Ben Spies-Butcher
Political economist and sociologist @mqsociology.bsky.social Public finance, social policy, climate and inequality. Co-Director, Australian Basic Income Lab @ausbasicincome.bsky.social own views.
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherClearly it’s time to appoint a permanent officer in the government to look over all the festival programs. Some fellow in a centralised office where all the art can be submitted beforehand, to make sure it’s socially cohesive. Some kind of Chief Approver, if you like www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherMcIntosh’s complaint said the knowledge that the child actors depict such scenes was "grotesque and a clear contravention of the ABC’s Code of Practice". If only she was as concerned about the grotesque actual treatment of First Nations children by LNP govts. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherThe US Holocaust Museum being more outraged by Tim Walz saying that, like Anne Frank, children today are in hiding from armed agents of the state, than they are about the fact that children are in hiding from armed agents of the state, is why Holocaust remembrance culture is in crisis.
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherFeel like a man throwing a homemade IED into a large crowd at an invasion day rally should be bigger news
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherGreat to see Bristol's Green councillors making case for a trial Universal Basic Income - a guaranteed payment that would have huge benefits for groups like care leavers, and give a massive boost to culture and the arts. bristolgreenparty.org.uk/greens-call-...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher"Superannuation is supposed to be for retirement. Unfortunately, it has become like Australia’s own internal tax haven and inheritance scheme for wealthy people." @taxjustice.net's Mark Zirsnak #ThePoint thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherIf the Palestine Action hunger strikers die - which they could do at any moment, as they are now very close to the end - it will be the government that killed them. Today’s column explains why. Please share, and write urgently to your MP. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherAlso while I was madly packing up my house, a new paper came out where we consider how housing ties together the Australian public and the Reserve Bank of Australia - adding a new layer of complexity to monetary policy making. www.ppesydney.net/content/uplo...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher"Treasury figures reveal $18 billion capital gains windfall for Australia’s richest 10 per cent" Form me in @thepointau.bsky.social thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherHow about business leaders first institute all the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry?
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher"How else is New York’s City Hall booby-trapped to prevent progress on housing? What forces barricade the staircase, and what snipers lie in wait for a mayor who dares challenge the real estate state?" Spectacular essay on the real deep state of FIRE sector jewishcurrents.org/zohran-mamda...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherShockwaves in Europe & in Asia. As Policytensor puts it "We have the W Hemisphere, Europe & the Middle East but no Asia. The only core, vital US interest in the Indo-Pacific is described as the security of sea-lanes,supply chains,&critical minerals. No mention of Japanese, Korean,Taiwanese security"
- A few thoughts on the new US national security strategy that was released today. 🧵 www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherListen to George Megalogenis, @frankbongiorno.bsky.social @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social @emilyrosefoley.bsky.social and I discuss if Australia is entering a new political era. With record electoral shifts reshaping class, gender, race, and power dynamics, what does the future hold for our democracy?
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherGreat to see this event we organised, with funds from @auspsa.bsky.social and featuring George Megalogenis, @frankbongiorno.bsky.social @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social @lizhumphrys.bsky.social & @emilyrosefoley.bsky.social has been made into a podcast by UTS Impact Studios. pod.link/1760672339/e...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher“America’s Polarization Has Become the World's Side Hustle” too many people just focus on supply side of foreigners using tech for disinformation. Its the demand side - American society is broken yet wealthy - that makes it a business model www.404media.co/americas-pol...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherThe latest corrective services data is out today, and it points a horrific picture of the systemic racism in our judicial system #PointLive live.thepoint.com.au
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher"Poverty is not evidence, the presumption of innocence must apply to everyone" Smashing column by @kristin8x.antipovertycentre.org & @maiyazize.bsky.social #ThePoint thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherMacclesfield Central (Cheshire East) Council By-Election Result: 🌍 GRN: 41.8% (+19.7) 🌹 LAB: 28.6% (-25.7) ➡️ RFM: 15.8% (New) 🌳 CON: 9.1% (-4.5) ⚖️ EQU: 2.5% (New) 🔶 LDM: 2.2% (-7.7) Green GAIN from Labour. Changes w/ 2023.
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherThe Young Greens of England and Wales is officially the largest youth and student wing of any British political party. Greens: "With overall Green Party membership now at over 150,000, the Young Greens have over 40,000 members – making them larger than Young Labour."
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherOur co-director @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social will be speaking to the Economic Society of Australia tomorrow in Sydney (and online). He'll be discussing AI, #BasicIncome and much more. Registration details below.
- I'm speaking to the Economic Society of Australia (Central) in Sydney (and Webinar) on Wednesday about the future of jobs, money and the economy after AI, discussing hashtag #BasicIncome, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, Techno-feudalism and more. esansw.org.au/event/64812/...
- I'm speaking to the Economic Society of Australia (Central) in Sydney (and Webinar) on Wednesday about the future of jobs, money and the economy after AI, discussing hashtag #BasicIncome, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, Techno-feudalism and more. esansw.org.au/event/64812/...
- I'll be building on this recent @theconversation.com piece theconversation.com/if-ai-takes-...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherThe Australian Basic Income Lab is proud to endorse Basic Income for a Just Transition, a bold proposal from @equalrightorg.bsky.social @give-directly.bsky.social BIEN and Project Deep. bsky.app/profile/did:...
- Great piece from my colleague @alistairsisson.bsky.social exploring the implications of our voter data on the ##HousingCrisis johnmenadue.com/post/2025/10...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherThe 1st publication from the 2025 Cooperative Election survey was launched yesterday prepared by the Macquarie Housing & Urban Research Centre, this report explores perceptions of housing affordability and perceived solutions (thread)
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherFascinating stuff from @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social and the gang - check it out!
- What do voters think about the housing crisis? Just out in @aunz.theconversation.com our piece (w @shaunwilson.bsky.social @alistairsisson.bsky.social Kristian Ruming and Adam Stebbing) for MQ's Housing and Urban Research Centre exploring #Housing attitudes theconversation.com/most-austral...
- What do voters think about the housing crisis? Just out in @aunz.theconversation.com our piece (w @shaunwilson.bsky.social @alistairsisson.bsky.social Kristian Ruming and Adam Stebbing) for MQ's Housing and Urban Research Centre exploring #Housing attitudes theconversation.com/most-austral...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherJoin us for a free webinar hosted by Macquarie University where researchers will present the fascinating insights they have drawn from data collected by Accent Research at the 2025 federal election showing how voters' demographics, backgrounds and economic interests shape housing politics
- How did #Housing shape the 2025 #auspol Election? Come to our free webinar. We analyse new data to see how generation, tenure and voting shape housing politics With @emmabaker.bsky.social @shaunratcliff.bsky.social and @everybodyshome.bsky.social Maiy Azize events.humanitix.com/webinar-on-h...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherPalestinian bodies returned by Israel show signs of torture and execution, say doctors www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherNow out with New Political Economy: What's going on in the legal back-end of 'innovative' climate finance constructs? I provide some additional clues to why it's so hard to de-risk private climate finance by public means. Open access, too! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
- How did #Housing shape the 2025 #auspol Election? Come to our free webinar. We analyse new data to see how generation, tenure and voting shape housing politics With @emmabaker.bsky.social @shaunratcliff.bsky.social and @everybodyshome.bsky.social Maiy Azize events.humanitix.com/webinar-on-h...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherOur submission on Help to Buy is in. Biggest concerns? *Inflated prices *Hidden fiscal costs *No perpetual affordability 💡 Shared equity could work better. Tie it to Community Land Trusts → permanent affordability, real public benefit: sbee.link/6phagtynb8 #HousingCrisis #HelpToBuy
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherI hadn't seen George Brandis' op ed about expanding parliament but it is indeed completely false and @benraue.com has kindly saved me the trouble of debunking it www.tallyroom.com.au/62130
- I suppose they've given up on abundance...? "We think the WTO needs to focus on oversupply issues … There’s plenty of products that I think people would say there’s an oversupply." www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherJOB! Permanent Lecturer / Senior Lecturer position (education focused) in Political Economy at the University of Sydney.
- How did #housing shape the #auspol election? Come and hear new data and analysis from our MQ Housing and Urban Research Centre unpacking how generation, tenure and partisanship shape how we see the problem and the solutions. Zoom event, Oct 22, 12pm events.humanitix.com/webinar-on-h...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherWhat did i just read. Cass Sunstein on Henry Kissinger the great Star Wars admirer
- Join us on Tuesday night at UTS to discuss: A New Australian Politics? George Megalogenis @frankbongiorno.bsky.social @lizhumphrys.bsky.social Emily Foley and I discuss how the last two elections have changed Australian politics and what it means for the future events.humanitix.com/a-new-austra...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherReally interesting article on the history of engagement with women and gender norms in the Liberal Party. Thanks @blairwilliams26.bsky.social for your research!
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher"In Australia we tax wealth really badly. "And because we tax wealth really badly, we need to have higher taxes on, for example, income." - Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff on 3AW Radio Mornings #auspol @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherCheck out our co-director @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social discussing #BasicIncome #AI and #Inequality in The Conversation this morning.
- Just out in @aunz.theconversation.com: #AI #Abundance and money. My reflections on #BasicIncome #BasicServices and why we need more than technical solutions to the political challenges of #poverty and #inequality theconversation.com/if-ai-takes-...
- Just out in @aunz.theconversation.com: #AI #Abundance and money. My reflections on #BasicIncome #BasicServices and why we need more than technical solutions to the political challenges of #poverty and #inequality theconversation.com/if-ai-takes-...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher🚨 PhD Scholarship 🚨 Thinking about a PhD on the political economy of climate change? Want to work with some of the kindest and best scholars in the field? Do this. Tbh, I'm jealous of whoever gets this!!!
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherSolidarity with colleagues at Macquarie University opposing catastrophic cuts to Sociology. You can make a difference by adding your name to the petition here: www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/sa...
- Proud to stand with my Sociology colleagues, joined by @mehreenfaruqi.bsky.social @damiencahill.bsky.social and the mighty @nteunion.bsky.social against the devastating cuts proposed at Macquarie University
- Proud to stand with my Sociology colleagues, joined by @mehreenfaruqi.bsky.social @damiencahill.bsky.social and the mighty @nteunion.bsky.social against the devastating cuts proposed at Macquarie University
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherFrom a supporter email Climate 200 sent today - a good example of how the organisation exhibits 'party-like' behaviour, as @phoebehayman.bsky.social, @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social and I wrote about @ausjpolsci.bsky.social in 2024: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherHello Sydneysiders! On Tuesday 23rd Sep join Frank Bongiorno, George Megalogenis, @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social, @lizhumphrys.bsky.social & me for our public event A New Australian Politics: Rupture or Realignment. Registration is free & we'd love to see you there! events.humanitix.com/a-new-austra...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherOn the evening of Tue 23rd Sep join George Megalogenis, @frankbongiorno.bsky.social, @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social, @emilyrosefoley.bsky.social & I for our public event at UTS. Registration is free & we'd love to see you there! events.humanitix.com/a-new-austra...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherJOIN US: AUWU Advocacy Training on July 12th or 19th! We'll help you become better informed about the regulations around Centrelink and Workforce Australia, so you can be an effective advocate. If you're interested, just send us an email at advocacyteam@auwu.org.au @ausunemployment.auwu.org.au
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherInvolvement in US strikes on Iran could make Australia a target, experts warn as government tight-lipped on Pine Gap
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher"Planet Wreckers… Four Global North countries – the #UnitedStates, #Canada, #Norway, and #Australia – are responsible for nearly 70% of projected new #oil and #gas expansion from 2025 to 2035" Architects of an unliveable nightmare future... #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChaos oilchange.org/blogs/planet...
- Great piece by @johnquiggin.bsky.social on University Australia's recent commitments around anti-semitism open.substack.com/pub/johnquig...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcher‘Calling for zoning and planning reform is a popular technique for seeming concerned about housing while avoiding the systemic change that would deliver additional supply.’ Systemic change like public investment in affordable homes, & rent & tax reform. theconversation.com/is-regulatio...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherUniversities are in trouble. But is Nous Group the answer? The business model of the consultant is sharp and sophisticated. They bought the sector 'benchmarking' data and use it to sell services. Griffith Uni even hired 4 exec staff from them. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-Butcherthat’s a residential apartment building, Bevan.
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherGood read from NTEU Adelaide University Branch President Kit MacFarlane on how Australia’s public universities have become stacked with unelected members brought in from big business. Join our campaign to end bad governance for good: betterunis.nteu.au www.indailysa.com.au/news/opinion...
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherRedundancies when there are no funding cuts. Outrageous. Thoughts with the people about to lose their jobs because yet another new boss wants to stamp their own mark on an organisation for the fourth time in eight years.
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherAt the *arresting senior union leaders* point
- Good to hear from my comrades and friends @alisonbarnes.bsky.social and @jennyleong.bsky.social at our 350 strong @nteunion.bsky.social crisis meeting to fight outrageous cuts at Macquarie. Hard times, but feeling enormous solidarity 💪🏼
- Reposted by Ben Spies-ButcherRecord union meeting at Macquarie today - currently 336 staff in the meeting and rising. NTEU Branch President, Nick Harrigan speaking - "staff have to save this University from its own Management"
