-
2 weeks ago | 
theconversation.com | Nicole Hasham |Daniel J Cass |John Quiggin |Magnus Söderberg |Samantha Hepburn |Tony Wood
Debate over high energy bills and the broader cost-of-living crisis have been central to the federal election campaigns of the major parties. Both Labor and the Coalition say their energy policies are the best way to bring household power costs down – but which side is right? The Coalition has pledged to build seven nuclear reactors at the sites of former coal plants, should it win government.
-
2 weeks ago | 
johnquiggin.com | John Quiggin
Back in 2022, after my first encounter with ChatGPT, I suggested that it was likely to wipe out large categories of “bullshit jobs”, but unlikely to create mass unemployment. In retrospect, that was probably an overestimate of the likely impact. But three years later, it seems as if an update might be appropriate. Source: WikipediaIn the last three years, I have found a few uses for LLM technology.
-
2 weeks ago | 
australiainstitute.org.au | John Quiggin
The university sector is in a governance crisis, fuelled by its lack of accountability to staff, students, federal or state governments. Australia needs a plan to make the sector accountable to the federal government and make university education and research a public service.
-
2 weeks ago | 
johnquiggin.com | John Quiggin
Anzac Day again, and war still ravages the world. Someday, peace will come.
-
3 weeks ago | 
johnquiggin.com | John Quiggin
Having finished off the Easter eggs (or bunnies/bilbies) and Hot Cross Buns (though these are a year-round thing now), I ought to be turning attention back to what’s happening in the world. But that’s too depressing to look at, a view our aspiring leaders have endorsed by resolutely ignoring anything more geopolitical than the price of petrol.
-
3 weeks ago | 
johnquiggin.com | John Quiggin
Back in November, when I concluded that Trump’s dictatorship was a fait accompli lots of readers thought I was going over the top. In retrospect, and with one exception, I was hopelessly over-optimistic. I imagined a trajectory similar to Orban’s Hungary, with a gradual squeeze on political opposition and civil society, playing out over years and multiple terms in office,. The reality has been massively worse, both in terms of speed and scope.
-
1 month ago | 
johnquiggin.com | John Quiggin
Thanks to James Wimberley for prompting me to write this, and alerting me to the data on China’s emissionsMost of the news these days is bad, and that’s true of the climate. Even as climatic disasters worsen, the Trump regime is doing its best to dismantle US and global efforts to decarbonize our energy systems. But there is still some surprisingly good news. First, China’s emissions from coal-fired electricity appear to have peaked.
-
1 month ago | 
johnquiggin.com | John Quiggin
My latest in The GuardianDonald Trump’s announcement of a “Liberation Day”, involving the imposition of tariffs on almost every country in the world, is one of a series of measures which call for an urgent reorientation of Australia’s economic and foreign policy. It is, in effect, a commitment to remove the United States from the global economy, which is seen by Trump as unfair and exploitative of Americans. The 10% tariff imposed on Australian exports is not of great concern in itself.
-
1 month ago | 
msn.com | John Quiggin
Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
-
1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | John Quiggin
Donald Trump’s announcement of a “liberation day”, involving the imposition of tariffs on almost every country in the world, is one of a series of measures which call for an urgent reorientation of Australia’s economic and foreign policy. It is, in effect, a commitment to remove the United States from the global economy, which is seen by Trump as unfair and exploitative of Americans. The 10% tariff imposed on Australian exports is not of great concern in itself.
