Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. In the busy rush to Christmas, many members may have missed the developments related to the Australian Education Ministers’ First Biennial ... [Central Ranges LLEN News]
Tag Archives Australia
Dollar falls on job ads slump. THE dollar was weaker at noon as worries about a rising jobless rate figure this week sparked a sell-off in the currency. [Herald Sun | Breaking News]
OECD figures show 'flash flood' stimulus not working. The Federal Opposition says the latest report on the world economy by the OECD shows that the United States is the only country to have spent more than Australia on economic stimulus packages. [ABC News: Breaking Stories]
Message to the Coalition: people respond to incentives. I was listening the other day to Tony Abbott claiming that the price elasticity of petrol is zero (Joshua Gans quotes the Coalition’s Greg Hunt making the same claim). It was perhaps the first time that I had heard a politician use the word ‘elasticity’, and it made me wonder whether Abbott…
Means testing the baby bonus. I had vowed to not say another word on the baby bonus but the renewed speculation that something might be done has drawn me out. The talk now is of means testing it. As Andrew Leigh notes, this would have to be done with plenty of care but nonetheless would be a good step forward.…
Another good one from Andrew Leigh. As we draw near to budget time, there has been plenty of talk about what “middle Australia” will get. But where exactly is the middle? To provide a more precise sense, I’ve tabulated the pre-tax annual income distributions for individuals and households, in the 2008-09 tax year. My raw data is the 2006 HILDA…
COAG Communique released. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) held its 20th meeting on 20 December 2007. In addition to the Prime Minister, Premiers, Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Commonwealth and State and Territory Treasurers also attended. COAG agreed to a new model of cooperation underpinned by more effective working arrangements. COAG identified…
Teacher inquiry report now available. A unified, national approach to improve teacher education in Australia is the predominant theme of the House of Representatives Education and Vocational Training Committee's report on the inquiry into teacher education. The report, Top of the Class, makes a total of 12 recommendations. It proposes a powerful reform package of practical and achievable measures that…
Peter McMahon, writing in the On line Opinion presents an intriguing position that... The radical impact of new information technologies and the rise of the global crises (global warming, peak oil and the like) are forcing a new kind of politics into being. He suggests [as many of us would agree] that twenty-first century society will be defined by the…