The critical minerals trap

Australia’s critical minerals push is being sold as a strategic win, but it risks doubling down on a “dumb” commodity economy while locking Canberra deeper into U.S.-led geoeconomic rivalry.

Star Trek economics

It might seem worlds away from the Earth we know but could the venerable science fiction show Star Trek help us ‘live long and prosper’ by offering insights into the future of our own economy?

Back to 2011

Australians’ wages have roughly the same purchasing power now as they did back in 2011 – when the iPhone 4 was state-of-the-art and the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency was a comedian’s joke.

Green finance remains in the red

Little progress has been made despite a decade of momentum for sustainable finance and new approaches to finance are required to ensure our future is protected.

The war below

Whoever controls the production and processing of lithium, copper and other critical minerals could dominate the 21st century economy, much as producers of fossil fuels defined the 20th century.

Waiting for the bubble to burst

The global economy is afloat on a tide of cash that is lifting all boats, from gold to tech stocks and everything in between, but when both the hedge and the gamble rise together, the real risk may lie in the plumbing of liquidity itself.

Alpha and Omega

Three economists studying the role of innovation driven creation and destruction in the economy have won this year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Doughnut economics

A new update to an influential economic theory called “Doughnut Economics” shows a global economy on a collision course with nature.

Economic coercion requires a unified response

Economic coercion by both the USA and China weaponises trade so middle powers such as Australia should call out coercion wherever it originates, reinforce the rules and invest in resilience so we can prosper.

Does free trade have a future?

The global trading system that promoted free trade and underpinned global prosperity for 80 years now stands at a crossroads due to the upheaval caused by United States President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff regime.

Economic warfare

A new book envisions the world economy splitting into two blocs, led by the US and China or descending into autarky as business reverts to investing at home in response to Trump’s tariffs.

Australia adrift

If Australia continues to manage our relative decline rather than confront it, we risk drifting into strategic irrelevance – as economically dependent, militarily constrained and diplomatically marginal as Latin American countries like Argentina.