Dear

It looks like the lockdowns are coming to an end in Queensland, and we will be looking to open-up our offices again for face-to-face functions, probably also including a Zoom component. COVID-19 has accelerated the move to online, and life will never be the same again.

Professor Tony Makin and the Hon Kate Carnell

We are still only operating virtually, so don’t forget this Monday’s presentation by Professor Tony Makin and the Hon Kate Carnell “Where does the economic response to COVID-19 leave us?”.

Tony and Kate will talk about the measures the government has taken, along with winners and losers, what sort of recovery they think we will have, and some of the policies we should adopt for the future.

Do we need to reduce debt, or can we keep spending as some Keynesians, and proponents of Modern Monetary Theory, would contend? Is there a role for reducing regulation? Should changes to IR laws made for the pandemic be extended beyond the outbreak? Do we put taxes up or down?

These are two high quality speakers, and they deserve high quality audience members like you. The function starts at 12:30 this Monday. To  book click here. This is the first lunchtime function we have tried, so if you like the idea of a lunchtime function come to this first one to let us know how it compares in popularity to after work ones.

Michael Sexton

On August 27, 2020 we will have an evening function with NSW Solicitor General Michael Sexton. Michael is an occasional contributor to The Australian and The Spectator. He has been a constant supporter of free speech, truth and commonsense. He’s the author of many books, including two published by our good friends Connor Court: On the Edges of History and Dissenting Opinions.

So put this down in your diary. Details will be advised later.

Last Monday we released a strategic climate/energy policy issues paper by Dr Tom Biegler. The paper looked at the practical issues with electrifying the whole economy, which is what is required if Australia wants to be 100% CO2-free. This is a task at least 250% larger than replacing current power generation, and at current rates of growth of renewables will take 60 years. That doesn’t take account of any population growth, with Australia currently doubling population every 35 or so years.

Tom concludes that the task will never be achieved without adopting nuclear energy as part of the generation mix.

You can download the paper by clicking here. You can also download Tom’s PowerPoint presentation by clicking here. Tom has had a prestigious career as an academic, but is also a former Chief of the CSIRO Division of Mineral Chemistry.

We made a submission to the Economics and Governance Committee of the Queensland Parliament on the Queensland Government’s economic response to COVID-19. The submission focussed on three things:

• Health and the economy are both intertwined and so economic measures need to consider both, and incorporate cost-benefit analysis.
• Governments have a duty to ensure that individuals are supported when they need it, but they cannot insure everyone against loss, and they should not underwrite business. So the economic measures they implement should only address issues of genuine personal hardship.
• The legislation that forced private landlords to reduce rents for tenants affected by COVID-19 is an outrageous denial of private property rights, and forces individuals to offer support which is really the role of the state.

You can download the submission by clicking here.

Conclusion

Look forward to seeing you online on Monday or in our offices on August 27.

.Regards,

Graham Young
Executive Director