12 August 2016
ABS Census Farce Reminds Us Statistics Are The ‘Eyes Of The Bureaucrat’
In 1961, Murray Rothbard, the most important libertarian economist of the 20th century, wrote about the evils of government statistics. “Statistics are the eyes and ears of the bureaucrat, the politician, the socialistic reformer. Only by statistics can they know, or at least have any idea about, what is going on in the economy … How could the government impose
13 July 2016
A Pokemon In The Eye For Nanny State
A new app is doing what years of nanny state programs and millions of wasted taxpayer dollars failed to do – get people outside, on their feet and living healthier lifestyles. Pokemon GO was released only last Wednesday and is already the most popular mobile application on iPhone and Android. The game puts players in aug-mented reality, based on real
11 December 2015
Innovation Statement? The Government Doesn’t Even Allow Lemonade Stands
The story of what happened to Chelsea-lee Downes reveals everything that’s wrong with Australia’s attitude to innovation and risk-taking. Malcolm Turnbull and Chris Pyne’s Innovation Statement released on Monday is a good start. Less important than the statement’s billion dollars of handouts is its recognition that our attitude to innovation must change. And of course, the biggest source of opposition
31 January 2014
End The Cotton Wool Culture For Kids
A lot of nonsense has been written lately about young people, alcohol and violence. But there’s one particular bit of nonsense that stands out. It’s this statement from Michael Daube in The Sydney Morning Herald last week: “Today’s youth have vastly more freedom than before, and are much more affluent.” Daube is a professor of health policy at Curtin University
