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Author: David James

  • AUSTRALIA

    What the 2025 federal budget does and doesn't do

    • David James
    • 27 March 2025

    Australia’s Federal Budget offers a mix of tax cuts, spending increases, and modest relief for households, but fails to address the seismic shifts in global economics. With rising defense spending and minimal solutions for mounting debt, it remains unclear whether this budget can navigate the country’s economic vulnerabilities in an unpredictable world.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Is this the end of American hegemony?

    • David James
    • 26 February 2025

    With China and Russia asserting influence, alliances shifting, and economic nationalism rising, the unipolar era may be over. Is the U.S. retreating, recalibrating, or losing control? For decades, America dictated the global order. Now, the world is learning to move without it.

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  • ECONOMICS

    Supercharged or superficial? The tax reform Australia can't agree on

    • David James
    • 29 January 2025

    A plan to raise superannuation taxes on high-value funds has stalled in the Senate, sparking a broader debate about government control over retirement savings. Rooted in a unique system that places ownership squarely with individuals, Australia’s approach has delivered impressive returns, yet political pressures threaten to reshape its future.

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  • ECONOMICS

    The trouble with a shrinking population

    • David James
    • 11 December 2024

    BlackRock CEO Larry Fink predicts AI and shrinking populations will bring higher living standards without growth. But his optimism overlooks a critical flaw: conflating productivity, efficiency, and the true cost of 'growth.' With economic foundations shifting, the future demands a radical rethinking of capitalism’s purpose and the systems driving it.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Is America ready for a tycoon President again?

    • David James
    • 18 November 2024
    4 Comments

    Donald Trump's first term, marred by impeachments, bureaucratic resistance and a pandemic, offered few answers as to how a businessperson might navigate the complexities of Washington. Now, as he returns to office, Trump’s business instincts — and their implications for governance — are once again under scrutiny.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Priced out of parenthood: How Australia's housing crisis is lowering the birthrate

    • David James
    • 24 October 2024
    3 Comments

    Soaring property prices and declining fertility rates are entwined in a feedback loop, threatening long-term economic stagnation. As younger Australians are priced out of the market, many are delaying or forgoing parenthood, leading to an increasingly divided and unsustainable society.

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  • ECONOMICS

    Has the developed world run out of ideas?

    • David James
    • 14 October 2024

    Advanced industrial societies are running out of ideas, masking stagnation with financial trickery, which is now faltering. In contrast, developing nations can clearly advance through industrial phases, especially by building infrastructure. For them, the path to improving lives is clear; for developed nations, it remains uncertain.

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  • ECONOMICS

    Australia’s property boom is splitting society in half

    • David James
    • 10 September 2024
    2 Comments

    As continued high interest rates and stagnant incomes put a strain on households, leading more Australians give up on the dream of home ownership, government attempts to manage both the cost of living crisis and the housing crisis may be doing too little too late. 

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  • ECONOMICS

    The best way to tax?

    • David James
    • 23 August 2024
    1 Comment

    The term 'reform' carries an ambiguous weight. It can signify progress but just as often masks harmful change. Paul Tilley’s Mixed Fortunes explores the messy evolution of Australia's tax system, revealing how reforms, far from delivering clarity or fairness, reflect deeper ideological struggles over power and economy.

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  • ECONOMICS

    Surge in protectionism creates new era of global trade

    • David James
    • 06 August 2024
    1 Comment

    In a world increasingly divided by geopolitical tensions, a new wave of protectionism is reshaping global trade. As nations turn inward, once-dominant economic models are being dismantled and new strategies are emerging. Is Australia prepared?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Is property investment our greatest vulnerability?

    • David James
    • 10 July 2024
    2 Comments

    With soaring Australian house prices creating a generational wealth divide, the increasing inequity of the property bubble is damaging to Australian society. Could diversifying investment options, like industry super funds, lure people away from property and cool the market?

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  • ECONOMICS

    Waiting on the cash flow oracle

    • David James
    • 05 June 2024

    Early every month Australians with big mortgages anxiously wait to find out if the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates and put more pressure on their domestic budgets. It is a bit like waiting for pronouncements from the modern day equivalent of the Delphic oracle.

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