http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/ben-mitchell/ Ben Mitchell is the Director of Public Affairs for the Minerals Council of Australia. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/if-youre-blaming-mining-youve-got-rocks-in-your-head/ Of all the voodoo economic nonsense circulating at the moment, none is more curious than the idea that the current mining boom is more trouble than it’s worth. You’ve probably heard the claims. Mining is racing ahead of the rest of the economy, soaking up skilled workers and other factors of production, leaving the non-mining industries in a state of semi-permanent weakness. According to the script, the boom is the sole cause of the soaring Aussie dollar and - according to one of the more hysterical assessments offered last week - tearing apart the very fabric of our economy. A sober look at the facts paints a very different picture. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Ben Mitchell) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/if-youre-blaming-mining-youve-got-rocks-in-your-head/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/if-youre-blaming-mining-youve-got-rocks-in-your-head/#item6941 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:35:33 +0000 Ben Mitchell | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ben-mitchell-on-cprs/ A funny thing happened on the weekend: the world’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter - the US - took the first step towards establishing a carbon reduction scheme and almost nobody wanted to talk about it. The Obama-endorsed scheme passed the US House of Representatives and only has to clear their Senate to become law. In Australia, a few people welcomed the vote and applauded the move, but almost no-one dared to lift the carpet and comment on the design of the US scheme. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Ben Mitchell) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ben-mitchell-on-cprs/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ben-mitchell-on-cprs/#item535 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:40:54 +0000 Ben Mitchell | Author bios | The Punch