Red tape is stifling Australian entrepreneurship. Since 2004, Australia’s population over the age of 15 has grown 22%, yet the number of new businesses opening has dropped 5%:
That graph is from analysis of ABS data undertaken by the IPA’s Daniel Wild (The ABS data on population is here, and the new business figures are here, here, here, and here).
In a free society, the content broadcast on television and radio stations shouldn’t be investigated by government agencies. Yet that is what the Australian Communications and Media Authority has done 1,777 times in the last decade. That’s why Daniel Wild called for the abolition of the ACMA in the IPA’s Parliamentary Research Brief sent to all federal and state parliamentarians last Friday.
Would you believe me if I told you Nature and The Conversation published three studies supporting IPA positions this week? Here they are:
- As reported by Tyler Cowen, Humans don’t care about economic inequality, we care about economic unfairness. Full report from the April edition of Nature, here.
- Tobacco tax increases in Australia will disproportionately punish low income earners, in The Conversation on Tuesday.
- Plants are growing at a faster rate than at any time in the last 54,000 years due to carbon dioxide emissions, Nature again – full report here.
But don’t get too complacent. As reported in The Washington Free Beacon on Monday a book called Communism for kids has just been published by MIT Press.
Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special has been released – here is a teaser. David Marcus in The Federalist on Tuesday explains why progressives are outraged and why Chappelle is so much funnier than John Oliver.
Flemming Rose was the Danish newspaper editor who in 2005 published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, sparking an explosive global backlash. Nick Gillespie’s 3,500 word interview with Rose on freedom of speech and tolerance, from the May edition of Reason magazine, is engrossing.
Article of the week:
All British Conservative leaders live in Margaret Thatcher’s shadow. Stephen Glover in this month’s Standpoint makes a forensic 3,500 word comparison of the upbringing, philosophy and character of Thatcher and the current British Prime Minister Theresa May.
IPA Staff Pick:
Each week an IPA staff member shares what they have enjoyed recently. Today: John Roskam
In The Guardian on Tuesday, ex-Conservative, UKIP and now independent MP Douglas Carswell writes that Britain requires a credible opposition – one that recognises that the global backlash against elites is in large part a repudiation of kleptocratic corporatism that undermines free markets.
Here’s what else the IPA said this week:
- John Roskam, Business bosses hide out in the Qantas chairman’s lounge – The Australian Financial Review
- Andrew Shearer, We can’t just rely on US to defend Australia – The Daily Telegraph
- Chris Berg and Sinclair Davidson, GST change is a plain and simple tariff, Scott Morrison – The Australian
- Brett Hogan, Young people need hope and jobs, not gesture politics – The Spectator Australia
- Andrew Bushnell, Criminal justice reform does not start in jails – The West Australian
- James Bolt & Peter Gregory, Episode 6 – The Young IPA Podcast
