Martin Jones
@martincjones.com
🇦🇺/🇩🇪 climate change/energy economist and policy wonk; former academic (CEEM) and consumer advocate (CUAC); amateur footballer. Personal views. He/him.
Reposted by Martin Jones
Great piece from @dsquareddigest.bsky.social, which touches on one of the big theories for why English-speaking countries do especially badly at housebuilding:
Adversarial and litigious common law systems (Anglo) vs judge-led civil law systems elsewhere.
samf.substack.com/p/build-the-...
Adversarial and litigious common law systems (Anglo) vs judge-led civil law systems elsewhere.
samf.substack.com/p/build-the-...
February 16, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Great piece from @dsquareddigest.bsky.social, which touches on one of the big theories for why English-speaking countries do especially badly at housebuilding:
Adversarial and litigious common law systems (Anglo) vs judge-led civil law systems elsewhere.
samf.substack.com/p/build-the-...
Adversarial and litigious common law systems (Anglo) vs judge-led civil law systems elsewhere.
samf.substack.com/p/build-the-...
Reposted by Martin Jones
Another v v good piece of analysis from @onlyfacts.io here - showing how the shift to uts and SUVs in Australia is a major component of rising transport emissions
Remarkable how unassailable this deadly trend is, in Aus
onlyfacts.io/newsletters/...
Remarkable how unassailable this deadly trend is, in Aus
onlyfacts.io/newsletters/...
February 14, 2026 at 7:08 AM
Another v v good piece of analysis from @onlyfacts.io here - showing how the shift to uts and SUVs in Australia is a major component of rising transport emissions
Remarkable how unassailable this deadly trend is, in Aus
onlyfacts.io/newsletters/...
Remarkable how unassailable this deadly trend is, in Aus
onlyfacts.io/newsletters/...
Reposted by Martin Jones
If China's emissions had kept growing at previous levels emissions would like, what, maybe a full GIGATONNE higher....the area of avoided emissions here is like deleting the emissions of entire countries. This is happening at a scale that will very clearly have an effect in lessening disasters
February 12, 2026 at 8:18 AM
If China's emissions had kept growing at previous levels emissions would like, what, maybe a full GIGATONNE higher....the area of avoided emissions here is like deleting the emissions of entire countries. This is happening at a scale that will very clearly have an effect in lessening disasters
"Victoria has exceeded [i.e. overperformed] its 2025 renewable energy target ... Renewables delivered 44.6% of Victoria’s electricity generation last year - well exceeding the 40% target." The next target is 65% renewable electricity by 2030. www.linkedin.com/pulse/victor...
Victoria powers beyond its 2025 renewable energy target
Victoria has exceeded its 2025 renewable energy target, smashing another major milestone in the State’s transition to cleaner, more reliable and affordable energy. Renewables delivered 44.
www.linkedin.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:03 AM
"Victoria has exceeded [i.e. overperformed] its 2025 renewable energy target ... Renewables delivered 44.6% of Victoria’s electricity generation last year - well exceeding the 40% target." The next target is 65% renewable electricity by 2030. www.linkedin.com/pulse/victor...
"Australians are paying the price for 2nd-best policies to deal with climate change, the head of the Productivity Commission has warned, lamenting that a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme wld have been better than the policies on offer from the govt or oppostn" www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...
Australians bearing the brunt of ‘second-best’ climate plans
One of the nation’s leading economists says Australians are paying the price for a political class that is “far from brave” when it comes to climate policy.
www.theage.com.au
February 11, 2026 at 2:53 AM
"Australians are paying the price for 2nd-best policies to deal with climate change, the head of the Productivity Commission has warned, lamenting that a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme wld have been better than the policies on offer from the govt or oppostn" www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...
Reposted by Martin Jones
This is lovely
theconversation.com/as-beautiful...
theconversation.com/as-beautiful...
As beautiful as they were powerful: Jon Kudelka’s political cartoons were made with true conviction
The award-winning cartoonist Jon Kudelka died in Hobart on Sunday, aged 53. Over 30 years, his work resisted the polarisation of the contemporary Australian media.
theconversation.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:29 AM
This is lovely
theconversation.com/as-beautiful...
theconversation.com/as-beautiful...
Reposted by Martin Jones
Really looking forward to Minns and the Chief of Police explaining the context of this beat down
February 10, 2026 at 6:52 AM
Really looking forward to Minns and the Chief of Police explaining the context of this beat down
Queensland also has a target to reduce its GHG emissions by 75% below 2005 levels by 2035. An interesting duality.
The Queensland government has approved new oil and gas exploration in a region they believe could become Australia's first new major oil province in 50 years.
New oil and gas exploration site the 'size of Singapore' approved in Queensland
The Queensland government has approved new oil and gas exploration in a region they believe could become Australia's first new major oil province in 50 years.
www.abc.net.au
February 10, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Queensland also has a target to reduce its GHG emissions by 75% below 2005 levels by 2035. An interesting duality.
Reposted by Martin Jones
Look I am not a fan of this arrangement but isn't their head of state King Charles www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
February 10, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Look I am not a fan of this arrangement but isn't their head of state King Charles www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
'Government spending increases inflation. Even government spending that decreases inflation actually increases inflation, just somewhere else.' Got it.
February 9, 2026 at 2:14 AM
'Government spending increases inflation. Even government spending that decreases inflation actually increases inflation, just somewhere else.' Got it.
Reposted by Martin Jones
Scoop: Australia's online gambling watchdog has ruled that using "prediction markets" like Polymarket is gambling.
It's a landmark decision that's at odds odds with the US where Polymarket has sidestepped gambling regulation by arguing it offers financial services
www.crikey.com.au/20...
It's a landmark decision that's at odds odds with the US where Polymarket has sidestepped gambling regulation by arguing it offers financial services
www.crikey.com.au/20...
February 6, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Scoop: Australia's online gambling watchdog has ruled that using "prediction markets" like Polymarket is gambling.
It's a landmark decision that's at odds odds with the US where Polymarket has sidestepped gambling regulation by arguing it offers financial services
www.crikey.com.au/20...
It's a landmark decision that's at odds odds with the US where Polymarket has sidestepped gambling regulation by arguing it offers financial services
www.crikey.com.au/20...
Reposted by Martin Jones
Here we are.
My @smh @theage cartoon.
My @smh @theage cartoon.
February 5, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Here we are.
My @smh @theage cartoon.
My @smh @theage cartoon.
"The administrative review tribunal this week reversed a 2024 ruling by the Australian privacy commissioner that had found Bunnings breached the privacy of store visitors by scanning and checking their faces."
Bunnings given green light to use facial recognition tech on customers to combat crime
Bunnings given green light to use facial recognition tech on customers to combat crime
Tribunal heard Bunnings store managers’ evidence of regular threatening or abusive behaviour from some customers
*
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Hardware giant Bunnings has been given the green light to use facial recognition technology on customers in order to prevent crime.
The administrative review tribunal this week reversed a 2024 ruling by the Australian privacy commissioner that had found Bunnings breached the privacy of store visitors by scanning and checking their faces. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:09 AM
"The administrative review tribunal this week reversed a 2024 ruling by the Australian privacy commissioner that had found Bunnings breached the privacy of store visitors by scanning and checking their faces."
"Two months since the social media ban began and teens say it isn't working" www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02... What a surprise!
Two months into the social media ban, a teenager says it's 'useless'
Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s is two months old, but teenagers say they have found ways around it.
www.abc.net.au
February 5, 2026 at 12:04 AM
"Two months since the social media ban began and teens say it isn't working" www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02... What a surprise!
Great 'long read' on Adam Tooze www.theguardian.com/business/202...
The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
The long read: Whether it’s the financial crash, the climate emergency or the breakdown of the international order, historian Adam Tooze has become the go-to guide to the radical new world we’ve enter...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Great 'long read' on Adam Tooze www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Martin Jones
DOCTOR: I told him he needed to get out to a show, that was how he would cure his depression.
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
February 2, 2026 at 3:58 AM
DOCTOR: I told him he needed to get out to a show, that was how he would cure his depression.
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
Reposted by Martin Jones
I cannot tell you how much doubt was consistently directed at the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and how much pressure was put on news organizations to couch those numbers as unreliable.
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
IDF accepts Gaza Health Ministry death toll of over 71,000 Palestinians killed in the war
Although Many International Experts Have Accepted the Health Ministry's Data as Reliable, and Even Conservative Relative to the True Death Toll, Israel Had Refused to Accept the Health Ministry's Coun...
www.haaretz.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:31 PM
I cannot tell you how much doubt was consistently directed at the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and how much pressure was put on news organizations to couch those numbers as unreliable.
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
The Superpower Institute (Ross Garnaut, Rod Sims, et al) are having another tilt at recommending carbon pricing (with revenue redistribution to households). The novelty: not just a "polluter pays" levy on fossil fuel use, but also a "fair share" resource levy.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Not radical, it’s fair’: Australian households would receive compensation in proposed ‘polluter pays’ levy scheme
Superpower Institute report fleshes out 2024 call from Labor heavyweight Ross Garnaut to re-embrace carbon pricing 12 years after Tony Abbott axed it
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The Superpower Institute (Ross Garnaut, Rod Sims, et al) are having another tilt at recommending carbon pricing (with revenue redistribution to households). The novelty: not just a "polluter pays" levy on fossil fuel use, but also a "fair share" resource levy.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Martin Jones
With respect to the *early* Jan heat in SE Australia (shorter heatwave than now)
* climate change made the event about 1.6°C hotter
* 5 times more likely to occur now than in preindustrial climate
* Return period of every 5 years in current climate
www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
* climate change made the event about 1.6°C hotter
* 5 times more likely to occur now than in preindustrial climate
* Return period of every 5 years in current climate
www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
Climate change eclipses La Niña cooling in Australia to drive extreme heatwave and heightened fire risk – World Weather Attribution
www.worldweatherattribution.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:11 PM
With respect to the *early* Jan heat in SE Australia (shorter heatwave than now)
* climate change made the event about 1.6°C hotter
* 5 times more likely to occur now than in preindustrial climate
* Return period of every 5 years in current climate
www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
* climate change made the event about 1.6°C hotter
* 5 times more likely to occur now than in preindustrial climate
* Return period of every 5 years in current climate
www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
"Figures from [AEMO] to be released on Thursday, confirm renewables and batteries powered more than 50% of the [NEM] grid in the December qtr for the first time in history, crunching coal to its lowest-ever seasonal share of the mix and gas to its lowest since 2000" www.theage.com.au/business/con...
‘Landmark moment’: Renewables’ record surge sends power prices tumbling
Electricity prices in eastern Australia have fallen sharply amid record-breaking contributions from renewables and large-scale batteries.
www.theage.com.au
January 29, 2026 at 7:49 AM
"Figures from [AEMO] to be released on Thursday, confirm renewables and batteries powered more than 50% of the [NEM] grid in the December qtr for the first time in history, crunching coal to its lowest-ever seasonal share of the mix and gas to its lowest since 2000" www.theage.com.au/business/con...
"Victorian consumers could end up footing the bill for expensive imported LNG under a controversial proposal that assumes the additional gas would lower the cost of domestic gas rather than increase it, as many expect." www.afr.com/companies/en...
Fears Victorian consumers will pay for gas imports under ‘last resort’ plan
Gas producers in Victoria say the government should act to streamline gas project approvals before considering plans for underwriting LNG import terminals.
www.afr.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:03 AM
"Victorian consumers could end up footing the bill for expensive imported LNG under a controversial proposal that assumes the additional gas would lower the cost of domestic gas rather than increase it, as many expect." www.afr.com/companies/en...
"On Tuesday in India, the two powerhouses [the EU and India] signed what the EU Commission’s president ... described as the “mother of all deals” – a free trade agreement that creates a market of nearly two billion consumers and a quarter of the world’s GDP." www.theage.com.au/business/the...
The ‘mother of all deals’ that will infuriate Trump
After two decades of negotiations, the European Union and India have reached an agreement that risks the ire of the US president. He has no one to blame but himself.
www.theage.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 2:20 AM
"On Tuesday in India, the two powerhouses [the EU and India] signed what the EU Commission’s president ... described as the “mother of all deals” – a free trade agreement that creates a market of nearly two billion consumers and a quarter of the world’s GDP." www.theage.com.au/business/the...
What to do with your solar system during a bushfire envirogroup.com.au/industry-new...
January 28, 2026 at 1:48 AM
What to do with your solar system during a bushfire envirogroup.com.au/industry-new...
"The Victoria state government has announced that it now plans to hold the long awaited but delayed first auction for offshore wind farms in Australia in August this year ... for 2 GW of capacity" reneweconomy.com.au/australias-f...
Australia's first offshore wind auction set for August after nearly one year delay
Updated: Victoria sets new date for its first offshore wind tender, nearly a year after the original that was delayed last year, and looks to tap into federal support scheme.
reneweconomy.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 12:09 AM
"The Victoria state government has announced that it now plans to hold the long awaited but delayed first auction for offshore wind farms in Australia in August this year ... for 2 GW of capacity" reneweconomy.com.au/australias-f...
"The Albanese government will streamline approvals to attract power-hungry data centres rather than offer subsidies, as the OECD warns the sector’s growing energy use threatens to derail Australia’s progress to net zero." www.afr.com/politics/fed...
Labor to fast-track data centre approvals as OECD flags energy strain
The global body said the cloud computing boom meant Canberra would need to make additional efforts to meet its 2050 net zero carbon emissions target.
www.afr.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:06 AM
"The Albanese government will streamline approvals to attract power-hungry data centres rather than offer subsidies, as the OECD warns the sector’s growing energy use threatens to derail Australia’s progress to net zero." www.afr.com/politics/fed...