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Editor's note
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When the Rudd government scrambled to respond to the economic crisis in 2008 it employed an insight from behavioural economics: people value cheques paid into their accounts much more than they value tax cuts.
It was an insight the Gillard government failed to employ three years later when it designed its emissions reduction scheme. Most proceeds from the carbon price were to be fed back to households as tax cuts rather than payments. After a short time the tax cuts went unnoticed.
Tonight in Sydney newly elected independent Kerryn Phelps will unveil a plan that promises to do what Gillard’s short-lived scheme did not. Designed by UNSW economics professor Richard Holden and law professor Rosalind Dixon, and outlined in The Conversation this morning, it would distribute all of the proceeds to households as direct payments worth A$1,300 per adult per year, tax-free.
Holden and Dixon say that after paying the resulting higher prices for energy, the average household would be $585 a year better off – more so if they cut their use of energy.
It feeds into a debate that will continue when Labor releases its energy election policy on Thursday.
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Peter Martin
Editor, Business and Economy
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Top story
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The UNSW climate dividend proposal will be launched on Wednesday by the Member for Wentworth Kerryn Phelps.
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Richard Holden, UNSW; Rosalind Dixon, UNSW
It is possible to both tax carbon emissions and enrich households. A report to be released by UNSW today outlines how.
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Arts + Culture
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Sophie Pezzutto, Australian National University
With pirated and amateur pornography widely available online, porn no longer provides a steady income for many working in the adult industry.
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Paul Salmond, La Trobe University
Euripides’ dismissal by some as a misogynist sits uncomfortably alongside his complex and sympathetic female characters.
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Health + Medicine
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Rachel Laws, Deakin University; Elizabeth Denney-Wilson, University of Sydney; Jessica Appleton, University of Sydney; Karen Campbell, Deakin University
Formula feeding has been linked to higher weight gain in children. But parents who are formula feeding their babies can take measures to promote healthy weight gain.
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Vijaya Sundararajan, La Trobe University; Alan Shiell, La Trobe University; Hassan Vally, La Trobe University; Steven Lewis, University of Saskatchewan
Need a quick overview of what the major parties are promising in health this election? We've got you covered.
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Jack Tsonis, Western Sydney University
Traditional sauna is just as good for you as infrared sauna, and might be more enjoyable. They key is understanding the differences and finding your own preference.
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Cities
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Marion Terrill, Grattan Institute; James Ha, Grattan Institute
Whichever party wins, Victoria's new government will have promised the biggest transport infrastructure project in Australian history. So what are the promises and are they backed by proper assessment?
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Pratichi Chatterjee, University of Sydney; Alistair Sisson, University of Sydney; Jenna Condie, Western Sydney University; Laura Wynne, University of Tasmania
Working-class residents of Waterloo have a history of resisting threats to their community. Many tenants see the redevelopment of public housing as state-led gentrification to squeeze them out.
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Kate Isabel Booth, University of Tasmania; Chloe Lucas, University of Tasmania
The differences between owners and the growing number of renters, and between rural and urban areas, point to explanations other than affordability for the one-in-two Australians who are underinsured.
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Politics + Society
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Narelle Miragliotta, Monash University
The Victorian state election presents opportunities and risks for the Greens – including whether they can transition from being a protest party to a major party.
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Adrian Beaumont, University of Melbourne
The government will take heart from the latest polls showing a bounce in their support, while the micro parties are likely to take seats in the Victorian election.
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Dominic O'Sullivan, Charles Sturt University
The re-election of a former coup leader as Fiji's prime minister comes as Australia pays more heed to the south-west Pacific.
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Benjamin T. Jones, Australian National University
With John Howard in 2004-7 the last prime minister to serve a full term, it may seem Australia has sunk into a long rein of political instability. But that is not necessarily the case.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Scott Morrison says population pressures on major cities demand changing migrant intake caps.
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Tony Walker, La Trobe University
As relations between Washington and Beijing take a turn for the worse, the announcement of a new naval base on Manus Island carries great strategic significance.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The O'Dwyer statement has an eye to areas where Labor has been taking the running. One focal point is seeking to improve the capacity of victims of domestic violence to rebuild their lives.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Ministers scrapping publicly over whether our embassy should be relocated is adding to the perception of government disunity and fanning the friction the issue has already caused with our neighbours.
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Business + Economy
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Peter Lloyd, University of Melbourne
Victoria's decision to sign up to China's Belt and Road Initiative opens it up to the same sort of risks as other signatories.
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Tim Harcourt, UNSW
Indonesia is more important to Australia than many Australians realise.
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Leonora Risse, RMIT University
Women have up to one-and-a-half year's extra education, and nearly a full year's extra workforce experience, than required for their job.
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Mathew Donald, Charles Sturt University
There's symbolic power in heads rolling when an organisations does wrong. But cultural change is more complicated than that.
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Science + Technology
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Mark Sanderson, RMIT University
A/B testing is leading to a profound change in business process that is filtering through our whole society.
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Paul Franciscus Johannes Merkes, Edith Cowan University; Chris Abbiss, Edith Cowan University
Most long distance road cycling events are won or lost in the final sprint of any race stage. Here's one tip that could give you an extra 5kph advantage.
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Environment + Energy
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Nina Lansbury Hall, The University of Queensland; Susan Mott, The University of Queensland; Wendy Hoy, The University of Queensland
Drinking water in Australia can be contaminated by natural and manmade processes, especially in communities. Innovation is needed to ensure water is ‘fit for purpose, place and people’.
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Michael Vardon, Australian National University; Carl Obst, University of Melbourne; David Lindenmayer, Australian National University
At an international summit in Egypt this month, nations will hopefully make progress towards recognising the economic value of wildlife and other environmental assets.
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Featured jobs
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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La Trobe University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Griffith University — Mount Gravatt, Queensland
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Featured events
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Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) 1 Convention Centre Place , South Wharf, Victoria, 3000, Australia — The Conversation
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St Lucia Campus, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia — The University of Queensland
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The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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14-28 Ultimo Road, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
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