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John Hawkins1

Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra
I have a PhD in political science and Masters degrees in Economics and Applied Finance. I have headed the economics division at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and been a senior economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank for International Settlements and Australian Treasury and secretary to the Senate Economics Committee.

Imagine if each of us could direct where our taxes were spent. Meet TaxTrack

Oct 24, 2022 17:26 pm UTC| Economy

Ahead of this weeks budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he wants Australians to prepare for a serious conversation about how to pay for the services we need. Weve developed a proposal to make that conversation more...

Digital Currency Revolution

Cryptocurrencies are great for gambling – but lousy at liberating our money from big central banks

Jul 04, 2022 16:27 pm UTC| Digital Currency

The dream that decentralised finance or DeFi can free the monetary system from the clutches of governments and banks has helped launch 20,000 cryptocurrencies. But with 2022 proving to be more of a crypto-nightmare ...

Oil in Global Economy Series

What will the fuel excise cut save you? Not as much as the Treasurer says

Apr 05, 2022 11:52 am UTC| Economy

As an appeal to middle Australia, to the voters politicians routinely describe as working families or battlers, the Morrison governments centrepiece budget move to halve the fuel excise for six months has obvious...

How to camouflage $150 billion in government spending? Call it 'tax expenditure'

Feb 08, 2022 03:38 am UTC| Economy

This financial year the Australian government plans to spend at least A$150 billion on so-called tax expenditures tax concessions or exemptions applying to particular activities or classes of taxpayer. And thats just...

Digital Currency Revolution

What is Bitcoin's fundamental value?

Nov 13, 2021 07:44 am UTC| Digital Currency Investing

As it hits new highs, there is no shortage of bold predictions about Bitcoin reaching US$100,000 or more. Often these are based on not much more than extrapolations by people with vested interests: the price has gone up...

Digital Currency Revolution

Can Bitcoin become a real currency? Here's what's wrong with El Salvador's crypto plan

Jun 14, 2021 04:04 am UTC| Digital Currency Investing

Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, has got himself a pair of laser eyes on his Twitter profile at least. Laser eyes are something social media users give themselves to show they love cryptocurrency and Bukele...

The Low and Middle Income Tax Offset has been extended yet again. It delivers help neither when nor where it's needed

May 16, 2021 11:15 am UTC| Investing Law

The Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (known as the LMITO or lamington) has been given yet another new lease of life. What started in 2018 as a stop-gap until broader tax cuts were introduced, was extended because of...

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Economy

Asian Stocks Rise as AI Chip Rally Lifts South Korea, Japan

Asian stocks mostly advanced Wednesday as renewed strength in technology and semiconductor shares boosted markets in South Korea and Japan. However, higher oil prices and uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Iran negotiations kept...

Asian Currencies Steady Ahead of US CPI as Oil Prices Rise

Asian currencies were mostly unchanged against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday as investors awaited key U.S. inflation data that could shape expectations for the Federal Reserves next interest-rate decision. Meanwhile, rising...

Iran War Escalates as US, Houthis Target Ships Near Key Oil Routes

The United States and Yemens Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on commercial shipping Tuesday as hopes for a quick end to the Iran war faded. Tehran warned that the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for...

Canada, US Hold Fresh Trade Talks as August 19 Tariff Deadline Nears

Canada and the United States held another round of high-level trade talks on Tuesday as Ottawa seeks to prevent new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods from taking effect on August 19. Dominic LeBlanc, Canadas minister...

Australia Sets New Minimum Pay, Insurance Rules for Gig Workers

Australias Fair Work Commission (FWC) has approved new minimum standards for food and grocery delivery workers, giving gig economy workers higher pay and greater protection against workplace injuries. Under the new rules,...

Politics

Peggy Flanagan Wins Minnesota Democratic Senate Nomination

Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan has secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, setting up a closely watched general election contest against Republican nominee Michele Tafoya. U.S. media outlets...

U.S. Military Operations Killed 153 Civilians in 2025, Pentagon Says

U.S. military operations killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243 in 2025, according to Pentagon assessments cited by a U.S. official, marking a sharp increase from the civilian casualty figures reported for 2024. The...

North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile as US-South Korea Drills Near

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward waters off the Korean Peninsulas east coast on Wednesday, raising regional tensions just days before major US-South Korea military exercises are set to begin. South Koreas Joint...

Taiwan Slams ‘Dangerous’ China-Indonesia Naval Drill Near Island

Taiwan has condemned a planned China-Indonesia naval drill east of Taiwan, accusing Beijing of using the exercise to create the impression that it has authority over waters surrounding the democratically governed island....

Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death by Syrian Court

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, marking the first conviction against the former leader since his government collapsed in December 2024. The Damascus court convicted Assad...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Samsung, SK Hynix Shares Surge on Report of Potential Temasek Investment

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares rallied sharply on Wednesday following a report that Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek is considering investments in South Koreas two leading memory chipmakers. Samsung...

OpenAI Executive Brad Lightcap to Leave for New AI Venture

Brad Lightcap, one of OpenAIs most senior executives and its former chief operating officer, is leaving the artificial intelligence company to launch a new venture, adding to a series of major leadership changes across the...

Anthropic Signs $9.1B AI Data Center Deal With Riot Platforms

Anthropic has reportedly signed a $9.1 billion long-term agreement with Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) to secure large-scale AI computing capacity, marking another major investment by the Claude developer as demand for...

Trump Media Says Truth API Draws 10+ Customers as Conflict Concerns Grow

Trump Media Technology Group said Monday that more than 10 customers have signed up for its upcoming Truth API, a real-time data service designed to provide rapid access to posts from prominent Truth Social accounts,...

Nvidia Secures $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push With Wall Street Giants

Nvidia is expanding its influence beyond semiconductors after announcing agreements aimed at mobilizing up to $500 billion in third-party capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move brings the AI chip...