The federal government’s Commission of Audit - tasked with finding efficiency and productivity improvements to deliver a surplus of 1% of GDP prior to 2023-24 - remains overshadowed by the many reviews…
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Ben Bernanke prepares to vacate his seat as Chairman of the US Federal Reserve on Friday, making way for for Janet Yellen, just as the developed economies finally seem to be coming right. Yellen’s impact…
As my wife and I arrived in Davos on the train for the World Economic Forum, We had a feeling of déjà vu not unlike arriving at Harvard for graduate school – we sort of didn’t belong and we sort of did…
Social media presents many challenges for the world of work. One is the potential for employees’ online comments when off-duty to become a fertile source of evidence for allegations of misconduct and grounds…
The world’s wine markets have become far more competitive over the past decade, but despite the competition, Australia’s mix of winegrape varieties is not very different from the rest of the world’s. Since…
As widely anticipated, prime minister Tony Abbott’s speech to the World Economic forum (WEF) stressed the absolute centrality of the private sector as an engine of economic growth. Outlining Australia’s…
Social services minister Kevin Andrews has targeted the Disability Support Pension and Newstart, the main payment for the unemployed, for reform, branding the current level of welfare as unsustainable…
News that the National Commission of Audit had been granted an extension of time shouldn’t be a surprise given the complexity of issues in the scope of its first phase. The questions it is examining around…
When it comes to expectations for power price rises in the year ahead, the short answer is on average we can expect them to be less severe in 2014 than in recent years. The long answer, driven by electricity…
Australian business’s innovation track record has been patchy, but it’s commercialisation track record has been even worse. Now the Abbott Government is considering another proposal – this time from Ausbiotech…
Anti-government demonstrations in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, have culminated in the government declaring a state of emergency for 60 days over the city. The Thai government hopes that the restriction…
When prime minister Tony Abbott delivers his speech outlining “Australia’s Vision for the G20” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, he will have the attention of some of…
On days when the Victorian Health Department issued Heat Health Alerts warning the extreme hot weather substantially increased the risk of heat-related illness and mortality, and outside work on Victorian…
When your staff bicker and compete, your initial response should be to remind them they’re part of the same team and encourage them to be friendly, right? Not necessarily; we’re now realising that a level…
The relaxation of a ban on the sale of video game consoles in China has opened up an enormous market for the three big console manufacturers. The sudden opening has already precipitated a surge in Nintendo’s…
The push from the states to reduce the GST threshold on imported goods is being driven by a desire for a bigger pool of GST revenue and in spite of the inevitable backlash from consumers, they will get…
The recent hack and subsequent data loss by US retailer Target involved the personal information of at least 70 million customers, including names, phone numbers, email and mailing addresses. It follows…
Australia’s cost of living is among the highest in the world, despite our low inflation rate. In this series we explore what consumers can expect from the big ticket items - petrol, power and groceries…
To say that Microsoft is struggling at the moment is an understatement. The search for a new CEO is not going well, Microsoft mobile phones are still failing to capture any significant mind and market…
The idea that red tape is one of the most pervasive and damaging problems afflicting businesses has reached mythical stature over the years. And no doubt the Abbott Government sees it that way too, with…
The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report released this week is moderately optimistic about the short-term outlook of the global economy. World Bank economists anticipate an improvement in most…
Australia’s cost of living is among the highest in the world, despite our low inflation rate. In this series we explore what consumers can expect from the big ticket items - petrol, power and groceries…
Treasurer Joe Hockey expected yesterday’s public hearing into the Commission of Audit would be a “show trial” and a “stunt”. And at face value he was right. Those who hoped Tony Shepherd or the other Commissioners…
Are corporate and academic research ethics up to the task of dealing with the “cool but creepy” dilemmas of big data? A recent paper, Self Censorship on Facebook, shows that Facebook wants to know why…
In contrast to the gloom enveloping manufacturing and the slowing growth in commodities, tourism is expected to be a bright spot for Australia’s economy this year. In his final public address, Tourism…