Anyone who believes that the mantra ‘greed is good’ no longer resonates in a post GFC world and needs to think again. CPD Fellow Ben Eltham takes a critical look at the destabilizing role of speculative short-sellers and day traders, particularly in light of the now viral comments by self-styled independent trader Alessio Rastani. To read Ben’s full article in … more
Monthly Archives:: September 2011
CPD Needs a Research Assistant
We are looking for a Research Assistant to work on both our Public Service Research and Sustainable Economy research programs. Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates who want to pursue a career in public policy research and development. The position is part time (4 days a week) Sydney based on a temporary contract of 10 months Roles & responsibilities: … more
Eva Cox | Women on the Front Line
Australia has gradually got over the idea that women are not as capable in some jobs as men, the simple mantra “you can’t do this because you’re a women, you can do this because you’re a man” is outdated. However there still remains some resistance to gender equality, particularly in the military. CPD contributor Eva Cox was on ABC Radio … more
The wrong approach to public services
During the nineties a third of the public sector in Australia was retrenched. Right now in NSW the new O’Farrell government is pushing through at least 5,000 public sector job cuts. It’s being mirrored around the world to offset debt and budget blowouts. It’s curious thing to do though isn’t it — to make cuts before driving efficiency measures? Yet … more
Public sector cuts will hurt in times of crisis
Premier Barry O’Farrell communicated his intentions before the state election: we could expect to see fewer ‘‘back room bureaucrats’’ but rest assured that this wouldn’t mean fewer public servants to deliver ‘‘frontline’’ services like health, education and policing. In developing this platform, the Premier took advice from John Howard’s adviser Max ‘‘the axe’’ Moore-Wilton, who described the NSW public service … more
Jennifer Doggett | Nothing Complementary about Pharmacy Guild’s Corporate Deal
First published in Crikey here The recent deal between the Pharmacy Guild and complementary medicine manufacturer Blackmores has raised the ire of both doctors and consumer groups. The Pharmacy Guild has signed a deal with Blackmores to include an automatic prompt for pharmacists dispensing specific medications to suggest that customers also purchase a particular Blackmore’s product targeting their condition. For … more
Ben Eltham | Transparency Please! Why the Tax Breaks for Pokies Clubs?
First published in Crikey here Has there ever been a more self-serving public campaign than the one being mounted by Clubs Australia? Clubs have long justified their gaming activities due to their value to the community. As Clubs Australia’s website says on its home page: “Clubs are not-for-profit community-based organisations whose central activity is to provide infrastructure and services for … more
John Menadue | Rethinking Asylum Seeker Policy
The toxicity of the current asylum seeker debate has left both sides of politics lost at sea. Whilst the opposition exploits our fear of foreigners, the government fumbles from one policy to another, afraid of making progress and appearing soft. CPD founder John Menadue featured on ABC Radio National to discuss the fallacies of this parliament’s approach to the issue … more
Laura Eadie | Time to Value Ocean Carbon Riches
Australia has the largest coverage of sea grass habitats in the world, storing 10 to 40 times the carbon of equivalent hectares of forest. Our marine estate captures at least $15.8 billion per year worth of carbon…so isn’t about time we started to value it? Blue carbon management is an area where Australia has strong natural advantages, where we should … more