Michael Sciffer

My opening statement to Senate estimates on the Better and Fairer Schools Bill

We should understand the rise of the far right as a Polanyian moment. People are seeking protection from the excesses of market neoliberalism and hyperglobalization. But like fascism in Polanyi’s day, the far right offers only bad solutions. We need social democracy.

BREAKING: Over 100,000 Australians just asked their government to block the proposed Trump Tower development on the Gold Coast

This is just another story about old people being scared of young people

I have lived in Armidale since 2017 and work with young people. No one carries machetes but I guess it does sometimes snow so maybe people wear balaclavas. I walk home from the pub at night along the creekland and no one has ever bothered me. I never lock my old ute either

Abolish all corporate and individual tax concessions and raise $200 billion

So you are also arguing to ban all consumer imports, and US companies like Google and Facebook sending their earnings back to the US?

Marjorie Taylor Greene: MAGA ‘was all a lie’ thehill.com/homenews/admin…

Yeah because should abandon children and the elderly to low paid workers

@profholden @FinancialReview the argument for parental choice is an argument for social exclusion. It will create our our MAGA underclass.

My latest Economics Explained column for @FinancialReview is on private schools. It covers a fair bit of territory. From rising costs and peer effects, to signaling social status and the rise of selective public schools, to taxpayer subsidies and choice in public education. "Private schools aren’t going away. Nor should they. Parents and children deserve to have choice. Indeed, more choice in the public system may be part of the answer to concerns about quality in that system. But at least as an important a value is that every child—regardless of their background—deserves an excellent education and the ability to flourish. Australia isn’t delivering on that promise right now. And it does leave one wondering whether—even if it’s only four or five thousand dollars a year per student—taxpayers should be subsidising high-fee private schools." "It’s also sometimes said that enrolment in private schools is driven by a parental desire to signal their social status. Perhaps this is part of the story for some parents – although it would be a lot cheaper to wear more Brunello Cucinelli, Prada and Loro Piana than to cough up $50,000 per kid per year. But I’m neither a psychologist nor a style reporter, so what do I know." "There is a structural feature of the system which is important to understand, though, and it is particularly acute in Sydney. In 1992 (no prizes for guessing why I picked that nostalgic year), there were seven selective schools. Today, there are 47 fully or partially selective government high schools." afr.com/policy/economy…

@profholden @FinancialReview there is a whole research field on school compositional effects and socioeconomic segregation in Australia you should have a look at. Residualising public schools locks in academic inequality no matter how much money you throw at them.

When did 26% become an overwhelming majority?

John Howard took power by dividing Australia.

Why not just introduce a lifetime cap on tax concessions for every Australian - for super, housing investment, work deductions, business deductions. smh.com.au/politics/feder…

$MSFT just canceled another data center after community pushback. Having spent 15 yrs working in nuclear power and the last 2 yrs trying to warn people about the AI bubble, it's time to grab some🍿and enjoy watching the AI Bros fight the environmentalists. Have fun out there🤣

Australian school segregation is driven by unregulated private school fees and enrolment practices youtube.com/watch?v=0VMwer…

School segregation is driven by increased provision of private and selective schools researchgate.net/publication/39…

School segregation is driven by increased provision of private and selective schools bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/be… via @BERJ_Editors

@IAGovernor @usedgov @IADeptofEd segregation

Proud to announce that @usedgov is awarding @IADeptofEd $43M to support high-quality, tuition-free, public charter schools in Iowa.

The US shows constitutions mean nothing if society no longer believes in the values. Freedom of speech is dead in the US.

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