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David Collyer

Australia cries ‘Aorta!’

Australians love to whinge about our bust federal system. It is a national sport where we stand around with hands in pockets and call out “Aorta!” “Aorta deregulate!” “Aorta fund schools! “Aorta cut taxes!” “Aorta build roads! Consider our public…

The Right to Collect the Rent

by Phillip Anderson Editor, Cycles, Trends and Forecasts NARITA, JAPAN:- This week judges in the UK ruled that Uber can continue operating. The judges decided Uber’s smartphone app is not a taxi meter. The app is what connects user to…

Do we at last have an Infrastructure Prime Minister?

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delighting Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk by announcing a federal contribution of $95 million for the Gold Coast light rail project. Journalists have leapt on this new policy stance, different from the previous PM…

The good ol’ boys clean up

Fairfax’s Michael Pascoe writes today about Murray & Frijters’ study Clean Money in a Dirty System: Relationship Networks and Land Rezoning in Queensland which found politically connected developers gained $410 million through favourable rezoning decisions in Brisbane in the years…

Freebairn & Stewart: Let’s talk tax.

Professors John Freebairn and Miranda Stewart have penned an opinion piece today in The Age with a welcome call for state tax reform that could save taxpayers tens of billions every year. Most taxes carry deadweight losses – value destroyed…

Land rents with Thai rice

by Phillip Anderson, Editor of Cycles, Trends and Forecasts Events around the world don’t happen in a vacuum. They have causes. They’re usually linked back to rent and the corruption and self serving nature of government. Indeed, the biggest problem…

Intergenerational fairness

by Jesse Hermans Recently La Trobe’s Philosophy Politics and Economics Society and Ideas Society joint hosted an event on Intergenerational Fairness with some good insights into what future generations face – including my own. I was sorely disappointed by John…