Ross Gittins is economics editor of the SMH and an economic columnist for The Age. His books include Gittins' Guide to Economics, Gittinomics and The Happy Economist.
Did you know our social security system is so open to rorting that it's possible for some people to get more from benefits than they'd earn if they took a job? And we wonder why we have problem with debt and deficit.
Remember globalisation? It was big news some years back. Now, however, the leaders of the global economy worry that public opinion is turning against it, pressuring governments to reverse it.
Everyone wants to know what achievements Malcolm Turnbull can point to after his first year as Prime Minister. Well, I can think of something: his reform of the tax breaks on superannuation – provided he gets it through without major watering down.
There are not quite so many lazy loafers as the Treasurer would have you believe. The people who really clean up are the retired.
What kind of Australia do we want our children and grandchildren to inherit? One with rundown and inadequate public facilities? If we continue letting our politicians demonise public debt, that's the world we'll be leaving for our descendants.
I have disturbing news. The big business people of Australia are feeling quite upset about the recent federal election.
Sorry if I sound wide-eyed, but I was mightily impressed when I visited China as a guest of the Australia-China Relations Institute. Those guys are going places.
The plain fact is that the mainstream politicians have forfeited our trust and lost our respect.
The success of Labor's Mediscare in this election is worrying - but not for the reason you may imagine.
I get criticised by rusted-on supporters of both sides of politics when I say this, but that doesn't stop it being true: there are differences between the two sides' policies, but they're not as great as they want us to believe (and their supporters do believe).
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