Not only is Australia spending billions on Snowy Hydro 2.0, the result is that we are generating less electricity. The difference is clear: when people like David Pocock and Allegra Spender demand more spending but don't care what the result is you get less. In China they spend more to get more and the results are clear.

7.5%. That's how far new home sales fell in the September quarter, says builders' group HIA, amid "higher interest rates, increased taxes" and uncertainty. "Higher interest rates will not build more homes." Nor will more tax. Planning reform will. hia.com.au/our-industry/news…

50.9%. That's the share of family income now going on mortgage repayments, the highest PRD has recorded. Four rate rises this year, and markets give a fifth a 64% chance. Rates aren't the disease. Flat productivity is. eliteagent.com/mortgage-repa…

Not only is Australia spending billions on Snowy Hydro 2.0, the result is that we are generating less electricity. Only government can spend more of someone else's money to give you less of something. This is true across education, healht, infrastructure. It is why our living standards keep falling

On current settings the average income tax rate climbs from 24.9% to a record 28.6% by 2036-37. No vote. Just bracket creep. smh.com.au/politics/federal/…

Two years into administration, police have charged another CFMEU delegate, alleging drug and weapons deals at the union's own HQ. Charges are not convictions. But a royal commission was refused. Why do our workplace laws serve the IR Club and not workers? smh.com.au/politics/victoria…

So you know all those people like the Australia Institute that claimed the problem with housing was tax. Yea, turns out, they were, let me find the word here: lying? No delusional, that's closer. Mortgage repayments now take 50.9% of family income, a peak in PRD's measure, driven by rate rises and a 7.8% rise in average loan sizes; new dwelling cost inflation 5.3%.

The old politics of buying off voters is coming to a horrible end. France's 10-year yield broke 5% on 21 October for the first time since 2002, rose to 5.089% on 22 October, and moved above the US 10-year for the first time since 2013. France's deficit was 5.1% of GDP in 2025 and its debt 115.6% of GDP; parliamentary gridlock has blocked pension and spending reform. (theguardian.com/world/2026/o…).

What I truly admire about Jim Chalmers is his communication skills. Any other treasurer would have been run out of town by now. Productivity and economic growth: Treasury is revising forecasts for the December mid-year update; the Treasurer says "higher interest rates and higher inflation are likely to mean softer growth and slightly higher unemployment". Unemployment hit a five-year high of 4.7% in September. The RBA has raised rates four times this year to 4.6%, underlying inflation is stuck at 3.6%, and markets imply a 64% chance of a fifth rise to 4.85% next month. [Reuters via Investing.com, 22 Oct 2026](investing.com/news/economy-n…).

The bill for the free handouts and fake public sector investments is arriving. Four rate rises, a record share of income on the mortgage, a $2 billion renewable energy project heading to $25 billion, and a G7 country now paying more to borrow than the United States. The conflagration in the bond markets are the symptom; flat productivity is the disease caused by the political culture of grift that opposed micro-economic reform and protects its rent seeking at all costs

Yep. The problem is that we just have not done enough of what caused the problem, if we do more of it that should solve it. We are living in the 1970s again

It is easy to forget that not that long ago, like five years ago, there would have been little that could have been done for this man. It is easy to forget that we live in incredible times

For most Australians, the "we were forced to do it" attitude on display here is nothing new

The video of her political posturing, as with her lifestyle, was very familiar to many Australians

Australians worked 2.4% more hours in the year to June. The economy grew only 2.1%. So output per hour fell 0.2%. Since 2023, Australians have been in a near uninterupted per capita recession. We are running harder to stand still. That is not bad luck, it is a choice pc.gov.au/ongoing/productivi…

There is going to come a time, in the not too distant future, when our society is going to suffer a major disruption that will take years to recover from. There have been so many close calls in the last three years