to give us a linear equation: less people = more sustainability.

I believe that this is a myth that needs to be confront... and so I have grown increasingly frustrated about this debate and have started writing a response to the simplified approach.

You can read the article that I wrote for The Punch here...

In addition, British scientist Fred Pearce, has also challenged some of the numbers people are throwing around in a recent book - read an article by him here...

Hope you enjoy

Cheers, james

This election is driving me nuts

Hey everyone

I have been away for a while and have not posted much... my bad.

Despite this, much has been happening and I need to catch up on documenting it. My gig on FBI Radio is still going and I now have a new column writing for The Punch (following the sad demise of the wonderful New Matilda).

Most recently I have made my feelings known about the inadequate way the two major parties have been dealing with some major issues.

In this article I talk about why I would rather watch Masterchef (not that I ever really watched it) than deal with this election - which, as I argue, is enough to even turn political junkies off.

The article is available here...

As always, your thoughts are appreciated

Cheers, james