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Case is overwhelming to extend shop hours
Already retail trading is troubling the new Barnett Government. Big supermarket chains have been quick to press for reform, arguing the current...
Influencing Innovation
Should we worry about innovation? The Venturous Australia report to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research ought to tell us...
Regulations retard home ownership
Housing issues are always news in Victoria. Now we have resident action groups opposing new apartment building in inner suburbs. Moonee Valley was...
Industry policy madness
To be fair, new governments always make mistakes. The combination of inexperienced ministers and opportunistic public servants is likely to...
Tariff cuts do more than handouts
Kevin Rudd likes to project himself as the heir of the Hawke-Keating reform agenda. But Bob Hawke and Paul Keating reformed even when it hurt...
Regulation and the Regulatory Burden
IN MANY AREAS of government policy, the fingerprints of the prime minister are clearly visible. When we consider the highest-profile issues of the...
Planning adds to high costs
In July, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is due to report on grocery prices. Groceries comprise about a fifth of the family...
Planning laws rob consumers
Imagine a world in which the government outlawed your business competitors. You wouldn't have to worry about pesky things like keeping your...
Watchdog misses chain reactions
The ACCC's inquiry into grocery prices illustrates the danger of imposing an overstaffed and overzealous government agency on an industry. There...
Competition a loser in price regulation lottery
As consumers we all grumble about price rises. For most goods and services, competition means rivals will undercut suppliers that try to raise...