James Watson is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Australia Institute. James Watson is a historian of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Australia. A graduate of the Australian National University’s School of History, he has written on the intersections of politics, economics, and social movements for The Guardian, History Australia, and Labour History.
The “fierce independence” of RBA Governor Michele Bullock is championed today, but in the past, the central bank’s independence has been challenged not only by government ministers, but RBA members who have willingly conceded it.
Chalmers was interpreting GDP growth as a symbol of the Australian economy’s health. The higher the GDP growth, the healthier the Australian economy. But just a week before his speech, the United Nations was cautioning member states from doing exactly that.
14 August marked a historic moment in Anthony Albanese’s professional career: he has now served longer as Prime Minister than Paul Keating, making him the 11th longest serving PM. However, the Albanese Government’s time in power has been marked by its lack of ambition.
A recent discussion paper published by the Liberal Party has tried to diagnose what has gone wrong for the party, and how to reverse this downwards trend. And it would seem much of the party’s problems are demographic.
This is an edited extract of 'Asbestos Nation: The Story of the Most Dangerous Dust in Australia' by Dr James Watson, available now.
You have probably read that Elon Musk is the world’s first trillionaire. This makes him the richest person in the world. But, does it also make him richer than most nations? Some parts of the Australian media seem to think it does.
The nation has been through wars before, and history shows us that national governments have tended to let extractive industries dictate tax policy during these periods.
