The Business Council of Australia has released a discussion paper designed to kickstart a nationwide conversation about the best ways to shift Australia into the fast lane of growth.

The world is changing around us. Australia finds itself in the crosshairs of several major shifts including the rise of Asia, technological and digital advances and the global adoption of green energy sources.

Our failure to tackle the obstacles holding us back has left the nation out of pocket from where it could have been. That’s the ultimate opportunity cost we all pay for inaction.

With the prospect of a slower growing economy, record public debt, weak population growth and a tax system that will struggle to fund future spending demands, something has to give.

The consequences are real for people: slower wages growth, fewer opportunities and the country will fall further behind its competitors.

Achieving a one per cent increase in productivity growth a year by producing goods and services more efficiently and smarter would deliver an extra $10,000 in average incomes for Australians over a decade.

We cannot continue ignoring the problem. By making the right sets of choices, Australia can shift gears into the fast lane.

It’s time to act and position ourselves to reap the benefits of new high-tech industries and new highly paid jobs while continuing to get the most out of our traditional economic strengths.

https://www.bca.com.au/living_on_borrowed_time

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This is an interesting look at “the future”. The Business Council of Australia welcomed the death of the Carbon pricing introduced by Julia Gillard and destroyed by Clive Palmer supporting Tony Abbott’s folly. This “Living on borrowed time” appeal is showing a total failure of the Business Council now begging for solutions after having supported the lunacy of the previous Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison governments. 

We can only hope that the Business Council of Australia finds its way to support most of the new Albanese Labor government initiatives. 

As we know, nothing is clear cut and increasing productivity on goods and services by workers needs to be balanced by employers’ and creators’ genuine sharing of community spirit and money. And this does not mean having to work longer hours at twice the speed for the slave division.

One of the hindrance to future development is our use of energy which burns fossil fuel. “Green” alternatives are presently not enough. Many of our new ventures are not green at all and contribute to further warming of the surface of the planet.

The weather in Australia since the beginning of the year has been rather strange, for two main reason: La Niña and the eruption of the volcano in the pacific that sent shockwaves through the upper atmosphere. This eruption has most likely retarded the effect of warming but influenced the RECORD rain on the east coast of Australia, while possibly influenced the weird weather in the northern hemisphere.

Presently, the northern hemisphere of this little planet is suffering from drought, forest fires and heat waves. This apparently leads to more skin cancers, dry out of rivers and crop failures in the southern European nations. Nations like Russia and let’s not be shy about it, Galicia and the Donbass (formerly known as “Ukraine” now separate regions) still hold record harvests, like in Crimea (in Russia). This actually were side-effects predicted by Svante Arrhenius in 1897 when exposing the warming of the planet due to the industrial revolution.

The GEOPOLITICS of the USA has created conflicts for the sake of maintaining a fossil-fuel based EMPIRE-style influence everywhere. Now the major industry of the American 21st century is weaponry. For every dollar spent on “greening” the American’s dream, two or three dollars are spent in blowing up stuff, which are conducing to warming the planet more than the greening thereof. It's perverse. Many industries in the USA have fallen behind, in innovation and supplies of goods. 

So where to for Australia? Do more of the same better? Invent new ways to do things? What are the main areas of human consumption and creativity? 

Food, shelter, transport, comfort, energy, entertainment, health, knowledge, information and history… 

Quality versus quantity.

Proper recycling of glass, of paper, of plastic and WOOD.

Reduction of controls by increasing the notion of responsibility, at the social and individual level.

helping individuality without narcissistic nor criminal tendencies.

Develop an industry of carbon fibre, using the vast reserves of coal in tandem with recycling plastics to reformulate resins. 

Create carbon neutral abodes with STYLE. Avoid second rate constructions or products. 

Make all transportation carbon neutral. 

How can we do things better without costing the earth, nor destroy history? I use the word history rather than “tradition”. Traditions can often be hindrances against progress while the knowledge and momentum of history should be part of improvement. 

So, are we still in the bubble of what do we need versus what do we want, while not being gross about any of it? 

Can we produce better goods cheaper or are we prepared to pay the price? Is obsolescence an economic necessity or a plague? Is GROWTH a planet-destroying notion?

We need to think beyond the usual. 

May the Business Council of Australia find the solutions that are not exclusively in favour of the rich and powerful — for profit.

May the BCA change its name to the Sharing Council of Australia.

GL.

FREEING JULIAN ASSANGE NOW WOULD BE A GOOD START IN GOOD WILL.