Housing
Can we fix housing?
Decades of policy decisions have strangled construction productivity, making housing increasingly unaffordable in Australia.
Housing
Trade
More on Trump's tariffs, Albo's upper class welfare, Dutton's housing gimmick, Canada's pain, Australia's challenges, and why are so many of us disabled
The fallout from the first Trump 2.0 tariffs has continued into the week, with the latest casualty (other than global equities) being the risky crypto that had been bid up on what was 'supposed' to be a market-friendly Trump government: Crypto and equities subsequently rebounded a little
Industrial policy
Albanese's future, making housing less affordable, King Dollar, the demise of Britain, and there is no AI moat
An Australia-wide long weekend kicks off tomorrow, and between the Perth Rugby Sevens tournament and Australia Day festivities I'm not going to have all that much time for the usual reading and writing. So the next time you'll hear from me will probably be in the
Reform
Time for reform, censorship and good intentions, how California mismanaged its fires, and the housing target is a bust
I trust everyone had a lovely weekend, or for those just getting back into the office, a wonderful summer break! The people want reform The Pew Research Centre released the results of its latest survey measuring the "support for changing the current economic system" across 36 countries: "
Housing
Getting serious about housing, ending the Future Fund, the latest bird flu, just tell the truth, and lessons from the NBN
I trust everyone's nice and refreshed from the summer break! Lots of interesting things to discuss today, starting with some positive-sounding housing policy news from NSW. Potentially good news on housing The NSW government and the opposition are getting serious about housing: "NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman
Energy
Energy abundance, the price of ethnonationalism, and the dystopian myID
How not to do energy policy; the problems with acknowledgements to country; your ID or your facial data; the costs of land use zoning; and the war in Ukraine may not last much longer.
Migration
A policy win, Albanese's inflation challenge, and Housing's silver lining
No quotas on international students (good riddance); how people think of money could cost Albanese at the next election; at least Australia's housing market still functions like a market; why Europe stagnates; the not-so Future Fund, trade thoughts, Elon Musk's incentives, and the future of war.
Growth
Should Australia be the richest country in the world?
The recent Nobel Prize in Economics sheds light on Australia's biggest challenges and offers insights into whether they can be truly solved.
Housing
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.
Housing
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.
Housing
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.
Housing
Good intentions aren't enough
To ease the rental crisis and prevent it from happening again, governments should provide targeted assistance while focusing on increasing housing supply through planning reforms, rather than implementing well-intentioned but counterproductive policies like no-fault eviction bans.