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Twenty-four hours is a long time in this White House. After vowing there would be no changes to the tariff “plan” that whacked trading partners with import taxes as high as 49%, President Trump backflipped the following day.
For all countries except China, US tariffs will be paused for 90 days at a 10% rate. The violent reaction in financial markets over the past week was one reason.
The risk of massive self-inflicted economic damage was another. As economists James Giesecke and Robert Waschik show in this new chart, US economic growth, employment, and consumption were all set to plunge. Their chart shows some of the likely pre-pause and now post-pause fallouts for the US, China and Australia, from reduced spending to job losses.
The good news is that whether the pause in tariffs becomes permanent or not, Australia fares relatively well under either scenario.
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Victoria Thieberger
Economics Editor
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James Giesecke, Victoria University; Robert Waschik, Victoria University
The losses under Trump’s original tariff plan would have been significant. But even after the latest policy U-turn, the costs to the US will still be high.
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Dan Woodman, The University of Melbourne
Gen Z and Millennials will outnumber Boomer voters at the election. Does that mean we will see policies to close the growing wealth divide between the generations?
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Tony Wood, Grattan Institute
The Coalition reveals plans to review Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target if they win government at the next federal election.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
No matter who wins this election, there will likely be a change of leader in either Labor or the Coalition, or both. But who is waiting in the wings?
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Brett Mitchell, University of Newcastle; Allen Cheng, Monash University
A new study has found improving cleaning practices in hospital could make a big difference. Here’s what the researchers did.
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Carol Lefevre, University of Adelaide
As cost-of-living soars, wars rage and stock markets fluctuate, we could all use a respite. The natural world has been proven to have a healing effect.
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Bartholomew Stanford, James Cook University
Since the Voice, policies to improve the lives of First Nations people haven’t gotten much traction. What are the major parties promising this election?
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James Laurenceson, University of Technology Sydney
Successive governments have reviewed the deal to lease the port to a Chinese company and found no cause for concern. Both major parties have made a sudden about-face.
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Ben Egliston, University of Sydney; Taylor Hardwick, University of Sydney; Tianyi Zhangshao, University of Sydney
We saw Sony adjust prices for the PS5 mid-generation in response to production costs. So there’s no reason to assume the Switch 2 price will remain static.
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Arian Wallach, Queensland University of Technology; Erick Lundgren, University of Alberta
Dozens of Australian mammal species have declined and gone extinct since European colonisation – and introduced predators are often blamed. But evidence is lacking.
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Christina Hanna, University of Waikato; Iain White, University of Waikato; Pip Wallace, University of Waikato; Raven Cretney, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Managed retreat can be traumatic and hard. But with good planning, the land left behind can serve new purposes, and make public what was once private.
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David Peetz, Griffith University
Obviously, the government can’t set wages directly. But research shows recent policies that have increased worker power are associated with strong wage growth.
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Maria Atienzar-Prieto, Griffith University; Silke Meyer, Griffith University
Location-sharing apps provide convenience and a sense of security for families. But they can also be used as a weapon of control.
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Hal Swerissen, La Trobe University
Here’s what an incoming government needs to have on its radar when it comes to aged care.
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Matthew Ricketson, Deakin University; Alexandra Wake, RMIT University; Michael Ward, University of Sydney
In Donald Trump’s America, public broadcasters have felt the full force of his swingeing cuts – it would be disastrous if the same happened in Australia.
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Politics + Society
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Jane McAdam, UNSW Sydney
The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union, as it is known, is the world’s first bilateral agreement to create a special visa like this in the context of climate change.
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Cassandra Mudgway, University of Canterbury
A legal framework for protecting women MPs has already been developed. The government should revive it, and address the underlying causes of online abuse.
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Health + Medicine
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Kate Cole, University of Sydney; Renee Carey, Curtin University; Tim Driscoll, University of Sydney
Silicosis is a serious, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling small particles of silica dust.
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Science + Technology
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T.J. Thomson, RMIT University
Editing any photo, anywhere, is cheaper and easier than ever. What does that mean for having ‘visual proof’ of something?
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Environment + Energy
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Bill Bateman, Curtin University; Lauren Gilson, Curtin University
We don’t want to admit it, but our beloved pet dogs do a lot of environmental damage, from killing or terrifying wildlife to emissions from pet food.
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Education
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Jacquelyn Harverson, Deakin University; Louise Paatsch, Deakin University; Sharon Horwood, Deakin University
A new study looks at the impact of tech on little kids’ wellbeing, social skills and behaviour. It includes data from more than 83,000 parents around the world.
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Arts + Culture
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Rob Richardson, Auckland University of Technology; Dianne Ma, Auckland University of Technology
From Spartan feasts to Sunday brunches, the way we eat has transformed since our hunter-gatherer ancestors first shared meals around the hearth.
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Books + Ideas
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Derya Iner, Charles Sturt University
Global tensions have put pressure on universities to adopt politicised definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia. Dehumanisation is a more inclusive alternative.
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Business + Economy
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Chris Murphy, Australian National University
Bracket creep means the average tax rate will increase by about 4% over the next decade. But a low wage earner on $45,000 will see a jump of almost 7%.
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