Centre for Policy Development's Blog, page 54

The Guardian |

Australian Budget 2014: the panel verdict
Matt Grudnoff, Andrew Leigh, Trisha Jha, (CPD’s) Laura Eadie, Frank Bongiorno and Ged Kearney all weigh in on Joe Hockey’s first Budget

What’s missing is an understanding of the real structural changes taking place in the global economy. Ageing is just one global mega-trend challenging economic growth. Other trends are as big or bigger. We’re heading into a carbon constrained world. In Asia particularly, we’re seeing a race to control resources and win advantage in green technology. – Laura Eadie

Read ‘Budget 2014: the panel verdict’ on guardian.com/commentisfree

There is more than one way to do policy. Help CPD uncover the evidence and point to the alternatives: add your voice to ours!

SEARCH Foundation | Sydney, 21 May

Abbott’s Austerity Agenda – post-budget teach-in
Program

Welcome – Emilie Carey, F-Collective, MC

Budget analysis: 6:30-7:00pm

Budget overview – Dr Ben Spies Butcher, Macquarie University (& CPD Fellow)
Budget, workers & the union movement – Maurie Mulheron, President, NSW Teachers Federation
Budget and taxation – Christopher Stone, Research Director, CPD Public Service Research Program
Budget and social services – Maree O’Halloran, Director, NSW Welfare Rights Centre
Budget and the environment – Jessica Panegyres, Policy Advisor to the CEO, Greenpeace Australia Pacific

Budget Discussion and Planning Future Action 7.20pm-8.00pm
Drinks afterwards:

The Edinburgh Castle Hotel, 294 Pitt St (corner Pitt & Bathurst Sts)

When:

Wednesday, May 21

6.15pm for 6.30pm-8.00pm

Where:

Mitchell Theatre (Level 1), Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt St, Sydney

Registration & more information:

For more information contact Troy Henderson – troyh@search.org.au or 02 9698 4918

Cost: $5

 

REGISTER FREE: 2014 Solar Conference & Expo | Melbourne, 9 May

Book your FREE ticket for Solar 2014 Conference & Expo.  

The 2014 Solar Conference & Expo is a world-class industry conference program on solar energy with three streams: ‘Industry and Policy’, ‘Solar Installer and Designer Professional Development Training’ and ‘Scientific and Research’.

Laura Eadie will be speaking in the ‘Industry and Policy’ stream – sharing her insights from the CPD reports ‘Getting the facts right on solar’ and ‘Going solar: Renewing Australia’s electricity options’.

 

WHEN

9 May, 08:30 – 17:30 (Laura Eadie presentation at 11:50am)

 

WHERE

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

 

REGISTRATION AND MORE INFO

Register for the FREE event here | http://solarexhibition.com.au/

 

 

S hort-term thinking cannot address Australia’s long-term dilemmas – Help us look further ahead!

 

SEARCH Foundation: Abbott’s austerity agenda post-budget teach-in | Sydney, 21 May

Book your ticket for a post-Budget forum – with drinks!

SEARCH Foundation will host a ‘Budget analysis’ speaker event where experts from a variety of different backgrounds will be providing a comprehensive break-down of the new Federal budget.

Afterwards, join in for ‘Budget discussion and planning future action’ drinks as the event shifts to the Edinburgh Castle Hotel.

CPD Research Director Christopher Stone and Fellow Dr Ben Spies-Butcher will be key speakers, discussing taxation and the budget overall respectively.

TOPICS & SPEAKERS

Welcome by MC – Emilie Carey (F-Collective)
Budget overview – Dr Ben Spies-Butcher (Macquarie University)
Budget, workers & the union movement - Maurie Mulheron (NSW Teachers Federation, President)
Budget and taxation – Christopher Stone (CPD, Research Director)
Social services – Maree O’Hallaron (NSW Welfare Rights Centre, Director)
Environment – Jessica Panegyres (Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Policy Advisor)

WHEN

Wednesday 21 May

‘Budget Analysis’ Speaker Event: 6:30pm-7:20pm

‘Budget Discussion and Planning Future Action’ Drinks: 7:20pm-8:00pm

WHERE

‘Budget analysis’ speaker event:

Sydney Mechanics School of Arts | 280 Pitt St, Sydney

‘Budget Discussion and Planning Future Action’ Drinks:

The Edinburgh Castle Hotel Mitchell Theatre (Level 1) | 294 Pitt St (cnr Pitt & Bathurst Sts)

REGISTRATION AND MORE INFO

Entry is only $5. You can register for the event by emailing Troy Henderson at troy@search.org.au or telephone 96984918..

Alternatively, scan the (QR) barcode at top right with your phone to go to the website.

Find the original event flyer here

 

 

Help us challenge evidence-free attempts to downsize and privatise our public services –  Become an Ideas Sustainer.

Abbott’s austerity agenda post-budget teach-in | Sydney, 21 May

Book your ticket for a post-Budget forum – with drinks!

Search Foundation will host a ‘Budget analysis’ speaker event where experts from a variety of different backgrounds will be providing a comprehensive break-down of the new Federal budget.

Afterwards, join in for ‘Budget discussion and planning future action’ drinks as the event shifts to the Edinburgh Castle Hotel.

CPD Research Director Christopher Stone and Fellow Dr Ben Spies-Butcher will be key speakers, discussing taxation and the budget overall respectively.

TOPICS & SPEAKERS

Welcome by MC – Emilie Carey (F-Collective)
Budget overview – Dr Ben Spies-Butcher (Macquarie University)
Budget, workers & the union movement - Maurie Mulheron (NSW Teachers Federation, President)
Budget and taxation – Christopher Stone (CPD, Research Director)
Social services – Maree O’Hallaron (NSW Welfare Rights Centre, Director)
Environment – Jessica Panegyres (Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Policy Advisor)

WHEN

Wednesday 21 May

‘Budget Analysis’ Speaker Event: 6:30pm-7:20pm

‘Budget Discussion and Planning Future Action’ Drinks: 7:20pm-8:00pm

WHERE

‘Budget analysis’ speaker event:

Sydney Mechanics School of Arts | 280 Pitt St, Sydney

‘Budget Discussion and Planning Future Action’ Drinks:

The Edinburgh Castle Hotel Mitchell Theatre (Level 1) | 294 Pitt St (cnr Pitt & Bathurst Sts)

REGISTRATION AND MORE INFO

Entry is only $5. You can register for the event by emailing Troy Henderson at troy@search.org.au or telephone 96984918..

Alternatively, scan the (QR) barcode at top right with your phone to go to the website.

Find the original event flyer here

 

 

Help us challenge evidence-free attempts to downsize and privatise our public services –  Become an Ideas Sustainer.

Great Barrier Reef: Mega ports or Marine Park? – Q&A event | Brisbane, 14 May

Book your seat for this FREE event…

Four experts will discuss the danger of accelerating port development, at the Great Barrier Reef: Mega Ports or Marine Park? speaker event which is hosted by the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

Come to a forum to hear about the threat from port expansion, dredging, dumping and increased shipping to the Great Barrier Reef and what you can do to help.

Hear insights from a former CEO of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, learn about current legal actions against dredging and dumping in the Reef, get the latest on the economics of port expansion on the Reef and hear an underwater perspective about the state of the Reef from an experienced dive instructor.

SPEAKERS

John Tanzer (WWF International)
Jo-Anne Bragg (Environmental Defenders Office)
Tony Fontes (Whitsunday Dive Instructor)
Laura Eadie (CPD Sustainable Economy Program, Research Director)

Laura will share insights from her All boom, no benefit? and Too many ports in a storm reports.

WHEN

14 May 2014 6:30pm

WHERE

Queensland Museum Theatre

Melbourne St

South Brisbane

REGISTRATION AND MORE INFO

Seats are limited!

Register your ticket here for this free Q and A event.

 

Change can happen faster than you think – help us seize the moment and point to the alternatives. Add your voice to ours!

 

 

The Wire | 1 May 2014

Snip snip snip – Audit Commission reshapes government as we know it

 

The Commission of Audit’s recent report advised the Federal Government to adopt several controversial policies, such as raising Medicare co-payments from $6 to $15, cutting more than the 12,000 public sector jobs already promised by Abbott, and introducing tougher means testing of the Disability Support Pension.

The Wire’s Annie Hastwell invited CPD’s Christopher Stone to share his insight on this report as well as on the historical function of such Commissions.

Chris described the current report as ‘political theatre’, which assists in ‘framing the government’s policies as more moderate by putting forth worse alternatives’. Compared to previous reports which were so dramatic they were never released to the public and were ‘buried’, this one is comparatively well received, and some policies may be adopted.

Although the Commission is an independent body, Chris noted that it is ‘heavily weighted towards business and business perspective and is probably fairly strongly ideologically aligned with the government’. Chris also criticised the narrow approach the Commission took in looking only at areas in which the role of government could be contracted while overlooking areas in which it could be expanded. The Commission has, ‘only looked at one side of a very complex equation’.

 

Listen to the interview with Chris Stone on The Wire website

Pascal Lamy & Ross Garnaut: ‘Valuing the future’ | Melbourne, 26 May

A discussion with Pascal Lamy & Ross Garnaut

An invitation-only event co-auspiced by Melbourne School of Government and Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at University of Melbourne, addressing the question of how Australia’s choice of discount rates impacts our long-term planning and investment.

Governments make implicit judgements about the value of current, relative to future benefits when they select discount rates for evaluating investments.

This is a closed event. Please see the public event in this series which will be in Sydney on 28 May.

Pascal Lamy & Ross Garnaut: ‘Valuing the future’ | Melbourne, May 2014

A discussion with Pascal Lamy & Ross Garnaut

An invitation-only event co-auspiced by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at University of Melbourne, addressing the question of how Australia’s choice of discount rates impacts our long-term planning and investment.

Governments make implicit judgements about the value of current, relative to future benefits when they select discount rates for evaluating investments.

This is a closed event. Please see the public event in this series which will be in Sydney on 28 May.

Unions NSW: Community conversation on the role of government | Sydney, 15 April 2014

Stakeholders discuss ‘public goods’ deficit

CPD’s Christopher Stone joined the discussion between unions, academics, community organisations and other interested members of the community who were invited to attend a Community Conversation on the Role of Government, organised by the ACTU Organising Centre.

Speakers included: Dr John Buchanan (University of Sydney), Professor John Quiggin (University of Queensland and CPD fellow), Cassandra Goldie, (ACOSS), Karen Batt (CPSU – SPSF), Nadine Flood (CPSU and CPD Board), and Ged Kearney (ACTU).

The event resulted in an an excellent discussion document, which recognised that:

“Government is the chief means by which people come together to achieve what they cannot achieve individually, for the collective good… The truly serious deficit confronting Australia is a ‘public goods’ deficit, and unless we address the issue of revenue, this deficit will worsen…”

Next steps for the group include plans to re-convene regularly for further discussion.

Read Anna Patty’s account for The Sydney Morning Herald