Since the stunning "success" of a series of micro-economic reforms (mostly competition policy) under Hawke and Keating, and some IR reforms under Keating and Howard (the first lot)a vast array of commentators keeps braying for more "reform".
But they are never very clear about what they want. Marisse Payne writing in The Punch has at least been clear about the value of what could be called "second order Federation reforms". These are the things like national registration of the professions that reflect a twenty-first century single market in services.
Elsewhere a section of the coalition pushes with a certain zeal IR "reform". In Crikey today Bernard Keane has done a stunning job of explaining why there is simply no case for further IR reform - there is no economic upside.
Meanwhile real reform is being pursued by the Gillard Government. Reform to the fundamentals of our economy through the adoption of ICT to a Digital Economy is driven by the NBN and the Digital Economy Strategy - though incredibly under-represented in the budget papers. Reform of our energy security and the creation of new energy industries will occur through the development of a climate change policy that prices carbon.
Novae Meridianae Demetae Dexter delenda est
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