Opinion on politics and social policy
from
across the board
New Matilda has announced that, all other things being equal, it will close on Friday 25 June. It is always sad to see a neighbour go, even if they are a competitor, and I was saddling-up to write a short but sympathetic note.
I had a little to do with […] Continue Reading…
Almost over now-the trials and tiny pleasures of a three week visit with my ageing mother. At 86, she manages,but only just. Things fall off the trolleys of shopping, home maintenance, nutrition, and above all, planning and paper work.
As always, the inbuilt contradictions of US society confound me. There […] Continue Reading…
I frequently don’t get to watch the 7:00 pm news, but last night I did and was astounded to see Treasury Secretary Ken Henry, looking as arrogant and inflated as the mining bosses his RSPT diminishes, intoning that it does not represent an increase in sovereign risk.
So much for the […] Continue Reading…
If Australia’s spies aren’t forging passports, they’re not doing their job properly. Julie Bishop was just stating the obvious. Barrie Cassidy has a good take on the issue. Bishop’s only gaffe was her semi-backdown.
In fact, if there was any doubt that Australia’s spies engage in these activities, the PM […] Continue Reading…
So much for the impregnable economy and the iron-man solid aussie dollar. Perhaps our rocks are coming home to roost, as the world’s biggest investors (not you or I, dear reader) scramble for more secure positions by juggling their baskets of world currencies.
What does this volatility portend? No crystal […] Continue Reading…
Visiting San Francisco after too many years, I wonder why I ever left. This gorgeous, urbane city has become even more beautiful over the years. The old Embarcadero expressway has been torn down, to open up the harbour side of the city for markets, parks, and housing. Ah yes, […] Continue Reading…
Citi has revised its calculation of the cost to the mining community of the Resource Rental Tax and the table is below. There are a few offsets that their original calculations left out, so they’ve run a 10 year model after consultation with the tax department.
Total Australian taxes on mining will be 45% higher than their next nearest rival the USA and 152% higher than Canada. Australia is about to lose a significant share of world mining activity and income. […] Continue Reading…
I was present at both meetings in Canberra this past Sunday of the Wilderness Society. The flurry of emails and media coverage about the looming stouch implied it was important. They do good work, and are one of the best known environmental groups in Australia. At the meeting it was […] Continue Reading…
The newspapers report that there are more mobile phones than toilets in India. Hardly surprising, given the number of times a bush was the best we could do for a ‘comfort stop’ on my recent tour, and the number of men along side the road as the bus pulled […] Continue Reading…