John Quiggin

The #HAFF was Albanese #Labor’s biggest single program, spending $500 million a year. The Greens extracted $3 billion more over (I think) 3 years, tripling the size of the program #auspol Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

One of the iconic moments in Australian sport occurred in at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Australians are strong in most summer sports, but we don’t have much in the way of a winter, so it was considered quite an achievement for Steven Bradbury to make the finals of the speed skating event. He was given little chance of winning, and was trailing the pack until the final seconds, when all four skaters ahead of him crashed spectacularly. Bradbury cruised past them to claim the gold medal,...

My latest in Crikey Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please. I’m now using Substack as a blogging platform, and for my monthly email newsletter. For the moment, I’ll post both at this blog and on Substack. You can also follow me on Mastodon here. Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

My latest in Inside Story Fears about the impact of increasing longevity haven’t aged well John Quiggin 4 September 2023 1690 words Wrong assumption: treasurer Jim Chalmers launching this year’s Intergenerational Report at the National Press Club of Australia last month. Lukas Coch/AAP Image Share “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” This aphorism, apparently of Danish origin and sometimes attributed to the physicist Niels Bohr,...

The Courier-Mail (no link) is running a #Brisbane airport propaganda line that a curfew would disrupt flights for a million people a year (8 flights per night*pax/flight*365). Using the same basis of calculation, and assuming 500k people under the flight path, they are disturbing about 100 million people a year. #auspol #greens #auspol Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

I wrote this for the Guardian last week, Events have already moved on, with the snap resignation of Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, but the anomalous status of a “national flag carrier” with no interest in the welfare of the nation remains unresolved. Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please. I’m now using Substack as a blogging platform, and for my monthly email newsletter. For the moment, I’ll post both at this blog and on Substack. You can also follow me on Mastodon here. Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

We can talk about a higher rate of GST in Australia, but it will never happen My latest in The Conversation #auspol Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please. I’m now using Substack as a blogging platform, and for my monthly email newsletter. For the moment, I’ll post both at this blog and on Substack. You can also follow me on Mastodon here. Share this:Like this:Like Loading...