Australia Archives - Page 3 of 12

Fighting for Academic Freedom on Your Behalf

The three-year dispute between the University of Queensland and academic Paul Frijters has finally been resolved, with the Fair Work Commission finding in Frijters’ favour.

But this is a case that should ring alarm bells not just for all academics undertaking controversial work – but for the general public, which has a right to expect that the institutions funded by its tax dollars will support and protect academic freedom, rather than work against it.

For Faster Internet Speeds, Avoid the Outback

This week the Productivity Commission released an issues paper as part of an inquiry into the adequacy of Australia’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) for telecommunications, in light of changes in technology and demand.

Cheers to Australia’s GDP

It is hard to find any bad news in the latest quarterly GDP result. GDP growth of 1.1% for the March quarter (0.9% trend) puts annual growth just over 3%.

The Federal Budget and subsequent Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) forecast for 2.5% for the current fiscal year 2015-16 looks likely to be comfortably exceeded. The figures indicate that, for the moment at least, the economy is tracking at or above its potential.

Treasurer vs. Shadow Treasurer: Fight!

While watching the debate between the Treasurer Scott Morrison and Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen today at the National Press Club one would not find much in the way of new information, compared to what has been outlined during the budget and debated in the course of the subsequent election campaign.

Meanwhile, one would wonder if the two contenders for the top economic management job in Australia live in the same country.

Meanwhile, in Australian Television News

The Ten Network is signing a five-year regional television affiliation agreement with WIN, ending long-standing speculation. While WIN needs Ten’s big name programs, this move looks forced and results in WIN sacrif

Running with the Herd

The price gap between houses and apartments in many Australian cities is closing as property investors exhibit a significant degree of herding behaviour, according to new research.

The research comes amid speculation that Australia is in a housing bubble. Herding behaviour is leading to excessive borrowing, further fuelling apartment prices, particularly in Sydney.

Factoring the Environment into a Federal Budget

Charles Dickens’ character Oliver Twist is perhaps best known as the boy who wanted more. Of course, he got none. Instead, his efforts prompted Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle (official) to offer a princely £5 to anyone who would take the boy off his hands.

The environment is something of a modern Oliver Twist in the budget workhouse. There’s certainly no more porridge on offer – indeed significantly less counting the changes to renewable energy funding announced on 23 March.

The RBA Stirs the Negative Gearing Pot

A memo on the subject of housing taxation from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is stirring up debate on proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax in the election campaign. The memo, dated December 9 2014, does counter the government’s claim that changes to negative gearing will have an adverse effect on housing prices, although this was never its intended purpose.

Australia Still Tweaking Superannuation

The superannuation changes announced in last week’s federal budget will better target super towards its core purpose of supplementing the Age Pension. However, in such a complex area as super, appearances can deceive. Parts of the budget package may make the system even more generous to high-income earners – and more expensive for the government.

Carry forward won’t help women and carers to ‘catch up’

Aussie Subs with a French Flair

Australia’s decision to award the French firm DCNS the contract to design and build new submarines for its Navy was a controversial one. DCNS will build a scaled down conventional version of its Barracuda-class nuclear submarine with all, or most, of the submarine to be built in Adelaide, South Australia.

As well as the French option, there were two other contenders — ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) of Germany with a Type 216-class submarine, and the Japanese government with a proposal based on the existing Soryu-class submarine.