Newsletters

May - June 2002
Australia's "dream" immigration pol - Europe copying, Judicial intervention out of control, Howard - still the foreign policy "dunce"? Bush's pre-emptive terrorist policy, World poverty is actually falling - and in Australia, The Intergenerational Report - a policy challenge, Aboriginal seperatism - ABS reveals problems, Are Australian companies becoming branch offices? Privatisation works - Productivity Commission Report

April 2002
International terrorism - the crunch issue, Minimum wages increase home inequality, Rabbit Proof Fence producer admits to covert political objective, Econmic Rationalism's success now established, Is the Pacific Solution working? Don't mention it! Some tit-bits

November/December 2001
Surprising election result - Howard haters lose Australia, Must continue to support the USA - Iraq too workplace relations - the PM should take it on higher immigration? Not a real growth solution union violence continues apace - this time carpets senior police warns crims - then sacked Kyoto threatens Australia - but warming still a myth vic electr prices up - but below privitisation start farmer Brack is on the wrong track excaping the recession - via ecn rationalist policies!

September/October 2001
Terrorism - What Still Needs To Be Said, Will There Be A Recession?, Howard-Haters May Hold Sway, Should We Have A More Compassionate Immigration Policy?, Judicial Intervention Continues Apace, A Solution To Construction Industry Problems, Ansett - The Union's Airline?, Aboriginal Conference On Seperatism, Love on the 1980's And 1990's, Here To Stay, Archbishop To Excommunicate Economists?, Kyoto And Bust

July/August 2001
An Opportunity To Respond To Terrorism, Labor: "Australia All Over"? Why Liberals Are Losing, Katter Resigns - But Farmers Thrive, Reith Resigns - But Australia"s Loss, OECD Figs: Employment Could Be Increased By 600,000, Judicial Intervention: The Crisis Within The Legal System, Costello Reveals: Coalition Increased The Tax Burden, Globalisation: The Chinese Threat, The Bats Are Winning, Privatisation Declines: Only $US100 BN Last Year, "Hurrah For The New Tory Government", The IT Recession We Missed - As The Central Bankers Did Too, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Norway - The Place To Be

May/June 2001
Lessons the Liberal Party Need to Learn, But Abott Tests the Water, The Rich/Poor "Gap" is Diminshing Internationally, Wht Can't We Get a Dolt Like Bush?, More Progress on Aboriginal Issues - But not on the "Culture", Global Warming - A New Development?, Why We Need to Reduce Health "Welfare", Woodside and Shell, Corporate Crashes , Victoria's Pathetic Policing Policy Continues.

March/April 2001
How the coalition could win the election, Judicial intervention — "what society has come to demand", Lessons from the Kennett era, UK public education becomes more market-oriented, The stolen generationists take one step backward, Greenhouse - and Chinese - blues, Bush would have won anyway!, Why is the dollar so low?

January/February 2001
Has Monetary Policy (and Fiscal) been pre-empted by a US recession?, A poor I/R system since Federation, The Coalition must propose substantive reforms for the next election, Even though the Federal Court may be improving at last; But Stephen Long is wrong again, And the AIRC is still there causing "casuals" trouble, More waterfront reform evidence, A Treaty is not the way forward, Former Chief Justice forgets to check the facts, Holden subsidy disgrace, How the US voted, Bats in the Belfry, Welfare protesters subsidised by the Government, The benefits of economic reform.

November/December 2000
The BAS "diversion", GST and monetary policy, Vote manipulation - There is a much bigger story, Here to stay - The MUA or Peter Reith?, The unfairness of Victorian industrial laws, The American Alliance - Also here to stay, The myth of social welfare reform, Victorian electricity shortages and the common law, Why mandatory sentencing is justified, Crime and protecting citizens - Australia and the US.

October 2000
3.7 per cent increase in GST-affected prices puts interest rates "on hold for foreseeable future", says one commentator - remember this newsletter's September quote "inflationary trends do not presage higher rates"? Workshop on aboriginal policy, Why aboriginal children are still being "stolen", Confronting the IR club, OECD reviews Australian labour market, What causes global warming - how about the sun? Policing policy - Prague or the Bush? Lets build a real "new economy", Is campaign 2000 a success?

September 2000
The myth of the "Stolen Generation" diminished, Why the $A has been depreciating, Inflationary trends do not presage higher rates, Victorian police let the side down - again, Globalisation and talking to the NGOs, Worklplace relations slide produces BCA response.

July/August 2000
Chances of US recess me substantive differences emerge, Global warming - a dead issue in the US, Blair – losing his way, British monetary policy establishes credibility too, Privatisations continue under labour, privatisations world-wide increase 10% in 1999 - mainly telecoms, Low unemployment rates in some european countries may be a mirage, Australia’s employment rate improves in 1999 – but remains low, Growth is good for the poor,aboriginal” protests in London, ABL publishes my article on an alternative to the AIRC, US recession/sharemarket “collapse” highly unlikely.

MAY/JUNE 2000
Why there should be no apology, Economic slow down continues as interest rates rise - but we don't have to follow US rates, Labour market deregulation - my debate with Keith Hancock, Labour market re-regulation - Labor's cave in to unions, NSW budget.

APRIL 2000
Discusses the present serious problems in relations between aboriginal and white Australians, and the often violent relations within some aboriginal communities. Suggests that major underlying causes of these problems are the policies pursued over the past 30 years of encouraging separate development of aboriginies, including separate aboriginal cultures; and of focusing attention on alleged past injustices, including the "stolen children". Argues that these policies need to be reversed and that encouragement needs to be given to aboriginies to be more active participants in the wider community.

MARCH 2000
Back to the I/R Jungle, But I/R reform becomes even more essential, Still no signs of increasing inflation - but central banks continue to increase interest rates, Will "Stolen Generation" judge be brave?, Victoria - the old team returning?, Labor ahead in Queensland despite unfavourable indicators, Do Australians really back the media?, Economic rationalists support government intervention.

FEBRUARY 2000
Surging industrial disputation - Unions respond to loss of members - to the federal court takeover - without further urgent reform situation may worsen, Labor's employment policy - without a flop!, Interest rates up - but inflation?, Victorian government services - some age re-assesments?, Electoral fraud - did Labor really win in 1993?, Davos - too much hot air?, Aboriginal problems - solved down south.

JANUARY 2000
Big business waits for BHP v ACTU outcome, Victorian unions campaign - The common law answer, The myth of increasing job security again revealed, US Hispanics have lower unemployment rate than our total, BCA continues to support big government, Do free market leftists exist? Read on!, The ABC is almost faultless - but votes Labor, More global hot - air despite no summer.

DECEMBER 1999
Tax Changes - Using Up "Reform Capital", The Fall in Unemployment is a Mirage - No Structural Improvement in Labour Market Functioning, Should the AIRC be Abolished - Accepted for Sunday Age Debate! Workplace Relations Reform - A Package Approach is Needed, Stolen (sic) Generation - Hearings Finished - As is the Claim, Greenhouse Gases "Threat" - Now 19,000 US Scientists Say its Nonsense. Monetary Policy - Why Interest Rates Should Not be Increased, Victoria's Expenditure and Tax Levels - Why The Age Got It All Wrong, Vic Schools - Does Enhanced Self-Management Mean Self-Government?, Globalisation - The Age Acknowledges Errors, BCA - No Credibility in Canberra, The Reform Agenda.

NOVEMBER 1999
BHP - The Phoenix Rises from the Ashes, Senate Questions - Some Answers on I/R reform (or How I Lost Egan's Friendship), Long on Errors - The AFR's Resident Union Man Continues to Err, Globalisation - No Increase in Inequality, BCA - More Soft-Option Proposals, Victoria - Was Kennett a Closet Laborite?, Interest Rate Increase - But Why?, Olympics - To Privatise or Not?
Response by Tim Colebatch

OCTOBER 1999
An alternative to the AIRC - Developing the case, Victorian election result shock - A lesson for reformers, Another shock - Current economic theory can't explain inflation, - but Quiggin gets trounced by Officer, Interest rates - Insufficient basis for official increase, Policing policy - Minimal force policy again under fire, Stolen generation - Losing credibility?

SEPTEMBER 1999 Sir Ronald Wilson Should Apologise. Inquiry needed into issue of 2,200 writs against Commonwealth.
Exposes deficiencies in the evidence being given in the "Stolen Generation" test case by comparison with the Wilson Report, Bringing Them Home, and in the issue of writs by claimants; reports on two major recent incidents of policing policy failure; discusses the role of forecasting of inflation in monetary policy; and refers to articles on Victorian education policy under the Kennett government.

AUGUST 1999Some things you may not have heard about what is happening overseas.
Reports on issues discussed during my overseas visit, including the possibility of a new economic paradigm, economic and political developments in the US and UK, monetary policy, labour market policies and poverty dynamics, industrial disputation, privatisation and competition and international monetary reform. Policing policy is also discussed.

8 JUNE 1999 Aboriginal children were rescued not stolen.
Three articles in the current edition of Quadrent expose the false picture constructed about the "stealing" of Aboriginal children.

MAY/JUNE 1999Is Australia becoming a "grasshopper" society.
In the modern fable of the ant and the grasshopper, the grasshopper is tending to come out on top because of the excessive concentration on the distribution rather than the creation of wealth. This attitude was reflected in a recent Productivity Commission seminar and at the "Australia Unlimited" conference, where non-government organisations painted a doom and gloom scenario of social problems. The wage freeze proposal of the five economists is a high risk strategy which should be avoided. If tax credits are to be introduced, it would be better to do so on the basis of labor market deregulation. Latest issue of Quadrant reveals the false picture that has been constructed about the "stealing" of aboriginal children

HAS THE BCA BEEN "CAPTURED"? (May 1999).
Reports on lecture in the Bert Kelly series and on a presentation at the "New Directions" conference of the Business Council of Australia. Criticises the BCA proposal for a wage freeze/tax credt solution to unemployment and suggests that the BCA seems to have lost its way.

Bevis Jumps (March 1999).
Criticisms of my deregulation report by Labor's Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations are misconceived. My article on The Performance of the US Labour Market highlights the potential benefits of adopting US stlye deregulation -- but Gregory has not yet responded.NSW Opposition loses election but presents a transparent alternative budget strategy. Kennett appears to have changed his policing policy.

The wheels of reform are turning — but oh so slowly (February 1999).
The Case for Further Deregulation of the Labour Market, including a 20 minute pre-recorded TV interview by ABC Late-Line at my holiday house — then 'cut' to about 30 seconds when the program went to air! I at least had the pleasure (sic) of being attacked twice on the program by ACTU President, Jenni George...............

Labour market deregulation — follow up (December 1998).
I want particularly to focus on the misconception that deregulation would lead to greater income inequality and an"under-class" of 'working poor' as in the US. As part of this 'campaign', I have established a web site containing material on labour market deregulation . . .

Labour market deregulation: 900,000 new jobs?(November 1998).
Free labour markets will reduce unemployment and youth labour is sensitive to changes in wage rates.........

More on labour market reform (October 1998).
Labour markets, police and unions, greenies.........

More on the police, the election and other issues (September 1998).
Reports on the abysmal failure of the Victorian police to enforce the law in the waterfront dispute and other incidents, e.g., Jabiluka, where the law was not enforced. It also deal with general election developments . . .