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MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 13:30
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There is an immigration cult in Canberra. It has nothing to do with national interest and everything to do with self-interest. Because population growth adds to GDP, pollies don’t need to pursue reform to drive growth. And it lifts their property portfolios. Too easy! They can just lie that the economy is growing for you, The post One Nation is pro-immigration appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 13:00
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The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has reduced the official cash rate (OCR) by 3.25% since mid-2024, which has driven a sharp decline in mortgage rates to around pre-pandemic levels and a significant improvement in mortgage affordability: Normally, such a sharp reduction in mortgage rates would deliver a strong rebound in home values. However, no The post New Zealand’s housing crash restores affordability appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
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MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 12:30
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My friend and colleague, LVO, has done an excellent job of outlining how China and India have been commissioning large amounts of coal power. What he has not done, however, is examine the underpinnings of multilateral agreements to cut emissions over time. International agreements on carbon emissions acknowledge the historical right of poorer countries to The post It’s per capita emissions that matter appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 12:00
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Earlier this month, I reported on China’s insatiable appetite for coal-powered electricity. China is by far the world’s largest carbon emitter, which has been driven by its insatiable appetite for coal: China has a significant number of new coal mines in development: More than 50 large coal units—individual boiler and turbine sets with generating capacity The post India doubles down on coal generation appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
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MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 11:00
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Commentators like Greg Jericho from The Australia Institute argue that the Howard Government’s decision to halve the rate of capital gains tax (CGT) in 1999 was the primary driver of Australia’s house price boom and affordability crisis: While there are good reasons to reduce the CGT discount on equity and budget sustainability grounds (explained here), |
MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 10:30
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Société Générale uses options markets to read psychological pivots for precious metals. Gold:Fast up, fast down.As we wrote last week, we remain bullish on gold as we believe the fundamental rationale for precious upside remains despite one area of uncertainty being removed–namely lower Fed institutional chaos. We always believe a correction can be very healthy. The post Gold $20k or sell? appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
First stage of Australia’s second-biggest battery starts commercial operations in the Sunshine State
The post First stage of Australia’s second-biggest battery starts commercial operations in the Sunshine State appeared first on Renew Economy. |
MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 10:00
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We have repeatedly warned that Victoria is headed toward financial ruin. Victoria has the highest per capita debt and the lowest credit rating among the states. In November, the Victorian Auditor-General warned that debt, deficits, and infrastructure cost blowouts pose long-term dangers to the state’s financial viability. Victoria’s liabilities currently surpass $150 billion, with debt |
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MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 09:30
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Bondi was horrific, but it was not this. Naveed Akram has appeared in court for the first time since allegedly committing Australia’s worst terror attack. “Australia’s worst terror attack” was the Bali bombings, which took 88 Australian lives and 202 lives altogether. It clearly targeted Australians. This is deliberate misinformation. It’s wrong, politicised, and disrespectful |
MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 09:00
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Following the leadership spill that saw then Opposition Leader Sussan Ley lose the leadership of the Liberal Party and, by extension, the Coalition, there were swift allegations that it was driven by sexism, that it took 80 years for the Liberal Party to have its first leader and that her time came to a rather The post Quantifying Sussan Ley’s utter failure appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
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Your Democracy
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 08:51
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Don’t believe what you see and hear. It’s not true! This week on The West Report, Angus Taylor takes the Liberal leadership just in time to knock police violence and the Herzog visit off the front pages. |
MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 08:30
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China is closed for CNY for a week. SGX is closed for two days. Steel profits have improved, and we will probably see a decent rebound in output post-holiday. However, I expect this will only serve to drive steel prices lower amid stalling (and contracting) steel export growth plus weak domestic demand. On the supply The post Even more iron ore appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
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Your Democracy
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 06:55
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Someone wondered aloud on a social media platform the other day, “Where is Pete Hegseth these days?” What a good question. Let’s consider it. Figuring out where Pete Hegseth is keeping himself will tell us something important about the Trump regime and how it operates — or, better put, who actually operates it in the Trump White House’s name.
PATRICK LAWRENCE: Serial Buffoon at the Pentagon |
Your Democracy
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 05:44
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As the SA Premier basks in the campaign glory of a $3.9 billion downpayment on shipyard for nuclear subs, the Federal Government is kicking the nuclear waste can down the road. Rex Patrick reports. |
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Your Democracy
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 05:33
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To a current US cabinet secretary from a former one. |
Your Democracy
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 05:22
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Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has launched another public attack against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, just hours after disparaging him during an address at the Munich Security Conference. |
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MacroBusiness
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - 00:01
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The 2024-25 annual national accounts from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that the total value of residential land increased by 7.0% over the financial year to a record $8.3 trillion. Total residential land values in Australia have risen from 1.1 times GDP in 1989 to 3.0 times GDP in 2024–25. Land now accounts The post Rising land costs cripple housing affordability appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 23:16
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The post How Queensland coal plant waste is helping to build a (concrete) bridge to renewables appeared first on Renew Economy. |
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Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 21:16
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Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 21:08
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The post Replacement turbine blades arrive at one of Australia’s oldest wind farms appeared first on Renew Economy. |
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Your Democracy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 17:02
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They like the bedtime story: Europe was peacefully humming along in its post-history spa — open borders, cheap energy, NATO as a charity, Russia as a gas station with a flag… and then, one day, the barbarian kicked the door in for no reason at all. That story is not just dishonest. It’s operational. It’s the propaganda you tell yourself so you can keep the addiction going without ever admitting how self-destructive it is.
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John Quiggin
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 15:03
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Another Monday Message Board. Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please. |
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Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 14:46
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The post Major capital raise seeks $450 million to “lead New Zealand’s renewable energy future” appeared first on Renew Economy. |
Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 14:38
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The post Solar-battery hybrid and CIS winner gets super quick federal green tick appeared first on Renew Economy. |
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Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 14:33
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The post State LNP promises “strict new audits” of solar and wind, Barnaby promises a big new coal plant appeared first on Renew Economy. |
Your Democracy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 14:07
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UNITED STATES Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave the green light to European leaders for a new era of colonialism. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Mr Rubio offered partnership between the US and Europe to recolonise the global South.
Rubio gives green light to new era of US-European colonialism |
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MacroBusiness
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 14:00
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With less than five weeks to go until the South Australian election, the Opposition Liberal Party has announced a stamp duty concession to help older homeowners downsize. It is not a full exemption but a one‑off $15,000 discount on stamp duty for eligible buyers. The concessions would be available to South Australians aged 55 and The post Cutting stamp duty for older Australians is unfair appeared first on MacroBusiness. |
MacroBusiness
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 12:30
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Australia is experiencing a major economic shift driven by a decade-long surge in federal and state government spending: Economists claim government spending is now structurally reshaping the economy in a way comparable to the early‑2000s mining boom. Alex Joiner, chief economist at IFM Investors, clearly illustrates the shift from the mining boom to the government-spending |
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Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 12:27
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The post “We don’t doubt ourselves:” Fortescue’s race to real zero – and the radical rethink behind it appeared first on Renew Economy. |
Renew Economy
Monday, February 16, 2026 - 12:05
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The post Can inverter-based technologies do the system security job of big spinning machines? appeared first on Renew Economy. |
The first stage of one of the biggest batteries under development in Australia has started commercial operations, on track to becoming a 780 megawatt, more than 3 gigawatt-hour behemoth.
CS Energy is using its coal plant byproducts quite literally to build a bridge between its traditional fossil generation business and its renewable energy future.
Hydro Tasmania has successfully delivered replacement turbine blades to one of Australia’s oldest continuously working wind farms.
New Zealand gentailer woos investors from home and across the ditch to help fund its ambitious renewable energy development plans.
Solar and battery project proposed for central northern Victoria gets EPBC all-clear just four months after joining the queue. 
Nothing says election year like a big new push for division around renewables. In Victoria, the opposition Coalition and One Nation are getting busy courting votes.
Iron ore giant Fortescue has just four years left to meet its real zero emissions by 2030 target, a mammoth task that will require it to fundamentally change how it operates. So can it be done?
A new white paper examines how Australia can ensure electricity system security in the transition from baseload generators and spinning machines to a grid dominated by inverter-based resources.