Digital takeover reaches to the cloud

• COMMENT

When it comes to Australia's embrace of the digital revolution, economists identify two areas of weakness.

In search of a recipe for magic pudding

• COMMENT

A host of different groups are pushing for higher GST, but they all want to use the proceeds to pay for something different.

Coughing up for the greater good of all

• COMMENT

Let me tell you something neither side of politics will: we'll be paying a lot higher taxes over the next decade than we are today. And don't think you could have up to 10 years before that prediction comes to pass – it's already started.

We're paying a high social price for material success

While there's been much worry of late that the economy isn't growing fast enough to get unemployment down, it remains true that our economic performance since the global financial crisis has been the envy of most other rich countries.

Abbott's national security scare campaign hides an important truth

• COMMENT

Am I the only person who isn't cringing in fear, looking for a rock to hide under and hoping Tony Abbott and Peter Dutton will save us from the tide of terrorism surging towards our shores?

A generation caught in the attrition trap

• COMMENT

For youngsters there's a form of bad luck that isn't widely recognised by those of us already ensconced in the workforce.

Fat years and lean years: Baird's biblical inspiration

Something tells me that when Mike Baird went to Sunday school he studied fully the story of Joseph (he of the lairy sportscoat) and Pharaoh's dream about seven fat years being followed by seven lean years.

Politicians betray young while pandering to older home owners

• COMMENT

I sometimes wonder why young people are not rioting in the streets. Answer is, it's thanks to the evil genius of our politicians.

More work around it seems but less well-being

Anyone who's sure they know what's happening in the economy is either a liar or a fool. Last week the Bureau of Statistics' national accounts told us things weren't too flash in the economy up to the end of March. This week its employment figures told us things were looking quite a bit brighter in the labour market up to the end of May.

We've become a nation of graspers

• COMMENT

Did you see an older bloke with a goatee beard ask Joe Hockey a question about the budget's changes to the assets test for the age pension on the ABC's Q&A; program a few weeks back? He was Dante Crisante, a retired chemist, according to a subsequent interview he did with the Financial Review.