John August, a Sydney radio host and Pirate Party of Australia official, returns to provide feedback on recent episodes about nuclear power, COVID policies, and government outsourcing and consulting. John discusses his generally positive view of nuclear energy with some qualifications and provides his thoughts on the analysis of COVID restrictions presented in a recent episode by Prof. Gigi Foster. John also weighs in on the challenges of government service delivery, noting potential upsides and downsides to outsourcing and cautioning against contractors dominating policy development.

Please contact us with any questions, comments and suggestions by emailing us at [email protected] or sending a voice message via https://www.speakpipe.com/economicsexplored. 

About this episode’s guest: John August

John August is the Treasurer of the Pirate Party Australia. John does computer support work in retail and shareholder communication. He is passionate about justice and ethics in our world, particularly as it plays out in law generally and intellectual property in particular. He has stood on behalf of the Pirate Party in the Federal seat of Bennelong and also as a Councillor for Ryde City Council.

Along with technology and law John is also interested in spoken word and poetry. He broadcasts on community radio and hosts the program “Roving Spotlight” on Tuesdays from noon-2pm on Radio Skid Row Marrickville Sydney, and writes about his ideas on the website www.johnaugust.com.au. You can keep up to date with what John is up to via his Facebook page. 

What’s covered in EP220

• 00:04:08 - Discussion on Nuclear Energy
• 00:13:37 - Gigi Foster's COVID Analysis
• 00:25:58 - Economic Impact of COVID Restrictions
• 00:35:57 - Outsourcing and Consulting in Government
• 00:44:20 - Final Thoughts and Wrap-up

Takeaways

• Nuclear power holds promise as an energy source, but challenges around risk management, technology development, and public perception still need to be addressed.
• In John’s view, there are reasonable arguments on both sides of the debate around COVID restrictions, with disagreement centring around difficult-to-determine counterfactual scenarios.
• Outsourcing can benefit the government, like additional capacity and fresh perspectives, but oversight is needed to avoid issues like mission creep or perverse incentives.  

Links relevant to the conversation

Recent news about nuclear energy:

First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in operation

NuScale ends Utah project, in blow to US nuclear power ambitions | Reuters  

John talking about nuclear energy on his radio show:

https://www.mixcloud.com/Johnorg/roving-spotlight-26-sept-23-nuclear-nuclear-more-nuclear/

Pirate Party position statement on bureaucracy and rent-seeking:

https://pirateparty.org.au/wiki/Position_Statements/Government_Bureaucracy_Rent-Seeking

Video mentioned by John: “The consulting industry has infantilised government” - Mariana Mazzucato on taking back control

https://youtu.be/ycVBoWsGLJs?si=r7f5qIJds0dENPtI

Review of Jobkeeper payment by Nigel Ray: 

https://treasury.gov.au/consultation/c2023-407908

Previous Economics Explored episodes mentioned this episode:

https://economicsexplored.com/2023/07/27/sir-david-hendry-on-economic-forecasting-the-net-zero-transition-ep198/

https://economicsexplored.com/2023/09/14/gigi-foster-estimates-covid-lockdowns-cost-young-people-116x-any-benefits-ep205/

https://economicsexplored.com/2023/10/13/private-vs-public-sector-jobs-consulting-scandals-economics-as-an-imperialist-discipline-w-uqppes-ep209/

Thanks to Obsidian Productions for mixing the episode and to the show’s sponsor, Gene’s consultancy business www.adepteconomics.com.au. 

Full transcripts are available a few days after the episode is first published at www.economicsexplored.com.