Monthly Archives: February 2016

File under “déformation professionnelle”

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

This is a note to myself. It’s from the report of the NDIS Citizen’s Jury Scorecard. However, in a way that speaks for itself, it may be of interest to Troppodillians. It’s an illustration of professional obfuscation and indifference to those in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Health | 5 Comments

Picking winners, industry policy and the Defence White Paper

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Ken Parish

Way back in the 1980s and 90s when I was a Labor “apparatchik” and then for a short time a local politician in the Northern Territory, the Opposition of which I was a part was for a time led by … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - national | 30 Comments

There’s never been a more exciting time to be Captain Shorten

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Ken Parish

What strange times we live in! The Red Star Line’s passenger cruise freighter SS Labor, despite a seemingly lacklustre captain with a mutinous history, is sailing full steam ahead for port carrying an impressive cargo of solid policies and fiscal measures … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics - national | 4 Comments

Dennis Jensen and the ‘noble savage’ – a constructive perspective

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Ken Parish

Federal Liberal backbencher Dr Dennis Jensen is a right wing MP with views not unlike those of his colleague Corey Bernardi.  He “distinguished” himself this week in Parliament with a diatribe about Indigenous communities supposedly living a ‘noble savage’ lifestyle: “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - national, Race and indigenous | 9 Comments

My comments on the draft of the Shergold Review

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

Peter Shergold’s report on learning from mistakes is out. It advises on how to avoid the mistakes of the Pink Batts fiasco (He was asked to do this by a government that, pretty obviously, wasn’t the slightest bit interested in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Education, Innovation | 9 Comments

Pssst! Malcolm. Steal Labor’s tax policies and slash company tax

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Ken Parish

I don’t understand why Prime Minister Turnbull and Treasurer ScoMo are busily demonising Labor’s entirely sensible announced policies in relation to negative gearing and Capital Gains Tax for residential rental properties.  I can only assume that the politician’s instinct to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics - national | 9 Comments

Legal shockwaves following the dissection of the oath.

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Paul Frijters

Following Nick and Rex’s tongue-in-cheek deconstruction of the ‘concept’ and ‘gravitational waves’, news has just come in that the oath witnesses take in Australia has been sliced into its fundamental constituents: perjury, utopia, and blasphemy. ‘It was quite easy to … Continue reading →

Posted in bubble, Competitions, Cultural Critique, Geeky Musings, Libertarian Musings | 5 Comments