Vital Signs. Business investment is flatlining, and it isn’t clear that suasion or a special allowance will help

By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW You know the economy is in trouble when a clever and successful Liberal Party treasurer resorts to doing an Elizabeth Warren impersonation in front of the Business Council of Australia in hopes of boosting investment. That’s what Josh Frydenberg did on Monday, saying: Share buybacks and capital returns are…

GM crops: to ban or not to ban? That’s not the question

By Rachel A. Ankeny, Professor of History and Philosophy, and Deputy Dean Research (Faculty of Arts), University of Adelaide The South Australian government recently announced its intention to lift the long-standing statewide moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops, following a statutory six-week consultation period. A government-commissioned independent review had estimated the cost of the moratorium…