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Renew Economy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 12:57 Source

Junee Prime Lamb solarNSW abattoir wants to double the size of its solar array and add a battery in order to reduce its dependence on the grid at its peak consumption time in the afternoon.

The post NSW abattoir goes back for seconds on solar, adds a battery to cut dependence on the grid appeared first on Renew Economy.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 12:05 Source

The taxation arrangements around electric vehicles (EVs) are a reverse Robin Hood arrangement that extracts taxes from ordinary Australians to distribute to the rich. A case in point is the EV fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption, which was introduced in 2022 to make EVs more affordable for employees through salary packaging and novated leases. Treasury

The post EV subsidies are a budget sink hole appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 12:00 Source

Overnight we saw the release of both the October and November US jobs reports which at first glance looked nominal but in reality show a worsening employment situations as jobs growth slows even as immigration goes into nearly reverse. A new 4 year high in the unemployment rate at 4.6% plus downward revisions on all

The post Australian dollar holds firm as US job losses mount appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Prosper Australia Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 11:54 Source

Dig into bold ideas for a fairer, more productive Australia. Long summer days are perfect for catching up on the books, podcasts, and deep-dive content that challenge us to imagine a better economic future. Whether you’re by the beach, on the train, or hiding from the heat indoors, here’s a curated list of Georgist-friendly reads, […]

The post Prosper Australia’s 2025 Summer Reading & Listening List first appeared on Prosper Australia.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 11:30 Source

Recently, a social media follower shared the chart below showing housing starts versus population in the United States and asked what it would look like for Australia. To provide an easily accessible comparison, the numbers were converted into housing starts (i.e., housing commencements in Australia) per 100,000 people over the last 40 years. The analysis

The post Australia stomps Trump’s America on homebuilding appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 11:00 Source

Australia’s rental market is in crisis, with record-low vacancy rates and strong rental growth. As a result, the share of household income required to meet repayments on the median advertised rent was a record high in the September quarter: While the primary driver of Australia’s recent extreme rental inflation has been historically high net overseas

The post Airbnb’s worsen Australia’s rental crisis appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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xkcd.com Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 11:00 Source

I'm trying to buy a gravitational lens for my camera, but I can't tell if the manufacturers are listing comoving focal length or proper focal length.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 10:30 Source

Following the tragic shootings at Bondi Beach, which at the time of this article have claimed the lives of 15 victims and injured a further 40, the Albanese government and various state leaders tabled a proposal to tighten Australia’s already extremely tight gun control legislation. However, are gun homicides with registered firearms a major problem?

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 10:00 Source

Fertility rates have dropped sharply across advanced economies and increasingly in developing nations. As illustrated below by Joseph Chamie, a consulting demographer and former director of the United Nations Population Division, most OECD countries are well below the benchmark for population stability of 2.1 children per woman, with some (like South Korea) at 0.7–0.8. Drivers

The post The rise of the childless woman appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 09:00 Source

Wall Street was almost unphased overnight by the dual NFP release as US unemployment jumped to a four year high, triggering a rally in US bonds, while the latest UK unemployment figures weren’t rosy either with speculation the BOE may move to easing its rates this week. The USD remains under duress against most of

The post Macro Morning appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 08:00 Source

The UK is reportedly trying to convince the European Union to take control of frozen Russian assets, aiming to undermine US President Donald Trump’s efforts to advance peace initiatives that could end the Ukraine conflict, according to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 08:00 Source

Nothing seems able to temper Australians’ love affair with property. Despite home values being the most expensive on record relative to incomes and with no further rate cuts expected, Australians remain hyper-bullish on house prices. The latest Westpac consumer sentiment survey, released on Tuesday, showed that the “Time to buy a dwelling” sub-index fell sharply

Read more Views: 71
Your Democracy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 07:42 Source

People who still wonder why Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks relating to Taiwan on Nov 7 enraged so many Chinese should just visit the Memorial for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Western Yunnan. I did that on Wednesday during a trip across the province.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 07:00 Source

By the Market Ear: AI changes DB’s chart of the day tracks 23 AI-related stocks, comparing year-to-date performance up to 29 October with returns over the roughly six weeks since. Before 29 October, just one stock was down on the year and the group had posted an average unweighted gain of +70%; since then, the

The post Everything Ex-Hot Is Getting Sold appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 06:55 Source

How did we reach a point where quoting Western sources gets you branded a foreign propagandist? Is the EU's executive branch now completely out of its mind, punishing dissenters without trial under the guise of fighting "propaganda"?

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Your Democracy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 06:22 Source

As climate breakdown, war and institutional failure converge, the comforts of forgetting no longer shield us from the consequences of our own history.

It feels like the end of an era, or perhaps the start of something new…and terrifying.

 

Robert Macklin

The long consequences of forgetting

 

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Your Democracy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 05:55 Source

Igor Kolomoysky built up Ukraine’s largest bank, then plundered it for billions in a scheme so elaborate it looks like a state intelligence operation. During the 2014 Maidan revolution, he ended up caught in a whirlwind of far-right militants, rising Western scrutiny, and a dramatic denouement with his bank – and fled abroad. Not one to give up, though, Kolomoysky had a plan for revenge and its name was Vladimir Zelensky.

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MacroBusiness Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 00:05 Source

Employers now find it much easier to find workers, particularly those with lower skill levels, according to the most recent recruitment data from Jobs & Skills Australia. As illustrated below by Justin Fabo of Antipodean Macro, the percentage of workers reporting difficulty obtaining employment has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Lower-skilled workers are plentiful, whereas higher-skilled

Read more Views: 121
Renew Economy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 00:01 Source

New GenCost report produces new modelling to deliver the same message: firmed renewables are lowest cost as coal and gas get more expensive and harder to build.

The post Cost of wind and batteries fall, coal and gas rise as CSIRO finds new way to show renewables are cheapest appeared first on Renew Economy.

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George Monbiot Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 23:36 Source

How a new film stitched me up like a kipper.

By George Monbiot, adapted from a BlueSky thread, 16th December 2025

This is a note about what I see as a serious breach of journalistic ethics, in the making of Sofia Pineda Ochoa’s online documentary Greenwashed. She interviewed me for the film, but neither before, during or after was I given any idea I would be its target.

Far from it. Here’s the email she sent inviting me to take part:

Hi Mr. Monbiot, 

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Renew Economy Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 22:28 Source

Tilt Renewables Waddi wind farmAustralia's year long wind investment drought broken as Tilt reaches financial close on a 108 MW wind project.

The post “The investment drought is breaking,” says CEO hails first Australia wind project to reach financial close in 2025 appeared first on Renew Economy.

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Your Democracy Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 21:28 Source

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MacroBusiness Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 16:30 Source

A sea of red across Asian share markets with the rough start to the trading week continuing as a wider risk off tone deepens, all mainly due to tech stock volatility. The absence of bad economic news is not helping as markets start to pivot to the series of central bank meetings and tonight’s double

The post Macro Afternoon appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 15:26 Source

"I don't think [US President] Donald Trump is really motivated by US national security interests, or NATO, or Ukrainian interests. I think he wants the Nobel Peace Prize – I think it's been on his mind since the first term," argues former US national security adviser John Bolton in an interview with FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee. "Putin thinks time is on his side. This is not the time for the US or Europe to give up and say 'let's get the best deal we can'," he adds. 

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Renew Economy Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 15:02 Source

Nelson Review chair tells Renew Economy that the final draft includes no major changes, but some important tweaks - including on tenor and visibility.

The post No major changes but some important tweaks in final Nelson Review – more visibility, shorter tenors appeared first on Renew Economy.

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MacroBusiness Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 15:00 Source

Tonight I will be appearing on DFA Live with Martin North from 8.00pm AEST, where we will discuss everything to do with the housing market and economy. The YouTube feed is below. I hope to see you there.

The post Join me tonight on DFA Live with Martin North appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Renew Economy Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 14:12 Source

Golden Plains wind farm.State and federal energy ministers endorse Nelson review proposals to replace CIS in 2028 - with the notable exception of the Queensland LNP government.

The post Energy ministers endorse Nelson market review to succeed CIS, with the exception of Queensland appeared first on Renew Economy.

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MacroBusiness Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 14:00 Source

The S&P Global Flash Australia PMI was released, reporting the “softest expansion in private sector output in seven months” in December: The key points are as follows: Flash Australia Composite PMI Output Index: 51.1 (Nov: 52.6) Flash Australia Services PMI Business Activity Index: 51.0 (Nov: 52.8) Flash Australia Manufacturing PMI: 52.2 (Nov: 51.6) Flash Australia

The post Aussie private sector output winds down appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Renew Economy Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 13:46 Source

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MacroBusiness Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 13:00 Source

Gold measured in Australian dollars has more than doubled since 2023: This is during a period of relatively calm valuation in AUD vs USD with a 10% dip that has now recovered back to 2023 levels: Of course Bitcoin and other crypto inventions have quadrupled over the same time period, but their future is a

The post Australian dollar goes for gold appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Read more Views: 73

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