Friday Fodder (38/24)

Australia gets less productive; Qatar Airways flies over Qantas' protectionist wall; Xi Jinping's big bazooka; why so many kids have peanut allergies; fraud, fraud, everywhere; AI's huge boom and likely bust; and Australia's boys and young men are struggling.

The federal government won't solve the housing crisis

Australia's housing crisis won't be solved by federal policies alone, and demand-side measures from both major parties risk pushing prices even higher, while critical supply-side barriers—like restrictive zoning laws and regulations—remain largely unaddressed.

The Greens are deeply unserious

The Labor government's potential deal with the Greens to eliminate negative gearing and reduce the capital gains tax discount may ultimately be more symbolic than effective in tackling Australia's housing affordability crisis.

Thursday Thinkers (37/24)

Coles and Woolworths aren't to blame for inflation; the productivity impacts of artificial intelligence; how zoning makes housing less affordable and other bad stuff; China's monetary easing won't fix the mess its local governments have created; and who spends the most on healthcare.

Lessons from the Old Country

As Britain grapples with institutional decay and economic stagnation, Australia must learn from its mistakes—especially in housing, infrastructure, and energy—before we face the same fate.

Friday Fodder (36/24)

Will we have an early election; in defence of Qantas; Amazon's attempt to regain productivity; are AI job losses inevitable; and how good are self-driving cars?

China's deflationary spiral

China's economic woes, driven by past stimulus, misguided industrial policies, and excessively tight monetary policy, are pushing the country toward deflation and a Japanification of its economy.

Monday Musings (35/24)

Dealing with the Greens might be worse than no deal at all; the student caps will come with large costs; has Strawberry revolutionised AI; what to do about Qantas; and European innovation in all the wrong places.

It's not about the children

The Australian government's proposed ban on social media for children is a misguided attempt to address the perceived harms, and along with the new misinformation bill, will infringe on freedom of expression and privacy while failing to address the real issues.

Gittins it wrong on inflation

Ross Gittins' recent column misunderstands basic economics, resulting in a confused narrative that oversimplifies inflation, misreads corporate profits, and misinterprets the relationship between industry concentration and competition.