Following the Wall Street collapse of August 2007, Western Europe followed the United States into recession, which was alleviated by massive injections of public funds in 2008 and 2009. Now these stimulus packages are returning to haunt Western European countries. Several governments, including those of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, face mounting difficulty in…
Twenty years ago, the rock group Midnight Oil, whose lead singer was one Peter Garrett, released a hit song called Blue Sky Mine, which denounced the dangerous work practices of CSR Ltd, in mining blue asbestos at Wittenoom, in Western Australia. For years, the mining company denied liability for asbestosis and other lung diseases caused…
The Intergenerational Report was commissioned by the former Howard Government, in accordance with the Charter of Budget Honesty Act, to provide independent advice from the Treasury to the Australian people and government about the long-term consequences of Australia’s population growth. However, the third Intergenerational Report (IGR2010) released by the Rudd Government has clearly been drafted…
History tells us that incoming American presidents have a two-year honeymoon period, and are usually re-elected for a second term. Barack Obama’s election in November 2008 created a sense of euphoria which was reflected in his unprecedented personal popularity at home, and accolades – including the Nobel Peace Prize – from abroad. Former President George…