John Hewson

6 days ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | John Hewson

As United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs unleash chaos and turmoil across global markets, financial authorities around the world are forced into the unenviable role of working out how to protect their economies.At such an unpredictable juncture, with the leader of the world’s largest economy going rogue, who would want to be a central banker? The risks of a recession in the US and globally are now very real, as are the prospects of increasing inflation, again both in the US and globally.

1 week ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | John Hewson

As the major parties compete for the title of best economic manager, they are still ignoring the elephant in the room. Their future spending commitments, and voters’ expectations for further support, are not adequately funded by the prospective tax base. Many tax concessions, given initially in good faith, are no longer appropriate in light of today’s policy challenges. Many wealthy individuals and corporations are not meeting their tax obligations, indeed paying little or no tax.

2 weeks ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | John Hewson

The launch of the campaign for the May 3 federal election brings back many memories, laughs and cautionary tales of my experiences on the trail in the 1990s. As opposition leader, I had embarked on a big-picture strategy. I released the Fightback policy package designed to deliver the kind of country and economy we would want in 2000. The pressure was really on – what I had to do was to sell it.

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | John Hewson

The only rival to the arrogance of Morrison’s gas-led recovery strategy is its irresponsibility. So much for evidence-based policy as a foundation for good, responsible government. There is no evidence to support the expansion of gas-fired generation in today’s world, whererenewablesare decidedly cheaper, and with negligible emissions.

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | John Hewson

Air pollution from Australias dirty coal-burning power stations needlessly causes 850 cases of low birth weight and at least 800 premature deaths per year. Coal is also the number one cause of the climate crisis. Clean renewable technology is available now to prevent these problems and protect young lives. Our youth are a natural treasure and they must be protected.