Too Much Luck
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
Paul Cleary, a student at St Mary’s Cathedral and has more recently a strong association with Timor-Leste, Speaks about his new book, "Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia's Future"
'We think we are the lucky country, but what we really have is dumb luck—a lot of luck without the planning or strategy to make sure our good fortune lasts.'—Paul Cleary
In Too Much Luck, Paul Cleary shows that the resources boom, which seems like a blessing, has the potential to become a curse – unless our governments take urgent action. Today, under-taxed and under-regulated multinational companies make a tidy profit by selling off our non-renewable resources. As the mining boom accelerates, it will drive the dollar sky-high, forcing up the cost of doing business for everybody. Industries such as tourism and education—industries that, unlike mining, involve many jobs—will fade away. But what happens if commodity prices suddenly collapse, as they did with the GFC in 2008; or worse, when the resources run out?
Many countries before us have been caught by the resources trap: a heady period of boom and growth, followed by a painful bust. Paul Cleary maps out the pitfalls, considers what has worked overseas, and suggests a better way forward.
QUT Law and Justice hosting Paul Cleary Author of "Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia's Future"
Discussants: Professor Kerry Carrington, School of Justice, QUT and Ruth Armstrong, Darling Downs Farmer
Date : Wednesday 9 November 2011
Venue : Gardens Point Theatre Foyer (new venue), QUT Gardens Point Campus, 2 George St
Time: 12.30pm -1.30pm (followed by Refreshments and Book Signing)
RSVP: Please press "Attend Event" below or visit http://paulclearyqut.eventbrite.com/
Mr Paul Cleary is a senior writer for the Australian and a research scholar in public policy at the Australian National University. He has served for a decade in the Canberra press gallery and advised the East Timor government during contentious negotiations over the Timor Sea’s oil and gas.
Professor Kerry Carrington Head of School of Justice QUT led an ARC team that has undertaken significant original and independent research into the sociological and criminological impacts of mining development in Australia.
Ruth Armstrong is a Darling Downs farmer who has been personally affected by the emerging coal seam gas industry in Queensland. With a background in ecological sciences from QUT, Ruth regularly speaks at various forums on the CSG-agriculture issue and represents a group of farmers taking landcourt action against the Queensland government and CSG companies on environmental grounds.
Submitted by: Paul Oakley
