Economy

A decision by Angus Taylor to open up the market for carbon credits has made it cheaper for companies to pollute and has transferred billions in value to the private sector.

In two years, oil has gone from negative prices to huge highs – part of a rising inflationary shock not seen since the 1970s.

Following revelations the Morrison government pressured AGL to sack its last chief executive, energy companies have increasingly isolated Angus Taylor.

Saul Griffith, a former climate adviser to Joe Biden, has moved home to Australia. He argues policy changes made here could accelerate the world’s transition to renewables by 10 years.

As supply chains collapse, government policies have created a situation where as much as 40 per cent of the trucking and freight workforce has Covid-19.

There will not be a sustained economic recovery without a recovery of small businesses, and at this point they are on their knees. They are an essential element of the fabric of Australia and employ millions of Australians. They are the most innovative of our businesses and the developers of new technologies in our country. Small businesses are increasingly fundamental to our overall export performance, too. In 2022, they are ‘the sheep’s back’.

A cascading series of crises, across various sectors, has undone any pretence that the government is managing the pandemic.

The prime minister believed the reopening of NSW would mark a swing in positive sentiment. He is now rushing to cover testing failures and redefine close contacts and hospital admissions.

A cascade of curious shortages – from pallets to shipping containers to urea used in fuel – is complicating the government’s positive economic outlook.

A string of independents who have broken away from conservative politics could define the next parliament.