This month's NEJ is focused on young people - the creators and inheritors of the New Economy. We reached out to youth activists, peak bodies, new economy practitioners and writers to hear about their vision for the future, and are proud to present a collection of 12 articles that provoke, educate and inspire in equal measure.
From the frontlines of the School Strikes for Climate movement, to the impressive work of Young Farmers Connect and social enterprise Edgy Blue Mountains, we hear from young people actively challenging the status quo in pursuit of ecological and economic justice. From representatives of Interns Australia and the Foundation for Young Australians comes thoughtful reflections on the future of work and the rapidly evolving labour market, and a powerful defence of the principle that work experience should not be a vehicle for exploitation. Acclaimed writer Scott Colvin makes a spirited case for socialism as the antidote to neoliberalism's excesses, whilst Melbourne lawyer Henry Hamilton pens a cautionary tale on the pull of the corporate sector for indebted university graduates. Oliver Mispelhorn gives us the low down on Canberra’s newest healthcare co-operative, and we also hear about the launch of Cooperative Power and the 2019 Co-ops NSW annual conference.
As always, we hope you disagree with some, take hope from others, and learn from all about how we can build a new, just and sustainable economy.
How is this New Economy? A sustainable economy is possible. We have the means and the technology, and are only missing the political will. School students are making an impressive stand to change this, and have a general strike planned for September. NEJ contacted School Strike for Climate organisers Sampson...
How is this New Economy? For The Young Person’s Issue, NEJ reached out to youth peak bodies Interns Australia and Foundation for Young Australians to get their visions for the new economy. The following contribution from Interns Australia addresses the issue of unpaid internships. Unpaid internships are less likely to...
How is this New Economy? For The Young Person’s Issue, NEJ reached out to youth peak bodies Interns Australia and The Foundation for Young Australians to get their visions for the new economy. The following contribution from The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) addresses the future of work and the...
How is this New Economy? Finding ways to earn an income while contributing to community well being and ecological sustainability is core to the New Economy movement. Organisations like Edgy are at the forefront of this. Edgy Blue Mountains is a collaborative social enterprise exploring new ways to live and...
How is this New Economy? Agriculture in Australia is increasingly large, monocultural and wasteful. Getting young, independent farmers on the land is the only way we can begin to reverse this trend, so it is exciting to see the growth of organisations like Young Farmers Connect. Young Farmers Connect (YFC)...
How is this New Economy? A Just Transition is central to the viability of the new economy movement. After the serious climate impacts over summer and the surprising election result, now is a good time to reconsider our thinking around what we mean by the terms. Environment Victoria’s Cat Nadal...
How is this New Economy? Economists are beginning to lay out some of the disparate strands of evidence to present a vision of a transformative economy. Jacob Debets writes the first NEJ Book Review on The Economics of Arrival, by renowned new economy writers and researchers Katherine Trebeck and Jeremy...
How is this New Economy? The pull of the old economy is still very strong and will, at many points, act on us as we live our lives. This is brilliantly explored in writer and lawyer Henry Hamilton’s cautionary fable, The Mask. The Student enters the University for the first...
How is this New Economy? Scott Colvin argues that socialism is a means, the means, to achieve just, emancipatory outcomes and is not just another political identity. Socialism is the solution to the problem, and not just a flavour of one solution. If so, the new economy movement is a...
How is this New Economy? Community control of community services makes a lot of sense and leads to positive outcomes on numerous fronts. This article discusses the recent decision of a community service - Interchange General Practice - to facilitate formal control for the community regarding its operations. Oliver Mispelhorn...
How is this New Economy? In this article, Godfrey Moase discusses the union-led launch of a new energy co-operative, Cooperative Power, which seeks to help build an ecosystem organisations supporting sustainable energy production and consumption. Radical Brazilian educator Paulo Freire posed the question, “What can we do today so that...
How is this New Economy? Democratic control of business is an important New Economy demand, so it is exciting that co-operatives are experiencing a renaissance. The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (the first national cross-sector co-op peak body) was, for example, established only a few years ago. State based...
