The US-China trade war has triggered the start of a decoupling process between the two rival superpowers that is spreading to countries aligned with them. Reputable middle powers such as Australia must resist, and instead work on new approaches to liberalising regional and global trade.

This week’s resumption of the Australia-China High Level Dialogue is a further opportunity to stabilise and strengthen the relationship between our two countries. Nothing is lost and much can be gained by working with China to find common ground on issues relating to trade, investment, education and decarbonisation.

Fifteen years ago, Ross Garnaut described policy to deal with climate change as a diabolical problem. As the Albanese Labor government and the Labor-dominated state and territory governments grapple with emission reductions, decarbonisation policy dilemmas have become even more complex, more diabolical.

Australia has an opportunity to develop and share a simplified trade system that could be the new-generation equivalent of tariff reductions in the pursuit of free and open trade.

It is now unarguable that the Reserve Bank’s dubious economic models are driving its monetary policy decisions. Chillingly, if its models are wrong, so have been and will be its decisions on interest rates.

Here we go again: a chorus of economists and other critics calling for governments to increase the nation’s productivity growth. It’s a familiar cry but just as lacking in feasible government policy prescriptions as it has ever been.

Australia does not have to stand by helplessly while superpower tensions wreck the rules-based system of trade. There are things that like-minded allies can do.

It is an honour to have been asked to deliver the Stan Kelly lecture. Not because I knew Stan Kelly, but because I support his worldly philosophy – his advocacy of tariff reductions and open trade.

If the Greens are really opposed to housing demand drivers like immigration, then they should say so.

If the RBA is planning to lift rates until it is happy with productivity, then we are all in big trouble.

Inflation is falling. There in no wage-price spiral. The central bank does not need to trigger a recession to contain them.

The Rip Van Winkles who expect the prime minister to break the election promise on the stage three tax cuts need to wake up to his plan to make Labor the natural party of government.

Closing out unduly generous concessions in the design of the tax will also offer stability in the taxing regime for the Australian offshore gas industry.

A nine-person Monetary Policy Board of trained economists is welcome. But there is a risk the RBA will slavishly persist with the monetarist thinking that results in higher unemployment.

The Liberal leader’s aim seems to be to keep his parliamentary party together – even at the risk of the wider party’s appeal.

The Liberals are dealing themselves out as a party of reform. More important is the relationship between the BCA and the ACTU.

Media outlets are increasingly fishing only in pools of their own prejudices – and this is not good for democracy.