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Emma Dawson

Emma Dawson

Emma Dawson is executive director at Per Capita, a progressive Australian think tank. She was a senior policy advisor in the Rudd and Gillard governments.

Max Chandler-Mather, Greens spokesperson for housing and homelessness, and Greens leader Adam Bandt.

By siding with the right the Greens are in a race to the bottom

I have observed Labor’s attempts to pass its housing legislation this week with growing anger. The Greens’ attempts at blackmailing the government betray their own voters.

  • Emma Dawson

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Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather speaks at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on Wednesday.

The Greens housing plan won’t fix anything – it’s a campaign tactic

It’s obvious to anyone who understands housing policy that the Greens’ plan would make the housing crisis worse. People like Max Chandler-Mather would benefit, not those who really need the help.

  • Emma Dawson
Fuel prices are listed on a fuel price board at Ampol petrol station in North Bondi.

Petrol prices won’t crash the housing market – it’s renters who will suffer most

The sharp increases in cost of living brought about by petrol price rises will hurt the bottom end of the housing market: those in private rentals and homeowners in outer suburbs.

  • Emma Dawson
Illustration: Joe Benke 

Debt and tax: the unmentionables for both major parties vying for election

It will take serious tax reform to secure our long-term prosperity, but who will dare?

  • Emma Dawson
Illustration: Jim Pavlidis

It’s the final quarter and it’s Albanese’s time to kick

The Labor leader is yet to establish his identity in the minds of many Australians, but yesterday he was clear: it’s game on.

  • Emma Dawson
If the disability emerges after reaching 65, access to support is through the aged care system.

PM eschews care-led recovery for old-fashioned approach

Investing in the care economy would be the smart way for Australia to restore its economy after the COVID pandemic.

  • Emma Dawson
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The decision to parachute senator Kristina Keneally into the western Sydney seat of Fowler at the expense of local Vietnamese lawyer Tu Le has led to calls for diversity quotas.

Left’s identity politics crisis a progressive problem

A shallow understanding of identity politics among many on the Left is a significant threat to progressive politics.

  • Emma Dawson
Shoppers walk on George Street in Liverpool on Saturday.

Sydney needs another JobKeeper to survive this lockdown

We all fervently hope the NSW lockdown doesn’t come close to the duration of Victoria’s ordeal last year. However a further extension of stay-at-home orders is almost assured and the economic hit to households and businesses is likely to be severe.

  • Emma Dawson
The cost of services considered essential, such as education, have risen while the price of non-essential items has dropped.

The economy is working well for some, but not for all

A rise in the cost of goods and services needed to maintain living standards combined with a drop in the price of items bought with disposable income is putting ordinary working families at a disadvantage.

  • Emma Dawson
Wages are the key.

‘It doesn’t add up’: The missing budget ingredient that may thwart a sustained recovery

With international borders closed, consumer spending will be driven by incomes. And both the federal and Victorian budgets have failed to tackle this adequately.

  • Emma Dawson