Both Labor and the Coalition are at serious risk of being manipulated by China to further its geostrategic and political ambitions, warns Joseph Poprzeczny. Chinese-born Professor Dong Li suggests that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should be reminded of a common Chinese saying: “Chi renjia de, zui ruan; na renjia de, shou duan. -If you eat…
Contrary to recent optimistic media claims, based on the latest census, that Australia could be heading towards a “baby-boom”, a close and considered analysis of the data by a Melbourne academic demonstrates that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Catherine Sheehan reports. Overall fertility rates in Australia are continuing to decline, and current cultural…
Debt and luck have kept the economy growing over recent years, while key sectors have been hollowed out, leaving the Australian economy a “house of cards”, writes Patrick J. Byrne. Last week, the international credit crisis caused ripples in Australia when the ANZ Bank chief Mike Smith announced that the ANZ’s bad debts charge could…
Victoria’s run-down regional rail infrastructure risks collapsing within five years, former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer has warned. An inquiry, recently completed by Mr Fischer into the shortcomings of Victoria’s railways, attracted submissions from all around Australia, and has raised serious questions about the impact on railway services of deregulation and National Competition Policy. Antony…
The Federal Government’s misguided water plan could wipe $28 billion off the Australian economy. Recently, over 400 farmers protested in Canberra over the federal water plan, which could wipe $28 billion off the Murray-Darling Basin’s economy following the drought. “The plan is set to induce a man-made disaster across the Basin, which will force up…
Kevin Rudd has been so fearful of losing votes that he has turned Labor into a policy copycat party, at least until election day, writes Joseph Poprzeczny. With polls consistently showing Labor under Kevin Rudd leading the Coalition by 10 points, the election looks to have a landslide in store for us, like the 1975…