In these pieces CPD thinkers provide rapid-fire responses to the debates of the day, with an eye to the bigger picture and the decades to come. Subscribe to get Thinking Points by email or grab our rss feed. Thinking Points is released under a Creative Commons license: all Thinking Point articles may be reproduced without permission as long as both the author and CPD are attributed, with a link to the original article on the CPD website. You are also welcome to syndicate our rss feed on your own website. If you republish a Thinking Point article in print we would appreciate receiving a copy at PO Box K3, Haymarket, NSW 1240.

Ian Dunlop | The Future of Energy: The Most Likely Scenario – Emergency Action

The Future of Energy: The Most Likely Scenario – Emergency Action is a submission by CPD fellow Ian Dunlop as a response to the government’s 2011 Draft Energy White Paper (DEWP). The DEWP confirms perceptions that the Australian Federal Government is, as yet, unwilling or unable to face up to the strategic risks to which this country is now exposed from the integrated climate change and energy dilemma. Some key concerns include: •  Climate Change and Energy are inextricably … more

Taegen Edwards on Post Carbon Pathways | BayFM Spin Cycle

Taegen Edwards speaks to BayFM’s Karin Kolbe on the recently published report Post Carbon Pathways: Reviewing post carbon economy transition strategies. Edwards outlines the key government policies and non-government projects from across the globe that address climate change at the scale and size that is required. In particular, Edwards promotes World in Transition, a report by the German Advisory Council on Global Change as a key solution, as it sets concrete structures for countering the social … more

Sustainable Business Australia | Should Australia Embrace the Blue Economy? 3 April 2012

A fantastic opportunity has arisen to hear one of today’s great advocates of a clean, sustainable, and ‘blue’ economic future. Dr Gunter Pauli, founder of the “Zero Emissions Research and Initiative”, will speak on Australia’s roadmap for the future, as we face the challenge of moving away from a fossil-fuel relient economy. At a time when Australia is agonizing over the hollowing-out of its manufacturing industry in the face of the mining boom, a different way … more

 

Fiona Armstrong | How Climate Change Gets Lost in Translation

CPD fellow Fiona Armstrong poses the question of why climate change denialists deny? Communications research is suggesting that a person’s political ideology has a large bearing on whether they choose to believe climate science or not. Thus the relationship between a conservative ideology and the inclination to dismiss climate science. The studies suggest that we are more likely to hunt out ‘evidence’ that one deems ‘credible’ from sources that generally subscribe to the same ideology. … more

ACOSS National Conference 2012 | 29-30 March 2012

When - 29 – 30 March 2012 Where - Australian Technology Park, Locomotive St, Eveleigh (Redfern), Sydney As part of the ACOSS National Conference ”Sharing the wealth of the lucky country”, there will be a session titled  “Poverty and Inequality: How to protect a social safety net in an age of uncertainty” which will be touching on issues related to the Public Service research that CPD is conducting – looking at international approaches to social security and other welfare expenditure in … more

Ben Eltham | Baby Steps on Health Reform

Subjecting the private health insurance rebate to a means test is a good start to more equitable – and cheaper – health policy but there’s a way to go yet, writes Ben Eltham. Subsidising private health insurance is a clumsy and wasteful way of spending money on health care. The Centre for Policy Development’s Ian McAuley and John Menadue point out in a recent paper that while private health insurers received about $16 billion in premiums last … more

 

FAQ Research | Coal Seam Gas – Behind the Seams

Coal Seam Gas – Behind the Seams, is an exciting and extremely necessary project, run by FAQ Research in conjunction with Crikey, examining all aspects of the Coal Seam Gas issue in the lead up to the Queensland state election on March 24. Impacting directly on farmers, rural and regional communities and the environment, CSG exploration and extraction also raises big questions about the future of our state, of our nation, and of our planet. As … more

Miriam Lyons | ABC The Drum, 13 Feb 2012

Hosted by Annabel Crabb, Miriam is joined on the panel by The Chaser’s Julian Morrow, and former liberal advisor Richard Muller. The hot topics for debate include the private health insurance rebate, continued bank job cuts and interest rate rises, as well as a chat to CPD Fellow, David McKnight, about his upcoming book launch ‘Rupert Murdoch: An Investigation of Political Power’. Watch the full episode on ABC’s The Drum here

Michael Mullins | Means Test Won’t Fix Health Funding

There is little doubt that by introducing means testing for the private health insurance rebate, it will result in a small step toward social inclusion in the health care debate. However, this small step is not enough. Quoting CPD’s John Menadue and Ian McAuley from their recent discussion paper Private health insurance: High in cost and low in equity, Michael Mullins, editor of Eureka Street, states that the proposed legislation will not do much to … more