Publications

Don’t say people weren’t able to learn from history. As British writer Salman Rushdie is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the publication of ‘The Satanic Verses’ in hiding, others have drawn their own conclusions from his unfortunate clash with radical Islam.

Australia’s addiction to the property market needs to stop if we care about housing affordability. And if we care about the level of private debt, then we need to make saving a much more attractive option for young Australians.

Ideas@TheCentre – The CIS newsletter (Sydney), 30 October 2009 According to a Chinese proverb, every long journey begins with a first step. This holds true even for a train journey. The Sydney metropolitan region is growing with population increases up to seven million people, bringing along transport issues. It is important that cities and areas […]

Apart from big, capital intensive infrastructure projects that NSW needs to accommodate its growing population, it also needs a fresh start when it comes to the quality of transport solutions, particularly for rail services.

It’s a pity this year’s Nobel Prize for physics has already been awarded to achievements in fibre optics. The managers of CityRail would have been almost as deserving for their ingenious invention of time-travelling. How else could you describe the experience when boarding a 1970s-style intercity train from Central?

There are good reasons to remain cautious about Europe’s economic future. While it is true that things have somewhat stabilised after the tumultuous events of the last 12 months, we should not forget that there are some difficult challenges ahead. For Europe, the financial crisis may be over, but a new crisis is just about to begin.

If capitalists realise that there is more to doing business than just making money, if they learn the lessons of monkey capitalism, then the market economy, this fantastic engine of creating wealth and prosperity, will survive.

Is there a basis for claims that future generations have rights? Can these rights be spelt out? Are they compatible with our usual understanding of justice? These questions deserve logical answers. Making them moral issues is not a substitute for rational debate.