Economic Policies
The Nobel Prize winning economist James Tobin once said that the study of economics “offered the hope, as it still does, that improved understanding could better the lot of mankind”. One of the ways in which it does this is through the implementation of economic policy that helps to ameliorate boom-and-bust cycles, reduces unemployment, contains inflation or lifts people’s living standards in sustainable ways.
A post-Budget conversation
Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 16th May 2024On 15th May, I joined Professors Peter Robinson and Peter Van Onselen of the University of Western Australia for a discussion about the 2024-25 Federal Budget presented the previous day. A podcast of that conversation is here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/peter-van-onselen/episodes/Analysing-the-budget-e2jngdd
The 2024-25 Australian Government Budget – An Assessment
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 15th May 2024Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers presented his third budget to the Australian Parliament on Tuesday 14th May. Here’s my assessment – there are some things to like about it (such as the cost-of-living relief), and some things to be skeptical about (such as many, though not all, of the things being funded under the ‘Future Made […]
Upcoming Federal Budget with Laura Jayes
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 13th May 2024I was interviewed by Sky News Australia’s Laura Jayes about the upcoming 2024-25 Federal Budget and its potential impact (upwards and donwnwards) in inflation, and about the perversion of the system for distributing revenue from Australia’s GST to the states and territories at the behest of Australia’s richest state, Western Australia. The interview can be […]
Preview of the 2024-25 Federal Budget
Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 11th May 2024Fellow independent economist Nikki Hutley and I were interviewed by the ABC’s Fran Kelly for her Saturday Extra program on 11th May about expectations for the 2024-25 Federal Budget to be presented by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on the evening of Tuesday 14th May. Here’s a link to a recording of the segment: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/budget-panel/103832416
The WA GST deal – the worst public policy decision of the 21st century thus far – Address to the National Press Club
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies | 8th May 2024I addressed the National Press Club in Canberra, on the subject of the changes made by the Morrison Government (with the support of the then Labor Opposition) in 2018 to the distribution of revenue from the GST among the states and territories at the behest of Western Australia – which I regard as constituting the […]
‘A distinctive part of life in Australia’ The Declining Dream of Homeownership
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing | 17th April 2024I recorded a podcast with Georgina Downer, the CEO of the Robert Menzies Institute – a prime ministerial library and museum established to honour Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, and affiliated with the University of Melbourne – about Australia’s ‘housing crisis’, and about how far Australian housing policy has moved away from the […]
“The Great Housing Disaster – Who’s to Blame?”
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Topics | 15th April 2024This week’s Saturday Paper‘s “&am” podcast looks at the causes and consequences of the massive increase in Australian residential property prices, relative to incomes, and the resulting decline in home ownership rates, especially among younger and middle-aged Australians, over the past six decades. It includes some extended grabs from me. It’s available here: https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/podcast/the-great-housing-disaster-whos-blame (the […]
Tasmania’s fiscal position
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, Tasmania | 24th March 2024Saul Eslake talks to ABC Radio Hobart’s “Mornings” presenter Leon Compton about the condition of Tasmania’s budget and public finances, and what the impact of the spending promises made by the contenders in the 23 March election might mean for those.