GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND …

Mar 3, 2018

In the Fairfax press Martin Myer of the Myer Foundation has an article “Rules around foreign donations threaten to cripple thousands of charities”.  It’s about legislation currently in Parliament, which ostensibly is designed to track foreign political donations, but which would actually place huge administrative burdens on organisations involved in policy advocacy and on their donors.

The principles of taxation are complex: in 2009 it took five volumes of the Henry Review to explain tax reform. But on ABC Radio National The Economists website is a lively 28 minute discussion “The joy of tax” between three experts, telling you (almost) everything you need to know about tax and tax reform.

Commenting on Tony Abbott’s rant calling for reduced immigration, Jessica Irving suggests that while at university he may have snoozed off at a crucial point in his economics lectures. Her article “Tony Abbott’s economic argument against immigration is flawed” dismisses the argument that immigrants take jobs from those who are already here, and she recommends that the government take up recommendations of the Grattan Institute to lower the discount rate governments use to evaluate infrastructure projects so that we can provide for a growing population.

On Phillip Adams’ Late Night Live is an interview with Kate Raworth of Oxford University about the need for “An economics for the 21st century” to deal with problems of inequality, pollution and overuse of the earth’s resources.  She gives a convincing and empirically-based critique of the neoliberal idea that the workings of the market inevitability reduce inequality.

Philosopher and author Damon Young writes on his blog and in the Canberra Times about “The deceptive story of virtuous homebuyers”.  We can engage with the yarn that all first home buyers are struggling, but in reality many have significant support from parents. The most disadvantaged are those who will never be able to buy real estate and will face a lifetime as renters, and “those excluded from stable housing altogether, by poverty and violence.”

Love, justice and humility to abuse survivors – Robert Fitzgerald, Eureka Street (Audio).

Is the British Establishment finally finished – the Guardian

The book Xi Jinping wants people to read for all the wrong reasons – the Canberra Times.

Malcolm Turnbull decides he does need an NBN connection of 100Mbps – buzz feed.

Kevin Rudd protests that Clive Hamilton attacks are just not on – Canberra Times.

Battered Barnaby Joyce all too belatedly bails out – Jack Waterford, Canberra Times

Michaelia Cash’s slur on women staffers in Parliament this week further debased our already-degraded political system, forced Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull back into his post-Barnaby Joyce corner and further exposed a Coalition killing itself with its own mistakes, writes Michelle Grattan.

Lessons in feminism via Jacinda Adern, Michaelia Cash and Bill Shorten – the Guardian

Will Turnbull’s Snowy Hydro continue his war against battery storage – RenewEconomy

On Saturday Extra this 3rd of March, Geraldine Doogue discusses primarily elections and leadership. Italy goes to the polls on Sunday under new electoral laws, writer Tim Parks explains; Germans find out on Sunday if Angela Merkel has been able to form a coalition with the SDP five months post the election, political analyst Mark Kayser discusses and Geoff Raby, former Australian ambassador to China talks about Xi Jinping’s grab for eternal power. Also academics Sarah Teo and Ralf Emmers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore discuss Asia’s middle powers. And in the month of March Saturday Extra will be bringing a special series on emerging and established historians bringing in a new genre. ANU’s Tom Griffith explains what this is and Tony Hughes d-Aeth discusses his literary history of WA’s wheatbelt area.

 

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