The Economic Perspective 14 November 2025

The Latest Trending Economic News Curated for You by Balmoral Group Australia

Hello dear readers, 

This week’s articles focus on policy reform along with a foray into minerals. A new study by the Treasury shows that non-compete clauses in employment contracts may be stifling wages with no upside, and reforms to Australia’s climate law (The Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act) are underway with three bills before parliament aiming to streamline project approvals and bolster protections, although the bills may entrench the same mistakes. A submission from GrainCorp also calls on policy makers to reform various systems across transport, energy, processing and trade to position Australia as a leader in low emissions food, feed and fuel, and CSIRO explains the importance of copper for the clean energy transition and economic circularity.

I’ve also attached a video showing Dr Sophie Scamps reading proposed amendments to the recent environmental law reforms – the video highlights criticisms of the reforms that suggest the new laws may have serious flaws.

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Hope you enjoy the articles and have a great weekend!

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Non-competes: a case of missing wages in Australia

A study by the Treasury's Competition Review examines employment non-compete clauses, finding that these conditions often utilise clauses to stop workers from changing jobs, or save time and money, rather than protect intellectual property. Furthermore, workers should be compensated for the personal costs associated with limiting future and potential job opportunities, but no such premium exists - reflecting "missing wages". Read more here.

Revolution or evolution? Key reforms proposed to Australia’s national environmental laws 

Major reforms to Australia’s environmental conservation law are before parliament and, if passed, will have widespread impacts on project approval processes. The three bills, short-titled the Reform Bill, the NEPA Bill and the Information Bill, respond to the 2020 Samuel review critiquing current law (the EPBC Act) for its complexity and failure to halt nature’s decline. The reforms will give the Environment Minister additional powers (a feature which has been criticised), establish a new National Environmental Protection Agency, develop bioregional plans, and streamline assessment processes. Read more here.   

Rewiring a sustainable, clean energy future with copper 

Copper is a strategic metal for Australia and a critical mineral for the US, Canada, India, South Korea and Japan. Clean energy technology can require up to five times more copper than traditional systems, and due to this importance global copper demand is set to sky-rocket. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a near doubling of demand by 2050, and mining industry predicts the next decade of demand will surpass the total amount ever mined. However, high demand won't result in proportional increases in mining due to copper's 100% recyclability – 80% of the copper ever mined is still in use today, and nearly one-third of global copper demand is met through recycling. Read more here.

Submission: National Food Security Strategy 

GrainCorp has emphasized the need for food system reforms in their submission responding to the Federal Government’s “Feeding Australia: National Food Security Strategy” report. Threats are cited as climate variability, freight bottlenecks, biosecurity threats, and global trade disruptions – all affecting the food supply chain spanning agriculture, energy, transport, processing and trade. GrainCorp’s key recommendations focus on infrastructure upgrades for freight and ports, digital traceability, renewable fuel processing, and climate-resilient energy systems. The long-term vision is to position Australia as a global leader in low-emissions food, feed and fuel. Read more here.

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Amendments to the Proposed Nature Reform Laws

This video of Dr Sophie Scamps highlights the ongoing criticisms with the recently drafted reform bills for the EPBC Act, such as offering too much discretionary power to the Minister for Environment.

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