Blogotariat

Jennifer Hewitt writes a reasonable piece on the gas crisis, but her conclusion is rubbish. AFR. …blaming the LNG export industry for high power prices is an easy political target despite the extraordinary complexity and commercial self-interest in the gas market. At various times since, both Coalition and Labor governments have attempted to make up

The post How to break the gas cartel appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Peter Dutton’s excellent East Coast gas reservation policy is being undermined by policies that few voters asked for and that the mainstream will never support. On Wednesday, Dutton announced that a Coalition government will crack down on “waste and rorts” in government spending, which Labor has argued means cuts to essential services, including health and

Grattan Institute CEO, Aruna Sathanapally, told ABC’s Q&A that Australia’s failure to build enough housing was “at the heart of our economic problems”: “We can see that the wealth of higher-income Australians or higher-wealth Australians has turbocharged, particularly due to housing prices. It’s property prices that’s led to that increase in wealth. And we haven’t

As Kia launches its new EV3, head of product Roland Rivero discussed the companies grand plan. Plus: The Driven team discuss the latest EV news.

This is another pointless debate, as usual. The Reserve Bank governor has contradicted Labor’s claims that wages can continue to rise without productivity gains, as the Albanese government pushes for an above-inflation increase for 3 million workers on minimum rates this year. Labor’s submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review calls for an

The post Aussie mediocrity is turning fatal appeared first on MacroBusiness.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a new round of sweeping tariffs, part of what he has branded his ‘Liberation Day’ plan, raising concerns over a potential global trade war.

Washington is introducing customs duties on all countries based on the principle of reciprocity, Trump has announced, calling it a day of economic independence for the United States.

Ben is joined by journalist Rachel Withers, writer of the Crikey column ‘Well Hung’, to discuss the prospects for independent candidates, including teal and Muslim independents, at the 2025 federal election.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released Q4 2024 data on household debt. As illustrated in the chart below, the ratio of household debt to income was 182% in Q4 2024, tracking close to a record high. This was driven by mortgage debt, which was tracking at 135% of household disposable in Q4.

The post Australian households remain buried in debt appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Finnish energy company shutters its last coal-fired power plant, ending coal use in the capital Helsinki and putting Finland on the brink of eliminating coal entirely.

Local council is taking the fight against contested wind projects to the roads, saying it has no jurisdiction to approve upgrades necessary to transport turbines.

You can’t do it differently until you imagine it differently.

By George Monbiot, adapted from a BlueSky thread, 2nd April 2025

One of capitalism’s greatest successes is to shut down our imaginations. With the help of its favoured tools – neoliberalism and fascism – it persuades us that “there is no alternative”. Our first task is to re-ignite our moral imaginations and name our alternatives.