Former Queensland Under Treasurer Sir Leo Hielscher might be 91, but he is definitely "not out" yet. His McIlwraith Lecture sparkled with commonsense, leavened by long experience.
Topic: Economics
ACCC bells the cat on intermittent renewable energy
The ACCC Electricity supply and prices inquiry final report is a tacit acknowledgement that current strategies for CO2 abatement will not work at an affordable price for consumers.
Australia Institute figures on coal royalties wrong
The Australia Institute claims are emphatically wrong, as shown in Table C.1, taken from the Queensland Budget Papers 2018/2019.
Queensland budget: thank your kids, they’ll be paying
Speaking for my generation, I "like" this budget. No chance we’ll have to pay for the benefits. The bill is being passed on to the next generation.
Coal royalty windfall should be invested in debt reduction
Commodity prices are a cyclical game, and the state treasurer should bank them in good financial management, rather than squandering them as though they are recurring revenues.
Queensland election issues: open letter from 7 public policy professionals
We the undersigned call on all political parties and candidates contesting this state election to commit to run campaigns which address the key issues for Queensland’s future.
National Energy Guarantee no guarantee at all
The federal government’s National Energy Guarantee is likely to increase reliability in electricity supply, but is unlikely to provide a meaningful decrease in electricity prices because of the continued increase in the penetration of renewables.
Deirdre McCloskey explains what makes Australia great
The quaint idea that the intellectual property of Australia was somehow created by Aborigines, Anglos and (mostly) European postwar settlers misrepresents the truth.
Lobbyists parading as charities can account to donors and taxpayers
Why does one of the richest countries in the world want international charity?
The sad reality of ‘Buy Queensland’
Queensland’s new beggar-my-neighbour state purchasing policy, apart from being a dog whistle to neo-protectionist One Nation voters, guarantees falling living standards for all of us.